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HOLIDAYMODE

ABOVE: Lou Fragoso, center,president and CEO of Manning FamilyChildren’s, leaps intothe air as he and staffwiththe hospital use ropes to lead alarge inﬂatableChristmas tree through the French Quarter for the hospital’sHoliday Parade in NewOrleansonSunday RIGHT: Alarge balloon featuring the face of Santa Claus is carried throughthe French Quarter during the parade. BELOW: Dance troupes dressed for the holidays wave to the crowd on Sunday STAFF PHOTOSByCHRIS GRANGER

‘Likea moth to aflame’

Iconic NewOrleans neon sign shop relocating

BY POET WOLFE Staff writer

In acluttered corner of hisNew Orleans studio, Nate Sheaffer pulled aglass tube through blue ﬂames,coaxing it with gentle puffs from ablow hose until it curledinto cursive letters.

Four mounted deer heads stared down from the wall above, their antlers draped with glass tubing, beside aglowing redneonsignthat read:“Every damn day.” For 41 years, Sheaffer has practiced glass blowing with that kindofdevotion His right arm is canvassedintattoos of signs

ä See SIGN, page 5A

LSU, Kiffin center stage in debate on college athletepay

BY MARK BALLARD Staff writer

WASHINGTON As thetop Democrat in the U.S. House took the podium Thursday to speak out against abill to regulate college athletics, he set his sights squarely on LSU, its newfootball coach —and twoofthe school’s alumni whoare amongthe most powerful people on Capitol Hill.

“Why would Mike Johnson and Steve Scalise think it wasagood ideatobring theLane Kiffin Protection Act to the ﬂoor of the House of Representatives?” said House Majority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, aNew York Democrat. Jeffries posited that it might have been to please big donors to the state’sﬂagship university

“Legislation that would do nothing to benefit college athletes and everythingtobenefit coaches like Lane Kiffin, who got out of town, abandoned his players in the middle of aplayoff run to go get a$100 million contract from LSU —the home state of Mike Johnson and Steve Scalise,” Jeffries said.

“Peopleare asking thequestion: Why did you bring this bill this week with all the other issues that the country is demanding that we focus on ledbythe affordability crisis that they say is ascam and ahoax?”

But Scalise and supporters of the bill say it’stime to set clearer rulesina rapidlychanging college sports landscape to provide clarity and safeguards for athletes.

See PAY, page 4A

Food safety rulesabout oysters, crawfish in question

BY ALYSE PFEIL Staff writer

State health ofﬁcials want to set stricter rules for reusing shells in certain seafood dishes, which they say can risk exposure to adeadly ﬂesh-eating bacteria that’sseen aresurgence this year

But along the way, they have run into astumblingblock and avery Louisiana dilemma: What counts as abisque?

The state’srestaurant safety code fordecades has said that “Mollusk and crustacean shells may notbeused morethan once as serving containers.”

Oysters are mollusks, and crawﬁsh are crustaceans. Now,the Louisiana Department of Health wants to make clear that restaurants andfood retailers can’tever reuse oyster shells to servemeat that comes from adifferent oyster “Wehad reports of folks taking shucked shells

ä See RULES, page 5A

Jeffries

Johnson

Scalise

PHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER

Big Sexy Neon owner Nate Sheaffer is closing his NewOrleans shop as neon signs become adying art. Neonsigns were once abeacon of cheap motel strips and roadside diners, gasstations and corner stores, cigarette ads and smoky jazz clubs.

BRIEFS FROM WIRE REPORTS

Bullet-pocked lynching marker goes on display

ATLANTA— Ahistorical marker fromthe site of a1918 lynching that was repeatedly vandalized in recent years is now safely on display in Atlanta in an exhibit that opens Monday It memorializesanevent that some people in rural southern Georgia havetried hard to erase: the killing of Mary Turnerby a White mob that was bent on silencing her after she demanded justice for the lynching of her husband, Hayes Turner,and at least 10 other Black people

Pocked with bullet holes and cracked at its pedestal by an off-road vehicle, the Georgia Historical Society marker reads in part: “Mary Turner,eight months pregnant, was burned, mutilated, and shot to death by amob after publicly denouncing her husband’slynching the previous day.…Nocharges were ever brought against known or suspected participants in these crimes. From1880-1930, as many as 550peoplewerekilled in Georgia in these illegal actsof mob violence.”

Now eachword damaged by bullets is projected on awall, and visitorshear those wordsspoken by some of Turner’ssix generations of descendants.

Americans learned about these lynchings in 1918 because they were investigated in the immediate aftermath by Walter White, who founded the Georgia chapter of theNational Association for the Advancement of Colored People and would become an inﬂuential voice for civil rights nationwide. Alight-skinned Black man who could pass for White, he interviewed eyewitnesses and provided names of suspects to the governor of Georgia, according to his report in the NAACP’s publication, The Crisis.

Cinnabon worker fired after racist outburst

ASHWAUBENON,Wis. ACinnabon worker in Wisconsin hasbeen ﬁred after aracist outburst directed at twocustomers went viral, the Georgia-based cinnamon roll chain said.

Cinnabon postedastatement on social media that the worker, who it did not identify,was “immediately terminated” by the franchise owner over a“disturbing video” of the incident.

“Their actions and statements are completely unacceptable and in no way reﬂect the values of Cinnabon, our franchisees, or the welcoming environment we expectfor every guest and team member,” the company added in afollow-up statement to The Associated Press on Sunday.

The video was posted on TikTokand showed aWhite, female employee cursing at and tauntingthe customers from behind the counter as one of themrecorded the encounter.Atone point she is seen on videouttering aracial slur and saying, “I am racist and I’ll say ittothe whole entire world. Don’tbe disrespectful.”

The employee wasalso recorded giving an obscene hand gesture to customers and exchangingexpletiveswith one of the people at the store

Java island zoo releases photos of panda cub

JAKARTA, Indonesia Azoo on Java island releasedphotos of Indonesia’sﬁrst locally-born giant panda cub, and said the male cub was showingsigns of being in good health.

The mother,15-year-oldHu Chun, gave birth to Satrio Wiratama— nicknamedRio —on Nov.27atthe zoo’sfacility in Cisarua, West Java province

The name symbolizes the hope, resilience,and sharedcommitment of Indonesia and China in protectingendangered species, Taman Safari Indonesiasaidina statement Sunday

“This birth is the result of a long-term internationalcooperation program that has been ongoing for adecade, since the arrival of giant pandas HuChun and Cai TaotoIndonesia in 2017 as part of a10-year conservation partnership with China,” said the statement.

Rio is in stable condition and under 24-hour monitoringby zoo’steam, showing healthy early signs such as strong vocalization, effective nursing and steady weight gain.

Israel:Ceasefire will enter2nd phasesoon

BY MELANIE LIDMAN and KIRSTEN GRIESHABER Associated Press

TEL AVIV,Israel IsraeliPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sundaythat Israel and Hamas are “very shortlyexpected tomoveinto thesecond phaseof theceaseﬁre,” after Hamas returns the remains of thelasthostage held in Gaza Netanyahu spoke during anews conference with visiting German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and stressed thatthe second phase, which addressesthe disarming of Hamas and the withdrawalofIsraeli troops from Gaza, could begin as soon as the end of the month.

Hamas has yetto hand over the remains of Ran Gvili, a24-year-old police ofﬁcer who was killed in the Hamas-ledOct. 7, 2023,attack that sparked the war.His body was takentoGaza.

Theceasefire’ssecond stage also includes the deployment of an international force to secure Gaza andforminga temporary Palestinian government to run day-to-day affairs under the supervision of an international board led by U.S. President Donald Trump.

Asenior Hamas ofﬁcialonSunday told

The Associated Press the group is ready to discuss“freezing or storing or laying down” its weapons as part of the ceaseﬁre in apossible approach to one of the most difﬁcult issuesahead.

Netanyahu saidfew people believed the ceaseﬁre’s ﬁrst stage could be achieved, and the second phaseisjust as challenging.

“As Imentionedtothe chancellor there’sathird phase, and that is to deradicalize Gaza, something that also people believedwas impossible. But it was done in Germany,itwas done in Japan, it was done in the Gulf States. It can be done in Gaza, too, but of course Hamashas to be dismantled,” he said.

The returnofGvili’sremains —and Israel’sreturn of 15 bodies of Palestinians in exchange —would complete the ﬁrst phase of Trump’s20-point ceaseﬁreplan.

Hamas says it has not beenable to reach all remains because they are buried under rubble left by Israel’stwo-year offensive in Gaza. Israel has accused the militants of stallingand threatened toresume mili-

Benin’sleader condemns foiled

BYVIRGILE

AHISSOU and OPE ADETAYO Associated Press

COTONOU,Benin— Benin President Patrice Talon on Sunday condemned an attempted coup that was foiled by the country’s army in his ﬁrst public comments since sporadic gunﬁrewas heard in parts of theadministrative capital, Cotonou.

Agroup of soldiers appeared on Benin’s state TV earlier Sunday to announce the dissolution of the government in an apparent coup,which would have been the latest of many in West Africa. The group called itself the Military Committeefor Refoundation.

Later,Interior Minister Alassane Seidou announced in avideo on Facebook thatthe attempted coup had been “foiled,” but Talon, whose locationwas unclear,did not comment.

“I wouldalsoliketotakethisopportunity to express my condolences to the victimsofthissenseless adventure,as well as to those still being held by the fleeing mutineers,” the president said in atelevised address to the nation that ended hissilence. “I assure them that we will do everything in our power to ﬁnd them safe andsound.”

The coupattempt is the latest in a string of military takeovers and attempt-

tary operations or withhold humanitarian

aid if all remains arenot returned.

Agroup of families of hostages said in astatement that “we cannotadvanceto thenextphase before RanGvili returns home.”

Meanwhile, Israeli military Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir on Sunday called the so-called Yellow Line that divides the Israeli-controlled majority of Gazafrom the rest of the territory a“new border.”

“Wehaveoperational control over extensive parts of theGaza Strip and we will remainonthose defense lines,” Zamir said. “The Yellow Lineisanew border line, serving as aforward defensive line forour communitiesand aline of operational activity.”

Merz said Germany,one of Israel’sclosestallies, is assisting withthe implementation of the secondphase by sending ofﬁcersand diplomatstoa U.S.-led civilian and militarycoordination center in southern Israel, and by sending humanitarian aid to Gaza.

The chancelloralso said Germanystill believesthata two-state-solution is the best possible optionbut that“the Germanfederal governmentremains of the opinion that recognition of aPalestinian state can only come at the end of sucha process, not at the beginning.”

TheU.S.-draftedplanfor Gaza leaves the door open to Palestinianindependence. Netanyahu haslongasserted that creatinga Palestinian state would reward Hamas and eventually lead to an even largerHamasrun state on Israel’sborders.

Netanyahu also said that while he would like to visit Germany,hehasn’tplanned a diplomatic trip because he is concerned about an arrest warrant issuedbythe International Criminal Court,the U.N.’s top warcrimes court,lastyear in connection withthe war in Gaza.

Merz said there are currently no plans for avisit but he may inviteNetanyahu in the future. He added that he is not aware of future sanctions against Israel from the European Union nor any plans to renewGerman bans on military exportsto Israel.

Germanyhad atemporary banonexporting militaryequipment to Israel, which was lifted after the ceaseﬁrebegan on Oct. 10.

ed takeovers thathave rocked West Africa. Last month, amilitary coup in Guinea-Bissau removedformer President Umaro Embalo after acontested election in which both he and the opposition candidatedeclared themselves winners Talon did not provide ﬁgures on casualties or hostages in Sunday’sattempted coup.

“In theearly morning of Sunday,Dec. 7, 2025, asmall group of soldierslaunched a mutinytodestabilize the state and itsinstitutions,”Seidou said. “Faced withthis situation, the Beninese Armed Forces andtheirleadership, true to their oath, remained committed to therepublic.”

Theregional bloc, theEconomic Community of West African States, or ECOWAS, said it ordered thedeployment of troops from Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coastand Ghana to supportBenin’sarmy to “preserve constitutional order and the territorial integrityofthe Republic of Benin.” ECOWAS earlier called the attempted coup “a subversion of thewill of the people of Benin.”

Judgedeals setback to DOJeffortto indict Comeyagain

BY ERIC TUCKER Associated Press

WASHINGTON Afederal judge has dealt asetback to Justice Department efforts to seek anew indictment against former FBI Director James Comey, temporarily barring prosecutors from using evidence they had reliedon when they initially secured criminal charges.

The ruling Saturday night from U.S. DistrictJudge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly does not preclude the department from trying again soon to indictComey,but it does suggest prosecutors may have to do so without citing communicationsbetween Comey and aclose friend, Columbia University law professor DanielRichman.

Comey was charged in September with lying to Congress when he denied having authorized an associatetoserveasananonymous sourcefor media coverage aboutthe FBI.Inpursuing thecase, prosecutors cited messages between Comey andRichman that theysaid showed Comey approving of Richman interacting with journalists forcertain FBIrelated coverage.

The case was dismissed last month after adifferentfederal judge ruledthat theprosecutor whoﬁledthe charges, Lindsey Halligan, wasunlawfullyappointed by the Trump administration. Butthatrulingleft open the possibility thatthe government could try againtoseek chargesagainst Comey,a longtime foeofPresident DonaldTrump. Comey has pleaded not guilty,denied having made afalse statementand accused the Justice Departmentofavindictive prosecution.

Afterthe casewas thrown out, lawyers for Richman sought acourt order to bar prosecutors from continuedaccesstohis computer ﬁles, which the Justice Departmentobtainedthrough search warrants in 2019 and 2020 as part of amedia leak investigation that was later

closed without charges. Officials searched the filesfor communications between Comey and Richmanthey could use to build thecaseagainst Comey. But Richman and his lawyers sayprosecutorsexceeded the scope of the warrants, illegally held onto communications theyshould have destroyed or returned, and conducted new, warrantless searches of the data.

Kollar-Kotelly on Saturdaynight granted Richman’s request foratemporary restraining order,instructing the department “not to access the covered materials once theyare identified, segregated, and secured, or to share, disseminate, or disclose the covered materials to any person, without ﬁrst seeking and obtaining leave of this Court.”

Shegavethe Justice Department until Monday afternoon to certify that it is in compliance with the order. She said herorder would remain in effect through this coming Friday,“or until dissolved by furtherorder of this Court, whichevercomes ﬁrst.” “Petitioner Richman has also shownthat, absent an injunction, he will be irreparably harmedbythe ongoingviolation of his Fourth Amendment right against unreasonable seizures arising from the Government’s continuing retention of the image of his computer and relatedmaterials,” she wrote in granting Richman’srequest. AJustice Department spokesperson declined to commentSunday on the ruling and whatitmeant for revived charges against Comey It is not clear that the JusticeDepartment could secure new charges against Comey even if it could rely on Richman’scommunications. Comey’slawyers have said the statute of limitationsonsucha case —the congressional testimony at issuewas givenonSept. 30, 2020, or more than ﬁve years ago —has expired.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ABDEL KAREEM HANA

Palestinians walk Saturdaythroughthe destruction left by the Israeli air and ground offensiveinJabaliya, northernGaza Strip.

Recordsoffer detailsinN.O.immigration crackdown

BY JIM MUSTIAN and JACK BROOK Associated Press

State and federal authorities are closely tracking online criticism andprotests against the immigration crackdown in New Orleans, monitoring message boards around the clock for threats to agents while compiling regularupdates on public “sentiment” surrounding the arrests, according to law enforcement records reviewed by The Associated Press

The intelligence gathering comes even as ofﬁcials have released few details about thefirst arrests made last weekaspart of “Catahoula Crunch,” prompting calls for greater transparency from local ofﬁcials who say they’ve been kept in the dark about virtually every aspect of the operation.

“Online opinions still remain mixed, with some supporting the operations while others are against them,” said abriefing circulated early Sunday to law enforcement. Earlier bulletins noted “a combination of groups urgingthe public to record ICE and Border Patrol”as well as “additional locations where agents can ﬁndimmigrants.”

Immigration authorities have insisted the sweepsare targeted at “criminal illegal aliens.” But the law enforcement records detail criminal histories for less than athird of the 38 people arrested in the ﬁrst two daysof the operation.

Local leaders toldthe AP those numbers —which law enforcement officials were admonished not to distribute to the media —undermined the stated aim of theroundup. They also expressed concern that the online surveillance could chill free speech as authorities threaten to

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol agents

avehicle they pulledoverFridayduring an immigration crackdown

charge anyone interfering with immigration enforcement.

“It confirms what we already knew —this wasnot aboutpublic safety, it’sabout stoking chaos and fear and terrorizingcommunities,” saidstate Sen. Royce Duplessis, aDemocratwho representsNew Orleans. “It’sfurtheringa sick narrativeof stereotypesthatimmigrants are violent.”

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security did not respondto questionsabout theintelligence gathering andreferredthe AP to a priornews release touting “dozens of arrests.” The agency has not releasedan accounting of the detainees taken into custody or their criminal histories.

DHS has publicly detailed only six arrests stemming from the operation —all people withcriminal histories— including aman they vaguely said wasconvicted of “homicide” and another convicted of sexual assault. The agency,which hasseveralhun-

dred agentsonthe ground in southeastLouisiana, has said it aims to make at least5,000 arrests in theregion over an operation expected to lastup to twomonths “Americans should be able to live without fear of violentcriminal illegal aliens harming them, their families or their neighbors,”

DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said.

DHSand Republican leaders have framed the crackdown as targeting the most violent offenders. But the records reviewed by the AP identify only nine of the38 people arrested in thefirst days as having criminal histories that rose beyond trafﬁc violations —information theintelligence bulletins warn “should notbedistributed to the media.”

New Orleans City Council President J.P.Morrell said the statedgoals of the operation to arrest violent offenders did not alignwith therealityofwhat is taking place. “There’s literally no information being given to the

city of New Orleans whatsoever,” Morrell said. “Ifthe goal wasfor them to come here andaugment existing law enforcement,topursue violentcriminals or people with extensive criminal histories, why wouldn’tyou be moretransparent about who you’ve arrested and why?”

Morrelland otherofﬁcials have said the crackdown appears to be adragnet focused on people withbrown skin, citing viral videos of encounters such as masked agents chasing a23-year-old U.S. citizenreturning home from the grocery store.

Law enforcement ofﬁcials have been carefully trackingsuchfootageand public reaction. “For some supporters,the videos with sounds of children crying in the background as theirparents areplacedunder arrest, is weighing heavyontheir hearts,” one brieﬁng stated.

The records also shed new light on cooperation among state andfederal authorities in an operation welcomed by Republican Gov.Jeff

Landry.Boththe FBIand Customs and Border Protection have stationed agents at the Louisiana State Analytical and Fusion Exchange, an intelligenceand data sharing centerthatisclosely following discussions on the online forum Reddit that local residents have used to exchange informationabout the immigration raids.

One briefing noted that some“have gone so faras to accuse agents of racially proﬁling Hispanic areas specifically.” Another flagged social media posts suggesting agents “are notkeeping with the missionoftargeting criminal immigrants only.”

And athird pointed out that critics of the raids “bring up past hurricanes and the work done by immigrants” in their aftermath.

“The chatter is slower during the night, mainly just commenting on posts from earlier in the day,” one of the brieﬁngs states. “Once daylightarrivesand agencies are back out, the chatter and new posts will pick back up.”

The briefings have identified no threats to law enforcement, but the fusion center has sought to debunk what it called false reports that apedestrian was fatally struck by law enforcement. “Ithas been conﬁrmedthat this actually did notoccur, the centertoldlaw enforcement on Saturday

One brieﬁng describedan incident involving “suspiciouspersons/protesters” whoshowed up early Saturday at an ICE facility in St.CharlesParish, where records show the detainees wereexpected to be processed.

Some local officials said they hadbeen unaware of the state’srole in the online monitoring. Louisiana State Police pledged “operational support”toimmigration au-

thorities and warned the public that troopers will arrest anyone who assaults afederal agentorcauses criminal damage to property

“The Louisiana State Police remains vigilant in monitoring socialmedia activity related to protests, activism and other forms of public response,” Trooper Danny Berrincha, astate police spokesperson, wrote in an emailto theAP. “Through theLSP Fusion Center,weactively track developments and facilitate the sharing of information and communication among ourpartner agencies.”

The fusion center also has trackedthe toolsusedbyprotesters to foil federal immigration enforcement, highlighting social media links to whistle handouts, trainings on filming federal agents and the emergence of ahotline for reporting arrests. The surveillance extended to activist discussions about immigration authorities’ presencenear an elementary school and recapped demonstrations inside theNew Orleans City Council chambers and elsewhere.

“Theycan monitor me all they want,” said Rachel Taber,anorganizer with the New Orleans-based grassroots advocacy group Union Migrante,whichshares crowdsourced reports and videos of the federal immigrationenforcementoperations. “Weare not doing anything illegal.”

Beth Davis, aspokesperson forIndivisibleNOLA, which hasorganized some of thetrainings described in the law enforcement briefings, said it was sad authorities seemed preoccupied with law-abiding citizens. “That theyfeel threatened by a bunch of community organizers that have nothing other than phones and whistles blows my mind.”

BY SUSIE BLANN Associated Press

KYIV, Ukraine President Donald Trump on Sunday claimed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy

“isn’tready” to sign offona

U.S-authored peace proposal aimed at ending the RussiaUkraine war Trump was critical of Zelenskyy after U.S. and Ukrainian negotiators completed threedaysoftalksonSaturday aimed at trying to narrow differences on the U.S. administration’sproposal.

But in an exchange with reporters on Sunday night, Trump suggested that the Ukrainian leader is holding up the talks from moving forward “I’m alittlebit disappoint-

ed that President Zelenskyy hasn’tyet read the proposal, that was as of afew hours ago. Hispeoplelove it,but he hasn’t,”Trump claimed in an exchangewithreporters before taking part in the Kennedy Center Honors. The presidentadded,“Russia is, Ibelieve,ﬁne with it, butI’m not surethat Zelenskyy’sﬁne with it. His people love it. But he isn’tready.” To be certain, Russian President Vladimir Putin hasn’t publicly expressed approval for the White House plan. In fact, Putin last week had said thataspects of Trump’sproposalwereunworkable, even though the originaldraft heavily favored Moscow Trump has had ahot-andcold relationship withZelenskyy since riding into a

second WhiteHouseterm insistingthatthe war was a waste of U.S.taxpayermoney.Trump has also repeatedly urged theUkrainians to cede land to Russia to bring an end to anow nearly fouryear conﬂict he says has cost far toomany lives

Zelenskyy said Saturday he had a“substantive phone call” withthe American officials engaged in thetalks with aUkrainian delegation in Florida. He saidhehad been given an update over the phone by U.S. and Ukrainian ofﬁcials at the talks

“Ukraine is determined to keep working in good faith with theAmerican side to genuinely achieve peace,” Zelenskyywrote on social media.

Trump’s criticismofZel-

Fire at nightclubinIndia kills25

By The Associated Press

NEW DELHI Afire ripped through apopularnightclub in India’s Goastate,killing 25 people,including tourists, the state’schief minister said Sunday The blaze occurred just past midnight in Arpora village in North Goa,aparty hub, some 15-miles from the state capital, Panaji. Goa’sChief Minister Pramod Sawant said most of the deadwere theclub’s kitchen workers, as well as three to fourtourists. Six peoplewere injured andare in stable condition, he said. All the bodieshave been recovered. The fire was caused by agas cylinder blast and has been extinguished, the Press Trust of India news agency reported, quoting local police. However,witnesses toldthe agency that thefire beganonthe club’s first floor, where nearly 100 tourists were on thedance floor.Several rushed to the kitchen below in thechaos

and got trappedalong with staff, it said.

Fatima Shaikh said the commotionbegan as ﬂames erupted, according to the news agency.“We rushed outofthe club only to see thatthe entire structure was up in ﬂames,”she said.

The nightclub, located alongthe Arpora River backwaters, had anarrow entry and exit that forced theﬁreﬁghters topark their tankers about 1,300 feet away,delaying the efforts thenews agency said.

enskyy came as Russia on Sundaywelcomed the Trumpadministration’snew national security strategy in comments by theKremlin spokesman published by Russia’s Tass news agency Dmitry Peskov said the updated strategic document, which spells out the administration’s coreforeign policy interests, was largely in line withMoscow’svision.

“There are statements there against confrontation and in favor of dialogue and building good relations,” he said, adding thatRussia hopes this would lead to “further constructive cooperation with Washington on the Ukrainiansettlement.”

Speaking on Saturday at the Reagan National Defense Forum, Trump’soutgoing Ukraine envoy,Keith Kellogg, saideffortstoend the war were in “the last 10 meters.”

Thedocument released Friday by the White House said theU.S. wants to improve its relationship with Russia after years of Moscow being treated as aglobal pariah and that ending the war is acore U.S. interest to “reestablish strategic stability with Russia.”

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By GERALD HERBERT

questionoccupants of

in Kenner

GOP senator advocates releasing video of boat strike

Some experts criticize U.S. actions near Venezuela

BY BILL BARROW Associated Press

A video of a U.S. military strike on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean that killed two survivors of the initial attack shows “nothing remarkable,” the Republican who leads the Senate Intelligence Committee said Sunday, and he would not oppose its public release if the Pentagon were to declassify it.

Arkansas Sen Tom Cotton, who backs President Donald Trump’s campaign against suspected drug smugglers, is partially aligning himself with Trump and top Democrats in favor of releasing the video of the Sept. 2 attack It was the ﬁrst in what has become a monthslong series of American strikes on vessels near Venezuela that the administration says were ferrying drugs. At least 87 people have been killed in 22 known strikes.

But Cotton, among the top lawmakers on national security committees who were briefed

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“Over the years, you’ve seen lawsuits erode the ability for the NCAA to even police college athletics to the point where now it’s the wild, wild West. There are no rules in place, no structure. You have people that can play until they’re 26 years old in college athletics,” Scalise told reporters “You don’t have any protections for a lot of the student-athletes. And so, we ﬁrst restore the ability for policing through the NCAA. Congress won’t be doing the regulations It will be the NCAA having the ability to police college athletics again.”

Johnson, from Benton, and Scalise, of Jefferson, are the top leaders in the Republican-majority House, and both graduated from LSU They were on the verge of having the House approve legislation that would reshape oversight of college athletics and establish national standards for name, image and likeness, which has become an important part of building competitive teams

But a nose count persuaded them that voting Wednesday would lead to a loss that House leadership, which is under fire from its own GOP majority, couldn’t countenance Opposition from a small group of hard-right conservatives, along with most Democrats, prompted Johnson and Scalise to first delay then pull the legislation from the vote schedule until this week at the earliest.

Scalise dismissed the postponement as tactical and tagged some of the opposition as not wanting the federal government to be so involved in regulating college sports.

Kiffin’s hiring has highlighted the importance of paying players, particularly in college football.

The coach has said LSU’s commitment to spend $25 million to $30 million — a combination of revenue sharing by the athletic department and NIL deals from boosters — on attracting top players played

Thursday by the Navy admiral commanding those strikes, is splitting with Democrats over whether military personnel acted lawfully in carrying out a second strike to kill the two survivors. The nine others aboard the boat also were killed.

“I think it’s really important that this video be made public. It’s not lost on anyone, of course, that the interpretation of the video broke down precisely on party lines,” said Connecticut Rep. Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee He said he has spent “years looking at videos of lethal action taken, often in the terrorism context, and this video was profoundly shaking.”

the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California that ofﬁcials were reviewing the video.

When Trump was asked Wednesday whether he would release the video of that follow-on strike, he told reporters, “I don’t know what they have but whatever they have we’d certainly release. No problem.” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in a Fox News interview Saturday at

“Whatever we were to decide to release, we’d have to be very responsible” about it.

“That boat was still a valid target,” Cotton said, arguing that releasing the video would prove that the two survivors of the initial strike remained a threat.

“It’s not gruesome. I didn’t find it distressing or disturbing,” he said, explaining why he does not have a problem with releasing all the footage

“It looks like any number of dozens of strikes we’ve seen on jeeps and pickup trucks in the Middle East over the years.” He added that “there’s nothing remarkable on that video, in my opinion.”

The classified sessions on Capitol Hill came after The Washington Post reported that Adm. Frank “Mitch” Bradley had ordered a follow-on attack that killed those survivors, to comply with Hegseth’s demands. Bradley told law-

makers there was no “kill them all” order from Hegseth, but a video of the entire series of attacks left some lawmakers with serious questions. Legal experts have said killing survivors of a strike at sea could be a violation of the laws of military warfare

Rep Adam Smith of Washington, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, and Himes are among those who have seen the video and they disputed Cotton’s characterization.

“I have no doubt that these guys were involved in the running of drugs But in that instance, these guys were about to die,” Himes said.

Smith added: “It did not appear that these two survivors were in any position to continue the ﬁght.”

Himes said lawmakers are aware of the partisan divide

Some legal experts have disputed that the United States is in an official armed conflict with Venezuela, raising questions about the legalities of using American military personnel for what would amount to law enforcement activities that require due process. Other experts have said that, regardless of the terms of engagement, international law does not allow further attacks on

a key role in his decision to accept the job

“There’s a great plan of how we can come together with what we bring and what players around the country want to play for us and play in our systems and then have that support to be able to do that so that they want to play for us and they get taken care of ﬁnancially,”

he told reporters shortly after being named LSU’s new football coach. “Obviously, nowadays it’s the world of college football, and it’s very important and critical to them, which it should be. This was the best setup That deﬁnitely played a factor into it. Because I don’t care what your systems are, without good players, they don’t work.”

How to pay players

The Student Compensation and Opportunity through Rights and Endorsements Act, or SCORE, would organize a governing system that has grown up haphazardly over the years under often conﬂicting state laws particularly the

handling of NIL, which allows student-athletes to be compensated.

NIL rules have been evolving since 2021, when a U.S. Supreme Court ruling allowed the payments.

The bill would halt state-level rules that hinder student-athletes from entering an NIL agreement, such as getting paid to help advertise a business. SCORE also would classify student-athletes as amateurs, rather than employees. Universities would have to provide health insurance for studentathletes.

The NCAA would deﬁne the standards for when student-athletes could transfer schools and how they would be recruited. Governing bodies of college sports would be protected from most litigation and could ignore some state laws that regulate college athletics, such as how the players are paid.

The bill has the backing of the SEC and the Big Ten, the two largest college athletic conferences, along with the Trump administration and most Republicans.

“The SCORE Act will establish

stability and return national standards to college sports while supporting universities’ educational mission,” SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey said in a statement.

The Big Ten said in a statement:

“The SCORE Act enshrines important student-athlete protections into federal law, fortiﬁes the educational mission of college sports, makes it possible for everyone to play by the same rules, and protects the ongoing funding structure for women’s and Olympic sports, a Big Ten priority.”

President Donald Trump’s administration said in a statement: “Urgent federal action is necessary to provide the stability, fairness and balance that will protect studentathletes and preserve collegiate athletic opportunities.”

Why some oppose the bill

It’s not often that Republicans contradict Trump, but some did on this issue.

A small group of conservatives balked and, given the small Republican majority in the House, it only

defenseless survivors of a previous attack Speciﬁcally, Pentagon protocols say that ﬁring upon the shipwrecked is illegal.

There have been questions and criticism of the mission raised by lawmakers from both parties on Capitol Hill, with inquiries ongoing.

Bradley told lawmakers in a closed session that he ordered the second attack on the wreckage of a boat that was carrying cocaine because it was believed that bales of the drug were still in the hull of the boat.

Cotton said Sunday that two ﬁnal victims were “not in a shipwrecked state” or “ﬂoating helplessly in the water” but instead were “sitting or standing on top of a capsized boat.” Because they were “not incapacitated,” he said, “that boat, its cargo remained valid targets.”

Smith, who saw the same video, said “The boat was clearly incapacitated. A tiny portion of it remained capsized, the bow of the boat. They had no communications device. Certainly, they were unarmed.”

Cotton was on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Smith was on ABC’s “This Week” and Himes appeared on CBS’ “Face the Nation.”

took two “no” votes at the time to stymie passage.

Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, said the bill was well-intended but fell short of what was needed. Congress would be interfering with state prerogatives but not going far enough to ﬁx the problems, he said.

Roy is running for attorney general of Texas. The current attorney general, Ken Paxton, has spoken against a part of SCORE that forbids civil lawsuits against the College Sports Commission, a newly formed arm of the NCAA to oversee name, image and likeness standards. To participate, the commission required schools to settle disputes by arbitration.

Paxton, who is running as the MAGA opponent to the reelection of Republican Sen. John Cornyn, urged Texas schools not to sign on with the College Sports Commission because of the clause insulating the governing body from legal challenges.

Though a handful of Democratic representatives back SCORE, the vast majority join conservatives in their opposition to legal immunity for NCAA under antitrust laws.

But Democrats also don’t like provisions that would forbid college athletes from organizing or joining labor unions and their designation as amateurs and not employees. In addition to keeping student-athletes from bargaining collectively that designation also disqualiﬁes them from disability beneﬁts. The legislation favors the big football and basketball conferences at the expense of smaller schools that don’t have the same resources, the opponents claim.

“The players’ associations across every sports league led by the NFL Players Association were opposed to it because they concluded when evaluating the bill on the merits that it would actually hurt college athletes, not help them,” Jeffries concluded.

Staff reporter Wilson Alexander contributed to this report.

Email Mark Ballard at mballard@theadvocate.com.

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU President Wade Rousse, left, and athletic director Verge Ausberry, right, stand with new coach Lane Kiffin after an introductory news conference at Tiger Stadium last week.

Continued from page1A

he has commissioned over the years —asmiling skull in atop hat, acardinal, the trademark figure “Reddy Kilowatt” —while his left is covered in burn scars.

“There are parts of my ﬁngers that don’tfeelanything anymore,” he said on arecent Friday afternoon.

Sheafferopened hisstudio, Big Sexy Neon, on Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard more than five years ago, wedged between a newspaperarchives studio andboxing gym. But those long days of burning glass there are nearing an end.

By early nextyear,Sheaffer will move to anew studio

RULES

Continued from page1A

and using those as serving containers,” said Dr.Pete Croughan, deputy secretary at the Health Department, speaking Tuesday to members of the Senate health committee.

“You can still eat raw oysters and chargrilled oysters, as long as they’re used on the same shell that they came from,” he said.

The stricter rule raised aconundrum for regulators, however: What about soups that call for stuffed seafood shells, like crawﬁsh bisque?

Health officials said they wanted to ensure stuffed crawfish heads sometimes used in bisque recipes aren’timplicated by the shell-reuse prohibition, and they carved out an exemption specifically for crawfish bisque.

Crawfish bisque doesn’t present afood safety risk, because the cooking heat will kill any bacteria, health ofﬁcials said.

But some lawmakers raised concernsthat the exemption wasn’tbroad enough.

“What if Iput crawfish heads in my gumbo, which isn’tabisque, but it’shot enough to kill the pathogens?” asked health committee chair Sen. Patrick McMath,

inside the Signworx building on Hickory Avenuein Metairie, his ﬁrst solo venture after years of mentoring apprentices. The decision is driven by risingcosts and asmalllocal market.

Thechangealsocomes as neon itselfbecomes adyingart —once abeacon of cheap motel stripsand roadside diners, gas stations and corner stores, cigarette ads and smoky jazz clubs.These glowing signs deﬁned mid20th-century America as an emblem of progress, capitalism and the freedom of theopen road.

Now they are anod to a past life— radiant, yetfading reminders of what urban life once was. There are onlyafew hundred glass blowers still creating neon signs in the United States,

including Sheaffer.

“My 12-hour days arenot as productive as they used to be,” he said, placing the blow hosebetween his lips again and sending abreath through thetube to keep it fromcollapsing.

Sheaffer,61, discovered glass blowing in college whilestudyingGerman andart, eventually realizing that hisdark,brooding sculptureslackedlight. Illumination drewhim in —a fascination, he said, as old as life itself, withall animals pulled to light “like amoth to aﬂame.”

He devotedhimself to the craft,practicing glass blowing12hours aday,six days aweek. Fresh out of college in 1986, he opened his ﬁrst neon shop in North Carolina, seeking clientsbyknocking

R-Covington. Others worried the exemption was too vague.

“A bisque in Alexandria and abisque in Gueydan, La., is probably two different things.You can bealot more speciﬁc than saying ‘a bisque,’ ”saidRepublican state Sen. Bob Hensgens, alifelongresident of Acadiana.

The Health Department had originally sought an emergencyrule that would allowthemtoimmediately enforce the prohibition against reusing seafood shells “as serving containers.” But after thequestionsfrom lawmakers, officials agreed to come back for amorepermanent rulethat would clarify the bisque issue.

“Wedoneed legal speciﬁcity,ofcourse,around the

bisque,” Croughan said.

“But the goal is not to empowerustogofind folks that arebisquelike and then trytocite them for it.”

What aretheytryingto fix?

Reused oyster shells can present food safety risks because they aresoporous and have “a lot of opportunity to trap pathogens and bacteria,”Croughan said.

Theycould expose diners to food poisoning, including from Vibrio vulniﬁcus, a dangerousﬂesh-eating bacterium that can be found in undercooked seafood, especially raw oysters.

Vibrio infections in Louisiana andacross theGulf surged this year.Two Vibriorelated deaths were linked to oysters thatcame from Louisianawaters.

StateSen. Jay Luneau, D-

on doors while workinga second jobata seafood restaurant.

Through the late 1990s, he produced about 6,000 signs ayear forcorporations like MillerLite,Coca-Cola in Europe, Lowe’s, Toys “R” Us and Krispy Kreme.That output dwindled in 1999, and he closed hisshopasoverseasmanufacturing companies overtook the industry —adeclinethatdeepened with therise of LED lighting.

While running asecond shop in North Carolinathat has since closed, Sheaffer opened Big Sexy Neon in Central City in 2020 named after anickname a former girlfriend once gave him.

“That’saNew Orleans name if there ever was one,”

Alexandria,askedwhether it would be OK to reuse shells forchargrilled oysters andifthat cooking process would kill diseasecausing pathogens.

“Tocook the oysterso you’re notovercookingit, it’salower temperature than thetemperature it would take to sterilize the shell, significantly lower,” Croughan said.

he said with alaugh.

Thekaleidoscopic studio would go on to host burlesque shows, weddings, comedyshows andformal dinners, allwhile Sheaffer created neon signage for Bourbon Street bars and for local restaurants like chef Mason Hereford’sHungry Eyes and Hot Stuff. This year,herestored the historic Tujague’srestaurant sign after it was removed by the building’sowners.

He originally planned to close sooner after hosting a big sale on Sunday.But commissions have kept himat work,including one forthe sunglasses company Krewe that he was crafting Friday With the glass tubesin hand, Sheaffer moved between two burners spitting blue flames, one fortight

What’s abisque?

Luneau, an attorney, also asked health officials, “What’sthe legaldeﬁnition of bisque?” “There is not adeﬁnition thatI’m awareofanywhere in Louisiana law,”Luneau said. “I don’tknow that there’sone in the restaurant world.”

bends, another for sweepingcurves. He shaped the sign until it spelled the Latin word “patula” in cursive, reversed so that the connections betweenthe letters are hidden.

“The joke is thatneon glass workers live their life backwards,”Sheaffer said, carrying thesign to anearby table.

Twenty-onethousand volts of electricity shot throughthe tubestoburn any impurities, from dust to oilfrom his fingertips. He filledthemwith redglass, heated above 500 degrees for avibrant glow,then dippedthe finished piece in black paint.

“It’sadwindling art that’s goingtodie out,” Sheaffer said, hanging the sign on a wired shelf to dry

Tiffany Meche, director of theBureau of Sanitation Services at the Health Department, nodded in agreement. “Everybody has their own version,” she said. Health Department officials ultimately agreed to go back to the drawing board andcome up with aclearer rule with lawmakers’ help. “Wewon’tleave ‘bisque’ up to interpretation,” Croughan said.

STAFF PHOTOSByCHRIS GRANGER

Nate Sheaffer uses gas-generated heat toshape neon inside his shop,Big Sexy Neon, on Oretha Castle HaleyBoulevardinNew Orleans

STAFF PHOTO By BILL FEIG

State health officials said theywanted to ensure stuffed crawfish heads sometimes used in

Nate Sheaffer’skaleidoscopic studio has playedhost to burlesque shows, weddings, comedy showsand formal dinners,

Number of Pearl Harbor survivors is dwindling

People turn to other ways to learn about the bombing

BY AUDREY MCAVOY Associated Press

HONOLULU Survivors of the 1941 Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor have long been the center of a remembrance ceremony held each year on the military base’s waterfront.

But today only 12 are still alive — all centenarians — and this year none were able to make the pilgrimage to Hawaii to mark the event Sunday

That means no one who attended had ﬁrsthand memories of serving during the attack, which killed more than 2,300 troops and catapulted the U.S. into World War II. The development is not a surprise and is an evolution of an ongoing trend. As survivors fade, their descendants and the public are increasingly turning to other ways of learning about the bombing

“The idea of not having a survivor there for the ﬁrst time — I just, I don’t know — it hurt my heart in a way I can’t describe,” said Kimberlee Heinrichs, whose 105-yearold father Ira “Ike” Schab had to cancel plans to ﬂy in from Oregon after falling ill.

Survivors have been present every year in recent memory except for 2020, when the Navy and the National Park Service closed the observance to the general public because of coronavirus pandemic health risks.

The ceremony began with a moment of silence at 7:55 a.m. local, the same time the attack began on Dec. 7, 1941. Solemn rituals followed.

Fighter jets flew overhead in “missing man formation,” in which one jet peels off to symbolize those lost. Survivors typically present wreaths to honor the dead, though active duty troops have assumed this job in recent years Survivors also would rise to salute active

Ceremony recognizes Stallone, Kiss, Gaynor, others

BY DARLENE SUPERVILLE and HILLEL ITALIE Associated Press

WASHINGTON President Donald Trump hosted the annual Kennedy Center Honors on Sunday, praising Sylvester Stallone, Kiss, Gloria Gaynor and the other honorees as being “legendary in so many ways.”

“Billions and billions of people have watched them over the years,” Trump, the ﬁrst president to command the stage instead of sitting in an Opera House box, said to open the show He said the honorees, who also include country music superstar George Strait and Tony Award-winning actor Michael Crawford, are “among the greatest artists and actors, performers, musicians, singers, songwriters

duty sailors who themselves salute as their ship passes the USS Arizona Memorial, which sits above submerged hull of the battleship sunk in the attack

About 2,000 survivors attended the 50th anniversary event in 1991. A few dozen have showed in recent decades. Last year, only two made it. That is out of an estimated 87,000 troops stationed on Oahu that day

Many survivors were jovial despite the occasion, happy to catch up with old friends and pose for photographs Even so, harrowing recollections were seldom far from their minds. In 2023, Harry Chandler gazed across the water while telling an Associated Press reporter how he was raising the ﬂag at a mobile hospital in the hills above the base when he saw Japanese planes ﬂy in and drop bombs. Chandler and

ever to walk the face of the Earth.”

Since returning to ofﬁce in January Trump has made the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, which is named after a Democratic predecessor, a touchstone in a broader attack against what he has lambasted as “woke” antiAmerican culture.

Trump, who said in August that he had agreed to host the show, said Saturday at a State Department dinner for the honorees that he was doing so “at the request of a certain television network.” He predicted the broadcast, scheduled to air Dec. 23 on CBS and Paramount+, would have its best ratings ever Trump assumed a role that has been held in the past by journalist Walter Cronkite and comedian and Trump nemesis Stephen Colbert, among others. Before Trump, presidents watched the show alongside the honorees Trump skipped the honors altogether during his ﬁrst term.

Asked when he arrived

his fellow Navy hospital corpsmen jumped in trucks to help the injured.

He spoke of seeing the Arizona explode, and of hearing sailors trapped on the capsized USS Oklahoma desperately tapping on their ship’s hull to summon rescue. He helped care for Oklahoma sailors after crews cut holes in the battleship.

“I can still see what was happening,” Chandler said. He died the next year at a senior living center in Tequesta, Florida.

The bombing has long held different meanings for different people, the historian Emily S Rosenberg wrote in her book “A Date Which Will Live: Pearl Harbor in American Memory.”

Some say it highlights the need for a well-prepared military and a vigilant foreign policy To some it evokes then-President Franklin

for the ceremony how he had found time to prepare, Trump said he “didn’t really prepare very much.”

“I have a good memory, so I can remember things, which is very fortunate,” the president said. “But just, I wanted to just be myself You have to be yourself. Johnny Carson, he was himself.”

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, one of several Cabinet secretaries attending the ceremony, said he was looking forward to Trump’s hosting job.

“Oh this president, he is so relaxed in front of these cameras, as you know, and so funny, I can’t wait for tonight,” Lutnick said as he arrived with his wife, who is on the Kennedy Center board.

Since 1978, the honors have recognized stars for their inﬂuence on American culture and the arts. Members of this year’s class are pop-culture standouts, including Stallone for his “Rocky” and “Rambo” movies, Gaynor for her feminist anthem “I Will Survive” and Kiss for its ﬂashy cartoon-

D. Roosevelt administration’s “ineptitude or deceit” and the unfair scapegoating of the military Others focus on the “treachery” of Japan or the heroic acts of individual troops, she wrote. Asked what he wanted Americans to know about Pearl Harbor, Chandler said: “Be prepared.”

“We should have known that was going to happen. The intelligence has to be better,” he said.

Lou Conter, who was Arizona’s last living survivor when he died last year at 102, told the AP in 2019 he liked to attend to remember those who lost their lives.

“It’s always good to come back and pay respect to them and give them the top honors that they deserve,” Conter said.

Heinrichs’ father has been six times since 2016. The former tuba player on the USS Dobbin likes to go not only to remember those

ish makeup and onstage displays of smoke and pyrotechnics.

Trump said persistence is a trait all the artists share.

“Some of them have had legendary setbacks, setbacks that you have to read in the papers because of their level of fame,” he said from the stage “But in the words of Rocky Balboa, they showed us that you keep moving forward, just keep moving forward.”

The ceremony was expected to be emotional for the members of Kiss. The band’s original lead guitarist, Ace Frehley, died in October after he was injured during a fall. The band’s co-founder Gene Simmons, speaking on the red carpet when he and the other honorees arrived for the ceremony, said the president had assured him there would be an empty chair among the members of Kiss in memory of Frehley

Stallone said being honored at the ceremony was like being in the “eye of a hurricane.”

“This is an amazing

BY DEE-ANN DURBIN Associated Press

The U.S. Department of Transportation is waiving part of a fine assessed against Southwest Airlines after the company canceled thousands of ﬂights during a winter storm in 2022. Under a 2023 settlement reached by the Biden administration, Southwest agreed to a $140 million civil penalty The government said at the time that the penalty was the largest it had ever imposed on an airline for violating consumer protection laws. Most of the money went toward compensation for travelers. But Southwest agreed to pay $35 million to the U.S. Treasury Southwest made a $12 million payment in 2024 and a second $12 million payment earlier this

year But the Transportation Department issued an order Friday waiving the ﬁnal $11 million payment, which was due Jan. 31.

The department said Southwest should get credit for signiﬁcantly improving its on-time performance and investing in network operations.

“DOT believes that this approach is in the public interest as it incentivizes airlines to invest in improving their operations and resiliency, which beneﬁts consumers directly,” the department said in a statement. “This credit structure allows for the benefits of the airline’s investment to be realized by the public, rather than resulting in a government monetary penalty.”

The ﬁne stemmed from a winter storm in December 2022 that paralyzed South-

west’s operations in Denver and Chicago and then snowballed when a crew-rescheduling system couldn’t keep up with the chaos. Ultimately the airline canceled 17,000 flights and stranded more than 2 million travelers.

The Biden administration determined that Southwest had violated the law by failing to help customers who were stranded in airports and hotels, leaving many of them to scramble for other flights. Many who called the airline’s overwhelmed customer service center got busy signals or were stuck on hold for hours. Even before the settlement, the nation’s fourth-biggest airline by revenue said the meltdown cost it more than $1.1 billion in refunds and reimbursements, extra costs and

killed but also in place of his late band mates; his three brothers who fought in World War II; and the now-deceased Pearl Harbor survivors he has met.

Retired National Park Service

Pearl Harbor historian Daniel Martinez said the circumstances resemble the early 20th century when Civil War veterans were dying in increasing numbers. Awareness grew that soon they wouldn’t be able to share their stories of Gettysburg and other battles, he said.

Martinez knew something similar could happen with Pearl Harbor survivors and recorded their oral histories. During a 1998 convention, he conducted interviews 12 hours a day for three days. The Park Service today has nearly 800 interviews, most on video.

“They remain as a part of the national memory of a day that changed America and changed the world,” Martinez said.

The Park Service shows some in its Pearl Harbor museum and aims to include more after renovations, said David Kilton, the agency’s Pearl Harbor interpretation, education and visitor services lead.

The Library of Congress has collections from 535 Pearl Harbor survivors, including interviews, letters, photos and diaries Over 80% are online. They are part of the library’s Veterans History Project of ﬁrsthand recollections of veterans who served in World War I onward. Many were recorded by relatives, Eagle Scouts and other amateurs interested in documenting history

The Sons and Daughters of Pearl Harbor Survivors gives presentations in schools and marches in parades to share the stories of their families. The California chapter has added six new members this year, including two great-grandchildren of survivors.

“When they’re all gone, we’re still going to be here,” said Deidre Kelley the group’s president. “And it’s our intent to keep the memory alive as long as we’re alive.”

event,” he said. “But you’re caught up in the middle of it. It’s hard to take it in until the next day But I’m incredibly humbled by it.”

Crawford also said it was “humbling, especially at the end of a career.”

Gaynor said it “feels like a dream” to be honored. “To be recognized in this way is the pinnacle,” she said on the red carpet. Mike Farris, an awardwinning gospel singer who was performing for Gaynor, said she is a dear friend. “She truly did survive,” Farris said. “What an iconic song.”

Previous honorees have come from a broad range of art forms, whether dance (Martha Graham, Merce Cunningham), theater (Stephen Sondheim, Andrew Lloyd Webber), movies (Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks) or music (Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell).

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MENGSHIN LIN

World War II veterans and government officials salute Sunday during the 84th Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day ceremony in Honolulu.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JULIA DEMAREE NIKHINSON

President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump walk the red carpet before Sunday’s 48th Kennedy Center Honors at the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in

Democratic governors: Focus on voters’ pocketbooks

Officials say center midterms on affordability

BY JONATHAN J COOPER Associated Press

PHOENIX Democratic governors met this weekend in Arizona, looking to parlay last month’s big victories for the party in New Jersey and Virginia into campaigns for next year’s midterms, when a majority of governor’s seats will be up for election.

Those elections helped Democrats zero in on what they see as a strategy to help grow their ranks in office and recover from big losses in 2024, when voters put Donald Trump back in the White House and gave Republicans majorities in both houses of Congress.

The plan is to focus intently on making life more affordable, a message they hope will work even in some conservative-leaning states.

“We have to be laser focused on people’s everyday concerns and how hard life is right now for the American people,” said Kentucky Gov Andy Beshear, the new chairman of the Democratic Governors Association and a possible candidate for president in 2028. “Everybody wants the economy of tomorrow but paying the bills today is absolutely critical.”

He and other governors said Democrats can use the affordability message as a cudgel against Trump without making him the central focus of their campaigns.

“Yes, we can judge a president, and we should judge this president,” Beshear said. “But we never judge those voters.”

The meeting of Democratic governors comes as blue states have been under ﬁre from the Trump adminis-

Gala in Omaha. Democratic governors met this weekend in Arizona looking to parlay last month’s big victories for the party in New Jersey and Virginia into campaigns for next year’s midterms.

tration, which is exercising power in novel ways against the president’s perceived enemies.

Trump has deployed the National Guard in California, Oregon and Illinois over the objections of their Democratic governors His administration has demanded detailed voter data and threatened to cut off food assistance for states that don’t provide information to support his immigration crackdown

Heading into a primary season in which factions will battle over the future of the party Democratic governors largely sang from the same sheet over the weekend A dozen candidates and sitting governors all said they plan to talk extensively about the costs of housing, child care, utilities and groceries during Trump’s second term.

But the uniﬁed focus on affordability papers over real

divisions in the party’s ranks over how aggressively to confront Trump, who won all of the presidential battleground states last year, and how to deal with the rising costs that are squeezing Americans.

On the same day Democratic moderates with national security credentials, Mikie Sherrill in New Jersey and Abigail Spanberger in Virginia, won their governor’s races, Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani won election as New York mayor All ran on promises to tackle affordability, but they offered very different visions for how to deliver

The affordability strategy isn’t without risk. Economic conditions could change, making concerns about prices less salient or urgent. And Democrats could be setting themselves up for disappointment down the road if they win in 2026 but are unable to bring down

costs to voters’ satisfaction, allowing Republicans to capitalize on the same buyer’s remorse Democrats are now seeking to stoke.

For Democratic incumbents seeking reelection they can’t rest on fighting the Trump administration, said two-term Democratic Gov Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico. They need to show results.

“Deliver for me But don’t forget to ﬁght this,” said Lujan Grisham, who is barred by term limits from seeking reelection. “They do want both, and finding ways to crosscut those and marry that I think is going to be a winning set of messages.”

After the New Jersey and Virginia elections last month, the White House began shifting its message to focus more on affordability. Trump, who has not done much domestic travel during his second term, is scheduled to visit Pennsylvania on Tuesday to

highlight his efforts to reduce inﬂation.

The president has talked more about affordability recently, and he reduced tariffs on beef and other commodities that consumers say cost too much. But Trump also has said the economy is better and consumer prices lower than reported by the media.

“The word affordability is a Democrat scam,” he said during a Cabinet meeting last week.

He continues to blame his Democratic predecessor, former President Joe Biden, for the increase nationwide in inflation rates that occurred this year after his return to the White House.

Overall, inﬂation is tracking at 3% annually, up from 2.3% in April when Trump rolled out a sweeping set of import taxes.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Sunday said the administration will be intent on reducing inflation, after tackling immigration and pushing to have interest rates cut.

“I expect inflation to roll down strongly next year,” he said on CBS’s “Face the Nation.”

Democratic governors and candidates were largely aligned in the conclusion that many voters in 2024 didn’t feel as if their party was focused on their concerns or shared their anger at a system they believe is failing average Americans.

“I think if there was any failure in the presidential election, it’s we forgot what real people care about,” said Oregon Gov Tina Kotek, who is expected to seek a second term next year

“We’ve got to listen to people,” said Keisha Lance Bottoms, the former mayor of Atlanta who is running for Georgia governor Once Spanberger takes of-

fice in January, Democrats will control 24 governor’s offices, a significant improvement from the low point of just 16 following the 2016 election but still slightly behind the Republicans’ 26 seats. Thirty-six states will hold elections for governor next year Among the hardest-fought contests will be in swing states that flipped between supporting Biden in 2020 and Trump in 2024. Those include Arizona, where Democratic Gov Katie Hobbs is seeking a second term, and Nevada where Republican Gov Joe Lombardo is up for reelection. Wisconsin, Michigan and Georgia all have open seats that are widely expected to attract a large field of candidates and big spending.

The retirement of Democratic Gov Laura Kelly in Kansas, an overwhelmingly Republican state in presidential contests, gives the GOP the upper hand there But Democrats are talking about expanding the ﬁeld by competing in states such as Iowa or Ohio, where the party used to be competitive but has struggled in the Trump era.

Gina Hinojosa, a Texas lawmaker running for governor in the nation’s second-most populous state, is making the case to Democratic donors that investing in Texas will be crucial to her party’s hopes of winning power in Washington before the 2030 census Her state is projected to pick up at least four House seats and Electoral College votes at the expense of blue states such as California and Illinois. “If we don’t flip before the end of the decade, there won’t be Democratic control of Congress or the White House,” Hinojosa said. “Because the math doesn’t work.”

Japan, Australia urge calm after Chinese radar locks on jets

BY MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press

TOKYO Japan and Australia

urged calm on Sunday after Chinese military aircraft locked radar on Japanese ﬁghter jets, a month after the Japanese leader’s recent remarks on Taiwan that stirred tensions between Tokyo and Beijing.

Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said Japan formally protested the incident, calling it “an extremely regrettable” act and “a dangerous” one that “exceeded the scope necessary for safe aircraft operations.”

“We have lodged a strong protest with the Chinese side and demanded strict preventive measures,” Koizumi said.

Japan’s Defense Ministry said China’s military aircraft J-15 took off from the Chinese carrier Liaoning near the southern island of Okinawa on Saturday and intermittently” latched its radar on Japanese F-15 ﬁghter jets on two occasions Saturday, for about three minutes in the late afternoon and for about 30 minutes in the evening. It was not made clear whether the radar lock incident involved the same Chinese J-15 both times. Japanese fighter jets had been scrambled to pursue Chinese ones that were conducting aircraft takeoff and landing exercises in the Pa-

cific. They were pursuing the Chinese aircraft at a safe distance and did not take actions that could be interpreted as provocation, Kyodo News agency said, quoting defense officials, when the radar lock happened. There was no breach of Japanese airspace, and no injury or damage was reported from the incident

Senior Colonel Wang Xuemeng, spokesperson for the Chinese navy defended China’s ﬂight training near the island of Miyako Saturday, saying Beijing announced the exercises beforehand and accused Japanese aircraft of “harassment.”

“We solemnly asked the Japanese side to immediately stop slandering and smearing, and strictly restrain its frontline actions. The Chinese Navy will take necessary measures in accordance with the law to resolutely safeguard its own security and legitimate rights and interests,” Wang said in a statement posted Sunday on the Chinese Ministry of Defense website.

Relations between Japan and China have worsened after Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said in early November its military could get involved if China were to take action against Taiwan, the self-governing island that Beijing claims as its own.

Takaichi later Sunday called the radar lock-in “ex-

tremely disappointing.”

“We will act calmly and resolutely,” she said, vowing to do the utmost in carrying out surveillance operations around Japanese waters and airspace, while closely watching Chinese military activity around Japan.

Japan and Australia, whose defense ministers held their scheduled talks in Tokyo on Sunday expressed worry over the development.

“We are deeply concerned by the actions of China in the last 24 hours,” Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles told a joint news conference Sunday after holding talks with Koizumi. “We expect those interactions to be safe and professional.”

Australia does “not want to see any change to the status quo across the Taiwan Straits,” Marles said, adding that China is his country’s largest trade partner and he wants to have productive relations with Beijing.

“We continue to advocate to China about these issues again, in a very calm, sen-

sible and moderate way,” he said.

Japan and Australia, during Sunday talks, agreed to bolster military ties to lead the region’s multilateral defense cooperation. The two ministers agreed to form a comprehensive “framework for strategic defense coordination” and discuss further details.

Tokyo has been accelerating its military buildup while expanding its defense ties beyond its only treaty ally, the United States. It now considers Australia to be a semi-ally Marles also visited a Mitsubishi Heavy Industries shipyard in Nagasaki on Saturday to observe production of the upgraded Mogamiclass frigate that his country chose in September as a replacement for its aging ﬂeet. Saturday’s radar lock is believed to be the ﬁrst involving Japanese and Chinese military aircraft. In 2013, a Chinese warship targeted a radar on a Japanese destroyer Kyodo said.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By REBECCA S GRATZ

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear waves to a cheering crowd on Nov. 7 after his speech during the Ben Nelson

| Monday, deceMber 8, 2025 1bn

Officials sign off on rapid transit design

Barriers remain for plan to expand bus routes

BY JONI HESS Staff writer

New Orleans has inched closer to realizing rapid public transit, as ofﬁcials have signed off on the design of a swift bus system that would connect New Orleans East to the Central Business District and Algiers. The New Orleans Regional Transit Authority in November agreed to pay local engineering

Council passes $202M

2026 budget

Major cuts made to criminal justice agencies, mental health

BY WILLIE SWETT

Staff writer

In a split vote, the St. Tammany Parish Council has approved the parish’s 2026 operating budget, funding major investments in infrastructure projects but also making significant cuts to some criminal justice agencies and the parish’s mental health hub, Safe Haven.

The $202 million spending plan approved Thursday night comes after a budget process that was not nearly as contentious as last year’s, but was still laden with frustration. While it includes $53 million in investments in roads, bridges and drainage projects, it also slashes funding for the northshore judges, the jail and the criminal division of northshore Sims’ ofﬁce by 30%. Those cuts are a product of the dwindling revenues the parish has available to fund some of the criminal justice functions it is required to cover.

The council’s vote for the operating budget was 9-5, and some council members who voted against the budget cited the criminal justice system cuts to explain their opposition.

“That’s wrong for my family

It’s wrong for your family, and it’s wrong for every family that calls St. Tammany Parish home,” council member Arthur Laughlin said of the cuts. But elected ofﬁcials have been able to come up with few other ideas to fund the agencies.

St. Tammany voters have shot down tax propositions for the northshore District Attorney’s Ofﬁce, the judges and the jail six different times since 2016. Without a dedicated funding source, the parish has to rely on its $16 million general fund to pay those ofﬁces. That general fund is already used up covering other expenses.

Council member Cheryl Tanner called the most recent cuts “just the beginning.”

“You’re going to see more cuts especially if we do not find the funding,” Tanner said. She has said those ofﬁces could see around 50% cuts in 2027 without additional funding.

District Attorney Collin Sims has urged the parish to come up with a long-term solution to funding his ofﬁce and other criminal justice agencies He was recently involved in a ﬁnancial review of St. Tammany Mosquito Abatement,

ﬁrm Aecom $5.7 million to construct preliminary designs for a 15-mile bus rapid transit system, which is designed to run at a faster clip than the RTA’s traditional buses.

Buses would run every 15 minutes or less, outpacing the RTA’s existing bus lines, which vary in frequency but typically run every 30 minutes. But the system’s eventual rollout depends on whether the fed-

eral government will fund its total $326 million price tag. The RTA is applying for $120 million in Federal Transit Administration grants and will use bond proceeds and a mix of local and state funds to cover the remaining costs if those grants are approved.

If all goes as planned, the system would be built by 2029, ofﬁcials said. Years in the making, the system aims to reduce com-

mute times and expand access to jobs, health care and other basic resources for thousands of riders who use public transportation daily “With design work set to begin, we’re moving from vision to reality, bringing New Orleans one step closer to a faster, more connected future,” RTA CEO Lona Edwards Hankins said in a recent news release.

A rising transit mode across the U.S., bus rapid transit typically has longer operating hours than traditional bus lines. It is meant

to function like a rail system, but without the tracks. Large doubledecker buses travel on dedicated street lanes and receive trafﬁc signal priority, such as longer green

KRAMPUS CRAWL

ABOVE: A costumed marcher leers at the crowd in the Bywater during the Krewe of Krampus’ annual creepy Nolauf Parade on Saturday LEFT: A man pulling a cart leads a walking group through a throng of spectators.

N.O. council pushes to keep closed school names alive

BY MARIE FAZIO Staff writer

New Orleans City Council members are urging the school district to preserve the names of longtime New Orleans schools that close or consolidate, an issue that is likely to become more pressing in the coming years as more schools shutter due to low enrollment. City Council members unanimously passed a resolution last month that asked the district to “take all reasonable measures” to

of the city’s

It also urged the

to form a “Legacy Schools Working Group” of alumni, neighborhood leaders, historians and educators to determine ways to preserve and memorialize school names. The council passed the resolution just days after Einstein Charter announced plans to close Sarah T. Reed High School after this academic year, which raised concerns that another longtime

school allegiance is core to many residents’ identity, school names and brands hold outsize importance — and changes to them can provoke ﬁerce backlash. The issue ﬂared up after Hurricane Katrina, when some charter schools opened in historic school buildings under different names, and more recently when the school district renamed campuses that had been named after enslavers, Confederate figures or segregation supporters. (The school district controls building names, while charter operators

determine school names.) Now, as the city’s shrinking school-aged population is likely to force more campuses to close, district ofﬁcials will have to decide whether and how to retain legacy school names

“There’s a great understanding of the need and importance of preserving the names,” said board member Carlos Zervigon. “The question is how do we do it.” Though the City Council doesn’t have direct authority over New Orleans schools, the resolution reﬂects a common sentiment. As charter schools proliferated

ST. TAMMANY

STAFF PHOTOS By ENAN CHEDIAK

ä See RAPID, page 2B

Fatal shooting result of argument, police say

BY KASEY BUBNASH Staff writer

A fatal Plum Orchard shooting was the result of an argument between two men that culminated in a shootout, ofﬁcials with the New Orleans Police Department said Sunday The shooting was initially reported to police Saturday afternoon in the 4700 block of Camelia Street, where ofﬁcers found the two men wounded. One was declared dead on scene and the other was taken to a hospital, police said. Investigators later said the shooting happened in the 7200 block of Selma Street

Police said Sunday that the men were arguing when the ﬁrst pulled out a gun and shot at the second. The second man armed himself and opened fire in response, hitting and killing the ﬁrst, police said.

Police did not immediately release more information

Police: Man killed in 7th Ward shooting overnight

BY KASEY BUBNASH Staff writer

A man was shot in the neck and killed in the 7th Ward late Saturday night, according to the New Orleans Police Department.

Gunﬁre was reported to police at 10:48 p.m. in the 1800 block of Old Roman Street, where ofﬁcers found the man wounded inside a house. Paramedics rushed him to a hospital, where he later died, police said. Police did not immediately release more information. The investigation is ongoing.

Email Kasey Bubnash at kasey bubnash@theadvocate.com.

SCHOOLS

Continued from page 1B

in New Orleans after Katrina, some replaced longtime schools under new names, upsetting many community members. Many of those schools later brought back legacy names and reestablished relationships with alumni.

For example, KIPP Booker T. Washington High School dropped KIPP from its moniker in 2019 and KIPP Renaissance High School was renamed Frederick A. Douglass High School, bringing back the name of the school it replaced. (Before it was changed to Douglass in the 1990s, the school had been named for Francis T. Nicholls, a Confederate general.)

“There’s a value in the names associated with these schools,” said council member Eugene Green, who co-authored the resolution. “The way it makes its students feel about themselves.”

Zervigon said many people felt a loss of identity and sense of community when charter groups didn’t use schools’ traditional names.

“If you lose your name, you lose your school,” Zervigon said. “And if one of the places you felt at home was your school, you’re rendered homeless.”

In 2021, after more than a year of deliberation, the School Board voted to change the names of 30 buildings, most because their namesakes had ties to slavery or racial segregation. A handful of buildings were renamed to honor local ﬁgures, such as Alfred Lawless.

Council member Oliver Thomas who proposed the resolution after Reed’s closure, said his wife

RAPID

Continued from page 1B

improve transit reliability es-

pecially for riders who live farthest from the economic hub of downtown New Orleans.

In 2019, as the RTA transitioned from its decadelong private management model to public control with a new governing board at the helm, the agency started planning for a full bus network redesign, complete with new routes, schedules and infrastructure. That system, dubbed New Links, was viewed as “the region’s best chance to comprehensively increase transit riders’ access to jobs and other services in the next decade,” according to a 2019 RIDE report.

It was crafted in response to the changing needs of post-Hurricane Katrina New Orleans, RTA ofﬁcials said Friday Riders needed more midday and weekend service to meet work schedules There was also a need to move away from tourist-oriented routes and improve service on the busiest residential corridors such as in Algiers, New Orleans East and Gentilly

The plan led to increased ridership. But two years after its implementation, the average rider could only access 33% of jobs within an hour, a drop of 13,000 jobs compared with 2022, according to RIDE data

“New Links was a bus service plan that was not addressing one of the biggest causes of slow and unreliable service, particularly for long commutes sitting in regular trafﬁc,” an RTA spokesperson said Friday. Now, officials are prioritizing rapid transit service, men-

tioned in passing in that plan as a potential long-term solution

Ofﬁcials said Friday they envision New Links and the rapid transit line to work as parallel systems.

RIDE New Orleans also praised the RTA’s move as “the ﬁrst of several steps needed to achieve world-class transit for the New Orleans region.”

24-hour route

The RTA hopes to fund the full project through the Federal Transit Administration’s Capital Investment Grants Program and through future bond sale proceeds according to the agency’s five-year strategic plan.

The selection of an engineering ﬁrm comes two years after the RTA board ﬁrst approved a route for the new rapid line.

The route would take riders from Read Boulevard in New Orleans East, through Lake Forest Boulevard and Chef Menteur Highway before crossing the Danziger Bridge. It would then hit Elysian Fields and North Claiborne avenues, outside the French Quarter along Basin Street and run through the CBD before crossing the Crescent City Connection. It would end at a park-and-ride lot near General de Gaulle Drive and Wall Boulevard.

It would run 24 hours and stop at various locations, including New Orleans East Hospital, Dillard University in Gentilly, the Caesars Superdome and the Ernest N Morial Convention Center, RTA ofﬁcials said.

To maximize efficiency, the route would require 18 twosection buses built to accommodate more passengers compared with a standard bus, according to RTA documents. The

design phase is anticipated to take from 10 to 14 months.

The project’s total anticipated cost has edged up some since an initial $300 million estimate two years ago.

Planners have also identiﬁed other challenges. Congestion and a concrete barrier along the Danziger Bridge limits space for a designated rapid transit lane and aging underground utility systems throughout the city many of which are not easily identifiable, Aecom’s proposal states — can lead to construction delays and drive up costs.

Furthermore, the RTA’s plans to use a Crescent City Connection HOV lane for buses has stirred public opposition from residents who fear the system will add to existing trafﬁc woes, the firm noted. No residents showed up at the RTA’s November board meeting to protest the ﬁrm’s selection.

Still, public transit leaders say the proposal could be a boon for riders in New Orleans East, where distance from the city’s center has long tied into poor access to jobs, retail and education opportunities, among others. For New Orleans East residents, only 2% of jobs are accessible by transit within 30 minutes, according to the proposal.

Tony Guidry, a musician who takes the 61-Lake Forest and Village de L’Est bus downtown for gigs, is one such resident. Guidry said his bus mostly comes on time, but there have been times in recent months where it’s been 20 or 30 minutes behind schedule.

“I need to see it to believe it, but if this thing gets me there (to work) faster, I’ll be happy,” Guidry said.

was a graduate of the school and he attended an alumni barbecue picnic this summer

“Increasingly, the schools we went to in New Orleans don’t exist anymore,” said Thomas, who attended Lawless and Joseph S. Clark Senior High School, which closed after Katrina. “That part of New Orleans pride is diminishing.”

Reed’s legacy

The tension between low enrollment and school legacy has come to a head with Reed High School.

After Katrina, the Recovery School District took over the struggling school and operated it until 2014, when it was closed because of low ratings despite community outcry. Two years later, the Einstein Charter Group agreed to reopen and run the school, giving it a second chance. But last month, Einstein offi-

cials said they decided to close the school because of poor academic performance, dwindling enrollment and rising operational costs in its longtime building on Michoud Boulevard. It consolidated its three other schools into one K-8 school.

Tiffany Delcour, chief operations ofﬁcer of New Schools for New Orleans, an education nonprofit that supports the school district and charter schools, commended Einstein for the “difﬁcult and very necessary” decision to close the school and remove two low-quality facilities from the district’s portfolio. Delcour said similar conversations are happening among charter school leaders across the city

“This is just the reality of what is facing our schools,” Delcour said, “as we continue to see overall reductions in enrollment.”

Greg Lee, president of the Sar-

BUDGET

Continued from page 1B

an independent taxing agency that handles mosquito control, and has argued the parish needs to embark on more ﬁnancial reviews and take a more global approach to its tax structure.

“We’re running out of money for the essential services for all the things we think are important. And we need a plan,” Sims told the council.

While Sims and the northshore judges have said they’ll work to operate with less funding, he said on Thursday the financial uncertainty has made for an unstable work environment and warned of the effects on his employees. “Every single year you hear this is the end,” Sims said.

Parish President Mike Cooper said in an interview Friday that his administration would continue to seek both “short-term and longterm” solutions to the parish’s budget woes.

“Changing the tax structure cannot be done overnight,” Cooper said, saying his ofﬁce was also looking at other options.

“We recognize the need for our criminal justice system and Safe Haven. We’re going to continue to come up with a solution,” Cooper said.

Mental

health cuts

In November, citing the strained general fund, the Parish Council amended Cooper’s proposed budget to include $620,000 in cuts to Safe Haven, a parish-owned campus for mental health services in Mandeville, and called for a “major shutdown” of the campus.

“We cannot fund Safe Haven $600,000, with a cut to our public safety,” Tanner said Thursday Meanwhile, ﬁve volunteers who work at the National Association of Mental Illness Southeast Louisiana — one of three Safe Haven tenants — urged the council to reconsider the cuts.

Former state Sen. Jack Donahue, who is president of the Safe Haven Foundation Board and a member of Safe Haven’s advisory council, noted the 15 homeless people who live on NAMI’s campus, and questioned what would happen to them if the campus shuts down.

“What happens to the $14 million in state and federal grants we have at Safe Haven?” Donahue also asked Cooper’s spokesperson, Michael Vinsanau, said that the grants, which include funding for a new cafeteria and veterans’ housing, would have to be returned if the property is sold before the grant period expires.

Vinsanau has also said the administration is not sure what the exact effects of the $620,000 cuts would be.

Tanner said the campus would be able to survive for ﬁve or six months at the beginning of the year, using approximately $800,000 remaining funds.

Besides NAMI, which says it provided services to more than 10,000 people in 2024, the other tenants are the St. Tammany Parish School Board and the Florida Parishes Human Services Authority. The cuts to criminal justice funding and mental health services led council member Joe Impastato, who voted to adopt the budget, to call Thursday his “worst day” on the Parish Council.

In its November amendment, the council also removed a 2% cost-ofliving increase for parish employees that Cooper had proposed, saying it would revisit raises next spring, after it had more information about employees’ health insurance plans. Cooper’s originally proposed operating budget called for $196.9 million in expenditures, drawing on $180 million in revenue and leftover funds from previous years. The council’s amendment brought expenditures up to $201.7 million, Vinsanau said. In its amendment, the council added millions in additional capital projects The parish has a lucrative sales tax dedicated to funding infrastructure.

ah T. Reed alumni association, told the School Board last month that the group accepted that their school would no longer exist in that building. But he asked the district to issue a “formal solicitation” to charter operators to incorporate the Sarah T. Reed “name, brand, and likeness” into an existing school.

“We fully understand that the Michoud campus will close,” Lee said “Instead, we are asking the district to safeguard the identity of one of New Orleans East’s most enduring institutions by ensuring that Sarah T. Reed continues in a new chapter, under a new operator and at a new site.”

If a new school picks up Reed’s legacy, alumni pledged to mentor students and volunteer at the new school to “ensure that the school’s next chapter is strong and sustainable.”

Cooper said Friday he still needed to evaluate the impacts of the council’s amendments to the budget before deciding if he would veto anything. If the council wants to override those vetoes it would need to hold a special meeting and an override would take 10 council members to vote in favor of it

STAFF PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER

Regional Transit Authority buses roll down Loyola Avenue in New Orleans. The city has inched closer to realizing rapid public transit, as officials have signed off on the design of a swift bus system that would connect New Orleans East to the Central Business District and Algiers.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER Einstein Charter recently announced plans to close Sarah T. Reed High School after this academic year, which raised concerns that another longtime high school name would be lost.

Deaths

Davis,Arlene Jackson, Barbara

Lancon, Susan

Pond, Yvonne

Saladino, Dominick

EJefferson

Garden of Memories

Pond, Yvonne

NewOrleans

DW Rhodes

Davis,Arlene

EstelleJWilson

Jackson, Barbara West Bank

West Leitz-Eagan

Saladino, Dominick

Obituaries

Davis, Arlene

Arlene Davis, 62, de‐partedthislifeonTuesday, December2,2025 at Uni‐versity MedicalCenter. She was born January9,1963to the late Alma Davisand James Robinson.Arlene grewupinHollygrovecom‐munity andwas theeldest ofsix siblings.She re‐ceivedher educationat PaulD.Dunbar, Preasley HighSchool,and Alcee Frotier High School.She was baptizedatMount RockBaptist Church where shebegan herlife‐longwalkoffaith.Arlene was aremarkablewoman whose love forher commu‐nitywas unmatched. She had awarmspirit, agener‐ousheart,and apresence

that touchedeveryoneshe encountered.ToknowAr‐lenewas trulytoloveher Arleneleavestocherish her memory four daugh‐ters: Shantell, Rhonda, Diontrell andArleasha Davis;three sons: Robert (Tiffany),Ronnieand Troy Davis;one sister,Pamela Davis McCloud; andtwo brothers, Jamesand Kevin Davis.She is also survived by28grandchildren,two great-grandchildren,two godchildren,and ahostof familyand friends. Sheis precededindeath by her parents;her stepfather; three daughters: Jontrell Robinette,and Monique Davis;three sons:Ronald, Ryan, andJonathanDavis; two brothers:Toddand TheronDavis;and two grandchildren.Arlene’slife was atestament to strength, love,and re‐silience. Hermemorywill forever live on in the heartsofthose who knew and lovedher.Relatives and friendsofthe family are invitedtoattend Fu‐neral Services at D.W. RhodesFuneralHome, 3933 WashingtonAve New Or‐leans,LA70125 on Wednes‐day,December10, 2025 at 10:00 am.Visitationwill begin at 9:00 am until 10:00 am. Interment: Providence Cemetery. Arrangements entrusted to D.W. Rhodes FuneralHome, 3933 Wash‐ingtonAve New Orleans, LA70125.Pleasevisit www rhodesfuneral.comtosign the online guestbook, share memories andcon‐dolencestothe family.

BarbaraGloverJackson age 77,entered eternalrest onTuesday,December2, 2025. Beloveddaughterof Louis andthe late LeeDora Williams Glover.She was educatedinthe New Or‐leans Public School System and wasa graduate of Booker T. Washington Se‐niorHighSchool.Barbara was along-time andhappy employee of theAfro

American Book Stop and anavidreader. Herhob‐bieswerecrocheting, read‐ing,watchingand dis‐cussing movies,and she alsoloved shopping online One of herfavoritecolors was shades of blue.Bar‐baraisprecededindeath byher mother,Lee Dora Williams-Glover, grandpar‐ents, Louise Johnson, Wal‐laceand HarrietWilliams. She leaves to cherishher memories, abeloved father Louis Glover andgodson Henry Smith, Jr., herbest friendfor over 50 years, VictoriaLewis,a former husband,UlyssesJackson devoted cousinsBarbara Holloway, Lois LeBeaud, Lynette S. Dickerson, An‐tionette andDeniseSmith OciejeanS.Clay, dedicated friends Queen Esther and Kenyatta King,and ahost ofcousins,other relatives, and friends. Relativesand friends of thefamily, also Pastor, Ofﬁcers,and Mem‐bersofSaint John'sFamily Worship Center,and all neighboring churches are invited to attend theCele‐bration of Life Servicefor Barbara Glover Jacksonat Saint John'sFamilyWor‐shipCenter, 2404 S. RocheblaveStreet,New Or‐leans,LA, on Wednesday, December10, 2025, for 10:00 a.m. Pastor Derran E. Middleton ofﬁciating. Visi‐tationfrom8:00a.m.until 10:00 a.m. (service time)at the Church.Interment:Mt. OlivetCemetery, 4000 Nor‐man MayerAvenue,New Orleans,LA70122. Arrange‐ments entrustedtoEstelle J.WilsonFuneralHome, Inc.,2715 Danneel Street NOLA70113. Information: (504) 895-4903. To sign on‐lineguest book please visit www.estellejwilsonfh.com.

In loving memory of Susan Fitch Lanconentered intoeternal rest on the26thday of November, 2025, born in NewIberia, Louisiana on August 9, 1938 to thelateMatilda

BourqueFitch and Philip Fitch. She is survivedbyher loving children, Kenny Pommier, PamelaLancon Shepherd and her husband, SalvadorShepherd, Sr. and Roland Charles (Ronnie) Lancon, Jr. and his wife Karen Williams Lancon, her brother, Philip Fitch and his wife Sheryl, and her sisterCindyFitch Duhon and her husband Randy Duhon. Preceded in death by her late husband, Wilson Pommier, her loving husband of 57 years, Roland Charles (RC)Lancon, Sr., herdaughterWanda Pommier, her son, W. Jean Pommier, and her sister, Gloria Fitch Smalley. Survived by sister-inlaw, Vee Lancon Martin. She is also survivedby8 grandchildren(Chauntelle, Kasie,Kristie,James, Sal Jr Joshua, Brandon and Jeremy) and 11 great grandchildren(MacKenzie, Abigail, Kaitlyn, Joey, Kaleb, Kallie, Trey, Jordan, Cole,Cason, and Théa Elizabeth), as wellasgreat greatgranddaughters (Annabelle and Emery Sage) alongwitha host of cousins,nieces and nephews. BelovedMother, Sister, Grandmother, Great Grandmother, and Great Great-Grandmother,five generations as aleader of her family and will be deeply lovedand missed by all.

Funeral serviceswillbe

Tuesday December 9th.

Visitation 9am to 10:30am. Rosery 10:30am to 10:55am. Mass 11am. St. John of theCross Catholic Church, 61030 Brier Lake Drive, Lacombe, LA (985) 882-3779

Yvonne MarieRiviere Pond, anativeofNew Or‐leans andlongtimeresi‐dentofMetairie, passed awayonDecember2,2025 BornonAugust20, 1937 she wasthe daughter of EvelynCourtneyRiviere and Joseph Riviere, andthe sister of Joseph Paul

WayneJohn, andGailAnn, who preceded herindeath She marriedPreston RichardsonPondthe love ofher life on July 2, 1955 and together they shared a lifeofdevotion, adventure, and deep commitment.She was predeceasedbyher infantdaughter, DixieAnn, aswellasher parentsand sister. Yvonne is survived byher husband,Preston; her daughtersPenny (Dou‐glas),Peggy,and Patty Jo; and by DavidMichael Pond, whomshe consid‐ereda son. Raised in the Carrolltonarea, Yvonne at‐tendedIncarnate Word GrammarSchool andthe Academy of theHolyAn‐gels. Sheearnedbotha Bachelor’sand Master’s Degreeand became aCer‐tified Professional Contract Manager.She spentmany years workingonthe space programasa Sub‐contractManager forLock‐heed Martin andlater taughtFederal Acquisition Regulations as an Adjunct Professor forthe Florida InstituteofTechnology.A devoted wife,mother, grandmother,and woman ofstrongfaith,Yvonne lived with purpose, re‐silience, andcompassion. Asa proudmilitarywife, she supportedPreston through decadesofnaval service,maintaining homes across thecountry and raisingtheir daughters withgrace andhumor.She believedinadventure cherished familyexperi‐ences,and passeddown wisdomthatshapedgen‐erations. Herfaith in Jesus Christwas thefoundation ofher life,and shefound peace knowingher Savior had prepared aplace for her.She guided andloved her familyunconditionally, standingbehindthemwith strengthand encourage‐ment. Youtaughtustobe strong, kind,and steadfast inour values.Thoughwe achewithloss, we take comfort in knowingyou are withyourSavior. We will honor youbycaringfor Dad,lovingone another fiercely,and carrying for‐wardyourlegacy. Relatives and friendsare invitedto attend theFuneralServices atGardenofMemoriesFu‐neral Home &Cemetery, 4900 AirlineDrive Metairie LA70001 on Saturday,De‐cember13, 2025. Visitation willbegin at 10:00 am with Massstartingat12:00 noon followed by burial.To order flowersoroffer con‐dolences,pleasevisit

www.gardenofmemorie

Saladino,Dominick Salvador

Dominick Salvador Saladino, born on May12, 1932, passed away on December 4, 2025, at the age of 93. Dominickwas a residentofMarrero, Louisiana. Dominick was married for70years to Dorothy Saladino. He is theloving father of L.J. Saladino(Betty), Dominick Saladino, Jr and Dale Saladino(Joyce). He is thebeloved grandfather of Sarah, Dale Jr., Stephen and Rebeccaand loving great-grandfatherof 3. He is preceded in death by hisloving wife Dorothy Saladino, hissisters Rosalie Palmisano,Joan Standbury, Mary Joyce Smallwood, Rita Tailer,and hisbrothersJoseph Saladino, Phillip Saladino andVincentSaladino. Dominick lovedfishing andhuntingaswellas spending time outdoors with hissons. He wasalso aUnited States Army veteran whojust missed the Korean War.Hewas also a radio operator for the army. After hisservice in thearmy, he wasa memberofthe IBEW Local 130. Afuneral service will be held at 11:00 AM on Thursday, December 11, 2025 in thechapelof Westside/Leitz-Eagan Funeral Home, 5101 WestbankExpressway in Marrero,Louisiana. Avisitationwill begin at 8:00 AM andcontinueuntilthe service time.Interment will be at Westlawn Cemetery in Gretna, LA. Fond memories andexpressionsofsympathy may be left for the SaladinoFamilyat www.westsideleitzeagan. com.

Jackson, BarbaraGlover

Pond,Yvonne MarieRiviere

Lancon,Susan Fitch

Protectshrimp industryfrom unfair competition

As alifelong Louisiananborn intoafamilywith over acentury in the shrimp industry —my father co-founded the American Shrimp Processors Association and Louisiana Shrimp Association —Iurge action on avital resource: shrimp. Americans love shrimp,asmy father’s business envelopes said: “People Love Shrimp.” Anutritious and economic bedrock, it faces unfair foreign imports. The Gulf of America yieldsapproximately 100 million pounds yearly,about 25% of U.S.consumption, and creates thousands of Louisiana jobs. Yetimports exceed 1.6 billion pounds— 90% of what we eat, witharound $6 billion in value. While we can’t produceenough domestically,our imports must meet our standards. Secretary of Health andHuman Services Robert F. KennedyJr. warns that foreign shrimp carries banned antibiotics,bactericides and cesium-137. These foster resistance and cancer risks. Europe rejects them, and we should too. From personalexperience, I saw subsidized sources undercut us with predatory pricing. The solution: targeted tariffs, strict chemical/antibioticlimits, thirdparty certiﬁcations, FDA testing. This protects ﬁshermen, processors and wageswhile keeping shrimp available and affordable. Istand with President Donald Trump and Secretary Kennedy Let’sprioritize American health andworkers. Regulate wisely,import safely andkeep “People Love Shrimp” apromise.

ERIC F. SKRMETTA public service commissioner

Politicianstrying to make it so voters don’t matter

The multiple gerrymandering initiatives taking place across the country remind me of acomment attributed to JosefStalin during hisdictatorialrule of the Soviet Union. Stalin said it didn’t matter who voted; what mattered was who counted the votes. Today in the United States, it doesn’tmatter who votes. How thevotes are counted and allocated is what is important. MARK WEBER NewOrleans

HonorLSU’s firstsuperintendent in naming of renovatedbuilding

As the founding executive director of LSU’sLouisiana Emerging Technology Center and acurrent economic development professional, Iurge LSUtorename the LETC “Sherman Hall” to honor Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman, the university’sﬁrst superintendent. Shermanhelped launch theLouisiana State SeminaryofLearning &Military Academy in 1860, establishing the discipline, leadership and academic rigor that would deﬁne LSUfor generations.

As LSU’sfirst leader,Sherman built the foundation of what became Louisiana’sflagship university.Herecruited the inaugural faculty,structured thecurriculum on the modelofWestPointand set high standards for excellence. Though he left before the Civil War, hisinfluence endured; LSU’smilitary character guided its re-establishment in Baton Rouge in 1886 on the grounds of the former U.S. military post that became its home fordecades. Recognizing Sherman’s

role would honor bothLSU’sorigins and the proud militarytradition that continues to serve Louisiana’speople and economy

The newly renovated LETC will soon house LSU’sreactivated cadets, which includes ROTC programsfor theArmy,Air Force and Navy.The 65,000-square-footfacility will accommodate up to 700 cadets and cadre and serve as the cornerstone of LSU’snew Cyber-Military Corridor,anintegrated environment for military training, leadership development and cybereducation —leveraging its proximity to theCenter for Computation &Technology Louisiana’smilitary and defense sectors now generatemore than $17 billion annually in economic activity.Naming the LETC “Sherman Hall” would connect LSU’sproud militaryroots to its modern mission of service, innovation and leadership forLouisiana and the nation.

ARTHUR R. COOPER Prairieville

WhiteChristianscan’t serveGod,MAGA

When U.S. Rep.Clay Higgins of Louisiana’s 3rd District wrote on X, “Any American whohas been receiving $4200 per year of free groceries and does NOT have at least 1month of groceries stocked should never again receive SNAP, becausewow, stopsmokingcrack,” my ﬁrst thought was, “Didn’tJesusimplore us to feed the hungry instead of hurling racial slurs?”

If you remain loyal to theMAGA movement, youhave chosen to serve money,not God. “No onecan serve two masters. “You cannot servebothGod and money.” (Matthew 6:24).

Residents should be grateful to Landry for welcoming immigration enforcement

Gov.JeffLandry’spolicy of increased immigration enforcement is exactly the kind of leadership Louisiana needstoprotect its communities andthe rule of law.We cannotoverlook that Louisiana is home to asubstantial population of illegaland unvetted immigrants, with many newly arrived in recent yearsunderthe disastrous Biden administration.

In 2020, Oscar Urias, an immigrant here illegally,brutally murderedtwo people in LaPlace and was arrestedafter walking down the street covered in blood. In 2016, Denis Rodriguez, also an immigrant here illegally.struckaSt. JohnParish fire truck, killing Fire ChiefSpencer Chauvin and wounding two otherfirefighters. This goes to showhow the Democrats’ immigrationpolicydirectly harms Louisiana families. Strong interiorenforcement sends aclear message that our borders andlawsmatter to the people of Louisiana WhenLouisiana residents complain aboutlate-night disturbances,trash in public gathering spots andsafetyconcerns, law enforcement authorities have a duty to respond. Authorities were receiving these complaints in KennerbeforeU.S.Immigration and Customs Enforcement and LouisianaState Policedetained 13 illegal immigrants on Nov.8.This follows last month’sarrest by FBI and state lawenforcementofaHamasassociated terrorist in Lafayette, who was involved in the Oct. 7, 2023 attack in Israel. Multi-agency operations thataim to restore public orderand to identify those who pose criminal risks are legitimate exercisesofstate andfederal authority,and serve to make communities safer for allLouisianians. Ensuring public safety for Louisianafamiliesisa clear priority for Landry

National analysesshowthe illegaland unvettedimmigrant population grewsigniﬁcantly in recentyears, placing strains on local services andlaw enforcement resources.

OUR GUIDELINES: Letters are published identifying name and the writer’scity of residence.The Advocate |The Times-Picayune require astreet address and phone 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. Box588 Baton Rouge, LA 70821-0588, or email letters@theadvocate.com. TO SEND US ALETTER, SCAN HERE

History shows that White Christians aligned with Republicans to opposedesegregation andsoon after to support anti-abortion policies. Psychologists have coined the term “moral self-licensing,” which describes the phenomenon of doing one good thingtojustify overlooking abad one. Moral self-licensing is applied to President Donald Trump’s

inﬁdelity and dishonesty, U.S. Rep. Mike Johnson’slack of compassion, humility or inclusivity,aswell as Higgins’ four marriages and failure to pay child support or his taxes. Youcan no longer call yourself aChristian while supporting MAGA policies that lower tax rates for therichest in our country by denying food or healthinsurance to others. The scriptures make clear that only those who provide comfort to tired, hungry,sick or imprisoned “strangers” will ascend to heaven. Conversely,those who deny aid to immigrants and those in need are doomed to “eternal punishment.” AreWhite Christians OK with eternal punishment?

Iknow what it’s like to quit an addiction —I’ve been sober now for 27 years —soI understand that leaving the MAGAdoctrine may takeyou all alittle time. Youhave until November 2026.

LINDAMEREDITH Monroe

LSUwomen’s soccer team deserves spotlight

Ihave aquestion that has nothing to do with politics. Does anyone in your sports department have even apassing interest in futbol? Youknow,toquotePelé, the beautiful game,soccer? TheLSU Women’s soccer team played abeautifulgame in the SEC tournament opener andwon! They had adecent turnout. Ican’thelp but wonder why your organization has largely ignored its season. Perhaps we need more articles about coaches being ﬁredfor losing seasons, or maybe it’sthe potential money to be madebythose aspiring high school athletes that gives them so much copy. Please don’t misunderstand,Irespect all athletes.

Butthese young college athletes had awinning season that was largely ignored both by LSUand this paper as they advanced in their hopes for thenational championship. Ihope you will consider giving them kudos by at least publishing an occasional article about their progress. If you pass by Burbank or any park with space to play on weekends, you will see alarge number of local players, bothyouth and otherwise. Or go to one of the local watch parties at certain sports bars. There is deﬁnitely an interest. So, shameonyou and LSU fornot publicizing awinning local college team.

LYNNE MAYES Baton Rouge

Iapplaud Landry and Attorney General Liz Murrill for prioritizing the safety andwell-being of Louisiana citizens. Elected leaders like Landry who act to restore order deserve our unwavering support.

NICHOLAS JAMES LaPlace

This doesn’tfeellike winning to most people

Iam80years old and retired. I support my daughter and grandchildren. Iama disabled veteran whoretired 22 years ago. Isit here all day listening to how great Iam doing. Does anyone go to the store anymore? The only ones doing great are the Elon Musks, Donald Trumps, Jeff Landrys and others whohave not been to the store for the last several years. Icannot believe that intelligent people can believe the lies.

FREDERICK GOTTSCHALK

Zachary

STAFF FILE PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK

JROTCcadets render ahand salute during the playing of the national anthem at the LSUWar Memorial on the school’scampusinBaton Rouge

GIFT GIVINGTIME!

Holidayoffice parties are happening, andgiftswaps are apopular event at many of them. It looks likesomeone’sabout to getanexciting present this year!

o, what’sgoing on in this cartoon? youtell me.Bewitty,funny, crazy,absurd or snarky —just trytokeepitclean.There’snolimit on the number of entries

Thewinningpunchline will be lettered into the word balloon and runon Monday, Dec. 15 in our printeditions and online. In addition, the winner will receiveasigned print of thecartoon along with acool winner’sT-shirt! Some honorable mentions will also be listed.

To enter,email entries to cartooncontest@theadvocate.com.

DON’T FORGET!All entries must includeyourname,homeaddressand phone number.Cell numbers are best.

Thedeadline for all entries is midnightonThursday, Dec. 11. HappyHolidays, everyone! —Walt

Trump’swar on drugscould be lunacy

Since President RichardNixon declared a“WaronDrugs”in1971, federal, state and local governments have spent an estimated $1 trillion ﬁghting it —and losing. Donald Trumpnow seems fullyengaged in that futile conﬂict, adding his own twisted brand of violence.

High school seniors completing college applications confront asmorgasbord of choices. Herewith, eight suggestions:

Arizona State University,because of its School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership. University of Florida, because of its Hamilton School forClassical and Civic Education. Florida State University because of its Institute forGovernance and Civics. The University of Texas, because of its School of Civic Leadership, and Civitas Institute. The University of Tennessee, because of its Institute of American Civics. The University of North Carolina because of its School of Civic Life and Leadership. The University of Mississippi because of its Declaration of Independence Center forthe Study of American Freedom.

And The Ohio State University,because of its new Salmon P. Chase Center forCivics, Culture, and Society.These eight, with similar programs gestating in other states, are reviving universities’ civic seriousness —that is reinvigorating the humanities, inspiring students eager to grapple with big questions and reversing academia’sforfeiture of its prestige.

All eight share the Chase Center’sconviction that “American citizenship is ahigh calling.” And that “citizenship well-lived” must be grounded in “the historical ideas, traditions, and texts” —the Federalist, SupremeCourt cases, consequential rhetoric, etc. —that have shaped America’spolity and society

Such programsare usually prompted by state legislatures, which, although occasionally clumsy and overreaching, are less threatening to academic freedom than are today’scampus monocultures enforced by censorious faculty factions. Such programshave inexpungible political resonances, so planting them in the groves of academe requires delicate tenacity

The planting presupposes that the nation’sintellectual patrimony is worthy.Nowadays, this is controversial. But the Chase Center and kindred programsoperate on the assumption that “progressive patriotism”isnot an oxymoron. Furthermore, civics programsoften provide courses (e.g., military and diplomatic history,and political theory) that other departments ignore. Courses found only in civics programssometimes even include those on the American Revolution and American intellectual history

Many academics seem mystiﬁed about the 20-plus-year decline of humanities majors. William Inboden believes curricula pertinent to civic thought, but nowadays largely neglected, can “reset the demand signals in the academic marketplace” forcourses and forspecialized faculty to teach them

It’snot enoughto bomb boats “suspected” of ferryingdrugs to the United States.Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered the military, after the initial strike, to “kill” survivors clinging to life rafts on thewaters below Shocked lawmakers, bothRepublican and Democratic, are calling such actions “war crimes.” Thelaw of war authorizes the use of deadly force against enemy combatants. Butonce they’re no longer athreat,the obligation is to care for the wounded That’sbeside the matter of whether the targets were, in fact,drugboats. Some may be, but the U.S.military is fully capable of stopping,boarding andinterviewing the crew of alittle vessel sailing through theCaribbean or Paciﬁc.

And even if the boats are carrying drugs, there’snoeasy way of knowing howmany of their passengers were trafﬁckers and how many were the trafﬁckers’ hostages. Druggangsare known to threaten innocents andtheir children to force participation in the ferrying business.

How well has this “war” been working out? Not well.

Fentanyl, asynthetic opioid,has killed more Americans than thewars in Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan combined. And lined up behind it are still more vicious street drugs. In 2023,about 110,000Americans died from drug overdoses, nearly 10 times the number in 1999. The death toll fell in 2024,due mostly to the availability of naloxone, which can reverse overdoses. But it was still seven times the drug-related fatalities of a quarter century prior

This is counting deathsfrom both opioids andstimulants, the category forcocaine. Deadly synthetic opioids such as fentanyl are now often added

President Donald Trumpspeaks during aCabinet meetingatthe White House on Tuesday in Washington, as Defense SecretaryPete Hegseth looks on.

to the cocaine. Arecent CDC report found that nearly 80% of cocainerelated deaths involved drugs with opioidsmixed in, especially fentanyl. Youcan’t stopfentanyl from enteringthisorany other country.Fentanyl the size of apencil eraser can kill dozens of people. Howhard is it to hide that tinyamount sewn in ateddy bear’snose? Not hard at all. Akilogram of fentanyl contains up to half amillion potentially lethal doses. Akilogram is only 2.2 pounds. Aquart of milk weighsabout that. In fiscal 2025, theCoast Guard seized almost510,000 pounds of cocaine. That was themost in its history but afraction of the cocaine that got past our borders —drugs arriving by land, sea and air Go ahead and keep trying to prevent these drugsfromcoming in, but let’s notpretend that this bombing of unidentified boats is anything morethan another Trumpperformance. Perhaps it’sanotherway to divert attention from theEpstein files.

If this were really about punishing drug lords, Trumpwouldn’thave just issued afull pardon to Honduran exPresident Juan Orlando Hernandez. Convicted last year of partnering with trafﬁckers, Hernandez is credited with helping ﬂood theU.S. with hundreds of thousands of kilograms of cocaine.

ADrug Enforcement Administration agent, who worked on the Hernandez case but was not allowed to comment publicly,called the pardon “lunacy.” That show of inconsistency was so crashing, you can’thelp but suspect Trump’smotive was to even further distract thepublic from theinvestigation into the sex trafﬁcking of underage girls. It was piled right onto the macabre videos of the U.S. military dropping bombs on small boats. That would seem the best explanation for these bizarre Trumporders— short of lunacy,that is.

Froma Harrop is on X, @FromaHarrop. Email her at fharrop@gmail.com.

Former Arizona governor DougDucey,who oversaw the 2017 birth of ASU’s program,helped to ignite this movement. Inboden has spread the movement’sgospel (literally,“good news”) through good works at two universities. He left the University of Texas to assist the ﬂourishing of Florida’sHamilton School, then returned to Texas as provost. The Hamilton School, which has its own majors, degrees and tenured faculty,is not an agency of “counter-indoctrination,” it is a small cluster of liberal arts excellence. It leavens the educational menufor asmall(about 1,500) but intellectually thirsty fraction of Florida’s40,000 undergraduates eager to study the Western civilization of which our nation is an emanation and elevation.

Writing in National Affairs, Inboden notes that universities should be conservators and transmitters of the best that has been thought and said. Therefore they have an inescapably conservative function that is the essence of universities’ “social contract with American society.” The rupture of that contract included Yale’s1995 rejection of a$20 million giftbecause it wasdesignated for studying Western civilization.

Students, Inboden says, have been voting with their feet, walking away from the sterile humanities dogmathat identity (racial, ethnic, sexual) is the decisive dimension of human identity.This idea, which discounts the history-making role of ideas, yields, Inboden says, an “impoverished view of the human person, the communities we form,and the endeavors we undertake.” No wonder disappointed students and dismayed scholars are flocking to places like Hamilton. It had morethan 2,000 applicants forthe first 55 faculty positions it filled, and in one year hired four Harvard and four Cambridge Ph.Ds. Ohio State’sChase Center advances the 21stcentury renaissance of civic education by invoking Salmon P. Chase, President Abraham Lincoln’s treasury secretary,then chief justice of the SupremeCourt. He lived alifeof19th-century usefulness and heartbreak: Implacably anti-slavery, he lost three wives and four of his six children to diseases. Ohio State is aland grant university spawned by legislation signed by Lincoln, the 1862 Morrill Act.

Long ago, adroll president of the University of Oklahoma vowed to make OU an institution its football team could be proud of. Ohio State —a top 15 research university in aNational Science Foundation survey,ranked ahead of Harvard and Yale, and decent at football —issuch aplace, and becoming even better because of the Chase Center. Email George Will at georgewill@washpost.com

Froma Harrop

George Will

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JULIA DEMAREENIKHINSON

‘WesaidShoughit’

Rookie quarterback’sheroics deliverawin in Tampa —and hope forfuture

BY LUKE JOHNSON Staff writer

TAMPA, Fla. Zoom in on thevictorious postgame locker room, that space that has been so hardfor these New Orleans Saints to occupy this year,whereCam Jordan broke the team down after they beat theTampaBay Buccaneers 24-20 at arain-soaked RaymondJames Stadium It was Jordan who, earlierinthe week,acknowledged theBuccaneers’ recent supremacy in the NFC South because of theedge they’ve had on the rest of the division at the most important position.And it was Jordan,referencing his own team’squarterback,ashedelivered those closing words.

“The world counted us out, baby,but we’re still fighting, we’re still swinging,” Jordan said. “They didn’twant us to win, but here we are. We said ‘Shough it.’ So many Saints players had their fingerprints on theupset win.The defense ratcheted up theintensity in critical moments, forcing fivefourth-down stops. Rookie running back Devin Neal grinded out 70 yards and atouchdownagainst one of the NFL’spremier run defenses. MasonTipton,the little-knownreceiverfrom an Ivy League school returned the opening kickoff 55 yards. But howlonghas it been sinceaquarterback in aSaints uniform went out and did whatthe elite quarterbacksare known for? To seeTyler Shough, wiggling out of not one but three tackles as he scampered to the endzonetoput theSaints ahead forgood in thefourthquarter —thatfeels like hope fora franchise that has been wandering in the quarterback desert.

See SAINTS, page 4C

OleMiss best CFP matchup forTulane

Redemption is Wave’s biggestmotivation

GREENWAVE ROLLSINTOCFP

Jeff Duncan

Everyone remembersTulane’s 45-10 blowout loss to Ole Miss in September. Most of all, the Green Wave remembersit. Three months later,the mental and emotional scarsare stillfresh from the embarrassing beatdown. And as counterintuitive as it might seem,the lopsided loss in Oxford,Mississippi, is exactly whyI think Ole Miss is the best possible matchup forTulaneinthe College Football Playoff. Don’tdiscount the Green Wave’schances of upsetting theRebels in their ﬁrstround matchup Dec. 20. Irealize the notion might seem outlandish,maybe even delusional.

The Rebels, afterall,completely dominated the Green Wave at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium thatSeptember afternoon Theyoutgained them 548-282 andheld JakeRetzlafftoaseason-low5-of-17passingfor 54 yards. It wasTulane’sworst loss in years. They haven’tbeen beaten that badly since being whipped 61-21 byOle Miss early in the ugly 2021 season under coachWillie Fritz. But the setback was so ugly it might just work in Tulane’sfavor.It’sthis intangible factor that makes Ole Miss the best possible matchup for the GreenWave. Make no mistake, Ole Miss is the more talented team. The Rebels are 17-point favorites for areason. Quarterback Trinidad Chambliss is aHeisman Trophy

BYGUERRYSMITH Contributing writer

Aroar eruptedfrom the watch party at theGlazer Family Center when Tulane’sname hit the screen Sunday morning as the No. 11 seed on the College Football Playoff selection show

Nothing was surprising about the Green Wave getting a rematch with No. 6seed Ole Miss in Oxford, Mississippi, in the first-ever playoff appearance for both teams. Still, the confirmation of the historic achievement remained asignificant milestone. The Rebels and Green Wave are set to play at 2:30 p.m.onDec. 20 in agame to be broadcast on TNT

“It’sanexciting day for Tulane football,”coach Jon Sumrall said. “I’m honored for our team to be in the College Football Playoff. We’re readytoget back to work

and play another game. Great accomplishment for our guys.” Thanks to Duke’s overtime win against Virginia on Saturday night in the ACC championship game, the Green Wave (11-2) moved up aspot in the seeding for the 12team playoff. Tulane earnedits invitationbybeating North Texas 34-21 on Friday night in the American Conference championship game at Yulman Stadium, qualifyingasthe fourth-highest-rated conference champion in theCFP rankings. Sun Belt champion James Madison got the 12 seed —knocking out Duke —and will travel to No. 5seed Oregon. The winner of Tulane-Ole Miss will face No. 3Georgia (12-1) in the SugarBowl on Jan. 1at7 p.m. (ESPN). The Bulldogs avenged an earlier home loss to Alabama in

STAFFPHOTO By ENAN CHEDIAK

Members of the Tulane football team celebrate after hearing theirteam’sname announced during aCollegeFootball Playoff bracket watch partyonSunday at yulman Stadium.Tulane will play OleMiss in the

rst round of the CFP

AP FILE PHOTO By VASHA HUNT Ole Miss wide receiver Deuce Alexander dives in for atouchdown over Tulane defensiveback KC Eziomume during their game on Sept. 20 in Oxford, Miss. Tulane and Ole Misswill face off again in the first round of theCollegeFootball Playoff.

ä See DUNCAN, page 7C

LSU posts season-high point total

Tigers stifle UNO in lopsided road win

BY REED DARCEY Staff writer

The LSU women’s basketball team climbed back over the 100-point threshold on Sunday in the Lakefront Arena, notching its season-high point total in a 126-62 drubbing of UNO.

That offensive output is the third-largest in program history for the Tigers, who scored that many points because they turned defense into easy offense.

The Privateers (0-8) turned the ball over 27 times, and LSU capitalized with 43 points off those mistakes. Most of those giveaways led to open shots around the rim The No. 5 Tigers (10-0) in their ﬁfth win of at least 60 points this year — converted 37 of the 46 layups they attempted and scored more points in the paint (86) than UNO did altogether But coach Kim Mulkey still thinks LSU could’ve played a better defensive game.

“My ﬁrst thought,” she said, “is that’s too many points to give up.” Sophomore center Kate Koval, a Notre Dame transfer, scored a career-high 22 points on 9-of-9 shooting. Junior guard MiLaysia Fulwiley, a South Carolina transfer, tallied 18 points, eight assists and three steals.

LSU entered Sunday’s game undefeated, fresh off a road win over the only high-major team on its nonconference schedule On Thursday, Duke managed to hold the Tigers below the 100-point mark, becoming the ﬁrst team to do so this season. LSU still, however, scored 93 — the second-highest total the Blue Devils have allowed across the past six seasons.

UNO is still winless. Before Sunday, the Privateers had lost three of their ﬁrst seven games by more than 30 points. Their most lopsided loss was a 61-point drubbing by Oklahoma State in their season

opener LSU won by an even larger margin on Sunday in large part because it continued to force UNO into turnovers.

The Privateers gave the ball

away 18 times in the ﬁrst half, and the Tigers used those opportunities to score 26 easy points — the kind of offense that gave them a 63-29 halftime advantage.

LSU started to pull away halfway through the ﬁrst quarter

First, MiLaysia Fulwiley collected a steal and tossed an outlet pass to freshman guard Bella Hines, who banked in one of the nine layups the Tigers converted in the ﬁrst quarter Koval scored three of those buckets, including the one Fulwiley set up for her on the fastbreak opportunity LSU found on the possession after Hines’ layup.

“I think (Koval’s) confidence is really, really high right now,” Mulkey said. UNO shot only 31% from the field. The Privateers attempted more 3-pointers (26) than layups (17), largely because LSU used its size and length advantages to wall

off their drives to the rim LSU, on the other hand, shot 59% from the field. Turnover issues cropped up on the Tigers in the first quarter, when they gave away five possessions, but disappeared the rest of the way LSU turned the ball over only eight times across the second, third and fourth.

Six Tigers scored in double ﬁgures. ZaKiyah Johnson added 17 points and six rebounds, while Grace Knox chipped in 12 points and 12 rebounds. Transfer forward Amiya Joyner ﬁnished with 14 points and 10 boards, and sophomore point guard Jada Richard posted a double-figure scoring tally for the third time in the past four games. On Sunday, she notched 12 points and eight assists — to only two turnovers.

“We’re a work in progress defensively,” Mulkey said. “I think

the effort is there I thought we got better in spurts tonight, but it’s hard because everybody’s playing everybody’s subbing in and out.”

LSU has four games left on its nonconference schedule. The next one — a meeting with Mulkey’s alma mater Louisiana Tech will tip off at 3 p.m. Saturday in the Smoothie King Center UNO will keep looking for its first win of the season, starting next Sunday against Tulane in Fogelman Arena. LSU has now scored at least 100 points in nine of the 10 games it’s played this season. The Tigers hit that mark in each of their first eight games, setting an NCAA record for consecutive 100-point outings.

Email Reed Darcey at reed. darcey@theadvocate.com

Texas Tech ends LSU men’s 8-game win streak

BY TOYLOY BROWN III Staff writer

LSU faced, by far, its biggest test in the nonconference part of its schedule when it played No. 19 Texas Tech at a neutral site, and the Tigers showed there’s still plenty of work to be done for the 2025-26 season.

The Tigers were unable to compete with their ﬁrst ranked opponent of the year, losing 82-58 on Sunday at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas, in the Coast 2 Coast Challenge.

LSU (8-1) trailed by as many as 30 points and never led. The defeat ends the team’s eight-game win streak, the longest under coach Matt McMahon. Their previous best under the fourth-year coach was seven straight during the 2022-23 season.

“Give credit to Texas Tech,” McMahon said on the LSU sports radio network. “I thought they played outstanding. We did not answer the bell in the ﬁrst half, and therefore, they were able to dominate the game.”

Dedan Thomas had 13 points on 5-of-14 shooting, one assist and two steals. Christian Anderson led Texas Tech (7-2) with 27 points and eight assists.

Texas Tech’s top shooters, Anderson and Donovan Atwell, each drained a 3-pointer to give it an 8-1 lead against LSU, forcing McMahon to call a timeout after three minutes of game action.

The timeout didn’t cool down the Red Raiders’ deep-range scoring. They made seven of their ﬁrst eight attempts, helping them get out to a 31-13 lead with 8:52 left in the ﬁrst half. Anderson, a 6-foot-3 point guard, led the charge with 12 points and four assists to that point.

The sophomore made his team’s ﬁfth 3-pointer, which was a heav-

LSU guard Dedan Thomas, right, shown during a game against

State last month, scored 13 points in a loss to Texas Tech on Sunday.

ily contested shot from the right corner over the 6-10 Michael Nwoko with the shot clock running down. LSU’s Thomas was the primary defender on Anderson and while he stayed attached, the screens set by Texas Tech repeatedly created space for Anderson to make pull-up jumpers.

“They really assaulted the 3-point line in the first half,” McMahon said. “Hit some tough ones late in the clock, but then we missed a couple of assignments, and they made us pay You look for the game, get outscored 27 points from behind the arc. That’s the difference in the game.” Anderson entered halftime with 20 points, ﬁve rebounds and ﬁve assists, giving Texas Tech a 47-26 lead.

LSU couldn’t buy a basket, open or contested, in the ﬁrst half. The Tigers struggled to ﬁnish in the paint as Nwoko drew a lot of at-

tention and missed shots because of the congestion. They also had five turnovers, three from Thomas, in the first 12 minutes. Most of the mishaps were due to inaccurate passes as the receiver tried to carve out space for the catch. Thomas and Max Mackinnon were unsuccessful on their floaters early When they created shots for themselves, Texas Tech’s defense swarmed and made the looks difficult. Catchand-shoot opportunities were rarely dropping for McMahon’s team. Mackinnon struggled especially as the 44% 3-point shooter missed all his open looks. The Portland transfer closed the first half 0 of 9 from the field and 0 of 5 from beyond the arc. He finished the game with two points from the free-throw line. LSU went into halftime making 9 of 35 shots and 2 of 13 on

McLaren driver Norris clinches his first F1 title

McLaren driver Lando Norris held his nerve but could not hold back the tears after clinching his ﬁrst Formula 1 title at the seasonending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Sunday Red Bull driver and defending champion Max Verstappen won the race with Norris placing third behind McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri in second, which allowed Norris to ﬁnish two points ahead of Verstappen in the season-long standings.

Norris became Britain’s 11th F1 champion, a racing journey that began with kart racing when he was 8 years old. The first of his 11 F1 wins came last year, when he finished second in the standings. Norris also denied Verstappen a fifth straight title.

Matsuyama rallies to win Hero World Challenge

NASSAU, Bahamas Hideki Matsuyama holed out from the 10th fairway for eagle on his way to an 8-under 64 and stuffed his 9-iron to 2 feet on the 18th hole in a playoff to defeat Alex Noren and win the Hero World Challenge for the second time.

Noren also shot a 64, making an 18-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole in regulation to force a playoff. His 20-foot birdie putt on the ﬁrst extra hole missed to the left.

Scottie Scheffler, going for a third straight title at Albany Golf Club, fell back on the par-5 11th when he hit driver off the fairway with a speck of mud on his golf ball. It led to a bogey and he never caught up.

Matsuyama won the ﬁrst tournament of the year in Hawaii and the ﬁnal tournament of his season.

Reitan wins, earning his first trip to the Masters SUN CITY, South Africa Kristoffer Reitan held on over the back nine Sunday and closed with an evenpar 72 to complete a wire-to-wire victory in the Nedbank Golf Challenge, his second European tour title of the year that will send him to the Masters for the ﬁrst time. The Norwegian began the ﬁnal round with a five-shot lead, but he saw the lead shrink to a single stroke when he played the back nine without a birdie.

He held his nerve against Jayden Schaper of South Africa (68) and Dan Bradbury of England (66) for a one-shot victory Reitan, who earned a PGA Tour card for 2026 by ﬁnishing eighth in the Race to Dubai, ﬁnished at 17-under 271.

Neergaard-Petersen wins at Australian Open

3-pointers. The makes from beyond the arc came from Thomas and PJ Carter a Memphis transfer To open the second half, McMahon made a change from his starting lineup. Carter replaced Mackinnon and Robert Miller replaced Pablo Tamba, who had three fouls. Nwoko, who finished with 10 points, was involved early, as he managed to score twice on his go-to hook shot. The paint scores didn’t lead to defensive stops. On one possession after a missed 3-pointer from Anderson, Texas Tech’s LeJuan Watts corralled the rebound, which led to a second open 3-point attempt that went in for Jaylen Petty The Red Raiders took a 55-32 lead at the 15:47 mark of the second half. With a little over 14 minutes left in the game, LSU started to apply some full-court pressure. That temporary change, along with crisper team defense, prevented Texas Tech from increasing its lead in the ﬁrst nine minutes after halftime. However, the Tigers couldn’t string together a scoring run because Texas Tech had ﬁve second-half offensive rebounds by the 11:25 mark, which helped it remain in control.

LSU continued to falter offensively due to Texas Tech’s aggressive defense and never cut into the deﬁcit. Ron Zipper, who played the final eight seconds in the ﬁrst half, checked in with 5:45 remaining in the game The 22-year-old freshman from Israel made the team’s only two 3-pointers after halftime.

The Tigers went 4 of 24 from beyond the arc and Texas Tech was 13 of 27.

LSU’s next game is against SMU (9-1) at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Smoothie King Center.

MELBOURNE, Australia — Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen won the Australian Open on Sunday and earned a spot in the Masters when he scrambled for par on the final hole at Royal Melbourne for a 1-under 70 to crush the hopes of home favorite Cam Smith, who missed a 5-foot par putt to force a playoff. Smith and Neergaard-Petersen came to the 72nd hole tied at 15-under par after a thrilling contest over the last nine holes. The Dane went after the right pin and it faded beyond the bunker into difficult rough. He did well to flop that to 10 feet.

The Dane finished at 15-under 269. Smith started the last round two shots back, drew level by the turn and led outright after sinking a 10-foot birdie putt on No. 10.

Texas businessman who owned Dallas teams dies DALLAS Tom Hicks, the Texas businessman and philanthropist who owned two Dallas-area professional sports franchises and an English Premier League soccer team, has died. He was 79. Spokesperson Lisa LeMaster said Hicks died peacefully Saturday in Dallas surrounded by family Hicks owned the NHL’s Dallas Stars from 1995–2011, winning the Stanley Cup in 1999. He also owned baseball’s Texas Rangers from 1998-2010, a period when they won three American League West Division titles and made their ﬁrst World Series appearance just months after the team was

STAFF FILE PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK

Alcorn

STAFF PHOTO By ENAN CHEDIAK

UNO guard Shanihya Brown, left, goes up for a shot against LSU forward Kate Koval during a game at Lakefront Arena on Sunday.

Nixon has game-sealing INT in win over Bears

By The Associated Press

GREEN BAY, Wis — Keisean Nixon intercepted Caleb Williams’ pass in the end zone with 22 seconds remaining to preserve Green Bay’s victory over Chicago that moved the Packers into ﬁrst place in the NFC North.

The Bears were facing fourthand-1 from Green Bay’s 14-yard line when Williams faked a handoff and rolled to his left. Tight end Cole Kmet had gotten behind Nixon in the end zone but Nixon made a leaping catch of the underthrown pass. Josh Jacobs scored the tiebreaking touchdown on a 2-yard run with 3:32 remaining as the Packers (9-3-1) won their fourth straight and snapped a ﬁve-game winning streak by the Bears (9-4).

STEELERS 27, RAVENS 22: In Baltimore, Aaron Rodgers threw for 284 yards and a touchdown and even ran for TD in perhaps his best game with the Steelers, and Pittsburgh took sole possession of ﬁrst place in the AFC North, holding on for a win over the Ravens when a Baltimore touchdown with 2:43 remaining was overturned by a replay review Isaiah Likely secured a pass from Lamar Jackson with two hands in the end zone, and both his feet came down, but as he was about to complete another step with his right foot, Joey Porter Jr of the Steelers knocked the ball free. It was initially called a touchdown but then changed to incomplete. The Ravens eventually turned the ball over on downs.

TITANS 31, BROWNS 29: In Cleveland, Tony Pollard rushed for a careerhigh 161 yards and two touchdowns, Cam Ward passed for two scores and Tennessee held off Cleveland to snap a seven-game skid. Cleveland’s Shedeur Sanders passed for 364 yards and three touchdowns in his third start, and he also ran for a score in a matchup of rookie quarterbacks. However, Sanders threw a costly intercep-

hand and shoulder in the third quarter and was replaced by Kenny Pickett.

The Broncos (11-2) appear to be on the verge of ending Kansas City’s nine-year reign in the AFC West, and they tied idle New England for the top seed in the conference. Denver owns the tiebreaker because of its 6-0 record against common opponents; the Patriots lost to the Raiders.

JAGUARS 36, COLTS 19: In Jacksonville, Florida, Trevor Lawrence threw two touchdown passes, Travis Etienne ran for two scores and Jacksonville moved atop the AFC South with a victory against rivals Indianapolis.

The Jaguars (9-4) won their fourth consecutive game and extended the Colts’ misery in Jacksonville. Indianapolis (8-5) most recently won at EverBank Stadium in 2014, an 11-game skid that includes a matchup in London.

RAMS 45,CARDINALS 17: In Glendale, Arizona, Matthew Stafford threw for 281 yards and three touchdowns, Puka Nacua and Blake Corum both scored twice and Los Angeles rolled past Arizona to stay tied for the NFC West lead. The Rams (10-3) scored 35 unanswered points to bounce back from last week’s turnover-filled loss to the Panthers and win for the seventh time in eight games. They are tied with the Seahawks atop the division, one game ahead of the 49ers.

The reeling Cardinals (3-10) have lost five straight and 10 of their past 11 after starting the season at 2-0.

tion in the third quarter that led to Tennessee’s go-ahead TD. Sanders’ father, Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, was in attendance. Coach Prime was at his son’s ﬁrst NFL start on Nov 23 at Las Vegas, but missed last week’s home game against San Francisco.

The Titans (2-11) had a 31-17 lead with 6:17 remaining before the Browns scored a pair of touchdowns. Sanders had a 7-yard scramble with 4:27 left and threw a 7-yard TD pass to Harold Fannin Jr with 1:03 remaining, but the Browns (3-10) missed both of their 2-point conversion attempts.

SEAHAWKS 37, FALCONS 9: In Atlanta, Rashid Shaheed returned the second-half kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown, Seattle’s defense came up with three turnovers and the Seahawks won for the seventh time in eight games, beating hapless Atlanta.

Sam Darnold threw for 249 yards and three touchdowns, including a pair of scores to Jaxon Smith-Njigba and another to Cooper Kupp. The Seahawks (10-3) broke away

from a 6-6 tie at halftime with a 31-point beatdown of the Falcons over the ﬁnal two quarters. With their seventh loss in eight games, the Falcons (4-9) sealed an eighth straight losing campaign matching the worst stretch in franchise history — and were officially eliminated from playoff contention with a month still to go in the regular season.

Atlanta hasn’t made the postseason since 2017, a year after its infamous Super Bowl meltdown to Tom Brady and the Patriots Seattle is a team with soaring expectations, coming into the day as one of three NFC West teams with nine wins and its sights on a division title, maybe even a top seed in January BRONCOS 24, RAIDERS 17: In Las Vegas, Bo Nix passed for 212 yards and rushed for a touchdown, and the Denver Broncos didn’t fall behind for the ﬁrst time this season as they defeated Las Vegas Raiders. The Raiders lost quarterback Geno Smith, who injured his right

Bills rally for win over Bengals

BY JOHN WAWROW AP sportswriter

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y Christian

Benford apologized with a laugh, because the Buffalo Bills cornerback wasn’t supposed to jump when he instinctively leaped to snag Joe Burrow’s attempt to lob a pass over his head.

“I actually didn’t do my technique right, if I’m being honest,” Benford said. “But I don’t know, God just gave me something for me to leave my feet. I’m sorry, but then the rest was history.” Benford intercepted Burrow’s soft toss and returned it 63 yards for a go-ahead touchdown with 5:25 left, Josh Allen threw for three touchdowns and ran for one, and the Bills beat the Cincinnati Bengals 39-34 on a snowy Sunday By the time Benford outran intended receiver Ja’Marr Chase to the end zone, everyone on the Bills sideline was leaping for joy It was one of three touchdowns in a span of 4:20 for Buffalo, which overcame a 10-point fourth-quarter deﬁcit.

“It’s fun to see your brother who does his job and can make plays for your team in big moments of the game,” Allen said. “It’s so awesome. He deserves every bit of it.”

Two of Allen’s passing TDs came on fourth down. He also scored on a 40-yard run — breaking his own team record for the longest rushing TD by a quarterback and capped the victory with a 17-yard scramble to convert a third-and-15 and allow Buffalo to run out the clock. It wasn’t pretty And it was a little sloppy with the ﬁeld slicked by persistent snow ﬂurries

What mattered for Buffalo (9-4) was the outcome. The Bills have won two straight for the ﬁrst time in a month and kept pace in the tightly packed AFC.

The Bengals (4-9) saw their already shaky playoff prospects dim even further Their only realistic shot entering the weekend was winning the AFC North, but they fell three games behind Pittsburgh.

“Just sick for the guys,” Cincinnati coach Zac Taylor said. “They made more plays than us down the stretch, and that was the difference in the game.” Burrow’s boost to the Bengals lasted only one week after he oversaw Cincinnati’s 32-14 win

Bills cornerback Christian

over Baltimore in the starter’s ﬁrst game after missing nine with a toe injury

He finished with interceptions on consecutive plays. After being picked off by Benford, Burrow’s next pass was tipped by defensive tackle Jordan Phillips and intercepted by A.J. Epenesa. That set up Allen’s 3-yard TD pass to Jackson Hawes.

“Could’ve thrown it higher, I guess,” Burrow said of Benford’s interception.

The interceptions were Burrow’s first in four starts this season. He finished 25 of 36 for 284 yards and four touchdowns while losing for the first time in nine starts dating to last season. The Bengals are guaranteed to finish with their fewest wins since going 4-11-1 in 2020 when Burrow was a rookie.

“Obviously we are not where we want to be as a team or organization,” Burrow said. “That’s how the cookie crumbled this year Obviously, I would have loved to have been out there more, and would have loved to make an impact. But that wasn’t the case.”

Tee Higgins caught two touchdown passes, including a onehanded 25-yarder with 2:13 left.

Tight end Mike Gesicki scored on a 12-yard catch and Chase Brown scored on a 5-yard run.

Allen finished 22 of 28 for 251 yards. His first TD pass, an 11-yarder on fourth down to Khalil Shakir, was Allen’s 20th of the

season, making him the ﬁrst NFL player with three season of 20 TDs passing and 10 rushing.

Benford, who returned a fumble 17 yards for a touchdown in a 26-7 win at Pittsburgh last week, became the Bills’ first player to score defensive TDs in back-toback games.

The two interceptions were highlights for a defense that couldn’t get off the field to start the game. The Bengals scored touchdowns on each of their first three drives and converted seven of their first eight third-down opportunities.

Buffalo’s offense, meantime, had some sputters. With the Bills trailing 21-18, James Cook was stripped of the ball at the Cincinnati 1 by DJ Turner, and the Bengals’ Oren Burks recovered it in the end zone. And the Bills settled for a ﬁeld goal when their opening drive stalled at Cincinnati’s 5 — after running back Ty Johnson went down untouched with an open path to the end zone.

“That’s why it’s two halves of football, right? Sixty minutes,” Bills linebacker Shaq Thompson said. He then shared how Allen urged on the defense after Buffalo cut Cincinnati’s lead to 28-25.

“Josh said we needed one. And when 17 says you need one, we got to lock in and buckle up,” Thompson said “Guys stepped up. It doesn’t matter who makes the play it’s just as long as the play gets made.”

DOLPHINS 34, JETS 10: In East Rutherford, New Jersey Tua Tagovailoa remained unbeaten against the New York Jets and put his cold weather woes on ice, and Miami had three rushing touchdowns to run away with a victory

With Miami’s fourth straight win, Tagovailoa improved to 7-0 against the Jets as a starter and 8-0 overall in games in which he has played against the AFC East rivals. And with the temperature 41 degrees at kickoff, Tagovailoa moved to 1-7 in his career when the temperature is 46 or colder

De’Von Achane ran for 92 yards and a touchdown before leaving in the second quarter with a rib injury Jaylen Wright ﬁlled in and had a career-high 107 yards and a score. Rookie Ollie Gordon II also ran for a TD for Miami (6-7), which ran for 239 yards and has won ﬁve of its last six after starting the season 1-6.

Tagovailoa was 13 of 21 for 127 yards with a touchdown pass to Jaylen Waddle before sitting for the final minutes with the game well in hand. Zach Wilson, New York’s No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 draft, ﬁnished up for Miami.

Los Angeles fell into an early 7-0 hole but rallied for a 24-10 lead by halftime, scoring just before the break on a beautiful 28-yard throw over the middle from Stafford to Nacua, who had six catches for 136 yards in the ﬁrst half The Rams also scored touchdowns on a pair of 2-yard runs one each by Kyren Williams and Corum.

VIKINGS 31, COMMANDERS 0: In Minneapolis, J.J. McCarthy threw a career-high three touchdown passes in his ﬁrst turnover-free game, returning from his latest injury absence in prime form for the Minnesota in a victory that sent Washington to its eighth straight loss.

McCarthy went 16 for 23 for 163 yards in his seventh NFL start, after sitting out last week in Seattle with a concussion while the Vikings were shut out for the first time in 18 years and dropped their fourth consecutive game with the offense in disrepair McCarthy, who missed his entire rookie season after knee surgery and five games earlier this season with a sprained ankle, targeted his tight ends for all three scores — the first two to Josh Oliver and the last one to T.J. Hockenson. As smooth as the afternoon went for the Vikings (5-8), the return of the starting quarterback for the Commanders (3-10) produced nothing positive only pain.

QB Herbert expects to play with broken hand

BY DAN GREENSPAN Associated Press

EL SEGUNDO Calif. — The Los Angeles Chargers had to adjust on the ﬂy after Justin Herbert broke a bone in his non-throwing hand last Sunday

As optimistic as they are that Herbert will be ready to start against the visiting Philadelphia Eagles on Monday night, the Chargers (8-4) have spent this week accounting for every possible contingency

“I think you got to try to look at it from all the different angles, you know, as you prepare,” offensive coordinator Greg Roman said. “What if this happens? What if that happens?”

Planning went into practice during a 31-14 win over the Las Vegas Raiders, when Herbert had to play the ﬁnal three quarters with his left hand in a hard cast and protective glove. The injury prevented Herbert from taking snaps under center, with the Chargers using shotgun and pistol formations the rest of the way

“It’s just a good reminder you really need to work through these contingencies in your mind,” Roman said. “A lot of what we practiced that week went out the window So, really, hats off to Justin and really everybody.”

Herbert had surgery on Monday and was back at practice Thursday, leaving an organization that typically treats such matters as state secrets expressing an unusually public degree of belief he will be ready to go against the NFC East-leading Eagles (8-4). Herbert was listed as “questionable” on the injury report Saturday following three straight days of limited practices.

“That’s the plan, is to prepare as if I’m going to play,” Herbert said Wednesday “See how the next couple days goes, and do everything I can to be out there for the team and for the guys.”

However, that does not necessarily mean Herbert will be able to run the full offense. Backup Trey Lance worked with the first unit on Wednesday, and coach Jim Harbaugh has said

ä Eagles at Chargers. 7:15 P.M. MONDAy ABC

the third overall pick in the 2021 draft would be prepared for situations where the Chargers might need to be under center such as in short yardage or at the goal line.

Roman has used quarterback platoons at times, but never because of an injury like Herbert’s.

“It was because of, you know, trying to throw some trickeration at people,” Roman said.

“But, no, I mean, we’ll do whatever it takes.”

The uncertainty carries over to the Eagles, where defensive coordinator Vic Fangio has also been devising plans for Herbert and Lance, who has not thrown a touchdown pass in the NFL since Jan 2, 2022, the last game of his rookie season with the San Francisco 49ers.

“We’ll have to prepare for both quarterbacks,” Fangio said. “Probably knowing that if Herbert plays, he’ll be in the pistol a lot and in the gun. Yeah, we’ll have to be ready for both.”

Eagles run over Philadelphia’s offense has absorbed the bulk of the blame for the team’s struggles of late. Yet, it was the defense — especially the line — that got whipped against the Bears, when the unit allowed 281 yards. Chicago had two 100-yard rushers in a game for the ﬁrst time since its dominant Super Bowl-winning 1985 season.

“I didn’t do a good enough job of preparing our squad for the quality and the diversity of their run game,” Fangio said “We didn’t play the run and the blocks the way we had been playing.” Herbert familiar with Fangio Herbert has experience going against Fangio’s schemes, having faced him four times from 2020-21 when Fangio was head coach of the Denver Broncos. Herbert went 2-2, throwing for 1,071 yards and eight touchdowns with four interceptions. Both wins were at home, and he did not throw a pick in those games.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MATT LUDTKE

Green Bay Packers cornerback Keisean Nixon intercepts a pass against Chicago Bears tight end Cole Kmet during the second half of a game on Sunday in Green Bay, Wis.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JEFFREy T. BARNES

Buffalo

Benford runs for a touchdown after intercepting a pass by Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow during the second half of a game on Sunday in Orchard Park, N.y

SAINTS 24, BUCS 20

THE NUMBERS

RB Neal earns game ball

BY LUKE JOHNSON AND MATTHEW PARAS Staff writer

TAMPA, Fla. — All this talk about ball security during a rainy game at Raymond James Stadium, and there was Devin Neal forgetting to secure the ball.

Thankfully for him, this was after a play He was too caught up in the celebration after he caught the late signal from the referee that he’d scored his ﬁrst touchdown of his professional career with the New Orleans Saints.

And, doubly thankfully, someone on the Saints equipment staff had the good sense to grab the keepsake for Neal’s collection.

In fact, the rookie running back came away from Sunday’s win in Tampa Bay with a pair of mementos.

and go about it in the wrong way and not focus on getting wins, but we ﬁght for each other, and I think that represents our culture as a whole. And I’m just excited to keep on building.”

Neal and fellow rookie Tyler Shough were the engines that ran the Saints offense Sunday With New Orleans being forced to lean on the ground game in challenging conditions, Neal carried the ball 19 times for 70 tough yards against a Buccaneers unit that had allowed only three players to top 70 yards all season coming into Sunday’s game.

let me dump it down by running back, and let’s just make a play Whatever happens, happens.”

A sixth-round pick out of Kansas this year, Neal has started each of the last two games for the Saints while Alvin Kamara has dealt with a knee injury

Why no challenge?

Well before the Saints’ victory over the Buccaneers, Kellen Moore left fans puzzled over his decision not to challenge a controversial spot on third down that forced his team to settle for a ﬁeld goal.

camera (angle) because we were already in tempo,” Moore said. “Usually, (the) TV (broadcast) is going to go right to the live action in those scenarios, so (it was) a little bit tricky.” The Saints then went for it on fourth-and-1, and while they converted, the play was penalized for an illegal man down the ﬁeld. Moore then settled for a 30-yard ﬁeld goal, which Charlie Smyth made. Moore is 0-for-3 on challenges this season, his first as a head coach.

Odds and ends

Braswell 2-1-1, Smith 2-1-0, Dennis

1-1-0, Diaby 1-1-0, McCollum 1-1-0, Reddick

1-1-0, Brewer 1-0-0, Nelson 1-0-0, Parrish 1-0-

0, E.Roberts 1-0-0, L.Hall 0-2-0, D.Jones 0-1-0. INTERCEPTIONS—New Orleans, Taylor 1-10. Tampa Bay, McCollum 1-19. MISSED FIELD GOALS—New Orleans, Smyth

48. OFFICIALS—Referee Clete Blakeman, Ump Scott Campbell, HL Andy Warner, LJ Kent Payne, FJ Karina Tovar, SJ James Coleman, BJ Jonah Monroe, Replay Chad Adams.

Bucs defensive lineman Logan Hall was the first to arrive, and when Shough spun out of his tackle, he pounded the dirt in disgust. Two-time Pro Bowler Vita Vea came next, and he couldn’t corral the rookie either For good measure, Anthony Nelson came free and was left in the dust like the others.

Shough saw daylight and sprinted toward it, and if those first three defenders weren’t going to get him, neither were the other eight. His 13-yard touchdown run gave the Saints a 24-17 lead they would not relinquish.

“That was a big-time play,” coach Kellen Moore said.

If that felt rare, it’s because it has been. Since Drew Brees retired, the Saints have had 30 opportunities to put together a go-ahead drive in the final 10 minutes of games, including Sunday Shough’s run was only the fifth go-ahead touchdown the Saints have scored in those situations, and it marked only the second time New Orleans had hung on for a win (the other being Seattle in 2022).

Quarterback wins may not be a real statistic, but big plays in big moments do matter — perhaps to no one more than the players

Shough shares a locker room with As he was saying how much he respected Tampa Bay quarterback Baker Mayﬁeld, Saints linebacker Demario Davis said the quarterback position was what

There was that game ball from his ﬁrst touchdown — a three-yard plunge to cap an impressive tonesetting touchdown on the game’s opening drive — and there was the game ball he received from coach Kellen Moore after the Saints’ 24-20 win over Tampa Bay

“Special, special moment for me — and not only for me, but for this team,” Neal said. “I just think it’s a representation of who we are. We can easily just be down

He contributed some big plays as a runner, including a 21-yarder that represented the longest run by any Saints running back this season. But he also added a crucial 14-yard catch on third down to set up the go-ahead score in the fourth quarter, catching a pass in the ﬂat and turning upﬁeld for a big gain.

On the play, Shough was dealing with pressure up the middle and he dumped it off to Neal well shy of the ﬁrst down marker Neal did the rest.

“I’m just glad Tyler saw me in time, had enough trust in me,” Neal said. “... He just has a natural feel, like, the pocket’s collapsing,

But the coach had a reasonable explanation for why he didn’t throw the red flag: He couldn’t see a replay to see if it was truly a bad call.

On third-and-2 with 2:26 left in the third from the 9-yard line, running back Audric Estime rushed for what officials initially indicated was a first down. So to avoid a challenge from the Tampa side, Moore said the Saints tried to push the pace by running tempo — but the Saints failed to get the next snap off in time as the officiating crew then changed the spot of the ball and ruled it to be fourth-and-1.

“We weren’t able to get the

Saints players celebrate a touchdown

second half on Sunday in Tampa, Fla.

decided the game in the Saints’ favor Sunday In Shough, he sees someone who has the “it factor.”

The it factor being “that thing that separates some of my top quarterbacks in the league from the rest of the guys,” Davis said.

The conditions made that speciﬁc type of heroics a necessity The Saints and Buccaneers spent most of Sunday’s game playing in a driving rain, and both offensive play-callers leaned heavily into the run game. Shough contributed two of the Saints’ three rushing touchdowns,

and as a team, New Orleans had one of its best rushing efforts of the year, turning its 32 attempts into 139 yards against one of the NFL’s better run defenses But for all Shough did late, the game ultimately came down to what the Saints defense would do against Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayﬁeld. Holding a 24-20 lead, New Orleans took over at its own 18 with 4:54 remaining. Shough converted a pair of clutch third downs with tough throws to Devaughn Vele, but he couldn’t pull off the trifecta. His

third-and-11 pass fell incomplete with 1:54 remaining, and the Saints sent the punting unit onto the ﬁeld

— which actually made some happy

“We’ve been waiting for a twominute drive to be on (the defense) the whole year,” Davis said.

“. It’s been a long time coming, and it was interesting that it ended as fast as it did.”

The Buccaneers needed to go 80 yards with no timeouts to take the lead. They didn’t even make it 10 yards. With Davis in coverage, Mayfield’s fourth-down pass to Cade

Shough’s 34-yard touchdown run was the longest run by any Saints player since Taysom Hill‘s 75-yard touchdown against the Cleveland Browns in November of last year It was only the Saints’ second run of 30 or more yards since the start of the 2023 season Right tackle Asim Richards, who ﬁlled in for injured starter Taliese Fuaga, left in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s win with an ankle injury William Sherman replaced Richards in the lineup Baker Mayfield‘s 55.1 passer rating against the Saints was his second-worst single-game mark since he took over as the Buccaneers’ starting quarterback.

Otten on fourth-and-4 picked up 3 yards — the ﬁfth stop the Saints defense came up with on fourth down Sunday New Orleans took over and kneeled out the clock on their third win of the season. The game started to turn early in the second half when Alontae Taylor injected some life into the Saints sideline by picking off Mayﬁeld on the opening drive of the second half.

Trailing 10-7 at the time, New Orleans took the lead when Shough found a seam off the left end on a read option and out-raced the Buccaneers defense for a 34-yard touchdown run. It was the longest run by any Saints player this season Shough ﬁnished the game with modest stats as a passer, going 13 of 20 for 144 yards and an interception that was a result of a miscommunication with Chris Olave. But he contributed 55 yards and two scores on the ground and, most importantly was a central ﬁgure in a winning effort.

Days before the game, he was asked if he was treating the closing stretch as an audition to keep the job in 2026, with the Saints appearing destined for a top draft pick — where franchise quarterbacks are typically drafted. Sunday, the tone shifted: Does he feel he’s opened eyes with his play? Shough didn’t bite.

“I really care about what the guys in the locker room think of me,” Shough said. “I want to instill the

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JASON BEHNKEN

by quarterback Tyler Shough against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JASON BEHNKEN

Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive end Elijah Roberts tackles Saints running back Devin Neal in the second half of a game on Sunday in Tampa, Fla.

SHOUGH STANDS TALL

Rookie quarterback Tyler Shough hada brilliant day, leading the Saints offense to asecondhalfcomeback and rushingfor twosecondhalftouchdowns in the rain. He finished the daywith modest numbers (13 of 20 passing,144 yards, one interception; 7carries for 55 yards), butitincluded several big plays on third down and is the typeofvictory that will lead the Saints to believe theyhavetheir quarterback of the future, no matterhow hightheirdraft pick is next spring

SAINTS 24,BUCS20

MOORE FINDS MORE

Shough isn’t the only rookie whoimpressed Sunday. First-year head coachKellen Moore had agood daycallingthe offense, fromthe scripted first drivethat produced Devin Neal’s first career touchdown to the fourth quarter,whenthe Saints were finding ways to runthe ball in bad weatheragainst a good rushing defense.The resultwas acareer dayfor yetanother rookie: Neal finished with70yardsand the touchdownon19carries, plusa big 14-yard catch to convert athird down on the Saints’ final touchdowndrive.

TOUGH ‘D’WHENITCOUNTED

3

The Saints defense wasn’t perfect, but it was very good when it counted. The Buccaneers were only 3of13onthird down and 2of7 on fourth down.The five fourth-down stops included threestuffs in short-yardagesituations near midfield, flipping field position, as well as the stop that ended the game. Anddon’t forget acouple of third-down stops inside the 25-yard line that forced Tampa Bay into field goals. That ultimately wasthe difference in thegame.

‘Westuffed themiddlelikea turkey’

NewOrleans defensedominates on fourth down

BY MATTHEW PARAS Staff writer

TAMPA, Fla. CarlGranderson hadan idea what was coming, thanks to what happened 42 days earlier In October,during in the ﬁrst meeting between the New Orleans Saints andthe TampaBay Buccaneers,the Saints bottled up their NFC South rival’srushing attack with adominant goal-line stand. And they nearly had another later on So on Sunday,when theBuccaneers lineduptogofor it on fourth-and-1 from midﬁeld, Granderson knew there was no way that Tampa Bay would send Bucky Irving straight ahead.Not afterlasttime.

“Westuffed the middle like aturkey,” Granderson said. “They couldn’t run up the middle. .Weknew they were going to try and hit (the) outside. It was awrap after that.” Granderson read the pitch and immediately wrapped up the running back for a7-yard loss —the first ofa remarkable five fourth-down stops in NewOrleans’24-20win over theBuccaneers. Tampa Bay finished the afternoon just 2of7onfourth down Like in the previous matchup, the Saints controlled the line of scrimmage Sure, Tampa Bay rushed for179 yards on 39 carries. But more oftenthan not, when the Buccaneers needed justa few yards to keep their drives alive, it was the Saints’ defensive line that blew up the play as soon as it started. And this time, unlike the first meeting, they won the game.

“Everything’sonthe line,” Saints defensive endCam Jordan said of those fourth-down moments. “That’s what gets players excited. When you’re on defense, you’re like,‘Man, putitonme. Put it on us.’”

Each stop proved huge for New Orleans. Excluding quarterback Baker Mayfield’sbatted-down Hail Mary right before halftime, three of theother four stops gaveNew Orleansgreat ﬁeld position. And though they initially failed to capitalize on severalofthe chances, the offense ﬁnally delivered in the fourth quarter when they scored thegame-deciding touchdownfresh

ASSOCIATEDPRESS PHOTOByJASON BEHNKEN Saints linebackerDemario Davis, center,celebrates with safety Terrell Burgess, left, and cornerbackQuincyRileyafter stopping the Tampa BayBuccaneers on fourth down in the first half on SundayinTampa, Fla

off cornerbackKool-Aid McKinstry’s fourth-and-2 passbreakup.

McKinstry’sPBU in particular also showedhow it wasn’t just thedefensive line thatchanged thegame. The Bucs’ Chris Godwin initially appeared to catchthe pass right in front of the chains when the second-year cornerback came ﬂying in withathunderous hit, causing the wide receiver to bobble the ball and force the incompletion.

“I wentuptohim and told him, ‘Man, Idon’t thinkyou realize howbig aplay that was,”cornerback AlontaeTaylor said.

To even get to fourthdown, the Saints hadtobeexcellent on third down. And they responded with some of their best effort of theseason. New Orleansheld Tampa Bay to 3of13on third down, whichtieda season-best percentage for the Saints. What was theother game?The ﬁrst Bucs’meeting, of course.Tampa Bay also went 3

Saints coachMoore

Kellen Moore needed awin like this one. Ascrappy,out-of-the-mud (both literally and physically) victory against aquality opponent thathis New Orleans Saints simplyout-toughed.

The Moore era in New Orleans got off to astart as gloomy as the Sunday afternoon weather at Raymond JamesStadium.

There weren’tawhole lot of wins (just two) through the ﬁrst dozen games under Moore, and there wasn’tawhole lot of optimism. Nothing seemedto suggest the Saints weretrending in the right direction. Every week, something popped up that needed to be ﬁxed. Penalties. Red-zone woes. Turnovers. Defensive lapses.Moore’s decision-making. Moore’sgame management. Something.

of 13 in that one. Maybe themost important of all of them was Michael Davis’ coverage on tight endCadeOtton with just under ﬁve minutes left. Davis, aseldom-used corner,was on theﬁeldaspart of a packagethatrequired another defensive back. Butheblanketed thetight end, preventing him from catching a potential game-tying touchdown.

TampaBay settled for the ﬁeld goal, its last pointsofthe afternoon.

“We’re there to ruin their season,” Davis said. “We’re out of playoff contention. They’re still in the hunt, so we’vegot to ruin their season. We came in here andplayedhard.They underestimated us alittle bit.”

TheSaints indeed playedspoiler. The Buccaneers fell to 7-6 on the season, dropping them into afirstplace tiewiththe CarolinaPanthers. TampaBay and Carolina still have to face each other twice in the ﬁnalfour

games, puttingthe NFCSouth very much up forgrabs.

New Orleans, at 3-10, won’tbepart of that divisional hunt. But so much of thisseason has been about buildinga foundation for the future.And awin over ateamlike theBuccaneers— who have won the South four straight years —only adds to that.

They were even tested in new ways Sunday, 13 gamesinto the campaign. Demario Davis said the defense had been waiting all year for agameto truly be put on their shoulders in the ﬁnal minutes. Andwith1:48left, Davis and the unit got their wish. The defense took theﬁeld,needing to prevent TampaBay from driving 80 yards for agame-winning touchdown.

“It was like adog licking its chops,” the linebacker said.

TheBuccaneers instead went 9, stopped just short of the sticks on fourth-and-4.

Panthers. Maybe theSaints will do the Bucs afavor next week when the Panthers come to theSuperdome.

The Saints, who already have one winagainstthe Panthers,are just 3-10 and at thebottom of that same NFC South ladder.Credit goes to Moore for having ateam that hasn’tquit.His players hadevery reason to give up after winning just one of their ﬁrst eight games.

But Sunday,the Saints ﬁnally put it alltogether and beat the TampaBay Buccaneers 24-20inthe most impressive and complete victory since Moore took over Moore was his same stoic self after thewin, not showing much emotion. Butonthe inside, you know he hadto be smiling from ear to ear

This was asignature win against a Bucs team that was ﬁghtingtostay alone atop the NFC South standings. Instead, the Saints played spoiler,and now the Bucs (7-6) are tied on the top rung of the division with theCarolina

“Kellen’sgot ice in his veins,” said Saintslinebacker Demario Davis. “Hedon’t change, win or lose. He comes in and he’sthe same person every day. As human beings, you respect that more than anything. Youmay agree or disagree with somebody, but when somebody is the same person every day,it’slike, ‘OK, Ican rock with you. Iknow you’re not gonna changeup.’And that’show he’sbeen. He’s been steady.Hedoesn’tﬂinch.”

Moore’steam didn’tflinch either Every time theSaints scored Sunday, theBucswouldanswer withascore of their own.But the Saintsjust kept making plays. One of the best decisions Moore madewhenhelanded theSaints job washiring Brandon Staley to be his defensive coordinator.That was evident Sunday, as theSaintslimited Baker Mayfieldtoarough passing day Mayfield completed 14 of 30 passes for122 yards withatouchdown and an interception. It was the second time

in six weeks the Saints held Mayfield in check. Mayfield completed 15 of 24 passes for 152 yards in the Bucs’ 23-3 victory in the Dome in October. This time, theSaints flipped the script,with Tyler Shough doing his best Mayfield impersonation in the win. Shough ran for two touchdowns and threw for another and the Saints scored 20 pointsina gamefor the first time since beating the New York Giants in Week 5. The 24 points were much needed for Moore, who was hired because he was supposed to be an offensive mind. There have been times this season when that was in doubt,especially in games when the Saintsfailed to score once inside the

red zone. The Saints went2for 3in the red zone Sunday.They also got plenty of help from their defense, holding the Bucs to 3of13onthird downs and 2of7 on fourth downs. This was the very deﬁnition of the complementary football Moore had been waiting to see.

“When you’ve only wonacouple games during the season, there is alot of adversity you face,” Moore said. “So forour guys to come out and have the energy and the physicality they played with, Ithought it was a credit to our guys. They are aspecial group that keeps playing.”

The Bucs, ateam the Saints once dominated, had wonthe last three games in the series. The Saints have never lost four straight games to the Bucs, and they made sure not to start on Sunday

Nothing was going to stop them

Not the Bucs. And not Mother Nature, who pouredrain on the ﬁeld muchofthe afternoon and made this game asloppy one. Moore, who monitored the weather in away that would have made former local meteorologist Margaret Orr proud, made the adjustments and leaned on arunning game that has struggled most of the season. Running back Devin Neal rushed for 70 yards, and Shough rushed for 55 more. Both Shough and Neal scored their ﬁrst rushing touchdowns, making it abig day for the two rookies. And the rookie head coach’sday wasn’tsobad either

Rod Walker

AP PHOTO By CHRISO’MEARA Saints head coach Kellen Moore smiles after atouchdownagainst the Buccaneers on Sunday

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

LSU set to play Houston in Texas Bowl

Indiana grabs top seed in CFP

Alabama, Miami make playoff bracket; Notre Dame left out

BY EDDIE PELLS AP national writer

Nobody paying attention over the past 24 months would be surprised to see Indiana leading the way into this year’s College Football Playoff.

But anyone paying attention over the last 24 hours knew the only sure thing beyond the Hoosiers was that the playoff selection committee was destined to get picked apart when it released the pairings for this season’s 12team bracket on Sunday Most of that second-guessing will be coming from Notre Dame, which was passed over for Alabama and Miami for two bubble spots. The Fighting Irish dropped two notches in the CFP rankings over the last two weeks, to No. 11, despite a 10-game winning streak, winning their ﬁnale by 29 points and simply sitting on the couch Saturday A few hours after being left out, the Irish said they would skip bowl season altogether this year

Alabama is still in the mix after not moving at all in the CFP rankings despite a 28-7 loss to No. 3 Georgia that looked worse than that.

No. 10 Miami didn’t play either, but the Hurricanes’ 27-24 win over Notre Dame in Week 1 played a role once the teams were grouped right next to each other after BYU lost its game on Saturday and dropped one spot

“Everyone can spin the metrics in favor of the team or teams they support,” committee chairman Hunter Yurachek explained.

“You’re always going to have controversy That’s why we debated for so long, 9, 10 and 11, into the early-moning hours, and woke up at sunrise to do the same thing — make sure we got it right.”

The committee’s other key decision was choosing James Madison over Duke for the ﬁnal spot. The selection left the Atlantic Coast Conference champion out of the mix, but didn’t fully exclude the ACC because Miami made it The rest of the ﬁeld includes No. 2 seed Ohio State, No. 3 Georgia and No 4 Texas Tech, which all joined Indiana in getting firstround byes.

The Hoosiers moved up to No. 1 with their 13-10 win over the Buckeyes on Saturday — their ﬁrst Big Ten title since 1967 and their 1-2 positioning sets up a possible rematch in the national title game Jan. 19. Then it was No. 5 seed Oregon, followed by Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Alabama, Miami, American champion Tulane and James Madison of the Sun Belt The playoffs start Dec. 19 with No. 9 Alabama at No. 8 Oklahoma.

On Dec. 20, it’s No. 10 Miami at

No. 7 Texas A&M, No. 11 Tulane at No 6 Ole Miss and No. 12 James Madison at No. 5 Oregon.

The winners move to the quarterﬁnals, which will feature Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl on New Year’s Eve, then Texas Tech in the Orange Bowl, Indiana in the Rose Bowl and Georgia in the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1.

A costly miss for Notre Dame

It was a particularly costly and painful snub for the Fighting Irish. They lost their ﬁrst two games of the season – one to Miami, the other to Texas A&M — by a combined four points. They did not play a tough schedule the rest of the way; it was ranked 44th, compared to sixth for Alabama but 45th for Miami. But the Irish won all those games easily It also hurts the pocketbook Where conferences split $4 million for each team they place into the ﬁrst round, Notre Dame – as an independent – would have banked the full amount for itself.

Yurachek said the committee had not previously considered Miami’s Aug. 31 win over Notre Dame because there were always other teams in the mix, namely Alabama and BYU But when BYU lost, the Irish and Hurricanes ended up right next to each other, which made that Miami win more important Yurachek directed the committee to go back and rewatch it.

“Really, how Miami’s defense dominated Notre Dame’s running game, where for the rest of the season, their running game dominated most of the teams they played,” Yurachek said when asked what the committee saw in that game.

Alabama back in after snub

Alabama (10-3) is in despite

BY WILSON ALEXANDER Staff writer

the top 25 of the ﬁnal College Football Playoff rankings.

three losses. Those who believe the Tide deserve it will look at these factors:

n An eight-game winning streak after a shocking 14-point, season-opening loss to Florida State that included a 24-21 victory at Georgia for a season split while, for instance, BYU lost both its games against Texas Tech.

n Ignoring the above, there was the “you can’t lose ground for playing in the title game” argument. Last year, Alabama had three losses and was passed over for SMU, which was coming off a loss in the ACC title game. Using the same logic, someone other than the Tide needed to go this time.

Duke left out

Duke tried to make a compelling argument that its seven wins over Power Four teams, including the victory over Virginia in the ACC title game, made it more deserving than James Madison for that ﬁfth and ﬁnal automatic spot for conference champs.

But the Blue Devils had five losses. And Virginia was ranked four (now nine) spots lower than Miami, the ACC’s best team by many measurements.

James Madison’s playoff game against a mega-team from a mega-conference — Oregon — will suss out whether teams like that should be playing for the title.

History, however, might look back on Duke’s win if league title games are ever eliminated from the schedule due to their growing irrelevance Other than eliminating BYU (but not Alabama) and flip-flopping Indiana and Ohio State, this year’s set of games in the Power Four meant next to nothing.

ä LSU vs. Houston, 8:15 P.M. DEC. 27, ESPN

There’s something about LSU, interim head coaches and the Texas Bowl. LSU is going back to the Texas Bowl for the second straight year, it was announced Sunday The Tigers will finish their season against the No. 21 Houston Cougars at 8:15 p.m. on Dec. 27 at NRG Stadium in Houston, a familiar place for the team. The game will be broadcast on ESPN. It will be the third trip to the Texas Bowl in the past five seasons for LSU. The Tigers will play their last game under interim head coach Frank Wilson, and they also played in the Texas Bowl in 2021 under interim coach Brad Davis. LSU lost that game 42-20 to Kansas State with a depleted roster Last season, LSU beat Baylor 4431 in the Texas Bowl. It has made one other appearance in the Texas Bowl, when it defeated Texas Tech 56-27 in 2016. Led by former Tulane coach Willie Fritz, Houston went 9-3 this season while playing in the Big 12. The Cougars got off to a 7-1 start this season, but they split their last four games. They still finished ranked in

LSU (7-5) will try to finish a disappointing season with a win. It started the year with CFP aspirations after signing the No. 1 transfer portal class in the country, but the Tigers fell well short of expectations and fired head coach Brian Kelly in the midst of his fourth season. They have gone 2-2 under Wilson with losses to Alabama and Oklahoma. Houston went 4-8 during Fritz’s first season, but it has turned things around this year It has scored 28.3 points per game, ranking 65th in the country, and it has allowed 21.8 points per game, which ranks 40th nationally Its losses came against Texas Tech, West Virginia and TCU. It’s unclear what the roster will look like. LSU wide receivers Kylan Billiot and Jelani Watkins have decided to enter the transfer portal when it opens Jan. 2, but there are no other known opt-outs or transfers at this point. LSU’s offensive coaching staff is also in flux after the hiring of new head coach Lane Kiffin. Wilson will coach through the bowl game, Kiffin said, but his future with the team is uncertain after that. Kiffin has brought in a new offensive staff, while LSU retained most of its defensive staff after defensive coordinator Blake Baker passed on jobs at Tulane and Memphis.

Quarterﬁnal contest will feature teams with Sugar Bowl history

Georgia to face winner of Tulane-Ole Miss

BY LES EAST Contributing writer

The Allstate Sugar Bowl matchup is only partly set.

But the Sugar Bowl and New Orleans will have a winning combination no matter what.

SEC champion Georgia (12-1, 7-1) is the No. 3 seed and will face the winner of a ﬁrst-round game between No. 6 Ole Miss and No. 11 Tulane in a College Football Playoff quarterﬁnal matchup at 7 p.m Jan. 1 in the Caesars Superdome.

“Whatever happens, we’re going to have a good game and a good environment,” Sugar Bowl CEO Jeff Hundley said shortly after the 12-team bracket was announced Sunday “There’s a lot of rabid fan passion for all three programs.”

The Rebels (11-1, 7-1) will host the American Conference champion Green Wave (11-2, 7-1) at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday Dec. 20 in Oxford, Mississippi. It will be a rematch of the Rebels’ 4510 home victory on Sept. 20 and the 75th meeting in a series that dates to 1893.

Both teams’ success has led to their coaches leaving for other opportunities, though under different circumstances Former Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin is on the job as the new LSU head coach, and defensive coordinator Pete Golding, a Hammond native and a former assistant coach at Southeastern Louisiana, has succeeded him Green Wave coach Jon Sumrall led his team to a 34-21 victory against North Texas in the American Championship game Friday night at Yulman Stadium and will continue to as long as Tulane is in the CFP before taking over full-time at Florida. The hometown Green Wave played in the ﬁrst Sugar Bowl in 1935, but its third and most recent appearance in the game

came way back in 1939. Georgia and Ole Miss are both central ﬁgures in the long history between the SEC and the Sugar Bowl.

“Tulane has a historic connection to the Sugar Bowl,” Hundley said, “and the SEC has been the Sugar Bowl’s bread and butter for 90 years.”

The Bulldogs will make their 13th appearance in the Sugar Bowl, tied for second-most alltime, and their second consecutive. Ole Miss is seeking its 11th trip to the Sugar Bowl. Hundley attended Georgia’s 28-7 victory over Alabama in Atlanta on Saturday and sensed that the Bulldogs’ fans would be enthusiastic about returning to New Orleans. No. 2 seed Georgia lost to No. 7 Notre Dame 23-10 on Jan. 2 after the game was postponed one day in the wake of the Bourbon Street terrorist attack in the early hours of New Year’s Day

The enhanced security for the Jan. 2 game, as well as the Super Bowl in February and last month’s Bayou Classic, is now “part and parcel” of major events in New Orleans, Hundley said.

Georgia has won nine consecutive games since losing a home game against Alabama, 24-21, on Sept. 27. A 43-35 home victory against Ole Miss on Oct. 18 is part of that streak. The Rebels and Green Wave have 13 days to prepare for their rematch, while the Bulldogs have more time (25) days but less certainty with which to begin preparation.

“We’ll treat those teams as equals,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. “We’ll split our (coaching) staff in half, look hard at both teams and dive into their seasons.”

The 92nd edition of the Sugar Bowl will be Smart’s sixth appearance as coach.

“The Sugar Bowl is an incredible event,” Smart said. “I’ve had the great fortune of playing there more than I ever thought I would. (I have) a lot of respect for how much passion there is in this game.”

Georgia linebacker Quintavius Johnson celebrates a sack on Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson during the SEC championship game on Saturday in Atlanta.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By AJ MAST

Indiana’s Tyrique Tucker and Drew Evans celebrate after the Big Ten championship game against Ohio State in Indianapolis on Saturday.

AP PHOTO By MIKE STEWART

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU interim coach Frank Wilson watches a play in the third quarter of a game against Arkansas on Nov. 15 at Tiger Stadium. Wilson will lead LSU at the Texas Bowl against Houston.

TULANE

Continued from page 1C

the SEC championship game, rolling over the Crimson Tide 28-7 on Saturday afternoon.

Ole Miss won the ﬁrst meeting with Tulane 45-10 on Sept. 20 at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium — outgaining the Wave 548-282 while quarterback Trinidad Chambliss threw for 307 yards and ran for 112.

“I’m glad we’re not having to ﬂy across the country,” Sumrall said “Ole Miss is a really good opponent that obviously beat the stew out of us in Game 1 in this matchup. We didn’t play very good. They played great. We have to play better We need to give them a better game.”

The ﬁrst result was an outlier for both teams. Aside from its seasonopening 63-7 trouncing of Georgia State, which ﬁnished 1-11, the Rebels did not have a victory margin against another FBS opponent by 20 or more points. They beat LSU 24-19, Washington State 24-21 and Florida 34-24 among other results.

Tulane faced Ole Miss the week after an emotional 34-27 victory against Duke and former Wave quarterback Darian Mensah at Yulman Stadium. The Wave was at the end of a four-game stretch as the only FBS team not to host a Group of Five or FCS opponent in its non-conference schedule. It opened with a 23-3 win against Northwestern and traveled to South Alabama for its second game.

Quarterback Jake Retzlaff went 5 of 17 for 56 yards against the Rebels, then completed 65.5% of his passes for an average of 253.7 yards in the Wave’s next nine games.

“I just remember not getting the job done and it leaving a bad taste in your mouth,” Tulane defensive tackle Santana Hopper said “After something like that, you want a restart, and we got that We’ll go out there and try to capitalize.”

Tulane stayed put at No. 20 in the ﬁnal CFP ranking, four spots ahead of James Madison, which beat Troy

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

(8-5) in the Sun Belt championship game. North Texas fell to No. 25.

“We set our goals in the offseason that No 1 we wanted to be conference champions, and then we wanted to make it to the playoffs,” Tulane offensive tackle Derrick Graham said. “To see that on the screen was big time for us. We deﬁnitely want to get back on the ﬁeld and redeem what we did back in September Obviously, we are a completely different team than we were back then.”

So, in a sense, is Ole Miss. Speculation the Rebels might drop because of coach Lane Kiffin’s departure for LSU was rendered moot a week ago when the committee raised the Rebels above Texas A&M. Selection chair Hunter Yurachek said it was impossible to judge the effect of losing Kifﬁn because the Rebels had not played a game without him.

Ole Miss promoted defensive

coordinator Pete Golding to permanent coach. Charlie Weis, Jr., who left with Kifﬁn for LSU, returned to call the offensive plays throughout the playoff, as he did in the regular season, but Kifﬁn will not be on the sideline.

“Pete does a great job with defense,” Sumrall said. “He has a great football mind. They won’t miss a beat. They are a really good team. They’ve got talent all over the ﬁeld.”

Sumrall accepted the Florida job on Dec. 30 and will divide his duties between the two schools before the playoff game. He is ﬂying to Gainesville, Florida, on Sunday evening and plans to return to New Orleans on Thursday Tulane will not have any full practices this week, opting for rest to heal some bumps and bruises while the school administers ﬁnal exams.

“The guys will do some playerled lifting and some player-led meetings,” Sumrall said. “I’m going to let the players lead this team for four days. Their bodies also need a break. We’ll treat it almost like a bye. I’m not a huge fan of preparing two weeks for one game. Friday they’ll be off, and then Saturday we’ll come in and get to work on the next game.”

Baker staying at LSU causes Tulane to reset coach search

BY GUERRY SMITH

Contributing writer

With Blake Baker deciding to stay as LSU defensive coordinator on Friday night, Tulane is having to pivot in its coaching search and adjust the timetable for naming a replacement for Jon Sumrall. That is the bad news. The good news is even though many of the original candidates have landed jobs elsewhere the opening should remain one of the most attractive at a Group of Five conference school. Where the search committee goes from here was unclear, sources indicated. Baker, who played for Tulane from 2000 to 2004 and appeared to be a good ﬁt despite his lack of head coaching experience, and the Wave was zeroing in on him just as it did with Sumrall in December of 2023.

In Tulane’s favor though, are the facts from the past four years. With its victory against North Texas on Friday night, Tulane improved to 43-12 since the start of 2022—tied with Notre Dame for the ﬁfth most among FBS teams and ahead of blue bloods like Alabama and Texas. The Wave has been even better in league play, going 31-5 against its American brethren while appearing in four consecutive championship games and winning two. It is one of 10 teams that has appeared in the

College Football Playoff rankings in each of the past four seasons. Willie Fritz went 23-4 in his last two years with the Wave and was hired by Houston in the Big 12. Sumrall is 20-7 entering the ﬁrst round of the College Football Playoff and will leave for threetime national champion Florida of the SEC full-time whenever Tulane’s season ends.

“I feel strongly they are going to do a good job ﬁlling my role here,” Sumrall said earlier this week. “You can tell (recruits) you are going to a place that’s got great football opportunities, is a great place to live and a great academic experience.”

With Southern Miss coach Charles Huff reportedly finalizing a deal with Memphis on Saturday, four of the ﬁve known candidates who interviewed with Tulane last week have taken other jobs. Bob Chesney of James Madison went to UCLA. Former UL coach Billy Napier, who was ﬁred by Florida during the season, replaced Chesney at James Madison. The other is Will Hall, Sumrall’s passing game coordinator, but look for Tulane to widen its search in the coming week.

Sources on Saturday were at a loss for conﬁrmed names, but a check of successful Group of Five coaches is the logical place to start.

Kennesaw State’s Jerry Mack, a former Memphis, Rice and

Tennessee assistant who worked in the NFL last season, won the Conference USA championship game against Jacksonville State on Friday in his ﬁrst season as coach.

Western Michigan’s Lance Taylor beat Miami (Ohio) 23-13 on Saturday in the Mid-American Conference title game in his third season. The Broncos (9-4) have won nine of their past 10 games. New Mexico coach Jason Eck is 9-3 in his first year with the Lobos, tying for first in the Mountain West Conference at a school that had finished below .500 for eight consecutive years before he arrived. He has no experience in the South.

Florida International’s Willie Simmons has led the Panthers to a 7-5 record and a bowl berth in his debut season after the school won 13 games in the ﬁve years before he arrived. Before then, he had successful stints at Prairie View and Florida A&M, spending 2024 as running backs coach at Duke.

Whether or not any of them interviews remains to be seen, but if they listen to Sumrall, they will like what they hear about the opportunity “I’m forever indebted to Tulane,” he said Friday night. “I was an assistant coach here over a decade ago. It’s been a complete privilege and honor for me to be the head football coach here.”

Continued from page 1C

candidate. The Rebels have 13 former four- and ﬁve-star recruits on the roster Tulane has one. But the intangible factors are real in football. And they all tend to work in the Green Wave’s favor in this rematch. Tulane has familiarity with the Rebels’ personnel and scheme. That wouldn’t have been the case if the Green Wave were playing Oregon or Oklahoma. While both teams are dealing with a coaching change, the situation in Oxford is much more chaotic. Lane Kifﬁn took most of the Rebels’ offensive staff with him to LSU. Offensive coordinator Charlie Weis, Jr., has been permitted to return to Ole Miss to compile the game plan and call plays in the game, but navigating uncharted waters. Tulane, meanwhile, has its entire coaching staff intact. Above all, though, is the element of pride.

The Green Wave played one of its worst games in years and should be extra-motivated to make amends for the ugly showing.

“We definitely want to get back on the field and redeem what we did back in September,” Tulane left tackle Derrick Graham said. “Obviously we’re a completely different team than we were back then, so we definitely look forward to it.” There is precedent here. And it works in Tulane’s favor Since the CFP began in 2014,

there have been ﬁve rematch pairings from the regular season The team that lost the initial matchup is 3-2 in those games, including a year ago when Ohio State soundly defeated Oregon 41-21 in the CFP quarterﬁnals, three months after losing to the Ducks in the regular season.

In 2021, Alabama beat Georgia 41-24 in the SEC championship, only to turn around and lose to the Bulldogs 33-18 in the CFP championship

“The biggest motivating factor is we didn’t put our best foot forward last time, and when you don’t put your best foot forward against a good team like Ole Miss, you get embarrassed,” Tulane head coach Jon Sumrall said. “We got embarrassed, so we need to show up differently.”

Sumrall is a master motivator It’s one of his strengths as a coach. Rest assured, he will have the Green Wave dialed in and ready to play in two weeks.

“The last we played ‘em, they beat our ass, so we better play a lot different than we played last time,” Sumrall said. “They played good and we played bad. You have to tip your hat at how they played, and I think we also played about as rotten as we could have, so we’ve got to make sure we play better.”

It will be difficult for Tulane to play worse than it did three months ago I am confident the Green Wave will play much better this time around. Whether that’s good enough to upset a more talented Ole Miss team on its home field remains to be seen. But they have nothing to lose in this one and pride can be a powerful ally

Indiana

BY ERIC OLSON Associated Press

Indiana is the No. 1 team in The Associated Press Top 25 college football poll for the first time after going through the regular season and Big Ten championship game 13-0, ending Ohio State’s 14week run atop the rankings.

The Hoosiers’ 13-10 win over the Buckeyes in Indianapolis on Saturday night made them the unanimous pick for No. 1 and they locked up the top seed for their second straight appearance in the 12-team College Football Playoff.

Georgia, which beat Alabama by three touchdowns in the Southeastern Conference title game, moved up one spot to No. 2 for its highest ranking of the season. Ohio State, the defending national champion, slipped two spots to No. 3. Texas Tech, a 27-point winner over BYU in the Big 12 championship game, also has its highest ranking of the season after rising one rung to No. 4. Oregon was No. 5 and followed by Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Notre Dame and Miami. Miami moved up two spots and returned to the top 10 for the ﬁrst time since mid-October Alabama and BYU each dropped one spot, to Nos. 11 and 12.

Among Group of Five teams, American Conference champion Tulane jumped four spots to No. 17 for its highest ranking in two years. Sun Belt Conference champion James Madison remained No. 19. The ﬁnal AP Top 25 will be released Jan. 20, the day after the national championship game.

Poll points n Indiana, which had the most

losses in major college football history prior to Curt Cignetti’s arrival two years ago, had never been ranked higher than No. 2 before Sunday That was the position the Hoosiers held for seven straight weeks before they rose to the top. They were 100 ballot points ahead of Georgia. The Bulldogs were just 12 points ahead of Ohio State.

n With the limited schedule of games, all teams that were in the Top 25 remained in the poll. n Virginia took the biggest fall after losing in overtime to Duke in the ACC championship game, going from No. 16 to No. 20. Conference call SEC (8 ranked teams): Nos. 2 Georgia, 6 Mississippi, 7 Texas A&M, 8 Oklahoma, 11 Alabama, 13 Vanderbilt, 14 Texas, 25 Missouri.

Big Ten (5): Nos. 1 Indiana, 3 Ohio State, 5 Oregon, 16 Southern California, 18 Michigan. Big 12 (4): Nos. 4 Texas Tech, 12 BYU, 15 Utah, 20 Arizona.

STAFF

PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER

Tulane Green Wave running back Jamauri McClure, left receives the ball from quarterback Jake Retzlaff during the American Conference Championship against North Texas on Friday at yulman Stadium.

STAFF PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER

Jon Sumrall watches a play during the American Conference championship game between Tulane and North Texas on Friday at yulman Stadium. Sumrall will coach the Green Wave through the College Football Playoff.

BREAKING THEBANK

CrystalFabergé eggcrafted forRussian royaltyshattersrecordand sellsfor $30.2M

By The Associated Press

Arare crystal and diamond Fabergé egg crafted for Russia’srulingfamily before itwas toppledbyrevolution shattered records Tuesday as it sold at auction in Londonfor $30.2 million.

TheWinterEgg, which was compared to theiconic “Mona Lisa,” was just one of seven of the opulent ovoids remaininginprivate hands,Christie’sLondonauction house said.

The4-inch-tall egg is made from finely carved rock crystal, covered in adelicate snowflake motif wrought in platinum and 4,500 tiny diamonds.Itopens to reveal a removable tiny basket of bejewelledquartz flowers symbolizing spring.

Thesaleprice, which included abuyer’s premium, topped the $18.5 million paidata2007 Christie’sauction for another Fabergé egg created forthe Rothschild banking family.

Craftsman Peter Carl Fabergéand hiscompany created more than 50 of the eggs for Russia’simperialfamily between 1885 and1917, each elaborately unique and containing a hidden surprise.Czar Alexander III started the tradition by presenting an egg to his wife eachEaster. Hissuccessor,Nicholas II, extended the gift to his wife and mother

ä See FABERGÉ EGG, page 2D

Forthose with

gift your time or an item with purpose

What types of Christmas gifts are suitable forarelative with Alzheimer’s disease?

The giftoftimeisalways aperfect giftfor someone with Alzheimer’sdisease or dementia.

People going through this journey appreciate the companionship and socialization because they feel isolated most of the time. Spending time with the person, engaging in activities of their preference, taking rides in acar,giving soothing hand massages with scented lotions, involvement in holiday decorating and cooking, looking at photo albumstogether are all examples of activities of engagement that the affected person would surely appreciate. Youcan makeapersonalized scrapbook or memoryalbum foryour relative, either digitally or using it as ameans for an activity that you and your relative could work on and create together.Imagine the pleasure the person would receive going through old photographs and reminiscing with you! Plus, adult coloring books are popular,and someolder adults, including those with memory impairments, take pleasure in coloring, especially when the activity is accompanied with children/grandchildren.

Be cautious, however,that the drawings to color are not too busy or intricate as this might confuse the person or makethem less interested in the activity.Not only will these types of pastimes provide hours of enjoyment, but you can learn agreat deal about your relative during the dialogue that results from this sharing of time together

Purposeful gifts are also good choices, such as toiletries, combs, brushes, easy pull-on clothing and sweaters, handkerchiefs or socks. Additionally you can purchase gifts that provide some mental stimulation, such as easy word searches, matching games, fidget therapy tools or apackage of letter tiles to make words (like Scrabble). There are also numerous apps specifically designed to stimulate the brain, and these apps can be downloaded on a tablet or iPhone if your relative has access to one. Someaffected people might be hesitant at first to use electronics, but you could easily guide them through the programs, and these could not only motivate and pass the timeinauseful way,but also provide mental stimulation and engagement. Magic Piano, Pocket Pond, Flower Garden, Book of You, and Lumosity are great apps, to nameafew,todownload for older adults and those with Alzheimer’sdisease or dementia. Additionally,ifyour relative enjoys animals, robotic pets provide hours of entertainment and are maintenance free (joyforall.com or mindcarestore. com). Further,giftcards to purchase favorite songs and tunes to download on atablet or iPhone would provide your

The Winter Egg by Fabergé, displayed at Christie’sauction roomsinLondon,soldfor over $30million, arecord according to the auction house. | ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By KIRSTy WIGGLESWORTH

Strong bonesaren’tbuilt by calciumalone

Dear Doctors: Doestaking calcium help keep your bones strongor not? Iamgoing through perimenopause now,and osteoporosis is on my mind. Afriend says that just acalcium supplementisn’t enough, you need to thinkabout vitamin K. Ihaven’teven heard of that. Can you please explain?

Dr.Elizabeth Ko Dr.Eve Glazier ASK THE DOCTORS

Dear Reader: Perimenopause refers to the physical changesthat take place as awoman nearsthe end of her reproductiveyears. A shift in hormone productionbythe ovaries triggers these changes. Most notably,estrogen begins to ﬂuctuate and gradually decline.As blood levels of estrogen and other reproductive hormones rise and fall, arange of symptoms occur These include irregular periods, hot ﬂashes, sleep disruptionand mood changes. Because estrogen helps maintain bone density, perimenopausecan also setthe stage forosteoporosis.This is when the cycleofbone remodeling falls out of balance. Bone tissue is broken downmorerapidly thanitcan be rebuilt. This results in porous, brittle and fragile bones that can be easilyinjured. That bringsustothe concept of supplemental calcium. The idea is that, because dietarycalcium pro-

TODAYINHISTORY

By The Associated Press

Today is Monday, Dec. 8, the 342nd day of 2025. There are 23 days left in the year

Todayinhistory:

On Dec. 8, 1941, the United States entered World WarIIasCongress declared war againstImperial Japan aday after the attack on Pearl Harbor Also on this date: In 1980, rock star and former Beatle John Lennon was shot to death outside his New York City apartment building by Mark David Chapman.

In 1987, President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev signed atreaty at the White House calling for the destruction of intermediaterange missiles. In 2012, Texas A&M

TRADITIONS

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remain Gramercy,Lutcher and Paulina. Celebration in the Oaks at City Park in New Orleans

Each year,City Parkturns itself into aglowing reminder of why New Orleans does holidays its own way More than amillion lights wind through the ancient oaks, whether you choose the 2-mile driving tour at 4Friederichs Ave. or the walking path at 7Victory Ave. The tradition dates back to the 1980s and has growninto the park’s largest fundraiser Ticket information is at celebrationintheoaks.com/ tickets. Louisiana Lights: Where theHolidays Shine in Baton Rouge For the second year, Burden Museum and Gardens in Baton Rouge is hosting ayears-in-the-making immersive light show for the holiday season. Running through Dec. 30, guests walk through illuminated pathways and holiday scenes throughout the gardens. The paths are designed to be accessible for young and old to enjoy time together and outside

quarterback Johnny Manziel became the first freshman to win the Heisman Trophy In 2014, the U.S.and NATO ceremonially ended their combatmission in Afghanistan, 13 years after theSept. 11 terror attacks sparked their invasion of the country to topple the Taliban-led government In 2016, John Glenn, whose 1962 flightasthe first U.S. astronauttoorbit the Earth made himanAmerican hero andpropelled him to along career in theU.S. Senate, died in Columbus, Ohio, at 95. In 2022, Russia freed WNBA star Brittney Griner in ahigh-profile prisoner exchangewith the U.S that released Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.Griner hadbeen detained for nearly 10 months.

vides theraw material for bone remodeling, adding the mineral to thediet should help offset the bone loss. Butaswith many of our bodily processes, thereality is morecomplex. Calcium does not act alone. Itsefﬁcacy in bone remodelingistied to vitamin D, zinc, magnesium, phosphateand vitamin K—more speciﬁcally, vitamin K2. Vitamin Dboosts the absorption of calcium and phosphate from theintestine. It keeps blood levels of these minerals within the range needed tobuild bone. Zinc, magnesium and vitamin Deach play arole in promoting bone formation.They support thebalance between bone growthand resorption.Phosphorus contributes to bone mineralization.Vitamin K2 makes sure that calcium in the

blood getstothe matrix of the bone, not the softtissues of the circulatory system.Itdoes this by activating aprotein that binds calcium to the bone matrix.

As one reader wrote to us on this topic, “… taking calcium alone without zinc, magnesium and vitamin K2 is like trying to make acake when the only ingredient you put in the bowl is ﬂour.” That means thinking about multiple dimensions wheneating for skeletal health. It is possible to get each of these important building blocks in dietary supplements. However,we always urge patients to seek out real food sources. Youcan ﬁnd vitamin K2 in animal-based and fermented foods, including cheese, butter,egg yolks and liver.The traditional Japanese dish knownasnatto,

madefrom fermented soybeans, is also arich source of vitamin K2.Vitamin K2 is also produced in the gut microbiome. Good sources of zinc and phosphorus include red meat,poultry,seafood and shellfish, eggs and milk. You’ll find vitamin Dinfatty fish like salmon, eggs, liver and dairy products. And formagnesium, look to the plant-based world with leafygreens, avocados, bananas, nuts, seeds and legumes. Bottom line: Strong bones aren’tbuilt by calcium alone.

Send yourquestions to askthedoctors@mednet.ucla. edu, or write: Ask theDoctors, c/oUCLA HealthSciences Media Relations, 10880 Wilshire Blvd.,Suite 1450, Los Angeles, CA, 90024.

In 2024, insurgents completed their occupation of theSyrian capital of Damascusasa half-century of Assad family rule swiftly crumbled. Russian state media reported that President Bashar Assad was in Moscow after ﬂeeing the rebel advance.

Today’sbirthdays: Flutist

James Galway is 86. Author Bill Bryson is 74. Actor Kim Basinger is 72. Commentator andcolumnist AnnCoulter is 64. Actor Wendell Pierce is 63. Actor Teri Hatcher is 61. Basketball Hall of Famer Teresa Weatherspoon is 60. Baseball Hall of Famer Mike Mussina is 57. Actor Dominic Monaghan is 49. NASCARdriver Ryan Newman is 48. Singer Nicki Minaj is 43. Country singer Sam Hunt is 41. Actor AnnaSophia Robbis32.

The Noel Acadien au Villagefeatures half-a-millionlights, including the fully lit chapel, lighted holidaydisplays, live entertainment,carnival rides, local cuisine, photos with Santa and holidayshopping in the Christmas Store.

Dear Miss Manners: Ihave

two friends Isee frequently,but they rarely see each other.Whenweall get together,inevitably onewill start telling the other astory I have heard many times. Thenthe other will tell HER astory with which I am very familiar. I’ve triedstaring vacantlyoff into space,but it doesn’t seemtobenoticed. How canIsuggest we simply talk aboutcurrent events?

As forgetting back to real conversation,you have theadvantageof knowing where thestory is going. Thatgives youthe chance to cap it witha question suchas, “Would that sort of thing happentoday?” Or, “Did yousee what theSupreme Court did yesterday?”

Gentle reader: Listening to the same story more than once is the price of friendship. For that matter,itisalso the priceof romance—and the price of compassion,incases of dementia.

If youhavenever faked enjoying afamiliar anecdoteorjoke, Miss Manners worriesthat you are unwilling to make the smallest sacriﬁce forthose you supposedly cherish She knows happy couples whoevenprompt each other to tella relevant story to fresh listeners.

Dear MissManners: Howdoyou set thetable whenthe salad is served at thesame time as therest of the meal?

Iwenttoafriend’shouse andshe put thesalad fork to theleftofthe regular fork.Weused twoforks during themeal:one for salad andone forthe rest of thefood Wasthis correct, or is a regularfork used forboth thesalad andthe main course if served at the sametime?

Gentle reader: Why don’t they like you?

Nevermind; that is none of MissManners’business Nor need it be mentioned when yousimply express gratitude forthe invitation andregret that youcannot accept.

Dear MissManners: Sometimes when Ireceive an invitation to an event, the senderwrites “By Hand” in thelower right-hand corner of theenvelope Obviously,this means that they delivered theinvitation to my housethemselves, without using the Postal Service. Is this atrueform of etiquette? Icannotﬁnd asingle reference to it in any etiquette book.Itseems a bit pretentioustome, and Ihavealways wondered if, in fact, it is really correct to usethe term Gentle reader: Pretentious? MissManners would think theopposite, as it tells youthatthe sendermade an extra effort. Andalso perhapsthatthe sender does nottrust thePostal Service.

FABERGÉEGG

Continued from page1D

Czar Nicholas II commissioned the egg for his mother,Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna, as an Easter present in 1913. It was one of two eggs created by female designer Alma Pihl; her other egg is owned by Britain’s royal family The Romanovroyalfamily ruled Russia for 300 years

GIFTS

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NatchitochesChristmas Festival For the 99th year,Natchitoches is doing up for Christmas. Festivities run through Jan. 6. On Saturdays, thereare lights and displays alongthe banks of the Cane River.There arehorse-drawncarriages along with live music, ﬁreworks and kids activities.

It’sasmall town done up for the season. Most of the downtown joins in, but the

Each night’sﬁrst session begins at 5:30 p.m., with the final entry at 8:30 p.m. and themed nights planned, includingBarks &Bright Night, when guests are invited to bring their pups for anight at the lights Ticketsare $24. Formore information,visitbatonrouge. com/louisiana-lights.

before the1917 revolution ousted it. Nicholasand his family were executed in 1918.

Boughtbya London dealer for 450 British pounds when the cash-strapped Communist authorities sold off some of Russia’sartistic treasuresinthe 1920s, the egg changed handsseveral times.Itwas believed lost for twodecades until it was auctioned by Christie’s in 1994 for more than 7million Swissfrancs($5.6 million

relative withaccess to hours of listening to their much-loved music. If your relative is living independently or with a caregiver,you might opt to purchase gift cards to anearby grocery store, pharmacy or favoriteeatery.These types of gift cardsare practical andare alwayswelcomed and very appreciated presents. Lastly,you can also honor your relativebydonating in their name to alocal charity.Though it is not atangiblegift, perse, it isone that providesatouching remembrance of your relativeand their legacy

center of it all is 781 Front St., Natchitoches Noel Acadien au Villagein Lafayette In Lafayette, guestsenjoy awalkingtour of half amillion lights, including the historical park’sfully litchapel. Theevents host live entertainment, carnival rides, local cuisine, photos with Santa and even some holidayshopping in the Christmas Store.Tickets are $8 in advanceand $10 at the gate.For more information, acadianvillage.org.

Allproceedsdirectly benefit LARC’sAcadian Villageand the residential, vocational and community supports andservices at LARC.

at the time). It sold again in 2002 for $9.6 million. Each time theegg has sold, it hasset aworld record price for aFabergé item, Christie’ssaid.

Margo Oganesian, the head of Christie’sRussian art department, called the egg“the‘Mona Lisa’for decorativearts,” asuperb example of craft and design. There are 43 surviving imperial Fabergé eggs, most in museums.

This column ﬁrst appeared in TheAdvocateonDec. 4, 2023.

Dana Territo is an Alzheimer’sadvocate and author of “What My GrandchildrenTaught Me About Alzheimer’sDisease.” She hosts “The Memory Whisperer.” Email her at thememorywhisperer@ gmail.com.

In this case, we are merelytalking about one friend ﬁnding anew audience. Surelyyou can indulge this, in the hope that your friend will not gag when youseize achance to tell your favorite story to a newcomer

Gentle reader: Please do not encouragethe libelthat etiquette is aconspiracy to humiliate innocentpeople by providing confusing forks. Onefork to a course, MissManners assures you.

Dear MissManners: Howdo yougentlydecline Christmas invitationsfrom a friend whenthe people they inviteare allcouples andthe women don’treally like you? We are all seniors

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

Recognizingfriends versus foes

Dear Heloise: I, too, had no idea who was calling me —whether it was a“friend or foe” so to speak. Ihave aSamsung phone, and I categorized my contacts, such as all doctors, family members, auto services, and medical groups (i.e., radiology and labs), by assigning different ringtones to each of the groups. Iget hundreds of suspected spam and political calls. So, if I hear thedefault ringtone, Idon’tanswer thecall and check my voicemails to see if someone left amessage there. If there is no message, Iblock the number When adistinct ringtone is heard, Iknow to answer B.E., in Vail,Arizona Reader comments

leave on acruise in three weeks and will implement your suggestion. —Jen,in Altadena, California

Yellow glassware

Dear Heloise: My great-grandmother’scrystal glassware has turned yellow.Itisabout 150 years old and washand-carved in Poland. Iwant to clean this stemware, but how?

Dear Heloise: My ﬁrst hint to Carol is to Google egg pods to ﬁnd anifty gadget for hard-boiling eggs in themicrowave. I’ve had an egg pod for years and love it!

In regard to LynW., in California, and her African violets, my late grandmother who lived in San Francisco had them around her home. She sang to them and “petted” them —gently of course. They bloomed for her!

Finally to Linda Bloom, in Southlake, Texas, thanks for thehint on recycling thebags that are used to deliver newspapers. I

—Jenna S.,inColumbia, South Carolina Jenna, mixequal amounts of white vinegar and warm water —enough to cover the stemware— and let it soak. Stubborn spots may need apaste of baking soda or adenture tablet to gently clean any cloudy areas. Rinse and polish with alint-free cloth or acoffee ﬁlter —Heloise Pay-to-attendweddings

Dear Heloise: I’ve read your column formany years. This is the ﬁrst timethat Ihave responded to an inquiry.Telling guests how much they have to pay to attend awedding is just classless. If you’re worried about your ROI (return on investment), don’tspend a lot on your reception. Cut back on frivolous things.

Patty C., in Waterbury, Connecticut

Peelingvegetables

Dear Heloise: Iwanted to write in response to the woman whowas taught to

peel her vegetables in the sink, but then had such a hard timegetting all the peelings out the way.What Ihave always done is to take an old newspaper, spread out acouple of layers of it in the dry sink, and peel my potatoes and carrots and what not in there. Then Iwould just wrap it up and take it out to the composter,throwing it out in the newspaper wrappings and all. Newspaper deteriorates quicker than vegetable peelings, and there’snomess in the sink whatsoever —Tina Urzan, in Troy,New York

Letthere be light

Dear Heloise: Ihave ﬂashlights that plug into the wall sockets in every room When the power goes out, the light comes on. They can either be leftpluggedin or removed forﬂashlights. —Susan B.,inCalifornia

Sendahinttoheloise@ heloise.com.

Hints from Heloise

Judith Martin MISS MANNERS

STAFF FILE PHOTO By BRADKEMP

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) Havinga plan in place will helpyou head toward the end of theyear with less stress. Consider what you enjoy doing most and set your routine around what makes you happy.

CAPRICORN (Dec.22-Jan. 19) Call for help if that's what's necessary to get things done or to be theone to make adifference. Be openand upfront, andshow dedication and willingness to do your part

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) You are in a good position. Your dedication, insight and ability to motivate others will encourage positive change and provide an opportunitytomake adifference.

PISCES(Feb. 20-March 20) Emotions will surface if you overreact or offer too much before youfindout what you'll get in return. You have plentytogain if youare patient and willingtocompromise.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) Observe, listen andlearn.The informationyou gather andthe ideas that arise from your encounterswill motivate you to rethink what you want to accomplish.

TAURUS (April 20-May20) Questioneverything, setabudget and use your energy wisely, and you will be happy with the outcome. Knowing how to relate and respond to people will help you inch your way onward and upward.

GEMINI (May21-June 20) Change begins with you. Be the host, and theresponse will makeyou feel good about yourself

and thedifference you can make to thoseyou touch emotionally with your warmth and consideration.

CANCER(June 21-July 22) Speak boldly, but share your thoughts and feelings in apeaceful and loving manner.You'll get far more in return if your demeanor is positive and you are willing to see and understand other people'sperspectives

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) How youengage in social or networking eventswill determine what you get in return. You'll gainthe most through kindness, consideration and understanding. Personal progress and love are in the stars

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept.22) Be observant. Pay attentiontowhat's unfolding at home. Set aprice and stick to your budget. Anger will adverselyaffect the outcome of atricky situation. Choose your wordsand actions wisely.

LIBRA(Sept. 23-Oct.23) Activity, fitness, health and working to look and feel your best will be uplifting. Explore what intrigues youand expand your interests to meet your demands

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) Concentrate on what's essential. Participationencourages learning and doing things differently. It's time to make updates across theboard.

For better or For WorSe

beetLe bAILeY

Mother GooSe And GrIMM

Sudoku

InstructIons: sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 grid with several given numbers. Theobject is to place the numbers1to9 in the empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. Thedifficulty level of the sudoku increases from monday to sunday.

Saturday’s Puzzle Answer

THe wiZard oF id

BLondie

BaBY BLueS

Hi and LoiS

Bridge

BY PHILLIP ALDER

P.G. Wodehouse, my favorite author, said, “Golf, likemeasles, should be caught young.”

Hecouldhavealsoaddedbridgetothat sentence.Andsometimeswhenyouhave theopponents caught, do not let them escape —double and extract apenalty.

One aspect of that will be my theme this week. Opener bids one of asuit andthe next player doubles. What does responder’sredouble mean?

He promisesatleast 10 high-card points anddeniesfour-card or better supportifpartner opened in amajor, anddenies five-card or better support if partner bid aminor.

After this redouble, thesimplest rule is that either the opening sideplays the contract or the intervening side plays in something doubled —asintoday’s deal.

WhenSouthdoubles,Westshouldsmell blood. He redoubles, planning to double anythingtheopponentstry.Here,maybe North should immediately bid onenotrump as he does not have four cards in an unbid suit. But one no-trump doubled cancost 1,100

Againsttwo clubs doubled, West leads thespade queen, then shiftstothe diamond 10.

East wins that trick and switchestoa trump, ducked to West. He leads another diamond and East returns his second trump.Westwins and plays athirddiamond,Easttakingthetrickandswitching to the heart eight. West wins and now has ahardplay to find. If he leadsatrump intoSouth’s ace-queen, the penalty is also 1,100. Anything else and declarer escapes for“only” 800. ©2025 by nEa, inc dist. By andrews mcmeel syndication

wuzzles

Each Wuzzleisaword riddle which creates adisguised word,phrase, name, place, saying, etc.For example: nOOn gOOD =gOOD aFTErnOOn

Previous answers:

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

explicit words are not allowed.

ToDAY’s WoRD PAssIVITY: pah-SIV-ih-tee: The state of being inert or inactive.

Averagemark 14 words

Timelimit25minutes

Canyou find19ormore words in PASSIVITY?

sATuRDAY’s WoRD —cAPRIcIous

loCKhorNs

marmaduKe

Bizarro

hagar the horriBle

Pearls Before swiNe

garfield

B.C. PiCKles

dIrectIons: make a2-to 7-letterword from the letters in each row. add points of each word, using scoring directions at right. Finally, 7-letterwords get 50-point bonus. “Blanks” used as any letter have no point value. all the words are in the Official sCraBBlE® players Dictionary, 5thEdition. For more information on tournaments and clubs, emailnaspa –north american sCraBBlE playersassociation: info@scrabbleplayers.org.Visit ourwebsite:www.scrabbleplayers.org. For puzzle inquiriescontact scrgrams@gmail.com Hasbro andits

kenken

InstructIons: 1 -Each row and each column must contain the numbers 1thorugh 4(easy) or 1through 6 (challenging) withoutrepeating. 2 -The numbers within the heavily outlined boxes called cages must combine using the given operation (in any order) to produce the target numbers in the top-left corners 3 -Freebies: Fill in the single-box cages withthe number in the top-left corner.

Saturday’s Puzzle Answer