Gov.Jeff Landry’sadministration detailed amajor shift in Louisiana’sstrategy for addressing coastal protection and restoration on Wednesday,proposing aslate of projects for thenext fiscal year that move definitively awayfrom the large-scale river diversions long seenaslinchpins inthe state’s plans.
The draft project budget forthe state’sCoastal Protection andRestoration Authority for fiscal2027, which begins in July,amountsto $1.27 billion, asignificant drop from the current year.But that drop is largely because the state has canceled the controversial Mid-Barataria andMid-Breton sediment diversion projectswhile preparing alternatives to take their place.
The state’scoastal leadership made clear thatitintends to prioritize other types of projects,particularly large-scale“landbridges” built with dredged sediment in the Terrebonne, Barataria andBreton basins. Barrier island restorations will also be part of thestrategy.
The hope is that much of that work could be paid for with funding related to the 2010 BPDeepwater Horizon oil spill, using funds that had been designated for the diversions.But much work remains aheadtoevaluate the plans and gain approval from trustees overseeing the BP funds.
“Wehave more funds available for all these projects…these land bridges, barrier islands, etc., and we’re going to be movingforward expeditiously,”saidCPRAChair
Many policyholders in Louisiana arestill seeing hikes
BY SAM KARLIN Staff writer
OneofLouisiana’sbiggest propertyinsurers sent apromising signal this week, saying declining reinsurance costs are allowing the company to cut homeowners insurance premiums by anaverage of 7.5%.
La.shiftsstrategy forcoastal restoration
Majorhomeinsurer cuts rates
Thedecision by SureChoice, the second-largest home insurer in the state, is one sign of improvement in ayearslonginsurance crisisthat has stretched Louisiana homeowners’ budgets. Butthe news is notall positive. The ratecut comes just eight months after SureChoiceincreased rates by 12.5% on its 73,000 home insurance policyholders. Boththe increase andmore recentdecrease also applied to 17,000 dwellingpolicyholders. And overall, theaverage policyholder in Louisiana is still being hit with rate hikes. Through November,insurers have collectively raisedhomeowners’rates by another 4.9% in Louisiana, the latest in astring of escalating rates year over year State Farm,the state’slargest home insurer,filed for anearly 10% rate hike on its 300,000 home insurance policyholders in September.That ratehike was the result of the firm’s hurricane modeling, “which projects higher future losses in Louisiana,” theLouisiana
La.Supreme Court also orders fine,anger management courses
BY CLAIRE TAYLOR Staff writer
The Louisiana Supreme Court on Thursday ordered 15th Judicial District Judge Royale Colbert of Lafayette suspendedfor six months without pay based on two instances where it said he violated canons of the code of judicial conduct and the state constitution. In August,aJudiciary Commission recommended theSupreme Courtsuspend Colbert for30days without pay, andorder Colbertto take anger management classes and pay $2,635.96 in costs incurred by theOffice of Special Counsel and Judiciary Commission on his case. The Supreme Court reviewed the commission’sinvestigation butinstead on Thursday recommended a six-month suspension without pay Thetop courtconcurred with the need foranger management classes and the $2,635.96 in court costs. Threeassociatejustices —Jefferson HughesIII, PiperGriffin and John Guidry —dissented. Hughes saidhewould impose a 90-day suspension. Griffin would impose no morethan 90 days.
ChiefJusticeJohnWeimerreluctantly concurred with the result to ensure enough votes to impose asanction, he wrote, but said, “In my view,the sanction imposed is too lenient.”
Weimer added, “I find respondent’sactions warrant aharsher sanction and he should not serve as ajudge until he can demonstrate he possesses the proper temperament anddiscernment to sitin judgment.”
ä See JUDGE, page 5A
Insurance Commissioner TimTemple saidhe’s confident recent changes will improve rates among home insurers.
STAFF FILE PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER
The NewOrleans skyline rises abovemarshlandsinChalmette. Louisiana is shifting its strategyfor coastal protectionand wetlands restoration.
STAFFFILE
PHOTO By
MICHAEL JOHNSON
M23 offensive in Congo kills over 400 GOMA, Congo More than 400 civilians have been killed since the Rwanda-backed M23 armed group escalated its offensive in the South Kivu province in eastern Congo, regional officials said, adding that Rwandan special forces were in the strategic city of Uvira.
“More than 413 civilians (have been) killed by bullets, grenades and bombs, including many women, children and young people” in localities between Uvira and Bukavu, the regional capital, the South Kivu government spokesperson said in a statement late Wednesday M23’s latest offensive comes despite a U.S.-mediated peace agreement signed last week by the Congolese and Rwandan presidents in Washington The accord didn’t include the rebel group, which is negotiating separately with Congo and agreed earlier this year to a ceasefire that both sides accuse the other of violating. However, it obliges Rwanda to halt support for armed groups and work to end hostilities.
U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres called for the “immediate and unconditional cessation of hostilities.”
6 hospitalized after California gas explosion
SAN FRANCISCO A gas explosion set off a major fire in a San Francisco Bay Area neighborhood on Thursday after obliterating at least one home, blowing out windows and shaking nearby houses. Six people were taken to hospitals for injuries, fire officials said.
Dramatic video footage showed a home in the Hayward area sitting under a blue sky when it suddenly exploded, spewing jagged wood and other debris into the air as smoke billowed.
“We were sitting in the house and it just everything shook. Stuff fell off the walls and when we looked at the camera it was like you were watching a war video,” said Brittany Maldonado, who lives across the street from the home that exploded and provided the Nest doorbell cam footage to ABC7 News.
Alameda County Deputy Fire Chief Ryan Nishimoto said he did not know if those injured were workers or residents, but he said three people were immediately sent to a hospital due to their injuries and three others who were sent had more minor injuries.
Three structures on two separate lots were severely damaged, said Alameda County Deputy Fire Chief Ryan Nishimoto. Some of the 75 firefighters who responded had to back off momentarily when they felt electric shocks from power lines that had fallen on the site.
MyPillow founder to run for Minn. governor
SHAKOPEE, Minn. Mike Lindell, the fervent supporter of President Donald Trump known to TV viewers as the “MyPillow Guy,” officially entered the race for Minnesota governor Thursday in hopes of winning the Republican nomination to challenge Democratic Gov Tim Walz in 2026. Lindell made the announcement at a news conference at his MyPillow factory in the Minneapolis suburb of Shakopee that he streamed live on his Lindell TV conservative news platform. He said his political opponents had tried to shut him and his company down because of his support for Trump’s claim that the 2020 election was stolen from him.
“Well, it didn’t work. I’m still standing. MyPillow is still standing,” Lindell said. “And now I want you to know that I will stand for you as governor of the state of Minnesota.”
Machinery banged and hissed loudly in the background as workers packaged MyPillows. He went straight from his announcement into a live interview with another Trump ally, conservative strategist Steve Bannon, on his “War Room” podcast.
Afterward, Lindell told reporters that he told Trump back in August he was considering running for governor But he declined to predict whether he will get the president’s endorsement.
Senate rejects extending ACA subsidies
Health care costs set to rise for millions
BY MARY CLARE JALONICK Associated Press
WASHINGTON — The Senate on Thursday rejected legislation to extend Affordable Care Act tax credits, essentially guaranteeing that millions of Americans will see a steep rise in costs at the beginning of the year.
As Republicans and Democrats have failed to find compromise, senators voted on two partisan bills instead that they knew would fail the Democratic bill to extend the subsidies, and a Republican alternative that would have created new health savings accounts.
It was an unceremonious end to a monthslong effort by Democrats to prevent the COVID-19-era subsidies from expiring on Jan 1, including a 43-day government shutdown that they forced over the issue.
Ahead of the votes, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, warned Republicans that if they did not vote to extend the tax credits, “there won’t be another chance to act,” before premiums rise for many people who buy insurance off the ACA marketplaces.
“Let’s avert a disaster,” Schumer said. “The American people are watching.”
Republicans and Democrats never engaged in meaningful or high-level negotiations on a solution, even after a small group of centrist Democrats struck a deal with Republicans last month to end the shutdown in exchange for a vote. Most Democratic lawmakers opposed the move as many Republicans made clear that they wanted the tax credits to expire.
The deal raised hopes for a compromise on health care. But that quickly faded with a lack of any real bipartisan talks.
“We failed,” said Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, one of four Republi-
cans who voted for the Democratic bill, after the vote. “We’ve got to do better We can’t just say ‘happy holidays, brace for next year.’”
A Republican alternative
The dueling Senate votes were the latest political messaging exercise in a Congress that has operated almost entirely on partisan terms, as Republicans pushed through a massive tax and spending cuts bill this summer using budget maneuvers that eliminated the need for Democratic votes In September Republicans tweaked Senate rules to push past a Democratic blockade of all of Trump’s nominees. On health care, Republicans similarly negotiated among themselves without Democrats. The health savings accounts in the GOP bill that they eventually settled on would give money directly to consumers instead of to insurance companies, an idea that has been echoed by President Donald Trump.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said ahead of the vote that the Democrats’ simple extension of the subsidies is “an attempt to disguise the real impact of Obamacare’s spiraling health care costs.”
But Democrats immediately rejected the GOP plan, saying that the accounts wouldn’t be enough to cover costs for most consumers.
The Senate voted 51-48 not to move forward on the Democratic bill, with four Republicans Maine Sen. Susan Collins, Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley and Alaska Sens. Murkowski and Dan Sullivan voting with Democrats. The legislation needed 60 votes to proceed, as did the Republican bill, which was also blocked on a 51-48 vote.
An intractable issue
The votes were the latest failed salvo in the debate over the Affordable Care Act, former President Barack Obama’s signature law that Democrats passed along party lines in 2010 to expand access to insurance coverage. Republicans have tried unsuccessfully since then to repeal or overhaul the law, arguing that health care is still too expensive. But they have struggled to find an alternative. In the meantime, Democrats have made the policy a central political issue in several elections, betting that the millions of people who buy health care on
the government marketplaces want to keep their coverage.
“When people’s monthly payments spike next year, they’ll know it was Republicans that made it happen,” Schumer said in November while making clear that Democrats would not seek a compromise. Even if they view it as a political win, the failed votes are a loss for Democrats who demanded an extension of the benefits during the shutdown — and for the millions of people facing premium increases on Jan. 1.
Maine Sen Angus King, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, said the group tried to negotiate with Republicans after the shutdown ended. But, he said, the talks became unproductive when Republicans demanded language adding new limits for abortion coverage that were a “red line” for Democrats. He said Republicans were going to “own these increases.” House to try again
Republicans have used the looming expiration of the subsidies to renew their long-standing criticisms of the ACA, also called Obamacare, and to try, once more, to agree on what should be done.
In the House, Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Benton, has promised a vote next week on some type of health care legislation. Republicans weighed different options in a conference meeting on Wednesday, with no apparent consensus. Murkowski and other Senate Republicans who want to extend the subsidies expressed hope that the House could find a way to do it. GOP leaders were considering bills that would not extend the tax credits, but some Republicans have launched long shot efforts to try to go around Johnson and force a vote.
“Hopefully some ideas emerge” before the new year, said Republican Sen. Thom Tillis, of North Carolina, who has been pushing his colleagues for a short-term extension.
Abrego Garcia freed from federal detention
Man had previously been mistakenly deported
BY TRAVIS LOLLER, JOHN SEEWER and MARC LEVY Associated Press
PHILIPSBURG, Pa. — Kilmar
Abrego Garcia was freed from immigration detention on a judge’s order Thursday while he fights to stay in the U.S., handing a major victory to the immigrant whose wrongful deportation to a notorious prison in El Salvador made him a flashpoint of the Trump administration’s
immigration crackdown.
U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis in Maryland ordered Immigration and Customs Enforcement to let Abrego Garcia go immediately, writing that federal authorities had detained him again after his return to the United States without any legal basis.
Abrego Garcia’s attorney’s office confirmed he was released just before 5 p.m., the deadline the judge gave the government for an update on Abrego Garcia’s release.
His attorney, Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg, earlier told The Associated Press that Abrego Garcia plans
to return to Maryland, where he has an American wife and child and where he has lived for years after originally immigrating to the U.S. illegally as a teenager Abrego Garcia had been held at Moshannon Valley Processing Center about 115 miles northeast of Pittsburgh. Sandoval-Moshenberg said he’s not sure what comes next, but he’s prepared to defend his client against further deportation efforts.
“The government still has plenty of tools in their toolbox, plenty of tricks up their sleeve,” SandovalMoshenberg said, adding
Indiana Republicans reject House redistricting push
BY ISABELLA VOLMERT and OBED LAMY Associated Press
INDIANAPOLIS Indiana’s Republican-led Senate decisively rejected a redrawn congressional map Thursday that would have favored their party, defying months of pressure from President Donald Trump and delivering a stark setback to the White House ahead of next year’s midterm elections.
The vote was overwhelmingly against the proposed redistricting, with more Republicans opposing than supporting the measure, signaling the limits of Trump’s influence even in one of the country’s most conservative states.
Trump has been urging Republicans nationwide to redraw their congressional maps in an unusual campaign to help the party maintain its thin majority in the House of Representatives. Although Texas, Missouri, Ohio and North Carolina went along, Indiana did not — despite cajoling and insults from the president and the possibility of primary challenges.
“The federal government should not dictate by threat or other means what should happen in our states,” said Spencer Deery, one of the Republican senators who voted no on Thursday
When the proposal failed, cheers could be heard inside the chamber as well as shouts of “thank you!” The debate had
Indiana Lt. Gov.
announces the results of a vote to redistrict the state’s congressional map on Thursday at the Statehouse in Indianapolis.
been shadowed by the possibility of violence, and some lawmakers have received threats.
The proposed map was designed to give Republicans control of all nine of Indiana’s congressional seats, up from the seven they currently hold. It would have effectively erased Indiana’s two Democrat-held districts by splitting Indianapolis among four districts that extend into rural areas, reshaping U.S. Rep. André Carson’s safe district in the city. It would’ve also eliminated the northwest Indiana district held by U.S. Rep. Frank Mrvan.
he fully expects the government to again take steps to deport his client. “We’re going to be there to fight to make sure there is a fair trial.”
The Department of Homeland Security sharply criticized the judge’s decision and vowed to appeal, calling the ruling “naked judicial activism” by a judge appointed during the Obama administration.
“This order lacks any valid legal basis, and we will continue to fight this tooth and nail in the courts,” said Tricia McLaughlin, the department’s assistant secretary Sandoval-Moshenberg, said the judge made it clear that the government can’t detain someone indefinitely without legal authority and that his client “has endured more than anyone should ever have to.”
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., joined at left by Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., speaks to reporters Tuesday after a closed-door meeting with fellow Republicans at the Capitol in Washington.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MICHAEL CONROy
Micah Beckwith
Abrego Garcia
BY MEG KINNARD
Associated Press
Homeland Security Secre-
taryKristiNoem on Thursday linked the seizure of an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela tothe Trump administration’scounterdrug efforts in Latin America as tensions escalate with the government of President Nicolás Maduro.
Noem’sassertion, which came during her testimony to the House Homeland Security Committee, provided the Republican administration’s most thorough assessment so far of why it took control of the vessel on Wednesday Incredibly unusual, the use of U.S. forces to seize amerchant ship wasasharp escalation in the administration’s pressure campaign on Maduro, who has been charged with narcoterrorism in the United States.
she said had been kept from entering the U.S. as aresult.
Asked Thursday whether U.S.operations in the region were about drugs or oil, White House press secretary Karoline Leavittalso gave a bifurcated answer,saying the administrationwas “focused on doing many things in the Western Hemisphere.” She noted that such seizures could continue,arguing that the commodities beingtransported were used to fund the illegal drug trade.
“We’re not going to stand by andwatch sanctioned vesselssail the seas with black market oil, the proceeds of which will fuel narcoterrorism of rogue and illegitimate regimes around theworld,” she said.
earlier at the White House that the tanker “was seized fora very good reason.”
Asked what would happen to the oil aboard the tanker, Trump said, “Well, we keep it, Iguess.”
TheU.S.has builtupthe largest military presence in theregionindecades and launcheda series of deadly strikes on alleged drugsmuggling boatsinthe Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific Ocean, acampaign thatisfacing growing scru-
tiny from Congress. Trump, who hassaidland attacks are coming soon but has not offered more details, has broadly justified the movesasnecessary to stem the flowoffentanyl andother illegal drugs into the U.S. Venezuela’sgovernment said in astatement that the tankerseizure “constitutes a blatant theft and an act of international piracy.” Maduro has insistedthe real purpose of the U.S. military operations is to force himfrom office.
Askedtodelineatethe U.S. Coast Guard’srole in the
Trump officials added to it Thursday by imposing sanctions on three of Maduro’s nephews. The Venezuelan leader discussed therising tensionswithRussian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday. TheKremlin said in astatement that Putin reaffirmed hissupport for Maduro’s policy of “protecting national interestsand sovereignty in the face of growing externalpressure.”
tanker seizure, Noem called it “a successful operation directed by the president to ensure thatwe’repushing back on aregimethat is systematically covering and flooding our country with deadly drugs and killing our next generation of Americans.” Noem went on to lay out the“lethal doses of cocaine”
The Justice Department had obtained awarrant for the vesselbecause it had been known for “carrying black market, sanctioned oil,” Leavitt said, adding that “the United Statesdoes intend to getthe oil” that was onboardthe tanker Trump told reportersaday
Sources: DOJfails againtoindictN.Y.AG
BY ALANNA DURKIN RICHER and MICHAEL KUNZELMAN Associated Press
ALEXANDRIA, Va.— Agrand jury declined for asecond time in aweek to re-indict New York Attorney General Letitia James on Thursday in anothermajor blow to the Justice Department’sefforts to prosecute the president’spolitical opponents. The repeated failures amounted to a stunning rebuke of prosecutors’ bid to resurrect acriminal case President Donald Trump pressured them to bring, and hinted at agrowing public leeriness of the administration’sretribution campaign. Agrand jury rejection is
an unusualcircumstancein any case, but is especially stinging fora JusticeDepartment that has beensteadfast in its determination to seek revengeagainst Trumpfoes like James and formerFBI Director James Comey.On separateoccasions, citizens have heardthe government’sevidence against James and have come away underwhelmed, unwilling to rubber-stamp what prosecutors have attempted to portray as aclear-cut criminal case Ajudge threw out the original indictments against Jamesand Comey in November, rulingthat the prosecutor who presented to the grand jury,Lindsey Halligan, was illegally appointed U.S.
attorneyfor the EasternDistrictofVirginia.
The Justice Department asked agrand jury in Alexandria, Virginia,toreturnan indictmentThursday after a different grand jury in Norfolk last week refused to do so. The failure to secure an indictment wasconfirmed by two people familiarwith the matter whowere not authorizedtopublicly discuss the case andspoke on the conditionofanonymity. It was notimmediately clear Thursdaywhether prosecutorswould try for a third time to seek anew indictment. Oneofthe people familiar with thematter said prosecutors were still evaluating next stepsand stood behind the charges Alawyer for James,who has denied any wrongdoing,
CharlieKirkshootingsuspect appearsincourt for1st time
BY HANNAH SCHOENBAUM Associated Press
PROVO, Utah
The22-yearold Utah man charged with killing Charlie Kirkmade his first in-person court appearance Thursday as his attorneys push to further limit media access in the high-profile criminal case.
AUtah judge is weighing thepublic’sright to know details in the prosecutionof Tyler Robinson against his attorneys’ concerns that the swarm of media attention could interfere with hisright to afair trial.
Robinson’slegalteam and the Utah County Sheriff’s Office have askedJudge Tony Graftoban cameras in the courtroom Prosecutors have charged
Robinsonwith aggravated murder in the Sept. 10 shooting of the conservative activist on the Utah Valley UniversitycampusinOrem, just afew miles northofthe Provo courthouse.Theyplan to seek the death penalty Robinsonarrived in court with restraints on his wrists andankles and wearinga dress shirt, tie andslacks.He smiled at family members sittinginthe front rowofthe courtroom, wherehis mother teared up and wipedher eyes with atissue. Robinson’s father andbrother sat next to her. The defendanthad previously appeared in court via videooraudiofeed from jail.
Acoalitionofnational and local news organizations, includingThe Associated Press, is fighting to preserve
media access in thecase. Graf hasalready made allowances to protect Robinson’spresumption of innocence before atrial, agreeing thatthe case has drawn “extraordinary” public attention. Graf held aclosed hearing on Oct. 24 in which attorneys discussed Robinson’s courtroom attire and security protocols. Under asubsequent ruling by thejudge, Robinson is allowed to wear street clothes in court during his pretrial hearingsbut must be physically restrained due to security concerns. Graf also prohibited media from filmingorphotographing Robinson’srestraints after his attorneys argued widespread images of him shackled and in jail clothing could prejudice future jurors.
saidthe “unprecedented rejection makes even clearer thatthis case should never have seen thelight of day.”
“This case already has been astain on this Department’sreputation and raises troubling questions about its integrity,”defense attorney Abbe Lowell said in astatement. “Any further attempt to revive thesediscredited chargeswould be amockery of our system of justice.”
James, aDemocrat who infuriated Trump after his first term with alawsuit alleging that he built his business empire on lies about his wealth,was initially charged with bank fraud and making false statements to afinancial institutioninconnection with ahome purchase in 2020.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MARK SCHIEFELBEIN
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem raises her arm Thursdaybefore the House Committee on Homeland SecurityonCapitol Hill in Washington.
Echols electedHouse Republican caucus chair
He hadsupport of governor forthe position
BY TYLER BRIDGES Staff writer
Gov.Jeff Landry won an in-
side-the-State-Capitol victory Thursday when Republicansin the Louisiana House of Representatives elected hisfavored candidate to be their next caucus chair
State Rep. Michael Echols of Monroe, notched 39 votes to 33 for Rep. John Illg of Metairie. The election roiled the 73-member House Republican delegationbecause it pitted two of their members against each otherinanelection with high stakesinternally Echols had pledged to put a greater focus on communicating the message —and legisla-
tivevictories —ofHouse Republicans. Thursday’svote would normallyattract little noticeoutside of the State Capitol.But Landry raised the temperature by telling House Republicans thathewanted them to elect Echols as the caucuschair —who organizes Republican strategy meetings during the legislative session,withthe governor andhis aides frequently attending to pushhis priorities.
Governorshave frequently sought to get their preferred candidate named speaker or Senate president, but nonebefore Landry had pushed for the selectionofacaucus chair
Echols’ election marks areversal from when John Bel Edwards, aDemocrat,was governor,and Republicans championedthe idea of the Legislature being independent of thegovernor Illg has voted with Landry
INSURER
Continued from page1A
Department of Insurance
said in astatement Thursday
The data shows that while rates are no longer rising by double digits, Louisiana remains stuck in apattern of high homeowners insurance costs, driven by worsening natural disasters from climate change, inflation and supply chain shocks during the COVID pandemic.
Insurance Commissioner
TimTemple, aRepublican former insurance executive whotook office in 2024,has ushered in aseries of changes that he says will create more competition and drive down costs. Those include backing new laws to make it easier for insurers to raise rates and drop policyholders.
“Addressing the affordability of homeowners insurance in Louisiana will require continued commitment to improving the insurance marketplace,aswell as aserious focus on strengthening the resilience of our homes and communities,” Temple said in astatement Thursday.“The Louisiana Fortify Homes Program is foundational to this effort, as is supportingthe Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority’smitigation efforts and embracing stronger —and better-enforced —building codes.” Louisiana has seen rate hikesmoderate from highs in 2023 and 2024. For instance, the 4.9% rate increase this year would be the smallest increase since 2020, before the crisis began,when rates edgedup 1.9%. Still, many homeowners are struggling to pay premiums that have doubled or tripled, and haven’tcome down significantly since.
It’snot cleartowhat extent new insurance companies arewriting policies in south Louisiana. Temple said in arecent interview that several have gone through the regulatory processtodobusiness here,but thathis department doesn’t track how many policies they write.
But he said he’sconfident the recent changes will improve rates among existing insurers. “The reform efforts aren’t
nearly all of the timeduring the governor’s two years in office and never saw Landry as an enemy But numerousHouse members said Landrybacked Echols because Illg took a standagainstthe governor’s biggest priority during the 2025 legislative session, a measurethatgaveInsurance Commissioner TimTemple more power to reject insurance rate increases. The bill would allow Landrytoblame Templeifinsurancerates continue to rise. Before the vote, which was by asecretballot, Illg expressed puzzlement with the governor’sopposition to him sincehehas been asteadfast supporter
Echols is replacing state Rep. MarkWright of Covington, who is running for aseat on the Public ServiceCommission thatEricSkrmetta is vacating because of term limits.
solely basedonjustbringing new companies in,”Temple said.“Where you’regoingto have the biggestimpactthe quickest is with the existing market.”
Andreanecia Morris, head of the nonprofit HousingNOLA,saidthe continued rise in home insurancerates shows the state has not done enough to stem the crisis. Shesaidthe SureChoice rate cutwillgivesome people some “breathing room,” butthat too many peopleare still strugglingto paytheir premiums.
Morris has pushed forthe statetomandate that insurersoffer certain levels of discounts for homeowners with fortified roofs, and Templerecentlysaidhis office is exploring adding such amandate.
Everyoneagreesonthe solutions,” Morris said.“It’s fortified roofs. We’renot doingthat fast enough. We’re notdoingthat to scale.”
Thecost of home insuranceinLouisiana depends in large part on reinsurance, a global,loosely regulated industry that acts as an insurance backstop for insurance companies In other words, Louisiana homeowners payhigher costs not only because of hurricanes here,but becauseofincreasingly destructive wildfires in California, storms in Florida and tornadoes in the Midwest. Louisiana insurers rely more heavily on reinsurance than theaverageinsurancecompany, makingprice hikes moreacutelyfelthere. And reinsurancecosts spiraled for years, from 2017 to 2024, according to the trade publication Artemis,which tracksreinsurance costs.
Butthis year,reinsurance costs declined by 6.7%. The drop was largelythe result of hugeprice hikes, which attracteda flood of capital into the marketand affected supply.
SureChoice’srate decreasewas “primarily driven by areduction in reinsurance costs,” the Insurance Department said in astatement In the long term,many insuranceexperts believe costswill continue torise as climate changebrings increasinglydestructive natural disasters. Louisianaisamong several states encouragingthe building of stronger roofsto better withstandhurricanes.
University Avenue TedA.Ardoin City-ParishCouncil Audi‐torium TUESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2025 4:30 p.m. AGENDA
CALLTOORDER
1. Invocation andPledge ofAllegiance
2. COUNCILANNOUNCE‐MENTS
3. EXECUTIVE/MAYORPRESIDENT’S REPORT RESOLUTION
4. PR-026-2025 Aresolu‐tionofthe Lafayette ParishCouncil providing for canvassing there‐turns anddeclaring the results of thespecial electionheldinthe ParishofLafayette,State ofLouisiana,onSatur‐day,November15, 2025 toauthorize thecontinu‐ation of specialtaxes therein.(AB Rubin)
JOINTRESOLUTION
5. JR-041-2025 Ajoint res‐olution of theLafayette CityCouncil andthe Lafayette Parish Council adoptinga Louisiana ComplianceQuestion‐naire as arequiredpart ofLafayette City-Parish ConsolidatedGovern‐ment’sannual financial and compliance audit. (Finance)
ORDINANCES FORFINAL ADOPTION
6. PO-056-2025 An ordi‐nance of theLafayette ParishCouncil amending the FY 25/26 operating and capitalbudgets of the Lafayette City-Parish ConsolidatedGovern‐mentbyauthorizing the use of PY Fund Balance ofthe Juvenile Detention Facility(Fund 2650) in the amount of $9,000 andap‐propriating within theOf‐fice of theChief Adminis‐trative Officer, Juvenile Detention Division Kitchen Section, forthe purchaseofacommer‐cialrefrigerator. (JDH)
7. PO-057-2025 An ordi‐nance of theLafayette ParishCouncil amending the FY 25/26 operating and capitalbudgets of the Lafayette City-Parish ConsolidatedGovern‐mentbyauthorizing the use of PY Fund Balance ofthe Juvenile Detention Facility(Fund 2650) in the amount of $450,000 and combining with existing fundsand appropriating withinthe Office of the Chief Administrative Offi‐cer,JuvenileDetention Division, to fund safety improvementsatthe Ju‐venileDetention Home (JDH) JOINTORDINANCESFOR FINAL ADOPTION 8. JO-069-2025 Ajoint or‐dinance of theLafayette CityCouncil andthe Lafayette Parish Council amendingthe FY 25/26 operating budget of the Lafayette City-Parish ConsolidatedGovern‐
y amending Chapter26, Ar‐ticle II, by repealingSec‐tions 26-31 and26-32 and amendingChapter 26, Ar‐ticle XIIbyenactingSec‐tion26-801 andamend‐ing Chapter26, Article XVI,Section 26-1175 of the Lafayette City-Parish ConsolidatedGovern‐mentCodeofOrdinances related to thecondemna‐tion& demolition of di‐lapidated anddangerous buildings or structures withinthe City of Lafayette andunincorpo‐rated areasofLafayette Parish. (CD&P) 10.JO-071-2025 Ajoint or‐dinance of theLafayette CityCouncil andthe Lafayette Parish Council approving therenaming ofthe Public WorksDe‐partmenttothe Capital Improvements Depart‐mentand an administra‐tiverealignment of adi‐visionofthe Public Works Department and reallocationand realign‐mentofother divisions ofthe Public WorksDe‐partmenttothe Drainage Departmentand theTraf‐fic, Roadsand Bridges Departmentand amend‐ing theFY25/26 operat‐ing andcapital improve‐mentbudgets andad‐justing manningtablesof the Lafayette City-Parish ConsolidatedGovern‐ment. (Mayor-President) INTRODUCTORY ORDI‐NANCES 11.PO-058-2025 An ordi‐nance of theLafayette ParishCouncil authoriz‐ing theLafayette MayorPresident to enterinto a CooperativeEndeavor Agreement andAct of Donationbyand be‐tween Lafayette CityParishConsolidatedGov‐ernment andthe Fire Pro‐tection District No.7 of the Parish of Acadia State of Louisianacon‐cerning thedonationof a surplus 2003 tanker fire truck.(Fire) 12.PO-059-2025 An ordi‐nance of theLafayette ParishCouncil authoriz‐ing theLafayette MayorPresident to enterinto a CooperativeEndeavor Agreement between the Lafayette City-Parish ConsolidatedGovern‐ment, theLouisiana De‐partmentofTreasuryand the StateofLouisiana concerningACT 461 of the 2025 RegularLegisla‐tiveSession of the Louisiana Legislature and amending theFY 25/26 capitalbudgetof the Lafayette City-Parish ConsolidatedGovern‐mentbyincreasingrev‐enuesinthe amount of $250,000 received from the StateofLouisiana DepartmentofTreasury and appropriatingwithin the Public WorksDepart‐mentfor road projects involving CormierRoad. (Public Works) JOINTINTRODUCTORY ORDINANCES 13.JO-072-2025 Ajoint or‐dinance of theLafayette CityCouncil andthe Lafayette Parish Council amendingOrdinance No JO-061-2025 to correct the name of the Lafayette Public TrustFi‐nance Authorityto Lafayette Public TrustFi‐nancing Authorityand to correct thedescription of the Lafayette Public Trust FinancingAuthority asa Louisianapublic trust.(CD&P) 14.JO-073-2025 Ajoint or‐dinance of theLafayette CityCouncil andthe Lafayette
atethe abandonmenton behalfofthe City of Lafayette andParishof Lafayette.(AB Rubinand Liz Hebert) 15.JO-074-2025 Ajoint or‐dinance of theLafayette CityCouncil andthe Lafayette Parish Council authorizing theLafayette Mayor-President to enter intoa CooperativeEn‐deavorAgreement be‐tween theLafayette CityParishConsolidatedGov‐ernment,the Louisiana Departmentofthe Trea‐suryand theState of Louisiana concerning ACT 461 of the2025 Regu‐lar LegislativeSession of the LouisianaLegislature and amending theFY 25/26 capitalbudgetof the Lafayette City-Parish ConsolidatedGovern‐mentbyincreasingrev‐enuesinthe amount of $125,000 received from the StateofLouisiana Departmentofthe Trea‐suryand appropriating withinthe Community Development andPlan‐ningDepartmentfor a community assessment for amentalhealthcrisis center. (CD&P) ADJOURN IN ACCORDANCE WITH LA.R.S.42:14(E)ASEN‐ACTEDBYACT NO.393 OF 2023 ANDTHE AMERI‐CANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT, PLEASE CONTACT JOSEPH GORDON-WILTZ COUNCILCLERK,AT(337) 291-8810 DESCRIBING THE ASSISTANCE THAT IS NECESSARY, IF SPECIAL ASSISTANCE AND/OR AC‐COMMODATIONSARE NEEDED 170157-DEC12-1T $71.42
1.Invocationand Pledge ofAllegiance
2. COUNCILANNOUNCE‐MENTS
3. EXECUTIVE/MAYORPRESIDENT’S REPORT RESOLUTIONS
4. CR-021-2025 Aresolu‐tionofthe Lafayette City Council approvingthe FY 2026 budget of theDown‐townDevelopment Au‐thority (“DDA”), thegov‐erningauthority of the Lafayette Centre Devel‐opmentDistrict(“LCDD”). (KennethBoudreaux)
5. CR-022-2025 Aresolu‐tionofthe Lafayette City Council approvingwater service outsideofthe corporatelimitsofthe CityofLafayette,inac‐cordancewithOrdinance No. O-030-2015(LPUA). (3043 VerotSchool Road) (Andy Naquin) JOINTRESOLUTION
6. JR-041-2025 Ajoint res‐olution of theLafayette CityCouncil andthe Lafayette Parish Council adoptinga Louisiana ComplianceQuestion‐naire as arequiredpart ofLafayette City-Parish ConsolidatedGovern‐ment’sannual financial and compliance audit. (Finance) ORDINANCES FORFINAL ADOPTION
7. CO-124-2025 An ordi‐nance of theLafayette CityCouncil amending the Lafayette Develop‐mentCode so as to re‐classifythe property of CaseNo. 2025-20-REZ 520 South Magnolia Street Rezoning, locatedgener‐allynorth of TenthStreet westofSouth Magnolia Street,and southof Louisiana Avenue;being rezoned from RS-1 (Resi‐dential Single-Family) to MN-1(Mixed-UseNeigh‐borhood). (CD&P)
8. CO-129-2025 An ordi‐nance of theLafayette CityCouncil authorizing the Lafayette MayorPresident to enterinto a Right of Access Agree‐mentbyand between Lafayette City-Parish ConsolidatedGovern‐mentand theLafayette Convention& Visitors Commission. (MayorPresident)
9. CO-139-2025 An ordi‐nance of theLafayette CityCouncil amending the Lafayette Develop‐mentCode so as to re‐classifythe property of CaseNo. 2025-22-REZ500, 502, 504, 600, 602, 604 606, 700, 702, 704, 706 800, 802 &804 West Wil‐low Street Rezoning,lo‐cated generallynorth of WestWillowStreet,east ofCoraStreet,and south ofMartinLutherKingJr Drive;being rezoned fromRS-1(Residential Single-Family)toRM-1 (ResidentialMixed). (CD&P)
use of fund balanceand appropriatingwithinthe Promotion CostsAccount ofthe Community Devel‐opmentand Planning De‐partment, Development Divisiontoallowfor the promotion of theDevel‐opmentSupervisor. (CD&P) 14.JO-070-2025 Ajoint or‐dinance of theLafayette CityCouncil andthe Lafayette Parish Council amendingChapter 26, Ar‐ticle II, by repealingSec‐tions 26-31and 26-32 and amendingChapter 26, Ar‐ticle XIIbyenactingSec‐tion26-801 andamend‐ing Chapter26, Article XVI,Section 26-1175 of the Lafayette City-Parish ConsolidatedGovern‐mentCode of Ordinances related to thecondemna‐tion& demolition of di‐lapidated anddangerous buildings or structures withinthe City of Lafayette andunincorpo‐
an administra‐tiverealignmentofadi‐visionofthe Public Works Department and reallocationand realign‐mentofother divisions ofthe Public WorksDe‐partmenttothe Drainage Departmentand theTraf‐fic, Roadsand Bridges Departmentand amend‐ing theFY25/26
PUBLIC NOTICE Seeagendadocuments at:http://www lafayettela.gov/ obcouncil/default.aspx REGULARMEETING LAFAYETTE CITY COUNCIL 705 W. University Avenue TedA.Ardoin
10.CO-140-2025Anordi‐nance of theLafayette CityCouncil amending the Lafayette Develop‐mentCode so as to re‐classifythe property of CaseNo. 2025-24-REZ 800 Block VerotSchool Road Rezoning, locatedgener‐allynorth of VerotSchool Road, west of SouthBea‐dle Road,and southof HarborLightsDrive; being rezonedfromCM-1 (Commercial Mixed) to CH(Commercial-Heavy). (CD&P) 11.CO-141-2025Anordi‐nance of theLafayette CityCouncil approving a Conditional UsePermitto allow aconvenience store (withfuelsales)in a CM-1 (Commercial Mixed)ZoningDistrict,
STAFFFILE PHOTOByMICHAEL JOHNSON
State Rep. Michael Echols,R-Monroe, will serve as Republicancaucus chairafter his election on Thursday.
STAFF FILE PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD
Anew roof is installed on Cohn Street in NewOrleans as partofthe Louisiana Fortify Homes Program.
Gordon Dove. The CPRA under Landryhas faced scrutiny over the changes and concerns that the state’s50yearcoastal master plan, widely laudedfor its scientific approach, would be diluted. Dove has defended the change in focus, saying projects using dredged sediment build land more quickly andpredictably Coastal advocacy groups and scientiststhat long pushed for the diversionssaw them as mimickinghow south Louisiana was built in the first place, using the natural flow of sediment from the Mississippi River in away thatworks with nature.
They also point out that landbuilding projects erode likethe rest of the coast, while diversions could continuetofunction decades into the future.
The diversions, however,were strongly opposed by thecommercial fishing industry and their parish governments duetothe dramatic changes the influx of fresh water and sediment would bring to those areas.
Landry also criticized the escalatingcost of the $3 billionMidBarataria project.
More than $600 million had already been spent on Mid-Barataria alone, with the project having brokengroundin2023. Thestate is hoping to recoup someofthose dollars through interest in remaining BP funds. While relatively minimalfunding is set aside for the large-scale land bridge projects in the new spending plan, that amount would grow substantiallyifBPdollars areapproved for them.
CPRA Executive Director Michael Hare said focusingonland bridges and barrier islands brings the state’s“flood fight to the coastline.”
“We’regoing back andreevaluating alignments that were in previous master plans and finding opportunitiestocreate those acres of marshright nowand getthose benefits in place,” saidHare.
The state is also planningto take afresh look at whether aproject to restore the East Timbalier barrier island in LafourcheParish could be revived. The island was effectively abandoned after millions were spent seeking to restore it to
JUDGE
Continued from page1A
Theaction was based on Colbert’shandling of two incidents that occurred when he wasafairly new judge He wasseated on the bench in January 2021.
One incident involved Colbert’sinterference in the city’slast-minute attemptto stop arap concert in August 2021 at The District,aJohnston Streetevent center,after ashooting the previous weekend.
The city allegedly waited until after hours on aFriday to post notice that the concert the next night was canceled, preventingthe promoters from filing atemporary restraining order Colbert had discussions with attorneysinvolvedin the dispute outsidecourt proceedings and expressed bias toward one side, the justices said.
no avail due to alist of complicatingfactors.
While the diversions have been removed from the upcoming spendingplan, manyother projects long in the works remain. Of the130 activeprojects, bigger examples include:
n Another$105 million set aside for theMorganza to theGulf levee project.The 98-mile networkto protect Lafourche and Terrebonne parisheshas atotal price tag of some $4.9 billion.
n Afurther $39.2 million for the West Shore LakePontchartrain levee project for parts of St.Charles, St. John the Baptistand St.James parishes. Thetotal price for that project is$3.4 billion.
n Some $50.3 million for restoration of the disappearing Chandeleur Islands,with thetotal cost expected to be$383 million.
n $17.3 million for aprojectunderway that reintroduces Mississippi River water into Bayou La-
fourche. The total cost is expected to be $230 million.
Coastal advocacy groups that had pressed for thediversions expressed varying commentsonthe plan. The Restore the Mississippi River DeltaCoalition, which has been outspoken in its criticismof the cancellations, urgedthe public to examine and weigh in on the state’sstrategy
“Weare still reviewing thedetails of this year’sannualplan to ensure thatinvestments align with thecoastal master plan, that the program maintains astrong balance of restoration and protection and thatoil spill funds are both fully utilized and directed toward activities that address the devastating injuries Louisiana sustained from theDeepwaterHorizon oil spill,”itsaid.
“Welook forward to celebrating the parts of this planthatmerit praise, and we remain committed to holding this administration ac-
countable if it strays away from the coastal masterplan or undermines public trust.”
The Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana, the state’soldest organization committed to addressing land loss, said it “is excited to see an ambitious road map, witha focus on delivering projects from thecoastal master plan.”
“There is impactful workcoming soon to our entire coast, from the massive marsh and hydrologic restoration projectsinthe southwesttothe long-awaited MR-GO ecosystem restorationinthe southeast,” said James Karst, the organization’scommunications director
The full plan can be found on the CPRA’s website. Public comments will be accepted until Feb.17, while aseries of public meetings will also be held as follows: n Jan. 6at5:30 p.m., Coastal Center at Nicholls University,426 Ardoyne Drive, Thibodaux
n Jan.8 at 5:30 p.m., Joseph S. Yenni Building, Second Floor Council Chambers, 1221 Elmwood Park Blvd., Jefferson n Jan. 12 at 5:30 p.m., LSU AgCenter,1105 W. Port St., Abbeville n Jan. 15 virtual webinar at
The annual plan is not an agency budget, but instead aspending outline for projects. Funding comes from avariety of state and federal sources, as well as oil spill proceeds. TheCPRA’sboardand the state Legislature must approve the plan. BP spill money has provided the state withbillionsincash forrestoration projects, but that money is due to expire at the end of 2031. Projects in theworks with money already disbursedwillcontinue beyond that, but it will leave the state with ahuge budgetholeto fill as it seeks to keep up with its devastating land loss crisis and intensifying hurricanes.
He took representatives into acourtroom on aSaturday,without thepresence of acourt reporter or other court personnel.Dressed in gym clothes,hehelped work out safety protocols so the concert could take place that evening.
One of the problems cited by the JudiciaryCommission and the Supreme Court ruling as writtenbyAssociateJustice William Crainis thatholding the discussion outsidecourt meantthere is no record for either party to appeal
The otherincident involved his interactionwith acity police officer whostopped the judge in 2023 over an alleged traffic infraction.Colbert’s behavior,which included cursing at the officer,isdescribed in court records as intimidating, disrespectful anduncooperative.
Colbert, insistinghedid notrun ared light,allegedly called thepoliceofficer a liar and said he would dis-
credit the officer as awitness to other judges.
“Wefind Judge Colbert committed judicial misconduct,” in this instance, Crain wrote.
Colbertcould not immediately be reached for comment.
BRIEFS
FROM STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS
Epic Piping to expand
Livingston facility
Epic Piping said it will upgrade its Livingston manufacturing facility, creating 76 direct jobs.
The new jobs will have an average salary of $58,377 and Louisiana Economic Development projects 136 indirect jobs as a result of the expansion. Epic Piping will retain 370 employees.
The $25 million expansion will create a large-diameter production line and update the material-handling systems to boost efficiency, positioning the company to support the state’s energy and data center industries, according to LED. Construction will start this month and finish in early 2027.
Epic Piping is a portfolio company of Bernhard Capital Partners Their corporate headquarters are in Baton Rouge with a distribution office in Houston. Epic operates facilities and distribution hubs in Livingston; Lake Providence; Baton Rouge; San Marcos, Texas; and Abu Dhabi.
Epic has worked on oil, renewable fuel, manufacturing and clean energy projects across Louisiana, Texas, Alabama, Wisconsin and overseas in Oman. In 2019, the company invested in a $40 million expansion that increased its manufacturing footprint by 30% across all facilities and relocated its corporate headquarters.
It will use the LED FastStart program, a workforce development service, $900,000 from the Economic Development Award Program, reimbursable grants from the HighImpact Jobs Program and the Industrial Tax Exemption Program to support the expansion.
U.S. jobless benefit applications increase
WASHINGTON The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits jumped last week, but remains in the same historically healthy range of the past few years despite growing concern over the health of the labor market.
U.S jobless claim applications for the week ending Dec. 6 climbed by 44,000 to 236,000 from the previous week’s 192,000, the Labor Department reported Thursday. That’s more than analysts’ forecast of 213,000 new applications.
Despite what on the surface appears to be a historically healthy job market, the Federal Reserve trimmed its benchmark lending rate by a quarter-point on Wednesday, its third straight cut For now, the U.S. job market appears stuck in a “low-hire, low-fire” state that has kept the unemployment rate historically low
Average U.S. long-term mortgage rate at 6.22%
The average rate on a 30-year U.S. mortgage edged higher this week, though it remains relatively near its low point so far this year The uptick brings the average long-term mortgage rate to 6.22% from 6.19% last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday A year ago, the rate averaged 6.6% Borrowing costs on 15-year fixed-rate mortgages, popular with homeowners refinancing their home loans, also rose this week. The rate averaged 5.54%, up from 5.44% last week. A year ago, it averaged 5.84%, Freddie Mac said Mortgage rates are influenced by several factors, from the Federal Reserve’s interest rate policy decisions to bond market investors’ expectations for the economy and inflation. They generally follow the trajectory of the 10-year Treasury yield, which lenders use as a guide to pricing home loans. The Fed doesn’t set mortgage rates, so even when it cuts its short-term rates that doesn’t necessarily mean rates on home loans will necessarily decline.
Disney invests $1B in
Deal to bring characters like Mickey Mouse to Sora AI video tool
BY KELVIN CHAN AP business writer
Disney is investing $1 billion in OpenAI and will bring characters such as Mickey Mouse, Cinderella and Luke Skywalker to the AI company’s Sora video generation tool, in a licensing deal that the two companies announced on Thursday At the same time, Disney went after Google, demanding the tech company stop exploiting its copyrighted characters to train its AI systems.
The OpenAI agreement makes the Walt Disney Co. the first major content licensing partner for Sora, which uses generative artificial in-
telligence to create short videos.
Under the three-year licensing deal, fans will be able to use Sora to generate and share videos based on more than 200 Disney, Marvel, Pixar and “Star Wars” characters.
AI video generators like Sora have wowed with their ability to quickly create realistic clips based merely on text prompts. But a flood of such videos on social media, including clips depicting celebrities and deceased public figures, has raised worries about “AI slop” crowding out human-created work alongside concerns about misinformation, deepfakes and copyright.
Disney and OpenAI said they are committed to responsible use of AI that protects the safety of users and the rights of creators.
“This agreement shows how AI companies and creative leaders can work together responsibly to promote innovation that benefits society, respect the importance of creativity, and help works reach vast new audiences,” OpenAI CEO
Sam Altman said. Disney CEO Robert Iger said the deal will “extend the reach of our storytelling through generative AI, while respecting and protecting creators and their works.”
As part of the deal, some usergenerated Sora videos will be made available on the Disney+ streaming service.
Disney will also become a “major customer” of OpenAI and use its technology to build new products, tools, and services. It will also roll out ChatGPT for employees.
Children’s advocates, however criticized the move. Josh Golin, executive director of Fairplay, said Disney’s decision to partner with OpenAI “is a betrayal of countless children around the world who adore Mickey Mouse, ‘Frozen,’ and ‘Toy Story.’ OpenAI claims children are prohibited from using Sora, yet here they are luring young kids to their platform using some of their favorite characters.” Disney, he added, is “aiding and
OpenAI
abetting OpenAI’s efforts to addict young children to its unsafe platform and products.”
Also Thursday, Disney sent Google a cease and desist letter, demanding that the tech company stop using Disney content without permission to feed and train its AI models, including its Veo video generator and Imagen and Nano Banana image generators. It has previously issued similar cease and desist letters to Meta and Character.AI and has filed litigation with NBCUniversal and Warner Bros. Discovery against AI image generator Midjourney and AI company Minimax. Disney accused Google of “infringing Disney’s copyrights on a massive scale,” according to a copy of the letter dated Wednesday seen by The Associated Press. The letter included examples that it says Google’s AI systems easily generated, such as characters from “Star Wars,” “The Simpsons,” “Deadpool” and “The Lion King.”
Markets hit record high
Success despite worries of an AI bubble
BY STAN CHOE AP busines writer
NEW YORK Wall Street set records on Thursday, even as a sell-off for Oracle and worries about a potential bubble in artificial-intelligence technology weighed on the market.
The S&P 500 inched up 0.2% and eked past its prior all-time closing high, which was set in October The Dow Jones Industrial leaped 646 points, or 1.3%, to top its own record set last month. The Nasdaq composite lagged behind and slipped 0.3% because of the weakness for AI stocks.
It’s the latest return to records for the market following what had appeared to be a debilitating set of worries. Some of the most recent included concerns about what the Federal Reserve will do with interest rates and whether all the dollars flowing into AI chips and data centers will produce profits and productivity as prolific as proponents are promising.
Such worries sent Wall Street last month to some of its worst and scariest days since its sell-off during April, but it then got several boosts that helped it regain its footing. Key among them was a continuing parade of companies saying they’re making bigger profits than analysts expected. Stock prices tend to track with corporate profits over the long term.
The Fed also on Wednesday cut its main interest rate for the third time this year and indicated another cut may be ahead in 2026. Wall Street loves lower interest rates because they can boost the economy and send prices for investments higher even if they potentially make inflation worse.
The Fed’s chair, Jerome Powell, did hint that interest rates may be on hold for a while. But he helped soothe nerves when his comments appeared less harsh than some investors expected in shutting off the possibility of more cuts in 2026.
Easier interest rates can give the biggest benefits to the smallest companies, which are more likely to be losing money and often need to borrow to grow The Russell 2000 index of the smallest U.S. stocks jumped 1.2% to help lead the market.
Banks and other companies whose profits are closely tied to the strength of the economy also rallied. Gains of 2.5% for Goldman Sachs and 6.1% for Visa were the strongest forces
Trader William Lawrence works on the floor of
Wall Street set records even as a sell-off for Oracle and worries about a potential bubble in artificial-intelligence technology weighed on the market.
pushing the Dow higher
The Walt Disney Co. added 2.4% after OpenAI said the entertainment giant is investing $1 billion in it.
Eli Lilly rose 1.6% after announcing encouraging results from a clinical trial for adult patients who are obese or overweight and have knee osteoarthritis, without diabetes. Planet Labs PBC soared 35% after the provider of satellite images used by governments and businesses reported stronger results for the latest quarter than analysts expected.
But a return to records for the U.S. stock market does not mean all worries are gone.
Oracle dropped 10.8% and had briefly been on track earlier in the day for its worst loss since 2001, when the dot-com bubble was still deflating.
Doubts remain about whether all the spending that Oracle is doing on AI technology will be worth it. Analysts said they were surprised after Oracle laid out on late Wednesday how much it will spend on investments this fiscal year, and questions continue about how the company will pay for it.
Such doubts are weighing on the AI industry broadly, even as many billions of dollars continue to flow in.
Nvidia, the chip company that’s become
the poster child of the AI boom and is raking in close to $20 billion each month, fell 1.5%
Thursday It was the heaviest weight on the S&P 500 because of its massive size.
Also on the losing end of Wall Street was Oxford Industries. The company behind Tommy Bahama and Lilly Pulitzer dropped 21.2% after highlighting how its customers have been seeking out deals and are “highly valuedriven.”
CEO Tom Chubb said the start of the holiday shopping season has been weaker than the company expected, and it cut its forecast for revenue for the full year
Lower- and middle-income households are feeling the squeeze of high prices following years of high inflation, along with a slowing job market. That means a roughly 25% chance of a recession, according to Barry Bannister, chief equity strategist at Stifel.
Even all the spending underway for AI chips is “not enough to offset a consumer pull-back,” he said, and the U.S. stock market still broadly looks expensive relative to history All told, the S&P 500 rose 14.32 points to 6,901.00. The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 646.26 to 48,704.01, and the Nasdaq composite slipped 60.30 to 23,593.86.
The LSU Board of Supervisors on Thursday voted to establish a School of Construction and a bachelor’s degree in artificial intelligence, both in the College of Engineering. The new programs, contingent on approval by the Board of Regents, align with broad efforts to orient LSU toward industry and expand public-private partnerships. The expanded academic offer-
ings, approved unanimously by the supervisors, will have limited fiscal impact, according to summaries presented Thursday. The bachelor of science degree in artificial intelligence aims to employ two nontenure-track instructors and use existing classroom space and resources. The School of Construction will offer current construction degrees, including construction management, but no new academic programs. The move is primarily a name change, elevating the Department of Construction Management “to reflect the program’s significant growth, strong student demand, robust employer interest, excellent placement outcomes, and high
levels of student engagement in experiential learning and industrysponsored activities,” a request to the board said.
College leaders are exploring adding degrees in digital construction and modular manufacturing to the new school, according to a spokesperson for LSU.
The bachelor’s degree in AI will also emphasize work-based learning and industry partnerships, according to the request submitted to the board. It will build upon an existing capstone course in AI and industry, which held a showcase Monday night for alumni and Baton Rouge-area employers. The course has previously partnered with companies such as Entergy, BASF, Our
Lady of the Lake and The Advocate
The request referenced the Amazon fulfillment center in Shreveport and Meta’s plans for a $10 billion data center in Richland Parish as evidence of the demand for AI talent in Louisiana.
“Energy, petrochemical, health care, defense and logistics employers in the state are actively integrating AI for predictive analytics, optimization, autonomy, and digital transformation,” the summary for the board said. “LSU’s proposed degree directly addresses this need by producing graduates with the technical depth, ethical grounding and hands-on experience required to build and deploy reliable AI systems at scale.”
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By RICHARD DREW
the New york Stock Exchange on Thursday.
Zelenskyy: Negotiatorswrestling with Russiandemands
Discussions continue on U.S.-led peace proposal
BY ILLIA NOVIKOV and SUSIE BLANN Associated Press
KYIV,Ukraine— Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Thursday that negotiators are wrestling with the question of territorialpossession in U.S.-led peace talks on ending the war with Russia,including the future of Ukraine’seastern Donetsk region andthe Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, one of the world’s10biggest atomic plants. Zelenskyy revealed details of the ongoing discussions before he headed into urgent talks with leadersand officialsfromabout 30 countries that support Kyiv’s efforts to obtain fair terms in any settlement to halt nearly four years of fighting.
In Washington, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said President Donald Trump’s special envoy,Steve Witkoff, continued to be in discussionswith bothsides. She said that“if there is areal chance of signing apeace agreement,” then the U.S. could
send arepresentativetothe talks as soon as this weekend.
But Leavitt added that it’s“still up in the air whether we believe real peacecan beachieved.”
Trump long boasted about being abletosolve Russia’swar in Ukraine in aday,but in recent months has complainedbitterly aboutalack of progress. Leavitt echoed that during herbriefing with reportersonThursday, saying the president is “extremely frustrated with both sides of this war.”
She said the administration had spent 30-plus hoursjust in recent weeks meeting with officials from Russia andUkraine as well as Europe,and that Trumpis“sick of meetings just for the sake of meeting.”
Ukrainehas submitted a20-point plan to the U.S.,witheachpoint possiblyaccompaniedbya separate document detailingthe settlement terms.
“Weare grateful that the U.S. is working with us and trying to take a balancedposition,”Zelenskyy told reporters in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv.“But at this moment it is still difficult to saywhatthe finaldocuments will look like.”
Russia has in recent months made adetermined push to gain
in southern Ukraine, which is not currentlyoperating,but Ukraine opposes that.
TheAmericans havesuggested ajoint format to manage the plant, and negotiators are discussing how that might work, Zelenskyy said.
The leaders of Germany,Britain and France were amongthose taking part in the meeting of Ukraine’s allies,dubbedthe Coalitionofthe Willing, via video link.
control of allparts of Donetsk and neighboring Luhansk, which together make up Ukraine’svaluable Donbas industrial region.
Ukraine doesn’taccept the surrender of Donbas, Zelenskyy said, saying that bothsides remaining wheretheycurrently standalong theline of contact would be “a fair outcome.”
American negotiators have put forwardthe possibilityofa“free economic zone” in the Donbas, with the Russians terming it a“demilitarizedzone,” according to Zelenskyy Russian officials have not pub-
licly disclosed their proposals.
U.S. negotiators foreseeUkrainian forces withdrawing fromthe Donetsk region,with thecompromisebeing that Russian forces do notenterthatterritory, Zelenskyy said.
But he said that if Ukraine must withdrawits forces, the Russians should also withdrawbythe same distance. There are many unanswered questions, including who would oversee the Donbas, he added.
The Russians want to retain control of the Zaporizhzhia plant
Zelenskyyindicated thetalks were hastily arranged as Kyiv officialsscrambletoavoid getting boxedinbyU.S.President Donald Trump, who hasdisparaged the Ukrainian leader,painted European leaders as weak, and set astrategy of improving Washington’srelationship with Moscow In the face of Trump’sdemands fora swift settlement, European governments are trying to help steer the peace negotiations because they saytheir own security is at stake.
GermanChancellorFriedrich Merz said Thursday that he, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron suggestedtoTrump that they finalize the peace proposals together withU.S.officials over the weekend. There mayalsobetalks in Berlin early next week, with or without American officials, he said.
BY WAFAA SHURAFA, BASSEM MROUE and JULIA FRANKEL Associated Press
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip Rains drenched Gaza’stent camps and dropping temperatureschilled Palestinianshuddling inside them
Thursday as winter storm Byron descended on the war-battered territory,showing how two months of aceasefire have failed to sufficiently addressthe spiraling humanitarian crisis there. Families found their possessions and food supplies soaked inside their tents. Children’ssandaled feet disappeared under opaque brown water that flooded the camps, running knee deep in some places. Dirt roads turned to mud. Piles of garbage and sewage cas-
caded like waterfalls.
“Wehavebeendrowned. Idon’t haveclothes to wear and we have no mattresses left,” saidUm SalmanAbu Qenas, adisplaced mother in aKhan Younis tent camp. She said that her family couldn’t sleep the night before, because of thewater in the tent.
Aid groups say not enough shelter materials are getting into Gaza during the truce.
Figures recentlyreleased by Israel’smilitary suggest it hasn’t metthe ceasefirestipulation of allowing 600 trucks of aid into Gaza aday,though Israeldisputes that finding.
“Cold, overcrowded, and unsanitary environments heighten the risk of illness and infection,” the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees,UNRWA,saidonX.“This
suffering could be prevented by unhinderedhumanitarianaid, including medical support and proper shelter.”
Sabreen Qudeeh, also in the Khan Younis camp,ina squalid area known as Muwasi, said that her family woke up to rain leaking from their tent’sceiling and water from thestreet soaking their mattresses.
“My little daughters were screaming,” she said.
Ahmad Abu Taha,alsolivingin the camp, said there wasn’ta tent thatescaped the flooding. “Conditionsare very bad, we have old people, displaced,and sick people inside this camp,” he said.
Floods in south-central Israel trapped more than adozen people in their cars, according to Hebrew media. Israel’s rescue services,
MDA,said that twoyoung girls wereslightly injured when atree fell on their school.
Thecontrasting scenes with Gaza made clear howprofoundly theIsrael-Hamas war had damaged theterritory,destroyingthe majority of homes. Gaza’spopulation of around 2million is almost entirely displaced, and most people liveinvasttentcamps stretching along the coast, or set up among the shells of damaged buildingswithout adequate flooding infrastructure andwith cesspitsdug near tents as toilets.
Featherweight Scooter
With buckets andmops, Palestinians laboriously scooped water out of their tents. Aidgroups say that Israel isn’t allowing enough aid into Gaza to begin rebuilding the territory after years of war. Under the agreement, Israel agreed to comply with aidstipulations from an earlier January truce, which specified that it allow 600 trucks of aid each day into Gaza, It maintains it’s doing so, but The Associated Press found that some of itsown figures call that into question.
At least three buildings in Gaza City already damaged by Israeli bombardmentduringthe war partially collapsed under the rain, Palestinian Civil Defense said. It warned people not to stayinside damaged buildings, saying they too could fall downontop of them. The agency also said thatsince thestorm began,they have received morethan 2,500 distress calls from peopleacross Gaza whose tents andshelterswere damaged.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By GAVRIIL GRIGOROV
RussianPresidentVladimir Putin, left, holds acallwith militaryleaders on the Ukraine battlefield situationtogether with Denis Pirogov,right, aRussian army brigadecommander,onThursday at the Kremlinin Moscow.
UL presidentsearchtimelineannounced
Committee membersyet to be revealed
BY MEGAN WYATT Staff writer
The University of Louisiana
systemannounced atimelineon
Thursday for the University of Louisiana at Lafayette presidential
search, but it hasyet to publicly release names of search committee members.
The system launched awebsite dedicated to the presidential search after aThursday meeting of thesystem board, during which Chair MarkRomero announced it would nationally circulatea job posting for the position.
“I look forward to aproductive and impactful search initiative with adistinct focus on interviewingand selectingthe absolutebest future leader of the Universityof
Louisiana at Lafayette,”Romero said during themeeting.
The presidential search timeline is as follows: n Thursday: Board chair appointssearch committee n Jan. 14: Inaugural search committee meetingheld at UL
n Feb.19: Committee meetsin Baton Rouge to reviewapplicant materials and to select semifinalists
n Feb. 23-24: On-campus interviews and finalistsselected n Feb. 27: Finalistspresented to
full board and interviewsconducted during special board meeting.
Afterthe meeting, Romero said he was finalizing the list of committee members and would release names publicly within afew days.
“It’s goingtobeagreat group to work with,” Romero said. “There’s alot of different disciplines related to the university.”
He said thepresidential job postingwill not be public until after the committee approves it during its first meeting next month. In the meantime, he saidanadvertise-
ment will be posted nationally to generate interest.
Thursday’sboard meeting comes one month after aspecial meeting that addressed speculation that the board would forgo asearchand install apresident at the university without anyinput fromfaculty, stafforstudents.
Afterbacklashfromfaculty members and others, the board announced during the Nov.13 meeting thatitwould form asearch
BUILDING BETTER
Construction continues for OurLadyofWisdom Catholic Church andStudent Center on thecampus of theUniversityof Louisiana at Lafayette on Thursday.The $35 million project is replacing outdated facilities, withaplanned completion around late 2026.
Manaccused
of injuring deputy arrested
Landry,Nungesser spar over Border Patrol sweep
CRIME BLOTTER
Advocate staff reports
Aman accused of hittinganAcadia Parish deputy in acar while trying to escape in Novemberhas been arrested, officials said. According to theAcadia Parish Sheriff’s Office, 36-year-oldTravis Cormier,ofChurch Point,was booked on countsofattempted first-degree murder; aggravated assault with amotor vehicle on a peaceofficer;first-degreenegligent injuring;hit and run; aggravated property damage; resistingan officer; flight from an officer;taking contraband to/from apenal institution; possession of heroin; theft; and driving with asuspended license.
The countsstem from an incident in November in whichdeputies attempted to serve several arrest warrants on Cormier. During the attempted arrest, Cormier used his vehicle to ram apolice vehicle to escape, police said. The vehicle, which was occupied by adeputy,sustained heavy damage. As Cormier drove off, he attempted to hit adeputy whowas on foot, injuring the deputy,officials said.
Showcasing riftsbetween Republicans on an issue that hasroiled Louisiana, Gov.Jeff Landry’soffice on Thursday scolded Lt. Gov.Billy Nungesserfor criticizingBorder Patrol’sweek-old immigration enforcement operation in the state,calling his comments “disappointing” andaccusing him ofprioritizing foreignborn criminals over thestate’s citizens.
Nungesser saidWednesday that thesweeps were hurting theeconomy,that agentshave stoked fear in people legally allowed to behere, and that he has received numerous calls from business owners who are havingtrouble convincing workers to clock in.
Thestatement put Nungesser,aRepublican, at odds with Landry and other local Republican leadersonakey yet controversial portion of President Donald Trump’sagenda. Trumpwon 60% of the vote in thestate last year “They said, ‘We’re getting
ridofthe criminals,’ ”said Nungesser,who is second-incommand to Landry and leads thestate’s tourismefforts,on Wednesday.“These people, alot of them have played by therules and have awork visa and now are fearful.”
ButLandry’sspokesperson, Kate Kelly, said Thursday that Nungesser was showing undue concern for criminals here illegally
“It is disappointing thathewould seek to give individuals who enter ourcountryillegally andthencommit crimes greater rights than American citizens,” said Kelly “When an American citizen commits acrime, they are held accountable under thelaw andface jail time— thesame standardshould apply to everyone.”
Kelly did not address Nungesser’sconcern aboutthe impact thesweeps are having on immigrants with legal status.
Since Border Patrolagents launchedtheir operation in the New Orleans area lastweek, seekingtoadheretoagoalof arresting 5,000 people locally they appear to have detained
just afew dozen people, based on reports from acombination of U.S. officials, immigration attorneys, advocacy groups andmedia citations. An official numberishardto quantify,asthe agency has thus faronly released snapshotsof some arrests. The operationhas since expanded to the Baton Rouge area, where at least three people were arrested earlier this week,according to eyewitnesses. In comparison, when agents operated in force in Charlotte, North Carolina, for fivedays, 425 people were detained, according to the Department of Homeland Security Therehave been numerous local reports that U.S. citizens andpeoplewithvalid permits have been taken in forquestioning and later released. Oneofthe business owners whocontactedNungesser, Scott Morse of Belle Chassebased construction firm Morse Homes Inc., saidhis subcontractor Darwing Padilla was followed home by immigration agents on Wednesday
BYALYSE PFEIL Staff writer
Louisiana state government is projected to rake in $217 million more in taxrevenue thanstate leaders anticipated in the spring whenthey wrote this year’sbudget—and the forecastfor the next budgetyear hasjumpedby$214 million.
The economists who create the state’srevenue forecasts say majorchangestothe taxcodethat Gov.Jeff Landry and the Legislature passedlastyear have notreduced revenue from incometaxes by as muchaspreviously expected. And the new,higher sales tax rate has brought in slightlymore money than expected, too. With the higher tax collections, the state is now on track forasurplus of $293 million when the current fiscal year ends on June 30.
STAFFPHOTO By BRAD KEMP
Landry
Nungesser
Oiland gassuits threaten economic bright spot
Back in 1978, Iwrote an article for the Atlantic Monthly with the headline, “I Have Seen the Future, and It’s Houston.”New Orleans, where Ilived, was stagnating with little hope of economic revival —and so was the state of Louisiana. Businesses and people were moving to Houston and points east and west. Since Iwrote that article, New Orleans has lost 200,000 residents while Houston hasgained 850,000. Louisiana’spopulationhas risen by 300,000, whileTexas is up more than 17 million
trina— and on bigawards secured by triallawyersfrom compliant state courts, the latest being $411 millionfor an injurytoa refinery worker.This is no way to boostaneconomy But the most outrageous casestarget energy producers —yes,the same companies that comprise the one bright spot in the state’s economy
Imoved away manyyears ago, and Istill love Louisiana. But its economy,which once thrived on diversified manufacturing, is dominated by asingleindustry,oil and gas. Meanwhile, the state hasalso grown to rely on the federalgovernment —which aloneprovided $76billion, or about $150,000per New Orleanian, in the wake of Ka-
The suits contend that the energy business is responsible for land loss and erosionover more than 80 years. In April,the first of the cases reached ajury verdictin PlaqueminesParishwithajudgment againstChevron of $745 million. The decision, reported The Associated Press, “could set aprecedent leaving other oil and gasfirmsonthe hook for billions of dollars in damages.”
Chevrondidn’tdeny that land eroded but said that nothing it did was illegal. The regulation in question went into effect in 1980 and
did not apply tooil and gas activity before then, Chevron argued. The energy companies saythe U.S. government directed them to produce petroleum at practically any costtohelp win World WarII.
The U.S. Supreme Court will decide soon whether these cases belong in federal court (asthe companies contend) or state court, wherejudgesare chosen in partisanelections and, naturally,are subject to political pressures. Backing the producers in an amicus brief is theU.S. government itself, which stated that thecompanies were acting under afederal order and so areentitled to seek a federal forum for thesesuitsfor their wartime activities.
Gov.Jeff Landry, aRepublican, has embraced the lawsuits, which run directly counter to Donald Trump’senergy goals. Landry has earned the ire of such vocal allies of the president as Laura Loomer, who wrote on Xthat thegovernor is “blatantly contradicting [his] professed support for President
Trump’sAmerica First energy dominance agenda.”
In 2016, Landry,who was then the state’s attorney general, intervened in legal actions by three southern parishes against BP, Chevron and Shell. He even outsourced the AG office’sprosecutorialauthority to John Carmouche, aprominent Louisiana trial lawyer.Since then, the suits have multiplied with the governor fully on board.
The real losers are the people of Louisiana. Landry and his friends in parish governments and local law firms are creating ahostile climatethatwill discourage the state’s remaining private-sector growth engine frommaking new investments.
“Empirical analysis demonstratesthatlitigation risk costs Louisiana $44 millionto$113 million annually,reduces offshore drilling activity and eliminates thousands of jobs,” concluded the Pelican Institute forPublic Policy, anonprofit Louisiana think tank.
It’sthe wrong message to send to all businesses, not just oil and gas. “What we’re essentially saying is, ‘Comeonin, invest in Louisiana, and then in about 20 years or so, we’re going to sue the hell out of you,’”said Marc Ehrhardt, executive director of the Grow Louisiana Coalition.
When he took office, Landry said he wantedto“create abetter prospective business climate.” He’s doing the opposite. The future doesn’thave to be Houston, but it should be aLouisiana whose economyoffers its citizens the chance for better lives. That won’thappen if the state keeps trying to shake down its No.1 industry for billions of dollars.
James K. Glassman is aformer U.S. undersecretary of state for public diplomacy andpublic Affairsand aseniorfellowin economics at theAmerican Enterprise Institute. He was a co-founderin1972 of theNew Orleans weekly Figaro.
Oil covers rocks along the Moon Walk Riverfront Park on the Mississippi River in New Orleans in 2019.
Rebuildthe coastwith locallysourced materials
Stop denyingmilitary families autism care
Raising achildwith autism can be challenging under the best of circumstances. But formilitary families, that labor of love can be even moredifficult. More than 20,000 children of active-duty military service membershave been diagnosed withautism. Yetfor years, thehealth plan for these families, TRICARE, has refused to cover one of the most effective treatments for autismspectrum disorder as abasic benefit atherapy known as applied behavior analysis, or ABA. Families andclinicians have long been mystified, even outraged, by themilitary’sstance on this issue. Last month, the prestigious National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine joined their ranks.
ABA services. Yetmore than adecade after the program launched, the Department of Defense continues to insist that ABA falls short of the evidence standards required forcoverage under TRICARE.
This claim flies in the face of years of established scientific research —and now the new report from the National Academies.
Nearly four years ago, Congress tasked the independent committee of experts behind the new study with evaluating TRICARE’sABA demonstration. They concluded that “ABA fits DOD’sCriteria forReliable Evidence of Proven Medical Effectiveness.”
Louisiana’scoast is one of America’smostimportant and most threatened assets. It shields millions from devastatingstorms, sustains a stunningly diverse ecosystem and supports thousandsoffamilies whose livelihoodsdepend on it. But each year,more of it erodes away Thankfully,many of our state agencies, local companies and resilience experts are actively working to restore andprotect our coastdaily.Yet,a significant portion of the funding for coastal restorationinLouisiana todaygoes toward purchasing out-of-state rock.Thisapproach comes at great expense with little to no benefittoour state economy.Fortunately,there’s amoresustainableand locally beneficial alternative path ahead Louisiana-based companiesare working continuously to develop new technologiesand processes to protect existingland andbuild newland more effectively.Every day, these companies, including someinthe Bayou Region, develop and deliver locally made, naturebased solutionsthatnot only effectively combat erosion and storm damagebut also cost farless than traditional rock methods —all while contributing to Louisiana’seconomy Clearly,using in-state resources andlocal companies supporting local jobs is an economic win-win-win.Thisapproach torestoration and resilience is Louisiana’sopportunity to transform our coastal land loss problem into apowerfulengineofeconomicprosperity Louisiana has adistinctadvantage whenit comes to addressing coastal issues, built from skills and experience we’ve developedover time. We know the best path to resiliencebecausewelive it every day
Our engineers, marine contractors and fabricators already lead the nation in expertise. Investing in locally sourced, Louisiana-built solutions can create jobsfor talented, hardworkingLouisianians, keep dollars circulating in our coastal parishes and unleash awave of innovation that moves our stateand our economy forward.
Louisiana can be aglobal leader in coastal resilience technology and expertise —ifwe choose to be.
Other states and countries are faced withthe same challenges we have been dealing with for decades.Louisiana can show them the way
Ourinnovators areready to deploy their expertise on coastal restoration in every parish across south Louisiana, manufacturing more efficient, comparable materials throughout. Large-scale deployment could create morelocal jobs and enable organizations and communities of all sizes to protect morelinear feet of coastline with technology that’scost-effective, high-performance and drives local economies.
This is the real magic.
To create aflywheel where smarter,homegrowntechniques protect more coastline more effectively,freeing up resources for even greater long-term solutions. Then, exportingour expertise to other vulnerable regions throughout thenation and the world, cementing us asleaders in coastal resilience and restoration technology solutions.
Ourcoast may be at risk, but our capacityto rise to the challenge has never been greater With thebacking of our state leadership, Louisiana can show thenation our coastal expertise. We have all the brain power; we just need the tools to apply it.
Evan Boudreaux is director of economic development, policyand government affairs for St. Mary Parish.
In anew 310-page report, the National Academies concluded that ABA is amedically necessary therapy that should be offered to all children of military members who need it.The report went so farasto say,“Scientific evidence indicates that ABA is an appropriate intervention to support health outcomes for autistic individuals.”
It’stime for the Department of Defense to acknowledge this obvious truth and give military families theessential medical support they deserve.
ABA uses scientifically based insights and techniques to promote positive behavior —and discourage problematic behavior —inchildren with autism. The medical and scientific communities have acknowledged its benefits foryears. Arecent reviewofthe scientific literature in thejournal Research in AutismSpectrumDisorders concluded that “ABA programsare moderately to highly effective bringing significant benefits forchildren with ASD.”
As far back as 1999, the U.S. DepartmentofHealth and Human Services recognized ABA as the gold standard in autism care.
The Department of Defense, however,has been unconvinced. It was only in 2014 that TRICARE began offering ABA to families as part of a “demonstration program”aimed at studying thetherapy’seffectiveness.
That demonstration is still up and running —and currently provides about 16,000 military families with
The report goes on to recommend, in no uncertain terms, that “The Defense Health Agency should discontinue the Comprehensive Autism Care Demonstration (ACD)and authorize coverage of applied behavior analysis (ABA) as aBasic benefit under the TRICARE program.”
But it doesn’tstop there. The committee also finds that the DOD’s demonstration program has needlessly obstructed access to ABA for military families. And it implores the Defense Health Agency to “take steps to ensure that administrative processes do not impede access to care.”
In short, this expert panel has corroborated what autism advocates and military families have knownfor years. The DODhas deliberately restricted access to medically necessary care formilitary-connected children. And it has inflicted enormous harm on service members and their families in doing so.
Active-duty armed services members sacrifice every day forthe safety and security of our nation. Denying necessary medical care to these Americans —aswell as to their children —isshameful. It shouldn’thave taken an expert report to point out this fact. But now that the NASEM has madeplain the military’snegligence, the DepartmentofDefense should waste little timeincorrecting its mistake —and making ABA abasic health benefit foractive-duty military families. HannaRue is chiefclinical officer at LEARN Behavioral and aboard certifiedbehavioranalyst.
ISSUE OF THE WEEK IMMIGRATION SWEEPS IN LOUISIANA
Over the last weeks, agentswith theU.S.Border Patrol have establishedthemselves in the NewOrleans area, detainingpeople suspected of being in thecountry unlawfully.These sweeps have drawn heatedreactions in NewOrleans, as in other cities.Whilemanyhaveprotested Border Patrol’spresence and decried their methods, othershavewelcomedfederal agents as neededenforcers of the law. Hereare twoperspectives.
‘Catahoula
Crunch’isjust fixing yearsofbad policies
While Mayor-elect HelenaMorenoand the City Councilclutch pearls over masked federal agents and demand“transparency” during Operation Catahoula Crunch, the rest of us are wondering where thisoutrage was when violent criminals were terrorizingNew Orleans.
Because right now,the only thing being “crunched” is the absurd notion that removingillegalaliens with criminal records is somehow the real problem in a city that was just named the most dangerous city in America by WalletHub with a$222 million budget deficit that no one saw coming.
more in public services than it pays in taxes —overwhelmingly in education and medical care. That’smoney that doesn’tgotofix potholes, retain police officers or repair the Hard Rock sitefive years later
Area immigrationsweeps threaten core U.S. values
We are living through adefining mo-
Laura Canizzaro Rodrigue GUEST COLUMNIST
Let’sget the facts straight. The Department of Homeland Security launched Operation Catahoula Crunch specifically to target criminal illegalaliens who were previously arrested, released andallowed to roam free. Despite the sob story youhave been fed,these are people withrap sheets Forthose of us who have worked in the criminal justice system in NewOrleans,the scripted cries for transparency by Moreno arefalling on deafears. Wherewas the demand fortransparency when our district attorney andjudgeswere releasing violent criminals who murdered our citizens and our tourists? Manyofthose offenders had multiple prior arrests at the timetheycommitted murder and therewas neverone single newsconference.
And yes, crime in New Orleansisdown in 2025 —but let’snot pretend the city is suddenly Mayberry.Orleans Parish still has one of the highest homiciderates of most large metropolitan cities in America.There were 4separate shootings just on Saturday. We are on pace for roughly 140-150 murders this year,triple the national average and higher than cities twice our size.
Now let’stalk about money —because nothing exposes hypocrisy faster thanfollowing the tax dollars.
Louisiana is home to roughly 97,000100,000 illegal immigrants. TheFederation for American Immigration Reform calculates thenet cost of illegal immigrationnationally between $150-$200 billion annually That’saround $1,212 for every legalAmericantaxpayer every single year
In New Orleans specifically,thatburden falls hardest on acity already drowning in a$1.5 billion pension, insurance andinfrastructure deficit. According to FAIR,every illegalhousehold with U.S.-born children consumes an average of $30,000-$55,000
When an illegal alien works off the books in construction or hospitality industries that dominateNew Orleans —they often pay zero federal income tax and little to no Social Securityor Medicare. Yetthey still drive on our roads, send their kids to our schools andshow up at our emergency rooms —without insurance.
The citizens who play by therules get stuck with the tab. Property taxes go up. Sales taxes go up. Fees go up. Services get cut.All so politicianscan virtue-signal about“humanity” while ignoring the humanity of theworking class.
HelenaMoreno’sfive demands toImmigration and Customs Enforcement read like kindergarten classroom rules: Uncover your face,give daily updates, promise due process (they already have it), don’tscare people, pretty please be nice. Here’sacounter-demand from the taxpayers footing the bill: Howabout you demand that judges stop releasing murderers? How aboutyou figure out how you missed a$222 million budget deficit after reviewing the budget for thepast 8years? Howabout you stop holding news conferences flanked by recycled politicians to incite violence?
Operation Catahoula Crunch isn’t“causing harm”toNew Orleans. It’srepairing harm caused by decades of local leaders who care more about national media praise thanthe safety of their own constituents.
To every U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Department of Homeland Security agent walking the streetsof New Orleans right now: Thank you. Thank youfor doing your job despitethe endless dramatized coverage of our media, the caravans of carstailing you through thestreets, blastingair horns and whistles, screaming at you,filming you. Thank you for removing criminals and easingthe crushing tax burden on citizens. Thankyou for ignoring theloud minority that is fueled by media hysterics. Thank you forrefusing to back down. Thank you for doing your job. That’ssomething we aren’t usedtoinNew Orleans.
Laura Canizzaro Rodrigue is aformer Orleans Parishprosecutor and founder of the Bayou Mama Bears, an advocacy group.
mentinthe American story —one that forces us to ask not just whogets to come to this country,but whoweare once they do. Immigration is not peripheral to our politics; it sits at the core of our national identity
SouthLouisiana —always amelting pot —has seen this clearly.After Hurricane Katrina, as we faced the long, painful rebuilding of our communities. It was often immigrant workers —many undocumented —who cleared rubble, repaired homes and revived neighborhoods. They believed in thepromiseofAmerica and helped rebuild New Orleans.
Venezuela and Haiti with protected status, Afghan allies whohelped U.S. forces —are being swept up in broad enforcement dragnets. It’s shock and awe, designed to sow fear rather than deliver safety
President Ronald Reagan understood this promise. In his farewell address, he described America as a“shining city on ahill” with doors “open to anyone with thewill and the heart to get here.” He reminded us that America is defined not by bloodline or birthplace but by belief —infreedom,opportunity and one another.Itisuniquely American to believe that where you’re born should not define what you can become.
Today,that promise is under threat.
Instead of seeing immigrants as neighbors, teammates and future Americans, President Donald Trump, TomHoman and Stephen Miller hope we see them as scapegoats. Immigration enforcement has becomeatheater of cruelty,playing out not just in Washington or alongthe southernborder,but in parks, schools, farms and neighborhoods across the country —including here in Louisiana.
As we speak, Border Patrol agents are descending on our city, creating fear and chaos. Unlike police, they operate under alower threshold than “probable cause,” meaning they can stop people based on vague suspicion.
In practice, that means stopping people for looking Latino. As we’ve seen already across the country,even native-born citizens can get swept up.
Earlier this year,Donna Kashanian, an Iranian immigrant who fled the revolution over 50 years ago andbuilt alifein New Orleans, was abruptly taken her from her home and locked in aholding facility in rural Louisiana.
Her story is not unique. Across the country,immigrantswho pose no threat to public safety—warehouse workers on visas, day laborers,migrants from
There is adangerous agenda at play: dividing America by turning “outsiders” into enemies. It’s a politics of “othering” that undermines the principle at the heart of our Great Seal and our democracy: EPluribus Unum —out of many, one. And Ifear this is only the beginning. Earlier this year,Congress allocated $170 billion formilitarized massdeportations. This makes ICE’s budget bigger than every military budget in the world except the U.S. and China. The operation underway today is just the beginning. The good newsisthe public is turning. Americans are tough, not cruel. They wantanimmigration system that is legal, fair and controlled. Most agree that it begins with strong border enforcement—nonation can exist without borders —and clear rules that determine whocomes and whodoesn’t. Americans also agree that people whocommit serious crimes should be deported.
Bishop Mark Seitz of El Paso put it plainly: “These are signs that we are losing the story of whoweare as acountry.” He’sright. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops criticized Trump’s“indiscriminate deportation campaign” and noted they are “praying foranend to the dehumanizing rhetoric and violence.” Pope Leo has backed them up. Istand with them
This is not just apolicy crisis —it’sa crisis of identity and morality.Are we still anation that values human dignity? Anation of immigrants striving toward amore perfect union? Anation that believes in “out of many, one?” As America approaches its 250th birthday,wemust answer the samequestion generations before us have faced: Who do we want to be? In south Louisiana, we know better.Let’sensure the answer honors our past and builds on the uniquely American promise of abetter future forall of us.
Mitch Landrieuisa former mayor of NewOrleans and lieutenant governor of Louisiana.
Mitch Landrieu GUEST COLUMNIST
STAFFPHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER
U.S. Border Patrolagents gatheroutside of their vehicles as U.S. Customsand Border Protection ChiefGregoryBovino, right center,travels through Metairie and Kenner for the ‘Catahoula Crunch’ sweepsonDec. 3
Padillaran into his house and spoke with agents from inside. They eventually left afterPadilla and his wife, Leslie, aU.S. citizen, told them that Padillahas avalid workpermit. But agents returned to Padilla’shouse on Thursday,the couple said, and posted anotice on the door requesting that Darwing appear for an interview with adeportation officer on Friday
Morse said Padilla and other legally permitted employees have been staying home from work, out of fearofgetting picked up by immigrationagents.
“It’sway beyond whatI expected,” said Morse. “I expected them to go after criminals We’re in a toxic environment where there’snoquestionbeing askeduntil after.”
Alongtime registered Republican, Morse addedthat his party has become too extreme on immigration issues.
“I did vote for Trump. I didn’tvote for this,” said Morse.
Though local Democrats,
BLOTTER
Continued from page1B
Cormier was arrested at aresidenceinCrowleyon
Wednesday and booked into the Acadia Parish Jail. Bail details were not released.
Teen accused of possessingimages
A19-year-old Lafayette man has been arrested on multiple counts of possession of childsexual abuse materials involving avictim younger than 13, according to Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill’sLouisiana Bureau of Investigation.
Joshua C. Mire was arrested Dec. 10 on eight felony counts of possession of child sexual abuse material involving achild under 13.
Theinvestigationbegan with atip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, accordingtothe Attorney
Continued from page1B
The forecast is what state lawmakers use to craft a budget each year, which means the larger numbers will give them more money to spend. For the upcoming fiscal year that startsinJuly, they now have an expected surplus of about $159 million, rather than ashortfall of $131 million.
In November 2024, Landry and lawmakers cut the individual income tax rate, switching from athreetiered system with the highest rate at 4.25% down toa flat rate of 3%. They also cut the corporate income tax, switching from atiered system with atop rate of 7.5% to aflat rate of 5.5% To replace the lost revenue from those income tax cuts, lawmakers raised the sales tax by ahalf-cent to 5%.
The income tax base from wages and some businesses “is stronger than expected,” said Greg Albrecht, an economist for the Legislature.
including New Orleans Mayor-electHelenaMoreno, U.S. Rep. Troy Carter, D-New Orleans, and others have urgedBorder Patrolto be more transparent about who it arrests and to prove arrestsare not being made unfairly,area Republicans have largely been silent or supportiveof the effort, save Nungesser and more recently,Jefferson Parish Councilmember at-large Jennifer VanVrancken.
Nungesser also said Wednesday that he has tried formonths, unsuccessfully,to get ameeting
General’sOffice. The arrest resulted from ajoint operation between Murrill’sbureau and the Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office. Mire was booked into the Lafayette Parish Correctional Center.His bail was set at $200,000
Repairsneeded after church vandalized
TheSt. Landry Parish Sheriff’sOffice is seeking those responsible for vandalizing St. Ann Catholic Church, where parish supportershave started a GoFundMe campaign for repairs.
Deputieswerecalledto thechurch at 8348 U.S. 190 on Nov.29when achurch member went into theback hallof the church and noticed multiple stained-glass windowshad been broken from the outside of the building.
“You can definitely see the increase in the sales taxin the data,” he added. “Sales tax is coming in alittlestronger. Spending is coming in strong.”
ManfredDix, another state economist,noted that last year’stax system overhaul means Louisiana is “basically switchingfrom an income taxation to aconsumption taxation ” As aresult, individual income tax collections are slowly decreasing, while salestax collections are higher,hesaid.
“The tax changes are working as intended,” Dix said.
He also highlighted the fact that, even though individualincome tax collectionsare down,those revenues are stronger than he had previouslyexpected.
Albrechtsaid that Louisiana’semployment picture is strong and, for the most part, has returned to prepandemic levels,though labor force participation is slightly lower than before COVID hit.
He also said the state is expected to see an averagean-
with Landry to discuss immigration enforcementand other issues.
Landry’sspokesperson on Thursdaydismissedthat claim.
“The lieutenant governor has the governor’s cellphone —heismore thanwelcometocall or text him,” saidKelly.“The governor has received no calls from him requesting a meeting.”
Asked for comment Thursdayonthe governor’s response,Nungesser reiterated his earlier comments andsaid Landry hasnot re-
spotlight at thefront of the church and cracked glass on aside door.The cost of repairs is estimated between $6,500 and $15,000. Friends and supporters of the church launched aGoFundMe campaign to help the church recover and install security upgrades.
“Yoursupport will allow us to makethe necessary repairs to thechurch,” organizers wrote on thefundraisingpage. “Any amount will helpand we thankyou foryoursupport.”
In an update on thefundraiser,organizers said the campaign has already reached nearly half of its goal but still needs an additional $10,000 to $15,000 to fund security cameras and an alarm system, also stating that the repairs will support broader preservation efforts.
Anyone withinformation is urged to call St. Landry CrimeStoppers at (337) 948-8477, submit atip online at stlandrycrimestoppers.com,use theP3app, or dial TIPS(8477).Callers
nual growth in income and wages of about4%.
“That’swhatI seeasbasicallywhat’sgonna support us,” Albrecht said of the wageoutlook.“As long as we have that reasonablelevel of growth,that keepsusgrowing, that keeps ourrevenue coming in.
But he cautioned that if the U.S. economystartsto tank, Louisiana’seconomy will too.
“It’sreally all about the U.S.economy,” he said.
LOTTERY
sponded to his office’smeetingrequests.
He said he believes law enforcement should target criminals, but not put people with legal permits at risk
“They arenot sure what to do,” Nungessersaidin atext message,speaking about immigrants herelegally.“Need someoneto give some information that if they have (a) work permit, youare okay.”
EmailSophie Kasakove at sophie.kasakove@ theadvocate.com.
mayremainanonymous andmay be eligible for a cash reward of up to $1,000.
SEARCH
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committeefor thepermanent job and named Ramesh Kolluru, UL’s vice president forresearch,innovationand economic development, as interim president.
Kolluru’sappointment cameatthe recommendation of Jaimie Hebert, who had been serving as interim president since Aug. 1, and whoasked to return to his former job as provost.
Both Kolluruand Hebert askedonNov.10tobeconsidered for the permanent presidentialposition, according to documents The Acadiana Advocate received through a public records request.
UL hasbeen without apermanent leader since July, when longtimePresident Joseph Savoie stepped down as the university’sfinancial troubles came to publiclight.
During apacked town hall meeting Wednesday,Kolluru outlined moresteps to addressthe university’s financial woes. Kollurutoldmore than 200 attendees that he andHeberthad taken steps to eliminate most of UL’s $25 million deficit and$25 million recurring annual budget shortfall.
Thedeficitfor the current fiscalyear has beenreduced from$50 million to about $10.5 million, Kolluru said, throughcost-cutting measures, including contract
cancellations and position eliminations.
Getting to that financial position is,inpart, contingent on departments cutting 10% of theirspending, Kolluru said. The payroll reductions this fall included the elimination or consolidationofmore than 80 positions, including among vice presidents on campus. While Hebert wasleading the school, he announced thedeficitand implemented many of thecutsand changes thathavebeenmadethis fall.
UL’s financial woes surfaced in January when the Louisiana Legislative Auditor’s Officereleased itsannualaudit forUL’sathletics department andnoted a$12.6 milliondeficit for the department. And in March, the office released itsannualaudit for the university as awhole and noted four findings mostly related to timely billing and propercontrols surrounding grants. Twomonths later, then-VicePresident forAdministration and Finance Jerry Luke LeBlanc resigned fromhis position.
Staff writer Ashley White contributed to this report.
CB Taylor’s eyes light up vs. Panthers
BY MATTHEW PARAS Staff writer
Bryce Young historically has struggled against the New Orleans Saints. But one player, in particular, seems to really bother the Carolina Panthers quarterback.
Enter Alontae Taylor
“I think I just prepare the right way,” the Saints cornerback said, referring to his success over Carolina and not Young directly “I feel very comfortable knowing their receivers. I feel very comfortable with knowing their scheme, knowing their formations. And (I’m) just very confident in our defensive calls.”
Taylor’s best games in his four-year career largely have come against the Panthers, and he’ll try to match that Sunday when the Saints host Carolina Since 2022, the 27-year-old has recorded 29 tackles, six tackles for loss, three sacks and an interception when facing Carolina. He has especially bothered Young, who has a 75.1 passer rating when targeting Taylor on 23-of-35 passing for 174 yards, one touchdown and an interception, according to Pro Football Focus.
BY LUKE JOHNSON Staff writer
Call it proximity bias if you want, but Alontae Taylor had a bold prediction ready when asked about the recent performance of his New Orleans Saints teammates Kool-Aid McKinstry and Quincy Riley
“Those are going to be, I think, the best duo in the league next season,” Taylor said.
Best in the league is a tad ambitious, but the point remains: The future feels very bright for the Saints’ young outside corner tandem.
McKinstry is 23 years old and Riley is 24. Both have had moments this season where teams have taken advantage of their inexperience, but as the season has progressed, both are contributing in big ways to a suddenly stingy defense
Going into Sunday’s game against the Carolina Panthers, the Saints have
BY NOAH TRISTER AP sportswriter
BALTIMORE At most schools, players try to stay hyper-focused on the task at hand. Future opponents can wait. No looking ahead.
It is, needless to say different at Army and Navy
“We say ‘Beat Navy’ for 365 days of the year,” Army linebacker Gavin Shields said. “It’s the whole motto of our team.” Army and Navy meet Saturday in Baltimore for their annual clash. It’s the game players think about all season, and the one coaches have an eye on, too.
“This game is thought about far more than just the days leading up to it,” Army coach Jeff Monken said. “Our academy opponents are different. Defending them is different. Because they know us so well, trying to have a game plan prepared on offense is different. It’s an effort throughout the year.”
The importance of this rivalry hasn’t prevented Army (6-5) and No. 22 Navy (9-2) from being successful against other teams as well. Both have secured bowl bids the Black Knights to the Fenway Bowl and the Midshipmen to the Liberty Bowl. Navy finished tied for first
While that’s higher than Young’s overall passing rating against New Orleans (61.1 in five games), Taylor has come up huge in critical moments. His fourthquarter interception in last month’s meeting, for instance, set up a gameclinching touchdown for New Orleans. He had another pivotal stop on third and 1. Taylor also notably had three sacks on Young in last year’s season-opening win over the Panthers.
Young is 1-4 against New Orleans since he was drafted first overall in 2023.
“There’s some intangibles with that, where sometimes you just play well against a team and you feel it go the right way,” defensive coordinator Brandon Staley said. “You’re one game away from feeling humbled in this league — I know that as well. All of us. You’ve just got to take that for what it’s worth.
“But Alontae when he’s played at his best is when he keeps it simple, when he plays his game, when he stays within himself because then the quality really shows up to everybody.”
Reid returns
Justin Reid has returned to practice. The New Orleans Saints safety participated in Thursday’s session on a
ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By NAM HUH Saints cornerback Quincy Riley, center, celebrates his interception with teammates against the Chicago Bears on Oct. 19 in Chicago.
STAFF PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD
Saints cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry celebrates a tackle against the Arizona Cardinals during a game at the Caesars Superdome on Sept. 7.
ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By GAIL BURTON Navy quarterback Blake Horvath throws a pass during a game against South Florida on Nov. 15 in Annapolis, Md.
Michigan coach Moore’s fall swift
BY LARRY LAGE AP sportswriter
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Sherrone
Moore’s rise was stirring, a rugged lineman at Oklahoma who climbed the ranks to lead Michigan, the winningest program in college football, and a rare Black head coach at the top of the sport.
“If you work your tail off, dreams can come true,” Moore said when he was hired nearly two years ago His downfall has been stunning The 39-year-old Moore was fired and arrested in a matter of hours Wednesday, and remained jailed a day lafter ahead of an arraignment scheduled for Friday as police investigate an alleged assault. His firing was related to what the school called an inappropriate relationship with a staff member Moore has been through a lot in his career, especially with the Wolverines. From being a late-bloomer on the field to a top coach in the sport, Moore’s journey has been at times inspiring while peppered with scandal.
More on Moore
Moore is married with three young daughters. He is from Derby, Kansas, and didn’t start playing football until his junior year of high school. Moore played for Butler County Community College in Kansas and was an offensive lineman for coach Bob Stoops at Oklahoma during the 2006 and 2007 seasons.
Climbing the ladder
Moore’s coaching career began as a graduate assistant at Louisville in 2009 before moving on in 2014 to Central Michigan, where he caught then-Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh’s attention. Harbaugh hired him in 2018 as tight ends coach for the Wolverines.
Moore was promoted to offensive line coach and co-offensive coordinator in 2021, when the Wolverines bounced back from a 2-4, pandemic-shortened season and began a three-year run of excellence that culminated in the school’s first national title in 26 years. He was well-liked by players, who appreciated how often he smiled and engaged them in con-
versations about football and life.
“He is a dynamic, fierce and competitive individual who gets the best out of the players he mentors,” athletic director Warde Manuel said when he hired Moore.
“The players love playing for him and being with him in the building every day.”
Big break
Moore made the most of his first opportunity to lead the Wolverines, going 4-0, including a win over rival Ohio State, during the 2023 national championship season while Harbaugh served two suspensions for rules violations.
That helped to put him in a position to be promoted when Harbaugh returned to the NFL to lead the Los Angeles Chargers in January 2024.
“The only person I would want to do the job,” Harbaugh wrote in a text message that month. “I have 100% conviction that he will make us all very proud!!!”
Players on the team at the time, including former running back
“If
Previous trouble
Moore was punished twice by the NCAA for rules violations. He was suspended for two games this year as part of self-imposed sanctions for NCAA violations related to the school’s high-profile signstealing scandal. The NCAA added a third game to the suspension, which would have kept Moore off the sideline for next season’s opener against Western Michigan. Moore previously deleted an entire 52-message text thread with former Michigan staffer Connor Stalions, who was at the center of the team’s sign-stealing operation.
The texts were later recovered and shared with the NCAA. Moore also served a one-game suspension in 2023 due to recruiting infractions.
Short stint
His debut season in 2024 got off
to a rough start before rallying to win the last three games, including against the second-ranked Buckeyes and 11th-ranked Alabama in a bowl, to finish 8-5 overall and 5-4 in conference. His biggest win might have been landing heralded quarterback Bryce Underwood, one of the top recruits in the country Moore led the Wolverines to a 9-3 record this year including a 7-2 mark in the Big Ten. They finished the regular season ranked No. 18 in the AP Top 25 with a Citrus Bowl bid against No. 14 Texas on Dec. 31. The program’s four-game winning streak against archival and defending national champion Ohio State came to an end.
Lost wages Moore signed a five-year contract with a starting base salary of $5.5 million last year According to the terms of his deal, the university will not have to buy out the remaining years of his contract because he was fired for cause.
Mets makeover prompts anger from fans
BY MIKE FITZPATRICK
AP baseball writer
NEW YORK Brandon Nimmo
went first. Then it was Edwin Díaz and Pete Alonso on back-to-back days at baseball’s winter meetings. Three fan favorites headed out the door in 2 ½ weeks a powerful gut punch to angry New York Mets fans wondering what on earth the front office is thinking. As the club embarks on a major makeover, suffice to say owner Steve Cohen and president of baseball operations David Stearns are not the most popular couple in Queens right now
“I’m very optimistic about where our offseason is headed,” Stearns said Tuesday in Florida, before news of Alonso’s signing with Baltimore. “We certainly have work to do, but there are many good players out there. I’m confident we’ll like where our team is once we get to opening day.” What a difference a year makes, though. Cohen and Stearns were the toast of the town last December, beating out the crosstown New York Yankees for prized free agent Juan Soto with a record $765 million contract.
That came on the heels of an unanticipated thrill ride to the 2024 National League Championship Series, after Stearns scored big with several unheralded acquisitions during his first year in charge: Sean Manaea Luis Severino, Jose Iglesias and Tyrone Taylor Surely with Cohen’s bankroll and Stearns’ brain, the Mets were poised to take a large bite out of the Big Apple for years to come.
Yankees, be damned. Dodgers, on notice. Phillies, fuhgeddaboudit!
But as their top rivals contin-
ued to flourish this year the Mets finished 83-79 and missed the playoffs. Baseball’s second-biggest spenders, at $429 million in payroll and projected luxury tax, went 38-55 in a stunning collapse after building the best record in the majors (45-24) through June 12.
The day after the season ended, Stearns took the blame for failing at the trade deadline and Cohen apologized to fans on social media. The coaching staff under manager Carlos Mendoza was soon overhauled.
Many figured Cohen, one of the wealthiest owners in sports, would quickly reach into his robust wallet this winter — at least to keep Díaz and Alonso from leaving in free agency But that hasn’t really happened
“Steve gives us everything we need,” Stearns said this week.
“We have a lot of resources. No team has unending resources.”
After the Mets signed two-time All-Star reliever Devin Williams to a $51 million, three-year contract, Díaz agreed to a $69 million, three-year deal with the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers, subject to a successful physical.
Media reports indicated New York was outbid by only about $3 million for Díaz, who arrived in 2019 and ranks third in franchise history with 144 saves.
Then on Wednesday, news broke that Alonso agreed to a $155 million, five-year contract with Baltimore, a person with knowledge of the negotiations told The Associated Press. The person spoke to
the AP on condition of anonymity because the deal was pending a physical
The person said the Mets expressed interest in again retaining the slugging first baseman, which they did last offseason, but decided to wait and see what happened between Alonso and other teams rather than press a pursuit themselves.
“I’m flabbergasted,” Mets broadcast analyst and former pitcher Ron Darling said on MLB Network.
“Maybe they get in the Kyle Tucker race now, for a legit bat in the outfield. But it’s just, these last two days have to really be hard on Mets fans.”
All this after Nimmo, the ebullient outfielder who was the longest-tenured player on the team, waived the no-trade provision in his contract last month and accepted a deal to Texas for Gold Glove second baseman Marcus Semien.
“That’s three unbelievably great players, beloved by the fan base, have proven that they can pitch or play in New York. That’s not an easy thing, right?” Darling said. “And now, all gone.” Alonso and Nimmo combined for 63 homers and 218 RBIs last season.
“They’ve now paid Soto ($765) million to walk 150 times next year,” Darling said. Stearns grew up in Manhattan rooting for the Mets, and Cohen was a fervent fan even before buying the club five years ago. But they’ve shown little sentimentality when it comes to valuing core players, and Stearns said after trading Nimmo that “running back the exact same group wasn’t the right thing to do.”
Steelers’ Watt has been hospitalized for lung issue
PITTSBURGH Steelers All-Pro outside linebacker T.J. Watt remained in a Pittsburgh hospital on Thursday afternoon as he continued to be evaluated for a lung issue. His availability for Monday night’s game against the Miami Dolphins is in question. According to Steelers coach Mike Tomlin, Watt experienced discomfort at the team’s practice facility on Wednesday, went to the hospital and remained there overnight for further medical evaluation. After the Steelers practiced without Watt on Thursday Tomlin indicated that Watt was still hospitalized. Watt has not missed a game since Week 8 of the 2022 season, a stretch of 56 consecutive games.
If he cannot play against the Dolphins, Watt will be replaced by Nick Herbig.
Bengals DE Hendrickson placed on injured reserve
CINCINNATI Trey Hendrickson was placed on injured reserve by the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday, ending his season. The All-Pro defensive end will undergo core muscle surgery He has missed six games this season, including the last five, due to a hip/ pelvis injury
The move to injured reserve finishes a frustrating season for Hendrickson, who led the NFL with 17 ½ sacks last season. He is in the final year of a restructured contract worth $29 million after holding out during training camp. In seven games this year, Hendrickson had 16 tackles and four sacks.
Hendrickson is not expected to be back with the Bengals next season as he becomes a free agent.
Grizzlies center Edey out with ankle injury
MEMPHIS, Tenn Zach Edey is expected to miss at least a month due to the latest ankle injury for the Memphis Grizzlies center
The Grizzlies said Thursday that Edey had been diagnosed with a stress reaction in his left ankle. The team said he would be evaluated again in about four weeks after a period of rest and rehabilitation and that a full recovery was expected.
Edey had surgery on his left ankle last June, after he was voted to the All-Rookie first team. He missed the first 13 games of this season while recovering before making his season debut Nov 15 and playing in the last 11. He missed 12 games early in his rookie season because of a sprained left ankle.
Indiana QB Mendoza is AP player of the year
Reports of clubhouse tension emerged in recent weeks, though Mendoza challenged that notion.
Alonso holds the franchise record with 264 home runs. He and Nimmo join a notable list of homegrown Mets stalwarts who eventually went elsewhere — from Tug McGraw, Tom Seaver, Jerry Koosman and Jon Matlack to Darryl Strawberry, Dwight Gooden, José Reyes and Jacob deGrom.
David Wright remains one of the few star position players to spend his entire career in blue and orange. The pressure on Stearns, a small-market success in Milwaukee, now increases exponentially to plug several big holes and rebuild a contender Third baseman Mark Vientos could shift to first as Alonso’s replacement, but New York’s particular plans are unclear And the more quality players who leave, the harder it becomes to convince free agents the Mets are currently equipped to win.
These things are certain: Defense and baserunning are priorities for Stearns.
He seems very reluctant to give players in their 30s contracts longer than three years. And he believes in putting youth on the field, seeking roster flexibility and space at positions that will provide playing opportunities for the promising hitters in a highly rated farm system such as Carson Benge, Jett Williams and Ryan Clifford.
“Our resources that we have here are an enormous advantage,” Stearns said. “And as long as we allocate those resources intelligently they’re going to continue to be an enormous advantage.”
Fernando Mendoza was named Associated Press player of the year on Thursday after leading unbeaten and top-ranked Indiana to its first Big Ten championship since 1967 and the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff.
The redshirt junior quarterback was the overwhelming choice over fellow Heisman Trophy finalists Diego Pavia of Vanderbilt, Jeremiah Love of Notre Dame and Julian Sayin of Ohio State. Mendoza received 32 of 51 first-place votes from a nationwide panel of media members who cover college football. Pavia got nine to lead the rest of the group, which also included Jacob Rodriguez of Texas Tech. Mendoza is in his first year at Indiana after transferring from California.
Braves, reliever Suarez reach 3-year contract
ATLANTA Two-time All-Star reliever Robert Suarez and the Atlanta Braves agreed Thursday to a $45 million, three-year contract. He gets a $13 million salary in 2026 and $16 million in each of the following two seasons.
Suarez will donate 1% of his salary to the Atlanta Braves Foundation.
The 34-year-old was 4-6 with 40 saves and a 2.97 ERA this year and has 76 saves over the past two season.
He is 22-13 with a 2.91 ERA and 77 saves in four major league seasons, all with San Diego. He didn’t make his MLB debut until he was 31 years old, but he has had an ERA under 3.00 in three of four seasons. Left-hander Ryan Rolison was designated for assignment.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By AL GOLDIS
Michigan coach Sherrone Moore walks off the field following a game on Aug. 30 in Ann Arbor Mich
Donovan Edwards, privately lobbied Manuel to hire Moore.
anybody deserves it, it’s him,” Edwards said then.
SAINTS
limited basis after missing last week’sgame because of aknee injury.Reid sat out Wednesday’ssession but wasspotted off to the side working with trainers —anindication hisreturn was near If Reid returns for Sunday’sgame against the Panthers, the Saints would regain their starting safety New Orleans used atandem of Jordan Howden and Terrell Burgess to make up for Reid’sabsence, while rookie Jonas Sanker startedon the other side. Elsewhere, the Saints were again without running backAlvin Kamara (knee) and tackle Asim Richards (ankle).
The Saints also saw
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the No. 6pass defense, and they’ve been getting better as the season progresses. Since Week 10, when they beat Carolina on the road, New Orleans ranks No. 5in theNFL in opponent passer rating (69.0) and No. 1in passing yards allowed per game (134.5).
Thecorners aren’t responsible for all of that, but they are of course acritical pieceofit.
Take McKinstry,the 2024 second-round draft pick who took over as astarter midway through last season. He’smade his share of plays on the ball,logging team-best numbers in interceptions (three) and passes defended (10), but it’sbeen his physicality and intelligencethat have
UL FOOTBALL
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home games against Lamar on Sept. 5and UAB on Sept. 19. UL originally had atrip to Ruston to play Louisiana Tech slated for Sept. 26, but that likely will be replaced if the Bulldogs join the Sun Belt Conference as expected. The Trojans are 9-3 this season, including a7-0 record in home games. That home slate included a59-20 winoverGeorgia Southern of the Sun Belt.USC will play TCU in the Alamo Bowl on Dec. 30. It will be UL’s first football trip to California since 1994. The Cajuns have played four games through the years at San Jose State winning 25-21 in 1983 and 35-28 in 1984, before losing there 36-13in1992 and 31-28 in 1994.ULalso has played at Pacific in Stockton, California,in1979, losing 10-7
The Cajuns have played home games against Cal Poly-Ponoma in 1979 and Cal-State Fullerton in 1992 but didn’treturn the trips. More practice time
While playing bowl games isn’tabig deal for some, coaching staffs around the country have relishedthe opportunity for years. Because of injuries over the last month, the Cajuns have hadtocountonmore younger players than normal, such as redshirt freshman safety Lake Bates and true freshman safety Steven Ranel. Perhaps afew morewill get some seasoning in the extra 10 practices the Cajuns get by earning the berthtoplayDelaware in the 68 Ventures Bowl on Wednesday in Mobile,Alabama.
“That’stwo-thirds of a spring that you get with your team,” UL coachMichael Desormeauxsaid. “So for young guys that have been redshirt or not played awhole bunch or guys that maybe are playing as backups that are going to have bigger roles next year,it’s an opportunity for them. They can kind of keep their foot on the gas to continue to get betterand improve, and that’shuge.”
tackle Taliese Fuaga(ankle) practicefor asecond straight day. Running back Devin Neal (abdomen) was limited, while defensive end ChrisRumph (wrist)was upgraded to full.
Oldman Rivers
Philip Rivershas been the talk of the NFL this week, so much so that Saints coach KellenMoore brought himupunprompted during anews conference when asked about TylerShough being an older quarterbackprospect.
“Phillip Rivers is potentially playing at 44,soI think Tyler is going to be OK,” Moore said with a laugh.
Yes, theIndianapolis Colts signed the 44-yearoldRiverstothe practice squad this week after losingstarterDanielJones to aseason-ending Achilles
shown up lately He made two of the biggest defensive plays in the Nov.30gameagainst Miami. There was his interception of TuaTagovailoa, aplayhemade because of his athleticism but also his ability to process and recognize theplaythat was coming.And then, late in the game, he chased down running backOllie Gordon from the backsideofthe play to drop himfor aloss on fourth down and give New Orleans achanceatago-ahead drive. “Just agreat triggerplay by him,” Saintsdefensive coordinatorBrandonStaley said.“ Yousaw hisinstinctsondisplay,and his play recognition, which are acouple of his topqualities. “ Then last week against Tampa Bay,McKinstry contributed another fourthdown stop when he drove hard on apass to Chris
injury over theweekend —despite Rivershaving last playedfive years ago. Despite the absence, Rivers is likely in line to start Sunday’s game against theSeattle Seahawks as backup RileyLeonard is also dealing withaknee injury
Moore said he thought it was “really cool” to seeRivers attempt acomeback.
Aformer quarterback, Moorewas alsoasked whether he thought he could have comeout of retirement five years in like Rivers.
Thefirst-year coach,who wasaHeisman finalist at BoiseState and abackup in theNFL from 2012-17, jokedhehad gainedabout 30 pounds.
“(I’d) throwalot of check downs,” Moore said.
Email Matthew Paras at matt.paras@theadvocate. com
Godwin on the sideline. The Buccaneers receiver essentially hadsecured acatch that would have moved the chains, but McKinstry arrived with violence and jarred theball free.
It hasn’tbeen aperfect season for McKinstry by any stretch. The Rams went after him with star receivers Puka Nacua and DavanteAdams,bothofwhom beathim forscores. Theone explosive they’ve givenup recentlycame with McKinstry trailing Falcons receiver Darnell Mooney on a 49-yard touchdown.
But the highs have been notable, too. McKinstry earned NFC Defensive Playerofthe Week honors earlierthis season after picking off Giants rookie Jaxson Dart twice.
“It’sreally hard to play coverageinthe NFL. No one should ever take that forgranted, but that’sthe
job that we signed up for,” Saints cornerbacks coach Grady Brown said. “There have been games wherehe’s played really well. There have been games whereit felt like he played bad, and he really didn’t—heplayed maybe average on one play But that’sthe nature of our position.”
To Brown,the important thingisthatwhen McKinstry has beenbeaten, he’s often still been in position to makeaplay
“Wecan build on that,” Brown said.
On theother side is Riley, afourth-roundpick in this year’sdraft. He emerged in thescoutingprocessthis year for the Saints as having some of the best ball skills among cornersinthis year’s draft,and that trait showed up early in training camp.
“He made some plays in practice, seemed to make a
During theNew Orleans Bowl two years ago, the UL coaching staff used those practices to transition Terrence Williams from runningbacktolinebacker
“Werecruit high school players, and we believe in developing and bringing them up —from freshmen all the way through,” Desormeaux said. “So every opportunity you get to go out thereand practice with thoseguys is something that’shuge. We’re really excitedabout the class.”
Many of the UL offensive linemen who were injured this year won’tbeback for thespring season, so the Cajunscan begin to prepare younger linemen to play a larger role.
Dukesinspiring
UL received an extra jolt of encouragement from Sunday’s news thatJames Madisonofthe Sun Belt Conference earned aspot in the College Football Playoff. It was an opportunity the Cajuns werewithin shouting distanceofa yearago had they finished theseason stronger after theirhot start. If nothing else, it’saclear illustration of what is possible.
“Wetalk about it all the time,” Desormeauxsaid. “It’sactually kind of cool this year withtwo of them makingit, with Tulane and JMU. We kind of always talked about it.”
TheCajuns lost at James Madison 24-14 on Oct. 11.
“I think JMU certainly
deserves it,” Desormeaux said.“We sawitfirsthand. That’saheck of afootball team, particularlyondefense. Imean, they’re as good as it gets.Theyremind me of theApp State teams we played in 2018 and ‘19.”
EmailKevin Foote at kfoote@theadvocate.com.
pickevery fewdays,” head coach Kellen Mooresaid. Rileyoncecreditedhis ball skills with his background as abaseball center fielder, but Brown had adifferent explanation: Riley has arare ability to track multiple things at once —a trait thathelpsput Rileyin positiontomakeplays.
“Hecan coverhis guyand still see the quarterback,” Brown said. “Some guys trytodothat, andthey’re looking at the quarterback, and that’saneye violation —they never see their guy.”
Riley opened the season playing almost exclusively on special teams, but he started carving out arole on defensebyWeek 3.
Whenopening-daystarter Isaac Yiadom suffered a hamstring injury,the door opened andRiley never looked back He’sbeen starting since Week 5, though he still
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seem like they had awinning
Fora second straight season,thisgameisbeing played in Navy’sbackyard. The Midshipmenwon in Landover,Maryland, last year.Now the game is being played in Baltimore for the first time since 2016.
CBS is airing Saturday’s game, as it has done every year since 1996. It’ll be a record 17th call of this matchup for analyst Gary Danielson, who is retiring after the season. Nobody hascalledmore Army-Navy games on TV than Danielson. Verne Lundquist did it 11 times —nine on playbyplay andtwice as asideline reporter
This game will determine the winner of the Commander-In-Chief’s Trophy,which goes to
comes offthe field forTaylorwhenthe Saintsare in the base defense. According to Next Gen Stats, Riley has allowedjust 16 completions on 29 targets as the nearest defender this season, and opposing passers have a 62.0 rating when throwing his way.
Riley maynot have opened theseasonasa starter, but he’s fully seized his opportunityand doesn’t look like aplayerwho will give the job up any time soon. When Brownlooks at Riley, he sees someone whose skill setmarries well with what the Saints wantto do defensively
“This experience that he’s gainingright nowispriceless,”Brownsaid. “It’ll be an exciting career forhim if we stay on track.”
Email Luke Johnsonat ljohnson@theadvocate. com.
the winner of the annual round-robin competition among Army,Navy and Air Force. Navy won it last year by sweeping theother two academies. If all three teamsgo1-1 againsteach other,the previous year’s winner retains thetrophy,but both Army andNavyscored narrow wins over Air Force this season, making this week’s game winner-take-all. Navy quarterback Blake Horvath andArmy linebacker AndonThomas were both finaliststhis week for the William V. Campbell Trophy,also knownasthe Academic Heisman. Thehonor ultimately wenttoVanderbilt tight end Eli Stowers. Horvath is the first quarterback in the FBS to produce 1,000 yards passing and 1,000 yards rushing in back-to-back seasons since Lamar Jackson of Louisville andQuinton Flowers of South Florida both did it in 2016 and 2017.
ASSOCIATEDPRESS PHOTOByJACOB KUPFERMAN
Saints cornerback Alontae Taylor intercepts apass intended forCarolina Panthers wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan during agame on Nov. 9inCharlotte, N.C.
season.”
STAFF PHOTOSByBRAD KEMP
UL widereceiver RobertWilliams celebrates his team’swin withteammates after their overtime victoryagainstUL-Monroe at OurLadyofLourdes Stadium on Nov. 29.
Totals: 16 (2) 2-9. Lafayette Christian 15 11 89 –43 Lafayette 81 29 13 –42 3-pointers –LCA:Dean 3, LAF:Beliare1 Sampy1.Tptal Fouls: LCA11, LAF 17. Friday’s games Pine Prairie at Carencro, Lafayette at Midland, David Thibodaux at Vermilion Catholic Ville Platte at Opelousas, Rayne at Church Point, Abbeville at Teurlings, Acadiana Renaissance at Orange Tx,Acadiana Renaissance at Vidor, TX, Crowley at DeRidder Erath at Ascension Episcopal, Northwest at LakeCharles Prep, Gueydan at Hanson, Bolton at Highland Baptist, Opelousas Catholic at Westminster-Lafayette, Slaughter at Northside Christian.
BOYS SOCCER Beau Chene 5, Ascension Episcopal 3 Catholic-NI 8, Westminster 0 Lafayette Christian 3, Kaplan 1 Vermilion Catholic 6, Comeaux 1 Acadiana 3, Acadiana Renaissance 1 Carencro7,St. Martinville 1 David Thibodaux 8, Liberty 0 Beau Chene 5, Ascension Episcopal 3 Goals —BC: Robert Calidonio4,Erick Ramirez 1; AES: HayesTrotter 3. Assists AES:LaneGirouard1,Cameron Foret1,Ian McDaniel 1 Friday’s games Acadiana at Ascension Episcopal, Kaplan at Lafayette Renaissance, Westminster at Opelousas, Westminster-LAF at Westgate, Cecilia at Comeaux, SouthsideatBeau Chene, Tara at Carencro. GIRLS SOCCER
Beau Chene8,SacredHeart 0 Catholic-NI 8, Westminster 0 Lafayette Christian 5, Kaplan 1 Opelousas Catholic 8, Westgate 0 Vermilion Catholic 2, Comeaux 0 Cecilia 2, Livonia 2 St. Martinville 1, Carencro 1 Dominican 4, Lafayette 0 Friday’s games New Iberia at Lafayette Christian, Opelousas Catholic at Livonia, Westminster at Opelousas, Cecilia at Comeaux, Tara at Carencro, St. Thomas More at CE Byrd, AJ Ellender at Acadiana.
Odds
Sports Betting Line
NFL
16 18 16 14 —64 3-pointers–COM:Lee 1, Johnson 2, Roy2; ST:Melancon 1, Martin 2, Blanchard1,J Martin 2, Kinchen 1. Total Fouls: COM 15, ST 16. Friday’s games Lafayette Renaissance at New Iberia, Mamou at Eunice, Rayne at Church Point, Erath at Ascension Episcopal, Glencoe at Delcambre, Westminster at Midland, Gueydan at Hanson,Bolton at HighlandBaptist, Opelousas Catholic at Westminster-LAF Slaughter at NorthsideChristian GIRLS BASKETBALL Lafayette Christian 43, Lafayette42 Northside 62, Abbeville 27 Rayne 47, Crowley 23 Opelousas Catholic 41, Catholic-NI 24 Central Private 47, Lafayette Renaissance 39 Ascension Episcopal 23, Hanson 19 Lafayette Christian 43,Lafayette 42 LAFAYETTE CHRISTIAN (43) Shonne Simien 12, Kenadie Jackson 7, Logan Boutte 6, Paityn Dean 18, Totals: 13 (3) 6-12
Sunday FAVORITE OPEN TODAYO/U UNDERDOG at K.C. 5½
Aflurry of fun
The annual Let It Sneaux holidayevent,hostedbyBREC, will take place from 2p.m. to 6p.m. SaturdayatPerkins Road Community Park. Among theactivities will be Mini Maker’sMarket, pettingzoo,holiday train andponyrides, livemusic,photos with Santaand holidaydrone light showat6p.m. brec.org.
LIVING
GIFT AND GAME
Dispatch, Keeper,BallxPit highlight holiday gaming season
BY DOMINIC BAEZ
The Seattle Times (TNS)
The past few weeks have seen some major video game releases, including Ghost of Yotei, Battlefield 6, Pokémon Legends: Z-A and Call of Duty: Black Ops 7.
On top of that, the nominee announcements for December’s Game Awards havebrought attention back to some titles that have gotten love all year,like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33and Hollow Knight: Silksong.
So it’stotally reasonable if youmay have missed some of the smaller,more worthwhile releases that have comeout recently (and don’tcost$70).
From one of the most engrossingscripts I’ve ever hadthe pleasure of experiencing toa surreal, wordless adventure, here are three new games worth every minute andpenny (ifyou haveany of thoseleft), each less than $30.
ADHOC STUDIO/TNS ILLUSTRATION
RobertRobertson III (voiced by Aaron Paul) is asuperhero without powers in Dispatch, an eight-episodeadventure game/ workplace comedy.
Dispatch
n Available on:PlayStation 5and Windows PC
In 2012, developer Telltale Games released the first seasonofThe Walking Dead, an episodic adventure series based on the comic bookseriesofthe same. It was revolutionary for its branching, player-influenced narrative and for helpingtorevive theadventure genre.The series waned over theyears, thanksinnosmall part to alack of innovation goingforward So Iwas abit hesitant to check out Dispatch, developed and publishedbyAdHoc Studio, which was foundedbyformer Telltale staff, amongothers. Thathesitationwas fornaught: Dispatch is one of thebest games I’ve played in sometime In this eight-hour game, broken up into eight episodes, youcontrol Robert Robertson III (yes, that’s hisname),a powerless superhero whouses amechto fight crime in Los Angeles. One rough night later, he’sworking for the Superhero Dispatch Network,where he sends histeam of former villains out to save the day,from catchingfalling planestorescuing kittens in trees.
ä See GAMES, page 6C
Tunes under the tree
Here’s alookatthe holiday’sfestive and reflective musicfor 2025
BY JOHN WIRT | Contributing writer
Anew slate of festiveand reflectivemusic arrived early this holiday season
BY JUDY BERGERON Staff writer
In the tradition of Nat King Cole’s“The Christmas Song” andLouisiana’sVince Vance & theValiants’ andMariah Carey’s “All IWant for Christmas Is You,”some of these fresh yuletide lyrics and melodies may become perennials. Thisyear’s newsongs include country star Lainey Wilson’s“Peace, Love, &Cowboys (HolidayEdition),” Willie Nelson’s “Christmas Love Song” and Norah Jones’duetwith Leon Bridges, “ThisChristmas I’mComingHome.”
Also on Santa’splaylistare albumsbythe traditional jazz musiciansofNew Orleans’ Preservation Hall, 90-year-old trumpetstar Herb Alpert, anda cappella groupStraight No Chaser (with Acadianasingers HunterHayes and MarcBroussard)
Thetourthatdoesn’t want to end —Bob Dylan’s “Rough and Rowdy Ways” worldwide jaunt —lands in Louisiana for two shows in April. Named after his 2020 album, the tour launched in 2021 and was initially set to wrap up in 2024, but tour
ä See MUSIC, page 6C
Dylan
PROVIDED ALBUM COVER ART
FRIDAY
LIVE MUSIC: Cane River Pecan Company Pie Bar, New Iberia, 5 p.m.
DERRICK SAVOIE: Adopted Dog Brewing, Lafayette, 6 p.m.
STEVE RILEY & THE MAMOU PLAYBOYS: Hideaway on Lee, Lafayette, 8 p.m.
TOMMY G AND
By The Associated Press
Today is Friday Dec. 12, the 346th day of 2025. There are 19 days left in the year
Today in history:
On Dec. 12, 2000, George W. Bush became presidentelect as a divided U.S. Supreme Court reversed a state court recount decision in Florida’s tightly contested presidential election.
Also on this date:
In 1870, Joseph H. Rainey of South Carolina became the first Black lawmaker sworn into the U.S. House of Representatives. In 1963, the east African nation of Kenya declared
GAMES
Continued from page 5C
The gameplay is minimal, consisting of quick-time prompts during conversations and sequences in which you decide how to send your team out across L.A., both of which affect future in-game outcomes. (Tip: Don’t send the hot-tempered member to de-escalate any situation. It never works.) The narrative, dialogue and pacing, however, are top of their class. In collaboration with Critical Role Productions, the company behind the fantastic “The Legend of Vox Machina” series on Prime Video, Dispatch has some of the best writing in video games, full of charm, wit and hilarious brashness. A powerhouse voice cast including Aaron Paul (as Robert), Laura Bailey, Erin Yvette, Alanah Pearce, Matthew Mercer and Jeffrey Wright doesn’t hurt either With Dispatch, AdHoc has taken up Telltale’s adventure game mantle, creating something uproariously clever, emotionally endearing and, most important, enjoyable to play I need Season 2, ASAP Keeper
n Available on: Xbox Series
X|S and PC (also on Xbox Game Pass)
On the other hand, there’s not a single word of dialogue
SAM SPHAR: Charley G’s, Lafayette, 6 p.m. STOP THE CLOCK COUNTRY JAZZ: Feed & Seed, Lafayette, 6 p.m.
SWAMP BLUES REVIVAL: Silver Slipper, Arnaudville, 7 p.m. “THE NUTCRACKER”: Heymann Center, Lafayette, 7 p.m.
MONDAY
PATRICIO LATINO SOLO: Cafe Habana City, Lafayette, 11 a.m.
SAM SPHAR: Charley G’s, Lafayette, 6 p.m.
BLUEGRASS JAM: Cité des Arts, Lafayette, 6:30 p.m.
TODAY IN HISTORY
independence from Britain; it became a republic exactly a year later In 1985, 248 American soldiers and eight crew members were killed when an Arrow Air charter crashed after takeoff from Gander Newfoundland In 2015, nearly 200 nations meeting in Paris adopted the first global pact to fight climate change, calling on the world to collectively cut greenhouse gas emissions but imposing no sanctions on countries that didn’t do so. In 2020, thousands of supporters of President Donald Trump gathered in Washington for rallies to back his
in Keeper, the latest creation from Double Fine, known for ingenious adventure games like Psychonauts and Broken Age. Yet you can’t help but be affected by the surreal journey you embark on. And it is surreal, not least of all because you play as an animated lighthouse with a birdlike creature as your main companion. The path forward is fairly linear, and the puzzles are only occasionally challenging But it’s the environment that’s the main draw here It’s like a trippy watercolor come to life, vibrant in palette choice and gorgeous in its execution. And it’s only when the colors start to change that you realize the true danger you’re in Admittedly, the slow pace of Keeper won’t be for everyone, but if you’re looking for a five-hour escape full of unexpected surprise and beauty — and a dorky little bird that likes to decorate you with seafaring ornaments I recommend you give it a try
Ball x Pit
n Available on: PS5, Xbox X|S, Nintendo Switch, PC and macOS (also on Xbox Game Pass)
And on the other other hand, there’s a Ball x Pit, which almost never slows down. Developed by just one person and published by Devolver Digital, Ball x Pit throws you in a pit filled
TUESDAY
DAVE TRAINER: Char-
ley G’s, Lafayette, 6 p.m.
PAUL TASSIN: Whiskey & Vine, Lafayette, 6 p.m.
TERRY HUVAL &
FRIENDS: Prejean’s Restaurant, Lafayette, 6 p.m.
CHRISTMAS CAROLING WITH WILSON
SAVOY: Hideaway on Lee, Lafayette, 8 p.m.
WEDNESDAY
DULCIMER JAM: St. Landry Visitor Center, Opelousas, 10 a.m.
ANDREW WAIN & LOGAN TURNER JAZZ
DUO: Whiskey and Vine, Lafayette, 6 p.m.
LIVE MUSIC: Park Bistro, Lafayette, 6 p.m.
SAM SPHAR: Charley G’s, Lafayette, 6 p.m.
BRANDON MEN-
ARD: The Tap Room, Youngsville, 6:30 p.m.
CAJUN JAM: Blue Moon Saloon, Lafayette, 8 p.m.
THURSDAY
LAYLA LAVERGNE: Whiskey & Vine, Lafayette, 6 p.m.
JULIE WILLIAMS: Charley G’s, Lafayette, 6 p.m.
LIVE MUSIC: Naq’s-nDuson, Duson, 6 p.m.
SONGWRITER’S
NIGHT: Blue Moon Saloon, Lafayette, 8 p.m.
“HOME ALONE” IN CONCERT — THE MOVIE LIVE WITH THE SYMPHONY: Heymann Center, Lafayette, 7 p.m.
Compiled by Marchaund Jones. Want your venue’s music listed?
Email info/photos to showstowatch@ theadvocate.com. The deadline is noon FRIDAY for the following Friday’s paper
efforts to subvert the election he lost to Joe Biden.
Today’s birthdays: Basketball Hall of Famer Bob Pettit is 93. Singer Dionne Warwick is 85. Hall of Fame race car driver Emerson Fittipaldi is 79. Actor Bill Nighy is 76. Gymnast-actor Cathy Rigby is 73. Singer-musician Sheila E. is 68. Actor Sheree J. Wilson is 67. Tennis Hall of Famer Tracy Austin is 63. Football Hall of Famer John Randle is 58. Actor Jennifer Connelly is 55. Actor Regina Hall is 55. Actor Mayim Bialik is 50. Model-actor Bridget Hall is 48. Actor Lucas Hedges is 29. Actor and rapper Sky Katz is 21.
with monsters, which you must defeat with balls. Shocking, I know But it’s not as simple as it sounds.
In fact, the main gameplay mechanic is surprisingly in-depth, thanks to the sheer number of ways different balls interact with each other and the enemies around you. As the player, you have access to several different adventurers, each with their own destructive ball weapons As you progress, you can level them up and even fuse them together to create entirely new weapons. Randomness also plays a heavy role, making no two runs exactly the same.
Levels get chaotic very quickly especially when you’re using area-of-effect balls or when allies join you on your quest But that’s only half the game. When you finish a level (or die), you’re sent to your town. It’s here where you’ll harvest resources that can be used to build and upgrade your town’s infrastructure, which in turn helps enhance your adventurers. (I will say, the town interface is entirely too clunky and probably the worst part of the game.)
But then you return to the pit, with new knowledge and perhaps newfound strength, and it’s an absolute blast. It takes about 20 hours to beat Ball x Pit, but it’s the type of game you could easily spend dozens of hours playing and you probably will.
MUSIC
Continued from page 5C
Here’s a sampling of seasonal sounds: HERB ALPERT,“Christmas Time Is Here”: Alpert applies his signature sound to “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “My Favorite Things,” Vince Guaraldi’s “Christmas Time Is Here” and more.
DREW BALDRIDGE AND MICKEY GUYTON, “Joy to Your World”: Baldridge and Guyton sing this duet in the Hallmark Channel movie “A Grand Ole Opry Christmas.”
ERIC BENET, “It’s Christmas”: The smooth rhythm-andblues singer interprets “Please Come Home for Christmas,” “Christmas Time Is Here” and more classics.
LUKE BRYAN,“Luke Bryan Christmas”: The country star and “American Idol” judge duets with Ella Langley for “Winter Wonderland,” a new recording packaged with his previously released “Run Run Rudolph” and “O Holy Night.”
CELTIC WOMAN, “Nollaig — A Christmas Journey”: Includes standards plus the new “Nollaig na mBan” (“Women’s Christmas”) and Irish tunes with a yuletide twist.
BING CROSBY, ROSEMARY CLOONEY, DANNY KAYE, VERAELLEN, “White Christmas”: The soundtrack to the 1954 movie musical returns in vinyl LP format.
DAN + SHAY, “Long Live Christmas”: The country duo follows its 2024 Christmas album “It’s Officially Christmas: The Double Album” with the new song “Long Live Christmas.”
FLOWERVLOVE, “wishlist”: Twenty-year-old flowervlove longs for romance in her first holiday song.
NATALIE GRANT, “Christmas”: The Christian music singer’s holiday standards album features a “Silent Night” duet with MercyMe’s Bart Millard.
THE JONAS BROTHERS, “A Very Jonas Christmas Movie”: Seven new songs plus the brothers’ 2019 holiday single “Like It’s Christmas.”
LADY A, “On This Winter’s Night: Volume 2”: The country trio’s sequel to 2012’s “On This Winter’s Night” features the new song “Wouldn’t Be Christmas.”
LAUFEY, “Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Town”: The popular jazz singer adds another track to her 2022 EP “A Very Laufey Holiday.” It can be seen and heard in a clay-animation music video at youtube.com/watch?v=tmy1mr0RhA.
LITTLE BIG TOWN, “The Innkeeper”: Following last year’s “The Christmas Record” album, the country quartet adds a new song to its holiday repertoire.
DEAN MARTIN,“Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!”: Pressed on a 7-inch white vinyl single, the classic crooner’s 1959 recording of “Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!” pairs with B-side “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.”
PAUL McCARTNEY, “Wonderful Christmastime”: His 1979 single reissued on 7-inch white vinyl with B-side “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reggae.”
PHOTO By WILLIAMS HIRAKAWA Dan + Shay, ‘Long Live Christmas’
PARKER McCOLLUM, “Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Town”: Inspired by Bruce Springsteen’s 1975 rendition, the country singer takes on “Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Town.”
BONEY JAMES, “ ’Tis The Season”: Combines the smooth jazz saxophonist’s two previous holiday albums with his new “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.”
KYLIE MINOGUE,“Kylie Christmas (Fully Wrapped)”: Pressed in transparent red vinyl, this 10th anniversary edition adds new songs “Hot in December,” “Office Party” and “This Time of Year.”
WILLIE NELSON,“Christmas Love
Song”: The 92-year-old Nelson keeps his seasonal sentiment sweet and simple “It don’t sparkle or shine, but it’s one of a kind,” he sings.
“I put my whole heart into this Christmas love song to you.”
OLD CROW MEDICINE SHOW
“OCMS Xmas”: Rootsy string band Old Crow Medicine Show goes off the snowy path with the Mississippi John Hurt-inspired “Jolly Man,” the zydeco-styled “All About a Baby,” “Corn Whiskey Christmas” and 10 more. The group is currently on its first “Holiday Hootenanny” tour
DOLLY PARTON, “A Holly Dolly Christmas”: The picture disc fifth-anniversary edition of Parton’s hit holiday album from 2020. Guests Miley and Billy Ray Cryus, Michael Bublé, Nelson and Rod Stewart join the party BRAD PAISLEY, “Snow Globe Town”: A 16-song collection including the official theme song for the Hallmark Channel’s “Countdown to Christmas” and two songs from the Hallmark movie “A Grand Ole Opry Christmas.”
PRESERVATION HALL, “Preservation Hall Wishes You a Very Merry Creole Christmas”: New Orleans’ Preservation Hall community of traditional jazz musicians plays holiday classics.
LEANN RIMES “Greatest Hits Christmas”: Rimes sings Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” Joni Mitchell’s “River,” the “Today” show’s holiday theme song “Today Is Christmas” and more.
STRAIGHT NO CHASER, “Holiday Road”: Acadiana singers Hunter Hayes and Marc
Broussard and country singer Mickey Guyton make guest appearances on the a cappella group’s latest Christmas collection.
STRYPER, “The Greatest Gift of All”: The first Christmas album from the head-banging Christian metal band.
THALIA, “SANTA (Crush on You/ Tengo Un Crush Contigo)”: The Latin pop star continues her holiday streak of the past several years.
DIMITRI TIOMKIN,“It’s a Wonderful Life”: One of Hollywood’s golden age film composers, Tiomkin scored the 1946 classic “It’s a Wonderful Life.” This soundtrack album’s 31 tracks include such pivotal scenes as “Uncle Billy’s Blunder” and “Potter’s Threat.”
LAINEY WILSON, “Peace, Love, & Cowboys (Holiday Edition)”: Country superstar and Louisiana native Wilson revamps “Peace, Love, & Cowboys” for Christmastime. A duet with classic crooner Bing Crosby of “Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!” plus instrumental versions of the latter songs make it a four-track EP
TRISHA YEARWOOD, “Christmastime”: A symphony orchestra accompanies the country star for her 12-song holiday album, including “You’re a Mean One, Mr Grinch” and “Blue Christmas.”
VARIOUS ARTISTS, “The Chess Records Christmas Album”: Chicago’s Chess Records released rock ’n’ roll hits and blues classics in the 1950s and ’60s and jazz and gospel music, too Chuck Berry headlines this collection (“Run Rudoph Run” and two more), joining the Moonglows (“Hey Santa Claus”), Ramsey Lewis Trio (“Christmas Blues”), Sonny Boy Williamson (“Santa Claus”), Salem Travelers (“Merry Christmas to You’) and more.
VARIOUS ARTISTS, “A Strange Daisy Christmas”: This double album pressed in “lump of coal black” vinyl contains Louisiana underground artists performing standards and originals.
VARIOUS ARTISTS, “Verve // Remixed Holiday”: This expanded edition adds five new tracks. DJs Tourist, Ginton, Bolden and more put their spin on Louis Armstrong, Dinah Washington, Nina Simone, Ella Fitzgerald and more classic Verve label artists. More singles, EPs and albums: DAVID ARCHULETA, “My Only Wish”; LEON BRIDGES “A Merry Black Christmas”; BELA FLECK, “Jingle All the Way”; THE FUTUREHEADS, “Christmas”; COCO JONES, “Skip My House”; GUYTON “Feels Like Christmas”; TAYLOR MOMSEN (THE PRETTY RECKLESS), “Pretty Reckless Christmas”; MORNING JACKET, “Does Xmas Fiasco Style”; PENATONIX, “Christmas In The City”; MEGHAN TRAINOR, “Gifts for Me”; VENICE BEACH DUB CLUB, “Good King Wenceslas”; JOHN WATERS, “Little Cindy/A Pig Latin Visit From St. Nicholas”; DEBBIE WILEMAN “A Christmas Garland: Debbie Wileman as Judy Garland”; and VARIOUS ARTISTS, “Punk Rock Christmas.”
Email John Wirt at j_ wirt@msn.com.
PROVIDED
sAGIttARIus (nov 23-Dec 21) Hasty choices will backfire, leaving you in a quandary that can cost you if you aren't careful. Ease into situations, mull over information and consider what works best for you before making a move.
cAPRIcoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Reach out to those you look up to for information with caution. Ask questions and listen carefully, but when it comes time to make a choice, rely on your instincts.
AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Participating in something you enjoy will help you relax. Distancing yourself from stress will help you gain perspective on what's meaningful to you and how to cope with life's little challenges.
PIscEs (Feb. 20-March 20) Stick close to home and engage in something creative. Make positive changes to your routine and revamp your plans to encourage healthy lifestyle choices.
ARIEs (March 21-April 19) Focus on gaining experience and knowledge. Participate in events that address causes and concerns you are passionate about. Socializing with the wrong people will cost you.
tAuRus (April 20-May 20) You are overdue for a change. Consider how you can use your space to help develop new skills or pursue a project that can bring in extra cash. Be compassionate and understanding.
GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Don't sit back when interacting with others; it will
spark your imagination and get you moving in a new direction. Be a good listener, observer and communicator.
cAncER (June 21-July 22) Use your connections wisely and share your ideas only with those you trust. Avoid anyone who tends to dominate or bully. Discuss budgets, shared expenses and domestic matters to avoid financial setbacks.
LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) Engage in activities and conversations that offer insight into what those close to you want to do. Participating in social events and physical activities can connect you to someone special.
VIRGo (Aug. 23-sept. 22) You may desire change, but you are likely to meet with opposition if you move too quickly. Ask an expert, verify information and consider less risky alternatives.
LIBRA (sept. 23-oct. 23) Scout around your neighborhood, ask questions, gather information and make domestic choices that improve your living space or arrangements. Know when to say no and walk away.
scoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) Chase knowledge and life experience What you learn will offer greater awareness of the possibilities. Discipline regarding the use of money will be necessary.
Celebrity Cipher cryptograms are created from quotations by famous people, past and present. Each letter in the cipher stands for another.
toDAy's cLuE: P EQuALs B
CeLebrItY CIpher
For better or For WorSe peAnUtS
FrAnK And erneSt
Forth
beetLe bAILeY
Mother GooSe And GrIMM SherMAn’S LAGoon
bIG nAte
Sudoku
InstructIons: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 grid with several given numbers. Theobject is to place the numbers 1to9 in the empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. Thedifficulty level of theSudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.
Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer
nea CroSSwordS La TimeS CroSSword
THewiZard oF id
BLondie
BaBY BLueS
Hi and LoiS CurTiS
Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer
By PHILLIP ALDER
Yesterday, we saw that if the opener bids one of a suit, the next player makes a takeout double, and the responder bids a lower-ranking suit at the two-level, this showsaweakhand.So,whatdoesitmean iftheresponderredoublesfirst,thenbids a new suit on the second round?
Right logically, it must be forcing. The responder has promised at least 10 high-card points and the hunt is on for the right contract for the opening side.
Intoday’sdeal,afterresponder’sthreeclub rebid, South might continue with a three-diamond bid. Then North would presumably cue-bid three hearts to ask his partner to bid three no-trump with a heart stopper. Here, of course, South would be happy to oblige. And, as in the given sequence, South just plunges straight into our favorite contract when we have game values but no major-suit fit. (Note that five clubs fails, but five diamonds makes.) West leads the heart king. What should South do?
Unless the heart suit is blocked, if declarerlosesatrickbeforehehastaken nine, he rates to concede at least that lost trick and four hearts. So, South should concentrate on getting seven diamond winners.
After taking the first (or second) heart trick, South cashes the diamond ace.
