Emergency personnel gatherinacordoned off area where National Guard soldiers were shotnear theWhiteHouse in Washington,D.C., on Wednesday.
Second in critical condition; Afghan national chargedinambushattack
BY BENFINLEY,ANTHONY IZAGUIRRE and ALANNA DURKIN RICHER Associated Press
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.— President
Donald Trump said that one of the two West Virginia National Guard members shot by an Afghan national near the White House had died, calling the shooter who had worked with the CIA in his native country a“savage monster.”
As part of his Thanksgiving call to U.S.troops, Trump said that he had just learnedthatSpc Sarah Beckstrom, 20, had died, while Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, was “fighting for his life.”
“She’s just passed away,” Trumpsaid “She’s no longer with us.She’slooking down at us right now. Her parents arewith her.”
The presid ent called Beckstrom an “incredibleperson, outstanding in every single way.”
Trump used theannouncement to say the shooting was a“terrorist attack” as he criticized the Biden administration for enabling Afghans whoworked with U.S. forces during the Afghanistan Wartoenterthe U.S. The president has deployed National
Guard members in part to assist in his administration’smass deportation efforts.
Trump suggested that theshooter was mentally unstable afterthe war and departure from Afghanistan.
Lakanwal
“He went cuckoo. Imean, he went nuts,” the president said. “It happens too often with these people.”
The suspect charged with the shoot-
ingisRahmanullah Lakanwal,29. The suspect had worked in aspecial CIAbacked Afghan Army unit before emigrating from Afghanistan,according to two sources whospoke to TheAssociated Press on condition of anonymity duetothe sensitivityofthe situation, and #AfghanEvac, agroupthat helps resettleAfghanswho assistedthe U.S. during thetwo-decade war JeaninePirro,the U.S.attorney for the DistrictofColumbia, declined to
ä See AMBUSH, page 7A
BY SAM KARLIN Staff writer
Nearly 15 years ago, Gerard Braud andhis wife bought araised cottage homeinMandeville, nestled on asprawling yard with alive oaktree overlooking Lake Pontchartrain. He thought they would spend the rest of their lives in it. Life was affordable. His insurance premium with Lighthouse, asmallcompany based in Louisiana, wasaround $4,400 ayear Then the stormscame.
He managed to avoid major damage from Hurricane Ida and other stormsthat hit south Louisiana in recent years. But Lighthouse went belly up in 2022, one of 12 insurers doing business in Louisiana to fold in the twoyears after Ida. Four years after the storm,hestill can’tfind anyone willing to write him apolicy That forced Braud to get insurance from the state’sinsureroflastresort, Citizens, which charges him north of $12,000 ayear forhome insurance, triple what he paid with Lighthouse. His flood insurance —aseparate system handled by the federal government —has soared as well. “My house hasgonefromaffordable when I moved in to unaffordable now,” Braud said. After the rash of insurer failures, the number of people forced to turn to Citizens forinsurance skyrocketed from about 35,000 to apeak of 140,000 in the summer of 2023, the organization’s
Democrats gain ground on Mississippicoast
BY POETWOLFE and MARTHA SANCHEZ Staff writer and Sun Herald
After an hourslong Gulfport City Council meeting, newly elected council member Carrissa Corbett would change out of her black dress and leopard-print coat andintoaT-shirt and jogging pants before heading to acommunity center to host her weekly line dancing class.
Once there, Corbett collects cannedgoodsthe dancers bring to stock afood pantry for residents wholost food stampbenefits after the government shutdown. And during dance breaks, she slips in questions: Are y’all getting out and voting? Are y’all talking to your nieces and nephews about voting?
Leaning into informal,unscriptedsettings like this onetoconnect withvoters, she said, is helping Democrats alongthe Mississippi Gulf Coast
Localelectiondynamics reflectchanging politics ä See DEMOCRATS, page 8A
Beckstrom
Wolfe
SCHIEFELBEIN
Former president of Peru sentenced for conspiracy
LIMA, Peru Peru’s Supreme Court sentenced former President Pedro Castillo to 11½ years in prison for conspiracy to commit a rebellion in 2022, when he tried to dissolve the Congress as lawmakers prepared to impeach him.
A special panel of the highest court also banned Castillo, 56, from public office for two years. He has been in custody since being arrested in December 2022.
Two of Castillo’s former ministers were also sentenced to 11½ years in prison for the same crime. One of them is ex-Prime Minister Betssy Chávez, who was granted asylum by Mexico and remains inside the Mexican embassy in Peru’s capital, Lima.
The Peruvian government severed diplomatic relations with Mexico over the asylum to Chávez.
This is the second Peruvian expresident sentenced this week.
A different court on Wednesday sentenced former leader Martín Vizcarra to 14 years in prison after finding him guilty of taking bribes while serving as governor of a southern state.
Castillo promised to be a champion of the poor when he took office in 2021, becoming the first president in the nation’s history to come from a poor farming community He assumed the presidency without any political experience.
Castillo was replaced by his Vice President Dina Boluarte, who in October was also removed from office after a deeply unpopular government and amid a crime wave affecting the South American nation. The current president is José Jerí, who was the Congress leader American architect
Robert A.M. Stern dies
Robert A.M. Stern, a prominent figure in American architecture who designed notable museums, libraries and residences, died Thursday, according to a statement from the firm he founded. He was 86. The statement did not specify a cause of death, but said Stern “died comfortably at his home.”
Born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1939, Stern founded the Robert A.M. Stern Architects firm, now known as RAMSA, in 1969. He gained acclaim for his decades of work and style, which blended postmodernism with contextual design, drawing inspiration from historic and traditional styles.
He was widely known for 15 Central Park West, a luxury condominium featuring a recognizable limestone exterior in Manhattan bordering Central Park. The building opened in 2008. Stern’s works also include the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas, the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia, the Gerald R Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan and Disney’s Yacht and Beach Club Resorts in Florida.
Kessler twins, dancers in ’50s and ’60s, die BERLIN Alice and Ellen Kessler, twin dancers and singers who launched their career in the 1950s and performed with Fred Astaire, Frank Sinatra and Harry Belafonte among others, have died, police in Germany said Tuesday They were 89. The death of the twins in Grünwald, a prosperous suburb of Munich where they shared a house was reported by German newspaper Bild and news agency dpa on Monday, without named sources. Munich police on Tuesday confirmed the deaths, saying in an emailed statement that it was a “joint suicide.”
The Kessler twins learned to dance at a young age and joined the Leipzig Opera children’s ballet. In 1952, when they were 16, their family fled to West Germany, where they danced in a revue theater in Düsseldorf. In 1955, the sisters were discovered by the director of the Lido cabaret theater in Paris, where their international career took off.
In the 1960s, the Kessler twins toured worldwide. They turned down an offer to appear with Elvis Presley in “Viva Las Vegas” in 1964 for fear of becoming defined by musical films in America, dpa reported.
At least 94 dead in Hong Kong fire
BY CHAN HO-HIM and HUIZHONG WU Associated Press
HONG KONG Firefighters battled for
a second day to extinguish a blaze at a high-rise apartment complex in Hong Kong on Thursday, as the death toll rose to 94 in one of the deadliest blazes in the city’s modern history
Rescuers holding flashlights were going from apartment to apartment at the charred towers as thick smoke poured out from some windows at the Wang Fuk Court complex, a dense cluster of buildings housing thousands of people in Tai Po district, a northern suburb near Hong Kong’s border with the mainland.
Officials said firefighters were still working on a handful of apartments and trying to enter all of the units in the seven towers to ensure there were no further casualties.
“Our firefighting operation is almost complete,” said Derek Armstrong Chan, deputy director of Fire Services Operations. Firefighters were working hard “to prevent the debris and embers from flaring up. What’s next is the search and rescue operation,” he added.
It was unclear how many people remained missing or trapped Authorities did not provide updates on the missing people or how many were still inside the ravaged buildings Thursday during a news conference.
Video showed rescuers searching in some apartments in the dark. Orange flames were still seen from inside several windows, though the whole complex was now largely a blackened ruin.
Firefighters have been trying to control the flames since midafternoon Wednesday, when the fire was believed to have started in bamboo scaffolding and con-
struction netting and then spread across seven of the complex’s eight buildings.
Chan said the blaze spread “exceptionally fast” across the towers, and emergency workers struggled to gain access inside. “Debris and scaffolding were falling from upper floors,” he told reporters. “There are also other reasons like high temperature, darkness (and) emergency vehicle access was blocked by fallen scaffolding and debris, making our access to the building very difficult.”
More than 70 people were injured, including 11 firefighters, the Fire Services Department said. About 900 people were evacuated to temporary shelters overnight.
Resident Lawrence Lee was waiting for news about his wife, who he believed was still trapped in their apartment
“When the fire started, I told her on the phone to escape. But once she left the flat, the corridor and stairs were all filled with smoke and it was all dark, so she had no choice but to go back to the flat,” he said, as he waited in one of the shelters overnight.
Three men, the directors and an engineering consultant of a construction company, were arrested on suspicion of manslaughter Police have not directly named the company where they work.
“We have reason to believe that those in charge of the construction company were grossly negligent,” said Eileen Chung, a senior superintendent of police. Police on Thursday also searched the office of Prestige Construction & Engineering Company, which the AP confirmed was in charge of renovations in the tower complex. Police seized boxes of documents as evidence, according to local media Phones for Prestige rang unanswered.
Soldiers in Guinea-Bissau announce new junta leader
Deposed president flees after disputed election
BY CHINEDU ASADU and ASSANA SAMBU Associated Press
BISSAU, Guinea-Bissau Soldiers in Guinea-Bissau on Thursday announced a new junta leader, cementing a forceful takeover of power that began after a disputed presidential election and led to deposed President Umaro Sissoco Embaló departing for neighboring Senegal.
The military high command in the West African nation inaugurated Gen. Horta Inta-a as the head of the military government, which will oversee a one-year transition period, according to a declaration broadcast on state television.
Embaló, meanwhile, arrived in Senegal with a flight chattered by the Senegalese government which has been “in direct communication with all concerned Guinea-Bissau actors,” Senegal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement, as the country promised to work with partners to restore democracy in Guinea-Bissau.
Guinea-Bissau, one of the world’s poorest countries, has been dogged by coups and attempted coups since its independence from Portugal more than 50 years ago, including a coup attempt in October.
The country of 2.2 million people is known as a hub for drug trafficking between Latin America and Europe, a trend that experts say has fueled its political crises.
Hours after the opposition called for protests against the coup and to demand the publication of election results earlier scheduled for Thursday, the military authorities issued a statement banning public protests and “all disturbing actions of peace and stability in the country.”
In an earlier statement, Inta-a, who
was the army chief of staff until the coup and a close ally of the deposed president, said: “The inability of political actors to stem the deterioration of the political climate ultimately prompted the intervention of the armed forces.”
The military authorities earlier said Embaló and other prominent people arrested during the coup were in good health and would remain in custody It was not immediately clear the terms of Embaló’s departure to Senegal.
The Chairperson of the African Union Commission Mahmoud Ali Youssouf condemned the coup, calling for unconditional release of Embaló and other detained officials and for the respect of the electoral process.
The opposition alleged Embaló had fabricated the coup to avoid an election defeat in Sunday’s closely contested presidential vote. The military takeover and the reported arrest of Embaló were “fabricated” to disrupt election results, according to his rival Fernando Dias, who, like Embaló, claimed to have won the vote.
The Associated Press could not independently verify the claims by Dias, a member of the Social Renewal Party.
Dias, 47, said in a video statement that he escaped custody “through a back door” after reports he was arrested by soldiers He vowed to fight back.
“Umaro lost the elections, and instead of accepting the result, he fabricated a coup d’état,” Dias said. “Once again, we, we have been the target of a false coup d’état. We will liberate ourselves.”
The military officers who announced they had deposed the president cited the “discovery of an ongoing plan to manipulate electoral results,” according to a spokesperson, Dinis N’Tchama, who was flanked by others during the televised statement.
Trump barring S. Africa from next G20 summit
Next year’s event will be held at his Florida golf club
BY JOSH BOAK Associated Press
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.
President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he is barring South Africa from participating in the Group of 20 summit next year at his Miami-area club and will stop all payments and subsidies to the country over its treatment of a U.S. government representative at this year’s global meeting.
Trump chose not to have an American government delegation attend last weekend’s summit hosted by South Africa, saying he did so because its White Afrikaners were being violently persecuted. It is a claim that South Africa, which was mired for decades in racial apartheid, has rejected as baseless.
The Republican president, in a social media post, said South Africa had refused to hand over its G20 hosting responsibilities to a senior representative of the U.S. Embassy when the summit ended.
“Therefore, at my direction, South Africa will NOT be receiving an invitation to the 2026 G20, which will be hosted in the Great City of Miami, Florida next year,” Trump posted on Truth Social.
“South Africa has demonstrated to the World they are not a country worthy of Membership anywhere,” he said, “and we are going to stop all payments and subsidies to them, effective immediately.”
South Africa said it considered the U.S. decision to appoint a local embassy official for the G20 handover an insult. The ceremony instead happened at its Foreign Ministry building after the summit “as the United States was not present at the summit,” a statement from South African President Cyril Ra-
maphosa’s office said. The statement said Ramaphosa “noted the regrettable statement by President Donald Trump on South Africa’s participation in the 2026 G20 meetings.” It also pushed back against Trump’s widely rejected claims that Afrikaner farmers are being killed and having their land taken away saying that Trump “continues to apply punitive measures against South Africa based on misinformation and distortions about our country.” In some ways, Trump views next year’s G20 summit as personal, given that he announced it will be at his golf club in Doral, Florida.
This year’s summit in Johannesburg, the first held in Africa, was boycotted by the United States, a G20 founding member and the world’s biggest economy The meeting’s declaration, giving more attention to issues that affect developing countries, went unsigned by Washington, and the Trump administration expressed its opposition to South Africa’s agenda, especially the parts that focus on climate change.
The U.S. has now taken over the rotating presidency of the G20, leaving the impact of the South African declaration unclear Trump has claimed that White Afrikaner farmers in South Africa are being killed and that their land is being seized. The South African government and others, including some Afrikaners themselves, say Trump’s claims are the result of misinformation. Last month, the Trump administration announced it would restrict the number of refugees admitted annually to the U.S. to 7,500, with most of the spots reserved for White South Africans. Afrikaners are South Africans who are descended mainly from Dutch but also French and German colonial settlers who first came to the country in the 17th century
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By CHAN LONG HEI
Putinwarns Ukraine’sarmytowithdraw
BY KATIE MARIE DAVIES Associated Press
U.S. proposals to end the war between Russia and Ukraine offer astarting point for talks, Russian PresidentVladimir Putinsaid Thursday,ashetold Ukrainian forcestopull back or be overrun by Russia’s bigger army
“Weneed to sitdown and discuss this seriously,” Putin told reporters at the end of athree-day visit to Kyrgyzstan. “Every word matters.”
He described U.S. President Donald Trump’splan as “a set of issues put forward for discussion” rather than a draft agreement.
“If Ukrainian troops withdraw from theterritories they occupy,hostilitieswill cease. If they don’twithdraw,wewill achieve this by force,”the Russian leader said.
Kremlin officials have had little to say so far about the peace plan put forward last week by Trump. Since Russia’sinvasion of its neighbor, Putin has shown no willingness to budge from his goals in Ukraine despite Trump’s push for asettlement.
Putin has previously demanded thatUkraine completely withdraw from the entirety of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhia regions before Russia considers any sort of “peace negotiations”— notably including areas of each of those oblasts that Russia does not occupy.He also wants to keep Ukraine from joining NATO and hosting any Western troops, allowing Moscow to gradually pull the country back into its orbit.
U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff is set to visit Moscow next week, the Kremlin says, while U.S. Army Secretary
Aman walksWednesdayinfront of aburning residential
Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine.
DanDriscoll, who in recent weekshas played ahigh-profile role in the peace efforts, maybeheadingtoKyiv TheinitialU.S.peace proposals appearedheavily skewed toward Russiandemands, butanamendedversion emerged from talksin GenevaonSundaybetween American andUkrainianofficials.Sidelined European leaders, fearingfor their own security amid Russian aggression,are angling for deeperinvolvementinthe process.
Analysts say Putin is attempting to outwait the commitment of Westerncountriestosupporting Ukraine’s war effort. Trump has previouslysignaled he could walk away from effortstostop thefighting if thereisno progress. European officials say Putin is stalling because Russiawantstograb more of Ukrainebefore accepting anydeal.
Russian officials have
claimed they have battlefield momentuminUkraine, even though their slow progress has been costly in terms of casualties and armor
The Institute for theStudy of WaronWednesdaycast doubt on Russian claims that its invasionisunstoppableasitisstill struggling to capture cities in the eastern Donetsk region.
“Data on Russian forces’ rate of advance indicates that aRussian military victory in Ukraine is not inevitable, and arapid Russian seizure of the rest of Donetsk Oblast (region) is not imminent,” theWashington-basedthink tank said “Recent Russian advances elsewhere on thefront line have largely been opportunistic andexploitedseasonal weather conditions.”
Russia’s Foreign Ministry said Thursdaythat it had ordered the closure of Poland’sConsulate General in theeastern city of Irkutsk.
The tit-for-tat move follows the closure of Russia’s
Consulate General in the Polish city of Gdansk in November.Inastatement, the Russian Foreign Ministry said thatMoscow would not “allow such actions to go unanswered.”
Poland announced the closure of the Gdansk consulate after arailway line close to Warsaw wassabotaged in mid-November. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk later said that two Ukrainian citizens working forRussia weresuspected of carrying out the attack.
A53-year-old man was killedina Russiandrone attack in Ukraine’snorthern Sumy region, officials said Friday.Also, Russia attackedUkraine’sOdesa and Dnipropetrovsk regions early Thursday,injuring three people and starting fires, local authorities said. Russia launched142 dronesat Ukraine overnight, accord-
ing to Ukraine’sair force. Meanwhile, Russian air defenses downed 118 Ukrainian dronesovernight above various Russian regions and the Black Sea, the Russian Defense Ministry said. Ukraine’s armyisn’tonly under pressure on the battlefield. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’sgovernment is mired in amajor corruption scandal and is short of money In adevelopment offering some relief, Ukraine reachedanagreement for the International Monetary Fundtoprovide$8.1billion over four years, according to astatement by the institution.The moneycomes from afund that helps countries facing medium-term paymentdifficulties. ButUkraine’sstate budget and military needsfor 2026 and2027 areestimatedat $153 billion.
By The Associated Press
PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad Ho-
micide detectives in Trinidad and Tobago are investigating the suspectedmurder of an American man after reportedly going outtotry to purchase marijuana.
Thevictim hasbeenidentified as 43-year-oldChristopherBrown, abuilder from Silverthorne, Colorado, according to alocal police report.
Police were told that Brown had dinner and drinks with friends on Wednesday night in Castara— asmall fishing village on the island
of Tobago. He then lefthis friends, telling them he was goingto buymarijuana,the policereportsaid. Shortly after 10:30 p.m. localtime, officersfromthe Trinidad and Tobago Police Service responded to areport that Brown was found unresponsive in the area, and he was later pronounced deadatthe scene. Investigators believe he
was stabbed, as theysaid there were several wounds abouthis body,and ametal object was found protruding from his back. Investigators are still trying to determine themotive for the killing.
“I can confirm that asuspect is currently in custody,” Police Commissioner AllisterGuevarro told The Associated Press on Thursday afternoon.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By KATERyNA KLOCHKO
building after aRussian attack on
data show
But more than two years later, and despite changes in state laws and insurance regulations from Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple, the number of Louisiana homeowners with Citizens insurance remains stubbornly high. And the amount of money those people — and residents with private carriers are paying for insurance has not come down significantly
Citizens, a nonprofit controlled by a board of state officials and insurance executives, has tried to get people off its rolls and onto the books of private insurers. But while it has sent 30,000 people to private insurers through a process called depopulation, its total number of policies has only fallen by about 18,000, or 13%, since the peak. In all, the number of policies is still up more than 200% since Ida.
The halting recovery underscores the enduring nature of Louisiana’s insurance crisis, which continues to crush homeowners in south Louisiana
It also raises questions about whether Louisiana will ever return to the point when only a small share of properties are covered by Citizens, or whether tens of thousands more people will be stuck long-term with the insurer of last resort. Before the storms began hitting in 2020, only 35,000 homeowners — largely with the riskiest properties in the state were on its rolls.
Carolyn Kousky, executive director of the nonprofit Insurance for Good, said insurers of last resort like Louisiana Citizens are important backstops to the cyclical nature of insurance, where storms, inflation and the reinsurance market can affect prices. But they can’t “magically make insurance cheaper in high-risk areas,” she said. The solution should be building homes that can better withstand hurricanes and other perils, which are becoming worse because of climate change.
“That risk of southern Louisiana is the fundamental challenge,” she said. “It’s so much harder to solve and it’s only getting worse.”
Braud has thought about turning to a different type of insurance, known as the “surplus lines” market, as a reprieve Those insurers traditionally cover hard-toinsure property like antique automobiles, but have captured a small but growing share of the homeowners as well. The tradeoff is that the companies aren’t backed by the state guaranty fund, meaning homeowners may not have any recourse if they go insolvent.
As of now, that’s not a risk Braud is willing to take. As he and his wife picture their future, they wonder whether they can afford to stay at their Mandeville home longterm.
“We moved in here hoping this would be our forever home; this would be our last home,” Braud said.
“Now we’re really looking at that option of, do we need to move north of I-12, where presumably insurance rates are a little lower? And what does that look like?”
‘Not as fast as anyone wants’
After Hurricane Katrina, Citizens had a similar explosion in policies. But the insurance crisis following the most recent spate of storms since 2021 has been far worse in scope. Four years after Ida, Citizens’ policies are still more than double what they were before. And while Citizens has moved thousands of people to private insurers through depopulation, where private carriers take policies in bulk, a significant number of people have come onto the rolls of Citizens in the meantime. In normal times, Citizens is not a desirable insurer By law, it must charge 10% more than private insurers, a long-standing policy aimed at encouraging homeowners to find coverage elsewhere if they can
But after watching the dramatic rise in policies, Republican state lawmakers and Temple agreed last year to suspend the 10% surcharge for three years to give homeowners a reprieve. Democratic lawmakers had initially pushed for the suspension.
Temple said that change may be encouraging some people to remain on Citizens, which sometimes offers better terms on deductibles and coverage than private market policies.
Plus, some agents and policyholders are hesitant to move to one of the small insurers that are writing policies in Louisiana, especially after 12 insurers that were mostly small and undercapitalized went bellyup in recent years. Many of the companies most active now in south Louisiana don’t have the “gold star” of ratings from AM Best, a ratings agency, and are instead rated by Demotech, which researchers have found offers a less ringing endorsement of financial health.
Another factor: The private insurance market is not bringing widespread relief.
Temple said he still believes a series of laws and
regulations from the past two years will succeed in inviting more competition and benefiting the market by making it easier for insurers to raise rates and drop policyholders. But while Louisiana has not seen huge rate hikes this year, rates are still projected to tick up by about 4% in 2026.
He also said he expects Louisiana will eventually get back to the point where only around 35,000 people are covered by Citizens. As of November, more than three times that amount were on the rolls.
“It’s not as fast as anybody wants,” Temple said. “But people are starting to see the success of the 2024 reforms.”
Hesitance and risk
Citizens has gone through several rounds of “depopulation,” shedding policies in bulk to private carriers. That’s how Citizens rapidly decreased its policy count in the years after Katrina. But the process has been halting at times. After dumping 10% of its policies about a year ago, the rolls for Citizens climbed by about 4% since.
One company, Cimarron Insurance, was set to take out nearly 9,000 policies next month. But the company dropped out abruptly before the Citizens board certified the latest round this month. Temple said he did not know why, and the company didn’t respond to messages seeking comment.
Ben Albright, head of the Independent Agents and Brokers Association of Louisiana, said the Citizens policy count hasn’t moved down as quickly as he would like, something he blamed partly on the suspension of the 10% surcharge. He also said that until larger players enter the market, some policyholders and agents will hesitate to get insurance from smaller companies, fearful of a reprise of the failure of 12 insurers in recent years.
“If you can be with a trillion dollar company that’s AM Best A-rated, that’s the best-case scenario,” he said.
“There’s not a lot of those writing in south Louisiana.”
Kousky, who has published a host of research on disaster insurance, said reform-
ing the nation’s property insurance system is tricky
On the one hand, inviting competition into the market is good for consumers. On the other hand, going too far in making life easy on insurance companies can hurt consumers when it comes time for insurers to pay claims.
The bigger challenge for a place like south Louisiana is that it’s increasingly risky to
live here as climate change brings more powerful hurricanes, more rainfall and warmer waters in the Gulf Kousky said. And the prospect of a federal solution raises sticky questions. For instance, many insurance scholars and elected officials believe it’s important for the market to send price signals that encourage people in the riskiest parts of the country to
fortify their homes or move. In the meantime, Kousky said Louisiana and other states should embrace solutions like fortified roofs.
A recent report by Kousky and other researchers on insurers of last resort around the country found other states are taking several steps to make homes more resilient. Those include requiring Citizens to put fortified roofs on the homes of policyholders when they’re paying for a new roof after a loss. Alabama, Mississippi and North Carolina have versions of that policy, but Louisiana does not. Such policies can also help get people off the rolls of the insurer of last resort by making their home more desirable for insurers to cover, she said. “North Carolina, Alabama, when they invest in home fortification, that’s actually a takeout plan,” Kousky said. “Once your home is fortified, you’re more insurable
Trumpcriticizesprogram that broughtAfghanrefugeestoU.S.
BY JEFFREY COLLINS Associated Press
The man accusedofshooting two National Guard members in Washingtonis one of about 76,000 Afghans brought to the United States after the chaotic withdrawal of the U.S. from their country as the Taliban took over,authorities said.
The program, called Operation Allies Welcome, was created after the 2021 decision to leave Afghanistan following 20 years of American intervention and billions of dollars of aid.
Trump and manyRepublicans —said therefugees were not properly vetted in aresettlement process they saidwas as chaoticand poorly planned as leaving the country to the Taliban.
Democratic President Joe Biden, who oversaw the withdrawal started by his predecessor —Republican President Donald Trump said the U.S. owed it to the interpreters and translators, the fighters and drivers and others who opposed the Taliban to give them asafe place outside of Afghanistan. But others —including
AMBUSH
Continued from page1A
provide amotive for Wednesday afternoon’sbrazen act of violence which occurred just blocks from the White House. Pirro said that the suspect, Lakanwal, launched an “ambush-style” attack with a.357 Smith &Wesson revolver
The suspect originally faced charges of assaultwith intent to kill while armedand possession of afirearm during a crime of violence. Pirrosaid that “it’stoo soon to say” what thesuspect’smotives were.
The charges could be upgraded, Pirro said.
FBI Director Kash Patel said theshootingisbeing investigated as an act of terrorism. Agents have served aseries of search warrants, with Patel calling it a“coastto-coastinvestigation.”
The rare shooting of National Guard members on American soil, on the eve of Thanksgiving, comes amid courtfights and abroader public policydebate about the Trump administration’s use of themilitary to combat what officials cast as an outof-control crime problem.
Trump issued an emergency orderinAugustthatfederalized the local police force and sent in National Guard troops.The order expireda month later.But the troops have remained in the city, wherenearly2,200 troops currently are assigned, according to the government’s latest update.
The Guard members have patrolled neighborhoods, train stations and other locations, participated in highway checkpoints and been assigned to pick up trash and guard sporting events. The Trump administration quickly ordered 500 more National Guard members to Washington following Wednesday’s shooting.
The suspect who was in
“Thisindividual —and so many others —shouldhave neverbeen allowed to comehere. Our citizens and service members deserve farbetterthanto endure the ongoing fallout from the Biden administration’scatastrophic failures,” CIA Director JohnRatcliffe said Lakanwal worked with CIA The accused shooter, identifiedbylaw enforcement officialsasRahmanullahLakanwal, worked with theCIA “asa member of a partnerforce in Kandahar,” Ratcliffe saidinastatement Thursday.It didn’tspecify what Lakanwal didfor America’sspy agency. The Kandahar region in southern Afghanistan was in
theTaliban heartland of the country and sawfierce fighting between the Taliban and NATO forces after theU.S.led invasion in 2001 following the al-Qaidaattacks on Sept.11. The CIA relied on Afghan staff for translation, administrative andfront-line fighting withtheir own paramilitaryofficers in thewar Little is known about Lakanwal’sfour yearsinthe U.S. or why he drove across the countryfromhis home in Bellingham,Washington.
Afterleaving Afghanistan, tensofthousands of those seeking resettlement ended up in sprawling airconditioned tent villages at military bases like Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in central New Jersey,Fort McCoyinWisconsin or at Fort Bliss in Texas.
Aftermonths of health screenings andbackground checksmanywereresettled in established Afghancommunities in northern Virginia and the surrounding Washington area, as well as Northern Californiaand
Streets are blockedafter reportsthat
soldiers were shot near the
on Wednesday.
custodyalsowas shot and hadwounds that werenot believed to be life-threatening, accordingtoalaw enforcement official who was not authorized to discuss thematter publicly and spoke to AP on conditionofanonymity
SuspectworkedwithCIA
Aresidentofthe eastern Afghanprovince of Khost who identified himself as Lakanwal’scousin said Lakanwal was originally from theprovince andthat he and hisbrother had worked in aspecialAfghan Armyunit knownasZero Units in the southernprovince of Kandahar.Aformer official from the unit, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of thesensitivityof the situation, said Lakanwalwas ateam leader and his brother was aplatoon leader
The cousin spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals. He said Lakanwal had started out working as asecurity guardfor the unit in 2012, and waslater promoted to become ateam leader and aGPS specialist. Kandahar is in the Taliban heartlandofthe country. It saw fierce fighting between the Talibanand NATO forc-
es after theU.S.-ledinvasion in 2001 following theal-Qaida attacksonSept. 11. The CIA reliedonAfghan staff fortranslation,administrative and front-line fighting with their own paramilitary officers in thewar Zero Unitswere paramilitaryunitsmanned by Afghans but backed by theCIA andalsoservedin front-line fighting with CIA paramilitary officers. Activists had attributed abuses to theunits. They played akey role in thechaotic U.S. withdrawal from thecountry, providingsecurityaround Kabul International Airport as the Americansand others fell back during theTaliban offensive that seizedthe country
CIA Director John Ratcliffe saidinastatement that Lakanwal’srelationship with theU.S.government “endedshortly following the chaotic evacuation” of U.S. service members from Afghanistan.
Lakanwal, 29, entered the U.S. in 2021 through OperationAllies Welcome, aBiden administration program that evacuated andresettled tens of thousands of Afghans after the U.S. withdrawal from thecountry,officials said. Lakanwal applied for asy-
Texas. States where between 1,000 and 3,000 have settled include Arizona, New York, Florida, Georgia, Colorado, Nebraska and Pennsylvania, according to State Department data.
Trumpstopped aid Trump’sexecutive order shortly aftertaking officein Januarysuspendingfederal funding for resettlement agencies made it tougher to help refugees withbasic necessities like food and rent, handcuffing the mostly religious groups that help them.
The president, whohas describedAfghanistanas“a hellhole on earth,” already planned to review every Afghan who entered the country underOperationAllies Welcome andreiterated that goal after Wednesday’s shooting.
“Iftheycan’t love our country,wedon’twant them,” Trumpsaid in amessage released on social media,adding that the shooting was “a crime against ouren-
lum during theBiden administration, but his asylum was approved underthe Trump administration, #AfghanEvac said in astatement.
Theinitiativebrought roughly76,000peopleto the U.S., many of whom hadworked alongside U.S. troops and diplomats as interpreters and translators. It hassincefaced intense scrutiny from Trump and his allies, congressional Republicans andsomegovernment watchdogsover allegations of gaps in the vetting process, even as advocates say there was extensive vetting and the program offered a lifelinetopeopleatrisk of Taliban reprisals.
Lakanwal hasbeen living in Bellingham, Washington, about 79 miles north of Seattle, with hiswifeand five children, said his former landlord, Kristina Widman.
tire nation.”
Trumpalso used hismessagetoattack refugees from Somalia who have settled in Minnesota, saying theyare “ripping apart that once-great state.”
It’s part of this administration’sgoal both to deport people in the country illegally and close the country to mostrefugees.Trump said he wants to remove anyone “who doesnot belong here or does not add
benefit to ourcountry.” One of the Afghans who madeittothe U.S. wasMohammadSaboor,afatherof sevenchildren, whoworked as an electrician and A/C technicianwith internationaland U.S. forces for 17 years. He resettled earlier this year in California and told The Associated Press he looked forward to sending his kids to school and giving back to thecountry thattook his family in.
ASSOCIATEDPRESS PHOTO By ANTHONy PELTIER
twoNational Guard
White House in Washington, D.C.
Trump
gaintractionina traditionally red state.
“Just having casual conversation,” Corbett said, sitting in her office on arecent Tuesday night. “No one wants someone to come in and talk over their heads.”
Her effort reflectsa broader push by Democrats across the Gulf Coast to make elections more competitive as newcomers from across the country move into coastal cities and the population rises and diversifies.
That shift was evident this summer in Gulfport, when Sonya Williams Barnes, aDemocratand former state representative, lost to Republican attorney Hugh Keating by just 840 votes in acontentious mayoral racethat drew an unusually high turnout. And earlier this year,local politicsshowed signs of change when Cor-
Presley by 17% in HarrisonCounty,26% in Jackson County and 44% in Hancock County
That didnot appear to be the case for Democrats in Gulfport’smayoral race, he added,notingthatkey
local races may notplace muchemphasis on party
“They just want someone who will be good,” he said. Signs of thatshift arealso emerging in other parts of the region. ADemocrat running to fillformerRep Matt Gaetz’scongressional seat in the conservative Florida Panhandle last spring lost to aRepublicanbut carriedEscambia County, which includes Pensacola, forthe first time in decades.
On the Mississippi coast, TomCarpenter,vicechair of the Harrison County Republican Party,is“cautiously optimistic” about his party’sfuture.Hesaid Republicans need to be moredeliberate about hostingcommunity-oriented events to reconnect with voters, especially those less inclined to turn out.
“If we get our people to realize that they need to getout, andtheyneed to talktoneighbors, and they need to discussthings, and
so on and so forth, Ithink we will continue in the right direction,” Carpenter said, adding that thefocus should remain on jobs, education and security In Bay St. Louis, City Council member Nancy Moynan, who flippeda Republican-held seat earlier this year,agrees thatvoters remain driven by key issues —insuranceprices, city services and the challenges of rapid population growth. She described seeing “a better blending of political views” as more residents move in from out of state.
“If you align your thoughtsand your feelings withacandidate whohappens to be of adifferent political party,people are much more apttocross political parties,” Moynan said. “Because they found somebody that canspeak their voice.”
Email PoetWolfe at
political preference. But he also said many who vote in
National parkstoraise fees forinternational tourists
BY HALLIE GOLDEN and MATTHEW DALY Associated Press
WASHINGTON The National Park Service said Tuesday it is going to start charging the millions of international tourists whovisit U.S. parks each yearanextra $100to enter some of the most popular sites, while leaving them out of fee-free days that will be reserved forAmerican residents.
The announcement declaring “America-first entry fee policies” comes as national parks deal with the strain of amajor staff reduction and severe budget cuts, along with recovering from damage during the recent government shutdown and significant lost revenue due to fees not being collected during that time. Thefee change willimpact 11 nationalparks, including GrandCanyon, Yellowstone
BY GARYD.ROBERTSON and JONATHAN MATTISE Associated Press
RALEIGH, N.C.
Afed-
eral three-judge panelon
Wednesday allowedNorth Carolina to use aredrawn congressional map aimedat flipping aseat to Republicans as part of President Donald Trump’smultistate redistricting campaign aheadof the 2026 elections.
The map targets the state’s only swing seat, currently held by Democratic U.S. Rep. Don Davis, an African American who representsmore than 20 northeast counties.
The1st Districthas been represented by Black members of Congress continuouslyfor more than 30 years.
The three-judge panel unanimously deniedpreliminary injunction requests after ahearing in WinstonSalem in mid-November
The day after the hearing, the same judges separately upheld several other redrawnU.S.House districts that GOP state lawmakers initially enacted in 2023. They were firstused in the 2024 elections, helping Republicans gain three more congressional seats.
Democrats’ return fire Trump broke with more than acentury of political tradition by directing the GOP in North Carolina and several other states this year to redrawmapsatmiddecade —without courtsrequiring it —toavoid losing control of Congressinnext year’smidterms.
Democrats need to pick up just ahandful of seats to win control of the House and impede Trump’sagenda. Besides North Carolina, Republican-led legislatures or commissions in Texas, Missouri, and Ohio all have adopted new districts designed to boost Republicans’ chances next year
In California, voters countered by adopting new districts drawn to improve Democrats’ chances of winning more seats. And the Democratic-ledVirginia General Assembly also has
taken astep toward redistricting with aproposed constitutionalamendment. Thus far,manylower courts have blockedTrump’s initiatives, only for theconservative majority on the U.S.Supreme Court to put those rulings on hold. That includes arecent rulingin Texas, where aredrawn U.S. Housemap wasengineered to give Republicans five more House seats
GOP seeksone-seatswing North Carolina’sRepublican-controlledGeneral Assemblygave final approval on Oct.22tothe redrawn map. Democratic Gov.JoshStein’s approval wasn’tneeded.
NorthCarolinaRepublican Senate leaderPhil Berger saidWednesday’scourt decision “thwarts theradical left’slatest attempt to circumventthe will of thepeople”ina state that voted for Trump in 2016, 2020 and2024.
“As Democrat-runstates like California do everything in their power to undermine PresidentTrump’s administration and agenda, North CarolinaRepublicans went to work to protectthe America First Agenda,” Berger’s statement said Butotherscalled Wednesday’sdecisionabad one.
“Thisrulinggives blessing to what will be themost gerrymandered congressional mapinstate history,amap thatintentionally retaliates against voters in eastern
andYosemite, according to the U.S. Department of the Interior
As part of the changes, which are settotake effect Jan.1,foreign tourists will also seetheir annual parks pass pricejumpto$250, while U.S. residentswill continue to be charged $80, according to the department’s statement
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said in apost on thesocial platformX that the changes make sure U.S. taxpayers who support the park service“continue to enjoyaffordableaccess, while international visitors contribute their fair share to maintaining and improving our parks for future generations!”
AWhite Houseposton Xlaying outthe increased
fees ended with thephrase, “AMERICANSFIRST.”
Theannouncementfollows aJuly executive order in which President Donald Trumpdirected the parks to increase entry fees for foreign tourists.
The U.S. Travel Associationestimated thatin2018, national parks and monuments saw morethan 14 million international visitors. Yellowstonereported that in 2024, nearly15% of
its visitors were from outside thecountry,whichwas downfrom 30% in 2018. The moneymade offthe newfees will help support the national parks, including with upgrading facilities for visitors and maintenance, according to the statement. The “resident-only patriotic fee-free days” next year includeVeterans Day, which wasone of the parks’ eight free days open to everyone in 2025.
North Carolina for supportinga candidate notpreferred by themajority party,”said Bob Phillips, executivedirector of Common CauseNorth Carolina.
The ruling covers twolawsuits.
One filed by the state NAACP,Common Causeand voters sought apreliminary injunction on First Amendment grounds. They said Republican lawmakersunconstitutionallytargeted North Carolina’s“Black Belt”instead of Democratic-voting areas with higherwhite populations because in 2024 they organized andvoted for their preferred candidates and had suedover the2023 configuration of the district.
In the second lawsuit,filed by voters, the case forapreliminary injunction rested in part on an argument that the use of five-year-old Census data due to the mid-decade redrawing of districts violates theConstitution, including the14th Amendment’s one-person, one-vote guarantee. Additionally,they said, mapmakers relied on race in violation of the First and14th Amendments.
Attorneys for theRepublican lawmakers arguedthat their map-drawing intentions werepolitical and allowable, notracial, and were part of a“nationwide partisanredistricting armsrace.”They rejectedassertions aboutold census data and retaliation over activities protected by
the First Amendment, saying they don’talign with Supreme Court precedent. Judges allowother map Republicans nowhold10 of the state’s14House seats —thanks to the2023 map and they hope to flip an 11th under thelatestredrawing of the 1st District and the adjoining3rd District.In North Carolina, Trump got 51% of the popular vote in 2024 and statewide elections areoften close. Candidate filing for many2026 North Carolina racesbeginsDec 1. The latestchallenge said theOctober map would drop the Black voting-age populationinthe 1st District from 40% in the 2023 map to 32%. Republicansinpart moved counties in the 1st District with significantBlack —and usually highly Democratic —populationstothe 3rdDistrict currentlyrepresented by Republican Greg Murphy.Recentelection results indicate both the 1st and 3rd would favor Republicans.
ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By ROSS D. FRANKLIN
Tourists flock toMather Point at Grand CanyonNational Park in GrandCanyon, Ariz., on Oct. 1. The National Park Service says it is going to start charging international tourists an extra $100 to enter some of the most popular U.S. parks.
ASSOCIATEDPRESS FILE PHOTO CHRIS SEWARD
Demonstrators approach the LegislativeBuilding during arally protesting aproposed election redistricting map in Raleigh, N.C., on Oct.21.
W.Va.suspendsschoolvaccination mandate
BY JOHN RABY Associated Press
CHARLESTON,W.Va. West Vir-
giniaofficials suspended a school vaccination mandate Wednesday after ajudge ruled that parents can cite religious beliefs to opt out of vaccines required for their children to attend classes. In issuing apermanent injunction in alawsuit filed in June, Raleigh County Circuit Judge MichaelFroble on Wednesday saidchildren of familieswho object to the state’scompulsory vaccination law on religious grounds will be allowedtoattend school and participate in extracurricular sports Froble ruled that astate policy barring parents from
seeking religious exemptions violatesthe EqualProtection for Religion Act signed into law in 2023 by then-Republican Gov.Jim Justice. West Virginia was among justa handful of states that granted only medical exemptions from school vaccinationswhenRepublican Gov.Patrick Morrisey issued an executive orderin January allowing religious exemptions.
But the stateBoard of Educationvoted in June to direct public schools to ignore the executive order and instead followlong-standing school vaccinerequirementslaidout in state law.AfterWednesday’sruling, the boardsaidit “hereby suspends thepolicy on compulsory vaccination
requirements” pending an appeal before thestate Supreme Court. Wednesday’sruling “is a win for every family forced fromschool overtheir faith,” Morrisey, whowas not aparty in thelawsuit, said in astatement.
Twogroups had sued over Morrisey’sexecutive order, saying theLegislature, not the governor,has the authority to makesuch decisions.
Legislation that would have allowed thereligious exemptions was passedby thestate Senateand rejected by the House of Delegates earlier this year.Froble said in his rulingthatthe failure of the legislation did not determine theapplication of the 2023 law. He rejected
the defendants’ argument that religious exemptions can only be created by legislative action.
“Legislative intent is not absolute norcontrolling in interpreting astatute or determining its application;at most, it is afactor,” Froble said.
Miranda Guzman and other parents sued thestate and local boardsofeducation and the Raleigh County schools superintendent. Guzman had obtained areligious exemption to thevaccinemandate from the state health departmentand enrolled her child in elementaryschool for the 2025-26 school year.But on June 17, Guzman receivedan email from the local school superintendent rescinding
the certificate, according to the lawsuit.
Froble issued apreliminaryinjunction in July allowing thechildrenofthe three plaintiffs’ families in Raleigh County to attend school.
Last month, Froble certified the case as aclass action involving 570 families who hadsought andreceived religious exemptions in other partsofthe state. He said the class action also applies to parents who seek religious exemptions in the future. Froble noted the totalnumber of exemptions so farinvolved asmallfraction of the statewide student population and “would not meaningfully reduce vaccination rates or increase health risks.”
West Virginia’sschool vaccinationpolicylonghas been heraldedbymedical experts as one of the most protective in the country for children. State law requires children to receive vaccines forchickenpox, hepatitis B, measles, meningitis, mumps, diphtheria, polio, rubella, tetanus and whooping cough before starting school. At least 30 states have religious freedom laws, including one signed by Georgia’s governor in April. The laws are modeled after the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act, signed in 1993 by then-President Bill Clinton, which allowsfederal regulations that interferewith religious beliefs to be challenged.
President Donald Trump failed to sway aU.S. appeals courttorevivea civillawsuit accusing Hillary Clinton and others of conspiringto tarnish his 2016 campaign with bogus claims of collusion with Russia.
Athree-judge panel of 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday unanimously affirmed the dismissal of the case and upheld almost $1 million in sanctions against the presidentand hislawyerat thetime, AlinaHabba, for bringing a“frivolous” lawsuit against his 2016 rival. Claims by Trump in his 2022lawsuit are “untimely and otherwise meritless,” the appeals court said in its ruling.Two of thejudgeson the panel were appointedby Republican presidents,including one by Trump.
The decision is the latest setback for Trump in legal fightsagainsthis perceived foes. Earlier thisweek, a
By The Associated Press SUSITNA, Alaska A6.0-magnitude earthquake rocked the Anchorage metropolitan area Thursday morning, according to the U.S. Geological Survey The quake struck at about 8:11
judge threw out criminal charges Trump had demanded against two of his critics, formerFBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James. And last week, an appeals court affirmed thedismissal of Trump’sdefamation suit against CNN over itsreporting on his claim that the 2020 election was rigged against him.
“PresidentTrump continuestofight back against all Democrat-led Witch Hunts, includingthe ‘Russia, Russia, Russia’ hoax andthe unConstitutional and un-American weaponization of our justice system by Crooked Joe Biden and his handlers,” his legal team said in astatement. “President Trump will continuetopursue thismatter to its just and rightful conclusion.”
TheClinton suit alleged that theformer first lady, the Democratic National Committee and an array of political operatives, lawyers andothers violated the federal racketeeringlaw by
conspiring to taint Trump’s reputation with claims that his campaign had improper ties to Russia,including those outlined in the socalled Steele dossier
Afederal judge in Florida tossedthe casethreeyears ago, calling it an improper political “manifesto” that was intended to harass the defendants. The judge orderedTrump and Habba to pay $937,989 in fees and costs for bringing thesuit in “bad faith.”
Habba, who Trump appointedasthe actingU.S attorney in New Jersey,declinedtocomment. David Kendall, Clinton’slawyer, also declined to comment.
“Lawyers have to take some responsibility for ensuring the integrityofour legal system,” George Doumar,who represented longtime Democraticoperative Charles Dolan in the case, said in astatement. “This lawsuit is and was from the beginning afrivolous exercise in lawfare, against Hillary Clinton and dozens
of other defendantssuch as Mr.Dolan.”
Dolan,who workedon Clinton’s 2016 campaign, providedinformation that wound up in theSteele dossier, named for the former Britishspy who wrote it.
The 11th Circuit decisionwas handed down just aweek after the court held oral argumentsinBirmingham, Alabama. At thehearing, Trump’sattorney said
the president “isthe victim in this case of acontinuous patternofmisconduct,” adding that the collusion theories damaged Trump’sbrand and forced him to spendmillions of dollars defending himself on multiple fronts.
The appellate panel rejected the president’sarguments that theclaims were justified andwereproperly supported in the complaint. “Many of Trump’sand Habba’slegal arguments were indeed frivolous,” the panel said. The suit wasdismissed by U.S. District Judge Donald Middlebrooks, an appointee of former President Bill Clinton. He imposed the penalty in January 2023 after concluding Trump was “using the courts as astage set for political theater and grievance” by bringing the suit. The judge said“no reasonable lawyer would have filedit.”
some residents found humor in the situation and were calling theThanksgivingholiday “Shakesgiving” online.
Pope encourages Turkey to be forcefor peace
LeoXIV begins firstforeign trip
BY NICOLE WINFIELD,SUZAN FRASER, SERRA YEDIKARDES and ANDREWWILKS Associated Press
ANKARA, Turkey Pope Leo XIV encouraged Turkey to be asource of stabilityand dialogueinaworld riven by conflict, as he opened his first foreign trip as pope on Thursday with aplea for peace amid efforts to end wars in Ukraine and Gaza.
The American pope emphasized amessage of peace as he arrived in Ankara, welcomed on the tarmac by a military guard of honorand at the presidential palace by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Speaking to Erdogan and the country’sdiplomatic corps at alibrary in the palace complex, Leo praised Turkey’shistoric role as a bridge between East and West, at the crossroads of religions and cultures.
“May Turkey be asource of stability and rapprochement betweenpeoples, in service of ajust and lasting peace,” he said, speaking in frontof agiant globe. “Today, more than ever,weneed people who will promote dialogue and practice it with firm will and patient resolve.”
Leo’svisit comes as Turkey,acountry of more than 85 million people of predominantly Sunni Muslims, has cast itself as akey intermediary in efforts to end the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza Ankara has offered to take part in the stabilization force in Gaza to help over-
Pope Leo XIV walksThursdayasheiswelcomed upon his arrival at EsenbogaInternational AirportinAnkara, Turkey,marking thebeginning of his first foreigntrip.
seeafragile ceasefire. Israel, which has hadrockyrelationswithTurkey for years, accuses Ankara of supportingHamas andhas ruled out anyrole for Turkishtroops in astabilization force.
Leo didn’tcite the conflicts specifically,but he quoted his predecessor,Pope Francis, in lamenting thatthe wars ravagingthe world today amount to a“third world war fought piecemeal,” with resources spent on armamentsinstead of fighting hunger and poverty andprotectingcreation.
In hisaddress, Erdogan saidthe Palestinian issue is central to achieving peace in the region and praised what he describedasthe Vatican’s “steadfast stance” on it
Word aboutvaluing women
The speech was closely watched, since the first
speech of any pope trip sets the tone for his visit.That’s all the moretrue for this first tripabroadfor thefirst American pope,who will be delivering all his remarks in Turkey in Englishina departure for theItalian-centric Vatican. It was thus significant that Leo also commented on the plight of women in Turkey
“Women, in particular, through their studies andactive participation in professional, cultural and political life, areincreasingly placing themselvesatthe service of your community and its positive influence on the international scene,” Leo said.
“Wemust greatlyvalue then the important initiatives in this regard, which support thefamily and the contributionthat women maketoward thefull flowering of social life.”
Women’s rightsactivists continue to denounce Erdogan’s2021 withdrawal from theIstanbul Convention, a landmark Europeantreaty signed in Istanbulin2011 to protect women from violence. Critics say the move weakened safeguards. Historic anniversary Themainimpetus for Leo to travel to Turkeyisto markthe 1,700thanniversary of the Council of Nicaea, an unprecedented gathering of at least 250 bishops from around the Roman Empire. It happenedatatime when theEastern and Western churches were still united. They split in theGreat Schismof1054, adivide precipitated largelybydisagreements over the primacy of the pope.
The visitwillalsoallow Leo to reinforce the church’s
relations with Muslims. Leo wasdue to visit the Blue Mosque and preside over an interfaith meetinginIstanbul.
Speaking to reporters on board his plane, Leo acknowledged thehistoricnature of his first foreign trip andsaidhehas been looking forward to it because of what it meansfor Christians andfor promotingpeace in the world.
BY JINTAMAS SAKSORNCHAI
Associated Press
BANGKOK Acourt in Thailand said Wednesday that it has issued an arrest warrant foraco-ownerofthe Miss Universe Organizationin connection withafraud case. Jakkaphong“Anne” Jakrajutatip was charged with fraud then released on bailin 2023. She failed to appear as required in aBangkok court on Tuesday.Since she did not notify the court about her absence, she was deemedto be aflight risk, accordingto astatement from the Bangkok South District Court The court rescheduled the hearing for Dec. 26. According to the court’s statement, Jakkaphong and her company,JKN Global Group PublicCo. Ltd., were sued for allegedly defrauding Raweewat Maschamadol in selling him the company’s corporate bonds in 2023. Raweewat says the investment causedhim tolose $930,362.
Financially troubled JKN defaulted on payments to investors beginningin2023 and began debt rehabilitation procedures with the Central Bankruptcy Court
in 2024. The company says it has debts totaling about $93 million JKN acquired therights to theMissUniversepageant from IMG Worldwide LLC in 2022. In 2023, it sold50% of its Miss Universe shares to LegacyHolding Group USA, which is owned by a Mexican businessman, Raúl Rocha Cantú. In an unrelated case in Mexico, federal prosecutors announced Wednesday that RochaCantú hasbeen under investigation since November 2024 for alleged organized crime activity, including drug and arms trafficking, as well as fuel theft
The AttorneyGeneral’s Office said in astatement that Raúl“R” was thetarget of theinvestigation. Afederal agentwho requested anonymitybecause they were notauthorizedtospeak publicly about the investigation confirmed that was Rocha Cantú
TheMissUniverse Organization didnot respond to a request for comment.
Earlier this month, afederal judgeinMexico approved 13 arrest ordersagainst targets in thecase. Thefederal agent would not confirmor
deny whether an order was issued for Rocha Cantú.
Jakkaphong resigned from all of the company’s positions in June after being accused by Thailand’s Securitiesand Exchange Commission of falsifying the company’s2023 financial statements. Sheremains its largest shareholder Her whereaboutsremain unclear.She did not appear at the 74th Miss Universe competition, which was held in Bangkok earlier this month
This year’scompetition was marredbyvarious problems, including asharptongued scolding by aThai organizer of Fátima Bosch Fernández of Mexico, who was crowned Miss Universe 2025 on Nov.19. Twojudges reportedly dropped out, with onesuggestingthatthere was an element of rigging to thecontest. Separately, Thai policeinvestigatedallegations that publicity for the event includedillegal promotion of online casinos.
Jakkaphong is awellknown celebrityinThailand who has starred in reality shows and is outspoken about her identityasatransgender woman.
“Tothe Americans here, happyThanksgiving!” he said to the 80 or so reporters who aretraveling aboard the papal plane. “It’sawonderfulday to celebrate.”
At leasttwo journalists presented Leo with pumpkinpies. He was also gifted apair of White Sox-branded slippers and socks.
The latter giftwas areference to Leo’squip last week that he only wears white socks, aplay on words about his belovedChicago baseball team
“And to invite all people to come together to search for greater unity,greater harmony,and to look forthe ways that allmen and women can truly be brothers and sisters in spiteofdifferences, in spite of different religions, in spite of different beliefs,” he said. Leo also shared some more light-hearted moments with reporters.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By KHALIL HAMRA
Balloon handlersguide the Spider-Man balloon pastRadio CityMusic Hall during the Macy’s Thanksgiving DayParadeon ThursdayinNew york.
Macy’s parade chilly, breezy
By TheAssociated Press
NEW
The Macy’sThanksgiving Day Parade broughtballoons depicting Buzz Lightyear andPac-Manto the New York City skies on Thursday, as floats featuring Labubu and Lego graced the streets.
The parade, which started on Manhattan’sUpper West Side andclosed at the iconic Macy’sHerald Squareflagship store on 34th Street, includeddozens of balloons, floats, clown groups and marching bands It wasachilly dayinthe city,with temperatures in the 40s,but wind gusts between 25 mph and 30 mph, making it feel colder,accordingtoDavid Stark, ameteorologist with the National Weather Service in NewYork.
Officials watched the forecast closely,since city law prohibits Macy’s from flying full-size balloonsifsustained winds exceed 23 mphorwind gusts are over 35 mph. Weather has grounded the balloons only once, in 1971, but they alsosometimes have soaredlower than usualbecause of wind. But alittle cold wasn’tabig deal for Megan Christy,who traveledtothe city from Greensboro, North Carolina, for the parade, donning awarm onesie as she staked outa spot along the route.
Spectatorswatch Thursdayasballoons and floats pass on SixthAvenue during theMacy’sThanksgivingDay Parade.
“It’s not raining.We’re very excited aboutthat. And it’snot too bad. Not too cold,” she said. “It’sjust agreat day for aparade.” Astar-studded lineup of performances was sprinkled throughout the show, alongwith aslew of marching bands, dancers andcheerleaders. Performersincluded “Wicked” star Cynthia Erivo, Conan Gray,Lainey Wilson, Foreigner,Lil Jon, and Audrey Nuna, EJAEand Rei AmiofHUNTR/X, the fictional girl group at the heart of this year’s Netflix hit “KPop Demon Hunters.”The Radio CityRockettes were also there, as werecastmembers from Broadway’s“Buena Vista Social Club,” “Just in Time” and“Ragtime.” The parade featured afew newballoons, including alarge onion carriage featuring eight characters from the world of “Shrek.”
Ex-Black Panther leader H. Rap Browndiesat82
By The Associated Press
BUTNER, N.C. H. Rap Brown, one of the most vocal leaders of the Black Power movement, hasdied in aprison hospital while serving alife sentence for the killing of aGeorgia sheriff’s deputy.Hewas 82. Brown—who later in life changedhis name to Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin died Sunday at theFederal Medical CenterinButner, North Carolina, hiswidow, Karima Al-Amin, said Monday Acauseofdeathwas not immediately available, but Karima Al-Amin toldThe Associated Press thather husband had been suffering from cancer and had been transferred to the medical facility in 2014 from a federal prison in Colorado. Like other moremilitant Black leaders andorganizers during the racial upheaval of the late 1960s and early 1970s, Browndecried heavy-handed policing in Black communities. He once statedthatviolence was “as American as cherry pie.”
New York police. While serving afive-year prison sentence forthe robbery,Brown converted to the Dar-ulIslam movement and changed his name. Upon his release, he moved to Atlanta in 1976, opened agrocery and health food store, andbecame an imam, aspiritualleader forlocal Muslims.
“I’m notdissatisfied with whatI did,”hetoldanaudience in Kansas City,Missouri, in 1998. “But Islam has allowed things to be clearer We have to be concerned about the welfare of ourselves and those around us, and that comes through submission to God andthe raising of one’sconsciousness.”
“Violence is apart of America’sculture,” he said during a1967 news conference. “... America taught the Black people to be violent. We will use thatviolence to ridourselves of oppression, if necessary.We will be free by any means necessary.”
Brown was chair of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, apowerfulcivil rights group, andin 1968 wasnamed ministerof justice for the Black Panther Party Three years later,hewas arrested forarobbery that endedina shootout with
On March 16, 2000, Fulton County Deputy Sheriff Ricky Kinchen and deputy Aldranon English were shot after encountering the formerBlack Panther leader outside his Atlanta home. The deputies were there to serve awarrant for failure to appear in court on charges of driving astolen car and impersonating apolice officer during atraffic stop the previous year English testified at trial that Brown fired ahighpowered assault rifle when the deputies triedtoarrest him.Then, prosecutors said, he useda handgun to fire three shots into Kinchen’sgroin as the wounded deputy layinthe street. Kinchen would die from his wounds. Prosecutorsportrayed Brown as adeliberate killer, whilehis lawyers painted him as apeaceful community andreligious leader who helped revitalize poverty-stricken areas. They suggested he was framed as part of agovernment conspiracy dating from his militant days. Brown maintained his innocence but was convicted in 2002 and sentenced to life.
Ozone
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ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTOSByEDUARDO MUNOZ ALVAREZ
Brown
THEADVOCATE.COM | Friday, November 28, 2025 1bN
Two groups sue over plant permits
Existing Ascension Parish air pollution cited
BY CHRISTOPHER CARTWRIGHT Staff writer
Two groups have sued the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality alleging the department violated its constitutional public trust duties, the Clean Air Act and state regulations when approving permits for a planned $7.5 billion ammonia plant in Ascension Parish.
Four men arrested, face cockfight counts
Authorities crack down on illegal blood sport
BY AIDAN McCAHILL
Staff writer
Four men were arrested in Ascension Parish in a cockfighting ring that involved at least 36 birds, according to the Sheriff’s Office. Jose Perez, 25, of Geismar; Oscar Fregaso-Solorzano, 33, of Gonzales; Filiberto Banda-Pena, 39, of Houston; and Bryan Saldana, 28, of Gonzales, were apprehended by sheriff’s deputies on Nov 16
All four were arrested at a location on West Martha’s Vineyard Road in Gonzales, and booked on felony counts of organizing cockfighting. Perez was also charged with 36 felony counts of possessing a chicken or rooster with the intent of using it for cockfighting Fregaso-Solorzano also had outstanding arrest warrants from a different state. In 2008, Louisiana became the last state in the nation to outlaw cockfighting. The centuries-old
Third suspect arrested in barbershop shooting
Man faces count of second-degree murder
BY AIDAN McCAHILL Staff writer
A third suspect has been arrested in connection with a fight over a tattoo appointment that led to the fatal shooting of a 29-year-old Baton Rouge barber in October Gregory Lamar Stewart, 22, was booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison on Monday on a count of second-degree murder Investigators believe Stewart, along with Sylvester Bouligny III and Travis Kenny Jr — both since arrested on counts of second-degree
Following a public hearing earlier this year, LDEQ granted Clean Hydrogen Works an air permit and a permit required for large facilities building in areas that meet or exceed federal air quality limits. That company intends to construct Ascension Clean Energy, an ammonia plant that utilizes carboncapture and sequestration technology near Donaldsonville and the community of Modeste.
Among the allegations, the groups say the department failed to fully consider the cumulative air pollution impacts for communities in the area.
The lawsuit was filed Monday by the Donaldsonville-based Rural Roots Louisiana and the New Orleans group Louisiana Bucket Brigade. It asks the court to vacate LDEQ’s approval of the two permits, remand the matter back to the agency and stay all activities authorized by the permits
“LDEQ’s failure to consider the cumulative impact on air quality from the overwhelming industrial development in the area means that it failed to fully consider whether the communities within five miles of the ACE project site will be disproportionately affected by CHW’s permitted emissions,”
the lawsuit states. LDEQ did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday In a statement on behalf of Clean Hydrogen Works, TJC Group project manager Blanche Gallagher wrote that the company was still reviewing the lawsuit and couldn’t comment. She said Clean Hydrogen Works is “confident in the Louisiana Department of Environ-
THANKFUL SERVICE
ABOVE: Volunteer Elise Griffin takes a tray from Jawanda Burton during Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday at St. Vincent de Paul in Baton Rouge. Burton and several volunteers came from Arkansas to volunteer
BELOW LEFT: Jennipher Williams takes a photo with other volunteers before the start of Thanksgiving.
BELOW RIGHT: A plate with turkey, green beans, dressing and yams is set on a counter to be served.
ELLYN COUVILLION
STAFF
PHOTOS By MICHAEL JOHNSON
BY LARA NICHOLSON Staff writer
New Orleans Thanksgiving is marked by ahandful of annual events, collectively bringing crowds out to celebrate: the horseraces at the Fair Grounds, the Human Horse Races protest event at Easton Park, the regular human race hosted by the New Orleans Athletic Club, to name afew But at BJ’s, astaple neighborhood dive bar,the celebration was cozier,more subdued, intended for those in the neighborhood in need of “their 9th Ward living room” for the holidays, as owner Ryan Scullycalls it BJ’shosted aThanksgivingpotluck forits patrons on Thursday,with asmoked turkey from The Joint BBQ aroundthe cornerand aham brought in by the bartender, Bobby Lewis. AThanksgivingopen miceventwas
scheduledfor later in the evening for patrons who want to “givethanksthrough song,” Scully said. ForNew Orleans residents, neighborhood dive bars often serve amore integral roletotheir communitiesthanjusta setting to drinkin. They serveasa hub for people to make connections yearround, and on holidays like Thanksgiving, they provide community for those whodon’thavefamily or friendstovisit.
Just around the corner, Vaughan’sLounge hosted aThanksgiving party with Corey Henry&the Treme Funktetthatevening, and in Mid City Pal’sLounge hosted its own potluck duringregularbar hours
JacquelynO’Hazza, who moved to New Orleans less than two years ago,saidshe hasn’tcelebrated Thanksgiving with herfamilysince shewas 18 years old, and has alwaysopted for alocal dive bar to spend time with the peoplein her community
She said she came to BJ’stomeet afriend, and planned to head over to the FriendlyBar rightafter.
Lewis sees it much the sameway
“This is like acommunity center,” he said. “The bar hasalwaysbeen acommunitycenter.”
“Somepeople mightthink, ‘Oh, that’ssolonely or somethinglike that,’ ”she said. “But no, Ithink that’swhere thebest friends are, and the best family.”
Lewis started working in BJ’s Lounge in 1990 shortly after moving to theneighborhood. It’swhere he met Little Freddie King, who went on to perform at BJ’s Loungeevery Friday with Lewisashis harmonica player
King’srecent bicycle accident and subsequent hospitalization. He said he’sseen
BJ’s host Thanksgiving potlucks there since before he started bartending, two owners ago.
Lewisstopped bartending there in 2020, butrecently picked Thursdayshiftsback up followingthe 85-year-old
O’Hazza moved to the neighborhood 18 months ago,originallyplanning to complete short-term stays in each neighborhood of the city when she arrived. But after her first stop in the Bywater,she neverwanted to leave.
“It’svery communitydriven, moresothan Ithink someofthe other communities,” O’Hazzasaid. “I know every other househere. We feed each other,socially and physically and emotionally.”
Bondholders, N.O. archdiocesereach settlement in bankruptcy case
BY STEPHANIE RIEGEL Staff writer
The Archdiocese of New Orleans has reached asettlement with agroup of bondholders in its long-running bankruptcy case,removing the last remaining hurdle toward aresolution, which could come now as soonas next week.
The bondholders, who wereowednearly$30 million on a$40 million loan they made to the archdiocese in 2017 to help refinanceparish debt, were opposed to the settlement plan currently up
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mental Quality and their rigorous review of Ascension Clean Energy’sair permit application.”
“Ascension Clean Energy remains committedtothe highest standards of communityengagement and environmental protection,” she added.
Landmarkcase
Among the multiple al-
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blood sport, still popular in Latin American and Asian countries,involves breeding and raising chickens for
for confirmation before U.S. BankruptcyJudge Meredith Grabill
The plan, whichwould create a$230 million trust to be paid to hundreds of survivors ofclergy sex abuse and establishstrictnew abuse protectionand reporting policies, hasthe overwhelming support of abuse survivors.
The bondholders,however, who initially stood to receive just $3million of the $30 millionthey were owed, opposed thesettlement andwere laying the ground workfor an appeal, should Grabill confirm it.
legations,the complaint contends that LDEQdidn’t follow arequirementthat emerged from alandmark 1984 Ascension Parishcourt case. From that case —known as Save Ourselves —the Louisiana Supreme Court ruled that LDEQ must “determine that adverse environmental impacts have been minimizedoravoided as much aspossibleconsistently with the public welfare.”
In the lawsuit, Rural Rootsargued that LDEQ
the purpose of fighting other roosters —known as gamecocks —often to the death. Matchesare generally held in small rings that involve spectatorsplacing wagers on the outcome,according to the American Societyfor thePrevention of Cruelty to
In asixthamended version of the proposed settlement, filed Tuesday in federal bankruptcy court, the archdiocese agreed to pay the bondholdersthe bulkof what they are owed,making interest only payments for 12 years, with aballoon payment due at the end of 2037.
In astatement Tuesday, ArchbishopGregory Aymond said, “This is amatter of justice. We must payour debts.Ibelievethis is the just way to move forward for the good of survivors and the local church.”
He went on to say,“We
failed to meet this requirementbyrelying on acostbenefitanalysisthe groups allege is “overly optimistic and speculative.”
“There is nothing in the permitswhich indicatethat thelucrative jobs touted by CHWwill be awarded to the people most affected by its pollution —members of the fence line communities,” it stated
The companysaysitplans to create roughly1,200 temporaryjobs and 350 permanent roles, with thepermanent positions havingan
Animals.
In Louisiana, organizing cockfights can bring up to $20,000 in fines and five years in prison. Gambling on or watching cockfights is amisdemeanor
In April,U.S.Sens. John Kennedy,R-Madisonville,
thank thefaithful for their prayers for the past five yearsand continue to ask for prayers for survivors of abuse.”
The developmentcomes more than aweek into a confirmation hearing on the plan, where attorneysfor the archdiocese andmore than 650 survivors of clergy sex abuse have been makingacase beforeGrabill as to whythe proposed settlement is the fairestand best way to end the long-running bankruptcy
Aymondplaced thenation’s second-oldest Roman Catho-
average salary of $116,375. Groups seek analysis
Thegroups also allege LDEQ failed to fully consider cumulativeair pollution impact acrossall emissions and facilities.
Donaldsonville is home to the world’slargest ammoniaplant, andthe lawsuit highlights existing ammonia emittersinthe area. According to the document, 26 existingfacilitieswithin 10 miles of Modestereported emitting 6,795 tonsofammonia in 2024.
and Cory Booker,D-N.J., introducedfederal legislation to crack down on the practice, which remains widespread across the country
The legislation, arevamped version of the Fighting InhumaneGambling and High-RiskAnimal Traffick-
lic Dioceseunderfederal bankruptcy court protection in May 2020, amid agrowing numberofstate court lawsuits alleging child sex abuse by local priests and deacons. In the years since, the number of abuse claimsfiled in the bankruptcycase has topped 650 and legal fees in the caseare nearly $50 million. Last week, Aymond took the stand in the case and was grilled by an attorney for the bondholders about why the church wasn’t paying offits debt to the bondholders in full.
Ammonia, which is used as fertilizer and is considered apotential clean fuel forshipping, comes with health risks.
A2016 report by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency states lowlevel, chronic exposure can lead to respiratory problems,wheezingand coughing. High, short-term exposure can cause serious burnstothe mouth,lungs andeyes.
The lawsuit contends the airqualitymodelingconductedfor the project con-
In his statement Tuesday,hesaid, “Wetrust that through the mercy and love of Jesus Christ theArchdiocese of New Orleanswill move forwardtocontinue sharing its mission of sharing the Gospel.” The confirmation hearing resumes Monday,withseveral abusesurvivors scheduledtotakethe stand and telltheir storiesonTuesday. Closing arguments areset for Thursday Email Stephanie Riegel at stephanie.riegel@ theadvocate.com.
sidered only the ammonia emissions of the planned facility,failing to include existing andother planned ammonia plants nearby
“Despite the immense amounts of ammonia already being emitted near the CHW site, the air quality modeling conducted for theACE Project exclusively considers ammonia emissions from the facility itself,with no consideration of cumulative pollutant emissions from existing andproposed facilities,”the document stated.
ing (FIGHT) Act, is in the Senate Committee on Agriculture,Nutritionand Forestry.Itwould strengthen the Animal Welfare Act by increasing penaltiesfor organizing animal fights, banning broadcasts of animal fights in the U.S. regardless of origin, prohibiting the shipment of mature roosters through the mailand making it easier forresidents to sue over illegal animal fights.
STAFFPHOTO By By LARA NICHOLSON
Jacquelyn O’Hazza sits at the bar of BJ’sLoungeonThursday for the Thanksgiving potluck.
The Interstate 10 widening project from the Interstate 10/110 split to the Perkins Road
off-ramps
continue next year with work to begin on the widening of thewestbound flyovercurve toward the river,according to theLouisiana Department of Transportation and Development.
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the demolition and rebuilding of I-10 eastbound.
In the final stages of the widening project with an
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the barbershop and innocent bystander
After Kenny was arrested Nov.4,heidentified Stewart as the third male involvedin theshooting, according to authorities. According to arrestrecords, Bouligny had paid a $150 nonrefundable deposit for atattoo appointment the previous day at the barbershop on Greenwell Springs Road, but showeduplate. Whenthe tattoo artisttold Bouligny that he could reschedule or wait until the artist was finished with another client, Bouligny left. He traveled to the Glen Oaks area, picked up two men and returned to the barbershop, according to the arrestreport. Witnesses told investigators that the two men accompanying Bouligny were armed.
After Bouligny wasarrested on Oct. 16, he identifiedKenny, hiscousin,asone of the two men he brought to the barbershop “so he would not get jumped,” according to Kenny’sarrest records. Later,Kenny identified Stewart in alineupas the third male involved,according to Stewart’sarrest records. At the barbershop, Bouligny demanded arefund for his tattoo, but the artist refused. While Kenny and Stewart waited in the other room, Bouligny allegedly punched thetattoo artist, according to police records.
“While the tattoo artist and defendant fought in the tattoo room, several gunshots were fired inside the bar-
expected completion date of 2031, the current I-10 westboundwill be demolished and rebuilt. It is all part of Segment 1 of the I-10 Baton Rouge project that received approval fromthe U.S. Federal Highway Administration in Feb-
bershop” before Bouligny fled on foot, the arrest report states.
ruary 2021. In its entirety, the project would extend fromthe Essen Lane exits on both I-10 and Interstate 12 andacrossthe Mississippi RiverBridge to the Lobdell exit,according to DOTD. Theworkunderway now is the currently funded por-
tionofSegment 1, at acost of approximately $925 million.The funds include state money and whatare called GARVEE bonds, which generateupfront capital, to be paid with future federal highwayreimbursements, DOTD officials said.
Police arrived at the scene shortlybefore 6p.m. and found Tolliver,who was not
involved in theconflict, dead from an apparent gunshot wound.
Neldare,Ardra Hall Davis& SonFuneralServices 9348 Scenic Highway,at10a.m
Turner,Marie Saintsville C.O.G.I.C.,8930 Plank Road, at 11 a.m.
Obituaries
Bethley, Robert
grandchildren and(2) great grandchildren,and other familyand friends. Agravesideservice will be held at 10:00 a.m. at GraceMemorial Cemetery in Plaquemine. LeFore Sr., Leonard St.John theEvangelistCatholic Church,15208 Hwy 73, Prairieville,LA at 11am
Robert Bethley, Sr.departedthislifeonTuesday November 18, surrounded by family. He resided in NewOrleans for over 40 years untilrelocating back to Baton Rouge in 2005. In 2002, he retiredfromthe NewOrleans PublicBelt Railroad. He leaves to cherish hisprecious memorieshis wife, Carolyn,3 childrenTabithaBaranco Iren Bethley, Sr,and Iesha Bethley; 9grandchildren, 5 great-grandchildren;1sister: Katherine Veal,4 sisters-in-law; 2brother-inlaw;and ahostofnieces, nephews, cousins and other relativesand friends. Preceded in death by his maternal and paternal grandparents; parents; 6 sisters; 4brothers; mother andfather-in-law;2 brothersinlaw.VisitationSaturday, November 29, 2025, Hall'sCelebrationCenter, 9348 Scenic Highway, Baton Rouge,LA., 8:00 am un-
William A. Fontenot,82, passed away peacefullyin hishomeonNovember 23, 2025. Willie wasbornin Washington, LA andgrew up in Opelousas.Hewas oneof8children born to L. Austin and Ruth Robertson Fontenot.Hebecamea prominentenvironmental justice activist. For 27 years, Willie served as the communityliaisonofficer for theLouisiana Attorney General's Office. He played akey role in establishing communityand environSee more DEATHS page
Louisiana is in afight for its future. U.S. Census data show more than 317,000 residents have left Louisiana’smajor metro areas since 2005. Many of the people Iknow who left have advanced degrees from leading institutions. Those are the very people we need to build a competitive economy People aren’tleaving becausethey want to. They’re leaving because we aren’tleading.
Artificial intelligenceliteracy is Louisiana’schance to lead. The field is new,sostateshaven’t caught up yet. We also have forward-thinking leadership at the Board of Elementary andSecondary Education. BESE passed one of thenation’sfirst AI education resolutions and established an AI work group to drive statewide strategy I’m launching LaLeadsAI.org
to push that momentum forward. Theinitiativefocuses on deliveringAItools to more Louisiana public school students, training more educators to smartly use AI and helping state organizations advance AI education AI in education is still in its early formation. The standards aren’tset, the modelsaren’tdefined, and no statehas fully claimed leadership.
This is the rare window where early movers get to shape the rules, set the benchmarks and establish thepipelines everyone else will follow.IfLouisiana steps in now—with clarity,coordination and urgency —wecan define the trajectory of AI literacy rather than inherit whatever other states create.
Our moment to lead will not be available for long. Utah is hostingstatewide AI
summits andproducing thousands of AI-powered lessons. Massachusetts is investing over $100 million to build state-run AI infrastructure. New York is committing $275 million to launch their AI Institute. North Carolina adopted an AI innovation index to measure progress statewide.
These states aren’twaiting. They’re building. They’re attracting talent. And they’re showing what happens when leadership commits to the future.
Louisianacan do thesame.
July Fourth lands at the momentwhen summer is in full swing and teachers begin preparing for the next school year.It’s thenatural deadline for putting real structure in place.
If Louisiana sets thegroundwork for AI literacy before the July Fourth fireworks pop, we start thefall with momentum instead of moredelay.Leading AI literacy meansintroducing leading programs into our state. Some
University innovation helps to powerLa.,but afederal plan couldput stop to that
In arecent interview,Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick claimed taxpayersget “zero” from the money they invest in university research. To remedy this perceived injustice, the secretary has proposed an audacious solution: the federal government seizing half of patent royalties for inventionsit helps fund.
As ascientist at LouisianaState University —one whosefederally funded work could soon save the cattle industry millions —Ican assure him the return on investment is far from zero. Taxpayers benefit immensely from federally supporteduniversity science,not just in the form of lifeenhancing products, but through high-paying jobs, economic prosperityand tax revenues. More importantly,the process by which ideas born in the laboratory aretransformed into useful products such as medicines,consumer electronics or Google. And this has worked extraordinarily well for decades Lutnick’sproposalwould laywastetothis system,leaving Louisiana’s economy without one of its greatest sourcesofeconomic growth and job creation.
states have adopted oneortwo of these ideas. Louisiana can lead if we have allfour in place by July Fourth.
Fourachievable steps would would put Louisiana at the front of the national AI movement.
First,adopt astatewide AI Literacy measure. Usenational frameworks like the AI Innovation Index so Louisiana can set aclear barand improve against it annually.Fund participation across school systems.
Second, approve ahigh-quality AI industry-based credential. The credential is already being developed with LED, the LSU Gordon A. Cain Center forSTEM Literacy,BRAC and GNO Inc. The Workforce Investment Council simply needstoapprove it at its next meeting.
Third, expand Louisiana’sgenerative AI tools library.Restricting teachers to three approved AI tools ignores reality —86% of studentsalready use ChatGPT
The BESE AI Committee, chaired by Louisiana Tech President Jim Henderson, is building asafe adoption framework. LDOE only needs to adopt it when submitted to BESE on March 10.
Fourth, establish the Louisiana Innovation Institute. Modeled after New York’sapproach, the Institute would fund grants, review technology policy and manage an educational AI tools clearinghouse.
Core funding should come from the state, with philanthropic and private partners supporting the work.
If we take these four steps by July Fourth, we can start to stem the brain drain and position this state as anational AI leader.Ifwe don’t, other states will continue to outpace us —and we’ll lose more of the very people capable of building our future.
Blake Bertuccelli-Booth is atechnology expert from NewOrleans.
Lethistory repeat itself to fixLa. auto insurance
Successfulreforms targeting medical malpractice in 1975 and workers’ compensation in 1991 solvedLouisiana’sinsurance crises of those times. Putting the current auto liability crisis into that historical context may help provide apath for the present.
commercialization. Without that partnership, this vaccinewould be sitting in auniversity lab freezer Louisiana’seconomy depends on precisely this kind of innovation. The state’s cattle sector alone contributes more than $767 million each year.Breakthroughs developed here keep our farmers productive, our food supply stable and our universities competitive. And my vaccine is just one example. In 2023, LSU secured 35 patents, placing the university in thetop 100 nationwide. Recent patents include algae-based bioplastics that could strengthen Louisiana’sgreen-manufacturing sector,aferal-hog toxicant to protect farms and ageneticallymodified herpes virus that could treat cancer That’swhy I’mtroubled by Secretary Lutnick’sproposal. If Washington seizes half the royalties on university patents it helps fund, it would breakthe bridge between university research and privateinnovation.
The system of technology commercialization that Lutnick has attacked was created four decadesago by alittle-known law called the Bayh-Dole Act. The 1980 reform allows universities, like LSU, to patentdiscoveries made with federal support andlicense them to companies capable of turning them into products.
Before Bayh-Dole, Washingtonkeptthose patents and nearly all of themgathered dust. Out of some 28,000 federally-funded patents, fewer than 1,400 ever reached the private sector That changed with the Bayh-Dole Act. And today,academic tech transfer generates more than 25,000 invention disclosuresand 9,000 licenses each year.Since 1996,ithas driven $1 trillioninGDP and supported6.5 million jobs nationwide
I’ve seen the benefits of thisprocess firsthand. My lab at LSU’sSchool of Veterinary Medicine developed avaccineagainst bovine respiratory disease, which kills millionsof calves every year
Using funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, we modified thebovineherpes virustotrigger immunityagainst multiple pathogens at once
The result could save up to 8millioncalves each year and spareranchers more than $1 billion in losses.
Thanks to the processBayh-Dole made possible, LSU patented my discovery and licensed it to astartup in SouthDakotawilling to take on the costly task of testing and
Universities already spend monthsnegotiatinglicensing agreements with private companies. Those talks are complex because schools and inventors must agree on how to divide future royalties. Bayh-Dole requires universities to share royalties with the inventor and reinvest back into the research cycle. At LSU, inventors receive 40% of royalties from their discoveries, and another 17% flows back to their departments,funding graduate stipends, newequipment andfuture research.
When licensing slows down, the entire innovation pipelinestarts to break. Universities are willing to spend time and resources filing patentsbecause they are hopeful they can recoup funds with royalties —many schools barely break even. Butcompanies won’t agree to license without patent protection. If fewer deals are signed, schools lose their incentive to patent discoveries. Projectsthat could create jobs in Baton Rouge or save cropsinLafayette might never get off the ground.
Supportersofthe proposal claim the government could increase returns by taking royalties directly.The oppositeistrue.The taxes generated by products, companies and industries born under Bayh-Dole far exceed what any royalty grab could yield.
Louisiana’sscientists and students prove that taxpayer-funded research already delivers aremarkable return. The last thing Washington should do is upend amodel that’s paying dividends.
Shafiqul Chowdhury is aprofessor of veterinary virology at Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine.
In 1975, Louisiana enacted medical malpractice reform legislation aimed at addressing theescalating costs and diminishing availability of medical malpractice insurance. The legislationintroduced acap on noneconomic damage andlimited awards for pain and suffering to $500,000, while allowing unlimited economic damages
This reform was designedtostabilizethe medical malpracticeinsurance market, reducethe burden on healthcare providers and ensure that patientsstill had access to necessary medical services.Atthe same time, legislatorscreated an underwriting entity,the Patients’ Compensation Fund (PCF), to spur the market. Today, this insurancemarket is stable, competitive and healthy
In 1991, Louisiana passed comprehensive workers’ compensation reform legislation aimed at addressing therising costs and inefficiencies within the system and adisappearing insurance market. The reforms included changes to the benefit structure, such as limiting the duration of temporary total disability benefits and establishing amore streamlined processfor resolving disputes.
This took adjustment of claimsout of the open courts andinto astable adjudication process. Litigationwas curtailed significantly and workers’ claims were resolvedquickly.Atthe same time, legislators created an underwriting entity,the Louisiana Workers’ CompensationCorporation (LWCC) to spur the market. Today, this market is alsostable, competitive and healthy
Under legislative mandate,the PCF and LWCC began writing insurance andboth succeededquickly in the improved environments established by thecorresponding legal reforms. Both sponsored by the state, neither has created afinancial burden on the state.
The success of the LWCC is particularly notable. It attracted dozens of insurance companiestoLouisiana, creating an enduring, competitive
market for workers’ compensation insurance.The LWCC model has been so successful, the entity has returned hundreds of millions of dollars to policyholders over the years.
Akey elementofpastlegislation was easing of rate regulation. This allowedthese state-sponsored underwriting entitiestolead the commercial markets to lowerrates to competefor business in an improved environment.
By contrast, onepiece of legislationin2025 gave the Department of Insurance the authority to demand lowerrates without the reforms and structuralchangesusedtosolve the priorinsurance crises. This will not work.
But, following asuccessful playbook from the past, ourlegislators can pass legislationin2026 to,first, establish acap on noneconomic damages.Similartothe medical malpracticereforms, implementing acap on noneconomic damages in automobile liability cases will help stabilize insurancepremiums by reducing the potentialfor unnecessarily large jury awards.
Second, theyshould streamline claims processing by implementing a mandatory adjudication process for auto liability claims outside the traditionalcourt system, like the process in Louisiana’s workers’ compensationsystem, to improve the overall experience forpolicyholders and claimants.
Third, theyshould create an underwriting entity,like aPCF or an LWCC, to spur the market in abetter environment establishedbythe first two reforms. By adopting legalreformsand sponsoring an underwriting entity, Louisiana legislators can fix auto liability in Louisiana, just like they fixed medical malpracticeliability and workers’ compensation in the past.
André Comeaux is abusiness insurancebroker basedinLafayette.
STAFF
ISSUE OF THE WEEK THEBAyOU CLASSIC
In the annualshowdownatthe Caesar’s Superdome known as the BayouClassic, Southern University and Grambling State University footballteams face off on the field each year on the weekendafter Thanksgiving Butthe event has becomemuch more than that to the thousands of fanswho flocktoNew Orleans to celebrate one of the greatHBCU traditions in the country.Amongthemare loyalalumniofbothschools whohavebeen coming tothe event foryears, even decades.We asked theheadofthe alumni association at both schools what makesthe BayouClassic so important to their membersand whytheir school’s alumninetworksand traditions have remained strong through generations. Hereare their perspectives:
Achanceto‘honorthe legacy of thosewho came before’
For many,itisafootball game. For me, it’sfootball,Black pageantry,traditionand pride. My journey with the Bayou Classic began as afirst-generationcollegestudent and student-athlete at GramblingState University.And today,asanalumna, executive, national alumni presidentand global ambassador for HBCU culture, the Bayou Classic remains adefining part of my identity Growing up in Opelousas, Icame from acommunity of passionate Grambling and Southern fans That pride ran deep —loud, proud, generational. Iearned an athletic scholarship to Gramblingand became an All-SWAC volleyball athlete, learning what it meantto wear the Grambling brandwith dignity,discipline and purpose. AsGramblinites —GramFam —we never onlyrepresent ourselves but alsoour university, our family and, in many ways, ourentire race. My first Bayou Classicasastudentis etched in pride. Walking into the Superdome, seeing the sea of Black faces, tradition, excellence, music and joy —Iunderstood instantly that this wasbigger than football. Iwatchedupperclassmen carry themselves withconfidence, alumnireturn home withfierceloyalty,celebrities stroll the sidelines, the bands fillthe atmosphere with funk and New Orleanswelcome us withopenarms as tens of thousands arrived every Thanksgiving weekend,makingitfeel like afamilyreunion The pageantry was unmatched. Black celebrities, entertainers and influencers filled the city.The parade showcased ourculture at its brightest. The MissBayou Classic Pageant brought alevel of Black royalty and glamour rivaling Miss Universe.Othershave tried to replicatethe Classic, but it is nearly impossible toimitate the culture of New Orleans and the energyof bringing two powerhouseHBCUs together. The Greek shows, whereIlater servedas ajudge as amember of AlphaKappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., displayed the precision, pride and excellence of Black Greek-letter life, along with the presence of thefull Divine Nine and representation from other HBCUs, highlighting unity andBlack excellence across our campuses.
tion was an opportunity to honor the legacy of those who came before me. The Bayou Classic taught me that excellence is not optional; it is expected. The pride, dignity andresponsibility Iexperienced as astudent-athlete continuetoguide me in every spaceIoccupy today In corporate America, theBayou Classic has taken on anew dimension, with many Fortune 500 sponsors recognizing the potential brand visibilitythis audience provides. As acorporate executive, Iwear my HBCUpride boldly,educating colleagues around the world about Grambling, HBCUs and the significance of this cultural institution. I brag about thelegendary coach EddieRobinson —his historic wins and leadership, which shaped generations of Black athletes and leaders. Ialso brought my corporate organization, Microsoft, to experience the Classic firsthand, exposing global colleagues to the brilliance, tradition and economic impact of HBCUs. The economic impact of the Classic to Louisianaishuge, supporting local businesses, tourism and thecity’shospitality industry every year.Sharing theBayou Classic with others became one of my ways of giving backand creating pathways for opportunities for students and alumni alike. Game-day traditions remain someofmy favorite moments:I look forward to doing thewaveinthe Superdome, singing my alma mater after the game and teasing— or beingteased about —the losers of this rivalry.Inthe end, we remain friends, but for fourquarters, it’sGSU!
There’sa certain energy that fills the air when the Southern University Jaguars takethe field. It’s morethan football. It’s family,legacy and pride allwoven into one blue-and-gold experience. For generations, the Bayou Classic has been more than arivalry; it’sbeen areunion. It’s where we gather to celebrate our culture, our excellence and our unshakable belief in thepower of historically Black colleges and universities.
My excitement for Southern started long before thebig game in New Orleans for me. It began on “The Bluff” in Baton Rouge. That pulse was first felt through my father,Carlton Jones Sr., aman who believed deeply in the power of Southern University.Heused to say,“If Ican just get youtoSouthern, doors will open.”
He was right.
And, of course, the Battleofthe Bands where Icould brag aboutthe World Famed Tiger Marching Band —remainsone of the most iconic musical showdownsinthe country As astudent-athlete, Iquicklylearned the obligation to represent Grambling well. Every game, every event, every interac-
TheBayou Classic also serves as arite of passage, setting thetone for all other sports throughout the year.Itinstills school pride, unityand asense of legacy to be carried by others. What theBayou Classic meant to me as astudent —identity, representation, pride, community —itstill means today,but witheven greater clarity. Supporting the Classic meanssupporting ourstudents,our culture and our future. Today, as aproud alumna, the Bayou Classic continues to influence my life. It represents legacy,pride and unity.It reminds us alumni of our obligation to support ouralma mater —through mentoring, givingand advocacy.The Bayou Classic shapedmylife. It shaped my leadership. Anditcontinues to shape generations of GramFam who proudly carry its legacy forward
Tammy Richardson is president of the GramblingUniversityNational Alumni Association.
As ayoung kid, Iremember tagging along with my father to A.W.Mumford Stadium towatch the Jaguars practice. Iwasn’tjust watching football—Iwas watching pride, purpose andpossibility.I saw how the players carried themselves, how theband moved with precision, and how theentire campus seemed alive with energy and unity.That love forSouthern was planted early,and it’s been growing strong ever since.
This year will be especially meaningful as my son, Carlton III (Tre), attends his first Bayou Classic alongside his older sisters, Colby and Celina. Sharing this experience with them and watching them take in the sightsand sounds that Igrew up loving is something I’ve looked forward to for years. Ican already picture their eyes lighting up as the Human Jukebox takes the field, and the crowd erupts in blue-and-gold pride.
The Bayou Classic has always been a bridge between generations, and now my children will see firsthand what makes this weekend such acornerstoneof Southern Universitypride.
That’sthe true beautyofthis event; it connects the past, celebrates the present and inspires thefuture allinone unforgettable weekend.
The Bayou Classic itself began in 1974, when Southern University and Grambling StateUniversity officially turned their rivalry intoanationally recognized event in New Orleans. Over the decades, the Bayou Classic has grown into morethan just asporting event —ithas becomea defining experience for students, alumni and the wider community,creating traditionsthat honor our history while inspir-
Now, as national president of the Southern University Alumni Federation, Isee that samepassion and pride come alive every year at the Bayou Classic. It’s more than football —it’safamily reunion. Our alumni are our greatest constituents and the backbone of Southern University’s continued success. Their involvementdirectly shapes the experience and matriculation of current students —through scholarships, mentorship, recruitment and unwavering support at every level. At the Bayou Classic, that connection is on full display —bridging generations and strengthening the Jaguar legacy year after year Ialso want to recognize the incredible workofSouthern University’s leadership, whose vision and guidance help makethe Bayou Classic apremier event year after year.Equally important are our students, faculty and staff. Their dedication, talent and hard work bring energy,excellence and pride to every aspect of the celebration.
Iencourage every alumnus to consider how you can give back to Southern. Your time, resources and involvement matter Whether it’sthrough mentoring students, supporting scholarships or helping with campus initiatives, your engagement strengthens the experience forevery Jaguar and reinforces the legacy of excellence that has defined Southern University forgenerations. Alumni impact isn’t just about what you’ve achieved —it’s about the doors you help open forothers and the opportunities you create forthose whofollow in your footsteps. This year’sBayou Classic theme, “Built forBig Moments,” couldn’tbemore fitting. As we commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Superdome, we also honor the resilience, spirit and excellence that both Southern and Grambling continue to represent —onand off the field, in the city of NewOrleans and across generations. From the roar of the crowd to the precision of the marching bands, the Bayou Classic captures the heart and soul of our culture while uniting alumni, students and fans in celebration of tradition, achievement and community Because in the end, the best way to keep afamily together is to keep getting together.Nowhere is that truth morealive than at the Bayou Classic.
Carlton Jones Jr.isnational president of the SouthernUniversity Alumni Federation.
STAFFPHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER
Grambling State University TigerMarching Band and the Human Jukebox,ofSouthernUniversity, performduring the BayouClassic Battle of the Bands at CaesarsSuperdome in NewOrleans in 2024.
Tammy Richardson GUEST COLUMNIST
Carlton Jones Jr GUEST COLUMNIST
mentalgroups across Louisiana and the Deep South. He broughthope and empowerment to marginalized communities. Eventually, he became known as the "Grandfather of the Louisiana Environmental Movement." Willie always treated others with kindness, patience, and respect, and he was wellloved and admired. In his own neighborhood, he was the Garden District Easter Bunny for 24 years. He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Mary, his son, Jacques and daughter, Dona. Brothers are Joe Fontenot (Linda), Freddie (Paula), Eric, deceased, (Margie). Sisters are Frances (deceased), Carolyn Goodman, Lilias LeBlanc (deceased),Marie Porche (Ed).Heleaves many nieces and nephews and greatnieces and nephews.
There will be aCelebration of Life on Sunday, December 28, from 1:003:00pm at The Guru, located in the Circa 1857 complex at the corner of Government and 19th Streets in Baton Rouge. If anyone would like to donate agift in his name, please consider The LouisianaEnvironmental Action Network (LEAN) (leanweb.org) or Alzheimer'sServices of the Capital Area (www.alzbr.org) (3772 North Blvd. BR, LA 70806.)
continued from at ayoung age, lovedmusic,and found great joy playing hymns on the piano.Vivianmarried Aaron Johnson, and together they raised tenchildren. Their home becamea place of warmth, wisdomand welcome for generations.She enjoyed a25-year career as an insurance agentbefore becoming acaregiver, and she served her church at every level—trustee, steward,lay leader,missionary, Sunday School teacherand choirleader. Sheissurvived by her childrenAaron Jr.(Patricia), Gerald, Alvin (Carolyn), Carmen(Patty), Glenda Minor (Daryl) and Eileen Johnson-Forester (Darrick); nephews Ralph Sheffie and Lester Young Jr.; sisters-in-law Vivian Brown and Gloria MaeSimon; 29 grandchildren; 50 great-grandchildren;15 great-great-grandchildren; and many extendedfamily and friends. Herfavorite scripture was, "...ifGod be forus, who can be against us." Visitation and funeral services willbeheldat Greater Allen Chapel AME Church,6175 Scenic Hwy., BatonRouge, on Saturday, Nov. 29. Visitationat9 a.m., funeral at 11 a.m. Arrangements entrusted to Hall Davis& SonFuneral Services.
Betty Granger Hudson, age 64, aresident of Baker, Louisiana, transitioned on Thursday, November 20, 2025. Familyand friends are invited to attend the Visitation on Saturday, November 29, 2025, at Hall's Celebration Center, 9348 Scenic Hwy., from 8:00 a.m. until the Funeral Serviceat 10:00 a.m., with Bishop Ray Campbellofficiating. Interment will follow at Roselawn Memorial Park. Services are entrusted to Hall Davis and Son Funeral Services. www.halldavisandson.c om
Vivian Myrtis Gray Oliver Johnson, of Baton Rouge, transitioned peacefully on November 23, 2025 at Baton Rouge General Hospital. She lived alife grounded in faith, family and service. Born in New Orleans to Levy and Lizetta Young, she was lovingly raised in Woodville, Mississippi, by her uncle and aunt, Rev. Peyton and Mrs. Betsy Oliver, whose Christian example shaped her life. Vivian accepted Christ
Betty Gambrell Jones passedawayonMonday, November 24, 2025,atthe ageof92, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.She wasborn on May7,1933,inBelzoni, Mississippi,toEmmett and AnnieGambrell. Agraduate of both Northeast College and Louisiana State University, Betty earned hermaster'sdegree and made an impact in the field of education. Hercareeras ateacher spanned from 1963 to 1998 in East Baton Parish, whichwas followed by her time at SouthWalker ElementarySchoolin Livingston Parish fornearly 2decades.Bettywas a belovedmother, grandmother, and wife. She took joyinspending time with loved ones. She is survived by her daughter, Stacy Jones Cleveland,and husband, Steven;son,Ted Jones Jr.and wife,Debbie CaponeJones; grandchildren, Bronson Jones, Britton Jonesand wife, Valerie, Cody Cleveland and wife, Jana Turner Cleveland Clayton Cleveland and wife, Katie Mack Cleveland. She was agreatgrandmotherto Sadie Blanchard, MaddoxJones, Karson Jones, Palmer Grace Cleveland, Clayton Mack Cleveland, and Case Michael Cleveland. Betty is additionallysurvived by her nephew, Carroll Barron, and nieces, Paula Tarverand Sandy Tarver. Betty ispreceded indeath by her husbandof65 years, Ted AltonJones; parents, Emmett W.Gambrell and AnnieTom Rogers; siblings, Ann Gambrell Barron, SaraGambrell Tarver,RebeccaSue Gambrell, Don Gambrell,and Emmett WilliamGambrell; and niece,Melanie Barron Friends and family areinvited to avisitation on Saturday, November 29, 2025, from 9:30 AM to 11:00AM at ResthavenGardens of Memory &Funeral Home, located at 11817Jefferson
Hwy, Baton Rouge, LA
70816. Memorial service willbegin at 11:00 AM,followed by inurnment at Roselawn Memorial Park. The family would like to give special thanks to all friends and family who were apartofher journey Thank youtoHomeInstead SeniorCare,and In His Care Hospice
Kimble, Willie Dupuy'Marie'
Willie Marie Dupuy KimblediedSunday, November 23, 2025, at The Carpenter HouseofSt. JosephHospice in BatonRouge at the ageof91. She wasnative of Prairieville, LA and a resident of Port Allen, LA She graduated from Dutchtown HighSchool and went on to have acareer with Bell South/ AT&T until she retired.She enjoyed bowling and fishing with her husband, Richard, and sister, Geraldine (Teetle). She is survived by numerous nieces and nephews. She is preceded in deathbyher husband, Richard L. Kimble; parents Enoh(Bill) and Lillian Ambeau Dupuy; five sisters,LoridaPoppiti, JoAnn East, Ouida Logarbo, BettyBrown and Geraldine Duplessis; and twobrothers, EltonDupuy and John Dupuy.
Agraveside service will be held Saturday, November29, 2025, at 1:00 PM followedbyintermentin Prairieville Cemetery. Death leavesa heartache that no one can heal butloveleavesa memory no one can steal.
It is withgreat sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved Katherine"Kitty" Heck Krieg,Ph.D.,native of Lafayetteand raised in Thibodaux, LA,who departed this life on November20, 2025 in her home at theage of 73. Kittywas cherished forher warmth kindness,and generosity which touched all who knew her. She is preceded in death by her father Herman AndrewHeck,Sr.,and her mother Barbara (Sanchez) Heck, as well as abrother Albert "Sandy" Heck. She is survived by her husband of nearly 50 years, Robert John Krieg, her children Brandon John Krieg,Emily Claire Krieg Daho, and Virginia"Ginger" Krieg,and six grandchildren; VioletKrieg MeadowKrieg,Thomas Daho, Catherine Daho,Olivia
Daho, and Carter Krieg.Kitty is also survivedbyseven brothers and sisters,Dr. Herman Andrew"Andy" Heck, Frederick "Ricky" Heck, Barbara"Bambi" Heck Guthrie,Dr. Michael "Mickey" Heck, Rosalind Heck Waguespack Grant, Dr. Madeleine "Midge" Heck, and Mary Heck Barrios, Esq. She is also survivedbynumerous nieces and nephews. Born on April11, 1952, in Lafayette, Louisiana, Kittygrew up surrounded by theloveof family and friends. She developeda lifelong passion forlearning, community service, helping others and lovedsinging withthe St. GeorgeCatholicChurch 11:30 choirfor many years. She worked with Our Lady of theLake Regional Medical Hospitaland Our Lady of the Lake College (now theFranciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University) to establish thePhysical TherapyAssistantsProgram,and becoming its first program director. Kitty laterbecame theDean of theSchool of Arts,Sciences and HealthProfessions. Visitation willbegin at 9a.m. with afuneral mass at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, December 2, at St. GeorgeCatholicChurch, on Siegen Lane in Baton Rouge. Family and friends are invited to celebrate Kitty's life and legacy.In lieu of flowers,the family requests that donations be madetoeitherScholarships for Students Fund at Franciscan Missionaries of Our LadyUniversity, (225)526-1700, or Our Lady of theLake Children's Hospital, 225-765-8872, or the Greater Baton RougeFood Bank, https://brfoodbank.org, reflecting Katherine Krieg's enduring commitment to helpingtoserveothers. The family cannot putinto words theirappreciation to allthe staff working for theHospice and Palliative Care of BatonRouge,with aspecial thanks to Ms. Christie,her aid, who made such acomforting impact for Kittyand her family care givers during her final days.Kitty's memory will live on in theheartsofall whose liveswere touched by her presence. May she rest in peace.
ShirleyIrene Lee was born on March 14, 1923 to Charlie Allen, Sr.and Mary Lockett Allen. She departed her earthly life on November 15, 2025 at Guest HouseinBaton Rouge, Louisiana at the golden ageof102. Shirley wasunitedinmatrimony to Ezekiel Lee. They had no biological children. Marion G. Grant was her goddaughter, and Cornell McFollins was her mechanic butshe called him," her son." Shirley was known by her closetfriends as "Candy" buttofamily she was called "Rena." She leavestocherish her memories, her sister, Elizabeth Green, Baton Rougeand a host of nieces, nephews other relatives and friends. Visitation, Saturday, November 29, 2025, Hall
Davis and SonofPort Allen, 1160 Louisiana Ave Port Allen, LA, 10:00 am untilreligiousservice at 11:00 am. Funeral Service EntrustedtoHallDavis and Son.
Stubbs,Glenda
Glenda Stubbs, along time residentofPride, passedawaypeacefullyon Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025. Shewas 79 years old. Visitation will be on Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025 at Charlet FuneralHome in Zachary from 10am until12pm. Gravesideservice will be at Sandy CreekBaptist Church Cemetery in Pride Sheissurvived by her daughter, Hope Landryand husband, Jonathan.Grandchildren, Luke, Lawson, and Laynie GraceLandry. Hersister andbrother-inlaw,Jeanette "Rita" and David Hancock. Sheisprecededindeathbyher husband of 54 years, John RaymondStubbs,her parents, 3sistersand 4brothers. Special thanks to Hospice in HisCareand TheCrossingfor all of thecare and compassion given to Glenda. Share sympathies, condolences,and memories at www.CharletFuneralHome com.
wasbornonOctober 22nd, 1956. Daughter of Lynette andCarol Harelson. Voted Miss Happy Go Lucky from Woodlawn High School class of 1974. Studied stainedglass underPaul Dufour with abachelors in Fine Arts from Louisiana State University class of 1979. Always acreative, Rhondaremained alife long artist of multiple disciplinesand amaster seamstress. Shewas a wonderfulcook and was known for herfamous cheesecake.She washappiestwhenshe waswith herhorses. Sheloved ridingher bike aroundBaton Rouge especially the LSU lakes. She was preceded in death by both of herparents andloving husband Artie Zimmerman.She will be dearlymissedbyher family- daughterAlex Laney Madison andhusbandJake, sister Diana Tullos andhusbandCraig brotherJohnHarelson, stepsons Tommy and Sarah Laney, Adam and Katherine Laney, in-laws Carol andTerry Oglesby, Bartand TraceyZimmerman, Aunt Joyce Payerand herfamily, andmanyof herlifelongfriends who were like familytoRhonda. In lieu of flowers, donationsmay be made in her name to theLouisiana SPCA. Relativesare invited to attenda Memorial Service on Saturday, November 29th, 2025 at St.Thomas More Catholic Church 11441 Goodwood Dr., Baton Rouge at 9:00 a.m. To view andsignthe online guestbook, please visit www.gre enoaksfunerals.com
Jones, Betty Gambrell
Hudson, Betty Granger
Zimmerman,Rhonda Lee Laney
RhondaLee Laney Zimmerman,passed away peacefully on November 25th, 2025 in herhometown of Baton Rouge.Rhonda
Krieg, Katherine Heck
Lee, ShirleyIrene
Johnson, Vivian Oliver
SPORTS
Southern settohire
NFLlegend Faulk
Colorado running backs coachtappedtotakeover
BY TOYLOYBROWN III
Staff writer
Southern has found its next football coach.
The university is going to hire NFL legend andColorado running backs coachMarshall Faulk as its 22nd head coach,according to a reportbyJordan Schultz
This will be the Pro Football Hall of Famer’sfirst time leading aprogramafter getting into coaching this yearasthe running backs coach for Deion Sanders at Colorado (3-8).
In Faulk’ssingle season withthe Buffaloes, they rushed for 123.3 yardsper game. While this is second-to-last in the Big 12, it represents an improvement from the prior two seasons. Last year,theyaveraged 65.2 yards and in Sanders’ first season in 2023, they averaged 68.9 yards.
Colorado’sfinal regular-season game is Saturday at Kansas State.
Faulk will replace coach TerrenceGraves, who was fired on Oct. 20 after leading the Jaguars to a1-6 recordduring his second season. His last game was a24-3 homecomingloss to Prairie View.Southern named co-offensive coordinator Fred McNair the team’sinterim coach.
ä See FAULK, page 5C
A PICK FOR KICKS
Saints have fewdaystodecidebetween kickersSmyth,yorkahead of trip to Miami
BY LUKE JOHNSON Staff writer
One of the priorities for theNew Orleans Saintsthis Thanksgiving was to figure outwho their starting kicker would be for their Week 13 game against theMiamiDolphins.
LSUfootball
The last tea leaf is abouttoberead. The last Tarot card drawn This is it. Friday should be the day.
cide by Saturday which onetoelevate from the practice squad to thegame-day roster
“They both kicked the ball really well and mademaking adecisionverydifficult,”saidspecial teams coordinator Phil Galiano. “Wehaven’tmade afinal decision yet, but both guys did areally good job today.”
The Saints waivedstarting kicker Blake Grupe this week amid his season-long struggles, and will now choose between twooptions to fill his spot this week: The recently signed Cade York and the untested Charlie Smyth. York, who played his college football at LSU,had been waiting all season for an opportunity after awinding road thatput him in five different NFL uniforms his first threeseasons. Smyth, an Ireland native who joined the Saintsthrough the International Player Pathway (IPP),has never attempteda kick in ameaningful American football gameofany kind. Both of them kickedatatryout Tuesday, andboth kicked again at Thursday’spractice. The Saints will have to de-
Theday the Lane Kiffin saga finallybegins to draw to adefinable conclusion All the speculation,dart throwing, analyzing, and outright guessing is about to come to an end. The Lane scrutiny is about to reach a verdict. Kiffin must choose. Stay at Ole Miss. Go to LSU. Or,possibly,Florida. Maybe the NFL. Perhaps he will chuck the giant play sheet anddecidetobecome a hotyoga instructor
In most Kiffinesque fashion, Lanehas squeezedthe last possible dropofdrama out of this theater.Friday,Ole Misswraps up what may be its best regular season in generations,witha10-1record and College Football Playoff berthonthe line against archrival Mississippi State in theEgg Bowl (11 a.m., ABC).
After that, by Saturday,weare told, there will be clarity on Kiffin’sfuture at OleMiss. Friday could be defining dayfor Kiffin,
LSU coach Brian Kelly walks on thesideline during agameagainst SoutheasternonSept. 20. LSUhas agreed to payKelly’s complete buyout after firing him without cause.
York saidhe’d had three different opportunities to try outfor teams this season.Hereceivedhis latest callto comeinfor aworkout whenhewas four hours into a14hour drive from Wyoming, where he went to see his little brother’ssenior day game, to his Dallas-area home. He pulled into his house around 3a.m.Monday,and was in NewOrleans to audition for one of those elusive jobs on Tuesday.
“I textedmy(physical trainer) and said,‘Hey, Ineed to come in andget refreshed because I’ve been driving and flying alot,’”York said. “Luckily,things went well
ä See SAINTS, page 6C
Tigers coachisnow expected to drop hislawsuit, endinglegal standoff
BY WILSON ALEXANDER Staff writer
LSU sent former coach Brian Kelly written confirmation that he was fired without cause Wednesdaynight andagreed to pay hisnearly$54 millionbuyout as long as he satisfiesa requirement to trytofind another job.
LSU sent aletter, which was obtained by The Advocate, exactly one month after Kelly was dismissed Oct. 26 in the midst of his fourth season. Kelly is nowexpected to drop his lawsuit against the LSU board of supervisors, ending their legal standoff. Kelly,64, will be owed the liquidated damages fromhis contract over the next six years. The letter from new LSU president Wade Rousse stated Kelly must “make goodfaith, reasonable,and sustained efforts” to
find anew job in coaching, administration or media. If Kelly does, according to amitigation clause in his contract, LSU wouldhaveto payonly the differencebetween his newsalary andthe $9 million he’s owed annually through 2031. According to theletter,LSU expects Kelly to “maintainreasonable documentation” of his search for employment, including interviewsand job offers. Kelly’sattorneys saidinone of twoletters to LSU officials last week that he would agree to withdraw his lawsuit if he received written confirmation that he was fired without cause and owed his full buyout, according to acopyofthe letters obtainedbyThe Advocate. LSU fired Kelly the day after a49-25 home loss to Texas A&M, and then-athletic director ScottWoodward said in apublic statement the decision was related to Kelly’sperformance. Woodward and the school parted ways four days later after he received pub-
Scott Rabalais
STAFF PHOTO By HILARySCHEINUK
AP PHOTO By DAVID ZALUBOWSKI Colorado runningbacks coachMarshall Faulk watches aplayonNov.1 in Boulder Colo. Faulk is set to takethe helm as Southern’snext football coach.
BROADCAST HIGHLIGHTS
LSU on verge of making NCAA history
BY REED DARCEY Staff writer
The LSU women’s basketball team isn’t just steamrolling its nonconference competition. Or leading all Division I teams in scoring to start the season It’s now, officially, on the verge of making college basketball history. If the No. 5 Tigers (6-0) post at least 100 points for the seventh game in a row when they face Marist at 7 p.m. Friday in the U.S. Virgin Islands’ Paradise Jam Tournament (ESPN+), then they’ll break a 43-year-old NCAA record held, coincidentally, by one of coach Kim Mulkey’s Louisiana Tech teams.
Mulkey didn’t learn that LSU was even chasing that streak until it faced Tulane on Nov. 17. She’s been shrugging it off ever since, even after the Tigers broke the SEC record for consecutive 100-point games last Thursday with a win over Alcorn State.
“We have not ever discussed it,” Mulkey said. “I’m sure the kids know from social media I don’t pay any attention to that.”
But LSU’s scintillating offensive start is becoming increasingly harder to brush aside. Since Mulkey took over the program, the Tigers have always breezed past the string of mid-major opponents they face across November and December They’ve just never played offense as well as they are now Few NCAA teams ever have.
LSU is scoring 111.8 points per game. Texas — so far the nation’s second-best offensive team is scoring 102.8 ppg.
Only two Division I teams are shooting from the field at a high-
STAFF PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK
LSU forward Jalen Reed drives the ball up the court in a game against Tarleton State on Nov. 5 at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center
ä Marist vs LSU 7 P.M FRIDAy, ESPN
er percentage than the Tigers, who are converting 46% of their 3-pointers — the top rate in the country
The numbers look impressive, no matter how you slice them.
Through six games, LSU is on pace to post its best nonconference offensive rating of the Mulkey era The Tigers are scoring 137.5 points per 100 possessions, according to Her Hoop
Stats, which is not only the top rate in the country this season, but also much higher than the 126.2 rating that LSU’s national title team posted across the nonconference games it played in 2022. Six Tigers have double-digit scoring averages. Flau’jae Johnson is averaging 17.3 ppg on 56% shooting, while Mikaylah Williams is scoring 14.3 ppg on 58% shooting.
MiLaysia Fulwiley is LSU’s leading scorer She’s chipping in a career-high 17.7 ppg in her role
as the top offensive threat on what is now the nation’s most productive bench. LSU is receiving more than 54 ppg from its reserves — by far the most it’s gotten from that group of players in the last five seasons.
“I think the eight new players that came in,” Williams said, “they were eager to learn, excited to play basketball, excited to be where they were, and that just is what me and Flau’jae and Jada (Richard) and the returners wanted.
“We wanted them to come in and have fun, but we also set that culture of loving to play basketball and loving to play with each other.”
Last season, LSU faced two power-conference opponents on its Thanksgiving trip to The Bahamas: first Washington, then a ranked North Carolina State team.
The Tigers’ Paradise Jam competition this year, however, is less daunting.
Marist, LSU’s first opponent, has already dropped games against Albany, Drexel and Bryant. A win over the Red Foxes would give LSU a matchup on Saturday with either Miami-Ohio, which has losses to Oakland and Purdue, or Washington State, which has dropped each of its first six games of the season. Not one of them has faced a team like LSU, which has two more 100-point games so far this year than any other team in the nation
“I don’t care who you play,” Mulkey said. “That’s a lot of scoring.”
This Thanksgiving, another 100-point game (or two) is on the table for the Tigers.
LSU can have it with an NCAA record on the side.
McMahon pleased with Tigers’ 5-0 start
BY TOYLOY BROWN III
Staff writer
Matt McMahon has seen exactly what he wanted to see from LSU in its first five games.
The team, which has an almost entirely new cast of players, has beaten opponents by an average of 28 points per game.
He said at Tuesday’s media availability that the easier home schedule has also been an effective ramp-up period for redshirt junior Jalen Reed, 11 months removed from tearing his ACL The forward is averaging 11 points and six rebounds in 18 minutes per game.
McMahon is also satisfied with how LSU (5-0) has high efficiencies on offense and defense in these early games to ensure a favorable start in the rankings on basketball analytic sites like KenPom The Tigers had the 37th-highest rating in the country before Wednesday’s games, after being 56th in the preseason.
The team is ready for the next phase of the process as the opponents steadily become more challenging, starting with its next game against Drake (4-2) at 8:30 p.m. on Friday in the first round of the 2025 Emerald Coast Classic tournament in Niceville, Florida.
STAFF PHOTO By HILARy
LSU forward Jalen Reed (9) on the court against Tarleton State, Wednesday, November 5, 2025, at the LSU PMAC in Baton Rouge, La.
ä Drake vs LSU 8:30 P.M. FRIDAy, CBSSN
span, he won four regular-season championships and made two NCAA Tournament appearances.
“Really good coach,” McMahon said about Henderson. “They were No. 1 in the country in defensive rebounding last year at South Dakota State, had tremendous success in his six years.”
McMahon was also complimentary of how Drake played in its 7162 win at Charleston.
“I thought they were fantastic in their win at Charleston last week,” he said. “They played really well. Their spacing offensively is really good. They hit 11 threes. I think the point guard (Jalen) Quinn, 15 points a game, does a great job getting into the lane, (creating) for his teammates. Their frontcourt, both guys (are) averaging double figures.”
LSU’s starting frontcourt of Mike Nwoko, Pablo Tamba, Marquel Sutton, and backups Robert Miller and Reed will be important in protecting the rim and ending possessions with rebounds.
Saints’ Olave, Kamara did not practice Thursday
Two of the New Orleans Saints most important offensive players were not on the field for the team’s Thanksgiving practice. Wide receiver Chris Olave missed Thursday’s practice with a back injury that popped up Wednesday Running back Alvin Kamara missed his second consecutive practice with a knee injury that he suffered in the first quarter of the loss to the Atlanta Falcons. Olave has played in each of the Saints’ first 11 games this season and he leads the team in every major statistical receiving category with 69 catches (on 108 targets) for 734 yards and 4 touchdowns. Kamara appears likely to miss the Saints’ game against the Dolphins, which would be the first game he has missed this season.
Astros finalize coaching staff for 2026 season
HOUSTON The Houston Astros have the final pieces of their coaching staff in place for next season after hiring Ethan Katz as an assistant pitching coach and Tim Cossins as catching instructor on Wednesday Katz joins the Astros after serving as the pitching coach for the Chicago White Sox since 2021. During his tenure there, the White Sox ranked third in the American League in strikeouts per nine innings He worked for the Giants in 2020 after coaching in the minor leagues for the Giants, Mariners and Angels. Cossins comes to Houston after spending parts of the last seven seasons as the Orioles’ major league field coordinator and catching instructor He has worked with catchers for parts of the last 19 seasons, including in the minor leagues for the Marlins and Cubs.
Giants rookie QB Dart clears concussion protocol
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J Jaxson Dart has cleared concussion protocol, paving the way for the rookie quarterback to start for the New York Giants at New England on Monday night after missing the past two games Dart was concussed Nov 9 at Chicago and did not finish that loss to the Bears. He was a full participant in practice Wednesday, which was the final step for him getting cleared Thursday The 22-year-old first-round draft pick out of Ole Miss has thrown for 10 touchdowns and run for five more with just three interceptions in his first seven NFL starts. Journeyman Jameis Winston started in Dart’s place the past two weeks. The Giants are 2-10 and have been eliminated from playoff contention.
Jays, pitcher Cease agree to 7-year, $210M deal
Free-agent pitcher Dylan Cease and the Toronto Blue Jays have agreed to a $210 million, sevenyear contract, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press on Wednesday night. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the deal was pending a physical and had not been announced. Cease would join a terrific rotation with the reigning American League champions. The righthander who turns 30 next month went 8-12 with a 4.55 ERA in 32 starts last season for the San Diego Padres. He struck out 215 batters and walked 71 in 168 innings. His numbers on the mound slipped this year but he still reached 32 starts for a fifth straight season.
Two-time major champion
Zoeller dies at 74
Fuzzy Zoeller, a two-time major champion and one of golf’s most gregarious characters whose career was tainted by a racially insensitive joke about Tiger Woods, has died, according to a longtime colleague. He was 74.
“We’ve given up too many offensive rebounds and haven’t forced any turnovers, so that’s created extra possessions for our opponents,” McMahon said.
McMahon added that LSU’s overall defense is not a problem, since it is allowing opponents to
The other participating teams in the tournament are Georgia Tech and DePaul. Depending on the results, one of those teams will be the Tigers’ first power-conference opponent on Saturday “The first five games, we got out of it what I had hoped,” McMahon said. “As the level goes up, playing away from home, obviously a lot of challenges that will come with that. I think ultimately I just want to keep getting better as a team.” There are two areas that LSU wants to emphasize growth going into the next two games and beyond, as it won’t play its next game at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center until Dec. 19.
shoot 38% from the field. The opportunity to work on the finer defensive details will become more important for the Tigers, who will have the chance to show improvement against Drake, which is coming off a 30-win season. The architect of that 2024-25 team, coach Ben McCollum, and his top player, Bennett Stirtz, are both at Iowa, and Drake is now under the tutelage of Eric Henderson, who previously led South Dakota State for six seasons. In that
When it comes to the potential of increasing Reed’s minutes in upcoming games as he gets more comfortable since his knee injury, McMahon said he’s not sure when that would happen. He’s pleased with how consistent Reed has been, and he wants to see his longest-tenured player continue to gain confidence with each game.
McMahon noted that there is only one surprise about his team: how fast players have become close on and off the court.
“It’s been really fun to watch how quickly the group has come together, and I think they enjoy celebrating each other’s success,” McMahon said. “I think you’ve seen it on the court that the chemistry has been really good. Now, we’ll start to face some adversity, and that’s when you find out how good your chemistry truly is.”
A cause of death was not immediately available. Brian Naugle, the tournament director of the Insperity Invitational in Houston, said Zoeller’s daughter called him Thursday with the news. Zoeller was the last player to win the Masters on his first attempt, a three-man playoff in 1979. He famously waved a white towel at Winged Foot in 1984 when he thought Greg Norman had beat him, only to defeat Norman in an 18-hole playoff the next day Zoeller was awarded the Bob Jones Award by the USGA in 1985.
SCHEINUK
‘A lotonthe line’
MadisonPrep, U-High setfor rematchinplayoffs
BY JACKSON REYES Staff writer
The
first time Madison Prep and University High squaredoff this season,itwas to decidethe District 6-3A title.
The Cubs and Chargers will meet again on Friday at the Cub Complex, but this time for achance to keep their seasonalive and book a spot in the Division II select semifinals
U-High (9-2) defeated Madison Prep (9-2) 14-8 when the teams met the first time in Week 9. TheChargers struck first off apunt return touchdown, but U-High scored two touchdowns in the secondhalf to seal the district title.
Here’s what both teams’ coaches are saying ahead of the rematch. University High
Cubs coach Andy Martin is less worried about the fact that it’sarematch and is focused on justgoing up against agreat football team in Madison Prep.
“We’ve got to be ready to go,” Martin said. “Both offensively,defensively and special teams.”
Despite the first gamebeing a defensive battle, Martin is ready for therematch to feature more points.
Madison Prep averages 42.1 points per game, while the Cubs average 40.7 points per game on offense.
“Wedid agood job lasttime,” Martin said about his defense, “but Iknow they’re going to change some things up, and we’re goingto have to change afew things up.”
Martin said that’sthe fun part about game planningfor Friday, finding out what they might do differently and how his U-High side can match that.
He predicted that the offenses on both sides would be more involved in the rematch.
Twoplayers on offense that could be key are the U-High running back tandem of Corbin Odell and Sage Ingram. The pair has
Dallas Cowboyswide receiver CeeDee Lamb catches a touchdown pass as Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffiedefends on ThursdayinArlington, Texas.
AP PHOTO By TONy GUTIERREZ
beenhard to slow down this season in the backfield.
Martin looks to balance the pass and the run, but he could seethe pair being crucial to awin.
“They do agood job of running theoffenseand running hard,” Martin said. “That’swhatyou need. We needguysthat are ready to run physical, and both of these guys are up to thechallenge.”
On defense, Martin said it will be achallenge slowing down Madison Prep’sgifted players. He emphasized the talent they have allover the offense, especially at theoffensive line.
“They’ve got the biggest offensive line we’ll face all year long,” Martinsaid. “They’ve got two good quarterbacks that can make theoffense go. We’ve justgot to be sound in what we’re doing.”
Martin is hammering down on thefundamentals forhis team to slow downapotent Chargers offense again and keep them from ripping off big plays.
One of the key X-factorsofthe game will be Lamar Brown, the top-ranked player in the nation.
“He’sanunbelievable player for us,” Martin said. “He’sadifference maker on allsides of the ball. There’sareason he’ssohighly rankedbythe recruiting services andwhy he’sgoingtoLSU.”
Madison Prep Chargers coach Landry Williams knows it’sbeen atoughride going up againstU-High the past few years, but the biggestfocus for this game is moving on to the semifinals.
He thought Madison Prep played well thelasttimethe twoteams squared off, but his team wasn’t able to finish. Williams hasfocused on makingsurehis team does the little thingscorrectly
“When you’re playing against anybody this time of year,everybody is good,” Williams said. “You don’twant to putyourselfina situation where you actually beat yourself.”
NFLROUNDUP
CowboysovercomeChiefs forThanksgivingvictory
BY SCHUYLERDIXON AP Pro Football Writer
ARLINGTON, Texas —Dak Prescott threw for two touchdowns, Malik Davis sprinted 43 yards for ascore and the Dallas Cowboys overcame two fourth-down TD throws from Patrick Mahomes in a31-28 Thanksgiving victory over the Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday
CeeDee Lamb scored the first Dallas touchdown and finished with 112 yardsonseven catches four days after drops plaguedthe star receiverinavictory over defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia. TheCowboys(6-5-1) have won three straight, knocking off both of last season’sSuper Bowl teams in the past five days, and they dropped thedefending AFC champion Chiefs (6-6)back to .500 in amatchup of playoff-chasing teams.
Mahomes hadfour touchdown passes in his first professional game at the home of the Cowboys, where he played three times for TexasTechnot farfromhis East Texas roots. Travis Kelce caught Mahomes’ first fourth-down TD toss on a 2-yarder,and Rashee Rice’ssecond scoring catchcame on fourthand-3 early in the fourth quarter Kansas City was down 10 when Mahomes was almost tripped in the backfield by Quinnen Williams but kept his feet and found Xavier Worthy wide open down the field for 42 yards, setting up a10-yard scoring toss to HollywoodBrown with 3:27 remaining.
Prescottand company didn’t give Mahomes another chance After two pass interference penalties gave Dallas firstdowns, Prescott hit George Pickens for 13 yards and aclinching firstdownat
The little things like lining up correctly,handing the ball off properly,and controlling gaps on thedefensive line, are what Williams is emphasizing as themost important aspectsfor Friday’s game.
Williamssaid it’s thetimeofyear when his team can’tmakemistakes. He thought his team played good coverageagainst U-High in Week 9, but afew panicked moments let the game get away from them.
He knows thetwo sides are very familiar witheach other,and believes it will come down to effort more than strategy
“I don’tthink it’sgoing to be an X’sand O’sthing,” Williams said “It’sgoing to be about which group of guys want it the most.”
He doesn’twant to change up toomuchthis late in theseason. Williams believes in the Chargers’ identity; it nowcomes down to how well they can execute their game plan without letting mistakes interfere.
He expects several players in his secondary anddefensive line, like defensive backsLandon Johnson and Javen Holmes, and defensive linemenVictor Hollins, RyanVariste and Cannon Walkertoplay key roles.
“Wereally gottobenasty up front,” Williams said. “They’ve got somebig guys up front as well.”
While the twosidesare familiar with each other,hedoesn’tsee that as an advantagefor either team duetohow talented both U-High andMadison Prep are.
His assessment of the game is simple.
“It’s all about advancing,” he said.“Nobody,atthe endofthe day, wants their season to come to an endFridaynight, so we’ve got to perform like it.”
Matchupwithmagnitude
While each coach hopes their respective side will makeitto the semifinals,both thought the matchup showed how much talent is in the area.
“I think Baton Rouge really likes it,” Martin said.“When you’ve got twogood programsand twoprograms that have done well in the last fewyears, it’sfun to have a matchup like this.” Martin added that it’sgreat to see aBatonRouge team and ateam from District 6-3A movingonto the Division II select semifinals. Williams said the matchup and Madison Prep’sstring of playoff runs are atestament to the hard work anddedication of their program
“It’sgood to represent the area in thequarterfinals,” Williams said. “It’sablessing to be able to play the weeks of Thanksgiving.” Madison Prep and University High have played several contested games,but Martinknows this one holds moreweight.
“Weplaysome big BatonRouge games, andthere’s none bigger than this one,” Martin said. “So there’salways alot on theline whenweplay them, and this is no different.”
Area prep football playoffsinclude hotstreaks,rematches andmore
BY JACKSON REYES Staff writer
The quarterfinals of thehigh school football playoffs are here. Several Baton Rouge-area schools will continue their quest forastate title, and these arefive games we’re following closely on Friday night:
ZacharyatCentral
the two-minute warning. Prescott kneeledthreetimesafter that. Rice had eightcatches for92 yards, his first score coming on a 27-yard catch-and-runonthe sidelinetwo plays after Prescott was intercepted by Jaylen Watsonon the first Dallaspossession.
Davis had just three carries, but his long rungaveDallas itsfirst lead at 17-14 lateinthe second quarter
Lions 31, Packers 24: In Detroit, Jordan Love converted apairof fourthdowns with touchdown passesinthe first half and finished with acareer-high-matchingfour TD throws, leading the Green Bay Packers to a31-24 win over the Detroit Lions on Thursday.
The Packers (8-3-1) swept the season series to earn apotential tiebreaker in the NFC Northand areinsecond place in the division behind Chicago (8-3), which plays at Philadelphia on Friday
The two-time defending division champion Lions (7-5) entered the game out of the playoff picture, then fellfurther back in the hunt with athirdlossinfive games.
Detroit turned the ball over on downs onthe opening drive of thesecond half and early in the fourth quarter
Twoplays after Jahmyr Gibbs was stopped for aloss just inside Green Bay territoryonfourth down, Love threwa 51-yard touchdownpass to Christian Watson to give Green Bay a24-14 lead early in the third.
Parsonsfinishedwith 21/2 sacks.
On theensuing possession, Love converteda third-and-5 with an 8-yard pass to Watson anda fourth-and-3on a16-yard pass to Dontayvion Wicks, aformer Plaquemine High standout, to seal the victory
No. 13 Zachary (8-3) headsonthe road fora rematch againstNo. 5 Central (10-2) in the Division Inonselect quarterfinals.
In thefirst rendition of this game,Central took downZachary 35-33 on the road. The Wildcats trailed 27-20 before scoring two touchdowns late. Central broke up apass on Zachary’stwo-point conversion to seal the win.
Both sides arecoming off big second-round wins.Central defeated No.12EastAscension 4632. Zachary upset No. 4Denham Springs 44-21 on the road behind a potent rushing attack led by Tylek Lewis
MadisonPrepatUniversityHigh No. 5Madison Prep (9-2) heads on the road to take on No.4University High (9-2) in theDivision II select quarterfinals.
The two sides met in Week 9 of theregularseason at U-High, andthe Cubs prevailed14-8. The UniversityHigh defense kept the Chargers’offense outofthe end zone,withMadison Prep’slone touchdown coming offa punt return. The Chargers defeated No. 12 John F. Kennedy 42-26 in the regional round. The Cubs took down No. 13 Booker T. WashingtonShreveport50-16 in the regional round.
Alexandria at Catholic No. 4Catholic (9-2) hosts No. 5 Alexandria(9-2) in the Division I
select quarterfinals.
The Bears blew out No. 20 Captain Shreve 37-14 in the regional round.Alexandria defeated No. 12 Brother Martin 38-27 in the last round.
Catholic haswon its past six games by an averagemarginof victory of 32.8 points. TheBears took down Zachary in the regular season finale41-7.
Alexandrialostits final regularseasongame to Neville, 31-14, before bouncing back with awin in theregional round of the playoffs
OakGrove at St.James No.3 St. James (9-2) hosts No.6 Oak Grove (9-2) in the Division III nonselect quarterfinals.
The Wildcats took down No. 14 Many 53-13 in the regional round. St. James is now on afive-game winning streak. The Wildcats have wonall fivegames by double figures. The St. James offense is averaging52.8pointsper game across thewinning streak.The defense has putuptwo shutouts andhas
allowed just 5.6 pointsper game during that streak.
Oak Grove has wonits past four games. The Tigers shut out No. 11 Richwood 42-0 in their previous game.
Dunham at Newman No. 5Dunham (10-1) heads on the road to take on No. 4Newman (7-2) in the DivisionIII select quarterfinals.
The Tigers, led by star quarterback ElijahHaven,havewon their past eight games. Dunham has won all 10 games by double digits.
Dunham’s high-powered offense put up 62 points in a62-3 win over No. 12 Northlake Christian in the regional round. The offensehas scored more than 40 pointsin10games, while thedefense is allowing just 10.9 points per gamethis year Newman startedthe season 0-2, but the Greenies have now won sevenstraight. They defeated No. 13 Holy Savior Menard 42-13 in the regional round.
AREA PREP FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
PHOTO By PATRICK DENNIS
STAFFFILE PHOTOByMICHAEL JOHNSON
Madison Prep quarterback Landon Johnson rolls to hisleft as U-High defensivelineman Maison Smith, left, gives chase in the first quarter on Oct. 31 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
QB Nussmeier ruled out for season finale
WR Anderson, C Moore will also miss game at Oklahoma
BY REED DARCEY Staff writer
LSU officially ruled starting quarterback Garrett Nussmeier, wide receiver Aaron Anderson and center Braelin Moore out of its regular-season finale against Oklahoma, according to its Wednesday availability report
Three other starters are listed as questionable to play on Saturday (2:30 p.m., ABC): linebacker Whit Weeks (ankle), left tackle Tyree Adams (ankle) and right tackle Ory Williams. Running back Caden Durham (neck) is probable to suit up. Cornerback Mansoor Delane (core muscle) was not listed on the report, which means he’s available to play, though it’s unclear if he’ll see the field. Last Saturday — when the Tigers beat Western Kentucky 13-10 — Delane watched from the sideline in full pads.
Nussmeier has not played since LSU lost to Alabama on Nov 8 be-
RABALAIS
Continued from page 1C
Stay or go. In or out. Heads or tails?
Just kidding. It can’t be like that, can it? With Kiffin, you just never know One thing we all think we know, though neither Kiffin nor Ole Miss has said it: the Lane ends here. If Ole Miss goes on to the CFP, he won’t be coaching the Rebels As much as it seems Kiffin is eager to move on to bigger things, he seems just as eager to coach Ole Miss to the conclusion of this surprising and remarkable season.
“I’ve never thought of anything different than that,” Kiffin said Monday in possibly his last game week news conference at Ole Miss. A news conference where, once again, he did not commit to being the Rebels’ coach next season.
I don’t believe Kiffin will be allowed to coach his team in the CFP, but Ole Miss’ alternatives don’t go down like Thanksgiving cranberry sauce. Will the school fire him without cause? If it does, it will owe Kiffin $36.6 million, with no mitigation clause for taking his next job. Will it suspend him? How long could that drag out? Will Kiffin just quit, triggering a reported $4 million payment owed Ole Miss, paid — one assumes — by the school that wants to hire him?
LSU is reportedly offering a $90 million, seven-year compensation package for Kiffin plus $25 million per for roster building. By all accounts, LSU has made Kiffin its top target. Second choice is not even on
cause he aggravated his abdominal injury in practice the following week. Interim coach Frank Wilson said on Monday that the fifth-year senior was going to practice on Tuesday so the team could “see how he feels.” Anderson has battled an elbow injury throughout the season. Moore suffered a mid-foot sprain last Saturday against the Hilltoppers, according to LSU’s radio broadcast.
Weeks played the first half of that game, then dressed out of his pads and watched the last two quarters from the sideline. He told reporters Tuesday that he had broken his surgically repaired ankle in the Tigers’ Sept. 27 loss to Ole Miss — not suffered a bone bruise like former coach Brian Kelly said he did.
Weeks played through the injury in the next game against South Carolina, then sat each of LSU’s four subsequent matchups.
“I hardly even practiced before that (South Carolina) game, just because I could hardly even walk on it,” Weeks said “But then I just kind of sucked it up for that game. But then I remember on Sunday, I
the medal podium. Plan B behind Kiffin is more like a Plan 9 from Outer Space. It’s been bandied about that if LSU can’t land Kiffin it will gravitate toward Missouri’s Eli Drinkwitz. That plan fizzled out Thursday when it was reported Drinkwitz agreed to a six-year contract extension wth Missouri. We know what LSU seeks in Kiffin: an innovative offensive mind who is on the verge of leading traditionally second-tier Ole Miss to 50 wins in the past five seasons, its best stretch ever What is Kiffin looking for? Ole Miss has done everything he’s asked for and vows to match any other school’s financial offer Money is important, but it must be more than that One possible answer is that LSU is uniquely positioned geographically There are 14 Power Four schools that are alone in their home states LSU, Missouri, Arkansas, Syracuse, Boston College, West Virginia, Colorado, Oregon, Nebraska, Rutgers, Maryland, Wisconsin, Washington and Minnesota — but none of those sit atop the OPEC-like reserves of in-state talent that exists in Louisiana. Per capita, Louisiana produces the second-most NFL players, behind only Georgia, an enticing statistic for any coach.
Ole Miss can’t compare to LSU’s access to talent, facilities, stadium, fan base and tradition, even if the Rebels are ahead on points at the moment.
“Ole Miss’ ceiling is LSU’s expectation,” On3.com college football writer Ari Wasserman said this week.
There is still one nagging question that won’t leave my mind: What if we’re all getting played?
Continued from page 1C
Southern is 1-10 overall and 0-7 in the Southwestern Athletic Conference. The Jaguars have lost eight games by at least 17 points and will finish the season without a home win for the first time since 1949. They will close the regular season at 1 p.m. Saturday against Grambling State (7-4, 4-3) in the Bayou Classic at the Caesars Superdome.
Faulk is the latest in a trend of former NFL standouts getting their coaching start at the HBCU level Two first-time coaches this season are Michael Vick at Norfolk State (1-11) and DeSean Jackson at Delaware State (8-4).
Sanders is an early example of an NFL great who got his college coaching start at an HBCU. He spent three seasons at Jackson State after being hired in 2020. He finished with a 27-6 record and won two SWAC championships and one Celebration Bowl in that span.
Faulk, 52, was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 2011 after a 12-year career notching 12,279 yards rushing, 6,875 yards receiving and 136 total touchdowns. The former second overall pick by the Indianapolis Colts in the 1994 NFL Draft is one of two running backs in the league’s history with at least 12,000 rushing and 5,000 career receiving yards. The other tailback is Marcus Allen.
Faulk was a Super Bowl XXIV champion with the then-St. Louis Rams and was the Associated Press NFL MVP that season. He
is a seven-time Pro Bowler and a three-time All-Pro. He was also a major part of the Rams’ “Greatest Show on Turf” offense. After his playing career, he became an analyst at NFL Network.
Faulk was one of multiple NFL Network employees accused of sexual harassment in a 2017 wrongful termination lawsuit by a former wardrobe stylist. He was suspended in December of 2017 and wasn’t reinstated by the network. The lawsuit was settled in September 2018.
Faulk will be the fifth Southern coach since Dawson Odums, who coached his last season in 2020 and left the program to lead Norfolk State in 2021. The other previous coaches were Jason Rollins (2021), Eric Dooley (2022-23) and Graves (2023-24).
Dooley and Graves each won the SWAC West Division in their first season. They both were fired during their second seasons and finished with overall coaching records at least two games above .500. Odums led Southern from 2013-20 and had a 59-30 record. Faulk attended Carver High School in New Orleans and then starred at San Diego State University In three seasons with the Aztecs, he rushed for 4,589 yards — 6 yards per attempt — and 57 touchdowns across three seasons. Faulk started his NFL career with the Colts, where he played for five years He was traded in 1999 to the St. Louis Rams, where he played for seven seasons.
Email Toyloy Brown III at toyloy.brown@theadvocate.com
was taking a shower, and I couldn’t even stand in the shower, (so I was like,) ‘I probably need to go get this checked out.’ Sure enough, I got an MRI on it, and sure enough, it was broken.”
Adams suffered a high ankle sprain in LSU’s Oct. 18 loss to Vanderbilt. He underwent tightrope surgery to address the injury, and Wilson said on Monday he has “a chance” to return against the Sooners.
If Adams and Williams can’t play, then the Tigers would likely slot freshman Carius Curne and redshirt freshman Weston Davis into their two tackle spots. Redshirt sophomore DJ Chester is expected to play at center in place of Moore. Because Nussmeier was ruled out, sophomore Michael Van Buren will now make his third start at quarterback for LSU against Oklahoma. The only chance left for Nussmeier to suit up again before he runs out of collegiate eligibility will be the Tigers’ bowl game.
The Sooners listed star edge rusher R Mason Thomas as doubtful to play He’s missed the past two games with a quad injury
Would it not be the most Lane Kif-
fin thing ever to string not one but two of Ole Miss’ SEC rivals along, making them both think he’s coming thus kneecapping their coaching searches, only to announce sometime after Friday’s game that he’s staying in Oxford?
If it were another coach, any other coach, I wouldn’t even consider the prospect. Few of them are that cunning.
Kiffin is. His cleverness and unpredictability are his strengths. Part of what makes him worth waiting for
Perhaps Friday is the beginning of the end of the waiting. But be looking for the next curveball in this tale, just in case.
The Kelly buyout
LSU has finally agreed to say it fired Brian Kelly without cause, making the school responsible for his entire $54 million buyout. Kelly, in return, must in good faith try to land another job that would mitigate part of the buyout.
I hope one day to understand why LSU sought to fire Kelly for cause, something that could have and may still have done irreparable damage to its coaching search. Because right now, I don’t know what LSU possibly hoped to gain. It amounted to nothing more than cheap, foolish grandstanding, was bound to fail and held the school up to nationwide ridicule. It cast Kelly as a sympathetic figure, a nearly impossible task. The one positive is that now the field is clear for LSU to hire its next coach. Why LSU had to put itself, and Kelly quite frankly, through this first remains an enormous mystery
LSU
Continued from page 1C
called Kelly’s buyout a “liability.”
Although the two sides initially indicated a willingness to negotiate a reduced settlement, they hit an impasse a couple of weeks later Kelly filed a petition for declaratory judgment on Nov. 10, seeking a ruling that he was fired without cause and entitled to his entire buyout. In the filing, Kelly’s attorneys claimed unspecified LSU officials took the position he had not been “formally terminated,” Woodward did not have the authority to fire him at the time and he could be fired for cause. Kelly’s representatives pushed back against all three points and said LSU did not follow the proper procedures in his contract for a firing for cause. The lawsuit did not specify the grounds LSU had for firing Kelly for cause, which would have taken the school off the hook for his full buyout.
LSU board member John Carmouche told Kelly’s attorneys last Thursday he had spoken to several other board members who wanted to confirm in writing that Kelly had been fired without cause, according to the letters. During a board meeting the next day, Rousse was given the authority to send Kelly written notice of termination.
“Under Article VII, Section 1(L) (3) of the Board of Supervisors Bylaws, any personnel action relating to varsity athletics coaches with a salary over $250,000 requires board approval,” LSU said in a statement after the meeting.
According to the letters, Carmouche asked Kelly’s attorneys last week to withdraw the lawsuit before LSU sent written confirmation he had been fired without cause. They declined. In one of the letters last week, Kelly’s attorneys said, “LSU’s conduct, including its failure to confirm that Coach Kelly was terminated without cause and its unsupported allegations of misconduct on the part of Coach Kelly, has made it nearly impossible for Coach Kelly to secure other football-related employment.” Kelly has expressed to some close to him that he wants to return to coaching in the future. Kelly rejected lump-sum settlement offers of $25 million and $30 million the day he was fired, both of which included the elimination of the mitigation clause, according to documents obtained by The Advocate Before he filed the lawsuit, Kelly’s attorneys said in communications to LSU officials he would be open to negotiations if he received written confirmation he was fired without cause and owed his full buyout.
LSU’s decision Wednesday came as the school tries to hire Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin, who has become the primary target in the search for Kelly’s successor Kiffin is weighing offers from LSU, Florida and Ole Miss An announcement about his future is expected Saturday, the day after the Egg Bowl against rival Mississippi State. Reed Darcey contributed to this report.
Email Wilson Alexander at walexander@theadvocate.com.
ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By DAVID ZALUBOWSKI Colorado running backs coach Marshall Faulk watches a play on Oct. 11 in Boulder, Colo. Faulk is set to become Southern’s next football coach.
STAFF PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK
LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier walks on the sideline during a game against Western Kentucky on Saturday at Tiger Stadium. Nussmeier has been ruled out for LSU’s season finale game.
SAINTS
(Tuesday) when Igot here and kicked.”
That’sjust the latest entry in what has beenaninteresting career for York.
He was so good at LSU thathe declared for the draft following his junior season —ararity for a kicker,but adecision that panned outwhenthe ClevelandBrownsselected him in the fourthround of the 2022 draft.
But things have been difficult since. York made 75 %ofhis field goals as arookie with the Browns, ranking 30th among qualifying kickers. The Browns released York in training camp the following year,starting ajourney that led him to Tennessee, New York,back to Cleveland, Washingtonand Cincinnati.
He got caught up in tryingtobe perfect. At one point, while he was with the Giants, he said he strained his quad because he was trying to kick the ball too hard, which landed him on the injured reserve.
“I tried listeningtoa lotofvoices, tried to be perfect, and at times it resulted in really great moments and great kicks,” York said. “And at times Iwas so hard on myself and let so many voices inthatitresulted in some bad kicks.”
But his last stint, with the Bengals last year,was the best York has been as aprofessional. He made nine of his 11 attempts with along of 59 yards.But with Cincinnati already havingestablished kicker Evan McPherson on the roster,York chose to see what other opportunities he had in front of him.
As the 2025 season progressed, he allowed himself to think about what thoseother opportunities might look like. He admitted he never visualized himself in New Orleans, but something struck him when he stepped onto the turf at the team’sfacility
“I realized how many cool momentsI’vehad in NewOrleans, York said.
This is where he was when LSU offered him ascholarship, andit’s also where he won anational title with the Tigers to cap an undefeated 2019 season,among otherthings.
“It was asurreal moment looking back and seeing all the cool stuff that had happened here,” York said But if he’sgoing to get achance
GRUNFELD
Saints kickerCharlie Smythmakes afield goal kick after the team scored against the DenverBroncos duringapreseasongameonAug 23 at the Caesars Superdome.
“. Ididn’t playthe sport before, so it’staken time to makesome adjustments and improvements on things, and Ifeel likeI’m in apretty good spot right now.I’m really excited for theopportunity to compete (Thursday) and see wherethat takes us.”
CHARLIE SMyTH, Saints kicker
to kick in aSaintsuniform, he will have to prove he’sabetter option than the man the Saints have had in-housefor thelast 18 months.
Smyth grewupplaying Gaelic footballinIreland, but he showed enough promise after barely learning thegamefor the Saints to sign him to acontract through the IPP.He hasnot yetappeared in agame and has shown signs of hisinexperience in the form of inconsistencyduring trainingcamp practices, buthe’salso shownsigns of massive talent. What is unclear is howhe’sdeveloped behind the scenes. And even the Saints, who see him every week, wanted to see how he’dperform in adifferentsetting: When York and Justin Tucker came in foraworkoutonTuesday, Smyth kickedalongwith them.
Galiano saidthe Saints included Smyth in the workout to get a closerlookathow he performed in acompetitiveatmosphere
something that was not loston Smyth.
“From my point of view,that was my first time doing aworkout like that where you’regoing up against otherguyswith potentially aspotonthe line,” Smyth said. “It was acool experience, and I was happy with howIhandledit. Ijust focused on myself, stuck to my own process and swing thoughts.”
Smythisgratefulfor the chance to earn the right to be on the field, but he is somewhat conflicted about it, too.
“There’sa part of you thatisa competitor who wantstoplay on Sundays, but there’salso the part where me andBlake have spent 18 months together and have grown to have apretty good friendship,” Smythsaid. “So it was astrange day, strange emotions, but excitement for an opportunitytocompetenow.”
Because he has been developing behind the scenes, it’sdifficult to gauge the progress Smyth has made. The only time he’skickedin apublic setting this year has been in training camp, when he endured several rough weeks before appearing to right the ship as camp closed. He did takethe rare opportunity to get somepersonal coaching during the season: Earlier this month, Smyth was away from the team for aweek working with kicking coach Morgan Lineberry in Dallas where he said he actually worked with York for afew days.
“Wewanted to get him alittle more technicalworkwithsomebody thatwetrusted and who we think does areally good job,” Galiano said. “... I’m by no means an expert in theactual kicking and punting aspect. And there’speople, and there’snot alot of them,but there’sa handful throughout the U.S. that are really good at it and can break it down even better.”
Smythsaid he madesome adjustments in that time that have him feeling good about where he is as aprofessional kicker.Now he just has to wait to seeifhecan show what he can do on the field.
“I come over here, Iwanttoplay,” Smyth said. “Obviously, Ididn’t play the sport before, so it’s taken time to make some adjustments and improvements on things, and I feel likeI’m in apretty good spot right now.I’m really excited for the opportunitytocompete(Thursday) and seewhere that takes us.”
Email Luke Johnson at ljohnson@theadvocate.com
Missouri locksin Drinkwitzwith
BY DAVE SKRETTA AP sportswriter
Missouriand Eli Drinkwitz have agreed to asix-year contract that will push the football coach’saverage compensation to $10.75 million annually and likely end any speculation that he could leave forone of the high-profile jobopenings elsewhere.
The new contract was announced Thursday,one day after theUniversity of Missouri Board of Curators heldameetingin which they voted unanimously to approve thedeal.Itwould keep Drinkwitz leading the Tigers through the 2031 season.
“My family and Ibelieve deeply in the vision and leadership from our administration andare incredibly happy to continue calling Columbiaour home,” Drinkwitz said. “I’m grateful for the unwavering support of President Mun Choi,the Board of Curators, ledbychair Todd Graves and incoming vice chair Bob Blitz, along with our athletics director LairdVeatch.
Missouri officialswereno doubt worried about losing Drinkwitz amid ahot coaching market. SEC rivals LSU, Florida, Arkansas and Auburn have openings, while power programs such as PennState, UCLA and Stanford also are looking for new coaches.
“Underhis visionand leadership, Coach Drinkwitz has transformedthe standard forMizzou football and united our entire program and fanbase behind a clear pursuit of excellence,” Veatch said. “We’re thrilled he will continue leading our team into the future.”
Missouri has invested heavily in its football program,buildinga robust NILprogram and undertaking massive renovations to Memorial Stadium. That includes a$250 million rebuild of the north end zone that is expected to be completed forthe 2026 season The Tigers have sold out 20 consecutivehomegames, breaking the school record set in 1978.
“It’scritically important that we continue providing Coach Drinkwitzwiththe resources necessary to build anddevelop championship rosters in the Southeastern Conference,” Veatch said. “This newcontract reflects our commitment to further strengthening andenhancing those resources. Our will to win is clear.We’re fully aligned behind Coach Drinkwitzand eager to keep building with him as he leads this program forward in the pursuit of championships.”
“We’realsoincredibly thankfulfor thesupport of ourgenerous donors and NIL partners,” Drinkwitz added in astatement released by the school. “I’m committed to continuing our work to build Mizzou into achampionship program.” Drinkwitz was hiredbyMissouri in December 2019 after asingleseason at Appalachian State, where he went 12-1 and finished theyear ranked in the top 20. The Tigers had fallen on hard times, but Drinkwitz steadily built them into acontender in the Southeastern Conference, reaching abowl game in each of his first five seasons with arecord of 45–28 heading into Saturday’s gameagainst Arkansas. Thatsuccess, which included an 11-2 record and Cotton Bowl victory two yearsago,made Drinkwitza hotcommodity on the coaching carousel. Missouri hasacted aggressively to keep him, and the deal given to him this week is the second in the last four months.
STAFF FILE PHOTO By DAVID
Drinkwitz
Getyourholiday on at theseBaton Rougeand Lafayetteareaevents. Thefun’s alreadybegun.
TBY JUDYBERGERON| Staff writer
he Baton Rouge and Lafayette areas are bursting with holiday spirit, fromlights to parades, “Nutcrackers,” music and multiple opportunities to see Santa. And don’tforget Ice Skating on the River,aseasonal Cirque show,“Winter Wonderettes” and loads of more Christmas fun. Allevents are in Baton Rouge unlessindicated. Don’t see your event listed?Please emailred@theadvocate.com so we can include it online.
Merry,Merry!
NOWTHROUGH DEC.25
n MAGIC OF THE HOLIDAYS: Tanger Outlets, 2100 S. Tanger Blvd.,Gonzales. Celebrate with festivedecor bright traditions,Santa moments and themedfestivities. https:// www.tanger.com/gonzales
NOWTHROUGH DEC.30
n LOUISIANA LIGHTS: half-hour starttimesbetween 5:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m closes 10 p.m. Windrush Gardens, LSU Rural Life Museum, 4560 Essen Lane. Elaborate holiday display where youcan wander through enchanting garden rooms illuminated with dazzling lights, where nature blends with artistry Special eventsinclude Mistletoe &Moss on Dec.3,Barks &Bright Night,Dec. 10;and University Night,Dec.17. General admission, $24.76; kids3 and younger, free. https://www.lsu.edu/rurallife/. n ZOOLIGHTS: 5:30 p.m.-9p.m. (admission gates close at 8p.m.), Baton Rouge Zoo, 3000 ZooCircle, Baker. Presented by Our Ladyofthe Lake Children’s Health. Magical wonderland of twinkling lights and animal encounters. Closed Christmas Eve and ChristmasDay.Adults/teens, $5; seniors, $4; Zoomembers, $3 per person; children (2-12), $3; children (1 and younger), free. brec.org.
NOWTHROUGH DEC.31
n HOLIDAY LIGHTS: nightly,Baton Rouge General-Bluebonnet, 8785 Picardy Ave. Thousands of sparkling lights, festivemusic and afew surprises. Park in theBluebonnet campusslots near display. Free. n MERRIEST MILE: 6p.m.-10p.m., Livingston Parish Fairgrounds, 19869 Fairgrounds Road, Livingston. Magical experience withdazzling lightsand festivemusic. $30
PROVIDED PHOTO
The Lafayette ConcertBand will present‘Sounds of the Season’ at 3:30 p.m. Sunday,Dec. 14, at Lafayette HighSchool,3000 W. Congress St Lafayette. Admission is free.
and up for standardvehicle.the merriestmile.com.
FRIDAY n BALLERINAS AT THE CASTLE: 1p.m.-2 p.m., Louisiana’sOld State Capitol, 100 NorthBlvd. Live demonstration from Baton Rouge BalletTheatre’s “The Nutcracker dancers, followedbyaspecial mini-ballet lessonfor children Free. https://louisianaoldstatecapitol.org/
SUNDAY
n LAND OF THE SWEETS “NUTCRACKER” TEA: 2p.m., LodCook Alumni Center,3838 W. Lakeshore Drive, LSU.Kids andaccompanying
ä See HOLIDAYS, page 2D
STAFF FILE PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON Jesse and GretaTate pose for a picture withPapaNoel, played by Stan Guidry, at ‘A Rural Life Christmas’ at the LSU Rural Life Museum in 2024.
2D
adults can meet dancers from “The Nutcracker — A Tale from the Bayou,” refreshments, kids’ crafts, holiday photos $65. givebutter.com.
n MARIACHI BIG BAND CHRISTMAS SHOW: 2 p.m. Manship Theatre, 100 Lafayette St. With Grammy-nominated Mariachi Herencia de México. Family-friendly. $20 and up. manshiptheatre.org.
TUESDAY-WEDNESDAY, DEC. 2-3
n COOL WINTER NIGHTS, HOT JAZZ: 7:30 p.m., Manship Theatre, 100 Lafayette St. Featuring Brian Shaw and Willis Delony with the Cool Winter Nights jazz ensemble in a program of new arrangements and holiday favorites. Also, a special remembrance for the Rev. Greg Daigle; special guest, Sasha Masakowski. $40-$60. manshiptheatre.org.
THURSDAY, DEC. 4
n HOLIDAY BRASS SERIES: 7:30 p.m., St. Joseph Cathedral, 412 North St. Concert featuring full Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra brass and percussion performing holiday favorites. $40. brso.org.
FRIDAY, DEC. 5
n DOWNTOWN FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS: 4 p.m.-8 p.m., in and around North Boulevard Town Square. Half a million lights, live music, arts market, dance performance, lighting of the 30-foot Christmas tree and fireworks. artsbr.org.
n SANTA IN THE SENATE: 6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m., Louisiana’s Old State Capitol, 100 North Blvd. Families can snap their own photos with Santa beneath the glowing stained glass, while little ones enjoy hands-on holiday crafts and a Christmas movie in the historic House chamber. Free. eventbrite.com.
n “NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS (1993)”: 7:30 p.m., Manship Theatre, 100 Lafayette St. Film screening of the family holiday musical from Tim Burton. $5. manshiptheatre.org.
n HOLIDAY BRASS SERIES: 7:30 p.m., The Mallory, 5747 Commerce St., St. Francisville. Concert featuring full Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra brass and percussion performing holiday favorites. $35. brso.org.
FRIDAY-SUNDAY, DEC. 5-7
n ANNUAL HOLIDAY SHOPPING EVENT: 10 a.m.-5 p.m., LSU Museum Store, first floor, Shaw Center for the Arts, 100 Lafayette St. 20% off all items; museum members get 25% off. Plus, free gift wrap and a chance to enter raffle for a free household membership for a family of four. lsumoa.org.
SATURDAY, DEC. 6
n HOLLY JOLLY PJ PARTY:
9 a.m. to 11 a.m., Knock Knock Children’s Museum, 1900 Dalrymple Drive. Glide across the Sneaux Figure Skating Rink (in fuzzy socks), take aim in the Faux Snowball Toss, get swept up in the Confetti Blizzard, write letters to the North Pole, make seasonal crafts and snap photos with Santa. Also have hot chocolate, breakfast treats, doughnuts, and freshmade omelets from the Louisiana Egg Commission. $9, members; $18, nonmembers; under age 2, free. https:// knockknockmuseum.org.
n BRUNCH WITH SANTA: 9 a.m. and 11 a.m., The Legacy at Bonne Esperance, 1655 Sherwood Forest Blvd Members: $20, adults; $5, children. Non-members: $30, adults; $12, children. Jaredm. thelegacy@gmail.com.
n SHAKESPEARE IN THE LIBRARY: 10 a.m., Delmont Gardens Branch Library, 3351 Lorraine St. Louisiana Shakespeare Company will perform “A Christmas Carol.” For ages 5-11. Free. https://www.ebrpl. com/.
n TEDDY BEAR TEA: 2 p.m., Louisiana Art & Science Museum, 100 S. River Road Bring a favorite stuffed friend for the festive event perfect for children and their cuddly companions. Teas, treats and more. Limited spots; member, $50; nonmember, $75. blackbaudhosting.com.
n CIVIC ORCHESTRA OF BATON ROUGE HOLIDAY CONCERT: 3 p.m., Main Library at Goodwood, 7711 Goodwood Blvd. In addition to seasonal favorites by Leroy Anderson and the orchestra’s annual performance of the “Hallelujah Chorus,” this year’s concert will feature Prokofiev’s “Peter and the Wolf,” narrated by Clay Achee. Free. https://www.ebrpl.com/.
n WALKER CHRISTMAS PARADE: 3 p.m., from Walker High School along Burgess Avenue, turn right onto La. 447 North, right on Florida Boulevard to Palmetto and back to the school.
n CHRISTMAS IN THE PARK: 4:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m., Sidney Hutchinson Park, 13750 Ball Park Road, Walker. Santa, activities for kids, hot chocolate and a movie at 6:20 p.m., and Christmas tree lighting at 8 p.m.
n GREATER LAFAYETTE CHRISTMAS PARADE: 5 p.m., Main Street from Second Street to 11th Street. Theme is “Christmases Past, Present and Future.”
n JINGLE JEEPIN’ PARADE & CHRISTMAS MARKET: 5:30 p.m., rolling from the West Baton Rouge Convention and Visitors Bureau, 2750 N. Westport Drive, Port Allen. westbatonrouge.net
n “A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS” DANCE: 7 p.m.-10 p.m., American Legion Hall, 151 S. Wooddale Blvd. Ballroom, Latin and swing dancing; cash bar. $15 (cash only dancers and spectators).
DEC. 6-20
n BOOKS AND MUSIC WITH KIDS ORCHESTRA: various times and EBR Parish Library locations. A “Nutcracker Suite” freeze dance, jingly bells and the book “The Boy Who Said Wow.” https:// www.ebrpl.com/.
SATURDAY, DEC. 6-25
n COCA-COLA CHRISTMAS: A MONTH OF MAGIC: Louisiana Art & Science Museum, 100 S. River Road. An immersive, family-friendly celebration featuring larger-than-life Coca-Cola box displays and joyful programming each Saturday. lasm.org.
SUNDAY, DEC. 7
n A RURAL LIFE CHRISTMAS: 11 a.m.-5 p.m., LSU Rural Life Museum, 4560 Essen Lane
various times, Raising Cane’s River Center Arena, 275 S River Road. 75-minute ice skating sessions. Closed Dec. 12-13, 18-20 for hockey and Dec. 25 for Christmas. $28 and up. https://raisingcanesrivercenter.com/.
FRIDAY. DEC. 12
n HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE: 6 p.m.-8 p.m., West Baton Rouge Museum, 845 N. Jefferson Ave., Port Allen. Scavenger hunt, Santa’s Workshop, music, hot cider, gingerbread and more. Free. https://westbatonrougemuseum.org/.
FRIDAY-SATURDAY, DEC. 12-13
A 19th-century Louisiana Christmas event with live music, skilled artisans, storytellers, costumed reenactors and Papa Noël. Ages 0-3, free; ages 4-11, $6; ages 12 and older, $12. https://www.lsu. edu/rurallife/.
n WASSAILING IN WINDRUSH: 5 p.m.-7:30 p.m., Windrush Gardens, LSU Rural Life Museum, 4560 Essen Lane. Wander the beautifully illuminated gardens, enjoy fireside gatherings, sip and savor seasonal food and drink inspired by centuries-old holiday customs, live traditional and seasonal music. General admission, $65; friends & docents, $60. https://www lsu.edu/rurallife/.
n SANTA’S BLOCK PARTY: 2 p.m., Manship Theatre, 100 Lafayette St. In conjunction with Free First Sunday, there will be free photos with Santa, Christmas carolers, face painting, “Manship Kids Holiday Art Exhibit” reception, LSU Museum of Art’s kids’ craft activities (1 p.m.4 p.m.), book mobile, art vendors. manshiptheatre.org.
n “SANTA’S LITTLE HELPERS: A NEW HOLIDAY MUSICAL”:
2 p.m., Manship Theatre, 100 Lafayette St. An hourlong original musical. $20. manshiptheatre.org.
n HOLIDAY BRASS SERIES:
4 p.m., grounds of Houmas House and Gardens, 40136 La. 942, Darrow. Concert featuring full Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra brass and percussion performing holiday favorites. In case of inclement weather, the concert will be moved indoors. $50. brso.org.
THURSDAY, DEC. 11
n GROOVIN’ ’ROUND THE CHRISTMAS TREE: 7:30 p.m., Manship Theatre, 100 Lafayette St. A revue of holiday hits from the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s with Mike Esneault. $35-$55. manshiptheatre.org.
n “HANDEL’S MESSIAH”: 7:30 p.m., St. Joseph Cathedral, 412 North St. Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra and Symphony Chorus performing Handel’s famous oratorio, “Messiah.” $40. brso.org.
DEC. 11-30
n SKATING ON THE RIVER:
https://www.ebrpl.com/.
SATURDAY-SUNDAY, DEC. 13-14
n “THE NUTCRACKER”: 7 p.m.
Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday, Heymann Performing Arts Center, 1373 S. College Road, Lafayette. a Lafayette Ballet Theatre production. $36.50 and up. heymanncenter.com.
n TRI-PARISH’S “THE NUTCRACKER”: 6 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday, Independence Park Theatre, 7800 Independence Blvd. A Tri-Parish Ballet production. Saturday’s performance (admission a nonperishable food item) benefits the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank and the Community Hands food pantry at First United Methodist Church, Denham Springs. Sunday admission, $25, in advance; $30, at the door.
SUNDAY, DEC. 14
n CREOLE CHRISTMAS & HOLIDAY FAIR: noon-5 p.m., Magnolia Mound Museum + Historical Site, 211 Nicholson Drive. Traditional songs in French and Spanish, period demonstrations, folk crafts, local vendor booths and bonfire. Free. brec.org.
n TEDDY BEAR TEA: 2 p.m.4 p.m., The 121 Event Venue, 121 Convention St., Mississippi River views, tea selections, sweet and savory bites and a Christmas performance. $50$75. the121venue.com.
n GEORGE BELL AND FRIENDS: HOLIDAY JAZZ: 7:30 p.m., Manship Theatre, 100 Lafayette St. For the 12th annual event, Bell will be joined by George Bell & Friends veterans and other supporting artists from his past shows Special guest, Quiana Lynell. $61.25. manshiptheatre.org.
FRIDAY-SUNDAY, DEC. 12-14 AND 19-21
n “THE WINTER WONDERETTES”: 6:15 p.m. Friday (opening night gala), 7:30 p.m., all other performances except 2 p.m. on Sunday, Cité des Arts, 109 Vine St., Lafayette. Musical comedy featuring holiday favorites. Gala, $35; other performances, $25. https:// www.citedesarts.org/.
SATURDAY, DEC. 13
n DISCOVERY DAY: NATCHITOCHES LIGHTS: 10 a.m.-
2 p.m., Capitol Park Museum, 660 N. Fourth St. Learn about the Natchitoches holiday lights, build your own decorative light garland, and enjoy discounted museum admission. Free. louisianastatemuseum.org.
n SCREENING OF “THE POLAR EXPRESS”: noon-2 p.m., Irene W. Pennington Planetarium at Louisiana Art & Science Museum, 100 S. River Road. Also, hot cocoa in the Bert S. Turner Family Atrium, time to explore LASM’s galleries. Each guest will also get a complimentary sleigh bell, just like the one featured in the film. General admission + $5, adults; $2, children. lasm.org.
n “HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS”: 2 p.m., Raising Cane’s River Center Theatre for Performing Arts, 240 St. Louis St. Holiday favorites for the entire family. $25-$80. brso.org.
n DENHAM SPRINGS CHRISTMAS PARADE: 2 p.m., along Range Avenue from Denham Springs High School to Veterans Ave. Presented by Denham Springs Kiwanis with the theme “Glitter, Glow & Mistletoe.” https://dskiwanis. org/christmas-parade/. n UGLY CHRISTMAS SWEATER MURDER MYSTERY PARTY: 3 p.m., Pride-Chaneyville Branch Library, 13600 PridePort Hudson Road. Wear your ugly sweater and take part in this holiday whodunnit. Free.
n “SOUNDS OF THE SEASON”: 3:30 p.m., Lafayette High School, 3000 W. Congress St., Lafayette. An ugly Christmas sweater holiday concert presented by the Lafayette Concert Band. Free.
n 2025 DOWNTOWN CHRISTMAS PILGRIMAGE: 5:30 p.m.-
8:30 p.m. A walking tour of several downtown churches. At each stop, music of the season is performed.
5:30 p.m., Mt. Zion First Baptist; 6 p.m., First United Methodist; 6:30 p.m., First Presbyterian; 7 p.m., St. Joseph Cathedral; 7:30 p.m., St. James Episcopal; and 8 p.m., First Baptist. Preceded by a gumbo supper at 4:30 p.m. in the FUMC Conference Center.
n LIGHT UP THE HOLIDAYS FUNDRAISER: 6 p.m., Poydras Center, New Roads. Presented by the Arts Council of Pointe Coupee and featuring musicians James Linden and Jim Hogg. Food, drink and art market. Members, $60; nonmembers, $75; students, $30. artscouncilofpointecoupee.org.
SUNDAYS, DEC. 14 AND 21
n JINGLE BELL BRUNCH: 11 a.m.-2 p.m., Heidelberg Ballroom, Hilton Capitol Center, 201 Lafayette St. Brunch buffet with a hot chocolate bar, 2 included mimosas, photos with Santa, sugar cookie decorating, Toys for Tots Drive. General admission, $49.19; children 2 and younger, free. eventbrite.com.
FRIDAY, DEC. 19
n NIGHT AT “THE NUTCRACKER”: 6 p.m.-10 p.m., Raising Cane’s River Center Theatre for Performing Arts, 240 S Louis St. A fundraiser for the Baton Rouge Ballet Theatre and exclusive viewing of “The Nutcracker — A Tale from the Bayou” dress rehearsals. Also, small bites, beer, wine, a champagne toast, sweets, a meet-and-greet with party scene characters and music by the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra. $150. givebutter.com.
FRIDAY-SUNDAY, DEC. 19-21
n “AMAHL & THE NIGHT VISITORS”: 7:30 p.m. Friday-Satur-
day, 3 p.m. Sunday, Manship Theatre, 100 Lafayette St. Presented by Opéra Louisiane, and based on Italian folk tales of the Nativity and Epiphany. $31.50-$61.50. manshiptheatre.org.
DEC. 19-23
n A DULCIMER AND DRUMS
HOLIDAY CONCERT: various times and EBR Parish Libraries. Madam Dulcimer and Lady Chops are teaming up to bring lively holiday music. Free, but registration may be required. https://www.ebrpl. com/.
SATURDAY, DEC. 20
n “HOLIDAY NUTCRACKER”: 1 p.m. and 4 p.m., Brown-Holt Theatre, The Dunham School, 11111 Roy Emerson Drive. Presented by Cangelosi Dance Project. $25 and up. cangelosidanceproject.com. n BOOK OR MOVIE: HOLIDAY EDITION: 2 p.m., Greenwell Springs Road Regional Branch Library, 11300 Greenwell Springs Road. Adults are invited to read the book “A Christmas Carol” and then watch “Scrooged” (1988, PG-13) at the library and give your thoughts. https://www ebrpl.com/.
n DONALDSONVILLE CHRISTMAS PARADE: 5:30 p.m., beginning at Donaldsonville Fairgrounds, turning right on Marchand, and ending at Mississippi Street and Railroad Avenue.
n BATON ROUGE CHORUS OF SWEET ADELINES: “CHRISTMAS EXPRESS: A JOURNEY THROUGH TIME”: 6 p.m., Irene W. Pennington Planetarium, Louisiana Art and Science Museum, 200 S. River Road. Timeless Christmas favorites with immersive, customdesigned visual projections. Reception follows at 7 p.m. Adults, $30; children 12 and younger and LASM members, $20. batonrougechorus.org.
SATURDAY-SUNDAY, DEC. 20-21
n “THE NUTCRACKER — A TALE FROM THE BAYOU”: 2 p.m. and 6 p.m., Raising Cane’s River Center Theatre for Performing Arts, 240 St. Louis St. The classic ballet with an added Louisiana flair presented by the Baton Rouge Ballet Theatre. $40-$95. ticketmaster.com or (225) 766-8379.
TUESDAY, DEC. 23
n “THE GRINCH (2018)”: 2 p.m., Manship Theatre, 100 Lafayette St. Screening of updated version of the classic film with Benedict Cumberbatch as the grumpy Grinch. $11.50. manshiptheatre.org.
n “IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1946)”: 7:30 p.m., Manship Theatre, 100 Lafayette St. Screening of Frank Capra’s classic holiday story starring James Stewart, Donna Reed and Lionel Barrymore. $12.50. manshiptheatre.org.
n CIRQUE MUSIC HOLIDAY WONDERLAND: 8 p.m., Raising Cane’s River Center Theatre for Performing Arts, 296 St. Louis St. World-class circus artistry, favorite holiday music, breathtaking acrobatics, soaring aerial performances in an all-new production. $60 and up. raisingcanesrivercenter.com.
SUNDAY, DEC. 28
n HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS: 7 p.m., Manship Theatre, 100 Lafayette St. Presented by the Manship and Kay Solar, the show features Louisiana hitmakers CJ Solar, Alex Smith, James Dupré, Rhett Anthony Glindmeyer, David Borné and Amanda Shaw. $35-$55. manshiptheatre.org.
Email Judy Bergeron at jbergeron@theadvocate. com.
STAFF FILE PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON
Guests gather in the entry area of the Burden Museum & Garden’s Windrush Gardens for the premiere of Louisiana Lights in 2024.
By The Associated Press
Today is Friday,Nov 28, the 332nd day of 2025. There are 33 days left in the year.TodayisThanksgiving in the United States.
Todayinhistory: On Nov.28, 1925, the Grand Ole Opry (known then as the WSM Barn Dance) debuted on radio station WSM in Nashville, Tennessee; it continues today as the longest-running radio broadcast in U.S. history
Also on this date:
In 1520, Portuguesenavigator Ferdinand Magellan reached the Pacific Ocean after passing through the South American strait that now bears his name. In 1943, President Frank-
DON POURCIAU&KONSPIRACY: El Paso, DenhamSprings, 6p.m.
EDDIE SMITH: T’Quilas, Zachary,6p.m.
RACHAEL HALLACK &ERIC
CANTRELLE: Sullivan’s Steakhouse, 6p.m.
CAMPYLE: BLDG 5, 6p.m.
SHANNON DYER: T’Quilas, Denham Springs, 6p.m.
FLOYDBROWN BAND
FEATURING JODYMAYEUX: Pedro’s-Siegen, 6:30p.m.
WILLIE STONEMORE: El Paso, Gonzales, 6:30 p.m.
ALLISON COLLINS TRIO: Bin 77, 7p.m.
THE LEE SERIOBAND: The Legacy,7p.m.
ISSY DUO: 18 Steak at L’Auberge, 7p.m.
ACOUSTICRATS: The Brakes Bar, 7p.m.
THE PADLOCKS: On TheHalf Shell, Prairieville,7p.m.
BEN BELL &THE STARDUST
BOYS: Curbside Burgers, 7p.m.
BUBBAPLAUCHÉ: Riverbend Terrace II at L’Auberge, 8p.m.
HENRYTURNER JR. &ALLSTARS: Henry Turner Jr.’s Listening Room,8 p.m.
JOHN RUIZ JR.: Coop’s on 621, Gonzales, 8p.m
TAYLOR NAUTA: Spanky’s, Dutchtown, 8p.m.
JOEL COOPER &SCOTT JORDAN: FatCat Saloon, Prairieville, 9p.m.
N’TUNE: Churchill’s, 9p.m
THE DUPONT BROTHERS: The Vineyard, 9p.m
CARTER HAMPTON: Jack’s Place, Port Allen, 9p.m
MCFLY: Icehouse TapRoom, 9p.m.
BRIAN RITTENHOUSE: Moonlight Inn, French Settlement, 9p.m.
REGENERATION: The Edge Bar at L’Auberge, 9p.m.
SATURDAY
BRITTON MAJOR: Sullivan’s Steakhouse, 5:30 p.m.
PETER SIMON: BLDG 5, 6p.m.
BRENT ARMSTRONG: T’Quilas, Zachary,6p.m.
DON POURCIAU&KONSPIRACY: Pedro’s-Siegen, 6p.m
TAYLOR NAUTA: Le Chien Brewing Co., Denham Springs, 6:30 p.m.
KYBALION: El Paso,Gonzales
6:30 p.m.
BUBBAPLAUCHÉ: 18 Steak at L’Auberge, 7p.m
CHRIS ROGERS &TYLER BIG-
HAM: The Brakes Bar,7p.m. CHRIS OCMAND: Riverbend
TODAYINHISTORY
lin D. Roosevelt, British Prime MinisterWinston Churchill andSoviet leader Josef Stalin met in Tehran, Iran,for thefirst time to discussAllied cooperation during World WarII. In 1961, halfback Ernie Davis, of Syracuse University,became thefirst Black collegefootball player to be namedwinner of the Heisman Trophy. In 2001, EnronCorp., once the world’slargestenergy trader, collapsedafter would-berescuer Dynegy Inc. backed outofan$8.4 billiontakeoverdeal.(Enronfiled for bankruptcy protectionfour dayslater.) In 2022, Payton Gendron, aWhite gunmanwho massacred 10 Black people at aBuffalosupermarket,
pleaded guiltytomurder and hate-motivated terrorism charges in an agreementthat gave him life in prison without parole. Today’sbirthdays: Recording executive Berry Gordy Jr.is96. Football Hall of Famer PaulWarfield is 83. Former “LateShow” band leader PaulShaffer is 76. Actor Ed Harris is 75. Actor S. Epatha Merkerson is 73. Actor Judd Nelson is 66. Film director Alfonso Cuarón is 64. Rock drummer MattCameron is 63. Comedian and talk show host Jon Stewart is 63. Actor Colman Domingo is 56. Musician apl.de.ap (Black Eyed Peas)is51. Actor Mary ElizabethWinstead is 41. R&B singer Trey Songz is 41.
STAFF FILEPHOTO By MICHAEL
Catch Baton Rougesinger-songwriter Taylor Nauta at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at Le Chien BrewingCo. in Denham Springs.
Terrace II at L’Auberge, 8p.m. ISSY: The Varsity Theatre 8p.m.
ACOUSTIC SATURDAYSW/ HENRYTURNER: Henry Turner Jr.’s ListeningRoom, 8p.m.
LSU SONGWRITERSHOWCASE: La Divina Italian Cafe, 6p.m
JOEL COOPER: On The Half Shell, Prairieville, 6:30 p.m.
BEN BELL &THE STARDUST
BOYS: The Brakes Bar, 7p.m
THE BISHOP ELLIS TRIO: Hayride Scandal, 7p.m HENRY TURNER JR. &ALLSTARS WITH JESSI CAMPO AND LOUI DANIELS: Henry Turner Jr.’s Listening Room, 8p.m
BLUES JAM: Phil Brady’s, 9p.m
Compiled by Marchaund Jones. Want your venue’s musiclisted? Email info/ photos to showstowatch@ theadvocate.com. The deadline is noon FRIDAY for the following Friday’s paper
PROVIDED
Switch to Christmasshopping modeatthis week’sRed Stick Farmers Markets with items likegoat’smilk soap by Erin TassinofGrosse Tete. Tassin is usually set up at the Saturday and Thursday markets, according to BREADA’swebsite.
FRIDAY
BATONROUGE ZYDECO VS.BILOXI BREAKERS (ICE HOCKEY): 7p.m Raising Cane’s River CenterArena, 275S River Road. $25. raisingcanesrivercenter.com.
FRIDAYNIGHT LECTURE:
7:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m.,BREC’s Highland Road Park Observatory,13800 Highland Road. Skygazing tips, physics phenomena, space programs and famous events arecovered. Forages 14 and older. Free. hrpo.lsu.edu. Also, evening sky viewing from 7:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday.
FRIDAY-SUNDAY
ADULT&KID SEWING CAMP:
10 a.m.-12:30 p.m., 225 TheatreCollective, 7338 Highland Road. Learn hand sewing, machine sewing, and howtouse asewing pattern. Ages 6and older. Free snacks, drinksand all materials included. $150. 225theatrecollective.com.
SATURDAY
RED STICK FARMERS MARKET:
8a.m.-noon,Fifth and Main streets, downtown. Farmfresh produce, goods, cooking demonstrations. breada. org.
FAMILY-HOURSTARGAZING:
10 a.m.,Irene W. Pennington Planetarium at the Louisiana Art &Science Museum, 100 S. River Road. Learn about the stars and constellations in the local nighttime sky, followedbyanall-ages show. lasm.org.
BATONROUGE CHESS CLUB: 6p.m.-8 p.m.,LaDivina Italian Cafe, 3535 Perkins Road, Unit 360. Achance to playand learn; all levels welcome. Free.
TRIVIA NIGHT: 6:30 p.m. Burgersmith,18303 Perkins Road. Collect your team and jockey for first place. loom. ly/y-CKtQ4.
WEDNESDAY
RED STICK FARMERS MARKET: 9a.m.-noon,ExxonMobil YMCA, 7711 Howell Blvd. Farm-fresh produce, goods and more. www.facebook. com/redstickfarmersmarket.
FIRSTWEDNESDAY OPENING RECEPTION: 6p.m.-9 p.m., Baton RougeGallery Center for Contemporary Art, 1515 Dalrymple Drive. Featuring artists Sarah House and Craig McMullen. batonrougegallery org.
TRIVIA NIGHT: 6:30 p.m. Burgersmith,27350 Cross-
AROUND BATONROUGE
ing Circle, Suite150, Denham Springs.Collect your team and jockey for firstplace loom.ly/y-CKtQ4.
THURSDAY
RED STICKFARMERS MAR-
KET: 8a.m.-noon, Pennington Biomedical Research Center 6400 Perkins Road. Farm-fresh produce,goodsand more. facebook.com/redstickfarmersmarket.
WEEKLYSOCIAL BIKE RIDE: 7p.m., Geaux Ride, 521 N. ThirdSt., SuiteA.Free. fareharbor.com.
ONGOING ARTGUILD OF LOUISIANA: Independence Park Theatre, 7800 Independence Blvd. “A Holiday Retrospective —AGL Member Show 2025,” through Jan. 8. (225) 773-8020 or artguildlouisiana.org.
BATONROUGE GALLERY CENTER FORCONTEMPORARY ART: 1515 Dalrymple Drive.Exhibitions by Sarah Houseand Craig McMullen, through Dec. 21. batonrougegallery.org.
CAPITOL PARK MUSEUM: 660 N. FourthSt. “Billy Cannon: They CalledHim Legend,” through Jan. 10. “Grounds for Greatness: Louisiana and theNation,” “The Louisiana Experience:Discovering the SoulofAmerica,” “African American History,” “Music and Musicians” and “Mardi Gras,” permanent exhibits. (225) 342-5428 or louisianastatemuseum.org.
CARY SAURAGE COMMUNITY ARTS CENTER SHELL GALLERY: 233 St. Ferdinand St. “Picturethe Power,” a statewidejuriedphotography competition and traveling exhibition highlighting Louisiana’s ongoing fight for voting rightsand democratic participation, through Friday.Hours arefrom9 a.m. to 4p.m. weekdays and from 10 a.m. to 2p.m. Saturday.artsbr.org.
ELIZABETHAN GALLERY: 680 Jefferson Highway.Group show.Call (225) 924-6437 or followthe gallery’s Facebook page THE GALLERYATMANSHIP: 100 Lafayette St. “A NewFrame of Mind,” group exhibition that challenges the traditional role of thepicture frame. through Jan. 31. Hours are9 a.m.-4 p.m.Monday 9a.m.-10 p.m.Tuesday-Thursday, 9a.m.-11 p.m.Friday, 10 a.m.-11 p.m.Saturday, and 11 a.m.-5 p.m.Sunday LOUISIANAART &SCIENCE MUSEUM: 100 S. River Road. “Crossroads&Connections: ACentury of theRailway in Baton Rouge,” nowinthe Republic Finance Gallery “Landscapes Along the Railway:The Art of John Cleaveland,” SoupçonGallery; “Going Places: Transportation
Toys of thePast,” Discovery Gallery; and “Shelf Queens: Model Train Masterpieces,” ColonnadeGallery.(225) 3445272 or lasm.org.
LOUISIANASTATE ARCHIVES
GALLERY: 3851 Essen Lane.
“Associated Womeninthe Arts All-Member Exhibition, through Monday. Free. Gallery hours arefrom8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.Monday through Friday
LSU MUSEUM OF ART: Shaw Center for theArts, 100 Lafayette St. “The Sculpture of Scott, Payton, Hayden,and Bechet,” through Jan. 25. “A BayouState of Mind,” highlighted by theexhibition “The BayouCollection,” aseries of 40 paintings by George Rodrigue,through Jan. 4. (225) 389-7200 or lsumoa.org.
MANSHIP THEATRE JONES
WALKERFOYER: 100 Lafayette St. “Composition-ColorPattern” by artist Kevin Babb, through Dec. 31. Free and open during regular Shaw Center building hours unless thereisaprivate event. LSU TEXTILE &COSTUME MUSEUM: Human Ecology Building, TowerDrive, LSU campus. “Dressing Louisiana Histoires de la modedelaLouisiane,” through March 6. (225) 5785992 or email textile@lsu.edu
MAGNOLIA MOUNDMUSEUM +HISTORIC SITE: 2161 Nicholson Drive.Guided and selfguided tours.Hours arefrom 10 a.m. to 4p.m. MondaySaturday and from 1p.m. to 4p.m. Sunday.brec.org/facility/MagnoliaMound
OLD GOVERNOR’SMANSION: 502 NorthBlvd. Open for tours.Hours arefrom9 a.m. to 4p.m. Monday-Friday.Free admission. oldgovernorsmansion.com.
OLD STATECAPITOL: 100 NorthBlvd. “Vietnam Experience: 50th Anniversaryofthe End of theWar,” through Dec. 20. Free. louisianaoldstatecapitol.org.
USS KIDD VETERANS MUSEUM: 305 S. River Road. Displaysofavariety of artifacts that celebrate veteran and navalmilitary history.Note: Vessel is in Houma for dry dock repairs.usskidd.com. WEST BATONROUGE MUSEUM: 845 N. Jefferson Ave., Port Allen. “AnAmerican War in Vietnam,” through Dec. 30. (225) 336-2422 or westbatonrougemuseum.org.
CompiledbyJudy Bergeron. Have an open-to-the-public eventyou’dlike to promote? Email details to red@theadvocate.com. Deadline is 5p.m.Friday forthe following Friday’s paper
JOHNSON
SAGITTARIUS (Nov.23-Dec. 21) Conversations can easily turn intoemotional battlegrounds. Choose your words carefully. Afinancialopportunity is apparent, along with acommitment
CAPRICORN(Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Emotions and money will clash today.Revising how you present your skills will help yougain professional ground. Look for an opportunity and seize themoment.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Don'thesitate when you can achieve so much. Take advantageofevery situationthat comesyour way.It'stime to identify what's holding you back
PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) Distance yourself fromthose who try to corral youin an undesirable direction. Takecharge of what's important to you.
ARIES (March 21-April 19) Don't stop when momentum is building. Achange is headingyourway that youwon't want to miss. Invest timeand moneyinyourself,your skills and updates that will help youadvance.
TAURUS (April20-May 20) Setthe pace and stick to your plans. Take control andmakedemands. It's up to youtocall theshots if youwant to getthings done your wayand on time. Share your longterm plans andbring them to life.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20) Mixedemotions will quickly lead to an argument if you aren't willing to compromise. Change is likely, but witha healthy attitude anda
little charm,you can bypass negativity andgain support.
CANCER (June 21-July 22) It's up to youto initiate change.The stars are aligned, andthe timing is right. Aconfident and positive attitude will help younavigate your way forward.
LEO(July 23-Aug.22) Bypass controversy, talksand those trying to redirect you. Focus on physical activities, a healthydiet andsocializingwith people who uplift you. Choose healthyliving over indulgent behavior.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Change what you don't like or need anymoreand focusonwhatyou do. Achange may look inviting, but it's up to youtoshape it intosomething that fits and suits your needs.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) Simple,discreet anddoable will be theway to go today Too much of anything can backfire, leaving youtopick up thepieces or pay forsomething youdon't need or want.
SCORPIO(Oct. 24-Nov. 22) Look, see and do.Anopenmind, adisciplinedattitude anda unique perspective will help yougain thesupport and confidence youneed to promote andlaunchyour plans.
CelebrityCipher cryptograms are created from quotations by famous people, past and present. Eachletter in the cipher stands for another.
TODAy'SCLUE:P EQUALS B
CeLebrItY CIpher
For better or For WorSe
beetLe bAILeY
Mother GooSe And GrIMM
LAGoon
Sudoku
InstructIons: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 grid with several given numbers. The object is to place the numbers 1to9inthe empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. The difficulty level of the Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.
Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer
BLondie
BaBY BLueS Hi and LoiS
Bridge
BY PHILLIP ALDER
Kin Hubbard, ajournalist and humoristwho died in 1930, said, “No matter how muchstrong black coffee we drink, almost any after-dinner speech will counteractit.”
Thisdealcentersontheblacksuits,one stronger than the other. Would you prefer to be in four spades or five clubs?
Let’s assumethat Southisinfour spades and West leads adiamond. East wins with his 10 and continues with the diamondace.HowshouldSouthcontinue after ruffing?
The auction is difficult. South might rebidthree clubs, not two hearts, because his hearts are so weak —but we love majors. North’s three diamonds is a game-forcingcue-bid. Then,whenSouth showsclubsupport,Northmightwellbid game in that suit.
Five clubsmakes unless East leads atrump,which is feasible when South shows athree-suited hand. ButifEast starts with the diamond ace before shiftingtoaclub,Northwinsinhishand,ruffs adiamond in the dummy(South),plays a heart to his ace, ruffs another diamond, leads aheart to the king, drawstrumps, triesunsuccessfully to drop the spade queen and claims,conceding one heart.
Each Wuzzle is aword riddle which creates adisguised word, phrase, name, place, saying, etc. For example: NOON GOOD =GOOD AFTERNOON
Previous answers:
word game
InstRuctIons: 1. Words must be of four or more letters. 2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,”suchas“bats” or “dies,”are notallowed. 3. Additional words made by adding a“d” or an “s” may notbeused. 4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are notallowed.
toDAY’s WoRD IMPoRts: im-PORTS: Brings from aforeign or external source.
Averagemark 26 words
Time limit 40 minutes Can youfind35ormorewords in IMPORTS?
YEstERDAY’s WoRD —scARIER
sari scar scare sear sierra sire care carer caries carries case crier cries acre arise race racer racier raise rare rear rice ricer rise riser erica
sung
wuzzles
loCKhorNs
marmaduKe
Bizarro
hagar the horriBle
Pearls Before swiNe
garfield
B.C.
PiCKles
hidato
mallard fillmore
shown on theplans Electronic bids will also be accepted.Please find bidrelated materialsand placeyourelectronic bids at www.centralauct ionhouse.com.Bidsre‐ceived after theabove time will notbeac‐cepted Complete BidDocuments forthisproject areavail‐able in electronic form They maybeobtained from www.centralauct ionhouse.com.Printed copies arenot available from theDesigner, but arrangements canbe made to obtain them throughmostrepro‐graphic firms. Plan hold‐ersare responsiblefor theirown reproduction costs. Questionsabout this procedureshall be directed to theDesigner at:Novus RebEngineer‐ing, LLC– JasonEllis 1651 LobdellAve Ste 202, BatonRouge,LA 70806. jason@novusreb com. PERFORMANCEAND PAY‐MENT BOND:A perfor‐d
DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT,DESCRIBING THE BOUNDARIES OF THE PROPOSED DELMONT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT,DESIGNATING THE GOVERNING AUTHORITYOFTHE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT,AND ACKNOWLEDGING THEIR AUTHORITYTOLEVY SALES AND USE TAXES AND HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAXESWITHIN THE DISTRICT IN THE CITY OF BATON ROUGE– PARISH OF EAST BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Metropolitan Council for the City of Baton Rouge –Parish of East Baton Rouge willmeet in open and public session and hold apublic hearing at 222 St. Louis Street, Metropolitan Council Chambers, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70802 on December 10, 2025 at four o’clock (4:00) p.m., to hear any objections to the adoption of an ordinance introduced November 25, 2025, entitled as follows:
AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OFBATON ROUGE –PARISH OF EAST BATON ROUGE (“CITY-PARISH”) (A) CREATING THE DELMONT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT (“DISTRICT”) WITHIN THE CITY OF BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANAONTHE PROPERTY DESCRIBED ON EXHIBIT A, SHOWN ON EXHIBIT B(“PROPERTY”); (B) DEFINING THE BOUNDARIESOFTHE PROPERTY FROM WHICH NEWAREA SALESAND USE TAXES AND HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAXES MAYBELEVIED BY THE DISTRICT AND USED TO FUND ALL OR APORTIONOF THE COSTS OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS AS DESCRIBED HEREIN, ALL IN ACCORDANCE WITH AND AS AUTHORIZED BY CHAPTER 27 OF TITLE 33 OF THE LOUISIANA REVISED STATUTES OF 1950, AS AMENDED; (C) DESIGNATING THE GOVERNING AUTHORITY OF THE DISTRICT;(D) ACKNOWLEDGING THEIR AUTHORITY TO LEVYSALES AND USE TAXES AND HOTELOCCUPANCY TAXES WITHIN THE DISTRICT;AND (E) PROVIDING FOR OTHER MATTERSIN CONNECTION WITH THE FOREGOING.
The public is hereby notified that pursuant to the provisions of Chapter 27 of Title 33 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950, as amended La. R.S. 33:9038.31, et seq. (“Act”),the Metropolitan Council (“Metropolitan Council”) for the City-Parish acting in its capacity as the governing authority of the City-Parish, is in the process of considering the
p manceand payment bond forthe work will be required upon execution of thecontract, equalto onehundred percent (100%)ofsaidcontract writtenbya companyli‐censed to do business in Louisianaand whoiscur‐rently on theU.S.Depart‐ment of theTreasuryFi‐nancialManagement ServiceList. Thebond shallbecountersigned by apersonwho is under contract andwho is li‐censed as an insurance agentinthe State of Louisiana, andwho is re‐siding in this state. ATTESTATIONAFFIDAVIT: Thebidding documents shallnot requireany bid‐der, other than theapparentlow bidder,tofurnish any otherinformation or doc‐umentation,including theAttestationAffidavit, anysooner than tendays after thedatebidsare opened;however,the ap‐parent lowbiddermay submit such information or documentation at any time priortothe expira‐tion of theten-day pe‐riod Allmailedorhanddeliv‐ered bids must be sub‐mitted in asealedenve‐lope marked MORRIS STREET SIDEWALK & DRAINAGE IMPROVE‐MENTS PROJECT , includ‐ingLouisiana Contrac‐tor’slicense numberand Construction Firm name Allbidsmustbesubmit‐tedinone of threeways. Forbidshanddelivered to St.Gabriel City Hall 5035 IbervilleStreet,St. Gabriel, LA 70776 by the bidder or hisagent a writtenreceipt shallbe handed to thedeliverer Forbidssubmitted by mail, bids shallbesent
by registered or certified mail with areturn receipt requested, thesealeden‐velope containing thebid must be enclosed in an‐otherenvelopead‐dressedtothe City of St Gabriel, 5035 Iberville Street,St. Gabriel, LA 70776, andmustbere‐ceived no laterthanthe bidopening.Bidswillnot be accepted on days that arerecognizedasholi‐days by theUnitedStates Postal Service. Electronic Bids maybesubmitted viawww.centralauctionh ouse.com.Bidsreceived after theabove time will notbeaccepted. Allbid‐ders arerequiredtohave an active licensefor “Municipal andPublic WorksConstruction” from theLouisiana State LicensingBoard forCon‐tractors priortobidding this project. Bids re‐ceived by Contractors withoutthisclassifica‐tion will notbeopened. Bidsecurityinthe amount of five percent (5%) of theTotal Bid must accompanyeach Bid, andshall be made payabletothe Owner. TheOwner reserves the righttowaive anyinfor‐malities or to reject any or allbids. TheCityofSt. Gabrielstronglyencour‐ages theinvolvement of minority and/or womanownedbusinessenter‐prises (DBE’s,including MBE’s, WBE’sand SBE’s) to stimulateparticipa‐tion in procurementand assistance programs. TheOwner reserves the righttowaive anyinfor‐malities or to reject any or allbids. ANon-Mandatory Pre-Bid Conference will be held on Wednesday,Decem‐b
,sealed, anddelivered(1
Hall, 3814 Front Street Winnsboro,LA71295, by 1p.m. on December 10,2025
