U.S. Border Patrol agents detain and handcuff a man on Williams Boulevard in Kenner as
around the New Orleans metro area on Wednesday. It wasn’t immediately clear why
‘Catahoula Crunch’ focuses on detaining immigrants with serious criminal records, official says
BY JAMES FINN Staff writer
Federal agents on Wednesday launched immigration enforcement sweeps across the New Orleans region, targeting south Louisiana as the next host of the escalating immigration crackdown from President Donald Trump’s administration.
Agents detained dozens of people outside home improvement stores, in shopping mall parking lots and at worksites in residential neighborhoods, according to eyewitnesses, immigrant rights groups and reporters who viewed some of the arrests One witness described agents
ä ACLU files suit challenging state law blocking interference with immigration agents. PAGE 5A
rounding up two dozen day laborers outside a Lowe’s. Videos that circulated on social media showed agents surrounding workers atop a house under construction in Kenner
The operation, which is expected to last for an indefinite period, follows immigration sweeps led by the U.S. Border Patrol in Chicago and several cities
ä See BORDER, page 5A
No word on UL president search
Next regular meeting of system board is Dec. 11
BY MEGAN WYATT Staff writer
It’s been about three weeks since the University of Louisiana system board announced it would create a search committee to find UL’s next president, but it remains unclear who will serve on the committee or when it will meet.
Leah Orr, president of the UL Faculty Senate and head of the English department, said there has been no communication by the board or system about appointing a member of the senate to the committee, which she expects to happen.
“I would assume so, based on what the board’s bylaws say,” Orr said. “But we haven’t heard anything since the board meeting that we all were at.”
A UL system spokesperson said there’s been no news since the board’s Nov 13 meeting.
That meeting addressed speculation that the board would forgo a search and install a president without any input from faculty, staff or students. The board spent an hour in a closed-door, executive session before emerging and announcing a search committee would be formed.
The board also named Ramesh Kolluru, UL’s vice president for research, innovation and economic development, as interim president during the meeting. His appointment came at the recommendation of Jaimie Hebert, who had been serving as interim president since
ä See SEARCH, page 6A
Revenue Secretary Nelson to lead La. community college system
BY ALYSE PFEIL Staff writer
The Louisiana Community and Technical College System on Wednesday selected its new president, giving the top job to Department of Revenue Secretary Richard Nelson.
Nelson will begin leading the state’s community college system, which includes 12 schools, effective Jan. 1.
“Secretary Nelson is a problem solver a bridge builder, and a leader who recognizes the critical role our colleges play in every region of Louisiana,” Tim Hardy, chair of the LCTCS board, said in a statement.
Nelson has been at the helm of the Department of Revenue since early 2024, when he was tapped to lead the agency by Gov Jeff Landry He is a former state representative from Mandeville who ran for governor in 2023 but dropped out and endorsed Landry
Current President Monty Sullivan in October announced he would retire early next year He was appointed to the role in 2014.
“Under Dr Sullivan’s leadership, LCTCS nearly doubled its number of
Nelson ä See NELSON, page 6A
STAFF PHOTOS By CHRIS GRANGER
they begin their ‘Catahoula Crunch’ sweeps
the unidentified man was being detained.
Chief Patrol Agent of U.S Customs and Border Protection Gregory Bovino, center, tours the New Orleans metro area on Wednesday.
BRIEFS FROM WIRE REPORTS
Power outage hits
Cuba’s western region
HAVANA A blackout hit Havana and the rest of the western half of Cuba on Wednesday, leaving millions of people without power on an island struggling with chronic outages blamed on a crumbling electric grid.
Lázaro Guerra, general director of the Ministry of Energy and Mines, said the massive outage was caused by a failure on a transmission line that connects two major plants. He said power would be restored gradually
In Havana, dozens of police officers were trying to direct traffic while many students who were already in school were sent back home. Small businesses that have generators resumed their sales, especially of food. Some areas had intermittent internet service, so many residents were left wondering what had happened.
“There’s no connection. No one knows why the power is out.
They’re not saying anything; it’s all silence,” grumbled Raúl Calderón, an 82-year-old retiree, as he waited to hear official reports on the radio.
A total blackout hit Cuba in September, with officials blaming aging infrastructure and fuel shortages at power plants. The ongoing outages also affect water service and impact the island’s fragile business sector Safety volunteer charged in shooting of protester
A safety volunteer accused of fatally shooting a man who was participating in a “No Kings” protest in Salt Lake City in June has been charged with manslaughter, prosecutors announced Wednesday.
Matthew Alder allegedly fired at a man who was holding a rifle during the demonstration, injuring that person and killing Arthur Folasa Ah Loo, a beloved Utah fashion designer Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill also announced that the man with the rifle, Arturo Roberto Gamboa, will not be charged. Gamboa was initially arrested on suspicion of murder, accused of creating the dangerous situation that led to Ah Loo’s death, police said at the time. Utah is an open-carry state, meaning people who can legally own a firearm are generally allowed to carry it on a public street W.Va. reinstates school vaccination mandate
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The West Virginia Board of Education on Tuesday reinstated a school vaccination mandate after the state Supreme Court paused a lower court’s ruling that allowed parents to cite religious beliefs to opt out of shots required for their children to attend classes. The Supreme Court earlier Tuesday issued a stay in last week’s ruling by Raleigh County Circuit Judge Michael Froble in a class-action lawsuit. In issuing an injunction, Froble said children of families who objected to the state’s compulsory vaccination law on religious grounds would be allowed to attend school and participate in extracurricular sports.
The Supreme Court halted Froble’s ruling pending resolution of appeals in the case. In light of that, the board said in a statement that it “is reinstating its directive to county boards of education not to accept religious exemptions to compulsory vaccination laws. This directive will be in effect until the Supreme Court issues further guidance.”
The board had suspended the vaccine mandate last week after Froble’s ruling, which said that a state policy barring parents from seeking religious exemptions violated the Equal Protection for Religion Act signed into law in 2023 by then-Republican Gov Jim Justice.
West Virginia was among just a handful of states that granted only medical exemptions from school vaccinations when Republican Gov Patrick Morrisey issued an executive order in January allowing religious exemptions In June, the board directed public schools to ignore Morrisey’s executive order Two groups had sued over the executive order, saying the Legislature not the governor has the authority to make such decisions.
Trump pardons Texas representative
Cuellar accused of bribery, conspiracy
BY MICHELLE L PRICE Associated Press
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump pardoned Texas Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar and his wife in a federal bribery and conspiracy case on Wednesday citing what he called a “weaponized” justice system
Democrat, of going after the congressman and his wife “for speaking the TRUTH.” Federal authorities had charged Cuellar and his wife with accepting thousands of dollars in exchange for the congressman advancing the interests of an Azerbaijancontrolled energy company and a bank in Mexico. Cuellar is accused of agreeing to influence legislation favorable to Azerbaijan and deliver a pro-Azerbaijan speech on the floor of the U.S. House.
to work. Nothing has changed. We will continue working hard.”
Cuellar was asked if he was changing parties and said, “No, like I said, nothing has changed.”
A spokesperson for Biden did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment.
parents.
“When you and your family faced your own challenges, we understood that pain in a very human way,” Cuellar’s daughters wrote in their letter “We watched from afar through the eyes of daughters who knew what it felt like to see parents under fire.”
In a statement, Imelda Cuellar’s lawyers said Wednesday they were gratified by Trump’s pardon of their client.
The U.S Constitution gives the president broad power to grand pardons for federal crimes. The pardons don’t erase a recipient’s criminal record but can be seen as act of mercy or justice, often in cases that further public welfare.
Trump, who has argued that his own legal troubles were a partisan witch hunt, said on social media without presenting evidence that Cuellar and his wife, Imelda Cuellar, were prosecuted because the congressman had been critical of President Joe Biden’s immigration policies. Trump, a Republican, said in a social media post that Cuellar “bravely spoke out against Open Borders and accused Biden, a
Cuellar has said he and his wife are innocent. The couple’s trial had been set to begin next April.
“Henry, I don’t know you, but you can sleep well tonight,” Trump wrote in his social media post announcing the pardon. “Your nightmare is finally over!”
Cuellar, who spoke to reporters outside his congressional office on Wednesday thanked Trump in a brief statement. “I think the facts have been clear about this, but I would also say I want to thank God for standing during this very difficult time with my family and I,” he said. “Now we can get back
Trump’s pardons this year have included a string of unlikely beneficiaries who are boldfaced names and frequently politically aligned with the president. He pardoned dozens of Republicans accused of participating in his efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss to Biden. He gave clemency to all of 1,500plus people charged in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
In Trump’s social media post, he included a copy of a letter that Cuellar’s two daughters, Christina and Catherine, had sent to him on Nov 12 asking that he pardon their
Veteran who saved lives on Omaha Beach dies
BY SYLVIE CORBET and JEFFREY SCHAEFFER Associated Press
PARIS Charles Shay, a decorated Native American veteran who was a 19-year-old U.S. Army medic when he landed on Omaha Beach on D-Day and helped save lives, died on Wednesday He was 101.
Shay died at his home in BrettevilleL’Orgueilleuse in France’s Normandy region, his longtime friend and carer Marie-Pascale Legrand said.
Shay of the Penobscot tribe and from Indian Island in the U.S state of Maine, was awarded the Silver Star for repeatedly plunging into the sea and carrying critically wounded soldiers to relative safety saving them from drowning. He also received France’s highest award, the Legion of Honor, in 2007.
Shay had been living in France since 2018, not far from the shores of Normandy where nearly 160,000 troops from Britain, the U.S., Canada and other nations landed on D-Day on June 6, 1944. The Battle of Normandy hastened Germany’s defeat, which came less than a year later.
“He passed away peacefully surrounded by his loved ones,” Legrand told The Associated Press.
The Charles Shay Memorial group, which honors the memory of about 500 Native Americans who landed on the Normandy beaches, said in a statement posted on Facebook that “our hearts are deeply saddened as we share that our beloved Charles Norman Shay has returned home to the Creator and the Spirit World.”
“He was an incredibly loving father, grandfather, father-in-law, and uncle, a hero to many, and an overall amazing human being,” the statement said. “Charles leaves a legacy of love, service, courage, spirit, duty and family that continues to shine brightly.”
Ready to give his life
On D-Day, 4,414 Allied troops lost their lives, 2,501 of them Americans. More than 5,000 were wounded. On the German side, several thousand were killed or wounded Shay survived.
“I guess I was prepared to give my life if I had to. Fortunately, I did not have to,” Shay said in a 2024 interview with The Associated Press.
“I had been given a job, and the way I looked at it, it was up to me to complete my job,” he recalled. “I did not have time to worry about my situation of being there and perhaps losing my life. There was no time for this.”
On that night, exhausted, he eventually fell asleep in a grove above the beach.
“When I woke up in the morning. It was like I was sleeping in a graveyard because there were dead Americans and Germans surrounding me,” he recalled. “I stayed there for not very long and I continued on my way.”
Shay then pursued his mission in Normandy for several weeks, rescuing those wounded, before heading with American troops to eastern France and Germany, where he was taken prisoner in March 1945 and liberated a few weeks later Spreading a message of peace
After World War II, Shay reenlisted in the military because the situation of Native Americans in his home state of Maine was too precarious due to poverty and discrimination. Maine would not allow individuals living on Native American reservations to vote until 1954.
Shay continued to witness history returning to combat as a medic during the Korean War, participating in U.S. nuclear testing in the Marshall Islands and later working at the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna, Austria.
For over 60 years, he did not talk about his World War II experience. But he began attending D-Day commemorations in 2007 and in recent years, he has seized many occasions to give his powerful testimony and spread a message of peace.
During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020-21, Shay’s lone presence marked commemoration ceremonies as travel restrictions prevented other veterans or families of fallen soldiers from the U.S., Britain and other allied countries from making the trip to France.
Sadness at seeing war back in Europe
For years, Shay used to perform a sageburning ceremony, in homage to those who died, on a bluff overlooking Omaha Beach, where the monument bearing his name now stands.
On June 6, 2022, he handed over the remembrance task to another Native American, Julia Kelly, a Gulf War veteran from the Crow tribe. That was just over three months after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in what was to become the worst war on the continent since 1945. Shay then expressed his sadness at seeing war back on the continent. “Ukraine is a very sad situation I feel sorry for the people there and I don’t know why this war had to come,” he said. “In 1944, I landed on these beaches and we thought we’d bring peace to the world. But it’s not possible.”
BY ANDREW DALTON Associated Press
“She has always maintained her innocence,” the statement said. Henry Cuellar still faces an Ethics Committee investigation in the House. It began in May 2024 shortly after his indictment and was reauthorized in July The committee said it was in contact with the Justice Department about mitigating the risks associated with dual investigations while still meeting its obligations to safeguard the integrity of the House.
Cuellar, who has served in Congress for more than 20 years, is a moderate Democrat who represents an area on the Texas-Mexico border
LOS ANGELES A doctor who pleaded guilty to selling ketamine to Matthew Perry in the weeks before the “Friends” star’s overdose death was sentenced to 2½ years in prison on Wednesday Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett handed down the sentence plus two years of probation to 44-year-old Dr Salvador Plasencia in a federal courtroom in Los Angeles. The judge emphasized that Plasencia didn’t provide the ketamine that killed Perry, but told him, “You and others helped Mr Perry on the road to such an ending by continuing to feed his ketamine addiction.”
“You exploited Mr Perry’s addiction for your own profit,” she said.
Plasencia was led from the courtroom in handcuffs as his mother cried loudly in the audience.
Perry’s mother stepmother and two half sisters gave tearful victim impact statements.
“My brother’s death turned my world upside down,” sister Madeline Morrison said crying. “It punched a crater in my life. His absence is everywhere.” Plasencia was the first to be sentenced of the five defendants who have pleaded guilty in connection with Perry’s death at age 54 in 2023. The doctor admitted to taking advantage of Perry, knowing he was a struggling addict. Plasencia texted another doctor that Perry was a “moron” who could be exploited for money, according to court filings. Prosecutors had asked for three years in prison, while the defense sought just a day in prison plus probation.
Perry’s mother talked about the things he overcame in life and the strength he showed.
“You called him a ‘moron,’” Suzanne Perry said, addressing Plasencia. “There is nothing moronic about that man. He was even a successful drug addict.”
World War II veteran Charles Shay, then 96, pays tribute during a ceremony in the Normandy American Cemetery of Colleville-sur-Mer, Normandy, France, June 6, 2021.
Cuellar
Hegsethfaces more scrutiny from Congress
BY STEPHENGROVES and LISA MASCARO Associated Press
WASHINGTON— Pete Hegseth barely squeaked through agrueling Senate confirmation process to become secretary of defense earlier this year,facing lawmakers wary of the Fox News Channelhost andskeptical of his capacity,temperament and fitness for the job.
Now,inwhat may be his most career-defining moment yet, Hegseth is confronting questions about the useofmilitary force and demands he release the videotapes afteraspecial operations team reportedly attacked survivors of astrike on an alleged drug boat off the coast of Venezuela.Some lawmakers and legalexperts say the second strike would have violated the laws of armed conflict.
“These are serious charges, and that’sthe reason we’re going to have special oversight,” said Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi,the Republican chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
The scrutiny surrounding Hegseth’sbrash leadership style is surfacing what has been long-building discontent in Congress over President Donald Trump’schoice to helm the U.S. military
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaksTuesday duringaCabinet meeting at the White House in Washington.
And it’sposing apotentially existential moment for Hegseth as the congressionalcommittees overseeing the militarylaunch an investigation amid mountingcalls from Democratic senators for his resignation
Voweda ‘warrior culture’
Since working to become defense secretary,Hegseth has vowed to bring a“warrior culture” to theU.S.government’smost powerful andexpensive department, from rebranding it as the Department of Wartoessentially discarding the rules thatgovern how soldiers conduct themselveswhen
lives are on the line.
Hegseth on Tuesday cited the “fog of war” in defending thefollow-up strike, saying that there were explosions andfire andthat he didnot see survivors in thewater when thesecond strike was ordered and launched. He chided those second-guessing his actions as being part of theproblem.
Yetthe approach tothe operation was in line with thedirection of themilitary under Hegseth, aformer infantryofficerwiththe Army National Guard,partofthe post-Sept. 11 generation, whowas deployedtoIraq and Afghanistan and earned Bronze Stars.
During aspeech in September,hetold an unusual gathering of top military brass whom he hadsummoned from allcorners of the globe to the Quantico Marine Corps Base in Virginia that they shouldnot “fight with stupid rulesof engagement.”
“Weuntie thehands of our warfighters to intimidate, demoralize,hunt and kill theenemies of our country,” he said. “No morepolitically correct andoverbearing rulesofengagement, just commonsense, maximum lethality and authority for warfighters.”
But nowlawmakersand
military andlegal experts say theSept. 2attack borders on illegal militaryaction.
“Secretary Talk Show Host may have been experiencing the ‘fog of war,’ but thatdoesn’t change the fact that this was an extrajudicial killing amounting to murder or awar crime,” said Sen. ChrisVan Hollen, D-Md. “He must resign.”
Rep. Don Bacon,aRepublican who served 30 years active duty in theAir Force, finishing his career at the rank of brigadier general, saidhehasn’tbeen afan of Hegseth’sleadership. “I don’tthink he was up to the task,”Bacon said. Will he keep Trump’sfavor?
Trump,a Republican, has largely stood by his defense secretary,among themost important Cabinet-level positions. But the decisions by Wicker,alongside House Armed Services Chair Mike Rogers of Alabama and the top Democrats on the committees, to open investigationsprovide arare moment of Congress assertingitself and itsauthority to conduct oversight of the Trump administration.
Senate Majority Leader JohnThune,R-S.D., who shepherded thedefense secretary’snomination to confirmation, has saidthe boat
Watchdog reportsonHegseth’s useofSignal
Secretaryput U.S. personnelatrisk, findingssay
BY LISA MASCARO and BEN FINLEY Associated Press
WASHINGTON ThePentagon’swatchdogfound that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth put U.S. personnel and their mission at risk when he used the Signal messaging app to convey sensitive information about amilitary strike against Yemen’sHouthi militants, two people familiar with the findings said Wednesday Hegseth, however,has the ability to declassify material and the report did not find he didsoimproperly, according to one of the people familiar with the findings who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the information. That person also said the report concluded that Hegseth violated Pentagon policyby using his personal device for official business and it recommended better training for all Pentagon officials. Hegseth declined to sit for an interview with the Pentagon’sinspector general but provided awritten statement, that person said. The defense secretary asserted that he was permitted to declassifyinformation as he saw fitand only communicated details he thoughtwould not endanger the mission.
The initial findings ramp up the pressure on the former Fox News Channel host after lawmakers had called for the independent inquiry into his use of the commercially available app. Lawmakers also just opened investigations into anews report that a follow-upstrike on an alleged drug-smuggling boat in the Caribbean SeainSeptember killed survivors after Hegseth issued averbal order to “kill everybody.”
Hegseth defended the strike as emerging in the “fog of war,” saying he didn’t seeany survivors butalso
“didn’tstick around”for the rest of the mission and that the admiral in charge “made the right call” in ordering thesecondstrike. He also didnot admit faultfollowing the Signal revelations, asserting that the information was unclassified.
“TheInspectorGeneral review is aTOTAL exoneration of Secretary Hegseth andproves what we knew all along—noclassified information was shared,” SeanParnell, the Pentagon’s chief spokesman,said in astatement. “This matter is resolved, and the case is closed.”
President Donald Trump “stands by” Hegseth, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in astatement,adding thatthe probe affirms that “no classified information was leaked, and operational securitywas not compromised.”
In at leasttwo separate Signalchats,Hegseth provided the exact timings of warplane launches and when bombswoulddrop— before the men and women carryingout thoseattacks on behalf of the United States were airborne Hegseth’suse of the app came to light when ajournalist, Jeffrey Goldberg of The Atlantic,was inadvertently added to aSignal text chain by then-national security adviser Mike Waltz. It included Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of StateMarco Rubio, Director of National IntelligenceTulsi Gabbard andothers, brought together to discuss March15military operations against the IranbackedHouthis Hegseth had createdanother Signal chat with 13 people that includedhis wife andbrother wherehe shared similar details of the same strike, The Associated Press reported. Signal is encrypted butis notauthorized forcarrying classified information and is notpartofthe Pentagon’s secure communicationsnetwork. Hegsethpreviously has
said none of the information sharedinthe chats was classified.Multiple current andformer military officials have told the AP there was no way details with that specificity,especially before astrike took place, would have been OK to share on an unsecured device.
The reviewwas delivered to lawmakers, whowere able to review thereport in aclassified facility at the Capitol. Apartially redacted version of the report was expected to be released publicly later this week.
Hegsethsaid he viewed theinvestigation as apartisan exercise anddid not trust theinspector general, according to one of the peoplefamiliar with thereport’s findings. Thereviewhad to rely on screenshotsofthe Signal chat published by the Atlantic because Hegseth could not provide morethan asmall handful of his Signal messages, theperson said.
Whenasked about the investigationinAugust, Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson told reporters that“we believe thatthis is a witch huntand atotal sham and being conducted in bad faith.”
Therevelationssparked intense scrutiny,with Democratic lawmakers and a smallnumber of Republicans saying Hegseth posting the informationtothe Signal chatsbefore themilitary jets had reachedtheir targetspotentially put those pilots’ lives at risk.They said lower-ranking members of the militarywould have been fired for such alapse.
SomeDemocrats on the House andSenate intelligencecommittees suggested Wednesday that Hegseth’sactions would be a fireable offense for anyone else.
“This was not an isolated lapse. It reflects abroader patternofrecklessness and poor judgment from a secretarywho has repeatedly shown he is in over his head,” Sen. MarkWarner of Virginia said in astatement.
The Houthi rebels had
startedlaunching missile and drone attacks against commercial and militaryships in late 2023 in what their leadership haddescribed as an efforttoend Israel’soffensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Their campaign greatly reduced the flow of trade through the RedSea corridor,which typically sees $1 trillion of goods move through it annually Following the disclosure of Hegseth’sSignal chat that includedthe Atlantic’seditor, the magazine released the entire thread in late March. Hegseth had posted multiple details about an impending strike, using militarylanguage andlaying outwhen a“strike window” starts, where a“target terrorist” was located, the time elementsaround the attack and when various weaponsand aircraft would be used in the strike.Hementioned that the U.S. was “currently clean” on operational security
strikes are within Trump’s authority as commander in chief —and he noted that Hegseth serves at the pleasure of the president.
“I don’thave, at this point, an evaluation of the secretary,” Thune said at the start of the week. “Others can makethose evaluations.”
But Hegseth also has strong allies on Capitol Hill, and it remains unclear how muchRepublicanswould actually be willing to push back on the president, especially when they have spent the first year in his administration yielding to his various demands.
Vice President JD Vance, who casta rare tiebreaking vote to confirm Hegseth, has vigorously defended him in the attack.And Sen. Eric Schmitt, another close ally to Trump, dismissed criticism of Hegseth as “nonsense” and part of an effort to undermine Trump’sfocus on Central and South America.
“He’snot part of theWashington elite,”saidSchmitt, R-Mo.“He’s nota think tanker that people thought Trumpwas goingtopick.
And so, for that reason and others, they just, they don’t like him.” Tension between some Republican lawmakers and the Pentagonhas been risingfor months. Capitol Hill hasbeen angered by recent moves to restrict how defense officials communicate with lawmakers and the slow pace of information on Trump’s campaign to destroy boats carrying drugs off the coast of Venezuela. As he defendshis job, Hegseth has spoken to both Wicker andRogers, the top lawmakers overseeing the military.Rogers said he was “satisfied” with Hegseth after that conversation, while Wicker said that he told Hegseth that he would like him to testifytoCongress. Hegseth at first triedto brush aside theinitial report about the strike by posting a photo of the cartoon character Franklin the Turtle firing on aboatfroma helicopter, but that only inflamed criticism of himand angered lawmakers who felt he was not taking the allegations seriously
ACLU sues La. over law blocking interference
Legal conflict develops as immigration operation begins
BY MEGHAN FRIEDMANN Staff writer
A new state law against interfering with immigration officers is so broadly written that it violates the First Amendment by limiting free speech, the American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana argues in a new lawsuit.
Filed as immigration officers descend on southeast Louisiana for an operation dubbed “Catahoula Crunch,” the lawsuit, now pending in federal court in the Eastern District of Louisiana, targets Act 399. That law, by state Sen. Jay Morris, R-West Monroe, makes it a crime to “knowingly commit any act intended to hinder, delay, prevent, or otherwise interfere with or thwart federal immigration enforcement efforts.” The lawsuit also names Attorney General Liz Murrill, who has publicized the law ahead of the Border Patrol’s arrival in New Orleans. Immigration Services and Legal Advocacy, or ISLA, the main plaintiff in the lawsuit, is a New Orleans-based organization that offers legal help to immigrants in Louisiana. In November it stopped offering “Know Your Rights”
workshops to immigrants because it feared doing so would violate Act 399, according to the lawsuit.
prison if it involves a civil immigration proceeding. They could also face up to $5,000 in fines.
sianan’s First Amendment right to speak truth to power.”
Morris, who authored Act 399, said he believes it will hold up in court.
in North Carolina. Border Patrol
Commander Gregory Bovino, who has faced scrutiny for those operations’ tactics, arrived in New Orleans on Wednesday to lead the Louisiana effort.
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said the Louisiana operation had been christened “Catahoula Crunch.” Federal officials did not respond to requests for tallies of the number of people the operation had detained on Wednesday
The DHS spokesperson, Tricia McLaughlin, said agents would focus on detaining immigrants with serious criminal records. In Chicago and North Carolina, the majority of detainees had no criminal backgrounds.
A New Orleans-based advocacy group, Union Migrante, said federal agents had detained people at four large homebuilding stores: Lowe’s locations on Elysian Fields Avenue in New Orleans and on Veterans Boulevard in Metairie, and Home Depot stores in LaPlace and Gretna. The group also reported arrests at a car wash in LaPlace.
Reporters for The Times-Picayune | The Advocate witnessed Border Patrol agents making arrests on Williams Boulevard in Kenner, known for its large presence of immigrant-run businesses. Federal agents in tactical gear, some wearing masks, placed people in handcuffs as they moved through the area.
“Welcome to operation Catahoula Crunch,” Bovino told reporters.
Border Patrol’s arrival in the Crescent City brings a vanguard of Trump’s agenda to detain and deport millions of undocumented immigrants to a multicultural region whose music, cuisine, revival after major hurricanes and tourism-driven economy have long been shaped by those from other countries Hispanic residents both those with and without legal status — were on edge for days before the
“ISLA wishes to advise people about the rights of immigrants during Operation Swamp Sweep, but the newly added language included in Act 399 makes doing so without legal assurances virtually impossible,” attorneys for the ACLU wrote, using an earlier name for the immigration crackdown in New Orleans.
The lawsuit asks the court to declare that the law violates the First Amendment and to block the state from enforcing it against ISLA. It also alleges the law violates the 14th Amendment because it is overly vague.
“I have not received service of process of this complaint apparently filed today,” Murrill said in a statement Wednesday “Our law is constitutional and we look forward to defending it in court.”
Act 399, which makes interfering with immigration enforcement operations an obstruction of justice, took effect Aug. 1 People who break the law face up to six months in prison if the offense involves an official act of a government agent, and up to one year in
official announcement. Advocates and immigration attorneys have circulated advice about what rights residents can exercise if Border Patrol agents show up at their homes and businesses.
The FBI and Louisiana State Police on Wednesday confirmed their involvement in the operation, saying the agencies would work together to “investigate and arrest anyone assaulting law enforcement officers, unlawfully impeding federal law enforcement activity or assisting anyone to commit this criminal activity,” according to a news release.
The FBI opened an online tip line asking people to share video or audio of “any violent and/or criminal activity associated with Catahoula Crunch.”
“We will not tolerate assaults on law enforcement officers in Louisiana and there will be consequences,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Tapp, of the New Orleans Field Office. Republican state leaders, including Gov Jeff Landry and Attorney General Liz Murrill, have welcomed the immigration sweeps.
Louisiana’s Republican supermajority state Legislature has passed laws seeking to penalize local officials who obstruct immigration agents and restricting public benefits available to people without legal status.
Immigration advocates and the American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana sued Murrill on Wednesday in New Orleans’ federal court over Louisiana Act 399, a law that threatens prosecution of people who interfere with immigration agents. They argued the law restricts First Amendment rights to free speech
Landry said in a radio interview that the operation would aim to arrest violent offenders and tamp down on crime. New Orleans’ crime rate is at a historic low
“This is going to run until we get them all off the street,” Landry said. Locally, the operation has faced pushback from officials including Helena Moreno, New Orleans’ Democratic mayor-elect.
Murrill has repeatedly warned the public against breaking the law during the rollout of the Catahoula Crunch operation.
“Individuals who interfere with ICE, Border Patrol, or assault law enforcement are committing a State crime and will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law,” she said in a release Wednesday In the past, ISLA has used Know Your Rights workshops to inform immigrants that they can demand a judicial warrant if ICE appears at their homes, and that they may film ICE arrests, the ACLU’s lawyers wrote.
They halted that activity around Nov 18, after news broke that the Border Patrol would be leading an immigration crackdown in southeast Louisiana and Mississippi, according to the lawsuit.
“The ability to challenge government action without facing arrest is what separates a free nation from a police state,” said Alanah Odoms, executive director of the ACLU of Louisiana. “Louisiana is choosing the police state. We’re going to court to protect every Loui-
Moreno said in an interview Wednesday that she worried about Border Patrol officials masking their faces and not wearing identifiable uniforms while making arrests, which she warned could cause confusion and lead to violence.
“Do we want the most violent criminals off of our streets? Absolutely Yes. I don’t think anyone is going to object to that,” Moreno said. “We want the most violent criminals off of our streets, whether they’re legal or illegal. But what we’ve been seeing across the country and in other cities is that Border Patrol appears to be targeting Brown people and potentially violating even some of their due process rights.”
The Louisiana operation marks a new phase in the administration’s broadened use of Border Patrol to carry out its immigration agenda. The agency has historically operated in border towns, port cities and along the country’s frontiers, rather than in urban centers.
Though Border Patrol has long had a presence in the Crescent City, the size and scope of the new operation exceeds its typical role. Around 250 Border Patrol agents plan to detain at least 5,000 people across a region stretching north to Baton Rouge and East into Mississippi, according to internal documents.
That figure exceeds the number
“There are lots of cases which support the constitutionality of laws that restrict people from inhibiting law enforcement from doing their jobs,” he said.
Catahoula Crunch follows Border Patrol-led operations in Chicago and North Carolina that drew backlash over the tactics federal agents used In Chicago, federal agents tackled protesters, shot pepper balls at the heads of journalists and clergy members, used tear gas and rubber bullets without warning, and laughed as a protester’s ear bled, a federal judge wrote in a scathing review of those tactics informed by body camera footage.
Greg Bovino, who heads the Border Patrol, has said the agency is protecting officers from threats they received after arriving in Chicago.
In Louisiana, 250 Border Patrol agents plan to detain at least 5,000 people across a region stretching from Baton Rouge to Mississippi, according to internal documents reported last month by The Associated Press.
Louisiana’s Act 399 also expand-
detained in Chicago and North Carolina, according to DHS tallies.
About 4,000 people were detained in the weekslong Chicago sweeps, during which a federal judge accused Bovino of lying and improperly using chemical irritants against protesters.
Bovino has defended the agency’s tactics, saying agents use the least amount of force necessary to make arrests.
In Chicago’s Operation Midway Blitz, the Trump administration touted arrests of “pedophiles, abusers, rapists and other violent thugs.” But of about 4,000 people detained by federal agents there, officials identified just over 100 who had criminal records, news outlets have reported.
Those included some with violent offenses, including murder, as well as others with nonviolent charges, like crossing the border without authorization. Of 372 people arrested in Charlotte, 44 had criminal records, according to DHS tallies reported by The New York Times.
In New Orleans, agents arrived on familiar turf for Bovino. After rising through the agency, he was promoted to lead its New Orleans sector in 2019, according to news releases from that period.
Arrests performed in and around New Orleans mirrored those reported in Chicago and Charlotte, with most occurring in public spaces such as parking lots outside large stores.
A man interviewed by The Times-Picayune | The Advocate, who declined to provide his name because he feared retaliation, said he was among a group of people looking for work between 9 a.m and 10 a.m. outside the Lowe’s on Elysian Fields Avenue. Five Border Patrol vehicles approached the group, asking them if they were “legal” or not, he said.
He estimated that 25 agents were at the scene.
The man said several people ran away, and that Border Patrol agents pursued them. He said the agents detained about two dozen people.
The agents arrived and left in the span of about 25 minutes, he said.
ed the definition of malfeasance in office, making it a crime if a public official or employee “takes any official action, fails to perform an official duty or refuses a lawful request for cooperation” from federal immigration authorities “with the intent to hinder, delay, prevent, or otherwise interfere, ignore, or thwart federal immigration enforcement efforts.”
Nor can state or local law enforcement release people they know “illegally entered or unlawfully remained in the United States” without giving advance notice to ICE.
Either of those actions would carry a penalty of up to 10 years in prison.
The law conflicts with a 12-year-old settlement that bars the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office from holding some detainees past their release dates in order to help federal immigration authorities. Under the agreement, deputies may not heed ICE detainer requests unless a person was charged with murder, aggravated rape aggravated kidnapping, armed robbery with a firearm or treason.
The Sheriff’s Office did not return a request for comment.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The man was not among those detained.
The operation launched as New Orleans’ outgoing Democratic mayor, LaToya Cantrell, faces federal corruption charges brought by the Trump administration’s Justice Department. Federal prosecutors say she committed a series of crimes in a bid to conceal allegedly improper spending of public cash on an affair with her police bodyguard. Cantrell has pleaded not guilty Federal prosecutors earlier this year dropped corruption charges against another Democratic mayor Eric Adams of New York City in a deal that administration officials said would make it easier to carry out immigration sweeps. Cantrell has not responded to requests for comment on the immigration sweeps. A Trump spokesperson did not respond to a phone message. Before the operation kicked off, signs of anxiety had rippled across New Orleans for days.
Like other businesses in the Mid-City neighborhood, Taqueria Guerrero opened after Hurricane Katrina to serve a growing Latino population that came to help rebuild from the storm’s devastation. Amid news of the impending Border Patrol operation, the restaurant closed indefinitely this week, citing fear among staff and clientele of the impending sweeps. Hundreds of people showed up to ply the restaurant with lunch orders and words of support on Sunday, its last day open. By afternoon, the typically quiet spot had sold out of a slew of staples — pupusas, huaraches, gorditas, horchata and nearly all its flavors of aguas frescas. Signs plastered on the restaurant’s glass doors told immigration agents to stay away On Wednesday, the restaurant was dark and shuttered.
Other businesses popular with Hispanic residents later closed their doors, too.
“We’re temporarily closed until further notice,” read a sign posted in Spanish outside Los Hondurenos restaurant in Kenner
STAFF PHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER
U.S. Border Patrol agents stop and photograph a man on Williams Boulevard in Kenner on Wednesday.
Acadiana Forecast
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Aug. 1, and who asked to return to hisformer job as provost.
Both Kolluru and Hebert asked to be considered forthe permanent presidential position three days before themeeting, according to documents The Acadiana Advocate received througha public records request.
Kolluru wrote in aNov.10cover letter about how his journey to America started at UL when he was agraduate studentand how Lafayettehas sincebecome his home and the home of his wife and their children.
“Every penny Ihave in my bank account comes fromthisUniversity,which gives me aprofound sense of loyalty and trueindependence from external influences, ensuring that every decision I makeisgrounded solelyinthe bestinterests of UL Lafayette, Kolluru wrote.“This intimate understandingofthe University,both its grandeur and its challenges, informs every decision Imake and every vision Ihold for our future.”
Hebert wrote in aNov.10cover letter about how his alma mater “occupies arare position in higher education” by servingasboth agateway for first-generation college students like his father but also asatop-tier research university.
“Today,Ibelieve UL Lafayette stands at amoment of tremendous opportunity,” Hebert wrote. “I have seen firsthand the resilience of this community,the pride of our
NELSON
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graduates, tripled foundationassets, and invested more than$500 million in new and modernized training facilities across the state,” said an October news releaseannouncing the departure. Nelson has collected adiverse array of educational, professional andpolitical experiences overthe years. Most recently,leading thestate’s tax agency,hespearheaded aplan backed by Landrytoslash the state’sindividual and corporate income tax rates, replacingthe lost revenue with ahalf-cent increase to the sales tax rate. Thatwas accomplished in aspecial session late last year
Ramesh Kolluru,right, University of Louisiana at Lafayette’svice president forresearch,innovation and economic development, shakes hands withinterim PresidentJaimie Hebertbefore Kolluruwas appointedinterimpresidentonNov.13inLafayette.
students, thetalent of ourfaculty andthe commitment of ourstaff. I know what this institutionmeans to Acadiana and to the state because Ihave lived itsimpact in my own family.And Ibelieve that,ifgiven the opportunity to serveasthe University’sseventh president, Ican continue to lead it through this momentofchallenge with steadiness, clarityand avisionthat honors bothits legacy andits promise.”
Searches for permanent presidents at otheruniversities in the UL system happened almost im-
Before his bid for governor, during whichtax reform was a signature issue, Nelson served in the Louisiana House beginning in 2020. As astate lawmaker, Nelson eschewed culture-war fightsinfavorofpolicy debates
“Everything I’ve worked on fromimproving Louisiana’stax structure to strengthening our economiccompetitiveness leads back to oneessential truth,” Nelson said in astatement. “Our state’s future depends on askilled workforce and strong pathways to opportunity. LCTCS is theengine that drivesthat progress.”
Nelson said during abrief phone interview that advocating for the valueofLouisiana’scommunity collegesystemhas been importanttohim throughout his time as alegislator and as aCabinet secretary
mediately At the University of Louisiana at Monroe, where thepresident stepped down in January,asearch committee was formed in February and anew president was appointed in May
When Northwestern StateUniversity’spresidentstepped down in May2024, acommittee was formed in June 2024 and anew presidentwas appointed in July 2024.
Asearch committee also has not yet been formed to replace McNeese State University President
“The amount of moneythat we spent on the community and technical collegesystem …I feltlike that was probably some of the best dollars we spent as far as the benefitthat comes to the taxpayer,” he said. The incoming LCTCS president alsospent seven years in theU.S. Department of StateForeign Service beforegetting intopolitics. Duringthatstint, he held posts in Washington, Germanyand the country of Georgia. He has an undergraduate degree in biological engineering fromLSU and alaw degreefrom the LSU’s Paul M. Hebert Law Center
Asked about stepping intoarole in abrand-new industry,Nelson saidthatthere may be alot to learn from “the nuts and bolts perspective, but Ithink theproblems are generally thesame.”
Wade Rousse, who was appointed last monthtoleadLouisiana State University Orr said she’s notterribly surprised by the lack of communication from the UL system because of the Thanksgiving holiday last week.She also hasn’t heard much from other members of thesenate, but she and other faculty members have been busy preparing for finals next week.
“I’m not alarmed or anything likethat,” Orr said. “I kind of assume that it will happen. Academia tends to move alittle slower than theworld outside.”
Thenext regular meeting of the UL system board happens Dec. 11. The agenda is not yet published.
Board Chair Mark Romero did not return acall for this story
“Weare eager to be involved in whatever searchprocesstakes place,”Orr said. “And we look forward to seeing how that develops and to participating in it.”
Jason Maloy,apolitical scientist and presidentofthe UL chapter of theAmerican Association of University Professors, saidhe and his colleaguesremain in the dark about thepresidential search plan. The AAUP sent aletter to the board before last month’sspecial meeting that demanded theformationofapresidential search committee, as requiredbythe board’s own rules and bylaws.
“I thinkfaculty are still processingthe unexpectedturnofevents,” Maloy said. “And whenever there’s achance, we’re always hopeful that there will be more shared governance with faculty and staff involvementinimportant decisions,
He noted thathenow hasexperience in the private sector,state government andthe federalgovernment, affording him abreadth of experience. “I’m really an engineer,and I think engineers look for efficiencies, they look to solve problems, andI’vejust been able to do that effectively in state government thus far,” he said. Nelson’sappointment as LCTCS president marks the latest in a slew of leadership changeshappening across Louisiana higher education.
Southern UniversityPresident Dennis Shields confirmed at a Board of Supervisors meeting the dayafter Thanksgiving that he would step down at theend of the year,saying “the board wanted to go in adifferent direction.” Earlierlast month, LSU named
butwehaven’t seen extremely promising moves in that direction yet, so we’re still proceeding more in hope than expectation fornow.”
State Sen. Brach Myers, RLafayette, said he’sgiving the board abit of grace because of the Thanksgiving holiday
“I certainly share the anxiousness that everybody else has,” Myers said. “I’m hoping that we get someviewofthe processes and who the committee members are.”
Although his fathersits on the board, Myers said he has no insight into how the search will play out but hopes it will begin sooner rather than later “We’ve got alegislative session looming in the spring,” Myers said. “Wegot alot of big decisions for the university coming.”
Those decisions concern UL’s budget deficit and how to maintain the health of the university going forward, he said.
Financial concerns have come to light since UL’s Vice President of Finance and Administration Jerry Luke LeBlanc resigned abruptly in May and President Joseph Savoie steppeddown in July before his contract wasup. After being namedinterim president, Hebert announced job eliminations and other cost-cutting measures to try to make up for a$25 milliondeficit.
“Legislative members and stakeholders from all over the state are looking to see who’s going to be running our university,” Myers said. “And is that person competenttocarry theuniversityout of these difficult times?”
Staff writer Ashley White contributed to this report.
Wade Rousse president of the LSU system. Rousse waspreviously serving as president at McNeese State University.Atthe same time, the university selected James Dalton forajob as executive vice president LSU systemand chancellor of the flagship campus in Baton Rouge.
The two menreplaced former LSU President William Tate IV, whoinJune leftLouisiana forRutgers University in New Jersey And the University of Louisiana at Lafayette is without apermanent president after Joseph Savoie in July announcedhis retirement, leaving ajob he had been in since 2008. The University of Louisiana systemBoardofSupervisors has saiditintends to create asearch committeetofind apermanent replacement, though it’s unclear when that will happen.
STAFF FILEPHOTO By BRAD KEMP
Paradestostayontraditional route
Councilpressures mayortoforgo change afterdebate
BY STEPHEN MARCANTEL Staff writer
Mayor-PresidentMonique Bouletagreed with theCity Council’s push to defer any change to Lafayette’sMardi Gras paraderoute. In return, the council deferred a
voteindefinitelyonanordinance that would have created an advisory committee and requiredcouncil approval for Mardi Gras parade route changes. The council’sposition was that it would return to the matterfollowing the2026 Mardi Gras season
Debateover Boulet’s proposal to return theparade route to Jefferson Street and the proposal by council membersKenneth Boudreaux and Andy Naquin tocreate an oversight committee stretched well into the night on Tuesday,as dozens of krewe members shuffled
intocouncil chambers to voice their concerns aboutwhatthey saw as government intervention into Mardi Gras.
Boulet,about midwaythrough thedebatewithcouncilmembers, stated that she would not“die on this sword” over aJefferson Street Mardi Gras parade route, achange she proposed in October Boulet arguedthather adminis-
TUGAWAY
ABOVE: Students from CarencroCatholic battletheirteachers and chaperones in atug-of-war during halftime at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette women’sbasketball Education Game againstEast Texas A&M at the CajundomeonTuesday BELOW: Area students dance while attending theULwomen’s basketball game on Tuesday STAFF PHOTOSByBRAD KEMP
Twomen escape from St.LandryParishJail
trationhad done itsdue diligence on safety,planning and logistics. She even provided concessions allowing forslight route modifications, but ultimately agreed to Naquin’scalls forher to “pull back” on the route change. Council member Liz Hebert proposedindefinitely deferring the
PARADES, page 4B
Council OKsland lease fornew library
Branch plansfor NortheastRegional move forward
BY CLAIRE TAYLOR Staff writer
Aresolutionapproving agreements to lease property near Holy Rosary Institute on which to builda Northeast Regional Library branch was approved by the Lafayette Parish Council. Thecouncil voted unanimously Tuesday to approve the resolutionand sign the agreements with Holy Rosary Land Holdings, a nonprofit corporation based in NewOrleans that is owned and operated by Catholic nuns. Lafayette Parish wantstolease several acres of land owned by Holy RosaryLandHoldings that arepartofthe former Holy Rosary Institute property,aschool for Black students thatclosed in 1993 andisundergoing restoration. The land is along Louisiana Avenue near Carmel Avenue in asocioeconomically challengedarea with an average annual household income of $30,000. The site is withinwalkingdistance of at least onepublic school andtwo community/recreationcenters.
BY KEITH SPERA Staff writer
Twoinmates have escaped from the St. Landry Parish Jail, according to the St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office. The escapees have been identified as Keith Eli and Johnathan Javon Joseph, both 24 years old. Eli is desc ri be da s 5-foot-4-inches and 160 pounds. Joseph is 5-foot11-inches and 150 pounds. Deputies said they were both being held on serious counts Eli was charged with attempted second-degree murder,while Joseph faced narcotics and firearms violations.
Authorities reported the escapewas discovered late Wednesday morningfollowing aheadcount.The inmates discovered adegrading part of an upperwallareaand overtime, removed the mortar,allowing them to removeconcrete blocks andenabletheir exit, accordingto the Sheriff’s Office.
“Theinmatesusedsheetsand other itemstoscale the outer wall, drop onto the first-floor roof and lowerthemselves to theground,” saidSheriff Bobby Guidroz. “An internal investigation has been initiated, the jail supervisory staffwill be providing acomprehensive report,and both will be forwardedtomyoffice for appropriate action.” Officials warned that the escapees might pose arisktothe
public. An internalinvestigation is underway,and thecorrectional staff will provide areport to the sheriff, whowill determine the appropriate course of action. Officials seek help in August hit-and-run death
Officials continue to investigate leads in the August hit-and-run crashthat resulted in thedeath of Bonnie Fontenot, 53, of Jennings. Detectives have partneredwith Crime StoppersLakeCharles, whichisoffering arewardfor information that advances thecase. Fontenot’sbody was found Aug. 27 in the median between North Frontage Road and Interstate 10 near mile marker 44. She had last been seen Aug. 22 at the Lost ShoeRVPark in Jeff Davis
Parish. Forensic analysis hasconfirmedthatFontenot was hit by a vehicle sometime between Aug. 22 andAug. 27. Apreliminary investigation revealedthat the suspect’svehicle maybeapickuporSUV,likely green or turquoise in color,with possible damage to thefrontend or driver’sside. Investigative leadssuggest thatthe vehicle may frequent Iowa or U.S. 165 in theJefferson Davis Parish area, policesaid. Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers of Lake Charles at (337) 439-2222, or submit atip through the Louisiana StatePoliceonline reporting system by visiting File aReport or calling the State Police Fusion Center Hotline at 1-800-434-8007.
Pulitzer Prize-winningeditorial cartoonistWaltHandelsman is putting awayhis penand ink after decades of delighting Louisiana with his alternately humorous and poignant takes on the city’speculiar politics, personalities and events. Handelsman, 69, will retire fromThe TimesPicayune |The Advocate at the end of December “I’ve be en thinking aboutitfor awhile,” he said. “I’vebeendoingdaily cartooning for roughly 45 years. I felt like it’stimetotake abreak fromdaily deadlines, reflect on my career,relax and look forward to doing other creative things.” Cartoonist Handelsman to retire at month’s end He’s wontwo Pulitzersinfour decadesofdrawing
See HANDELSMAN, page 4B Handelsman
In this seasonofgiving, we would be remiss not to recognize one of themost significant philanthropic giftsour statehas seeninrecent years. MacKenzie Scott, whofounded Amazon with ex-husband Jeff Bezos, has beenquietly giving away her fortune tononprofits, universities and charities around thecountry.But we note how particularly generous shehas been to Louisiana Nearly 50 organizations around thestate have receivedalmost$240million from Scott since 2020. Those organizationsrangefromLafayette Habitat forHumanity to Capital AreaUnited WayinBaton Rouge to Cafe Reconcile in New Orleans.
But by far the biggest focus of Scott’slargesse is education, especiallyHistorically Black Colleges and Universities. Her latestgifts, announced last month, include$38 millionto Xavier University,the nation’s only Black and Catholic HBCU, and $19 million to DillardUniversity,the state’soldest HBCU. Both gifts were the largest in each school’shistory.And thatis saying something. Xavier, founded inNew Orleans by Saint Catharine Drexel, is celebrating its100th anniversary this year. And Dillard is 156 years old. It is Scott’ssecond roundofgifts to these schools. Dillard received$5million in 2020, and Xavier received $20 million that year.This year, it is estimated that she gave around$900 million to HBCUs.
Many HBCU leaders arecallingthe gifts transformative as they face headwinds due to federal cuts. Xavier University wasforced to lay off 46 employees in October,and a$20 millionfederal grant to Dillard forcampusinfrastructure was recently canceled.
The Trump administration did direct more nearly $500 million more to historically Black and tribal institutions earlier thisyear. Butthat money came largely due to cutstootherprograms that benefited minoritystudents
In atime of such uncertainty,Scott’sphilanthropy is especially usefulasitcomes in the form of unrestricted gifts, allowingthe universities to use the funds as they see fit. Scott offers ashining example of howphilanthropy can shore up institutionsthathave long producedfar greaterresults with farfewer resources thanthey deserve. Thefact that she does so with little fanfare reflects the realization that evenwith these massivegifts,many HBCUsremainchronically underfunded.
It’sclear that Scott and her advisers aredoing theirhomework and seeing the contributions that HBCUs make to our society. They educate asignificant proportionofBlack professionals, including 40% of all Black engineers and70% of Black doctors.
Generations of Louisiana studentswill benefit from these gifts. We don’tknowwhatdrove Scott’sattention to astate where she hasnoobvious connections. But we like to think that perhaps somewhere in her circle is apersonwhose life has been changed by these Louisiana institutions. It would be more than fitting if theseHBCUs and nonprofits are now reaping the fruits of what they sowed long ago.
LETTERSTOTHE EDITOR ARE
HERE AREOUR
GUIDELINES: Letters are published identifying name, occupation and/or title and the writer’scity of residence
TheAdvocate |The Times-Picayune require astreet address andphone number for verification purposes, but that information is not published. Letters are not to exceed 300 words. Letters to the Editor,The Advocate, P.O. Box 588, Baton Rouge, LA 70821-0588, or email letters@ theadvocate.com.
TO SEND US A LETTER, SCANHERE
Fear beingusedto controlAmericans
There are anumber of problems directing American politics these days, but one is significantly influential. It is fear I’m an old woman. Imagine that I’m willing to go out and say it.I’ve seen political heroes and devils, political fads and desperation, but today manyofusare affected by fear It’sa historic way todominateus and aclassic way to force homage. We are afraid of being deported; we are afraid our cities are not safe; we are afraid we won’tbeable to pay forhealth care, get themedication we need, have to auction off our trophies and memories to do so. To lose jobs. We are afraid we may go to war afraid to say what we think, of general loss and losing the country that brave soldiers fought for.Our armed forces are well-trained to defend us, aid democracy and are on call. They should not be patrolling
thestreets of cities and given guns to use against fellow citizens. As achild, Iwitnessed dinner table discussions about jobs, safety andsecurity.These were sometimes followed by not having the government of choice that term, but it was America and those in office were to be respected forhaving been chosen todothe job. Better luck in the next election.
Youall saw the Jan. 6riots. Those insurgents were not patriots; they were thugs out for the blood of the vice president and elected officials who were doing their job. This was properly dealt with, and the invaders called to justice. But President Donald Trumppardoned all of them. Look up, America, and open your eyes to reality.Doyou wanttocontinue to livewith fear? I, forone, just want agood night’ssleep.
LAURABARNES NewOrleans
As Iwatch Donald Trumpprepare to attack Venezuela while using bellicose rhetoric about invading Nigeria, this action begs thequestion: What do these two countries have in common?
Trumpinsists, withnovisible evidence, that Venezuela is amajor source of drugs coming tothe U.S. and flatly asserts, again lacking all credibility,that thegovernment of Nigeria is murdering Christians wholesale. Again, Iask myself, what is the common link between these two nations? Alas,the most notable attributeshared by each country seems to be oil, Trump’sfavoritesource of energy.And while we are already theworld’slargest oilproducer,even themost casual observer knows that in Trump’s world, more is always better Ican find no other plausible explanation to linkthese two geographically distant, ethnically unrelated, militarily challenged countries. Attackingthese two would certainly makeexciting television, (always a major consideration for Trump) and
he could declare victory andleave before theguerrilla forces had time to organize and involve the U.S. in a protracted land war Simultaneously,public attention would be diverted from the Epstein matter,aswell as the fact that he demolished half of oneofthis country’smost important historical buildings so that he could build a monument tohis vanity, arococo bordello of abuilding which, at best will not be finished before he leaves office and probably not in his lifetime, if ever
Meanwhile, theRepublican Congress, that chorus of sycophants muzzled by cowardice, is relentlessly failing to summon the crumbs of courage that it would take to rein in this madness. How,then, are those who have escaped this insanity supposed to proceed to reverse thedanger that Trumpisleading our country into? How long will it take to repair the damage?
JIM GRICE NewOrleans
Isee Louisiana is only ranked eighth in cancer deaths. Also, the Louisiana Environmental Action Network, anonprofit group, has set up air-monitoring stations all over that have already detected spikes in pollution levels from industry, such as chemical and petrochemical plants. Iknow the Legislature and Gov. Jeff Landry recently lowered of levels of environmental regulation with fewerenforcement actions, and they are working with the Trumpadministration to raise levels of cancer-causing chemicals in our air and water,but they can do better By lowering standards and halting enforcement, we can get Louisiana to be No.1incancer deaths!
Iknow our Republican legislators and Landry’sadministration can do this. Since we are last in education, heath care and lifeexpectancy,wehave to strive to be No.1 in something. We need to step up and promote Cancer Alley as atourist attraction to makeupfor the 35% of Canadian tourists whoare no longer coming to Louisiana. We can do this! Ican see Lt. Gov.Billy Nungesser coming up with anew slogan, “People are dying to visit Cancer Alley.”
GLENN
MCGOVERN Metairie
To all those whoare upset about the Super Bowlhalftime performance: Given that the Super Bowlisabout big money, do you think the NFLislooking to attract bigoted Americans or the whole world? What would you think is the best business move?
And if you refuse to watch the halftime show,will you also refuse to watch the Super Bowl?
STEVE SCHMITT NewOrleans
Why is it that Zion Williamson is hurt every season and on the bench? Is this fair to the thousands of devoted fans that attend the Pelicans games?
NICHOLAS LAPARA Metairie
Requiemfor afakeTrump scandal
Nearlyfouryears ago, on Jan. 18, 2022, Iwrote about afrenzy that was sweeping the anti-Trump world. It had to do with anovel theory of the 2020 presidential election dispute: Here’sthe short version: Trump supporters in afew states—Georgia, Arizona, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Nevada, Michigan, and New Mexico —were so brazenthat in the days before Dec. 14, 2020, when the Electoral College voted to confirm [former President] Joe Biden’svictory,they actually forged documents falsely purporting to be Electoral College results for [President Donald] Trump and sent them to the appropriateauthorities in Washington and in their home states. They then planned touse theforgeries to steal the election on Jan. 6, 2021. All the while, they hoped no one would notice. It was acrazy theory,for anumber of reasons discussed below.But the notion of so-called “fakeelectors” would not only consume Resistance World but would spread among Democratic officials in the justice system andbecome akey part of the antiTrump indictments of 2023 and 2024. Now it has all fallen apart. With the recent withdrawal of the case originally brought by the disgraced prosecutorFani Willis in Georgia, the theory thatsparked so much excitement on the anti-Trump fringe is finally dead. What is remarkable is that the glaring flaws in the “fake electors” theory were obvious all along. It just took this long for the wheels of justice to turn. After Willis was taken off her own case following the disgrace of her topdeputy,Georgia officials faced a daunting question: Who wants to pick up this prosecutionand run with it? It turned out nobody did, and the case eventuallyended up in the hands of thenonpartisan head of the ProsecutingAttorneys’ Council of Georgia, Peter Skandalakis. Last week, Skandalakis released acarefully argued 22-
page memo supporting his decision to drop the Williscase altogether As farasthe “fake electors” theory is concerned, thesubstance of Skandalakis’ discussion boreastrikingresemblance to my column from January 2022. That’sbecausethe factsofthe case have always been thefacts of the case, before and after the antiTrump activists gotsoexcited.
First, Skandalakis explained thatwhat theResistance calls “fake electors” were, in fact, contingent electors. In this way: In early December 2020, the Trump campaign was litigating theresults of the election in Georgia. Butthe datewas approaching —Dec. 14 —onwhich the ElectoralCollege would have to vote.Republicans were concerned thatBiden’selectorswould be chosen on the 14thwhile thelawsuits were still pending. If Trump eventually wonthe litigation, he would then have zero electors. So, acting on the advice of the campaign’slawyers, the state Republican Party picked conditional Trump electors who could become real electors if —and only if —Trump won the lawsuit and was declared the winner of Georgia. They were contingent electors.
“Nothing in the evidence suggests that[the contingent electors] conspired tooverturn the election,” Skandalakis wrote. “On thecontrary,the record overwhelmingly demonstrates thatthe electors believed theiractions were legally required to preserve Georgia’selectoral votes in the event President Donald Trump prevailed in the then-pending lawsuit in Fulton County challenging theelection.”
Skandalakis noted that the evidence alsoshows that “theelectorsconvened the meeting pursuant to the advice of counsel.”
Also, the contingent electors did their work inpublic. Back when the scandal was raging, MS NOW’sRachel Maddow called the “fake electors” story a“previously unknown, mys-
teriouslycoordinated effort to have Republicans in multiple states forge election documents after the last election andpresentthemselves as fake electors to the Electoral College.” In fact, thecontingent electors announced theirmeeting. They invited thepress to cover it. They tweeted about what they did. There were several news accounts about it. And they hired acourt reporter to make a transcript of the proceedings,which proved extremely valuable to Skandalakis as he reviewed what happened. It is important to point out that all this was known at thetime of the2022 “fakeelectors” freakout. Even Maddow could have known it, had she looked. Now,you could say thecontingent electors were acting on pure faith when they did what they did. Certainly,thereappeared to be no chance of Trump winning thelitigation and thus winning Georgia. Indeed, that did not happen. Butthat does not mean thecontingent electors had ill intent. “It is not illegal tochallenge election results,” Skandalakis concluded. “As a prosecutor,Iamloath to use the criminal justice system to pursuelaw-abiding citizens who, in good conscience and upon theadvice of counsel, were asked to perform certain tasks in connection withthe litigation of an electionchallenge.”
Fani Willis knew all of this when shecharged one of the contingent electors, then-Georgia Republican Party chairman David Shafer,with1) Violation of the Georgia Racketeering (RICO) Act; 2) Impersonating aPublic Officer; 3) TwoCounts of Forgery in theFirst Degree; 4) Three Counts of False Statements and Writings; and 5) Criminal AttempttoCommit Filing False Documents. Others faced the same charges. The “fakeelectors” prosecution was BS from thebeginning. Andnow,atlast, it is over Email Byron York at byork@washingtonexaminer.com.
In 1940, WinstonChurchill ordered the evacuationof338,000 troops facing annihilation on the beaches of Dunkirk. Churchill called the successful operation “a miracle of deliverance.”Historians portray it as aperfect example of victory in defeat. Democrats raging at eight members of their caucusfor ending the government shutdown might take afew lessons fromthe master of morale andstrategy.Whatsome hotheadsframed as “capitulation” is, in the long run, the wisestplan.
Right afterDunkirk, Churchill famously said, “Wars are not won by evacuations.” Thatisso, but stopping apotentialdisaster lets your side fight another day Ending the shutdown prevented negative outcomes that had begun chugging the Democrats’ way Shutdowns almost always bite the party that starts them. The record for this is so strong thatIthought Democratshad erredfrom Day 1. Iwas wrong. Democrats effectively used the headlines to highlight the issue sure to haunt Republicans comethe midterms: the soaring costofhealth care.
Paythe American inheritanceforward Democrats won victory in defeat
Normally,atthis time of year,I dedicate acolumn to reflecting on the various innovations that have saved us from the normal human condition —which is to say,a life of frequent discomforts punctuated by even greater miseries. If you are temptedto rhapsodize aboutsome imagined Edenic past ask yourself whether you really have the fortitude to bury half your children before they finish puberty.Ipersonally do not. Iamsoft and pronetomelancholy.SoIwill be forever grateful that fortune deliveredmetothis placeand this time, where Ican wallow in peace and prosperity
Democrats prevailed in the recentelections, partly on threatstotheir health coverage, partly on rising food prices,tariff chaos and in-your-face corruption. But at acertain point, the news startedturning fromthe fight to extend the Obamacare subsidies to flights being canceled andthe poor losing food assistance. With Thanksgiving approaching, the sight of family members sitting on suitcases in airports was notoptimal. As many more Americansfeltshutdown pain at the personal level, Democrats were harderpressedtoavoid blame,evenifthe public likedcertain items theywere fighting for Now,some firebrands just want a fight. But their contentionthatreopening the government causeda loss of leverage is based on illusion. Democrats never held meaningful leverage because theydon’thave the votes. Republicanscontrolthe White House,the House andthe Senate To quote Barack Obama, “Elections have consequences.”
This year,however, I’ve been reflecting on another thing we oughttobe more grateful for:America herself. We have been taking her too much for granted recently,assumingthatshe will keep showering her gifts uponus without so much as athank-you note We’re like trust-funders whoslander capitalism and squander their incomes, secureinthe knowledge that the checks will keep coming They will not, unless we once again start treating America as something we have to earn, rather than something we’re entitled to.
Recently,Ihad the privilegeofhearing atalk by Gordon Wood, thegreat historian of the American Revolution. He reminded the audience that“the United States is not anation like other nations,and it never has been.”
“Most of the European states,” he continued, “were created outofaprior sense of acommon ethnicityorlanguage …undergirded by peoples who had apreexisting sense of their own distinctiveness, their own nationhood. In the United States, the process was reversed. Americans created astate before they were anation,and much of American history has been an effort to define the nature of thatnationhood.”
America had to invent itselfout of whatever parts happened to be lying around: 13 colonies, dozensofethnicities and language groups, uncounted religious sects. Yetout of this unlikely material, Americans wroughta miracle. They patched together acountry that not only held together but kept
gettingbigger,richer,freer and more essential to humanity Hindsight blinds us to how difficult that project was and how manytimes it almost failed. If George Washington had not been such an able general, the revolution might have been quashed. If the Founding Fathers had been less able statesmen, our fledgling nation might have disintegrated into 13 rival countries. Or it could have fallen apart in the 1860s, when the country ripped itself to shreds over the great flaw in ourConstitution: its allowance of slavery in thelandofthe free and the home of thebrave. That flaw could well have proved fatal
Instead,we fixed it, at enormous cost
In theyears since, we have repaired many other holes that appeared in the patchwork. The results have not been perfect, andthere will undoubtedly be more patching to be done in thefuture. Butit’slasted longer than it had any right to, and it remainsa hell of abirthright. Such inheritances do not last unless they are tended to. Youcan’tjust assume everything will hold together Youhavetobewilling to do someofthe mending. Unfortunately,that’s gone out of style amongthe elites who are supposedto be knittingtogether this improbable nation.Overthe past couple decades,
thepeople in charge of our great sensemaking institutions —academia, the media, entertainment and the arts —decided that their main job was pointing out where the holes were and demanding that everyone else get busy fixing them. An emerging counter-elite of populist upstarts decided that it was much morefun to rip new holes than to figure out the boring work of governing. Both groups tended to see their opponentsasmortal enemies, rather than fellow Americans. Both spent alot of time pointing out flaws in Americanstyle free market democracy and little time reflecting on how pleasant,prosperous and free their lives were under that same system. Andboth groups were implicitly assuming that the work of keeping America in one piece belonged to someoneelse. It doesn’tbelong to anyone else. It belongs to all of us and each of us. No American can afford to be alazy trust-funder,living off passive income. We have to be active stewards of our legacy Fortunately,that trust still has alot of capital left, and no damage has been done that cannot be repaired with alittle hard work. And we should getbusy MeganMcArdle is in on X, @asymmetricinfo.
The electionofTrump and amostly pliant RepublicanCongress created suchconsequences as attacksonObamacare and, more ominously,our democratic institutions. Democratscan offer aprettier set of consequences, but theycan only deliver them if they retake control.
The Democrats’ winning message should be:Elect us andwewill restore health care security.Eventhe temporary loss of it will hit home.Asanothergreat American,JoniMitchell, sang, “Don’titalways seem to go thatyou don’tknowwhatyou’ve gottill it’sgone?” Now,ifthe shutdown worked in avoiding even some pain, thatwould be an argument in favor.But it wasn’t.
Speaking forDemocrats who votedtoreopen the government, Maine Sen. Angus King, an independent, posedthe right question: “Does the shutdown further the goal of achieving some needed support for the extension of the taxcredits?” (He’s referring to credits that were temporarily increased during the pandemic,making coveragecheaper for millions.)
These senators come from the swing states of Nevada, Virginia,Pennsylvania, New Hampshire andMaine. They are keytoDemocratsobtaining andkeeping amajority in Congress. Without them, Democrats have no hope of obtaining real power.And without real power, their politicsare just performance. As noted, the shutdown did succeed in putting the specter of lost health coverage front andcenter. Thatmissionhas been accomplished. Trump’snow railing that Obamacare is a“scam” to getthe insurance companies filthy rich. Democrats should thank him for calling this revered benefita“scam.”
Assessing the dire situation at Dunkirk, Churchill chosenot to make aheroicyet suicidalstand. But he followed closely with his immortal “Weshall fight on the beaches” speech —a rally to the nationfor continued resistance. The midterms arethe beaches thatDemocratsshould be storming.
Froma Harrop is on X, @FromaHarrop. Email her at fharrop@gmail.com
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By J. SCOTT APPLEWHITE
Miniature American flags flutter in windgusts across the National Mall near the Capitol in Washington, D.C.
ega McArdle M n
Froma Harrop
Byron York
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After years of discussion about the need for a public library in that area and with some groups and individuals pushing for it, Lafayette Parish officials, led by City Council member
HANDELSMAN
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He’ll conclude his career with his annual year-end roundup of his favorite locally and nationally themed 2025 cartoons. He also plans to pen a farewell to readers featuring memorable cartoons from years past.
His overall body of work spans an estimated 12,000 daily drawings plus cartoon strips, animations, nine books of his editorial cartoons and one children’s book. His cartoons, which he still hand-draws before coloring them digitally, are syndicated by Tribune Content Agency to media outlets across the country At one point, they appeared in more than 200 newspapers nationwide.
“When I watch the news, I’m taking notes,” he said.
“It’s interesting to think about not having to respond to a news event right away in a cartoon for the next day.”
Life-changing classified ad
Handelsman grew up in Baltimore as the son of a surgeon. After graduating from the University of Cincinnati in 1979, he placed a classified ad in The Baltimore Sun seeking an entry-level advertising job.
One respondent was Howard Blankman, who, along with his wife Iris ran Quality Composition, a Baltimore ad layout firm. At Quality, Handelsman pasted up advertisements for grocery stores and other clients.
The couple’s daughter, Jodie, worked there as a typesetter In 1982, she and Handelsman got married.
At night, Handelsman practiced cartooning and hustled freelance assignments. In 1982, the Patuxent Publishing Corporation, a chain of weekly newspapers in Maryland, hired him as an interim, full-time cartoonist. He moved on to the Scranton Times, a daily newspaper in Pennsylvania, in 1985. He launched a weekly comic strip called “The Hound and the Bureaucrat,” won his first national award and signed a national syndication contract with Tribune.
When editorial cartoonist Mike Luckovich left The Times-Picayune for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in 1989, Handelsman applied to replace him. He and Jodie had never visited New Orleans prior to his Picayune interview Wandering the French Quarter, Handelsman, who had played harmonica in a Scranton blues band, liked what he saw and heard. In New Orleans, they cultivated a wide circle of friends even as Louisiana’s customs,
Kenneth Boudreaux and recently Mayor-President Monique Boulet, endorsed a proposal to build the Northeast Regional Library on the Holy Rosary site.
Lafayette Parish will lease the land for $1 a year for 99 years with an option to renew the lease.
The former City-Par-
quirks and, especially, its politicians provided a neverending source of material
“Everything was perfect for cartooning and perfect for having a fun life and meeting a million friends,” he said.
The likes of Edwin Edwards, David Duke and Mike Ditka populated his drawings, along with multiple presidents and ordinary New Orleanians.
“The average person you meet here turns out to be a character That’s part of what’s fun about being a cartoonist here and just being here.”
In addition to five daily cartoons a week, he produced his “Picayune Toons” comic strip every Monday for years. He won the Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning in 1997, the same year the Picayune earned its first Pulitzer, for Public Service.
A move to New York
In 2000, the New York tabloid Newsday solicited Handelsman to chronicle the “Subway” World Series between the Yankees and Mets. The next year, Newsday offered Handelsman a job.
Leaving New Orleans was “a very tough decision,” he said. But the opportunity to work at a larger newspaper in the No. 1 media market and be closer to his aging parents prevailed.
During 12-plus years at Newsday, he won another Pulitzer Looking to stay relevant as readers moved online, he started creating labor-intensive animations.
But New York was not New Orleans, despite his family’s boisterous takeover of a Long Island sports bar during Saints games: “Socially, I recognized pretty quickly that the whole family really missed New Orleans.”
He made multiple trips back after Hurricane Katrina, covering the aftermath for Newsday and helping friends and former colleagues. Those visits “really bonded us to the city We recognized how much we still felt a part of this place.”
Return to New Orleans
A New Orleans newspaper war created an opportunity for Handelsman to return.
In 2012, Advance Media, which owned The Times-Picayune at the time, reduced home delivery to three days a week. Later that year Baton Rouge newspaper The Advocate launched the daily New Orleans Advocate
After John and Dathel Georges bought The Advocate in 2013, they, editor Peter Kovacs and publisher Dan Shea courted Handelsman to return to New Orleans.
“Walt’s work stands with the best editorial cartooning
ish Council, led by Boudreaux, set aside $8 million for the project That is not enough to build the library At least another $7 million from the parish library’s fund balance will be needed.
Construction is expected to begin in the spring of 2026, with opening expected in late 2027.
ever published,” said Rene Sanchez, current executive editor of the Times-Picayune.
After Georges Media Group bought The TimesPicayune and NOLA.com from Advance in 2019, Handelsman’s cartoons were restored to the Picayune’s editorial page.
A periodic cartoon caption contest he launched at Newsday grew in popularity.
A November 2025 contest garnered 1,200 entries.
He gradually shifted the caption contest away from political themes to lighter topics. “Politics are so negative now This is a reprieve from all that negativity It’s been a delightful thing for me to do.”
As retirement looms, he’s reflected on the difficult times in his life. His younger sister, Jane, and her husband, Pryor, died in a 1989 plane crash while on vacation in Mexico. Older brother Bruce, a painter and photographer, died of lymphoma in 1992. (Another brother, Steve, is a retired Washington, D.C.-based NBC correspondent.)
In a 1997 photograph of Handelsman celebrating his Pulitzer win, a lump is visible on his upraised arm. The lump turned out to be a sarcoma. The cancer returned during his tenure at Newsday and was once again treated successfully
“I was very fortunate,” he said. “It certainly makes you appreciate the positive things that have happened in your life when you see how tricky life can be.”
In the constant rush of a 24-hour news cycle, selecting a cartoon topic that will still be relevant the next day is a challenge. Hence the title of his most recent book, “I’m Drawing As Fast As I Can.”
“That’s how it feels sometimes,” he said. “There’s so much to keep up with.”
He’s looking forward to traveling with Jodie, illustrating her children’s books and spending more time with their two adult children But he’ll miss cartooning and interacting with readers.
“That’s something I’ve done since I was in my 20s. But at the same time, I’m looking forward to stepping back from that task and seeing what else lies ahead.”
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PARADES
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ordinance to create an advisory committee.
Hebert said more communication should have been had between both the council and the administration. She also voiced concerns about the impact Mardi Gras parade trash and crowds could have on drainage and recent downtown planting improvements.
“While I recognize the conversations leading up to this proposal began with an earnest goal of preserving and honoring our Mardi Gras traditions, I believe it has led to a proposed solution that gives us unnecessary government overreach,” Hebert said. “I believe parade route changes require far more comprehensive study and meaningful public engagement with business owners, law enforcement and knowledgeable stakeholders.
“If the route changes and the ordinance are good ideas, they’ll be good ideas next year And if they’re not, the results can reach far into the future,” Hebert said to applause from the audience.
Council members slowly began warming to deferment throughout the debate and following nearly 20 current and former krewe members’ calls for the council to vote down the committee ordinance.
The council was set to vote on an amended ordinance that would have created a Mardi Gras Activities Advisory Committee based on a 1999 ordinance. The amendment would have enlarged the committee from three to five members, made up of major Mardi Gras krewe organizers and the Lafayette police chief. The committee would discuss possible route changes before presenting them to the council for approval
A copy of the amended
ordinance appears not to have been provided before the council meeting.
The original ordinance introduced at the last council meeting would have created a nine-person committee composed of members of the Mardi Gras krewe organizers, the chief of police, coterie neighborhood representatives, and a council-appointed member It would also have provided council approval seemingly for all changes to Mardi Gras activities and events beyond parades.
All krewe members in attendance spoke in opposition to the ordinance, with one nonkrewe member speaking in favor Overall, the council members said they received overwhelming opposition via phone call and email.
Most public discussion centered around the appropriate government role in Lafayette Mardi Gras.
Some argued that creating a committee would dilute organizers’ voting power and that any vote on an ordinance should occur after the festival season.
“This am endment makes an absolutely awful ordinance a little bit less awful,” said William Kaufman, parade chair for the Greater Southwest Mardi Gras Association.
“It still includes an ordinance that shifts to have the council control the ultimate decision making; it’ll continue to inject uncertainty; it’ll continue to inject partisan and political issues into the process, and it will eventually kill the private investment, the volunteer energy and the economic impacts that we know about Mardi Gras.”
The opinion of krewes doesn’t appear to align with downtown residents, businesses and property owners, who are slightly more inclined to support an advisory committee ordinance, according to a Downtown Lafayette Unlimited Survey released Tuesday The survey made clear that most businesses
felt they should have formal representation in decisions affecting Mardi Gras and major downtown events. The debate around the Jefferson Street Mardi Gras parade route has been simmering since Boulet proposed the change in October Boureaux and Naquin said that they were both caught off guard by the change, learning about it at the same time as everyone else. He and Naquin argued that the mayor’s proposal circumvented council oversight and public input. Initially, the 1999 ordinance creating the Mardi Gras advisory committee was unknown, Boudreaux said.
“That process was not followed. None of that was ever discussed amongst the police, the krewes, and brought to the City Council,” Naquin said. “I’d be willing to forgo this amendment and this whole ordinance if we go back to the original route.”
“If you (Boulet) want to settle this, give in tonight and say we’re gonna discuss this for next year,” he added. Beyond the process, Boudreaux argued that the changes displaced downtown and nearby residents, and he took to social media several times to urge his constituents to show up for meetings to voice their concerns. On Nov 24, the Boulet administration held a public meeting at the Downtown Convention Center to address some of the concerns relayed by Boudreaux. Those discussions mainly revolved around safety concerns in a more compact, enclosed downtown setting. While Boudreaux considered the discussions productive, he noted that most of the attendees were krewe members.
Email Stephen Marcantel at stephen. marcantel@theadvocate. com.
SHOUGH PUTTING IN THE WORK
EARLY SIGNING PERIOD
UL enjoys smooth day with no surprises
BY KEVIN FOOTE Staff writer
After a season where almost nothing went as planned, national signing day couldn’t have gone any smoother for the UL Ragin’ Cajuns.
By 9 a.m. Wednesday, every commitment the coaching staff had on its board had turned in the signed paperwork.
“There were no bad surprises there, which is always what we worry about,” UL coach Michael Desormeaux said. “This group has been really rock solid throughout the whole season A lot of these guys have been committed since June, and it’s been a really fun group.
“They’re excited about being a part of what we’re doing here, about trying to elevate our program and trying to get back to conference championships It’s a group we’re really excited about.”
UL’s long and trying season that saw the Cajuns begin 2-6 didn’t adversely affect the recruiting efforts.
“No, this group was great,” Desormeaux said. “We were kind of honest with them about where things were going. Obviously, things didn’t start the way we wanted to If anything, they’ve been really excited about the finish about the way these guys pulled together and pulled it off.”
The class was anchored close to home with two Lafayette Christian standouts in Braylon Walker and Luke Green. Walker is the Knights quarterback, but he figures to play cornerback at UL. Green is a runstopping safety
“The first thing is those are two guys that love football,” Desormeaux said. “Every time you talk to them, it’s like everything that they’re about football and their families. They come from elite families, wellraised kids.”
On the field, Desormeaux said Green “is
Holy Cross back Ke’Rynn Smith signed with the UL Ragin’ Cajuns on Wednesday.
After
LSU lands 11 at start of signing period, but more commitments not all-in yet
BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer
It hasn’t been a normal recruiting cycle for LSU. Far from it, to say the least
The Tigers signed 11 players on Wednesday, the opening of the early signing period for the 2026 class, but that news was only the tip of the iceberg.
Six LSU commitments decided to hold off on putting pen to paper with the Tigers on Wednesday The most notable among those recruits is five-star University High defensive lineman Lamar Brown, the No. 2 player in the nation, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings
Brown, who declined to comment on the situation when approached by The Advocate on Wednesday, was expected to be the crown jewel of LSU’s class. The U-High star has been committed to the Tigers since July, but Brown’s agent told On3 Sports on Tuesday night that he and LSU’s other five-star commitment, defensive lineman Richard Anderson, would not sign with LSU during the early signing period.
‘rocky’ stretch run, Karr’s Anderson inks with LSU
BY CHRISTOPHER DABE Staff writer
When all was said and done, Richard Anderson stood before a purple and gold backdrop with an LSU hat atop his head, just as the five-star defensive lineman from Edna Karr had planned for more than a year
Only the recent coaching change that brought Lane Kiffin from Ole Miss to LSU caused the 6-foot-4, 340-pound defensive line standout to have second thoughts about his decision to sign with LSU Anderson is a five-star by most major recruiting services.
“It was good,” Anderson said of the talk with Kiffin. “I was like, I’m staying home. No better place than LSU.” Karr coach Brice Brown said Kiffin listed the potential coaches Anderson could have at his position once he arrives in Baton Rouge.
“I’ll let coach Kiffin share that message because he’s the head coach at LSU,” Brown said “For us, our thing was to make sure that our player, our student was in the best position possible.”
A three-time all-District 9-5A selection with multiple all-state honors among his accolades, Anderson will conclude his high school career with more than 200 tackles and 20 tackles for loss along with six forced fumbles during his three seasons on the Karr varsity team.
page 2C
“It got a little rocky toward the end with the signing date,” Anderson said, adding that “I was just in my head a lot At the end of the day, I got another game to go win, so I had to get it over with and stay home ” Anderson spoke Tuesday night with Kiffin and defensive coordinator Blake Baker, he said Wednesday, and that conversation solidified his long-held choice of LSU.
It got a little rocky toward the end with the signing date. I was just in my head a lot. At the end of the day, I got another game to go win, so I had to get it over with and stay home.”
STAFF FILE PHOTO By JOHN McCUSKER
STAFF PHOTO By CHRISTOPHER DABE
Richard Anderson is surrounded by Edna Karr football players and family as he signs with LSU on Wednesday at Edna Karr High School.
See UL, page 4C
THE RUNDOWN
Sizing up theTigers’ Classof2026(so far)
Alook at howthe LSU football program fared on the first day of the early signing period
HOWMANY PLAYERS
DID LSU SIGN?
Eleven, withatleast ahandful expected to followsuit. LSU had 15 recruits committed to its 2026 class when it hired coach Lane Kiffin. Since then, three left the group and four joined, giving the Tigers 16 verbal pledges ahead of the startofthe early signing period. LSU is still waiting for five of those players to sign —and three of those five are top-100 recruits, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings. Somecould send in their paperwork by the end of the week. Others could wait until February. What’s important to note is that the class, likemanythings in and aroundthe program right now, is still awork in progress.
TOPTIGER
It’simportant —essential, really —that LSU gets asignature from Lamar Brown. If he signs with the Tigers, which he did not do Wednesday, then he’ll enroll as one of the most highly rated recruits LSU ever has landed. BrownisaUniversity High defensivelineman and the No. 2overall playerinthe 2026 class. On3 reported Tuesday that both Brown and five-star recruit and Edna Karrdefensive lineman Richard Anderson were waiting until Kiffin finalized his staff to sign, but Anderson reversed course and put pen to paper Wednesday.The Tigers are hoping that Brown will follow suit.
KEEP AN EYE ON
BlakeBaker,the young energetic LSU defensive coordinator.Kiffinwants to keep him on staff, but he couldsoon accept ahead coaching job.He interviewedfor the Tulane gig on Monday. Baker represents the domino that needs to fall before Kiffincan startassembling his defensivestaff —something ahandful of recruits want to see him do before theysign on the dotted line.Top-100 edge rusher Trenton Henderson did not sign Wednesday. Neither did top-100 defensivelineman Deuce Geralds, whosaid Wednesdaythat he’dsubmit his paperwork Friday.
WORK LEFT TO DO
Most of Kiffin’soffensivestaff is alreadyinplace, and that group of coaches is reportedly trying to makelastminute pushes to flip recruits whoaren’t committed to LSU or Ole Miss. Rivals recruiting expertSteve Wilfong,for instance, predicted Wednesdaythat four-star quarterback Landon Duckworth would flip his pledgefrom SouthCarolinatoLSU.Kiffinis alsoreportedly making arun at four-star Mississippi wide receiver and Auburnpledge Jase Mathews, whotold Rivals on Wednesdaythat the Tigers and Rebels are trying to swoop in and add him to their classes at the last minute. He will sign on Friday.
—ReedDarcey
Wild signingday agoodstart forKiffin
OK, now it truly hits home as to how untenablethe calendar is in collegefootball. Whether you think Lane Kiffin should have left Ole Miss for LSU with theRebels on the verge of a CollegeFootball Playoff appearance or not, the reality is that he is at LSU now.At LSUtrying to form hiscoaching staff and piece together aquality recruitingclass as much as possible within the three-day early signingwindow that opened Wednesday. If it all smacksofcrisis management, it is. It is, to borrow aline from Apollo 13 after the explosion in outer space, “a bad wayto fly.”And unfair to all concerned
But back to signing day.Kiffinleft Oxford for Baton Rouge because he thoughtLSU would be abetter place in the seasons to comeeventhough Ole Miss is better right now
How much better he and LSU can makethis coming season hingesonhow they do with this high school recruitingclass and into the transfer portal.
If you factor in all of thesignings and commitments, theTigers currently havea small but quality class of 16 highschool prospects in total. In the overall On3.com rankings, which take into account rankingsfrom other sites, LSUis arespectable 10th
However,based on theaverage ranking of the Tigers’ prospects, LSUis No. 1. Which metric you put the most stock in is up to you. But thefact that LSU is No. 1accordingtoany sort of recruiting yardstick is remarkable consideringthe upheavalofthe past six weeks, starting Oct. 26 with Brian Kelly’s firing
It was awild 48 hours, the day leading up to the startofthe signingperiodand after. By nightfall Wednesday, LSUhad announced 10 prospects signed —though that numberdidn’tinclude the nation’sNo. 1defensivetackle, RichardAnderson of Edna Karr Anderson told reporters that he signed with LSU after areassur-
ANDERSON
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Thetop-seeded Cougars will face Catholic-Baton Rouge in an LHSAADivision Iselect semifinal
LSU
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Anderson ended up reversing course Wednesday,announcing thathewould put pen to paper with LSU. Although LSU hasnot officially announced the signing as of 5p.m.Wednesday,Anderson is the No. 29 player in thenation and the No.2 recruit in Louisianaand is theNo. 11 person in the LSU class to supposedlysignWednesday “I talked to Lane Kiffin(last) night,” Andersontoldreporters after his announcement. “Itwas good. So Iwas like, ‘I’m staying home.’ “
Andersonsaidthat he had spoken with Brown before signing, addingthathewas the first person whoknew that Anderson officially would signwith LSU. However,he didn’tknow about Brown’sstatus as apotential signee as of midday Wednesday.
“He said he was going to hit me back later,” Anderson said in an interview with The Advocate.
The delay for most of LSU’sunsigned commitments has to do with the uncertainty that clouds LSU’s defensive staff and interim head coach/running backs coach Frank Wilson’sfuture withthe program Wilson, who has developed a strong relationship with Brown, is also the LSU recruiting coordinator. Alongwith Wilson, secondary coach Corey Raymond anddefensive coordinator Blake Baker have played abig role in recruiting Brown and LSU’sother remaining unsigned commitments.
LSUwouldliketoretainBaker, but he also has interviewed with Tulaneand Memphis for their open head coaching jobs, according to WVUE-TV.IfBaker were to stayat LSU, that could clarify Raymond’s future on the staff.
As for Wilson, he worked underKiffinatTennessee andmet with thenew LSUcoach Sunday. However,there has been no clear indication as to whether he’ll have
MondayatTiger Stadium
ing talk with Kiffinand defensive coordinator BlakeBaker Baker’sfuture, and that of membersofhis defensive staff, is amajor wild card in all of this. It’scertainly one of the factors that kept one of the nation’stop prospects, UniversityHigh defensive lineman Lamar Brown, from sending LSUhis signature Wednesday Kiffinreportedly wants to keep Baker on staff, but there are reportsout there that he’sbeing courted for the head coaching jobsatTulane, his almamater, and Memphis. Then there’sthe future of Frank Wilson, the interim LSUcoach and longtime running backs coach under Kelly Andtied to Baker’sfuture may be that of popular defensive backs coach Corey Raymond. There were early reports Wednesday that Tigers commitmentHavon Finney,afour-star cornerback from California, was going to delay signing with LSUlike Brown did, ostensibly because there is no clear word on
on Friday in Algiers as they seek a return trip to thestate championship in theCaesars Superdome. Andersondominated the state finallast season with sixtackles behind the line of scrimmageina 53-8 victory over Alexandria. Andersonwas partofa15-play-
Raymond’sstatus.
However,Finney sent in his paperwork Wednesday afternoon. Does this mean Raymond has a solidified spot on Kiffin’sretooled staff? Has Kiffinsold Finney on thenext defensive backs coach to enter the building?
As Itold you, it’sbeen wild.
The wildness may continue through Friday,asLSU hopes to finally land Brownand continues (as of this writing) to workon flipping four-star quarterback Landon Duckworth away from SouthCarolina. LSU’srecruiting class is heavyondefensive linemen,especially if Browneventually signs as expected, but thin on quarterbacks. As in zero to this point.Whether LSU signs Duckworth or not, it probably needs a quarterback from the high school ranks and thetransfer portal in this recruiting cycle.
Signficiantly, LSU did not hold a news conference Wednesday with either KiffinorWilson, as the school normally would to hype up theday’ssignees. By the way,
er signing class fromKarr,which celebrated those signings before a backdrop that included the purple and gold school colors.
SafetyAiden Hall, another LSU commitment, was among those signees. For Hall, with more than 100 ca-
LSU RECRUITING CLASS OF 2026
PLAYER POS. HT.WT. HOMETOWN(SCHOOL) RATING
Richard Anderson DL 6-4 340New Orleans (Edna Karr) Five-star
Brysten Martinez OT 6-5 300Gonzales (EastAscension) Four-star
HavonFinneyCB6-2 170 Chastworth, Ca. (SierraCanyon) Four-star
Aiden Hall S6-2 195New Orleans (Edna Karr) Four-star
JC Anderson TE 6-6 240Mt. Zion, Ill. (Mt. Zion) Four-star
Isaiah Washington S6-2 170Haynesville (Haynesville) Four-star
Brayden Allen WR 6-1 170Lafayette (Lafayette Christian) Four-star Dezyrian Ellis
(Franklin Parish) Four-star Ryan Miret IOL 6-4
aposition on Kiffin’srevamped offensive staff.
“(Frankand I) spent alot of time together in the last 24 hours as I’ve been here,” Kiffinsaid during hisintroductory news conference on Monday.“There’s alot of complicated moving parts(with the coaching staff),but we’ll definitely have that answer for you soon.” LSU commitments besides Brownwho have yettosigninclude four-star defensive lineman Deuce Geralds,four-star edge rusher Trenton Henderson, four-star offensivetackleBrysonCooleyand four-star safety Dylan Purter Hendersonand Purter planto sign on Thursday,but On3Sports has reported that Purter is expected to flip his pledge to Florida andsignwith the Gators instead. Geralds and Cooley are scheduled to sign on Friday,per On3. The recruiting website also has reported that Alabama andOle Miss are working to flip Cooley’spledge, and Georgia Tech and OleMiss areattempting to do thesame with Geralds. Even beforeWednesday, LSU hadlost commitments frommultiple recruits,including four-star wide receiverKenny Darby, threestar wideoutKervin Johnsonand three-star offensive lineman Jalan Chapman.
On the surface, losing so many commitments would signal arough start to Kiffin’stenure in Baton Rouge. On the flip side, new opportunities to add recruits have come
remember that Kiffinsaid Monday that Wilson would continue to lead this team on the field through whatever bowlgame the Tigers play in.
As much as Iama proponent professionally of full disclosure at all times, Iget it personally.Either KiffinorWilson would have gotten peppered with alot of nonrecruiting questions; Kiffinabout the coaching staffand Wilson about his status with LSU going forward.
Both probably would have been short on answers. Wednesday wasastart forLSU and Kiffin, apromising start. But there is much worktodowith the start of the transfer window a month from now and in the spring signing period. There is simply very little way to predict whowill be on the roster in 2026. Time, which is in short supply,iswhat Kiffinand LSU need as much as anything. Time to figure out whowill coach and whothey will be coaching come next season.
reer tackles, seven interceptions and three touchdowns, the decision wasmadeeasier by thefact that he “wasn’tcommittedtoacoach,” he said. “I was committed to aschool.”
Contact ChristopherDabe at cdabe@theadvocate.com
need forthe Tigers.
Another major domino that could fall LSU’s wayisfour-star wide receiverJase Matthews. TheNo. 13 wide receiver in the nation and a five-star recruit in On3’srankings, Matthewsiscommitted to Auburn but hasdecidednot to sign until Friday in large part because of interest from LSU and Ole Miss. On3 also hasmentioned LSUas ateam in the mixto flip the pledge of Ohio State four-star wide receiver Jerquaden Guilford, who had showninterest in KiffinatOle Miss before making his pledge to the Buckeyes. He is the No. 22 wide receiver in the nation and the No. 1recruit in Indiana.
Kiffinand his new staffalready have flippedpledges from four recruits, allofwhomsignedon Wednesday.Four-star wide receiver Corey Barber,four-star tight endJCAndersonand three-staroffensive linemanRyanMiretwere committed to Kiffin at OleMiss before making the switch to LSU The new staffalso gained acommitment from four-starwide receiver Brayden Allen, aprospect at Lafayette Christian who originally pledged to Oklahoma.
as aresult of him and his new staff jumpingonboard. One of the biggest potentialadditions is four-star quarterback Landon Duckworth, who is the No. 10 quarterback in the nation. On3 has predicted that he will flip his pledge to LSU,becoming the first high school quarterback LSU hassigned since Colin Hurley in the2024 class. LSU still has Hurley and sophomore Michael VanBureneligible to returnatthe position next season, but Duckworth would be Kiffin’s first bigmove at apositionof
Joining the latest additions to the class as signees weresix recruits who hadalreadybeen committedtoLSU under the previous regime.The Tigers signedfourstar offensivelineman Brysten Martinez, four-starcornerback Havon Finney,four-star safety Aiden Hall, four-starwide receiver Jabari Mack, four-star cornerback Dez Ellis andfour-star safety Isaiah Washington.
On Monday,Kiffindidn’tmake any promises as to what his first recruiting class at LSU would shape into, only guaranteeing that LSUwould try to sign thebest class possible Wednesday As it turns out, LSU fans will have to waituntil at least Friday to see the final results.
“(The recruiting class) was the number one priority andisthe numberone priorityright now,” Kiffinsaid. “We’re on that.”
STAFFPHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER Edna Karrdefensivelineman Richard Anderson holds the ball during agame against John Curtis on Oct. 31 at the Shrine on Airline in Metairie.
Brown
Duckworth
STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON
NewLSU football coach Lane Kiffingives an opening statement at an introductorynewsconferenceon
Scott Rabalais
WR Mack ‘never wavered’
Destrehan four-star prospect stuck with LSU amid coaching change to Kiffin
BY SPENCER URQUHART Staff writer
Jabari Mack never doubted he would sign with LSU despite a coaching change that caused a shakeup in the Tigers’ early signing class
The Destrehan four-star wide receiver was one of 11 players to sign with LSU on Wednesday, the first day of the early signing period. Some LSU commitments, such as University High five-star recruit Lamar Brown, delayed signing as new LSU coach Lane Kiffin finalized his coaching staff, but there was no hesitation from Mack
The 6-foot, 200-pound Mack, who also played wildcat quarterback and on defense, committed to LSU in March and was the first player to sign with the Tigers on Wednesday morning.
“For me, it was about loyalty,” Mack said. “LSU is always an outstanding program no matter who’s coaching. My commitment never wavered. (The coaching change) never made me want to change my decision because I knew LSU was going to hire a great coach.”
The versatile Mack projects as a wide receiver at LSU and could also make a contribution in the return game. Before signing, Mack spoke with Kiffin about his potential role with the Tigers.
“(Kiffin) is a crazy offensive mind,” Mack said. “That’s really exciting for me because I know I’m going to get the ball in my hands. His message to me was that he wants me, and he feels like I’m going to be a great asset to the team.”
Mack, who had offers from Alabama, Texas and several others, finished with more than 1,000 yards from scrimmage as a junior and recorded an interception in Week 1 of his senior year that he returned the length of the field for a touchdown.
Destrehan’s Jabari Mack leaps over Hahnville’s Xavier Champagne on Nov. 1, 2024, in Destrehan.
Mack said he will enroll early at LSU and will continue the tradition of Destrehan football stars playing at LSU. That list includes Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson “There’s no doubt that (Mack) will go out and contribute in different ways to (LSU),” Destrehan coach Marcus Scott said. “Guys that played (at Destrehan) before always reach back and offer advice to the younger players.”
Other Destrehan signees
Destrehan quarterback Jackson Fields, cornerback Damien Richard and offensive lineman Earl Collins joined Mack as Division I football signees on Wednesday Fields signed with Incarnate Word after committing this summer A three-year starter, Fields drew attention after a long throw to Mack during Destrehan’s spring
Most agree college football calendar needs an overhaul
BY MARK LONG AP sportswriter
Lane Kiffin’s awkward and angstfilled departure from Ole Miss will happen again.
It’s inevitable unless college administrators and football coaches agree to reimagine an imperfect calendar that has been a mess for decades. Under the current format, national signing day happens during conference championship week, the transfer portal opens during the College Football Playoff and some coaches are secretly interviewing for other jobs before Halloween.
Clunky and clumsy at best. Chaotic and conflicted might be more accurate.
No one has an ideal solution. Even the thought of adopting an NFL-like format seems flawed
“You want the best idea? Blow it up and start from scratch,” UNLV coach Dan Mullen said. “It’s a shame you’re going to lose a lot of things that are great in college football, but you already have.”
Three Southeastern Conference programs — Florida, LSU and Ole Miss courted Kiffin for weeks before he finally picked the Tigers and left the other two fanbases in emotional shambles. The Gators pivoted to Tulane coach Jon Sumrall; the Rebels stayed in-house and promoted defensive coordinator Pete Golding.
Florida and Ole Miss were left trying to convince themselves they’re better off without Kiffin.
Anyone who has witnessed his messy exits from basically every job he’s held might not have needed much convincing.
was moved last year from the third to the first Wednesday in December
Even in an era of the quick fix through the transfer portal, football teams need high school athletes to build out rosters. What happens when things go bad? Take a look at Penn State, which fired its coach in October but has yet to hire a replacement. The Nittany Lions have lost dozens of commitments in recent days, have locked down just a handful of signees, all of which has prominent boosters demanding answers.
Finishing it out
A handful of Power Four schools hired Group of Five head coaches and allowed them to remain in place even though it made for a trickier signing day
Kiffin, meanwhile, said he wanted to coach the Rebels through the CFP but was told no thanks; Ole Miss officials surely didn’t want him having daily contact with players who could follow him to Baton Rouge.
“Somebody’s got to get all this stuff under control,” said new Oklahoma State coach Eric Morris, who is remaining with North Texas through the season. “Just makes no sense at any level that we’re sitting here talking about people that are going to be in the College Football Playoff, a team and their coach isn’t going to be there to help them get through the whole entire season.
“It’s not sustainable. There are so many things that are not sustainable right now in what we’re doing.”
A moving target
bowl games had been played and a national champion had been crowned.
But coaches grew tired of having to continuously court high school kids during the football season and wanted a chance to lock them up long before February In response, the NCAA delivered an early signing period in 2017.
That worked well for a while.
But with the CFP expanding the postseason and stretching games well into January, the early signing period started to muddy the calendar
It prompts ADs to fire struggling coaches in the middle of the season to get a jump on their search for a replacement, and the transfer portal made roster management even messier
“It’s a game of musical chairs, and we all know what happens to the guy who doesn’t get a seat,” Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin said.
Stricklin has a solution, or at least a working theory of something that might work. His idea includes eliminating spring practice, moving signing day back to February, opening the transfer portal between March and April, and mandating that only players who were with a team last season can take part in offseason conditioning programs. And then newcomers would be allowed to join for summer workouts that would include the 15 practices normally held in the spring.
“Coaches don’t want to hear that because they think, ‘Oh my gosh, I’ve got to have eight months before I kick the ball off with these kids,’ ” Stricklin said.
game this year against Karr got millions of social media views.
“(Fields) has played a ton of snaps in some very big games,” Scott said. “He won’t be rattled and will be able to keep his composure under pressure and perform. (Incarnate Word) is getting a very cerebral player and are also getting a kid that will outwork everyone around him.”
Collins signed with Alabama A&M. His younger brother Jordan Collins is getting attention as a Class of 2028 recruit.
“It’s always good when kids get their opportunity to take their talents to the next level,” Scott said. “It speaks volumes to the support that they receive from their families, the community and their teammates.”
Richard signed with Louisiana Tech, where he is projected to play cornerback.
New Florida coach Jon Sumrall
Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire had a different suggestion He wants to start the season a week earlier than usual, play conference title games over Thanksgiving weekend and play postseason games every seven days.
“You could play the national championship on January 1st and then the portal would open on January 2nd so the season would actually be over,” he said. “Until you do that, we’re still going to have this.” NFL-style calendar?
There has been rampant talk about college football adopting an NFL-style calendar, which would mean coaching movement after the season in January and February, player movement in March and then team workouts after And there are penalties for tampering with coaches and players under contract.
“They can get in the transfer portal, but they’ve got to go somewhere else; they can’t follow you,” he said. “Until there’s some penalties in that, we’re going to get the same thing over and over.” And it will lead to more Kiffinlike exits and fanbase excitability
“Does anybody have a perfect solution? No,” Mullen said. “Here’s why: There are 136 Division I teams. There’s a lot of different conferences. Every one of those 136 teams operates on a different schedule. I know it’s like, ‘Hey, let’s look at a pro model.’” Maybe the biggest problem with the pro model is that, even though college sports look more like the pros every day, there is still school and a school calendar involved.
But the real villain is a college football calendar that essentially forces teams to scramble to get coaches in place before signing day for high school recruits, which
“Then let’s go to every president and every chancellor and say, ‘If you’re a Division I school, classes start on this day and end on that day.’ That’s a way to fix it because then you can really set the calendar But it’s hard when some people are on quarters, some people are on trimester, some are on semester When everybody’s working on a different calendar, it’s hard to come up with the exact thing.” More angst-filled coaching changes inevitable under current slate
Since the early 1980s, the muchanticipated — often overhyped — signing day had been in early February It seemed perfectly placed, set weeks after the last
“The football schedules combined with the semester structure, and the idea that everybody wants their teams put together in January, unless we fix that it’s never going to work.”
McGuire said colleges should consider something similar He offered that teams who hire coaches who leave other teams in the middle of a playoff run — much like Kiffin did at Ole Miss — would be ineligible for the CFP the following year He added that those coaches making a jump would not be allowed to bring players with them.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO
CHRIS WATKINS
EARLYSIGNING PERIOD
HeadedtoColumbus
Acadiana’s McKinley opts forOhioState to lead area signees
BY ERIC NARCISSE Staff writer
Acadiana High School’sDarryus McKinley knew exactly whathe was looking for throughoutthe recruiting process.
When the Ohio StateBuckeyes made him an offer,McKinley couldn’trefuse.
McKinley made his commitment binding when he signed with the Buckeyes on Wednesday, the first day of the early signing period.
“This really feels great,” said McKinley,a three-star prospect rated the No. 20 player in Louisiana by 247Sports Composite. “I’m excited to be goingtoaprogram like Ohio State.
“I wanted to go to aprogram that develops players and could help me to develop.”
Wreckin’ Rams coach DougDotson said the Buckeyes are getting an extremely talented player in McKinley
“Darryus has an elite skill set,” Dotson said. “Tohave someonehis size that can move as well as he does, it is rare.Istill believe there is alot more in him, and Ithink they’ll be able to develop him even more.”
McKinley,a6-foot-3, 275-pound defensive lineman, originally committed to LSU wherehis older brother Dominick plays before flipping to the Buckeyes
“I did want to play withmy brother,” said McKinley,who recorded 48 tackles, 27 tacklesfor loss, 10 sacks, 18 quarterback hurries, four forced fumbles and one fumble recoverythispastseason. “But it is justhow thingshappened.”
McKinley,Lafayette Christian’sBrayden Allen, Opelousas Catholic’s Roderick Tezeno, and Southside’sEmanual Collinswere among 10 Acadiana area football players to sign Wednesday Allen is staying closetohome to play forLane Kiffinand LSU, Tezeno signed with Lincoln Riley
“I’m excited to be going to aprogramlikeOhio State. I wanted to go to aprogramthat develops players and could helpmetodevelop.”
DARRyUS McKINLEy, Acadiana defensivelineman
andthe USC Trojans, andCollins willcontinue his career in Ruston at Louisiana Tech Allen, who committed to Tulane in July before decommitting and thencommitting to Oklahoma in October,saidthereweremany reasons forhis decommitments —most notably, receiving offers from bigger schools.
Once LSU made an offer,followed by the arrival of Kiffin, he said flipping to theTigerswas a no-brainer
“LSU has always been my dream school, anditwas perfect timing with the coaches,” Allensaid. “I wanttobeapart of (wide receiver university).”
The opportunity to play for Kiffin and his coaching staff was a plus as well for Allen.
“Itplayeda pretty bigpart,” Allen said about the Tigers hiring Kiffin, “because Iknow that he is an offensivegenius. Iwant to play under someonelike him.”
The 6-1, 170-pound Allen,who plays both ways for the Knights, has 43 receptions for 741 yards and11touchdowns for LCA, which hosts Dunham on Fridayin theDivisionIII select semifinals
Now, Allen,whosefatherByron and cousinJordan also played at LSU, gets the opportunity to keep the family legacygoing with the Tigers.
“It feels great knowing that
Ihave family that has passed through LSU,” Allen said. “It just makesmewant tocontinue the legacy and be great at LSU.”
ForTezeno, signing day couldn’t comefast enough
playerfor us.”
Twosignees were the only players at their position in Slidell tight endJerry Birdlow and Holy Cross running back Ke’Rynn Smith.
“I’ve been ready to put pen to paper,” said Tezeno, who committed to theTrojansinApril. “Assoon as Igot to USC, theytreated me as a real priority. Ijust knew this was theright place for me.”
Tezenocontinued to receive interest from other colleges.
“There were afew schoolsthat came in after Icommitted,” he said.
“But Iwasn’tentertaining it ”
The 6-2, 175-pound Tezeno, who had 36 receptions for 677 yards and eight touchdowns this past season, saidthe Trojans aregetting someone who can play anywhere on the field.
“Theyare getting aplayer thatis versatile,” Tezeno said. “I can play inside or outside.”
Collins saidhealways dreamed of playing college football, andhe is excited about the opportunity to do so withthe Bulldogs.
“It’sa blessing,” Collins said. “When Ivisited in thesummer,it was like afamily.Itwas abrotherhood. It reallyfeltlike asecond home. What Ireally liked was that everyone kept it real. They gave youthe full story on what to expect.”
Although he didn’tgarner the attention on therecruiting trails as he would have liked to,Collins said he wasn’tdisappointed.
“Itisbig to receive aDivision Ischolarship offer,” Collins said. “Itdidn’tmatter to me how many offersI received, Ijust wanted to play football at the next level.”
The 6-0, 170-poundCollins, who will playsafety forthe Bulldogs, recorded48tackles, nine pass breakups, three interceptions and twoforced fumbles in his senior season withthe Sharks.
“Louisiana Tech is getting someone thatcan bring leadership and someonethat will get thejob done day in and day out,” Collins said.
Email Eric Narcisse at enarcisse@theadvocate.com.
BRAYDEN ALLEN
High school: Lafayette Christian
Height: 6-foot-1
Weight: 170 pounds
Position: Wide receiver
Signed with: LSU Notes: Recorded 43 receptions for 741 yardsand 11 touchdowns on the season to helpleadthe Knights to the DivisionIII select semifinals.
CHANTZ BABINEAUX
High school: Carencro
Height: 5-11
Weight: 200
Position: Wide receiver
Signed with: Nicholls State Notes: Ledthe Acadiana area in yards receiving with 1,336 and 15 touchdownson52receptions, while recording 51 tackles, eight interceptions, 11 pass breakups and three defensivetouchdownsto help lead the Bears to theDivision I select playoffs
TRANDIN BENJAMIN
High school: Westgate
Height: 5-10
Weight:175
Position: Defensiveback
Signed with: Lamar Notes: Recorded 62 tackles, five tackles forloss, one sack and five interceptions in his senior season.
EMANUAL COLLINS
High school: Southside
Height: 6-0
Weight: 170
Position: Defensiveback
Signed with: Louisiana Tech Notes: Recorded 48 tackles, nine pass breakups, threeinterceptions and forced twofumbles to help leadthe Sharks to the Division I nonselect quarterfinals.
LUKEGREEN
High school: Lafayette Christian Height: 6-1
Weight: 170
Position: Safety
Signed with: UL Notes: Recorded 91 tackles, eight tackles forloss, twosacks, one interception, one forcedfumble and scored twodefensivetouchdowns en route to leading the Knightstoa district title and the Division III select semifinals
LENORD HOWARD
Highschool: Westgate
Height: 6-2
Weight: 275
Position: Defensiveline
Signed with: McNeese State Notes: Recorded41tackles, nine tacklesfor loss and twosacks, while helping the Tigers reach theregional round of the Division Inonselect playoffs
ISAIAH LEBLANC
Highschool: Breaux Bridge Height: 6-3
Weight: 180
Position: Wide receiver
Signed with: Nicholls State Notes: Had 31 receptions for349 yards and rushedfor 185 yards and twotouchdownson40carries Defensively, had 32 tacklesand two interceptions forthe Tigers.
DARRYUS MCKINLEY
Highschool: Acadiana Height: 6-3
Weight: 275
Position: Defensiveline
Signed with: Ohio State Notes: Recorded48tackles, 27 tacklesfor loss, 10 sacks, 18 quarterback hurries, four forced fumbles and one fumblerecovery while leading the Rams to the Division Iselect regional.
RODERICK TEZENO
Highschool: Opelousas Catholic Height: 6-2
Weight: 175
Position: Wide receiver
Signed with: Southern California Notes: Recorded 36 receptions for 677 yardsand eight TDsfor the Vikings, whoreached the regional round of theDivision IV select playoffs.
BRAYLON WALKER
Highschool:Lafayette Christian Height: 5-11
Weight: 170
Position: Cornerback
Signed with: UL Notes: Completed 127 of 201 passes for1,821 yards, 27 touchdownsand seven interceptions, while rushing for959 yards and 11 touchdownson127 carriestoleadthe Knightstothe Division III select semifinals. EricNarcisse
projects as adefensive player
everywhere …he’sgot range and he hits.” Walker “has beenphenomenal this year.He’sexplosive, the leader of the team.” Green is abig part of one of UL’s two major areasofemphasis safety and offensive line. Green will join three incoming safeties, including Plaquemine’sRoderick Bingham, Neville’sJayden Reed and EdrickWilliams of Daphne, Alabama.
“Wewere losing alot on the back end on defense,” Desormeaux said. “As adefensive back, you can play early.Ithink you can come in here and if you do the right thing, you can play early.”
The offensive line was bolstered by two tackles in Lutcher’sJayden Michael, Jai’Vale Fredericks of Daphne, Alabama, and three interior linemen in David Baker of Warren Easton, Trey Shaw of Hattiesburg, Mississippi,and Gunnar Goodwin from Kossuth High in Mississippi.
“I think he’saheck of aplayer,” Desormeaux said of Fredericks. “I think he’sgoing to be areally good
“He’s unique,” Desormeauxsaid of the6-foot-4, 230-pound Birdlow
“I’m like really,really intrigued andfascinated and kind of excited about this guy.”
Birdlow played defensiveline as well and thereforebrings aphysical presence many H-backs don’t possess out ofhighschool.
“He’splayingD-line, he’s blocking on offense, and he’s running routes,” Desormeaux said. “So I’m really excited about him.I think he’s going to be further ahead than alot of theguys that we getatH becausehehas been playing D-line and hehas been blocking already.”
Smith rushed for more than1,300 yards and 21 touchdowns and has 3,256 yardsand 47 touchdowns in hiscareer in theCatholic League.
“Hedoes run alot of stuffwe do,” Desormeaux said of Smith. “I mean,theyrun zone,a lotofgap scheme counters and powers and thingslike that.
“I thinkit’sa good fitfor him and for us.”
The class also includestwo
promising prospectsoff the defensive edge in St. Augustine’s Ty Dominique andUniversityHigh’s Jordan Pinnock. “He reminds me alot of (Jordan) Lawson,althoughhe’skind of in that like build length type of deal,”
Desormeaux said. “He’sreally explosive off theedge. He’s gotthe abilitytoaffect the gameonall four downs.” Pinnock played mostofthis season as an offensive tackle because his team needed him there, but he
“He’salittle bit of alate bloomer,” Desormeaux said of Pinnock. “He’s really tall andlongand plays withanincredibly high motor He’sareally physical player.”
Perhaps the mostintriguing of the signees is linebacker Devin Franklin of Oak Grove. At 6-5 and 210 pounds, he’salready reminded Desormeaux of leading tackler Jaden Dugger
“I think he’s going to be areally big kid,”Desormeaux said. “The kid does alot for his team. Imean, they walk him out there in the apex and he’ll go cover slot receivers.
“I think he’s going to be really funtosee kind of where he fits in thatmix. There’s alot of things he can do.”
The class also includes apunter from AustraliainMason Golding, whoDesormeaux expects to contend forthe starting spot next season, and Parkview Baptist long snapper Jackson Villaume. Six members of the class will enroll early for the spring semester.That group includes Franklin, Fredericks, Golding, Shaw,defensive tackle Xavier Waters and Williams.
STAFF FILE PHOTO By ROBINMAy
Acadiana defensivelineman Darryus McKinley, left,had 48 tackles, 27 tackles for loss, 10 sacks,18 quarterback hurries,four forced fumbles and one fumble recovery this season.
STAFF FILE PHOTOByBRAD BOWIE
Carencro star Chantz Babineaux, wholed the areainreceiving and had eightinterceptions on defense, signedwith Nicholls State on Wednesday.
SPORTS
SAINTS AT BUCCANEERS
FOOTING THE BUILD
Saints pleased with rookie QB Shough’s footwork progress
BY MATTHEW PARAS Staff writer
The New Orleans Saints want Tyler
Shough to step up.
But not in the way you think
For months, the Saints have worked on the rookie quarterback’s movement in and outside the pocket They want him to step up, or climb, when edge rushers start to collapse the outside walls, keeping Shough safe. They want him to drift to extend plays. They want him to have a feel for when to take off and when to stay patient. All of this has been emphasized in practice, from the start of individual drills to even when Shough spent weeks running the scout team earlier in the season Every team hammers home footwork for quarterbacks. But the time on task has been especially crucial for Shough, the 40th overall pick who was dinged in
BY ROD WALKER Staff writer
The New Orleans Pelicans’
film session Wednesday morning was the 19th one this season that came after a loss. This one was perhaps the toughest one to watch. Many of the 18 previous losses were blowouts or games that were decided by the time the end of the fourth quarter came around.
Tuesday’s overtime loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves was not only a game the Pelicans could have won but also one they should have won. The Pels led 129-125 when
the draft process by several analysts for having a poor reaction to oncoming pressure.
“Obviously, we drafted him high enough to think that’s not as big of an issue as maybe some people (did),” Saints quarterbacks coach Scott Tolzien said. “I mean, that’s all I hear from the outside world.
“So, that’s fine. We’re just going to keep working at it.”
The Saints have been pleased with the progress.
Shough’s numbers under pressure this season haven’t been particularly impressive, but they aren’t out of the ordinary for a rookie. What has been a pleasant surprise is the way that the 26-year-old has navigated the pocket, either to avoid pressure all together by stepping up or to create something out of nothing when on the move.
Shough’s two touchdown passes in the
ä Timberwolves at Pelicans, 7 P.M.THURSDAy, KNGC
Jose Alvarado rebounded a missed shot by Donte DiVinceno with just 46.4 seconds remaining. But Alvarado turned the ball over, leading to a Timberwolves’ basket to make it a two-point game. Jeremiah Fears missed a contested layup with 13.6 seconds left, and Minnesota called a timeout with seven seconds left trailing 129-127. Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards drove to the basket for a layup to send the game to
second half of Sunday’s loss to the Miami Dolphins illustrate the latter point. Coach Kellen Moore specifically noted Shough’s “quick ability” to find open space and hit Chris Olave on the move after the Dolphins’ rush forced him off his spot. In the fourth quarter, Shough rolled to his right to find Devaughn Vele in the back of the end zone.
Neither play technically counted as Shough facing pressure, according to Next Gen Stats’ charting service. But that’s a credit to Shough for moving out of the way and avoiding trouble.
“A lot of the best quarterbacks in this league play off schedule,” Moore said.
“When you embrace there’s a second phase to a play, big plays happen because of it. So, while you’re always trying to fine-tune the initial intent of the play there’s still big plays that are out there
a play
BY REED DARCEY Staff writer
A week-long layoff and five-hour flight provided the LSU women’s basketball team some obstacles when it landed in a tropical locale the week of Thanksgiving.
ä LSU at Duke, 8 P.M.THURSDAy, ESPN
Coach Kim Mulkey always expects to see some sloppiness on such trips. But she didn’t see much on the most recent one, a two-game stint in which her Tigers picked up lopsided wins over Marist and Washington State to take their division of the Paradise Jam Tournament in the U.S. Virgin Islands. LSU rolled through those matchups Friday and Saturday, winning by a combined score of 225-88 and widening their NCAA-record streak to eight games of 100 or more points.
“What I learned is what I’ve been knowing,” Mulkey told The Advocate on Friday “I’ve got a lot of talent. I’ve got a lot of weapons.”
Mulkey will learn more about the No. 5 Tigers (8-0) on Thursday when they face Duke on the road at 8 p.m in an ACC/SEC Challenge matchup (ESPN). The game was supposed to be a battle between top-10 teams, but the Blue Devils — who were No. 7 in the preseason AP poll and the ACC coaches’ pick to win their league — have dropped five of their first eight contests and fallen out of the AP Top 25, taking away LSU’s only chance to play a ranked team before SEC play begins in January It’s still an important game for the Tigers. They need to prove that their record-setting start is more than a mirage, and that they can continue to follow in the footsteps of LSU’s 2022-23 national championship team. This season is starting to shake out just like that one did.
In 2022, LSU had nine newcomers, a five-game streak of 100-point outings and a nonconference schedule without a ranked opponent.
Those Tigers, through their first eight contests, scored 98.3 points per game while shooting 52% from the field and 34% from 3-point range. They won by an average margin of 49.8 ppg, and they received an average of 26.1 ppg from their bench.
They also scored 126.2 points per 100 possessions against all of their nonconference opponents, according to Her Hoop Stats data.
This LSU team is scoring 137.6 points per 100 possessions. It’s putting up 112 ppg while shooting 56% from the field and 44% from 3-point range. The 2025-26 Tigers also have won their first eight games by an average margin of 59.8 points, and their bench is contributing 52.6 ppg. LSU leads Division I teams in all of those statistical categories. And its defensive numbers look impressive, too.
The Tigers’ first eight opponents scored only 52.3 ppg, shot just 31% from the field and turned the ball over
the Smoothie King Center
Nov. 16 ä See PELICANS, page 7C
Ole Miss AD, players dispute Kiffin’s view of events
BY ERIC OLSON AP college football writer
Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter, members of the football team and even the state’s top public safety officer are challenging the veracity of Lane Kiffin’s portrayal of the events surrounding his departure to LSU.
“There’s been a lot of things he said publicly that I’m not sure are totally accurate,” Carter said Wednesday during an appearance on a Mississippi talk show LSU announced the hiring of Kiffin on Sunday, two days after Ole Miss defeated Mississippi State in the Egg Bowl to finish the regular season 11-1. Rebels
defensive coordinator Pete Golding was named head coach shortly after Kiffin’s hiring at LSU became official.
Kiffin posted a farewell message on X saying he had hoped to coach the Rebels through the College Football Playoff and that the players wanted him to stay through the postseason. The team is No. 6 in this week’s CFP rankings, making it a near lock to receive an atlarge bid.
“My request to do so was denied by Keith Carter despite the team also asking him to allow me to keep coaching them so they could better maintain their high level of performance,” Kiffin wrote.
Kiffin had said he was under the
impression he would be able to coach the Rebels in the CFP until he was told otherwise in a meeting early Sunday, according to Yahoo Sports.
Speaking on “Mornings With Richard Cross” on SuperTalk Mississippi, Carter said Kiffin and his representatives had been told several weeks ago that he would not coach in the playoff if he was not staying in Oxford.
“I see him finding out at 8:30 on Sunday morning for the very first time that he would not be coaching the playoff is not accurate,” Carter said. As for the players asking him to stay through the playoff, offensive lineman Brycen Sanders wrote on
X: “I think everyone that was in that room would disagree.”
Carter said “there was a lot of pushback to him leaving” because the players were concerned about who would coach them.
“And it was sounding like he was going to take all the offensive staff with him,” Carter said. “So there was a lot of discussion around that. But I think begging for him to stay is certainly an overstatement.”
Linebacker Suntarine Perkins wrote on X that Kiffin’s socialmedia post Sunday did not match what he said in the meeting with players.
“Everybody that was in there can vouch on this,” Perkins said. Kiffin also said an Ole Miss fan
tried to run him off the road as he was driving to the airport for his flight to Baton Rouge on Sunday. The Mississippi Highway Patrol escorted Kiffin to the airport and reported no incidents. In a satirical video posted on Mississippi DPS social platforms, commissioner Sean Tindell — while walking a dog and wearing a visor in a nod to Kif
STAFF PHOTO By BRETT DUKE
Saints quarterback Tyler Shough runs the ball against the Atlanta Falcons at the Caesars Superdome on Nov 23.
STAFF PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD Pelicans interim head coach James Borrego talks with the team during
review during a game against the Golden State Warriors at
on
Sayin, Mendoza chase title, Heisman
BY MICHAEL MAROT AP sportswriter
INDIANAPOLIS Ohio State quar-
terback Julian Sayin and Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza each have one prize in mind for their showdown this weekend in Indianapolis: a Big Ten championship.
It’s another one — Heisman Trophy winner that will consume most of next week’s debate.
The two first-year starters at their respective schools each played their way into frontrunner status by leading their teams to unbeaten regular seasons, posting outstanding numbers and delivering when the stakes have been highest. They get final chances to pad those Heisman resumes when No. 1 Ohio State and No. 2 Indiana square off in the Big Ten Championship Game.
Sayin and Mendoza appear tailor-made for the moment
“With the spotlight, with the pressure of it, comes a privilege,” said Mendoza, a two-year starter at California before arriving in Bloomington.
Mendoza has been deferential to his teammates and coaches all season, routinely using his platform to build up those who helped him reach the precipice of becoming the first Indiana player to win college football’s most prestigious award.
Sayin, meanwhile, has spent most of this season trying to get acclimated to being the starter for the defending national champs and more recently with a revolving door of receivers caused by injuries. He started his career at Alabama and redshirted last season in Columbus. He would be Ohio State’s first Heisman winner since Troy Smith in 2006.
Mendoza and Sayin find themselves as the feature attractions in a rare, late-season head-to-head matchup between the Football Bowl Subdivision’s last two unbeaten teams. The tale of the tape is every bit as close as one might expect Sayin’ staggering 78.9% completion rate leads the nation as does his passing efficiency of
ä Indiana vs Ohio St. 7 P.M. SATURDAy, FOX
184.85. His 30 touchdown passes rank second nationally He’s 13th in passing yards with 3,065 and tied for 15th in points responsible for with 180.
Mendoza leads the FBS with 32 TD passes, ranks second in passing efficiency at 183.71 and points responsible for at 228, fifth in completion percentage (72.0%) and 27th in yards passing with 2,758. Both are 12-0 overall, 9-0 in conference play and have five interceptions. The biggest difference
statistically — Mendoza averages 13.07 yards per throw, No. 24 nationally, while Sayin ranks 62nd. And while Sayin’s signature moment came last week when he snapped a four-game losing streak to the dreaded Wolverines, Mendoza delivered two of this season’s biggest plays — beating an Iowa blitz with a tiebreaking, 49-yard TD pass to Elijah Sarratt with 1;28 left in a 20-15 victory and the incredible 7-yard TD pass to Omar Cooper Jr in the final minute to beat Penn State 27-24.
After throwing a tying Pick-6 late at then-No. 3 Oregon, Mendo-
za responded by taking Hoosiers on a 75-yard scoring march and throwing the go-ahead TD pass to Sarratt for a 30-20 victory that cemented Indiana’s spot in the national championship conversation.
“The Oregon game, I think, gave us a lot of credibility,” second-year Hoosiers coach Curt Cignetti said.
“That was a step we had to take as a program go on the road, play a top five team and come back with a win. Oregon’s a great team and Dan Lanning is a great football coach and so, I think, from that point on, there has been a little bit more acceptance of where we’re at as a program.”
Mendoza has a chance to put an exclamation on Indiana’s second straight record-breaking season — if Indiana beats the Buckeyes for the first time since 1988, claims its first conference crown since 1967 and reaches to No. 1 in
The Associated Press poll for the first time in school history
Sayin is trying to extend the nation’s longest active winning streak to 17 games, capture Ohio State’s first conference crown since 2020 and help the Buckeyes become back-to-back national champions for the first time in school history
Cignetti knows just how challenging it will be to derail those plans.
“Julian Sayin is a tremendous football player He’s young but doesn’t play like he’s young,” he said. “Super quick release, very accurate and he’s mobile They’ve got great weapons on the outside.”
But as coaches and players stay focused on Saturday’s contest, the quarterbacks are downplaying the game inside the game — whether the winner has the inside track to winning the Heisman.
“A lot of quarterbacks have struggled with (Ohio State’s defense) throughout the entire season, and there’s a reason for that,” Mendoza said. “I think it’s a great opportunity and a great challenge for the Indiana offense to play the Indiana brand of ball we want to play against such a great defense.”
ACC commissioner pushing for league to get 2 CFP berths
BY AARON BEARD
Associated Press
Atlantic Coast Conference com-
missioner Jim Phillips is pushing for No. 12 Miami to earn a bid to the College Football Playoff along with the winner of the league championship game between No. 16 Virginia and Duke.
That comes with the ACC facing at least the chance of being squeezed out of the 12-team CFP entirely based on Tuesday night’s rankings.
In an interview with The Associated Press, Phillips was emphatic in making his case for the Hurricanes and then the league’s eventual champion. That comes after the ACC had a logjam of four 6-2 teams behind the Cavaliers, triggering a tiebreaker policy that worked through multiple steps before sending the five-loss Blue Devils ahead of the Hurricanes and others for Saturday night’s title game in Charlotte.
“I have conviction and confidence in our teams, starting with Miami,” Phillips told the AP. “The second piece of that is the Virginia-Duke winner should absolutely be in this College Football Playoff.”
Current scenario
The Hurricanes (10-2) have closed strong as the league’s highest-ranked team in the AP Top 25 and CFP rankings, while the Cavaliers (10-2) finished as the lone 7-1 ACC team. Duke’s inclusion, triggered by then-ranked SMU losing at California last weekend, represents a potential chaos agent. Automatic CFP bids go to the five highest-ranked league champions. That theoretically accounts
first for the “Power Four” champions from the ACC, Big 12, Big Ten and SEC. Then would come the highest-ranked champ from a Group of Five league: the American, Conference USA, Mid-American, Mountain West and Sun Belt conferences.
In Tuesday’s CFP rankings, Miami is a bubble team for an at-large bid at No. 12 while the Cavaliers are 17th for a simple win-and-in scenario in Charlotte.
But Duke (7-5) is unranked.
Meanwhile, the American has both of its title-game teams (North Texas and Tulane) in the CFP rankings, putting that winner in line for a win-and-in ticket. And then there’s James Madison (11-1), which entered the CFP rankings at No. 25 before Friday’s Sun Belt title game against Troy That, along with a Duke win against Virginia could potentially give the Sun Belt the fifth champion’s spot and leave the ACC’s CFP hopes resting with the on-thebubble Hurricanes.
Phillips who has previously been optimistic about landing multiple bids, knows the scenarios. He’s undeterred that the ACC deserves two bids all the same.
“I’m not naive,” he said, “but I have conviction about it.”
Miami’s case
Miami’s position stands out with the Hurricanes having a head-tohead win with Notre Dame, which sits two spots ahead in the CFP rankings despite that 27-24 season-opening loss.
That result would seemingly be a differentiator considering the teams have matching 10-2 records and comparable ESPN strength-of-schedule rankings
(Notre Dame 42nd, Miami 44th).
The Hurricanes have more wins against top-40 teams in ESPN’s College Football Power Index (five) than the Fighting Irish (two) and a better record against AP-ranked teams at the time of the matchup (Miami at 4-0, Notre Dame at 2-2).
Additionally, the teams had matching games against two bowleligible teams — home against N.C. State, at then-ranked Pittsburgh — among their four common opponents. The Hurricanes beat the Wolfpack and Panthers by a combined 65 points, more than the Irish’s 51 points in those games.
“I remain steadfast in my conviction, which has only grown stronger over the season — especially these last four weeks,” Phillips said. “The eye test, the stats, the results — they’ve earned a spot in the playoff.”
Those comparisons have also been a topic for Miami athletic director Dan Radakovich in socialmedia posts this week, with one noting: “Head-to-head not ‘a’ data point but ‘the’ data point!”
Phillips said he was “incredibly surprised and very disappointed” to see the Hurricanes didn’t rise after a 38-7 win against a Pitt team ranked 22nd in the CFP rankings last week. But Phillips pointed to selection committee chairman Hunter Yurachek saying no teams are locked into position, even if they’re not playing this week. Phillips said the ACC has been in constant contact with the committee “and that’s going to continue up to the selections.”
“We know the final rankings aren’t until Sunday, so there’s time for course correction by the committee,” Phillips said. “The
Kansas State football coach Klieman to retire
Kansas State football coach
Chris Klieman announced his retirement Wednesday after nearly 35 years in coaching and the last seven leading the Wildcats, a run that included a Big 12 championship three years ago and a bowl trip every season but one.
Klieman was planning to announce his decision later this week, but it was quickly moved up when word began to leak. He spoke briefly during a news conference originally called to discuss national signing day, then left without taking questions, leaving his close friend and Kansas State athletic director Gene Taylor to fill in the gaps.
Taylor proceeded to rip the the state of college athletics for its role in driving the 58-year-old Klieman away from the game.
Bills pass rusher Bosa dealing with hamstring
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y Bills coach
Sean McDermott on Wednesday listed edge rusher Joey Bosa as being week to week because of a hamstring issue that will further affect Buffalo’s already injurydepleted defense.
McDermott did not provide a definitive timeline of how many weeks Bosa will miss except to say “we’re hoping it’s on the shorter end of it.”
The 10th-year player was hurt in the second half of Buffalo’s 26-7 win at Pittsburgh on Sunday It was a game in which Bosa helped turned the tide with a strip-sack of Aaron Rodgers, with Christian Benford returned 17 yards for a touchdown on the opening snap of the third quarter
Belichick, Kraft are finalists for Pro Football Hall of Fame
Bill Belichick and Robert Kraft, two of the key pillars in the New England Patriots’ dynasty, were picked as finalists for the 2026 Pro Football Hall of Fame class.
Belichick was picked as the coaching candidate and Kraft was picked as the contributor in results announced on Wednesday Three seniors candidates also made the final stage with Ken Anderson, Roger Craig and L.C. Greenwood all advancing.
The members of the 50-person selection committee can vote for three of the finalists. A maximum of three candidates can reach that threshold.
The committee will also vote on 15 modern-era finalists that are still to be determined with between three and five of those candidates guaranteed to get into the Hall.
NBA champion, 15-year veteran Campbell, 57, dies
committee’s made it clear that idle teams can move up in the final rankings. And we’re going to continue our efforts, as there’s no question Miami’s a playoff team and they’ve earned a spot in the playoff.”
The Duke question
Virginia moved up a spot in Tuesday’s CFP rankings — “Pleased to see them move up, although I believe they should be higher,” Phillips said — to put them a win from the playoff.
A Duke win could make things dicier But Phillips was ready to make that case, too, leaning largely on schedule strength.
The Blue Devils won the ACC tiebreaker with the Hurricanes, Georgia Tech, SMU and Pitt by virtue of its ACC opponents having the best combined winning percentage in league play (.500).
Beating the Cavaliers would mark a seventh win against a Power Four opponent, while Duke’s five losses came to teams — including at Tulane in the American with a combined record of 4614 (.767).
By comparison, newly ranked James Madison lost its only game to a Power Four team (at ACC member Louisville), while only one of its wins came against a team with a winning record compared to Duke’s four
The Blue Devils’ opponents have a combined 98-58 (.628) record compared to JMU’s going 74-82 (.474), while ESPN ranks Duke’s strength of schedule at 74th compared to JMU’s at 118th.
“The management committee has made it clear this offseason that strength of schedule must be prioritized,” Phillips said.
Elden Campbell, a center who played 15 seasons in the NBA — including nine with the Los Angeles Lakers — and later won a championship with the Detroit Pistons, has died. He was 57.
Campbell’s family told the Pistons he died Monday No cause was given.
The 6-foot-11 Campbell was born in Los Angeles and excelled at Morningside High before heading to Clemson He was a first-team ACC selection in the 1989-90 season. He played nine seasons in Los Angeles, but he didn’t win a championship ring until later in his career with the Pistons — beating the Lakers in five games in 2004. Campbell played in 1,044 NBA games and averaged 10.3 points and 5.9 rebounds per game.
NBA fines Sixers $100K over Embiid injury report
The NBA fined the Philadelphia 76ers $100,000 for violating league injury reporting rules regarding Joel Embiid. The 76ers failed to accurately disclose the game availability status of Embiid prior to Sunday’s contest against the Atlanta Hawks. Embiid was listed as out in Philadelphia’s initial injury report but subsequently played in the game.
The fine takes into account the 76ers’ prior history of fines for violating injury reporting rules. Embiid did sit out Tuesday against Washington. The 76ers play again Thursday against Golden State. The often-injured Embiid has played in only seven games so far this season. The game against the Hawks is the only time he has suited up since
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By RyAN SUN
Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin throws during the first half of a game against Michigan on Saturday in Ann Arbor, Mich.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By DOUG MCSCHOOLER
Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza looks to pass the ball during the second half of a game against Purdue on Friday in West Lafayette, Ind.
Four starters for Saints miss practice
BY LUKE JOHNSON Staff writer
Four of the New Orleans Saints’ most important starters were not on the practice field as the team began its preparations for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Receiver Chris Olave, running back Alvin Kamara offensive tackle Taliese Fuaga and safety Justin Reid did not practice with the team during the open media viewing portion of Wednesday’s practice.
Kamara missed last week’s game against the Miami Dolphins with a knee injury and was described as “week to week” by coach Kellen Moore before the game. Reid injured his knee on the first play from scrimmage against the Dolphins and played only a few more snaps before exiting the game.
Olave popped up on the injury report a week ago with a back issue and was questionable for the Dolphins game but wound up playing 87.5% of the snaps — slightly above his season average. He was also listed with a back injury on the practice report
Wednesday Fuaga returned to action last week after missing the previous two games with a knee injury He injured his ankle against the Dolphins the opposite ankle that he injured earlier in the season
They were the only players on the injury report Wednesday Everyone else was a full participant. On the Buccaneers side, stand-
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and available.”
out left tackle Tristan Wirfs (oblique)
was the only player who did not practice, though several others were limited — including star wide receiver Mike Evans, who has been on injured reserve since fracturing his collarbone against the Detroit Lions in October
Hill touches
Taysom Hill finished last week’s game against the Dolphins with two touches, and Moore said Wednesday that he needs to get Hill more involved.
New Orleans went into that game with a plan to use Hill in heavy offensive sets that featured two or three tight ends But the way the Dolphins defended those formations caused Moore to shift more toward running the ball out of three wide receiver sets.
Because of that, Moore said, Hill’s chances were limited. He finished the game playing 12 offensive snaps.
“That’s on me,” Moore said. “I think he’s done an awesome job.
Two previous weeks, he had a nice impact on both those games playing close to 25 snaps, and that’s probably where it should be more often than not.”
About a year removed from a major knee injury that required extensive rehabilitation this offseason, Hill has yet to be a major factor for the Saints.
Though he’s had some nice moments particularly against the Carolina Panthers, when he iced the game with several clutch runs
in the closing minutes — Hill is averaging 2.2 yards per carry this season, well below his career average (5.3).
Transactions
The Saints filled the two open spots on their roster by signing wide receiver Dante Pettis and offensive lineman William Sherman off their practice squad.
The spots were made available Tuesday, when the Saints waived receiver Kevin Austin and offensive lineman Barry Wesley Pettis was out of practice squad elevations, having served as the team’s primary punt returner and kick returner since the team sent Rashid Shaheed to the Seattle Seahawks at the trade deadline.
The 30-year-old Pettis has played only nine offensive snaps with the Saints this season, catching his lone target for 14 yards, but he has averaged 25.2 yards per kick return while also returning seven punts for 30 total yards with a long return of 11 yards.
He also filled in as a returner last season after Shaheed suffered a season-ending injury, contributing a 53-yard punt return and a 38yard kick return.
Sherman was a sixth-round selection of the New England Patriots in 2021, but he’s played sparingly in his five NFL seasons. He appeared in two games with the Saints this season, playing two offensive snaps and seven specialteams snaps against the Falcons and Panthers.
Shough’s initial feel for the pocket was one of the hurdles for him seeing the field. During the spring and summer, the secondround pick seemed a step slow when dealing with a pass rush. Shough had to get used to the game’s speed, but while that was happening, Spencer Rattler was distancing himself in the quarterback competition in part because of his own improvement under pressure. Before he was benched, Rattler noticeably cut his sack rate percentage from his rookie year In 2024, he took a sack on 8.9% of his drop backs compared to 6.57% in 2025. That difference meant that Rattler went from having the league’s ninth-highest sack rate to 18th among 36 qualified passers in 2025. Rattler was also very efficient under pressure, posting the league’s best completion percentage of 62.1% and the eighth-highest quarterback rating, according to Next Gen Stats. If Rattler’s improvement was related in any way to working with this coaching staff, that could be a good sign for Shough as he continues to mature. In six games, four of which have
“(It’s an) area of growth You put yourself in those positions and now you’ve got to close. We are at the goal line and we’ve got to figure out how to close. It’s maturity It’s execution. It’s poise It’s confidence.”
JAMES BORREGO, Pelicans interim coach on end-of-game situations
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overtime and Minnesota pulled away The Pelicans had a foul to give on the Edwards’ drive but didn’t use it.
So it’s easy to understand why Pelicans interim coach James Borrego used Wednesday’s practice to focus solely on endof-game situations.
“(It’s an) area of growth,” Borrego said. “You put yourself in those positions and now you’ve got to close. We are at the goal line and we’ve got to figure out how to close. It’s maturity. It’s execution. It’s poise. It’s confidence.”
The Pelicans (3-19) don’t have to wait long to see if the practice helped. They get another shot at the Timberwolves (13-8) on Thursday at the Smoothie King Center Losses in the clutch serve as teachable moments for a young team, particularly rookies such as Derik Queen and Fears.
“Just be more disciplined,” Queen said. “Close out the game better No turnovers. No second chances for them. And just execute.” Borrego’s Wednesday practice consisted of the team going through various end-of-game scenarios. It ranged from being up by two with 30 seconds left to being down by 2 with 30 seconds left and everything in between
“Do it until you like what you see,” Borrego said. “Make sure we are all talking about it, what we are looking for, and try to replicate it as much as possible. You can’t get the pressure level or stress level that you’ll get tomorrow night or in a game, but you can certainly simulate it as much as you can.”
Borrego focuses on the details and is all about repetition until the team gets it right. Because of the way the schedule has played out, this was just his fourth actual practice with the team since taking over for Willie Green A lot of the practice time has focused on what Borrego calls “more foundational stuff.”
“This team has to dominate the margins,” Borrego said “That’s the goal right now.”
The margins are how the team does after a timeout, and at the end of quarters and games.
“Those situations we want to dominate,” Borrego said. “It’s very doable. It’s not rocket science. (It takes) some focus.
You’ve got to give it attention.
You’ve got to deal with it Making sure guys know where they need to be. It all comes down to the details there.
“(Wednesday) was probably the most detailed end-of-thegame practice I’ve had in a while It’s been a minute It felt good We felt the pain of last night. We owned it. That’s the beauty of this team. Nobody’s hanging their heads.”
completion rate under pressure and a sack rate of 7.8%.
“We’re coached really well to not take negative plays in the pocket,” Rattler said.
Moore has said the drills the Saints run in practice are aimed at helping with that movement. While the drills are what most quarterbacks have seen by the time they get to the league, Tolzien said he utilizes what he has learned from his seven years as an NFL quarterback and his previous coaching stop with the Dallas Cowboys. The plan, he said, is to build muscle memory so the footwork comes naturally He’ll run mostly the same drills every practice to keep “the main dish,” but he will add new wrinkles to mix up “the sides.” Rattler said Tolzien will try to add a competitive element in certain moments to keep things fun.
“I’m a believer in that, no different from Steph Curry using the same pre-game routine for 82 games in an NBA season, there’s going to be drills that we’re going to repeat, and that’s OK because that’s how you build habits,” Tol-
zien said.
Shough also credits his improvement to his time with the scout team. Each week, defensive coordinator Brandon Staley installed game-specific blitzes that gave Shough a better sense of what to expect even when he was running the other teams’ concepts.
Shough’s second start, a win over the Carolina Panthers, showed just how comfortable the quarterback had seemingly become He hasn’t been perfect since then — Shough’s turnovers (four interceptions and two fumbles) are another area he needs to clean up — but he’s made plenty of strides in an area that many thought would be a concern.
“On scout team, more often than not, (the pocket) is not in your favor,” Shough said. “There’s guys in your face. You’re throwing in different lanes. So I was just super intentional about two hands, trying to move up, trying to escape in different ways. I’m going to continue to try and do that.”
Email Matthew Paras at matt. paras@theadvocate.com
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toughest schedules in the country, but they’re scoring only 67.8 ppg the fourth-lowest average in the ACC. They can still challenge the Tigers, though. Duke just needs to slow down the LSU offense, which hasn’t looked rusty or sloppy in any of the eight games this season.
“I don’t care that they’re not ranked,” Mulkey said of Duke. “It would have been helpful. But we’re going to hit the road and see what we can do.”
STAFF PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD
Saints quarterback Tyler Shough throws against the Atlanta Falcons during the first half of the game at the Caesars Superdome on Nov. 23.
STAFF PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK
LSU guard Flau’jae Johnson, right, reacts on the court during a timeout against Charlotte on Nov 12 at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center
STAFF PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD
Saints wide receiver Chris Olave is tackled by Atlanta Falcons cornerback Mike Hughes during the second half of the game at the Caesars Superdome on Nov. 23.
Jeanerette hoping to upset Haynesville in semifinals
BY MATTHEW LOUVIERE Contributing writer
Jeanerette High School’s playoff run reaches its toughest test Friday when the fourth-seeded Tigers travel to face No. 1 Haynesville in a Division IV nonselect semifinal matchup. The pairing pits programs on opposite ends of the state’s historical spectrum: Haynesville, one of the winningest programs in Louisiana history with 16 state titles, and Jeanerette, which is appearing in the semifinals for the first time. Haynesville (12-0) has steamrolled its schedule behind one of the state’s most dominant defenses, allowing just 64 points across 10 regular-season games. The Golden Tornadoes enter Friday’s contest coming off decisive playoff wins, including 36-19 over Homer in the regional round and 4812 over Jonesboro-Hodge in the quarterfinals.
Haynesville has rarely been challenged. The Golden Tornadoes posted shutouts against North Webster, Plain Dealing, JonesboroHodge and Glenbrook, while adding lopsided victories over Homer, Arcadia and D’Arbonne Woods Charter
Last season’s run ended in the state championship game, where Haynesville fell 20-7 to South Plaquemines.
The Tornadoes also have history on their side Haynesville defeated Jeanerette in the 2023 playoffs, a 36-6 win after both teams entered as top-five seeds. But this year’s Jeanerette team has carried a different storyline, one built on resilience, depth and belief. The Tigers (11-1) enter the
semifinals following a 36-8 quarterfinal win over No. 5 Logansport, just one week after defeating Grand Lake 54-7 in the regionals. Their only loss this season came in overtime against District 7-1A rival Covenant Christian Jeanerette’s success has come despite major injuries to key players. Junior running back Devine Duhon went down early in the year with a knee injury Backup Destin Smith exited the Covenant Christian game with an injury of his own. That left junior Kobe Gage, the team’s third-string option, to take over the backfield duties down the stretch
Still, coach Clifford Paul said the Tigers never wavered, leaning on their offensive line and the physical identity that carried them through the season
“Our kids put in a lot of work to get to this point,” Paul said after last week’s win. “We’re excited, very excited.”
Paul said Jeanerette’s emphasis since last year’s playoff exit has been about finishing strong.
“Since that last game, our motivation has been to make sure we finish, finish what we start,” he said. “This team understands that. They believe in it.”
Even with the injuries on offense, Jeanerette has maintained its approach behind an offensive line anchored by junior all-state lineman Gregory Green. The Tigers run a spread scheme but do most of their damage on the ground, controlling the pace with a physical run game and using their speed out wide when space opens up.
“I think it’s a mixture of both, keeping them in a routine but also confidence in our ability,” Paul said of sticking to the run despite losing two running backs.
“Our strength is our offensive line. We’ve got young kids who can tote the ball behind those big guys. We wear people down.”
The Tigers’ receiving
corps gives them another dimension. Juniors Morris Walters, Jaiden Ward and Nysir Jackson, along with senior transfer Synjaya Hamilton, give Jeanerette size, athleticism and leaping ability on the perimeter All four receivers play both ways, doubling as the team’s defensive backfield and helping form one of the Tigers’ biggest strengths — their ability to win contested balls on both sides of the field.
Defensively, Jeanerette compensates for its thin depth with speed and high-effort play, mixing a quick pass rush with aggressive linebackers. Senior all-state defensive lineman Javonte Williams remains sidelined with an injury, but the Tigers have continued to generate turnovers at critical moments.
Senior linebacker Desaun Tolbert, who had two takeaways in the quarterfinal win, has become one of the team’s most impactful playmakers during the playoff run.
“They’ve been here since Day 1,” Paul said of his senior class.“Whenwetookourlumps and bruises, those seniors said, ‘Coach, we’re going to finish with a bang.’ And we’re on the road to doing that.”
Haynesville will be the most complete and balanced opponent Jeanerette has faced this year, with depth, size and speed at every level. The Golden Tornadoes’ defense has allowed more than 14 points just twice all season, and the offense has consistently put games out of reach by halftime.
A win would send Jeanerette to the state championship game for the first time in program history where it would face the winner of No. 2 Mangham and No. 3 South Plaquemines.
For Paul and the Tigers, that opportunity is just one more piece of motivation ahead of the biggest game in school history “Our kids earned this,” Paul said. “We’re ready right now.”
Turning up the heat
Chongqing chicken gets atouch of fire
BY GRETCHEN McKAY Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (TNS)
Do you love hot and spicy food? Long for adishthatsets your mouth on fire?
Me, too. That’swhy,whenever Idecide to try my hand at making Chinese food, Ialways reach for recipes that hang their hat on the crunchy,spicy condiment known as chilicrisp And when I’m in the mood for something really exhilarating? That calls for adishthat features Sichuan peppercorns and those tiny dried redchiles you just know are going to make you break out in asweat
If you’re unfamiliar,Sichuan peppercorns are the small, reddish-pink berriesthat often put the fire into Sichuan cuisine, which is known for its bold and spicy flavors.Sometimes ground into apowdery spice or used to infuse oil with azesty kick, the husky peppercornsinduceanintense tingling sensation on the lips and tongue that you’ll think will overstay its welcome. But after acouple of swallows, they actually leave behind woodsy,citrusy notes
The numbing sensation is due to acompound called hydroxy-alpha-sanshoolthat causes abiting astringency on your mouth’s“touch” receptors. When combined with chiles or spices like star anise, garlic and ginger,it’sknown as mala —anumbing sensation combined with aspicy flavor
This Cook’sIllustrated recipe for Chongqing chicken, atraditional, spicy dish of chicken and dried red chiles,isasdramatic as it is mouthwatering
The first thing you notice is the rather intimidating amount of dried chiles that give the stir-fry its amazing presentation. (No worries: Youaren’t expected to eat that sea of red but rather dig through it with your chopsticks on your way to the tender,battered chicken.) Second is the dish’sintoxicating aroma. Along with toasted Sichuan peppercorns and all those fragrant chiles, the stir-fry includes the Chinese version of the “holy trinity” in Cajun and Creole cooking ginger,garlicand scallions. The recipe might seem like alot of work because the list of ingredients is on the long side, and you have to fry the batteredchicken twice so that every piece browns deeply.But in the end, it really doesn’ttake all that long and who doesn’t like aone-pan dish?
In China, the dish is often made with chicken on the bone and fried naked, but here it’s crafted with boneless, skinless chicken thigh cut into bitesized pieces that’s been dipped in acornstarch-based batter In apinch, you could forgo the crispy coating and simply sear the chicken with afew tablespoons of oil in areally hot wok until every piece is browned and crisp on all sides.
1. Bring alarge pot of salted water to aboil. While waiting for the water to boil, cut about an inch off the end of the cabbage and gently pry off the outer leaves. The larger outer, greener leaves work best for rolling.
2. Removethe hard center rib fromthe bottom of the cabbage leaves. Carefully place the prepared cabbage leaves into the boiling water for about 4-5 minutes, then gentlytransfer the leaves to acolander to drain and cool. (Note: Ilike to save the inner smallerleaves to make cole slaw.) Alternatively,ifthe leaves are too tight and hard to pull off,you can place the whole cabbage in the boiling water and simmeruntil theleaves begin to fall away.Remove the leaves to dry in acolander
The
first time that I tried this dish was when my mother-inlaw,Mae Faul, made me her delicious version of the classic comfort dish.
Liz Faul for the
Mae grew cabbage in her vegetable garden, and over theyears, she successfully experimented cultivating bothgreen cabbage and napa cabbage. Her homegrown cabbage had large green leaves with intricate white veins. The leaves were strongand ideal as awrapper for meat and rice. She worked in her garden in themorning and cooked what she grewinthe evening. This taught me that freshproduce grown with careadds alot to
ameal.
3. In alargemixingbowl place the ground meat, cooked rice, diced tomatoes, egg, salt, pepperand cayenne pepper. Mix together and set aside.
4. To make thesauce:Ina large pot over medium heat, add the olive oil and diced onion. Stir the onion in the hot oil until it is translucent. Thenadd the finely choppedgarlic. Stir for a couple of minutes.
At arecent farmers market, Inoticed thatseveral vendors had large, green,leafy cabbage for sale. While using thattomake several trays of cabbage rolls,I realizedthat the green leaves simmering in a light red tomato sauce madeitanideal holiday dish to share. In Louisiana, cabbage rolls areinexpensive comfort food eaten at weeknight meals and servedatholiday tables. Like gumbo,there seems to be hundreds of recipes and culturalnuances for stuffed cabbage rolls. In France, cabbage rolls arecalled “chou farci;” in Ukraine, “holubtsi;”
ä See COMFORT, page 10C
5. Addthe tomato sauce and crushed tomatoes. Simmer and stir.Then add the brown sugar,apple cider vinegar,and Worcestershire sauce.Stirthe sauceand letitsimmer.Then add fresh chopped parsley
6. Preheatthe ovento350 F. While the oven heats up, stuff the cabbage rolls.
7. To stuff aroll, place about ¼cup of the rawmeat andrice mixture toward the bottom end of the cabbage leaf, fold over the sides and roll to enclose the meat within the leaf
8. Place the prepared cabbage rolls in an oven-proof casserole dish, then cover the rolls with tomato sauce. Coverthe casserole dish with tin foiland bake for30-45 minutes. Serve the rolls with agarnish of freshly chopped parsley
BY CHRIS
as surprised as anyone to
nd myself on aSaturday afternoon in
potato science experiment. The journey started just before Thanksgiving last year, when my sister and Idiscussed an episode of the Boston-shot “Milk Street Kitchen” where the experts trumpeted anew, supposedly better way to mash, with the usual ingredients (potatoes, milk, butter,salt and pepper) but anew technique. We were intrigued, but decided we better not messwith akey component of our supertraditional holiday dinner.It’s not that we thought abasic mashwas unimprovable —itis
PHOTO By LIZ FAUL
PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE/ TNS PHOTO By GRETCHEN McKAy Chongqing Chicken
HEWETT TheMinnesota Star Tribune (TNS)
By The Associated Press
Today is Thursday, Dec. 4, the 338th day of 2025. There are 27 days left in the year
Today in history: On Dec. 4, 1991, after being abducted and held hostage for nearly seven years by Hezbollah militants in Lebanon, Associated Press correspondent Terry Anderson was freed from captivity.
Also on this date:
In 1956, Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins, dubbed the “Million Dollar Quartet,” gathered for the first and only time for a jam session at Sun Records in Memphis.
In 1964, police arrested some 800 students at the University of California, Berkeley, one day after the students stormed the administration building and staged a massive sit-in to protest university restrictions on political activity on campus.
In 1965, the United States launched Gemini 7 with Air Force Lt. Col. Frank Borman and Navy Cmdr James A. Lovell aboard on a two-week mission. (While Gemini 7 was in orbit, its sister ship, Gemini 6A, was launched on Dec. 15 on a one-day mission; the two spacecraft were able to rendezvous within a foot of each other.)
In 1969, Fred Hampton and Mark Clark, of the Black Panther Party, were shot and killed during a raid by Chicago police.
In 2016, a North Carolina man fired several shots from an as-
sault rifle inside Comet Ping
Pong, a Washington, D.C., pizzeria, as he attempted to investigate an online conspiracy theory that prominent Democrats were harboring child sex slaves at the restaurant; no one was hurt, and the man surrendered. (Edgar Maddison Welch was later sentenced to four years in prison; in 2025, police shot and killed him during a traffic stop in which officials said he pulled out a handgun and pointed it at one of the officers.)
In 2018, long lines of people wound through the Capitol Rotunda to view the casket of former President George H.W Bush.
In 2024, United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson was fatally shot on a midtown Manhattan sidewalk (The accused shooter, Luigi Mangione, has pleaded not guilty to state and federal charges.)
Today’s birthdays: Actor-producer Max Baer Jr is 88. Actor Gemma Jones is 83. Actor Jeff Bridges is 76. Actor Patricia Wettig is 74. Jazz singer Cassandra Wilson is 70. Basketball Hall of Famer Bernard King is 69. Baseball Hall of Famer Lee Smith is 68. Olympic pole vault gold medalist Sergey Bubka is 62. Actor Marisa Tomei is 61. Actor-comedian Fred Armisen is 59. Rapper Jay-Z is 56. Actor Kevin Sussman is 55. Actormodel Tyra Banks is 52. Football Hall of Famer Joe Thomas is 41. Musician Jelly Roll is 41. Singersongwriter Jin (BTS) is 33.
Milk-Simmered Mashed Potatoes
Serves 8. Recipe is adapted from Milk Street Kitchen.
4
Roasted Root Vegetables
Cranberry Spritz Cocktail
3.
4. Place the roasted vegetables in a
dressing.
and in Poland, “golumpki.” It is fascinating how this combination of ingredients tender cabbage wrapped around meat and rice — has become a common meal loved all around the world.
pot so they stay together while cooking. If your roll rips, you can always patch it with part of another cabbage leaf. Preparing this dish takes a little practice, but even if your cabbage rolls aren’t made with perfect precision, the end result is just as tasty
juice, garlic, honey and olive oil.
2. Bring to a simmer (don’t boil) and cook on low until most of the milk is absorbed and the potatoes are tender (it took mine about 50 minutes). Stir frequently to avoid scorching
3. Remove from the heat, add butter and mash with a hand masher seasoning with additional salt and pepper to taste.
1. Place potatoes in a big pot with the milk, which should almost cover the potatoes, and salt.
POTATOES
Continued from page 9C
improvable, which is why heretics sometimes add garlic, sour cream or Gruyere — but a lastminute switcheroo seemed like a bad idea without having tried it first.
Cut to me in October, trying it. My friend Peter and I set up a control group with the usual method: boil cut-up potatoes (I like Yukon Gold) in water, pulverize them and then add in milk and butter At the same time, we also tried the “Milk Street” method, in which you simmer the potatoes in milk (you don’t want to boil, which would scald the milk) until it’s almost all absorbed, then mash the butter in In both cases, I used a hand masher rather than a ricer or food processor Long story short: The “Milk Street” method is better Way better.
The control group was still good but, when tasted side-byside with the cooked-in-milk version, they seemed watery and as bland as mashed potatoes are always accused of being Cooking potatoes in milk makes them richer, with almost a caramelized element, and with a much creamier consistency, as if
they’ve been whipped. They feel fancier restaurant-y, but I’m confident they’d go great with the rest of a family feast.
This recommendation comes with some cautions:
n If you have people wedded to those mashed potatoes they’ve enjoyed since the Carter administration, they will notice the difference.
n I like my mashed potatoes a little less creamy, so I’d cut a half cup of milk next time.
n Watch out for the salt because, unlike the usual method, you’re not going to be pouring off any of it with the cooking water
n The Milk Street potatoes may be a bit lumpy, possibly because the milk is there from the get-go, instead of being added after you’ve mashed the potatoes until smooth
The biggest concern may be that, unless you make them ahead, these potatoes place additional demands on your holiday-challenged stovetop. They cook at a much lower heat than the boiled-in-water variety, which means they’re on the range for more than twice as long, competing for space with everything else.
But if you have a six-burner model or special appliances to take the heat off your stove, these mashed potatoes are worth a try at the holidays. Or at least an experiment 11 months later
My mother-in-law’s version of the dish came with a warning to be careful not to eat the toothpicks, which she used to ensure the meat filling did not fall out of the cabbage wrapping during cooking. This method of securing the rolls is effective, but there are other ways to fasten cabbage rolls together You can roll them and place them seam-side down in the
HEAT
Continued from page 9C
Despite its fiery looks, the dish is not all that intense on the palate. But it probably helps to have a bowl of steamed white rice at the ready just in case. You can find Sichuan peppercorns, chili flakes and dried Sichuan chiles in any Asian market.
Chongqing Chicken
Serves 4-6. Recipe is from Cook’s Illustrated. Steamed jasmine rice is traditionally served with this dish. In fact, some would say it’s essential because it helps soak up the numbing flavor of the Sichuan peppercorns. To round it out with vegetables, add some garlicky broccoli or bok choy on the side.
FOR BATTER:
2⁄3 cup cornstarch
1⁄3 cup flour 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup water
FOR CHICKEN:
A colorful tray of roasted root vegetables pairs perfectly with stuffed cabbage rolls. I used carrots, parsnips, beets, turnips and sweet potatoes, but you can follow this recipe and use only your favorite vegetables. To add a little spice and flavor, try making a harissayogurt dressing to drizzle over the roasted vegetables. Harissa is a hot chili pepper paste of Tunisian origin made from roasted chiles, garlic, cumin, coriander and caraway seeds. Mix it with yogurt, lemon
¼ teaspoon monosodium glutamate, optional
6 garlic cloves, minces
4 scallions, chopped
1-inch piece of ginger, peeled and sliced into thin matchsticks
4 ounces small dried Sichuan chiles
2 tablespoons Sichuan peppercorns
1/2 cup coarsely chopped cilantro
1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
1. Make batter: Whisk cornstarch, flour and baking powder together in a bowl. Whisk in water until smooth, then refrigerate for 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, toss chicken, soy sauce and wine in second bowl, cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
3. Set wire rack in rimmed baking sheet Set second wire rack in second sheet and line with paper towels.
4. Add oil to a large Dutch oven until it measures 11/2 inches deep and heat over medium heat to 400 F.
5. Whisk batter to recombine. Add chicken and toss to coat.
6. Using hands, remove half of chicken from batter and place in single layer on unlined rack. Let rest for 1 minute to allow excess batter to drip off.
7. Working quickly, use spider skimmer or slotted spoon to lower chicken pieces into hot oil. Using tongs or cooking chopsticks, separate pieces so they fry separately. (Be careful not to splash hot oil!)
During the holiday season, it’s fun to have a signature holiday cocktail ready to make. The Aperol spritz is very popular during the summer months because it is light and refreshing. This variation is made with cranberry juice and garnished with a sprig of rosemary, so it looks very seasonal and offers a light and refreshing pre-meal beverage. To make a nonalcoholic version, simply mix cranberry juice and soda water and add a slice of orange. Cheers to cooking comfort foods this holiday season!
Liz Sullivan Faul is a registered dietitian nutritionist who enjoys cooking and sharing meals with her friends and family
8. Fry chicken until light golden brown, about 2 minutes. Adjust burner, if necessary, to maintain oil temperature between 375 and 400 F.
9. Using spider skimmer, transfer chicken to paper towel-lined rack. Return oil to 400 F and repeat with remaining chicken, then transfer to rack.
10. Return oil to 400 F over medium-high heat. Working in 2 batches, fry chicken a second time until deep golden brown and crisp, 2-4 minutes. Return chicken to rack lined with fresh paper towels.
11. Whisk chili flakes, sugar, salt and MSG, if using, in a small bowl. Measure out 1/4 cup frying oil and set aside (Discard remaining oil or save for another use.)
12. Heat an empty 14-inch flatbottom wok over medium-high heat until just beginning to smoke. Reduce heat to medium-low, drizzle reserved oil around perimeter of wok and heat until just smoking.
13. Add garlic, scallions and ginger and cook, tossing constantly, until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
14. Add chiles and peppercorns and cook, tossing constantly, until just toasted, about 1 minute.
15. Add chicken and sprinkle spice mix evenly over top. Cook, tossing constantly, until chicken is well coated, about 1 minute.
16. Off heat, add cilantro and toss gently to incorporate. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve.
PHOTO By LIZ FAUL
Roasted Root Vegetables and Stuffed Cabbage Rolls
sAGIttARIus (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Making amove, clearing space to start anew project or getting back to basics and doing what makes you happy will have acalming effect. Relax andlive in the moment.
cAPRIcoRn (Dec.22-Jan. 19) Shareyour ideas, and it will lead to advancement. A partnership lookspromising,and financial gains are in the stars. Pay attention to detail andchangesthatare transpiring. Consider how you can utilizewhat's unfolding to your benefit.
AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Display your attributes and offer your services. Set your sights on what youwant, and don't stop until you are satisfiedwith the results.Actions speak louder than words; give it your best shot.
PIscEs (Feb. 20-March 20) Take better care of your physical andemotional well-being. Use intelligence to navigate your wayforward. Put your energy whereitbrings thehighest returns.
ARIEs (March 21-April 19) You're sitting on atime-sensitive opportunity. If you snooze, you lose. Do your due diligence andtake creditwhere creditisdue Ownthe spotlight, and make things happen.
tAuRus (April 20-May 20) Pay attention, and nurture relationships that matter. Address domestic issues, resolve personal problems and devise innovative plansthatpromote good health and longevity.
GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Be yourself, display your valuesand move in adirec-
tion that motivates andinspiresyou to completeyourmission.Recognize what youwantand howtoget it.
cAncER (June 21-July 22) Explore the possibilitiesand open doors that lead to financialopportunities. Refuse to let insecurity stand between you andyour desires. Speak up, getwhatyou want in writing and be theone to make things happen.
LEo (July23-Aug.22) You can have fun without going overboard.Anadventure, getting back to nature or setting personalgoals that excite you will enhance your lifeand give yousomething to strive for andlook forward to.
VIRGo (Aug. 23-sept. 22) Avoid altercations with associates, those you live withand love interests. Take amoment to digest what's happening and figure out who theplayersare before you engage LIBRA (sept. 23-oct. 23) Reach out to someoneyou miss or want to reunite with. Attend areunion or take atrip somewhere that motivates youtofollowyourheart anddreams.
scoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) Doingsomething you love will give you the boost you needtocarry on andtake careof your responsibilities. Atrip to visit a place or person who sparks your imagination will be rejuvenating.
Celebrity Cipher cryptograms arecreated from quotations by famous people,past and present. Each letter in the cipher stands for another toDAy's cLuE:P EQuALs J
SALLYForth
beetLe bAILeY
Mother GooSe AndGrIMM
bIG
Sudoku
InstructIons: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 grid with several given numbers. The object is to place thenumbers 1to9 in the empty squaressothat each row, each column and each 3x3 boxcontainsthe samenumber only once. The difficulty level of theSudoku increasesfromMonday to Sunday
Yesterday’sPuzzleAnswer
THewiZard oF id
BLondie
BaBY BLueS
Hi and LoiS
CurTiS
By PHILLIP ALDER Bridge
Calvin Coolidge said, “Never go out to meet trouble. If you will just sit still, nine cases out of 10 someone will intercept it before it reaches you.” Does that applyatthe bridge table? Probably one’simmediatereaction is that it does not. However, think some moreand you will remember the times when you thought youwere going down in your contract, but suddenly adefender came to your rescue.Atother times, though, matters are in your own hands You must take apositivestep to ensure that youdonot get intotrouble —asin this deal South cruises into three no-trump. West leads the spade jack and Eastplays hisking. How should South steer?
Declarer starts with sixtop tricks: two spades (given the first trick), two hearts, one diamondand one club. As the other three winners must come from clubs, it is tempting either to cash the club ace or to cross to dummy’s heart ace and call forthe club queen.
As you can see, after either of these lines, South’sship sinks.
There is asafety-play that guarantees smooth sailing even if clubs split 4-0. At trick two, South should lead alow club fromhishand.Here,Easttakesdummy’s jack with his king and returnsaspade.
Each Wuzzleisaword riddle which creates adisguised word,phrase, name, place, saying, etc. For example: NOON GOOD =GOOD AFTERNOON
Previous answers:
word game
InstRuctIons: 1. Words must be of four or more letters. 2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,”such as “bats” or “dies,”are not allowed. 3. Additional words made by adding a“d” or an “s” may not be used. 4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed.
toDAy’s WoRD RADIAnt: RAY-dee-ent: Vividly bright and shining.
Average mark 20 words Timelimit30minutes
Canyou find24ormore words in RADIANT?
yEstERDAy’s WoRD —unsEEInG
unseen using nene nine seeing seen segue seine siege sign signee sine sing singe snug suing sung egis engine ennui ensign ensue ensuing ingenue gene genie genius genuine genus guise
wuzzles
loCKhorNs
marmaduKe
Bizarro
hagar the horriBle
Pearls Before swiNe
garfield
B.C.
PiCKles hidato
mallard
BRIEFS
FROM WIRE REPORTS
Wall Street pulls near its all-time high
NEW YORK U.S. stocks rose near their record levels on Wednesday as mixed data on the economy kept alive hopes that a cut to interest rates is coming soon. The biggest jump in the S&P 500 came from Microchip Technology, which leaped 12.2% after saying it expects sales and profit for the final months of the year to come in at the high end of the forecasted ranges it earlier gave. CEO Steve Sanghi said business is doing better than expected, and it’s reducing inventory levels Marvell Technology was another winner and rose 7.9% after the supplier of semiconductor products delivered a stronger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected CEO Matt Murphy credited demand for its data center products, while also announcing a purchase of Celestial AI to bolster its artificial-intelligence infrastructure business. The deal’s price tag could top $3.25 billion.
Stocks broadly got a lift from easing Treasury yields in the bond market Yields fell after a report suggested U.S. employers outside of the government may have cut more jobs in November than they added
While the surprisingly weak report from ADP may be discouraging for people looking for jobs, it also bolstered expectations that the Federal Reserve will cut its main interest rate next week. If the Fed does, that would be the third cut of the year in hopes of helping the slowing job market.
Arizona attorney general sues Temu
Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes announced Tuesday that Arizona is the latest state to sue Temu and its parent company PDD Holdings Inc. over allegations that the Chinese online retailer is stealing customers’ data.
Mayes said the app deceives customers about the quality of its low-cost products and collects what she described as a shocking amount of sensitive data without the consent of users, including GPS locations and a list of other apps on phones.
According to the lawsuit, prosecutors are concerned about Temu being subject to laws in China that require Chinese companies to hand over data requested by the government, and that its code is designed to evade security reviews.
“It can detect everywhere you go, to a doctor’s office, to a public library, to a political event, to your friends’ houses,” Mayes said during a news conference.
“So the scope of this invasion of privacy is enormous, and that’s why I consider it possibly the gravest violation of the Arizona Consumer Fraud Act that we have ever seen in Arizona.”
In a statement, Temu denied the allegations.
Australia to enforce social media age limit
MELBOURNE, Australia Social media platforms must report monthly how many children’s accounts they close once Australia begins enforcing its 16year age limit next week, a minister said Wednesday Facebook, Instagram Kick, Reddit, Snapchat, Threads, TikTok, X and YouTube would face fines of up to $33 million from Dec. 10 if they fail to take reasonable steps to remove accounts of Australian children younger than 16. Livestreaming service Twitch was added to the list of age-restricted platforms less than two weeks ago.
The Australian eSafety Commissioner will send the 10 platforms notices on Dec 11 demanding information about the numbers of accounts removed. Monthly notices would follow for six months.
Google said Wednesday that anyone in Australia under 16 would be signed out of its platform YouTube from Dec. 10 and lose features accessible only to account holders such as playlists.
THEADVOCATE.COM/news/business
San Francisco sues food manufacturers
City says top companies created ‘public health crisis’
BY JAIMIE DING Associated Press
The city of San Francisco filed a lawsuit against some of the nation’s top food manufacturers on Tuesday, arguing that ultraprocessed food from the likes of Coca-Cola and Nestle are responsible for a public health crisis.
City Attorney David Chiu named 10 companies in the lawsuit, which argues that ultraprocessed foods are linked to diseases such as Type 2 diabetes, fatty liver disease and cancer
“They took food and made it un-
recognizable and harmful to the human body,” Chiu said in a news release. “These companies engineered a public health crisis, they profited handsomely, and now they need to take responsibility for the harm they have caused.”
Ultraprocessed foods include candy, chips, processed meats, sodas, energy drinks, breakfast cereals and other foods that are designed to “stimulate cravings and encourage overconsumption,” Chiu’s office said in the release. Such foods are “formulations of often chemically manipulated cheap ingredients with little if any whole food added,” Chiu wrote in the lawsuit.
The other companies named in the lawsuit are PepsiCo; Kraft Heinz Co.; Post Holdings; Mondelez International; General Mills;
Kellogg; Mars Incorporated; and ConAgra Brands.
None of the companies named in the suit immediately responded to emailed requests for comment.
The Consumer Brands Association, a trade group that represents many food manufacturers, said companies adhere to the safety standards established by the Food and Drug Administration.
“There is currently no agreed upon scientific definition of ultraprocessed foods and attempting to classify foods as unhealthy simply because they are processed, or demonizing food by ignoring its full nutrient content, misleads consumers and exacerbates health disparities,” Sarah Gallo, senior vice president of product policy for the group, said in a statement. In October, California Gov
Gavin Newsom signed a first-inthe-nation law to phase out certain ultraprocessed foods from school meals over the next decade. San Francisco’s lawsuit cites several scientific studies on the negative impact of ultraprocessed foods on human health.
“Mounting research now links these products to serious diseases — including Type 2 diabetes, fatty liver disease, heart disease, colorectal cancer, and even depression at younger ages,” University of California-San Francisco professor Kim Newell-Green said in the news release.
The lawsuit argues that by producing and promoting ultraprocessed foods, the companies violate California’s Unfair Competition Law and public nuisance statute.
Trump proposal weakens vehicle mileage rules that limits pollution
Fuel economy reductions would reverse Biden policy
BY MATTHEW DALY and ALEXA ST JOHN Associated Press
WASHINGTON President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced a proposal to weaken vehicle mileage rules for the auto industry, loosening regulatory pressure on automakers to control pollution from gasoline-powered cars and trucks.
The plan if finalized next year would significantly reduce fuel economy requirements, which set rules on how far new vehicles need to travel on a gallon of gasoline, through the 2031 model year The rules will increase Americans’ access to the full range of gasoline vehicles they need and can afford, officials said.
The administration projects that the new standards would set the industry fleetwide average for light-duty vehicles at roughly 34.5 miles per gallon in the 2031 model year
The move is the latest action by the Trump administration to reverse Biden-era policies that encouraged cleaner-running cars and trucks, including electric vehicles. Burning gasoline for vehicles is a major contributor to planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions.
“From day one I’ve been taking action to make buying a car more affordable,” Trump said at a White House event that included top executives from the three largest U.S automakers.
The rule reverses a Biden-era policy that “forced automakers to build cars using expensive technologies that drove up costs, drove up prices and made the car much worse,” Trump said.
Rule change will save money, Trump says
The action is expected to save consumers about $1,000 off the price of a new car Trump said. New cars sold for an average of $49,766 on average in October according to Kelley Blue Book.
Automakers applauded the planned changes They had complained that the Biden-era rules were difficult to meet.
Ford CEO Jim Farley said the planned rollback was “a win for customers and common sense.”
“As America’s largest auto producer, we appreciate President Trump’s leadership in aligning fuel economy standards with market realities,” Farley said.
BY MEG JAMES
Los Angeles Times (TNS)
Paramount is raising the stakes in its bid for Warner Bros. Discovery, upping its offer for the assets with backing from Middle Eastern sovereign wealth funds, including Saudi Arabia, while rival Comcast has proposed creating a new entertainment entity Instead of offering cash, Comcast has proposed combining NBCUniversal with HBO and the Warner Bros. film and television studios to form a separate stand-alone entertainment company, according to people familiar with the bids but not authorized to comment.
Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa said the automaker appreciates the administration’s actions to “realign” the standards “with real world market conditions.”
Since taking office in January, Trump has relaxed auto tailpipe emissions rules, repealed fines for automakers that do not meet federal mileage standards and terminated consumer credits of up to $7,500 for EV purchases.
Environmentalists decried the rollback.
“In one stroke Trump is worsening three of our nation’s most vexing problems: the thirst for oil, high gas pump costs and global warming,” said Dan Becker, director of the Safe Climate Transport Campaign for the Center for Biological Diversity
“Gutting the (gas-mileage) program will make cars burn more gas and American families burn more cash,” said Katherine García, director of the Sierra Club’s Clean Transportation for All program.
Trump has repeatedly pledged to end what he falsely calls an EV “mandate,” referring incorrectly to Democratic President Joe Biden’s target that half of all new vehicle sales be electric by 2030.
EVs accounted for about 8% of new vehicle sales in the United States in 2024, ac-
cording to Cox Automotive. No federal policy has required auto companies to sell EVs, although California and other states have imposed rules requiring that all new passenger vehicles sold in the state be zero-emission by 2035. Trump and congressional Republicans blocked the California law earlier this year
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy urged his agency to reverse existing fuel economy requirements, known as Corporate Average Fuel Economy, soon after taking office. In June, he said that standards set under Biden were illegal because they included use of electric vehicles in their calculation. EVs do not run on gasoline After the June rule revision, the traffic safety agency was empowered to update the requirements.
Under Biden, automakers were required to average about 50 mpg of gas for passenger cars by 2031, compared with about 39 mpg today The Biden administration also increased fuel-economy requirements by 2% each year for light-duty vehicles in every model year from 2027 to 2031, and 2% per year for SUVs and other light trucks from 2029 to 2031 At the same time, it called for stringent tailpipe rules meant to encourage EV adoption.
Such a combination would marry robust film studios, deep libraries and middling streaming services, Warner’s HBO Max and NBCUniversal’s Peacock. It would give Universal’s theme parks a wealth of fan-favorite characters — including Batman, Harry Potter and Sheldon Cooper — to build new attractions.
Comcast, which would maintain the controlling stake, is not interested in absorbing Warner’s basic cable channels. Representatives of Paramount, Comcast, Netflix and Warner Bros. Discovery declined to comment, citing the confidential nature of the bids.
Comcast, Netflix and Paramount each submitted second-round proposals to Warner’s bankers Monday Warner Bros. Discovery hopes to select an auction winner this month.
Paramount, controlled by Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison and his family, has been pursuing Warner Bros. Discovery since September — one month after the billionaire family took the keys to Paramount from former owner Shari Redstone. With its latest offer, Paramount is hoping to stay competitive with a largely cash bid from streaming giant Netflix, which is interested in Warner Bros.’ enduring intellectual property and the studio’s prestigious 110-acre lot in Burbank. Bid amounts were unclear Tuesday evening. However, analysts say the various combinations could value Warner Bros. Discovery at nearly $70 billion — triple the company’s trading levels in early September Paramount is the only bidder interested in swallowing Warner’s portfolio of cable channels that
include CNN, TNT Food Network, Cartoon Network and TLC.
Paramount’s bid provides debt financing from Apollo Global Management and sovereign wealth funds from Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, the knowledgeable people said. Should Paramount win the Warner auction, the Ellison family and RedBird Capital Partners would maintain majority control of the bulked-up enterprise.
The Middle Eastern investors would have only a small stake, one of the knowledgeable people said. Variety and Bloomberg previously reported on the Middle Eastern wealth funds’ involvement in Paramount’s bid. Bloomberg first reported on Comcast‘s bid structure.
Each of the various deal configurations would face stiff regulatory scrutiny
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By EVAN VUCCI
Ford President Jim Farley, center, in an Oval Office event on Wednesday, said President Donald Trump’s vehicle mileage rollback proposal is ‘a win for customers and common sense.’
