The Times-Picayune 12-02-2025

FAULK ERA BEGINSATSOUTHERN UNIVERSITY

City Councilpasses$1.6B budget

BY BEN MYERS and BLAKE PATERSON

Staffwriters

The New Orleans City Council on Monday finalized a$1.6 billion municipalspending plan for 2026, capping off amonthslong fiscal crisis that featured amultimilliondollar deficit, apayroll emergency and squabbles between the outgoing and incomingmayoral administrations.

Thebudgetthe council backed unanimously includes all of Mayor-elect Helena Moreno’s recommended measures, including $150 millioninspending cuts to City Halldepartments and once-perpay-periodfurloughs for 14% of the city’s workforce,roughly 700 employees.

It includes$74 million in new revenue from the Sewerage &Wa-

terBoard, unspentfederal grants andfromother sourcesidentified by Moreno’stransitionteam. Withoutthe cuts andthe newmeasures, the city would haveentered 2026 with a$222 milliondeficit, Moreno, now the council’svice president, has said. The final documentcomes after atwo-month budget process revealed months of fiscal mismanagementand missed alarmsby city officials and after Moreno and other councilmembers narrowly avoided astate takeover of city finances.

cil’sbudget chair and aMoreno ally.“This year,itwas like the picture wasripped off at the very beginning and then we had to figure outhow to unscramble thepieces.” Displeased with the document Mondayweregroups upsetat Moreno’s move to pull the federal grants that fund their operations. Another critic: Mayor LaToya Cantrell, who said she barely receivedany informationabout the document before it was approved

“Putting abudgettogether is kind of like apuzzle,” said council member Joe Giarrusso, the coun-

‘SECONDLINEINTHE SKY’

BourbonStreetart installation honors victimsofterrorattack

BY SOPHIE KASAKOVE Staff writer

For the nextseven weeks, visitors to BourbonStreet will look up to find apoignant reminder of the New Year’sDay terror attack —nearly 1,000 handcrafted flags, suspended above the famous street in honorofthosewho were killed there nearly ayear ago. Gov.Jeff Landry, MayorelectHelenaMoreno, other officials and French Quarter leaders gathered on Monday to light the memorialfor its first night, commemorate the attack and commit to preventing similar killings in the future. The memorial,which was conceptualized by Katy Cas-

barian,owner of Arnaud’s Restaurant, and designed by Studio West, will be up until Jan. 18. It waspaid for through contributions from organizationslikethe French Quarter Management District, New Orleans &Co. and theErnest N. Morial Convention Center. Casbarian declined to say how much the installation cost. Spanning the first three blocks of BourbonStreet, the installation, known as “Second Lineinthe Sky,” featuresimages and thenames of many of the 14 people who were killed in theattack,along with photos of brass band musiciansand Mardi Gras Indians

ä See SKY, page 7A

ä See BUDGET, page 4A

Newcoach Kiffin praisesopportunity to winatLSU

BY WILSON ALEXANDER Staff writer

As LSU courted Lane Kiffin, athletic director Verge Ausberry sent him amessage. Ole Miss had been jumped by Oregon in the College Football Playoff rankings even though it hadnot playeda game, and Ausberry wanted to tease him alittle bit.Whathe said also encapsulated the way LSU soldKiffin on the job.

“Teams don’tjump LSU,”Ausberry said.

Kiffin was introduced as LSU’s head coach Monday afternoon inside the club suites overlooking Tiger Stadium,aday after he leftan

page 5A

Governor intervenes in HouseGOP leadership race

BY TYLER BRIDGES Staff writer

The election to choose thenext chair of the Louisiana House Republican Caucus, normally alittlenoticedpiece of inside baseball, is roiling theranksofthe 73-member Republican delegation.

That’s because Gov.Jeff Landry in an unprecedented move, is telling lawmakers he wantsthem to select Rep. MichaelEchols, RMonroe, instead of Rep. John Illg, R-Metairie. Numerous House members said Landry’ssupport for Echols stems from hisanger at Illg for taking a stand against the governor’sbiggest priorityduring the 2025 legislative session, ameasure that will giveInsurance Commissioner

TimTemple morepower to reject car insurance rateincreases. The bill would allow Landry to blame Temple if insurancerates continue to rise. Landry has already sought retribution against Republicanswho opposed him on that measure. As TheAdvocate |The TimesPicayune reported in July,16of the 17 line-item vetoesissuedby

Landry killed spending projects sponsored by Republicans who had voted against him on the bill, including Illg. With nearly half of Republican House members voting against the bill at one point, the defection represented their biggest opposition to the governor Housemembers andpolitical analystssaidtheybelieve Landry alsofavors Echols because he is

morelikely to focus on shoring up the governor’ssupport among Republicans during the 2026 legislative session. The 73 House Republicanshave begun sending in theirsecret ballots to pick the nextcaucuschair, with the counting scheduled to take place in the State Capitol on

ä See LANDRY, page 5A

More on Lane Kiffin at

STAFF PHOTOSBySOPHIAGERMER

Rain falls on Bourbon Street as the ‘Second Line inthe Sky’ memorial is lit up on Monday.

Misty Scallan, AmyLevet and Sophia Faucheaux holda photo of Bourbon Street attack victim HubertGauthreaux during the public lighting of the ‘Second Line in the Sky’memorial on Monday

BRIEFS FROM WIRE REPORTS

Son of drug kingpin

‘El Chapo’ pleads guilty

CHICAGO Ason of notorious Mexican drug kingpin “El Chapo” pleaded guilty Monday to U.S. drug trafficking charges, months after his brotherentered aplea deal.

Known locallyinMexico as the “Chapitos,” or “little Chapos,” Joaquin Guzman Lopezand his brother,Ovidio Guzman Lopez, are accused of runninga faction of the Sinaloa cartel. Federal authorities in 2023 described the operation as amassive effort to send “staggering” quantitiesof fentanyl into the U.S. JoaquinGuzmanLopez,39, pleaded guilty to two counts of drug trafficking and continuing criminal enterprise after admittinghis role in overseeingthe transport of tens of thousands of kilograms of drugs to the U.S., mostly through underground tunnels. With the plea deal he’ll avoid life in prison.

Security was tight at Chicago’s federalcourt ahead of the hearing where prosecutorsdetailed events leading up to Guzman Lopez’sdramatic arrest with another longtime Sinaloa leaderon U.S. soil in July 2024.

Guzman Lopez, wearing an orange jumpsuit and matching shoes, spoke little in court. At the start of the hearing, U.S. District Judge Sharon Coleman asked him what he did for work.

“Drug trafficking,” he said. “Oh that’syour job,” Coleman saidwith achuckle. “There you go.” If Guzman Lopez cooperates with the U.S. government, prosecutors saythey would reduce the life sentence attachedtothe charges. Regardless,he faces at least 10 years in prison, said Andrew Erskine,anattorney representingthe federal government.

Shot Guard member shows positive signs

CHARLESTON, W.Va.— AWest Virginia NationalGuard member who was shot last week in a brazen daytimeattackinWashington, D.C., remains in serious condition but showed positive signs by giving athumbs-upthat he could hear anurse’squestion and wigglinghis toes, Gov.PatrickMorriseysaid Monday.

Morrisey said the family of 24-year-oldU.S.Air ForceStaff Sgt.AndrewWolfe has askedthe public to pray for him. Another member of the West Virginia National Guard, U.S. Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, 20, was killed in the shooting.

“Andrew is still fightingfor his life,” Morrisey said. “Andrew needs prayers.”

Morrisey said he couldnot yet share details of any funeral arrangements forBeckstrom and wants to respecther family’s wishes.

Beckstrom and Wolfe were shot Wednesday just blocks from the White House while deployed as part of PresidentDonald Trump’scrime-fightingplan that federalized D.C. police.

‘Rage bait’ named Oxford word of year

LONDON Oxford University Presshas named “ragebait” as itsword of theyear, capturing the internet zeitgeistof2025.

The phrase refers to online content that is “deliberatelydesigned to elicit anger or outrage by being frustrating, provocative or offensive,” with the aim of driving traffic to aparticular social media account, Oxford said in astatement.

“The person producing it will bask in the millions, quite often, of comments and shares and even likes sometimes,” lexicographer Susie Dent told theBBC. This is aresult of the algorithms used by social media companies, “because although we love fluffy cats, we’ll appreciatethat we tend to engage more with negative content and content that really provokes us.”

CORRECTION

A photo on Sunday that accompanied an article on Mayorelect Helena Moreno’sbudget included an incorrect caption. The photoshowed Morenomeetingwith members of the media as well as her transition team at theGreater NewOrleansFoundation. The Times-Picayune regrets the error

Survivor describes Calif. partyshooting

Family wasabout to cutbirthdaycake when gunfire erupted

BY SOPHIE AUSTIN and CHRISTOPHER WEBER Associated Press

STOCKTON, Calif. Family memberswere getting ready to cut the cake at atoddler’s birthday partywhenthe gunfire startedinside abanquethall packed with relatives and friends over theweekend in California.

“I actuallythought it was my balloons popping. It was gunshots,”said Patrice Williams, the birthday girl’smother Her daughter,who turned2,was uninjured.But Williams told The Associated Press on Monday that her sister,acousin and three of her friendswere shot in the burst of gunfire Saturdayevening in Stockton.

Three children ages 8, 9and 14 and a 21-year-old were killed in the hall where at least 100 peoplewere gathered,San Joaquin County SheriffPatrick Withrow said.Detectives believethe gunfire continued outside and there may have been multiple shooters

Eleven peoplewere wounded, andat least one is in criticalcondition, Withrow said. No one is in custody

Williams said partygoers who had gathered around thecake dropped to the groundthe moment the gunshots rang out

“It was just unexpected. Idon’tknow what happened, and I’m justsoshocked andlost,” Williams said. She expressed remorse for themothers who lost their children.

Williams said she didn’tget alook at the shooter and has no idea who would commitviolence at what wassupposedtobe ajoyous event

“They deserve to be in jail. They deserve to go to hell,” Williams said. “I’m sorry,but Ijust it’s not respectable.It’s akids’ party.”

Williams,surrounded by family members, tearedupasshe said parents who plan birthday parties fortheir kids should consider having them indoorsbecauseof the risk of violence.

The sheriff urged anyone with informationtocontacthis office withtips, cellphone videoorwitnessaccounts.

“This is atimefor our community to show that we will not put up with this type

ofbehavior,when people will justwalkin and kill children,” Withrow saidSunday evening. “And so if you know anything about this, you have to comeforwardand tell us what you know.Ifnot, you just becomecomplacent and think this is acceptable behavior.”

Sheriff’s spokesperson Heather Brent has said investigators believe it was a “targeted incident.” Officials didnot elaborate on whyauthoritiesbelieve it was intentional or who might have been targeted. She said investigators would welcome any information, “even rumors.”

Stockton resident CarolynTahod,who didn’tknow thevictims, showed up Mondaytoplace bouquets of flowersata makeshift memorial with candles lit in honor of thosewho died.

“I’m just theaverage person that hasa big heart, and Ihave grandkids,”she said. “I would be devastated if this were to happen in our family.”

Roscoe Brown, whosaidthe party was in honor of his brother’sgranddaughter, worksfor thecity of Stockton’s Office of Violence Prevention. Brown was in Arizona when he learned aboutthe shooting and drove straight to thescene. He said aniece and nephew were shot, and he knows several other victims.Hedidn’t have information about their conditions “Who would come and do that to some kids, youknow?” Brown toldAPafter a Sunday afternoon vigil organized by faith leaders. “You can’tshootupa party.That’s senseless. Akid’sparty,atthat.”

Emmanuel Lopez told the Los Angeles Times his brother,21-year-old Susano Archuleta, wasshotinthe neck anddiedat thescene. Lopez saidhis 9-year-old daughterwas shotinthe head but survived. He didn’tshare details about what led up to the shooting.

Stockton is acityof320,000residents about80mileseast of SanFrancisco. Stockton saw 3,680 violent crimesin2024, at arate more than double the statewide rate,according to city andstate data. Violent crime includes homicide, rape, assault and robbery. The San Joaquin Valley, where Stockton is located, had thehighestviolent crime rateinthe statein2023, according to data fromthe Public Policy InstituteofCalifornia.

Hours after the shooting, the Stockton Police Departmentarrested five people, including ajuvenile, on weapons and gang-related charges. Therewas no indication thatthe arrestswereconnected to the killings at the banquet hall, the sheriff said.

Ex-Trump lawyer disqualified as top N.J. prosecutor

Appeals court upholdsruling on Alina Habba

BY MIKECATALINI Associated Press

PHILADELPHIA President

Donald Trump’sformer personal lawyer Alina Habba is disqualifiedfrom serving as New Jersey’s top federal prosecutor despite his administration’s maneuvers to keep her in therole, an appealscourt said Monday.

Apanel of judgesfrom the3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appealssitting in Philadelphiasided with alower-court judge’sruling afterhearing oral arguments at which Habba was present on Oct. 20.

fightingonbehalfofother candidates to be federal prosecutors who have been denieda chance for a Senate hearing. The White House hadno immediate comment on Habba and referredquestions to the Justice Department. Messages were left Monday seeking comment from the U.S. attorney’s officeinNew Jersey, Habba’s personal stafferand the JusticeDepartment. The decision affirmed Habba is serving unlawfully,attorneys for the appellees said in an emailed statement.

“Itisapparent that the currentadministration has been frustrated by some of the legal and political barriers to getting itsappointees in place. Its efforts to elevateits preferredcandidate for U.S. Attorney for the DistrictofNew Jersey,Alina Habba, to the role of Acting U.S. Attorney demonstrate the difficultiesithas faced —yet the citizens of New Jersey andthe loyalemployees in theU.S.Attorney’sOffice deserve some clarity and stability,” the court wrote in a32-page opinion.

It concluded: “Wewill affirm theDistrict Court’s disqualificationorder.”

The ruling comes amid the push by Trump’sRepublican administration to keep Habba as the acting U.S. attorneyfor New Jersey,apowerful post chargedwith enforcing federal criminal and civil law. It also comes after the judges questioned the government’smoves to keep Habba in place after her interim appointment expiredand withouther getting Senate confirmation.

Habba saidafter that hearing in astatement posted to Xthatshe was

“Wewill continue to challenge President Trump’s unlawful appointments of purported U.S. Attorneys wherever appropriate,” said attorneys Abbe Lowell, Gerry Krovatin and Norm Eisen in the statement.

Habba is hardly the only Trumpadministration prosecutor whose appointment has been challenged by defense lawyers. Last week, afederal judgedismissedcriminal cases againstformer FBI DirectorJamesComey andNew York Attorney General LetitiaJames after concluding that the hastily installedprosecutor who filedthe charges, Lindsey Halligan, was unlawfully appointed to the position of interim U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. The Justice Department has saiditintends to appeal the rulings. The judgesonthe panel were two appointedbyRepublican President George W. Bush, D. BrooksSmith and D. Michael Fisher,as well as one named by DemocraticPresident Barack Obama,Luis Felipe Restrepo It wasn’timmediately clear howthe ruling would affect prosecutions. Jacob Elberg, aSeton Hall Law School professor, saidthe decisionwould have “real implications.”

BYMICHAEL R. SISAK Associated Press

NEWYORK Luigi Mangionewatched stoically in court Monday as prosecutors played surveillance videos showing the killingofUnitedHealthcareCEO Brian Thompson on aNew York City sidewalk last year and Mangione’sarrest five days later at aMcDonald’sinPennsylvania. Thevideos, including footage from therestaurantpreviouslyunseenbythe press orthe public, kicked off ahearing on Mangione’s fight to bar evidence from his state murder trial, including thegun prosecutors say matches the one used in theDec. 4, 2024, attack. Thompson was killed as he walked to aManhattan hotel forhis company’sannualinvestorconference.

Mangione,27, presseda finger to his lips andathumbtohis chin as he watched footage of twopolice officers approaching himasheate breakfast at theMcDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, about 230 miles west of Manhattan.

He gripped apen in his right hand, making afist at times, as prosecutors played a911 call fromaMcDonald’smanager

relaying concerns from customersthat Mangione looked like thesuspect in Thompson’skilling. The manager said she searched online for photos of the suspect andthatasMangione satinthe restaurant, shecould only see his eyebrows because he was wearing abeanie and a medical face mask. Before he was flown to New York City to face murdercharges, Mangione was held under constant watch in an otherwise emptyspecialhousing unit at aPennsylvania stateprison.

Acorrectional officer testifiedthat the prisonwanted to keep Mangioneaway from otherinmatesand staffwho might leak information abouthim to themedia. The officer testified thatthe facility’s superintendent told him that the prison “did not want an Epstein-style situation,” referring to Jeffrey Epstein’ssuicide at a Manhattan federal jailin2019. Among theevidence Mangione’sdefense team wants excluded arethe 9mm handgun and anotebook in which prosecutors sayhedescribed his intent to “wack” ahealthinsurance executive. Both were found in abackpack Mangione had with him when arrested.

Habba

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JEFF CHIU

Aundre Smith, left,watches MondayasGenesis Smithplaces flowers near the scene of amassshooting on Saturday at abanquet hall in Stockton, Calif.

Sources: Moreno to tapGiarrusso as CAO

BY BLAKE PATERSON Staff writer

Mayor-elect Helena Moreno plans to tap outgoing City Council member Joe Giarrussotoserveas her chief administrative officer, according to multiple sources on her transition team. Moreno, who takes over at City Hall on Jan. 12, is expected to announce her selection of Giarrusso as her top deputy at anewsconference Tuesday Aspokesperson for thetransition team, Todd Ragusa, declined to comment MondayonMoreno’spick for chief administrativeofficer saying only that the mayor-elect “will be announcing key members of the administration tomorrow.” But two others on the team and familiar with Moreno’splans said Giarrusso is the top choice. Giarrusso declined to comment Monday In his two terms representing District A, Giarrussohas built a reputation foraccessibility and policymaking know-how.Hewas seen as astrong contender to fill

BUDGET

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and that it didn’tinclude any of the revenue-raising measures she suggested.

“There have been requests forinformation, presentations, documentation, to no avail,” said Cantrell, whose2026budgetplan called for $200 millionincuts and 30% reductions to some departments.

Moreno, Giarrusso and council

President JP Morrell punched back at that notion, saying Cantrell’s staff was asked to review the document last week. They alsoscolded the mayor for failing to approvean officialrevenueestimatefor the city on Monday

“Everyone up here is still in elected office, and the mayor is still pulling (a) paycheck, and to notcare about how her action, or lack of action, is going to impact employees and city services next year,shows you that this petulant child has taken the ball and gone home,” Morrell said.

The city charter requires the council to adopt an annual budget by Dec. 1, which is typically an amendment to themayor’s proposal following several weeks of haggling and departmentalbudget hearings.

Cantrell delivered her final budget proposal Oct. 1and called for increases in the city’ssanitation fee and ahalf-penny sales taxhike on the tourism and serviceindustries. Cantrell’srevenue proposals

Moreno’s at-largeseat on thecouncil, but squashedspeculation last year whenheannounced plans to instead takeajob on thegovernment relationsand public policy team at the private lawfirm Phelps Dunbar after leaving office. As chairofthe council’sBudget

never came up for acouncil vote.

Departmentdirectors, then and in later budget hearings, warned of serious consequences, with cuts to everything from recycling to mental health care.

Later,inanOct.16reportcommissioned by the City Council, the Louisiana Legislative Auditor’s Office pegged this year’sdeficit at $160 million, farexceeding what was previously known. And just a few days later,Chief AdministrativeOfficer Joe Threat announced thecity couldn’tmake payroll for the restofthe year

That turned the budget fiasco into afull-blowncrisis, forcing the city to takeout ahigh-interest, $125 millionloanthatmust be repaid by mid-2026 andlikely will necessitate another loan.

Moreno, elected as mayor Oct. 14,soon began taking lead on the ordeal, as her transition worked with the auditor to recommend cost-saving measuresthat would fortifythe cityinthe following year.The document they came up with includes $74 million in additional revenue beyond the city’s official revenueforecast.

Thatincludes recouping $15 million in unspent federalpandemic aid,$29.5 million in reimbursementsfrom the Sewerage &Water Board,$14.5 millionfrombeefed up parking enforcement and $16 million from the WisnerTrust fund.

Moreno said theadditional funding will maintain the budgets of thesanitation department, 911 operations, the New Orleans RecreationDepartmentand other

Committee, Giarrusso presided over dozens of public meetings with departmentheads to review the effects that Mayor LaToya Cantrell’sbudgetproposal for next year would have on CityHall. Giarrusso also worked to craft the particulars of a$20 million settle-

programs that Cantrell proposed to cut in her 2026 budget proposal.

The council also didn’ttake up Cantrell’stax andfee proposals, although Morenohas saidshe will explore additionalrevenue enhancements throughout the year

“Wehave abudget that is much better than the one that was proposed, and one that will certainly meet theessential services for people,” Moreno said beforethe vote.

YetMoreno also plans to balance thebudgetwith once-per-payperiod furloughs for nonessential employees, andbypulling some federal grant funds away from nonprofits whocount on them. Nonprofit leaderssaid on Monday that the cuts in American Rescue Plan Actfunding will be felt by disadvantagedbusiness owners, pregnant women and other vulnerable people who rely on their services.

“It quickly became clear that nobody from thetransitionteam hadmade any serious attempt to assess the impact these cutswould have on the organizations that are being affected,” said Alexander Bigbie, executive director of Flyte, which supports small businesses owned by Black women.

Bigbie said the$70,000 cut to his grouprepresents alittle less than athird of the group’sbudget. The council also reduced funding for a MarchofDimesprogram that provides monthly paymentstoexpecting mothers.

There were also differing opinions as to whether the$15 millionin

ment deal the council reached with the OrleansParish School Board last year,and was apoint person on deals that resulted in morecity control of the Wisner Trust, atrust that governs proceeds from oilrich land near Port Fourchon.

After winning themayor’s race, Moreno tapped Giarrusso to serve as amember of her transition team’s budget policy subcommittee andworked with him to craft her own budget proposal fornext year,which the councilpassed unanimously on Monday Giarrusso wasalso front and center as City Hall grappled with a cash-flow crisis that threatened its ability to pay workers. He traveled with Moreno to Baton Rouge twice to convince officials to sign off on a $125 million bridge loan.

Selecting achief administrative officer is amongthe moreconsequential decisions anew mayor makes. The position is tasked under New Orleans’ HomeRule Charter with supervising department heads,managing the budget andrepresenting the administration before the City Council.

federal grant funding can be used for the city’s operational needs.

City Hall received $388 million from thefederal pandemic recoveryprogram and has obligated it to arange of government, infrastructure and community initiatives.

ChrisJohnson,alawyer with Jones Walker andacitylobbyist, said the city can shift unspent grant funds fromnonprofits to other eligible purposes, including somecity operations, so long as they are spent by the end of 2026.

“There has been some confusion, becauseTreasury initially said ARPAfunds could notbereallocated,”Johnsonsaid. “Buttheyare very clear now in their guidance.”

Disagreeing was Jason Torres Altman, owner of the consulting firm TerraLuna Collaborative, whichcontracts with the city to train staff andnonprofit organizations on ARPAregulations. He said unspent funds “belongtothe U.S. Treasury.”

“If they are repurposed after this point, they will have to be repaid to theU.S. Treasury.You might getaway with it for three months, twoquarterlyreports. Butyou’re required to have an annualaudit. It will be found,” Altman said.

The morning started withthe spectacle of the outgoing mayor clashing with the incoming one, when Cantrell refused to allow the city’s official revenueestimating body to adopt Moreno’srevenue measures. Thedefiant gesture wasmostly symbolic, however,since the Revenue Estimating Conference’s forecast is only arecommenda-

Cantrell received morethan 100 applications in her own search for such aleader and eventually hired Gilbert Montaño, aformer highrankingofficialfromAlbuquerque, New Mexico, forthe position. Montaño stepped down from the role in August afterseven years on the job to take over as chiefof staffatthe Audubon Nature Institute. Joe Threat, who was servingasMontaño’sdeputy, replaced Montaño in September In anews release in October announcing her search for achief administrative officer,Morenosaid “strong leadership in this position is essential to achieving the operational excellence that will define my administration. “I want someonetough, experienced, and respected —aleader who can help drive accountability and results,” Moreno added. It’s unclear how much Giarrusso will be paid in the role, though a paybump is almost certain. New Orleans council members are all paid around $113,000 ayear Threat is paid $224,289, according to public records.

tionand the City Council is free to pass the annual budget with any revenue figure it chooses. The council passed an $800 million general fund, which is the portion of thecitybudgetthatreliesonselfgenerated revenue.Thatincludes the official$726 million revenue forecastalong with Moreno’s revenue measures. Moreno saidshe would reconvene the Revenue Estimating Conference on Jan. 12, her first day in office, to consider the new figure.

Cantrell said Moreno’sfigures hadn’tbeen properly vetted, and that her administrationhadn’t been given achance to weigh Moreno’sproposal, whichthe council substituted for Cantrell’s formal budget proposal.

“The councilcan move forward adopting abudget without validated revenue sources, andthatwill be something thatyou will deal with when youbecome mayor,” Cantrell told Moreno.

Moreno retorted that Cantrell had refused her request to meet via avideoconference call on Friday,the day after Thanksgiving. Moreno said her transition team consulted frequently with Threat andhis staff, alongwithPFM FinancialAdvisors andthe Louisiana Legislative Auditor’sOffice.

“There certainly hasbeen vetting of thesenumbers,”Moreno said.

“Let me be clear: This mayor literally called staffers and told them nottoworkonthe budget this week,” Morrellsaidatthe startofthe council meeting that followed.

STAFF FILEPHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS

Ole Miss team on the cusp of hosting afirst-round game. He is the first head coach to leave aplayoffbound team, and Kiffin felt torn.At one point, he said the only way to describe the decision-making process was that “it sucked.”

But Kiffin did leave, taking over ateam that went 7-5 this year while he led Ole Miss to itsfirst 11win regular season in school history.Kiffin saw LSU as one of the premier jobs in college football, a place where he could finallywin his first national championship Kiffin hastakenother desirable jobs before, especially at Southern Cal, but he feltready at 50 years old to make amove that he hopes will define his career

“Somebodyvery close to me reminded me this weekthat LSU is the bestjob in football,” Kiffin said.

That person may have been Pete Carroll or Nick Saban. Kiffin talked to both of them, lookingfor adviceabout whatheshoulddo. Though he did not say it explicitly,hesuggested Saban toldhim to take the LSU job, saying, “Irespect him, so there’sareasonI’m here.” Carroll told him that Kiffin’s late father,Monte, wouldhave advised him to go.

“I felt like everybody that I talked to outside of the state that Iwas in all basically said thesame thing,” Kiffin said. “They allsaid, ‘Man, you are going to regretit if you don’ttake the shotand you don’tgotoLSU. It’sthe best job in America with the best resources to win it.’”

There was mutual interestfrom the beginning. LSU put together a

LANDRY

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Dec. 11. Landry’sintervention is the latestinhis efforts to place people he wants in positions of power He maneuvered to get his choices selected as the president ofLSU andspeakerofthe House,and he publicly called to oust the athletic directorofLSU.

“That’sJeff Landry,” said veteran pollster and political consultant Bernie Pinsonat. “That’s his wayof governing, taking control as much as he can.”

Whyitmatters

Electing Echols, Pinsonat said, “would amount to alossofindependence” for the Legislature.

Pinsonat and others noted that Republican lawmakers forcefully advocated for the Legislature to be independent of the governor during the eight yearswhen John Bel Edwards, aDemocrat, held theoffice. Republicans showedtheir independence by swatting aside the Democrat who Edwards wanted to be named speaker after he became governor in January2016. Republicans, who held amajority,chose one of theirown instead.

Four years later,when Edwards began his second term, then-state Rep. Clay Schexnayder,R-Gonzales, put together acoalition of Republicans and Democrats to be elected speaker over aRepublican-only supportedrepresentative, with Edwards blessing the plan only at the end.

After Landry was elected governor in October 2023, House Republicans reverted to adecadeslong tradition by allowing Landryto choose the next speaker.Heselect-

listofnames after the Oct. 26 firingof Brian Kelly,and Ausberry said administrators “performed due diligenceonseveral other candidates.” SourcessaidMissouri coach Eli Drinkwitz was high on thelist as abackup option. Butthe primary target was always Kiffin.

“Lane’sname kept popping up,” Ausberry said. “You know what? Let’stakeashot athim.”

Alongtime LSU athletic official, Ausberry ledthe search for the first time after theousterofathletic director Scott Woodwarda few days after Kelly.Ausberry had been involved in hiring thepreviousfour footballcoaches in some capacity. When LSU promoted him to the full-time role, his connections with agents and coaches was viewed asastrength.

Ausberry talked to former LSU players Booger McFarland, Ryan Clark andMarcusSpears, as well as formercoaches. He mentioned one “who workedhere,”hinting againatSaban.Ausberrywanted to ask other peopleinthe business

ed Rep.Phillip DeVillier,R-Eunice.

House Republicans praise DeVillierfor his open style in overseeingthe Houseand his willingness to work with everyone.

DeVillier has also won high marks for keeping the Republican delegation united behind Landry’s conservativeagenda. This has led to areductioninincome tax rates, an expansion of the school voucher program,the passageof anti-transgender legislation and theenactment of tough-on-crime measures

DeVillier sidestepped aquestion in atext aboutwhether he has joined with the governor in supporting Echolsand whether thegovernor’sinvolvement in the electionrepresents astep back from legislativeindependence.

DeVillier instead listeda series of legislativeaccomplishments and said helooksforward to workingwith the next chair Landry didn’trespond to a question on why he is supporting Echols, instead sending atext of his accomplishments that matched DeVillier’stext, word for word.

Governors have frequently sought to gettheir preferred candidate namedspeaker or Senate president, but none have pushed for the selection of acaucus chair Landry dividescaucus

Fifteen House Republicans, who did notwant to be named to avoid antagonizing Landry or any colleagues, said thegovernor and legislative aides havetold them in personal meetings or phone calls that he supportsEchols.

Nearly all of the House Republicans said Landry’spush is dividingthe caucus. Some who support Echols feareditcould endupcreatinga backlashthat would hurt hiscandidacy

about Kiffin to make sure he would be agood fit. He also watched Ole Miss games, seeing how theteam played and the way the offense functioned.

“He has atalent that not many people have,” Ausberry said. “SteveSpurrier hadthis talent. Nick Saban has this talent. Skip Bertman has this talent where theycan look at agameand say, ‘Do this right now. Run this play right now.’Not many guys can do that.”

At some point in the process, Ausberry flew to meet with Kiffin. He did not specify thelocation or dateofthe meetingwhen asked. Ausberry said it lasted for an hour and 20 minutes. He asked Kiffin what he needed to be successful andwhatheexpected from the LSUadministration, not his ideas aboutoffensive game plansorpotential hires.

“I’m going to leave you alone and let you coach the team,”Kiffin said of Ausberry’spitch. “I like when I hear that. ‘We’re going to give you

“It’s causing alot of grief and a lot of rift,” said one Illg supporter Several Republican House members said theyunderstand why Landrywould want adelegation chair who is in lockstep with him. Both Illg andEchols have strongly backed the governor’slegislation, with Illg showing abit morewillingness to buck Landry.Republican colleagues say Illg is known as abig teddy bear —his nickname is “Big” because of his size —who gets along with everyone, while Echols hasa reputation forbeing more overtly strategic and political.

HowIllgcrossed Landry Landry saw his biggest defectionamong Republicans when he pushedfor themeasure during the 2025 legislative sessionthat will give Temple greater authority to reject insurance rate increases. And that’swhen Illg got crossways with the governor At its first hearing, Landry took theunusual step of personally testifying in favor of the measure, House Bill 576, beforethe House Insurance Committee.

The daybefore, committeeChair Rep. Gabe Firment,R-Pollock, triedtoget allofthe Republicans to agree to support HB576,to avoid embarrassing or antagonizing Landry.But Illg refused to go along, believing that the bill would harm theinsurance industry

On theday of thehearing, Illg madethe motion to object to HB576, which forced arecorded vote. Three other Republicans joined Illg in opposition.

Landry thenfacedsomuch opposition from Republicans that he hadtoamend his planonto adifferentbill that passedthe House thanks to Democratic support.

The caucus chair organizes Republican strategy meetings during

everythingtowin, and I’m going to leaveyou aloneand go coach the team and bring us championships.’

“Verge isn’t really long-winded in those meetings,assome other people, and he gets right to the point. Ireally like that. He sparked my interest from the first time I talked to him.”

LSU’spursuit heated up Nov. 17, when school officials arranged for aprivateplane to bring several of Kiffin’sfamily members, including his ex-wife, Layla Kiffin, to Baton Rouge. Theyspent the day looking at potential properties and learning about schools, trying to get asense of where they would live if they moved. Kiffin said he thought about how his decision affected his children and the family of his brother,Ole Miss defensive analyst Chris Kiffin, whofollowed him to LSU

The family took asimilartrip the day before to Gainesville, Florida, as he considered the University of Florida head coaching job. Layla Kiffin’sfather,John Reaves, played quarterback forthe Gators and later returned to coach at the school in theearly 1990s.

“Thoseare the things that we were alittle afraid of,” Ausberry said. “That’s thatpull to Gainesville. Whenshe came to Baton Rouge, she was like, ‘Wow,I really like this place.’”

Over the rest of the week, LSU officials assembled aseven-year, $91 million contract offer.His $13 millionannual salary made Lane Kiffinthe second-highest paid coach in college football behind Georgia’sKirby Smart.

ButKiffin joked Monday that he did not even know the numbers inside his deal. He said he asked agent Jimmy Sexton to tell him insteadabouthow much theteams that wanted to hire him werewill-

the legislative session. The governorand his aides frequently attend to push his priorities.

Changing partisan politics

Having acaucuschair is anot new,but it’sonly been in the past 15 to 20 years that state legislators have mimicked Washington by dividing themselves into Republican and Democratic camps. Previously,the fault line forDemocrats andRepublicans waswhether they linedupwiththe governor, regardless of party

During Gov.Bobby Jindal’ssecond term and Edwards’ first term, then-state Rep. Lance Harris, of Alexandria,was theHouse GOP chair,using both humorand muscle to corral Republicans into supporting acommon position.

Then-state Rep. Blake Miguez, of New Iberia, now astate senator running to be U.S. senator,was the caucus chair during Edwards’ second term. Miguezand Schexnayderwere at odds because Miguez hadn’tsupportedSchexnayderto be speaker.Asaresult, Schexnayder for ayear refused to give Miguez the check-writingauthority that Harris had forthe caucus and locked Miguez out of an office that Harris had used.

TheRepublican caucus chair became vacant on Nov. 13 when Rep. Mark Wright,ofCovington, stepped down from the position to devote more time forhis campaign to be elected to thePublic Service Commission next year

Wright and Illg hadviedtobethe caucus chairwhenthe currentLegislature wasseated in January 2024, with Illg agreeing to step aside with theunderstanding that he would succeed Wright in twoyears.

“It was sort of an agreement,” Wright said, adding, “he’d still have to gethis votes.”

ing to spend on the roster.LSU has prepared to commit $25 million to $30 millionannually through revenue sharing and name, image and likeness, sources said. Ausberry claimed donors who have already givenNIL money want to spend moreand that somewho haven’t contributed before are now willing to do so.

“This was the best setup,”Kiffin said. “That definitelyplayed a factor into it. Because Idon’tcare whatyour systems are, without good players, they don’twork. …In the process of figuring out the NIL package, those were not similar (at other schools). Those were not the same. That’sabig part of it.”

Still, Kiffinfelthappy at OleMiss and had ateam heading toward the College FootballPlayoff. He said he wanted to coach through the postseason,whichLSU would have allowed him to do.

But Ole Miss did not agree to let him stayonduring meetings Saturday night and into Sunday morning, letting LSU finally pickhim up with aprivate plane.

Kiffin said he felt “torn.”Hedescribed driving to the Oxford, Mississippi, airport with his son and having people try to run him off the road. He even questioned the decision as he flew toward Baton Rouge, wondering if he had made theright call. Once he landedand rode past Tiger Stadium on the way to the football operations facility,itfelt right.

As he went past, Kiffincalled another coach: former LSU head coach Ed Orgeron. He jokedthat theplace made him want to talk like his gravel-voiced friend.

“I don’tknow,man, I’m feeling you right now,” Kiffinsaid.

“Coach,” Kiffin recalled Orgeron saying, “you’re at the best place in America.”

Echols decided to seek the job, too. He emailed Republican House members on Oct.28, saying he wanted to strengthenefforts to raise money for their messaging by “clearly articulating our values and legislative accomplishments.”

Illg expressed disappointment that Echols didn’tgive him a heads-up of his plans even though they hadbeen together thenight before at the PentagonBarracks, acrossthe street from theCapitol, watching aWorld Series game with other legislators.

Echols followed up with another emailtoHouse Republicans on Nov.25that included anearly twominute video.

Illg also emailed Republican HousemembersonNov.25, saying he wanted“to promote ourstrong Republican values with better communication.”

Illgdefeated Echols in January 2024 to becomethe caucus vice chair. Butthe twomen describe themselves as friends during their six years together in the Legislature, sharing meals and hunting deer together at Echols’ camp.

Echols said he decidedtorun for caucus chair on his ownand informed Landry only afterward.

“I did not ask the governor or his stafftomakecalls on my behalf,” he said.

Illg said he strongly supports Landry’sagenda,not voting with him on only acouple of high-profile issues.

Republican members, he said, “want unity,better communication and independence.Let’s be together and work with the governor.”

Other legislators saythe election creates aquandary

“I love both of those guys,” said Rep. Daryl Deshotel, R-Hessmer “I hate that it’sgetting to this point.”

BRIEFS

FROM WIRE REPORTS

U.S. stocks fall as bitcoin tumbles

NEW YORK

U.S. stocks gave back some of last week’s rally, as bitcoin fell again on Monday

The S&P 500 slipped 0.5% and broke a five-day winning streak. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 427 points, or 0.9%, and the Nasdaq composite dipped 0.4%.

Last week’s rally was largely due to rising hopes that the Federal Reserve will cut its main interest rate next week to help shore up the slowing job market. Such hopes are still high, with traders betting on a roughly 85% chance the Fed will cut at its next meeting, according to data from CME Group.

But yields for longer-term Treasurys nevertheless rose in the bond market Monday It was part of a worldwide climb for yields after the head of the Bank of Japan hinted at a possible hike to interest rates there.

When bonds are paying higher yields, they can attract investors who would otherwise buy stocks or cryptocurrencies Higher yields undercut prices for all kinds of investments, particularly those seen as the most expensive.

Bitcoin, which was soaring around $125,000 in October, dropped toward $85,500. That’s down roughly 6% from a day earlier That in turn sent stocks lower across the crypto industry Coinbase Global sank 4.8%, and Robinhood Markets fell 4.1%, for example.

UK secures zero-tariff deal on pharmaceuticals

LONDON The U.K. has secured a 0% tariff rate for all U.K. medicines exported to the U.S. for at least three years, officials said Monday, in return for the U.K. spending more on new medicines. Under the deal, the U.S. agreed to exempt U.K.-origin pharmaceuticals, pharmaceutical ingredients, and medical technology from import taxes.

The Trump administration said in return U.K. drugs firms committed to invest more in the U.S. and create more jobs.

The U.K. government said the 0% rate on all of its pharmaceuticals exports was the lowest offered to any country As part of the deal, it said the country’s National Health Service will spend around 25% more in new and effective treatments the first major increase in such spending in over two decades.

Officials said that means U.K health authorities will now be able to approve medicines that deliver significant health improvements but might have previously been declined purely on cost-effectiveness grounds, including breakthrough cancer treatments or therapies for rare diseases.

Starbucks to pay about $35M to NYC workers

NEW YORK Starbucks will pay about $35 million to more than 15,000 New York City workers to settle claims it denied them stable schedules and arbitrarily cut their hours, city officials announced Monday

The company will also pay $3.4 million in civil penalties under the agreement with the city’s Department of Consumer and Worker Protection It also agrees to comply with the city’s Fair Workweek law going forward.

A company spokeswoman said Starbucks is committed to operating responsibly and in compliance with all applicable local laws and regulations in every market where it does business, but also noted the complexities of the city’s law

“This (law) is notoriously challenging to manage and this isn’t just a Starbucks issue, nearly every retailer in the city faces these roadblocks,” spokeswoman Jaci Anderson said Most of the affected employees who held hourly positions will receive $50 for each week worked from July 2021 through July 2024, the department said. Workers who experienced a violation after that may be eligible for compensation by filing a complaint with the department.

BUSINESS

NOLA.COM/BIZ

TSA to charge travelers without REAL ID

$45 fee to begin in February

By The Associated Press

Air travelers in the U.S. without a REAL ID will be charged a $45 fee beginning in February, the Transportation Security Administration announced Monday

The updated ID has been required since May, but passengers without it have so far been allowed to clear security with additional screening and a warning The Department of Homeland Security says 94% of passengers are already compliant and that the new fee is intended to encourage travelers to obtain the ID.

REAL ID is a federally compliant state-issued license or identification card that meets enhanced requirements mandated in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Obtaining the ID indicated by a white star in a yellow circle in most states means taking more docu-

PRESS FILE PHOTO

REAL ID is a federally compliant state-issued license or identification card that meets enhanced requirements mandated in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

ments to the motor vehicle agency than most states require for regular IDs. It was supposed to be rolled out in 2008 but the implementation had been repeatedly delayed.

Beginning Feb. 1, travelers 18

and older flying domestically without a REAL ID and who don’t have another accepted form of ID on them, such as a passport, will pay the nonrefundable fee to verify their identity through TSA’s alter-

native “Confirm.ID” system. TSA officials said that paying the fee does not guarantee verification, and travelers whose identities cannot be verified may be turned away If approved, however, the verification covers a 10-day travel period.

The fee can be paid online before arriving at the airport Travelers can also pay online at the airport before entering the security line, but officials said the process make take up to 30 minutes.

The TSA initially proposed an $18 charge for passengers without a REAL ID, but officials said Monday they raised it after realizing the alternative identification program would cost more than anticipated.

Other acceptable forms of ID include military IDs, permanent resident cards and photo IDs from federally recognized tribal nations. TSA also accepts digital IDs through platforms such as Apple Wallet, Google Wallet and Samsung Wallet at more than 250 airports in the U.S.

LAST CALL FOR DEALS

Cyber Monday could break spending records despite economic uncertainty

BY WYATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS Associated Press

NEW YORK — After four days of deal-fueled spending sprees that kicked off on Thanksgiving, shoppers shifted their focus on Cyber Monday, which is again expected to be the biggest sales day of the year for online retailers. Walmart was promoting up to 50% off on fashion on its website among some of the deals, while online juggernaut Amazon was hoping to ply customers with discounts of up to 55%.

It’s no secret that buying things online is now a staple of many people’s everyday routines. And year after year, those purchases mount during the gift-giving holiday rush. Experts expect consumers to drive record Cyber Monday spending this year, despite wider economic uncertainty

Adobe Analytics estimates that U.S. shoppers will spend $14.2 billion online Monday or 6.3% more than in 2024. Spending is expected to peak between the hours of 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. local time, when Adobe expects $16 million to pass through online shopping carts every minute nationwide.

U.S. consumers already spent $11.8 billion online for Black Friday, $6.4 billion on Thanksgiving Day and another $11.8 billion over the weekend — exceeding Adobe’s forecasts Purchases made across Cyber Week — the five major shopping days between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday — provides a strong indication of how much shoppers are willing to spend for the holidays.

“Cyber Week is off to a strong start,” said Vivek Pandya, lead analyst at Adobe Digital Insights. “Discounts are set to remain elevated through Cyber Monday, which we expect will remain the biggest online shopping day of the season and year.”

Pandya said he will be analyzing Adobe data capturing Cyber Monday sales to see if some of the spending momentum dissipated after a strong weekend.

Deals on electronics and apparel are expected to peak Monday at 30% and 26% off average listed prices, per Adobe’s latest estimates. But other categories will still continue to see deep discounts — including toys, which Adobe expects to reach 27% off listed

prices.

Meanwhile, software company Salesforce — which tracks digital spending from a range of retailers, including grocers — estimates Cyber Monday’s online sales will total $13.4 billion in the U.S. and $53.7 billion globally

While the amount of money going into online shopping carts is expected to reach new heights Monday rising retail prices also may contribute to any record sales figures that materialize. Consumers may be buying fewer total items. Experts say tighter budgets are causing many to shop with more precision than in years past such as focusing on a few “big ticket” purchases, for example, and spreading out what they buy over days of promotions in hopes of getting the most bang for their buck.

Businesses and households have watched anxiously for financial impacts from U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs on foreign imports Workers in both the public and private sectors are also struggling with anxieties over job security amid both corporate layoffs and the aftereffects of the 43-day government shutdown.

For the November-December holiday season overall, the National Retail Federation estimates that U.S. shoppers will spend more than $1 trillion for the first time this year But the rate of growth is slowing — with an

anticipated increase of 3.7% to 4.2% year over year compared with 4.3% during last year’s holiday season.

At the same time, credit card debt and delinquencies on other short-term loans have been rising. More and more shoppers are turning to “buy now, pay later” plans, which allow them to delay payments on holiday decor, gifts and other items.

Buy now pay later loans are expected to drive $20.2 billion in online spending this holiday season, according to Adobe, up 11% from last year The firm predicted that buy now, pay later loans would pass a new $1 billion milestone on Cyber Monday the vast majority involving purchases made on mobile devices.

Overall, mobile devices have become the dominant shopping platform consumers are turning to for the holidays. Adobe expects smartphones, wearable tech and other handheld electronics to account for 58% of online spending this season.

Five years ago, a majority of online purchases were made on desktops. Shopping services powered by artificial intelligence are also expected to play a role in what consumers choose to buy For Black Friday, Salesforce estimated that AI assistants and digital agents contributed to $14.2 billion of the total $79 billion it said was spent online worldwide.

44% of trucking schools don’t comply with U.S. rules, report says

BY JOSH FUNK AP transportation writer

Nearly 44% of the 16,000 truck driving schools in the U.S may be forced to close if they lose their students after a review by the federal Transportation Department found they may not be complying with government requirements. The Transportation Department said Monday that it plans to revoke the accreditation of nearly 3,000 schools unless they can comply with training requirements in the next 30 days. The targeted schools must notify students that their accreditation is in jeopardy. Another 4,500 schools are being warned they may face similar action. Schools that lose accreditation

will no longer be able to issue the certificates showing a driver completed training that are required to get a license, so students are likely to abandon those schools.

Separately, the Department of Homeland Security is auditing trucking firms in California owned by immigrants to verify the status of their drivers and whether they are qualified to hold a commercial driver’s license. This crackdown on trucking schools and companies is the latest step in the government’s effort to ensure that truck drivers are qualified and eligible to hold a commercial license This began after a truck driver that Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy says was not authorized to be in the U.S. made

an illegal U-turn and caused a crash in Florida that killed three people. Duffy has threatened to pull federal funding from California and Pennsylvania over the issue, and he proposed significant new restrictions on which immigrants can get a commercial driver’s license but a court put those new rules on hold.

“We are reigning in illegal and reckless practices that let poorly trained drivers get behind the wheel of semi-trucks and school buses,” Duffy said. It’s not clear how this action against these trucking schools could affect the existing shortage of drivers. The American Trucking Association estimates there were 3.58 million truck drivers out on the roads last year

The Transportation Department said the 3,000 schools it is taking action against failed to meet training standards and didn’t maintain accurate and complete records. The schools are also accused of falsifying or manipulating training data. The list of schools being targeted wasn’t immediately released. Trucking industry groups have praised the effort to tighten up licensing standards and ensure that drivers can meet basic English proficiency requirements the Trump administration began enforcing this summer But groups that represent immigrant truck drivers say they believe many qualified drivers and companies are being targeted simply because of their citizenship status.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MEGAN VARNER Shoppers browse for Black Friday deals at an outdoor mall in Atlanta.

ASSOCIATED

White House says follow-up strike on drug boat lawful

BY AAMER MADHANI and REGINA GARCIA CANO Associated Press

WASHINGTON The White House said Monday that a Navy admiral acted “within his authority and the law” when he ordered a second, follow-up strike on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean Sea in a September U.S. military operation that has come under bipartisan scrutiny White House press secretary

Karoline Leavitt offered the justification for the Sept. 2 strike after lawmakers from both parties on Sunday announced support for congressional reviews of U.S. military strikes against vessels suspected of smuggling drugs in the Caribbean and the eastern Pacific Ocean. The lawmakers cited a published report that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a verbal order for a second strike that killed survivors on the boat in that September incident.

Leavitt in her comments to reporters did not dispute a Washington Post report that there were survivors after the initial strike in the incident. Her explanation came after President Donald Trump a day earlier said that he “wouldn’t have wanted that not

Continued from page 1A

taken at second-lines over the years.

“Those individuals were bright lights to their families, to their friends, bright lights in their communities, and they will always shine here in the city of New Orleans,” Moreno said. “But one of the best ways that we can honor those who we have lost is to also ensure that something like this never happens again.”

The lighting ceremony of the privately created memorial comes as the French Quarter Terrorism Attack Memorial Commission, which was established by Landry through an executive order in April, is still in the planning stage for a permanent memorial, according to Joey DiFatta, a French Quarter resident and business owner who was appointed to serve on the commission by Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser

Fourteen people died and many others were wounded in the early morning hours of Jan. 1 when Shamsud-Din Jabbar barreled down Bourbon in a rented pickup truck running down revelers who had been celebrating the new year Jabbar was killed by police officers after he was able to drive down three city blocks that didn’t have security barriers deployed. The attack sparked concerns about gaps in security plans for the world-famous street and has prompted heightened law enforcement there in recent months.

In the days after the attack, visitors and residents

flocked to a makeshift memorial at the intersection of Canal and Bourbon streets that featured crosses and handwritten messages to

a second strike” when asked about the incident.

“Secretary Hegseth authorized Admiral Bradley to conduct these kinetic strikes,” said Leavitt, referring to U.S. Navy Vice Admiral Frank Bradley, who at the time was the commander of Joint Special Operations Command. “Admiral Bradley worked well within his authority and the law, directing the engagement to ensure the boat was destroyed and the threat to the United States of America was eliminated.”

The lawmakers said they did not know whether last week’s Post report was true, and some Republicans were skeptical Still, they said the reports of attacking survivors of an initial missile strike posed serious legal concerns and merited further scrutiny

The White House weighed in after Trump on Sunday vigorously defended Hegseth.

“Pete said he did not order the death of those two men,” Trump

the victims, their families and the city

Currently, that memorial sits outside The Presbytère on Jackson Square It was moved there by Louisiana State Police in February Officials have since vowed to erect something more permanent.

The state commission has until April to make its recommendation to the governor on the design and location of a permanent tribute, according to Landry’s executive order

The group, which has its fourth meeting scheduled for Wednesday, is considering a plan to create two memorials in different parts of the French Quarter, DiFatta said.

One could be a plaque or archway at the intersection of Canal and Bourbon with the victims’ names, he said. A second memorial could be located in a calmer part of the French Quarter, like in Jackson Square, where people would be able to stop and reflect.

“Let’s face it, Bourbon

Street is going to be loud, boisterous — it’s probably not the most conducive place for that,” DiFatta said.

He said the group has yet to discuss any concrete proposals for either memorial and that the process would likely take longer than a year

“We want to get it right; we want to make sure we truly honor the folks who gave their lives to this horrid event,” he said.

Melissa Dedeaux, whose daughter Ni’kyra was killed in the attack, said she appreciated the efforts behind the installation and planned permanent memorial.

“Even through all of this grief that we’re going through, this is special to us,” Dedeaux said. Dedeaux supported the idea of a memorial in Jackson Square, rather than on Bourbon Street.

“I think it needs to be at a place of peace,” Dedeaux said. “A better place.”

Email Sophie Kasakove at sophie.kasakove@ theadvocate.com.

said. He added, “And I believe him.”

Leavitt said Hegseth has spoken with members of Congress who may have expressed some concerns about the reports over the weekend.

Gen. Dan Caine, chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, also spoke over the weekend with the four bipartisan lawmakers leading the Senate and House Armed Services Committees.

He reiterated “his trust and confidence in the experienced commanders at every echelon,” Caine’s office said in a statement.

The statement added that the call focused on “addressing the intent and legality of missions to disrupt illicit trafficking networks which threaten the security and stability of the Western Hemisphere.”

Senate Majority Leader John Thune on Monday broadly defended the operations, echoing the Trump administration position that they’re necessary to stem the flow of illegal narcotics into the United States.

Thune said the committees in Congress will conduct oversight looking into what happened. “I don’t think you want to draw any conclusions or deductions until

you have all the facts,” he said of the Sept. 2 strike. “We’ll see where they lead.”

After the Post’s report, Hegseth said Friday on X that “fake news is delivering more fabricated, inflammatory, and derogatory reporting to discredit our incredible warriors fighting to protect the homeland.”

“Our current operations in the Caribbean are lawful under both U.S. and international law with all actions in compliance with the law of armed conflict and approved by the best military and civilian lawyers, up and down the chain of command,” Hegseth wrote.

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer called Hegseth a “national embarrassment” over his response to critics. Schumer added that the armed services committees should demand that Hegseth release the video of the strike and testify under oath about what happened.

Sen. Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said the panel’s inquiry would start “with briefings about what actually happened” from the officials involved. Reed also called for the administration to release unredacted video of the strike.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By EVAN VUCCI

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks during a news briefing at the White House on Monday.

STAFF PHOTOS By SOPHIA GERMER

A crowd gathers outside Arnaud’s for the public lighting of the ‘Second Line in the Sky’ memorial on Bourbon Street on Monday.

Photos of Bourbon Street attack victims and messages are suspended in the air as part of the ‘Second Line in the Sky’ memorial.

JanRisher

LOUISIANA AT LARGE

Building Kiffin’s La. to-dolist

If Baton Rouge is gettinga coach, Oxford is losing acharacter —and plenty of Oxford characters had something to sayabout Mississippi’sloss and Louisiana’s gain.

Ispent much of the weekend on the Lane Kiffin watch.Asthe daughter of aMississippifootball coach, Icalled cousins, coaches and old friends to see what was going on in Oxford. Most were salty

Icalled Square Books in Oxford, where Ispoke with owner Richard Howorth.

“Ordinarily,wedon’ttalk about aparticular customer’sbehavior but in this case,Idon’tcare,” Howorth said. “I only saw him in here once. Istarted to introduce myself, but he was talkingwith someone, and Ididn’twanttointerrupt him. Then, he wasinand out.” Howorth acknowledged thatthe Ole Miss faithful are frustrated but looking forward.

“People are alittle riled about the way that ordealwentdown Ithink thesystem is at faultto agreat extent,” Howorth said. “People wouldn’thave minded haditbeen somewhere other than LSU.” The bookseller went on to talk about the brokenness of university-level football, calling it aminor league farm system for professionalfootball.

“I’m rethinking my devotion to being afootballfan,” Howorth said, before expounding on the ridiculous level of deliberations and process.

Isaid, “It was almost likepickingthe next pope.”

Howorth said, “Or like picking the next dope.”

Coach Kiffin, in Baton Rouge, tryRed Stick Reads. If you’re up for adrive, head to St.Francisville’sThe Conundrumor Denham Springs’ Cavalier House Books.

Then Icalled another Oxford favorite, the ChevrononSouth Lamar Boulevard, where they’ve beenmakingthe world’sbest chicken on astick for more than 50 years, according to the Ole Miss faithful.

Owner Rey Rupani said Kiffin

See RISHER, page 2B

Bogalusa mayorpleadsnot guilty

Official accused of malfeasance in office

BY WILLIE SWETT Staff writer

Bogalusa MayorTyrin Truong pleaded not guilty on Mondayto state charges of malfeasance in office, public intimidation and theft between $5,000and $25,000, entering his plea before adozen or so supporters thathad filed into a courtroom in Franklinton.

Truong’splea followed an Oct. 30 indictmentbya Washington Parish grand jury that listed seven different allegations under the single count of malfeasance in office, including having public workersimproperly do ahome repairjob on his mother’s house andsoliciting abribe fromarepresentativeofa construction company On Monday,wearing abluesuit and ared tie, Truong appeared beside his attorneyBilly Gibbens, of New Orleans, who told Judge William Burris, of the 22nd Judicial

ä See MAYOR, page 2B

To thebeatofthe drum

Chris Zonada practices his guitar while he waits for his laundrytodry at Babylon Laundromat and Washateria on MapleStreet in New Orleans.Zonada has been playing guitar for over 30 years, learning to play theinstrument himselfafter studying classical clarinet. He now teaches guitaratthe Louisiana Academy of Performing Arts. ‘My main passion for teachingiswatching someone become empowered by their owneffort,’hesaid.

BY KEVIN HALL Publisher

There’s alot of excitement in Louisiana right now.LSU has a new football coach, the holidays are upon us and, thankfully,we’ve made it through another hurricane season unscathed. But what really excites me not only today, but everyday,isthe trust readers like you putinour journalism. When you become apublic servicejournalistinLouisiana, youknowthat the journey will always be achallenge, but it’sone our team wholeheartedly embraces —because it’sworth it Our mission as anewsorganization is simple: We believe democracy thrives when afair-minded press keeps citizens informed on issues Thankyou foryour trustin

ä See TRUST, page 2B

BY JOHN SIMERMAN Staff writer

The Original Lady &Men Buckjumpers had wrappeduptheir annual second-line on Sunday, disbanding after 4p.m. at the Dew Drop InnonLaSalle Street. About an hourlater,New Orleanspolice officers began to disperse thelingeringcrowds when gunfire sent peoplerunning, witnesses said.

The shooting afew blocks away at Washington Avenue andMagnolia Street left a26-year-old BatonRougewomanbleeding from her neck as she died in acar,according to agruesome hand-shot video that circulated Monday Authorities have not released hername.

On Monday, neighbors and advocates said theviolent spasm shouldn’tbeconstrued as being tied to an eventsteeped in New Orleans culture, even as they

raised questions aboutpublic safety at crowded events like the one thatdrew thousands around A.L. Davis Park on Sunday

“Asmanypeopleaswhatwas out here, nothing jumped out” as volatileduringSunday’s parade, said Nigel Morrison, 57. “It was a beautiful day.”

Morrisonsaidhewas eating turkey wings inside Soul Seafood Market at Washington andLaSalle streetsafterward when he saw people running from the gunfire. By then, the crowds had thinned, he said.

“It’s not really thesecond-line. It’sthe (people) who come to the second-line knowing they have problems,” Morrison said. “This is what we do. Locals know this is theholiday,and youput that s*** to rest.Not on that day. Thisis horrible.”

TheNew OrleansPoliceDepartment offered little newMondayabout thefatal shooting that marred the parade’s aftermath

The departmentsaid nearby officers “respondedimmediately” to the 5:17 p.m. shooting, which it said happened “hours after the

scheduled secondline eventhad passed the incident location.”

Policesaid on Sunday thatinvestigators also found awounded 16-year-oldboy afew blocks away in the 2700 block of 7th Street andawounded 29-year-oldman nearby.Both were taken to hospitals with injuries that werenot considered life-threatening. Police reportednoarrestsasoflate Monday “Second linesare part of whowe are as acity,”the NOPD said in a statement.“No oneshould ever fear violence in these moments. We willstand with this family, with this community, andwewill not let this go unanswered.”

Many attendees lingered after Sunday’sparade. After the gunfire, several ran into LaSalles Market,where manager GusMalkieh said theconveniencestore was having its best day in twomonths in business. Malkieh said manyin Sunday’scrowds were in townfor theBayou Classic.

“It was just mayhem. It was outofcontrol outside,”hesaid. “Anytime you have largecrowds of people,something is bound to

happen.”

Though rarely violent, parade routes have been scenes of some tragic episodes in NewOrleans. In themostrecentcase, gunfire left twopeopledeadinseparate shootings last year along the Nine Times Second Line Parade. Advocates cautioned against tyingviolencetothe second-line clubs.

“The biggerconversation is in how we keep the public saferegardless of thekind of event,” said Tamara Jackson, president of the Social Aidand Pleasure Club Task Force, whosaidshe attended Sunday’sparade. Jackson notedthatthe shooting happened blocks from the finished parade.

“Everybody appeared to be havinga joyous time,”she said. “It was the end. Folks were fellowshipping andthe policewere doing what they normally do, and that’scrowddispersal.”

Crowds forsecond-lines have become larger and morediverse, said Jackson, who described them as “sacred space.”

“The culture has grown,” she said. “Itbrings out everybody.”

STAFF PHOTO By WILLIE SWETT

Bogalusa MayorTyrin Truong exits the Washington Parish Courthouse in Franklinton on Mondayafter pleading not guilty to malfeasanceinoffice,public intimidation and theft between $5,000 and $25,000.

Hall

STAFF PHOTO By ENAN CHEDIAK

Army officer’s wedding dress goes missing at airport

BY MICHELLE HUNTER Staff writer

After seven months of deployment in Kosovo, U.S. Army Lt. Amber Oglesby landed at the airport in New Orleans on Nov 22, looking forward to two weeks of Thanksgiving leave with her fiancé and the couple’s 1-year-old daughter. But one of Oglesby’s bags, which contained her wedding dress and a purse, disappeared, and she thinks it was taken by someone as the couple loaded her things into their vehicle in the parking garage

Oglesby, of Metairie, tracked her AirPods, which were inside her purse, to the airport’s employee parking lot and later, to an apartment in Kenner Despite help from airport security and Kenner police, she has not yet been able to recover her property

“It would be nice to get my passport back, but the dress holds the most sentimental value,” said Oglesby, who is scheduled to return to Kosovo in a few days.

The wedding dress, a floor-length white gown with train covered in elegant floral lace, was in a black shopping bag with the word “Goddess” in white letters across the front. Oglesby had it custom made at a shop in Kosovo for her upcoming spring wedding to Cody Kellum.

Oglesby crafted her purse during a handbag workshop in Scotland. It is made of pale pink leather with a red, blue and tan plaid on the flap.

Oglesby admitted she was quite distracted when she landed at the airport, focused on finally getting to hold her daughter, Legacy, and hug Kellum after so many months apart.

The family stopped for dinner and didn’t realize the shopping bag containing the gown and Oglesby’s purse was missing until they unloaded the car at home, she said. Concerned they’d left the bag behind, Oglesby tried to track her AirPods, which pinged in the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport’s employee parking lot.

“Security was really nice They came out and were helping me look around cars,” Oglesby said.

Though they searched with a flashlight in and around the vehicles, they didn’t find the bag or the AirPods. Still keeping it positive, Oglesby said she hoped whoever had her things was planning to take them to the airport’s lost and found.

However, the AirPods moved the next day to an apartment on Phoe-

RISHER

Continued from page 1B

had definitely been by the Chevron.

“I never met him personally, but I’m not here 24 hours a day,” Rupani said “Yes, I’m sad that he left because he was a good coach, but I’m going to support Ole Miss regardless. Life moves on Some people take it a little too far and make it a little too personal.” In Baton Rouge, there are a lot of options for chicken. Try Blue Store Chicken or Chicken Shack. Neither is on a stick, but both are tasty as can be.

I leaned into my Mississippi people and asked my baby brother an Ole Miss grad, for other Kiffin favorites. My brother suggested Blue Delta Denim, a bespoke jeans place on the Square in Oxford.

I called their factory in Tupelo and first talked to Richard Sherrell. This is how our conversation went:

“Yeah, we do a lot with the school. Kiffin is very much a customer We’ve outfitted him and pretty much the entire coaching staff,” Sherrell said.

There was a pause, followed by a shriek.

“A cat just ran through our factory in Tupelo,” he said. “Did you see that cat?” Sherrell went on to explain that they have customers “on both sides” as their plant is in Tupelo, dead center between Ole Miss and Mississippi State.

According to Sherrell, Kiffin wore Blue Delta’s “performance fabric” on the sidelines. The company works with lots of SEC schools and coaching staffs, including Brian Kelly

“Kiffin was a fan of our raw denim,” Sherrell said. “Every pant that we make is made one at a time here in Tupelo, made to each personal measurement.”

Aside from the retail spaces in Oxford and Tupelo, Blue Delta also has an online virtual tailor

U.S. Army 1st Lt. Amber

workshop in Scotland was taken at the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport when she arrived home from deployment

nix Street in Kenner, she said. They drove over to the area.

“The AirPods would connect back to my phone, so they were in the vicinity,” Oglesby said.

Kenner police sent out a detective who tried to help by knocking on doors and speaking with residents.

“If there was any chance of recovering this for her, we wanted to try but we didn’t get anywhere,”

Kenner police Deputy Chief Mark McCormick said.

Despite the disconcerting start, Oglesby said her holiday visit has been wonderful. She’s been cooking and spending as much time with family as she can.

“Legacy has turned into such a little helper, wanting to open up the cabinets and play with the pots and pans, being into anything and everything that mama’s doing,” Oglesby said. “It’s really cool to see how much she’s learning and growing.”

Oglesby still hopes that the person who took her wedding gown will return it to the airport, no questions asked. As a backup, she has already reached out to the shop in Kosovo to check if there’s time to remake the dress upon her return.

“All of that stuff is replaceable. Our health, our safety, that’s the main thing,” Oglesby said.

Then Nick Weaver, co-owner of Blue Delta, walked in. Weaver explained that Josh West is his business partner, and they’ve been friends since elementary school because they had to sit in alphabetical order West sat behind Weaver I knew I had met a kindred spirit. (This is the same reason Melvin Rasco is my friend.)

The friends started Blue Delta because they were “young and stupid” and there were 3,000 blue jean seamstresses in a 30-mile radius who had just lost their jobs because of the North American Free Trade Agreement.

Shortly after the company’s launch, they made jeans for the Manning family After Eli got a pair, he bought jeans for the whole New York Giants team for Christmas. Today, Blue Delta jeans cost around $500 a piece. Each pair is made based on 16 measurements

Construction begins on two new Entergy plants

Infrastructure to power massive Meta

data center

BY JOSIE ABUGOV Staff writer

Entergy broke ground Monday on a pair of new electricity plants being built to power Meta’s massive artificial intelligence data center in northeast Louisiana, part of the utility’s plan to roll out billions of dollars in new infrastructure for the tech company’s historically large project The gas-fired plants located near the data center will deliver around 1,500 megawatts of power and will begin generating in 2028. A third plant in St. Charles Parish slated to help meet the tech company’s energy needs is awaiting permits, said Brandon Scardigli, a spokesperson for Entergy Louisiana. The utility is constructing other resources for Meta as well, including substations and transmission lines, totaling more than $5 billion in new infrastructure.

“These facilities represent the next step in Entergy Louisiana’s long-term strategy to modernize our generation fleet and deliver reliable, cost-effective power to our customers,” said Phillip May, president and CEO of Entergy, the state’s largest utility. But while Entergy has described the project as beneficial to ratepayers since much of the new infrastructure will be paid for by Meta, it has come under sharp criticism from environmental groups, consumer advocacy organization and other large industries Criticism includes concerns that other ratepayers will have to cover project costs and whether the data center’s large power demands will affect grid reliability

Meta’s data center will need roughly three times the amount of electricity that the city of New Orleans uses in a year and increases Entergy’s electric needs in the state by around 30%.

Entergy officials stress that the plants will benefit all utility customers because of Meta’s contri-

MAYOR

Continued from page 1B

District, that Truong was pleading “not guilty.”

Asked by a reporter for comment, Truong deferred to Gibbens, who issued a statement: “Today, we moved one step closer to clearing Mayor Tyrin Truong’s name of these baseless charges. Mayor Truong is innocent, and we are eager to have our day in court.”

There were around 40 people in the courtroom. Supporters included the mayor’s mother and grandfather Appearing for the state was Doug Freese, the chief of the Criminal Division for the northshore District Attorney’s Office. District Attorney Collin Sims was seated in the front row of the courtroom.

Monday’s court appearance also comes about 11 months after Truong was arrested by Louisiana State Police and accused of soliciting prostitutes, transactions involving proceeds from drug offenses and unauthorized use of a moveable.

Truong has not been formally charged in that case and he has denied the accusations. He has argued his criminal prosecution is politically and racially motivated,

TRUST

for each pair of pants. Baton Rouge has a variety of bespoke tailors who also make fancy pants for coaches and athletes

Whether it’s a home, food or schools for your kids, the people of Baton Rouge and Louisiana are looking forward to you, coach Kiffin, and your family jumping in with both feet.

By Monday morning, Kiffin was sweating through hot yoga in Baton Rouge. Oxford, though, was still talking — in bookstores, gas stations, denim factories and everywhere else his shadow lingered. Welcome to Louisiana, coach! We hope you’ll take us up on a few of the recommendations and let us know what you think. Down here, the welcome mat is out with books to browse and chicken to sample.

Email Jan Risher at jan.risher@ theadvocate.com.

butions to the infrastructure. The tech company will pay for all costs of the new generators over a 15year contract, as well as storm recovery costs, leading to a projected $650 million in customer savings, according to the utility. But both environmental advocacy and oil, gas and petrochemical companies disputed Entergy’s plan to build the new infrastructure, arguing over the monthslong regulation process that the plan risked increased bills for all types of customers.

Of particular concern to opponents is the plants’ life span of up to 40 years compared with Meta’s contract of 15, which could potentially leave other ratepayers on the hook if the tech company leaves. All customers will also pay for a $550 million transmission line and operational costs related to the plants.

Environmental and consumer advocacy groups opposing the plan have also warned of grid reliability and environmental risks of the new fossil fuel-powered plants, which will produce pollution and climate-warming emissions. Entergy, meanwhile, says the new generation added to the system will be “among the most efficient in the state” and provide long-term reliability benefits to customers. Meta is also planning to build 1,500 megawatts of solar power in Louisiana through its deal with Entergy The utility also argues that the relatively newer plants will be able to serve all customers if Meta leaves, allowing them to retire older facilities after the 15-year deal.

Meta’s data center in Richland Parish and the nearby plants are located in one of the poorest regions of the state. Proponents of the facility highlight the opportunity for economic development, including 5,000 construction jobs and 500 operational jobs once the data center is complete.

“Truly a bright day for northeast Louisiana,” said Foster Campbell, who represents the area on the Public Service Commission, the state’s utility regulator

as he tried to upend the status quo in the city

After the January arrest Truong was booked into the Washington Parish jail in Franklinton and his bail was set at $150,000. He made bail the same day as his arrest On Monday Burris said the bail from the original arrest would be transferred to the current case. That means Truong will not have to be rearrested, said Sims, who said the state was in support of transferring the bail.

As part of the single count of malfeasance in the Oct. 30 indictment, Truong is accused of purchasing “illegal narcotics.” He is also accused of using public funds to rent an Airbnb in Atlanta and meeting with a prostitute there. Another allegation relates to city contractors, while another claims Truong accepted excess salary payments and payments for unearned leave time as mayor He took office in January 2023.

The three-page indictment includes few details about the public intimidation charges or the theft charge.

It accused Truong of taking belongings worth between $5,000 and $25,000 from the city of Bogalusa. It also accuses Truong of intimidating two “public employee(s).” Burris set a status conference for Jan. 14.

Continued from page 1B LOTTERY

of widespread importance. To meet that end requires buyin from readers, businesses and community stakeholders. We are operating in a time of great disruption for all media where subscription and advertising dollars are no longer enough to support the kind of impact journalism that changes laws and changes lives We need your help. Your support helps make indepth reporting possible stories like Sam Karlin’s look at the impact rising heat levels are having across Louisiana and Mike Smith’s examination of the ever-changing course of the Mississippi River and how it affects commerce and communities.

On this Giving Tuesday, we’re asking you to support this ongoing mission of journalism as a force for good in Louisiana. We’re

nearing our goal of $100,000 by Dec. 31, but we need your help to push us past the finish line Your tax-deductible donation goes solely to our impact journalists, photographers and editors in the field working the long hours needed to shine a light on issues many want kept in darkness. To learn more about the impact of our journalism and to donate, please visit LouisianaJournalismFund.org. Thank you again for being a reader, for being engaged in the success of our state and for putting your trust in the value of public service journalism. Happy holidays.

NOV. 30, 2025

3: 4-6-6 PICK 4: 4-5-1-8

PROVIDED

The wedding gown that U.S. Army 1st Lt. Amber Oglesby had custom made in Kosovo during her deployment was taken shortly after she landed.

PROVIDED PHOTOS By AMBER OGLESBy

Oglesby said the plaid purse she made in a

on Nov. 22.

Dozens protest in N.O.

BY JAMES FINN Staff writer

Immigration sweeps by U.S. Border Patrol agents did not launch Monday as expected in south Louisiana, and officialshavestayed tight-lipped aboutthe scope and timeline of their plans.

Still, despite rain and chilly temperatures, about 100people rallied Monday in downtown New Orleans to protest the impending immigration raids.

Draped in raincoats, carrying signs and huddled under umbrellas, they gathered around the Henry Clay statue in Lafayette Square as speakers from theimmigrant advocacy group Union Migrante, the Freedom Road Socialist Organization and others shouted opposition against the planned federal operation.

Aman standing under the statue waved ablackbanner emblazonedwith the word “resist.” “No to federal occupation,” thedemonstrators chanted.

New Orleans has girded for weeks for an operation that, according to internal planning documents, aims to detain up to 5,000 people across aswath of territory stretching north to Baton Rouge and east to Mississippi.

The documents, reported on last month by The Associated Press, detailed how federal officials plannedto launchthe operation Monday in the mold of largescale sweeps Border Patrol recently conducted in Charlotte, North Carolina, and Chicago. But even as anxiety among south Louisiana immigrant communities seemed to reachapeak Monday,nosigns emerged that Border Patrolhad begunoperating in theregion in earnest.

Asked last week about Border Patrol vehicles recently seen driving around the area, aspokesperson said thesightings were “not necessarily unique” because the agency regularly operates in the region.

Asked Monday on Fox News which city Border Patrol would visit next, the commanderofthe Charlotte andChicago operations declined to answer.“Hold onto your hats,” said Gregory Bovino. “That’swhat I’m going to say there.”

Both Bovino and Louisiana’sRepublican Gov.Jeff Landry,who also spoke Monday about the operation on Fox and declined to discuss details, described recent sweeps as focusing on people with criminal histories

The agency has faced criticism in Chicago and Charlotte for the numbers of immigrants it detained who have no criminal records. Agents have alsobeenaccused of operating too aggressively, including by deploying chemicalirritants and nonlethal projectiles against protesters and journalists. Bovino has rejected those criticisms.

Though Republican state leaders have beckoned Border Patrol to Louisiana, Monday’s demonstration underscored how the operation is likely to face pushback in majority-Democratic New Orleans. Organizerscriticized federal and stateintervention in New Orleans’ affairs and highlighted immigrants’ contributions to the city’s culture and history

“Weknow whohelped rebuild the city after Hurricane Katrina,” said organizer Blu DiMarco, of the QueerandTransCommunity Action Project, an LGBTQ+ rights group.“It wasn’tpolice; it was immigrants.”

Protests in other cities have erupted into clashes betweenagents and demonstrators. Afew unmarked law enforcement vehicles lingered along the northernedge of Lafayette Square as demonstrators gathered. But the gathering remained peaceful as the crowd swelled during the evening.

NewOrleans Area Deaths

Becker,Robert DeBruler,Dennis Devare,Elouise Fowler,Bruce Ginart,Michael Leaman Jr., Paul Levine,Kenneth Mayer, Davyd Mounger, James Robert,Patsy Robinson, Maedell

Scott, Enid Vernaci,Lisa EJefferson

LA Muhleisen

Becker,Robert NewOrleans

Charbonnet

Scott, Enid

DW Rhodes Robinson, Maedell

JacobSchoen

Mounger, James Lake Lawn Metairie

DeBruler,Dennis

Leaman Jr., Paul Mayer, Davyd

Vernaci,Lisa

River Parish

Hobson BrownFH Devare,Elouise St Bernard St Bernard

Ginart,Michael

Obituaries

Becker, Robert Joseph'Bob'

Robert (Bob) Joseph Beckerpassed away on November 7, 2025 at the ageof90. Bob was the beloved husband of Elizabeth Ann (Henry) Beckerfor 64 years. He is survived by his children Joseph (Kerri),Julie (Bill Way), Therese Hebert, Jennifer (Brian Mezzanares) andSteven. He dearly loved hisgrandchildrenPayton(Whitney) Huskins,Jordan (Patrick Spann), Ryan(Megann Jones) Becker,Robert Becker, Sarah Hebert, OwenHebert, and Kyle Hebert, and twogreat grandchildrenBenjamin Huskinsand Lillian Spann. He is also survived by his sisters Marcia(LeRoy Marsh), Margie Heimes, andJudy(TomOlson). He is preceded in death by his lovingwife, hisparents, Bruno"Chalk"and Bernice (Schaller) Becker, his brotherRichard "Dick" (Velta Holdon)Becker and hissister Joyce (Charles Zuckerman). Bobwas born April19th, 1935,athis parents' farm houseinSt. Helena,Nebraska. He grew up workingonthe farm andgraduated as the salutatorianfrom Holy Trinity HighSchool in Hartington,Nebraska before attendingSt. Benedict's College in Atchinson, Kansas fortwo years.Hethenwas aconstructionworkeratGavins PointDam on the Missouri River located just upstream of Yankton, S. Dakota during theconstructionofthe concrete powerhouse. Bobvolunteeredfor thedraft into theUSArmy and served from1956-58 with theHQ Battery, 28th FieldArtillery Battalioninthe 8th InfantryDivision at BismarkKaserne in Schwabisch Gmundin West Germany.His duties werefire direction control forthe 155mmhowitzers in Batteries A,Band C. Upon his return to the United States, he worked asa concrete quality control technicianinthe early 1960's during theconstruction of undergroundvertical concrete silosinsoutheast Nebraska to store Atlasintercontinentalbal-

listic missiles(ICBM). Bob graduated from the University of Nebraskain 1963 with aBSinCivil Engineering and from Oklahoma Statein1973 with an MS in Civil Engineering. He attended Purdue University forpostgraduatestudies of construction materials of concrete, asphalt, and aggregates.Bob returned to WestGermany as acivilian civil engineer with theUS Army Corps of Engineers with hisfamily from 19781980 forthe rapid buildup of military installations in WestGermany,Holland and Italy during theCold War with theSovietUnion. He and his family livedina civilianGerman apartment on Furstenberger Strasse in Frankfurt,West Germany during these efforts. He completed a30+ year career with theUS Army CorpsofEngineers, NewOrleans District,in 1995. While there, he was Chief of MaterialsSection in Engineering Division during thedesignand construction of theOld River Auxiliary Structure.During the1970's, Bob and his wife Ann were activewith Worldwide Marriage Encounterand served as a team couple with a Catholic priestgiving weekend seminars to 25-30 married couples at atime in theNew Orleans area. Their goal was to help good marriages become even better. Boband Ann found that it helpedtheir own marriage as much or morethanthe other attending couples. Bob attended Our LadyofDivine Providence Catholic Church in Metairie and served several years as a lector and Eucharistic Minister. Bob enjoyed the University of Nebraska football games and going to theCollege Baseball WorldSeriesinOmaha, Nebraska.

In lieu of flowers or other gifts, Bob asked that any memorial donations be madetothe Building and Maintenance Fund at Our Lady of Divine Providence Catholic Church. In aprivateceremony,Bob's asheswillbe placedatthe Southeast LouisianaVeterans Cemetery in Slidell, Louisiana.

Amemorial servicewill be held at Our Ladyof Divine Providence Catholic Church, 8617 W. Metairie Ave.,MetairieonFriday, December 5th, with visitation from9:30 a.m. -10:00 a.m.,and aCatholicmass at 10:00 a.m.

We would like to extend our most gracious thanks to thestaff at Summer HouseVista Shoresfor their constant attention and affectiontowards our father in his last years. We saw God's love in your actions everyday Additionally,weare eternally grateful for thecare and compassion extended by theHospice Specialists of Louisiana, particularly Melvin McCree,(who will always be 'Lou')for his excellentserviceand care in thefinal years of our father's life.God sent us our indispensablebrother when we needed him most ArrangementsbyL.A. Muhleisen &Son Funeral Home.Toshare memories or condolences, please visit www.muhleisen.com

Dennis "Denny" Earl DeBruler Sr.passed away on November 30, 2025, at theage of 79. He was born on February 25, 1946, in NewOrleans, Louisiana. Denniswas adedicated husband to his wife, Deborah Dumestre DeBruler, and alovingfather to hischildren, CynthiaD.Rooney (Christopher) and Dennis E. DeBruler, Jr. (Sandra). He was also acherished grandfather to Amanda FrischhertzTassin (Timothy), Scott Frischhertz, Jr.(Sarah Broussard), Cody Frischhertz(Quinlyn Schultz), EastonRooney, Kaitlyn Rooney, Joshua DeBruler, EricUlm (Ashley),Nicholas DeBruler (Erica), and Veronica Pearl and great-grandfather of, Mila, Lucca, Palmer, Carson, Kaden, Sage, Landon, Hudson, Haydon, and Emery. Dennis was precededin death by his parents, William O. DeBruler,Sr. and Alice Heller DeBruler; brothers, William O. DeBruler, Jr., and Chris DeBruler; and sisters,

SylviaDeBruler Parker and Cynthia MarieDeBruler. Throughout hiscareer, Dennisworked for Delta Airlinesand was known for his strong workethic and ability to fixanything as a mechanic. In his retirement,heworked as the "shopboy" forStudio 18. In his personal life, Dennisenjoyed bowling, fishing,and hosting seafood boils, relishing momentswhen his entire family was together. His every weekend trips to the coast with theloveofhis life were among hisfavorite pastimes. He was always therefor his family demonstrating his unwavering support and love Special thanksare extendedtoHospice Specialists of Louisiana, Dr. AlaMohsen, Dr. Adam Lick, Dr. Cristina Sanina, theAdvanced Heart Failure Group,and theentirestaff at East JeffersonGeneral Hospitalfor their support and care.

DennisEarl DeBruler Sr willbedeeplymissedby allwho knew him, and his memory willbeforever cherished by his family and friends Visitationwillbeheldat Lake Lawn Metairie Funeral Home & Cemeteries, located at 5100 Pontchartrain Blvd, NewOrleans, Louisiana, 70124, on Wednesday, December 3, 2025, from 12:00 pm to 2:00 pm. A memorial mass willfollow at 2:00 pm. Aprivateinterment willbeheldata later date.

On Thursday,November 17, 2025, in BatonRouge LA,atthe tender age of 86 years old. God call Elouise Devare to her eternal resting place.She leaves to cherish her precious memorytoher four siblings, Beatrice Fluence, Joyce, Ida and DaveDevare and a host of nieces, nephews, otherrelatives and friends. Elouise was precededin death by her parents RayfieldDevare and Beatrice Steward,Siblings Alma Brown, Lillie Russel, Evelyn, Rayfield, and David Devare.

Funeral Service willbe held on Monday, December 1, 2025, at 10:00a.m. at Mt. OliveB.C. 3143 LA 642 Paulina, LA 70063, Pastor OscarNelson, Officiant. Visitation on Monday, December 1, 2025, from 8:00am until servicetime (ONLY). Interment Antioch Cemetery,Paulina LA

Professional Service entrusted to caring staff of Hobson Brown Funeral Home 134 Daisy Street Garyville, La 70051

Fowler, Bruce Miller

Bruce Miller Fowler Jr. passed away on November 21, 2025, in BatonRouge, LA.BornonJuly 31, 1984, in NewOrleans, LA. Bruce was aproud graduateof Newman High School

Predeceased by his loving mother, Andre Celeste Trevigne. He is survivedby his father, Bruce Miller Fowler Sr and hisbeautiful daughter, Thalia Celeste Fowler

The loss of Bruce is deeply feltbyhis family, friends,and all who crossedpaths with him. Ginart,MichaelC.

It is withdeepsorrow that we announce the passing of MichaelCharles Ginart,Jr.,lovingly known

as Mike.Hepassed away peacefully, surrounded by hisfamily, on November 26, 2025, at the age of 64. Born on September 10, 1961, in NewOrleans Louisiana Mike ledanextraordinary andremarkablelifefilledwithpurpose,generosity, and unwaveringstrength He is preceded in death by hisparents, Michael Charles Ginart,Sr. and Cecelia "Celie" Ginart Tanet;his grandparents Anthony"Tony" Schiro and Ellen DeCourcy Ginart Schiro;his belovedbrother,JohnArthurGinart;his uncle, Rev. Arthur"Fr. Red" Ginart;his former law partnerand friend, Richard "Rick" Tonry. He is survived by his loving wife of 45 years, Alice JohnsonGinart;his children, John Claude Ginart (Ashley) andJayne Cecelia Ginart (Jacob); and hischerishedgrandchildren,Michael, Averi,and Beau;his sisters, Debbie Ginart Mormino (Bart)and JulieGinart (Steve); his step father Joseph Tanet; andbyJacqueline Johnson Caminita(Jack) whom he lovingly caredfor as her guardian;along with his13 Godchildren, nieces, nephews, cousins, and lifelong friends Mike attended Chalmette High School and earneda full athletic and academic scholarship to Northwestern State University whereheexcelled on thefootball field andbecame aproud firstgeneration collegegraduate. After completinghis undergraduatedegree in business anddistributive education,Mike began working as ateacherwith St.BernardParish School Boardwhileattending Loyola Law School at night. Mike graduatedwith his JurisDoctor degree in 1988. He hasbeen self employed in thepractice of law since 1989. This marked abeginning of along,prosperous anddeeply respected career serving thepeople of St.BernardParish as an attorney. Mike wasa foundingpartner of Tonry& Ginart whichovertime evolved into Tonry& Ginart &Jones, Ginart & Jones, and most recently Ginart &AssociatesTrial Attorneys. Mike was apast presidentofSt. Bernard Parish Bar Association and wasnominatedby GovernorJohnBel Edwards to be Chairman of theLouisiana State PublicDefender Board in 2021. Beyond his legal accomplishments, Mike dedicated himself to thecommunity whichheloved. Mike wasa little league coach for RebelParkpre-Katrina andcontinued on post Katrinafor St.Bernard Parish Recreation.In2007, Mike waselectedcouncilman of District Dwhere he continuedhis lifelongcommitment to publicservice He is afoundingBoard member of Chalmette High School AlumniAssociation andSt. Bernard Parish Irish -Italian Islenos andCanary Island parade for which he served as King in 2010. Mike wasalso aproud member of theKnights of Nemesis Carnival club and served as King in 2019 and he washonored as the 2003 King of Lourdes.Mike andhis familyare also parishioners of OurLady of Prompt Succor Catholic Church and previously St Mark'sCatholic Church Growing up in atightknit family, Mike's grandparents taughthim theculture of NewOrleans and sparkedhis love forthe city, itspeople,and the traditionsitholds. Hisfather,a well respected citizenasthe SBFD Training Chiefand longtime Rebel Parkcoach, inspired Mike's passion for community andserving others Hismothershapedhim into theman he became teachinghim what mattered most in life-God and family. Hislatebrother Johnny, Mike's best friend andthe source of endless laughter, helped himalways see thegoodinthe world. Andhis sisterswere forever by hisside, supporting himineverything he didand reminding him that familyisthe foundation of everyjoy Theseroots shaped everypartofwho Mike was hispersonality, hispassions, and theway he moved throughlife. He carried theirlessonsand traditions withhim in everything he loved to do. An avidSaintsfan and loyal season ticket holder,he lived fortailgatingand cheering on theBlackand Gold. On Friday nights, you couldfindhim supporting theChalmette High Fighting Owls,a ritual he rarelymissed. He spent Mardi Gras on St.Charles Avenue, soaking in the magic of thecitywith his familybyhis side. And he cherished thepeaceand laughterofearly morning fishingtrips with his closf i d ik l l d

est friends. Mike also loved horseracingmakingthe road trip to Kentucky for the Derbymore than a dozen times, owning horses,and frequenting the Fair Grounds, he shared that tradition with hisfamilyand friends. Music was oneofMike'slove languages, attending the first Friday of Jazz &Heritage Festivalreligiously for over 30 years. Outside of Jazz Fest, Mike was afamiliar patron of Pat O'Brien's and theHouse of Blueswhere he foundgoodmusic and goodcompany. Mike had theremarkableand innateability to make life better for anyone fortunate enough to meet him. He wastruly agift to this world, and will be deeply missed by all,but hislegacywill live on throughhis familyfor generationstocome. Some of Mike's last advice to his familywas to slow down andenjoy thecherished time with oneanother,we share this information to you as well.Mike wouldhave been overwhelmed with theoutpouringofkindness, support, andlove that hassurroundedhis familyinthis time.Inlieuofflowers,we ask that donationsbe made to oneofMike's belovedcauses: Covenant HouseNew OrleansorThe Ginart FamilyScholarship, whichwill provide an annual scholarship to a Chalmette High School student. To contribute to thescholarship,please mail donationsto"The SpiritofSt. Bernard Foundation," P.O. Box 212, Arabi, LA 70032. Relativesand friends are invited to attenda visitation on Friday, December 5, 2025 from 5:00 PM -9:00 PM at ST. BERNARD MEMORIAL FUNERAL HOME, 701 W. Virtue St Chalmette,LA. Visitation on Saturday, December 6, 2025 will be held at OURLADYOF LOURDES CATHOLIC CHURCH, 2621 Colonial Blvd., Violet, LA from 9:00 AM -11:00 AM.A Funeral Mass will begin at 11:00 AM.Hewill be laidtorest in St.BernardMemorial Gardens. To view andsign theFamilyGuestbook, please visit www.stbernar dmemorial.com.

Leaman Jr., Paul J.

July 1, 1936 -November 21, 2025. He was89years old. Mr.Leamanwas born andraised in NewOrleans anditwas always his home. He graduatedfrom NewmanSchool, attended TulaneUniversity, and started his work life in the insurance business at age 19. He workedfor his father's company, Leaman& Reynolds, for 10 years, thenstarted hisown insurance business, Leaman& Company, in 1966. He served customersall over Louisiana and beyond, and reachedthe top of theinsurance profession as a Name member of Lloyds of London.Whilerunning this business, with great peopletowhomhewas always loyal, Mr.Leamanalso acquired andgrewNew OrleansSilversmiths, a French Quarter business that he ran for 55 years. He expanded itssales to includeEnglish antique silver, jewelry, andcollectors' itemsfromall over theworld. Hisshopalso didrepairs including silver plating, whichled to silver recovery including from scrap X-ray film. This led to more investment in silver recovery,and from this he establisheda full X-ray supply business, New OrleansX-Ray. This business grew into Diagnostic Concepts, by thelate 1990's thelargest X-ray supply dealer in thestate. Mr.Leaman'sbusinesses employed dozens of wonderfulpeople andhenever missed apayroll. ThehistoricFrenchQuarterbuildings he renovatedfor his businesses remain lasting contributionstothe city In addition to all of this, Mr.Leamanwas adedicated fund-raiser for many non-profit causes in the city. He got into this work in 1980, when he headed theAnnualAppealfor MetairieParkCountry Day School. He subsequently served as theschool's Treasurerand Board Chairman, andco-headed thesuccessful fundraising effortfor an expansion campaign. He remained a trusteeofthe school for over tenyearsand continuedhis support for the school long after that. In

Devare, Elouise

DeBruler,Dennis Earl 'Denny'

DOTD must find aroute to lasting change

High on the list of priorities for Gov.Jeff Landry’s administration when it took officein 2024 was improving the state’sinfrastructure especially the condition of itsroadsand bridges Almost two years into his term, we aregetting someindication of how it’s going.

In November,the state chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers releasedgrades for Louisiana’sinfrastructure, givingthe state aC-overall. That’supslightly from the D+ the state received in the prior report released in 2017, butstill below the national averageofa C. The report lookednot only at roads and bridges, but also at sewerage and water systems, airports, dams, levees and other coastalprotection work. It found that Louisiana is not keeping pace with its infrastructure needs due to avariety of factors, including extremeweather and alack of resources.

There is much to raise concern as we look more closelyatamajor area of frustrationfor millions of Louisianadrivers daily:our roads and bridges. The report covers such alarge period that includes most ofthe termofGov.John Bel Edwards, so we know not allofits findings reflectactions by the currentadministration. The report gave our roadsa Dand ourbridges aD+. In other words, no change fromthe last report. That means despite ahuge influx of cash from the federalgovernment during theBiden administration, Louisianahas not moved the needle on road improvements.

We were optimistic aboutthe plan passed by the Legislature earlierthis yearatLandry’s urging to overhaul the Department of Transportationand Development andeliminate red tape to speedmaintenance and repaironstate roadways.

But it’snot all been smoothsailing.Some bridge projects set to be completed by theend of next year have barely gotten off theground, and the huge backlog of maintenance projects still lingers. We are pleasedtosee Landry willing to shift gears whenneeded. He replaced hisprevious pick for head of DOTD, JoeDonahue,and named former chief of the Coastal Protection andRestoration Authority,Glenn Ledet, to lead the agencyinJune. He appointed Eric Dauphine, adistrict administrator in Lafayette, to leadthe OfficeofProjectDelivery and Julia Fisher-Cormier,who helpedimplement his ports plan as head of the Office of Multimodal Transportation, to run the agency’s newOffice of Transformation.

Changes at the top, however needed,may not be enough though. The commontheme that has spanned administrationsisthat Louisiana simply doesn’tdevote enough resources to fixing and maintaining roads. It’s past time forthe state to look at ways to generatea sustainable revenue stream for much-needed projects whether that means considering toll roads or raising the sacrosanct gas tax.All realistic options need to be on the table. Short of that, we’re just spinning our wheels

LETTERSTOTHE EDITOR ARE WELCOME. HERE AREOUR

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

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

OPINION

Successmade in onesmall corner of N.O. city government

Seemingly every day,there are reports in this paper and on the news about the inexcusable failures of the City of New Orleans in providing the basic services itscitizens have theright to expect. In thoserareoccasions that something goes right,abriefcomment to thateffect seems appropriate.

To thatend, Ireportthe following: On ourregulartrash pickup date,I woke to find my large city-supplied can in the street witha huge crack and abroken wheel. Presumably,the hopper pitched the emptied can with suchforce to destroythe can.

Upon guidance from acolleague, Icalled 311, expecting to deal with voicemail hell or someone in Bangalore whom Iwouldn’tbeable to easily understand. Instead, Iwas quickly con-

I’ve read quite afew letters lately about Bootstaters’ disgust withthe likes of Reps. Steve Scalise, Mike Johnson, Clay Higgins and Sen. Bill Cassidy,etc. Imust be frank and admit it’shard for me to muster any empathyfor the writers when these shills get elected timeand time again. News flash: Yougot exactly what you voted for Louisianaisdead last in qualityof-life standards for areason. Meanwhile, the current Republican majority owned the longest government shutdown in American history,while President Donald Trumpenjoyed a night of opulence and nostalgia as he celebrated Halloween at Mar-a-Lago by throwing alavish party complete with burlesque dancers and glamorous

nected to themostfriendly,patient and caring servicerepresentative Ihave dealt with in quitesome time. Within 5minutes, my over-the-phone report was complete, and Iwas assured this would be handledsoon. Ireceived aconfirming email of my report within afew hours.Tomyamazement, within 24 hours,Ihad afollow-up email advising thata replacement canhad been delivered. First, kudostothat portion of the city that handles these issues. What a pleasant surprise. Second, to our new cityleadership: Irecommend firing everyone at Public Works and transferring theones who handled the trash can issue to theirjobs SCOTT SILBERT NewOrleans

women dressed in Roaring ’20s outfits. The 1920s narrative of “The Great Gatsby” was fitting forTrump’sliving portrayal of the Gilded Age. Perfectly adapted for the wealthiest president in history.Ofcourse, we all know what happened after the Roaring ‘20s: the economic upheaval of the Great Depression. Although thestock market seemstobeholding its own forthe moment, thereare several economic indicators flashing like blinking lights on awarning panel: rising unemploymentand negative job growth, inflation,elimination of social safety nets, tariffs,etc, etc.

Nero fiddled while Romeburned, andyou will reap what you sow MARK WALOCK Walker

TO SEND US A LETTER, SCANHERE

One majorand

When will Trumpsupportersget whyNoKings matters?

‘Tis ashamethat all sometook away from theNoKings protest is that President Donald Trumpmust not be a king since no one was arrested. The protests don’texist to test Trump; thegoal is to mock him and remindhim that “no kings” are toler-

ated here.

(Butifhehad ordered arrests, would that have bothered his supporters? Would that wake them up to his other abuses?)

CAROL CUREAU

Slidell

Like manyinLouisiana, Iwas following with interest the shocking newscoming almost daily from the LSU campus in Baton Rouge. Brian Kelly’stenure as head football coach did not go as planned or as mostof us would have liked. Now he’sgone, along with the man whohired him Athletic Director Scott Woodward. These twomen were owed nearly $60 million in total as buyout payments.

Someofussaw this coming. At the risk of sounding naive, I hope the members of the LSU Board of Supervisors have learned from this disaster as they fill vacancies in the athletic department. It goes without saying that the definition of excellence in higher education should include academic achievement. Ultimately,the people of Louisiana must demand morefrom their flagship university and its leaders. FOSTER CAMPBELL public service commissioner,north Louisiana

Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.Power in itself is not bad. It is simply the ability to influence and/or control. It can be used forgood or evil. It is the abuse of power that is the problem

When power is used in illegitimate, unfair and immoral ways, it is dangerous and evil and should be resisted and held in check. The end never justifies the means, particularly if the meansare wrong and abusive. The less powerful are always the victimsofthe abuse of power.All it takes forevil to prevail in this world is forgood men and women to stand by and do nothing. Jesus wasmerciful and forgiving, but he always called asin asin. The abuse of power,whenever and wherever it occurs, is asin. We should speak out, resist and stand up against the abuse of power in every form we can. How we do that is each individual’schoice, but we and society and the world have much at stake in the outcome.

DAVID

SCHOEN Covington

In 1988,when PresidentRonaldReagan was asked by areporter during the summit in Moscow what his goalwas in the Cold War, he said: “Wewin,they lose.”

When it comes to today’s Russia and its unprovoked war with Ukraine, President Trump’sgoalatleast in practice and outcome appears to be “we lose, they win.”

The president originallygave Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy until Thanksgiving Day to accept his “peace proposal” which read as if it could have been written by Vladimir Putin. In fact, according to news reports, it mayhave been. According to the NY Post, “Secretary of State MarcoRubio told U.S. senators recently that the sweeping peace plan to end the nearly four-yearwar betweenRussia andUkraine was not America’s—but merelya‘leaked’ Russian ‘wish list.”

Maybe so, but it seems to align with the one-sided pressure Trump hasput on Zelenskyy to settle the war since he took office. Trump said the proposalis not his “final offer.”

If the document is from the administration, it is capitulation to most of Putin’sdemands and is an invitationfor thedictator to continue pursuing his stated goal of retaking all of the former Soviet satellite countries, whichhave been free and independentsince theend of the Cold War.

According to adraft of the proposal shared publicly by amemberofthe Ukraine opposition party,the 28-point document would require Ukraine to surrender its Eastern Donbasregion,as well as Crimea, the latter of which no previous administration hasdemanded since Putin invaded Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula. It also wouldrequire Ukraine to forego NATO membership, though it does loosely promise a“security” force, presumablytoprevent Putin from gobbling up more territory. If Zelinskyy bows to U.S.pressure and accepts adeal forced upon him, we might as well get the U.S.S. Missouri out

of mothballs and replicatethe signing of surrender documents by theJapanese, endingWorldWar II.

In astatement to CBS News, White Housepress secretary Karoline Leavitt said:“This plan was crafted to reflect the realities of thesituation, after five years ofa devastating war,tofind the best win-win scenario, where bothpartiesgainmorethan they must give.” Thatsoundslike an admissionthe document came from us.

Among the provisions in theproposed dealisthatRussia would be allowed to keepmuchofthe territoryitnow occupies andeven takeover land Ukraine currently holds, along withregions of Crimea,Donetsk and Luhansk. These would be recognized by theU.S. as de facto Russia territory.Any betsonhow long it would take Putin to swallow whole these regions intogreater Russia?

The plan creates aneutral “buffer zone”with no Russian forces allowed. Again, placeyour bets on how long that will last.

Zelenskyy will be required to cap the size of hismilitary (thereisnosimilar requirement for Russia) and promise notto become aNATOmember,but

it can join theEuropean Union. Does anyone expect the EU to mount asignificant resistance should Putin choose to violate theagreement and especially if he invades other countries as he has promised to do to restore the old Soviet satellite countries?Itmay be theonly promise he has ever kept There is so much potential for Russia to violate theproposedagreement and so little effective response outlinedif it does. These include more sanctions, which so far have not worked. Putin has always had agoal in the war he started, but theU.S. and Europe have vacillated about ours. This proposed peace deal will only encourage vile dictators like Putin. President Trump likes to sayhewants to end wars. This agreement will only encourage Putin’s voracious appetite to startnew ones as well as eventually finishthe one against Ukraine. Afew days ago, the U.S. and Ukraine reportedly agreed to change the draft of the peace plan, but thekey is whether Putin will agree to anything that won’t give him everything he wants. Email Cal Thomas at tcaeditors@tribpub.com.

The centralscandalinthe Epstein’ssex abuse ring targeting children is not the sex. It’sthe children.

Whatpowerful men do with grown-up women —thatis, females 18 or older —bothers me little

Inever cared much about Donald Trump’s assignationwith porn star Stormy Daniels. OtherTrump criticstried to pile on another layerofimmorality by noting that Trump was cheating on awife who hadjust givenbirth. I wouldn’tgothere.

Some years ago,during adinner party,our smoke detector started beeping while we were broiling steaks. Idashed into the hallway and poked at the detector with abroom, which paused,as if surprised, then resumed wailing. My husband came outofthe kitchenand had ago. Hismore muscular attention boughtus perhaps 30 seconds of relief, but themachine recovered andmore aggressively assaulted our ears. Eventually, we pulled the cursed thing out of itsframe andripped the batteries out.

That’swhen one of our guestssaid, “Guys, that’s really alot of smoke.” It sure was, because as it turned out, ourbathroom was on fire (thanks to a candle). Life is full of thesemessy signals Prices are asignal.They tell us how much people want stuff, how much that stuff costs to produce andhow much of it we have available. Standardized test scores are signs, telling uswhether kids have mastered certain skills. Those warnings are, like my smoke alarm, highlyimperfect. (We’vehad many alerts and exactly onefire.) But they contain vital information,and we ignore them at our peril Unfortunately,because these signals are messy,weare often temptedto ignore them, especially when theinformation they contain is bad news, like “your bathroom is on fire,” or “your schools are failing to close persistent racial and income gaps,” or “regulations have made it too hard to build newhousing.” Ideally you’dextinguish thefire or fix your failing schools or amend the regulations before theproblem worsens. But solvingproblems is hard, and in politics, it often involves taking on well-organized constituencies that willwaveaway thesmoke and insist that everything is justfine. So institutions oftenchoose to disregard the underlying issues and simply whack the alarm with ahammer untilitstops beeping. There has been alot of that goingon recently,most notablyineducation.

Instead of rectifying disparities in preparation and achievement, people decided itwould be simpler to adjust the measurements. Parents opposed to standardized testing got their kids disability diagnoses that allowed them extratime on testsand lobbied teachers to change badgrades. Exhausted teachers responded with grade inflation, which also helped conceal that low-income and minority kids weren’tdoing as well as their richer and White peers. Progressive educators watered down curriculums, gutted gifted and talented programs, and weakened admissions standards for honors classes and magnet schools. Colleges droppedstandardized testing requirements, in part because that madeiteasier to diversify their student body.None of these things happened everywhere, but they happened in many places, and all of them made it harder to see —orrectify —pandemicera learning loss. The results of this thinking can be seen in arecent report from the University of California at San Diego, which like the rest of theUCsystem stopped acceptingstandardized testscoresin 2020.In 2024,the school had to redesign its remedial mathprogramtocreate aclass that focused entirely on remediating elementary school and middle school math. In 2025, more than 8% of enteringstudentsneeded that class. These are college students who chose to enroll in amajor with amath requirement yet struggle to round numbers to the nearest hundred, add or dividefractions, or work with negative numbers.

Most astonishingly,in2024, the majorityofkidswho needed arefresher on the most basic skills had taken at least onehigher-level high school math course,such as calculus or statistics, andhad an average grade-point averageintheir mathclasses of 3.65. More than one-quarter of them had straight A’sinasubject they demonstrably didn’tunderstand. Andthis problem is

not limited toUCSan Diego or California. I’ve heard professors at many institutions, including Harvard, express concerns about the number of unprepared studentsthey were seeing after admissions offices stopped demanding testscores.

That’swhat happens when you silence the alarm instead of responding to it: The fire burns out of control. It should be awarning to thegrowing number of politicians who think they can fix other problems —like soaring rentsorrising electricity costs —by simply freezing prices. The prices are tellingusthat there’stoo little supply to meet demand, or that something (such as renewables mandates or too few natural gas pipelines) is driving up supply costs. Freezing prices doesn’t fix that any more than acourtesy A gives studentswhat they actually need to succeed in college.

It does theopposite, because it makes it less profitable to build housing units, transmission lines or generating capacity.You can claim you’re going to pair supply-side reformswith price controls (claims we’ve heard from Zohran Mamdani, New York’smayor-elect, and Mikie Sherrill, New Jersey’snext governor). Butthe reason those reforms haven’thappened is that they require politicians to takeonpowerful groups such as homeowners or environmental activists opposed to new natural gas pipelines.

Aprice freeze doesn’tmake those fightsany easier towin. It temporarily relieves thepolitical pressuretoactually do something about rising prices, while creating problems down the road. Addressing educational disparities through grade inflation, or managing asupply shortage by freezing prices, is like trying to cure your lung cancer by smoking more. It undoubtedly feels better in the moment than the drastic therapy that’sactually needed. Butinthe long run, it can only make thingsworse.

MeganMcArdle is on X, @asymmetricinfo.

Thatwas between Melania and Donald. One assumes that the third Mrs. Trump knewwhat she was getting into. Idoubt I’m going on alimb to assume that what attracted Melania to Donaldwas nothis winning personality.She made her deal, as was herright.

Trump hasjust given into the inevitable. Whenitbecame clearthat the House would vote to releasethe Epstein files, and the Senate would follow,heran to the front of the parade Trump is undoubtedly plotting ways to keep informationhedoesn’twantdisclosed outof the public eye.

His reluctance to release files on apedophile ring in which his name appearsrepeatedly is understandable

As the late Sen. DanielPatrickMoynihanfamously complainedin1993, deviancehas been defineddownsothatbehavior that was once deemed intolerable is now accepted as normal. One of his examples of deviancy being defined downward was sexual exploitation. Howfar downward we’ve come.

WilliamJ.Bennett was aconservative moral-mouth of the 1990s.Hewentinto full fire-and-brimstone mode afterBill Clinton was caught having afling with aWhite House intern.

Bennett milked the moment with abook grandly titled“The DeathofOutrage:Bill Clintonand the Assault on American Ideals.” (On aroll, he followed with his pious “The Book of Virtues.”) About adultery,Bennett wrote, “One reason societyneedstouphold high public standards in this realmisbecause sex —when engaged in capriciously,without restraint, and against those in positions of relative weakness —can be exploitative andharmful.”

Come 2016, Trump is running for president, andhis adulterous escapades were public.A 1990 tabloid headline attributed to Trump’s mistress Marla Maples(while Trump was married to Ivana Trump) went, “Best Sex I’ve EverHad.” Without ablush, Bennett argued that conservativeswho refused to back Trump “suffer from aterrible caseofmoral superiority and put their ownvanity and taste above the interestofthe country.”

Clinton’stryst with MonicaLewinsky was vulgarand inappropriate, but she wasnot a child. Monicawas a22-year-old college grad, andconsent was mutual.

Whathappened on Epstein’sisland was not technically adultery —sexualrelations between at leastone married personand another adult. Whenone is aminor,the legal term is statutory rape

Some of Trump’sfiercest defenders are now attempting to downplayEpstein’scrimes, thus diving belowthe second circle of hell that Dante reserved formere philanderers.

Megyn Kelly tried to sanitize Epstein’sdisgrace by saying on her show,“He was into the barely legaltype.Like,heliked15-year-old girls.” She goes on:“And Irealize this is disgusting. I’m definitely not trying to make an excuse for this. I’m just giving youfacts, that he wasn’tinto,like,8-year-olds.”

To which we can add5-year-olds. Epstein was notinto 5-year-olds, and that’safact,we think.

However,one of the girls, Jena-Lisa Jones, was 14 andstill in juniorhigh.

The American public, including alarge chunk of MAGA, deserves credit forfinally drawing amoral line that they wouldn’tlet even Trump cross. The story’snot over until the Justice Department releases allthe files, victim names redacted.We’re waiting.

Froma HarropisonX,@FromaHarrop. Email heratfharrop@gmail.com

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By KATERyNA KLOCHKO

Aman walksinfront of burning residential building after aRussian attack on Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, last week.

Froma Harrop

Cal Thomas

ega McArdle M n

continued from begin at 9:30a.m. with servicestofollow at 11:30a.m. Interment of ashes will followatSt. Lazarusof Bethany MemorialGarden.

the early 1980's, Mr Leaman helped organize the "Fellows" of the New Orleans Museum of Art to raisefunds for the Museum on acontinuing basis. He was elected to the Museum Board and coheaded the Museum's 1988 expansion campaign. He served as Board Chairman from 1994 to 1996, and continued to serve on the Museum's Board of Trustees for over twenty years. In the late 1990's,he organized and headed the successful fund-raising campaign to build the Museum's Sculpture Garden. After Katrina, Mr. Leaman organized and chaired the NOMA Katrina Recovery Committee, as well as an international committee to assist in the post-Katrina recovery effort. Mr. Leaman also served on the boards of the Contemporary Arts Center,WRBH (Reading Radio for the Blind &Print Impaired),the Ozanam Inn, and the Metropolitan Crime Commission, helping each raise funds for special projects and eliminate debt. He also created the Leaman Family Fund at Children's Hospitaltosupport families in need of financial support while their children receive care. He considered donations to this fund to be the best gifts he could ever receive Mr.Leamanloved to travel and was always interested in learning about other parts of the world. He never hesitated to acknowledge when something wasdone better somewhere else, or by someone else, and always hoped to be measured against the best, where everthat might be. He is preceded in death by his parents, Paul J. Leaman and Virginia M. Leaman, and his former wife, Ellen C. Merrill. He is survived by his daughter, Claire M. Leaman; his sons, George R. Leaman and Dana E. Leaman; his brother, Robert M. Leaman and his family; and his grandchildren, Nathaniel and Ainsley Leaman; and many loving friends.Mr. Leaman is also survived by his cherished colleague, Mrs. Marie Scallan, who helped him run his businesses for over 62 years.The family would like to give special thanks to Joyce Robertson and Mario Portillofor helpingMr. Leaman enjoy life in his own home to the very end. Acelebration of Mr. Leaman's life will be held in January. To view and sign the online guest book, please visit LakeLawnMetairie.com In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Leaman Family Fundat Children's Hospital.

Levine, Kenneth Edward

Kenneth Edward Levine, age 75 of Lacombe (Big Branch) Louisiana, passed awaypeacefully on November 17, 2025, from his battle with Alzheimer's disease. He is survived by Lori R. Levine, and their four children, Jessica Clement (Jason), Jason, Jamie Langridge (Pierce), and JenniAbrams (Carson), their five grandchildren, Croix, Ceil, and Chandler Clement and Levi and Perry Langridge, another grandchild due in February 2026, his Sister, Cassandra Luquet (the late Joseph Luquet, Jr.), and Brother, AllenL.Levine, Jr. (Pat), many nieces and nephews, his lifelong friends and was preceded in death by his parents Allen L. Levine, Sr and Mary Claire Stark Levine. Kenny was born in New Orleans on November 10, 1950. He attended St. Leo the Great Elementary School, Holy Cross High School and graduated from the University of New Orleans. Ken enjoyed along and respected career in banking starting at First NBC where he and Lori met. He wentontowork for State Bank, Jefferson Guaranty Bank, Omni Bank, and ended up working for and retiring from Resource Bank

Funeral services for Kenneth will be held on Monday, December 8, 2025, at Grace Funeral Home, 450 Holy Trinity Dr., Covington LA 70433. Visitation will

Mayer, Davyd Frank

Davyd FrankMayer passed awayonNovember 28,2025, in New Orleans, surrounded by the family heloved. Born on September2,1950, to Dan andGloria Mayer,Davyd grewupina close-knit NewOrleans familythat shapedhis lifelonglove of people, place, and connection. Aproud graduate of DeLaSalle High School and the University of Notre Dame,Davyd built acareer as both abusiness development specialist and an attorney.Hehad anatural giftfor relationships—observant,astute,endlessly friendly—and he exemplified the artofknowing somebody wherever he went. Like his father before him, Davydwas an exceptional salesman,respected by colleagues and warmly regarded by clients, neighbors, and the many communitieshe touched. Davyd married Laurie Forstall Mayer,and together they raised a large, close, gladfamily He issurvived by hischildren Sara Gootee(Ryan), Ryan Mayer (Meg), Joshua Mayer,Leslie Ann Mayer, and ScottMayer;his grandchildren Grace, Harrison, and Henry Gootee; June, Alice, Jonah, and Grant Mayer;and Luna Craig; his siblings Sandra Staub, Michael Mayer,and sister-in-law Lorenza Mayer.Heisprecededin death by his belovedsiblings Julie Kent and Danny Mayer.Davyd lived Louisiana culture the way it's meant to be lived:with afishing pole,a crab trap, abig pot for making seafood gumbo,and as much time as possible near the water. He was a giftedcook. He created a havenina little campin Bucktown.Hewas adevoted stewardand champion of the legendary beach house, Minigoat, at Pensacola Beach. He loved doingthe MardiGrastruck parade with hiskids and was once acheerleader for the New Orleans Saints. He loved his many nieces and nephews and was thrilled in havingall the cousins close-knit. More thananything,hecherished time spent with his children and grandchildren, finding continualjoy inbeing"Pops." Davyd was agood friendto his friends, awarmpresence to everyoneheencountered,a connector of people, and the kind of man who made lifefeel a little lighter.His humor generosity, and unmistakableNew Orleans spirit willbedeeplymissed—and joyfully remembered by everyone lucky enough to have known him. Visitation willbegin at 9:30am Friday, December5,2025atLake Lawn Funeral Home,5100 PontchartrainBlvd.New Orleans,LAfollowed by the funeralMassatnoon.

Mounger,James Allan

JamesAllan Mounger, 82, peacefully passedaway at hishomeonNovember 24,2025, with hislifelong partnerof26years,Timo‐thyRatchford,athis side Abeloved NewOrleans at‐torney,mentor, neighbor patron of thearts, andun‐forgettablepersonality, Jimleftanindelible mark on everyone fortunate enough to know him. Born on February 9, 1943, in Rayville,Louisiana,Jim began life as an orphan be‐fore beingadoptedby Charles JamesMounger andEssieAdams Mounger He graduatedfromRayville High School,earnedhis un‐dergraduatedegreefrom CentenaryCollege in 1965, andcompleted hislaw de‐gree at Southern MethodistUniversityin 1968. He served in theNa‐tional Guardfrom1961 to 1965. Afterpassing thebar

exam,Jim practicedlaw in Rayville before moving to NewOrleans,where he wouldspend thenext five decadesbecomingone of thecity’smostrespected andwell-lovedrealestate attorneys. He founded and operated GraniteTitle Agency,Inc.beginning in 1987, building aloyal client base that included Liberty Bank,First American Title, andrealestateagencies across theNew Orleans metropolitan area.His trustedbusinessmanager LindaPalmisano,worked beside himfor over 30 years. Professionally,Jim wasknown forhis bril‐liance,precision,and fair‐ness butequally forhis humor,warmth, andability to turn even themostrou‐tine real estate closinginto amemorable event. Gener‐ations of agents,buyers, andsellers wouldlater say that theirmostunforget‐tableclosing wasthe one done with Jim. He wasa mentortoyoung profes‐sionals, asteadyadvisor to colleagues,and theperson many called whenthey needed help oftenrefusing payment, insistingthat kindness wassimplypart of thejob.Beyondhis legal work,Jim waswidely knownfor hisextraordi‐nary devotion to art. What beganwiththe purchase of an IdaKohlmeyer piece earlyinhis career evolved into oneofthe most dis‐tinctive Louisiana-focused privateart collectionsin theregion. HisUptown home,redesignedtodis‐play hisever-growingcol‐lection, showcasedworks by George Dureau,Robert Gordy, IdaKohlmeyer,Lin Emery, DouglasBourgeois, Mitchell Gaudet,Nichole Charbonnet,Francis Pavy, andmanymore. Hisin‐stinctivetaste,quick eye, andpassion forsupporting artistsearnedhim deep re‐spectacrosstheart com‐munity.Artists andgallery owners recall that Jim neverbargained;hesimply knew whena piecemoved him. Jim’sgenerosityand hospitalitywerelegendary Neighborsknewhim as “The MayorofNashville Avenue”and awelcoming presence who kept an open door,offeredwineto visitors,and delightedin conversation.His home wasfamousfor itselabo‐rate holidaydecorations, itswarmth, andits con‐stanthum of life,creativ‐ity, andcommunity Whetherhewas inviting a stranger inside to seea newpiece of art, hostinga remarkable party filled with laughter andmusic eating in anyofone of New Orleanstrendyrestaurants or simply chatting with someoneina coffee shop or outsidehis home,Jim made people feel seen, welcomed,and appreci‐ated.Jim hada gift for bringing people together from young real-estate agents starting out, to mu‐sicians, neighbors, clients, artists, andthe many peo‐plewhose liveswere brightened by hispres‐ence.Jim livedboldlyand beautifully. Hiswarmth, his eyefor art, hisgenerosity, andhis unmistakable sparkwillbedeeply missedbythe many people whose liveshetouched Jimissurvivedbyhis com‐panion,Timothy Ratchford; hisformerwife, Faye Can‐non; andhis sister,Dianne Mounger Doty-Lopez,and nephewsCharles David Doty andStephen Wendell Doty.Heisprecededin deathbyhis parents, Charlesand Essie Mounger.The family wishes to give aspecial thanks to Jim'scaregivers MaricianaBardwelland KarenGatlin. Amemorial servicewillbeheldThurs‐day, December 4, at 5:00 p.m. at Jacob Schoen &Son FuneralHome, 3827Canal Street,New Orleans. Burial will be private. Condo‐lences maybeleftatwww schoenfh.com.Arrange‐mentsbyJacob Schoen & SonFuneralHome.

Robert,Patsy Dixie Meliet

Patsy DixieMeliet Robert Patsy was born October 28, 1932 in NewOrleans, and on Tuesday, November 25, 2025 at theage of 93 passed into thelovingarms of her SaviorJesus Christ. Adevoted Mother, Grandmother, and Great Grandmother, she leaves to cherish her memory to her threechildren, Deirdre Cucinello,MichelleFord (Jerry) and DeweyJoseph Robert, III, Grandchildren Cathy Saidous (Steve),

AllenCucinello(Amy), Jonathan Cucinello(Alys) JerryFord, AngelaFord, Matthew Ford(Lenka) , Great Grandchildren Aimee Robert (Jonathan Reulet), Katie Marie Robert (Stephen Lampert),Joseph Robert (Lindsey), Maria Hebrock (Stephen), TimothyUpton,GreatGrandchildren AlexisFord, TristanFord, Patrik Ford, Betsi Dilts, ParkerReulet, Elijah Hebrock, Aiden Cucinello, Sophia Cucinello,and Sonny Cucinello. Patsy was precededin death by her husband DeweyJ,Robert, Jr., parentsHenry and Marie Phillips Meliet, siblings Henry Meliet,Delores Meliet,Elizabeth Roussell, Robert Meliet, Marguerite Zimmer and son in law, AllenCucinello, Sr., daughterinlaw, CindyRobert She is survived by her sisterJeanMelietHess. She is survivedbyher many nieces and nephews, who cherish their memories withAunt Patsy Her devotion to the Catholic Christian faith and to theBlessed Mother was evidencedbynumerous tripsmadetoMedjugorjeand thestories she toldthe family of so many miraclesofconversion she witnessed. Patsy was atrailblazerinthe business world during the1960 -1990's, achieving accoladeswhere few women were recognized for their ability to make topsales exceeding business goals. She had confidence and drivethat she could do whatevershe set her mind to do,and she didit. Her generosity and presence of alwaysgiving of herself to allwho needed anything was witnessedbyanyone who knew her and her kindness. She always had the brightest genuine loving smilefrom her heart.

Services willbeheldon December 3, 2025 at St. Angela Merici Church, 901 Beverly GardenDr.,Metairie, LA

beginning at 11:00 a.m. visitation, Christian Catholic Mass beginning at Noon. There willbea celebration of Life in honorofPatsy's love filled journey at 1:30 p.m., at NewOrleans Country Club,5024 Pontchartrain Blvd.,New Orleans, Louisiana

band,Michael,Krysten Blair, CraigBlair,Jr. and Rachel,Jaime Blair, allof NewOrleans,LA, Kayla Powell andNatalie Powell, both of Washington,D.C Brynisha Robinson of New Orleans, LA,Bryan W. Robinson,and Brandon Robinson of NewOrleans, LA;two great-grandchil‐dren,Madisyn Leeand BrooklynBlair,bothofNew Orleans, LA;one sister-inlaw, Lenette Sparrowof NewOrleans,LAand one brother-in-law,Richard A. Landry of NewIberia, LA anda host of nieces nephews, otherrelatives, andfriends.She waspre‐cededindeath by herhus‐band,WillieRobinson; her parents, Evaand Roland Sparrow; threesisters, DorothySparrow,Verna Jonesand Rita Faye Landry;three brothers AllenSparrow,Jerome Sparrow, andMichael Spar‐row, andher son-in-law JamesPowell. Relatives andfriends of thefamily areinvited to attend A Mass of ChristianBurialat 11:00 AM on Wednesday, December 3, 2025, at St Rita Catholic Church,2729 LowerlineSt. Visitation will be from 9:30 am until Mass. Interment: St.Louis No.3 Cemetery.Arrangements by D.W. Rhodes Funeral Home.Pleasevisit www rhodesfuneral.comto shareonlinecondolences

Afuneral servicehonor‐ingthe life of thelateEnid ScottwillbeheldatSt. Luke’s EpiscopalChurch, 1222 N. DorgenoisStreet NewOrleans,LA70119 on Wednesday, December 3, 2025 at 10 am.A privatein‐termentwilltakeplace at Westlawn Cemetery,1225 WhitneyAvenue,Gretna, LA 70053. Visitation 9amin thechurch.Pleasesignon‐line guestbook at www.cha rbonnetfuneralhome.com. Charbonnet LabatGlapion Directors(504) 581-4411. Robinson,Maedell Sparrow

MaedellSparrow Robin‐son, 90, Loving Mother, Grandmother, GreatGrandmother, Sister,Aunt, andFriendpassedawayon Friday,November14, 2025, at ChateauLivingCenterin Kenner,LA. Alongtimeres‐identofNew Orleans, LA anda native of NewIberia, LA,Maedell Maedellwas thesecondchild born to theunion of Roland and EvaMalveauxSparrow on July 17, 1935. As achild Maedellattended St.Ed‐ward Catholic Church and graduatedfromSt. Edward School in 1953. Herdesire to help thoseinneed led hertoNew Orleans, where sheattended nursing school at CharityHospital after attendingXavierUni‐versityfor afew years. Upon completing instruc‐tion,she caredfor young patients at Children’s Hos‐pitaland throughprivate duty nursing. Maedellwas joined in marriage to the late Willie Robinson,a na‐tive of Summit,Mississippi To this union,theywere blessedwiththree chil‐dren,Sharon, Bryanand Julie. Raised in ahouse‐hold rooted in faith, Maedellwas adevout Catholic.She took great prideinserving St.Rita Catholic Church as aRCIA teacherand eucharistic minister where shewas a parishionerfor over 56 years. Herdevotiontoher faith andservice ledtoher receivingthe OrderofSt. LouisIXMedallion from the ArchdioceseofNew Or‐leans. This honorisbe‐stowed upon laypersons who have devotedthem‐selves to theworkofthe Catholic Church.Maedell wasalsoa member of the Associates of theSisters of theBlessed Sacrament founded by St.Katherine Drexel.Maedell leaves to cherishher memory,her daughters, Sharon Blair andhusband Craig, Sr.of NewOrleans,LA, JuliePow‐ellofWashington, D.C. and BryanRobinsonand wife Gwen of NewOrleans,LA; onebrother,RolandJ Sparrow, Jr.ofOpelousas, LA;ninegrandchildren Ashley Blair-Leeand hus‐

Lisa AnnVernaci,age 63, gained herwingsto Heaven on Thursday, November 27, 2025 at home in Kenner,LAsurrounded by family. Lisa wasbornonAugust 12, 1962 to Victor andLinda (maiden name Russell) VernaciinNew Orleans, LA. SheattendedSt.

Michael Special School wherethe Foundress, Sister Lillian McCormack, welcomedLisa with open arms andnicknamedher "Sweet Pea." Sheattended theJoy Center thereas well.Inher youth, she participated in theSpecial Olympics andcarried the torchwith Archie Manning in theopeningceremonies. In 2004, Special Connections, aday program for adults with special needs, opened and providedLisa withmany enriching experiences. She wasa model in afashion show,anartist in an art show,a performerofsign language to music,a line dancer, abowler, abingo player,and aparty enthusiast.With herfamily, Lisa enjoyed camping,vacations, babies, pets, watchingtelevision (especially sports, wrestling,and soap operas), andholidays. She especially lovedher tote bags full of markers, notebooks, andmagazinesand took them with hereverywhereshe went.Onweekends, sheenjoyed attendingevents with We Care For Special People, Inc. and wasalways goingtoplay bingoora party. Sheloved dancing andmusic, with herfavorite beingThe Osmonds andwas ableto meetthemonseveral occasions. Sheloved everyoneand life to thefullest andwas ablessing to all whoknewher Lisa wasprecededin death by hermother,Linda AnnRussell Vernaci, as well as herdoting grandparents, William and Lydia F. Russell and Victor V. and CatherineF.Vernaci Sheissurvivedbyher loving father, Victor J. Vernaci, andher loving sisters, VickiV.Lee (James), Susan V. Pisciotta (Steven), andKathi V. Logan (Russell Beall). She wasGodmothertoKaty Pisciotta-Fowler(Stephen) andaunttoKyle(Brittany), Alex (Katie), and Michael (Monica) Boudreau, Jeremy andChristopher (Rachel) Lee, andAshley P. Blakesley (Kyle),Brandon (Maris) and Miranda Logan,and Cameron Beall. Lisa is also survived by her many great-nieces and nephews, as well as the numerousfriends she made in all of heradventures. The familywould like to extendtheir gratitude to Tracy Perkins, Precious Carroll, andMyHospice for theirexceptional care over Lisa and hermotherover thelast few years. Thefuneral servicesand interment will be held privately.Inlieuofflowers donationsare requested to be made to Special Connections, at P.O. Box 640022 Kenner,LA70064, or at www.specialconnection snola.com. Thefamilyinvites you to share your fondest memories on Lisa's online guestbook andviewher slideshow of alifewell lived at www.lakelawnmet airie.com.

Scott, Enid

Vernaci, Lisa Ann

SPORTS

Tulane,Sumrall both hithomeruns

Jon Sumrall is going to crush it at Florida. He’sgoingtoabsolutely,positively kill it.

environment.”

ä

Some of the school’sfansand boosters might not know it yet, but the Gators hit ahome run when they lured Sumrall away from Tulane.

Florida is going to win big again. And it’sgoing to happen early and often.

Iunderstand why some Florida fans might be skeptical. The last two coaches the Gators hired with Louisiana ties —Billy Napier and Ron Zook —did not work out so well.

But Sumrall isn’tZook or Napier.He’sarising star in the profession, someone who has been compared to Dan Lanning and Urban Meyer for his ability

to build and galvanize programs

He’sinfinitely more qualified and SEC-ready than either Zook or Napier were when they were hired at Florida. Sumrall played in the SECand coached there for fiveseasons. As ahead coach, he’swon and competed for championships attwo different stops.

Gator Nation will discover soon enough what it has in Sumrall. Meyer knows. He endorsedthe hireofSumrall, calling it “a special day for Gator Nation.”

“I’ve studied coachSumrall,” Meyer saidinavideo posted on his social-media accounts. “I got to spend some timewithhim over thelast few months. His teamsare tough, they’rephysical, and he creates acompetitive

If the man that ledFloridatoits last two national championships is OK with Sumrall, then Gators fans might wanttogive himachance. My guess is it won’t take longfor Sumrall to win over hisskeptics anddoubters. Igiveitone news conference, andhe’ll have them eating outofhis hands.

Sumrall andFlorida areanideal fit. He’s the coach Floridaneedsto restore the program’sglory. He’ll bring swaggerback to theSwamp

And in Florida, Sumrall will have the resources and support to prosper and competeatthe highest level of his profession.

While the Tulane program has improved dramatically in recent years in terms of organizational support, it still has inherent limitations.The school’shigh

As he wrestled with thecareer decision of alifetime, Lane Kiffin dearly wished his father was there to help him choose his path.

Stay at Ole Miss,witha CollegeFootball Playoff-bound team in hand,or leave for aboundless but unknown future at LSU.

Monte Kiffin, one of the most respected defensive coaches in NFLhistory died in July 2024 in Oxford, Mississippi, where he had relocated in retirement to be close to his sonsLaneand Chris, also on the Ole Miss staff. Without his dad, Lane did the next best thing he could think to do. He asked his two living mentors, former LSU and Alabama coach Nick Saban andLas VegasRaiders and former USC coach PeteCarroll, for their advice.

Carroll once told MonteKiffin he

BY MATTHEW PARAS

alwayswould look out for Lane in his career.More than anything, it seems it was Carroll’swords that cut through all of the emotion and indecision Lane faced in recent days.

“When we were talking, he really channeled (Monte) from knowing him for so long,” Kiffin said of Carroll. “He said, ‘This is exactly what (your dad) would do. He would tell you, ‘Boy,goget it. Go forit.’ ” So that’show it came to be that Lane

MonteKiffin was at apodium on arainy Monday afternoon before dozens of people and bristling cameras in Tiger Stadium’s SouthStadium Club, wearing apurple tie with an LSUpin on his lapel. Not at Ole Miss. Not anymore.

The decision to leave, as Kiffinsaid morethan once, was an excruciating one. Onethat drew jeersand anger —practically pitchforks and torches —from theOle Miss fans that until recently were cheering him, his innovativeoffense and the55wins he led the Rebels to over the past six years.

In theend, Kiffin felt compelled to takehis shot. To takeajob that, no provincialism involved, is one of the very best in America. He mentioned being on the visitor’s

BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer

It didn’ttakelong—threequestions, to be exact —before Lane Kiffinwas askedabout therolehis mentors, including NickSaban,playedinhis decision to come to LSU.

Kiffin, whowas hired as the 34th head coachofLSU on Sunday, stood at the podium at his introductory news conference less than 24 hours later and talked about how“torn”he was to leave Ole Miss, as it wasonthe verge of making the College Football Playoff. He relayedwhatLas VegasRaiders coach and former Southern Cal coach Pete Carroll told him: That Kiffin’slate father Monte would tell him he should take the LSU job.

“He would tell you,”Kiffin said. “ ‘Boy,goget it. Go for it.’

Butwhatdid Saban —the national championship winning coach at LSU andsix-time nationaltitle winneratAlabama—say to him about the LSU job?

“Coach Saban kind of coached at another place in this conference, so Ican’t really say exactly what he said,” Kiffin quipped.“ButI’llsay Ithink theworld of coach Saban, and Irespect him. So there’sareason I’mhere.”

Roughly six weeks after deciding to fire Brian Kelly,LSU finally found its man. Butthe journey LSUtook to get to Mondaywith Kiffin on the podium —sportinga purple suit andtie with awhiteand purple checkered buttondownshirt with an LSU pin on his chest —was anything but straightforward. Threedaysafter Kelly’sfiring, Gov Jeff Landry stated he’d rather have Donald Trump hire LSU’snextcoach thanathleticdirector ScottWoodward. Woodward then parted wayswith the programthe next day. The next week, LSU appointed Wade Rousse as the new university president and promoted Verge Ausberry to the full-time athletic director position.

Thenthe search beganfor anew coach, aprocess that was helped along

And now Vele makes it three. The Saints finally got Vele involvedinthe offense, and it paid off. The 27-year-old, who New OrleansacquiredinAugust from the Denver Broncos, finished witha stat line of eight catches for 93 yards and one touchdown —ascorethat gave theSaints achance to tiethe game late in the fourthquarter Vele even recovered the ensuing onside kick, making avaluable special-teams contribution in addition to his impact on the offense. What took so long? “Obviously, hisrolehas increased as we’ve madeafew transactions,” Saints coach KellenMoore said. Thosetransactions included trading Rashid Shaheed andthen releasing Brandin Cooks, freeing up Vele to take over as the starting “Z” receiver and not worrying about having to sub in andout. In the month sincetheir departures, Vele leads the Saints’ skill players in snaps. Against the Dolphins, thosesnaps were rewarded with production.

Theperformance wasthe first time theSaints’ descriptionof Vele matched the on-field product. When NewOrleans gave up a2026 fourth-round pick and2027

STAFF PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER Tulane coach JonSumrallsignalstothe players during the first half against Florida Atlanticatyulman Stadium on Nov. 15.

Jeff Duncan

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU president Wade Rousse,left, and athleticdirector VergeAusberry,right, pose with newfootball coachLane Kiffinafter an introductorynewsconference on MondayatTiger Stadium.

Texas leaps to No. 2 spot

BY DOUG FEINBERG AP basketball writer

Texas moved up to No. 2 behind UConn in The Associated Press Top 25 women’s basketball poll on Monday after beating two top teams in a Thanksgiving tournament.

The Longhorns topped then-No. 2 South Carolina 66-64 a day after beating then-No. 3 UCLA 76-65 in Las Vegas. It was the first time in the past 25 years that a team has beaten two top three teams in such a short time frame.

Texas received 10 first-place votes from a 32-member national media panel. No. 1 UConn garnered the other 22. The Huskies routed Xavier 104-39 to open Big East play South Carolina fell to third and UCLA was fourth.

LSU remained fifth. The Tigers, who haven’t played a ranked opponent yet, have scored over 100 points in each of their first eight games to set an NCAA record. They broke the mark of six in a row set by the 1981-82 Louisiana Tech team that LSU coach Kim Mulkey played on. Michigan, Maryland, TCU, Oklahoma and Iowa State rounded out the top 10. The Cyclones got a school-record 47-point effort from star post player Audi Crooks to beat Indiana on Sunday

In and out Ohio State debuted in this year’s poll at No. 23 after edging West Virginia last week 83-81. The Buckeyes followed that up with a 98-point win over Niagara, the most points scored in school history and the biggest margin of vic-

tory ever for the Buckeyes. N.C. State fell out of the poll. Conference supremacy

The Big Ten matched the Southeastern Conference this week with eight teams ranked after Ohio State entered the Top 25 The Big 12 is next with five and the Atlantic Coast Conference has three. The Big East has one Games of the week

It’s ACC-SEC challenge week with a host of quality matchups between the two power conferences. On Thursday, No. 22 Louisville hosts No. 3 South Carolina; No 11 North Carolina visits No. 2 Texas; and No. 13 Ole Miss plays No. 18 Notre

Michigan State, Iowa State men climb into top 10

BY JOHN MARSHALL AP basketball writer

Michigan jumped to No 3 in the Associated Press Top 25 men’s basketball poll on Monday as rival Michigan State and Iowa State both climbed into the top 10 No. 1 Purdue and No. 2 Arizona remained atop the rankings. The Boilermakers received 40 firstplace votes from a 61-person media panel, Arizona got six and Michigan got 15 after its dominating run through the Players Era Championship.

Duke and UConn held their positions from last week to round out the top five. Louisville remained No. 6, followed by Michigan State, which moved up four spots, and No. 8 Houston, which dropped five places after losing to then-No 17 Tennessee at the Players Era

Michigan made a run to the Sweet 16 in coach Dusty May’s first season a year ago and is looking like a title contender. The Wolverines opened the Las Vegas tournament with a 94-54 win over San Diego State, crushed thenNo. 21 Auburn 102-72 and handed Gonzaga coach Mark Few his worst loss in 902 career games with a 101-61 win over the 12thranked Zags.

That’s three wins by a combined 110 points and four straight wins by at least 20 points, the last two over ranked teams.

“Today was to put the world on notice that we’re here to be the best team in the nation and we’ll continue to do that,” Michigan forward Yaxel Lendeborg said after the win over Gonzaga

Rising

No. 17 Vanderbilt had the biggest jump of the week, moving up seven spots after winning the Battle 4 Atlantis title in the Bahamas No. 10 Iowa State climbed five places after winning three games at the Players Era championship.

No. 7 Michigan State moved up four places following lopsided wins over East Carolina and No. 16 North Carolina in the Fort Myers Tip-Off. No. 13 Tennessee also

Michigan State center Coen Carr dunks the ball against East Carolina during a game Nov. 25 in Ft. Myers, Fla.

gained four spots after beating Houston and losing to Kansas, which moved back into the poll at No. 21

Falling No 23 St. John’s had the biggest drop among teams still in the poll, losing nine places after wrapping losses to Iowa State and Auburn around a win over Baylor at the Players Era Reigning national champion Florida fell five places to No. 15 after losing to TCU in the Rady Children’s Invitational. No. 12 Alabama dropped four places after losing to Gonzaga in its opener of the Players Era.

In and out No. 21 Kansas returned to the poll after dropping out last week with three wins at the Players Era

No. 24 Southern California is ranked for the first time since the 2023-24 season following three wins in three days to take the Maui Invitational title. UCLA fell out of the poll from No 18 after losing to California 80-72 in the Empire Classic championship game. North Carolina State dropped out of the poll from No 23 and didn’t receive a single vote following a 1-2 run through the Maui Invitational. Conference watch The Southeastern Conference had the most teams in the AP Top 25 for the second straight week with seven. The Big 12 matched the Big Ten with six ranked teams, the Atlantic Coast Conference had three, the Big East had two and the West Coast Conference one.

Vikings waive WR Thielen in his final NFL season

MINNEAPOLIS

The Minnesota Vikings are waiving veteran wide receiver Adam Thielen following a request by his representation for his release, the team announced Monday morning via a statement from General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah.

Thielen was inactive for the Vikings’ 26-0 loss to the Seahawks in Seattle on Sunday Both Adofo-Mensah’s statement and one from Thielen indicate that the 35-year-old intends for this to be his final NFL season, though when each party knew that to be the case is unclear

“Following discussions through the weekend and out of respect for Adam, we have agreed to give him the opportunity to pursue more playing time elsewhere,” AdofoMensah wrote in his statement.

Colts CB Gardner to miss ‘some time’ with calf injury

INDIANAPOLIS Indianapolis Colts

coach Shane Steichen said Monday that starting cornerback Sauce Gardner is expected to miss “some time” after injuring his left calf during Sunday’s 20-16 loss to the Houston Texans but that Gardner avoided hurting his Achilles tendon. Steichen didn’t provide details on how much time the two-time AllPro might miss but said he believed Gardner would return this season and that he’s not expected to go on injured reserve.

Gardner was hurt on the Texans’ second offensive play of the game while in coverage, but he did not appear to get hit when he went down. Gardner later returned to the sideline and watched the rest of the game in street clothes and a walking boot.

Browns’ Collins will miss rest of season after injury

CLEVELAND Cleveland Browns defensive tackle Maliek Collins will be lost for the rest of the season after suffering a quad injury in Sunday’s 26-8 loss to the San Francisco 49ers.

Coach Kevin Stefanski made the announcement Monday that Collins will have to undergo seasonending surgery The 10-year veteran defensive lineman suffered the non-contact injury during the third quarter Collins is also a key reason why All-Pro pass rusher Myles Garrett needs four sacks to break the NFL’s single-season record of 22 ½

“When you lose a guy like Maliek, you don’t replace him. He’s made a big impact on this football team on the field and off.”

WNBA and players union extend CBA deadline

NEWYORK The WNBA and players union agreed to an extension of the current collective bargaining agreement to Jan 9 just before their current deadline ran out Sunday night. Just like the previous extension, both sides have the option to terminate the extension with 48 hours advanced notice. Under the league’s latest proposal, in 2026, the max salary would be a guaranteed $1 million base, with projected revenue

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ERIC GAy Texas guard Rori Harmon, left, holds her MVP trophy as she and teammates celebrate their win over South Carolina in the Players Era tournament in Las Vegas on Thursday.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By SCOTT AUDETTE

Sumrall, Morris pulling double duty

Coachespreparing forAmericantitle game,new jobs

BY GUERRYSMITH

Contributing writer

Nothing illustrates the craziness of moderncollegefootballmore than Tulane and North Texasplaying for an almost certain College Football Playoff berth on Fridayat Yulman Stadiumwhile their coaches are employed by other schools. The stakes are incredibly high in the American Conferencechampionship game, and so are the potential distractions. Tulane coach Jon Sumrall, who accepted the Florida job on Sunday morning, participated in the league’schampionship game Zoom news conference from Gainesville, Florida, where hewas set to be introduced lessthanan hour later Monday

He and North Texas coachEric Morris, who was hired by Oklahoma State early last week, have to deal with dual roles while ostensibly preparing their old teams for Friday night’sclash (7 p.m., ABC) andthen the first round of theCFP for the winner

“The biggest difficultyiswhen do you sleep?” Sumrall said.“Not much of that happening. Look, you do have maybe some duties that can distract at times. Youhave to make sure you’re focused. I’m very fortunate to have an unbelievable staff. Idon’tcall the offense or the defense or the kicking game, so that’sallowed me to be a little more freed up.”

The issues are undeniable.

“It’snot ideal,” said Morris, who calls North Texas’offensiveplays.

“I usuallysleep pretty well, but it’s been alittlebit toughertosleep just with everything going through my head, but Ihaven’tmissed a

NorthTexas coach Eric Morris runs off the field for halftime duringa game against Temple on Friday in Denton, Texas.

beat in preparing this team. Obvi-

ously yourmind starts focusing on some of the time you spend during theweek building aroster somewhere else, butthat has not pulled back fromany of the time that I’ve spent normally on agame week.”

Despitethe distractions, it should be one heck of amatchup.

Tulane(10-2, 7-1 American)is6-0 at Yulman Stadium, goingunbeaten at home inthe regular season for the firsttime since 1998. The Green Wave hasallowed an average of only 15 points in those six games.

North Texas(11-1, 7-1) averages an FBS-best 46.8 points per game and511.8 yards. The Mean Green, which is favored by21/2 points, has scored at least 31 in every game andhas surpassed 50 in five of six contests since its lone loss to South Florida, 63-36.

“I’m going to see if we can convince them to go alittle bit slower so maybewecan getacouple of stopsinthe game,”Sumrall said.

“I’m very honored and privileged

Sixcandidates whocould replace SumrallatTulane

BY GUERRYSMITH

writer

Contributing

Tulane’sactive search fora coach to replace JonSumrall began Mondaywith initial interviews.

There is no perfect fit this time like Sumrall was two years ago, but it should be avery good pool of candidates, considering how the program has been elevated. Here are some possiblecandidates as the Green Wave triesto continue its success over the past four years —four consecutive American Conference championship game appearances and a record of 42-12. Here is an early list in alphabetical order: BlakeBaker, LSUdefensive coordinator

Baker,who made 145 tackles as alinebacker at Tulane from 2000-04, has producedtremendous results at Missouri and LSU over the past four years. Missouri finished 33rd nationally in yards allowed in 2022 and 2023,culminating in an 11-2 season. The LSU defense rose to 61st in yards allowed after finishing adismal 105th the year before he arrived, and the Tigers have risenagain this year to No. 25. Baker reportedly interviewed for the job Monday in New Orleans.

ShannonDawson, Miami offensivecoordinator

TheClinton nativehas ties to the state and has presided over a high-powered offense as coordinator and quarterbacks coach in three years with the Hurricanes Miami ranks21st nationally in points per game (34.1) this season and led the FBS last season at 43.9 behind quarterback Cam Ward, the No. 1pick in theNFL draft. He is also familiarwith the American Conference, having been an assistant at Houston from 2019-22.

Will Hall,Tulane passinggamecoordinator

Hall was tremendously successful in two years as Willie Fritz’soffensive coordinatorat Tulane and incredibly popular with players and administration, earninghim ajob as theSouth-

coach isn’t going to be there to help them get through the entire season. It’s not sustainable. There’sso many things that are not sustainable in what we’re doing.”

thatTulane is allowing metocoach because when youhaveachance to pursue achampionship, there’s nothing like it.”

Complicating matters even further, Sumrall and Morris have to deal with national signing day on Wednesdayattheir newschools —another impediment in abrutal NCAA calendarthatwill prevent former OleMiss/now LSU coach Lane Kiffin from coaching the Rebels in the playoff.

“Somebody’sgot allthis stuff under control,” Morrissaid. “It makes no sense at any level that we’re sittinghere talking about peoplethatare abouttobeinthe CollegeFootball Playoff andtheir

Sumrall said he was working on two signingclasses at the same time,participating in aZoomcall Sunday with Tulane recruits to encourage them to sticktotheircommitments while also trying to hold together ahighlyrated Florida class.

“Myjob right nowistomake sure my players at Tulane get taken care of and then to make sure Iget 2026 ready forFlorida,” he said. “There’s afew things you have to do.”

At least Sumrall andMorris have asoundingboard with eachother Sumrall also has leaned on Kiffin.

“Weall have kindoftalked

through, hey,how does this work?” Sumrall said. “The NFLcalendar makes alot of sense. Youplay your games,and then after thegames are done, the coaches can take jobs andthenyou do free agency and the draft. Our world doesn’twork like that, andyou have to figure out what worksfor each individualat the place you’re at and the place you’re going.”

Sumralladded that leavingTulane wasnot easy

“It’sbittersweet,” he said. “I love Tulane,the city of New Orleans and our team.Ilove the players, man. Ilovethem, so leavingishard when you’ve invested in thepeople andcaresomuch about the place. When Icame to Tulane, Itold them if Ieverleave it will be forwhat I think is one of the blue blood programsincollege football.”

Gators coachSumrall says he embraces challengeoflivinguptostandard

BY MARKLONG AP sportswriter

ern Miss head coach in his native state. His tenure theredid notgo well —hewas fired in the middle of his fourth season with a1430 record —but he wouldhave muchbetter resources at Tulane He was alsosuccessful at the Division II level at West Alabama and West Georgia, going 56-20.

WillieSimmons, FloridaInternational coach

Simmons, who coached for nine years at PrairieView(going 2111)and Florida A&M (going 30-6 in his last three yearsthere), enjoyed an impressive debut at the FBS level this season at Florida International.Inheriting ateam thathad notwon more than four games since 2019, he is 7-5 after upsetting Florida Atlantic early andwinningfourinarow to end the regular season as the Panthers became bowl eligible.Seven wins aretheir most since 2018.

LanceTaylor, WesternMichigan coach

Taylor,aformerwalk-onreceiver at Alabama, has abackground in offense, but defense was the catalyst for WesternMichigan’s breakthrough this year in his third season.The Broncoswon theMid-AmericanConference regular-season championship while ranking 17th nationally in yards allowed and holding all eight MAC opponents to 21 points or fewer.The only Native American coach in the FBS, he spent sixyearsasanNFL assistant andwas the running backscoach at Notre Dame in 2020when the Fighting Irishmade theCollege Football Playoff.

ShielWood,Texas Tech defensivecoordinator

Wood, the defensivecoordinator for SumrallatTroy in 2022 and Fritz in 2023-24 at Tulane and Houston, has orchestrated adominant unit at Texas Tech this season. The CFP-boundRed Raiders rank thirdnationally in points allowed (11.3) and sixthinyards allowed (258.9). Tulane was second to SMU in totaldefense among American teams during hisseason with the Green Wave. Troy waseighth nationallyinscoring defense(17.1 points) in his year with Sumrall.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. With legends Urban Meyer andSteve Spurrier sitting afew feet away and dozens of players lining the back of the room, new Floridacoach Jon Sumrall took center stage Monday wearing asuitwithorangeand blue sneakers. He crushed the fit —inmore ways than one.

TheGatorsintroduced their fifthhead coach since Meyer stepped down in 2010 with much less fanfarethan Lane Kiffin’sarrival would have created. But the 43-year-old Sumrall might justbe better suited for aprogram in need of short-term successand longterm stability

“It’sa challenge Iembrace. It’s an exhilaratingchallenge,” Sumrall said.“Idon’tknow that Ican measure myself to coachSpurrier or coach Meyer anytime soon. I’ve got along way to go. Ilook forward to leaning on them, askingtheir opinion and advice. Ifeel very privileged to have two great resources like them that are aphone call away

“I feel like I’mthe luckiest guy in the world to have aphone-a-friend in those two.”

Athletic director ScottStricklin turned to Meyer,Spurrier and

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admissionstandards, modestfacilities and intractable policies like theone thatrequires studentsto live on campus for theirfirst three years always will make the job challenging for head coach.

At his heart, Sumrall is aproblem solver.Heisn’tone to whine or complain. One of his team rulesis “noenergy vampires.” But it had to grate on him to seehis entire rosterpoached by Power Four programs this past offseason. Can you imagine how good Tulane would have been this season if even half of the 13 players who transferred to larger programsthis past offseason had stuck around?

At Florida, Sumrall won’thave to worry about suchthings. Florida is the kind of school that players transfer to,not from.

The Gators had myriadproblems under Napier,but talent wasn’tone of them. Florida is one of the mostfertile recruiting bases in the nation. The program had

1996 HeismanTrophy winner

DannyWuerffeltohelplandSumrall, who signed amemorandum of understanding Wednesday to leave Tulane and take over aFlorida program that went 22-23 in four seasons before firing Billy Napier in mid-October Sumrall joked that he hasapretty decent Spurrierimpression, but he saved thatfor another day.

“Just win awhole bunch,” Spurrier chimedinfrom the third row Sumrall laughed, stepped back fromthe microphone, clappedhis hands and rolledhis fist through the air

An undersized linebacker at Kentucky (2002-04) whose playing career ended with aneck injury, Sumrall returned to his alma mater forathree-year assistantstint before becoming Troy’shead coach in 2022. He won consecutive Sun Belt championships in two seasons with theTrojansand thenenjoyed similar success at Tulane.

Sumrall is 19-7intwo years in New Orleansand ledthe Green Wave to the American championship gameboth seasons. So he has madefour league title games in four years as ahead coach. The Gators believe he could be Meyer 2.0.

This much is certain: He sounded nothing like Napier 2.0.

“Wejust need him to win,” Spurrier said. “And he can do it. Yougot

14 playersdrafted the past three seasons,and its recruiting classes ranked no worse than 13th in the nation in each of the last four years. Give Sumrall that kind of talent and watch what happens. Sumrall never was going to leave Tulane for just any job. He wasn’tdouble-parked here. He and his family love NewOrleans and werehappy at Tulane. They were active in the community and dove headfirst into the culture.

Nevertheless, people like Sumrall areterminally ambitious and wired to compete. They don’tjust want to win. They need to win.

In thatway,Sumrall reminds me of Sean Payton, who usedtodrive Saints management and ownership crazy with his constant demands and insatiable drive to win.

Sumrall owns the same relentless drive but possesses even better people skills. He relates to folks from all backgrounds and has arareability to lead, motivate andgalvanize people.

Sumrall’s departure leaves athletic director David Harris with adifficult challenge. It won’tbe

to have thatmindset. Youcan tell his mindset is different than some of these coaches we’ve hadhere in the past.” Kiffin was Florida’stop target for months, but Stricklin shifted to Sumrall after getting lukewarm feelings about the chances of landing theOle Miss coachwithahistory of drama —some of which showed up in recent days.

“There’salot of falseinformation,alot of twisted information andalot of people trying to createnarrativesthatbenefit themselves,” Stricklin said.

Declining to discuss where negotiations went wrong between Florida andKiffin, Stricklin quipped, “I love where we are.”

Sumrall finalized asix-year,$44.7 million contractthat will payhim $7.45 million annually.The deal also includes $16.3million for his entire staff as well as postseason incentives that include $5 million for winning the College Football Playoff.

Sumrall thankedcountless people who helped him get to this point and dropped one namefew expected.

“I maybea defensive guy,but I want to be more of adefensive guy like Bob Stoops,”Sumrall said. “I want the scoreboard to light up.” Thatwould be the ultimate fit for Florida.

easy to findacoach that embraced the strengths and understood the weaknesses of the Tulane job better than Sumrall. Thanks to the resounding success of Sumrall and his predecessor,Willie Fritz, the program has momentum and expectations. This will be acritical hire. That said, the program is in a better position than ever to land agood coach. Coaches and industry officials now view Tulane as aplace where you can win at the highest level of Group of Five competition. School officials finally seem to realize the benefits of having asuccessful football program to marketing and campus life. Tulane might always be alaunching pad rather than adestination for aspiring coaches such as Sumrall, but that’sinfinitely better than the dead end it was only adecade ago. It was always going to take a special job to lure Sumrall away Florida is that kind of place. With Sumrall running the show, the Gators are going to win championships again. Even if their fans don’tknow it yet.

ä North Texas at Tulane. 7P.M FRIDAy,ABC

STAFF

PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER

Tulane coach JonSumrall stands on the sidelinesduring the first half of agame against the Charlotte 49ers at yulman Stadium on Saturday.

AP PHOTO By JESSICA TOBIAS

WhyOhioState replaces IndianaasmyNo. 1

There was alot of movement within the top 25 of my latest AP poll after acrazy rivalryweekend across the country

Let’sdive into all of theaction

My latest AP Top25poll

1. Ohio State, 2. Indiana, 3. Georgia, 4. Texas A&M, 5. Texas Tech, 6. Oklahoma, 7. Alabama,8.Ole Miss, 9. Oregon, 10. NotreDame, 11. Texas, 12. BYU, 13. Miami, 14. Vanderbilt, 15. Utah, 16. Southern Cal, 17. Michigan, 18. Arizona, 19. Missouri, 20. Tennessee, 21. Iowa, 22. Houston, 23. SMU,24. Louisville, 25. Iowa State

Just missed: TCU, Pittsburgh Georgia Tech, Virginia

Anew No.1

Indiana and Ohio State’s resumes are basicallyidentical following the Buckeyes’dominant road win overMichigan last weekend. The Hoosiers own the better win between thetwo sides, having taken down Oregon, but Ohio State’svictoriesovera surging Texas and Michigan have boosted its resume. In the end, Ilanded on theBuckeyes because no team in the country has passed the eye test more clearly this season. Theylikely have the best defense in the nation and an offense that can beat you in any way

What to do with Texas

After taking down Texas A&M, Texas became the first team to earn three top-10 wins in aseason since LSU in 2019. Earning multiplevictories of that stature would

seemingly makethe Longhorns a shoo-in for the top 10 of my rankings,but Icouldn’t quitepull the trigger onplacingthem ahead of Notre Dame.

It’strue, Texas holdsthe better wins. Beating Texas A&M, Oklahoma and Vanderbilt is far more impressivethanthe Irish’s top victoriesoverSouthernCal, Pittsburgh and Navy.But thelows of Texas’ seasonare much worse, having lost to Florida and nearly losing to Kentucky and Mississippi State.NotreDame has losses to Texas A&M andMiami but has otherwise been pretty dominant. Ifind both resumes, therefore, to be pretty much thesame, so ultimately Iwent with Notre Dame first because of itsimproving defenseand its offense, which has been much more consistent than Texas’ this year.

Oregon,Vanderbilt, Miami rise Oregon’s nicewin over Washington on the road was enough to nudge it past NotreDame in my rankings.Both Oregon’s and Notre Dame’sbest wins came over USC, butthe Ducks’ resume, besidesthat victory, is stronger with winsoverIowa and now the Huskies.

Vanderbilt’sdominant showing

at Tennessee gave theCommodores their best victory of the year.With two ranked wins,Ishot them over Utah and USC. Utah has dominated lesser competition for the most part but lacks a ranked win. USC has avery similar resume, having beaten Michigan and Iowa, but theTrojans hold that extra loss to Illinois, and theeye testsuggeststhey’ve been theshakier team compared to Vanderbilt

Miami’sdemolition of Pittsburgh was probably itssecondbest win of the year,only trailing its opening week victory over Notre Dame. The Hurricanes lack any other top wins, but their two losses aren’tbad, falling to SMU and Louisville, two teams in my

Bearsrolling with conference lead

BY ANDREW SELIGMAN Associated Press

BenJohnsonpulledoff his shirt and flexed like abody builder as playersscreamedand chanted in the locker room after the ChicagoBears beat thedefending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles. The viral celebration sure turned some heads. The coach’s young daughter even had something to say about it.

“My 2-year-old was watching the TV screen back at home. She’spointing at the screen, ‘No shirt, no shirt.’ My wife hadno ideawhat was going on,” Johnson said Monday.“That’sabout how it went. Ithink anytime youget a chance to feed the city, you want to do it. So, man of the people.” With his infectious energy and amounting pileofwins,Johnson is endearing himself to the people of Chicago in his firstseason as ahead coach. The Bears (9-3) not only lead the NFC North, they hold the top spot in the confer-

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seventh-round pick, Moore said the Saints were getting abigbodied receiver who could make contested catches and help in the red zone. Vele’ssize was evident in Miami. On his touchdown catch, the 6-foot-5 wide receiver outmuscled Dolphins cornerback Jack Jones on the route and used his frame to haulinasoaring pass in the back of the end zone. What changed? Moore said the Dolphins ran alot of Cover 2, cre-

ence. They’ve won five straight andnineof10, andthey’lltry to keepitgoingwhen they visit rival Green Bay (8-3-1) on Sunday in amatchup of the top two teams in the division A24-15 victory at Philadelphia on Friday came with abonus: free hot dogs.InOctober, the Wiener’sCircle on Chicago’s North Sideoffered free hot dogs if Johnson took hisshirtoff following aBears win. Johnson decided Friday was the right time to do it,and thewell-known stand will be handing them out Tuesday. The Wiener’sCircle hada similargiveaway in September afterCaleb Williams threwfour touchdowns in aWeek 3win over Dallas.

“I figured the sooner the better because I’m notinthe weight room very much anymore so this thing keeps gettingalittle bit worseaswego alonginthe season,” Johnson said. There’snoshortage of excitement in Chicago. In the span of ayear,the Bears went from fir-

ating an opening for Vele to be found on in-breaking routes near theboundary —justasShaheed used to be.

Beyond theadvantageous matchup, theSaints hope that Sunday’soutingcan get Vele going in part because of what the wideout was doing to get open.

“He’ssuper smart,”quarterback TylerShough said. “Hehas a great feel with his routes. Ithink he does areally good job.Iwas really proud of Devaughn just because Ithink he’ssuch akey player for us.” Moore said Vele understands howeachroute affectsthe play as awhole.He noted theformer

ing former coach MattEberflus the day after an embarrassing Thanksgivingloss at Detroit, to taking out the defending champions on the road on Black Friday

They’ve gone from finishing last in the division to securing a winning season with five games remaining. Chicago hasn’tfinished above .500 sincethe 2018 team won theNFC North at 12-4. And with Carolina beating Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams (9-3), the Bears moved into thetop spot in theNFC.

“The significance of it at the moment isn’tmuch,” tight end Cole Kmet said. “Look, Iknow how this all is. We’re on the socalledmountaintopright now but thosethings change quickly week to week.

Johnson figures teams will need 11 winstomakethe playoffs so he wasn’t getting too caught up in holding the No. 1seed at the moment.

“Wehavenot been guaranteed aspot in thetournament yet,” he said. “Wehavetoearnthatright.”

2024 seventh-round pick has no problem clearing out space for another targetand canread where theholes in the coverage will be. Moore saidhesaw “hints” of Vele’sprocessing when evaluating his film from Denver, but he gotabetter appreciation of it when he started coaching himin New Orleans. With theBroncos,Veleproved to be atrusty target for quarterback Bo Nix. Twenty-five of his 41 catches last season moved the chains, with 11 of 12 coming on third down.Healsocaught three touchdowns, all in the redzone. He left such an impact on Denver that coach Sean Payton called

rankings, by close margins.

Othernotes

The bottom of the poll wasa giant mess again this week. Six of the bottom nine teams in my rankings last weekall lost over the weekend, including Tennessee, Michigan, SMU, Pittsburgh, Arizona State and Washington.

The greatest beneficiary from all of this carnage wasArizona, which took downASU on the road to improve to 9-3. The Wildcats lack aranked win—although they barely lost to BYU —but all of their losses have come to ranked teamsinmypoll, and they took down Cincinnati on the road.

Another team that rose as a result of this chaos wasIowa. The

Hawkeyes have four losses, but all of them came by one score to teamsinmypoll. Three of those defeats came against top-16 teamsinUSC, Indiana and Oregon. Iowa lacks asignature win, but the Hawkeyes have proven they can hang with any team despite having little to no passing attack.

Iowa State earned the last spot in my top 25 on the strength of wins over Arizona and Iowa from earlier in the season. The Cyclones also beat TCU,which wasteam 26 in my rankings. Iowa State may have been even higher in my poll if it weren’tfor its defeat to Colorado and close victories over lowly Arkansas State, OklahomaState and Kansas State.

Falconswaste

Atlantaneeds huge rallytoavoid eighth straight losing season

BY CHARLESODUM Associated Press

ATLANTA— Losses in six of their past sevengames have left the Atlanta Falcons needing ahuge rally to avoid their eighth consecutive losingseason.

“Westill have five left,” said linebacker Kaden Ellis after Sunday’s last-second 27-24 loss at theNew York Jets. “We’ve got to go play for pride andrattleoff five in arow Crazier things have happened.”

The Falcons (4-8) continue to make it difficult to imagine an unlikely turnaround.

Analysis

Despite their poor record,they’ve only been outscored 276-243 but continue to find ways to lose close games. The close losses are placing more heat on second-year coach Raheem Morris.

Atlanta suffered back-to-back overtime losses at theend of a five-game losing streak before losing quarterback Michael Penix to aseason-ending knee injury.Kirk Cousins passed fortwo touchdowns in a24-10 win over NewOrleans on Nov.23.

Any hope generatedbythe win over the Saints faded quickly with Atlanta’sinability to beat the lastplace Jets.

The Falcons were hurt by twodevastating special teams breakdowns and latedropsbyawide receivers group thatlooksthinwithDrake London out with aknee injury

TheFalcons wasted another strong performance by running back Bijan Robinson, anothersolid if unspectacular start by Cousins andone of tight end Kyle Pitts’ most productive games of the season.

Morrissaid“we don’tmakeemotionaldecisions” when he wasasked after the game if he planned to fire specialteams coachMarquiceWilliams.Afumbled punt by Jamal

tradinghim oneofthe toughest deals of his career,openly wondering whether he’d regret the move in the samevein as when he shippedout Darren Sprolesin New Orleans. For most of the season,itwas easy to wonder whether Payton’s high praise wassimply aploy to make his formerteam feel better about giving away multiple draft picks. Nothing about Vele’snine catches for 91 yards and atouchdown in his first 10 games with the SaintssuggestedPayton hadanything to have seconddoubts over Butthen the second half of Sunday happened. Vele’sproduction, which all came after halftime,

Agnew and poor coverage on an 83yard kickoff return by New York’s IsaiahWilliams led to 10 points for the Jets that decided the game. Those were breakdowns the Falcons —and Morris —can’tafford. What’s working

Robinson is having an All-Pro caliberseason but againhad too little help. He had 23 carries for142 yardsand atouchdown andcaught five passes for 51 yards. He is the fifth player in NFL history with at least50receptionsand 1,400 yards from scrimmageineach of his first three seasons. The others are Matt Forte, Justin Jefferson, Herschel Walker and LaDainian Tomlinson. Robinson has 995 rushing yards and 54 catches for acareer-high594 yards through 12 games.

What needshelp

Thespecial teamsbreakdowns weredifficult to explain or defend Morris confirmed Agnew should not have attempted to field apunt inside the 5thathefumbled and the Jets recovered at the 2toset up an easy touchdown.

“You’ve got to let that go,” Morris said. “You’ve got to let it go. You’ve got to let it touch the ground.”

wasn’tjust the best outing as a Saint. It marked apersonal best as well. Thatdoesn’tmean Vele wassatisfied

“I bring this up alot,I’m avery competitive guy and at the end of the day Iwant to win games,” Vele said.“I’mgrateful(that)I hada career dayfor myself, but at the endofthe day, Iwanttowin games.”

If he can keep contributing as he did against Miami, NewOrleanswill have abetter chance to do just that.

EmailMatthew Paras at matt. paras@theadvocate.com

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTOByRyANSUN

Ohio State defensiveend Kenyatta Jackson celebrates after sacking Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood on SaturdayinAnn Arbor, Mich.

AP PHOTO By MATT ROURKE

Bears coach Ben Johnson, right, greets Eagles

coachNickSirianni after the Bears’ win FridayinPhiladelphia

Koki Riley

Kiffinwon’t coachinbowlgame

BY REED DARCEY and RASHAD MILLIGAN Staff writers

New LSU coach Lane Kiffin said Monday at his introductory news conference thathe will not coach the Tigers in their upcoming bowl game

Instead, Kiffin said, interim coach Frank Wilson will guide LSU through that matchup.

“(Wilson and I) have spent alot of time together the last 24 hours that I’ve been here,” Kiffin said, “and so I’ve made the decision that he’sgonna still stay in that roleasthe head coach of that team for thebowl game.”

Wilson is in hissecond stint at LSU. He workedoncoach Les Miles’ staff from 2010-15, then rejoined the Tigers in 2022 to serve as BrianKelly‘s associate head coach and running backs coach.

When Kelly was fired on Oct. 26,LSU elevated him to interim coachfor theseason’slast four games. The Tigers went 2-2 over that stretch.They beat Arkansas and Western Kentucky at home but lost to Alabama and Oklahoma on the road.

On Sunday,after Kiffin arrived in Baton Rouge, he was spotted meeting with Wilson inside the LSU head coach’s office.

Kiffin said Monday that he was “still in the process” of figuring out what his new staff might look like. Nine Ole Miss coaches and frontoffice staff members, including offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach CharlieWeis Jr ,accompanied him on his flight from Oxford, Mississippi, on Sunday LSU is also expected to strongly consider retaining defensive coordinator Blake Baker and other defensive coaches through the transition, sources have told The Advocate.

Wilson worked on Kiffin’s Tennessee staff in 2009.

KiffinchannelsOrgeron

Kiffin said Monday he almost fell victim to throwing on afake Cajun accent dur-

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sideline in Tiger Stadium calling plays for Alabama in a2014 overtime win over LSU and as the Ole Miss head coach here in 2024 in an overtime loss to the Tigers. Games that made him project himself on the home sideline.

“I’ve coached alot of places and alot of road games,” Kiffin said. “NFL, college, there is nothing like the feeling when you are on the other sideline. The intensity …it’slike a weight that you feel.

“I always thought to myself, ‘Man, what if we had that advantage on our side?

If we combine what we do, the way that we coach players, the systems that we run, and now we have that intensity on our side for the opponent to deal with.’ That’show it painted all together to say,‘This is where you are supposed to be.’

”

Kiffinhas spent most of his career in the harsh spotlight of being ahead coach. The Raiders made him the youngest head coach in modern NFL history at 32 back in 2007. This is his sixth head coaching job after Tennes-

SABAN

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by Saban, who speaks with Ausberry every two weeks.

“Nick is avery good friend of mine,” Ausberry said Monday.“He’sone of my role models. Ithink that’s what helped me in this decision of getting him here, was all those great football coaches Iknew around the country that really helped me.” The process behind landing Kiffinwas quiet at first, but it exploded upon the arrival of aprivate jet to Baton Rouge that includedKiffin’s

was like, ‘I don’tknow what’s goingon, man, butI’m feeling you right now.’ ”

ing his first night in Baton Rouge on Sunday In his introductory news conference, Kiffin joked with local and national media after hearing anumberofLSU fans yell “Geaux Tigers” that he wanted to talk like former LSU football coach Ed Orgeron “Actually,wewere going by Tiger Stadium, and Icalled one person,” Kiffin said. “I called Ed Orgeron. And Isaid, ‘Hey,man.All Ican do— this place just makes me want to talk like yourightnow.’ ” Kiffin then leaned back, as attendees in the room began to laugh, and he leaned back with his palms up. “I did,” Kiffin said. “We were in thecar.The kids were in there,and (my handswereonmyhead) the coaches asked me, ‘What are you doing?’ Iwas like, ‘I don’tknow,I’m channeling Ed right now.I’m feeling him right now.Irolled down the window,and Iyelled, ‘Geaux Tigers!’tothe fans “So then,I called Ed, and I

Kiffin saidOrgeron respondedwithafew words

“He said, ‘Coach,you’reat thebestplace in America,’” Kiffin said. “So,Ifeel that.”

It’s been reported that LSU is open to adding Orgeron to Kiffin’sstaff.

KiffinonOle Miss fans

As Kiffin boarded his plane to BatonRouge on Sunday, OleMiss fans gathered outside the fences around the tarmac to boo and jeer him. Some lobbed obscenities his way

Others, Kiffin said,followed him and his son Knox to the airport and tried to “run themoff theroad.”

Kiffinaddressed those reactions Monday,saying that he doesn’t“get emotional” about thevitriol he received for taking theLSU job and leaving the Rebels behind ahead of theirexpected College Football Playoff run.

“That’s theSEC,” Kiffin said. “I’vebeen around it long enough to knowthat, andit’sjust the passionofthe SEC. I’m not upset at those

“You figure things outwhen you go through all those experiences andhavingmultiplehead coaching jobs, and then you become even better.”

LANE KIFFIN,new LSU coach

see, USC, Florida Atlantic and Ole Miss.

He’s50now,atanage where aman is shaped by his choices and experiences, good and bad. Positive and negative. At an age when he felt he was ready for what is likely to be a career-defining move.

Saban was 49 when he came to LSUand launched hislegend.Carroll was also 49 when hewenttoUSC anddid thesamething.The parallels are notlost on Kiffin atall.

“I’m uniquely prepared at 50 years old for this job,”he said. “Tohavebeen so many places, donegood things, made alot of mistakes and made them really early on.

“Like someone said, ‘You made mistakes on thenational stageatanage, in your early30s, that coaches aren’t even head coaches yet.’ So Igot to learn from those. This is my sixth head job.Idon’tknow if anybody haseverdone that.It’snot necessarily great in some ways. They weren’t allby choice. Butwhat that does is if you takeall that information andyou keepitand

ex-wife, Layla. “I just thought it was reallyimportant when they offered to have the family come downwithout me and get a feel forit,” Kiffinsaid.“…I don’tknowthat Icould have made the decision,orcertainly couldn’thavemade it and felt good,withouteverybody onboard like itwas after goingtomultiple places and coming back and saying, ‘Hey,we’re all in. We’re all in to go to Baton Rouge and to go to LSU.’ “ The trip to Baton Rouge signaled theseriousness with which Kiffin was considering LSU. He just needed some help in making his decision.

you collect it and you learn from thegood, from the bad, that’sexperience.

“You figure thingsout when you go through all those experiences and having multiple head coaching jobs, and then you become even better.”

As Kiffin left thestadium, the gloomy dayturned into arainynight. Down below,TigerStadium was lit up —the field painted as for agame, even with the eye of the tiger at the 50.

On thevideo boards were giant images of Kiffinon white backgrounds, with adoctored image showing him wearing awhiteLSU visor as he will next fall.

When he drove by Tiger Stadium on Sunday night on theway to the LSU football complex, the angst over his choice melted away

“You are, like, ‘Iabsolutely made theright decision,’ ”hesaid.

For more LSU sports updates, sign up for our newsletter at theadvocate.com/ lsunewsletter

And amongthose mentors, of course, was Saban. “I felt like everybodythat Italked to outside of the state that Iwas in, (they) allbasically said the same thing,” Kiffinsaid. “Theyall said, ‘Man, you aregoing to regretitifyou don’ttake the shot andyou don’tgotoLSU. It’sthe bestjob in America with the best resources, and to win it.’ It’sobviously been done here before by anumber of people.”

Email Koki Rileyat koki.riley@theadvocate. com. For more LSU sportsupdates, sign up for our newsletter at theadvocate.com/

LSUmakes six assistantcoach hiresofficial

BY WILSON ALEXANDER Staff writer

reactions by fans,bypeople. Ithink thatpeople get really upset when you leave somewhere because they feel hurt because you’re doing areally good job.

“They ain’tgoing to the airport and driving from all over to saythose things and yell those things andtry to runyou off the road if you weredoing bad.”

Kiffin has said that he tried to figure out away to both acceptthe LSUjob andcoach OleMissinthe CFP.Ole Miss, however,chose notto let him do that— adecision he said he respects and understands.

“Timeheals alot of things,” Kiffin said, “and having gone through (it) in this conference before, Isure hope that happens. Isure hope that the people thereand thefans there, as time goes, can focus on the amazing six years, the greatest football run in the history of the school, the greatest regular season ever in thehistoryofthe statejust happened there.

“I really hope they can focusonthat.”

Wilson Alexander contributed tothis report.

LSU has hired offensive coordinatorCharlie Weis Jr.and fiveother assistant coaches for Lane Kiffin’s staff after they followed him from Ole Miss, according to copies of their term sheetsobtainedMonday night by The Advocate. Weis first overlapped with Kiffinasagraduate assistant at Alabama, and he workedwith him at both Florida Atlanticand Ole Miss. Weis signedathreeyear deal worth $6 million. His annual salary starts at $1.9 million, which would have made him one of the top-10highest-paid assistantsinthe country this year,and increases annually over thecourse of the contract. Weis andKiffin have to overhaulanLSU offense thatranks 108thinthe country in scoring at 21.8 pointsper game. TheTigers havenot scored more than 25 points against an FBS team this season before their bowl game. They fired offensive coordinator Joe Sloan in the middle of the season after dismissing head coach Brian Kelly LSU also agreed to terms with co-offensive coordinatorand tight ends coach Joe Cox, wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator George McDonald, inside wide receivers coach Sawyer Jordan, head of strength and conditioning Nick Savage and senior executive director of player personnel Mike Williams. All of them are on twoyear agreements except Jordan, an analyst at Ole Miss this fall who has aoneyear deal.Cox will make

PHOTO By THEASSOCIATED PRESS

OleMissoffensive

coordinator Charlie Weis Jr.isseen before agame between OleMissand Arkansas on Nov. 2, 2024, in Fayetteville, Ark.

$800,000 per year,while Savage andMcDonald both make an averageof $825,000 per year

WhileKiffin hasnow solidified most of hisoffensive staff, he still will need an offensive line coach and arunning backscoach. He may consider retaining LSU running backs coach Frank Wilson, who will serve as the interim head coach through the bowl game and has expressed a desire to stay on staff. LSU is also expected to hire general manager Billy Glasscock, senior associate athletic director forfootball operationsThaddeus Rivers and defensive analyst Chris Kiffin after they flew Sunday with Kiffin to Baton Rouge. The hires clarified what mostofthe offensive staff will look like next season. On theother side of theball, sources said LSU defensive coordinatorBlake Baker will be under serious considerationtoberetained. However,Baker could be a candidate for ahead coaching joband interviewed Mondaywith Tulane,his almamater

STAFF PHOTOSByMICHAEL JOHNSON The north videoboardatTiger Stadium welcomes newLSU coach Lane KiffinonMonday.

In a good light

Catholic clergy are ecstatic about Rosalía’ssongs of faithinnew album

BY JOSEPH WILSON Associated Press

BARCELONA, Spain AndRosalía said, “Let there be Lux.” Rosalía, the global Spanish pop star lovedbymillions for fusing flamenco withLatin hiphop and reggaeton, has amazed her fans with aradical shift.

The singer and songwriter’s new album, “Lux” (“Light” in Latin),isunabashedly spiritual. Fifteen songs, sungin13 different languages, including fragments inLatin, Arabic and Hebrew, areladen with ayearning forthe divine. And it is receiving praise from on high.

Xabier GómezGarcía, bishop of Sant Feliu de Llobregat which includes Rosalía’shometownofSant Esteve Sesrovires near Barcelona,was oneofthe first church leaders to laud her work in an open letter to his flock. Rosalía’sgrandmother regularly attends mass in Sant Esteve Sesrovires, according to the diocese.

In an interview with TheAssociated Press, Gómezsaid that while some of hersongswere “provocative,” Rosalía “speaks with absolute freedom and withouthang-upsabout what she feels God to be, and the desire, thethirst (to know God).”

“When Ilistened to ‘Lux’ and Rosalía speaking about herthe context of her album andthe creativeprocess, Ifound myselffaced witha process and awork that transcended the musical. Here wasaspiritual search through the testimonies of women of immense spiritual maturity,” he said.

From her opening lyrics sung over piano and mournfulcello, “Who could live betweenthe two/First love the world and later love God,” Rosalía announces that this album is arupture from its Grammy-winning predecessors.“El mal querer (¨The Bad Loving” in Spanish) and “Motomami “had established Rosalía as one of the leadingartists in the Spanish music world with her experimental urban beats. Despite —orthanks to —its diversityofstyles and song forms, rangingfromclassical strings,

ä See ‘LUX’, page 2D

RARE SIGHTS

ThetinyBywater Museum of UnnaturalHistory may be ‘the embodimentofdreamsand storytelling’

BY DOUG MacCASH Staff writer

For lovers of off-the-beatenpathart experiences, The Bywater Museum of Unnatural History is catnip.

Located in theparlor of a 19th-century cottage on Mandeville Street, the minimuseum is absolutely chockablock with weird dioramas, surreal shadowboxes, dada junk sculpture andorphanantique toys. It’sasanctuary, where plastic dentures, bleachedbird bones, tiny plastic Barbie shoesand innumerable other odds and ends have all somehow found homes.

To visitthe placeisanintimate, unpretentious experiencewith a funky, folksy tone, perfectly befittingdowntown New Orleans. Flying far below theradar,the attraction is an ideal destination for art excursions by savvy tourists and locals alike.

Some of the artworks in the museum arebrilliant. Checkout the swamped Sewerage &Water Board diorama, thegumball machine filled with plastic bridegrooms from bygone wedding cakes, and theeleganthigh-heeled pump made from real rodent skin.

Truthbetold, some of the other artworks in the ensemble arejust

messy,jumbled labors of love. But here’sthe thing,everything playsa role in the charming overall effect. Predictably,perhaps, planning avisit to theBywater Museum of Unnatural History can be perplexing. First of all, it’snot in the Bywater,it’slocated in theMarigny There’snot aton of foot traffic, because, well, it’sonlyopenfor 2 hours and 31 minutes each Sundayafternoon —from 3p.m.to 5:31 p.m., precisely Patty Burns, whofounded the Bywater Museum in 2019, said she likes absurdly exacting numbers, because they are “intriguing though their oddness.” Burns, an artist and former English professor at Tulane University,said she envisioned the museum as “an engagement with material and the unconscious, the

Donald Glover revealsreasons forconcert cancellations

BY MARCO CARTOLANO Staff writer

Last year,itseemed like Donald Glover’slast concert ever as Childish Gambino was at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, after he abruptly canceled the rest of the tour.But after taking the stageagain recently he’srevealed thereason why

Glover

During his first concert Saturday at rapper Tyler, theCreator’s Camp Flog GnawCarnival in Los Angeles, the acclaimed 42-yearold rapper,comedian and actor openedupabout ahealth scare,Pitchfork reported. In amonologue thatwas widely shared to social media, Glover recalled his difficulties performing in New Orleans last September “I had areally badpaininmy head in Louisiana, and Idid the show anyway.Icouldn’treally see well,“ he told theaudience. “When we went to Houston, Iwent to the

discovered ahole in Glover’sheart, which he said required surgery Glover then canceled the remaining dates on his New World Tour There was speculation at the time thatGlover, whowas ambivalent aboutcontinuing as arapper while continuing his burgeoning film and TV career,would notperform as his

Childish Gambino moniker again. But Glover squashedthose rumorswhen he took the stage again Saturday Launching his career as awriter for“30 Rock,“ Glover is knownfor his role in “Community,“ creating

STAFF PHOTOSBySOPHIA GERMER

Adioramatitled ‘HappyBirthday Elemental Earth,’byco-curator Patty Burns, is on displayatthe Bywater Museum of Unnatural History.

The Bywater Museum of Unnatural Historyislocated in the Marigny neighborhood of NewOrleans.

IMAGE FROM COLUMBIA RECORDS

‘Mrs.Husband’s Name’feels outdated

Dear Miss Manners: Due to acomputer meltdown earlier this year,I had to rebuild my holidaygreeting card address list. When I asked my mother-in-law to share her list from that side of the family,Iwas flummoxed to find that she addresses her cards as “Mr.and Mrs. Husband’s Name” —e.g., John and Jane Smith would be addressed as “Mr.and Mrs. John Smith.”

Judith Martin MISS MANNERS

While Iknow this used to be acorrect form of address, I (married for 15 years and using my husband’slast name) findthis sexist and would be somewhat insulted to be addressedas“Mrs Husband’sName.”

Iimagine that in this day and

age, there are quiteafew other female friendsand relatives that would feel likewise. There are so manyother alternatives —the holiday cards maybeaddressed to “The Smiths,” “The Smith family,” “Mr. John and Mrs. JaneSmith,”for example. ShouldIbringupthe subject with my mother-inlaw? Ihad not realized the issue previously because we live in the same town, and shetypically gives us our cardsinperson rather than throughthe mail.

Gentle reader: When people want to insult their friends, Christmas cardsare probably not their weapon of choice.

Or so Miss Manners would

Making the perfectcup of java

Dear Heloise: Whenthe coffee can is close to empty,I turn the can upside down over alarge bowl and hit the bottom and sides of the can. Ican rotate it while hitting the sides until it looks clear of most of the grounds. Then Iuse asoft brush inside the can to collect whatever grounds are still remaining. If the can is to be reused, it can then be wiped clean. Ialso make coffee in an electric 12-cup percolatorthat was purchased online. My husband and Ihave been making our coffee for several years this way, and it tastes great. All the parts are metal, so no plastic comes into contact with the coffee-brewing process. We order paper filters online to use with the percolator.This oldfashioned technique still seems to work for us.

Marlene S.,inTucson,Arizona

Thesilentgeneration

between 1946-1964. Iwas born in 1935, so what am I labeled? “Old”? —Grandma G., via email Grandma G., theSilent Generation refers to peoplewho wereborn between 1928-1945. Many readers had thesame question!

think.But you —and others, no doubt —think otherwise.

So here is an idea for an advance Christmas present for your mother-in-law: Offer to updateher list by asking each of her friends how theywish to be addressed.

Dear Miss Manners: Iamayoung woman who has recently moved into alarger city.Iamnot comfortable interacting with strange men on thestreet who ask passersby for change or attention.

It seems that most of my peers respond to such requests by ignoring them, but Idislike the contempt expressed in ignoring anyone. I prefer to give apolite“No, thank you,” “I’m sorry,no” or “Excuse me please,” and thenmove on. Unfortunately,since these gentlemenare used to being ignored, my

MUSEUM

Continuedfrom page1D

embodiment of dreams and storytelling.

more-polite evasionsserve only to encourage them to continue these unwanted conversations.

Ifeel that if Igive in and begin ignoring people on the street, I will be allowing the rudeness of others to force me into rudeness myself. However,I do not care to spend every day disengaging from conversations with very persistent strangers whosee every tacticfor evasion —except for silence —asencouragement.

Anysuggestionsastohow to handle such tricky situations would be appreciated.

Gentlereader: Youare not supposed to be comfortableinteracting with strange gentlemen on the street.Evidence that people are destituteand desperate should makeyou uncomfortable. And so should solvent strangers who have personal designs on you. However,Miss Manners is reluctant to discourage you from responding initially with those polite phrases when they might serve to acknowledge the humanity of the unfortunate. That does not oblige you to continue with an exchange. Whether they are seeking your money or your acquaintance, you should react to aggressive behavior by moving away

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.

—Heloise

Making life easier

The petit museum used to be in asecond-story attic space above the Aquarium art gallery on Montegut Street in the Bywater neighborhood, hence the name. When Burns decided to leave the old spot in 2021, her friend and fellow artist Jennifer Blow offered the front of her house as the new location.

Dear Heloise: Ijust read the terms that are used for certain years of birth. Baby Boomers were born

By The Associated Press

Today is Tuesday, Dec. 2, the 336th day of 2025. There are 29 days left in the year

Todayinhistory: On Dec. 2, 1982, in the first operation of its kind, doctorsatthe University of Utah Medical Center implanted apermanent artificial heart in the chest of Barney Clark, aretired dentist who lived 112 days with the device. Also on this date: In 1804, Napoleon crowned himself emperor of France in acoronation ceremony at Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral In 1823, President James Monroe outlined his doctrine opposing further European expansion or colonialism in the Western Hemisphere. The Monroe Doctrine effectively created separate spheres of influence for the Americans and Europe In 1859, militant abolitionist John Brown was hanged for his raidthe previous Octoberon HarpersFerry in hopes of inciting alarge-scale slave rebellion. His execution further exacerbated North-South tensions in therun-up to the American Civil War. In 1942, an artificially created, self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction was demonstrated for the first time at the University of Chicago. The experiment led by physicist Enrico Fermi marked the dawn of the Atomic Age. In 1954, the U.S. Senate, voting 67-22, passed aresolution condemning Republican Sen. Joseph R. McCarthy of Wisconsin, saying he had “acted contrary to senatorial ethics and tendedtobring the

Dear Heloise: Ihave found that as Iam aging(I’m 71), there are some things that are becoming more constantpain-in-the-backs to do, specificallybending over.Since my wife and I don’tgenerate much dirty dishesand such, Ihave found it much easier to just put everything on the top rack of the dishwasher exceptdinner plates and silverware, which goes in the removable tray anyhow. This makes for alot less bending over, and there are fewer dishes to put away when it’sdone. My backreally appreciates it —BradHinks, via email Send ahint to heloise@ heloise.com.

Senateinto dishonorand disrepute.”

In 1993, Colombian drug lord PabloEscobar was shot to death by security forces while tryingtoflee across rooftopsinMedellin.

In 2004, Typhoon Nanmadollashed thePhilippines, killing hundreds of people.

In 2015, acouple loyal to theIslamic Stategroup opened fire at aholiday banquet forpublic employeesinSan Bernardino, California, killing 14 peopleand wounding21 others before dyingina shootout with police.

In 2016, afire raced through anillegally convertedwarehouseinOakland, California, during adance party,killing 36 people In 2020, TheU.N. Commission onNarcotic Drugs voted to removecannabis and cannabis resin from acategory of theworld’s most dangerous drugs, in astep with potential impactsonthe globalmedical marijuana industry Today’sBirthdays: Actor Cathy Lee Crosby is 81. Film director Penelope Spheerisis80. Author T. Coraghessan Boyle is 77. Actor Dan Butler is 71. Actor Steven Bauer is 69. Actor Lucy Liu is 57. Bassist Nate Mendel (Foo Fighters) is57. RapperTreach (NaughtyBy Nature) is 55. TennisHall of Famer Monica Seles is 52. Singer Nelly Furtado is 47. Pop singer Britney Spears is 44. Actor-singer JanaKramer is 42. Actor Yvonne Orji is 42. Actor Daniela Ruah is 42. NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers is 42. Actor Alfred Enoch is 37. Pop singersongwriter Charlie Puth is 34.

The twowomen instantly became co-curators. Blow knew something about the art world already,since she managed the popularMichalopoulos Gallery in the French Quarter for almost 20 years.She andBurns decided to keep theBywater Museum of Unnatural History’s original name …for discontinuity’ssake.

Dec. 7isgoing to be abig day at the museum, when an estimated 35 artists will debut newcreations during the annual diorama contest.

Anyadult or child can enter. All youhave to do is build asmall, boxed scene of some sort and drop it off at the museum by 8p.m. Dec. 5.

“We’re inspiredbypeople who just showupand bring adiorama,” Blow said. “We neverknowwhatwe’re going to get.”

The Bywater Museum of Unnatural History will even help supply materials to

make your masterpiece, in case you don’thave enough random knickknacks and geegawsofyour own. There will be cash prizes awarded in several categories. First place wins $77.94, Burns said. Originally,first place was $73, but it’s gone up $1.11 each year since.

The yearlydioramacontest fuels the museum’s collection. Participating artists often loan or donate their works to the permanent display.Nothing is rejected.If you ever wanted to see your art in amuseum,now’syour chance.

Those creatorswho show their workinthere are more than just exhibitors, they arecollaborators. Because the Bywater Museum of Unnatural History isn’tjust a museum,it’sameta artwork all its own.

The legendary JosephCornell was the all-timechampion of arranging mismatched objectsinboxes to create compelling collisions of thought. The Bywater Museum is like agiant Cornell boxstuffed with scoresof

smallerCornell boxes.It’s an echo chamber of juxtaposition, an artistic example of hive mentality,amarvelous, shared vision between Blow, Burnsand anybody else who wants to be apart of it. Visitors to the museum will agree that itswhole vibe is very harmonious with NewOrleans’ eccentricities.The Bywater Museum belongs here like beads in thetrees,like mirliton casserole, like eternally broken traffic lights, little green lizards and the sound of atuba in the distance.

TheBywater Museum of Unnatural History is located at 921 Mandeville St. Admission is free. Regular hours are from 3p.m.to 5:31 p.m. each Sunday, or by appointment. The annual dioramacontest takes place from 4p.m. to 7p.m. on Dec 7, with prize winners announced at 6:37 p.m. Check the website forcontest rules and further details.

Email Doug MacCashat dmaccash@theadvocate. com.

‘LUX’

Continuedfrom page1D

snippetsofelectronica with acameo by Björk,a boys’ choir from athousand-yearold monastery,anaria-like song in Italian, aPortuguese fado and, of course, modern flamenco and hip-hop beats, “Lux” is off to apowerful startamong listeners. It has foursongs in Spotify’s Top 50 global chartfor this week, morethan any artist, including Taylor Swift.

Madonna has declared herself afan of “Lux,” and composer Andrew Lloyd Webber haslavishly called it the “album of the decade.”

Turninginwards

Rosalía, 33, hassaidthat after hersuccess in more popular music forms, she let her long-held longing for the spiritual guideher in making “Lux.”

“In the end, in an age that seems nottobethe ageof faith or certainty or truth there is more need than ever for afaith, or acertainty,or atruth,” she told reporters in Mexico City last month.

She said that she was guided by the concept that “an artist doubts lessofhis vocation when he works in the service of God than when he works in the serviceofhim or herself.

Rosalía apparently has not had arevelatory“cometo-Jesus” momentcommon among evangelical believers in America. Like many Spaniards, she grew up in aonce staunchly Catholic Spain thathas quickly secularized

in recent decades, especially amongthe youngergenerations, leavingchurchesmostly to elderly parishioners

Even her early music flirted with medieval religious poetry,including one video clip from 2017 when she set apoem by 16th-century Spanishpoet Saint John of theCross to music.

While embracing Catholicsymbols andexpressing afascination with female saints, Rosalía seems to eschew strictly organized practice anddraws inspiration from other religions, as well. “Lux” responds to that diversity of interest, at one point quoting aSufi poetess.

“I have read muchmore than Idid yearsago,reading manyhagiographies of feminine saints from around the world,” she said.“They accompanied me throughout this process.”

Herstyle hasalso morphed. Gone are thehiphop fashion and long fake nails Rosalía sported only afew yearsago when she took theLatin Grammysby storm. Contrast thatnow with herlookonthe “Lux” album cover,where she is dressed in asolid white nun’sveilwith herarms apparently trapped inside a white top, her gaze averted. Joiningthe fanclub

Despite thepotentially controversialmove of comparing God to an obsessed lover in the song

“Dios es un stalker” (“God Is aStalker” in Spanish), Rosalía has won over the equivalent of the Vatican’s culture minister Cardinal José Tolentino de Mendonça, prefect of

the Vatican Dicastery for Cultureand Education,told Spanish news agency EFE this month that Rosalía has detected awider dissatisfaction with the secular world.

“Whena creator like Rosalíaspeaks of spirituality,” he said, “it meansthatshe captures aprofound need in contemporary culture to approach spirituality,tocultivate an inner life.”

Among the songs about faith, Rosalía found the time to deliver tunes like “La Perla” (“The Pearl” in Spanish) that dishes out scorn for a former lover

That deftmix of both high andpop culture is part of the allure of “Lux,” said Josep Oton, professor of religious history for the ISCREB theology school in Barcelona.

“She has succeeded in making popular music with very deep culturalroots,” Oton toldthe AP.“Anyone can listen to it, and people with different backgrounds can take away different things. It is pop music, but it is profound.”

Interpreting ‘Lux’

“Lux”can be intimidating forlisteners, both due to its elaborate orchestration and smattering of esoteric lyrics that Rosalíawas inspired to write after reading medieval mystical poets and their accounts of undergoing a transformative union with God through deep prayer and meditation.

Cirlot said the moving “La Yugular” (“The Jugular” in Spanish) is richinmystical thought because the throat, the home of the voice and thebreath, is associated in manyreligious traditions as the body’sdoor to the divine But, forCirlot, it’s the entire package that makes “Lux” so impactful.

“Rosalía is not just agreat singer; she is agreat actress, and her body language is full of thesemystical gestures like contorting herfacein an expression of ecstasy,of staring into nothing,” Cirlot said. “And then we have her amazing voice, which creates asense of flight.”

AP writer Berenice Bautista contributed from Mexico City

In the exhilarating “Reliquia” (“Relic”inSpanish), Rosalía compares herself to female saints, listing the parts of her body and life she has left in cities around the world as relics for others’ keeping. Her “Mio Cristo Piange Diamanti,” (“My Christ Weeps Diamonds”in Italian),brims with theextravagant Baroque image of thejewelsdripping from the eyes of the Messiah. In “Divinize,” Rosalía sings of the “divina buidor” (“divine emptiness” in Catalan), acentral concept of medieval mysticism which focused on howthe soul must experience abandonment to open aspace where Godcan enter Victoria Cirlot, professor of humanities at Barcelona’s PompeuFabra University and expert in medieval feminine mystical tradition, liked“Lux” forits abilityto introduce complex religious concepts to the general public, while noting it is “a minimalist” sample of the mystical tradition.

Hints from Heloise

STAFF PHOTO By DOUG MacCASH

Jennifer Blowand Patty Burns are the co-curators of the endearingly strangeBywater Museum of Unnatural History.

Dioramas adornthe walls of the Bywater Museum of Unnatural Historyinthe Marigny. STAFFPHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER

sAGIttARIus (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Refuse to let your emotions interfere with your professionalism. Observation will provide answers without involving a confrontation or conflict of interest.

cAPRIcoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Look for opportunities and take advantage. Change begins with you, and starting with self-improvement will offer the boost you require to initiate positive change. A partnership looks inviting.

AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Put your emotions on the shelf and use common sense when dealing with others. Hasty decisions, emotional meltdowns and overreacting will hold you back.

PIscEs (Feb. 20-March 20) Use intelligence, not brawn, to make your point. You'll gain respect and bring about positive change if you offer solid solutions that benefit everyone, not just you.

ARIEs (March 21-April 19) Do some research and verify information before you engage in a change. Knowing the hidden costs will offer peace of mind and encourage you to make better choices.

tAuRus (April 20-May 20) Pay attention to detail. Don't rush to please others, or it will cost you in the end. Map out a plan and stick to it until you're satisfied with the outcome. Show your strength.

GEMInI (May 21-June 20) You'll be itching to make a change, but you must first consider the physical aspects of what's

required to make things happen. Given the chance, someone will take advantage of you.

cAncER (June 21-July 22) An opportunity to get ahead is within reach. Let your intelligence and creativity lead the way, and you will convince others to support your efforts.

LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) It's your turn to step into the spotlight. Believe in and love what you do, and your passion will have a positive influence on those whose attention you capture.

VIRGo (Aug. 23-sept. 22) One step forward and two steps back will sum up your day if you overload your plate. You have plenty to gain if you learn from experience and make only necessary changes.

LIBRA (sept. 23-oct. 23) Live, learn, love and be happy. Communication is the key to getting what you want. Show your understanding of what you bring to the table.

scoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) Think, expand and initiate your plans. Take the road that leads to what makes you thrive. Travel, reunite with past associates and confront negativity, and something good will happen.

The horoscope, an entertainment feature, is not based on scientific fact. © 2025 by nEa, inc., dist. By andrews mcmeel syndication

FAMILY CIrCUS

Celebrity Cipher cryptograms are created from quotations by famous people, past and present. Each letter in the cipher stands for another.

toDAy's cLuE: n EQuALs P

CeLebrItY CIpher

For better or For WorSe peAnUtS zItS FrAnK And erneSt

SALLY Forth

beetLe bAILeY

Mother GooSe And GrIMM

SherMAn’S LAGoon

bIG

Sudoku

InstructIons: sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 grid with several given numbers. The object is to place the numbers1 to 9inthe empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. Thedifficulty level of the sudoku increases from monday to sunday.

Yesterday’s PuzzleAnswer

THe wiZard oF id

BLondie

BaBY BLueS

Hi and LoiS

CurTiS

Bridge

By PHILLIP ALDER

Our friend A.N. Other said, “Don’t gambleunless you can afford to lose, and if you can afford to lose, you don’t have to gamble.”

At the bridge table, unlessyou are playinginapairevent,whereovertricks canbevaluable,donotgambleyourcontract.Justtaketheguaranteedlinetoget home.

Today’sdealwouldnotonlysnaregamblers,butwouldalsocatchoutthosewho play tooquickly at trickone.

The bidding went off the rails slightly when it didnot end in three no-trump. Southwaspropelledintofiveclubs.After West guessed well to lead adiamond, what shoulddeclarer have done?

North’s two-heart bid was fourth-suit game-forcing. His three-club continuation was reasonable because six clubs could have been agoodcontract if South had, say, 4-3-1-5 shape. Butover South’s threehearts,Northshouldhavebidthree no-trump.

With only one toploser, the trump ace, it looks safetotake the diamond finesse at trickone.However,ifEastwinsand shifts to aheart,suddenly five clubs has no chance.

Instead,Southshouldwinthefirsttrick with dummy’s ace and attack trumps.

Let’sassume East takes thesecond round and switches to aheart. Declarer winswithhisace,unblocksdummy’stwo spades, plays atrump to his hand, discards dummy’sremaining hearts on his ace-jack of spades,ruffs the heartjack on the board, and claims, conceding one diamond and one club. ©2025 by nEa,inc., dist. By andrews mcmeel syndication

Each Wuzzle is awordriddlewhich creates adisguised word, phrase, name, place, saying, etc. For example: nOOn gOOD =gOOD aFTErnOOn

Previous answers:

word game

InstRuctIons: 1. Words must be of fourormore letters. 2. Words that acquire fourletters 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 wordsare not allowed toDAy’s WoRD cHRonIc: KRON-ik: Alway present, especially amedical condition.

Average mark16words

Timelimit 20 minutes

Can you find 20 or morewords in CHRONIC?

yEstERDAy’s WoRD —EPILEPsy

spile yelp yippee

wuzzles

loCKhorNs

Theseare good wordstoheed on adaily basis. They will save us alot of grief G.E. Dean

marmaduKe

Bizarro

hagar the horriBle

Pearls Before swiNe

garfield

B.C.

PiCKles hidato

mallard

dIrectIons: make a 2- to 7-letter word from the letters in each row. add points of each word, using scoring directions at right. Finally, 7-letter words get 50-point bonus. “Blanks” used as any letter have no point value. all the words are in the Official sCraBBlE® players Dictionary, 5th Edition.

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

ken ken

InstructIons: 1 Each row and each column must contain the numbers 1 thorugh 4 (easy) or 1 through 6 (challenging) without repeating. 2 The numbers within the heavily outlined boxes, called cages, must combine using the given operation (in any order) to produce the target numbers in the top-left corners. 3 Freebies: Fill in the single-box cages with the number in the top-left corner. HErE is a

WiShinG Well

Scrabble GramS

Get fuzzy

jump Start

roSe iS roSe

animal crackerS

DuStin

Drabble

Wallace the brave

breWSter rockit

luann

Kouloubis,isapplying for authority to sell at pri‐vatesale, itsinterestof the Succession of Mary MariakisKouloubis on terms setforth in the RealEstatePurchase Agreement where the purchaseprice forthe entirePropertywillbe equal to ThreeHundred

business/solicitations/ActiveSolicitationsorat HousingAgencyMarket‐place.

Allresponses submitted aresubject to theIn‐structions,Supplemental Instructions to Offerors Generaland Supplemen‐talConditions, andall otherrequirementscon‐tainedtherein,all of whichare made apartof theInvitationfor Bids by reference. HANO reserves theright to reject anyorall offers forjustcause andwaive anyformalities in the submission processifit is in thebestinterestof thepublictodoso. 167961-nov25-dec2-9-3t $126

ferenceat2:00pm, Wednesday, December 10, 2025 at 821 Washing‐ton Street,New Orleans, LA 70130. Responsestothissolici‐tation shallbedelivered in asealedenvelopeor boxtothe HousingAu‐thorityofNew Orleans (HANO),Departmentof Procurementand Con‐tracts,until December 22, 2025 at 2:00 pm to thefol‐lowing address: HousingAuthority of NewOrleans Department of Procure‐ment andContracts Attn:PaulMarquette,Se‐nior Procurement Spe‐cialist 1555 PoydrasStreet Suite1800 NewOrleans,Louisiana 70112

Thefullscope of work andsinglecopiesofthe IFBpackage maybe downloaded from HANO’s websiteat https://www.hano.org/ business/solicitations/

com Clarification Deadline: Anyquestions or further informationconcerning this IFBmustbesubmit‐tedthrough https:// norta.procureware.com/ home by 2:00PM on De‐cember 2, 2025. Only writtenquestions sub‐mitted throughProcure‐ware site shallbeconsid‐ered official.All answers to questionsshall be by formal addendaposted to thewebsite under IFB 2025-043. Responding to IFB:Bids shallbesubmitted throughthe RTA’sPro‐cureware websiteonor before 2:00 P.M.,Tuesday December 9, 2025. ABid Opening will be held in theRTA Board Room locatedat2817 CanalStreet,New Or‐leans, LA 70119, on Tues‐day, December 9,

taining,situatedinthe ParishofJefferson Louisiana,Pontchartrain ShoresSubdivision,ac‐cording to aplotofsub‐divisionthereof made by J.L.Fontcuberta,Sur‐veyor,October 30, 1956 copyofwhich is on file in PlanBook 31, folio 60 in the office of theClerk of Court,ParishofJeffer‐son,and approved by the PoliceJuryunder Ordi‐nance no.3433, said por‐tionofground is desig‐nated andmeasuresas follows: LOT12ofSQUARE24, bounded by FolseDrive Gregoire Street AlphonseDrive and Burck Street.Saidlot commences 110’ from AlphonseDrive andmea‐sures thence 50’ fronton Burck Street,bya depth