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NewOrleans braces for Border Patrol sweeps

Fear,anxiety grip immigrant communities

BY JAMES FINN Staff writer

Along Williams Boulevard in Kenner,signs in Spanish beckon passersby into law ﬁrms specializing in immigration, restaurants hawking carnitas and groceries sellingtraditionalCentral Americaningredients.

Julio Machado,aVenezuelan-born local restaurateur,openeda neweatery last December on the Jefferson Parish thoroughfarebecausehesaw promise in astrip that hasemerged as acommercial hub for southeast Louisiana’sblossoming Hispanic community.Jefferson has themost Hispanic residents per capitaofany Louisiana Parish; Kenner,the most of any Louisiana city.

Right away,acascade of problems enveloped the new venture.

Workers were hardto ﬁnd; business was anemic.The shopwas almost always empty,save for afew customers during thelunch rush Lukewarm job applicants and occasional customers relayed versions of the same explanation: Workers were avoidingestablishmentsthat

Brent Moreno holdsa handful of the whistles that he 3D-printed to use to alert people of potentialimmigration raids in Gretna on Saturday. Since Friday, he hasalreadygiven out overahundred.‘As a first generation American andson of an immigrant Colombian family,I am just doing my part to help anyway Ican,’Moreno said.

traditionally relied on LatinAmerican labor,terriﬁedofthe crackdown from President Donald Trump’s administration on undocumented immigrants. Would-be customers were saving cash,bracing for potential costs of hiring immigration lawyers or reuniting with deported loved ones.

After 10 months, Coma Arepas

—Spanish for “eat arepas,” atraditional corn-based Venezuelan street snack —was seeing “pretty much no business at all,” Machado said. The little blue-and-yellow shop closed in October Fear and anxiety have gripped southeast Louisiana’simmigrant

See SWEEPS, page 8A

BY JILLIAN KRAMER Staff writer

Butthe fix—a localcrime lab—isyears away LONGING FORJUSTICE Partfour in aseries

Alasting ﬁx remains years away for what District Attorney Jason Williamscalls the single biggest factor slowing homicide prosecutions in New Orleans: the waitfor DNA test results. Local testing isn’texpected to begin until at least 2027 —though it could take even longer without additional funding and staff. In the meantime, the city will continue to depend on state and private labs, atemporary arrangement that hasresolved onecrisisonly to create another

That reliance dates back two decades, since Hurricane Katrina left New Orleans without a functioning testing facility andthe city began sending DNA evidence to the Louisiana State PoliceCrime Lab. The outsourcing churnedinto abacklogso deep that theaverageturnaround fora DNAtest climbedto441 days earlier this year,a slowdown that has stalled at least 18 homicide cases this year alone.

Projectconsiders Rampartspot

BY ANTHONY McAULEY Staff writer

missed Musicmuseumweighs move to ‘hallowedground’

ternative

ä See MUSEUM, page 6A

BY TYLER BRIDGES Staff writer

The race to replace Justice Will Crainonthe Louisiana Supreme Court has begun even before Crain has left the position to becomeafederal judge. Crain’snomination by President Donald Trump was approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday on aparty-line vote, setting him up forfinal confirmation by the full Senate sometime soon. In the meantime, five judges in Crain’sSupreme Court district along Interstate 12 are expressing varying degrees of interest in running forhis seat after it becomes vacant.

Convention Center on apotential direct lease.

STAFF PHOTOSByENAN CHEDIAK

The Rev. Tony Rigoli stands in Our LadyofGuadalupe Church on Rampart Street in NewOrleans on Friday. As thecity braces for an immigration crackdown, Rigoli says, ‘After Katrina, it was immigrants whocame to help,Theybuilt lives. Theywere honest.’

BRIEFS FROM WIRE REPORTS

Cargo ship catches fire in Port of LosAngeles

Afire on acontainer ship docked at the Port of LosAngeles was nearly containedSaturday afternoon, though authorities were still assessing whether enough hazardous material burned to cause signiﬁcant contamination.

The blaze, which brokeout Friday night, prompted ashelter-in-place order for surrounding communities over concerns about hazardous materials in the One Henry Hudson’scargo.

The order was lifted in the morning, andthe ship was moved out to sea. Fireboats sprayed water on the vesseltotame “a smallsection” that wasstill on fire, Los AngelesFire Departmentspokesperson Adam Van Gerpen said.

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

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

2Texas men indicted in plot to ‘invade’ Haiti

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

According to anews release from theU.S. Attorney’s ofﬁce for the Eastern District of Texas, GavinRiversWeisenburg, 21, of Allen and Tanner Christopher Thomas, 20,ofArgyle are accused of plottingtomurder men on an island of Haitiand use the women and childrenon the island as “sex slaves.” The two men were also indicted on acharge 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 apart of Haiti.The two men planned to purchase asailboat, ﬁrearms and ammunition and recruit homeless people from Washington, D.C., as a “mercenary force” to invade the island and stage acoup d’etat.

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

If convicted, the men faceup to life in prison.

WHO: Polio outbreak in Indonesia is over

JAKARTA, Indonesia

TheWorld Health Organizationhas declared Indonesia’spolio outbreak ofﬁcially over,following nearly three years of intensive response efforts, ofﬁcials said Friday Indonesia has remained largely polio-free as the highly contagious diseasewas declared eliminated inthe country in 2014.But eight years later,anoutbreak emerged in the country’sconservative Aceh province, prompted by adangerous combination of consistentlylow routine immunization and unhealthy environmental conditions. In 2021,only 50.9% of infants born in Aceh received polio vaccination.

Ofﬁcials say that polio immunization rates in Aceh are well behind therestofthe country, withefforts hampered bywidespreaddisinformationthat the vaccine is incompatible with religious beliefs, among other things. The government has also been prioritizingCOVID-19 vaccinations since they became available.

Over the next two years, cases appeared in the provinces of Banten, West Java, Central Java, East Java, NorthMaluku, Central Papua, Highland Papua and South Papua, prompting the mass immunization and information drive. Nearly 60 million additional doses of polio vaccine were administeredtochildren during the response. The last conﬁrmed poliocase wasinSouth Papua province on June 2024.

Ukraine’salliespushbackonpeace plan

By The Associated Press

KYIV,Ukraine Ukraine’s Western allies rallied around the war-torn country on Saturdayastheypushed to revise aU.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.

AUkrainian delegation, bolstered by representatives from France, Germany and theU.K., is preparing for direct talks with Washington in Switzerland on Sunday

The28-pointblueprint drawn up by the U.S. to end the nearly four-year war sparked alarminKyiv and European capitals, with Zelenskyy sayinghis country could face astark choice between standing up for its sovereign rightsand preserving the American support it needs

Speaking to reporters outsidethe White House on Saturday, President Donald Trump said theU.S. proposal was not his ﬁnal offer.”

“I would like to get to peace. It should have happened along time ago. The Ukraine war with Russia should have never happened,” Trump said. “One

ä Trumppaints Zelenskyy into corner with peace plan. PAGE 4A

way or the other,wehave to get it ended.”

The U.S.planforesees Ukraine handing over territory to Russia,something Kyiv has repeatedly ruled out,while reducing thesize of its army andblocking its coveted path to NATO membership. It contains many of Moscow’slongstanding demands, while offering limited security guarantees to Kyiv

On Saturday,leadersof the European Union, Canada andJapan issueda joint statement welcoming U.S. peaceefforts, butpushed back against keytenets of

the plan.

“Weare readytoengage in ordertoensurethata future peace is sustainable. We areclear on the principle that borders must notbechangedbyforce. We arealsoconcerned by theproposedlimitations on Ukraine’sarmed forces, which would leave Ukraine vulnerable to future attack,” the statement said. It added thatany decisions regarding NATO andthe EU would require the consent of member states Theleaders of France, Germanyand the U.K.met during theday on thesidelinesofa Groupof20summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, to discuss ways to support Kyiv,according to aperson with knowledge

of thematterwho spokeon condition of anonymitybecause they were not authorized to speak publicly

German Chancellor FriedrichMerz told reporters at the summitthat “wars cannot be ended by major powers over the headsofthe countriesaffected,” and insisted Kyiv needed robust guarantees. French President EmmanuelMacronsaidthe U.S. peace plan for Ukraine “requires broader consultation” because “itstipulates many things involving Europeans,” like Russia’sfrozen assets and Ukraine’s accession to the European Union. Europe’s security issues must also be taken into account, Macron said, adding: “Wewant arobust and

lasting peace.”

Merz and Macron said that envoys from Germany, France, theU.K.and theEU will join Ukrainiannegotiators as they meet aU.S delegation in Geneva on Sunday to discuss Washington’sproposal. Zelenskyy confirmed themeeting on Saturday, afterTrump set adeadline forKyiv to respond to the plan by next Thursday Amongthose expectedto represent Washington are Trump’sArmy secretary, Dan Driscoll, andMarco Rubio, who serves as both national security adviser and secretary of state, according to aU.S. officialwho was not authorized to publicly discussthe American participantsbefore the meeting and spoke on condition of anonymity.Driscoll presented the U.S. plantoUkrainian officialslast week. European leadershave long warned againstrushinga peacedeal, seeing their own future at stake in Ukraine’s fight to beat back Russia, and insist on being consulted in peace efforts. Kyiv’skey alliesinEurope reiterated their reservations about the Kremlin’s readiness to end the war. “Time and again, Russia pretends to be serious about peace, but their actions never liveuptotheirwords,” U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer told reporters ahead of the G20summit, days after aRussian strike on western Ukraine killed over two dozen civilians.

Israel launches strikesinGaza, testingceasefire

Countriessay U.S. proposal favors Moscow, needsrevision Hospitalssay at least24killed

BY WAFAA SHURAFA Associated Press

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip

Israel’s militaryonSaturdaylaunched airstrikes against Hamas militants in Gaza in the latest test of theceasefire that began on Oct. 10, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’soffice said fivesenior Hamasmembers were killed. Health officialsin Gaza reportedatleast 24 people killed and another 54 wounded,including children Thestrikes,which Israel said were in response to gunfire at itstroops, came after international momentumonGaza, with theU.N. SecurityCouncil on Monday approving the U.S.blueprint to secure and govern theterritory It authorizes an international stabilization force to provide security,approves atransitional authorityto be overseen by President Donald Trump and envisions apossible futurepath to an independent Palestinian state. Israel has previously carried out similar waves of strikes after reported attacks on its forces dur-

Icouldn’tsee athing. Icoveredmyears andstarted shouting to the others in thetent to run,”saidKhalil Abu Hatab in Deir al-Balah. “When Ilooked again, Irealizedthe upper ﬂoor of my neighbor’shouse was gone.”

He added: “It’safragile ceaseﬁre.This is nota life we can live. There’snosafe place.”

Israel’smilitary in astatement said it launched attacksagainst Hamas after an “armed terrorist” crossed into an Israeli-held area and shotattroopsinsouthern Gaza.Itsaidnosoldiers were hurt. The military said

the person had used aroad on which humanitarian aid enters the territory,and called it an “extreme violation” of the ceaseﬁre. In other statements,the military said soldiers killed 11 “terrorists”inthe Rafah area and detained six others who tried to ﬂeeanunderground structure. It also said itsforces killedtwo others who crossed into Israeli-heldareas in northern Gaza andadvanced toward soldiers.

Israeli forces remain in just over half of Gaza after withdrawing from someareas under the ceaseﬁre.

ing the ceaseﬁre. At least 33 Palestinians were killed over a12-hour period Wednesdayand Thursday, mostly women and children, healthofﬁcials said.

One of Saturday’sstrikes targeted avehicle, killing 11 andwounding over 20 Palestinians in Gaza City’s Rimal neighborhood, said Rami Mhanna,managing director of Shifa Hospital, where thecasualties 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.

Astrike targeting a house near Al-Awda Hospital in central Gaza killed at least threepeople and wounded11others, accordingtothe hospital.It said astrike on ahousein Nuseirat camp in central Gaza killedatleast seven people including achild and wounded 16 others.

Anotherstrike,targeting ahouse in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, killedthree people,including awoman, according to Al-Aqsa Hospital.

“Suddenly,Iheard apowerful explosion.I looked outside andsaw smoke coveringthe entire area

Number of children abducted in Nigeria school attack risestomorethan300

By The Associated Press

ABUJA, Nigeria Atotal of 303 schoolchildren and 12 teachers were abducted by gunmen during an attack on St. Mary’sSchool, aCatholic institutionin north-central Nigeria’s Niger state, the Christian Associationof Nigeria said Saturday,updatingan earlier tallyof215 schoolchildren.

The tally was changed “after averiﬁcation exercise andaﬁnalcensus was carried out,” according to astatementissued 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 studentswere both male and female and rangedinage from 10 to 18.

Theschool kidnapping in Niger state’sremote Papiricommunity happened fourdaysafter 25 schoolchildren wereseized in similarcircumstances in neighboring Kebbistate’s Maga town, which is 106 miles away

No group has yet claimed responsibilityfor theabductions and authorities have saidtactical squads have been deployed alongside localhunters to rescue

the children.

Yohanna describedas false aclaim from the state government thatthe school had reopened for studiesdespiteanearlier directive for schools in that partofNiger state to close temporarily due to securitythreats.

“Wedid notreceive any circular.Itmust be an afterthought and away to shift blame,” he said, callingonfamilies “to remain calm and prayerful.”

School kidnappings have come to deﬁneinsecurity in Africa’smost populous nation, and armed gangs often seeschools as “strategic” targets to draw moreattention.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTOByEFREM LUKATSKy

Awar veteran throws seeds at the foot of the monument to victims of Holodomor,the GreatFamine, which took place in the 1930s andthat killed millions, during an annual commemorating ceremonyonSaturday in Kyiv,Ukraine.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ABDEL KAREEM HANA

Palestinians inspect the damagetoahouse targeted by an Israeli strikeonSaturday in Deir al-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip.

Brazil’s former presidentBolsonaro arrested

Authoritiesallege plot to escape, avoid27-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 a27-year prison sentence for leading acoup 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 hissupporters prepared areligious act in his favor In adramatic andunexpected twist in the ﬁnal stage of along and divisive crimi-

on Sept. 2inBrasilia, Brazil

naltrial, federal agents entered Bolsonaro’shouse early Saturday underthe order of aSupremeCourt Justice to takethe former president to theheadquarters of the country’sfederal police in the capital, Brasilia.

JusticeAlexandre de Moraes, whooversawthe caseonBolsonaro’sattempt to keep thepresidencyafter hisdefeat to PresidentLuiz Inácio LuladaSilva in 2022, ordered the preemptive arrest aftersaying thefar-right

leader’s anklemonitor was violated at 12:08 a.m. on Saturday. His lawyers claimed in astatement thatdid not take place. Areportbycustody agents released later in the day and reviewed by The Associated Press —said Bolsonaro admitted using asoldering iron to try to open the device. In acourtvideo also seen by the AP,Bolsonaro is heard admitting such attempt. The footage shows the ankle monitor’scap heavily damaged. Bolsonaro,70, who had been under housearrest, was ordered to wear the device after being deemed a ﬂight risk. His aide Andriely Cirino conﬁrmed thatthe arrest took place around 6a.m. on Saturday In the following hours, dozensofcarshonkedoutside the federal police’sheadquarters as some Bolsonaro supporters protested. Police have sincetried keepthe

JFK’sgranddaughter revealscancerdiagnosis

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 birth of her second child, her doctor noticed her white blood cell count was high. It turned out to be acute myeloid leukemia with arare mutation, mostly seenin older people, she wrote. Her essay was published on the 62nd anniversary of her grandfather’sassassination. Schlossberg, an environ-

mentaljournalist, wroteshe has undergone rounds of chemotherapyand twostem cell transplants, the ﬁrstusingcells from hersister and the nextfrom an unrelated donor, and participated in clinical trials. During the latesttrial she wrote that her doctor told her“he could keep me alive for ayear,maybe.” Schlossberg said thepolicies pushed by her cousinRobertF.Kennedy Jr., the U.S. Health and Human Services secretary,could hurt cancer patientslike her Caroline Kennedy urged senators to rejectRFK Jr.’s conﬁrmation “AsI spent moreand more of my life under the care of doctors, nurses, and researchers striving toimprovethe livesofothers, I watched as Bobby cut nearly ahalf billion dollars for

research intomRNAvaccines, technology thatcould be used against certain cancers,” she wrote in the essay Schlossberg wrote about herfears that her daughter and son won’tremember her. She feelscheated and

sad that she won’t getto 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

small, but fierce, opposing sides separated.

De Moraes said the arrest wasapreventive measure to avoid apotential escape duringa protest organized by his son later Saturday “Are yougoing to ﬁght for your country or are you going to watch it allfromyour cellphone in your home’s sofa?,” Flávio Bolsonaro said in avideo inviting people to go outside his fathers’ house at 7p.m.“Iinvite you to ﬁght with us.”

De Moraes said the attempt to break the ankle monitor wasa conﬁrmationBolsonaro would try to escapeduring “the confusion that would be causedbya demonstration organized by his son.” The judge said there was achanceofBolsonaro ﬂeeing to theU.S.Embassy in Brasilia. The Supreme Court justice also mentioned other defendants in the coup case and political allies of the formerpresident leaving Brazil to avoid jail.

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Schlossberg

ASSOCIATEDPRESS FILE PHOTO By LUIS NOVA Brazil’sformer President Jair Bolsonaro standsatthe entranceofhis homewhere he is under house arrest

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 and must come to asettlement that heavily tilts in Moscow’sfavor Trump, whohas demonstrated lowregard forZelenskyydating back to his ﬁrst term, says he expects theUkrainian leadertorespond to his administration’s new plan to end the war by next Thursday

The president said Friday of Zelenksyy,“He’sgoingto have to approve it,” though he was more reconciliatory aday later,saying, “I would 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 scandal in his government,battlefield setbacks andanother difﬁcult winter looming as Russia continues to bombard Ukraine’s energy grid, Zelenskyy says Ukraine is now facing perhaps the most difficult choice in its history.

Zelenskyy has not spoken with Trump since the plan became public last week, but has said he expects to talk to theRepublican presidentin coming days. It’slikely to be 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 the then newly minted Ukrainian leader to dig up dirt on Joe Biden ahead of the 2020 election. That phone call sparkedTrump’s ﬁrst impeachment.

Trump made Biden’ssupport for Ukraine acentral issue in his successful2024 campaign, sayingthe conﬂict had cost U.S. taxpayers too much money and vowing he would quickly bring the war to an end.

Then earlythisyearina disastrous Oval Ofﬁce meeting, Trump and Vice President JD Vance tore into Zelenskyy for what they said was insufficient gratitude for the more than $180 billion the U.S. had appropriated for military aid and other assistance to Kyivsince the start of the war.That episode led to atemporarysuspension of U.S. assistance to Ukraine.

And now with the new proposal, Trump is pressing Zelenskyy to agree to concessions of land to Moscow, amassive reduction in the size of Ukraine’sarmy,and agreementfromEurope to assert that Ukraine will never be admitted into the NATO military alliance.

“NowUkraine mayfind itself facing averydifﬁcult choice: either loss of dignity, or the risk of losing akey partner,” Zelenskyysaid in avideo address Friday At the center of Trump’s plan is the call on Ukraine to concede the entirety of its

eastern Donbas region, even though avastswathofthat land remains in Ukrainian control.Analystsatthe independentInstitute for the Study of Warhave estimated it would take several years for the Russian military to completelyseize the territory, based on its current rate of advances.

Trump, nevertheless, insiststhat the lossofthe region —which includes cities that are vital defense industrialand logistics hubs for Ukrainian forces —isa fait accompli.

“They will lose in ashort period of time. Youknow so,”Trump saidFriday when asked during aFox News Radio interview about hispushonUkraine togive up the territory.“They’re losing land. They’re losing land.”

The Trump proposal was formally presented to Zelenskyy in KyivonThursday by DanDriscoll,the U.S. Army secretary.The plan itself wasa surprise to Driscoll’sstaffers,who were not aware as late as Wednesdaythat theirbosswouldbe goingtoUkraine as partofa team to presentthe plan to theUkrainians.

Army officialswalked away from that meeting with the impression that the Ukrainians were viewing the proposal as astarting point that would evolve as negotiations progressed, according to aU.S. ofﬁcial, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive talks.

It’s unclearhow much patience Trumphas for further negotiation. White House presssecretary Karoline Leavittsaid Thursday that Trump’snew plan reflects “therealities of the situation” andoffers the“best win-win scenario, where both partiesgainmore than they must give.”

Asked aboutZelenskyy’s initialhesitantresponse to theproposal, Trumprecalledthe February Oval Ofﬁceblowupwith Zelenskyy: “You remember,right in the Oval Ofﬁce, notsolongago, Isaid, ‘You don’thave the cards.’”

Trump, though, was also asked Saturdayifthe proposal was hisﬁnal offer to endthe Ukrainewar and said it wasn’t—leaving open the possibility of more negotiation. Still, asked what would happenifUkraine and Zelenskyy ultimatelyreject the proposal, the president turnedalmost dismissive: “Then he can continue to ﬁght his little heart out.”

The mounting pressure from Trump comes as Zelenskyy is dealing with fallout over $100 millioninkickbacks for contractswith the state-owned nuclear energy company.The scandal led to theresignations of top Cabinetministersand implicated other Zelenskyy associates.

Konstantin Sonin, apolitical economist and Russia expert at the Universityof Chicago, said, “What Donald Trumpiscertainly extremely good at is spotting weak spotsofpeople.”

Oneofthe 28 elementsof Trump’sproposalcalls for elections to be held within 100 days of enactment of the agreement.

“I think it’s arationalisticassessmentthatthere is more leverageoverZelenskyy than over Putin,” Sonin said. He added, “Zelenskyy’s back is against the wall” 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 avastlylarger andbetterequipped Russian military. Ukraine is desperately trying to fend off relentless Russian aerial attacks that have brought rolling blackouts across thecountry on thebrink of winter Kyiv is also grappling with doubts aboutthe way ahead. AEuropean planto finance next year’sbudget for Ukraine through loans linked to frozenRussian funds is now in question.

The Trump proposalinits current form also includes several elements that would

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 complained of the country’s“neo-Nazi regime” as ajustiﬁcation for

Russia’sinvasion. In fact, in Ukraine’s last parliamentary electionin2019, support forfar-right candidates was 2%, signiﬁcantly lower than in many other European countries. Theplan’sprovision is “very clearly an attempt to build up Putin’sclaim to Russian cultural identity within Ukraine,” Silbey said. He added, “Fromterritory loss to the substantial reduction of theUkrainian military to cultural concessions that have been demanded, Ijust don’tthink Zelenskyy could do thisdeal andlook his public in the eye again.” AP writersMichelle L. Price and Konstantin Toropin contributed.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By MySTySLAV CHERNOV

PresidentJDVance, right, speaks withUkrainianPresident Volodymyr Zelenskyy, left, as President Donald Trump listens on Feb.28inthe Oval Of

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 longawaited 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 “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 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 “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 directing public dollars toward the project, which has a conceptual design by EskewDumezRipple for a 120,000-square-foot 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.”

Waiting on RDNI

RDNI members say they

are aware that the music museum team is seeking backup options. “We maintain our support and excitement for the museum’s eventual development,” said consortium member Tara Hernandez.

Convention Center CEO Jim Cook said the center continues to support the museum locating in the River District, but cannot negotiate a new lease until RDNI’s status is resolved. “We have to reach a new agreement with RDNI before we can enter into any formal talks,” he said. For now, the museum that was once envisioned as a cornerstone of the River District is actively weighing whether its future lies elsewhere — possibly just two miles away, in the very neighborhood where the music it seeks to celebrate was ﬁrst born.

Email Anthony McAuley tmcauley@theadvocate. com.

LCMC Health is committed to reducing cancer rates throughoutLouisiana.Inrecentmonths,thesystemhas placed an emphasis on lung cancer,withstrategic and visionaryinitiatives andrecruitmentstodiagnose the diseaseearlierandensurethatallpatientshaveaccessto themostcomprehensiveandcutting-edgecareavailable

Lung cancer is responsiblefor 27 percentofcancer deaths in Louisiana, making it theleading causeof cancer deaths in thestate,claimingmorethan2,300 liveseachyear.Yet,asurgicalcureispossiblewhenlung cancer is foundearly

“Themostcommonsymptomoflungcancerisacough Weknowthatacoughcanbecausedbyanything–pollen allergies, pets,” said Dr.Leonard WudelJr.,chief of the divisionofthoracicsurgeryfortheLSU-LCMCHealth Cancer Center.“That’s whywetellpeoplethatifyour coughlasts more than threeorfourweeks,you need to getitchecked out.

Dr.Wudel joined theLSU-LCMCHealthCancer Center in Septemberfromthe world-renowned ClevelandClinic.HisarrivalcomesastheLSU-LCMCHealth CancerCenterpursuesanNCIDesignation.Achieving this prestigiousdesignation will have atremendous impact on ourregionbut requires that we effectively tacklehighimpactcancerchallenges,suchaslungcancer. Hisexpertise,along with that of otherLCMCHealth clinicians, ensuresthatwhenlungcancerisidentiﬁed early, patients canreceive themostadvancedsurgical treatments available

In addition to surgery, LCMC Health offers lung cancer patients targeted therapyand immunotherapy treatmentsthatareamongthemostcutting-edgeinthe region.These advanced methodscomplementLCMC Health’s active clinicaltrialsprogram

“Wehavemedicationsthatcantargetspeciﬁccancer cellsand leaveeverythingelsealone.Wealsohave immunotherapy, in whichmedications reprogramthe body’sowndefensesystemstorecognizeandkillcancer cells,”Dr.Wudelsaid.“Patientswhowerenotacandidate for an operationﬁve yearsago cannow be treatedwith thesemethods.Wecan interveneand hopefullyhave much better outcomes.”

This work will become more effectivewithan increasednumberofannuallungcancerscreenings.Dr Wudelsaidthese screenings areespecially important becausesymptomsoftendonotariseuntilthecanceris moreadvancedandthusmoredifficulttotreat.Current guidelines recommendscreeningsfor people ages 50 to80whohavesmokedorquitsmokingwithinthepast 15yearsandwhohaveatleasta20pack-yearhistoryof smoking. At LCMC Health,the screenings take place usinga low-radiationCAT scan,and theresultsare available within twotothree days Dr.WudelsaidhebelievesLCMCHealthcancontinue to beat theforefront of newinnovations in lung cancer treatments.Today,researchersareworkingtoimprove targeted therapieswithmoreprecise geneticevaluations, whiletechnology companiesare usingquantum computingand artiﬁcialintelligencetotrack cellsin realtimeand create faster diagnosisoptions

“There’s been so much progress in arelativelyshort amountoftime,andthat’sexcitingformeasaphysician,” Dr.Wudelsaid.“WhenIseethenewresearchbeingdone, thetechnologycomingforwardisremarkable,andIthink thereareamazingthingsabouttohappeninthefuture. ThatspiritofinnovationisalreadyapparentatLCMC Health,where physicians areputting thelatestlung canceradvancementsintopractice–bridgingresearch andreal-worldcaretoimprovepatient outcomes Earlierthisyear, LCMC Health cliniciansatEast JeffersonGeneral Hospital (EJGH) partneredwith expertsfromTulanetoreach ahistoricmilestone by successfullyperformingthe first minimally-invasive, combinedinterventionalpulmonologyandthoracicsurgery procedureintheLCMCHealthsystem.Theachievement wasmadepossiblethrough acollaboration between interventional pulmonologist, Dr.Ramsy Abdelghani, andthoracicsurgeonDr.WassimAbiJaoudeatEJGH Whendoctorsdiscoveredthepatienthadafive-millimeterpulmonarynodule,Dr.Abdelghaniandhisteam usedtheIonroboticbronchoscopetobiopsythenodule confirminglungcancer.Dr.Abdelghaniandhisteamthen localizedandmarkedthenoduleusingaspecializeddye technique. Immediatelyafterward,while thepatient wasstillasleep,Dr.AbiJaoudeandhisteamusedtheDa Vinciroboticsurgicalplatformtopreciselyremovethe affectedportionoflungtissue,preservinghealthylung function andminimizingrecovery time

“Thistypeofcombined, same-day procedure representsamajoradvancementinlungcancercare–a minimally-invasivecombinedprocedurethatmaximizes precisionandsigniﬁcantlyimprovespatientoutcomes, Dr.Abdelghanisaid.“Thissetsthestageformorecollaborative,multidisciplinarycarepathwaysthatbringthe mostcutting-edgetechnologyandcaretoourpatients.”

Dr.Abdelghanisaidthe landmark procedureisan idealexampleofhowcoordinatedcarecanmakeaworld of difference forpatients

“There’s always room forcollaboration between interventional pulmonology andthoracicsurgery particularlyasitrelatestodecreasingthetimebetween cancerdetectionandremoval,”Dr.Abdelghanisaid.“If youcan diagnose andintervene on apatient whohas StageOnelungcancer,thesurvivalrateisashighas95 percent.IfthecancerisnotdiagnoseduntilStageFour, thesurvivalrateismuchlower.Thepatient’sprognosis is much improved when youcan addressthe cancer earlier,and they also have less anxietybecause they aren’t waitingsolongfor thenextstep.

Thepatient in thegroundbreakingcasehas since recovered, is cancer-freeand remainsunder routine surveillance.Dr.Abdelghanisaidthesuccesshasgiven LCMCHealthsurgeonshopethattheprocedurecanbe replicatedacross theentiresystem.

“Thisisatestament to thecarethatLCMCHealth is providingfor ourpatients andthe fact that we can give them increasedaccesstoadvancedprocedures, he said.“We’veproventhatwecan

STAFF FILE PHOTO By JOHN McCUSKER

The original Karnofsky Tailor Shop, seen in 2016, was destroyed by Hurricane Ida in 2021. It has been rebuilt, brick-by-brick, at 427 S Rampart St. in New Orleans. The Karnofskys, a family of Lithuanian Jews, employed a teenaged Louis Armstrong at the shop around 1914.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By PHILIP MOORE

Important jazz landmarks, from bottom to top, the Eagle Saloon, Iroquois Theatre, Karnofsky Tailor Shop and Little Gem in the 400 block of South Rampart Street are seen in New Orleans in 2019. This area was also the neighborhood of Louis Armstrong from about 1906 to 1918

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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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communities for months, snarling Machado’s business, while the Trump administration takes a hard-line approach to deporting immigrants across the nation.

Now, those fears are ratcheting up to new levels after news that the federal Department of Homeland Security would dispatch U.S Border Patrol agents to a swath of the New Orleans region for a sweeping immigration enforcement operation the latest phase in the administration’s campaign to more swiftly arrest people accused of living in the country illegally

The administration had recently sent border agents to Charlotte, North Carolina, and Chicago Like New Orleans, those cities reliably vote for Democrats.

Charlotte and Chicago have larger per-capita immigrant populations than the Crescent City, according to the nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute.

Yet in New Orleans, the administration is expected to unleash the full force of its crackdown on a multicultural city whose identity and history are inextricably linked with cycles of immigration. Among those who have made New Orleans home: Haitians who intertwined cuisine and language with the city’s traditions around the turn of the 19th century, Vietnamese refugees who settled in New Orleans East after the Vietnam War and Central American workers who have helped rebuild after major hurricanes

“After Katrina, it was immigrants who came to help,” said the Rev Tony Rigoli, pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe Church on North Rampart Street “They built lives. They were honest.” Federal authorities have repeatedly declined to provide information about their planned operations in New Orleans. A DHS spokesperson did not respond Friday to an inquiry on the status of the plans, and a Border Patrol spokesperson declined to comment.

Rigoli, the pastor, confirmed Moreno’s account. His church has invited lawyers to a series of trainings to inform congregants of their rights if confronted by federal immigration agents — including by advising them that they can remain inside their homes if an agent fails to produce a warrant signed by a judge “They’re afraid to leave their homes, to go shopping,” Rigoli said. “That is not a way to live in our country, the land of the free.”

participate in the Border Patrol operation, according to multiple people familiar with the agency’s planning. What precise role FBI agents will have in the operation is not clear, though agents have participated in immigration sweeps and performed arrests in recent months.

teract an invasion” of “criminal illegal aliens.”

Already though, signs of fear and preparation are spreading through Hispanic businesses, religious hubs, schools and neighborhoods. Pews once occupied by largely-Hispanic church congregations are sitting empty Schools with Hispanic student rosters have already reported attendance dips.

One Guatemalan-born man who is an American citizen and lives in Mid-City said he has been asked to supervise children of multiple families who fear the parents will be deported.

On Friday morning, the stretch of Williams Boulevard where Machado tried to launch his new business was eerily quiet. The hallways of one Latin American grocery store were empty, save for two men stocking up on canned food. Nearby families arrived for appointments at an immigration law ﬁrm.

Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino has defended the agency’s tactics, saying in a recent interview that agents are on a mission to coun-

Just over a month after he shut the doors on Coma Arepas, Machado faces another struggle that he attributes to the pending Border Patrol operation.

Dozens of applicants for a dishwashing job at another business of his, a bistro in New Orleans’ Bywater neighborhood, suddenly stopped calling him back.

“The lack of labor, it’s killing me,” Machado said.

Churches see fewer congregants

Built in 1826 as a funeral site for yellow fever victims, the Our Lady of Guadalupe church earned its current name after the patroness of Mexico in what its leaders viewed as a gesture of welcome to Mexican immigrants.

Like others in New Orleans, the congregation drew Central American workers and their families who came to help rebuild after Hurricane Katrina. Many enrolled children in schools, bought homes and began paying taxes.

Signs of the congregation’s enduring multiculturalism were on display after Mass one recent Sunday as vendors sold pan dulce and aguas frescas on the church patio near an outdoor grotto.

Congregants chattered in English and Spanish as they craned their necks to catch a glimpse of New Orleans’ new mayor-elect, Helena Moreno, who was born in Mexico and worships at Our Lady of Guadalupe.

Other church leaders declined to discuss the pending Border Patrol operation. Several said they feared speaking publicly would risk making their congregations targets of immigration sweeps. Advocates, immigrants prepare Moreno’s transition committee launched a website Friday advising documented and undocumented residents alike of their rights when confronted by immigration agents. The site notes that for agents to lawfully enter homes without residents’ consent, they must display a warrant signed by a judge, rather than an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent, as many immigration warrants are.

The transition will also launch a “reporting mechanism” in the coming days for residents “to catalog any incidents of unlawful or abusive behavior” by immigration agents.

Meanwhile, advocates like Brent Moreno are preparing in other ways. He has been handing out 3D-printed whistles on the West Bank that people can use to alert others of potential immigration raids, a strategy employed in Chicago and other cities.

News of the pending Border Patrol operation — and heightened immigration enforcement in recent months — is seeming to mute that aspect of the congregation’s identity Moreno on Thursday noted how the church’s Spanishspeaking service “keeps getting smaller and smaller.”

“People are really, really scared,” she said

“As a first generation American and son of an immigrant Colombian family, I am just doing my part to help any way I can,” he said.

The legal advice dispensed by the mayorelect’s transition mirrors discussions taking place in churches, community centers and homes since the news broke this week that Border Patrol is set to arrive soon in New Orleans.

The agents are expected to start operations in New Orleans before fanning out across a region stretching north to Baton Rouge and east to Mississippi. Agents in the FBI’s New Orleans field office are also expected to

Ofﬁcials at other local law enforcement agencies, including some with formal DHS partnerships allowing them to perform immigration enforcement duties, say they have not been briefed on the plans.

“We haven’t been brought into the operation,” said Kenner Police Chief Keith Conley, whose agency collaborates with ICE under a partnership called the 287(g) program. “We haven’t been given any information about it They’re operating very independently Of course, we’re here to support their mission if they need any kind of assistance.”

In the absence of concrete details, residents have been on edge.

A U.S. Marshals operation Thursday in Metairie, in which agents used megaphones to usher a domestic violence suspect from an apartment building with many Hispanic residents, spurred a ﬂurry of social media posts advising residents of their rights when interacting with immigration agents. No one was arrested in the operation, a spokesperson for the Marshal’s Service said.

School leaders in Jefferson Parish and New Orleans reported widespread absences last week. And people of varied immigration status described taking steps to prepare for the potential of a heightened deportation risk.

Maria, an undocumented woman who has lived in New Orleans’ suburbs for 20 years, and asked to be identiﬁed only by her ﬁrst name because she fears retaliation, said she has been stockpiling food “like during the pandemic” so she can avoid leaving her house.

“It’s like they’re blind to us being human beings,” the woman said. She has been helping friends navigate the power-of-attorney process. She wants to ensure their children are cared for in case they are deported.

Staff writer Lara Nicholson contributed to this report. Email James Finn covers at jﬁnn@theadvocate.com.

STAFF PHOTO By ENAN CHEDIAK

Bovino

H. Moreno

The potential candidates so far are Judges Brian Abels, William Burris, Blair Edwards, Vincent Lobello and Britain Sledge.

Also expressing interest has been Christopher Walters, deputy executive counsel for Gov Jeff Landry, who played a key role in the election of the last justice elected to the state Supreme Court.

The judges and Walters are all Republicans

Two judges mentioned as potential candidates for Crain’s seat said they have ruled out running. They are Allison Penzato, a judge on the 1st Circuit Court of Appeal, and Alan Black, a judge on the 22nd Judicial District Court.

The Supreme Court district covers Livingston, St. Tammany, Washington, Tangipahoa and St. Bernard parishes and a smidgen of Orleans Parish.

“It’s a heavily Republican district with a very suburban tilt to it centered along I-12,” said John Couvillon, a pollster and demographer in Baton Rouge.

Couvillon noted that Trump won the district with 73% when he ran for president in 2020 and 2024, and business owner Eddie Rispone, a Republican, won 58% of the district when he narrowly lost the 2019 governor’s race to John Bel Edwards.

Behind-the-scenes politics

Races for the seven-member Supreme Court typically become highly political, although much of the action usually takes place behind the scenes.

Crain quietly played a role in drawing the current lines when the state Legislature redistricted the Supreme Court in 2024, for the ﬁrst time in 27 years. Political insiders said Crain pushed to take Jefferson Parish out of his Supreme Court district to eliminate possible challengers from there.

About half the voters in Crain’s district now live in St. Tammany Parish, with most of the others living in Tangipahoa and Livingston parishes.

The current map for the Supreme Court is tilted to the right, with only two Democrats, Justice Piper Grifﬁn of New Orleans and Justice John Michael Guidry of Baton Rouge. Chief Justice John Weimer is a political independent. In recent years, Supreme Court races have typically boiled down to one candidate backed by business groups, with the Louisiana Association of Business and Indus-

covers Hammond south to Manchac. He handles misdemeanors and civil suits for less than $50,000.

Sledge said it’s premature to discuss his possible candidacy before Crain becomes a federal judge.

There is some legal uncertainty whether Burris, Lobello, Abels and Sledge would have to forego reelection next year if they run for Crain’s seat.

Walters, 41, handled civil matters and criminal prosecutions in the Attorney General’s Ofﬁce for eight plus years before moving onto the governor’s staff when Landry became governor He is seriously considering the race.

“I am speaking with conservative leaders from across the state and am en-

couraged by their support,” said Walters, who lives in Tangipahoa Parish.

Louisiana’s Supreme Court has the final say on state legal matters, although the justices hear about only 6% of the cases appealed to them. The justices also handle discipline cases involving lawyers and judges and administer the court system.

The seven justices run for 10-year terms, with one up roughly every two years.

Whoever wins Crain’s seat next year would ﬁll the ﬁnal two years of his term and then have to run for reelection in 2028.

Qualifying for Crain’s seat is scheduled for February Under new rules approved by Landry and the Legislature last year, Supreme

Court races are subject to the closed primary system. Under it, the first party primary would take place in May. If no candidate won more than 50%, the top two finishers would compete in a second party primary in June. The winner of each party’s primary would face off next November, along with any no-party or thirdparty candidates who qualified for the race. This means that Crain’s successor might not be seated until after that November election. In the meantime, the Supreme Court would select a pro tempore justice to replace. If the court follows custom, it would choose a temporary justice recommended by Crain. Early speculation has centered on Penzato

try playing the lead role, and another candidate backed by trial lawyers and the Baton Rouge-based Carmouche law ﬁrm, which sues oil and gas companies.

Landry played the lead role in the last election of a justice, when Cade Cole, an attorney and tax court judge in Lake Charles, was elected unopposed last year

Landry created the vacancy that Cole ﬁlled by encouraging then-Justice Jimmy Genovese to apply to be president of Northwestern State. The chair of the board that chose Genovese was a Landry appointee who shortened the selection process in a way that favored him. Scott Wilfong, a political consultant who has worked for Carmouche, said a recent poll of potential candidates for Crain’s seat gave no one more than 11% of the vote to any candidate. Wilfong polled 400 Republican and no-party voters.

“The poll showed a wideopen race,” Wilfong said State Sen. Patrick McMath, R-Covington, Livingston Parish President Randy Delatte, Washington Parish President Ryan Seal, Livingston Parish Assessor Jeff Taylor and Scott Perrilloux, the district attorney for Livingston, Tangipahoa and St Helena parishes, all said they have received calls from potential candidates. Who are the candidates?

Of the potential candidates, Edwards and Burris have been the most active so far in trying to line up support. Both said they intend to run for Crain’s seat Edwards, 57, joined the 1st Circuit Court of Appeal a year ago after serving as a juvenile judge for 16 years for Tangipahoa, Livingston and St. Helena parishes. Her husband, Daniel, served as sheriff of Tangipahoa Parish for 20 years until his retirement in 2024, and her

brother-in-law, John Bel Edwards, served as governor from 2016-24.

“I’ve somewhat laid the groundwork with the elected ofﬁcials with the sheriffs and district attorneys,” she said.

Burris, 44, was elected as a district court judge serving St. Tammany and Washington parishes in 2017 and was reelected in 2020.

“I’m just getting ducks in a row to be ready to go,” Burris said.

Lobello, 55, has been a district court judge since 2020 and, like Burris, serves St. Tammany and Washington parishes.

“I’m considering running,” Lobello said. “I’ve been receiving and making phone calls.”

Abels, 56, was elected in 2019 as a district court judge serving Livingston, Tangipahoa and St. Helena parishes

“I’m strongly leaning toward it,” he said.

Sledge, 45, was elected as a Hammond city judge in 2022 for the 7th Ward, which

STAFF PHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER

Louisiana Supreme Court justices William J. Crain, left, and Cade R. Cole, right, help Justice Piper D. Griffin with going down the steps at Jackson Square as a procession of legal officials and professionals walk into St. Louis Cathedral in New Orleans for a Red Mass on Oct. 6

“There is a human limit to what we can do to shrink our (case processing) times, because cases will not move forward without those DNA results,” Williams said.

The consequences of the delays are not abstract. In March, for example, prosecutors dismissed a second-degree murder case against Raymond Johnson and Jyron Johnson after DNA testing excluded both men as suspects.

The results took 13 months to arrive after samples were sent to the state lab. During that time, the men remained in jail while nearly two dozen court hearings came and went, consuming the time of attorneys, judges and court staff, at the expense of the city’s taxpayers The people responsible for the killing remain unidentiﬁed

To attack the problem, State Police have turned to private labs, but even as the backlog has abated this year problems continue.

The city and the state paid for contracts with two private labs to help make a dent in the DNA backlog, which had fallen sharply as of October but their work is expensive.

The out-of-state DNA analysts charge the Orleans Parish District Attorney’s Ofﬁce thousands of dollars to testify about their results in court — costs Williams says his ofﬁce cannot sustain for long Prosecutors say it’s also been difficult to schedule those analysts to testify, a complication that has postponed multiple hearings and trial dates in a court system already struggling to move cases forward amid chronic dysfunction and unchecked continuances.

“DNA (test results are) a critical stall point in homicide cases,” said Williams. “We’ve seen how DNA can exonerate one person and inculpate another person Judges are not willing to move forward with cases — and frankly, I’m not willing to move forward with cases — without having those results. No defense attorney worth his salt would move forward without them either.”

Help from private labs at risk

The Louisiana State Police Crime Lab processes evidence for 250 law enforcement agencies across the state. Yet testing for the New Orleans Police Department ac-

leans’ DNA testing delays. State Rep Mandie Landry, D-New Orleans, later secured an additional $1.3 million in state funds for the effort, allowing the crime lab to outsource hundreds of samples to two private laboratories.

delayed another year if the city does not approve two DNA analyst positions. “That was very tough for us to hear,” Guidry said.

Local lab would target speed

The pressure is evident in New Orleans’ criminal court, too.

roughly 650 DNA cases a year But more important than the number, she said, is its projected speed.

“It’s not going to be a year or two years before you get your DNA results,” she said. “And (prosecutors) will have access to us. They won’t have to have someone drive in or ﬂy in to testify for an extra fee. Those things are going to be hugely impactful.”

Louisiana Supreme Court Justice Will Crain, whom President Donald Trump recently nominated to the federal bench, has suggested prosecutors consider moving cases forward without DNA results to improve efﬁciency “How long did we go in this country running a justice system that was the envy of most places on the globe without DNA, and we reached just outcomes?” he said in an interview “We can still do that.”

But attorneys on both sides say that’s not realistic.

Prosecutors fear being forced to acknowledge the existence of DNA evidence without calling an expert to interpret it. “Any good defense attorney will say: ‘This information was collected. Why is it not being presented?’” Williams said. “Saying we couldn’t afford it — that it wasn’t in our budget — is not going to ﬂy with 12 people deciding whether a person spends the rest of his life in jail.”

counts for roughly a third of its workload, a disproportionate share that has driven the delays that have hobbled the lab and stunted homicide prosecutions for years, said Capt. Chad Guidry, the crime lab’s director That strain comes despite restrictions placed on the city. Unlike every other agency the lab serves, New Orleans is allowed to submit only DNA from homicide and sexual assault cases. In 2023, the city and State Police signed an agreement committing $3 million to address New Or-

It took time, Guidry said, but the backlog shrank. In February, the State Police lab had 2,453 untested DNA cases, and the average turnaround time for analysis was 441 days. By this October, that ﬁgure had been cut by more than half, with results now ready in about four months.

But the progress is fragile, Guidry cautioned. The remaining funding will cover testing for only about 600 more cases — roughly the number of cases still pending at the private labs. Without a fully operational New Orleans Police Department Crime Lab to absorb future work, or new funding to continue outsourcing, the buildup of untested evidence could resume, Guidry said.

The state lab has also lost two analysts to the city’s yet-to-open facility which has been able to offer higher pay “If I lose more analysts (or) more funding,” he said, “we’ll be in bad shape.”

This fall, Shamika Kelley, director of the New Orleans Police Department Crime Lab, told the New Orleans City Council that the lab’s projected 2027 opening could be

Last year, the District Attorney’s Office had budgeted $55,000 for expert witnesses and $17,425 for DNA analysis. One bill from a private laboratory for testimony in a single case was $14,000.

For the case of Johnny Wooden, whose second-degree murder trial is set for Dec. 1, prosecutors will need to pay a more than $5,000 bill from the lab that tested the DNA.

In another case, against Alaric Smith and Brandon Hamilton — accused in the killing of Sabastian Henry the analyst who processed the DNA left the company, delaying the case for months as the District Attorney’s Ofﬁce tried to locate her

And regardless of funding, logistical hurdles and other roadblocks mean the results can still take time. In the second-degree murder case of Wendell Butler, prosecutors told a judge last October that DNA testing was still outstanding. They didn’t receive the results until late April, court records show When New Orleans’ crime lab eventually opens, Kelley, its director, said it should be able to handle

For Williams, the implications go beyond any single trial. “If a defendant sees in writing that his DNA is at a scene where he says he wasn’t, that case might resolve with a guilty plea much earlier,” he said.

DNA can also clear the innocent. In the case of Don Palmer, who was arrested in 2021 and accused of second-degree murder DNA testing later showed the evidence did not match him. It took more than a year for those results — and for prosecutors to drop the case. That dual power makes the city’s testing delays especially consequential, said Will Snowden, a defense attorney and Loyola University College of Law professor “You’re either conﬁrming who the DNA belongs to,” he said, “or conﬁrming that it doesn’t belong to the person accused. It works both ways — for the defense, and for the person who says they were a victim. It’s absolutely crucial.” Staff writer Jeff Adelson contributed to this report. Email Jillian Kramer at jillian. kramer@theadvocate.com.

STAFF FILE

PHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER Orleans Parish District Attorney

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. 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.

Ballard 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

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.”

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

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. 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-

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.

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.”

Mark

Fields

Jeffries

Letlow

STAFF FILEPHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK

State Rep. Jack McFarland,R-Jonesboro, is asmall businessman with about 20 employees and wants the warring parties in Washington to figure out asolution to health care.

BlaineKernJr. Ivette&

EDUCATION

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

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

U.N. deal boosts moneytonations hitbyclimate change

COP30talksend with no explicit fossil fuel plan

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

BELEM, Brazil United Nations climate talks in Brazil reached a subdued agreement Saturdaythat pledged more funding for countries to adapt to the wrathofextreme 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 aroad map to get away from fossil fuelsworking with hard-line Colombia, but it won’t have the same force as something approved at the conference called COP30. Colombia respondedangrily to the deal after it was approved, citing theabsenceofwordingon fossil fuels.

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

André Corrêa do Lago,COP30president, sits as SimonStiell, United Nations climatechief, left, speaks withother U.N. officials Saturday duringaplenarysession at the COP30U.N.Climate Summit in Belem, Brazil.

rêa do Lago’s ofﬁce.

Do Lago said the tough discussions started in Belem will continue under Brazil’sleadership until the next annual conference “evenif they arenot reﬂected in this text we just approved.”

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the deal shows “that nations canstill come together to confrontthe defining challenges no countrycan solve alone.” But

he added: “I cannot pretend that COP30 has delivered everything that is needed.The gapbetween whereweare and what sciencedemands remains dangerously wide.”

Many gave thedeallukewarm praise as thebest that could be achieved in trying times, while others complained about the package or the process thatled to its approval.

“Given thecircumstancesof

geopolitics today,we’re actually quite pleased with thebounds of the package that came out,”said Palau AmbassadorIlana Seid, who chaired the coalitionofsmall island nations. “The alternative is that we don’tget adecision and that would have been aworse alternative.”

“This deal isn’tperfect and is far from what science requires,” said former Ireland President Mary Robinson, afierce climate advocate for theex-leaders group The Elders. “Butata time whenmultilateralism is being tested,itissigniﬁcant thatcountries continue to move forward together.”

“This year there has been alot of attention on one country stepping back,” U.N. climate chief Simon Stiell said, referring to theUnited States’ withdrawal fromthe landmark 2015 Paris agreement. “But amidthe gale-forcepolitical headwinds, 194 countries stood ﬁrm in solidarity —rock-solid in support of climatecooperation.”

Some countries saidtheygot enough out of the deal.

“COP30 hasnot deliveredeverything Africa asked for,but it has moved the needle,” said Jiwoh Abdulai, Sierra Leone’senvironment minister.What really matters, he said, is “how quickly these words turn into real projectsthatprotect lives and livelihoods.”

U.K. Energy Minister Ed

Miliband said theagreementwas “an important step forward,” but that he would have preferred it to be “more ambitious.” He added: “These are difﬁcult, strenuous, tiring, frustrating negotiations.” Thedealwas approved minutes into aplenary meeting open Saturdaytoall nationsthatwerepresent

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

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

An area that usually gets less attention became abig point of contention. The approved deal established 59 indicators for theworldto judge how nations are adapting to climate change. Before the Belem conference, experts crafted 100 preciselyworded indicators, but negotiators changed the wording and cut the total.

Trumpvowstoend protectionsfor SomalislivinginMinnesota

Pledge sparks fear andlegal questions

BY JAKE OFFENHARTZ Associated Press

PresidentDonald Trump’s pledge to terminate temporary legal protections for Somalis living in Minnesota is triggering fear in the state’sdeeply-rooted immigrant community,along withdoubts about whetherthe White House has the legal authority to enactthe directive as described.

In aTruth Social post late Friday, Trump said he would“immediately” strip Somali residents in Minnesota of TemporaryProtected Status, alegal safeguardagainst

deportation for immigrants from certain countries.

The announcement drew immediatepushback from some state leaders andimmigration experts, who characterizedTrump’s declaration as alegally dubious effort to sow fear and suspicion toward Minnesota’sSomali community,the largest in thenation.

“There’snolegal mechanism that allows the presidenttoterminate protectedstatusfor aparticular community or state that he hasbeef with,” saidHeidiAltman, policy directoratthe National Immigrant JusticeCenter

“This is Trump doing what he alwaysdoes: demagoguing immigrants without justiﬁcation or evidenceand using that demagoguery

in an attempttotake awayimportantlifesavingprotections,” she added.

The Trumpadministration has untilmid-January to revoke the legal protection for Somalis nationally.But thatmovewould affect only atiny fraction of thetensof thousands of Somalis living in Minnesota. Areportproduced for Congress in August putthe numberof Somalis covered by TPS at just 705 nationwide.

“I am acitizen and so are (the) majority of Somalis in America,” MinnesotaRep. Ilhan Omar,aDemocrat from Somali, said in asocial media postFriday.“Good luck celebrating apolicy change thatreally doesn’thave much impact on the Somalis you love to hate.”

Still, advocates warned the move couldinﬂamehateagainsta communityata time of rising Islamophobia.

“Thisisnot just abureaucratic change,” said JaylaniHussein, president of the Minnesota chapter of theCouncil on American-Islamic Relations. “It is apolitical 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 gangshad targeted Minnesota residents and referred to the state as a“hub of fraudulent money laundering activity.”

Federal prosecutors have in recentweeksbrought charges againstdozens of people in asocial-

services fraud scheme. Someof the defendants hail from Somalia. “Accountabilityiscoming,” Minnesota Republican Rep.Tom Emmer wrote in response to that story Minnesota Gov.Tim Walz, a Democrat, has noted that Minnesota consistently ranksamong the safest states in the country “It’snot surprising that the President haschosentobroadly target an entire community,”Walzsaid Friday.“This is what he does to change the subject.”

In response to Trump’sannouncement, Minnesota Attorney General KeithEllison his office was“exploring allofour options,” adding that Trump “cannot terminate TPS for just one state or on abigoted whim.”

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ANDRE PENNER

Trump under pressure to deliver with Epstein files

Republicans hyped release for years

BY JOEY CAPPELLETTI and STEPHEN GROVES Associated Press

WASHINGTON What began as a campaign-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 for an administration now under intense pressure to produce documents that may fall far short of public expectations.

The issue came to a head last week. After months of efforts by the Trump administration to quash it, both chambers of Congress passed a measure 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 a 30day window for the Justice Department to deliver the records Expectations are sky-high, fueled by years of conspiracy theories promoted by many now in Trump’s orbit. Yet with some claims — such as a rumored “client list” of prominent men linked to Epstein — already deemed nonexistent by federal ofﬁcials, the anti-establishment coalition Trump built in part by elevating those theories is showing cracks that may widen with the anticipated release.

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

“The only thing that will 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 peo-

the material his coalition has long believed is hidden.

Before Congress got involved, tens of thousands of pages of records were released over the years through civil lawsuits, Epstein and Maxwell’s public criminal case dockets, public disclosures and Freedom of Information Act requests.

Lawmakers believe there are reams more of documents, but they have received little indication that

the Department of Justice is ready to put out that information despite a subpoena from the House Oversight Committee that was issued in August.

Khanna said he still has concerns about how fully the administration will comply, but he believes passage of the bill, and the possibility of contempt of Congress, gives lawmakers leverage. He declined to speculate about who might appear 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 a drip, drip, drip ﬁght I mean, if he wants to fight over Epstein the remainder of his presidency, I suppose we can. But that’s not really smart.”

ple won’t tolerate any other bulls***.”

Epstein’s abuse and 2019 death in a New York jail cell have generated conspiracy theories for years, especially on the political right.

On the campaign trail, Trump expressed openness to releasing the investigative 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

But once Trump was back in ofﬁce, divulging records from the federal investigations, as well as satisfying the appetites of conspiracy theorists, became less appealing. Attorney General Pam Bondi raised expectations of a full release, only to reverse course over the summer Her attempt to close the book on the Epstein saga outraged many on the right.

It was the first sign of a rift in Trump’s coalition, and Democrats took notice.

In Congress, they began looking for ways to force Republicans to take votes on releasing the Epstein files. Eventually, they found traction with two tracks: initiating an investigation in the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee and putting full support behind a rarely successful petition that maneuvers around the House speaker’s control of which bills see the ﬂoor

The Democratic effort, joined by a few key Republi-

cans, including Greene, culminated last week in passage of the bill with overwhelming support from both chambers of Congress. It was a sign that the Epstein files had risen from the realm of obscure conspiracy theorists to a political force that neither political party could deny Still, it’s not clear whether the complete files will be released — or that the public interest in them will ever be satisfied.

At a Tuesday news conference ahead of the House vote, the bill’s sponsors — Reps. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., and Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., joined Greene and several Epstein survivors in warning the administration not to hold anything back.

“The real test will be whether the Department of Justice releases the ﬁles, or whether it all remains tied up in investigations,” Greene said, adding that whether a list of names is released “will be the real test.”

While Bondi in February said on Fox News that an Epstein “client list” was “sitting on my desk right now to review,” her department has since reversed course, saying such a list doesn’t exist. In a letter this July, the Justice Department said its review uncovered no incriminating “client list.”

It’s one example of how the Trump administration helped build hype for the release of ﬁles and a reminder of the political danger in being unable to deliver

Pope discusses his Wordle strategy

Leo XIV addresses Catholic youth conference

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 mil-

lions 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.

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

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JOSE LUIS MAGANA

A World Without Exploitation projection is displayed Monday on the wall of the National Gallery of Art in Washington calling on Congress to vote yes on the Epstein Files Transparency Act.

‘BLISSFULLY SURREAL’

‘The Welcoming Committee,’ a newly finished mural, is unveiled downtown

BY DOUG MacCASH Staff writer

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

The colorful mural spans the four lanes of Girod Street, stretching 125 feet long and rising 80 feet in the air Designed to greet visitors as they approach the Dome and Smoothie King Center from the river side, it is one of several large murals that were created across the city during preparations for the Super Bowl.

“The Welcoming Committee” is a roundup of Louisiana culture, featuring realistic renderings of a voodoo priestess, a rider in the Rex parade, jazz musicians, a chef a ﬂambeau carrier, a Zulu costumer, a Cajun fiddler and other classic characters. Wildlife, including an egret, a pelican, alligators and a nutria, round out the scene. In the center of it all stands a female Mardi Gras Indian.

Queen Elenora “Rukiya” Brown, of the Golden Eagles tribe, who modeled for the painting, was present at

Jefferson

BY ELYSE CARMOSINO Staff writer

the unveiling of the mural. She led the small parade and anointed the air with sage smoke. Brown said it was “overwhelming” to be included in the big painting. “I didn’t know I was going to be right in the middle,” she said laughing. Moran said she was petrified at the prospect of painting Brown’s portrait because it was so large and prominent. “Getting someone’s likeness is difﬁcult anyway,” Moran said in an interview last week, “and on a scale bigger than myself, it was a daunting

task.”

“I just really didn’t want to screw that up,” she said. Happily, the portrait of Brown came out just as she’d hoped. Moran recalled that when she and an assistant backed up to behold the queen’s face, they jumped for joy, hugged and wept with relief.

Moral told those gathered for the ceremony that the mural was “a labor of love,” and that seeing it ﬁnished was “blissfully surreal.” But, she conﬁded, it wasn’t easy The hardest part, she said, was work-

ing in the elements, so far above the ground. As she painted, Moran was held aloft in a bucket lift, wearing a safety harness. She said that 15 skilled assistants helped with the job.

“It’s been freezing, raining, hot, challenging and physically painful,” she said. But, she added with a smile, “don’t worry, the injuries were minor.”

Moran was born in Natchitoches 46 years ago.

She said she came by art naturally; her father, Jo-

Parish

educator

One of the most important lessons Cynthia Thompson has imparted to the hundreds of students she’s taught over her nearly ﬁve decades at Kenner’s Bonnabel High School is simple: You have to celebrate your wins. But as she marks a milestone few educators reach — 50 years in the classroom it’s Thompson’s students and colleagues who are celebrating her Over the past three months, they have led a celebratory campaign they’re calling “50 Fridays for 50 Years,” where a different school organization ﬁnds a creative way to honor Thompson every week. The balloons and photos and other mementos piling up in her classroom are a testament to her

far-reaching impact. Thompson has given the school much to celebrate. Known affectionately to many as “Mama T,” she has taught English at Bonnabel since 1977 For the past 15 years, she hasn’t missed a single workday Over the decades, she’s touched the lives of countless students, including ones who have become doctors, lawyers and professional basketball players. About a dozen of her former students are now her co-workers. A grandmother of three and devout Christian, Thompson prays for her students every morning and goes out of her way to guide and support them She can often be found cheering for students at after-school sporting events, and she regularly drives across town to pick up young people for tutor-

Moreno will inherit staffing shortages, aging infrastructure

Mayor-elect’s budget expected to include $200M in cuts

BY BLAKE PATERSON and SOPHIE KASAKOVE Staff writers

Mayor-elect Helena Moreno will inherit a city government faced with stafﬁng shortages, aging infrastructure, cumbersome procurement policies and outdated software, according to a transition report commissioned by Mayor LaToya Cantrell’s administration.

The 442-page report, which Cantrell’s team provided to Moreno’s transition team earlier this month, is based off of interviews with department leaders and provides a snapshot of the opportunities and challenges that Moreno will confront when she takes over at City Hall on Jan. 12.

The report comes as Moreno prepares to introduce a budget proposal for 2026 that’s expected to include more than $200 million in spending cuts, a reorganization in City Hall departments, and a reduction in the city’s number of unclassiﬁed staff. Moreno has said she’ll unveil the framework for that budget in the coming days. The council must approve the spending plan by Dec. 1.

The report, produced by the consulting ﬁrm Plante Moran, offers a department-by-department summary of city operations and also details the immediate decisions that Moreno must make upon taking ofﬁce, like how much to pay supplemental law enforcement agencies for help during Mardi Gras.

It also highlights a lengthy list of accomplishments of Cantrell’s tenure, including reductions in violent crime, expansions in mental health programs, and progress on roadwork.

In a statement about the transition report, a spokesperson for Cantrell said that Chief Administrative Ofﬁcer Joe Threat has been working on the “transition for several months and will continue regular conversations and coordination with Mayor-elect Moreno’s team.”

Renee Lapeyrolerie, executive director of Moreno’s transition team, said the team is grateful for the information.

“Our policy committees are doing the hard work, digging into the details, meeting with every department, and actively listening to diverse perspectives,” she said “Their goal is to thoughtfully consider what they learn and put forward sound, actionable recommendations that will help guide the Moreno administration from Day 1.” Citywide stafﬁng shortages have hurt city services and increased reliance on costly contractors, the report notes.

In the Department of Public Works, “staff struggle to currently meet the demand for services, especially for maintenance and during emergencies.” In the Law Department, understaffing is a “significant challenge,” when it comes to keeping up with public records requests. And the Department of Code Enforcement needs 20 to 30 more inspectors, researchers, and administrative staff to reach “full staffing levels,” according to the report.

honored for 50 years of teaching

ing sponsored by her church.

“She takes care of us,” said Jordan Jarreau, a Bonnabel senior who was in Thompson’s class his freshman year “She’s like a mom.”

Thompson knew early on that she was destined for the class-

room

As the oldest of six siblings growing up in New Orleans, she would cajole her younger brothers and sisters into playing school with her Her parents expected her to set a good example by excelling in school and going to college

While at Alceé Fortier High School in New Orleans, she joined every organization she could, writing for her school paper, forming Fortier’s ﬁrst dance

Louisiana artist Annie Moran listens to David Kerstein, president of The Helis Foundation, speak during the unveiling ceremony.

STAFF PHOTOS By SOPHIA GERMER

Big Queen Elenora ‘Rukiya’ Brown second-lines to the unveiling ceremony for a mural by Louisiana artist Annie Moran on Girod Street in New Orleans on Saturday.

STAFF PHOTO By BRETT DUKE

Cynthia Thompson sits in her classroom recently at Alfred Bonnabel Magnet Academy High School in Kenner She has taught for 50 years, with 48 of those at Bonnabel.

ä See MORENO, page 2B

ä See SURREAL, page 2B

Moreno

Touro Infirmary evacuated due to fire

Sprinklers activated on some floors

BY MISSY WILKINSON Staff writer

A two-alarm ﬁre that began in a kitchen forced an evacuation of a Touro Infirmary building Saturday afternoon, the New Orleans Fire Department said.

The fire began just before 2 p.m. in Building A, located at 1401 Foucher St., and firefighters arrived to find heavy smoke in the kitchen that had spread through the ventilation system A second alarm was struck at 2:17 p.m.

Fifty NOFD personnel, along with 20 units, contained the ﬁre to the ventilation system and the rest of the building was undamaged, but the entire facility was evacuated as a precaution, the NOFD said in a news release.

“Out of an abundance of caution, 27 babies were safely transferred to other hospitals

for continued care,” the NOFD said.

The building suffered minor ﬁre and moderate smoke and water damage, the NOFD said No injuries were reported.

Shortly after 3 p.m., at least a dozen ambulances were posted outside the medical complex as firefighters went inside various facilities. Scrub-clad health care workers milled about, waiting to see if they could return to work.

Andy Monteverde, vice president of the New Orleans Fire Fighters Association, applauded personnel for their swift response to “what could have spun into disaster.”

“New Orleanians deserve no less when they call for help in an emergency,” he said in a written statement. “Hospitals may top the list of a type of occupancy posing simultaneous complex and extreme demands to ﬁreﬁghters.”

It’s at least the second fire to prompt an evacuation at Touro this year In January, a fire broke out in a Touro medical office building across from the main hospital.

gathers for the

Saturday.

SURREAL

Continued from page 1B

seph Moran, was an artist. She studied art at LSU and moved to New York, where she found work as a designer at a watch company and a handbag manufacturer

In her spare time, she took classes at the renowned School of Visual Arts and Fashion Institute of Technology In 2015 Moran came to

MORENO

Continued from page 1B

Recent freezes on overtime spending and new hires have also put a strain on city services. The city’s Emergency Medical Services said it’s operating with just 60% of the staff it needs. Fire Department personnel were helping EMS backﬁll vacancies on ambulances, but that stopped after overtime spending was restricted. The Sanitation Department highlighted an increase in staffing during Cantrell’s administration, from 57 positions in 2018 to 78 positions in 2025, but ofﬁcials said that “vacant essential positions exist.”

The requirement that city workers live in New Orleans also came under scrutiny in the report. New Orleans Public Library leaders said the rule has put them at a disadvantage with Jefferson Parish, which doesn’t have such a requirement and, unlike New Orleans, offers annual raises.

Staffers at the Office of Information Technology & Innovation recommended funding more “high-level technical positions” to reduce reliance on costly contractors.

Old infrastructure, tech Aging city buildings and

New Orleans, where she continued her career in product design, conceiving jewelry, fabrics and wallpaper Meanwhile, she branched into wildlife painting. When a friend hired her to paint a mural in her bathroom, it led to a new career path, painting interior murals and eventually creating a gigantic outdoor mural. Many of Moran’s assistant painters were present Saturday as was Gayle Benson, who owns

equipment have left many departments struggling with high maintenance costs, and a lack of funding for preventative work has resulted in more expensive emergency repairs, the report also notes.

“Many city facilities require maintenance that departments have not been able to keep up with and the lack of departmental funding inhibits the ability to perform all necessary corrective actions,” according to the section of the report dedicated to the Department of Property Management, which manages city property

The city’s aging vehicles also mean increased “maintenance costs and results in operational downtime,” the report notes, especially for public safety departments.

The Fire Department said City Hall needs to come up with a plan to purchase new firetrucks. Without it, department leaders said the city’s ﬁre protection rating, issued by the Property Insurance Association of Louisiana to evaluate a community’s ﬁre protection capability, could suffer That could cause property insurance costs for residents to rise.

Several departments also said the city needs to speed up its procurement process and highlighted shortcomings in the city’s software. At the Juvenile Justice In-

the property where the mural appears, and David Kerstein, president of the Helis Foundation, which funded the project Some of the models who posed for the painting were in the crowd, as were representatives of the Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club, which permitted the use of its signature imagery

“The Welcoming Committee” was part of the “Unframed” mural project managed by Arts New

tervention Center the city’s juvenile jail, procurement delays, “especially during emergency procurement,” threaten to put the facility “out of compliance” with statutory requirements, the report notes.

The city’s IT staffers said a lack of integration between BRASS, the city’s procurement platform, and other data systems “limits visibility into (the city’s) full ﬁnancial picture.”

Money problems

Department leaders raised numerous concerns about funding challenges as officials mull sharp budget cuts in an attempt to address the city’s $160 million deﬁcit estimated this year

Code Enforcement, for example, said “less funding will impact the department’s availability to support ongoing code compliance, demolitions, lot abatements, grafﬁti removal, and right-of-way abatements.”

At the Juvenile Justice Intervention Center, “budget constraints” have made the center “unable to fully operate and have “greatly diminished” programs for youth, “increasing the risk of recidivism.”

Department leaders also flagged diminishing revenues from federal grants as the Trump administration has paused multiple programs.

EDUCATOR

Continued from page 1B

club and making a name for herself on her school’s color guard team.

In college at Mississippi Valley State University, she majored in speech and drama on a color guard scholarship and was a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority and Tau Beta Sigma, a national band sorority

Everyone on campus seemed to know who she was As a college senior, her fellow students elected her as homecoming queen. After graduating in 1974, Thompson moved back to New Orleans and became a substitute science teacher Full-time teaching jobs were hard to come by, so Thompson went back to school and obtained a master’s in education at Southern University of New Orleans.

In 1977, she started teaching English at Bonnabel, where she quickly fell in love with the school’s tight-knit community

“Every day we’d come in as young teachers, and we’d sit together as a family and do our work,” she said.

his freshman year He wasn’t inclined to pay attention during lessons, but Thompson’s tough-love approach kept him in line, and, ultimately, paved the way for the two to develop a close bond.

Each year during his basketball team’s annual teacher appreciation night, Thompson is the teacher that Jarreau chooses to honor

“She pushed me to never give up, every day no matter what,” he said “Some days she got on my nerves, but she always let me know she cared.”

Another one of Thompson’s former students, Micah Hagans, is now Bonnabel’s athletic director and head basketball coach. He’s helping lead the yearlong celebration of Thompson.

As part of his team’s tribute, Hagans’ students gave Thompson a poster board with 50 mini basketballs, arranged in a large “5-0” and covered with heartfelt messages penned in Sharpie. The artwork now takes up the entirety of Thompson’s desk.

Orleans. It was completed in increments. The central part was begun roughly a year ago and ﬁnished in time for the Super Bowl. But the right and left sides of the mural weren’t done until October.

“It feels like the nearly impossible was accomplished in a nearly impossible amount of time,” Moran said.

Email Doug MacCash at dmaccash@theadvocate. com.

At the Health Department, which receives 70% of its funding through grants, a grant that funds 15 employees from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will expire in the next couple of years, according to the report

Several departments recommended that the next administration consider reestablishing a grants department.

The report also offered several ideas on how to reorganize City Hall, which Moreno has said she plans to do to save money and “create efﬁciencies.” She has said she plans to cut appointed positions.

Health Department officials suggested Moreno reestablish a Department of Human Services “to consolidate existing relevant ofﬁces while adding capacity.

IT staffers said the next administration should create a dedicated cybersecurity civil servant team and also increase salaries to compete with the private sector for top talent.

The Office of Economic Development said the incoming administration should consider creating a new economic development corporation.

Other officials urged the new administration to push departments to a better job at collaborating with each other

At the time, students were separated by gender with boys attending classes on one side of campus and girls, whom Thompson taught, on the other Almost immediately, Thompson became sponsor of the school’s Black Studies club and the sponsor of the freshman class, and she eventually went on to coach the school’s track and step teams.

Just like in college, it wasn’t long before everyone knew her name.

In 2019, Thompson was named Bonnabel’s Teacher of the Year This fall, she was in the running to be Jefferson Parish’s Teacher of the Year

One of the people who wrote a letter recommending Thompson for the honor was Sam Myers. Now the public information ofﬁcer for the New Orleans City Council, he was one of the children Thompson worked with nearly 30 years ago as part of her church’s tutoring program.

“Ms. Thompson was a cornerstone of that program, giving her time and energy to ensure students like me had the support we needed to succeed,” he wrote. “She didn’t simply teach. She went above and beyond to make a tangible difference in our lives.”

Thompson’s caring-butﬁrm teaching style, which she says she inherited from her parents, has had a palpable impact on her students.

Jordan Jarreau said he and Thompson didn’t always see eye-to-eye when he took her class

Recalling his own time in Thompson’s class, Hagans remembered how she showed up to his basketball games regularly and made a point to ask about his life. Before long, he began to trust her

“This lady doesn’t give you any slack, and she’s always making sure you sit up and talk like a gentleman,” Hagans said. “You get tired of it as a young kid, but then after a while, you learn that’s her way of loving you.”

For Thompson, her biggest concern these days is encouraging more people to enter and remain in the profession, which has seen fewer people going into the it in recent years. One way to do that, Thompson said, is to foster a school culture that allows teachers to build meaningful connections with their students and each other When asked what she would say to a new teacher whether they end up staying a few years or 50 — Thompson’s response was simple.

“The ﬁrst thing I’d say is, ‘Welcome to Bonnabel,’” she said. “‘We’re so glad to have you.’” Email Elyse Carmosino at ecarmosino@ theadvocate.com.

STAFF PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER

A crowd

unveiling ceremony for a mural by Louisiana artist Annie Moran on Girod Street in New Orleans on

STAFF PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER

Firefighters with the New Orleans Fire Department douse a hot spot with water on the roof of Touro Hospital as they put out a two-alarm fire in New Orleans on Saturday.

STAFF PHOTO By BRETT DUKE

A poster board with photos and messages celebrates longtime educator Cynthia Thompson.

Atkinson,Alice

Boquet, Virginia

Bravata, Paul

Britton Sr., Carroll

Cass, Helen

Centanni,Dolores

Courtade Sr., Ronald

Diboll, Joanna

Flynn, J. Hawthorne,Maggie

Higgins,Bliss

Jackson, Marshall

Lafaye Jr.,Albert

Lawson, Borland

LeBlanc, Jean

Matthews,Allegra

Newman, Joy

SalvantJr.,Lucien

Scontrino Jr., Sebastian

Settoon Sr., Charles Sims,Nathan

Smetherman,Sharon

Smith,Robert

Wilson, Patricia

EJefferson

Garden of Memories

Boquet, Virginia

Wilson, Patricia

LA Muhleisen

Courtade Sr., Ronald Leitz-Eagan

Diboll, Joanna

Settoon Sr., Charles

Tharp Funeral Home

Bravata, Paul

Hawthorne,Maggie NewOrleans

Greenwood

Centanni,Dolores

Jackson, Marshall

Lake Lawn Metairie

Lafaye Jr.,Albert Newman, Joy

SalvantJr.,Lucien

Scontrino Jr., Sebastian

Smetherman,Sharon

Smith,Robert Majestic Mortuary

Matthews,Allegra St Tammany

Grace Funeral

Cass, Helen Obituaries

Alice Ruth Atkinson, a native ofNew Orleans Louisiana,died peacefully on Saturday, November 8, 2025 in Houston, Texas of progressive systemic sclerosis. Alice was born on June22, 1960toRose Leah Keefe Atkinson and Warren Stott Atkinson, both of whom preceded her in death. She is survived by hersisters, Mary A. Fitzmorris (Terrence), Elizabeth A. Reid (Robert), Anne Keefe Atkinson, and her brother,WarrenStott Atkinson, Jr. Sheisalso survived by her five nieces, four nephews, and nine greatnieces and nephews. Alice attendedHoly Name of Jesus School.She graduated from Mercy Academy and the University of New Orleans. Shetaught physical education at Lowell School in Washington,D.C. before coming home to The Academy of the Sacred Heartfor more than25 years. Wherever Alice went she brought smilesand laughter.She devoted her life not only to her family but also to awider world that includedchildren, animals, and music. Visitationwillbeheldon Saturday, January 10, 2026 from 11:30to1:30 atThe Academy of theSacred Heart Chapel, followed by mass at 1:30.Burial will be private In lieu of flowers, please consider adonation to the Scleroderma Research Foundationorthe Cascade Stables at AudubonPark.

Boquet,Virginia Malbrough

Virginia MalbroughBo‐quetpassedawayonNo‐vember19atthe ageof91, surrounded by herfamily. She wasbornon May27, 1934 to Duietand Lillian Malbrough.She waspre‐ceded in deathbyJerry, her husband of almost 60 years,her sonGlenn Bo‐quet, hersiblingsDuiet Jr Gail, Brenda andLinda,and her parents. Sheissur‐vived by herthree daugh‐tersMelanie (Richard) Pace, Laurie (Lad)Dory and Tina (Pete) Fischerand her daughter-in-lawKaren Boquet. Virginia worked in her father’s sweetshop where shemet hersweet‐heart andloveofher life Jerry,whomshe marriedin 1951. Sheattended St JosephAcademy High School andfurthered her education at Tulane Uni‐versity,LoyolaUniversity and OurLadyofHolyCross College.She worked as a teacher which allowedher tospend afternoonsand summers with herown fourchildren. Shetaughtat Immaculate HeartofMary, Resurrectionofour Lord and St.James Major. After her children were grown, she starteda newsuccess‐ful career as arealestate broker andearned the

Graduate RealtorInstitute designation andbecame the office manageratMer‐rillLynch.Her artistic tal‐entsincludedsinging,writ‐ing andpaintingbeautiful porcelain dolls.She loved fishingand boatingwhich she enjoyedwithJerry and her familyfor many years ather camp on Lake Catherine andcontinued to enjoy whenshe movedto Venetianisles.Her other passion wasgardening and she wasa very active memberofthe Venetian Isles Garden club.She was anexpertatgrowing or‐chids andwould oftenre‐viveorchids of herfriends Virginiagreatly enjoyed cookingand entertaining bothfamilyand friends. She hosted countless Thanksgivingdinners where shewas in charge of cookingthe turkey and manyofthe sides. Shewas known forhosting themed dinnerparties served on elaborately decoratedta‐blesand creative place settings. Shealsoloved decoratingfor everyholi‐day andhad a flairfor fashion.The twomostim‐portant things to Virginia werefamilyand friends. She oftensaid“My family ismylife!”She was blessedwith7 grandchil‐drenand will be sadly missedbyJacqueline, Nathan, Paul,Danielle, Ryan, Nicole andMichelle She wasthenblessedeven further with 12 greatgrandchildren:Dominic, Sofia, Katherine, Caleb, Judah,LG, Fiona, Miles, Owen, Lillian, Allysa and Collin. Virginia wascalled Ginny andthenMaMa Ginny andtheneventually GigiorG by hergrandchil‐drenand great-grandchil‐dren. Shehad many friends inVenetianIsles andthey helpedher in so many ways. They provided meals,assistanceafter storms, transportation as needed andwonderful friendships.She consid‐eredher Venetian Isles friends “Angelsonthe Bayou”. Herfamilywishes tothank theseangelsfor their loving supportand for allowing hertobeable toliveinher home until the age of 91. Shehad many niecesand nephewswho wereveryspecial to her and helped care forher especiallythe Boos family - Cherie,Kenny,Brett, Tri‐cia,Lorna andTammy.As Virginia’sheart weakened her spirit of determination remainedstrongtothe veryend!She will be re‐memberedfor herpassion for life,her joyinentertain‐ing andher strong bonds withher familyand friends.Servicesfor Vir‐ginia will be held on Tues‐day,November25, at the GardenofMemoriesFu‐neral Home at 4900 Airline Dr.,Metairie, LA 70001. Visi‐tationwillbegin at 11:30 a.m.and will be followed bymassat1:30. Interment willfollowinthe Garden of MemoriesCemetery. Feel freetowearbrightcolors tocelebrate!Tosend flow‐ers to thefamily, offeron‐linecondolences or planta treeinmemoryofVirginia, pleasevisit,www.gardeno fmemoriesmetairie.com

Bravata, PaulCharles

away on Saturday, November 8, 2025. Paul was born in Tickfaw, Louisiana, on March 19, 1934, to JosephPravata and MaryBurregi Pravata. He was preceded in death by hisparents; his beloved wife, Geraldine "Gerry" E. Bravata; four sisters (Rosie Bonura, JosieCatalanotte, Carmella Barraco,and Lena Messina);and five brothers (Pete Pravata, Philip Pravata, Sam Pravata, JoePravata, and Nace Bravata). Alifelong resident of Metairie,Louisiana, Paul was amember of St. Francis XavierCatholic Church. He graduated from Independence HighSchool and went on to earn an Associate's degree in Law Enforcement from Delgado CommunityCollege,a Bachelor's degree in CriminalJustice from LoyolaUniversity, and a Master of Science degree in UrbanStudiesfromthe University of NewOrleans. Paul was self-employed for 17 years as theowner of his Gentilly barbershopbefore changing careers and brieflyjoining theNew Orleans Police Department. In 1974, he began his long and distinguishedservicewith the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office,where he remained until 2011, followedbyan additional five years in the reserves. He also found immense joy in teaching as an adjunct faculty member at Delgadoand at William Carey University'sNew Orleans campus until its closure in 2013. Overthe years, he tookimmense prideinbuilding several homes, atestament to his craftsmanshipand determination. An avid loverof country music, Paul filled his days with thesongs and artistshecherished, oftensharing that love with those around him. Paul was aloving and devotedfather and grandfather.His grandsons were his prideand joy, and he treasured every moment spent with them. He is survivedbyhis daughter, Dawn B. Bauer (Eric), his grandsons, Ethan, and ChaseBauer; hissister, AnnieCatalanotto;and several nieces and nephews. The family would like to extend their heartfelt gratitudetoDr. Saxena, Valerie B. and Anne F., thePeristyle JeffersonIIteam—especiallyGwen and Wendy—and to Care

AssociatesHospice,especiallyKorynand Valerie fortheir exceptional care, compassion,and support Visitation willbeheld on Monday, November 24, 2025, at St.FrancisXavier Catholic Church,444 MetairieRoad, beginning at 10:30 a.m. AFuneral Mass will follow at 11:00 a.m., with interment at All SaintsMausoleum. Arrangements entrusted to Tharp Funeral Home. Expressionsoflove and sympathy may be placed andviewedat www.tharpcares.com.

Britton Sr., Carroll

Carroll Britton, Sr., enteredeternalrest at his home in NewOrleans,LA, on Tuesday, November 11, 2025, at theage of 86. He leaves to cherish hismemoryhis devotedwife of 68 years, Minnie LeeBritton; hisdaughters, MichelleB Fairleyand Andrea Jones (Troy); hisson,Carroll Britton, Jr.; six grandchildren;fourgreat-grandchildren;and twospecial nieces, MaryWilsonand Betty Lou White. He is also survived by ahostof nieces, nephews, relatives, and friends.Carroll was preceded in death by his parents, the lateRobert andCornelia Montgomery Britton, andthirteensiblings. ACelebrationofLife will be held on Friday, November 28, 2025, at JamesChapelMissionary Baptist Church,4227 Thalia St., NewOrleans,LA 70132. Visitation beginsat9:00 AM,followed by funeral servicesat10:00 AM Intermentwillbeprivate Servicesentrustedto Dennis Funeral Home, 1812 Louisiana Ave New Orleans,LA.

Cass, Helen Meyer

HelenMeyer Cass, of NewOrleans,Louisiana, passed away peacefullyin Covington,LAonOctober 29, 2025. Born on July 11, 1944, Helenwas preceded in death by herparents HelenPerilloux Meyer and Harry Conrad Meyer, her husband Donald Francis Cass, andher siblings. She is survived by herchildren Skip(Christi), Jeffrey (Sheri), and Erin, along with hersix grandchildren Andrew, Katie,Hayden, Elise,Peggy, andCarson, andtwo great-grandsons Christopherand Benjamin. HelengraduatedfromSt. Joseph Academy in 1962 and went on to study business at the University of NewOrleans,where she met Don, herhusband of 59 years. On theirhoneymoon,theyvisitedStone Mountain,Georgia, where they carvedtheir names into therock —eternalizingtheir 1964 wedding vows. She spent herearly marriedyearsasa stay-athome mom, later working in Avonsales andoffice management rolesinmedical offices from 1983 to 1996. WhileatAvon,she ranked in thetop 20% of representatives nationwide.Helen was atalented artist, known especially for herwatercolorpaintings, whichshe sold at art fairs and festivals aroundNew Orleans. She also had a passion for refinishingantique furniture,carefully restoring familypieces that hadbeen passed downfor generations. As a girl, Helenspent summers at herfamily'scampon Lake Pontchartrain, sparkinga lifelonglove of being outdoors andnearthe water. Sheand Donenjoyed camping with their family andtravelingtoColorado. They later lived across from the leveeofLake Pontchartrain on Folse Drive in Metairie— always keeping acloseconnection to thewater. Over the years, Helenresidedin Orleans, St.Bernard,

Atkinson, Alice Ruth

4B ✦ Sunday, November 23, 2025 ✦ nola.com ✦ The Times-Picayune Jefferson, and St. Tammany parishes, collecting friends all along the way. She was quintessentially New Orleans —resourceful, witty and always willing to share her opinion on matters large and small. Despite being diagnosed with dementia after the loss of her husband, Helen faced the closing chapter of her life with remarkable grace anddignity. Her final journey serves as apowerful lesson that resilience, compassion and kindness are attainable at any time and under the most difficultof circumstances.

On November 14, 2025, AlmightyGod Himselfbid His faithfuldaughter, Do‐lores M. Centanni,97, come intoHis divine presence aninvitationshe humbly accepteduponreceiving a “goldenticket” to ascend directlytoher heavenly mansion.Dolores wasborn onMarch 28, 1928, in New Orleans,LA. Beloved daughterofthe late Wilson J.and Ursula Z. Menard, sisterofthe late Claire Morvant andthe late Ray‐mondMenard, mother of the late DoloresCentanni, and former spouse of the lateSamuelP.Centanni She is survived by the loves of herlife, herdear children, Darlene, Ronald, and René Centanni,and several nieces and nephews.Dolores wasan employeeofthe Orleans ParishSchool Board for nearlythirty-eightyears After retiring,she enjoyed ballroom dancing, watch‐ing theSaints, reading, meetingall herfriends at the casinos, butmostof all,spendingtimewithher cherished family. Relatives and friendsare invitedto attendthe visitation at 11:00 am,onMonday, De‐cember1,2025, at Green‐wood FuneralHome, 5200 Canal Blvd NewOrleans LA70124, followed by a Massat1:00pm. Interment willbeatGreenwood Cemetery. We also invite you to shareyour thoughts, memories,and condolences online at www.greenwoodfh.com

Filled with joyous hope for everlasting life we announce the passing of Ronald "Ronnie" Leon Courtade, Sr. Ronalddepartedthis life peacefully at his home in Metairie, LA at the age of 91 on November 15th, the Feast Day of St. Albert the Great, in the 2025th year of Our Lord. Ronaldwas born in NewOrleans to the late Rose Prestia Courtade and William Dominique Courtade on August 8th, the Feast of St. Dominic,in the 1934th year of Our Lord. RonaldLeon Courtade was first and foremost afaithful and practicingCatholic, an ambassador for Christ, aman whoreceived the Eucharist daily, aman who believed in the power of prayer, especially the daily recitation of the Rosary. He was adevotedand loving husband to Lucy Messina Courtade, the love of his life upon "first sight" at Natal's Lounge on Chef Menteur Highway,whom he married at St. Vincent de Paul's CatholicChurch on September 5, 1959. As a faithful Catholiccouple, Ronald and Lucy were blessed with five children, from whom God blessed him with 4grandchildren and 1great-grandchild. Ronald loved allhis children and he unapologetically sacrificed for each one of them. Ronald was a loving husbandand father, devoted grandfather and great-grandfather, valued sibling, involved uncle, a close friend to many, anda

joyfulsoultoall whom he met.Heloved meetingnew people from allwalks of lifeand he loved gettingto know them and talking with them. Ronaldproudly and actively served his country in the U.S. Army during the Korean Conflict from December1956to December1958, attaining the rank of Sergeant, and inthe reserves until his HonorableDischarge on November30, 1962. During his life, Ronaldprovided well for his family by God's grace,self-sacrifice, and hardwork. Ronald enjoyed asuccessful 37-year career with the U. S. Post Office, starting as amailcarrier and working his way up to RegionalVehicle Maintenance Facility Supervisor, wherehehad the greatpleasure of working for the firstfemale Postmaster, Hannah Cunningham.For most of those37yearsRonald held many otherpart-time jobs, most notably workingat the NewOrleans Fair Grounds Race Course ("The Track") from the early 1970's through 1989,includingthe entirety of ownership by Louie RousselIII, wherehestarted as amutuel clerkand finished his careeras Mutuel Manager. Ronald is survived by his lovingspouse of 66 years, Lucy Messina Courtade;his children: RonaldLeonCourtade, Jr. (Andrea);Steven Michael Courtade (Gilbert);David LouisCourtade;Darrell WilliamCourtade; and Jennifer Courtade Duran (Jorge); his grandchildren: Kaylin Courtade Alberado (fiancé Brandon Macheca), Christian Ronald Courtade, Olivia Lucy Duran, and Audrey VioletDuran: his great-grandchild: Amelia Kay Alberado; hissister-inlaw, Virginia Messina Aucoin; abeloved family friend, Julie Lively; hissister Joyce Courtade Zimmer; his very close personalfriend andspiritual mentor,Father John Restrepo, OP,and his many nieces, nephews, and friends. He is preceded in death by hisparents: Rose Prestia Courtadeand WilliamDominique Courtade; his siblings: Dean Courtade, Gloria Estrade, Warren Courtade, MarieZimmer Friedrichs, and George Zimmer; his brother-in-law, Irving "Juny" Aucoin, Jr and his many friends, especially Lenny Gloriosoand Billy Newburger.Ronald will be deeply missed by his family, friends, and allwho knew him. Relatives, friends, and allwishing to pay their respects are invited to attend the visitation at St. Mary Magdalen CatholicChurch, 6425 W Metairie Avenue, Metairie, LA 70003, on Wednesday, December 3, 2025, beginningat11:00 A.M. until the Funeral Mass begins at Noon. In lieu of flowers, people wishing to remember Ronald are askedto send donations to Tunnel toTowers Foundation (t2t.org) or have Masses saidfor the repose of his soul. To share memories or condolences, please visit www.muhleisen.com

In Loving Memory of Joanna Lipp Diboll, April4, 1935 -November 14, 2025 Joanna Lipp Diboll passedawaypeacefully on Friday, November 14, 2025, at The Poydras Home in New Orleans at the ageof 90. Mrs. Dibollwas born on April 4, 1935, in Monroe, LA, thedaughter of Marion TrousdaleLipp and FrancesLouise Robertson Lipp. Mrs. Diboll will be interredatLafayette Cemetery No. 1inthe new year to join her late husband, CerréBorn Diboll, Jr ("Buddy") in the family tomb. Herchildhood years werespent living in Oak Grove and Winnsboro,LA. Shewas agraduateof Louisiana State University and amemberofKappa Deltasorority and later earned amaster's from Tulane.During her career, she worked in marketing, education and held numerous volunteer positions. Mrs. Diboll lived in Uptown New Orleansraising her family, Alison, Micheleand Davidwhereshe was a hands-on mom who was always volunteering at school,driving carpools, being ascout leaderand was her children's#1fan at alltheir sporting events She loved to spendtime at their summer home in Pass Christiancooking amazing

meals from just about anything thekidsand Buddy caught in theBay. Mrs. Diboll ("Granny") routinely kept HersheyKisses in her pocket to spoilher grandsons witha Granny Chocolate. She lovedto travel and encouraged her childrentoexperience the world and do thesame. At 75, she traveled to Paris for amonthtoenjoyher last international experience. She was adevoted wife, mother, grandmother,sisterand friend to many and willbegreatly missedby allwho knew her. She also belonged to averyspecial group of lifelong friends, the"Ya-Ya's".

Mrs. Dibollissurvived by her threechildren, AlisonJoanna Diboll and MicheleLouise Dibollof NewOrleans and David CerréDiboll(wife Kelle) of San Diego,CA. She wasa proud grandmotherto Camden Hoeser (wife Evanne)ofLongBeach, CA, MilesHoeser of New Orleans and StephenDiboll of SanDiego

The family wouldliketo give special thanks and recognition to Poydras Home, especially the HeronHouse Care Partners, where Mrs. Diboll spent thelast threeyears of herlife In lieu of flowers,the family kindlyrequests that donations be madeto Poydras Home to honor and give back to theloving and compassionate staff that cared forher in her final years. Please send donations to theEmployee AppreciationFund for HeronHouse at https://w ww.poydrashome.com/givi ng-philanthropy/ways-todonate The family invitesyou to share your thoughts,fond memories,and condolences online at www.leitz eaganfuneralhome.com.

Flynn, J. Michael 'Mike

J. Michael Flynn, 78, of St.Joseph, Missouri, passed away peacefully on November 20, 2025.

Michael was born in Lawton, Oklahoma, on December2,1946, to Harold DixonFlynn, Sr., and FrancisClaire (Clendenning) Flynn.

Michael graduated from East JeffersonHighSchool, where he was amember of theDAK fraternityand served as acontributing editor forthe Tom Tom newspaper. He went on to attend North East State University and laterearned aBachelor's Degree from Tulane University. Michael proudly served in the United States Army from December 1969 to February 1972. Throughout his career, he was self-employed and managed sales and operations for aladies' appareland western wear manufacturer

Michael married Joanne DeanFlynn on December 30, 1986, in Dallas, Texas and she remains his cherishedsurviving spouse. He is also survivedbyhis brother, Harold Dixon Flynn, Jr.; nieces, Brooke Peters and ShellyFlynn Miller; nephews, Andrew Flynn and Trey Flynn; and many extended family members and friends who lovedhim deeply.

Michael was preceded in death by his parents; his sister-in-law, Karen Walker Karns; niece, CarrieLee Flynn; mother-in-law,

JimmieDean; and brothers -in-law, BillWalker and Rodney Karns. Michael wasa member of Bethany Presbyterian Church in Dallas, Texas.He lovedlife andembraced thefast pace of thegarment business, wherehe found greatjoy in his work and in traveling across the country. He had adeep love formusic and especially enjoyed playing the piano.His wit and humor willbedeeplymissedby allwho knew him. Michael was cremated under thedirection of Heaton-Bowman-Smith & Sidenfaden Chapel in St. Joseph, Missouri.Hewill be inurnedatBluff Cemetery in Springdale, Arkansas, at alaterdate.

Maggie "Geneva" Varner Hawthorne passed away peacefully on November 18, 2025 in Covington, Louisiana at the ageof99. Geneva was born on August 8,1926 to the late AllenF.Varner and MattieP.Varner in Pulaski, MS. Geneva was theloving mother of John Warren Hawthorne of Kenner, LA, Gary AllenHawthorne of Folsom, LA and Dianne Hawthorne Peterson (David)ofCovington, LA. She was theproud grandmother of Brad Austin Schellhaas(Tucker)of Abita Springs, LA. She is survivedbyone sister Jonell Weems and numerous nieces, nephews and friends. Geneva graduated fromMather School of Nursing in NewOrleans. She wasa registerednurse for45years and retired fromSouthern Baptist Hospital,now known as Ochsner Baptist Medical Center. Geneva was aresident of Metairieand Kenner, LA for75years. She enjoyed cooking traditional NewOrleans-style recipes forfamily and friends. Seafood okra gumbo was everyone's favorite requesteddish. Geneva was preceded in deathby her parents, brothers Robert Varner, Louie Varner, Ray Varner, Percy Varner and sisters Mildred Craft,Christine Varner, Nadine Jones, Marie Patterson, Louise Williams and Elleen Stanley. As per Geneva's request,formal funeral serviceswillnot be held.Arrangements entrusted to TharpFuneral Home.Inlieuofflowers memorial donations may be sent to St.Jude Children's Research Hospitalwww.stjude.org. Expressions of love and sympathy may be viewed and placed at www.tharpcares.com.

Bliss Maye Higgins died

peacefully at home in BatonRouge on November 12, 2025. BorninNew Orleans February 25, 1958, to Virginia Faye Petty Higgins and GeorgeJoseph Higgins Sr, she was one of 8children.Bliss is survivedby

Wright Wade Adams III, herbeloved husband of 31 years; herchildren: Chris Adams, SageAccardo and husband Darren Accardo, DanicaAdams, Rye Cooper,Graham Cooper, and RachelAdams and husband JaikFaulk; grandchildren:AzaleaAccardo, Lyra Accardo, Delilah Cooper, Frederick Cooper, VellaAccardo,SolanAccardo,Luna Cooper, and Anna Adams; siblings: ColleenHiggins Elam andhusbandJoseph Barton Elam, George Jay Higginsand wife Felicia HorneHiggins, Bonnie Higgins, ClayHigginsand wife BeccaWynnHiggins, and Tammie HigginsNewman and husband Troy Newman; and many more who lovedher.She waspreceded in death by herparents andher sisters, Cindy Higgins Broom and LaurieHiggins. In 1994 she married Wright Wade Adams III,at theUnitarianChurchofBaton Rouge,where they made friends and memories.Wade was adevoted partner, wholovingly caredfor herthroughout theirmarriage and washer primary care giver during herordeal with ALS. Arms wide,doorsopen, and lovedonessecureand safe, theylived in ahome filledwith love andlight andmanyfamilyevents. Oneofher manyjoysinlife wastogather lovedones to participate with herin races near andfar.Bliss ran half marathonsin32 States (with atimeof about2hr 15min). Bliss was proudofher family, her work, herrunning and her life accomplishments. During herchildhood theHigginsfamilyrelocated from NewOrleans to theCovington area, where Bliss graduatedCo-Valedictorian from St.Scholastica Academy in 1976. She moved to Baton Rouge and attendedLSU,graduating with aBSinGeology. After years at home, mothering heryoung children, she built acareerinenvironmental regulation andconsulting. Bliss wasa trailblazer: in 1990 she started as an entry-level Environmental Scientist at Louisiana DEQ, andin1991 Gov. Buddy Roemer issued aGovernor'saward to Bliss for herworkincreatingLouisiana's air toxic program, thefirst such statewide programinthe nation. Shewas twiceappointedasAssistant Secretaryofthe Office of Environmental ServicesatDEQ: First in 2000 by Gov. Mike Foster and again in 2022 by Gov. John Bel Edwards. From 2002 to 2022, Bliss built astrongand respected environmental consultingcareerwithRamboll International (previously EnvironInt). Sheretired from RambollinJulyof2025. Bliss wasdiagnosed with ALS in October2023 and wasswept away from us in twoshort years. Bliss wasa daughter, a sister,a mother,a wife, a stepmother, agrandmother,anaunt, afriend, a trustedconsultant, aleader,a role model, andso much more. Sheloved immensely andunconditionally. Shejoyfullycelebrated achievements bigand small.She workedhard, ran races, read books, assembled puzzles,and drew trees. Bliss lived anddied with dignity.She loved music,playingfamilyDJwith music from herphoneand tappingher feetalong with it,even in herlast days. Heroverflowing joyand gratitude through herfinal days were agift to those wholoved her.

ACelebrationofLife will be held at TheUnitarian Church of Baton Rouge on Friday, January9th at 10am at 8470 Goodwood Blvd

Jackson, Marshall Thomas

Marshall Thomas Jack‐son,a proudU.S.Navyvet‐eranand retiredNew Or‐leans ﬁreﬁghter, peace‐fully enteredeternal rest onNovember7,2025, in Slidell, Louisiana, at the age of 83. Born on Decem‐ber 12, 1941, in NewOr‐leans,Marshallwas the beloved sonofJeffJackson and NatalieVerrett, both of whomprecededhim in death.A graduate of Booker T. Washington High School in NewOrleans,LA, Marshallwentontoserve his countrywithhonor and distinction.In1966, he en‐listedinthe U.S. Navy Re‐serves, where he bravely servedduringthe Vietnam War.His honorableservice earnedhim multiple com‐mendations, includingthe NationalDefense Service Medal,Vietnam Campaign Medal,Vietnam Service Medal,and Navy Unit Com‐mendation Ribbon with BronzeStar. In December 1972, Marshall joined the New OrleansFireDepart‐ment(NOFD), where he faithfullyservedthe citi‐zensand city he lovedfor two decades. After20 years of dedicatedservice heretired from NOFD in March 1992. Marshall also servedasa NewOrleans airport shuttledriver, wel‐comingtouriststohis beloved city with warmth, stories,and that unmistak‐ableNew Orleanscharm Hewas marriedtothe late SheilaAnn Jackson. He is survivedbyhis children: Heather AnnJackson Gros, LaQuandaMarshellJack‐son,and Donnell Anthony Jackson;and hisadored grandchildren:Jy’ranStew‐art,NolaJackson,and Champ Jackson. He is also survivedbya loving circle ofsiblingsand in-lawswho sharedinhis life’s joys and memories: Donald Jackson Tasker(Barbara);Lois Yvette JacksonLang; Car‐olynRaineri (Tony);and SamuelJackson (Sandra) Marshallwas an avid readerofthe NewOrleans Advocate–TimesPicayune and lovedsharing histake onlocal andnationalpoli‐ticswithanyonewho would listen.A true New Orleanian at heart, he was not only alifelongfan of the Saints buta proud memberofthe WhoDat Nation! Marshall waslaid torestatSt. LouisCeme‐teryNo. 3inNew Orleans onSaturday, November 22, 2025, after aNOFD"Last Alarm"Tribute andmemo‐rialservice at Greenwood FuneralHome. “Welldone good andfaithfulservant.” – Matthew 25:23

Centanni,Dolores M.

Hawthorne,MaggieG

Courtade Sr., Ronald Leon 'Ronnie'

Lafaye Jr., Albert Emory

AlbertEmory Lafaye, Jr., alifelongresident of New Orleans, passed away peacefully on Friday,

Diboll, Joanna Lipp

Higgins, Bliss Maye

November 7, 2025, at the age of 89. Born in New Orleans on June 23, 1936, Al was deeply rooted in the cityhe loved and called home throughout his life. A proud graduate of Tulane University, he went on to build asuccessful career in thefood brokerage industry, eventually owning his own firm and later becoming part of anational foodservice brokerage company before retiringin 2023. Al was known for his sharp wit, warm personality, and love of life. He could alwaysbecounted on for agood joke and never missed the opportunity to enjoy afine meal at one of New Orleans' many renowned restaurants. His appreciation for good food and great company reflected his deep love for the culture and spirit of the city. He is survived by his sons, Haden Lafaye (Adele) and Ryan Lafaye (Kristy); and his beloved grandchildren, Emory Lafaye, Julian Lafaye (Ivy Sandquist), Claire Lafaye, and Will Lafaye. The family extends their heartfelt gratitude to the compassionate staff at Lambeth House and St. Anna's for their dedicated care during Al's final months

Aprivate familyservice will be held at alaterdate.

Borland (Beau) wasa native of New Orleans,LA born December 23, 1937, and became along-time resident of Covington, LA until his passing on November 16, 2025. He was preceded in death by his parents Louise Bourgeiois Lawson and Frank Joseph Lawson of New Orleans, LA along with his siblings W. Kenneth Lawson (Charlene), and Joan Lawson Lilly, (John). He is survived by his nieces Joann LillyBeninate, (Doug) and Jean Lawson Burg, (David), and his nephews, John Lilly, Jr., (Mary), Richard Lawson, (Jeanne) and Thomas Lawson, (Carla). In addition, he had several great andgreat, great nieces and nephews. Uncle Beau, as he was known to family,was an adventurer. In his younger years, he worked for the New Orleans sewage and Water Board as amachinist. After his early retirement, he pursued his great passionwhich was hunting and enjoying the great outdoors. This pastime took him to many exotic locations including the hillsof Montana and the Continent of Africa.

Asmall service will be held at Bagnell &Son Funeral Home on Wednesday, November 26th. Visitation will be at 9:30 am followed by aservice at 10:00 am

Jean Marie Lehnig LeBlanc, born November 21, 1940 in Kankakee, Illinois to Mary Ann Amiot Lehnig and Armond Leonard "Lenny" Lehnig. Mother of Rickey Paul LeBlanc (Laura), Todd Jeffery LeBlanc (deceased), Keith Ferrell LeBlanc, Mark Timothy LeBlanc, Neil Calvin LeBlanc. Grandmotherof Taylor LeBlanc, Jacques& Julien LeBlanc, Christopher &Jeffery LeBlanc; greatgrandmother of three Former wife of Ferrell LeBlanc, Jr. (deceased); Sister of Marjorie (Margie) Lehnig Camardelle (Rodney,deceased) and Kathleen (Kathy) Lehnig Hymel, (Carroll Hymel, both deceased) Jean graduated from West Jefferson High School Class of 1958. She was also amember of Alpha Theta Chapter of Beta Sigma Phi International

Sorority. She earned many leadershippositionsand led summer camps forthe Southeast Louisiana Councilofthe Boy Scouts of America. Jean wasemployedwith JeffersonParish School Systemthen at AA Harman and LeGlue until she retired. She then movedto the Seattle areanearher son, daughter in lawand their sons.She took on various jobs whileinthe Pacific Northwest, including tutoring reading and math literacy to young learners, managing consumer product marketing studies, Office Manager and TaxAdvisorfor Gipson Woodruff and Brady in Kirkland, WA. Sheserved as aleader forthe Chief SeattleCouncilofthe Boy ScoutsofAmericafor many yearsreceiving numerous awardsand recognitions. She was most proud of Wood Badge and attending leadershiptraining camp at Philmont Scout Ranch, New Mexico. Jean led Cub Scoutsummer camps and badge workshops for Chief Seattleand Mount Baker troops. Jean loved agood crackerbarrelcampfire with storytelling,skits, music and adventuresbytrain or car.A fewofher favoriteswerethe Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Grand Tetons, Painted Desert, Mount Rainer, San Juan islands, Olympic Rainforest,Crater Lake, Lewis& Clark andOregon Trails

Relatives and friends areinvited to attend remembrance services on Friday, November 28, 2025, at 9:00 am with Mass at 10:00amatSt. Joseph CatholicChurch, 610 6th St Gretna, LA. Interment to follow at Westlawn CemeteryColumbarium Inlieu of cards and floralarrangements,the familyrequestthat you consider donating to Scouting America@ https://donatio ns.scouting org/.

Matthews, Allegra Rose Cooper

AllegraRose(Cooper) Matthews, born on Febru‐ary 20,1959, in NewOr‐leans,Louisiana,entered eternal rest on Monday, November 3, 2025, sur‐rounded by love andfam‐ily.Allegra wasthe daugh‐ter of thelateBeverly Belle”Woodford andJohn EarlCooper andwas lov‐ingly raised by herdevoted grandparents, Alfred Cooper Sr.and Estelle Mae (Jefferson) Cooper.She shareda specialand en‐duringbondwithher bonus mom, HelgaElsa (Barkmann)Cooper,whom she loveddearly. At the age of eleven,Allegra was baptizedand confirmed at Bethlehem Lutheran Church alongsideher builtinlifelongbestfriend, Al‐fredDon Cooper III. From thatmoment, herjourney offaith andresilience began —one that shecar‐riedwithher throughout her life.Allegra wasedu‐cated in theNew Orleans publicand privateschool systems,attendingJayne Wallace Elementary,Holy Ghost Catholic School,and WalterL.Cohen Senior HighSchool.She proudly becamea member of the firstgraduatingclass of McMain Magnet High School.Furtheringher edu‐cation, sheattended SouthernUniversityatNew Orleans andXavierUniver‐sity. On August 28, 1976, Al‐legra marriedCalvin Matthews, andtwo chil‐drenwereborntotheir union:TashelgaMarie Matthewsand Calvin Chris” Christopher Matthews. Laterinlife, she met AnthonyRoyal,and to‐gethertheywelcomedher youngestdaughter, Angel‐ica "Bunnie" Jasmine Cooper.Throughouther life, Allegraworkedin manyroles that reflected her strong work ethicand lovefor people.She was employed at Bud’sBroiler Restaurant, Kirschman’s Furniture Store, Rosen‐berg’sFurniture Store, and Ben Guillory StateFarmIn‐surance Company. She later became an entrepre‐neur, owning andoperat‐ing MatthewsTransporta‐tionService,where she faithfullytransported ele‐mentary school children for 11 years. She also ownedFranklinAvenueBil‐liardsCenter, where she led an undefeated billiards teamfor threeconsecutive years.Inaddition, she workedwithWhite Fleet CabService as an owner-

operator.After Hurricane Katrina,Allegra relocated toHouston,Texas,from 2005 to 2010. Despitethe challenges, herspiritre‐mainedunshaken, andshe eventuallyreturnedtoher beloved NewOrleans —the citythatshapedher soul In 2022, shemoved to Mon‐roe,Louisiana,tolivewith her youngestdaughterfor a year before transitioning toFarmerville Nursing HomeinFarmerville Louisiana.There,she was loved deeply by theresi‐dents andstaff, who quickly became an ex‐tendedfamilytoher.Alle‐gra wasfunny, outspoken, and strong,and she dancedtothe beat of her own drum.She wasknown for herboldpersonality,in‐fectiouslaughter, andthe loveshe freelygaveto everyonearound her. She willberememberedasa woman who livedonher own termsand loved deeply.She waspreceded In deathbyher husband, CalvinMatthews; herson Calvin“Chris” Christopher Matthews; herparents, Beverly Woodford andJohn EarlCooper;her grandpar‐ents, Alfred Cooper Sr.and Estelle Mae(Jefferson) Cooper;her bonus mother Helga Elsa (Barkmann) Cooper;her brother, Lenzell “Lenny”Granville Cooper;her cousin,Billy “Buck”Sawyer; andher un‐cles, BillyJoe Cooper and Alfred“Fruit” DonCooper Jr. Shelives on throughher lovingdaughters,Tashelga Marie Parrott(Damien) and Angelica “Bunnie” Jas‐mineCooper;her beloved bonus daughter,Cheryl Ann Banks(Damion), and her belovedbonus son, MelvinLee (Phia).Six granddaughters— Leila SemoneMatthews, Toni TehillahLowe, Olivia Monét Matthews, TaliyahParrott Allana MarieFoucha, and CaliChristina Matthews— and onegrandson, Mathew Christopher Foucha.She alsolives on throughher beloved cousins— Alfred Don Cooper III, Edwin Cooper,JohnKennedy Cooper Sr., Dr.Maychelle Cooper Rodney,Stephon Boo” Sawyer,and Nikia Sawyer— herhonorarysis‐ter,Darlene Joseph Jones, aswellasa host of other relatives andfriends who loved herdearly. Relatives and friendsofthe family are allinvited to attend the FuneralService on Satur‐day,November29, 2025 at 9:30amatCalvary Taber‐nacle C.M.E. Church,3629 Dryades St., NewOrleans, Louisiana 70115. Visitation willbegin at 8:30 am.Burial willbeprivate.Profes‐sionalarrangementsen‐trusted to Majestic Mortu‐ary Service, Inc. (504) 5235872.

JoyHeimNewman,age 93, passed away on November 17, 2025, in New Orleans, Louisiana, where she resided her entirelife. Joygraduated from Dominican High School before beginning arewarding careerwith Southern Bell In 1981, she married the love of her life,Jack Newman. Together, they shared many wonderful years volunteering and traveling with the TelephonePioneers,as well as spendingtime with their family.Joy was preceded in death by her parents, Henryand Mary Heim; her beloved husband, Jack Newman;her stepson, Ronnie; stepgrandson Paul; and stepgreat-granddaughterAriel She is survivedbyher sister, Gay Kariker (Doug); her sons, Kirt Ulfers (Debra) and Keith Ulfers (Cecilia), and grandchildren Ashley (Nick), Chris (Shannon), and Allison (Brian); and her Newman stepsons, Fred (Sally), Ronnie; (Doris), Bobby (Pat),and Cy.Joy was lovingly known as "Granny" to 10 grandchildren, 21 great-grandchildren, and 2 great-great-grandchildren She was"Aunt Joy" to Brian (Michelle), Lauren (Keith), Melissa (Chris), and theirchildren—three great-nieces and onegreat -nephew. The family extends heartfeltthanks to thecaregivers and staff at Nola @HomeCare and ANVOI Hospice fortheir kindnessand compassion, which were ablessing to Joy and her family.A Memorial Mass willbecelebrated at Lake Lawn Metairie FuneralHome, 5100 Pontchartrain Blvd.

NewOrleans, LA on Wednesday, November 26, 2025. Visitationwillbeheld from9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. in thechapel,followedbyMass at 10:00 a.m. Interment willfollow at MetairieCemetery in All SaintsMausoleum. To view and sign theonline guestbook, please visit www.lakelawnmetairie.co m

LucienAlbert Salvant Jr., passed away on September 29, 2025, at the ageof83. Born in New Orleans, Louisiana on December 23, 1941, to the lateLucienAlbert Salvant Sr.and Anna Geraci Salvant.Lucien served as asergeant with Army Intelligence during Vietnam. He receivedhis bachelor's in journalism fromLoyolaUniversityand went on to receive his master's in journalism fromLSU.Lucienretired as theEditor in Chief, National Associationof RealtorsMagazine.Heis also preceded in deathby his brothers JosephJohn Salvant and Paul Leslie Salvant.Lucienissurvived by his niece Leah Quay (Jason) and their four children,Hannah, Nathaniel, Zoe,and Timothy; niece RachelSalvant and her two children Cory Jones, and Steven Salvant (Marlene); as well as several great grandnieces, nephews and cousins.

Avisitationwillbeheld on Friday, December 5, 2025, at 10:00am at Lake Lawn Metairie Funeral Home,followedbya graveside service at 11:00am in Lake Lawn Park and Mausoleum.

Sebastian "Junior" Scontrino, 90, passed away on November 5thinLuling, Louisiana. Sebastian was born on April10, 1935 in NewOrleans, LA to Rita and Sebastian "Bos" Scontrino. Sebastian lived in Metairiehis entirelife andmarriedBobbieJean Martin in 1957. They remained married forover 67 years. Sebastian loved fishing, music, traveling with Bobbie and friends, and joking with his children and grandchildren. Hisquick sense of humor made everyone smile. Sebastian was preceded in death by his wife, Bobbie, in 2024 and is survived by his threelovingdaughters JeannineRichert, Darlene Papale, and Claudine Makofsky (RJ). He was affectionately known as "Paw PawJr."to8grandchildren: Chad Richert (Sarah), Tommy Papale (Ashlee), Shannon Breaux (Shane), AngelaMcCann (Philip),KyleRichert (Nicole), Kelsey Makofsky, RachelMakofsky,and Brooke Makofsky; as well as 13 great-grandchildren plus anotherone on the way. He willbeforever lovedand deeply missed by his family.Private services were held on Saturday, November 15th. The family appreciates your thoughts and prayers during this time.

Charlie,""Pops," and "Eugene,"passed away peacefully at home on Sunday, November 16, 2025, at theage of 94. He wasbornAugust 7, 1931, in Natalbany, LA to Earl EugeneSettoon and Eva WilkinsSettoon.Charlie spent most of his childhood in St.Francisville wherehecherished his role as bigbrother to his threesisters—Mary Vivian "Sister," Patsy Ruth,and Lois Ann. Growing up amid thechallengesofthe Great Depression and WorldWar II shaped hisoutlook and habits for therest of his life. As ayoung boy, he collectedmetal, paper and rubbertosupport thewar effortand attendedthe two-room Julius Freehan schoolhouse from first gradethrough hiseleventh gradegraduation.

Charlieproudlyserved four years in theUnited States AirForce duringthe Korean War,attaining the rankofStaff Sergeantas an airplanemechanic After returninghome, he attendedLSU andgraduated in 1959 with aB.S. in Mechanical Engineering. He then began what would become aremarkable 38year career with theU.S Army CorpsofEngineersNewOrleans District,retiringin1997. Over the course of his work,he played vital rolesinpreventing theloss of theOld RiverControl Structure duringthe 1973 flood, surveying Hurricane Betsy damage,and becominga nationally respected expert in construction cost estimating for major floodcontrolprojects—including locks,dams, levees,and dredging.Hewas honored as theWorld Dredging Association's 1991 Dredger of theYearand awarded theSociety of American Military Engineers' distinguished"Fellow"medal. Deeply civic-minded, Charliedevoted countless hourstoorganizations including theEast Gentilly LionsClub, JoeBrown playground, N.O. District Federal CreditUnion —whereheservedas Presidentfor 20 years— the American Legion, the St.PhilipNeriMen's Club, theRepublican Party, the Pachyderm Club, andthe D -Day Museum as afoundingmember In 1982, he marriedthe "the heartofmyheart" Debbie Mabile—an event he said was"oneofthe greatest achievements of my life."Togetherthey shared 43 years of devoted marriage, building their ownhomeand later cruisingintoretirement Charliewas blessed with fivechildren whom he adored: Charles E. Settoon Jr.(Katherine), Clinton Settoon (Ronni),Clifford Settoon (Danielle),Eugene Settoon (Kara), and Christine Settoon.His five childrenblessed him with tengrandchildren andone great-grandchild: Kate (Charles); Mason, Codi, andTravis (Clint); Blake, Lindsey,and Grant (Clifford); Shea, Feena,and Clare (Gene); andMagnolia (Mason).

Charlielived by the motto "workhard, play hardandbenice to other people." Hisoutgoingpersonality, warm loyalty, and unmistakable cackling laugh made himunforgettable.Known for giving friends andacquaintances affectionate nicknames, he collectedfriendshipseverywherehewent. Hislove for LSUbegan at age 12 as aBoy Scoutusher at home games andcontinued throughout hislife. He became aseason ticket holder in 1958 and proudlyattended gamesinTiger Stadiumuntilthe age of 90—neverleavingbefore

the final second of the fourth quarter.Familylegendholds that he wasthe oldest continuous season ticket holder Oneofhis favorite traditions, nowa treasured familylegacy, was"Restin' in Destin,"where in 1977, he famouslycaughta 318lb Atlantic blue marlin Each spring, he andDebbie hosted abeloved crawfish boil for over 100 friends, cappingthe eveningwith bananasfoster He wasprecededin death by hisparents Earl andEva Settoon;his sister Mary Vivian;brothers-inlaw DonRogillioand Vince Massimini; nieceMendy Owens; andmanycherished first cousins and friends. Visitation willbeatLeitz -Eagan Funeral Home on Friday, November 28, 2025, from 6pmto8 pm. Funeral Serviceswill be on Saturday, November 29, 2025, at 11am, preceded by visitation at 10am. Aprivateburialwill follow at PonchatoulaCemetery In lieu of flowers, his familyasks that donations be made to the United ServicesOrganization (the USO), P.O. Box 96860, Washington, DC 20077-7677 in Charlie'smemory Fond memories and condolences may be sharedat www.leitzeaganfuneralho me.com.

Sharon Winn Smetherman (85) passed away peacefullyon November 9, 2025, surroundedbyher four daughters. She is survived by herchildren:Dana Smetherman (Charles Freeman)ofArlington,VA, Collin Smetherman Ginsberg of Madisonville, LA, LaurenSmetherman Merten (Peter Merten)of Cincinnati, OH,and Ashley Smetherman Lemmler of Covington,LA; eightgrandchildren: Robert andEmma Freeman,Tyler Ginsberg (Jacki Pagliaro Ginsberg), Vivian LaCerda, Caroline Merten,David Merten (Oliver Lehne), Rileyand MollyLemmler;her sister: Ave Winn McNamara; her sister-in-law and brotherin-law:Maria Winn and Jesse Smetherman;and many nieces andnephews. Sheispreceded in death

Salvant Jr., Lucien Albert

Sims,Nathan

NathanSims, 81, of Buras, Louisiana, passed away peacefullyonNov. 1, 2025. Aproud countryboy, he built successful businesses and shared hislove throughcooking. He is survived by fivechildren, ten grandchildren, onegreatgrandchild,and siblings. Celebration

Lawson, Borland Gill 'Beau'

Smetherman, Sharon Winn

ScontrinoJr., Sebastian

Newman, Joy Heim

LeBlanc, Jean Lehnig

See more DEATHS, page

Settoon Sr., Charles Eugene

Charles EugeneSettoon also known as "Mr

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.

OPINION

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. Withoutanother federal infusion, that’smoney the state doesn’t have.

they’d be ready to retire.

Despite all this, the report notes someareas forhope.

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

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 thoseinrural 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 was built before 1960, the report notes. In other words, if those systems werepeople,

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 usedtogiving feedback online these days, in theform 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 wastold 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 take the 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.

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.

is atrait sorely lacking in today’s political world.

And they loved it.

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.

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

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.

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

Whowon,and lost,aselectionseasoncloses

Stephanie Grace Quin Hillyer

Idon’tknow about my fellow New Orleans political junkies, but to me, it doesn’t feel like the end of campaign season without an afterthe-fact scorecard from my dearly (and Ican report happily) retired colleague Clancy DuBos. “Da Winnas &DaLoozas” have left thebuilding, but in Clancy’shonor,let me dipatoe into those waters.

Winners:

Helena Moreno

Well, obviously.The CityCouncil vice president so walloped her opponents in the October primary andthat she was spared arunoff this past week. Moreno’seasy victory comes with an asterisk, though, when youconsider what actually landed on her plate: atwo-pronged ﬁnancial crisis, part of which shewas expecting —abudget deﬁcit of $160 million —but also asurprise cash crunch that left the cityunable to meet payroll for the rest of the year without extreme inter-

vention. There is asilver lining, though. Having already been elected, Moreno has been abletostep into theleadership void left by outgoing Mayor LaToya Cantrell. That’s enabled her to negotiate with initially hesitantstate ofﬁcials to secure Bond Commission support forwhat is essentially a$125 million paydayloan —amove that required quick approval of safeguards from thecouncil on which theincoming mayor still sits. It’salso allowing her to shape the2026 austerity budget that she will soon inherit and determine which painful cuts to make. Call it thebest outcome of abad situation that would have played out very differently if the candidatesfor mayorwere still ﬁghting among themselves and attacking one another’scredibility So, goodfor New Orleansvoters, in hindsight,for getting this one over early The City Council Voters not onlypromoted Moreno,they also returned the remainingthree incumbents who sought reelection,Council President JP Morrell— who joined

Moreno in negotiations withstate leaders, along with term-limited budget chair Joe Giarrusso —and district membersFreddie King and Eugene Green. Afourth, Lesli Harris, won when nobody bothered to qualify against her So much for efforts to paint the council as just as responsible for thebudget ﬁasco as the administration it’sspent much of thelast four years battling. Addtothat theresult of last week’sDistrict Arunoff. Losing candidate Holly Friedman tried to tag opponent Aimee McCarron, Giarrusso’stop budget aide, with at least some responsibility for theﬁnancial mess. More voters clearly saw McCarron as part of thesolution, not theproblem,and gave her thewin.

Criminal Justice Progressives

Afterelecting aDAin2000 and a sheriff in 2021, the reform movement won astatementvictory on Nov.15when Calvin Duncan, aformer Angola inmatewhose conviction was vacated and who went on to earnalaw degree, was elected clerkofCriminalDistrict Court. Duncan would be wiseto study the other progressives who

have been elected to major ofﬁces, though. While District Attorney Jason Williamshas thrived by following his pragmatic instincts, Sheriff Susan Hutson fell down on the joband was roundly rejected for reelection.

Losers:

Royce Duplessis

The well-regarded state senator took awhole lot of goodwill and blew it when he decided to run adivisive, identity-focused campaign, thus alienating many people who were very open to supporting his mayoral bid. Duplessis’ contention that the council on which his twomain opponents (Moreno and Oliver Thomas)serve was as responsible for city government dysfunction as the Cantrell administration also fell ﬂat. Talk about misreading the room.

Troy Carter

In Washington, the congressman from Algiers is very much in step with his overwhelmingly Democratic constituents.

Back home, he took three big swings when he supported fellow West-Bankers Delisha Boyd for

council-at-large, Edwin Shorty forsheriffand incumbent Darren Lombard forreelection as clerk —and wound up with three embarrassing misses. Yes, Carter backed Moreno, but so did so manyother ofﬁcials that it’shard to argue he mademuch of adifference there.

Darren Lombard

The now-outgoing clerk of Criminal Court could have taken the high road, commended Duncan forovercoming adversity and madeacase forhis own reelection based on his expertise on the functions of the ofﬁce: overseeing court records and election day activities. Instead, Lombard went low and launched ashockingly mean-spirited attack on his opponent, even going to farastosuggest he was still somehow guilty of the crime forwhich he’d been exonerated. It wasplain ugly and it very likely turned voters against him and fueled turnout forDuncan.

LaToya Cantrell Who? The city has moved on. Email StephanieGrace at sgrace@theadvocate.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 forpredominantly White institutions. Harvard alonehas endowment assets of more 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.

FILEPHOTO By EVAN AGOSTINI Philanthropist MacKenzie Scott

with meteorologist Damon Singleton

Winds last night shifted from westerly to northerly,soit’sbreezy and the dewpoint temperatures are lower, therefore no fog is expected this morning.Otherwise, expect a mostly sunny, mild and nice day. Temperatures this afternoon will rise to the mid-70s. Winds will remain northerly and humidity will be low. Rain chances are back to zero. If you’re tailgating for the Saints game, the weather will be great. Rain returns Tuesday.Seven days until the end of hurricane season and the tropics remain quiet.

DEATHS continued from LawnCemetery. In lieu of flowers, pleasemakea donation in Sharon'sname to Tulane Summer Lyric Theatre: https://securetu.t ulane.edu/s/1586/Giving/1 6/interior.aspx?sid=1586& gid=2&pgid=2062&cid=374 7&appealcode=EGSW6

by her parents, Robert Blanks Winn and Audrey Hampton Winn and her brother, Robert Ernest Winn. Sharon attended St. Dominic School and St. Mary's Dominican High School. She then received aBachelor of Science in Secondary Education from Loyola University and later aMaster of Educational Administration from the University of New Orleans. Alifelong educator Sharon's love of teaching started at age 14 when she joined the staffofGentilly Dance Academy. She went on to teach English, Speech, and Drama over a more than 50-year career, most notably at Kehoe France where she taught for 27 years.Another lifelong passion was the performing arts, and Sharon shared her talents on many stages, including Le Chat Noir, Rivertown Repertory, Le Petit Theatre du Vieux Carre, Tulane Shakespeare Festival, Bayou Dinner Theatre, Tulane Summer Lyric Theatre and the Producers' Club Theatre in New York. Her final onstage performance was with the Durban Playhouse Company in Durban, South Africa as part of the International Arts Foundation Inc. of New Orleans. Sharon shared her love of the stage with the many students who participated in countless shows she directed and choreographed throughout her career. Sharon's daughters and grandchildren were her greatest joy, and nothing made her happier than attending their activities and applauding their accomplishments. Aloving and dedicated parent and grandparent, she attended every concert, game recital, performance, graduation, and celebration to the end. Her love of Mardi Gras, her students, Drew Brees, Little Debbiesnack cakes, andthe Hokey Pokey (the standard closing routine for her dance classes)will live on. That's what it's all about! Family and friends are invited to attend the Funeral Mass in the chapel of Lake Lawn Metairie Funeral Home, 5100 Pontchartrain Blvd. in NewOrleans, on Monday, November 24, 2025, at 12:00PM. Avisitation will be held at the funeral home beginning at 10:00AM. The interment will follow Mass at Lake

Smith, Robert W.

RobertW.Smith, age 100, departed this world to join his belovedwife, Armenda, on Thursday, October30, 2025. Anative son of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, Bob was a proud U.S. Marine who servedinthe South Pacific in WWII. After the war, graduated from Berea College, wherehemet and married Armenda,the love of his life. Hewent on to a career in teaching in public schoolsinOhio, first Monroe High School and then, until his retirement, Fairfield Junior High School. He sincerely enjoyedworking with young people and had atruetalentfor doingso. He spent many extracurricular hours coaching track, advising contestants in oratory competitions,and teaching ballroom dancing Afterretirement,Bob spent much of histime fishing in the Gulf offof Pensacola Beach, celebrating holidays in New Orleans,and cruising to Alaska,the Caribbean Islands and Mexico with his family and friends. After Armenda'spassingin2014,Bob made his home in New Orleans, wherehewalkedin Audubon Park, cheered for the Saints and the Bengals and learnedtoeat crawfish! At 98 years of age, Bob was thrilled to attend theweddingofhis older grandson, Scott, andto dance with his newgranddaughter-in-law, Sumner. Happy, kind, loving, sweet, gentleand outgoing,Bob enjoyedpeople and nevermet astranger. He became the "adopted dad" to many of hisdaugh-

ter's friends, who showered himwithaffection and attention.

Bob is survivedbyhis onlychildBrenda Sue, his favoriteson-in-law Craig Tolbert,his cherished grandsons Sean McCloskey Tolbert and Scott ParkerTolbert,and his beloveddaughter-in law SumnerB.Tolbert. He is also survivedbyhis brother,Reginald Smith (June), nieces PatriciaCollins (Darius) and their children, Samuel and Elisabethand Carla Eadesand her children,Cross and Dublin, and his nephew Michael Smith

The family wouldlike to thankDr. Charles Smith and theentirestaff at Poydras fortheir excellent care. Our sincere appreciation goes to thewonderful women of the Begonia Housewhose dailykindness and enthusiasm kept Bob engaged and happy! Bob was laidtorest with ArmendaatRose Hill Cemetery in Hamilton, OhioonNovember 6, 2025.

Amemorial service, to further celebrate Bob'slife willbeheldatRayne Memorial United Methodist Church in NewOrleans on Monday, November 24, 2025, at 1:00 PM.Inhis honor,pleaseconsiderdonating to theRayne Methodist FoodPantry: Rayne Methodist Church 3900 St. Charles Avenue,NOLA 70115, with amemo designating"Food Pantry".

To view and sign the family guestbook, please visit www.lakelawnmetairi e.com

Wilson,Patricia AnitaMathews

Jesusand theangelic choir in heaven received PatriciaAnita (Mathews) Wilson,age 74, into their arms on Saturday,Novem‐

ber8,2025. Shewas pre‐ceded in deathbyher par‐ents, LeoVan Mathews, Sr and Martha H. (Popay) Mathews andtwo younger sisters,Barbara AnnMath‐ews andTheresa Ann Mathews,aswellasboth her maternal andpaternal grandparentsand herfa‐ther-in-law andmother-inlaw.Patriciaissurvivedby her husband of 56-1/2 years,Richard E. Wilson Sr.,their son, RichardE “Zack”Wilson, Jr., and daughter-in-loveSandra Michelle (Hagan)Wilsonof FriscoTX, alongwith3 grandchildren andtheir spouses and5 greatgrandchildren allofFrisco TX, many brothers andsis‐tersonbothsides of the familyincluding:Mathews side: MarieElaine(Math‐ews)Smith of Diamond HeadMS(husband Rene C. Smith), LeoVan Mathews, Jr. of SaintRose, LA (wife CoraMathews), Kennith WilliamMathews of Hous‐ton TX ;Wilsonside: Stephen RayWilsonof HopkinsvilleKY(wife Gay), Deborah Joan (Wilson) Addy of DecaturMS(hus‐bandMichael), Timothy Wayne Wilson of White SalmonWA(wife Diana), Neita Faye (Wilson) Lind‐holmofSan AntonioTX (husband Ron),Jamie Lou (Wilson)Burnett of Hewitt TX(husbandJoel),LoriAn‐nette (Wilson) Eickenloff of BeltonTX(husbandCur‐tis), Mark Antony Wilson of Middlebrook AL (wife Michele); anda host of aunts, uncles,and cousins aswellasscoresofnieces and nephewsand greatniecesand great-nephews. Patriciawas born in New Orleans,LA, grew up in the IrishChannel,attended LaurelElementarySchool SophieB.WrightJunior HighSchool andAlcee Fortier High School where she graduatedtopsinher class. Shewas awarded manyhonorsand trophies for excellence in mathe‐maticsand academicsas wellasinHomeEconom‐ics.She wasa member of the National HonorSociety and Mu AlphaTheta Math HonorsFraternity. She graduated Summa Cum Laudwitha BS in Mathe‐maticsfromLouisiana Col‐lege(nowLouisiana Christ‐ian University)inPineville LAinMay 1974. Shealso successfullycompleted all the required additional graduatehours in Mathe‐maticsand Accountingto beabletosit forthe CPA examination,which she passedonher ﬁrstat‐tempt; allportionsofthe exam (with ﬂying colors).

Patricia served as Accoun‐tantand Cash Flow man‐agerfor EntergyCorpora‐tionuntil herretirement fromthere in 1995. Shealso servedasBookkeeper and Accountant forGeophysi‐cal Databanks, Inc. of New Orleans;aswellasaccoun‐tantfor SoutheastFood DistributorsinHarahan, LA. Before workingatGeo‐physicalDatabanks,she taughtHighSchool andJu‐niorHighSchool Math at AlexandriaCountry Dayin Alexandria, LA.Patricia alsoservedasPastor’s wifeinthree (3)churches, New Hope BaptistChurch, GulfportMS, Stevendale Baptist Church,Baton Rouge,LA; andthe church BaruchAssemblyinKenner LAwhich sheand herhus‐bandfounded.She andher husband remained inactive members of Celebration Church,Metairieand CovenantChurch,Destre‐han,LA. Before becoming ane-attender of Living WordChristian Center of ForestParkIL, they regu‐larly attended FirstBaptist Church NewOrleans.Patri‐cia wasa strong,self-di‐rectedpersonwithstrong faith andconvictions.Her zealfor studying God’s Wordspilledoverinto every area of thelifeshe sharedwithher husband. Theyhad been high school sweethearts for2-1/2 years before they married atFirst BaptistChurch whenitwas on St.Charles Ave in NewOrleans.They married on Saturday after her high school graduation onthe previous Thursday and honeymoonedinPen‐sacolaFL. Moving to Pineville LA after having lived allher life in NewOr‐leans wasa bigchallenge for her, butshe made the mostofitand made asuc‐cessful marriage and home. Theirson wasborn ona Thursday nightin Alexandria, andonthe nextMondaymorning,Pa‐triciawas back in classas ifnothing hadhappened. She waslikethatinso manyways. Hergreatest achievements, at leastin her mind,wereher mar‐riage,the birthand suc‐cessoftheir son, hismar‐riage,and having grand‐childrenand then great grandchildren –her choice oftitleswas “Nana” and shelived everymomentin

thehopeand expectation ofbeing with them anden‐joyingthemevery day. Pa‐tricialoved music, espe‐cially singing. Shewould sing, “Joy to theWorld and “O Come LetusAdore Him”and “AngelsWeHave Heard On High”every morning before sheand her husbandreadthe Bible togetherand prayed and madetheir morningcon‐fessionsfor theday.Some‐times during theday,her husband recalls, shewould burst outinsonginthe den while watching or rewatchinga worshipser‐viceonTV, or just because she wanted to.Her singing ﬁlled thehouse with joy. That is theone thing, other than thetouch of her soft, smooth hands, that I missthe most,” declared her husband, Richard. Among herfondest memo‐ries, sheloved to recount familyvacations at Six Flags andAstroworldand DisneyWorld,vacations withher husband andson She enjoyedcrafts, espe‐cially with hergrandchil‐drenand baking cookies withthem. Shealsoloved sewingwhenher eyes werestill strong andcould see well. Shewas an avid Bible reader andcircled words,phrases,and made notes allthrough her Bibles. At herrequest, there will be no memorial services. In lieu of ﬂowers, donations canbemadein her name to Louisiana Christian University,1140 College Dr., Pineville, LA 71360.

Tulane staysincontrol of American race

BY WILSON ALEXANDER Staff writer

Boos came from what was left of thecrowd inside Tiger Stadium as frustration and disappointment spilled out in the third quarterSaturdaynight. Those fans hadjust watched LSU squander another trip to the red zone, this time because it could not score from the 1-yard line and quarterback MichaelVan Buren fumbled during ahandoff on third down VanBuren picked up the ball and tried to improvise, buthewas tackled short of the end zone. He jogged off thefield as some fans booed. VanBuren put his hands on his hips and shook his head. LSU had itsbest field position of the night against WesternKentucky after an interception by freshman cornerback DJ Pickett, and it settled for an 18-yard field goal LSU won itslast homegameof theseason 13-10, but it was ugly.The offense struggled to put away Western Kentucky, whichgaveup more pointstoLouisianaTech earlier this season. In agame that LSU should have been able to control, it punted seven times andturned the ball over on downs twice.

Scattered boos could be heard at least three times while LSU (7-4) was on offense. Asection of students chanted “WeWant Kifﬁn” at theend of the third quarter. LSU hadtorecoveranonside kick with1:03 left in the fourth quartertoavoid thechanceofgoing to overtime.

The score proved LSU may have itsworst offense in nearly 50 years, if notlonger.The Tigers still have not scored more than 25 points against an FBS team this season, and their chances are low next weekendagainst the best defense in the SECatOklahoma. Since Division Isplit in 1978, LSUhas not gone an entire season withoutscoring more than25 points against an FBS team.

As has been the case allyear,LSU wonbecause of its defense.

After Western Kentucky (8-3) kickedaﬁeld

Shough’s first Saints home startcomes againstdespised rival, with Brees watching

BY GUERRYSMITH Contributing writer

PHILADELPHIA— Tulane coach Jon Sumrall brought up rat poison repeatedlyinthe past two weeks, doing everything in his power to makesure outside praise and attention was not gettingintohis players’ heads. It certainlyworkedSaturdayatLincoln

Financial Field

Afew hours after originalrat-poisonpractitioner Nick Saban dissed Tulane and every

otherGroup of Five team on “College GameDay,” the Green Wave handled business in apotentially tricky contest on Temple’s senior day,beating the Owls 37-13

‘GOBEAT ATLANTA’

BY LUKE JOHNSON Staff writer

Tyler Shough doesn’tlive in abubble. He knows footballmeans something different with the Atlanta Falconscoming to town this weekend. And because Shough lives in New Orleans,that feeling and meaning areimpossible to ignore anyway This storymay be apocryphal, but to anybody who has been here for any amount of time, it sounds true. After his breakout 282-yard, two-touchdown performance against theCarolina PanthersonNov.9,Shough said the peoplehesaw in and around town greeted him like this: “Great job. But, you know,gobeat Atlanta next week. Don’treally care about anything else.”

JOHNSON

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Low-scoringPelslose9th straight

BY LES 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 anddroppedtheir ninth game in arow 115-98 against the Atlanta Hawks in the Smoothie King Center New Orleans played without leadingscorerZionWilliamson and starting guard Herb Jones, and flirted with their lowest-scoring game ofthe season beforea late push enabled theteam to surpass its point total in a122-88loss at Denver on Oct. 29.

“They’re an aggressive defensive team,” Pelicans interim coach James Borrego said of the Hawks, who came 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 has to continue to be afocus forusalong 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 the Chicago Bulls on Monday night in the Smoothie King Center Kristaps Porzingis scored aseason-high 29 points, VitKrejcihad 21 off the bench by making 7-of-10 3-pointers, Jalen Johnson had 18 points and 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 consecutive nights just three days after he returned from an eight-game absence because of astrained hamstring.The Pelicans lost at Dallas, 118-115, on Friday night.

Jones (rightcalfsoreness/lower back strain)was sidelinedfor the ﬁrst time this season, leading New Orleans to use its 11th different startinglineup.

Rookiesecond-rounddraftchoice

Micah Peavy started in Jones’ place, joining fellow rookiesQueen 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 opportunity to play heavyminutesas rookies is going to be good for them in thefuture.”

Borrego said before the game that it looked like the Pelicans were “beginning to form an identity” with their aggressiveness on defense, whichhad producedan average of 19.8 turnoversinthe fourgames since he replaced Willie Green as head coach, aper-game averageof3.4 higherthantheir seasonaverage.

But New Orleans fell short in that area, too, forcing just seven turn-

COLLEGE FOOTBALL AP TOP25ROUNDUP

overs 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 Orleans within sevenpoints, but the Pelicans couldn’tkeep pace.

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

TheHawks ledbyasmanyas24 points in the fourth quarterbefore the Pelicans scored 24 pointsinthe ﬁnal 61/2 minutes.

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, Oklahoma hastaken acritical step in its quest to reach the College Football Playoff. John Mateer threw twotouchdown passes, and the Sooners de-

Oregon defensiveback Ify Obidegwu, left,

Eugene, Ore.

feated Missouri The Sooners, coming off road winsover Tennesseeand Alabama, claimed their third straight victory overaranked opponent and their fifthover ateam that was ranked when they played. The Sooners (92, 5-2 SEC, No. 8CFP)likelywill make theplayoff field with awin at home againstLSU next Saturday No. 3TEXAS A&M 48, SAMFORD 0: In College Station, Texas, Marcel Reed threw three touchdown passesinthe firstquarter before sittingdown early in the second as the Aggies built ahuge early lead and rolled to awin 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 two scoring runs andthe Bulldogs rolledtoawin over the underdog 49ers in its bid to protect its College Football Playoff standing. Georgia (10-1) was looking to play wellenough to retainits No. 4CFP ranking andposition for a ﬁrst-roundbye in theplayoff. The

Bulldogs overwhelmed Charlotte (1-10) for their seventhconsecutive win. The 49ers suffered their eighth straight loss. No. 13 MIAMI 34, VIRGINIA TECH 17: In Blacksburg, Virginia,Carson Beck threwfor 320 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Hurricanes to avictory over theHokies

MalachiToney hadcareer highs in receptions (12) and yards (146) and had atouchdown, lifting the Hurricanes (9-2, 5-2 ACC, No. 13 CFP) to their third straight win and keeping alive their hopes of making it to theAtlanticCoastConference championship game. No. 10 ALABAMA 56,EASTERN ILLINOIS

0: In Tuscaloosa, Alabama, sixdifferent playersscoredtouchdowns, including two apiece fromKevin Riley and AK Dear,and Alabama cruised to awin againstlower-division Eastern Illinois.

Alabama (9-2) held out afew key players— receiver Germie Bernard, center Parker Brailsford and tight end Josh Cuevas —with the Iron Bowl on tap next week. Cuevaswas injured in practice, andhis availabilitymoving forwardisup in theair,said coach Kalen DeBoer TCU 17, No.25HOUSTON 14: In Houston,Josh Hoover threw for 293 yards and twotouchdowns and TCU took advantage of Houston’s

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.

Spaindefeats Germany, reachesDavisCup final

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.

missed ﬁeld goal in the ﬁnalminute to beat the Cougars.

Afterstopping TCU (7-4, 4-4 Big 12) on the 5with just under two minutes remaining, Houston (8-3, 5-3) drovetothe TCU 20 and had achance to tie it, but Ethan Sanchez’s 38-yardattempt with 46 seconds remaining went wide left.

No. 18 MICHIGAN 45, MARYLAND 20: In College Park, Maryland, Bryson Kuzdzalran for100 yardsand three touchdowns to help Michigantoa victory over Maryland, a week before theWolverineshost top-ranked Ohio State Michigan (9-2,7-1 Big Ten, No.18

CFP) waswithout injured running backs Justice Haynes andJordan Marshall, but the Wolverineswere still superior on theground, and Michigan ﬁnished with its highest scoring output in conferenceplay this season.

No. 12 VANDERBILT45, KENTUCKY 17: In Nashville, Tennessee, Diego Pavia threw for acareer-high 484 yards andfive touchdowns and Vanderbilt beat Kentucky as the Commodores kept their hopes for aCollege FootballPlayoff berth alive going into theregular-seasonfinale Pavia, who struck yet another Heisman Trophy poise celebrating with teammates, set the programrecord, topping the464 yards Whit Taylor had at Tennessee in 1981. Pavia also ranfor 48 more yards anda fifthscore.

No.17TEXAS52, ARKANSAS37: In Austin, Texas, ArchManning passedfor four touchdowns, ranfor one andcaught another as Texas beat Arkansas to keep theLonghorns clinging to hopes of making the College Football Playoff.

Manning became theﬁrst Texas quarterback withpassing, running andreceiving touchdowns in agame. He passed for acareer-high 389 yards, and his doeverything day showed how far he’scomefrom the beginning of the season, when Texasstruggled to a3-2 start.

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 Hawksatthe SmoothieKingCenter on Saturday

TULANE 37,TEMPLE13

THREEAND OUT: GUERRy SMITH’STOP TAKEAWAySONTHE GREENWAVE’SEASy WININPHILADELPHIA

WHATWELEARNED

Tulane’supside is far greaterthan its overall performance indicatedfor much of theseason.The Green Wave had not quite put it all together through 10 gamesdespite getting ranked as the only Group of Five memberbythe CollegeFootballPlayoff selection committeeon Tuesday, but this is acomplete team. Quarterback JakeRetzlaff wonbig at ByU and is doing it again at Tulane.The backfield and receiving corps are deep.The offensiveline is solid.Thedefensiveline is capable of aferocious pass rush and stops the run.The kicking game is outstanding

TRENDING NOW

2

Jamauri McClure is adifference-maker Tulane’s dynamicredshirtfreshman was fifth string for most of the season, but he has been agodsend in the past twogames oncethe coaches finally trusted him.Hecandothings other running backs can’t do.Aweek after gainingacareer-high 94 yards on 10 carries, he surpassed 100 yards, finishing with 122 yards on 17 carries. His nifty cut for a first down on third and5when the outcomewas still in doubt mayhavebeen the most significant play of the day, leading to atouchdown that gave the Wave a double-digitlead it neverlost.

FINAL THOUGHTS

3

Makethoseplans to attend the American Conference championship game at yulman Stadium.With only hapless Charlotte remaining between theWaveand a7-1 mark,Tulane is headedfor aleague-record fourth consecutive championship game appearance and its third in four seasons at home.This was unimaginable when Tulane joined the American in 2014 after years and years of finishing near thebottom of Conference USA.The Wave will continue to be ahead of everyone else in theAmerican when Tuesdaynight’s playoff rankings are revealed, guaranteeing it the host role as long as it dispatches the 49ers.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTOSByLAURENCEKESTERSON

Tulane wide receiver Shazz Preston leaps past Templedefensiveback Jaylen Castleberry while running for atouchdown during the first half SaturdayinPhiladelphia.

TULANE

Continued from page1C

“It was abig deal for us,” saidquarterback Jake Retzlaff,who threwfor 231 yards and two scoreswhile tying Justin McMillan’ssingle-season school record with his12th rushing touchdown. “The last three American teams gotbeatafter getting ranked. We talked aboutnot eating the cheese and not eating the rat poison and keep playing hard.”

When Patrick Durkin kicked his fourth of aschool-record-tying fivefieldgoals for a26-7 lead with53seconds leftin the third quarter,Tulane had outgained Temple 325-98. Aside from failing to finish drives, this was thecomprehensive performance critics said was lacking in most of the Wave’sfirst 10 games.

Redshirt freshman Jamauri McClure gained acareer-high 122 yardson17carries, becoming the ﬁrst Tulane running back to crack the 100-yard barrier this year.His total was102 higherthan Temple had on the ground as ateam, factoring in four sacks.

“Our guys preparedthe rightway this week,” coach Jon Sumrall said. “Good performanceall in all. When events happen good or bad, what really mattersis your response. Sometimes when events aregoing good, you get complacent and comfortable and casual.”

Other than failing to commit aturnover for the ninth time in 11 games, the Owls did little rightwhile losingtheirthird in arow Tulane set the tonefrom the start,forcinga threeand outonthe openingpossession and scoring on its second offensive snap when Retzlaff hit Shazz Preston for a69-yard touchdown on adeep post. The duo connected from 65 yards out on the exact same play on the Wave’sﬁrstsnap against Memphis twoweeksago. Preston wasnot as wide open this time,shaking off atackle from divingcornerbackJaylen Castleberry as he made the catch, slowing down and backing into theend zone in celebration

“Wescript the first nine plays of the game, and Iremember telling(passing game coordinator) Will Hall we might score twice with these first nine,”Retzlaff said. “Obviously Ihad alot of faith that Shazz would getthat ball. It’sawesome. To get thatkind of start gets everybody fired up, andour defense gets going off of that.” Temple hung around for alittle while, taking advantageofsomedefensive breakdowns on aseven-play,75-yard touchdown driveafterDurkin’s50-yard field goal gave theWavea 10-0 lead. From

there, the Owls managed only two first downs on their lastfour drives of the first half. The key momentcame when Tulane linebacker Sam Howard —starting for the second time in three games after returning from afractured fibula —sacked Evan Simon at theTemple 9toforce a punt.

TheWave started its next possession at theOwls’ 46, and McClure made anice cut to pick up afirst down on third and 5, setting up Retzlaff’s 2-yard score on a rollout. Tulane pulledaway slowly from there, getting a36-yard field goal from Durkin 21 seconds before halftime to go up 20-7 and adding two more kicks to makethe score 26-7 by theend of the third quarter “I would like to kick less field goals and score more touchdowns,”Sumrall said. “If we want to win the really big games, we’ve got to score moretouchdowns.”

The Wave nearlyput it away on thelast play of the ﬁrst halfwhen Temple coach K.C. Keeler outsmarted himself.With the ball at theOwls44and onesecond left, he dialed up abizarre triple-lateral trick playthatendedwith aplanned cross-field toss to 6-foot-5, 290-pound freshman offensivelineman Giakoby Hills with blockerssurrounding him. Theball sailed over Hills’head, and he did not runafter it, allowing nickelback Javion White to pick it up at the Temple 45 and racetoward theend zone.He tried to cut back inside the20, and running back Jay Ducker barely tripped him up and he fell at the 11.

No.24Tulane 37, Temple 13

Tulane 10 10 611— 37

Temple 70 06 —13

First quarter

TUL —Preston 69 pass from Retzlaff (Durkinkick), 12:33. TUL —FGDurkin 50,4:30

TEM_Clarke3pass from Simon (Hardinkick), :27.

Second quarter

TUL —Retzlaff 2run (Durkinkick), 6:36.

TUL —FGDurkin 36,:21

Thirdquarter

TUL —FGDurkin 38,9:05

TUL —FGDurkin 42,:53

Fourth quarter

TEM —Chase 2pass from Simon (pass failed), 12:56.

TUL —Reid 4pass from Retzlaff (Brown-Stephens pass from Retzlaff), 9:55

TUL —FGDurkin 52,6:58 A—13,366. TULTEM First downs 21 14 Total Net Yards406 204 Rushes-yards39-175 20-20 Passing 231 184 Punt Returns 0-00-0 Kickoff Returns 2-81 1-28

Interceptions Ret. 1-00-0 Comp-Att-Int 17-29-024-37-0

Sacked-YardsLost1-6 4-23

Punts 3-50.333 8-42.75

Fumbles-Lost 0-01-1

Penalties-Yards 8-83 8-73

Time of Possession34:21 25:39

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING —Tulane, McClure17-122, Gordon 8-27, Barnes 3-9, Brown-Stephens 1-8, Retzlaff 5-8, Calloway 1-1, Turner 2-1, (Team) 1-0, Sullivan 1-(minus 1).Temple, Ducker 7-17,H.Smith 2-15, Mason 1-6, McCoy1-2, Chase 1-(minus 2),Bermudez 1-(minus 3),Simon 7-(minus 15). PASSING —Tulane, Retzlaff 17-28-0-231, Calloway 0-1-0-0. Temple, Simon 21-32-0-168, McCoy3-5-0-16.

RECEIVING —Tulane, Preston 5-96, Hayes3-29, Z.Lewis 2-39, Reid 2-5, Pascuzzi 1-21, Shackelford 1-18, Mmahat 1-15, Brown-Stephens 1-5, Mobley 1-3. Temple, Chase 5-59,Bermudez 5-21, Ducker 4-21, Hollawayne 3-26, Clarke2-25, Mason2-3, Woods 1-12, Hardy 1-9, Kusch1-8. MISSED FIELD GOALS —None

Whitegot up angry at himself. Anot totally serious Sumrall said he had the samefeeling.

“How aboutyou just pickyourfeet up and not get tripped?” he said. “Like dadgum, Icould have notgotten tackled right there.”

The lost touchdown did not matter When theOwls capitalized on twointerference calls around afourth-and-10 conversion to score atouchdown that cut the deﬁcit to 26-13 early in the fourth quarter the Wave’s TJ Smith responded immediately with a62-yard kickoff return. Five playslater,Retzlaffthrew fora 2-yard score to tight end Justyn Reid —one of nine receivers to catch apass.

Atwo-point conversion madeit34-13, andDurkin’scareer-long 52-yard field goal ﬁnished the scoring as Templecontinuedtostruggle to getanything going against theWave’sdefensive front.

“Our D-line coach alwayssaysifweput the team on our back, then we will win thegame,” said defensive endJordan Norman, who had two sacks. “It’sjust going in with that mindset that really all this team needs is us and making plays.”

Tulane uses WR’s absenceas motivation

BY GUERRYSMITH Contributing writer

PHILADELPHIA Playing without leading receiver BryceBohanon on Saturday, Tulane used his absence as fuelfor its fire in a 37-13 trouncing of Temple at Lincoln Financial Field. Bohanon, asenior whostarted the first 10 games, entered with ateam-high 31 receptions and was coming off two of his best performances. He had acareerhigh 101 yards on four catches in the Green Wave’s38-32 win at Memphis and followed with afourth-down, 31-yard touchdown grab that sparkeda35-24 victory against Florida Atlantic. “Bryce gothurtinaspecial teamsperiodwhenheasked to be put on special teams,which fora starting level player is not always the case,” coach JonSumrall said. “Hesaidhewanted to play on punt return notasa returner but ahold-up guy.Hehad alittle friendly-fire injury,and I think it gave our guys amaybe deeper appreciation forplaying for something other than yourself.”

Bohanon’s statusfor therest of the season was not immediately clear

“BryceBohanon is ahistoric player for this program,” quarterback Jake Retzlaff said. “He’s an unbelievable human being, a guy Ihope to keep in contact for the rest of his life.”

Retzlaff added he played with Bohanon’scousin —quarterback Gerry Bohanon —atBYU,and Gerry Bohanon told him he was going to love Bryce.

Tulane replaced Bohanon in the starting lineup with an extra lineman, using Elijah Baker in aheavyformation on itsfirst snap. Shazz Preston scored on the next play with a69-yard touchdown reception on adeep post as the ﬁrst of seven wideouts to catch apass.

Goingconservative

After Tulane converted a fourth and 1from the Temple 32 on its firstdrive of the second half,Sumrall elected nottogofor afirst down whenitfaced another fourth and1 at the Owls’ 20. “I’m usually going for that (first down), butthatwas asituation where Ifelt likethe points were important,” Sumrall said. “I usuallywanttobeaggressive.”

Patrick Durkin’s 38-yard ﬁeld goal extendedthe Wave’s lead to 23-7. More from McClure

Forthe second consecutive week, redshirt freshman running back JamauriMcClure set a career high foryardsrushing in abreakoutgame. On his way to 122 yards, he picked up key ﬁrst downs on six consecutive scoring drives after the Wave’s opening touchdown.

“(Earning thecoaches’trust) is really allI’vebeen striving for the whole year,” McClure said. “I knew if Icould get their trust, Icould really show them what Icould do andjustbuild my conﬁdence from there.” Sumrall hassaidrepeatedly McClure needed time to develop after notplaying football in high school until hisjunior year.The running talent always hasbeen there, but attentiontodetail was the keytoearningplayingtime. “I walked into the building on Tuesday morning at 5:30 and he wasinthe weight room working out,”Sumrall said.“Ourfirst meeting was notuntil 7, but he wasgetting his body ready.He’s got elite physical traits. He’sa 5-foot-10, 205-pound kid who ran a10.6(-second100-meter dash) in high school.He’sverygifted.” Lagniappe

The American Conference announced the Tulane-Charlotte game at Yulman Stadium next Saturday will start at 6p.m. and be televised by ESPNU. …Sumrall said TJ Smith,who was injured on his 62-yard kickoff return in thefourth quarter, “justgot his shoulderdingedupa little bit” and would be ﬁne. …Tulane’s19 road victoriessincethe start of 2022 are an FBS high.

Tulane wide receiver Omari Hayes slips past the Temple defense in the second half of their game Saturdayin Philadelphia

THE VARSITYZONE

MCCUSKER

Jaden Terrance runs for a first-quartertouchdown forRummel against ShawonSept. 19 in Marrero. Rummel takesonSt. Augustine in the

on Friday.

Rummel,St. Augustine

Rummel and St. Augustine will meet for the second time thisseason in an LHSAA DivisionI select quarterﬁnalFriday at TadGormley Stadium.

That matchup assures District 9-5A of having at least one school advance to the semiﬁnals, and there could be as manyasthree fromthe district that advance that far once the quarterﬁnals are completed.

Top-seeded Edna Karrwill face No. 8Evangel Christian ina much-anticipatedmatchup among LSU commitments with Karr’s Richard Anderson (defensive lineman)and AidenHall(safety) goingagainst Evangel quarterback Peyton Houston.

The winner there will face No. 4Catholic-Baton Rouge or No. 5 Alexandria in thesemifinals in the top halfofthe bracket. Karr beatCatholic 21-19 in asemifinal before a53-8throttling of Alexandria in the state final last season

The bottom half of the bracket has No. 7John Curtis traveling to face No. 2Teurlings Catholic for thesecond year in arow after Curtis won 31-10 in the quarterfinals last season. The winner there will face the Rummel-St. Augustine winner in the semifinals. St. Augustine, the No. 3seed won 26-3 in the earlier matchup against Rummel withtwo touchdownsoff turnoversasRummel didnot cross midfieldonoffense after halftime. The Rummel defensechallenge the high-powered St. Augustine offensefor much of that night.

“Wejust had to stay patientand faithful and do what we dooffensively,” St. Augustine coach Robert Valdez said after thatgame.

Jesuit,Dominican teamsearn second placeamidrecordtimes

BY CHRISTOPHER DABE Staff writer

Jesuit andDominican earned runner-up team ﬁnishesasJesuit senior AidanVillars and Mandeville sophomore Avery Daigle each posted apair of automatic All-America times at the Division Imeet Saturday in Sulphur

Villars won the 100-yard butterﬂy in 48.09 seconds and the 100 backstrokein48.38 as he ended the weekendwith apairofcomposite state records while Jesuit ﬁnished with3271/2 pointsbehind state champion Catholic-Baton Rouge (4371/2 points)

along with Jake Bergeron of St. Paul’sinthe 200 freestyle.

Daigle won the 100 butterﬂyin 54.02 and the100 backstrokein 54.14, also setting apair of composite records in the process.

year in arow andthe Holy Cross boys were runners-up at the DivisionIIchampionships.

Daigle also swam the 200 medley relay that finished with an AllAmerica consideration time of 1:46.62.

This is the fourth postseason since the LHSAA expanded the select playoff ﬁeld,and in thepast three seasons, District 9-5A has advanced at least twoteams to the semiﬁnals.

The semiﬁnalists in those seasons were Curtis and Brother Martin in 2022, when Curtis beat Brother Martin in thestate ﬁnal, Karr and Rummel in 2023 and Karr and Curtisin2024.

Road winfor Rummel

No. 11 Rummel went on the road and defeated No. 6Tioga 4521 and advancedtothe quarterﬁnals for thethird year in arow

The Raiders gained 316 yards on thegroundasJaden Terrance ran 11 times for 137 yards and fourtouchdownsand Coryan Hawkinsran 22 times for 156 yards and one score.

Quarterback Nathaniel Singleton completed 9of14passes for 178 yardsand atouchdown. Mark Shezbiehad eight catches for 156 yardsand ascore.

Rummel and St. Augustine will meet in theplayoffsfor the ﬁrst time since Rummel won 35-34 in 2019. Kyle Wickersham threw the winning touchdown pass with 22 secondsleft and Rummel went on to win theDivision Istate championshipthatseason.

Contact Christopher Dabe at cdabe@theadvocate.com

AREA FOOTBALLQUARTERFINALS

Villars setthe composite state record in the100 butterﬂy at 47.86 seconds during apreliminary heat on Friday, setting the stage forhis twoindividualwins on Saturday. Villarsalsoswam on the winning 200-yard medley relay (1:33.56) that bettered thecomposite state record previously set by Jesuit in 2023 and earned All-America consideration.

“Wehad aphenomenal meet across the board,” Jesuit coach Brett Dipumasaid, adding that the 200 medley relayrecordat the start “set the tone” for the rest of theday.“Everybody did what they could do to thebestoftheir abilities.”

Other event winners include Gustavo Castilho of Northshore in the 50 and 100 freestyle races

Results At SPAR AquaticCenter, Sulphur Saturday DivisionI BOYS Topteams: 1. Catholic-BR437.5. 2. Jesuit 327.5. 3. Northshore233. 4. St. Paul’s 176. 5. Baton Rouge 162.6.Lafayette 160. 7. Fontainebleau 122. 8. Destrehan 68.5. 9. Brother Martin 62. 10.Mandeville 59. Topindividualsand relays 200 medley relay: 1. Jesuit (Grant Catstillon, Ben Breithaupt, Aidan Villars, Conor Samuels) 1:33.56. 2. Catholic 1:34.14. 3. Northshore1:36.73

200 freestyle: 1. JakeBergeron, St. Paul’s 1:41. 2. John Kirk, Catholic 1:43.36. 3. Van Nhuyen, Brother Martin1:43.58.

200 individual medley: 1. Noah Vargas, Catholic 1:51.67.2.JamisonLange, Lafayette 1:55.35. 3. DorukSayal, Brother Martin 1:56.55. 50 freestyle: 1. Gustavo Castilho, Northshore21.02. 2. BlakeTalbert, 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, Ponchatoula52.01.

100 freestyle: 1. Gustavo Castilho, Northshore45.82. 2. VanNguyen, Brother Martin 47.65. 3. Ben Breithaupt, Jesuit48.0.

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.

200 freestyle relay: 1. St. Paul’s (Daniel Eversgerd, DominicBarcelona, Christopher Lobue, JakeBergeron) 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. BlakeTalbert, Catholic 51.05. 100 breaststroke: 1. Noah Vargas, Catholic 55.83. 2. DorukSayal, Brother Martin57.99. 3. Sam Naffa, Northshore58.0.

400 freestyle relay: 1. Catholic (Blake Talbert, John Kirk, BenjaminFaulk, Noah Vargas) 3:09.71. 2. Jesuit3:11.31. 3. St. Paul’s 3:15.76. GIRLS Topteams: 1. St. Joseph’s 366.5. 2. Dominican 335. 3. Mount Carmel 237.25. 4. Mandeville223. 5. C.E. Byrd202. 6. Northshore 183. 7. Fontainebleau 82. 8. Lafayette 81. 9, tie. Baton Rouge and Denham Springs 80. Topindividualsand 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. Byrd1:46.62 200 freestyle: 1. KendallJollands,Domini-

Dominican juniorKendallJollands won the 200 freestyleand was part of twowinning relays as Dominican finished with 335 pointsbehind St. Joseph’s(3661/2). Jollandsalsoswamanimpressive 100butterfly time at 54.71 that earned her All-America consideration while she ﬁnished second.

Dominican wasarunner-up for thefourth time in ﬁve seasons afteritwon the state title last year Jesuit was arunner-up for the third year in arow afterwinning statetitles in 2021 and 2022.

St.Scholastica extendsstreak

St. Scholastica won agirls team state championship for the 15th

St. Scholastica senior Emma MaeSmith won the100 and200 freestyle events and swam on both winning freestylerelays as theDoves (293 1/2)won ahead of runner-up Haynes(263). Event winners from Haynes were freshman Lila Usnerinthe 100 butterﬂy andjuniorAudrianna Li in the 100 breaststroke. Ben Franklin junior Zoe McEvoy won two events —the 100 backstroke and 200 individual medley —and swam on thewinning 200 medley relay Holy Cross senior Daniel Long won the 50 and 100 freestyle races as theTigers (244 points) ﬁnishedsecondtoRuston(272). Holy Cross had its team title streak snapped at seven,and Rummel won the 200 freestyle relay

Contact ChristopherDabe at cdabe@theadvocate.com

500 freestyle: 1. Ethan Phipps,Teurlings

can 1:52.49. 2. SydneyEagan, Mandeville 1:57.48. 3. Terese Vocke, Dominican 1:38.16.

200 individual medley: 1. Molly Mayo,St. Joseph’s 2:07.63. 2. BlairFoss, Dominican 2:09.75. 3. Emma Cate Dobie,Mandeville 2:10.67. 50 freestyle: 1. Andi Clement, Southside 23.43. 2. AveryAubrey,Byrd23.76. 3. Embry Palmisano, Dominican 24.29.

100 butterﬂy: 1. AveryDaigle, Mandeville 54.02. 2. KendallJollands,Dominican 54.71.

3. RileyRoedel, St. Joseph’s 57.96.

100 freestyle: 1. Andi Clement, Southside 50.97. 2. Embry Palmisano, Dominican52.79. 3. Annalise Gagliano, Dominican52.86.

500 freestyle: 1. Macy Monday, Byrd 5:07.76. 2. Terese Vocke, Dominican 5:14.06.

3. Victoria Impson, Parkway5:19.1.

200 freestyle relay: 1. Dominican (Marta Giarrusso, Lila Merchant, BlairFoss, Terese Vocke) 1:40.57. 2. St.Joseph’s 1:41.71. 3. Mount Carmel 1:41.97.

100 BACKSTROKE: 1. AveryDaigle, Mandeville 54.14. 2. Macy Monday, Byrd 56.95. 3. Addison Provenzano, Northshore58.8. 100 breaststroke: 1. AveryAubrey,Byrd 1:02.86. 2. Emma Cate Dobie,Mandeville 1:03.99. 3. Molly Mayo,St. Joseph’s 1:05.39.

400 freestyle relay: 1. Dominican (Embry Palmisano, KendallJollands,Annalise Gagliano, Lila Merchant) 3:32.31. 2. Mandeville 3:33.14. 3. St.Joseph’s 3:40.3. Division II

BOYS Topteams: 1. Ruston 272. 2. Holy Cross244. 3. Rummel 178. 4. Ben Franklin 167. 5. David Thibodaux 158. 6. St. Thomas More156.5. 7. Caddo Magnet152. 8. Pineville 116.5. 9. Teurlings Catholic 110. 10. Willow104. Topindividualsand relays 200 medley relay: 1. Holy Cross(Drew Launey,DonaldFrisard, Kaiden Lammer, Daniel Long) 1:39.33. 2. Rummel1:39.47. 3. Ruston 1:41.99. 200 freestyle: 1. Dominick Paternostro, David Thibodeaux 1:44.17. 2. EthanPhillips, Teurlings Catholic 1:45.41. 3. GasperCoulon, 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. SamuelJackson, 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. SamuelJackson, Ruston 48.31. 3. Ryan Rivera, BenFranklin 48.71.

Chris Dabe

8-40,

BOXSCORE

W. KENTUCKY

Weekslinkmakes LSUhistory

BY REED DARCEY and SCOTT RABALAIS Staff writers

Kentucky,

3-16, Parrish 3-3, Meyers 2-12, Jai.Mack 1-20,

1-18, C.Flowers 1-12, La.Wright 1-7, Tisdale 1-2.LSU,Z.Thomas 6-47, T.Green 6-45, Ba.Brown5-37, Parker 2-33, Berry 2-2, Hill 1-12, Sharp 1-11, Van Buren 1-10, Johnson 1-5. MISSED FIELD GOALS—None.

LSUfootball finally found away to getitdone Saturday.Itput all three Weeks brothers on thefield at thesame time. TheTigers diditinthe first quarter of theirgame against Western Kentucky West Weeks, Whit Weeks and ZachWeeks each playedall five snapsofthe Hilltoppers’ third drive,which ended in apunt. It’s believed that the defensive series marked thefirst time in LSU history that three brothers ever have shared thefield West isa fifth-year senior,Whit is ajuniorand Zach is afreshman whoreclassified and enrolled at LSU, in part so he could play with his twoolder brothers. The stars didn’talign until Saturday.Zach found his way into two previous games —the one the Tigers played against Florida in Week 3and theone they played against Southeastern Louisiana in Week 4. But Whit was flagged for targeting and disqualified on the Gators’ first series, andWestsat out the winover the Lions with a calf injury

Whit was in danger of missing theWestern Kentucky game. A bone bruise in his ankle forced him to miss LSU’sprevious four matchups,starting with its Oct. 11 win over SouthCarolina.

ButWhit was healthy enough to suitupfor Saturday’sgame, and theTigers decided to give him a chance to play alongside his two brothersbefore the season ends. West will run out of eligibility at the end of the year

On the series the brothers played together, West tackled arunner on seconddown. Zach wascredited with ahurry onthird down. Whit changed into sweats at halftime and did notplay in thesecond half.

Anderson sits

LSU wide receiver Aaron Anderson did not playSaturday against Western Kentucky Anderson, aredshirt junior,has battledvarious injuries throughout the season. Last year,he caught 61 passes for 884 yards and ﬁve touchdowns to lead theTigers in receiving. This season,hehas only33 catches for 398 yards.

Entering thegame against the Hilltoppers,LSU’s topreceiver was Kentuckytransfer BarionBrown He began thenight with 44 receptionsfor 449 yards anda touchdown.

Andersonisa nativeofAlgiers anda former Edna Karr star who played histruefreshman seasonat Alabama. He has one more year of eligibility.

Mooreinjured

LSUcenter Braelin Moore was ruled outofthe game against WKUon Saturday afterhesuffered amidfoot sprain in the first half, according to the team’sradio broadcast Moore— aredshirt junior who transferred from Virginia Tech in the offseason —started each of the Tigers’ first 10 games. He suffered ahigh-ankle sprain on the first play from scrimmageinWeek 2against LouisianaTech,but that injury didnot forcehim to miss any time.

In Moore’sabsence,LSU put redshirtsophomore DJ Chester at center The Tigers were already missing one starter on their offensive line for their game against theHilltoppers. Left tackle Tyree Adams has missedfour consecutive contests after he suffered his own high-ankle sprain on Oct. 18 in aroad loss to Vanderbilt. On Saturday, LSU alsolost right

tackle OryWilliams to an injury in the ﬁrst half.

After those injuries, the Tigers slotted Carius Curne and Weston Davis into theirtwo tackle spots. Coen Echols and Josh Thompson were the guards.

Sabantalks Kiffin

Nick Saban seemstothink 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 aroster and being a national contenderatLSU was easierthanatOle Miss, where Kifﬁn is currently coaching.

“LSU haswon three national championships since2000,”said Saban, wholed theTigers to the 2003 BCS national title. “There is opportunity from that standpoint (at LSU). Look at the recruiting rankings. Ole Miss typically is not oneofthe top teams in the country.”

Ole Miss has been an effective program in the transfer portal underKifﬁn, but Saban indicated that adependency on transferscan be problematic.

“Ifyou’re trying to build your team through the portal all the time, that’s very dangerous,” he said.

Kiffin wasSaban’s offensive coordinator at Alabama from 201416. He is believedtobeadvising Kiffin as he decides whether to move on to LSU or Florida or stay at Ole Miss. Kiffin has been nationally criticizedfor possiblyleaving the Rebels, currently No. 6inthe CFP rankings with a10-1record, on the cusp of apotential firstever playoffappearance forOle Miss. Sabansaidblame the college football calendar,not thecoach “Weneed to takeabetter approach to thebusiness approach of college athletics,” Saban said. “In the NFL, you can’ttalk to another coach in theregularseason. We should matchthe academic calendar with the football calendar “This is not aLaneKiffinconundrum. This is acollege football conundrum.Weneed some leadership to stepupand change the rulesonhow this gets done.” LSU has reportedly offered Kiffin aseven-year,$90 million contract that would place him amongthe sport’shighest-paid coaches. Sources toldThe Advocate that LSU also has promised at least a$25 millioninvestment in building the team’sroster if Kiffin chooses to come to Baton Rouge.

Putrid LSUoffense in need of Lane change

Lane Kifﬁn can’tget to LSUfast enough.

and FCS —LSU never has failed score at least 25 points against an FBS team

Athoroughly underwhelming LSU football season saw theTigers play their ﬁnal homegame Saturday night, a rock ﬁght of a13-10 victory over Western Kentucky. 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 game left to coach at Ole Miss before he is expected to take the LSU job?

That’scertainly the wayitlooks. Frustrated LSU fans havetohope looks aren’tdeceiving.

WasKifﬁn, whose Rebels were idle this weekend, watchingthis?

He has to be at least mildly curious. He also had to be considering switching to arerun of “Friends” when LSU trailed 3-0 until theﬁnal 92 seconds of the ﬁrst half.

During that first half, LSU athletic director Verge Ausberry was spottedonthe field textingnear the north end zone. It waseasy 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

With one regular-season game to go next SaturdayatOklahoma —ateam that possesses one of the most fearsome defenses in college football —that low water markappears to be well within theTigers’ grasp. Yes, LSU played its second gamewith backup quarterback MichaelVan Buren as the starter Yes, two starting offensive linemen, center BraelinMoore and tackle Ory Williams, left the game with injuries. But there is little excuse for theTigers to be this punchless against aConference USAopponent. To once again fail to punch theball in the end zone when they had ﬁrst and goal at the4,settlingfor an 18-yard DamianRamos ﬁeld goal.

Do youknow how hard it is to getcloseenough to settle for an 18-yard ﬁeld goal?

This season ended for alot of LSUfollowers when theTigers got routed 49-25 by Texas A&M on Oct. 25, with Brian Kelly ﬁred the next day.Thatloss, which ended LSU’schampionship hopes andCollegeFootball Playoff aspirations, essentially turned the rest of this season into awaiting game.

Waiting for the next man up.

Again,Kiffin is expected to be that man,especially after Friday’sstatement from Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter that Kiffin’s status at theschool would be announcedafterthis Friday’s Egg Bowl game at Mississippi State.IfKiffin wasreturning to Ole Miss nextseason, that would have been thetimetotell the world.

Instead, it looks for all theworld like Kifﬁn will leave Ole Miss for LSU —or, possibly Florida

leaving his Rebels before they makealikely ﬁrst-ever trip to the College Football Playoff. Nothing is done until it’sdone, but everything Saturday —even an otherwise innocuous in-stadium advertisement —seemed to point towardKifﬁn.

In thefourth quarter,the stadium’s video boards flashed the logo of the MMR Group, the Baton Rouge-based contractor That’sMMR,“The Official Airline of the Kiffin Family.” For those not paying theobsessive attention that someone in my job has to pay,Lane Kiffin’sex-wife Layla and other members of theKiffin family flew to Baton Rouge on Monday on one of MMR’s private jets to tourthe city. There has been adizzying

amount of change in and around theLSU footballprogram this season. Kellyand offensive coordinator Joe Sloan were fired 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 alltoLSU forfive years but in theend found the end of his career wanting. As thelast of the thin crowd of fans trickled out of Tiger Stadium and the players headed fortheir

LSU quarterback Michael Van Buren lets the ball flydown field against Western Kentucky in the first quarter on Saturday at TigerStadium. STAFFPHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

locker rooms, Ilooked 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 goalposts 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 almost certainly ahead forLSU football. Right now,inthe Tigers’ anxious last days of November,those times and the next man up —can’tcome soon enough.

For more LSUsports updates, signupfor ournewsletter at theadvocate.com/lsunewsletter

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

The Weeks brothers, from left, Zach Weeks, West Weeksand Whit Weekspose together after the winover WesternKentucky on Saturday at TigerStadium. The brothers playedone series together Saturday.

Scott Rabalais

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 againworkingwith backup quarterback MichaelVan Buren behind an alreadychallengedoffensive line thatlosttwo starters Saturday.Still, there’s little excusetobethisunproductive against amid-major team likethe Hilltoppers.

2

THREEWEEKS FROM NOW

Three Weeks from now, LSU probably will have named anew coach. Fornow,LSU’slinebacker-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.

3

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 cornerback DJ Pickett madehis ﬁrst career start on Saturday night against WesternKentucky Normally for afreshman, notearning the ﬁrst start late intothe year wouldn’t be asurprise. But Pickettisnoordinary freshman.

The five-star signee was the No.2 cornerback in the nationand theNo. 11 player overall, according to the 247Sports Composite, and he’slivedup to his loftyrecruiting proﬁle uponarriving in Baton Rouge. Pickett has allowed just11receptions on 22 targets heading into Saturday,holding opposing quarterbacks to a45.8 passer rating on throws made in his direction, according to Pro FootballFocus.

With senior MansoorDelane and sophomore PJ Woodland startingand performing at ahighlevel, Pickett was left as LSU’sthird cornerback. But with Delane sitting out Saturday’sgamewith acore body injury,a startingspot opened for Pickett.

He took advantage of the opportunity immediately.Picketthad an interception, asack and six total tackles,helping LSU hold Western Kentucky to just 130 passing yards in the Tigers’ ugly 13-10 win over the Hilltoppers At 6-foot-5 and 195 pounds,thereare few traits Pickett failstopossess. He has elite length, enough quicknessto stay with receivers and has improved his physicality since arriving on campus. Saturday washis career high in tackles. He had five quarterback pressures heading into this weekend. His sack on Saturdaycame on athird down deep in Western Kentucky territory in the third quarter.Heblitzed off the edge to force WesternKentucky to punt on its opening possession ofthe second half. On theHilltoppers’next series, he intercepteda deflected pass to help set up ashort field goal for fifth-

goal on its opening possession, it did not score another offensive touchdown. The Hilltoppers ﬁnished with 152 total yards,including 61 yardsrushing with sacks removed. They averaged 2.3 yards per play Pickett and sophomore cornerback PJ Woodland, who started in place of star cornerback Mansoor Delane, both had interceptions. LSU recorded ﬁvesacks, and Western Kentucky had19 yards in the second half. Western Kentuckyturnedthe ball over on downs twice in the second quarter,including once at the LSU goal line. After VanBurenthrew an interception, Western Kentucky drove to the 6-yard line. Quarterback RodneyTisdale dropped awide open touchdown on atrick play on second down, andLSU forced an incompletion

LSU cornerback DJ Pickett runs the ball back after an

Saturday at TigerStadium.

year seniorkickerDamian Ramos. The pick was his secondofthe year With Delane off to the NFL, keeping Pickett around for next season will be paramount. LSU must already remake its offense, much of itsfront seven andwill potentially have to ﬁnd newstarters at

bothsafety spots. Pickett and Woodlandreturning would provide stability at akey positionfor LSU’snext coach. Cornerback will likely be astrength forthe Tigers next season if that becomesthe case. Woodland surrendered receptions on just 51.5% of his targets headinginto this weekend, perPFF.He

hasfive pass breakups and hasn’tallowed atouchdown.

Forecasting LSU’sroster in 2026 is anear-impossible task. But if Pickett proved anything against the Hilltoppers, on anight Tiger fans will soon forget, it’s that Saturday can’tbehis only start wearing the purple and gold in Tiger Stadium.

two plays later WesternKentuckyreached LSUterritoryonly twomore times, but the LSU offense struggled to create acomfortable lead. LSU rushed for 126 yards, and Western Kentucky’srun defense entered thegameranked 109th in the country at 175 yards allowed per game. Making his second straight start in placeofinjured senior GarrettNussmeier,Van Buren went 25-of-42 passing for 202 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He threwan11-yard touchdown to Trey’Dez Green in the second quarter for the Tigers’ only touchdown. After LSU forceda three-andout on the ensuing possession, wide receiverZavion Thomas returnedapunt 39 yardstoposition the offense nearmidfield with 1:14 left in thehalf.Van Buren threw three straight incompletions, and LSU punted again. The LSU offense couldn’t stay on the field. It went 3of 15 on third downand 1of3 on fourthdown. Western Kentucky entered the gameallowing an averageof399 yards and23.1

points per game, and LSU is the only powerconferenceteam on its schedule. The Tigers gained only 328 yards. Late in the fourth quarter,LSU tried to run out the clock. Freshmanrunning back Harlem Berry fumbled, and Western Kentucky returneditfor a71-yard touchdown.

Anothergame in whichthe offense struggled does not bode well for LSU in theregular-season ﬁnale next week. Oklahoma alreadyhad 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 aweek earlier, was limited to 57 yards. At this point, the offensive issuesdon’t mattermuch. LSU is already bowl eligible. It soon will hire anew head coach,who already needed to ﬁx the offense. It’s increasingly unlikelythatthe coach will want to keep anyofthe current offensive structure.

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU quarterback Michael VanBuren takes ahit from WesternKentucky defensivelineman Mackavelli Malotumau in the second quarter on SaturdayatTiger

STAFFPHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK

interception in the second halfofagame against WesternKentucky on

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

“You’re going to line up on Sundayagainst the Falcons, and (the past isn’t) goingto matter,” offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeiersaid “What’sgoing to matter is what youdonow.”

Shough represents the latest andmaybe greatest hope for afranchise quarterback in New Orleans since the greatDrew Brees announced his retirement in March 2021. Saints fans have watched JameisWinston, Derek Carr,SpencerRattler andothers have moments, yet nevermeet the moment.

Now he’sabout to make his first careerstart in front of those fans, fresh off the heels of one of the best performancesbyarookie quarterback in franchise history.And he’sdoing it against the rival that people in town take pride in beatingasifthey wereonthe team, too. And when he steps onto the field,the franchise icon whose shoes have been too big foranyone to fillwill be watching from the broadcast booth.

It’salot, but it doesn’tseem to bother the rookie quarterback.

“It feels alittle bit different, forsure,”Shoughsaid. “And Ithink that’sagood thing. I think everyone has rivals. And, youknow, youdon’t change your process, but you (can) changethe emotionof the city.I think you want to go out there and play harder.”

Shough has started two games, played in four and has put together one unquestionably strong performance. TheNo. 40 overall pickhas much more to provebefore the words “franchise quarterback” can be attached to his name, and that will remain true even if he has another impressive performance against Atlanta on Sunday But there are encouraging signs. Start with that most recentgameagainstthe Panthers.Itwas an outingthat can’t be quantified effectively by the numbers,asgood as theywere. Itwas the nuance that inspired optimism —the way Shough navigated danger withinthe pocket, two hands on the ball, eyes downfield looking for explosive plays. And yes, it was the way he connected on those explosives. A52-yarderonthe first drive of the game.A63-yarder to his star wideout for atouchdown. A30-yarder later in thegamefor anothertouchdown —all of them cominginthird-and-long situations where the Saints had wilted for much of the year That was what head coach Kellen Moore, a former quarterback himself, loved to see. The play he kept coming back to was that 52-yarder, which converted athird and 12 on the opening drive. Shough evaded two potential sackson the play,keeping it alive long enough tofind awide-open Juwan Johnson forthe biggain. “We’re in achallenging situation, and forhim to pull through alot of trafficand stepupand make that play …Ithought thatwas ahuge playinthatgame,” Moore said.“Just kind of spin the momentuminthatgame to createa big play that obviously sparked us.”

eager to see the return of excellent quarterback play,from themedia members whoquestion him anddissect his play, from his teammateswho rely on him to keep them in games, andfrom afrontofﬁce and coaching staff that must decide whether he is someone the Saints can build around.

That can makesomeonetry to be someone they are not. Andthat is actively what Shough is trying to avoid. He understands the duality of the spot he’s in:Hehas to earn his place as arookie, but he also needs to have avoice as thequarterback. He picks his spotstovocalize where things need to be cleaner,but he does it in away that won’tbetray whom he is.

“There’sanelement thatI really believe in, (which) is just being yourself,”Shough said. “You have to authentically be that, and understand what role you’re in. I’mnot afraid to say something —within the group, the offense, all that stuff —but Igot to continue to build on that.Ihaven’treally earned the right to (say) something profound.

“. I’m in this role of quarterback,I’ve played some football, too, but Ihaven’t in the NFL. My job is to be consistent, have alot of juice, have alot of energy Andwhen there’ssomething that needs to be said, I’llsay it.”

You’re going to line up on Sundayagainst the Falcons, and (the past isn’t) goingtomatter What’sgoingto matteriswhat you do now.”

DOUG NUSSMEIER, Saints offensivecoordinator

OFFENSIVELEADERS

That is what’savailablefor everyonetosee. Thestuff that happens behindcloseddoorsis also encouraging.The Saints have watched a rookie step into the most visible and important position in sports and not blink. Shough has pressureon him. From afan base

And, ﬁnally,Shough is seeking ways to learn.

He sought out Brees for some advice before he took over thestarting job, and he took an interesting tack for wherehewantedtostart the conversation. It wasn’tabout allthe great things Brees did in New Orleans, at least not directly.Shough wanted to knowabout Brees’ time in San Diego, before he became asuperstar withthe Saints.

“I talked to him abouthis mindset through his journey, Shough said. “. Iwanted to hear how he developed into who he was here. And we talked about his. daily routine andprocess. He had alot of great things andinsight. And it was really cool just to be able to pick his brain.”

Saints quarterbackscoach Scott Tolzien has been in Shough’sshoes before, spending several seasons as abackup NFL quarterback before transitioning into coaching. He was impressed by how Shough handled being theNo. 2, legitimately treating every week as if he was in the starting role.

Whenitcame time for Shough to take over for Rattler,Tolzien did not expect the momenttobe too big for him because of theway he prepared.

“Now you get to reap the beneﬁts of it, because youhaveaplan, you have aroutine,” Tolzien said.

Theﬁnal seven games of the season should helpdetermine what New Orleans has in Shough. There is achance theCarolina game was aoneoff, but there is also achanceitwas aspringboard for the rookie.

Andifitisajump-off point,what better way to followitupthantowin his ﬁrst home start against the team his neighbors are telling him to beat, with Brees in the house?

Nobody on theteam could understand that better thantight end Foster Moreau, aNew Orleans native who grew up watching thosegreat offenses led by Brees.

“It’sawesome,” Moreau said. “It’sawesome, but not to be enjoyed before. We can have all the funinthe world after.”

Email Luke Johnson at ljohnson@theadvocate.com.

DEFENSIVELEADERS

Saints Falcons

TEAM STATS

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

aslightnod to theSaintsfor two reasons. They areathomecomingoff a

andthe Falconsmay have

STAFF PHOTO By DAVIDGRUNFELD

Saints quarterback Tyler Shough looks to makea pass during the second half of agameagainst theTampa BayBuccaneers on Oct. 26 atthe Caesars Superdome. Shoughwill makehis firsthome

WEEK 12

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.

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

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

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

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 for the 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

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.

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.

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

A‘California sober’ baropens with zero-proof cocktails, THCdrinks, more

BY POET WOLFE Staff writer

Anew baronFrenchmen Street isn’tserving alcohol, making it theﬁrst of its kind in NewOrleans.

Mélange in the Marigny focuses on drinks made withzeroproof liquor and THC-infused beverages. The bar is part ofa growing shift toward nonalcoholic revelry at nightlife venues across the U.S.

Owned by Monica Olano, the space at 516 Frenchmen has the patinaofany other bar on the famednightlife strip. Live jazz floated up from downstairsas abartender poured zero-proof spiritsinto shot glasses, ﬂipped them into asilver shaker and joggled the mix. Beneath adimlit chandelier,martiniand wineglassesdangled from awooden rack above the bar,and awindow opened onto aﬁligreed balcony

But the row of displayed elixirs—some infused with lion’s manemushroom, lemon balm and ashwagandha root powder —made it clear this isn’t an ordinary bar

“Wewant to help people ﬁnd their bestalternative forthe night andgivethem alittlereprieve from the alcohol-fueled nightlife,”Olano said.“Butnot be awayfrom it completely.”

Her business sits on the second ﬂoor of Bamboula’s, abar and live music venue owned by her husband. Its location is part of the reason she named it Mélange, French for “mixture”:a nod to what nightlife has been and what it’sbecoming.

“It’sthe mixture of establishedbars downstairs, thenew way of life upstairs,” Olano said. “Just everything mixing togetherinthisnew wayofsocializing, this new way of drinking, this new way of beinginour community,and how we’re ﬁguring that out with and without alcohol.”

Mélangeispartofa small

BY ROBIN MILLER Staff writer

ArtistJamar Pierre has set himself astaggering goal, to produce amile-and-a-half-long mural along the Tchoupitoulas Street leveewallthat depicts the whole span of NewOrleans history.

The Indigenous people of theregion playan important role in Jamar Pierre’sNew Orleans historymural.

Jamar Pierre’sencyclopedic NewOrleans history mural on the Mississippi River leveewallincludes avictorious Battle of NewOrleans scene.

The Louisiana state historic marker near the Pinhook Bridge says two battles took place there in 1863: “Bayou Vermilion,” it says. “Battleof Pinhook Bridge April17, 1863. BattleofBayou Vermilion Oct 9, 1863. We honor the memory of those soldiers who valiantly fought on these banks.” The listed dates place the events in the Civil War, butthe

rest is pretty vague. Its lack of detail sparked Phyllis Hall’scuriosity.

“Were there really two Civil Warbattles fought near the PinhookBridge?”the St.Martin Parish community of Catahoula resident asked. Now,that’snot sayingthe information on this Lafayette historicmarker is wrong, but inaccuracies have been discovered on some historic markers in the past.

“I wasn’tfamiliar with these battles,soIwas 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 was no Lafayette back then. The city’sname was Vermilionville. At thetime, Confederate Gen. Richard Taylor —son of former

It takesa lotofspace to coverall of NewOrleans’history

BY DOUG MacCASH Staff writer

Jamar Pierre says it’sone of thecity’sgreat paradoxes. The Mississippi River is NewOrleans’ reason for being. Yet mostofthe time you can’t lay eyes on it, because the view is blocked. That’sespecially true on Tchoupitoulas Street, the Uptown thoroughfare that hugs the river’s edge.All yousee on the riverside of Tchoupitoulas Street is along concrete levee wall.

UP AGAINST THE WALL

For thepast seven years, Pierre has madethat endless graywall his canvas. With the permission of theFlood Protection Authority and other agencies, he’sbeen painting acolorful mural on amile-and-ahalf stretch of theﬂood protection barrier. Currently segments of the painting are scattered from the Walmart to Ninth Street.

Pierre believes it will be the longestmural in NewOrleans. It may be acontender for the longest mural anywhere, when he’sdone. When he’ll be done is anybody’s guess, though. Theimpossibledream

Pierre estimates the project is

about 40% ﬁnished. There’s still plenty of wall to go.Plentyof wall. With brush in hand, Pierre is apaint-speckled Don Quixote in aﬂoppy sun hat and glowing yellow safety vest. The mural is his “impossible dream.” At the start of the project,hemostly worked alone, over timehe’sassembled a small, talented crew of fellow artists lending ahand. On Saturday afternoon, the drivers of passing cars honked in appreciationofthe project and tourists on theupperdeck of the Hop-On Hop-OffBus applauded. Thedrive-by adulation inspired Pierre andhis team: high school student Zion Mercadel, artist Rontherin Ratliff (of the NorthernNinth LLC artcompany), and realist painters Max Bernardi and KalliPadgett. Compared

ä See MURAL, page 5D

Today, the VermilionRiver peacefully flows through Lafayette. In 1863, the waterwaywas the site of twoCivil Warbattles.

STAFF PHOTOSByDOUGMacCASH

STAFF PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER

Bobbi Rae makes aCali Sober Love Potion at anew nonalcohol bar called Mélange on Frenchmen Street.

ä See MÉLANGE, page 7D

DINING SCENE

HostingThanksgivingisalovelettertoNew Orleans

My Thanksgiving preparations in recent years have involved abutcher,abaker and, well, there’snocandlestick maker.But there is aﬁshmonger, wine shops that are also wine bars, apredetermined welcome drink, an afterdinner social mixer and Black Friday restaurant visits, because I’m trying to make memories that will last longer than the holiday leftovers.

Ian McNulty WHAT’S COOKING

This has been a progression.

There was atime in life when my Thanksgiving preparations simply meant booking aﬂight from New Orleans to visit family back in the Northeast,where amid fallen leaves, plunging afternoondarkness and warm kitchensitall seemed like stepping into avintage holiday Coke commercial, especially through the steamy windows of memory All Ihad to do was show up.

Then it changed to Thanksgiving with the New Orleans in-laws, with traditions already long established around the mirliton casserole and oyster dressing. My highest contribution might’ve been showy appetizers and some conversation starters. Then things changed again (let’scall it post-marriage).My mother and her sister,long the holiday hosts back home, now travelfor aNew OrleansThanksgiving, and Itry to summon their examples from long ago of how they made our holidays special. Food is central, and so is the character of New Orleans, in away that always renewsmy gratitude for living here.

On thetown

One pleasure of hosting in New Orleans is showing off the city, andthe reward is hearing fresh delight over the lacing oaks and latticedarchitecture and small shops and characters encountered along the way (absurd road work obstaclesare also talking points).

This is the backdrop for food foraging errands that have become their own holiday rituals. We visit wine shops that have their own wine bars, for aglass and ataste of neighborhood conviviality while shopping for the turkey pairings.

We will pick up oystersI’ll shuck at home, produced by local growers and procured now from my local ﬁshmonger,Porgy’s Seafood Market, because how wonderful is it to say “my local ﬁshmonger” in this age of frozen, globally distributedeverything?

There’sthe turkey to pick up from Terranova’sMeats, abutcher shop that is athrowback to at least several generations ago, with an endearing family vibe.

This year,I’m also adding a tandoori turkey from the Indian restaurant LUFU NOLA, because Ilove the way that next-generation local restaurants are putting

their own signature on traditions

Thewelcome cocktail

On the big day, my relatives join atable of friends, neighbors and ersatzholiday orphans living far from their own families.

Upon arrival, Iamready for themwith “the welcome cocktail.”

Sometimes guests arriving at

The ‘challagator’ fromAyu Bakehouse in New Orleans is aspecial holiday order: challah bread shaped like an alligator

aglitzy gala will ﬁnd apremade drink readytopluck off atray

This is agreat hack for home hosts as well. The welcome cocktailremoves the questions of what bottle might be open, what other people are drinking or if it’s “too early,” holiday or no. It smoothsthe entry of family and friends into thefestive fray

Ilike asimple, bright aperitivo

spritz for this (a base of bitter liqueur,a dose of sparkling wine, club sodatocut it, citrus slices to dress it up).Some classic cocktails workwellwhen batched in advance, too.

Tangledtraditions

Everyone contributes to the feast of tangled traditions. There’susually aplate of kim-

bap Korean sushi rolls from one neighbor and atray of Polish pierogi from another friend. My aunt, meanwhile, has asmuggler’stalent forpacking Nantucket bay scallops so they survive connecting ﬂights and can furnish our family’scustomary holiday appetizer (“scallop puffs que sera,” roughly two-to-one mayonnaise to scallops).

Atable centerpiece will again this year be the “Challagator,” a loaf of challah bread and aspecial order from AyuBakehouse, where pretty much everything feels special. Approximately the size of the real alligators seen basking in City Park lagoons, it provides quite alot of bread to pull off by twists and curls.

Last year,I wasamazed that by the end of the night, we had whittled it downtothe tail. But by then, we had eager reinforcements ﬁltering in forLeftovers Lounge.

LeftoversLounge

Leftovers Lounge is my term foranafter-dinner open house, where people come by with that half-eaten pie or that bottle of Beaujolais with the cork already out. It’s based on the premise that other people’sleftovers have a higher curiosity factor,and that by Thanksgiving night, everyone needs achance to get out and vent.

And there, around the dirty dishes and crumpled foil, Leftovers Lounge becomes another manifestation of what Ilove about NewOrleans. It’s that easy social waywehave forcontinuing traditions, adding individual personality and giving our guests ataste of our lifehere.

Dining out

If you want to dine out for Thanksgiving, my standing advice is to go with aplace you already know well. Youget to see it switch to holiday mode. You might overlook the trade-offs that come with holiday dining (shorter “special” menus, stretched staffing, hordes of big parties) and thus just enjoy the ride more. As aregular,taking part in these big days can makeyou part of the culture and community of arestaurant.

While we do the holiday at home, Ialways makeNew Orleans restaurants apriority on the days that bracket Thanksgiving forthe samereason.

Ipick restaurants Iknow my visitors will love, that exude New Orleans and where, when it’snot the happy holidays (when it is, perhaps, deepest, slogging summer), Iwill be able to summon the memoryofthe visit just by driving past.

There are different kinds of terroir; New Orleans gives us one that’sthreaded into the fabric of local hospitality,and it’sajoy to share.

Email IanMcNulty at imcnulty@ theadvocate.com

EVENTS!

n YouNight!

“Fight Club” titledthe recentcelebration of the Class of 2025 at the Jefferson Performing Arts Center,a chockablock event. Under the organizational name, YouNight, cancer survivors took to thestage during a powerful night of “Resilience, Sisterhood, and Celebration.” More than 100survivors walked the runway during theannualYou Night empowerment runway show.They were not only models, butalso “warriors” in the battle against cancer. Praise, with both bellicose andpaciﬁc undertones,befell the Class of 2025: Rachel Giammolva, Jeanine Gabriel,Crystal Walcott, Courtney Trombka,Alicia Seicshnaydre Verazonda Walker,KathyBurns, Ginger Swaggerty, Kimberly Meyers Turner,Trish Maner,Jaky Broussard, Kati Cheek, Kelli Beckman, Dawn Freret,TaraKennon, Idun-CaraByers, RhondaPoplus, Nikkole Ruley Jones, Catrina Sullivan, MelanieBarkley,Maureen Fedge, Christina Green,Alana Acereto, and Chantal Bosworth. In addition,60-plusYNalumnae participated in the opening performanceastheyshowcased this unique program.Founded in 2023 andheadquartered in Covington, YouNight Empowering Events provides year-round emotional care forwomen diagnosed withcancer.The signature event, after asix-month “healing journey,” is the Runway Empowerment Experience when they taketothe runway in conﬁdence —and excitement.

Act one of the performancewas composed of nine segments, among which were the opening ceremony andthe singing of thenational anthem by Chuck Mutz;the prelude by alumnae Deborah Tonguis,Jill Alexander and AsjaGodbolt;achoir; and the welcoming message by YN founder Lisa McKenzie.Act two had asolo, “Time after Time,” by JayDo;the thrilling live auction with artwork by John Rivoli and getaways; wordsofconﬁdence andgratitude; and the grand ﬁnale’s salutetothe 2025“warriors.”

Further features of the eventwerethe 360 Photo Booth, the portrait wall, the selﬁe station, the Pro Dreams-provided silent auction, and the “Buy it Now” tables of, among others, YN-branded items. Andtocap it all off, areception and celebratory dance party awaited

n Colonial History

The presentation riveted every eye: Four Warriorswereoutﬁtted in colonial uniforms and abrace of Beefeater Heralds provided fanfare trumpets to lead the procession in and, at the end, to retire the ﬂags. The pageantry occurred during the Fall Court of the Society of Colonial Wars in theState of Louisiana

A“black tie” event, it took place in the New Orleans Country Club, where five representative flags were positioned behind the podium, including the Betsy Ross Flag; seasonal roses and Gerber daisies in three silver mint julep cups centered each table; and athree coursemeal of salad beef filet and fish, and vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce in atuile shell satedthe collective palate.

Program principals were Richard B. McConnell Jr for the invocation, after the Pledge of Allegiance, andthe closing benediction by Chaplain H.A. “Hy” McEneryIII;a rousing program by society governor Hunter N. Charbonnet; areading by society treasurer Trevor Thompson;the ﬂags’ signiﬁcance

Nell Nolan SOCIETY

Contact: nnolan@theadvocate.com

n ALittle Light Music

Lyrical Affair,acelebration of 10 years of Lyrica Baroque and a beneﬁt for LB’seducational and community programs, honored distinguished guests MichaelHarold, Quinn Peeper,Givonna Joseph, and Aria Mason.The committee co-chairs were Marissa Joseph, Melanie Fawer Marcela Correa, Lisa Fisher, Julie Shugar,Michele Barrier, Michael Harold, and Dr Blanca Maldonado. A few businesses and 21 individuals were sponsors. Billed as atwo-fold festive format, theﬁrst togetherness was apatron party, and the second, six days later,“Noche Espanola,” which unfolded in Tchoup Yard and highlighted Spanish food, music, “and more.” Liveperformances from Baroque to traditional Spanishmusic spotlighted Harold and Peeper,along with Jaren Atherholt, BryanBatt and Oscar Rossignoli. All ages were welcomed —and attended.

Sponsors of Lyrical Affair 2025 were acknowledged in sonorous style at the beautiful residence of the 2023 honorees and 2025 sponsors, Drs. Leslie and Brad Gottsegen. Theintimatehomeconcert was LB’sway to thank the event sponsors and preview thepremier auction item: “a privateconcert in your own home.” ARevelry LSU Tailgate Experience and avacation beach rental created further bids business. After around of cocktails and conversation, guests sat in the Gottsegens’ parlor for the performance. It began with Bryan Batt’ssinging of “What You’dCall aDream.” In succession, and all vigorously applauded, were performances by oboist Jaren Atherholt, cellist Jacob Fowler, guitarist David Siglar,and pianists Michael Harold and QuinnPeeper.Anelectrical power failure in theneighborhood necessitated candle light, which madethe atmosphere ever so special and of another time period. “This is what’scalled ambiance,” announced host Brad with asmile.

Amongthose noted were Bob and Caroline Brickman, Melanie Fawer, Caroline Calhoun, Robyn Schwarz, Jeffrey Goldring (he and wife Walton donated the bar), Dr Edwin and Barbara Beckman, Bennett Davis and Lisa Brooking,Betsy and GaryLaborde, Dr Tamer Acikalin, Christine LeBlanc,Wayne Amedee and Torie Kranze, CecileGinger Andry, and Jacqueline Simon.

After thelovely lyricism, folks ﬂocked to the dining room table, which wasbedecked with white-themed ﬂowers by pameladennis and the food array by Rommel’sCatering. Supervising thetaste treats was Rex Hernandez,chef de cuisine. nn n

Andspeaking of cuisine, the Greater New Orleans Foundation held its ﬁfth annual COHN | GNOF |NOLA |ARTSAward reception at the Marigny Opera House and honored, for2025, Saffron Nola President and Executive Chef ArvinderVilkhu. The annual award recognizes aperson from thegreater artscommunity,who shows“how the arts can challenge and inspire us.” Previous honorees have been artist Aron Belka,sculptor MaPoKinnord,theater impresario and Marigny Opera House co-founder Dave Hurlbert,and Dr MichaelWhite,jazz clarinetist and educator

related by governorCharbonnet and deputygovernor Peter M. McEnery;and Charbonnet’s presentation of certiﬁcates and introductionofnew members.

MegCharbonnet, MaryMcConnell, Libba (Mrs.Hy) McEnery, and Martha (Mrs. Peter) McEnery accompanied their husbands.

Amongthose assembled for the society’s76th anniversary and

Fall Court were deputy governor James T. Schneider and Grace, historian Marvin P. McGrawIV, registrar James H. Kepper III and Jonell, Oliver Morgan Hall and Paula, Craig and Weesie Ripley,Lydia Ozenberger,David and Julia Gooch, spouses RandallKleinmanand Marla Hamilton, Sean Patrick O’Brien,MichaelS.Martin, Marvis Stockton, KathyDeterman,Torry Gomila, and Peter and Margee McGraw Patriotismtothe fore!

PHOTOSByJEFF STROUT

Jill Allender,Adrianne Jouet, Lisa McKenzie, HolleyHaag

Michael Holmes, Collette Marietta

Mikeand GayleReuling

Kristin Bertucci, Dr.Jimmy Ellis, Rebecca Cuellar

PHOTOSByJEFF STROUT Brad and Leslie Gottsegen, Lexie Gottsegen, BryanBatt

MelanieFawer, Margaret Shields, Blanca Maldonado

Quinn Peeper,Givonna Joseph, Jaren Atherholt

PHOTOSByJEFF STROUT

Hunter and Meg Charbonnet, Martha and Peter McEnery

Grace and JimSchneider Craig and Weesie Ripley

Sean O’Brien, Lydia Ozenberger, Marvin McGrawIV

TRAVEL

BY ELIZABETH DEAL 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 mound at the Poverty Point UNESCO World Heritage Center in northeastLouisiana carried 15.5 million 50-pound basket-loads of soil, or 390,000tons, to build it. The people of Poverty Point were hunter-gatherers, and at the time it was built, its earthworks were the largest in the Western Hemisphere.

The Poverty Point visitor center has asmall museum, bayou overlook, picnic tables and earthworks including aplaza, fields, Indian-built ridges and mounds, large wooden postcircles (now marked in white), a hiking trail and aroad to each location. The people who inhabited the area left around 1100 B.C. The name comes from ahistoric plantation at this location that was established by 1850. When visiting Poverty Point, there’sa$6entry fee. The museum features ashort video on the history, and the building is full of Indianartifacts 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 theBayou 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 ashallow backwater lake here

The earthwork complex includes aseries of C-

shaped concentric ridges, which varied in heightup to 6feet and are thought to have beenusedfor living areas. Excavation found cookingpits, hearths and numerous artifacts, including cooking balls, knives, blades and other tools.

To see the ﬁve mounds, visitorscan takea hiking trail (2.6 miles total), drive your own vehicle on apaved road or take the open-air tram with apark

TRAVEL TROUBLESHOOTER

By ChristopherElliott

ranger guide. The tram runs Wednesday through Sunday for $4 per person and takes approximately 45 minutes. On those days, you can also trythrowing an atlatl.

Aviewfromthe top

Parts of theridges and mounds at PovertyPoint have disappeared due to farming and erosion, but what remains is worth seeing.

The tallestmound, Mound A, stands at 72 feet and can be viewed from the ground. Or visitors can take thewooden walkway with about 35 stairs on aslight 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, the effort 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 loaf-shaped. Mound Dis small, built by alater communityofthe Coles Creek culture, and Mound Eisﬂattopped and stands at about 13 feet high.

My husband and Ilove both history and the outdoors, so this wasagreat outing forus. We drove the route to each mound, which wasnice 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, and driving and stopping at each mound took less than twohours.

Poverty Point is handicap accessible if visitors ride in their own vehicles, and each mound is easy to see from the road. The walkwayfrom the street close to each mound is amowed grass path.

Interestingly,nobones have been recovered, so researchers 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 settlers often used Indian mounds fortheir cemeteries. The Guiers owned Poverty Point plantation, but there wasnogrand 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 wereused for. The area is still under archaeological discovery,and a sixth 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 for home-cooking style food at Tammy Fay’sRestaurant, atiny brick building one block south of Interstate 20 off La. 17, open forlunch and dinner

The special of the day was grilled or fried pork chops, mashed potatoes and gravy,yams, field peas, cornbread, dessert and a drink. We asked what they wereknownfor,and our sweet and funny server said burgers, so that’swhat we ordered with cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickles and onions. The burgers were8ounces, which wasmore than I could finish in one sitting, and the buns were outstanding. They weresquare, with the option of sourdough or jalapeno, which wasflavorfulbut 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 more

The state park also has waterfront cabins that are great for ﬁshing, lodges in the wooded area and a campground. Just up the road at the marina in the state park, there’sabeach that incudes aseparate entrance. The Black Bear Conference Center,atthe Black Bear Golf Club in Delhi, is open to the public and has a restaurant.

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 New Year’sDay

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.

malfunctionand texts where the locksmith cited weather,but Airbnb sided with the host.How canwe fightthis unfair charge?

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 proofofthe

We just want to clear our nameand avoid paying for something wedidn’tbreak. Paula Lee, San Francisco

Airbnb should havedismissed this claimimmediately. Its terms of service says hosts aren’tliable for issues beyond their control, so why not guestsaswell? 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.

Atimeline of PovertyPoint is

An unexpected airport friendship, lessons included

BY BRUCE MAGEE Contributing writer

Human Condition

The shoeshine stand was strategically placed by the men’s room outside of the security checkpoint near the Southwest Airlines Concourse B. Catching ﬂights, I would usually move swiftly to get through security at the old New Orleans International Airport. There were a few times when my shoes needed attention, and I would stop for a quick, convenient shine. While my shoes were being tended to, I would read the newspaper, check email, and maybe chat about what was happening with the Saints. There was small talk, nothing overly engaging. One day, I had a little extra time. As I walked past the stand, I noticed a U.S. congressman sitting in the chair grabbing a shine. I began to see, and take notice of, the interaction of passersby with those at the stand. The exchanges,

that I had walked past so many times before. After that, I felt that I couldn’t walk by without either getting a shine or stopping for a brief visit. Over time, I learned a few things from Darral and about him, and we developed a friendship that I value. I learned a lot more about the shoeshine business too. The stand had been his father’s business. Darral handled the stand on the Southwest Airlines side, and his brother tended the stand at the other concourse. I also learned that the shoeshine business in an airport is heavily dependent on business travelers. To support them, Darral arrived early and worked until 3 p.m.

most travel was abruptly interrupted by the pandemic. Business travel came to a halt for me and most others. I wondered how Darral was doing. As travel restrictions began to ease and I flew out of New Orleans the first couple of times, the stand was empty — no Darral. It was after one of my returns that I first jotted a quick note on the back of one of my business cards “Hello, thinking about you, hoping you are well.” — and left it for Darral. I made a practice of leaving cards with messages, hoping they would get to him.

something to him.

to working in a private studio, Padgett said painting outdoors in the public view “is more real and more raw.”

“People are shouting at us,” she said.

Drive-by history

To complete the mammoth mural is going to take a lot of time and paint. And a lot of subject matter too. Happily, Pierre has an inexhaustible supply of the latter His theme is the history of New Orleans, the whole history, from the Indigenous peoples of Bulbancha to the arrival of Bienville, the Battle of New Orleans, the Baroness Pontalba, James Booker and beyond.

Pierre is currently adding a portrait of Edmond Dédé to the big painting. Dédé was a New Orleans-born 19th-century classical composer who is credited with being the ﬁrst African American to pen the score of an opera. Black people, Pierre pointed out, “came here as cargo,” but contributed mightily to New Orleans culture.

“They made everything, from the bricks to the music to the food,” he said, and they are prominently represented in the big painting.

The mural will also include the influence of “the Irish, the Jewish, the Italians, the Germans, the Spanish, the Croatians, the Cubans, the Vietnamese, and the Haitians,” Pierre said. His goal is to “represent the diversity of all the people who came together to make this city.”

Pierre’s artistic agenda is to “bring us back into our past.” He said he’s afraid that “people who grow up here take their culture for granted.”

Pierre is 52, he grew up in the Voscoville neighborhood of Gentilly and attended John F. Kennedy High School. He got his ﬁrst taste of public art when he dabbled in grafﬁti as a teen. He later studied drawing and painting with the re-

the chatter was directed not to the congressman, but with the aproned attendant, Darral Kendrick. There was little doubt there was much respect for the man

The old terminal shut down on Nov 5, 2019, and the new Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport opened immediately thereafter Things would be better for business with the stands on the gate side of TSA. This had to bode well for Darral’s business. Then, in early 2020,

One day I got a call from Darral, letting me know that he was getting my messages. Not long after that, I was in the airport and so was Darral, a friend that I was never sure I’d see again. We hugged each other, and caught up. Weeks later at the airport, Darral told me that he had kept all the notes I had left for him. He said if I had gone to the trouble of leaving notes, he should hang on to them. He said they meant

I have learned a lot from Darral. If you go through life with blinders on, and never take the time to speak to people, you miss the opportunity to get to know them. I know that I have been guilty of that, and I am trying to be better at this. I learned that some of the people that we interact with, even if only for a short time, do genuinely care about us, and do care if our shoes look good. I have learned that a quickly jotted note letting someone know that they matter to you can lift a person’s spirit. Years on from the ﬁrst note, I still leave notes and I know that he still keeps them. Thank you, Darral.

— Magee lives in Baton Rouge.

Human Condition submissions of 600 words or fewer may be emailed to features@ theadvocate.com. Stories will be kept on ﬁle and publication is not guaranteed. There is no payment for Human Condition.

nowned artist and professor Ron Bechet. But, he said, truth is, most of his professional art education has been on-the-job training. For years, he’s made ends meet with painting commissions, teaching gigs and art grants

What do the neighbors think?

Scott McKearn, owner of the Banana Manor rug shop near the corner of Tchoupitoulas and Eighth streets, say’s he’s delighted with Pierre’s project. “I love it,” McKearn said “I love that he does it in chronological order and that I’m at the Ali-Spinks ﬁght” — a championship heavyweight bout between Muhammad Ali and Leon Spinks in the Superdome in 1978.

McKearn said the mural is certainly an improvement over blank concrete and that he’s seen people

stop to take pictures with it “I’ve been pleasantly surprised that there’s been no defacing of it,” McKearn said.

“I hate grafﬁti and I love that grafﬁti people are respecting the mural,” he said.

Most grafﬁti writers won’t mark up laboriously made murals, Pierre said. Most, but not all. Pierre’s history mural has been tagged a time or two. But some unknown person from the neighborhood erases aerosol vandalism with gray paint as a stopgap measure until mural can be repaired. Pierre said he wishes he knew the identity of the mural’s anonymous protector, because he’d like to thank him.

Doug Walner, owner of the NOLA Brewing and Pizza Co. near Ninth Street said he’s been a big supporter of Pierre’s mural from

the beginning. So much so that the microbrewery did a fundraising event to help foster the project.

Walner’s taproom looks out on a part of the mural that recalls New Orleans’ indomitable spirit during the COVID pandemic, with a pianist playing with jazz pianist Ellis Marsalis playing for a mask-wearing audience. Looking out at a gray wall that was often tagged with grafﬁti was a bit of a drag, Walner said, but “now all I see is color.” Having spoken to Pierre about his intentions for the artwork, Walner said he’s concluded that the artist’s “heart is in the right place.” And he’s certainly “dressing up” drab Tchoupitoulas Street.

You can’t rush it

Pierre said he worries that some

onlookers may believe that his encyclopedic mural is being paid for entirely with tax dollars. But that’s not the case. The mural has been underwritten by a variety of corporate sponsors, civic organizations, art grants and private residents.

A time or two passing motorists have slowed down to make a direct contribution. The money is managed by Pierre’s Tchoupitoulas Art Corridor nonprofit organization, which accepts donations.

Pierre said he hopes to keep at it no matter how long it takes to ﬁnish the project. “It’s like the Eiffel Tower or the Statue of Liberty that took years to build,” he said. “You just can’t rush it.”

Email Doug MacCash at dmaccash@theadvocate.com.

STAFF PHOTO By DOUG MacCASH

Artist Jamar Pierre and a handful of collaborators making headway on a mile-and-a-half-long mural along the Tchoupitoulas Street levee

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

DannyHeitman

PROVIDED PHOTO

Calvin Duncan and Sophie Hull, authors of ‘Jailhouse Lawyer,’ signbookstogether

butgrowing movement on FrenchmenStreet, long known for its late-night scene,asmore establishments ride the wave of two increasingly popular choices: sobriety and cannabis products.

In recent years, sobriety has evolved from aniche wellness practice to amainstream movement, with more young Americans shunning alcohol for health purposesand opting for mocktailfueled evenings, including at AyuBakehouse on Frenchmen, whichtransforms into asober dance party at night

every day, compared with 14.7 millionwho reported consumingalcohol with the same frequency,according to thejournal Addiction.

Meet theowner

In 2023, Olano, known on social media as Cali Sober Mom, joined that growing number of peopleturning away from alcohol, after having three kids within 18 months and spiraling into postpartum depressionthat led hertouse alcohol as away to numbher emotions.A night of heavy drinking promptedher to quit altogether.

Cannabis has followed a similar trajectory.Products containing THC, the psychoactivecomponent in marijuana, have become a fast-growing market across the United States, including in New Orleans, wheremultiple dispensaries and even alocal coffee shop now sell cannabis drinks.

It topped alcohol as adaily drug of choice for Americans forthe first time on record in 2022. More than 17 million people reported using it every day or nearly

CURIOUS

Continued from page1D

President Zachary Taylor —instructed his troops to burn the bridge in an attempt to stop Union Gen Nathaniel Banks’ troops’ northward advance. Today, the waterway is called the Vermilion River In 1863, Banks and his troops marchedthrough Bayou Teche in the spring to push back Confederate forces in southwestLouisiana to seize Alexandria, thereby clearing aroute to Port Hudson near Zachary Port Hudson would be the last Confederate stronghold on the MississippiRiver after the fall of Vicksburg later in the summer,onJuly 4, 1863.

Banks’ eventual arrival in Alexandria would morph into the Red River Campaign of 1864, but that’sanother story

This one focuses on Banks’ troops’ advancement to Bayou Teche by way of New Orleans and Taylor’sconstantly throwingwrenches into the route to make things more difﬁcult for the Union general.

“Banks was coming up from Morgan City,” said Michael Martin, professor of history at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. “He would eventually meet up with Admiral David Porter and Union Navy in Alexandria. Once Port Hudson fell on July 9, 1863, Bankscould divert his attention to Alex-

Olano had tried to quit drinking “a milliontimes” and failed,until shestarted therapy and discovered THCdrinks. She has been sober forover two years

Herstory is common among many women, Olano said, with many cannabis drink sales coming from theso-called “soccer mom” demographic. That trend is especially evident at her otherbusiness in Metairie, Cali SoberMarket, anonalcoholic shop that also sells THC products. As for whymore women, particularlymothers, are drawntocannabis beverages, Olano said, “We’re tired. We are exhausted. Women,

especially right now,we’re expected to do it all,” adding that they areoften responsible forbothhousehold duties and earning an income.

A firstfor NewOrleans

At thesame time, Olano hopesMélange offers peoplewho feel isolatedduring sobriety aplace to reconnect without alcohol.

Instead, the bar serves canned beverages containing cannabis, organic mush-

room or kava, and zero-

proof cocktails —not to be confused with mocktails, a term Olano avoids because she associates it withdrinks made from juice, syrup and soda water

The zero-proof cocktails at Mélange contain nonalcoholicspirits infusedwith natural ingredients. One of the menu items, alight gingery drink named Cali SoberLovePotion, contains adaptogensmeanttoener-

troops burned the pontoon bridge in October.

“Greatclouds of billowing smoke,rising high abovethe treeline of VermilionBayou, indicated thatoncemore PinhookBridge wasablaze,” Edmonds writes. “The Pinhook, so calledbecause it opened andclosedlike a pin to permit rivertrafﬁc, had also beenburnedinthe spring.”

Tensions began rising as Uniontroops begananticipating abrutal battle

gize. The Cali Sober Night Kiss cocktail —sweet and gingery witha spicyfinish —isinfused with lemon balm and ashwagandha fora calming effect.

“They’re made with real spirits, real ingredients, and meanttobeasgood of a craftcocktail,” Olano added.

“If not better than you would get with alcohol in it.”

The menu offers an array of canned drinks infused with THC and CBD,with ﬂa-

tion for assault.”

The battle began at 11 a.m

vors like lime, blood orange and watermelon margarita. Some of theseproducts, however,could become illegalnextyear.The shutdown legislationwould ban unregulated hemp-derived products, including cannabis drinks, and limit THC to 0.4 milligrams per drink —amove that could cripple Louisiana’sTHC industry Olano said she isn’tconcernedthatitwill impact her bar,even though she expectsthe measure to pass. Sheanticipates afamiliar pattern Louisiana and other states have seen before: a one-year transition before theban takes effect, during whichlawmakers carveout an exception for hemp beverages, but only if they are regulated like alcohol. In the meantime, Olano said she is willing to speak out to end what she described as the stigma surrounding cannabis beverages.

“My goal is that other womencan feel open talking aboutit, otherpeople can feel open getting help, tryingnew things,” Olanosaid. “Andthatifmyroleinlife is to absorb all that stigma andput myself outthere on the ledge, if you would call it that,thenthat’swhat Iwas here for.”

Email Poet Wolfe at poet. wolfe@theadvocate.com.

andria.” Martin explains that Banks was going through what isnow Lafayette. On theConfederateside, Alfred Mouton was taking thelead at Gen. Richard Taylor’sinstructions. Mouton’s job was to slowing Banks down.

“I don’tthink Taylor and Mouton had any illusions that theywere gonna beat Banks,but they were trying to cause as much trouble as possible,” Martinsaid.

On that Aprilday,the two armies struggled for about four hours, with few casualties.

Some accountsofthat battle include that the next day as Union troopsbuilta pontoon bridge, about half of the soldiers decided to takeadip in thewater

They stripped off clothes and jumped into Vermilion

—just as the Confederate cavalry doubledback and openedﬁre on the bathers. Madness ensued, as naked and half-dressed Union soldiers scrambledamidst shots ﬁring.

Circumstances surrounding the second battle seemed to perplexseveral state university historians.

Jerry Sanson, retiredLSU at Alexandriaprofessor of history,suggesteda book called“YankeeAutumn in Acadiana”toﬁnd the answer.

“If any sourcehas the answer, that would be it,” he said. He wasright. The 1979 bookbyDavid C. Edmonds examineshowUniontroops again advanced from New OrleanstoAcadiana in October 1863, this time to gain a foothold in Texas. Once again, Confederate

“But the Federals, who believed theenemy strengthtobeonthe order of from two to threethousand, hadcome prepared,” Edmonds writes. “The road to Texas lay beyond the Vermilion, and they werenot going to be stopped here.

In short order,General Williams Franklin, thebrilliant West Point engineer,began ordering his men into posi-

“For amoment, with all the horses, men, polished guns and caissons ﬂying in all directions, it seemed as though all were hopelessly confused,” Edmonds writes. “But as quickly as it started, the eight-hundred pound cannons, resting on their spoked carriages, were unlimbered in line, the cannoneers at their posts ram-rods at the ready —and the piece limbers caissons and horses stood at the prescribed distance 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.

Do you have aquestion about something in Louisiana that’sgot you curious? Email your question to curiouslouisiana@ theadvocate.com. Include your name, phone number and the city where you live.

STAFF PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER

Bobbi Raemakes drinks without alcohol at Mélangebar on Frenchmen Street in New Orleans.

PROVIDED PHOTOS

LEFT: Gen.Richard Taylor,son of ZacharyTaylor,the 12th president of theUnited States, commanded the Confederate troopsatthe

HOLLYWOOD SOUTH

Tulane grad is behind Broadway’s ‘Backtothe Future’

When the “Back to the Future: The Musical”rolls intothe Saenger Theatre next month, there are myriad connectionsto New Orleans.

Leslie Cardé

Marty McFly (played by Lucas Hallauer) was born here, and Nathaniel Hackmann (who plays Biff Tannen) is married to someone from the city.But, the man behind the ﬁlm from its inception is screenwriter and producer Bob Gale, who attended Tulane University once upon a time

With his partner, Bob Zemeckis, they co-wrote and created the original ﬁlm from 1985.But when Gale decided, decades later,to turn the ﬁlm into amusical destined for Broadway,there seemed to be blockadeseverywhere.

“Although our film work was known to everyone on Broadway, my not having produced amusical before made producers in New York skittish,” remembered Gale. “Although Icame armed withthe original film composer AlanSilvestri (Grammy and Emmy winner,and Academy Award and Golden Globenominee) and six-time Grammy Award winner Glen Ballard, bothof whomhad written new songs to add to the classics, thefeeling was that we as film people were not part of the theater club Broadway producers were more interested in obtaining the rights to the project and doing it themselves. That wasn’tgoingtohappen.” Gale has always been aguy who does things his own way and knows his own mind. As a freshman at Tulane majoring in engineering, he knew somewhere along the way that whilehehad an aptitude to go into this technicalfield, it wasn’this passion. His passion and hobby wasfilm, and the University of Southern California had opened the first filmschool in the country.He transferred to USC, met fellow student Bob Zemeckis, andthe two decided upon graduation that they were not going to apprentice their way up the ladder,but rather start making their own films immediately Unlike USC grad students who were interested in French

newwave ﬁlms,Gale andZemeckis wanted to make movies like “Dirty Harry” or theJames Bond ﬁlms. Adecade intotheir partnership,they made the Academy Award-nominated “Back to the Future.”

Becoming atheatrical musical

in the U.S., however,would mean takingitelsewhere ﬁrst, and the Brits werefar more receptive to theproject, considering it an honor to be working with all of these talented people. The musical opened in Manchester,England, in 2020, and was soon picked up

by one of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s theater groups to premiere on the West End in London. Once it was ahit across the pond, Broadway came calling.

Butbefore the musical hit the West End or the boards of Broadway,there was alot of retooling to consider.While almost anything can be donewith special effects on ﬁlm —and there was plenty of that in the original movie —the stage doesn’talways lend itself to someofthe machinations that may be anatural when ﬁlming.

Some, in fact, are acomplete impossibility on stage, like Michael J. Fox as Marty McFly zipping around on his favorite modeof transportation.

“The ﬁrst thing we realized was we couldn’tdoaskateboard chase, because, you know,you’re risking somebodybreaking their ankle every night,” explained Gale. “The second thing that was eliminated was the terrorist car chase due to both stage logistics and audience sensitivity

“Wedidn’twant Libyan terrorists and gunﬁre in the production as it’sa family show.And, similarly,since we didn’twant to dress an actor up as adog, and since real dogs are very problematic, thedog was the next thing that had to go.”

Clearly,converting to astage production meanttotally reimagining the ﬁlm sequences, and creativity becamethe nameofthe game. That meanttechnological reinterpretations that included rear-screen projection, stage illusions, tricky lighting and even smoke sequences.

Notably,the immortalized time-traveling DeLorean car is still part of the act, albeit often appearing behind ascrim, as its speed is simulated with projection mapping. Expect flameillusions, stunt wires and scenes you won’tbelieve can happen on a stage, including, but not spoiling the wizardry of, aflying car For fans of the original film fear not, timetravel is abundant, the quirky Doc Brownisstill around, the famous clock tower is afamiliar and dominant presence, and the classic tunes of Huey Lewis &the News singing “The Power of Love” along with Chuck Berry wailing on “Johnny B. Goode” are all front and center They are augmented by wonderfulnew songs and amazing dance numbers.

“Actually,doing this as astage production is much harder than making aﬁlm,” Gale noted.

“Whatever we decide on to replicate aﬁlm sequence must work every night on stage. When you shoot amovie, and things don’t go perfectly,you can always do another take. Notonstage.

“Wehave really raised the bar on what’spossible technically in the theater.There are times when Icannot believe we took this on, but what’sthat they say? Ignorance is bliss. There is nothing cheap about this production, but when your readers go to see this musical, they will deﬁnitely feel like they’ve gotten their money’s worth.”

“Back to the Future” is now running in theaters on four continents, so it’sfair to say that switching college majors forBob Gale wasineveryone’sbest interest.

“You know,I’ve never forgotten what aguy in my dorm back at Tulane told me —that if Icould turn my ﬁlm hobby into acareer, I’dnever feel like Iwas working. He was right!”

“Back to the Future: The Musical” runs from Dec. 9-14 at the Saenger Theatre. Tickets are available at: BroadwayInNewOrleans.com

Email Leslie Cardé at lesliecardejournalist@gmail.com

AT THE TABLE

Tastypecan cookie helpscreateholiday memories

BY DEBRA TAGHEHCHIAN

Contributing writer

For many,the fall season conjures up visions of leaves falling and changing color from green to yellow,orange or brown. They may even desire to travel to the Northeast to witness nature’sbeauty with the changing of the leaves.

But for me, it’sthe sounds. The crow’scaw always catches my attention as Ilook to the skies to catch aglimpse of aﬂock

About 25 pecan trees were spread acrossour farmproperty. The sound of the cawing crows signaled the beginning of pecanpicking season. Its arrival meant bundling up and spending time out in the cold and wind under the trees collecting them.

We would gather pecans for our own consumption, but also to sell. Many a Christmas gift was funded with the proceeds from selling pecans. We would even have folks stop and ask to pick pecans “on halves.” Whatever amount they collected, half was for 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 aplatter of candies, pecan logs includ-

ed,for Christmas. We were sure to help her because we knew of the treatstocome. We would beonour hands andknees picking pecans off theground,but Aunt Rita had apecan picker to make hercollectingeasier

The long stick witha wire cagebasket at theend of the pole allowed the nuts to be pushed into thewire cage. Once thesmall basket

was full, the basket was inverted, and the nuts were collected in alarger bucket. The holiday season can be abusy time. As modern society moves at afaster and faster pace, old traditions of cooking special holiday treats seem to have fallen from fashion. Youcan create special moments by passing someofthat precious time making treats

Momneeds to feel needed

with your family

This recipe is perfect for such an occasion. It has few ingredients, does not need special equipmentfor mixing and baking and even the smallest member of thefamily can help to bake up these pecan cookies.

Butdon’tlet the simplicity of this recipe fool you it is packed with delicious, toasted pecan ﬂavor Make abatch and share with family and friends. Happy holidays to you.

Pecan Cookies

Makes 20-24 large cookies. Ialways serve these on

apedestal cake stand, as these tasty cookies can’tbe resisted and deserve such a presentation.

2eggs 1/2 cup vegetable oil

1dry yellow cakemix 1pound pecan halves

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.

2. In alarge mixing bowl, place eggs and whisk. Add oil and whisk again until eggs and oil are well combined.

3. Add dry yellow cake mixand stir until all combined. 4. Add pecan halves and mixtocoat the pecans with the cake

Annie Lane DEAR ANNIE

Dear Annie: My youngest just left for college, and the quiet in this house feels deafening. For more than 20 years, my whole world revolved around being amom. My days were built around carpools, practices, grocery lists and latenight talks in the kitchen. Now the rooms are still, the laundry baskets are empty,and Ifind myself standing in the doorway of my kids’ rooms just to feel close to them. Everyone tells me to enjoy it, to travel or pick up anew hobby,but Ijust feel sad. Imiss the noise, the laughter,even the arguing over who finished the milk. Imiss being needed. My husband seems to be adjusting fine, but Ifeel this ache that Icannot shake. It is pride and loneliness all tangled together Iknow this is supposed to be anormal part of life, but it feels anything but normal to me. How do Ifill the space that motherhood used to take up? How do Imove forward when so much of who Iamfeels left behind in those busy beautiful years? —Missing the Mayhem Dear Missing the Mayhem: I get it. When the kids leave, the quiet can feel overwhelming. For years, your whole life ran on their schedules, their noise, their needs. Then suddenly,itisjust still. It takes time to get used to that. But here is the good news: This is not the end of something. It is the start of something new Youfinally get to think about you again. What did you love before the carpool lines and college applications took over? Painting? Reading? Hiking? Start there. Even little things help, like coffee with afriend, aweekend class, anew recipe or aday trip you plan just because you can. Your kids will always need you, but in adifferent way now.They still want to know you are cheering for them, and they will love seeing you happy and busy,not sad and waiting by the phone.

Send your questions for Annie Lane to dearannie@ creators.com.

PHOTO By DEBRA TAGHEHCHIAN

PecanCookies

By The Associated Press

Today is Sunday,Nov.23, the327thday of 2025. Thereare 38 days left inthe year

Todayinhistory: On Nov.23, 1984, Boston College quarterback Doug Flutie completed oneofthe mostfamous passesincollege football history,connecting with Gerald Phelan for a48-yard touchdownwith no time left onthe clock as Boston College defeatedthe Miami Hurricanes 47-45. Also on this date:

In 1863, thousands of Union soldiers under Gen. Ulysses S. Grant marched outofChattanooga, Tennessee, and battled Confederate forces through Nov.25, forcing theirretreat into Georgia in asigniﬁcant blow to the South in the American CivilWar In 1939, early in World WarII, theBritish armed merchant cruiserHMS Rawalpindi was on patrol whenitwas shelled and sunkinanengagement with two German warships southeast of Iceland, leaving more than 200 dead aboard the Rawalpindi and only afew dozen survivors. In 1963, President LyndonB.Johnsonproclaimed Nov.25aday of national mourning following the assassination of President JohnF Kennedy In 1971, the People’sRepublic of China was seated in the United NationsSecurity Council. In 1980, an estimated 2,500 to 3,000peoplewere killed by aseries of earthquakes thatdevastated southern Italy

In 1996, ahijacked Ethiopian AirlinesBoeing 767ran out of fuel and crashed into theIndian Ocean near the Comoro Islands, killing125 of the 175people on board, including all threehijackers In 2006, former KGBspy Alexander Litvinenko died in London from radiation poisoning after making adeathbedstatementblaming Russian President Vladimir Putin

In 2008, the U.S. governmentunveiledabold plan to rescue Citigroup, injecting afresh $20 billion into the troubled ﬁrm as well as guaranteeing hundreds of billions of dollars in risky assets. In 2011, Yemen’sauthoritarian President Ali Abdullah Saleh agreed to step down amid aﬁerce uprising to ousthim after33 years inpower (After formally ceding power in February2012, he waskilled in 2017 by Houthi rebels whowere once his allies.)

In 2024, Israeli airstrikes in central Beirut killed at least 20 people and wounded dozens more, thelatest strikesinrenewed ﬁghting betweenIsrael and Lebanon-based Hezbollah militants. (A U.S.-brokeredceaseﬁre would be reachedonNov.27, withsporadic violations of that truce for months afterward ) Today’sbirthdays: Actor Franco Nero (“Django”) is 84. Singer Bruce Hornsbyis71. TV journalist RobinRoberts (“Good MorningAmerica”)is65. Composer Nicolas Bacri is 64. Poet and author Jennifer Michael Hecht is 60. Olympic gold medal sprinter AsafaPowell is 43.Ice hockey playerNicklas Bäckströmis38. Singer-actorMiley Cyrus is 33.

Random people arebody-shaming my dog

Dear Miss Manners: My pet dachshund is slightly overweight. The vet said he should lose 3pounds. When we are out walking, people will occasionally makehurtful remarks about him,like “Hereally likes his food, doesn’the?” or “His belly is really dragging.” His belly is not dragging on the sidewalk. It makes me sad to see asweet little dog being insulted like this. Most people say how cute he is or ask his name. What can Isay to the people who remark on his physique in such a hurtfulway?

So far,every event where they’ve been in the same room has resulted in somesort of unpleasantness public enough to detract from theevent itself —and usually ends with one of them storming off.

hoping for the best, but expecting some drama.

GentleReader: “I’m glad he can’tunderstand you.”And then add, in ahorrormovie-child’swhisper,“As far as we know.”

Dear Miss Manners: Carrie and Ashley are both good friends of ours. We enjoy their company and accept their social 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 bothtoevents.

Tips

In private conversations, when we try to mitigate future occurrences,they both express regret for suchincidents and resolve to do better,which we believe is genuine in thatmoment. But inevitably,something will happen again. Otherfriends at these events areawareofthe issue and kind of shrug their shoulders when it happens, but we all areabit sad about it.

Now my wife’sbirthday is coming, and she wants to invite our friends to afancy restaurant —including Carrie and Ashley,knowing there will be tension, and perhaps worse. No one would deliberately want toput their friends in unpleasant situations, but excluding one or the other also seems hurtful.

Any recommendations forbetter handling this? Right now,we’re planning to continue to invite them both to things

Gentle Reader: How badly do you want your wife’sbirthday to be drama-free? Enough to attempt to play peacemaker? If so, you and/or your wife might invite the twotolunch together before the party and try to broker atreaty.But if that fails —and as all of your guests seem to be expecting ashow anyway at least the entertainment at your wife’s party will be free.

Dear Miss Manners: Both of my sons have recently becomeengaged. When sharing this good news, morethan half the people ask me, “Doyou like her?” How should Irespond to this, other than just saying, “Yes, of course”? I’ve thought about saying, “You know,I’ve just been dying forsomeone to ask me that. Let me share this with you …”

Gentle Reader: “What aquestion!” is a useful, all-purpose response that may be said with varying degrees of shock, outrage and amusement, depending on your relationship with the asker

Send questions to Miss Manners at dearmissmanners@gmail.com.

Dear Heloise: Twoofyour letters in arecent column addressed recycling plastic. Pleaseconsider reusing it as well. Small cup-sized plastic containers (such as yogurt containers) can be tuborpool toys for little ones. (Everything is fun when used in thetub, even aketchup container.) 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 thelargest containers (think bulksized) to freeze water for blocks of ice. The ice comes out easily and lasts for a long time in awater dispenser.And, of course, use any of these containers for sending things home withothers. You don’t have to care if it comes back.

Why you need dental insurance in retirement.

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.

 Look forcoverage that helps 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.

Previous 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

As another reader mentioned, deli trays and such work wellinplace of plates or bowls. While Idetest all the plastic in theworld, using it until its end makes sense. Once you start, the ideas are endless. —JoAnne, via email Alistofhints

Dear Heloise: Iread your column daily for advice. Ihave been compiling alist of helpful hints that Ihope someofyour readers might ﬁnd useful:

n Regarding grocery carts, Inever place anything in the child seat on grocery carts. Iamsure that they are occasionally cleaned, butall Ican think of is diaper leakage. As Itell the checkout clerk at places who reloads your items directly back intothe cart, this is where children sit, and Iwas agermaphobe way before COVID.

n Regarding unused paint: If you are disposing of extra paintinthe trash, please either let it air-dry or mixitwith an inexpensive cat litter to speed up the drying process

n Regarding keeping greens fresh forlonger:Ikeep broccoli, lettuce and undressed coleslaw (toname afew vegetables thatthis would work for) fresh for at least two weeks, if not longer.I

clean and cut the items if necessary, place them in adamp—not soggy paper-towel-lined airtight container,and then lay another damp paper towel over the top.

n For saving water: When brushing my teeth, Ionly wetthe toothbrush fora second. Then Iturn off the water,brush my teeth, then turn on the water again to rinse. Imagine how much water we as aplanet could save if everyone practiced this. When I’matabig-box store, nursery,oranywhere that uses ahose, and Isee it running when no one is using it, Iﬁnd the water source and turn it off. —Tracie T.,inRichmond,Virginia

Hamburgersecret

Dear Heloise: Ihave arecipe forthe best hamburgers forpeople wholike to makethem at home. Take 2parts of lean hamburger meat and 1part of ground sausage, mixthem well, and shape into patties. Barbecue on the grill, fryor broil. We wereonvacation near Austin, Texas. At acafe, we stopped and ate ahamburger,and it wassogood. The owner told me what they used. —Opal A., in GardenGrove, California Send ahinttoheloise@heloise.com.

Early detection canprevent small problems from becoming expensive ones. The best way to preventlarge dental bills is preventive care. The American Dental Association recommends checkupstwiceayear

fora

Treatmentisexpensive— especially the servicespeopleover 50 often need. Consider these national average costs of treatment. $222 fora checkup $190 fora filling $1,213 fora crown.3 Unexpected bills like this can be areal burden, especially if you’re on afixed income.

Judith Martin MISS MANNERS Hints from Heloise

Daughter followsboyfriend down nontraditional path

Dear Harriette: About ayear ago, my daughter asked if Imight hire her boyfriend, who has taken a nontraditional route after high school. Instead of pursuing college, he decided to explore a trade. He’sabright kid and a fast learner,soshe thought it might work if he were my apprentice. Ispecialize in bathroom restorationmainly for large corporate offices, so even as an apprentice, the job pays quite well. Despite his success, Ifear that his nontraditional decisions are influencing her.She took agap year after high school, and now that she is in college, she continuesto find reasons to want to leave. She thinks because her boyfriend is doing fine without adegree, she can do the same. My daughter and her boyfriend are still young Idon’twant to tell her what to do,but Idon’twant her follow-

ing ayoungman’s lead without a planofher own. College may not be foreveryone,but everyadult needs aplan and some goals for their life. How can Iknock some sense into her? —Off the Beaten Path Dear Off The Beaten Path: Gently encourageyourdaughter to focusher lensonherself. Hasshe dreamed about anything that she wants to do withher life? What are some possibilities that she has considered for herself? If she has declared amajor,encourage her to talk to an adviser at her college to learn about career trajectories in that ﬁeld. Perhaps she can secure an internship to expose her to work options.

It’snever agreat idea to compare yourself to others, especially aboyfriend,but be careful as her dad not to getbetween them. Just keep helping her proactively ﬁgure out what she wants in her life andgofor that.

Dear Harriette: Iwas headed out of town for afew days, so Iasked atrusted friend to house-sit for me.Inthe past,whenIhad only

one pet, I’d take him to my mom’s until Igot back, but now that I have two, Ithought it might be easier to leave them in their home and have someone come over and be withthem until Ireturned. I asked my friend who is familiar with both of my cats, and Iinsisted on paying for her help. Upon my return from vacation, Ifound my cats’water bowls completely dry and their litter boxes out of control —somuch so that they’d had to handle their business in other places in my home—and my garbage was at capacity. If I hadknown my friend wasn’tgoing to care for my cats, Icould have just left them home alone. Iwouldn’thave paid someone to be there and do nothing. HowdoI address this with my friend? —The House Sitter Dear The House Sitter: If you haven’t paid your friend yet,don’t. You madeabusiness transaction with her,and she failed to hold up her endofthe bargain —tothe detriment of your catsand your home. Tell your friend how shocked you

were to come homeand see the neglect and disarray that she left. If she wasn’tgoing to do it, she should not have agreed in the first place. Dear Harriette: When my wife and Igot married, we had someclear financial goals: pay downstudent loans, purchase another car,purchase our first home. At the time, neither of us had high salaries, but we were determined, so we saved alot and were selective with our spending. Now that we’ve checked all those boxes, my wife seemsto have completelyforgotten the importance of budgeting and frugality. Though we both have much better jobs now,westill have a mortgagetopay,not to mention thevolatile economy we’re up against. Sometimes she makes large purchases —furniture, handbags, vacations —without even floating it past me first. I thinkit’sirresponsible and selfish for her to be so careless with our earnings, but maybe my delivery has been wrong. We’ve been

drifting apart, and Ican’tstand the thought of money being our biggest downfall. What can Isay to my wife that will get my point across without insulting her or controlling her? —Root of All

Evil

Dear Root Of All Evil: Invite your wife to astrategy session forthe future. Remind her of how frugal you twowere in the early days. Ask her to think about the years ahead and what you need to do to prepare forthem.Talk about your retirement funds, how long you think you will continue to work and what resources you need. Suggest that you both cut back on spending to ensure that you have enough money foryour later years.

Get her to agree on an amount each of you will contribute to joint expenses and savings each month, and try not to worry about what she does with the remainder of her own paycheck.

Sendquestions to askharriette@ harriettecole.com.

“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$BIG

Francis is CEO and founder of Codegig,a software and artificial intelligence

managedata and improve safety.Francishas been steadily growing

Innovation Catalyst has catapulted Codegig’sexpansion across 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 Francis and dozens of other Louisiana entrepreneurs like him, cash to powertheir startups is increasingly available from a newbatch of in-state investorsthat didn’t exist afew years ago. Using federal matching dollars that originated withthe 2021 ä See FUNDERS, page 2E

BY TIMOTHY BOONE Staff writer

STAFFPHOTO

JAVIER GALLEGOS

With estate planning,should allkidsget an equalshare?

FUNDERS

Continuedfrom page 1E

Michelle Singletary

THE COLOR OF MONEy

When yourfamily gathers for Thanksgiving and everyone is settling in for postturkey conversation, consider bringing up the “Great Wealth Transfer.” 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-boxretailers 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 retailers Mango and Zara.

Satern said he thinks shopping in-person is gaining in popularity again amid growing fatigue from onlineshopping.Shoppers can 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.

American Rescue Plan Act, these venture capital funds are investing in early-stage companies in NewOrleans, Baton Rouge and other parts of thestate.

Nine locally run funds are now actively investing in Louisiana startups and participating in the StateSmall Business Credit Initiative program. They include newcomers Boot64 Ventures, Tulane Ventures, Ochsner Ventures, 1834 Ventures, The Idea Village MomentumFund, Propeller Ventures and Corridor Ventures. The NewOrleans Startup Fund and Innovation Catalyst, both founded more thanadecade ago, also areprogram participants, while a handful of other venture capitaltype fundsoperate in thestate but do not participate.

The program got off to aslow start in its ﬁrst year,hamstrung by red tape at thestate and federal level. Butnow,ﬁrmsare adding investments at aquickening pace and moving the needle for new companies in need of capital.

In 2024, about $2 million in credit program funds were used in VC deals that brought about $18 million in total investment in new companies, according to Louisiana Economic Development. So far this year,both numbers more than doubled.

TheVCfundingisa smallpart of the record$330 million in total investment in Louisiana companies in 2024,but theﬁrmssay they aretargeting the newest, and oftenriskiest, businesses, giving them an opportunity to growand expand much more quickly than if they were going it alone.

“We’re tired of watchingtalent, money anddecisions flowing out of state,” said Josh Fleig, the state’schief innovation officer “When we investinour startups, we’re saying we want to own our future.”

Busy year

Of thenew funds, none has made as many investments as quickly as Boot64, a21/2-year-old Metairie-based ﬁrm that expects to close its35th deal by the end of this year.Led by former convenience store owner John Robertsand attorney MickalAdler, Boot64 has doubled itsdeal ﬂow two years in arow

“Activity has increased, and that’sattracting more founders to come out of woodwork with their ideas,” said Roberts.

So far,his fund has taken stakes in Hampr,a laundry pickup and delivery service; Hello Gravel, an online vendorofaggregate products; and awide varietyofother ventures, including manyinthe software space.

TheIdeaVillage’sMomentum Fund, launched in 2023, invested in two companiesthe next year.In 2025, the number has climbed to

11 withtwo more that may close by year’send. This year’sbatch includesseveral software companies, including DataHaul, which helps truckers prioritize the most profitable jobs, and Chckvet, whichcreates software to make life easier forveterinarianofﬁces

Riskybusinesses

“Wetend to focus on unsexy industries, things that aren’tsuper flashy or in your face butwill have major impacts on daily life,” said Megan Balch, Idea Village managing director

Most of the fundersare using investment tools that allow the exact percentageofequity to be determined later

Patrick Hernandez, of 1834 Ventures, whichthis year hasinvested in four companies with connections to Tulane University, said afund’sstakewill vary widely basedoncompanyvalue andthe stage of an investment, but his SSBCI peers in general are taking small minority ownershippositionsinthe companies they are backing.

Battling burnoutinschools

Many of these Louisiana investors are looking for people like ClaireSmith,a former middle school math teacher who saw plenty of frustrations during her time in the classroom and not enough waystoshare signs of hope.

In 2022, she joined forces with hercollege friendKrissy Taft to launch Hilight, arecognition systemthathelpsteachers andstaff celebrate impactful moments.

School districts pay annual subscriptions foraccess to software thatletsmembers of the school community acknowledge an excellent lesson plan or an act of kindness, like ateacher volunteering time to style kids’ hair for picture day

Theplatform, which hasrevenue but is not proﬁtable yet, is active in 15 states. This year,Smith raised $1 million fromTulane, Boot64 and Idea Village, among others.

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 arecautious,

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-

The SSBCI-backed funds are still arelatively small contributor to theoverall investmentinLouisiana companies, but they target the newest and riskiest ventures that would otherwise have ahard time ﬁnding funds.

Tulane business professor Rob Lalka said the goal is to support as many entrepreneurs as possible while knowing only afew will succeed.

“Venture capital only needs afew deals to work to make everything pay off,”hesaid.

“We’re in thestage of making big bets andproviding mentorship andconnections. Even with all that, most will probably fail. That’sthe way startups work.”

Mark Graffagnini, managing partner at Cara Stone, aNew Orleans-based law ﬁrm that specializes in angel andventure capital deals, said data shows that Louisiana software companieshistorically have attracted the most investment, followedbyenergy agriculturaltechnology,and food and beverage startups. Looking ahead, he predicts an increase in health and biotech deals, particularly in ﬁelds like diagnostics and wound care.

Among the current crop of Louisiana software startups,Graffagnini said many are using AI to developa sales funnel,designstrategies and write marketing copy

“AI frees up founder to meet with customers, talk with investors, and make salespitches to more potential clients,” he said. Jimmy Roussel, whose 15-yearoldNew OrleansStartupFund will close at least 10 dealsthisyear said the state has done agood job of prioritizing AI, but it’sfar from alone in that regard.

“It’sa bit of alandgrab,and we’ve got to move quickly,” he said. “We’re in afoot race to bring these solutions to market.”

“Wehave aproduct and customerswho love it,and we want to capturemarket share as quickly as possible,” she said. “Wecan do that with more resources 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.

Fleig

Roberts

Balch

Lalka

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.

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

Q&A WITH STEPHANIE TURNER

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

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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

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-

out of the city and its history help us compete?

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

has things that need to be renovated. That’s just part of this business, and so we’re excited about what we’re seeing happen in New Orleans. We’re excited about the growth and the addition happening We’re thrilled to have the Four Seasons and Virgin Hotels.

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

Energy Pipe &Supply

Perrier Esquerré Contractors, St. Rose

Stuart &Co. General Contractors, Baton Rouge

Motley Fool

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

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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.

AROUND THE REGION

Oil industry insider joins LSU Energy Institute

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.

“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,” Gray said 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.

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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SceneAssembly &LightinginUnreal Engine 5: •Assemble, optimize,and lightin-game scenes within Unreal Engine 5tocreate visually compelling environments

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LOUISIANA

Long-termuse ofmelatoninsupplements has been connected to increased risk of heartfailure, according to apreliminarystudyreleased in November from the American HeartAssociation.

STUDYING MELATONIN

Researcherssay supplement’s connection to heartfailure doesn’tprove cause-and-effect relationship

BY MARGARETDELANEY 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.

“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 SUNY Downstate/Kings County Primary Care in

Brooklyn, NewYork. “This means more researchisneeded to test melatonin’s safety forthe heart.”

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

Experts: NewHuntington’sdisease treatmentshows promise

BY MARGARET DELANEY 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.

At leastone Louisiana patient involved in trial ä See TREATMENT, page 2X ä See MELATONIN, page 3X

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 study involvedinjecting 29 people in the early-stages of Huntington’swith AMT-130 in 8-

to 10-hourbrain surgeries. The treatment, AMT-130, worksby 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

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

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

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.

“Guidelines are guidelines,” Ren said. “Everyone’s going to do it a little bit differently.”

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-

“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

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

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. 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.

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 washed on Oct. 16 in New york.

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.

Sung

Eat Fit Live Fit

TT OY OU BY

Staying grounded when the holidays get messy

Wetalkalotabout“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

Approximately 7million 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 aging population, 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

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ethics of body donation in 2005 Champney said melatonin users may be getting the wrong message.

“I don’tdoubt the data. The rationale for the decisions,however —what it really means —wedon’t know yet,” Champneysaid. “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 health community

Dr.Prachi Singh, an associate professor and director of the Sleep andCardiometabolic HealthLab 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.People keep using melatonin eachnight and are oftenvery liberal when giving it to children.”

Because melatoninisproduced naturally in the body,supplemented forms are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration. In the U.S.,over-the-countersup-

plementsdonot require government 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, whetherthey 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.

BROUGH

Molly Kimball RD,CSSD

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.

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.

See RISHER, page 2Y

STAFF PHOTOSByCHRISGRANGER

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.

INSPIREDDISCUSSIONS

ASKTHE EXPERTS

Collegejob fueled passionfor animal welfare

BY JOYHOLDEN Staff writer

LSU alumna Jen Hollas started working at Companion Animal Alliance Baton Rouge over four years agoasa student part-time worker

Originally from Houston,but a longtime resident of California, Hollas stayed in BatonRouge after graduation to continue working for Companion Animal Alliance.

Shestarted as apet adoption counselor,moved to rescue manager,and nowshe is the communications and events senior manager.What started as apart-time jobbecameher occupation andher passion.

This interview was editedfor length and clarity

How has your role andinvolvement changed since you started with Companion Animal Alliance?

After being one of our adoption counselors, Iwas our rescuemanager for alittle bit. We do ﬂight transports with the Bissell Pet Foundation twiceamonth,and Iwas in charge of that. We work with all of our local rescues here, like Friends of the Animals Baton Rouge and Dante’sHope.

It was abit of atransition going from the operationalsideofthe shelter to an administrative role. It’sdeﬁnitely adifferent perspective, but Idomiss interacting with the animals.

What is the operational structure like at theshelter?

We’re the open intake shelter for East Baton Rouge Parish.Wetook over animal sheltering fromAnimal Control in 2010,sothisisour 15thanniversary.AnimalControl

is currently still in charge of picking up the animals and handling the law enforcement side of animal cruelty.Weshelter about 9,000 animals per year

What should more people know about Companion Animal Alliance? People don’texpect thatwe’re still involved with animal control operations, so they don’trealize

YOUTH

Continued from page1y

While mostcolleges have sports management programs, he noted that the Starting Block is unique because it’sgearedtoward high schoolers, adding that another important aspect of the course is that it gives participantsan opportunity to network with industryprofessionalswhomthey otherwise may not have achance to connect with.

“I was blessed with a25-year career in professional andcollege sports, so this is my wayof giving back to young people,” Fielkow said.

This program “will give New Orleans-area youth aleg up in the industry,because they’llalready have learned alot of the basics.” An investment in thefuture

Back in the classroom, Stella Chase, daughter of Leah Chase, observed the evening’sactivities. Despite the late hour,she was pleased to see studentsenthusiastically getting to know one another

how many animals we take in,or thetypes ofconditionsthat we see animals in every single day

We also are not ano-kill shelter With the amount of animals that we have coming in every single day,it’sjust not possible forus. We’reactually trying to getaway from theno-kill versus kill shelter language,because we ﬁnd thatit villainizes the shelter andthe animal shelter workers, who are doingeverything day in andday out to avoid those decisions.

We focus on letting people know everythingthat we’re doing to get animals out thedoor.

We have an extensive foster program, local rescuesand rescues across the country to get these animals out and into homes. We also have reducedfee adoption events. Every single Tuesday,wehave a $10 Tuesday special for all of our animals that are completely ready to go. It has turned intoour busiest day ofthe week.

What aresome otherprogramsthat the shelter offers to thecommunity?

We have so manydifferentfoster opportunitiesand volunteer opportunities for all ages. We host asummercamp everysingle summer for ages7to11.

And then, of course, we alsotry to provide as many resources as we cantoour community.Sometimes people aren’table to afford pet food for their animals, so we have apet food pantry that we host.Wealso dovaccine clinics and spay/neuteroutreach in the community

When the shelter receives an animal that is in bad shape,how does thestaff handle that process?

We have an in-house vet clinic, so if it’sanemergency case during operating hours, we can take care of it here. However,ifit’s anything after hours thatAnimal Control has picked up, they’ll take it straight to the LSU VetHospital and triage it and then senditover to us. We do biweeklyrotationswith

Q&A WITH JENHOLLAS CAA COMMUNICATIONS AND EVENTS SENIORMANAGER

PROVIDED

That’swhy we’re all here.

theLSU vet students, so they get a chance to learn animal sheltering and shelter medicine.

What do youlove about working forCompanion Animal Alliance?

It’shard to pick one thingfor sure. Everyone that youtalk to here is going to say theanimals.

Starting Block founder Arnie D. Fielkow addresses the firstclass of the 2025 session.

To watch the program grow into what it is todayhas beena rewarding experience, shesaid.

“Not onlydowelearn about sports, which uniquely bring everybody together to cheer for

ourhometeam,”Chase said,“but it also gives us away to learna littlebit moreabouteach other.”

Email ElyseCarmosino at ecarmosino@theadvocate.com.

We all have apassion to help the animals, to be around them,and it’s such arewarding job to be able to seethem comeinto the shelter and then go out to their new home.

How has social media changed the game for animal welfare?

RISHER

Continuedfrom page1y

To get afront-row spot, we camped out the night before along the procession route. It was along, cold, oddly magical night,madememorable mostly because of aridiculous detail: behind us stood arow of portable toilets with springs strong enough to snap abear trap. Every time someoneopened adoor,it slammed shut with abang that shook the ground and jolted us awake.

Months after we returned home, Iwatched an interview with Prince William.Hementioned being exhausted on his wedding day,and when the interviewer guessed it wasnerves, William explained it was actually “those portable toilets outside St. James Palace —their doors kept slammingall night.”

When Itold Case the story,she said, “What afunny thing to have in common with the future king of England!”

People actually get to see more of what we do —a little bit more behind the scenes now

It’sa really powerful tool,especially whenwe’re over capacity and we really need emergency fosters. We’ll makethat call out on social media, andour community absolutely steps up forus.

Ihave aLSU intern whodoes our social media currently,soit’sfun forher to be able to getpictures and video of the animals to capture their personalities for our website. It gives people aglimpse 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 atour of the building and meeting the volunteer manager for guidelines and expectations.

Once that orientationiscomplete, they’re good to go. Volunteers can socialize with dogs, take dogs on walks and hang outwithcats.Wehavethe less glamorous jobs, like laundry and dishes.

We also have aprogram,Date-aDog, where you can take ashelter dog on adate for the day,like to the LSU lakes or to get pup cups. This helps get the dog out of the shelter and allows us to get information on how they behave outside of the shelter

Volunteering is always something Iadvocate for. Iknow not everyone is abletoadopt or foster,soit’sa waytostill be involved andhelpout theshelter Volunteers have to be at least 18 years old.

If you’re under18, youcan be witha parentorguardian. We have abunch of other volunteer opportunitiesfor childrenunder18, so they canhelpout andget service hours.

Email Joy Holden at joy.holden@ theadvocate.com.

Maybe stories like Frances’ remindusthe world isn’tasbig or distant as we think.

Alittle girl in Slidell can write to aprincess and get aletter back —and somehow,the future king of England and Ican lose sleep to the sameridiculous row of portable potties.

Lifeisabsurd, yes —but full of small moments that pull us closer than we expect. Clark is right. Smiley would have gotten akick out of this one.

PHOTO

JenHollas holdsa black and white shelter kitten at Companion Animal Alliance Baton Rouge.

PROVIDED PHOTO

The beginnings of Frances Case’s purse for Princess Catherine. Frances chose to drawawhaleon 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

PICKETT

STAFF PHOTO By JILL

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 Shreveport.

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.

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