The Acadiana Advocate 11-29-2025

“My drug of choice is a microphone and acrowd of people.”

HAL MCMILLIN, mayorofWestlake and auctioneer

Hal McMillin,auctioneer and mayorofWestlake, calls bids at the McNeese State University

team dinner and auctiononNov.20.

Westlake mayor doublesasauctioneer

McMillin findspassion in auctions,serving community

BY MEGANWYATT Staff writer

Westlake Mayor Hal McMillin has the typical southwestern Louisiana drawlofthe peopleherepresents, but he can switch to themusical,urgent chant of an auctioneer at amoment’snotice.

McMillin, 70, was captivated by auctioneers as ayoungchild, but he didn’tpick up the profession until he was about 50. He’ssince made up for lost time by using his talent to raise millions of dollarsfor causes

he caresabout. “My drug of choice,” he said, “is a microphone and acrowd of people.”

WhenMcMillin was 7or8years old,hewent to auctions each Friday night with his parents.

“I liked doing impersonations,” McMillin said.“So Istarted impersonating the auctioneer,learning howtocount and listen to him.”

The auctioneer,DaveBlack,took McMillin under his wing as achild. Black allowed him to “be part of the team”bydoing chores, such as loadingand unloading auction items.

Later,asayoung adult, McMillin attended Ducks Unlimited auctions thatraised money for waterfowl and wetlands conservation. He got more experience when another auctioneer,Charlie Willis, allowed McMillin to flag itemsfor him.

“It was justbeing in an auction atmosphere that was exciting to me,” McMillin said. “It gave me a real kind of thrill, but Inever really thought about being an auctioneer until years later ”

ä See AUCTIONEER, page 5A

La.dodges hurricanes in 2025 season

Researchersstill consider it above-averagefor activity

BY KASEYBUBNASH Staff writer

The 2025 Atlantic hurricane season comes to aclose Sundayasthe latest in along line to see above-average tropical storm activity,but an unusual set of circumstances left Louisiana and much of the nation unscathed. For thefirst time in 10 years, this season will endwithout ahurricane landfall in theU.S.Only one named storm,Tropical Storm Chantal, hit the country this year,bringing gusty winds, heavy rainfall and millions in damages to the Carolinas in early July.Tropical Storm Barry,whichhit Mexico in June, was this year’sonly system to reach the Gulf Louisiana neverfound itself within aforecast cone. But despite the quiet in nearby waters and another midseason lull in tropical activity,the hurricanes that were able to form developed an explosive strength, eventually bringing theseason in line with historical norms, and —depending how you crunch the numbers —beyond.

Atotal of 13 named stormsformed in the

BY COLLIN BINKLEY and BEN FINLEY Associated Press

WASHINGTON Charges against the man accused of shooting two NationalGuard members have been upgraded to first-degree murderafter one of the soldiers died, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia announced Friday, while investigators continue to seek amotive.

Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and Staff Sgt. AndrewWolfe,24werehospitalizedincritical condition after theWednesdayafternoon shooting near

See SHOOTING, page 4A

ComeauxHighseniorinspiresotherswithhis resilience

School ralliesaround homecoming king

BY ERIC NARCISSE Staff writer

Comeaux High’sTaeshawn

Moore wouldhave loved nothing more than to be able suitupasa member of the Spartans’football and basketball teams. Unfortunately for Moore, participating in those sports wasn’t in the cards for his life.

Moore, an 18-year-old senior, was diagnosed with cerebral palsy when he was 6months old

So, instead of playingthe games he loved, Moore did the next best thing to remaininvolved —he joined those programs as amanager helping with equipmentand running the practice clocks to keep theSpartans on schedule.

“He was amanager for the basketball team first,” Spartans athletic directorand basketball coach MontrellTaylor said. “Heissuch a good kid. He hasagreat attitude, and he is always lookingtohelp out.”

“He’ssucha hard worker,” Spartansfootball coach Marquis Newsome said. “He never misses practice and if anyone needsanything,

or needs help with something, he’s got it.”

Whether he’swalking the Comeauxhallways or along the sidelines during Spartans football or basketballgames, the student known by his peers as “TM” can always be seen with “an infectious smile” on his face.

“Despite the adversity he has faced,TMalwaysisingood spirits,” Taylor said. “He faces every day with asmile.Hecan be in real pain,and you’ll never know it.There’sjust ajoyfulness about him.He’sthe definition of what it

ä See INSPIRES, page 4A

The Comeaux High Homecoming Courtand KingTaeshawn Moore watch theirteam during the Northside vs. Comeaux High footballgame on Oct. 24.

PHOTO By ROBIN MAy

PHOTO By CHRISTOPHER R. VINN

women’stennis

College student flying to Texas deported instead CONCORD N.H. A college freshman trying to fly from Boston to Texas to surprise her family for Thanksgiving was instead deported to Honduras in violation of a court order, according to her attorney Any Lucia Lopez Belloza, 19, had already passed through security at Boston Logan International Airport on Nov 20 when she was told there was an issue with her boarding pass, said attorney Todd Pomerleau. The Babson College student was then detained by immigration officials and within two days sent to Texas and then Honduras, the country she left at age 7

“She’s absolutely heartbroken,” Pomerleau said. “Her college dream has just been shattered.”

According to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, an immigration judge ordered Lopez Belloza deported in 2015. Pomerleau said she wasn’t aware of any removal order, however, and the only record he’s found indicates her case was closed in 2017.

The day after Lopez Belloza was arrested, a federal judge issued an emergency order prohibiting the government from moving her out of Massachusetts or the United States for at least 72 hours. ICE did not respond to an email Friday from The Associated Press seeking comment about violating that order Russian authorities ban Human Rights Watch

Russian authorities on Friday outlawed Human Rights Watch as an “undesirable organization,” a label that under a 2015 law makes involvement with such organizations a criminal offense.

The designation means the international human rights group must stop all work in Russia, and opens those who cooperate with or support the organization to prosecution.

The decision by the Russian prosecutor general’s office is the latest move in an unrelenting crackdown on Kremlin critics, journalists and activists, which has intensified to unprecedented levels since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

In a separate statement on Friday, the office said it was opening a case against Russian feminist punk band Pussy Riot that would designate the group as an extremist organization.

Meanwhile, on Thursday, Russia’s Supreme Court designated the Anti-Corruption Foundation set up by the late opposition activist Alexei Navalny as a terrorist group. The ruling targeted the foundation’s U.S.-registered entity, which became the focal point for the group when the original Anti-Corruption Foundation was designated an “undesirable organization” by the Russian government in 2021

Pro-Palestinian protesters arrested at Apple Store

NEW YORK Cops arrested four protesters who tried to block the entrance of the Midtown Apple Store during a Black Friday sale, police said.

A coalition of about 70 protesters, including pro-Palestinian demonstrators, holding signs reading, “Think before you buy” and “Israel is killing children,” and waving Palestinian flags, stopped outside the Apple Store across from Central Park, where salespersons were offering Apple gift cards of up to $250 for each purchase as part of a Black Friday promotion

Four protesters were handcuffed and detained Charges were not immediately filed, an NYPD spokesman said. The protesters claimed the tech giant benefits from exploitative cobalt mining in the Congo, and also slammed Apple’s ties to ICE and President Donald Trump. The demonstration occurred not far from the Park East Synagogue, where pro-Palestinian protesters on Nov 19 held a tumultuous rally at which participants screamed “Intifada!” “Death to the IDF!” and “Resistance! Take another settler out!” as members of Nefesh B’Nefesh — an organization that assists Jewish immigration to Israel from the U.S. and Canada were holding a program inside.

Death toll hits 128 in Hong Kong fire

8 more arrested over towers’ renovation

BY DAVID RISING and CHAN HO-HIM Associated Press

HONG KONG Hong Kong firefighters found dozens more bodies Friday in an intensive apartment-by-apartment search of a high-rise complex where a massive fire engulfed seven buildings, and authorities arrested another eight people involved in the towers’ renovation The death toll in one of the city’s deadliest blazes rose to 128, and many remain unaccounted for

First responders found that some fire alarms in the complex, which housed many older people, did not sound when tested, said Andy Yeung, the director of Hong Kong Fire Services, though he did not say how many were not working or if others were.

The blaze jumped rapidly from one building to the next as foam panels and bamboo scaffolding covered in netting apparently installed by a construction company caught fire.

Authorities on Friday arrested seven men and one woman, ranging in age from 40 to 63, including scaffolding subcontractors, directors of an engineering consultant company and project managers supervising the renovation, the Independent Commission Against Corruption said in a statement.

On Friday, crews prioritized apartments from which they had received emergency calls during the blaze but were unable to reach in the hours that the fire burned out of control, Derek Armstrong Chan, a deputy director of

Hong Kong Fire Services, told reporters It took firefighters a day to bring the fire under control, and it was not fully extinguished until Friday morning some 40 hours after it started.

Even two days after the fire began, smoke continued to drift out of the charred skeletons of the buildings from the occasional flare-up.

Some 200 people remain unaccounted for, Secretary for Security Chris Tang told reporters That includes 89 bodies that have not yet been identified. Yet more bodies might be recovered, authorities said, though crews have finished a search for anyone living trapped inside.

More than 2,300 firefighters and medical personnel were involved in the operation, and 12 firefighters were among the 79 people injured, Yeung said. One firefighter was also killed, he had said previously

Katy Lo, 70, a resident of Wang Fuk Court, was not home when the fire started Wednesday She rushed back roughly an hour later to see that the blaze had spread to her building.

“That’s my home I still can’t really believe what happened,” Lo said on Friday as she registered for government assistance for affected households. “This all still feels like a bad dream.”

Police said they found highly flammable plastic foam panels attached to the windows on each floor of the one unaffected tower The panels were believed to have been installed by the construction company but the purpose was not clear

Louvre to increase ticket price for non-EU visitors

BY SYLVIE CORBET Associated Press

PARIS Paris’ Louvre museum has approved a ticket hike from $25 to $37 for non-European visitors from January to help finance an overhaul of the building whose degradation has been exposed by the Oct. 19 crown jewels heist.

The measure comes as other major cultural sites across the country, including the Palace of Versailles, are considering similar moves to bring extra money needed for costly maintenance and renovation.

The Louvre ticketing changes come as part of a decade-long plan to modernize the museum. Security breaches that allowed the $102 million theft highlighted the urgency of the situation.

On Friday, a suspect in the Louvre robbery was handed preliminary charges of theft by an organized gang and criminal conspiracy, the Paris prosecutor said Friday meaning all four alleged members of the team caught on camera stealing the jewels are in custody

From Jan. 14, nationals from outside the European Union will have to pay $12 more. The measure was approved Thursday by the Louvre governing board. Nationals from Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, countries that signed up to the European Economic Area agreement, will be exempted from the hike.

In 2024, the Louvre welcomed 8.7 millions visitors, 77% of them foreigners

Top nationalities include people from the U.S (13%), China (6%) and Britain (5%), who will be affected by the price hikes.

Earlier this month, Louvre director Laurence des Cars announced more than 20 emergency measures have started being implemented following the robbery

She said the Louvre’s latest overhaul in the 1980s is now technically obsolete.

The cost for the so-called “Louvre New Renaissance” plan is estimated at up to $933 million to modernize infrastructure, ease crowding and give the famed Mona Lisa a dedicated gallery by 2031.

Some have argued that such a policy could be counterproductive if it leads to a fall in the number of visitors. But other institutions see it as a potential solution.

The new policy, championed by conservative Culture Minister Rachida Dati, could be extended to other major cultural sites across France. The Palace of Versailles is considering a $3.50 hike for non-EU visitors.

Extra fees for international visitors are not unusual in many countries across the world, often driven by the need to increase revenue to match the costs of maintaining heritage sites.

In the United States, the National Park Service announced this week it is going to start charging the millions of international tourists who visit U.S. parks each year an extra $100 to enter some of the most popular sites, like Yellowstone and Grand Canyon.

The announcement declaring “America-first entry fee policies” comes as national parks deal with the strain of a major 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.

In its budget this week, the U.K. government announced that British cities would be able to levy a “tourist tax” on overnight visitors, similar to fees in cities including Paris and New York. The money would help fund services and infrastructure in the cities.

Ally of deposed president named Guinea-Bissau PM

BY ASSANA SAMBU and MARK BANCHEREAU Associated Press

BISSAU, Guinea-Bissau Soldiers in Guinea-Bissau on Friday appointed a close ally of the deposed president as prime minister, after seizing power following disputed national elections earlier this week.

The country’s new military leader, Gen. Horta Inta-a, announced the appointment of finance minister Ilídio Vieira Té as prime minister in a decree.

Vieira Té is a close ally of the deposed President Umaro Sissoco Embaló, having served as his party’s campaign director during the legislative election on Sunday

Soldiers seized power on Wednesday, three days after the closely contested presidential election During the ongoing military takeover the president told French media over the phone he had been deposed and arrested.

The opposition claimed that Embaló had “fabricated” the coup to avoid an election defeat in Sunday’s vote. The military takeover and the reported arrest of Embaló were manufactured to disrupt election results, according to his rival Fernando Dias, who, like Embaló, claimed to have won the vote.

The former Nigerian president Goodluck Jonathan, who was in GuineaBissau during the military takeover as the head of the West African Elders Forum (WAEF) Election Mission observer group, accused Embaló on Friday of staging a “ceremonial coup” to stay in power

“A military doesn’t take over governments and allow the sitting president that they overthrew to address press conferences and announce that he has been arrested,” Jonathan told reporters.

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.

The High Military Command on Friday lifted the curfew it imposed during its military takeover and authorized the movement of people and public transportation across all neighborhoods of the capital, Bissau.

Calm has returned to the capital, with people and vehicles circulating through the city’s streets after army checkpoints were lifted. The main stock exchange and markets in outlying districts, as well as commercial banks, have also reopened.

Embaló, meanwhile, arrived in neighboring Senegal on Thursday with a flight chartered by the Senegalese government.

Senegalese Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko on Friday described the military takeover in Guinea-Bissau as a “scheme,” echoing claims that the coup was manufactured to disrupt election results. He called for the release of arrested opposition members.

“The democratic process must be carried through to the end and the results announced,” Sonko said at a parliamentary session.

Late Thursday, the West African regional bloc known as ECOWAS said it is suspending Guinea-Bissau from its decision-making bodies “until the restoration of full and effective constitutional order in the country.”

The regional bloc said a mediation team, led by the body’s chair and including the presidents of Togo, Cabo Verde and Senegal, will travel to Bissau to “engage the leaders of the coup with a view to ensuring the full restoration of constitutional order.”

The 15-nation ECOWAS was formed in 1975 to promote economic integration in member states.

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ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By NG HAN GUAN

Burned buildings are shown after a fire that started Wednesday at Wang Fuk Court, a residential estate in the Tai Po district of Hong Kong’s New Territories, on Friday.

Pope joins patriarchs at historic Christian site

BY NICOLE WINFIELD, ANDREW WILKS and MEHMET GUZEL Associated Press

IZNIK, Turkey Pope Leo XIV joined Eastern and Western patriarchs and priests Friday in commemorating an important anniversary in Christian history, gathering at the site in Turkey of an unprecedented A.D. 325 meeting of bishops to pray that Christians might once again be united.

Leo, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I and other Christian leaders met on the shores of Lake Iznik, the site of the Council of Nicaea that produced a creed, or statement of faith, that is still recited by millions of Christians today.

Standing over the ruins of the site, the men recited the creed, which Leo said was “of fundamental importance in the journey that Christians are making toward full communion.”

“In this way, we are all invited to overcome the scandal of the divisions that un-

fortunately still exist and to nurture the desire for unity for which the Lord Jesus prayed and gave his life,” he said.

Crucial Christian moment

The Nicaea gathering took place at a time when the Eastern and Western churches were still united They split in the Great Schism of 1054, a divide precipitated largely by disagreements over the primacy of the pope. But even today, Catholic, Orthodox and most historic Protestant groups accept the Nicaean Creed, making it a point of agreement and the most widely accepted creed in Christendom. As a result, celebrating its origins at the site of its creation with the spiritual leaders of the Catholic and Orthodox churches and other Christian representatives marked a historic moment in the centuries-old quest to reunite all Christians.

“The Nicene Creed acts like a seed for the whole of our Christian existence. It is a symbol not of a bare mini-

the Roman Empire after he had consolidated control following years of civil war and political intrigues.

Constantine wouldn’t formally convert to Christianity until the end of his life, in 337.

But by 325, he had already been showing tolerance and favor toward a Christian sect that had emerged from the last great spasm of Roman persecution.

The version of the creed that emerged from the council, and recited today by Catholics, begins: “I believe in one God, the Father Almighty ”

included priests patriarchs and bishops from Orthodox Greek, Syrian, Coptic, Malankarese, Armenian, Protestant and Anglican churches.

In his remarks to the men, Leo said all Christians must strongly reject the use of religion to justify war, violence “or any form of fundamentalism or fanaticism.”

“Instead, the paths to follow are those of fraternal encounter, dialogue and cooperation,” he said.

mum; it is a symbol of the whole,” said Bartholomew, spiritual leader of the world’s Orthodox Christians

At the start of the prayer service, he told the men they were gathering not just to remember the past.

“We are here to bear living witness to the same faith ex-

pressed by the fathers of Nicaea. We return to this wellspring of the Christian faith in order to move forward,” he said.

A prayer for unity

Roman Emperor Constantine had convened the gathering of bishops from around

The service commemoration, which featured alternating Catholic and Orthodox hymns, took place at the lakeside archaeological excavations of the ancient Basilica of Saint Neophytos. The stone foundations of the basilica, which were recently uncovered by the lake’s receding waters, are believed to be on the site of an earlier church that hosted the council 1,700 years ago.

Participants of the commemorative service also

Leo began his first full day in Istanbul by encouraging Turkey’s tiny Catholic community to find strength in their small numbers. According to Vatican statistics, Catholics number around 33,000 in a nation of 85 million, most of whom are Sunni Muslims.

He received a raucous welcome at the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit, where he was greeted with shouts of “Papa Leo” and “Viva il Papa” (Long Live the pope). “The logic of littleness is the church’s true strength,” Leo told them in English.

Zelenskyy’s chief of staff resigns after investigators search home

Andrii yermak was lead negotiator in talks with the U.S

BY ILLIA NOVIKOV and ISOBEL KOSHIW Associated Press

KYIV, Ukraine Ukrainian

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced Friday the resignation of his powerful chief of staff, Andrii Yermak, who was also the country’s lead negotiator in talks with the U.S, after Yermak’s residence was searched by anti-corruption investigators.

The unprecedented search at the heart of Ukraine’s government was a blow for the Ukrainian leader that risked disrupting his negotiating strategy at a time when Kyiv is under intense U.S. pressure to sign a peace deal nearly four years after Russia’s full-scale invasion Yermak has long been a trusted confidant of Zelenskyy, who has resisted persistent pressure to replace him. In a nod to the controversy over Yermak’s long stay at his side, Zelenskyy said Russia was waiting for Ukraine to make missteps and upset the delicate and tense peace

negotiations.

“We don’t have a right to retreat or argue between ourselves. If we lose unity we risk losing everything ourselves, Ukraine, our future,” Zelenskyy said.

“We must unite, we must hold on. We have no other choice. We won’t have another Ukraine.”

“To preserve our internal strength, there must be no reasons to be distracted at anything else except for defense of Ukraine,” he added.

“I don’t want anybody to be questioning Ukraine, and that’s why we have today’s decisions.”

In his nightly address, Zelenskyy announced that he was “resetting” the presidential office He said Yermak had submitted his resignation and that he would begin consultations Saturday to appoint a new chief of staff.

Yermak’s name did not appear on a list of officials that Zelenskyy said would make up the Ukrainian delegation for the next round of negotiations with the United States.

The delegation will now be jointly lead by Andrii Hnatov, the head of Ukraine’s armed forces; Andrii Sybiha, Ukraine’s foreign min-

ister; and Rustem Umerov, head of Ukraine’s security council, Zelenskyy said He said negotiations would happen “soon.”

Two national agencies fighting corruption in Ukraine said their search targeted Yermak. Oleksii Tkachuk, a spokesperson for Yermak, said the anti-graft agencies had not served Yermak a notice of suspicion, meaning he was not a suspect in an investigation. Yermak was not told what the searches related to, Tkachuk said.

Yermak confirmed the search of his apartment inside the presidential compound in downtown Kyiv where checkpoints limit public access. Media reports said Yermak’s office was also searched, but investigators declined to comment on that.

In an interview Thursday with The Atlantic, Yermak said that as long as Zelensky is president, “no one should count on us giving up territory He will not sign away territory.”

The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office are leading a major investigation into a $100 million en-

Canada, Alberta leaders sign pipeline deal that could reverse oil tanker ban

BY ROB GILLIES Associated Press

TORONTO Canadian Prime

Minister Mark Carney and the premier of Canada’s oil rich province of Alberta agreed Thursday to work toward building a pipeline to the Pacific Coast to diversify the country’s oil exports beyond the United States, in a move that has caused turmoil in Carney’s inner circle. The memorandum of understanding includes an adjustment of an oil tanker ban off parts of the British Columbia coast if a pipeline comes to fruition.

Carney’s support for it led to the resignation Thursday of one of his cabinet ministers, Steven Guilbeault, a former environment minister and career environmentalist who has been serving as the minister of culture.

Guilbeault said in a statement he strongly opposes the agreement with Alberta, noting the pipeline could cross the Great Bear Rainforest and that it would increase the risk of a tanker spill on the coast. But he said he understands why Canada needs to remain united and said he will stay on as a Liberal Member of Parliament.

Carney said he was glad Guilbeault is staying as a Liberal lawmaker

Carney has set a goal for Canada to double its nonU.S. exports in the next decade, saying American tariffs are causing a chill in investment.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said the agreement will lead to more than 1 million barrels per day for mainly Asian markets so “our province and our country are no longer dependent on just one customer to buy our most valuable resource.”

Carney reiterated that as the U.S transforms all of its trading relationships, many of Canada’s strengths — based on those close ties to America — have become its vulnerabilities.

“Over 95% of all our energy exports went to the States. This tight interdependence — once a strength — is now a weakness,” Carney said.

Carney said a pipeline can reduce the price discount on current oil sales to U.S markets. He called the framework agreement the start of a process. “We have created some of the necessary conditions for this to happen but there is a lot more work to do,” he said.

Carney said if there is not a private sector proponent there won’t be a pipeline.

The agreement calls on Ottawa and Alberta to engage with British Columbia, where there is fierce opposition to oil tankers off the coast, to advance that province’s economic interests.

Former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau approved one controversial pipeline from the Alberta oil sands to the British Columbia coast in 2016 but the federal government had to build and finish construction of it as it

faced opposition from environmental and aboriginal groups.

Trudeau at the same time rejected the Northern Gateway project to northwest British Columbia which would have passed through the Great Bear Rainforest.

Northern Gateway would have transported 525,000 barrels of oil a day from Alberta’s oil sands to the Pacific to deliver oil to Asia, mainly energy-hungry China.

The northern Alberta region has one of the largest oil reserves in the world, with about 164 billion barrels of proven reserves.

Carney’s announcement comes after British Columbia Premier David Eby said lifting the tanker ban would threaten projects already in development in the region and consensus among coastal First Nations.

Eby said he knows the federal government could impose this pipeline if they wished “What this is about is the fact that this project has no company that’s advancing it. It’s got no money It’s got no coastal First Nations support,” he said.

The agreement pairs the pipeline project a proposed carbon capture project and government officials say the two projects must be built in tandem.

The agreement says Ottawa and Alberta will with work with companies to identify by April 1 new emissions-reduction projects to be rolled out starting in 2027.

ergy sector scandal involv-

ing top Ukrainian officials that has dominated domestic headlines in recent weeks.

It was not clear if the searches were connected to the case, and a spokesperson for the NABU, Anton Tatarnikov declined to comment, citing legal restrictions on revealing details on an ongoing probe.

The head of Ukraine’s parliamentary anti-corruption committee, Anastasiia Radina, said on social media that Yermak’s resignation was “better late than never.”

Investigators suspect that Tymur Mindich, a one-time business partner of Zelenskyy was the plot’s mastermind. Mindich has fled the country, with any criminal proceedings against him

likely to be carried out in absentia. Two top government ministers have resigned in the scandal.

Two of Yermak’s former deputies left the government in 2024 after watchdogs investigated them for financial wrongdoing. A third deputy was investigated for bribes and other wrongdoing but still works for Yermak.

Zelenskyy faced an unprecedented rebellion from his own lawmakers earlier this month after investigators published details of their energy sector investigation.

Although Yermak was not accused of any wrongdoing, several senior lawmakers in Zelenskyy’s party said Yermak should take responsibility for the debacle in or-

der to restore public trust. Some said that if Zelenskyy didn’t fire him, the party could split, threatening the president’s parliamentary majority But Zelenskyy defied them.

Yermak met Zelenskyy over 15 years ago when he was a lawyer venturing into the TV production business and Zelenskyy was a famous Ukrainian comedian and actor He oversaw foreign affairs as part of Zelenskyy’s first presidential team and was promoted to chief of staff in February 2020. Domestically, officials describe Yermak as Zelenskyy’s gatekeeper, and he is widely believed to have chosen all top government appointees, including prime ministers and ministers.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By KHALIL HAMRA

Pope Leo XIV left, and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, the spiritual leader of the world’s Eastern Orthodox Christians, arrive for an ecumenical prayer service at archaeological excavations of the Byzantine-era Christian Saint Neophytos Basilica, in Iznik, Turkey, on Friday, marking 1,700 years since the Council of Nicaea.

INSPIRES

Continued from page1A

means to be aSpartan.”

“TM is always smiling,and he is always positive and optimistic,” Newsome said. “We’re talking about akid who was not giventhe best cards in life with his legs, but his spirit is somethingweall wish we had.”

Moore, whosepopularitybegan in middle school at Edgar Martin, prides himselfonbeinguplifting andnot wallowing in self-pity

“I’m happyand excitedabout life,” said Moore, who didn’tbegin walking independently until he was 3years old. “God made me this way.So, Iwant to make somebody else be happy every day when Ican.”

Andhis actionshavenot gone unnoticed or unappreciated, as Moore,who has seen his popularity skyrocket since arriving on campus,was voted Comeaux’s homecoming king by thestudent body

“Everybody knows this little kid,” Moore’smother CecilyGreenesaid.“He’sbeen wellknown since middle school. He has abig heartand abig personality. Despite his disability,heisalways trying to help anyand everybody He’svery outgoing andhedoesn’t letanything stop him.He’sresilient.”

“Gettingthatrecognitionand that spotlight issomething TM deserves,” Taylor said. “His limitations physically don’tfazehim at all. He has made agreat impact on ourschool.”

Moore, who saidbeing named homecoming king was the “best day of my life,” admits he couldn’t believe it when he foundout

“I was like ‘What? Igot thehomecoming king. What?’ ”Moore said he asked rhetorically.“It made me feelgood. I’m happy they chose me forhomecomingking. It meanta lot to me.Everyone lovesmeatComeaux, and Ilove them. Thatwas the bestday ever.”

As theholiday season begins, Moore and Greene said they have alot to bethankfulfor

Andnot just this year,but every year “I’m just thankful for his strengthand thepurposehegives me,” Greenesaid. “Things could be worse, and they arenot. Seeing his smile helps me. Anyone who doesn’tknowTaeshawnor haven’t met him, they’vemissed out on an experience. He’ssomeonewho can brightenupany room without even trying. I’m so thankful for him.”

“Notbeing able to playfootball or basketball because of my legs mademesad,” Mooresaid. “But I’m thankful. I’m thankful for God of course, my family,friends, teachers andeveryone who loves me. Ilove Comeaux.”

And Newsome said, “Comeaux loves him back.”

“TM’snot aquitter,” Newsome said. “He represents us well. People look up to him, so he has definitely had abig impact on our school.Heisaninspiration to everyone.”

Email Eric Narcisse at enarcisse@theadvocate.com.

the White House. Trumpannounced Thursday evening that Beckstrom had died.

U.S. Attorney JeaninePirro’soffice said the charges against Rahmanullah Lakanwal,a29-year-old Afghannational who worked with the CIA during the Afghanistan War, nowinclude onecount of first-degree murderand two counts of assaultwith intent to kill while armed Beckstrom and Wolfe were deployedwiththe West Virginia NationalGuard as part of President Donald Trump’s crime-fighting mission that federalized the D.C. police force. The president alsohas deployedortried to deploy National Guard members to other cities to assistwith his mass deportation efforts but has faced court challenges. Trump called the shooting a“terroristattack” andcriticized the Biden administration for enabling Afghans who workedwith U.S. forces during the Afghanistan War to enter the U.S. The president has said he wants to “permanently pause migration” from poorer nations and expel millions of immigrants from the country In an interview on Fox News, Pirrosaid there are “manycharges to come” beyond the upgraded murder charge. She said her heart goes out to thefamily of Beckstrom,who volunteered to serve and “ended up being shot ambush-style on thecold streets of Washington, D.C.” Pirro said officials have been working around the clocktodetermine the suspect’smotive. Investigators are executing warrantsin the state of Washington, where Lakanwal lived, and other parts of the country Defense Secretary Pete Hegsethvisited National Guard troops in the nation’s capitalFriday andled them in aprayer for Beckstrom and Wolfe.

“Someofyou mayhave knownher,” Hegseth said of Beckstrom. “Obviously a beautiful human being and agreat American willingto serve her country brutally targeted.”

Hegseth said he and his wife briefly visited Wolfe on Thursday night “to be there, lay hands on him, pray over him.” Wolfe remains in “very critical condition,” West Virginia Gov.Patrick Morrisey said Friday.He ordered state flags to be flown at half-staff in recognition of

Beckstrom’sdeath

“Theircourage and commitment to duty represent the very best of ourstate,” Morriseysaid Lakanwal has been living in Bellingham, Washington, about 80 miles northofSeattle,with his wifeand five children, said his former landlord,Kristina Widman Mohammad Sherzad, a neighbor of Lakanwal’sin Bellingham, told the AP in aphone interview Friday thatLakanwal was polite, quiet and spoke very little English.

Sherzadsaidheattended the same mosqueasLakanwal and had heard from other members that Lakanwal was strugglingtofind work. Some ofhis children attended the same school as Lakanwal’schildren, Sherzad said “He was so quiet and the kids weresopolite,they were so playful. Butwe didn’tsee anything bad abouthim.Hewas looking OK,”Sherzad said. Sher-

zadsaidLakanwal “disappeared”abouttwo weeks ago.

Lakanwal hadbriefly worked as an independent contractor for Amazon Flex, which allows people to use their own cars to deliver packages, acompany spokespersonshared with TheAssociatedPress Lakanwal delivered packages from the end of July to the end of August andhadn’t been active since.

Lakanwal entered theU.S. in 2021 through Operation Allies Welcome, aBiden administration program that resettled Afghans after the U.S. withdrawal from the country,officials said. Lakanwalappliedfor asylum during theBiden administration, but his asylum was approved underthe Trump administration, #AfghanEvac said in astatement.

Lakanwal served in aCIAbacked Afghan Army unit, known as one of the special Zero Units, in the southern

province of Kandahar,according to aresident of the eastern Afghan province of Khostwho identified himselfasLakanwal’scousin. He said Lakanwal was originally from theprovince and that his brother had worked in the unit as well.

The cousin spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity for fear

of reprisals. He said Lakanwal had started out working as asecurity guard for the unit in 2012 and was later promoted to becomeateam leader and aGPS specialist. Zero Unitswere paramilitary units manned by Afghans but backed by theCIA that also served in front-line fighting with CIA paramilitary officers. Activ-

ists had attributed abuses to the units. They played akey role in the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from the country, providing security around Kabul International Airport as the Americans and withdrew from the country

On Wednesday night, Trump called for the reinvestigation of allAfghan refugees whohad entered under the Biden administration initiative that brought roughly 76,000 people to the country,manyofwhom had worked as interpreters and translators.

The program has faced intense scrutiny from Trump and others over allegations of gaps in the vetting process, even as advocates say there was extensive vetting and the program offered a lifeline to people at risk of Taliban reprisals.

Beckstrom had enlisted in 2023, the sameyear she graduated high school,and served with distinction as a military policeofficer with the 863rd Military Police Company,the West Virginia NationalGuard said in a statement. “She exemplified leadership, dedication, and professionalism,”the statement said, adding that Beckstrom “volunteered to serve as part of Operation D.C. Safe and Beautiful, helping to ensure the safety and security of our nation’scapital.” The president calledBeckstroman“incredible person, outstanding in everysingle way.”

PHOTO By ROBIN MAy

Taeshawn Moore was voted homecoming kingatComeaux High.

McMillin finally got an invitation to serve as an auctioneer when his friends were trying to raise money for a friend’s wife who had cancer

They asked McMillin to be an auctioneer for a fundraiser for her medical expenses. He did, but later learned auctioneers must be licensed and bonded McMillin decided to make his interest official in 2005 when he attended a nine-day training at America’s Auction Academy in Dallas.

Twenty years later, McMillin can still recite — in perfect rhythm — the tongue twister “Betty Botter” his class learned as they developed their vocal skills. McMillin and his classmates also learned how to structure an auction and control a crowd in a way that keeps people engaged.

“A lot of times when you change increments, it resets the room and your bidders get back in,” McMillin said. “These are the little tricks of the trade that you learn from going to an academy.”

Although his cadence as an auctioneer is wildly different from his usual speech pattern, McMillin sees his side hustle as a natural extension of his role as a public servant.

“I truly do love being mayor and being in politics because I get to help a lot of people,” McMillin said. “And being an auctioneer, I’ve been able to help people with cancer or people whose house has burned down. So there’s some overlap there.”

The speed at which McMillin speaks changes depending on the type of auction he’s hosting. Automobile or cattle auctions draw a niche audience that responds well to a quicker speech pattern he said. McMillin slows it down a notch for community fundraisers or benefit auctions.

While rapid-fire numbers in varying increments dominate his time at the mic, McMillin has a chant that he falls back on — “able to bid, able to buy.” He slips those words between numbers, steadily and effortlessly

“In a fundraiser auction, you don’t need to be so fast people don’t understand where you’re at,” McMillin said. “You need clarity and good counting of numbers and a really good chant. I use the words

HURRICANES

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Atlantic this year including five hurricanes. Four of those went on to become major hurricanes of Category 3 strength or more.

That’s not far from the historical average, according to data collected by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which shows that from 1991 to 2020, a typical season produced 14 named storms, seven hurricanes and three major hurricanes.

But scientists consider more than just the number of storms that formed when attempting to gauge the severity of the season. Colorado State University hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach said it was this season’s high number of powerful storms that pushed it just past the average.

“This year is a really screwy year when you’re looking at the different metrics,” Klotzbach said “I’ve been calling it basically a year of fairly low quantity but very high quality.”

NOAA ranks hurricane seasons based on accumulated cyclone energy, or ACE, which considers not just the number of storms in a season but also the duration and intensity of each system

A hurricane season’s overall ACE index is calculated by adding each storm’s individual score together A near-normal season would end on Nov 30 with an ACE score of 73 to 126, according to NOAA’s definition.

A season with an ACE of 126.1 or higher is considered above normal, and 159.6 or higher is extremely active.

Hurricane Melissa’s 10 days as a named storm in October helped push the 2025 season just over the threshold, according to data collected by CSU bringing its ACE up to 133

Nine of the last 10 Atlantic hurricane seasons have been classified as either above normal or extremely active, according to Klotz-

‘able to bid, able to buy.’”

“That’s probably going to be on my tombstone,” he added with a laugh.

Live auctions aren’t just an adrenaline rush or a revenue stream for McMillin. They can also raise significant money for the event organizers.

Blake Reed, the baseball coach at Westlake High, switched from using golf tournaments as a fundraiser to live auctions because of how much more money he’s found they can make. He said his team’s benefit golf tournaments would typically bring in about $20,000, while McMillin’s auctions can bring in between $50,000 to $100,000.

“From start to finish, it’s a production,” Reed said, noting that McMillin is a pro at figuring out the order to auction items. “He does a really good job of knowing the crowd and how to work to get

as much juice for the squeeze as he can get.”

Sometimes, when two people are bidding on a hot item and neither one is backing down, McMillin will ask if there’s the possibility of doubling the item.

It happened once at a school fundraiser Two parents were bidding to be the first in line at pickup each afternoon. Instead of selling one first-in-line spot, McMillin managed to split the prize so that both high bidders would park side by side at the start of the car rider line for the rest of the school year Awarding two coveted spots in line brought in $100,000 for the school instead of the $50,000 high bid at the time of the decision.

“I make people feel good when they spend their money,” McMillin said. He also knows when not to split an item. Some bidders want the ex-

clusive right to a prize and will pay almost anything to get it.

At an athletics fundraiser for McNeese State University someone asked McMillin if splitting a dinner for eight with McNeese basketball coach Will Wade might be the way to go. The bidders were at $24,000 at the time If the prize were made available to both bidders at that price, it would have raised $48,000.

“I said, ‘Nope,’” McMillin said. “And it sold for $65,000.” McMillin knows his regular bidders and quickly learns about the new people at an event.

“I love it when you have a lot of ego or testosterone in the room — somebody who wants to really show off,” he said. “I’ll take their money.” McMillin and his wife, Sue, work anywhere from 30 to 70 auctions per year He’s the big personality

of each event, while she tracks the high bids and who is taking home which items.

Sue McMillin said becoming the first lady of Westlake, along with an auctioneer’s wife, has forced her into the spotlight in a way she would not have expected.

“Are you kidding me?” she said with a laugh. “I was the most reserved person. They used to call me Sweet Silent Sue in school. And it took me a while to come out of that, but he drew it out of me.”

Although they went to high school together, the McMillins married different people as young adults. They reconnected as divorcees at a class reunion in their 30s and have been inseparable ever since.

“We’re kind of a ying and yang,” she said. “Because he’s ADD and I’m more reserved. He’s really pulled me out of my shell, but then I keep him basically in order We work well together.”

Her husband, who worked in the chemical plant and business development industries, served for five years on the Westlake City Council and 20 years on the Calcasieu Parish Police Jury before taking office as mayor in 2023.

Although he initially saw himself serving two or three terms as mayor, Hal McMillin now intends to retire after his first term is up at the end of 2026. That decision came after a quadruple bypass surgery in January Hours after the surgery, an irregular heartbeat threatened heart failure. Hal McMillin said he bargained with God.

“I was saying, ‘Hey, get me through this. I promise you I’ll be a better Hal,’ ” he said. “He got me through, and he shook me. He shook my mortality He really showed me how short life is.”

Hal McMillin decided to retire at the end of his term. He’s also starting the process of becoming Catholic so he can receive the Holy Eucharist He’s expecting to achieve both goals in 2026.

Although he plans to step down from his role as mayor, Hal McMillin said he does not intend to retire as an auctioneer and will likely work as a consultant in the city where he was born and raised. “I love being mayor, but I’m tethered to this city,” he said. “If I want to say, ‘Hey, Sue, let’s get in the truck, and let’s ride to Yellowstone for a three-week or a monthlong trip,’ I can’t do that. At 70 years old, I call it freedom.”

bach with 2022 being the only exception.

Melissa was this year’s standout storm, dealing a devastating blow to Jamaica on Oct 28 with Category 5 winds of 185 mph. One of the strongest storms ever to form, Melissa killed roughly 100 people across the Caribbean and displaced thousands more.

But it wasn’t alone. All four of this season’s major hurricanes underwent rapid intensification, defined by NOAA as a 35 mph increase in maximum wind speeds in less than 24 hours, and reached Category 4 strength at minimum.

Three of those four hurricanes — Melissa, Erin and Humberto continued strengthening to Category 5 intensity Only 2005, a notoriously active year for Atlantic hurricanes that included both Katrina and Rita, produced more Category 5 storms, Klotzbach said.

“It was that kind of a year where the hurricanes were really grumpy most of the time and then when they found a spot they liked, they just went for it,” he said. Fortunately, this year’s storms largely avoided direct hits to land.

When all is said and done, the 2025 season will wrap up near where NOAA and CSU forecasters predicted it would earlier this spring.

Both teams said then that this year would likely bring above-average tropical activity, though nowhere near the extreme activity of 2024. In April, CSU predicted an ACE of 140, with 16 named storms, eight hurricanes and three major hurricanes. A month later, NOAA forecast 13 to 19 named storms, six to 10 hurricanes and three to five major hurricanes.

“So we got our top-line number right,” Klotzbach said, “but when you break it down, it was just such a weird year in terms of how those storms played out.”

For the second year in a row, a break in tropical activity during what is historically the Atlantic’s busiest time of

year threw researchers for a loop Despite the warmerthan-normal waters that help fuel storm formation, no systems formed between Aug. 24 and Sept. 16 for only the second time since 1939, according to CSU.

The Gulf and Caribbean were quiet this year, too, thanks in part to a Bermuda high that allowed a majority of this year’s storms to turn away from the U.S. and back out to sea. Before Melissa’s formation on Oct. 20, the Caribbean was entirely devoid of tropical activity for the first time since 1997.

The Atlantic typically produces an average of about six named storms that track throughtheCaribbeanorGulf each season whether they’re “homegrown” or systems that startastropicalwavesfarther east in the Atlantic. Last year saw nearly twice the average, with 11 named storms that either formed over or tracked through the Caribbean or Gulf

Then the unusual case of the Fujiwhara effect between hurricanes Imelda and Humberto in September brought on another headache for forecasters.

A phenomenon more commonly seen in the Pacific Ocean, the Fujiwhara effect occurs when two tropical cyclones move so close together that they begin to rotate around a common midpoint, making storm trajectories significantly less predictable.

Klotzbach said hurricane researchers will keep an eye out for another peak season lull next year, but he said the biggest question is whether El Niño conditions will return. A climate pattern associated with fewer storms and hurricanes in the Atlantic, the return of El Niño is generally good news for Louisiana.

After a strong El Niño from 2023 into 2024, Klotzbach said the odds of another El Niño aren’t great. But with some early indicators of a shift showing up in the Pacific Ocean, “I would say it’s not off the table,” he said. “We’ll see what 2026 has in store,” Klotzbach said.

PHOTO By CHRISTOPHER R. VINN

Hal McMillin, auctioneer and mayor of Westlake, chats with McNeese State University athlete Salome Fluri as he calls bids at an auction for the McNeese women’s tennis team on Nov. 20.

Shown

By The AssociatedPress

BANGKOK The death toll from flooding in southern Thailandhas reached at least 145, officialssaidFriday,asreceding waters started to reveal devastating damage across theregion

More than 1.2 million households and 3.6 million people have been affected by floods triggered by heavy rainsin 12 southern provinces, the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation said Friday GovernmentspokespersonSiripong Angkasakulkiat said in anews conference in Bangkok that flooding has killed 145 people in eight provinces, particularly in Songkhla province which recorded at least 110 deaths. He said search and rescue efforts have become more successful as floodwaters started to recede further Songkhla provincerecorded asharp increaseinthe death toll afterflooding began to subside. News reports showed rescuers gained more access to residential areas that hadpreviously been submerged under highwater and recovered more bodies, particularly in Hat Yai, the largest city in thesouth. The disaster department reported Fridaymorning thatwatershave receded in most of theaffected areas, but levelsremain highinsome locations.

Deathtoll from flooding in Thailandreaches 145

Somsak Remsringam,owner of aconvenience shop, looks at the damaged contentsafter floodsinSongkhla province, southernThailand,Friday.

The Meteorological Departmentsaid rainfall hasdecreased in the south but warned of thunderstorms.

Theflooding caused severe disruption, leavingthousandsofpeople stranded, rendering streetsimpassableand submerging low-rise buildings andvehicles

TelescopeinChile

Videos and photos from the affected areas on Friday show damaged roads, fallenpower poles,householdappliances anddebris washedaway by floodwaters piled along the streets. Abandonedcarswereoverturnedor stacked atop oneanother, apparently swept away by powerful currents.

BY MARCIA DUNN AP aerospace writer

CAPE CANAVERAL,Fla. Atelescope in Chile has captured astunning new pictureofagrandand graceful cosmic butterfly

The National ScienceFoundation’s NoirLab released thepicture Wednesday.Snapped last month by theGemini South telescope, the aptlynamed ButterflyNebula is 2,500 to 3,800 light-years away in theconstellation Scorpius. A single light-year is 6trillion miles

At theheart of this bipolar nebula is a white dwarf star that cast aside itsouter layers of gaslongago.The discarded gas forms thebutterflylike wings billowing from the aging star,whose heat causes the gas to glow Schoolchildren in Chile chose this astronomicaltargettocelebrate25years of operation by theInternational Gemini Observatory.

Mars roverrecords what scientists think is soundoflightning

BY MARCIA DUNN AP aerospace writer

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. Scientists have detected what they believe to be lightning on Mars by eavesdropping on thewhirling wind recorded by NASA’s Perseverance rover

The crackling of electrical discharges was capturedbya microphone on the rover,aFrench-led team reported Wednesday

The researchers documented 55 instances of what they call “mini lightning” over two Martian years, primarily during dust stormsand dust devils.Almost alloccurredon the windiest Martian sols, or days, during dust storms and dust devils.

Just inches in size, the electrical arcs occurred within6feet of themicrophone perched atop the rover’stall mast, part of asystem for examining Martianrocksvia camera andlasers. Sparks from the electrical discharges —akin to static electricity here on Earth —are clearly audible amid the noisy wind gusts and dust particles smacking the microphone.

Scientistshavebeen looking for electricalactivity and lightning at Mars for half acentury,said the study’s lead author Baptiste Chide, of the Institute for Research in Astrophysics and Planetology in Toulouse.

“It opens acompletely newfieldofinvestigation forMars science,” Chide said, citingthe possible chemical effects from electrical discharges. “It’s like finding amissing piece of the puzzle.” The evidenceisstrong and persuasive, but it’s based on asingle instrument that was meant to record the rover zapping rocks with lasers, not lightning blasts, said Cardiff University’sDaniel

Mitchard, who wasnot involved in the study.What’s more, he noted in an article accompanying the study in the journal Nature, the electricaldischarges were heard —not seen.

“Itreally is achance discovery to hear something else going on nearby,and everything points to this being Martian lightning,” Mitchard said in an email. But until new instruments are sent to verifythe findings,“Ithink there will still be adebate from somescientistsastowhether this really was lightning.” Lightning hasalready been confirmed on Jupiter and Saturn, and Mars has long been suspected of having it too.

To find it, Chide andhis team analyzed 28 hoursof Perseverance recordings, documenting episodes of “mini lightning” based on acoustic and electric signals.

Electrical discharges generated by the fast-moving dust devils lasted just afew seconds, while those spawned by dust stormslingeredaslongas30minutes.

“It’slike athunderstorm on Earth,but barelyvisible witha nakedeye and with plenty of faint zaps,” Chide said in an email. He noted that the thin, carbon dioxide-rich Martian atmosphere absorbsmuch of the sound, making some of the zaps barely perceptible. Mars’ atmosphere is moreprone than Earth’sto electrical discharging and sparking through contact among grains of dust and sand, according to Chide. “The currentevidence suggests it is extremely unlikely that the first person to walk on Mars could, as they plant aflag on the surface, be struck down by aboltoflightning, Mitchard wrote in Nature. But the“small andfrequentstatic-like discharges couldprove problematic forsensitive equipment.”

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By SAROT MEKSOPHAWANNAKUL

PHOTO PROVIDED By NSF NOIRLAB

This imageshows NGC 6302, abillowing planetary nebula that resembles a cosmic butterfly.

LSU students push for more AI education

Broader, more accessible fundamentals course sought

BY HALEY MILLER Staff writer

The LSU student government is calling on the university to strengthen its education in artificial intelligence, particularly for students outside the Division of

Computer Science and Engineering.

The Student Senate passed legislation last week requesting an online AI fundamentals certificate available to all students that would offer training on basic AI use and explore the ethical and legal con-

siderations of the technology

“AI is going to affect every major across the board,” said junior Aaron Lomastro, co-author of the legislation and a member of the Student Alliance for AI Regulation. “It already is. It’s not fair that only these sort of technology-specific majors are receiving these courses. We think it’s important that every major and every student has equal opportunity in preparing themselves with just a foundational understanding of what AI is.”

“Because of the increased demand, we are growing the course offerings in computer science,” Ghawaly said. “We have almost 15 new courses that we’re planning on building.”

LSU currently offers multiple courses in AI for computer science students, including machine learning, artificial intelligence and applied deep learning, according to James Ghawaly, assistant professor of computer science.

ABOVE: Boaters in kayaks and canoes navigate the Vermilion River during a Black Friday

paddle, a mindful alternative to the hustle and bustle of holiday shopping, went from Beaver Park to the

BELOW LEFT: Sharrid Lejeune decorates her kayak with garland and a miniature Christmas tree before the Black Friday paddle on Friday BELOW RIGHT: Boaters shove off for the Black Friday paddle at Beaver Park in Lafayette.

BY ASHLEY WHITE

BY STEPHEN MARCANTEL Staff writer

STAFF PHOTOS By BRAD BOWIE

paddle in Lafayette on Friday. The

Camellia Bridge.

PHOTO PROVIDED By BRANDON LITTLE Lafayette native Brandon Little, the founder of Artefkt Watches, crafts luxury watches in his Detroit-based company.

BayouClassic in N.O. unites families

Fans,alums flocktoevents surrounding annualfaceoff

BY DESIREE STENNETT Staff writer

Thefirst time Chantell Wallis brought her son to see Grambling State take on Southern University forthe annual Bayou Classic, he was just 3months old.

Still ababy,she wanted D’Vante to don Grambling State University’sblackand gold andget ataste of what she experienced when she played clarinet in the Tiger Marching Band in the ’90s. Decades later, D’Vante Wallis is now 32, andattending the Classic is still their tradition.

“I feel like Inever left,” he said. “I’m part of the family.”

Since ChantellWallis moved back to BatonRouge last year after many years in Missouri, she’sonlymissed twoGramblinggames. Her support runs deep, she said, but it’sabout more thanjust who wins. It’sabout family, education and alove for her almamater

“My sister went to Southern,” she said as her fam-

SANTA

Continued from page1B

Acadien au Village. The villagetransformsintoa brightwinterwonderland complete with live music, concessions and carnival rides for an additional cost.

The festivities happen nightly (weather permitting) from 5:30 to 9p.m. Dec. 1-23. Tickets canbe bought at the gate or online at lafayettelarc.org.

TwinkleLight Night

The Children’sMuseum of Acadiana is hosting its annual Twinkle Light Night from 6p.m. to 8p.m. on Dec. 5. The museumwill be transformed into awinter wonderland with lights, music and fun. Families can meet Santaand Olaf and Anna from “Frozen.” Families can bring their favorite stuffed animals for the Stuffy Olympics,cookie decorating, wooden ornament crafting and other activities. Tickets are$12. Festival of Lights

The 26th annual Festival of Lights marks the lighting of Santa andhis sleigh on Ochsner Lafayette General’sskywalk. The celebration is from 5:30 p.m.to 9p.m. Dec. 5. There are two experiences at the Burdin Riehl Parking Tower: one for those 21+ with food, drinks and live music and one for families.

The family fun zone on the fifth floor of the parking garage includes Christmasmovies,cookiedecorating, ornament making,

ily andacollege friend wandered through asea of vendorsselling items branded with both universities. “Even though we have the competition,inthe end we’reall going to hug because we’re all family and that’s what it’sall about.”

Even though neither school is in New Orleans —SouthernisinBatonRouge and Grambling is in northern Louisiana —the annual weekend holds the same significance for many families thatattend each year.Most started out going as children or college studentsand now attend with their own children, grandchildrenand great-grandchildren.

At aMonday news conference kicking off the 52nd annualBayou Classic, U.S.Rep. Troy Carter,D-New Orleans, honored “two outstanding schools that areknown for theirathletic prowess butalso for theiracademic prowess” and celebrated “what we all know to be one heckof a goodtime.”

“Bayou Classic is so much more thanjust afootball game,”hesaid. “It’s areunion. It’satime for people to show up …todemonstrate theirpride for theinstitutions that gave them the education to make them the successful people that they are.”

face painting, hot cocoa, letters to Santa,Christmas shopping and pictureswith Santa. Tickets for the 21+ event are $100. Festival of Lights and Family Fun Packs range from $5 to $25. Winterfest at Adopted DogBrewery

AdoptedDog Brewery will have live music, hot cocoa and Santa duringits Winterfest, which startsat 11 a.m.onDec. 6. Santa arrives at 6p.m

There will also be live music, BINGO from noon to 2p.m. and areleaseofthe brewery’swinter beer with aspecial glassware release. Noël àBroussard

Christmas festivities kick off indowntown Broussard Dec. 6with aparade and celebration in front of Broussard City Hall.

Theparade begins at 3p.m.atthe cornerofMorgan Avenue and Albertson Parkway,heads up Morgan Street,takesa right onto Main Streetand ends atArceneauxPark

After the parade, there will be reindeer games, face painting, amarket and the annuallighting ofthe community Christmastreeat 6:30 p.m. and adrone light show

ChristmasinCarenco

Holiday festivitieskick off at 8a.m. on Dec. 6in Carencro withthe Dasher Dancer Prance 5K race. After the race, theCarencroCountry Christmas is open from 9a.m. to 3p.m. at theCarencro Community Center.There will be choral

Every year,fans and alumni flock to New Orleans in the days leading up to Thanksgiving, to catch the holiday parade through downtown NewOrleans on Thursday, packinto CaesarsSuperdome to watchthe Battle of the Bands on Friday,then catch the football game Saturday.And in between the festivities, theyeat, shopand stumble across old friends to reminisceabout what it was like when they walkedthe campuses of both historically Black universities.

Victoria Winters, aGramblinggraduate,has been a Bayou Classic vendorfor thepast decade. On one side of her booth she sells sweatshirts, T-shirts, bags andhats from Grambling. On the other side,she’s expandedtosell game-day wear for Southern fans as well.For thepast five years, she’sbeen operating fromthe same spot on Loyola Avenue near Poydras Street

“Ohmygoodness, Ilove this,” she said, addingthat their regulars have come to expect them in theirusual spotand stopbyevery year to seewhat new itemsare for sale.“There’s just acamaraderieamongthe people,we’re able to talk noise to each other.It’sfun. It’s not really work for us anymore.

performances and vendors.

The Christmasparade startsat10a.m.and picturesand activitieswith Santabegin at 11 a.m.

The evening ends with the Old Fashioned Christmas from 6p.m.to8 p.m. in and around the Patriots Pavilion. The Christmas tree will be lit, Santa will be available for photos andthere will be other activities.

SonicChristmas Parade

TheSonic Christmas Parade marks the official arrival of Santa in Lafayette. The maninthe red suit is thestar of the parade, which also features floats, marching bands and dance clubs.

The parade starts at 1p.m. at the Jefferson Street underpass, travels down Jefferson Street to Johnston towardthe Oil Center

The celebration continuesatParcInternational where Santa will take photosand the NorthPole will be installed.

ChristmasinScott

Festivities in Scott includeaChristmasmovie, hay rides, snow machine, carnival games and pictures with Santafrom 2:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.on Dec. 7atScott City Hall.

ChristmasatMoncusPark

Christmas in thePark is a free three-day festival from 6p.m.to9 p.m.Dec. 12-14 at Moncus Park.

Therewill be live music on Friday and Saturday and amovie night on Sunday featuring the“Elf.” There also will be an artisan market and alight tunnel.

We come outhere, we have agood time, we reunite with ourfellow classmates, and we get to meet alot of new people too.”

Southern University has bested Grambling in football for thepast three years, but this season, as Southern’s 1-10 team hasstruggled to find itsfooting, they will face the 7-4 Grambling. Southern’slosing record has boosted the confidence of Grambling fanswho milled through downtown Friday morning.

“Stayhumble” was the message Grambling alumnus Reginald Walker had for Southern fans as he readied for the game.

Despite Grambling being the favorite to win, Sheila Butler,who hasbeena season-ticket holder for42 years, will still be therewith her daughter,son-in-law, granddaughterand greatgrandchildren. Butler said herfamily hasnever missed aBayou Classic, except when theCOVID-19 pandemic made it impossible to attend.

Three generations of her family have already graduated from Southern. The littlestones, who have beengoing to the Classic since birth, were decked outinblue and gold sweatshirtsonFriday

Paid attractions include photos withSanta,as’mores zone,face painting and hot cocoa corner from 6p.m. to 9p.m. on Dec. 13-14.

On-site parking is $20 and benefitspark operations. Free parkingwitha shuttle service to the park is at Blackham Coliseum and runs from 5p.m. to 10 p.m nightly

Pancakes andPJs with Santa

Santaand his elves will be at the Sliman Theatre in New Iberia for pancakes and sausageprovided by New Iberia McDonald’s. There will be face painting, photoopportunities with Santa and gingerbread cookie decorating.

Ticketsare $15 30 per person, and breakfast times are from 8a.m. to 10 a.m.

Mail Santaaletter

For those who prefer making sure Santa hasa hard copy of their wish list, letters can be mailedtoSanta before Dec. 11.

Senders need to include their return address in the upperleftcornerofthe envelope anda stamp in the upperright corner.Letters can be addressedtoSanta, 123 Elf Road,North Pole, 88888.

TrackSanta with NORAD

On ChristmasEve, Santa can be tracked as he makes his flight acrossthe world by visiting noradsanta.org or calling 877-HI-NORAD. Did we missa Santa meetand-greet? Send an email to Ashley.white@theadvocate. com to have an event added to this list.

BRAND

Continued from page1B

through somesort of Pictionary game. It’seasier for me to communicate with a Sharpie marker and apiece of paper versus the written language.”

That love has since brought this Lafayette native acrossthe world, landing him in prestigious workstudy programswith luxury brands and leading him to start hisown high-endwatch brand in Detroit.

Little founded his luxury watch brand, Artefkt Watches, about three years ago and recently began delivering the watches following asuccessful crowdfunding Kickstarter campaign that raisedaround $131,000 for the fledgling company

Little’sjourney began in Lafayette, where, in high school, he took his talent for the arts to the studio of a stained-glass maker andcarpenter.Itstarted with simple projects, but later grew into creating sculptures and jewelry making, he said.

After high school,Little would attend the then University of Southwestern Louisiana before transferring to Louisiana State University,where he majored in fine arts and graphic design. He would purchase hisfirst watch, aFossil, sometime in college,but his love forthe intricacies andinner workings of timepieces didn’t begin until he moved to New York, where he worked fora streetwear brand.

Little would checkout the flea market near daily while he was in New York, when he came across avendor selling vintage pocket watches.

“They always had beat-up pocket watches. They had one that finally caught my eye, and Ifinally had enough money to buy it. It was just this lovely old pocket watch,”Little said. “That wasthe triggerpoint where Iwas like, this is fascinating. It hadtechnicality, but it had craft. It had engineering, and it had that kind of left-brain, right-braincomponent.”

His time in NewYork would teach him alot about thefashion industry. Not only did he hone his design skills, but he also learnedthe ins and outs of manufacturing in the fashion industry, taking himtocountries like

Pakistan and Bangladesh. But Little had aspirations to work for high-end luxury brands and was also looking for ways to build his ownbrand. That’swhen his then-girlfriend, now his wife, told him to apply to the Richemont Group for itswork-study program. Richemont Group owns the luxurybrandsCartier and VanCleef &Arpels, as well as the watchmakers IWC Schaffhausen and JaegerLeCoultre.

Theprogram is hard to get into, with the Richemont Group accepting only one applicant from each country Littlewas accepted into theprogram, wherehebegan designing watches and jewelry before eventually moving to Switzerland, a country known for its watchmaking prowess, to further his studies.

He wouldreturntothe United StateswhenFossil reached outtohim to come work for the company.The decisionwould eventually lead him to Detroit, where, in 2022, he would begin to think about creating his own brand.

The early stages entailed lining up manufacturing and design forthe first year and ahalf, he said.

“Can you do it by yourself? It wasreally kind of funand terrifying at the sametime,” Little said. “As soon as Ihave something worthshowing, I started to showitand just get people acquainted with what we’re doing.”

He launcheda successful crowdfunding campaign in October2024and began shipping out his first watches in August of this year. The watches areassembled by hand and hand-finished.

“I want to try to minimize the challenge of making things here in the U.S. We’re not there yet. We’re going to be as hands-on as possible. Themore we do to be selfsufficient,I think,isvaluable, but Idon’twant to take self-sufficient as acompromise forproduct either.” AndwhenLittleasks, “Can you do it by yourself?” he really meansbyhimself,since he is the sole employee at his company forthe timebeing. For now,much of his timeis spent at trade showstoraise awareness of his luxury brand.

Email Stephen Marcantel at stephen.marcantel@ theadvocate.com.

Students can also enroll in an interdisciplinarycourse between business, computer scienceand the honorscollege that givesthemthe opportunity to work on AI solutions for local companies and industry partners. The class is selective because of the real-world demands of the student teams, Ghawaly said. He said that “hype mongering” has driven increased interest in AI across the university,and that some students are worriedthe only way to succeed in their careers is by learning how to use it.

Theboot camp is “not accessible to alot of students,” said junior BenjaminGoldstein,bill author andmember of the StudentAlliance for AI Regulation. “Almost $10,000inextraloans is rough for alot of people.” Goldstein saidthe student governmentisproposing a free certificate availableto any LSU student with afocus on the elementary principles of AI.

“I’m really trying to bridge the gap from the people who are in the knowabout AI and are on the frontier of doing research on it with the peoplewho don’treallyknow much about the technical sidebut realize that this is areally high-impactthing,” Goldstein said He said manystudents rely on AI but are notAIliterate,meaningthey don’talways understandhow to use thetechnology to enhance their learning.Instead, they use it as ashortcut, he said. “A lotofwhat peopleare usingAItodoisjust run

“There are some fields where Ithink that’strue,” Ghawaly said. “I think we want to offer something broader outside of computer science.” LSU Online offers an AI Promptingcertificate as well as an AI Bootcamp, bothofwhichare paid. The boot camp costs$10,995 and takes 26 weekstocomplete, according to theLSU Online website.

their homework assignments through it,and if they have online exams, they ask it their exam questions,” Goldstein said. “It’sessentially a‘getout of jailfree’ card for any assignment you didn’t do or if youcheat on an exam. Ithink it’ssucha poor use of AI, because it worsensyour understanding of the concepts.”

Goldstein and Lomastro said theirnextstepisto work with LSU Online and the LSU Division of Computer Science andEngineering to fund and develop thecertificate. They have already received support from some faculty members, Lomastro said. “It would be anoncredit

LOTTERY THURSDAY, NOV. 27, 2025

PICK 3: 6-6-6

PICK 4: 1-5-7-1 PICK 5: 4-4-5-1-0

course where they could receive an AI fluencycertificate that they’d be able to put on their LinkedIn, et cetera,” Lomastro said. They arealso urging department heads and college deanstoimplement standardized AI guidance

and policy. Goldstein emphasized that the goal of the certificate isn’ttopromote universal AI use but to give students the tools to adopt it effectively fortheir field of study and understand its legal and ethical limitations.

“This isn’t, like, rah-rah

AI,” Goldstein said. “I don’t envision this turning into that. Ithink this is achance to provide students an unbiased andfactualperspective on abig event happening in the world around them and achance forthem to also do their own research.”

PHOTO PROVIDED By BRANDON LITTLE AVersa XC watchbyArtefkt Watches

BRIEFS

FROM WIRE REPORTS

Grounded UPS planes to miss peak of season

A fleet of planes that UPS grounded after a deadly crash isn’t expected to be back in service during the holiday season due to inspections and possible repairs, the company said Wednesday in an internal memo

The airline expects it will be several months before its McDonnell Douglas MD-11 fleet returns to service as it works to meet Federal Aviation Administration guidelines, said the memo from UPS Airlines president Bill Moore to employees The process was originally estimated to take weeks but is now expected to take several months.

A fiery MD-11 plane crash on Nov 4 in Louisville, Kentucky, killed 14 people and injured at least 23 when the left engine detached during takeoff. Cargo carriers grounded their McDonnell Douglas MD-11 fleets shortly after, ahead of a directive from the FAA. The 109 remaining MD-11 airliners, averaging more than 30 years old, are exclusively used to haul cargo for package delivery companies. MD-11s make up about 9% of the UPS airline fleet and 4% of the FedEx fleet Boeing, which took over as the manufacturer of MD-11s since merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997, said in a statement that it is “working diligently to provide instructions and technical support to operators” so that they can meet the FAA’s requirements.

Campbell’s executive accused of rant fired

Campbell’s Co. said Wednesday it no longer employs an executive who was allegedly recorded criticizing the company’s food and making racist remarks

Martin Bally, a vice president of information technology at Campbell’s, said the company’s products were highly processed food for “poor people” and referred to Indian coworkers as “idiots,” according to a lawsuit filed Nov 20 by Robert Garza, a former Campbell’s employee, in Michigan’s Wayne County Circuit Court. The alleged comments were made during a meeting that Garza said he recorded.

“The comments were vulgar, offensive and false, and we apologize for the hurt they have caused,” Campbell’s said in a statement Wednesday Garza claimed Bally said Campbell’s soup contains “bioengineered meat” and that he didn’t want to eat “a piece of chicken that came from a 3-D printer,” Local 4 News in Detroit reported, citing a recording Garza said he made of a conversation with Bally Bally didn’t respond to requests for comment.

Campbell’s also released a fact sheet defending the quality of its ingredients saying it does not use “3D-printed chicken, lab-grown chicken, or any form of artificial or bioengineered meat in our soup.”

Boar’s Head among cheese brands in recall

Grated cheese sold under four brands has been recalled at various stores nationwide after testing found listeria.

The Ambriola Company’s FDA-posted recall notice said the recall is limited to grated Pecorino Romano cheese made at its facility in West Caldwell, New Jersey

Boar’s Head Grated Pecorino Romano in a 6 oz. cup, expiration dates 03/04/26 and 03/12/2026, is in the recall. Target said it sells the Boar’s Head.

Member’s Mark Pecorino Romano in a 1.5-lb. bag, expiration dates 03/25/26, 03/30/26 and 04/05/26, is in the recall This is sold at Sam’s Clubs in 27 states including Louisiana and Mississippi.

There’s also the recalled cheese that’s sold by the pound: Pinna Grated Pecorino Romano, expiration date 03/11/26; and Boar’s Head Pecorino Romano Grated bag, expiration dates 03/03/26 and 03/12/26.

15 Medicare drug prices to decrease

Trump admin says change will save taxpayers billions

BY ALI SWENSON Associated Press

NEW YORK Pharmaceutical com-

panies have agreed to slash the Medicare prices for 15 prescription drugs after months of negotiations, reductions that are expected to produce billions in savings for taxpayers and older adults, the Trump administration said.

But the net prices it unveiled for a 30-day supply of each drug are not what Medicare recipients will pay at their pharmacy counters, since those final amounts will de-

pend on each individual’s plan and how much they spend on prescriptions in a given year

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr touted the deals as part of the administration’s efforts to address affordability concerns among Americans. The Medicare drug negotiation program that made them possible is mandated by law and began under President Joe Biden’s administration.

“President Trump directed us to stop at nothing to lower health care costs for the American people,” Kennedy said in a statement Tuesday evening.

The announcement marks the completion of a second round of negotiations under a 2022 law that allows Medicare to haggle over the price it pays on the most popular

and expensive prescription drugs used by older Americans, bringing the total number of negotiated drug prices to 25. The new round of negotiated prices will go into effect in 2027. Reduced prices for the inaugural round of 10 drugs negotiated by the Biden administration last year will go into effect in January

The latest negotiated prices apply to some of the prescription medications on which Medicare spends the most money including the massively popular GLP-1 weight-loss and diabetes drugs Ozempic, Rybelsus and Wegovy

Some of the other drugs involved in the negotiations include Trelegy Ellipta, which treats asthma; Otezla, a psoriatic arthritis drug; and various drugs that treat diabetes,

irritable bowel syndrome and different forms of cancer

Dr Mehmet Oz, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services administrator, said the administration delivered “substantially better outcomes for taxpayers and seniors in the Medicare Part D program” than the previous year’s deals.

Under the first round of Medicare price negotiations, the Biden administration said the program would have saved about $6 billion on net covered prescription drug costs, or about 22%, if it had been in effect the previous year The Trump administration said its latest round would have saved the government about $8.5 billion in net spending, or 36%, if it had been in effect last year

HOLIDAY HALO EFFECT

Retailers watch Black Friday traffic for economic signs

BY ANNE D’INNOCENZIO, CATHY BUSSEWITZ and STEPHEN SMITH Associated Press

NEW YORK The economic picture hasn’t looked very rosy: Hiring has been sluggish. Consumers have been dealing with soaring meat prices Layoffs are rippling through companies.

But despite those concerns, shoppers hit the stores in full strength on Black Friday, with some even sipping Champagne as they searched for discounts on the day that traditionally kicks off the holiday shopping season.

Just outside New Orleans, shoppers flooded Lakeside Shopping Center to see what deals they could find. The mall offers Champagne to Black Friday traditionalists while they shop, as long as they have a receipt of at least $50.

“Sipping and shopping is the best, so I feel like that’s a New Orleans thing to do” said Lacie Lemoine, who was shopping with her grandmother, an annual tradition they’ve kept despite the fact that their budgets are shrinking.

“The economy is bad, but you still have to celebrate,” said her grandmother, Sandra Lemoine. “Everybody has to do what they can do on their own budget. That’s it.”

Matt Shay CEO of National Retail Federation, said in early November that he has seen record levels of spending on holidays — whether religious, secular or bank walled off by other outside factors.

“It’s a sort of a category of spending that has a moat around it,” he said. “Shoppers view them as opportunities for celebration. I think that really captures the way the (winter) holiday season goes. People save for it. They plan for it. They prioritize it.”

Both the massive Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota, and Westfield Garden State Plaza in Paramus, New Jersey, reported strong customer traffic on Friday and said Black Friday would once again rank as their busiest day of the year

“We are off to a great start,” said Jill Renslow, Mall of America’s chief business development and marketing officer.

The line to enter the shopping and entertainment center started forming at 3 p.m. on Thursday, Renslow said. About 14,000 visitors entered within an hour of the mall’s 7 a.m. opening, she said.

“We are tracking one of our best Black Fridays ever,” she added.

Many retail executives have reported customers becoming more discerning and increasingly focused on deals while at the same time remaining willing to splurge for important occasions, creating a potential halo effect that might keep financial worries from

discouraging holiday shoppers.

While some are being cautious about this year’s Christmas expenses, others are not.

Metairie resident Denise Thevenot says this year is no different “I wish I could say that I had, but no we’re just blowing it away just like we do every year We’ll worry about that tomorrow, right? I got the receipts to show you.”

Marshal Cohen, chief industry adviser at Circana, a market research firm, visited several malls on New York’s Long Island and New Jersey He noted strong traffic and said the centers grew busier as Black Friday went on. Cohen said Target drew lines for complementary gift bags for the early shoppers, but overall “gone is Black Friday as we know it,” he said. “There’s no sense of urgency.”

According to Target, which aims to reverse a sales slump, 150 shoppers on average were in line at its stores for the bags filled with what it described as “goodies.” The discounter was giving away the bags for the first 100 customers who showed up for its 6 a.m. opening.

At Macy’s Herald Square flagship store in New York City, customers who streamed in soon after the store opened at 6 a.m. found deep discounts on clothes, shoes, linens and cosmetics. The footwear department discounted everything up to half off.

Nicholas Menasche, 19, from Queens, New York, shopped with his mother for shoes and clothing, and planned to head next to Best Buy for video games. Menasche, an intern at a bank, said he expected to spend around $1,200 this year on his holiday shopping, roughly the same amount as last year

“It’s a great tradition,” he said. “The stores

are open really early.”

Westfield Garden State Plaza let customers in an hour early instead of making customers wait outside in the frigid weather, but stores didn’t open their doors until 7 a.m. as planned, said marketing director William Lewis. Members of Generation Z mostly comprised the early crowd, but older customers came in later, he said.

“People are definitely buying,” Lewis said. “Most people are walking around with a shopping bag.”

Shoppers appeared to have done research ahead of time and “know exactly where they are going,” he said.

Although Black Friday still reigns supreme as a magnet for in-store shopping, the ease of browsing and buying gifts online has eroded the event’s singular significance. Online purchases now account for more than 30% of total holiday sales compared to 15% in 2012, according to the National Retail Federation. The growth in online sales also has been robust so far. From Nov. 1 to Nov 23, U.S. consumers spent $79.7 billion, or 7.5% more than a year earlier, according to web tracking and analysis platform Adobe Analytics. They spent another $6.4 billion online on Thanksgiving Day, a 5.3% increase over last year, while taking advantage of better than expected deals, the firm said.

“Clearly there’s uncertainty,” MasterCard Chief Economist Michelle Meyer said ahead of Black Friday “Consumers feel on edge. But at the moment, it doesn’t seem like it’s changing how they are showing up for this season.”

Smith contributed from Metairie.

Fewer sought unemployment benefits last week

BY CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP economics writer

WASHINGTON The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits declined last week in a sign that overall layoffs remain low, even as several high-profile companies have announced job cuts.

U.S. applications for unemployment benefits in the week ending Nov 22 dropped 6,000 from the previous week to 216,000, the Labor Department reported Wednesday The figure is below the 230,000 forecast by economists, according to a survey by data provider FactSet.

Applications for unemployment aid are seen as a proxy for layoffs and are close to a real-time indicator of the health of the job market. The job cuts announced recently by large companies such as UPS and Amazon typically take weeks or months to fully implement and may not yet be reflected in the claims data. The four-week average of claims, which softens some of the weekto-week volatility, dropped 1,000 to 223,750. For now, the U.S. job market appears stuck in a “low-hire, low-fire” state that has kept the unemploy-

ment rate historically low, but has left those out of work struggling to find a new job. The total number of Americans filing for jobless benefits for the week ending Nov 15 rose 7,000 to 1.96 million, the government said. The increase is a sign that the unemployed are taking longer to find new work. Last week, the government said that hiring picked up a bit in September, when employers added 119,000 new jobs. Yet the report also showed employers had shed jobs in August And the unemployment rate ticked up to 4.4%, its highest level in four

years, as more Americans came off the sidelines to look for work but did not all immediately find jobs.

On Tuesday, the government reported that retail sales slowed in September after three months of healthy increases. Consumer confidence plunged to its second-lowest level in five years, while wholesale inflation eased a bit. The data suggests that both the economy and inflation are slowing, which boosted financial markets’ expectations that the Federal Reserve will reduce its key interest rate at its next meeting Dec. 9-10.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ADAM BETTCHER Shoppers browse through stores at Mall of America for Black Friday deals in Bloomington, Minn.

ANOTHERVIEW

Something for political junkies to bingeon

Tired of bad news and brain-melting reality shows? This holiday season, enjoy agood bingeonastreaming miniseries.

ARTISTS’ VIEWS

Ron Faucheux

If you likepolitical history,satire or drama, here are four programs worthyour time.Two are new andtwo have been aroundawhile.

”Death by Lightning” (Netflix)

This new four-episodeseries has taken the little-known story of PresidentJames Garfield and turned it into an engagingdrama.

Starring talented actors Matthew Macfadyen (“Succession”), Michael Shannon (“Boardwalk Empire”) and Nick Offerman (“Parksand Recreation”), it provesthat history and entertainmentfitwelltogether.

“Death by Lightning” is acharacter study of threemen: Garfield, thereformist dark horse whowinsthe presidency in 1880 despite not running forit; Charles Guiteau, theunstable, obsessive assassin whostalks thepresidentindesperate quest for ajob; and Vice President Chester AlanArthur, the party hack who improbably becomesvicepresident andthen unexpectedlybecomes president uponGarfield’sassassination. After succeeding to thetop job, Arthur trieswith some success to shed his old, shadyways.

Only 49 years old when he died, Garfield served as president for less than seven months. Hadhelived, historians believe he had the potential to become agreat leader ”The Diplomat” (Netflix)

Many political thrillers are describedas“sharp”and “fasttalking.” This one actually is.

Keri Russell (“The Americans”) playsdiplomatKate Wyler,who’ssent to London as U.S.ambassadortoBritain. International crisis, arocky marriage anda possible vicepresidentialbid whirl around herand herhusband, Hal, who is also aforeign policy heavyweight.

The show juggles scheming, backstabbingand genuinely honest patriotism. It has thesnap of life-changing decisions, the crackle of serious global conflictand thepop of Champagneatfancy receptionswhere smart people talk about savingthe world.

RufusSewell, Allison Janney,DavidGyasi,Ali Ahn, Rory Kinnear and BradleyWhitford roundout acastthat keeps viewersengrossed and makesthe storyfeel at leastsomewhat plausible. The show’sthird seasonisnow running and a fourth is on the way

”Borgen” (Netflix) Never heard of “Borgen?” Well, now you have —and you no longer have an excuse not to watchit.

This Danish drama follows Birgitte Nyborg, abright, steely,determined politician who becomes Denmark’s first female prime minister. The politics areEuropean,but the themes are instantly recognizable to Americans: ambition, power,ethics, gender strugglesand partyshenanigans.

Throughout its original three seasons(2010-2013) anda 2022 one-seasonrevival,Borgen revolves around the question: Can you have apolitical careerwithout wreckingyour life?

Sidse Babett Knudsen, an award-winningactress, nails the lead role. She’ssoconvincing as prime minister, you’ll wonder why she never ran foroffice in reallife.Mysecond favorite character is afairly minor butfascinating one: Bent Sejro, the wise and aging political strategist splendidly portrayed by Lars Knutzon.

If you find foreign-language films bothersome,don’tworry —Borgen’ssubtitles are so clean andwell-timed you’llforget you’re reading them.

One bone to pick: All political consultants in theshow are called “spin doctors,” which isn’talways accurate and sounds abit odd —but the series is so good it won’tmatter Borgen, by the way,isthe nicknamefor Denmark’sParliamentbuilding.

”Veep” (HBO/Max)

Yes, “Veep” is azany seven-season comedy.It’salso the most accurate portrayal of Washington, D.C. politicsI’ve ever seen. And Iknow.I’vebeen there Julia Louis-Dreyfus playsVice President Selina Meyer She’sasperfectly cast as she was as Elaine on “Seinfeld.” Her lofty office lurchesfrom pointless spats to looming disasters.Metaphorically, there are lots of bricksflying through the windows andplenty of unsuspectingstaffers thrown under buses Behind the deadpan hilarity, “Veep”captures the brutal truthabout innermost Washington.It’sa world of outsized ambition and preening self-importance, whereone-page briefing papers need one-paragraph summaries. As VP Meyer put it, “Did you know that Ihave my ownflag?” Louis-Dreyfus has ashelf of Emmys, SAG awards anda Golden Globe. If that doesn’t convinceyou she’sa terrific comedic actor,afew episodesof“Veep”will. Lagniappe for history buffs: TryKen Burns’ six-partdocumentary“The American Revolution” on PBS. Well worth the time.

Ron Faucheux is anonpartisan political analyst, pollster and writer based in Louisiana.

G MED

Spinning

BYKOKI RILEY Staff writer

Some things never change. At least that seems to be thecase with LSUcoaching searches.There’salwaysanelement of drama, surprise and intrigue. LSUfans were convinced TomHerman was comingtoBaton Rouge in 2016 …until he didn’t. Rumors swirled around Lincoln Riley before he flatly stated he would not becomethe head coach at LSUin2021. Turns out, he became thecoach at Southern Calinstead. Thedrama surroundingRileyand Herman is similar to what LSU faces this year in its pursuit of Lane Kiffin. The OleMisscoach hasrefused to signanextension before the Rebels’ final regular-season game against Mississippi State on Friday.His family visited BatonRouge aweek ago, aday after aseparate quick trip to Gainesville, Florida, as LSUand Florida have been vying for his services. The hoopla surroundingKiffin

LSUGAMEDAY

LSU at Oklahoma

BROADCASTINFORMATION TEAM SCHEDULES

2:30 p.m. Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, Norman,Okla.

TV: ABC | Line: Oklahoma by 10½

Radio: WDGL-FM, 98.1; WWL-AM, 870; WWL-FM, 105.3; KLWB-FM, 103.7

LSU

Date Opponent Time/TV

Oklahoma

Date Opponent Time/TV

8.30 at ClemsonW,17-10

9.6Louisiana Tech W, 23-7

9.13 FloridaW,20-17

9.20 Southeastern W, 56-10

9.27 at OleMissL,19-24

10.11South CarolinaW,20-10

10.18atVanderbiltL,24-31

10.25Texas A&ML,25-49

11.8 at AlabamaL,9-20

11.15ArkansasW, 23-22

11.22Western Kentucky W, 13-10

11.29atOklahoma 2:30 p.m/ABC

DEPTH CHARTS

COACHES

FrankWilson is 2-1since taking over as the interimLSU coach

afterBrian Kelly’s firing

8.30 Illinois StateW,35-3

9.6Michigan W, 24-13

9.13 at Temple W, 42-3

9.20 Auburn W, 24-17

10.4 Kent State W, 44-0

10.11 Texas L, 6-23

10.18atSouth Carolina W, 26-7

10.25 Ole MissL,26-34

11.1 at Tennessee W, 33-27

11.15 at AlabamaW,23-21

11.22 Missouri W, 17-6

11.29 LSU 2:30 p.m/ABC

LSU Oklahoma

BrentVenables canposthis second 10-win season in four yearsleading Oklahoma by beating LSU.

LSU

Continuedfrom page1C

USC has failed to makethe College Football Playoff under Riley.Florida moved on fromthe coach it hired during thesame cycle (2021),and so hasLSU, which will look to end its tumultuous2025 campaign on Saturday at Oklahoma (2:30 p.m., ABC), the programthatlost Rileyduring thesamecarousel and hired current coach Brent Venables.

There are success stories from the 2021cycle. Venablesisonthe cusp of leadinghis teamtothe CFP. Dan Lanning led Oregon there last season, and so did Marcus Freeman at NotreDame, guiding the Irish to the national championship game. It turns out, some of theless ballyhooed hires have worked out the best Here’sa letter grade for each appointment, andcontract extension, that came outofthe 2021 coaching cycle.

LSU •BRIAN KELLY

After snatchingBrianKelly away from Notre Dame and signing him to a10-year,$95 million contract, the Tigers failed to reach the CFP andgot progressively worse after surprisingly reaching the SEC championship gameinKelly’s first season. The bare minimum for Kelly at LSUwas to reach the CFP by theend of Year 4, as his three predecessors had all won national championships by theend of their fourth seasons.

Grade: D

FLORIDA• BILLYNAPIER

The Napier era in Gainesville was amajor flop. After signing aseven-year,$51.8 million deal, he led theGators to just one above.500 season in three-and-a-half seasons. Florida never reached double-digit wins, and he was nearly let go during the middle of his third season in charge. It just put off the inevitable thisseason.

Grade: F

USC •LINCOLN RILEY

The Trojans have been disappointing under Riley,who arrived in Los Angeles after winning four Big 12 titles and reaching theCFP three times at Oklahoma. Heading into Saturday’s matchup against UCLA, USC has amiddling 3417 record under Riley and hasn’tmade the CFP despiteinking him to a10-year,$110 million contract.

Grade: D+

OKLAHOMA• BRENT VENABLES

It looked like Venables’ tenure was heading in thewrong direction until this season. The Sooners went just 6-7 in 2022 and 2024. But after remaking their offense, awin Saturday over LSU will put them in the CFP after surviving one of thetoughest schedules in thecountry

Grade: B-

NOTRE DAME •MARCUS FREEMAN

The sudden loss of Kelly seemed like amajor blow to theIrish, but hiring Freeman to replace

STAFF PREDICTIONS

WILSON ALEXANDER

OKLAHOMA 17,LSU 6

This game couldbedifficult to watchfor LSUfans. This is oneofthe worstoffensesinquite some time,and nowthe struggling offensivelinewill be withoutmultiplestarters. It won’tbeablowout becausethe Oklahoma offense is dysfunctional, butthere’s little reason to predictthe Tigers will getinthe endzoneagainst thebestdefense in theSEC.Atleast LSUmay hire anew coachbySaturday.

KOKI RILEY

OKLAHOMA 20,LSU 6

If LSUgetspastthe 50-yardlinewithout thehelpof aturnoverorstrongpunt/kick returns, that maybea victorythisweek. ESPN’s CollegeFootballPower Index pegs Oklahoma as theNo. 4defense in thecountry andthe topdefense in theSEC.LSU washeldto13 points by WesternKentuckyand stillwill be starting its backup quarterback. Idon’t expect LSUto find theend zone on offensethisweek.

him has done wonders forthe program.Notre Dame reached the national championship game last season and is awin away from making the CFP again this year in Freeman’sfourth year With avictory over Stanford on Saturday,the Irish will earn their third consecutive 10-win season.

Grade: A

MIAMI •MARIO CRISTOBAL

Miamihas improved under Cristobal, turning a12-13 record in his first twoyears into what may becomeconsecutive 10-win seasons if the Hurricanes take downPittsburgh on Saturday But Miamiexpected morefrom Cristobal when it lured the Oregon coach to South Beach. Cristobal hasn’tmade the CFP with Miami—and is on the outside of the CFP picture heading into the last week of this season —since signing a 10-year,$80 million contract.

Grade: C

OREGON •DAN LANNING

Lanning has been the perfect hire forOregon since replacing Cristobal, leading the Ducks to aBig Tentitle and atrip to the CFP last year Oregon is on track to makethe CFP again this season and has wonatleast 10 games in each season he’sbeen in charge.

Grade: A

PENN STATE•JAMES FRANKLIN

After signing a10-year contract extension in 2021, James Franklin led Penn State to the Rose Bowlin2022, the Peach Bowlthe next year and the semifinals of the CFP last season. Even though he was fired after bad losses to UCLA and Northwestern this year,hestill took Penn State to heights it hadn’texperienced since the peaks of the Joe Paterno era.

Grade: B-

MICHIGAN STATE•MEL TUCKER

No decision turned out worse foraprogram during this coaching cycle than Michigan State extending coach Mel Tucker with a10-year,$95 million contract extension. The Spartans were 11-2 in 2021, but they went just 7-7 over Tucker’sfinal 14 games in charge, and Tucker was fired just twogames into the 2023 campaign for allegations of sexual misconduct.

Grade: F

TEXAS A&M •JIMBOFISHER Jimbo Fisher’sextension at Texas A&M still haunts the Aggies to this day.Fisher,who signed a10-year,$95 million extension after receiving interest from LSU forits open job, was fired in 2023 after leading Texas A&M to just an 11-11 record after putting pen to paper.Hewas let go with twogames lefttoplay in the 2023 season, putting Texas A&M on the hook forhis $76.8 million buyout.

Grade: F

WASHINGTON •KALEN DeBOER

DeBoer led Washington to the national championship gameinjust his second year after getting hired from Fresno State during this coaching cycle. Granted, he leftfor Alabamashortly

REED DARCEY

OKLAHOMA21, LSU 3

LSUmight kick a fieldgoalortwo,but it’s toughtosee howits offensecan do anything else.The Oklahoma defenseisone of thetop unitsinthe nation,and the Tigers aredowntotheir backupsatquarterback,center, righttackleand slot receiver.Itcould getugly. Take the underand turn your attentiontothe coaching carousel, whichcould spin outanew coachfor LSUbeforekickoff

SCOTTRABALAIS

OKLAHOMA17, LSU 0

Ourstaff hasbeenpicking LSUscoressince themid1990s, andinall that time I’ve neverpickedthe Tigers to getshutout.Until now. LSUhas scored just three touchdowns combined in itspastthree gamesagainst defenses notofOklahoma’scaliber.The Sooners offensewon’t do much againstLSU either,but it’s impossible to predictthe Tigers to winwithout a defensiveorspecial-teams touchdown.

ASSOCIATEDPRESS PHOTOByLyDIA ELy

Oregon coach DanLanning,center,calls instructions during the first half of agame against Southern California on Nov. 22 in Eugene, Ore.

after guiding the Huskiestothe title game, but leadingWashington to a25-3 record anda title game appearance can’tbeignored

Grade: A+

TCU •SONNY DYKES

Dykes will be forever etched in TCUhistory after guiding the Horned Frogs to thenational championship game in hisfirst season after leaving SMU in 2021. TCU hasn’t reached that pinnaclesince,but it holds asolid 21-14record under Dykes over the last three years.

Grade: A

SMU •RHETT LASHLEE

Lashlee has proven to bea fantastic hire for the Mustangs. He led SMU to theCFP in its first seasoninthe ACC in 2024 and has the Mustangs on the cusp of reachingthe ACC title game this year.For his success, hewas awarded with atwo-yearcontract extension in October.

Grade: A+

VIRGINIA •TONY ELLIOTT

The beginningofElliott’stenureatVirginia was ugly.The Cavaliers hadan11-23record under the former Clemson offensive coordinator before turning the shiparound this year.Virginia is9-2 and awin away from reaching to ACC championship game heading into this weekend.

Grade: B+

TEXAS TECH •JOEY MCGUIRE

An influx of cash has helped McGuire lead theRed Raiders to a10-1 record this year and, likely,aBig 12 championship anda spot in the CFP.But even with the help he’sreceived financially, give McGuirecredit.He’sdone an excellentjob coaching up one of the topdefenses in the sport, and evenbefore this season, Texas Tech was consistently an above.500team underhis command.

Grade: A

VIRGINIA TECH •BRENT PRY

Pry,who was the defensivecoordinatorat Penn State before his appointmentatVirginia Tech, went just 16-24 with theHokiesand was fired three games into this season. The Hokies moved quicklytoreplacehim by hiring Franklin this month.

Grade: D

DUKE •MIKE ELKO

It turns out that Elko was too good of ahire for Duke. The former defensive coordinator at Texas A&M led the Blue Devils toa 16-9record over two seasons before returning toCollege Stationtobecomethe Aggies head coach during the2023coaching cycle.

Grade: A-

OKLAHOMA STATE•MIKE GUNDY

The extension Oklahoma StategaveGundy seemedprudent at the time. He hadled the

Cowboys to 16 consecutive bowl games, including five tripstoNew Year’sSix bowls, by thetime he signed his contract extension. But things started going sideways two years after signing the deal. The Cowboys won 10 games in 2023, went 3-9 last season and got off to a1-2 start this year before firing the greatest coach the program ever has known.

Grade: C

OLE MISS •LANE KIFFIN

Kiffin has become thebiggest nameavailable in the2025 coaching cycle, but he also signed acontract extension after the 2021 season that lengthened his deal by ayear.The new contract and subsequent extensions have worked out for the Rebels despite theturmoil of the last couple of weeks. Ole Miss is on the precipiceofmakingthe CFPthis year and has won 10 or more games in three consecutive years for the first time in program history

Grade: A

KENTUCKY •MARK STOOPS

Stoops signedacreative extension after the 2021 season, ayear in which the Wildcats went 10-3and reached the Citrus Bowl. The new deal runs through 2028 but includes aone-year extension for any seven-win season and atwo-year extension for any 10-win campaign. Since signing thedeal, Stoops led the Wildcats to bowl appearances in 2022 and 2023 but hasstruggled since then, winning just four gameslast season and fivethis year heading into Saturday’smatchup with Louisville.

Grade: C

WAKE FOREST •DAVECLAWSON

Clawson signed along-term extension after leading the Demon Deacons to 11 wins and winning the ACC Coach of the Year award. Thenew deal he signed paid off early as Wake Forestwon eight games in 2022. Butafter 4-8 campaigns over the next two years,Clawson resigned before this season.

Grade: C+

BOSTON COLLEGE •JEFF HAFLEY

Hafley found success at Boston College, leading the Eagles to six or more wins in threeof hisfourseasons at the helm. He signedanextension after the2021 season that would have kept him in Chestnut Hill until 2026, but he left afterthe 2023 season —inwhich theEagles went7-6 —tobecome the defensive coordinator for theGreen Bay Packers.

Grade: B

MINNESOTA •PJFLECK

After signing acontract extension thatkeeps himwith theGolden Gophers through the 2028 season, Fleck has led Minnesotatoatleast six winsevery year since signing his new deal in November 2021. That includes anine-win campaign in 2022.

Grade: B+

Kiffin says he’llpray before deciding on future

BY REED DARCEY Staff writer

Lane Kiffin said on the ABC broadcast of the Egg Bowl on Friday that he has “a lotofpraying to do” before he decides whether he wants to stay atOle Miss or accept LSU’svacanthead coaching job.

Kiffinwas then asked in anewsconferenceafter the Rebels’ 38-19 winover Mississippi State if he plans to make afinal decision by Saturday —the deadline that Ole Missathletic director Keith Carter set in astatementhereleased Nov. 21 “I feel like Igot to,” Kiffin said. “It’snot as enjoyable as peopleprobablythink it is. (Georgia coach) Kirby (Smart) sayswhenhewants to complainabout being in the nationalchampionship and missing the portal window,thatthere’s no crying from the yacht. So, I’m not trying to get pity.But it’snot as enjoyable as some people mightthink.”

Kiffin, 50, is the primary targetofLSU’s search to replace Brian Kelly,who was fired on Oct. 26. The Florida Gators havefallen out of the running to hire Kiffin, according to Friday reports from ESPN and On3.

Kiffin fought back tears after the game Friday and said he wishes that his late father,Monte, could help him with his decision. Instead, he’ll call Pete Carroll andNickSaban later Friday for advice, he said.

“I miss my dad,” Kiffin said. “I really missedhim this week. My two calls will be theclosest to that for advice, what my dad would say to do on these things. That’ll be coach Carrolland coach Saban. Kindofwishwhenyou have things to do in life, that your dad was there.But it is what it is.”

Kiffin was also asked whether Ole Miss’ win over Mississippi State made it moredifficult for him to leave.

“I think it’sdifficult no matter what,” Kiffin said. “There is areliefthat theyplayedlike I thought theywould today.I did think they would playlike this, but you never know.And so, Iam relieved for that because if they didn’tplay well today,weall know what thestorylinewould be It’d be my fault for having them distracted and stuff.”

Elsewhere, Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz and Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea removed themselves from the candidatepool by signing contract extensionswiththeir current schoolson Thursday and Friday,respectively

COLLEGE FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

at Auburn (5-6) 6:30p.m. No. 11BYU (10-1) vs.UCF (5-6), noon No. 12Vanderbilt (9-2) at No. 18 Tennessee (8-3), 2:30 p.m.

13Miami (9-2) at No. 24 Pittsburgh (8-3), 11 a.m.

17Virginia (9-2) vs.Virginia Tech (3-8), 6p.m. No. 19 Southern Cal (8-3)vs. UCLA (3-8), 6:30 p.m. No. 20 James Madison (10-1) at Coastal Carolina (6-5), 2:45 p.m. No. 25 SMU (8-3)atCalifornia(6-5), 7p.m. EAST Miami (9-2)atPittsburgh (8-3), 11 a.m. FCSFirst Round —Game 2atKingston, R.I.: Rhode Island(10-2)vs. CCSU (8-4),11a.m. TexasTech (10-1) at West Virginia(4-7) 11 a.m. FCSFirst Round —Game 3atVillanova,Pa.: Villanova (9-2)vs. Harvard(9-1), 11 a.m. UTEP (2-9)atDelaware (5-6), noon Georgia Southern(5-6)atMarshall (5-6), 12:30 p.m. Boston College (1-10) at Syracuse (3-8) 2p.m. Penn St. (5-6)atRutgers(5-6), 2:30p.m. SOUTH Kentucky (5-6)atLouisville (7-4), 11 a.m. Clemson(6-5)atSouth Carolina (4-7), 11 a.m. East Carolina (7-4)atFAU (4-7), 11 a.m. FCSFirst Round —Game 4atCookeville, Tenn.: Tennessee Tech (11-1)vs. North Dakota (7-5), noon FCSFirst Round —Game 1atHammond, La.: Georgia St. (1-10) at OldDominion (8-3), 1 p.m. W. Kentucky (8-3)atJacksonville St. (7-4), 1p.m. Arkansas St. (5-6)atAppalachian St. (5-6), 1:30 p.m. Florida A&M (5-6)atMVSU(1-10),2p.m.

James Madison (10-1) at Coastal Carolina (6-5), 2:45 p.m. Florida St. (5-6) at Florida (3-8), 3:30 p.m. Virginia Tech (3-8) at Virginia(9-2),6 p.m. Rice (5-6)atSouth Florida (8-3), 6p.m. North Carolina (4-7)atNCState (6-5), 6:30 p.m. Alabama (9-2)atAuburn (5-6),6:30 p.m. MIDWEST FCSFirst Round —Game 8atYoungstown, Ohio: YoungstownSt. (8-4)vs. Yale (8-2) 11 a.m. Colorado (3-8) at Kansas St. (5-6), 11 a.m. Ball St.

THENATION

THINGS TO WATCHINWEEK14

ALABAMACONTROLSITS DESTINY

OHIO

STATEFACES RIVALMICHIGAN

Top-ranked Ohio State (11-0,8-0 Big Ten)

would not getknockedout of the College Football Playoff if it losestoNo.15 Michigan (9-2, 7-1) on Saturday. But if the Wolverines can pull off another upset, theyhavea chance to playinthe Big Ten championship and possibly contendfor anational title. Ohio State redshirtfreshman Julian Sayin leads major collegefootball with a79.4% completion rate and 185.38 quarterback rating.Michigan freshman Bryce Underwood has nine touchdown passes and five interceptions.

RANKED PITT,MIAMI TEAMSCLASH

TheACC raceissojumbled, the marquee game forthe final week features tworanked teams that can’tsimply wintheirway into the league championship. No. 24 Pittsburgh (8-3, 6-1 ACC) is on the vergeofgettingsqueezed out of the league titlegame due to tiebreakers with No. 17 Virginia and No. 25 SMU.None of thatmatters, though, if the Panthers don’t beat the Hurricanes. No. 13 Miami (9-2, 5-2) remainsthe league’stop team in the College Football Playoff rankings (No. 12) to stayinthe runningfor an at-largeCFP bid.

No. 10 Alabama has aberth in theSEC title game and likely a first-round byeinthe College FootballPlayoff at stakewhenittravels to play the Tigers on Saturday.The Tide (9-2, 6-1 SEC) controls its destinyinthe SECand theCFP Aloss, however, complicates the picture with No.3Texas A&M, No. 4Georgia and No.6 Mississippi all alivefor aspot in theSEC title game.Auburn(5-6, 1-6), meanwhile,istrying to becomebowleligible under interim coach DJ Durkin.The Tigers have lost six of their past eight.

Interest waned, butTigersstayedtofight

LSUfans may have longchecked out on this football season, instead obsessively checking their web browsers to see if thereare any updates in thecoaching search and the school’spursuitofOle Miss coach Lane Kiffin.

1. TEXASA&M

Record: 11-0 overall, 7-0 SEC

Previous rank: 1

Last week: DefeatedSamford 48-0

Thisweek: at Texas, n

2. GEORGIA

Record: 11-1 overall, 7-1 SEC

Previous rank: 2

Last week: DefeatedCharlotte 35-3

Thisweek: DefeatedGeorgia Tech 16-9

3. OLEMISS

Record: 11-1 overall, 7-1 SEC

Previous rank: 3

Last week: Idle

Thisweek: DefeatedMississippi State 38-19

4. OKLAHOMA

Record: 9-2 overall, 5-2 SEC

Previous rank: 4

Last week: DefeatedMissouri 17-6

Thisweek: vs.LSU,2:30 p.m. Saturday (ABC)

5. ALABAMA

Record: 9-2 overall, 6-1 SEC

Previous rank: 5

Last week: DefeatedEastern Illinois 56-0

Thisweek: at Auburn, 6:30 p.m. Saturday (ABC)

6. VANDERBILT

Record: 9-2 overall, 5-2 SEC

Previous rank: 6

Last week: DefeatedKentucky 45-17

Thisweek: at Tennessee, 2:30 p.m. Saturday (ESPN)

7. TEXAS

Record: 8-3 overall, 5-2 SEC

Previous rank: 7

Last week: DefeatedArkansas 52-37

Thisweek: vs.TexasA&M, n

8. TENNESSEE

Record: 8-3 overall, 4-3 SEC

Previous rank: 8

Last week: DefeatedFlorida 31-11

Thisweek: vs.Vanderbilt, 2:30 p.m. Saturday (ESPN)

9. MISSOURI

Record: 7-4 overall, 3-4 SEC

Previous rank: 9

Last week: Lost to Oklahoma17-6

Thisweek: at Arkansas, 2:30 p.m. Saturday (SECNetwork)

The LSU players and remaining coaches, to their everlasting credit,are still invested. There has been disappointment. Container ships full of it.But it has been trumped so many times by determination LinebackerWhitWeeks revealed earlier this week that he brokethe same ankle he brokeinthe Texas Bowl on Sept. 22 at OleMiss. He finally got back into action for 14 snapsthis past Saturday against Western Kentucky and is hopeful, fervently so, that he can seeabout 30 snaps in Saturday’sregularseason finale at No. 8Oklahoma(2:30p.m ABC).

“I just love playing ball,” Weekssaid Tuesday,thatever-present smile on his face despite it all Quarterback Michael VanBurenisstartingfor the third straight week in place of Garrett Nussmeier,ruled outagain with hisreaggravated abdominal injury.When VanBuren took his first snap against WesternKentucky,his fifth game thisseason, he burned the possibility of redshirting. Interim coach Frank Wilson left thedecision up to hisquarterback,but he made his mind up to play this season out to theend. Cornerback Mansoor Delane, thebest performer on this 2025 LSUteam,was named one of the three finalists for the Jim Thorpe Award. It’sgiventothe nation’sbest defensive back,won in the

past by Tiger greatsGrant Delpit (2019), Morris Claiborne (2011) and Patrick Peterson (2010). He is apparently ready to go against OU after sittingout last week’s game despite recently revealing he’s played likeanAll-American all season with hisown core injury Credit too goes to Wilson, who in his interim role with no guarantee Kiffin or whoever is LSU’snext coach will keep him haskept this Tigers team together.He’s kept its recruiting class mostly intact. LSU hasnot had any opt-outs and only acouple of decommitments as thestartofthe early signing period loomsonWednesday

It takes abig effort to keep up thespirits of an entire team that ends the season with no shot at any of its preseason goals. LSU looked as though it was on its way with that 17-10 season-opening win at then-No. 4 Clemson.Who knew Clemson would be bad and LSUwould be, well, mediocre?

At thestartofit, if you looked ahead to this game, you probably would have thought LSU would bethe team battling for aberth in the College Football Playoff and Oklahoma would be theteam playing the role of spoiler Instead, of course, it’scompletely reversed. It’sthe Tigers (7-4, 3-4 SEC) trying to spoil ashot at the CFP for the Sooners (9-2, 5-2), who come into theweek ranked No.8inthe mostrecent CFP rankings. It’s OU, not LSU, that has themost at stake

The Soonerscould come out wound super tight or could come out super motivated, with the little matter of atoning for a37-17 loss at Tiger Stadium in the 2024 season finale in their back pocket.

Lost in allthe LSUlosses and the coachingsearches and flight tracking of private planes is the fact that there is some history at play Saturday.The Tigers and Sooners

have met only four times in football with LSU holding a3-1 seriesadvantage —and last year’sgame in Baton Rouge was the first time they didn’tplay in abowl game. That makes this LSU’sfirst trip not only to OU but to theentire state of Oklahomafor afootball game.

The Tigers will be up against it. The Sooners have one of the best defenses in America, leading thenation in both sacks and tackles for loss. It’sa scary prospect for an LSU team that has managed to scrape together just three touchdowns in its past three games.

OU’soffense is not Secretariat in the 1973 Belmonteither,and LSU’s defense can be expected to put up afight. But frankly,the Tigers have beenplaying like aone-handed team mostofthe season, and it’sunrealistic to expect that will change now

Butthey will play,and by allrecent accounts should be expected to give their best effort,even if it looks like alost cause going in. Wilson said he would use the spoiler’srole as motivation.

“How do you finish?” Wilsonasked. “How do you want toberemembered? We can go out and play to thebest of our ability and see wherethe chips may fall. What is your legacy? 8-4 is alot better than 7-5.”

It is, though in that context, fewwill remember anything great aboutthis LSU season compared to all the championship years theTigers have had.

Butthey should remember those who stayed. There is nobilityinthe effort, the struggle, when thereisevery reason to quit.Sometimes, even these times, there is morethan winning at stake.

Email Scott Rabalais at srabalais@ theadvocate.com

10.KENTUCKY

Record: 5-6 overall, 2-6 SEC

Previous rank: 10

Last week: Lost to Vanderbilt 45-17

Thisweek: at Louisville,11a.m. Saturday (ACC Network)

11.AUBURN

Record: 5-6 overall, 1-6 SEC

Previous rank: 12

Last week: DefeatedMercer62-17

Thisweek: vs.Alabama, 6:30 p.m. Saturday (ABC)

12.SOUTH CAROLINA

Record: 4-7 overall, 1-7 SEC

Previous rank: 14

Last week: DefeatedCoastal Carolina 51-7

Thisweek: vs.Clemson, 11 a.m. Saturday (SECNetwork)

13.LSU

Record: 7-4 overall, 3-4 SEC

Previous rank: 11

Last week: DefeatedWestern Kentucky 1310

Thisweek: at Oklahoma, 2:30 p.m. Saturday (ABC)

14.MISSISSIPPI STATE

Record: 5-7 overall, 1-7 SEC

Previous rank: 13

Last week: Idle

Thisweek: Lost to Ole Miss 38-19

15.ARKANSAS

Record: 2-9 overall, 0-7 SEC

Previous rank: 15

Last week: Lost to Texas 52-37

Thisweek: vs.Missouri, 2:30 p.m. Saturday (SECNetwork)

16.FLORIDA

Record: 3-8 overall, 2-6 SEC

Previous rank: 16

Last week: Lost to Tennessee31-11

Thisweek: vs.Florida State,3:30 p.m. Saturday(ESPN2)

STAFF PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK

LSU quarterback Michael VanBuren runs the ball againstWesternKentucky on SaturdayatTiger Stadium.

CLOSINGSTRONG

BY KEVIN FOOTE Staff writer

The UL Ragin’ Cajuns hope fora triumphant ending to atrying regular season at 2p.m.SaturdayatOur Lady of Lourdes Stadium with rival UL-Monroe in town

Awin for the Cajuns wouldextend their winning streak to four games and earn bowl eligibility for theeighthconsecutive season.

For the visiting Warhawks (3-8, 1-6), it’ssimply about playing spoiler against astate rival.

The situation is asimple one for UL coach Michael Desormeaux

“This game has to mean more to us to win this and get to an opportunity to play in abowlgame than it does to them to come here and spoil it for us,” he said.

“That’s just thebottom line.”

AULteam led by 20 seniorswho will be honored during senior-dayactivities will try to finish out the season in style.

“There’snoway that we can be anything other than incredibly excited about going to play this game,” Desormeaux said.

The group of seniors is filled with playerswho have contributed greatly to the programduringtheir careers. That list includes Key’savalyn Barnes, Micaiah

Bivines, Jalen Clark, Jaelen Crider, Jaden Dugger,Courtline Flowers, JaxHarrington, Caleb Kibodi, Jordan Lawson, Mackey Maillho,DaleMartin, Kadarius Miller,TreyMiller,Hunter Sims, Tyree Skipper,Trae Tomlinson, Nathan Torney, Cameron Whitfield, Robert Williamsand Terrence Williams.

“I knowifIwas asenior,I’d want one last game and they deserve it,” redshirt freshman safety Lake Bates said. “They have so manypeople that mean so much to this program, and they really deserve one more game.”

The Cajuns (5-6, 4-3) have won 14 of the last17meetings between the programs,

including last year’s 37-24 win in Monroe. UL has playedonly Louisiana Tech and Northwestern State moretimesinschool history andleadsthe all-timeseries3426. Despite the Cajuns’ motivation and recentsuccessagainstthe Warhawks, Desormeaux isn’twithout concerns about the matchup.

UL-Monroehas struggledonoffense formost of the season, but its defense has held strongall season. The Warhawks rank top five in the Sun Belt in nearlyevery defensive category,include

BY LUKE JOHNSON Staff writer

As his rookie season has progressed, necessityhas pushed Devin Neal up in the New Orleans Saints’ pecking order

Here it is happening again: Afterthe Saints ruled starting running back Alvin Kamara outfor this week’sgameagainst theMiami Dolphins, Neal suddenly finds himself as the team’slead back. “I’m reallyexcited forhim,” quarterbackTyler Shough said “He’sfully capable of everything we’re asking him to do.” Neal, asixth-roundpickout of Kansas,playedseven offensive snaps in Week 1, then spent four weeks as ahealthy scratch on gameday.Hesaw his workload incrementally increase after No. 2back Kendre Millerwas lost for the season with akneeinjury against the Chicago Bears, and now another injury leaves him as thetop option. He chuckled at the phrasing of aquestion asking about whether he’sbeen able to “ease in” to his role —there’s no suchthing as “easing in” at thislevel —but he feelspreparedtodowhateverthe Saintsask of him because he never lost sight of how close he was to thespot he’sinnow

“Since the beginning of the season, (running backs coach Joel Thomas) and the rest of the guys just told me to keep staying ready,because you never know in this league, especially at my position,” Nealsaid. “I really focused on that, nottreating each week thatI wasn’tactive or playing as

muchasa down week, but another chance to keep getting better and keep growing.” His attention to detail in team meetings was not overlooked. “I just reallyloveand appreciate his consistency,” Saints coach

STAFFPHOTO By BRETT DUKE Saints running backDevin Neal gets by Atlanta Falcons cornerback Dee Alford at the Caesars

STAFFFILE PHOTOByBRAD KEMP

season. The Cajuns and Warhawks meet againSaturday

Saints rule out Kamara for Sunday

BY LUKE JOHNSON AND MATTHEW PARAS Staff writers

Alvin Kamara will miss his first game of the season after the Saints ruled him out Friday for their Sunday contest against the Miami Dolphins.

Kamara suffered a knee injury early in the first quarter of last week’s game against the Atlanta Falcons when linebacker Kaden Elliss dragged him to the turf after a short gain. New Orleans appeared to brace for his absence earlier this week when it signed running back Evan Hull to the active roster from the practice squad.

The ninth-year pro had started each of the Saints’ first 11 games, even as he has dealt with a nagging ankle issue for several weeks

Kamara’s production has lagged in 2025. He is averaging career lows in several statistical categories, including yards per carry (3.6), rushing yards per game (42.8) and yards per reception (5.6). Rookie Devin Neal is expected to handle the starting running back duties in his absence. The rest of the injury report carried some better news.

Wide receiver Chris Olave (back) is questionable for Sunday’s game, but he returned to practice Friday after missing the team’s Thursday session. Starting right tackle Taliese Fuaga (ankle) is also on track to play after missing the last two games

Hill wins award

Less than a year removed from a major knee injury that threatened to end his career Taysom Hill has been named the New Orleans Saints’ 2025 Ed Block Courage Award winner The award was created in honor of former Baltimore Colts athletic trainer Ed Block. It is given annually to one player from each of the 32 NFL teams who best exemplifies a commitment to sportsmanship

and courage. Hill’s teammates voted for him because of his commitment to making it back to the field after he suffered a torn ACL against the Los Angeles Rams in December of last year Hill returned to the field for the Week 5 win against the New York Giants. Now 34 years old, Hill has dealt with multiple serious injuries throughout his career He suffered four season-ending injuries during his time at BYU. As a pro, he had a Lisfranc injury in the final game of the 2021 season, which required a long offseason rehabilitation, and he also played through a mallet finger injury on his throwing hand while filling in as the Saints starting quarterback. He has spent his entire nine-year career with New Orleans, who claimed him off waivers after the Green Bay Packers cut him prior to the start of the 2017 season. Hill

has become a mainstay in the offense, carving out a rare role while playing every position except offensive line He also has played multiple roles on special teams. With 39 more yards receiving, Hill will become the third player in NFL history — and the first in the Super Bowl era to record at least 2,000 yards passing, 2,000 yards rushing and 1,000 yards receiving in a career The others, Hall of Famer Charley Trippi and Bob Hoernschemeyer, played in the 1940s and 50s.

The five most recent Saints winners of the Ed Block Courage Award are Nephi Sewell Foster Moreau Jameis Winston, Kwon Alexander and Terron Armstead Hill will be honored along with the other 31 recipients of the Ed Block Courage Award in Baltimore this spring.

Kicker TBD

The Saints still haven’t decided

who will kick against the Dolphins, Saints coach Kellen Moore said Friday The coach said New Orleans will elevate either Cade York or Charlie Smyth from the practice squad Saturday, but until then, Moore and other members of the Saints will talk it over one last time.

The Saints had both kickers kick in practice this week after waiving Blake Grupe on Tuesday New Orleans released the threeyear incumbent after he missed two crucial kicks in last weekend’s loss to the Atlanta Falcons.

The team signed York after a tryout that included former Baltimore Ravens kicker JustinTucker Smyth, who is from Ireland, has been on the New Orleans practice squad since 2024.

Email Luke Johnson at ljohnson@theadvocate.com.

Chiefs running out of rope; Cowboys surge

BY ROB MAADDI AP pro football writer

The Kansas City Chiefs have run out of room for error

If they’re going to extend the dynasty and reach the AFC championship game for a ninth straight season to have a shot at winning a fourth Super Bowl title with coach Andy Reid and quarterback Patrick Mahomes, they might need to win their last five games — and get help. A 31-28 loss at Dallas on Thursday dropped the Chiefs (6-6) to .500. They’ve already lost to the three 7-4 teams currently sitting in the AFC wild-card spots — Chargers, Jaguars, Bills and they also trail the Texans (6-5) and Steelers (6-5) Kansas City’s final five games are home vs. Houston and Los Angeles (the Chargers beat the Chiefs in Week 1 in Brazil), at Tennessee, home vs. Denver and at Las Vegas The three toughest games are at Arrowhead Stadium, where the Chiefs are 5-1.

“You’ve just got to win every game now I hope that’s enough,” Mahomes said. “We’re going to play a lot of good ballteams coming up. If we’re going to make the playoffs, we’re going to have to win ’em all That’s got to be the mindset when we step into the building when we get back.”

It’s going to be a tough task for Mahomes and Co. An inconsistent offense showed encouraging signs, scoring four touchdowns against Dallas. But Steve Spagnoulo’s defense surrendered 457 yards and 31 points. They need to tighten up down the stretch.

Meanwhile, the Cowboys (65-1) have climbed back into the NFC playoff race with their third straight win. They defeated the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles and the runners-up in a five-

Dallas Cowboys linebacker DeMarvion Overshown, left, knocks the ball out of bounds away from Kansas City Chiefs quarterback

Mahomes during the first half of a game on Thursday

day span.

Dak Prescott is thriving thanks to George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb, who overcame the drops against Philadelphia. The revamped defense got the best of a depleted offensive line and harassed Mahomes throughout the game

Still, the Cowboys have a long way to go. They would have to win out and have the Eagles (8-3) lose three games to win the NFC East.

Dallas visits Detroit next week, hosts Minnesota and the Chargers and finishes with consecutive road games against Washington and the New York Giants.

The Cowboys would surpass the Lions (7-5) with a win next Thursday They’ll need San Francisco (84) to lose two games if they win out to finish with an eight-game winning streak.

“We’re playing good football, we’re riding a three-game winning streak,” Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said. “We need to get to four And again, I think if

you look at things that way, and it makes the process easier, and if we keep winning football games, we’ll see what happens at the end.”

Race for the NFC North Detroit’s hopes of becoming a three-peat division champion took a serious hit with a 31-24 loss to the Green Bay Packers. Jordan Love was outstanding, tossing four TD passes. Micah Parsons was dominant, recording 2 1/2 sacks. The Packers (8-3-1) swept the Lions and would take over first place if Chicago (8-3) loses at Philadelphia (8-3) on Friday.

The Packers will face the Bears twice in the next three games sandwiched around a road game against the Broncos (9-2). The division battle will come down to those matchups.

“There are a lot of good football teams in our division,” Love said.

“We’ve got to come out here and handle business every time we get those opps. Obviously we know this three-game stretch we’ve had

Bears take down Eagles for their 5th win in row

PHILADELPHIA Kyle Monangai rushed for 130 yards and a touchdown, D’Andre Swift ran for 125 yards and a score, and the Chicago Bears finished with 281 yards on the ground to win their fifth straight game 24-15 over the reeling Philadelphia Eagles on Friday night.

Led by rookie coach Ben Johnson, the surprising Bears (9-3) are alone in first place in the NFC North heading into a Dec. 7 showdown at Green Bay Last season, the Bears’ Thanksgiving loss at Detroit led to the firing of coach Matt Eberflus and was their sixth straight of what ballooned into a 10-game losing streak. A year later, the Bears bullied Philadelphia’s defensive line for a relatively easy win at the home of the Super Bowl champions.

Lakers will not play on the NBA special court

LOS ANGELES The Los Angeles Lakers will use their normal home court for their NBA Cup game against Dallas on Friday night after Luka Doncic complained about the slipperiness of their leagueissued special tournament court. Doncic said the new court was “slippery” and “dangerous” on Tuesday night after the Lakers clinched their tournament group with a victory over the Los Angeles Clippers. The league provides exotic, unorthodox hardwood courts to every team in the league to distinguish its NBA Cup games. After Doncic’s complaints, the court was examined by the league’s technicians and deemed unsafe for play, the team said. After adjustments, the court could be available if the Lakers host a Cup quarterfinal later this month.

Vikings to start rookie Brosmer at quarterback

EAGAN, Minn. — The Minnesota Vikings will start rookie Max Brosmer at quarterback on Sunday at Seattle after J.J. McCarthy’s practice time was limited all week by the concussion protocol. Coach Kevin O’Connell made the announcement after practice on Friday that McCarthy is out against the Seahawks. Journeyman John Wolford, who is on the practice squad, will be the backup to Brosmer. McCarthy reported symptoms during the team’s flight home from Green Bay last week. The 10th overall pick in the 2024 draft, who missed his entire rookie year after knee surgery, sat out five games earlier this season with a sprained ankle His struggles through six career starts have been a burden on the struggling Vikings (4-7).

Stanford hires Pritchard as its new football coach

with the Vikings, now the Lions, and then go with the Bears next week. You’ve got to come in and win these games and try to control your own destiny by winning out.”

Detroit has lost three of four and four of six. The Lions would have to win out and get help to win another division title. They won’t have an easy road to a wildcard spot, either After Dallas, the Lions visit the NFC-leading Rams, host the Steelers and finish with consecutive road games against the Vikings and Bears.

“You’ve got to do your job, you’ve got to win and you need a little help. And that’s what it is,” coach Dan Campbell said. “But it all starts with you doing your job, which is us, and finding a way to win the next one in front of us. It really is that simple. Don’t make more of it than need be. It’s frustrating, it sucks, it’s tough, but we did it to ourselves and we’re the only ones who are going to get out of it as well.”

Ravens stumble Joe Burrow returned for the Bengals and helped end Baltimore’s five-game winning streak. Much of the credit goes to Cincinnati’s defense for stifling Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry and the Ravens. A unit that entered the game last in the NFL forced five turnovers. The Ravens (6-6) fell a halfgame behind the Steelers (6-5) for first place in the AFC North. Pittsburgh hosts Buffalo on Sunday The Ravens and Steelers will square off in Week 14 and 18.

Jackson threw four TD passes against Miami after returning following a three-game injury absence. But he has one TD pass and three picks in four games since.

STANFORD, Calif. — Former Stanford quarterback Tavita Pritchard will return to The Farm as head football coach after being hired by general manager Andrew Luck. Luck announced the move to hire Pritchard on Friday, a day before the Cardinal play the final game of their season under interim coach Frank Reich on Saturday night against No. 9 Notre Dame. Pritchard, who was a teammate of Luck’s at Stanford from 200809, will officially start on Monday, a day after spending his final game as quarterbacks coach of the NFL’s Washington Commanders. Pritchard served as an assistant at Stanford from 2010-22 under Jim Harbaugh and David Shaw, before leaving for the NFL in 2023.

Bradley wins the first Skins Game in 17 years

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla.— U.S. Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley won 11 skins, nine of them on two holes, and won the Skins Game with $2.1 million in the return of the competition Friday after 17 years.

Bradley made a 7-foot putt on No 13 at Panther National to win $900,000 because money from the previous three holes had carried over Bradley’s first win was worth five skins on the first hole when no one won the opening four holes. There were a few tweaks this time. It was held over 16 holes on Friday morning, instead of 18 holes over two days during Thanksgiving weekend. And while each player started with $1 million, they had money deducted when someone else won skins.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By TONy GUTIERREZ

Patrick

in Arlington, Texas.

STAFF PHOTO By BRETT DUKE

New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara, right, runs the ball against the New England Patriots on Oct. 12. Kamara will miss his first game of the season Sunday against the Miami Dolphins.

122carries,644

477yards,17.7avg,5TDs

20 catches, 284yards,14.2avg,0 TD

1sack, 1FF, 1INT Terrance Williams 80 tackles, 2for loss,1sack, 1FF AUGUST

Oneofleague’sbest stayinghome

why -digi ght swayed afew naysayers. Instead, aSun Beltchampionship andbowl gameseem to bethe ceiling.

2. OldDominion

Records: 8-3 overall, 5-2 Sun Belt

Previous rank: 3

Last week: DefeatedGeorgia

Southern 45-10

This week: vs. Georgia State, 1p.m. Saturday(ESPN+)

Extra points: The season began with the thinking OldDominion possibly wasthe second-bestteam in the Sun Belt, and that’swhat has happened. TheMonarchsrushed for an incredible 376 yards and outgained Georgia Southern 551249. It’s ashame Old Dominion can’tget another shot at James Madison, but it doesn’tworkthat way

3. Southern Miss

Records: 7-4 overall, 5-2 Sun Belt

Previous rank: 2

Last week: Lost at South Alabama 42-35

This week: vs.Troy,2:30 p.m. Saturday(ESPN+)

Extrapoints: The fact the Golden Eagles are contending for theSun BeltWest crown isn’ta surprise at all. Thelevel of play for Southern Miss as it approaches the finish line,though, is abit perplexing. If not for five interceptions by their defense, the Eagles likely lose in Jonesboro. They thenfound themselves down 42-21 to South Alabama before falling. The Eagles rushedfor only 41 yards last week.The goodnews is Troy is also limpingintoDecember 4. Troy

Records: 7-4 overall, 5-2 Sun Belt

Previous rank: 6 Last week: DefeatedGeorgia State 31-19

Thisweek: at Southern Miss, 2:30 p.m. Saturday (ESPN+)

UL

Continued from page5C

63 tackles behind the line to go alongwith 24 sacks.

“I reallybelieve their defensive line is one of the best in the league,” Desormeaux said. “Trying to get the rungame going and tryingtofind some good, sound runs that we can chip away at it is going to be difficult.

“You know truthfully,Ithink this mightbea littlebit more afeast or famine type of deal, where, you know,they’ll create some negatives, but hopefully you can getthem out of gaps and you can hit some as well.” Offensively,the Warhawks have struggledbut do have two capable running backsinBray-

5. UL

Records: 5-6overall, 4-3 Sun Belt

Previous rank: 7

Last week: Defeated Arkansas State34-30

This week: vs. UL-Monroe, 2p.m. Saturday (ESPN+)

Extrapoints:It’sa minor miracle UL is still in thehunt for abowl berth with how beat up itsoffensive line is and how poorly thedefense has played at times. On the other hand, theCajuns would love to have games back against Troy and Southern Miss. Fornow,it’sabout showing enough maturity Saturday against UL-Monroe to salvage abowl berth and achance at awinning season after a2-6 start.

6. TexasState

Records: 5-6overall, 2-5 Sun Belt

Previous rank: 9 Last week: Defeated UL-Monroe 31-14

Thisweek: vs. South Alabama, 2p.m. Saturday (ESPN+)

Extrapoints: Texas State is 2-5 in league play this season, but none of the teams playing for anything this weekend would volunteer to playthe Bobcats in the finale

BradJackson posted yet another big game last week with 201 yards andatouchdown passing,aswell as 88 more yards and two scores on theground. The Bobcats were 8of14onthird won. Similar to the Cajuns, all Texas Statecan do now is salvage abowl bid with ahome win.

7. CoastalCarolina

Records: 6-5overall, 5-2 Sun Belt

Previous rank:4

Last week: LostatSouth Carolina

51-7

This week: vs.James Madison, 2:45 p.m. Saturday (ESPNU)

Extrapoints: TheChanticleershave been hard to figure all season. Going in, Coastal Carolina had all the

lon McReynolds (112-588, 3TDs) and Zach Palmer-Smith (95-546, 3 TDs).

“He’sprettydynamic,” Desormeaux said of PalmerSmith. “He’s really quick.They runabunchofwideand outside zone,which coach (Bryant) Vincenthas done allthe way back to UAB. Theyknowwhattheywant to run.

“I think the back does areally good job.Heunderstands when it might bounce andwhenitwon’t, and he gets to thecutbacks really fast.”

The bottom line is the UL-Monroe offenseisaveraging only 15.6 pointsa gamethis season. So despite giving up big plays at times this season, the UL defense hasa chance to carrya bigger load in this game.

“Our defense has to play well in

ga

just as easily have aspotinthe Sun Belt titlegame alreadyorbe battlingUL-Monroe forlast place in the Sun Belt West. To getbowl eligible after twoheartbreaking home losses, theRed Wolvesmust win at AppState.

9. SouthAlabama

Records: 4-7 overall, 3-4 Sun Belt

Previous rank: 11

Last week: Defeated Southern Miss 42-35

This week: at TexasState,2 p.m. Saturday (ESPN+)

Extrapoints: The Jaguars wish they had some of those early league games back,suchaslosing to Troy in overtime and a15-14 road loss to Arkansas State. The Jaguars suddenly have wontwo in arow KentrelBullock rushed for 187 yards and three touchdowns last week. South Alabamacollected 26 first downs and was 7of15on third down in theimpressive win over Southern Miss.

10.Marshall

Records: 5-6 overall, 3-4 Sun Belt

Previous rank: 8

Last week: Defeated Appalachian State26-24

This week: vs. Georgia Southern, 12:30 p.m. Saturday (ESPN+)

Extrapoints: Threecritical turnovers have quarterback Carlos DelRio-Wilsonand theThundering Herd on the verge of alosing season.Del Rio-Wilsonwas good againwith 146 yardspassing and 71 yards rushing and two TDs running. He also got helponthe ground from JoshuaBarbie with 102 yards and ascore while building a21-9 lead in the second quarter.The surprising loss to App State, though, means theHerd must beat Georgia Southern at hometoget to six wins.

11.AppalachianState

this game, has to,” Desormeaux said.

The Cajuns intend to lean on the running game withZylanPerry (122-644, 8TDs) and Bill Davis (133-613, 5TDs), despite losing starting center Cooper Fordham and veteran backup offensive lineman Mackey Maillho for the remainder of the season.

Redshirt sophomore Andrew Martinezisexpected to start at center in Fordham’s spot

“I’ve been reallyproud of that groupbecause Ithink they have maximized carries,”Desormeaux said of his running backs. “They’ve had tough runs. They’ve run through contact.

“Those guys have been very selfless.There’snot acomplaint not an ounce of anything other thanthey want to do what they cantogohelp the team win.”

6State, looked season noise, arshall possible. at and the 175 tate n, s bring ending to aroller-coaster season.

12.Georgia Southern

Records: 5-6overall, 3-4 Sun Belt

Previous rank: 10.

Last week: Lost to Old Dominion 45-10

This week: at Marshall,12:30p.m Saturday (ESPN+)

Extra points: The Eagles gave up 376 yards rushing to Old Dominion in last week’sblowout loss. Normally potent, the Eagles offense posted only 13 first downs and249 yards. NowGeorgia Southern must find away to outscore Marshall on the road.

13.UL-Monroe

Records: 3-8overall, 1-6 Sun Belt

Previous rank: 14

Last week: Lost at Texas State 3114

This week: at UL, 2p.m.Saturday (ESPN+)

Extrapoints: TheWarhawksdefense did as good of ajob as any Sun Belt team other than James Madison againstthe powerful TexasState offensewith 422totalyards allowed.ULM QB AidenArmetta had asolid game with 166 yards on 19-of-26 passing, and Zach PalmerSmith was solid on the ground with 80 yards and ascore.

14.Georgia State

Records: 1-10 overall, 0-7 Sun Belt

Previous rank: 13

Last week: Lost to Troy 31-19

This week:atOld Dominion, 1p.m. Saturday (ESPN+)

Extrapoints: The Panthers essentially playedthe same game two weeks in arow,losing to Marshall 30-18 the week before. Quarterback Christian Veilleux was back and threw for 303 yards and a score.

Email KevinFoote at kfoote@ theadvocate.com.

Desormeaux is counting on atotal team effort to bring home the sixthwin of theseason.

“We’ve got to play really good team football —playing good defense is playing smart on offense,” he said. “Wecan’t turn the ball over,and we can’t do stupidthings and expect to have achancetowin. Sometimes you’ve got to punt but we’ve got to execute on the punt, we got to try to flipthe field, and we gottomakethem drive the whole field.

“Weneed to play our best complementary football game this week. Ithink we’re getting closer and closer to thatweek after week, but certainly it would be a great timetodoit.”

Email KevinFoote at kfoote@ theadvocate.com.

STAFFPHOTO By BRAD KEMP SouthernMiss, shown here tackling

withthe

OLE MISS

Continued from page 5C

SCOREBOARD

Ali 4-17. PASSING_Cincinnati, Burrow 24-46-0-261. Baltimore, L.Jackson 17-32-1-246. RECEIVING_Cincinnati, Chase 7-110, C.Brown 7-35, Tinsley 2-22, Gesicki 2-19, Perine 2-15, Iosivas 1-29, Hudson 1-14, D.Sample 1-14, Fant 1-3. Baltimore, Likely 5-95, Andrews 4-47, Hopkins 2-25, Mitchell 2-12, Flowers 2-6, Henry 1-44, Kolar 1-17. MISSED FIELD GOALS_None. Chicago 24, Philadelphia 15 Chicago7301424 Philadelphia0366 — 15

First Quarter Chi_Swift 3 run (Santos kick), 1:31. Second Quarter Phi_FG Elliott 44, 13:04. Chi_FG Santos 30, 6:44. Third Quarter Phi_A.Brown 33 pass from Hurts (kick failed), 8:12. Fourth Quarter Chi_Monangai 4 run (Santos kick), 12:54. Chi_Kmet 28 pass from Cal.Williams (Santos kick), 6:26. Phi_A.Brown 4 pass from Hurts (pass failed), 3:14. ChiPhi First downs 28 14

Total Net Yards 425 317

Rushes-yards 47-281 17-87

Passing 144 230 Punt Returns 1-12 1-9

Kickoff Returns 2-58 3-69

Interceptions Ret. 1-0 1-11

Comp-Att-Int 17-36-1 19-34-1

Sacked-Yards Lost 2-10 0-0 Punts 3-42.333 5-49.0

Fumbles-Lost 0-0 2-1

Penalties-Yards 4-35 7-44 Time of Possession 39:18 20:42

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS RUSHING_Chicago, Monangai 22-130, Swift 18-125, Ca.Williams 5-13, Moore 1-10, Burden 1-3. Philadelphia, Barkley 13-56, Hurts 4-31. PASSING_Chicago, Ca.Williams 17-36-1-154. Philadelphia, Hurts 19-34-1-230. RECEIVING_Chicago, Burden 4-33, Kmet 3-36, Loveland 3-28, Zaccheaus 2-19, Moore 2-17, Odunze 2-8,

Quarter

Cin_Hudson 14 pass from Burrow (McPherson kick), 7:19 Bal_Mitchell 18 run (Loop kick), 3:59

Cin_Iosivas 29 pass from Burrow (McPherson kick), :15. Fourth Quarter Cin_FG McPherson 52, 9:25 Cin_FG McPherson 41, 1:06 A_70,066.

Punt Returns

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING_Cincinnati, C.Brown

Perine 14-39, Burrow 3-8, D.Sample 1-3. Baltimore, Henry 10-60, L.Jackson 6-27, Mitchell 2-19,

half today,” Kiffin said. “I’m just happy for our fans, for our players. All the stuff they dealt with all week from outside people saying they were distracted, there was noise. This is what these guys do They’ve been doing it for a long time. I think it actually brings them together and they play (well) because of all the stuff outside.” Chambliss led an offense that racked up 546 yards. The senior transfer from Division II Ferris State was 23-of-34 passing. De’Zhaun Stribling had two of those touchdowns and four catches for 66 yards. Deuce Alexander had two catches for 94 yards, including an 88-yard score in the fourth quarter that put the game away The Rebels (11-1, 7-1 Southeastern Conference) also had a big day on the ground, rushing for 187 yards on 39 carries, with Kewan Lacy accounting for 143 yards on 27 carries.

SAINTS

Continued from page 5C

that he provides for us.”

Now he’ll have to show that preparation and energy can translate into production.

Eleven games into his debut season, there’s still not much proof of concept when it comes to Neal as a runner He finished his college career as Kansas’ all-time leading rusher, but he’s logged only 17 car-

ries as a pro, rushing for 61 yards.

Where Neal has shined is in the other aspects of his game. He prides himself on being an “allaround” running back. Shough, another Saints rookie who has followed a similar trajectory to Neal into the starting lineup, agreed with that assessment.

“What he does from a mental standpoint, preparation wise, he’s super smart,” Shough said. “(In) protection, running the ball really well and catching passes. That’s kind of his strength, being able to

After Ole Miss built a 14-7 lead in the first quarter the Bulldogs defense picked up and gave the

do it all.”

He’s made some impressive pickups in pass protection, enough to carve out a role on third downs. As a receiver, he’s caught 12 of 14 targets for 64 yards.

Last week, after Kamara was sidelined, Neal made two of the better plays in an otherwise forgettable effort by the Saints offense, taking a pair of short passes and turning them upfield for 18-yard gains.

“Devin is really savvy,” Shough said. “He’s got some finesse, but he

team a chance in the second to gain some momentum. Mississippi State drove the ball inside the red zone but was held to a field goal that made it 14-10.

Over the final 1:45, the Rebels drove the ball down the field and Chambliss hit Stribling for a tough catch and touchdown in the final seconds to take a 21-10 lead at the half.

“The first two drives and the way we started were not what we anticipated or what we wanted,” MSU coach Jeff Lebby said. “We settled in and I think the next four drives we played really well. They were able to go down and score a touchdown in a two-minute drive with 11 seconds left which is not what we wanted. The explosive plays and the way they were able to throw and catch was what gave them the ability to go away from us.”

The Bulldogs had more than 400 yards of offense themselves. Lebby made the surprise change at quarterback and played talent-

can also lay the boom as he showed in that last game. He’s an all-down back who can do everything that is asked of him, and I’m excited to see what more he can do, because I think he has all those skill sets in him.” After Kamara went down last week, Neal was the only other true running back on the active roster That should change this week, as Audric Estimé and Evan Hull also likely will make their debuts for the Saints. Even if the numbers game left

tral

St.-winner,

Lehigh-Villanova-Harvard-winner vs.

St.-Tennessee Tech-North Dakota-

St.-Youngstown St.-Yale-winner vs. SFA-Abilene Christian-Lamar Universitywinner, TBA Mercer-South Dakota-Drake-winner vs. Montana-South Dakota St.-New Hampshirewinner, TBA Semifinals North Dakota St.-Southeastern La.-Illinois St.-UC Davis-Rhode Island-Central Conn. St.-winner vs. Lehigh-Villanova-HarvardTarleton St.-Tennessee Tech-North Dakotawinner, TBA Montana St.-Youngstown St.-Yale-SFAAbilene Christian-Lamar University-winner vs. Mercer-South Dakota-Drake-Montana-S. Dakota St.-New Hampshire-winner, TBA Championship Monday, January 5 Semifinal winners, 6:30 p.m. Transactions FOOTBALL National Football League ATLANTA FALCONS — Signed WR Dylan Drummond. Waived DE Khalid Kareem. BUFFALO BILLS — Signed WR Gabe Davis from the practice squad. Placed WR Curtis Samuel on injured reserve.

ed freshman Kamario Taylor the entire game. He finished his first start 15-of-31 passing for 178 yards and had 20 carries for 173 yards and two touchdowns.

Mississippi State (5-7, 1-7 SEC) finished with 440 total yards on 74 plays with 262 of those on the ground. Fluff Bothwell rushed 17 times for 80 yards and Brenen Thompson had six catches for 80 yards.

The Bulldogs defense was the issue in the game as Coleman Hutzler’s unit gave up more than 500 yards for the sixth time in two seasons.

It’s now decision time for Kiffin The coach is set to make a decision on his future Saturday and will announce whether he will go to LSU or stay in Oxford, but his decision was not made by the end of the game on Friday

“I’ve got a lot of praying to do to figure that out (Sunday),” Kiffin said. “But right now I’m just going to go enjoy these players.”

him as the only remaining back last week, Neal still appreciated that the Saints trusted him to get the job done. The opportunity is a little bit bigger this week, and he hopes to continue earning their trust. “It means everything,” Neal said. “I love this game, I love these opportunities; this is what I’ve dreamed of my entire life. I’m excited for it, and I’m going to take every advantage to be out there and playing the game that I love.”

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ROGELIO V SOLIS Mississippi State

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MATT SLOCUMP

Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams passes during the first half of a game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Friday in Philadelphia. The Bears won 24-15.

‘We want to … make them full’

A huge, all-you-can-eat buffet nears completion

BY MADDIE SCOTT Staff writer

Baton Rouge is getting a new all-you-can-eat buffet, and this behemoth of a building spans 13,000 square feet and seats up to 350 diners.

At 9626 Airline Highway, the Buffet of Louisiana has been under construction for the past six months and is set for a December opening.

On Nov 17, drills and hammers still sounded through the building, but the interior’s vision was coming together The modern design includes marble textures and ambient lighting in colors of red, blue and white, giving the place a sleek, upscale feel.

“We want to feed the people and make them full,” said manager Jack Weng. “Feed the people of Baton Rouge.”

Several dining areas with orange booth seats surrounded the buffet area, a space with six buffet islands in addition to a sushi bar, ramen bar and Mongolian grill.

Weng said the food options will include lots of Chinese and Asian foods like fried rice, egg rolls, General Tso’s Chicken and beef broccoli. Basically, anything seen at a typical Chinese takeout restaurant will be served, he said.

Lunch is $13.99 on weekdays, and dinner is $17.99 on weekday nights or $19.99 all day on Friday, Saturday and Sunday Weng also wants to regularly donate food to the community

While the plan isn’t concrete yet, he hopes to bring food to a local nonprofit at least monthly He said that the experience of being a new father and providing for his baby has made him want to do more.

“If I can do it through donations, I’d love to do that with my willpower,” Weng said. “Through kindness. Not asking for anything in return.” The business also has two spaces available for private celebrations. Birthday guests get a free meal, Weng said. Those interested can call the restaurant to schedule and reserve a room. And good news for regulars: Every 10th visit will be free for customers, which is tracked through a stamp card.

“Bring your party, bring your date, bring your wife, bring a family member, bring your kids,” Weng said.

Buffet of Louisiana, 9626 Airline Highway, Suite C-2-A, (225) 317-9999.

New Baton Rouge coffee shop hires employees with intellectual and

BY MADDIE SCOTT Staff writer

A new coffee shop is open in Baton Rouge, and it serves much more than cups of joe to the community.

Stir Coffee House, at 15405 Airline Highway opened Oct. 31 and at least 80% of employees have intellectual or developmental differences. Owner Katie Jenkins also runs a local clinic for children 10 and under with autism, the Grace Therapy Center, which inspired her to start the coffee business.

Jenkins

“I started looking for holes in the community of things that Baton Rouge is really missing out on,” Jenkins said “And employment for all of the babies that I had that grew up is really a struggle.”

Whether customers order a coffee, tea or dirty soda, Jenkins hopes they’ll leave having made new friendships.

Grounds for growth

The 25 employees at Stir passed two rounds of interviews and

developmental differences

trained for a couple of weeks before opening. They learned how to operate Eversys, a user-friendly espresso machine that pulls the shot itself and foams the milk.

“We invested in this machine that pretty much anyone can use,” Jenkins said. “With just a couple of buttons they can get a consistent,

really good cup of coffee and no risks of getting burned or anything like that.”

During training, employees tried several roles to see what they enjoyed doing. Once there was a fit, they learned how to perfect that

ä See STIR COFFEE, page 10C

STAFF PHOTOS By JAVIER GALLEGOS

Employee Sage Adams hands a straw to customer Crystal White as her daughter, Amelia, 4, looks excitedly at her frozen chocolate drink at Stir Coffee House on Nov. 22.

Employee Victoria Rogers laughs as she begins to clean up the blender after a spill.

STAFF PHOTO By MADDIE SCOTT

Airline Highway, Suite C-2-A, Baton Rouge, the Buffet of Louisiana is under

MADDIE SCOTT

Generous friendsduped by knockoff

Dear Miss Manners: My signature perfume is awell-known— and expensive —classic scent. For my last birthday Ireceived not one, but two generous gifts of this perfume: one from adear lifetime friend and another from abeloved cousin. Both live along distance from me; we rarelymeet face to face. The problem is, both were knockoffs. Iknow this scent well, and the fake bottles were easy to detect Both generous gift givers bought the perfume online. Both are financially comfortable andwould neverknowingly purchase knockoffanything.

real deal. Iuse it to refresh closets andclothingdrawers. Do Itell them it’sfake? Their generosity is endearing. Icertainly don’twant to embarrass them, but I also don’t want them to be duped. I’m losing sleep over this one!

Judith Martin MISS MANNERS

The perfume is nice, but not the

Gentle reader: Having already given you this present once, it is unlikely that either person will repeat the mistake. Therefore,itmay not be worth the awkwardness of telling thegivers that they were duped. They will have no choice but to offer to return and replace it, feel bad abouttheir blunder,and be forever paranoid about the authenticity of all futurepurchases.

At somepoint in thefuture, you may bring it up generally as an unfortunatephenomenon —and, if your friends makethe connection, amistake that is easy to make. Otherwise, Miss Manners suggestsyou chalk this up to the unfortunatestate of retail and go get somesleep.

Dear Miss Manners: Ihired awoman to clean my house. She is very thorough and does awonderful job.Looking ahead to the holidays, Iplan on giving her abonus for ajob well done.

Do Igive her assistant an equal bonus? Or is half as much proper?

Gentlereader: Give alarge bonus to themain housekeeper and tell her it is for bothher and her assistant.This will make the deci-

Daughter upsetchildhood bedroomgot repurposed

Dear Harriette: My daughter graduated from college a few months ago. She got her first career job and decided to move out. Iadvised her to stay at my home awhile longer and use the opportunity to save some money, but she wanted to be on her own, so I supported her decision. Recently,I decided that Imight use her bedroom as asewing space. Iset up two desks and a small shelving unit. Ishared the news with my daughter, and she was offended. She keeps saying that she’s barely left and I’m pushing her out. Ihaven’tremoved any of her furniture; her bed and knickknacks are still in place for whenever she wants to visit. Itried to remind my daughter that Inever wanted her to leave in the firstplace, but apparently that doesn’tmean much now that I’ve taken over her room. How do I reassuremydaughter that despite the additionofa sewing table,there will always be room for her

here?

sion of how to split it her problem Merry Christmas. Dear Miss Manners: Iamthe youngest of three brothers, and have always been close to my brother who is three years older than me. My other brother is seven years older,and because of the age gap, we weren’tsoclose growing up. Ijust turned 50, which Iconsider abig birthday.The brother whom Iamclosest to took me out for dinner and gave me a nice birthday present. My older brother simply texted me “happy birthday” (no card, no phone call) and asked me what Iwanted as a gift It’snow two months later,and still no gift. Iamterribly hurt and disappointed by this. Ican’t stop thinking about it, as it is very

hurtful to me. Idid call my older brother twice, and he said abirthday present would be coming. What should Idoatthis point?

Gentle reader: Forget about it. Nagging him is making both the present and the prospect of abetter relationship moredistant. If you really wanttomake him feel bad, Miss Manners suggests getting anice present forhim on his next birthday —big one or not.

Sendquestions to Miss Manners at herwebsite, www missmanners.com; to her email, dearmissmanners@gmail.com; or through postal mailtoMiss Manners, Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City,MO 64106.

Harriette Cole SENSE AND SENSITIVITy

—Taking Over Dear Taking Over: Don’tallow yourselftofeel guilty Your daughter made her decision, and you have made yours. Honestly,itis even OK for you to put her knickknacks away and turn theroom fully into yoursewing room. Leaving abed therefor her to sleep in when she visits is practical and kind and will assure her that she is welcome and remembered. Youcan remainasafetynet forher without allowingher to hold your house hostage. Youcan do this withcompassion.Itwas abig deal for her to moveout, and sheisshowing youher fear of cuttingthis cord,soto speak. Assure her that you will alwaysbethere for her. Youare proudofher couragetogoout there on her own, andshe is always welcome to come home.

Dear Harriette: Ihavetwin sons who are in collegeat different schools. They are good kids but abit young for their age. Idon’t think either of them has ever

RELIGION BRIEFS FROM STAFFREPORTS

Church promotes Religious Liberty Day

Berean Seventh-day Adventist Church, 5100 Osborne Ave., Baton Rouge, will host its annual Religious Liberty Day at 11 a.m. Saturday,Dec. 6. This event will spotlight the mission of the SeventhdayAdventist Church’s Public Affairs and Religious Liberty department, which promotes religious freedom, human rights, interfaith engagement and civic involvement.

The Rev.T.Ron Weegar will speak on the timely topic: “What Is the Mark of the Beast?” and its connection to the number

666 —a subject of great relevance amid growing concerns over national policy andits impact on religious liberty Afellowship meal will follow theprogram.The public is invited. Free gospel concert on Dec. 5

The Rev.MikeVaughn will lead aSouthernand Country Gospel Fest at 5:30p.m.Friday,Dec.5, at Good News Fellowship Church, 13101 La. 442 West, Tickfaw Doorswillopenat 5:30 p.m., and singing will start at 6:30 p.m. with Vaughn, followed by Chron-

TODAYINHISTORY

By The Associated Press

Today is Saturday, Nov.29, the 333rd day of 2025. There are 32 days left in the year

Todayinhistory: On Nov.29, 1864, aColorado militia launched an unprovoked attack on an encampment of Cheyenne and Arapahoe tribal members,killing an estimated 230 people.

Also on this date: In 1929, Navy Lt. Cmdr. Richard E. Byrd, pilot Bernt Balchen, radio operator Harold June and photographerAshley McKinley made the first airplane flight over the South Pole. In 1961, Enos the chimpanzee was launched from Cape Canaveralaboard the Mercury-Atlas 5spacecraft, which orbited Earth twice before splashing down safely south of Bermuda.

In 1981, film star Natalie Wood drowned at age43 while boating off California’sSanta CatalinaIsland with her husbandRobert Wagnerand actor Christopher Walken. In 1987, aKorean Air707 jetliner en route from Abu DhabitoBangkok was destroyed by abomb planted by North Korean agents, killing all 115 people aboard

In 2001, former Beatle George Harrison died in Los Angeles following abattle with cancer; he was 58. In 2012, theUnited Nations voted overwhelmingly to grant Palestinenonobserver member state status, avote that came exactly 65 years after the General Assembly adopted aplan to divide Palestine into separate states for Jews and Arabs. In 2022, Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes

dated. Ihave always taught them that they should have enough money to take a woman out on adate, and right now they aren’tworking. Ioffered to give them somecashtohelp them in case they do want to take someoneonadate, but so far neither has taken me up on it.Have Idone somethingwrong as amother? Why are they so delayed?

—Arrested Development

Dear Arrested Development: Everyone matures at their own pace. There is nothing you can do to quicken it, nor should you try.Give your sons space to get their education and build their lives. Youcan encourage themtomeet people and make friends, but there’s no reason to push them into anyone’sarmsuntil they areready.Ifthey seem content in their lives, let them be. Keep the conversation open so that you learn if there is someone interesting to either of them. Trust thatintimesomeone special may come along. Send questions to askharriette@ harriettecole.com.

icle with Timand Missy Kinchen at 7:30 p.m.

This is afree concert, but aloveofferingwill be received. Aconcessionstand will serve desserts. Forfurther information, contactBarbara Vaughnat (985)974-0507ormvmgoodnews.com

Fifth Sunday fellowship service

Freeman Baptist Church, 4628 La. 955, Ethel, invites thepublictoits fifth Sundayfellowship service at 8:30 a.m. this weekend.

Guest pastorwillbethe Rev.Allen Rowe, of the Rock Zion andGreater Faith Baptistchurches.

was convicted of seditious conspiracy for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol rioting. (Sentenced to 18 years in prison in 2023, he was freed in 2025 under President Donald Trump’ssweeping grant of clemency to all 1,500-plus people charged in theinsurrection.)

Today’sbirthdays: Filmmaker Joel Coen is 71. Actor-TV personalityHowie Mandel is 70. Actor Cathy Moriarty is 65. Actor Kim Delaney is 64. Actor Andrew McCarthy is 63. Actor Don Cheadle is 61. Pop singer Jonathan Knight (New Kids on the Block)is57. Baseball Hall of Famer Mariano Rivera is 56. Actor Brian Baumgartner is 53. Actor Anna Faris is 49. Rapper The Gameis46. Actor Gemma Chan is 43. Actor Lucas Black is 43. NFL quarterback Russell Wilson is 37.

STIR COFFEE

Continuedfrom page9C

role. Since opening thespot, Jenkins enjoys seeingwhich employees rock and roll with thepressureoflonger customer lines. Or if an employeegets nervous with the rush, she enjoys seeing who opts to help one another

One of the baristas, Brennan Ferguson, 23, is from St. Francisville, and he heard about the jobthrough Arc Baton Rouge, anonprofit that’s servedchildren and adults withintellectual and developmental disabilities for almost70years through advocacy and services.

“I just wanted something to do, and Iwanted to work,” Ferguson said.

Hisfavoritepartofthe jobismeeting new people andmakingdrinks, especially lattes. He saidthe job is anew experience, and it’s somethingheenjoys.

“Thisismyfirst job,” Ferguson. “I feel good because I’m experiencing something Ithought Icouldn’tdo.”

Personal victories

Employee Daniel Canaday,33, holds various responsibilities at StirCoffee, and sometimes he’s the first

friendly facetogreet customers at the door.While he isn’ta coffee or tea drinker, he likes to start his mornings off with his favorite beverage: orange juice.

“I clean up,” Canaday said “Sort the cups, Iclean the tables andchairs.Itakeout the garbage.”

He said he’s met some friends since starting the joband listeda few names, Jenkins being oneofthem Whenhe’snot at work, Canaday loves to travel, particularly to Houston, and he noted how the telephone poles outside the shoplook like the ones in Texas too.

He’salso atalented writer and storyteller

“Actually,not only am I aworker, notonly am Ian employee, but also abook writer,” Canaday said.

Acorner of the coffee shop holds afew booksfor customers to flip through, one of them being “The Grosse Tete Six,” by Canaday.The picture book follows the adventureofsix animalsin the mid-1990s as they fight against the construction of aresortinthe Louisiana swamp.

Partners,private events

Stir Coffeepartnered with Strides, anonprofit encouraging other local businesses

to hire employees with intellectual and developmental differences.The mission bridgesthe gapofemployment, and Jenkins hopes Stride is the action piece thatmakes adifferencein the community

There are places in town that employ people with special needs, but they don’t display it likeStir Coffee, Jenkins said.

The tablesand chairs make thebusiness agreat spot to hang out or get work done. It also hosts private events forupto40people after 6p.m., another way to support the business.

“If anyone wantstohosta Bible study or ameeting or a little small Christmas party, we could do that and we can open up the bar,” she said. At theend of theday,everyone is touched by special needsinsomeway,Jenkins said.

“I think it’savery easy missiontoget behind,” she said. “And whodoesn’twant agood cup of coffee?”

Stir Coffee, 15405 Airline Highway,Baton Rouge. Hoursare 6:30 a.m.to 6p.m. Mondays through Fridays, 8a.m. to 4p.m. Saturdays. Currently closed Sundays, but that may change soon.

STAFF PHOTO By MADDIE SCOTT

Employees work hard at StirCoffee House, 15405 Airline Highway, Baton Rouge.

sAGIttARIus (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Give yourself the freedom to explore thepossibilities,enjoythe ones you love and let go of what no longer brings you joy. Recognizingwhat'simportant will pay off.

cAPRIcORn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Make the effort to adjust your routine to ensure youparticipateinpastimes thatmake you happy. Reclaiming your lifeto suit your needs requires dedication to embrace what's meaningful to you.

AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb.19) Take abreather, give yourself achance to reflectand consider your options. Change requires insight into what stimulates you to follow your heart.

PIscEs (Feb. 20-March 20) Refuse to let someoneelse stepinand dictate what youcan andcannot do. Happiness depends on youdoing what's best for you. Personal growth and following your heartwill be uplifting.

ARIEs (March 21-April 19) Multitasking maybeyourthing, but taking on too much will limit you.Take amoment to breathe and to establish what's most valuable andwhatyou can discard.

tAuRus (April 20-May 20) Participate in andinitiate your plans. Reach outto like-minded people.Being willing to actonyour ideas will keep you ahead of anycompetition you meet today.

GEMInI(May21-June 20) Temper your tone, and don't share personal information with others. Less talk and more lis-

tening will help you move forward with less interference and judgment.

cAncER(June 21-July22) Keep the momentum flowing. Initiate conversations, socialize and gather information. The interactions you have will point youina directionthat motivates and stimulates you.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Bypassinterference by putting your head down, focusing on personal and physical improvements, and challenging yourself instead of others. Stand firm

VIRGO (Aug. 23-sept. 22) Think before you act.Gather thefactsand use both discipline and imagination to find alternative solutions to any household or relationship problems you encounter. LIBRA (sept. 23-Oct. 23) Keep moving forward. Refuse to let what others are doing cloud your vision or point you in too many different directions. You mustfocus on what's important to you andtoyourphysical andemotional well-being.

scORPIO(Oct. 24-nov.22) Participate in events that spark your imagination and encourage you to grow and expand your circle of friends. Theencounters you have today will help you map out a path that leads to abrighter you.

The horoscope, an entertainment feature, is not based on scientific fact. ©2025 by NEA, Inc., dist. By AndrewsMcMeel Syndication

Celebrity Ciphercryptograms are created fromquotations by famous people, pastand present.Each letter in the cipher stands for another.

tODAy's cLuE: PEQuALs

For better or For WorSe

beetLe bAILeY

Mother GooSe And GrIMM

bIG nAte

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 theSudoku increases fromMonday to Sunday.

Puzzle Answer

THewiZard oF id

BLondie

BaBY BLueS Hi and LoiS

By PHILLIP ALDER Bridge

Bob Uecker, who was given thenickname Mr.BaseballbyJohnny Carson, said, “When Icame up to bat withthree menonand two outs in the ninth, Ilooked in the other team’sdugout and they were already in street clothes.”

In today’s deal,South must find aninth trick in three no-trump. If he makes the wrong play, he will strike out. What should he do after West leads the diamond queen?

North hoped to find a4-4 major-suit fit, butwhen it didn’t happen, he jumped to three no-trump.

South starts with eight toptricks:one spade, two diamonds and fiveclubs.He hastwo 50-50 shots forhis ninthtrick: West might have the spade king, or East might hold the heart ace. Which should he try?

Theoddsareequal,butdeclarershould play aheart to his king first.Why?

First,suppose the worst happens: West takes the king with his ace and returns a heart, the defenderstaking four tricks in the suit. South still has the spade finesse on the back burner.

Second, an expert sittingWestwith, say, ace-third, might duck, thinking that declarer has K-Q-10 and wanting to give him aguess on thesecond round of the suit. If declarer tries the spade finesse first,heshould failwiththis layout.East will win with hiskingand return adiamond. When South plays aheart from theboard, East grabs the trick and leads another diamond, giving the defendersone spade, one heart andthree diamonds. ©2025 by NEA, Inc., dist. By

Andrews McMeel Syndication

wuzzles

Each Wuzzleisaword riddle which creates adisguised word,phrase, name, place, saying, etc. For example: NOON GOOD =GOOD AFTERNOON

Previous answers:

InstRuctIOns: 1. Words must be of four or more letters. 2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,”such as “bats” or “dies,”are not allowed. 3. Additional words made by adding a“d” or an “s” may not be used. 4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed.

tODAy’s WORD cALcuLAtED: KAL-kyoo-late-ed: Planned or contrived to accomplish apurpose.

Average mark39words

Timelimit 60 minutes

Canyou find 51 or more words in CALCULATED?

yEstERDAy’s WORD —IMPORts

loCKhorNs

marmaduKe

Bizarro

hagar the horriBle

Pearls Before swiNe

garfield

B.C.

PiCKles

hidato

mallard fillmore