The Acadiana Advocate 12-19-2025

Walt Handelsman speaks on his love for drawing as he hangs up his pen Commentary 3B THE

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UL presidential search panel named Timeline for 2026 set, website with updates launches

cide the next president of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.

The committee includes UL system board members and Lafayette community members. UL system President Rick Gallot will serve as the chair but will not be able to vote.

“UL Lafayette plays a vital role in

BY MEGAN WYATT shaping the future of our state,” GalStaff writer lot said in a statement Wednesday.

The University of Louisiana sys- “This search is about leadership — tem on Wednesday named members finding a president who understands of a committee that will help to de- the responsibility of leading a major

public research university and who values its people and its mission.”

Voting members of the committee include: n Steve Davison, member of the UL system board n Lee Jackson, member of the UL system board n Keith Myers, member of the UL system board n Maria Nechaeva, member of the UL system board n John Noble Jr., member of the

UL system board n Dana Peterson, member of the UL system board n Mark Romero, chair of the UL system board n Kristine Russell, member of the UL system board n Leah Orr, president of the UL Lafayette Faculty Senate.

Nonvoting members of the committee include: n Georges Antoun, member of the UL Lafayette Foundation Board

Judge upholds La. pre-K rule New state licensing regulations affect private preschools

n Kimberly Billeaudeau, president of the UL Lafayette Staff Senate n State Sen. Gerald Boudreaux, D-Lafayette n Jake Delhomme, former Ragin’ Cajuns football player and NFL quarterback n State Rep. Julie Emerson, RCarencro n Ryan Furby, founder of RAF

ä See SEARCH, page 4A

AI firm to use La. data center West Feliciana Parish expects job growth from 600-acre project

BY STEPHANIE RIEGEL and IANNE SALVOSA Staff writers

inal-background check before the Jan. 1 deadline to apply for a license, site inspections will take several months to complete, giving schools extra time to meet the law’s requirements, the judge wrote.

Passed unanimously by the state Legislature this year, Act 409 establishes some standards that apply to all preschool programs, such as minimum staffing levels. But only pre-K programs at private schools are required to obtain an “early learning center” license, subjecting the schools to dozens of child care regulations and mandatory

The company building an AI data center in West Feliciana Parish said early Wednesday that Anthropic, whose Claude chatbot is a rival to ChatGPT, has signed a long-term deal to use the facility, marking the second mega tech company to set up an AI data center in Louisiana in the past year.

In a release Wednesday, Miami-based Hut 8 said it is partnering with Anthropic and another company, Fluidstack, to deliver AI data center infrastructure — power and equipment — over several years at the 600-acre River Bend campus, which is just south of St. Francisville.

Hut 8 said it has signed a 15-year, $7 billion deal with Fluidstack to provide AI data center capacity to Anthropic.

In a related announcement, Hut 8 said Google is backstopping the Fluidstack lease, essentially guaranteeing that if Fluidstack defaults, Google will step in and take over.

Anthropic is a public benefit corporation that does research and development on artificial intelligence and has created the Claude family of large language models.

Fluidstack is a New York startup that develops and operates the tech side of AI data centers.

Hut 8 is a publicly traded company that handles the real estate and financial side of AI data center developments.

The first phase of the project will encompass 600,000 square feet of data center space on a 611-acre campus and provide 330 megawatts of power from a related power substation already under

ä See PRE-K, page 4A

ä See CENTER, page 4A

STAFF FILE PHOTO

A new state law requires pre-K programs at private schools to obtain an ‘early learning center’ license, subjecting the schools to dozens of child care regulations and mandatory inspections.

BY PATRICK WALL

Staff writer

Private preschools in Louisiana must apply for day care licenses by Jan. 1 after a federal judge rejected an effort by two Christian schools to block the new licensing rule, which they argue overly burdens and discriminates against religious schools.

U.S. District Court Judge Terry Doughty denied the schools’ request to halt enforcement of the licensing requirement in Act 409, a new law that imposes sweeping regulations on prekindergarten programs. Doughty ruled that the harms the schools cited,

including tuition increases or even preK closures due to compliance costs, are “speculative” and that religious schools are not unconstitutionally targeted.

“This is not a law created to single-out religious institutions,” Doughty wrote in his Monday decision, adding that the law is “justified by a neutral and compelling state interest in child safety and welfare.”

Doughty, who is chief U.S. district judge for the Western District of Louisiana and was nominated to the court

by President Donald Trump, also noted that schools do not have to be in full compliance with the law by next month.

While pre-K owners must clear a crim-

Police investigating connection between attacks at Brown, MIT

BY KIMBERLEE KRUESI, ALANNA DURKIN RICHER and ERIC TUCKER Associated Press

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Authorities said Thursday that they’re looking into a connection between last weekend’s mass shooting at Brown University and an attack two days later near Boston that killed a professor at another elite school, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

That is according to three people familiar with the matter who

WEATHER HIGH 63 LOW 44 PAGE 6A

were not authorized to discuss an ongoing investigation and spoke on condition of anonymity. Two of the people said investigators had identified a person of interest in the shootings and were actively seeking that individual.

The attacker at Brown on Saturday killed two students and wounded nine others in a classroom in the school’s engineering building before getting away.

About 50 miles north, MIT professor Nuno F.G. Loureiro was gunned down in his home Monday night in the Boston suburb of

Brookline. The 47-year-old physicist and fusion scientist died at a hospital the next day.

The FBI previously said it knew of no links between the cases.

It’s been nearly a week since the shooting at Brown. There have been other high-profile attacks in which it took days or longer to make an arrest, including in the brazen New York City sidewalk killing of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO last year, which took five days.

But frustration is mounting in

A woman lights a candle at a memorial on Thursday at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO

ä See ATTACKS, page 5A

Business ......................7C Commentary ................3B Nation-World................2A Classified ..................11C Living............................5C Opinion ........................2B Comics-Puzzles .. 8C-10C Metro ...........................1B Sports ..........................1C

101ST yEAR, NO. 172

2A ● Friday, December 19, 2025 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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FROM WIRE REPORTS

Democrats won’t publish 2024 election review

ATLANTA — Democrats will not issue a postelection report on their 2024 shellacking after all.

The Democratic National Committee head has decided not to publish a formal assessment of the party’s defeat that returned Donald Trump to power and gave Republicans complete control in Washington.

Ken Martin, a Minnesota party leader who was elected national chair after Trump’s election, ordered a thorough review of what went wrong and what could be done differently, with the intent they would circulate a report as Republicans did after their 2012 election performance. Martin now says the inquiry, which included hundreds of interviews, was complete but that there is no value in a public release of findings that he believes could lead to continued infighting and recriminations before the 2026 midterms when control of Congress will be at stake.

“Does this help us win?” Martin said in a statement Thursday.

“If the answer is no, it’s a distraction from the core mission.”

Martin’s decision, first reported by The New York Times, spares top Democrats from more scrutiny about their campaigns, including former President Joe Biden, who withdrew from the race after announcing his second-term run, and his vice president, Kamala Harris, who became the nominee and lost to Trump.

Keeping the report under wraps also means Martin does not have to take sides in the tugof-war between moderates and progressives or make assessments about how candidates should handle issues that Trump capitalized on, such as transgender rights. “We are winning again,” Martin said.

Martin’s announcement follows a successful string of 2025 races, both in special elections and off-year statewide votes, that suggest strong enthusiasm for Democratic candidates.

Man sentenced to death in metro Phoenix killings PHOENIX — An Arizona jury on Thursday sentenced a man to death in a string of killings in metro Phoenix during a threeweek span in 2017.

Cleophus Cooksey Jr., 43, was found guilty in late September of murder in eight killings. He also was convicted of kidnapping, armed robbery and attempted sexual assault charges stemming from the attacks.

Jurors sentenced Cooksey to death in six of the eight killings for which he was convicted of murder. The jury was undecided on the punishment for his convictions in the killings of his mother and stepfather.

Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell is considering whether to seek a sentencing retrial on the two murder convictions involving Cooksey’s mother and stepfather or drop the effort to seek the death penalty and let a judge impose life sentences on those two counts.

The victims included two men found dead in a parked car, a security guard shot while walking to his girlfriend’s apartment and a woman who was kidnapped, her body found in an alley after police say she was sexually assaulted.

Authorities say they linked Cooksey to the killings through evidence found at his mother’s apartment. That evidence included a gun used in several of the killings, vehicle keys belonging to another victim and a victim’s necklace that Cooksey was wearing when he was arrested, investigators said.

Authorities never offered a motive.

lll

7 killed in N.C. plane crash

tion safety expert Jeff Guzzetti Retired NASCAR driver Greg Biffle, wife, and two children were aboard said.

It has two engines and typi-

BY ALLEN G. BREED and GARY D. ROBERTSON Associated Press

STATESVILLE, N.C. — A business jet carrying seven people, including retired NASCAR driver Greg Biffle and his family, crashed Thursday at an airport in North Carolina, killing everyone aboard, authorities said.

The Cessna C550 erupted into a large fire when it hit the ground. It had departed Statesville Regional Airport, about 45 miles north of Charlotte, but soon crashed while trying to return and land, North Carolina Highway Patrol said.

Flight records show the plane was registered to a company run

by Biffle.

“Although the post-crash fire prevents us from releasing a definitive list of the occupants at this time, it is believed that Mr. Greg-

ory Biffle and members of his immediate family were occupants of the airplane,” state police said.

He was on the plane with his wife, Cristina, and children Ryder and Emma. Others on the plane were identified as Dennis Dutton, his son Jack, and Craig Wadsworth.

Biffle, 55, won more than 50 races across NASCAR’s three circuits, including 19 at the Cup Series level. He also won the Trucks Series championship in 2000 and the Xfinity Series title in 2002.

NASCAR said it was devastated by the news. “Greg was more than a champion driver; he was a beloved member of the NASCAR community, a fierce competitor, and a friend to so many,” NASCAR said. “His passion for racing, his integrity, and his commitment to fans and fellow competitors alike made a lasting impact on the sport.”

The plane, bound for Florida, took off from the Statesville airport shortly after 10 a.m., according to tracking data posted by FlightAware.com.

Golfers playing next to the airport were shocked as they witnessed the disaster, even dropping to the ground at the Lakewood Golf Club while the plane was overhead. The ninth hole was covered with debris. “We were like, ‘Oh my gosh! That’s way too low,’ ” said Joshua Green of Mooresville. “It was scary.”

The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration were investigating. AccuWeather says there was some drizzle and clouds at the time of the crash.

The Cessna plane, built in 1981, is a popular mid-sized business jet with an excellent reputation, avia-

cally seats six to eight passengers.

In 2024, Biffle was honored for his humanitarian efforts after Hurricane Helene struck the U.S., even using his personal helicopter to deliver aid to flooded, remote western North Carolina.

“The last time I spoke with Cristina, just a couple of weeks ago, she reached out to ask how she could help with relief efforts in Jamaica. That’s who the Biffles were,” U.S. Rep. Richard Hudson, R-N.C., said.

Wadsworth was Biffle’s friend and helped him with odd jobs, including delivering supplies to places hit by Hurricane Helene, roommate Benito Howell said.

“He didn’t know how to say no,” Howell said of Wadsworth, who had worked for several NASCAR teams. “He loved everybody. He always tried to help everybody.”

U.S. announces package of arms sales to Taiwan

BY MATTHEW LEE and SIMINA MISTREANU Associated Press

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By EVAN VUCCI

President Donald Trump displays an executive order reclassifying marijuana as a less dangerous drug Thursday in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington.

Trump order could reclassify marijuana

BY LINDSAY WHITEHURST and BILL BARROW Associated Press

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday that could reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug and open new avenues for medical research, a major shift in federal drug policy that inches closer to what many states have done.

The switch would move marijuana away from its current classification as a Schedule I drug, alongside heroin and LSD. Cannabis would instead be a Schedule III substance, like ketamine and some anabolic steroids.

Reclassification by the Drug Enforcement Administration would not make it legal for recreational use by adults nationwide, but it could change how the drug is regulated and reduce a hefty tax burden on the cannabis industry.

The Republican president said he had received a deluge of phone calls supporting the move and its potential to help patients. “We have people begging for me to do this. People that are in great pain,” he said.

Medical marijuana is now allowed by 40 states and Washington, D.C., and many states have also legalized it for recreational use. But U.S. laws have remained stricter, potentially leaving people subject to federal prosecution.

The Justice Department under Trump’s Democratic predecessor, Joe Biden, previously proposed reclassifying marijuana to a Schedule III substance. Unlike Biden, Trump did not have open encouragement from across his party for the move. Some Republicans have spoken out in opposition to any changes and urged Trump to maintain current standards.

Such a switch typically requires an arduous process, including a public com-

ment period that has drawn tens of thousands of reactions from across the U.S. The DEA was still in the review process when Trump took office in January. Trump ordered that process to move along as quickly as legally possible, though an exact timeline remained unclear.

Polling from Gallup shows Americans largely back a less restrictive approach: Support for marijuana legalization has grown from just 36% in 2005 to 64% this year.

Trump’s order also calls for expanded research and access to CBD, a legal and increasingly popular hemp-derived product whose benefits to treat things like pain, anxiety and sleep issues are debated by experts.

A new Medicare pilot program would allow older adults to access legal hempderived CBD at no cost, if recommended by a doctor, said Dr. Mehmet Oz, who heads the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Still, the marijuana changes are not universally welcomed. More than 20 Republican senators signed a letter this year urging the president to keep marijuana a Schedule I drug.

Led by North Carolina Sen. Ted Budd, the group argued that marijuana continues to be dangerous and that a shift would “undermine your strong efforts to Make America Great Again.” They argued, too, that marijuana negatively affects users’ physical and mental health, as well as road and workplace safety.

In the early days of the second Trump administration, the Justice Department showed little interest in discussing marijuana rescheduling, which had encountered strong resistance from inside the DEA under Biden, according to a former U.S. official who spoke on the condition of anonymity in an effort to avoid retaliation.

Federal judge denies request to close ‘Alligator Alcatraz’

BY MIKE SCHNEIDER Associated Press

ORLANDO, Fla. — A federal judge on Thursday denied a request for a preliminary injunction to close an immigration detention center in the Florida Everglades dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz,” saying a detainee who asked for the order hadn’t shown he was suffering irreparable harm at the facility.

U.S. District Judge Kyle Dudek said the detainee, known as M.A. in court papers, hadn’t met the high burden

required for a preliminary injunction while his challenge to the facility is litigated in federal court in Fort Myers, Florida.

“While there may indeed be deficiencies at Alligator Alcatraz that ultimately justify its dissolution, plaintiff has not made the extraordinary showing needed to justify immediate relief of such magnitude,” said Dudek, who was nominated by President Donald Trump.

M.A.’s lawsuit is one of three federal lawsuits challenging practices at the

immigration detention center that was built this summer at a remote airstrip in the Florida Everglades by the administration of Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.

His lawsuit claims immigration is a federal issue, and Florida agencies and private contractors hired by the state have no authority to operate the facility under federal law. Detainees who enter the facility disappear from the normal detainee tracking system and have difficulty accessing legal help, the lawsuit said.

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s administration has announced a massive package of arms sales to Taiwan valued at more than $10 billion that includes medium-range missiles, howitzers and drones, drawing an angry response from China.

The State Department announced the sales late Wednesday during a nationally televised address by the president, who made scant mention of foreign policy issues. U.S.-Chinese tensions have ebbed and flowed during Trump’s second term, largely over trade and tariffs but also over China’s aggressiveness toward Taiwan, which Beijing has said must reunify with the mainland.

If approved by Congress, it would be the largest-ever U.S. weapons package to Taiwan, exceeding the total amount of $8.4 billion in U.S. arms sales to Taiwan during President Joe Biden’s administration.

The eight arms sales agreements announced Wednesday cover 82 highmobility artillery rocket

systems, or HIMARS, and 420 Army Tactical Missile Systems, or ATACMS, worth more than $4 billion. They also include 60 self-propelled howitzer systems and related equipment worth more than $4 billion and drones valued at more than $1 billion.

Other sales in the package include military software valued at more than $1 billion, Javelin and TOW missiles worth more than $700 million, helicopter spare parts worth $96 million and refurbishment kits for Harpoon missiles worth $91 million.

The eight sales agreements amount to $11.15 billion, according to Taiwan’s Defense Ministry.

The State Department said the sales serve “U.S. national, economic, and security interests by supporting the recipient’s continuing efforts to modernize its armed forces and to maintain a credible defensive capability.”

China’s Foreign Ministry said the move would violate diplomatic agreements between China and the U.S.; gravely harm China’s sovereignty, security and territorial integrity; and undermine regional stability.

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TikTok signs deal to form new U.S. unit lll

BY BARBARA ORTUTAY AP technology writer

SAN FRANCISCO — TikTok has signed agreements with three major investors — Oracle, Silver Lake and MGX — to form a new TikTok U.S. joint venture, ensuring the popular social video platform can continue operating in the United States.

The deal is expected to close on Jan. 22, according to an internal memo seen by The Associated Press. In the communication, CEO Shou Zi Chew confirmed to employees that ByteDance and TikTok signed the binding agreements with the consortium.

Half of the new TikTok U.S. joint venture will be owned by a group

of investors — among them Oracle, Silver Lake and the Emirati investment firm MGX, who will each hold a 15% share. 19.9% of the new app will be held by ByteDance itself, and another 30.1% will be held by affiliates of existing ByteDance investors, according to the memo.

The U.S. venture will have a new, seven-member majorityAmerican board of directors, the memo said. It will also be subject to terms that “protect Americans’ data and U.S. national security.”

U.S. user data will be stored locally in a system run by Oracle.

TikTok’s algorithm — the secret sauce that powers its addictive video feed — will be retrained

on U.S. user data to “ensure the content feed is free from outside manipulation,” the memo said.

The U.S. venture will also oversee content moderation and policies within the country.

American officials have previously warned that ByteDance’s algorithm is vulnerable to manipulation by Chinese authorities, who can use it to shape content on the platform in a way that’s difficult to detect.

The algorithm has been a central issue in the security debate over TikTok. China previously maintained the algorithm must remain under Chinese control by law. But the U.S. regulation passed with bipartisan support said any divest-

ment of TikTok must mean the platform cuts ties — specifically the algorithm — with ByteDance.

The deal marks the end of years of uncertainty about the fate of the popular video-sharing platform in the United States.

After wide bipartisan majorities in Congress passed — and President Joe Biden signed — a law that would ban TikTok in the U.S. if it did not find a new owner in the place of China’s ByteDance, the platform was set to go dark on the law’s January 2025 deadline.

For several hours, it did. But on his first day in office, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to keep it running while his administration tries to reach

an agreement for the sale of the company.

Three more executive orders followed, as Trump, without a clear legal basis, continued to extend the deadline for a TikTok deal. The second was in April, when White House officials believed they were nearing a deal to spin off TikTok into a new company with U.S. ownership that fell apart after China backed out following Trump’s tariff announcement. The third came in June, then another in September, which Trump said would allow TikTok to continue operating in the United States in a way that meets national security concerns.

TikTok has more than 170 million users in the U.S.

Administration moves to cut off trans care for minors

BY ALI SWENSON, MATTHEW PERRONE and DEVI SHASTRI

Associated Press

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on Thursday unveiled a series of regulatory actions designed to block access to genderaffirming care for minors, building on broader Trump administration restrictions targeting transgender Americans.

The sweeping proposals — the most significant moves this administration has taken so far to restrict the use of puberty blockers, hormone therapy and surgical interventions for transgender children — include cutting off federal Medicaid and Medicare funding from hospitals that provide genderaffirming care to Kennedy children and prohibiting federal Medicaid dollars from being used to fund such procedures.

“This is not medicine, it is malpractice,” Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said of genderaffirming procedures in a news conference on Thursday. “Sex-re-

jecting procedures rob children of their futures.”

Thursday’s announcements would imperil access in nearly two dozen states where drug treatments and surgical procedures remain legal and covered by Medicaid, which is funded by federal and state dollars.

The proposals run counter to the recommendations of major U.S. medical societies. And advocates for transgender children strongly refuted the administration’s claims about gender-affirming care, saying Thursday’s moves would put lives at risk.

Medicaid programs in slightly less than half of states currently cover gender-affirming care. At least 27 states have adopted laws restricting or banning the care.

The Supreme Court’s recent decision upholding Tennessee’s ban means most other state laws are likely to remain in place.

The proposals announced by Kennedy and his deputies are not final or legally binding. Officials must go through a lengthy rulemaking process, including periods of public comment and document rewrites, before the restrictions become permanent. They are also likely to face legal challenges.

But the proposed rules will like-

ly further discourage health care providers from offering gender-affirming care to children and many hospitals have already ceased such care in anticipation of federal action.

Hannah Edwards, executive director of Transforming Families, a support organization for families of transgender youth in Minnesota, said she expects some patients will still be able to get care at private clinics that don’t participate in Medicaid and Medicare.

But that won’t be a solution for all kids seeking care.

Edwards has a 15-year-old transgender daughter and said that there’s a growing sense of fear because of federal government actions, even in a state that’s become a destination for families with transgender children.

“The conversation that constantly happens for my family personally is: Where is our red line when we need to flee the country?” she said.

Nearly all U.S. hospitals care for patients enrolled in Medicare and Medicaid, the federal government’s largest health plans that cover seniors, people with disabilities and low-income Americans.

Losing access to those payments would imperil most U.S. hospitals

and medical providers.

The same funding restrictions would apply to a smaller health plan, the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, when it comes to care for people under the age of 19, according to a federal notice posted Thursday morning.

Kennedy also announced Thursday that the HHS Office of Civil Rights will propose a rule excluding gender dysphoria from the definition of a disability. Gender dysphoria is a formal medical diagnosis that describes the distress felt when someone’s gender expression does not match their sex assigned at birth.

Young people who persistently experience gender dysphoria are first evaluated by a team of professionals. Some may try a social transition, involving changing a hairstyle or pronouns. Some may later also receive hormone-blocking drugs that delay puberty, followed by testosterone or estrogen to bring about the desired physical changes sought by patients. Surgery is rare for minors.

Dr. Mehmet Oz, the administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, on Thursday called transgender treatments “a Band-Aid on a much deeper pathology,” and suggested children

with gender dysphoria are “confused, lost and need help.”

Chloe Cole, a conservative activist known for speaking about her gender-transition reversal, spoke at the news conference to express appreciation. She said cries for help from her and others in her situation, “have finally been heard.”

But the approach contradicts the recommendations of most major U.S. medical organizations, including the American Medical Association, which has urged states not to restrict transgender care and services. The American Academy of Pediatrics called on HHS to reverse course Thursday, saying “children and families will bear the consequences.”

On his first day in office, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that declared the federal government would recognize only two immutable sexes: male and female.

On Wednesday, a bill that would open transgender health care providers to prison time if they treat people under the age of 18 passed the U.S. House and heads to the Senate. On Thursday, House lawmakers passed a different bill intended to ban Medicaid coverage for gender-affirming care for children.

Trump’s handpicked board votes to rename Kennedy Center

BY DARLENE SUPERVILLE and JESSICA GELT Associated Press and Los Angeles Times

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s handpicked board voted Thursday to rename Washington’s leading performing arts center as the Trump Kennedy Center, the White House said, in a move that made Democrats fume, saying the board overstepped its legal authority.

Congress named the center after President John F. Kennedy in 1964, after his assassination. Donald A. Ritchie, who served as Senate historian from 2009-15, said that because Congress had first named the center it would be up to Congress to “amend the law.”

Ritchie said that while Trump and others can “informally” refer to the center by a different name, they couldn’t do it in a way “that would (legally) stick.”

But the board did not wait for that debate to play out, immediately changing the branding on its website to reflect the new name.

Roma Daravi, vice president of public relations for the center, confirmed the news of the name change.

“The Kennedy Center Board of Trustees voted unanimously today to name the institution the Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts,” Dara-

vi said in a statement. “The unanimous vote recognizes that the current Chairman saved the institution from financial ruin and physical destruction. The new Trump Kennedy Center reflects the unequivocal bipartisan support for America’s cultural center for generations to come.”

Press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced the vote on social media, attributing it to the “unbelievable work President Trump has done over the last year in saving the building. Not only from the standpoint of its reconstruction, but also financially, and its reputation.”

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told reporters that legislative action was needed, “and we’re going to make that clear.”

The New York Democrat is an ex officio member of the board because of his position in Congress.

Trump, who’s chairman of the board, said at the White House that he was “surprised” and “honored” by the vote. “The board is a very distinguished board, most distinguished people in the country and I was surprised by it and I was honored by it,” he said.

The news rattled the arts world but was not unexpected. Ever since Trump fired the existing board in early February and installed himself as chairman, rumors have circulated that

a name change might be imminent, and the president has repeatedly hinted at it.

The legality of changing the name of the center through a simple board vote remains unclear. The Kennedy Center was established as a living memorial by federal statute, making congressional approval a requirement for an official name change.

“Congratulations to President Donald J. Trump, and likewise, congratulations to President Kennedy, because this will be a truly great team long into the future!

The building will no doubt attain new levels of success and grandeur,” Leavitt concluded in her post.

Trump had already been referring to the center as the “Trump Kennedy Center.”

Asked Dec. 7 as he walked the red carpet for the Kennedy Center Honors program whether he would rename the venue after himself, Trump said such a decision would be up to the board.

The proposed name change is part of a series of sweeping changes that Trump and his newly appointed board, including board president Richard Grenell, have enacted.

When the president first announced the changes, he said he was eliminating all those “who do not share our Vision for a Golden Age in Arts and Culture.”

A number of Trump’s closest allies were appointed to

the board including chief of staff Susie Wiles, attorney general Pam Bondi, second lady Usha Vance and conservative TV host Laura Ingraham.

Major stars soon pulled out of leadership positions at the center, including TV producer Shonda Rhimes, musician Ben Folds and opera

star Renée Fleming; and a variety of high-profile touring shows such as “Hamilton” canceled upcoming engagements.

Maria Shriver, a niece of John F. Kennedy, referred to the legislation introduced in Congress to rebrand the Kennedy Center as the Donald J. Trump Center for the

Performing Arts as “insane” in a social media post in July.

“It makes my blood boil.

It’s so ridiculous, so petty, so small minded,” she wrote.

Trump earlier this year turned the Kennedy-era Rose Garden at the White House into a patio by removing the lawn and laying down paving stones.

e r o f e B m e Get Th s e o D a t n a S

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4A ● Friday, December 19, 2025 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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CENTER

Continued from page 1A construction just south of La. 964.

It is expected to create 1,500 construction jobs, according to West Feliciana Parish President Kenny Havard.

When completed, the center is expected to create about 100 permanent jobs. Under the terms of a deal Hut 8 recently finalized with the parish, the agreement will provide up to $90 million a year for the parish in tax revenues, Havard said.

“I am excited and our whole community has been excited about this possibility for a year,” said Havard. “We have a blank canvas.

This is a chance for us to be No. 1 in something.”

The deal underscores the increasingly complex way AI data centers are being developed around the world. Third-party companies are now often involved at various levels of building and leasing the powerful computers and power generation to tech companies.

“This partnership is an expansion of our existing work with Fluidstack and marks a new opportunity to collaborate with Hut 8 to bring additional capacity online by early 2027,” said James Bradbury, head of compute at Anthropic, in a news release. “Hut 8’s ability to source and deliver infrastructure at scale provides the runway necessary to continue advancing the capabilities of our

PRE-K

Continued from page 1A inspections.

The lawsuit took aim at that portion of the statute, which imposes the licensing requirement on private school pre-K programs — about 80% of which are religiously affiliated in Louisiana — while exempting public schools and Montessori schools.

“This the Constitution does not allow,” the lawsuit says, adding that “religious schools cannot be burdened while politicians pick favorites for a free pass.”

The legal challenge was brought

by Providence Classical Academy in Bossier City and The Dunham School in Baton Rouge, along with a couple whose child attends

SEARCH

Continued from page 1A Strategic Communications & Public Affairs n Bruce Greenstein, secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health n State Rep. Dustin Miller, D-Opelousas n Onyeka Nwaezeapu, president of the UL Lafayette Student Government Association n Allyson Pharr, executive vice president and chief legal officer of Acadian Ambulance n Dr. Kip Schumacher, founder of the emergency health care company Schumacher Group.

“Our focus is on fit and accountability,” said Romero in a statement. “UL Lafayette deserves a leader who understands the institution, respects its culture, and is prepared to lead with clarity and responsibility. The work of the search committee is essential to ensuring we select a president who can earn trust and deliver results.”

Last week, the UL system announced a timeline for the presidential search in early 2026 and launched a website dedicated to providing updates after a regular meeting of its board.

The inaugural search com-

STAFF FILE PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

Construction is underway on the Hut 8 data center in West Feliciana Parish. models.”

Hut 8 first announced its plans for West Feliciana Parish last December and said its AI data center would attract a major user. In September, the firm broke ground with Entergy on a substation that will power the facility. In late October, the parish Industrial Development Board finalized a taxing

arrangement with the company.

Until Wednesday, however, no end user for the massive warehouse, which will house racks of powerful servers and systems to cool them, had been announced.

Louisiana Economic Development Secretary Susan Bourgeois said the project will generate high-wage jobs and create path-

ways for Louisiana to build longterm careers in the industries of the future.

“It’s a clear example of how aligning policy, partnership and people translates into lasting opportunity,” she said.

Last December, LED finalized a deal with Facebook and Instagram’s parent company Meta to

build a data center in Richland Parish near Monroe. The Hut 8 facility is a fraction of the size of the Meta facility, currently slated to take up more than 4 million square feet and cost upward of $27 billion.

Providence’s pre-K program. In court filings, The Dunham School said complying with the new law would cost $600,000 in staffing, training, background checks and other expenses, which could force the school to raise tuition or shut down its pre-K program.

The plaintiffs are disappointed in the ruling and discussing next steps with their attorneys, said Sydney Petite, spokesperson for the Louisiana-based Pelican Institute for Public Policy, one of two conservative advocacy groups representing the plaintiffs. The other is the Center for American Rights, a national nonprofit based in Chicago.

“They are committed to working on a solution that protects religious liberties and preserves education choice for Louisiana families,” Petite added.

Act 409 was inspired by the testimony of a Metairie couple who said their daughter was assaulted by another student at a private preschool which, at the time, did not need a state license. The school denies the allegations and says it complies with all state laws.

State Sen. Regina Barrow, DBaton Rouge, said she aimed to close the regulatory gap with the legislation, which Gov. Jeff Landry signed into law. While the law’s new safety standards took effect in October without much fanfare, the licensing requirement has provoked an outcry from the roughly 250 private schools with pre-K programs that now must comply with rules previously reserved for standalone preschools and day cares.

The schools will have to undergo State Fire Marshal’s Office and

Health Department inspections, assign employees to monitor all school visitors, keep pre-K students separate from older children at recess and employ a dedicated pre-K director who is on site at all times, among other regulations.

The lawsuit says schools will struggle to hire additional teachers and administrators to meet the new requirements.

“Classrooms will close, children will be forced out of school, and parents will be left stranded without child care during working hours,” it states.

But attorneys for the state said the situation is not as dire as the plaintiffs suggest.

The state Department of Education granted some schools waivers giving them an extra year to meet the new staffing requirements, and the state Department of Health

will not conduct new inspections until 2027, said court filings by the state Attorney General’s Office, which defended the law. The Education Department will begin inspecting schools that apply for pre-K licenses in January, but the process will take about six months, and schools will have a chance to fix deficiencies or apply for waivers, the state said.

The state also disputed the claim that religious schools were unfairly burdened, noting that the new safety standards apply to all pre-K programs and that Montessori and public schools are heavily regulated.

The law “equalizes regulation” across all pre-K programs, wrote Assistant Solicitor General Caitlin Huettemann, in “a laudable attempt by the State to protect our little ones.”

mittee meeting is scheduled for Jan. 14 at UL. The committee is expected to meet again Feb. 19 to review applicant materials and select semifinalists, conduct oncampus interviews Feb. 2324 and conduct interviews with finalists Feb. 27.

Romero said the presidential job posting will not be public until after the committee approves it during its first meeting next month.

In the meantime, he said an advertisement will be posted nationally to generate interest.

The timeline for the job came one month after a special meeting that addressed speculation that the board would forgo a search and install a president at the university without any input from faculty, staff or students.

After backlash from faculty members and others, the board announced Nov. 13 that it would form a search committee for the permanent job and named Ramesh Kolluru, UL’s vice president for research, innovation and economic development, as interim president of the university.

Kolluru’s appointment came at the recommendation of Jaimie Hebert, who had been serving as interim president since Aug. 1, and who asked to return to his

former job as provost.

Both Kolluru and Hebert asked on Nov. 10 to be considered for the permanent presidential position, according to documents The Acadiana Advocate received through a public records request.

UL has been without a permanent leader since July, when longtime President Joseph Savoie stepped down as the university’s financial troubles came to public light.

During a Dec. 10 town hall, Kolluru outlined more steps to address the university’s financial woes. Kolluru told hundreds of attendees that he and Hebert had taken steps to eliminate most of UL’s $25 million deficit and $25 million recurring annual budget shortfall.

The deficit for the current fiscal year has been reduced from $50 million to about $10.5 million, Kolluru said, through cost-cutting measures, including contract cancellations and position eliminations.

Getting to that financial position is, in part, contingent on departments cutting 10% of their spending.

The payroll reductions this fall included the elimination or consolidation of more than 80 positions, including vice presidents on campus.

While Hebert was leading

the school, he announced the deficit and implemented a series of cuts and changes to address it.

UL’s financial woes surfaced in January when the Louisiana Legislative Auditor’s Office released its an-

REASON 90

Thanks to donor support, we’ve expanded our healthcare coverage statewide with highlights on innovative solutions for a healthier Louisiana.

Email Stephanie Riegel at stephanie.riegel@theadvocate. com.

nual audit for UL’s athletics department and noted a $12.6 million deficit for the department.

And in March, the office released its annual audit for the university as a whole and noted four findings

mostly related to timely billing and proper controls surrounding grants. Two months later, then-Vice President for Administration and Finance Jerry Luke LeBlanc resigned from his position.

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$1,776 ‘Warrior Dividend’ coming from Pentagon funds Trump claimed tariffs would pay for it

BY JOSH BOAK and MICHELLE L. PRICE Associated Press

WASHINGTON — The “Warrior Dividend” that President Donald Trump announced during his televised address to the nation Wednesday is not a Christmas bonus made possible by tariff revenues, as the president suggested.

Instead, the $1,776 payments to troops are coming from a congressionally-approved housing supplement — money they were already set to receive — that was a part of tax cut extensions and expansions bill signed into law in July. Trump’s administration identified the source of the “dividend” payments Thursday.

In his remarks, Trump alluded to his “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” playing a role, but suggested that tariffs were largely responsible for the payments already on the way to 1.45 million members

ATTACKS

Continued from page 1A Providence that the person behind the attack managed to get away and that a clear image of their face has yet to emerge.

“There’s no discouragement among people who understand that not every case can be solved quickly,” the state attorney general, Peter Neronha, said at a news conference Wednesday.

Authorities have scoured the area for evidence and pleaded with the public to check any phone or security footage they might have from the week before the attack, believing the shooter might have cased the scene ahead of time.

Investigators have released several videos from the hours and minutes before and after the shooting that show a person who, according to police, matches witnesses’ description of the shooter. In the clips, the person is standing, walking and even running along streets just off campus, but always with a mask on or their head turned.

Although Brown officials say there are 1,200 cameras on campus, the attack happened in an older part of the engineering building that has few, if any, cameras. And investigators believe the shooter entered and left through a door that faces a residential street bordering campus, which might explain why the cameras Brown does have didn’t capture footage of the person.

Providence Mayor Brett Smiley said Wednesday that the city is doing “everything possible” to keep residents safe. However, he acknowledged that it is “a scary time in the city” and that families likely were having tough

of the military.

“We made a lot more money than anybody thought because of tariffs and the bill helped us along. Nobody deserves it more than our military,” he said in announcing what he described as a “dividend.”

Trump has teased the idea of using his sweeping tariffs on imports to give Americans dividends ever since he imposed them in April. But these new payments are being disbursed by the Pentagon from a $2.9 billion military housing supplement that was part of Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” to augment existing housing allowances, according to a senior administration official who requested anonymity to describe the payments.

The amount of the payments is a nod to next year’s 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. In total, the measure is expected to cost $2.6 billion.

Trump’s announcement comes as he’s faced pressure to show he’s working to address rising costs for Americans, with prices remaining

stubbornly high as the president has imposed doubledigit tariffs on imports from almost every country. Trump has promised to lower prices, but he has struggled to do so.

Inflation hit a four-decade high in June 2022 during Joe Biden’s presidency and then began to fall. But inflation has stayed elevated under Trump in part because of his tariffs.

Separately, members of the U.S. Coast Guard will be getting a similar one-time payment, the Department of Homeland Security announced Thursday. The “Devotion to Duty” payments, authorized by Secretary Kristi Noem a day earlier, will be $2,000 because, unlike the “Warrior Dividend,” they are subject to taxes.

The amount Coast Guard members take home will be closer to $1,776.

The payments, according to the Coast Guard, will be classified as “special duty pay.” They will be paid for with money in a measure Trump signed in November, after a 43-day shutdown, that funds the government through January.

which I haven’t seen before.”

Investigators have described the person they are seeking as about 5 feet, 8 inches, tall and stocky. The attacker’s motives remain a mystery, but authorities said Wednesday that none of the evidence suggests a specific person was being targeted.

Loureiro, who was married, joined MIT in 2016 and was named last year to lead the school’s Plasma Science and Fusion Center, where he worked to advance clean energy technology and other PHOTO PROVIDED By THE FBI research. The center, one of MIT’s largest labs, had This image taken from video shows a person of interest in more than 250 people workthe investigation of the shooting that occurred at Brown ing across seven buildings University on Saturday. when he took the helm. He was a professor of physics conversations about wheth- was found dead of an appar- and nuclear science and ener to stay in town over the ent suicide two days after he gineering. killed 18 people and woundholidays.

“We are doing everything ed 13 others in Lewiston, we can to reassure folks, to Maine. provide comfort, and that is The man accused of killthe best answer I can give to ing conservative political that difficult question,” Smi- figure Charlie Kirk in Sepley said when asked if the tember turned himself in about a day and a half after city was safe.

Although it’s not unheard the attack on Utah Valley of for someone to disappear University’s campus. And after carrying out such a Luigi Mangione, who has high-profile shooting, it is pleaded not guilty to murrare. der charges in the killing of In such targeted and high- UnitedHealthcare CEO Brily public attacks, the shoot- an Thompson in Manhattan ers typically kill themselves last year, was arrested five or are killed or arrested by days later at a McDonald’s police, said Katherine Sch- in Pennsylvania.

Felipe Rodriguez, a retired weit, a retired FBI agent and expert on mass shoot- New York police detective ings. When they do get away, sergeant and adjunct professearches can take time. sor at the John Jay College “The best they can do is of Criminal Justice, said what they do now, which is it’s clear that shooters are continue to press together learning from others who all of the facts they have as were caught. fast as they can,” she said.

“Most of the time an active “And, really, the best hope shooter is going to go in, and for solutions is going to he’s going to try to commit come from the public.” what we call maximum carIn the 2013 Boston Mara- nage, maximum damage,” thon bombing, it took inves- Rodriguez said. “And at this tigators four days to catch point, they’re actually tryup to the two brothers who ing to get away. And they’re carried it out. In a 2023 case, actually evading police with Army reservist Robert Card an effective methodology,

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Sending money to voters is a timeworn tool for politicians and one that Trump has repeatedly tried to use, including this year.

Trump has for months suggested every American could receive a $2,000 dividend from the import taxes — an effort that seemed designed to try to shore up support for tariffs, which the president has said protect American industries and will lure manufacturing back from overseas.

But that particular pledge appeared to exceed the revenues being generated by his tariffs, according to a November analysis by the right-leaning Tax Foundation. The analysis estimated that the $2,000 payments being promised to taxpayers could add up to between $279.8 billion and $606.8 billion, depending on how they were structured.

The analysis estimated that Trump’s import taxes would produce $158.4 billion in total revenue during 2025 and another $207.5 billion in 2026. That’s not enough money to provide the payments as well as reduce the

budget deficit, which Trump has also claimed his tariffs are doing.

Earlier this year, as his Department of Government Efficiency was slashing the U.S. government and its workforce, Trump had briefly proposed sending a DOGE “dividend” back to U.S. citizens.

Neither the tariff dividend or DOGE dividend has come to fruition, and members of Trump’s own party as well

as officials in his administration have expressed some skepticism about the idea.

There is also the risk that the payments being promised by Trump could push up inflation, as they would likely spur greater consumer spending. Republican lawmakers argued in 2021 that the pandemic relief package from then-President Biden — which included direct payments — helped trigger the run-up in inflation.

6A ● Friday, December 19, 2025 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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ALMANAC

AIR QUALITY

LAFAyETTE THROUGH 5 P.M. THURSDAy

YESTERDAY

TEMPERATURE

High/low Normal high/low Record high Record low

GOOD

78°/56° 64°/45° 82° in 1908 18° in 1901

MAIN POLLUTANT Ozone

READING 42

TODAY

PRECIPITATION

GOOD

24 hours through 5 p.m. Thu. 0.01” Month to date (normal) 7.02” (2.70”) year to date (normal) 71.85” (60.55”)

MAIN POLLUTANT Nitrogen oxide

SUN AND MOON Sunrise today Sunset tonight Moonrise today Moonset today

6:59 a.m.

5:11 p.m.

6:51 a.m.

4:45 p.m.

SOURCE: AIRNOW.GOV

NEW

FIRST

FULL

LAST

DEC 19

DEC 27

JAN 3

JAN 10

THE NATION AND WORLD Today City

LOUISIANA FORECAST

RIVER STAGES MISSISSIPPI

Monroe 56/39

Shreveport 61/44

Jackson 56/39

Longview 62/45

Many 61/40

Hattiesburg 60/34

Alexandria 61/41

Memphis Vidalia-Natchez Red River Landing Baton Rouge Donaldsonville Reserve New Orleans OHIO

Cairo COMITE

Near Olive

Baton Rouge 64/40 Beaumont 64/47

Port Arthur 62/52

Lafayette

AMITE

Near Darlington Denham Springs Port Vincent

New Orleans 61/46

Lake Charles 63/44

TICKFAW

Montpelier Holden

Houma 64/41

ATCHAFALAYA

Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.

TIDES HIGH

First FT. LOW

Lake Pontchartrain (Tchefuncte River) 6:27a 0.6 Shell Beach 12:20a 1.5 South Point, Marsh Island 5:41p 1.6 Cypremort Point 8:38p 1.7 Grand Isle (Barataria Pass) 8:50p 1.1 Mississippi River (Southwest Pass) 8:06p 1.4 Wine Island 9:58p 1.3

FT.

6:23p -0.2 11:56a -0.3 7:21a -0.7 11:18a -0.2 7:37a -0.5 5:49a -0.5 8:39a -0.6

HIGH

Second FT. LOW

--------11:53p 1.5 -----------------

FT.

--------8:27p 1.5 -----------------

Forecasts and graphics, except KATC forecasts, provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2025

Simmesport Melville Krotz Springs Butte La Rose Bayou Sorrel Morgan City

FLOOD STAGE 24-HOUR STAGE CHANGE

34 48 48 35 27 22 17

-6.40 12.90 17.40 6.50 3.80 2.88 2.00

+0.73 -0.54 -0.40 +0.10 +0.20 +0.31 +0.18

40

7.93

-1.55

19

-1.36

-0.06

18 29 8

-0.51 11.14 1.76

-0.23 -0.08 +0.32

13 15

2.27 1.40

none -0.15

47 34 29 20 12 6

5.38 3.67 3.48 2.82 1.90 2.68

+0.12 +0.13 +0.11 +0.15 +0.10 +0.16

Austin Boston Dallas Fairbanks Honolulu Las Vegas Louisville Miami Nashville

The World Amsterdam Bangkok Barcelona Berlin Brussels Cairo Dublin Frankfurt Havana Hong Kong Jerusalem

Saturday

Hi

Lo

W

Hi

Lo

W

City

67 58 63 -25 80 66 37 85 46

46 30 49 -33 70 46 29 68 29

s r s c sh pc s pc s

76 40 77 -24 82 68 58 82 60

54 33 48 -40 72 49 31 71 38

pc pc s pc sh pc pc sh s

New Orleans Orlando Philadelphia Phoenix Pittsburgh Raleigh St. Louis San Diego Tampa

53 90 60 51 54 70 48 49 84 75 58

39 72 52 41 39 53 43 42 67 67 43

c pc pc s r pc pc c sh sh pc

45 92 59 47 48 73 50 48 84 78 58

43 71 48 39 45 58 38 38 67 68 42

c s sh c r pc sh pc s pc s

Kuwait City London Madrid Mexico City Montreal Moscow New Delhi Paris Rome Stockholm Tokyo

Hi

Today

Saturday

Lo

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61 82 61 79 44 67 39 68 77

46 52 29 53 20 29 35 54 53

s c r s sn s s s pc

73 77 40 79 45 56 56 65 76

60 58 34 54 31 38 27 52 59

c s pc s c s pc pc s

63 52 51 70 49 33 68 53 62 47 54

46 39 44 44 16 31 48 44 46 41 44

pc pc r pc r c pc sh pc r pc

65 49 52 71 29 34 68 50 61 46 61

47 44 42 46 26 32 51 46 42 32 57

s pc sh pc pc c c r pc pc sh

Weather (W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain, sf-snow flurries, sn-snow, i-ice.

-10

-0s

0s

10s 20s 30s 40s 50s 60s 70s 80s 90s 100s 110s

SOLUNAR TABLE The solunar period schedule allows planning days so you will be fishing in good territory or hunting in good cover during those times. Major periods begin at the times shown and last for 1.5 to 2 hours. The minor periods are shorter.

Today Sat. Sun. Mon. Tue. Wed. Thu.

Major

10:18a 11:10a 11:34a 12:32a 1:27a 2:20a 3:11a

Minor

Major

4:05a 10:44p 4:57a 11:36p 5:50a ---6:45a 12:57p 7:39a 1:51p 8:32a 2:43p 9:23a 3:34p

Minor

4:31p 5:23p 6:16p 7:10p 8:03p 8:55p 9:45p

Shown are areas of precipitation and high temperatures for the day.

Peter Arnett, who reported on Vietnam and Gulf wars, dies

BY JOHN ROGERS Associated Press

LOS ANGELES — Peter Arnett, the Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter who spent decades dodging bullets and bombs to bring the world eyewitness accounts of war from the rice paddies of Vietnam to the deserts of Iraq, has died. He was 91.

Arnett, who won the 1966 Pulitzer Prize for international reporting for his Vietnam War coverage for The Associated Press, died Wednesday in Newport Beach and was surrounded by friends and family, said his son Andrew Arnett. He had been suffering from prostate cancer.

“Peter Arnett was one of the greatest war correspondents of his generation — intrepid, fearless, and a beautiful writer and storyteller.

His reporting in print and on camera will remain a legacy for aspiring journalists and historians for generations to come,” said Edith Lederer, who was a fellow AP war correspondent in Vietnam in 1972-73 and is now AP’s chief correspondent at the United Nations.

Arnett was born Nov. 13, 1934, in Riverton, New Zealand.

to the American Library Association in 2013. “He sank to the ground at my feet.”

He would begin the fallen soldier’s obituary like this: “He was the son of a general, a West Pointer and a battalion commander. But Lt. Colonel George Eyster was to die like a rifleman.

It may have been the colonel’s leaves of rank on his collar, or the map he held in his hand, or just a wayward chance that the Viet Cong sniper chose Eyster from the five of us standing in that dusty jungle path.”

Arnett had arrived in Vietnam just a year after joining AP as its Indonesia correspondent. That job would be short-lived after he reported Indonesia’s economy was in shambles and the country’s enraged leadership threw him out.

Arnett would stay in Vietnam until the capital, Saigon, fell to the Communistbacked North Vietnamese ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO rebels in 1975. In the time Associated Press correspondent Peter Arnett stands leading up to those final with gear that he carries out in field while covering the days, he was ordered by Reporting from Vietnam AP’s New York headquarVietnamese army in 1963 in Saigon, Vietnam.

It was not the first time Arters to begin destroying the nett had gotten dangerously namese snipers and was it, I heard four loud shots bureau’s papers as coverage close to the action. standing next to the battal- as bullets tore through the of the war wound down.

Instead, he shipped them In January 1966, he joined ion commander when an of- map and into his chest, a a battalion of U.S. soldiers ficer paused to read a map. few inches from my face,” to his apartment in New seeking to rout North Viet“As the colonel peered at Arnett recalled during a talk York, believing they’d have

As a wire-service correspondent, Arnett was known mostly to fellow journalists when he reported in Vietnam from 1962 until the war’s end in 1975. He became something of a household name in 1991, however, after he broadcast live updates for CNN from Iraq during the first Gulf War. While almost all Western reporters had fled Baghdad in the days before the U.S.led attack, Arnett stayed. As missiles began raining on the city, he broadcast a live account from his hotel room.

“There was an explosion right near me, you may have heard,” he said in a calm, New Zealand-accented voice moments after the loud boom of a missile strike rattled across the airwaves.

As he continued to speak, air-raid sirens blared in the background.

“I think that took out the telecommunications center,” he said of another explosion. “They are hitting the center of the city.”

historic value someday.

They’re now in the AP’s archives.

A star on cable news Arnett remained with the AP until 1981, when he joined the newly-formed CNN. Ten years later he was in Baghdad covering another war. He not only reported on the front-line fighting but won exclusive, and controversial, interviews with then-President Saddam Hussein and future 9/11 mastermind Osama bin Laden.

Arnett resigned from CNN in 1999, months after the network retracted an investigative report he did not prepare but narrated alleging that deadly Sarin nerve gas had been used on deserting American soldiers in Laos in 1970.

He was covering the second Gulf War for NBC and National Geographic in 2003 when he was fired for granting an interview to Iraqi state TV during which he criticized the U.S. military’s war strategy. His remarks were denounced back home as anti-American.

Within a week, he had been hired to report on the war for stations in Taiwan, the United Arab Emirates and Belgium.

Gil Gerard, ‘Buck Rogers’ star who was a hero to late-’70s kids, dies

BY CHRISTIE D’ZURILLA Los Angeles Times (TNS)

LOS ANGELES — Gil Gerard, the actor who became a childhood hero to many for his lead performances in the 1979 movie “Buck Rogers in the 25th Century” and its subsequent TV incarnation, died early Tuesday, his wife announced on social media. He was 82.

“Early this morning Gil — my soulmate — lost his fight with a rare and viciously aggressive form of cancer,” Janet Gerard wrote Tuesday evening on Facebook. “From the moment when we knew something was wrong to his death this morning was only days.”

She was by Gerard’s side when he died in hospice care, she added as she placed another post — a prewritten message from the actor to his family, friends and fans — on her husband’s Facebook page.

“If you are reading this, then Janet has posted it as I asked her to,” the actor wrote. “My life has been an amazing journey. The opportunities I’ve had, the people I’ve met and the love I have given and received have made my 82 years on the planet deeply satisfying.”

The post was followed by myriad comments in which fans spontaneously recalled Gerard’s work as Buck Rogers and Gerard shared the influence he had on their lives.

“Your time as Buck Rogers was way too short but it has stayed with me in my childhood memories for 45+ years,” one man wrote. “Your hero was brave, macho, but also kind, compassionate, and fair. I feel as if that was representative

of the man you truly were. Thank you for being the kind of ‘make believe’ hero that we should all want to be in real life.”

Wrote another, “Like many here, I grew up watching Gil as Buck Rogers. He was cool… and he was funny… and he was nice. I was happy to find him here after all these years… still cool… still funny… still nice. It was a highlight when he ‘liked’ one of my comments. We’ll keep an eye out for you… 500 years into the future!”

Gerard discussed the allure of “Buck Rogers” with The Times in 2010.

“With our show, the reason people liked it was the humor and the fact that it was colorful and upbeat and it had heroes in it,” he said, chatting at a comic convention in Anaheim. “It was family entertainment. I think it’s great to deal with more serious issues, but

you can do it with humor — look at what ‘All in the Family’ dealt with.

You can be serious without being relentlessly dark and heavy.”

Gilbert Cyril Gerard was born Jan. 23, 1943, in Little Rock, Arkansas, and trekked to New York City in 1969 to give acting a shot, studying at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy.

He drove a taxi to pay the bills and, according to his website, one day a fare told him to show up on the set of the movie “Love Story.”

Ten weeks of work on the film followed and his career took off. At first Gerard appeared primarily in commercials, until he landed the role of former POW Dr. Alan Stewart on NBC’s “The Doctors.” He put on the white coat and stethoscope for more than 300 episodes of that daytime drama from 1973 to 1976.

Then an agent lured him to the West Coast, where auditions got

him noticed by NBC. NBC’s interest led to his casting in the title role in Universal Pictures’ “Buck Rogers in the 25th Century,” starring alongside Erin Gray as Col. Wilma Deering and Pamela Hensley as Princess Ardala.

As William “Buck” Rogers, Gerard played a 20th century astronaut who had come out of suspended animation 500 years in the future, only to discover a planet in ruins. In 1979 dollars, the film earned more than $21 million worldwide, or about $100 million when adjusted for inflation.

His career outside of “Buck Rogers” included appearances on mainstream shows abundant in that era — “Baretta,” “Hawaii Five-O,” “CHiPs” and “Little House on the Prairie” among them — as well as more obscure TV movies with delightful titles: “Reptisaurus,” “Nuclear Hurricane” and “Bone Eater.”

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F r i d ay, d e c e m b e r 19, 2025

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Accused terrorist ordered held until trial New Iberia man plotted attacks, officials say

BY CLAIRE TAYLOR

Staff writer

A New Iberia man accused of plotting a terrorist attack in New Orleans has been ordered to remain in jail until his trial.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Carole Whitehurst, of the Western District of Louisiana in Lafayette, on Thursday ordered federal

officials to detain Micah Legnon, 28, a former U.S. Marine from New Iberia, who was arrested Dec. 12 and charged with threats in interstate commerce.

Based on the evidence submitted at the detention hearing, Whitehurst wrote, “The court finds that no condition or combination of conditions can reasonably assure the safety of the com-

Front in California, which was planning terrorist attacks on New Year’s Eve. Legnon was allegedly munity (if Legnon were released), communicating with the Turtle Isdespite the testimony of the pro- land group via an encrypted app in the group Order of the Black posed third party custodian.”

Legnon allegedly posted a mes- Lotus.

FBI agents conducting surveilsage on social media saying it is “time to recreate Waco, tx” as lance witnessed Legnon load an well as derogatory comments assault rifle and body armor into about Border Patrol agents. his vehicle on or around Dec. 12.

His comments are supposedly He then sent a message to the app related to activities of members indicating he was on his way to of the Turtle Island Liberation New Orleans and attached a video

showing guns and body armor in his car.

Agents initiated warrants at his home, finding sniper training materials, SWAT training materials, assault rifles and ammunition.

They found in his car body armor, guns and a gas canister.

His phone indicated a previous message from Legnon to the Order of the Black Lotus group offering to provide training to the group in urban tactics and combat shooting.

OMV back up after outage State of emergency previously declared for system

BY ELLYN COUVILLION Staff writer

STAFF PHOTOS By BRAD KEMP

Second grade teacher Mary Graham, center, at Cpl. Michael Middlebrook Elementary in Lafayette celebrates her Elementary Teacher of the year Award with her students on Thursday.

‘THE HEART OF EVERYTHING WE DO’ Lafayette Parish teachers of the year surprised in classrooms with fanfare, celebrations

BY ASHLEY WHITE Staff writer

Four teachers across Lafayette Parish were surprised in their classrooms Thursday when they were announced as the 2025-2026 Teachers of the Year.

The teachers were recognized for their dedication, passion and impact on their classrooms. Each one was celebrated with flowers and applause by their families, school administrators, Superintendent Francis Touchet Jr. and other district leaders.

The honorees are: n Elementary school: Mary Graham at Cpl. Michael Middlebrook Elementary n Middle school: Alysa LeBlanc at Milton Elementary-Middle n High school: Tiffany Gauthier at Lafayette High n New teacher: Antonia Lagneaux at Westside Elementary Gauthier was speechless when her classroom door opened Thursday morning. She said she loves teaching agriculture and it changed her life; an agriculture teacher at her high school encouraged her to go to college. “(Future Farmers of America) showed me that I had the ability,” she said.

She’s now been an educator for 18 years and “loves inspiring” her students.

This is the first time the district selected someone for the New Teacher of the Year Award. Lagneaux was selected from a list of 29 other first-year teachers.

She teared up when she opened the door of her fourth grade science and social studies classroom and saw Touchet, her family and her administrators standing in the hall.

It’s her first year as a teacher, but it’s a path she’s known she’s wanted to follow since she was a child with a Promethean interactive white board on her Christmas list.

ä See TEACHERS, page 4B

New Teacher of the year Antonia Lagneaux, center, celebrates her award with her students at Westside Elementary in Scott on Thursday.

Teacher Tiffany Gauthier, center, at Lafayette High School is presented the High School Teacher of the year Award by Superintendent Francis Touchet Jr. on Thursday.

Middle School Teacher of the year Alysa LeBlanc reacts to receiving her award at Milton Middle School on Thursday.

Operations at Office of Motor Vehicles customer service centers across Louisiana went down for several hours Thursday before being restored, the latest disruption in a system that has experienced frequent outages over the past year.

The outage Thursday was reported about 9 a.m. and was resolved shortly after noon.

“All customer service centers are now able to process transactions,” the OMV said in an online post.

The OMV has faced frequent outages over the past year, making it difficult for drivers to get their licenses renewed, register vehicles or reinstate their insurance. In some cases, disruptions went on for weeks.

Officials blamed the problems on the amount of traffic going into the 50-yearold computer system, including queries from other states seeking information about Louisiana drivers.

The situation got so bad that in March, Gov. Jeff Landry declared a state of emergency, waiving late fees for Louisianans who missed deadlines to renew

ä See OUTAGE, page 4B

Louisiana data centers energy plan OK’d Streamlined policy comes with risks, opponents say

BY JOSIE ABUGOV

Staff writer

Louisiana electricity regulators on Wednesday approved a streamlined process for large projects such as data centers to access the energy they need to operate, arguing it will help position the state for economic development opportunities.

Opponents of the plan warned that it puts existing ratepayers — including residents and large companies — at risk of higher electricity costs. The policy approved by the Louisiana Public Service Commission comes in the wake of projects like Meta’s $27 billion data center announced last year and a facility for Anthropic announced Wednesday.

Gov. Jeff Landry’s “Lightning Speed” executive order to reduce red tape inspired the new amendment. Commissioner Jean-Paul Coussan proposed the initiative as a way to “accelerate the timelines required for major employers to invest, build and grow in Louisiana.”

“We have been last in so many things

ä See PLAN, page 4B

2B ● Friday, December 19, 2025 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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OPINION T H E A D V O C AT E.C O M/opinions

Tulane’s victories are wins for all of La.

FILE PHOTO By SCOTT THRELKELD

Fireworks ignite near the Gramercy levee bonfires along the Mississippi River on Dec. 24, 2022.

Greet the season, and season everything, y’all Down here in Louisiana, the holimysteriously moves from Frenchdays don’t just stroll in politely; they men to Royal Street overnight. stomp the levee like they own Hanukkah rolls in, quiet but the place. One minute, the full of flavor. Candles flicker Mississippi’s calm and quiet, in windowsills, latkes fry with the next, bonfires are towera crawfish étouffée twist and powdered sugar ends up eving along the levee, kids are waving sparklers like they’re erywhere, sometimes on your Kateb conducting a bayou orchestra hair, sometimes on the dog, Shunnar sometimes in the wrong hands and somewhere a neighbor’s cooking smells so good it entirely.

GUEST makes you rethink every life Families sing, pray and occaCOLUMNIST choice you ever made. sionally argue over who forgot Hanukkah candles flicker the olive oil. Somewhere near in shotgun houses, Kwanzaa feasts the river, a faint shadow nudges a threaten to collapse under their own candle ever so slightly, and you swear weight, fireworks pop off like the you saw a grin in the flames. Yep, river’s trying out for Broadway and that’s Père Fouettard still checking you feel it in your chest: messy, loud, who’s paying attention. magical. And if you squint just right, Kwanzaa struts in draped in red, maybe even a little ghostly. black and green. Seven nights devotChristmas Eve kicks off proper ed to family, heritage and values but with the bonfires on the levees. Gialso seven nights of dodging cousins trying to snag the biggest slice of pie. ant towers of logs, some shaped like The Karamu feast is glorious chaos: pelicans, alligators and occasionally gumbo, jambalaya, cornbread, sweet like your cousin’s busted-up riverpotato pie stacked higher than your boat, light up the night sky. Families patience. gather, passing gumbo, eggnog and And somewhere in the mess, a stories taller than the flames themshadow slips past, making sure the selves. Kids scream, grown folks celebrations don’t get too predictable. dodge flying embers and somewhere in the shadows drifts Père Fouettard. Spoiler: That’s probably Père FouNow, if you ain’t from ’round here, ettard, just enjoying the show. you might be wondering, “Who the New Year’s Eve? That’s when heck is Père Fouettard?” Well, he’s Louisiana really cuts loose. The fleurLouisiana’s own spirit of holiday mis- de-lis drops at Jackson Square, firechief and good tidings, drifting along works light up the river, brass bands the rivers from Christmas Eve to Jan. fill the streets and strangers hug like 6. Some say he rides the currents of long-lost cousins. Resolutions are the Mississippi, Red and Atchafalaya whispered, Champagne is spilled and rivers, popping up to sprinkle blessconfetti finds its way into hair, shoes ings, leave little surprises and maybe and possibly your cat. If something moves on its own or if sugar packets shuffle a king cake or two. mysteriously migrate across the He ain’t Santa; he’s more like that table, you can bet Père Fouettard had cousin who sneaks the best piece of a hand in it, laughing somewhere in pie before dinner, leaves you laughthe background. ing and vanishes before anyone can New Year’s Day smells like blackscold him. Folks swear he’s the reaeyed peas, cabbage and a little son your sugar bowl seems empty in “please, somebody pass the coffee bethe morning, or why the king cake

fore I collapse.” Mama insists you eat peas for luck, and heaven help you if you argue. Every bite reminds you holidays aren’t just about decorations or gifts, they’re about community, belly laughs and stories that make you cry and chuckle in the same breath. And if a tiny sugar crystal shifts mysteriously into your pocket?

Yep, Père Fouettard strikes again.

By Jan. 6, Twelfth Night, the king cakes appear all over Frenchmen and Royal Street, signaling Mardi Gras season sneaking up like it owns the place. Now, down here, we don’t just stop at New Year’s, we have a little lagniappe holiday, because let’s be real: those resolutions? Ha! They last about 96 hours, if you’re lucky.

By the time Twelfth Night rolls around, you’re already diving headfirst into king cake, sugar in your hair, beads tangled in your shoes and the good times just rolling like the floats on Canal Street. It’s chaos, it’s sweetness, it’s laughter spilling out into the streets, and that’s exactly how we like it.

Louisiana knows how to celebrate.

Y’all, we pack flavor, fun and a little mischief into every holiday, and then we keep the party going just for lagniappe. So whether you’re watching bonfires dance across the levee, lighting candles, feasting until your chair groans, dodging fireworks or slicing into a king cake with delight, Louisiana knows how to celebrate. Loudly.

Proudly. Messily. With sass, spirit and a whole lotta sweetness. Every shout, laugh and cheer carries the memory of a state that refuses to let a season pass quietly. And honestly, would you want it any other way?

Kateb Shunnar, a native of New Orleans, is the author of the upcoming book, “Provisions for Your Thoughts: Chronicles and Inspirations.”

“Congratulations, New Orleans!” proclaimed the on-air commentator as the confetti descended and the American Conference Championship trophy was held aloft by members of the victorious Green Wave football team on a magical evening in Yulman Stadium.

Indeed, the ascendancy of Tulane football is cause for celebration for all New Orleanians and everyone throughout our state. The Green Michael Wave made gridiron history by reA. Fitts turning to the American Conference Championship for the fourth consecGUEST utive year and entering the College COLUMNIST Football Playoff for the first time.

Our student-athletes have excelled in sports throughout our athletics program this year and continue to represent the university at its best, both on and off the field. In addition to the intrinsic value athletics bring to a campus, from increased school spirit to national exposure, the Green Wave’s 2025 championship season also mirrors the current unprecedented upward trajectory of Tulane in every measure of university success.

This is good news for everyone who calls Louisiana home, because the discoveries of Tulane faculty working in our growing research mission, the academic achievement of Tulane’s students, the healing compassion of Tulane doctors and the historic physical expansion of our campuses have positive benefits for all.

Soaring academic achievement is attracting the best and brightest students to our state while inspiring our homegrown talent to build their careers, launch startups and pursue their dreams right here at home. Tulane’s more than 75% increase in research funding over the past decade is bringing more cures, treatments and disease preventions to our city and world.

Our expanding operations, capital investments, scientific breakthroughs and other activities touch every segment of Louisiana financially as well, supporting more than 30,000 jobs statewide and contributing an astounding $5.2 billion every year to the Louisiana economy.

While the Green Wave’s historic entrance into the College Football Playoff has turned a national spotlight on New Orleans, so have the efforts of Tulane faculty. This includes the advancements of biomedical engineering professor J. Quincy Brown, whose groundbreaking work in imaging technology will save lives by making cancer easier to detect, understand and treat.

The amazing faculty in our Creative Writing program are capturing national attention, too, as they continue to pen bestsellers and garner top recognition with National Book Awards, Guggenheim fellowships, MacArthur “Genius Grants” and other prestigious honors. These are just a few examples; Tulane faculty working in all disciplines are making news and making a difference in lives throughout our state and world.

There are also students like senior Dylan Murray, who has co-founded a startup that is developing a rapid at-home test to determine if a tick carries the pathogen that causes Lyme disease.

Other students are pursuing innovations in crystal growth, material properties and cell growth in microgravity that could be used in future space travel. The list goes on.

In many ways, Tulane is just getting started.

We, along with all of New Orleans, are on the rise — especially downtown — with plans to transform the former Charity Hospital building into a vibrant hub of discovery and bioscience entrepreneurship that has the potential to bring about even more lifesaving discoveries while strengthening the regional economy as a high-tech ecosystem.

This is all happening as our city is welcoming new leadership and transformative economic projects are underway throughout the state.

Nothing brings people together like cheering on a winning team. Tulane is proud to be on the same team with our city and state. The drive that’s carrying our team on the field also fuels our collective capacity to attract and cultivate talent, deepen our contributions to the city and state and move forward together to victory.

Roll Wave and Roll Louisiana!

Michael A. Fitts is the president of Tulane University.

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COMMENTARY ON THE RECORD WITH WALT HANDELSMAN

‘People in Louisiana have a great sense of humor’ After more than four decades as a cartoonist — including two separate stints at this paper — Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Walt Handelsman is embarking on his next chapter, a wellStephanie earned retirement.

Grace We’ll miss him terribly, and we know our readers will too. Handelsman recently sat down with columnist Stephanie Grace to talk about his long, storied career and his love of all things Louisiana (even when the Saints are losing). This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

Grace: What were the big news stories when you first arrived here?

Handelsman: I came in ’89 and one of my earliest memories is the David Duke stuff.

Grace: He was elected to the Legislature in ’89.

Handelsman: That had passed, and then he ran statewide for the Senate. So that was one of my first memories, that and just sort of the vibe of New Orleans. I was doing the Picayune Toons comic strip, so that was a great way to immerse myself in the actual cultural stuff going on in New Orleans, because that tended not to be too political.

I arrived in the summer, and one thing I remember was a toon about a flood. It had a character in his car with a boat on the top in the first panel. On the second panel, he’s coming back, and he’s in the boat with the car on the top.

Grace: Did you start doing Saints cartoons right away?

Handelsman: I started doing Saints cartoons pretty quickly. I recognized that that was of great importance to readers, and it was fun.

Grace: Do you remember the toon you drew when you came back after your time in New York?

Handelsman: I looked at it the other day. It was a cartoon of a massive crowd in front of the Superdome, and at the very top was Santa’s sleigh. But Santa was missing; he’d stopped his delivery duties to go to the game. And they won!

Grace: Do you feel like your style has changed over the time that you’ve been doing this?

Handelsman: It’s definitely changed from when I first started.

I just think my ability to draw things is better from doing it thousands of times. Also, I’ve changed, I think, three times the implement that I use. When I first started, I used to dip a quill pen in ink, and it was great, because it had a cool line to it. But it was difficult when you made a turn, and it would sometimes catch and ink would go all over the cartoon.

And then when I was at Newsday, they went to full color. So that’s when I started using Photoshop, scanning my cartoons in and coloring them. And over time, I got pretty good at Photoshop, but coloring still takes well over an hour, depending on how much detail you want to put in. But it’s way better on a computer, because if you make a mistake, you just Ctrl-Z and go back a step.

Grace: Who’s your favorite person to draw?

Handelsman: Obviously, as a political cartoonist, the president is always the main character. Some presidents are way more low-key than what we have now. But in general, that’s where the big political news is coming from, and also the governor and locally, the mayor.

Grace: So it’s not that there’s like a particular person and you think: That person is great to draw because they have certain characteristics. It’s more like where they are in the narrative?

Handelsman: And people often say, “Oh, this person must be so much fun to draw,” but you’re trying to make a point in the cartoons. You’re not just trying to draw a face. If you can combine the two, that’s awesome.

Grace: So how do you draw Donald Trump?

Handelsman: I learned to draw on my own, and my technique was

FILE PHOTO

Longtime Times-Picayune editorial cartoonist Walt Handelsman, who won two Pulitzer Prizes over the course of his career, is retiring at the end of 2025.

to use shapes. So when I’m drawing Trump, it’s a rectangular sort of box. And then on top, you have that big hair. I never really draw the eyes because they’re kind of tucked in underneath the hair, under the eyebrows.

When I drew Barack Obama, it was the long, narrow face and big ears, and a long chin. Bill Clinton had kind of an oval-shaped face with everything kind of pushing in the middle, with a long chin and a little cotton ball haircut.

George H.W. Bush was more like a diamond shape, with the ears.

But that all comes way after the idea. That’s the fun part. The hard part is, what are you trying to say? How can you say it as quickly as possible? How can you make it interesting, whether it’s visually or with words, or usually a combination.

Grace: So aside from the shape of the face, you’re looking for their most distinctive physical characteristic? So again, with Trump, there’s the hair.

Handelsman: Obama, it was the ears and the eyebrows.

Grace: Is there anyone you think of that you were a little stumped on how draw them?

Handelsman: The better looking someone is. It’s very hard to draw someone who’s kind of classically attractive. Dan Quayle was kind of like that back in the day. I mean, I’m drawing George

PROVIDED PHOTO

In 1991, the office of President George H.W. Bush called to request the original of a cartoon Walt Handelsman had drawn of the president and Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. The president then sent Handelsman a personal note of thanks.

H.W. Bush, who had this very high hairline, wore glasses, had a strong chin, lots of features. And here’s Dan Quayle. It’s like, what are you going to draw? John Bel Edwards has a sort of pointed nose. That was a big feature in his face — and glasses, and also a high forehead, if you will. And Bobby Jindal also had a sort of pointy nose and the ears.

Grace: What about, drawing David Duke?

What was that like?

Handelsman: Well, I think I only drew David Duke once, because I drew David Duke in a hood. That was not very popular with many of the readers. Didn’t bother me in the least.

Grace: Did you like drawing Edwin Edwards?

Handelsman: He was like the classic rogue. You know, he had a great sense of humor. People liked him, even though they knew that he may not be doing the right thing for them. I think my favorite cartoon that I did of him was when they wanted to have a

constitutional convention. And he said, “Not everything I do is about gambling.” And in the last panel, he said, “We can hold it in Vegas.”

Grace: How has the environment you work in changed over the decades you’ve been doing this?

Handelsman: It’s changed tremendously. I think everyone in the country and around the world can feel it. When I first started cartooning, Ronald Reagan was president. I used to go to the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists convention every year, and in 1986, we had our convention in Washington, D.C., and Reagan invited the cartoonists to come to the Rose Garden for a presentation. There were probably 250 of us, and Reagan came out, and there was an easel next to him, and Reagan spent a fair amount of time talking about how much he enjoyed cartoons, and that it was an important thing for journalism to have cartoons.

Grace: And I’m sure that this group was often very tough on him. Like, mocking.

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Handelsman: Very, very tough.

Yeah, you know, funny drawings of him and knocking him for any scandal, but he understood what journalism was about, and he admired satire.

Trump does not like satire, obviously. So when you ask about the arc of my career, those are the two points on either end of the spectrum. It used to be that politicians of both sides had a better sense of humor with satire. They understood it. And, you know this is as a columnist. You meet people, and you enjoy their company, but you’re still gonna knock them when they do something bad, and you’re gonna praise them when they do something good, right?

Honestly, I think that up until Trump, that was the way it was, even locally. And I think also that the whole tone has changed, not just for the politicians but for the readers. People get very aggravated when they see you making fun of someone that they really support.

Grace: Why do you think your toon contest was so popular?

Handelsman: I think the reason it’s popular is because people in Louisiana have a great sense of humor. That’s the No. 1 default.

Everyone’s a character. Everyone has a story. Everyone will invite you over to their house. It’s just great. So the caption contest: I did it in New York a couple of times with OK success. But I just thought when I came down here, I said, this might really be fun to do here. And I started in 2014, and even in the beginning, we got over 100 entries, and I’m like, “Wow, that’s incredible. That’s more than in New York.”

Some of the early ones were political, but over time, I started seeing, wow, these are getting really negative. I don’t want to run these in the paper. They’re nasty, they’re not funny, they’re just kind of mean-spirited. So it slowly morphed into more fun stuff and stuff about, you know, seasonal things and things that people in the state look forward to. And I did stuff about graduations, and I did stuff about the LSU Tigers and about Tulane and about the Saints, and it just started blowing up. People wrote and said, “You know, this is like a fun reprieve from the news.”

Grace: You’ve worked in Pennsylvania, New York and Louisiana twice. Is this a better environment for a cartoonist?

Handelsman: I think Louisiana is a particularly good place to draw cartoons because we’ve got quirky characters.

There’s also a love of the culture here. You don’t get that in some places. They love it, the food, the whole thing.

It’s just filled with topics and ideas and craziness, and people have a great sense of humor. So it’s a win-win.

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Court denies execution for LSU student’s killer

BY MATT BRUCE Staff writer

The state Supreme Court has denied a bid by the Louisiana attorney general to reinstate the death sentence of a man who was a week shy of his 18th birthday when he kidnapped and killed an LSU student.

Dale Dwayne Craig, now 51, was one of four teens convicted of abducting and torturing Kipp Earl Gullett, an 18-year-old LSU freshman, during a fatal carjacking in September 1992.

After the teens drove Gullett to a secluded construction site near Kenilworth Parkway, Craig stood over the student and shot him several times execution-style as Gullett laid unconscious in the fetal position.

Craig was convicted of first-degree murder, and in 1994, a jury

unanimously condemned him to be executed. But in a landmark 2005 ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down capital punishment for criminals who were underage when they committed their crimes, deeming it an unconstitutional measure of cruel and unusual punishment.

Craig’s death sentence was subsequently vacated, and he was resentenced to Craig life in prison.

Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill’s office filed a motion in August challenging the 20-yearold Supreme Court ruling, known as Roper v. Simmons, which overturned juvenile death penalty statutes in Louisiana and 18 other states across the country.

The Murrill’s office said Craig’s

life shouldn’t be spared because he was seven days away from turning 18 when he killed Gullett. State prosecutors pointed to his case as an example of the arbitrary nature of the sweeping death penalty ban for juvenile offenders and sought to challenge the federal law.

During an Oct. 24 hearing inside the 19th Judicial District Courthouse, Chief Judge Donald Johnson quashed the AG’s motion, saying he didn’t have the authority to reinstate Craig’s death sentence.

The Louisiana Supreme Court denied the state’s application for supervisory writ on Tuesday. Six of the seven justices agreed to the order, and Judge John Michael Guidry recused himself.

The AG’s Office has said Louisiana will seek to overturn Roper if and when the case reaches the U.S. Supreme Court.

It is not immediately clear if the AG’s Office will file a writ for a U.S. Supreme Court review. That would allow justices to consider overturning the high court’s split decision imposed 20 years ago.

“While we’re disappointed the Louisiana Supreme Court didn’t weigh in on this important case, we’ll continue to work to ensure that the worst of the worst criminals in our State are brought to justice,” Murrill said in a statement.

The brutal murder happened the night of Sept. 15, 1992. Gullett was returning to his dorm on the LSU campus when Craig and three other teens carjacked him at gunpoint. They forced Gullet back into

his Ford Bronco and drove around with him for nearly an hour. Court records and trial testimony indicate Craig spearheaded the armed robbery and abduction and terrorized Gullett during the ride as the victim begged for his life.

The group of teens drove to the construction site, where Craig shot Gullett three times in the head, then stood over him and fired more bullets at him.

After the killing, Craig joked aloud and bragged to his accomplices, telling them, “I told you I was hard,” according to court records. State prosecutors stressed that he later threatened the three teens who helped him carry out the carjacking and abduction.

Email Matt Bruce at matt. bruce@theadvocate.com.

Southern names interim president Pennington Biomedical increases, as well as part- cord will stand for itself.”

Orlando McMeans nerships Board of Supervisors with organizations the USDA Agricultural Chair Tony Clayton said to lead school as like this month that the uniResearch Service. search begins for He said he was over- versity will pursue a new whelmed and excited to ac- direction focused on partreplacement cept the presidency in the nerships with industry and

BY HALEY MILLER

Staff writer

Southern University’s Board of Supervisors on Thursday named Orlando McMeans the university system’s new interim president.

McMeans has been the chancellor of the Southern University Agricultural Research and Extension Center and dean of the College of Agricultural, Human and Environmental Sciences since 2019.

“I will hold down this seat until we find a new president to lead this great university,” McMeans said at the board meeting Thursday. “Thank you for having confidence in me.”

McMeans will serve as interim president starting Jan. 1. As chancellor and dean, he has overseen enrollment and retention

PLAN

Continued from page 1B for far too long, and we’re seeing some material success in growth across sectors,” Coussan said at the commission’s monthly meeting.

This change will exempt utilities trying to build new infrastructure for data centers from going through a process that requires them to prove the new generation is the cheapest and most reliable option on the market.

It also directs the regulators to vote on new projects within eight months of an application, faster than the typical yearlong timeline.

In order for a project to qualify for the streamlined process, a company must meet requirements, including a letter from the state’s economic development agency “confirming the customer’s interest and the importance of power availability” and a contract of at least 15 years.

The amendment passed by a 4-1 vote, with only Commissioner Davante Lewis opposing. Lewis called the new policy a “dangerous precedent” that “lowers the standards” for projects trying to get new infrastructure on the grid. He noted that the new policy criteria are less stringent than the power plan approved for Meta, a monthslong regulatory process that faced significant pushback from environmental, consumer and industrial groups.

OUTAGE

Continued from page 1B their Class E driver’s licenses. Most regular drivers hold a Class E license.

The state of emergency also allowed the state to speed up the timetable for choosing a new company to replace the computer system.

interim.

“It is an honor to represent the only HBCU system in the nation,” McMeans said. “Most people don’t know, prior to coming here, I turned down the presidency. So this definitely was not a part of my trajectory, but I’m happy to be here today.”

A committee is expected to begin the search for a permanent president in January.

The appointment of McMeans follows last month’s announcement that the board would part ways with President Dennis Shields, who has led the system since 2022. His departure came as a surprise to many colleagues and alumni.

“I’ve been heartened by the mostly positive reaction to the work that I’ve done over the past three and a half years,” Shields said in the days after the news broke. “My view is my re-

greater competitiveness for state and federal funding, as well as a shift away from diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.

“I’m looking for a person who has an educational background that’s inextricably intertwined with business,” Clayton said. “To operate this system, we need a more general philosophy in terms of moving this school to a higher level.”

McMeans said he will work to continue Southern University’s momentum.

He plans to focus on funding, student success and research as president, he said.

“We have to start working right here, today, right now, to move that needle, whatever those metrics are to meet,” McMeans said.

Shields praised McMeans at the board meeting, saying the new president is beloved by his peers.

Meta’s northeast Louisiana data center, the company’s biggest yet, will require roughly three times the amount of electricity that New Orleans uses on an annual basis. Entergy is building three new gas-fired power plants to meet the demand.

The commission meeting grew tense at times, with commissioners talking over and interrupting each other.

other regulators voting to delay.

What’s the new rule?

BY HALEY MILLER Staff writer

John Kirwan will step down as Pennington Biomedical Research Center’s executive director when his contract ends Dec. 31, as leadership changes continue to ripple through the LSU system.

A scholar of obesity, diabetes and nutrition research, Kirwan directed the research center in Baton Rouge for eight years. The end of his tenure comes days after the LSU Board of Supervisors and system President Wade Rousse overhauled the structure of the public university system, making it so the heads of several specialized research units, including Pennington, are renamed “senior vice chancellor” and report to Executive Vice President and flagship Chancellor James Dalton.

Previously, those leaders reported to the LSU president, but the board last

month split that job into two positions.

“As LSU welcomes new leadership under President Wade Rousse and Chancellor Jim Dalton, this is a natural moment for Pennington Biomedical to welcome fresh perspectives as well,” Kirwan wrote in a letter sent to employees Friday. “I’m committed to ensuring a seamless transition.”

Jennifer Rood will serve as interim executive director. An international search to fill the role will begin in early 2026.

This year, Pennington surpassed $100 million in annual revenue for the first time in its history, according to the letter.

“I’m deeply proud of what we’ve built together,” Kirwan wrote. “Because of this transformation, Pennington Biomedical is well-positioned for continued growth and impact on an upward trajectory that will serve Louisiana for decades to come.”

Continued from page 1B “I come to class and love on these students,” she said. “The only recognition I need is seeing a smile on their faces.”

Each school in the parish selected an outstanding teacher from among its staff. Those honorees were interviewed by the district before the four award winners were announced. The elementary, middle and high school honorees will go on to compete at the regional and state level.

“Our teachers are the heart of everything we do,” Touchet said in a statement. “The success of a school system depends on the professionals in our classrooms each day. These educators represent the very best of LPSS, and their commitment to student growth, opportunity and culture is evident in the lives they impact.”

Contact Ashley White at ashley.white@ theadvocate.com.

Dream Address Awaits

‘Sharply increasing bills’ Advocacy groups opposed Coussan’s proposal, arguing that the policy removes needed guardrails and fails to give regulators enough time to assess the impact of future projects. Logan Burke, who runs the Alliance for Affordable Energy, said that removing protections will mean “decades of sharply increasing bills.”

“Understanding the amount of pressure that you are receiving from other elected bodies, but you are five duly elected decision makers who get to make these decisions,” Burke said.

A coalition of some of the largest industrial users in the state, including chemical manufacturers and oil companies, also objected to key aspects of the new policy. Randy Young, a lawyer for the Louisiana Energy Users Group, wrote a letter to the regulators earlier this week saying that waiving the typical regulatory process “adds significant risk and potential costs to the ratepayers.”

Regarding the Meta deal, Entergy says the new power plants will not lead to higher bills for average ratepayers. Advocacy groups point to risks in the agreement as well as data centers in other states that have ended up costing other energy users.

A utility can go through the fast-tracked “lightning” route as long as the customer pays for half of its infrastructure costs, the new rule stipulates. Meta, for instance, is paying for the full annual revenue of the electricity plants that will power the facility, though not for all of the new infrastructure needed.

Lewis was the only commissioner to vote against the plan for Meta’s center, on the grounds that the agreement left fundamental questions on the table, including the lack of a competitive bid process. On Wednesday, he proposed a separate framework to address issues that large-scale data centers are presenting to regulators.

That proposal aims to “ensure that the public interest is considered in a transparent and deliberative process, while balancing economic development, improving grid reliability, and protecting affordable rates.” It was deferred to Email Josie Abugov the next commission meet- at josie.abugov@ ing, with all four of the theadvocate.com.

In July, the state signed a $54 million contract with CHAMP Titles to install a new computer system for OMV. CHAMP has worked with states such as West Virginia, Kentucky, New Jersey and Illinois.

While officials said it will take two years to fully install the system, the hope was that the driver’s license component could be ready in one year.

director to step down

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TAKE

TWO

Ole Miss running back Damien Taylor, right, runs the ball as Tulane linebacker TJ Smith follows in pursuit during the second half of a game on Sept. 20 in Oxford, Miss. AP PHOTO By VASHA HUNT

Keys to a Tulane turnaround in CFP rematch with w Ole Miss

BY GUERRY SMITH Contributing writer

As bad as Tulane played at Ole Miss in September, the line of scrimmage was not a mismatch on either side of the ball.

The Green Wave rushed for 178 yards while allowing zero sacks. It limited Kewan Lacy, who became the SEC’s second-leading rusher, to 68 yards on 18 carries with a long gain of 12.

The problems in the 45-10 loss came overwhelmingly on the perimeter, giving the Wave more hope for the College Football Playoff rematch against the Rebels (2:30 p.m., TNT) than if it had been dominated up front.

“I used that in our meeting today,” coach Jon Sumrall said after Thursday morning’s practice at Yulman Stadium. “I showed them seven or eight clips from the game that were good for us.”

He then challenged the guys on the perimeter to play better. When the teams met in September, four of the five secondary members were less than a month into their

first year as starters after Mic cah Robinson, Johnathan Edwards and Caleb Ransaw gra aduated to the NFL, Jalen Geiger exhausted his eligibility y and Rayshawn Pleasant transferred to Auburn.

The receivers were in entirely y new roles, too, with Mario Williams, Dontae Fleming, Yulkeith Y Brown and tight end Alex Bauman (transferred to t Miami) accounting for 146 catches, 2,311 yards and 18 touchdowns t in their final seasons compared to 16 recepttions, 235 yards and two scores from the returning playe ers.

Combine that fact with a tran nsfer quarterback, Jake Retzlaff, who had been on cam mpus for less than two months, and the blueprint for a bludgeoning was there.

“It was their fourth start,” Sum mrall said. I told them this week will be your 14th start. They T are 10 games more mature. I’m not saying it answerrs all the issues we had in Game 1, but those guys were trrying to figure out how to play still.”

1cN

Fuaga’s struggles fit in with draft class peers year 2 hasn’t gone as planned for Saints tackle

BY MATTHEW PARAS Staff writer

Taliese Fuaga hasn’t had the season he wanted.

Moved from left to right tackle, the New Orleans Saints offensive lineman went into the year trying to readjust to the position he previously played in college. But that change has been the least of his concerns.

These days, Fuaga has spent more time focused on his health. First, there was a knee injury — followed by a back flare-up that caused him to miss Week 3. ä Jets at Later in the year, he suffered Saints NOON a high-ankle sprain that kept him out for two contests, only SUNDAy, FOX to return and then roll the other foot and sit out again for another outing. He’s missed four games total.

“The injuries, that’s something obviously he didn’t have last year and it’s tough for him,” offensive line coach Brendan Nugent said. “But man, when he’s in there, it’s a difference in there.”

To Nugent’s point, the Saints’ offensive line still greatly benefits when Fuaga is on the field. But even then, Fuaga has looked less than 100% throughout the season — which explains why he hasn’t taken the jump many expected after a promising rookie year.

But he’s not alone.

Remember how vaunted the 2024 NFL draft was at tackle? That was the year that tied a league record with eight tackles — including Fuaga — taken in the first round.

But now, many of those eight are having a year they might want to forget.

That doesn’t mean the class is — or will be — a letdown, either. It just goes to show that

ä See SAINTS, page 2C

Saints OT Taliese Fuaga

STAFF FILE PHOTO By BRETT DUKE

ä See TULANE, page 2C

Sifting through a sleigh full of LSU football news

coach Kevin Smith with him after Smith Santa’s sleigh is full of LSU-related footfinishes helping coach the Rebels in the ball news this week.

College Football Playoff. I have mixed Let’s go up tempo and get right to it: n The coaches and staffers flyfeelings about Wilson’s departure.

One, his reputation as a stellar ing back and forth between LSU recruiter is well earned. That and Ole Miss are nothing short of said, Kiffin, like any incoming remarkable. It started, of course, coach, must be allowed to make with Lane Kiffin coming to Bahis own decisions about who he ton Rouge, along with much of wants on his staff. Did the fact his offensive staff and general Scott that LSU’s only 1,000-yard rusher manager Billy Glasscock. Now Rabalais in Wilson’s past four seasons was former LSU GM Austin Thomas quarterback Jayden Daniels play is heading back to Ole Miss, and a part? Perhaps. Anyway, Wilson apparently, LSU interim/runä Texas deserves to be lauded for his dedning backs coach Frank Wilson Bowl LSU as well, after the Tigers’ Texas ication to LSU, especially since vs: Houston being named interim coach after Bowl appearance Dec. 27 against 8:30 P.M. Brian Kelly’s firing in October, STAFF FILE PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON Houston. Wilson is a popular coach, especially in his native DEC. 27, ESPN just as much as Kiffin deserves to LSU interim coach Frank Wilson walks on be able to decide who he wants on the field during a game against Arkansas on New Orleans, where he is a near deity among high school coaches. his staff.

Nov. 15 at Tiger Stadium. Wilson will join the He coached under Kiffin at Tennessee in n The latest two LSU players to declare Ole Miss coaching staff after coaching LSU 2009, but LSU’s new head coach appears for the transfer portal — offensive lineeager to bring Ole Miss running backs man Carius Curne and backup quarterback in the Texas Bowl.

Colin Hurley — are the first two portal entries this season that really hurt the Tigers. Curne played a lot out of necessity as a freshman all across the LSU line in 2025 and stood a great chance to be a starter next season. Hurley never played a snap, but his departure hurts the Tigers’ depth as they currently have only one scholarship quarterback in Michael Van Buren.

Injured former starter Garrett Nussmeier was declared out of the Texas Bowl and is out of eligibility after this season. n LSU’s wafer-thin numbers at quarterback add extreme urgency to something we already knew: that Kiffin must land a quarterback once the transfer portal opens Jan. 2. The Tigers really need two quarterbacks and could use three, because who knows if Van Buren will want to stick around after seeing who LSU gets in the portal. Remember also that LSU did not sign a high school quarterback during the

ä See RABALAIS, page 2C

2C ● Friday, December 19, 2025 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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BROADCAST HIGHLIGHTS On TV MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL 4 p.m.

Grambling St. vs. Hampton ESPNU 5:30 p.m. Seton Hall at Providence FS1 6:30 p.m. Norfolk St. vs. Jackson St. ESPNU 7 p.m.

Villanova vs.Wisconsin FOX 8:30 p.m. Abilene Christian at ByU TNT 8:30 p.m. Cal Poly at UCLA BTN 10:30 p.m.Washington at Seattle U. ESPN2

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RABALAIS

seems impossible, given Kiffin’s reputation as a quarterback deContinued from page 1C veloper paired with LSU’s need and resources, that the Tigers won’t land a difference-maker in this cycle. Someone will want early signing period earlier this to come to Baton Rouge with month or in the 2024-25 recruitvisions of being LSU’s next Joe ing cycle. n So who could Kiffin try to Burrow or Daniels. The question is whether Kiffin can land mulland in the January portal? Two potentially top names are current tiple QBs. n According to a report from Ole Miss quarterbacks Trinidad Chambliss and the Rebels’ signal The Athletic, a team source said caller he “Wally Pipped” earlier members of the Ole Miss player this season, Austin Simmons. leadership council voted 9-3 to Chambliss must win an appeal allow Kiffin and his offensive to get a year back from when he staff to coach the Rebels through was at Division II Ferris State. their run in the College Football He said Monday he hoped to get Playoff. If correct, this contraan answer from the NCAA before dicts the notion that Ole Miss Saturday’s CFP game against players were overwhelmingly Tulane. Other big-name quarteragainst Kiffin coaching the team backs in the portal include Florin the CFP. Certainly, there was ida’s DJ Lagway, Arizona State’s no unanimous support for Kiffin Sam Leavitt, Brendan Sorsby of within the Rebels’ ranks. But it Cincinnati and Nebraska’s Dylan now appears that if the decision Raiola. There will be others. It were left up to the players and

IN BRIEF

FROM STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS

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Vancouver at N.y. Islanders NHLN MEN’S SOCCER 1 p.m.

Bologna vs. Inter Milan CBSSN TENNIS 10 a.m. Next Gen Finals TENNIS

not the Ole Miss administration, Kiffin might well be coaching Saturday, something LSU athletic director Verge Ausberry said he supported. But that would have been a public relations boost for LSU, and that was something Ole Miss simply could not tolerate. n Junior linebacker Whit Weeks said recently on a podcast sponsored by local lawyer and LSU megabooster Gordon McKernan that he was torn about whether to return to the Tigers in 2026. That’s certainly understandable. Weeks was a preseason All-American and figured he would be turning professional right now. But injuries and reinjuries, starting with last season’s Texas Bowl, basically wrecked his plans. LSU seriously needs to retain Weeks as the centerpiece of its defense, and he should come back to boost his draft stock for next year. There is, of course, the risk of another

injury, but the money high-profile college athletes like Weeks earn now mitigates a significant amount of that risk. n Found a great Kiffin story online as told by former Ole Miss and current New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart: “Let’s just say LK is different. Whether it’s him throwing up his hands for a touchdown before the ball is even snapped, or him chucking the clipboard when the ball is in the air … I remember against Alabama my first year (at Ole Miss) I’d just completed a back shoulder throw to Malik Heath. (Kiffin is) talking crap to the corner telling him, ‘We’re going to run the exact same play and we’re going to run it at you again.’ And we did it the next play. I threw it at him again.”

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

SAINTS

Continued from page 1C growth isn’t always linear in the NFL, and that sometimes an offyear can also be instrumental in shaping a player’s development.

“It’s a good experience just to understand how to handle these situations,” Fuaga said. “When this stuff happens — at first, when I got injured, I’m like, ‘Man, it’s the end of the world. This is horrible.’ But I think it’s a good way to understand how to handle these situations.”

“It’s an up-and-down year,” he said later.

Here’s a further look at that tackle class and how Year 2 hasn’t gone as planned for many of them.

Joe Alt, Los Angeles Chargers: The fifth pick in 2024, Alt has emerged as one of the league’s best — when healthy. Unfortunately for him and the Chargers, Alt required season-ending ankle surgery after reinjuring the sprain that limited him to just six games.

J.C. Latham, Tennessee Titans: Like Fuaga, Latham played left tackle as a rookie, but was then moved to right tackle in the offseason.

Latham, the seventh overall pick, has also missed four games and has allowed a league-high eight sacks in 2025.

Olu Fashanu, New York Jets: Fashanu was heavily linked to the Saints in the pre-draft process, but the Jets — this week’s opponent for New Orleans — snatched him up with the 11th overall pick, three spots ahead of New Orleans. According to Next Gen Stats, Fashanu has allowed a pressure rate of 14.4% this season, third-highest among

WASHINGTON — Ani Kilambi joined the Nationals as their new general manager on Thursday, making the 31-year-old who had been with the Philadelphia Phillies the latest young face to join president of baseball operations Paul Toboni in Washington.

Kilambi has been an assistant general manager for the Phillies, working with that club since 2021.

Before that, he was with the Tampa Bay Rays for more than five years.

Kilambi takes over a job that was held for more than a decade and a half by Mike Rizzo, who became the GM in Washington in 2009 and added the title of president of baseball operations in 2013. Rizzo was fired in July during the Nationals’ sixth consecutive losing season. Manager Dave Martinez also was fired then.

Kentucky adds Leftwich, Price to coaching staff

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Kentucky coach Will Stein announced two more coaching staff hires on Thursday, including bringing another person with him from Oregon.

Stein said Cutter Leftwich will be Kentucky’s offensive line coach and Joe Price III the wide receivers coach. Leftwich currently is Oregon’s assistant offensive line coach and run game coordinator. Stein already hired Pat Biondo from Oregon as general manager.

Both Stein, Oregon’s offensive coordinator, and Leftwich will be coaching Saturday night when the Ducks host James Madison in the first round of the College Football Playoff.

Price currently is helping the Roadrunners prepare for the First Responder Bowl on Dec. 26 in Dallas.

Timberwolves plan to retire Garnett’s jersey

STAFF PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD

Saints offensive tackle Taliese Fuaga, center, protects the line against the Carolina Panthers during the second half of their game on Sunday at the Caesars Superdome. left tackles with at least 150 snaps.

Taliese Fuaga, New Orleans Saints: Pro Football Focus grades aren’t everything — and are highly subjective — but, interestingly, Fuaga’s pass-blocking grade of 62.2 is exactly the same as it was as a rookie. The charting service has him giving up pressure on 6.8% of his pass-blocking snaps, which ranks fourth among the eight first-round tackles taken.

Amarius Mims, Cincinnati Bengals: Considered one of the rawest prospects with an intriguing amount of upside, the 6-foot-7, 340-pound Mims is finding his stride. His pressure rate, according to Pro

Football Focus, has improved from 6.4% to 5.9% in 2025. The Bengals picked him 18th overall last year.

Troy Fautanu, Pittsburgh Steelers: Though some draft analysts questioned whether he was better suited for guard, Fautanu is showing that he can be a quality NFL tackle. Despite missing all but one game of his rookie season, the former No. 21 overall pick has given up only one sack in 14 games this year. He’s been solid.

Jordan Morgan, Green Bay Packers: Drafted 25th overall, Morgan was moved to guard this season after losing a competition to start at left

TULANE

tackle in training camp. Though he has started nine games in 2025 — including one at right tackle — he was benched in Week 12 against the Minnesota Vikings and hasn’t played since.

Tyler Guyton,Dallas Cowboys: The Cowboys have a great track record of hitting on offensive linemen in the draft, but the jury is out on whether Guyton can meet that high standard. He’s had a shaky season with a 8.1% pressure rate allowed and four games missed due to injury.

Email Matthew Paras at matt. paras@theadvocate.com

up with better communication.”

3. Tackle Chambliss

Continued from page 1C Assuming Tulane closes the gap on the outside in the rematch, here is what else it needs to do to give itself a chance to pull a massive upset as a 171/ 2-point underdog.

1. Win on third down The Wave converted four of its first six third-down opportunities in September but had critical breakdowns. Dropped passes on third-and-6 and third-and-4 forced punts on the opening two series, and a false start on third-and-7 from the Rebels’ 14 led to a field goal on the third.

From there, Tulane went two of eight the rest of the way.

“We had a couple of things that we missed and a couple things didn’t scheme up right, so we have to be better on third down,” offensive coordinator Joe Craddock said. “We have to stay on the field and keep the ball away from their offense a little bit.”

Conversely, Tulane’s defense could not get off the field. Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss set the tone with a 42-yard run on the first third down he faced, setting up a touchdown pass on thirdand-goal, and the Rebels finished seven of 11.

“We had some chances to make plays to end drives and just didn’t

Kilambi joins Nationals as General Manager

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By VASHA HUNT

Tulane defensive linemen Santana Hopper, center, and Tre’Von McAlpine, right, pressure Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss during their game on Sept. 20 in Oxford, Miss.

make them,” defensive coordina- rank 19th in plays per second — one tor Greg Gasparato said. “When spot behind North Texas, another we watched the film, we said, man, Tulane victim. we had a lot of opportunities.”

Keeping up with SEC talent at that rapid rate is a more difficult 2. Handle the tempo task, of course. Ole Miss punted Since facing Ole Miss, Tulane has once and scored eight times on its gone against the first-, third- and first nine series.

“We just have to communicate fifth-fastest offenses in pace of play, beating Florida Atlantic, Tulsa better and handle tempo better,” and East Carolina without too many linebacker Sam Howard said. issues. That experience should help “They just got on us fast and we just because the Wave struggled to line didn’t make the plays we were supup in time against the Rebels, who posed to make. We have to get lined

Chambliss’s 112 yards rushing in the first meeting were an outlier — nearly double his total in any other game — but his speed caused all kinds of problems for the Tulane defense. Linebacker Sam Howard sacked him once for a 1-yard loss. A front four that has improved substantially since then came up empty.

The Wave sacked North Texas’s Drew Mestemaker four times in a span of three possessions in the American championship game.

He was easy to bring down when the rushers reached him. Only two teams (Washington State, Florida) sacked Chambliss more than once, and both were in the game until late in the fourth quarter.

“He’s a really good vertical scrambler,” Sumrall said. “He’ll get on the perimeter some, but when he climbs the pocket and gets through the A and B gaps going north and south fast is where he is glaringly different than a lot of guys. We have our hands full with him.”

Winning the turnover battle and finishing drives in the red zone will be key, but those are vital in every matchup. The overriding factor for Tulane is flipping the script from September in the passing game, when the Rebels threw for 307 to the Wave’s 104.

Without that, the rematch will not be winnable.

MINNEAPOLIS — Kevin Garnett will finally have his No. 21 formally retired by the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Timberwolves announced on Thursday they’ve hired the Hall of Fame member and franchise icon as a team ambassador, with a plan to honor Garnett in a jersey-raising ceremony at Target Center on a future date.

The fifth pick in the 1995 draft, who played the first 12 of his 21 seasons in the NBA for Minnesota before returning in 2015 for a farewell year, has essentially been estranged.

“I’m thrilled to be back home,” Garnett said in a statement distributed by the Timberwolves.

Garnett won an NBA championship in 2008 with the Celtics, who retired his No. 5 jersey there in 2022.

Rams WR Nacua apologizes for gesture

Los Angeles Rams receiver Puka Nacua has apologized for performing a gesture that plays upon antisemitic tropes on an internet livestream.

“I had no idea this act was antisemitic in nature and perpetuated harmful stereotypes against Jewish people,” Nacua said Thursday in an Instagram post. “I deeply apologize to anyone who was offended by my actions as I do not stand for any form of racism, bigotry or hate of another group of people.”

The statement is posted on a blue square, the logo for the Blue Square Alliance Against Hate.

Nacua appeared on a livestream earlier in the week hosted by internet personality Adin Ross, who suggested that Nacua perform the gesture as a touchdown celebration.

McIlroy wins BBC award after victories in 2025

SALFORD, England — Rory McIlroy was voted as the BBC Sports Personality of the Year on Thursday, capping a year that saw him win the Masters to complete the career Grand Slam and then an away Ryder Cup with Team Europe.

The 36-year-old McIlroy won the public vote for the BBC prize ahead of England’s Women’s Rugby World Cup-winning star, Ellie Kildunne, and new Formula 1 world champion Lando Norris.

He is the first golfer to win the award since Nick Faldo in 1989 — the year McIlroy was born.

McIlroy came close to winning the accolade in 2014, losing out to F1 driver Lewis Hamilton despite capturing the British Open and PGA Championship titles that year.

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The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Friday, December 19, 2025 ● 3C

BLUE HENS 20, CAJUNS 13 THREE AND OUT: KEVIN FOOTE’S TOP TAKEAWAyS

1

WASTED OPPORTUNITIES When a matchup is anywhere near a 5050 showdown, it’s hard to dominate for four quarters. UL controlled the vast majority of the first half, but threw an interception in the end zone from the 5 and missed a field goal.

So once Delaware counterpunched in the third quarter, the Cajuns just didn’t have enough to show their many good downs in the first half on the scoreboard. Modern football thinking is that you can’t win a game with field goals, but had UL kicked three field goals on its first three drives, it wouldn’t have needed a touchdown to win the game on the final drive.

2

TEAM IS GUTSY Would it be better to have a healthy offensive line? Of course.Would it be better to be more efficient in the passing game? Certainly.

Would it be better to not be minus-3 in turnover margin? Absolutely. But even with all of those obstacles, this team didn’t wilt. How many UL fans thought a blowout was unfolding when the Blue Hens built a 20-3 lead in the third quarter? The honest answer is somewhere between many and most.And yet, these Cajuns drove 86 yards on 12 plays with no timeouts in 1:41 on the final drive. yes, the execution inside the 30 needed to be better, but you’ve got to admire the guts.

3

DEFENSE DID ITS PART In the last game of the regular season, ULM’s struggling offense marched up and down the field on UL’s defense, which allowed big plays in the passing game all season.yes, the Blue Hens threw a 35-yard TD pass to open the second half, but overall, UL’s defense played well enough to win the game.

Delaware averaged 302 passing yards a game this season, but was limited to 50 yards in the first half and 176 for the game. Shutting that passing game down for four quarters isn’t a realistic goal.What took place should have been good enough to win the game had the offense taken full advantage of its scoring opportunities.

PROVIDED PHOTOS By BENJAMIN MASSEy

UL quarterback Lunch Winfiedl looks to make a pass in the second half against the Delaware Blue Hens on Wednesday at the 68 Ventures Bowl in Mobile, Ala.

‘It’s just tough’ UL’s rally falls short in 68 Ventures Bowl loss to Delaware

You could see it on UL coach Michael Desormeaux’s face in the postgame news conference.

If a team ever deserved to get a break at the end of a bowl game, it was his 2025 Ragin’ Cajuns.

But it didn’t come, and for the third time in Desormeaux’s four seasons as head coach, UL settled for a 6-7 season after a bowl loss.

“It’s hard to say Kevin why things work Foote out the way they do sometimes,” Desormeaux said.

As if Desormeaux and his staff didn’t have enough to agonize over during his turbulent season, Wednesday’s 20-13 loss to Delaware in the 68 Ventures Bowl gave all the coaches, players and fans enough fodder for many frustrating daydreams during the offseason.

After the first three offensive possessions, the Cajuns had covered 171 yards, had 10 first downs to two for the Blue Hens and had run 35 plays to eight … and were trailing 7-3.

A missed field goal and an interception in the end zone from the five wasted key opportunities that the Cajuns were never able to overcome.

UL’s offense concocted six drives of nine or more plays in the game — topped by a 16-play, 70-yard drive for a field goal — but only scored 13 points.

“There’s a lot of things I wish I’d have done better to score some points,” Desormeaux said.

“I could have done a better job with some of the play calls when we got down there early.

Cajuns tight end Trey Miller runs the ball against Delaware during the 68 Vetures Bowl on Wednesday.

“There’s always things that you’d like to have back when you don’t win. That’s the nature of it.”

On the missed field goal on the first possession, “I could have gotten us a little closer on the first field goal instead of trying to go for it.”

True, but it’s hard to not strive for a first down and eventually a touchdown.

“We might have been a little too run-heavy early,” he added. “I thought we ran it well early … I don’t know.”

About the interception in the end zone on fourth-and-inches, “I felt like we could play-action off, and a guy made a really good play. Whenever you turn one over in the end zone, there are plays as a play callers, it crushes you.

“You try to be aggressive when

you’re down there … I guess I probably should have just let our guys try to run it in there for a yard.”

It’s what most were thinking, but getting off the pass quicker might very well have produced the touchdown.

“I’m just heartbroken for these guys,” Desormeaux said. “After everything they’ve done to get here … to come up a little bit short in the end, it’s just tough.

“But I couldn’t be more proud of a group of people and the way these guys battled through everything. I mean tonight, down 17 again and they made a push to come back and try to win. The belief on this team is unbelievable.”

Quarterback Lunch Winfield made it clear neither he nor his teammates ever gave up confidence in winning, even down 20-3

in the third quarter.

“We all knew we’ve been in this situation before — everybody knew,” Winfield said. “Everybody had the same belief, the same vision and the same goals that we were going to win that game. We were trying to will it to win.”

Nobody embodied that attitude more down the stretch this season than senior defensive end Jordan Lawson.

Down 20-3, the Cajuns wouldn’t have been close to ending the game on Delaware’s 7 down by one score without multiple clutch stops by the defense.

“We knew we couldn’t give up anything else,” Lawson said.

Sometimes it’s difficult to watch one individual player in a team game like football, but Lawson’s film over the last month is just incredible. His extra effort was so noticeable and impressive.

“I tell these guys all the time, the impact you leave is way more than the plays you’ve made,” Desormeaux said of Lawson. “He’s made great plays, but the impact he’s going to leave on this team with these young guys that are coming back, you can’t put it in words.

“When you have people, when some of your best players are the hardest workers and the ones that do it the right way, it just. It’s something that it builds the culture of what your team is.”

Indeed, players like Lawson certainly deserved a break after such a long season.

Just too many missed opportunities.

“Nothing can change how proud I am of this group,” Desormeaux said.

UL defense limited Delaware’s passing game

BY DAN MCDONALD Contributing writer

MOBILE,Ala.— UL’s injury-racked defensive secondary only allowed 50 yards to Delaware’s high-octane passing offense in Wednesday’s first half of the 68 Ventures Bowl. Then, the Ragin’ Cajuns gave up a negative four yards in the air in the fourth quarter.

But that third period, and specifically the Blue Hens’ first Notebook two drives of the second half, proved to be the Cajuns’ undoing.

Delaware, in its first-ever FBS bowl appearance, came out of the locker room with a 70-yard march, all of it in the air, and Nick Minicucci‘s 35-yard touchdown pass to Sean Wilson just over two minutes into the half was the biggest dagger in the Cajuns’ 20-13 loss.

The Blue Hens, who entered the game averaging over 302 yards per game passing, added 41 more pass yards on a following drive that resulted in a field goal and a 20-3 lead. From that point on, Delaware never penetrated the Cajuns’ 35, but the deficit was too much to overcome for a UL team (6-7) that had won four straight nail-biters to finish the season bowl eligible.

They almost made it five, marching 86 yards in the final 1:41 to the Delaware 7, only to run out of time. Lunch Winfield‘s final throw was knocked away from tight end Caden Jensen at the horn.

UL was close to its second rally from a 17-point deficit this year, after Winfield engineered the double-overtime comeback with five second-half touchdowns in the 54-51 win over Marshall.

In all, Minicucci — the nation’s only Division I player with 3,500 passing yards and 10 rushing touchdowns this season — had 176 passing yards and one score, while Winfield finished his season 21-for-36 for 231 yards and a fourth-quarter touchdown to Shelton Sampson that cut what was a 17-point deficit to 20-13.

“We knew they wanted to try to move the pocket, use sprint out a lot,” said Cajun senior defensive end Jordan Lawson, who had three tackles for negative yardage and a blocked punt in his final collegiate game. “We knew that’s what they were looking for, any space they could get, so we were just trying to cut away that space and keep them in the pocket.”

“We gave up some underneath stuff at times,” said Cajun coach Michael Desormeaux, whose team was 2-6 at the close of October.

“You kinda have to pick your poison a little bit, but when the pass rush and the coverage work together, you’re going to have a lot of success, and I thought for the most part we did a pretty good job of making the quarterback uncomfortable.

Coach homecoming Wednesday’s game and the five days of bowl activities provided a homecoming for Cajun offensive analyst Pat Washington — not to mention completing a circle of sorts.

Washington is in his second stint on the UL staff, having coached wide receivers from 1989-91 under the late head coach Nelson Stokley in his first full-time coaching gig. Before that, the Mobile native quarterbacked Auburn during a successful Tiger run that coincided with Bo Jackson joining him in the backfield. In fact, Washington was the quarterback, and Jackson had a 206-yard rushing game in 1995 — all in the first half — when UL went to Auburn and lost 49-7.

“It’s pretty awesome coming back,” Washington said. “When we first came out to practice this week (at Saraland High School), some of the guys were like, man, coach, this is a nice school. Is it like your old school? I said, man, this was woods when I was in school.”

4C ● Friday, December 19, 2025 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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SCOREBOARD Odds

Washington

College Football Myrtle Beach Bowl Conway, S.C. FAVORITE OPEN TODAY O/U UNDERDOG W. Michigan 1½ 3½ (49½) Kenne. St Gasparilla Bowl Tampa, Fla. FAVORITE OPEN TODAY O/U UNDERDOG NC State 1½ 4½ (58½) Memphis College Football Playoff First Round — Game 1 Norman, Okla.

FAVORITE OPEN TODAY O/U UNDERDOG Alabama 2½ 1½ (40½)Oklahoma

Saturday

College Football Playoff First Round — Game 2 College Station, Texas FAVORITE OPEN TODAY O/U UNDERDOG Texas A&M 3½ 3½ (51½) Miami(FL) College Football Playoff First Round — Game 3 Oxford, Miss.

FAVORITE OPEN TODAY O/U UNDERDOG Ole Miss 16½ 17½ (56½) Tulane College Football Playoff First Round — Game 4 Eugene, Ore. FAVORITE OPEN TODAY O/U UNDERDOG Oregon 20½ 21½ (49½)J. Madison

Monday

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl Boise, Idaho FAVORITE OPEN TODAY O/U UNDERDOG Utah State 1½ 2½ (52½) Wash. St

Tuesday

Wednesday

Hawai’i Bowl Honolulu FAVORITE OPEN Cal 1½

NBA

Friday

TODAY O/U UNDERDOG 7½ (44½) Toledo TODAY O/U UNDERDOG 4½ (55½) Sou. Miss TODAY O/U UNDERDOG 4½ (62½) Ohio

TODAY O/U UNDERDOG 1½ (54½) Hawaii

FAVORITE LINE at NEW YORK OFF at BOSTON OFF at ATLANTA OFF at CLEVELAND 8½ at MINNESOTA OFF

at SEATTLE U

Friday

Friday

Boca Raton Bowl Boca Raton, Fla. FAVORITE OPEN Louisville 9½ New Orleans Bowl New Orleans FAVORITE OPEN W. Kentucky 3½ Frisco Bowl Frisco, Texas FAVORITE OPEN UNLV 3½

7½

NHL

O/U UNDERDOG (OFF) Philadelphia (OFF) Miami (OFF) San Antonio (242½) Chicago (OFF) Oklahoma City

COLLEGE BASKETBALL Friday

FAVORITE LINE at SACRED HEART 1 at NAVY 19½ at MILWAUKEE PK at PROVIDENCE 2½ at HIGH POINT 13½ at AKRON 16½ at FLORIDA STATE 40½ at DREXEL 5 Tulsa 1½ at LSU 23½ at WISCONSIN 4½ at TARLETON STATE 14 at BAYLOR 35½ Belmont 1½ at BYU 34½ at S. MARY’S (CA) 13½ at CAL 26½ at UCLA 26½ at UCSD 14 at LOYOLA MARY. 9½

UNDERDOG Dartmouth Coppin State South Dakota State Seton Hall La Salle Eastern Michigan Miss. Valley State Mount St. Mary’s at W. KENTUCKY SE Louisiana Villanova Florida A&M Alcorn State at UC IRVINE Abilene Christian Florida Atlantic Morgan State Cal Poly San Diego North Alabama

FAVORITE LINE at N.Y ISLANDERS -142 Carolina -124 at COLORADO -249 at UTAH -137 Dallas -111

UNDERDOG Vancouver at FLORIDA Winnipeg New Jersey at ANAHEIM

LINE +119 +104 +202 +115 -108

College basketball

Wednesday’s games

Arkansas State 79, UL-Monroe 58 Rice 71, Grambling State 47 Alabama 81, Tulane 52 Texas State 62, UL 55 Louisiana Tech 70, Central Arkansas 55 Northwestern State at Texas, n

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Pro football NFL AMERICAN CONFERENCE W 11 10 6 3

L 3 4 8 11

T 0 0 0 0

Pct .786 .714 .429 .214

PF 382 411 296 276

PA 276 324 324 397

W 10 9 8 2

L 4 5 6 12

T 0 0 0 0

Pct .714 .643 .571 .143

PF 376 323 392 225

PA 292 228 303 394

W 8 7 4 3

L 6 7 10 11

T 0 0 0 0

Pct .571 .500 .286 .214

PF 336 335 314 226

PA 326 320 437 332

W 12 10 6 2

L 2 4 8 12

T 0 0 0 0

Pct .857 .714 .429 .143

PF 342 315 328 196

PA 261 284 268 363

W 9 6 4 2

L 5 7 10 12

T 0 1 0 0

Pct .643 .464 .286 .143

PF 320 407 291 300

PA 271 420 375 396

W 7 7 5 4

L 7 7 9 10

T 0 0 0 0

Pct .500 .500 .357 .286

PF 327 264 281 226

PA 354 317 341 332

Pct .714

PF 365

PA 338

NATIONAL CONFERENCE

T 0

Xbox Bowl Frisco, Texas Arkansas State vs. Missouri State, n

Conway, S.C. Kennesaw State vs. Western Michigan, 10 a.m. (ESPN)

Gasparilla Bowl

Tampa, Fla. Memphis vs N.C. State, 1:30 p.m. (ESPN)

College Football Playoff

First Round No. 11 Alabama (10-3) at No. 8 Oklahoma (10-2), 7 p.m. (ESPN/ABC)

Late Wednesday

Delaware 20, UL 13 GB — 2½ 5½ 6 6 6½ 6½ 6½ 7 10½ 10½ 13 13½ 15 16

W Oklahoma City 24 Denver 19 L.A. Lakers 18 San Antonio 18 Houston 16 Minnesota 17 Phoenix 14 Golden State 13 Memphis 12 Utah 10 Portland 10 Dallas 10 Sacramento 6 L.A. Clippers 6 New Orleans 5

L 2 6 7 7 7 9 12 14 14 15 16 17 20 20 22

Pct .923 .760 .720 .720 .696 .654 .538 .481 .462 .400 .385 .370 .231 .231 .185

GB — 4½ 5½ 5½ 6½ 7 10 11½ 12 13½ 14 14½ 18 18 19½

Chicago 127. Cleveland 111 Memphis at Minnesota, n

Thursday’s games

Atlanta at Charlotte, n New York at Indiana, n Miami at Brooklyn, n Houston at New Orleans, n L.A. Clippers at Oklahoma City, n Toronto at Milwaukee, n Washington at San Antonio, n Detroit at Dallas, n Golden State at Phoenix, n

UL Delaware

0 7

First Quarter

3 3

3 10

7 0

— —

Carolina N.Y. Islanders Detroit Philadelphia Washington Boston Tampa Bay New Jersey Florida Montreal Pittsburgh N.Y. Rangers Toronto Ottawa Columbus Buffalo

GP 33 34 35 32 33 34 33 34 33 33 32 35 32 32 33 32

W 22 19 19 17 18 20 18 19 18 17 14 16 15 15 14 14

L OT Pts 9 2 46 12 3 41 13 3 41 9 6 40 11 4 40 14 0 40 12 3 39 14 1 39 13 2 38 12 4 38 9 9 37 15 4 36 12 5 35 13 4 34 13 6 34 14 4 32

GF 112 102 108 96 106 113 106 99 106 106 103 89 105 101 100 98

GA 91 96 115 89 88 106 88 104 103 117 102 95 104 104 115 109

Colorado Dallas Minnesota Vegas Anaheim Edmonton Los Angeles San Jose Utah St. Louis Winnipeg Chicago Seattle Nashville Calgary Vancouver

GP 33 34 34 32 34 34 33 34 36 35 33 33 31 33 34 33

W 24 22 20 16 20 16 14 17 17 13 15 13 12 13 13 13

L OT Pts 2 7 55 7 5 49 9 5 45 6 10 42 12 2 42 12 6 38 10 9 37 14 3 37 16 3 37 15 7 33 16 2 32 14 6 32 13 6 30 16 4 30 17 4 30 17 3 29

GF 133 115 104 97 121 116 86 102 111 87 98 93 77 93 87 92

GA 77 90 87 92 112 118 89 113 106 123 100 101 98 115 103 112

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Friday’s games Myrtle Beach Bowl

Pct .808 .720 .593 .577 .577 .560 .556 .556 .538 .407 .400 .308 .280 .231 .167

Wednesday’s games

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Miami at Boston, 7 p.m.

Philadelphia at New York, 7 p.m.

Chicago at Cleveland, 7:30 p.m.

San Antonio at Atlanta, 7:30 p.m.

Oklahoma City at Minnesota, 9:30 p.m.

Thursday’s game

L 5 7 11 11 11 11 12 12 12 16 15 18 18 20 20

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Friday’s games

Cure Bowl Orlando, Fla. Old Dominion 24, South Florida 10 68 Ventures Bowl Mobile, Alabama Delaware 20, UL 13

W 21 18 16 15 15 14 15 15 14 11 10 8 7 6 4

Detroit New York Toronto Boston Orlando Philadelphia Cleveland Atlanta Miami Milwaukee Chicago Charlotte Brooklyn Indiana Washington

NHL Conference glance

Wednesday’s game

NBA Conference glance

Friday’s games

Pro hockey

L.A. Lakers at Utah, n Orlando at Denver, n Sacramento at Portland, n

College football

Pro basketball

None scheduled.

L 4

PA 261 242 293 388

San Francisco at Indianapolis, 7:15 p.m.

UIW at UNO, n Houston Christian at Nicholls, n Southern at Baylor, n

W 10

PF 420 405 344 302

Monday’s game

Thursday’s games

Chicago

Pct .786 .786 .714 .214

Sunday’s games

State women’s schedule

Tampa Bay Carolina e-Atlanta e-New Orleans North

W L T x-L.A. Rams 11 3 0 Seattle 11 3 0 San Francisco 10 4 0 e-Arizona 3 11 0 e-eliminated from playoffs x-clinched playoff spot

Buffalo at Cleveland, noon Cincinnati at Miami, noon Kansas City at Tennessee, noon L.A. Chargers at Dallas, noon Minnesota at N.Y. Giants, noon N.Y. Jets at New Orleans, noon Tampa Bay at Carolina, noon Atlanta at Arizona, 3:05 p.m.

Jacksonville at Denver, 3:05 p.m.

Las Vegas at Houston, 3:25 p.m.

Pittsburgh at Detroit, 3:25 p.m.

New England at Baltimore, 7:20 p.m.

Grambling vs. Hampton, at Atlanta, GA., 4 p.m.

Southeastern at LSU, 7 p.m.

Philadelphia Dallas e-Washington e-N.Y. Giants South

281 345 307

Philadelphia at Washington, 4 p.m.

Green Bay at Chicago, 7:20 p.m.

Friday’s games

East

348 428 289

Saturday’s games

UL at Southern Miss, n Grambling vs. Norfolk State at Atlanta, n

x-Denver L.A. Chargers e-Kansas City e-Las Vegas

.679 .571 .429

L.A. Rams at Seattle, n

Thursday’s games

Pittsburgh Baltimore e-Cincinnati e-Cleveland West

1 0 0

Thursday’s game

Nicholls 79, Houston Christian 64 Tulane 61, Louisiana Tech 53 South Alabama 96, UL-Monroe 92, OT

Jacksonville Houston Indianapolis e-Tennessee North

4 6 8

Pittsburgh 28, Miami 15

Wednesday’s games

New England Buffalo e-Miami e-N.Y. Jets South

9 8 6

Monday’s game

State men’s schedule

East

Green Bay Detroit e-Minnesota West

13 20

Wednesday’s games

Florida 3, Los Angeles 2 Utah 4, Detroit 1 St. Louis 1, Winnipeg 0 Carolina 4, Nashville 1 New Jersey 2, Vegas 1, SO

DEL—Silver 61 run (N.Reed kick), :18.

Second Quarter

UL—FG Sterner 22, 7:05.

DEL—FG N.Reed 33, :28.

Thursday’s games

Third Quarter

DEL—S.Wilson 35 pass from Minicucci (N.Reed kick), 12:40.

DEL—FG N.Reed 27, 6:59.

UL—FG Sterner 39, 2:31.

Fourth Quarter

UL—Sampson 8 pass from Winfield (Sterner kick), 7:49.

A—17,234.

UL DEL First downs 20 16 Total Net Yards 335 334 Rushes-yards 39-104 30-158 Passing 231 176 Punt Returns 3-7 0-0 Kickoff Returns 0-0 3-57 Interceptions Ret. 0-0 1-0 Comp-Att-Int 21-38-1 19-30-0 Sacked-Yards Lost 2-3 2-18 Punts 2-41.0 3-40.0 Fumbles-Lost 2-2 0-0 Penalties-Yards 1-5 2-29 Time of Possession 33:55 26:05

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING—UL, Winfield 14-40, Perry 10-25, Davis 10-24, Blanco 4-12, Strother 1-3. Delaware, Silver 14-116, Ellison 10-38, Minicucci 6-4.

PASSING—UL, Winfield 21-36-1-231, W.Howard 0-2-0-0. Delaware, Minicucci 19-30-0-176.

RECEIVING—UL, Jensen 4-72, R.Williams 4-23, Sampson 3-42, Perry 3-22, Strother 3-18, Robertson 1-32, T.Miller 1-14, Dennis 1-5, Chaney 1-3. Delaware, Wilson 8-81, Duplessis 5-69, Kelly 3-25, Ellison 1-4, Silver 1-2, Tyree 1-(minus 5).

MISSED FIELD GOALS— UL, Sterner 39.

Delaware, N.Reed 52.

Chicago at Montreal, n Edmonton at Boston, n Los Angeles at Tampa Bay, n Minnesota at Columbus, n Pittsburgh at Ottawa, n Toronto at Washington, n Philadelphia at Buffalo, n N.Y. Rangers at St. Louis, n Seattle at Calgary, n Dallas at San Jose, n

Friday’s games

Carolina at Florida, 7 p.m.

Vancouver at N.Y. Islanders, 7 p.m.

New Jersey at Utah, 9 p.m.

Winnipeg at Colorado, 9 p.m.

Dallas at Anaheim, 10 p.m.

Transactions BASEBALL

Major League Baseball American League CHICAGO WHITE SOX — Acquired OF Tristan Peters from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for a player to be named later or cash considerations.

TEXAS RANGERS — Agreed to terms with INF Jonah Bride, INF Andrew Velazquez, RHP Gavin Collyer, LHP Anthony Veneziano, C Jose Herrera, UTL Tyler Wade, and C Cooper Johnson on minor league contracts.

National League CINCINNATI REDS — Agreed to terms with LHP Caleb Ferguson on a 1-year contract.

MIAMI MARLINS — Agreed to terms with INF Christopher Morel on a one-year contract.

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES — Agreed to terms with RHP MT Morrissey on a minor league contract.

PREP REPORT Southside Tournament

David Thibodaux 12 9 17 4 — 42 3-pointers — ELL: Dumiles 1. Total Fouls: ELL 15, DT 16.

(Boys at Southside High)

Wednesday’s Games

Thursday’s Games

Plaquemine 47, Lafayette High 40 Zachary 67, St. Martinville 31 Ellender 47, David Thibodaux 42 Southside 78, Franklin 43

Plaquemine 48, Lafayette High 40

PLAQUEMINE (48) Jakyris Jenkins 11, Chris Griffin 5, Damien James 17, Tryton Henderson 2, Roderick Bingham 2, Wardell Priero 2, Jermaine Royal 10.

LAFAYETTE HIGH (40) Liam Roundtree 4, Jaleel Sinegal 11, Luther Dillon 6, Austin Drew 3, Chase Holiday 8, Kamron Brown 8.

Plaquemine 12 8 15 13 — 48 Lafayette 12 3 12 13 — 40 3-pointers — PLAQ: James 1; LAF: Sinegal 2, Drew 1. Total Fouls: PLAQ 16, LAF 17.

Southside 78, Franklin 43

FRANKLIN (43) Janniyah Penny 5, Jahin Perry 15, Jordain Hilliara 6, Cedrick Hall 2, Mark Jones 6, Dylan Hawkins 3, Kerin Freeman 6.

SOUTHSIDE (78) Jon Armstrong 17, Christopher Herbstler 5, Jonathan Armstrong 11, Ryder Jackson 20, Tanner Johns 13, Ethan Rozue 4, Bentley Steward 8.

Franklin 17 6 14 6 — 43 Southside 9 22 27 20 — 78 3-pointers — FRANK: Jahin Perry 3, Hilliara 1, Hawkins 1; SSIDE: Herbstler 1, Jackson 3, Steward 2. Total Fouls: FRANK 20, SSIDE 13.

Zachary 67, St. Martinville 31 ST. MARTINVILLE (31) Kristian Batiste 12, Corderea Keys 2, Solan Lastrappe 4, Kevin Fonterette 4, Landon Potier 2, Lyle Potier 2, Jekovey Blanchard 2, Andre Jones 3. Totals: 12 (1) 4-7.

ZACHARY (67) Cambren Price 12, Aidan Gwins 2, Kriston Brooks 7, Deezy Collins 6, Trey Armwood 8, Brandin Watson 8, Ethan Kenomie 2, Carlos Perry 3, Ian Edmond 15, Mason Newman 2, Jordan Shelmire 2. Totals: 22 (4) 5-11.

St. Martinville 6 8 11 6 — 31 Zachary 18 23 18 8 — 67 3-pointers — SMSH: Jones 1, ZACH: Edmond 3, Perry 1. Total Fouls: SMSH 8, ZACH 10.

Ellender 47, David Thibodaux 42 ELLENDER (47) Travonte Allridge 12, Jordan Williams 7, Chavez Collins 14, Ziky White 9, Bernie Dumiles 3.

DAVID THIBODAUX (42) K. Williams 9, J. Dalcourt 6, C. Barton 13, B. Sledge 10, K. Davis 4.

Ellender 11 10 12 14 — 47

Coca-Cola Classic (Boys at Lafayette Renaissance)

Friday’s Games

5 p.m. – Evangel vs. Zachary 6 p.m. – Captain Shreve vs. Plaquemine (Aux. gym) 6:30 p.m. – St. Louis vs. Ellender 8 p.m. – Thibodaux vs. Southside

2 p.m. – Liberty vs. Patterson 3:20 p.m. – Westgate vs. Donaldsonville 4:40 p.m. – Terrebonne vs. Abbeville 6 p.m. – Hannan vs. Marksville 7:20 p.m. – Rayne vs. Lafayette Renaissance

5 p.m. – Lafayette High vs. Game 8 loser 5 p.m. – St. Martinville vs. Game 7 loser (Aux. gym) 6:30 p.m. – David Thibodaux vs. Game 6 loser (Aux. gym) 8 p.m. – Franklin vs. Game 5 loser (Aux. gym) 6:30 p.m. – Winners bracket semifinals 8 p.m. – Winners bracket semifinals

1:20 p.m. – LRCA-Rayne vs. TerrebonneAbbeville losers 2:30 p.m. – Hannan-Marksville vs. LibertyPatterson losers 4 p.m. – East St. John vs. Westgate-Donaldsonville winner 5:20 p.m. – EG3-Texas vs. Liberty-Patterson winner 6:40 p.m. – McKinley vs. Hannan-Marksville winner 8 p.m. – LRCA-Rayne vs. Terrebonne-Abbeville winners

Friday’s Games

Saturday’s Games

2:30 p.m. – Losers bracket semifinals 4 p.m. – Losers bracket semifinals 5:30 p.m. – Third place game 7 p.m. – Championship game

Teurlings Round Robin (Boys at Teurlings Catholic)

Thursday’s Games

2 p.m. – Teurlings vs. Westminster-Lafayette 3:15 p.m. – Parkview Baptist vs. Church Point 4:45 p.m. – Opelousas Catholic vs. North Vermilion 6 p.m. – East Iberville vs. Acadiana Renaissance 7:15 p.m. – ESA vs. Loreauville 8:30 p.m. – Comeaux vs. Mamou

Friday’s Games

12:45 p.m. – Westminster-Lafayette vs.

Loreauville 2 p.m. – Jeanerette vs. Family Christian 3:15 p.m. – Mamou vs. Ascension Episcopal 4:45 p.m. – North Vermilion vs. East Iberville 6 p.m. – Acadiana Renaissance vs. Teurlings 7:15 p.m. – Notre Dame vs. ESA 8:30 p.m. – Catholic-NI vs. Church Point

Saturday’s Games

11:30 a.m. – Loreauville vs. Family Christian 12:45 p.m. – East Iberville vs. Comeaux 2 p.m. – Ascension Episcopal vs. Jeanerette 3:15 p.m. – Mamou vs. North Vermilion 4:45 p.m. – Acadiana Renaissance vs. Church Point 6 p.m. – Parkview Baptist vs. Catholic-NI 7:30 p.m. – Teurlings vs. Opelousas Catholic 8:45 p.m. – ESA vs. Westminster-Lafayette

Saturday’s Games

Sunday’s Games

2 p.m. – Losers bracket semifinals 3:20 p.m. – Fifth place semifinals 4:40 p.m. — Fifth place semifinals 6 p.m. – Winners bracket semifinals 7:20 p.m. – Winners bracket semifinals

Monday’s Games

3 p.m. – Losers bracket finals 4:20 p.m. – Fifth place game 5:40 p.m. – Third place game 7 p.m. – Championship game

(Girls at Acadiana High&Lafayette Christian)

(Acadiana High games) 3 p.m. — Lafayette High vs. Buckeye 4:20 p.m. — Liberty vs. New Iberia 5:40 p.m. — Acadiana vs. Central Lafourche 7 p.m. — West Monroe vs. Woodlawn (Lafayette Christian games) 4:20 p.m. — Barbe vs. E.D. White 5:40 p.m. — Karr vs. Alexandria 7 p.m. — Lafayette Christian vs. Zachary

Saturday’s Games

(Acadiana High games) 9 a.m. — Lafayette High vs. West Monroe 10:20 a.m. — Zachary vs. Barbe 11:40 a.m. — Acadiana vs. East Iberville 1 p.m. — Buckeye vs. Karr (Lafayette Christian games) 9 a.m. — New Iberia vs. E.D. White

Cajuns fall to Bobcats on the road, remain winless

BY KEVIN FOOTE Staff writer

As expected, UL’s trip to San Marcos, Texas, to meet Texas State in the Sun Belt opener was a winnable game.

But as has taken place all season long, the Ragin’ Cajuns weren’t able to take advantage of the opportunity with a 62-55 road loss to Texas State on Wednesday at Strahan Arena.

The Cajuns dropped to 0-10 with the loss, while the Bobcats improved to 4-6.

UL will next play at Southern Miss at 1 p.m. Saturday.

The Cajuns led by as much as 39-32 in the third quarter, but a 7-0 Texas State run over the final four minutes of the period tied the game at 39-all heading to the fourth quarter.

UL even held leads of 46-44 with 5:48 left and 51-49 after

a Lily Ba 3-pointer with 3:12, but Texas State outscored the Cajuns 13-4 the rest of the way to pull away.

The poor stretch drive ruined a stellar performance from freshman forward Imani Daniel with 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting and four rebounds.

Unfortunately, Daniel fouled out with 2:24 left when she was called for her fourth foul, despite not making any contact with Texas State’s Saniya Burks, and then was whistled for a technical foul to send her to the bench.

After the free throws and extra possession ended, the Bobcats now led 59-52 and the Cajuns never threatened again.

UL’s only other doublefigure scorer was Mikaylah Manley with 10 points on 4-of12 shooting, along with seven

rebounds.

Free-throw shooting was a big problem in this loss, with UL missing 11 free throws out of 20 attempts. The Cajuns also shot just 36.8% from the field and 33.3% from 3-point land.

The Cajuns won the rebound battle 42-41, but also had 18 turnovers to 16 for the Bobcats.

Texas State shot 37.3% from the field and 40% from 3-point land and made 14 free throws.

Saniya Burks finished with 16 points on 4-of-11 shooting, but hit a pair of 3-pointers midway through the fourth quarter to spark Texas State’s offense.

Taleiyah Gibbs had 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting and five rebounds. Kyra Anderson added eight points and 11 rebounds.

St. Landry Parish Tournament

1:30 p.m. – South Beauregard vs. Crowley (boys) 2:45 p.m. – Midland vs. St. Amant (girls)

Other games Boys basketball

(Boys, girls at Beau Chene High)

Wednesday’s Games

Wednesday’s games

3 p.m. – Port Barre vs. JS Clark (girls) Opelousas 83, Port Barre 18 (boys) Northwest 60, Eunice 19 (girls) Beau Chene 57, Eunice 51 (boys)

Lafayette Christian 54, Cecilia 44

Friday’s games

Thursday’s Games

3 p.m. – JS Clark-Port Barre vs. NorthwestEunice losers (girls) 4:30 p.m. – Beau Chene vs. North Central (girls) 6 p.m. – Opelousas-Port Barre vs. Beau Chene-Eunice losers (boys) 7:30 p.m. – JS Clark vs. North Central (boys)

Friday’s Games

2 p.m. – Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 loser (girls) 3:30 p.m. – Opelousas vs. Beau Chene-North Central winner (girls) 5 p.m. – JS Clark-Port Barre vs. NorthwestEunice winners (girls) 6:30 p.m. – Opelousas-Port Barre vs. Beau Chene-Eunice winners (boys) 8 p.m. – Northwest vs. game 7 winner (boys)

Saturday’s Games

Acadiana Tournament

Friday’s Games

10:20 a.m. — Tioga vs. Liberty 11:40 a.m. — Lafayette Christian vs. Woodlawn 1 p.m. — Central Lafourche vs. Cecilia

12:30 p.m. – Game 8 loser vs. Game 7 winner (boys) 2 p.m. – Girls third place game 3:30 p.m. – Boys third place game 5 p.m. – Girls championship game 7 p.m. – Girls championship game

Midland Spectacular

(Boys, girls at Midland High)

Carencro at Cecilia, Northside at New Iberia, Iota at Basile, St. Edmund at Vermilion Catholic.

Girls basketball Wednesday’s games

Jeanerette 53, Delcambre 19 Lafayette Renaissance 41, Port Allen 10

Friday’s games

Pine Prairie at David Thibodaux, Acadiana Renaissance at Church Point, Crowley at Catholic-NI, Delcambre at Highland Baptist, Lafayette Renaissance at St. Joseph, Patterson at Ascension Episcopal, St. Edmund at Vermilion Catholic.

Boys soccer Wednesday’s scores

St. Thomas More 8, Westgate 0 Comeaux 1, Kaplan 1 Tara 6, Opelousas 2

Friday’s games

Ascension Episcopal at Cecilia, St. Thomas Aquinas at Lafayette Christian, Westgate at Vermilion Catholic, Westminster at St. Martinville.

Girls soccer

Thursday’s Games

3:45 p.m. – Lacassine vs. Crowley (boys) 5 p.m. – Lacassine vs. Breaux Bridge (girls) 6:15 p.m. – Midland vs. Breaux Bridge (boys) 7:30 p.m. – Midland vs. Northside (girls)

Friday’s Games

3:45 p.m. – Welsh vs. St. Amant (girls) 5 p.m. – Lacassine vs. Welsh (boys) 6:15 p.m. – Midland vs. Lacassine (girls) 7:30 p.m. – Midland vs. South Beauregard (boys)

Wednesday’s scores

Cecilia 8, Carencro o Acadiana 5, David Thibodaux 1 Tara 6, Opelousas 1 St. Thomas More 12, Westgate 0 Livonia 2, Erath 0

Friday’s games

Saturday’s Games

11 a.m. – Welsh vs. Breaux Bridge (girls) 12:15 p.m. – Welsh vs. Breaux Bridge (boys)

Catholic-NI at New Iberia, Episcopal of Acadiana at Westgate, Westminster at St. Martinville, Acadiana Renaissance at Neville, Acadiana at Lafayette, Southside at West Monroe.

YEARS

11 teams. 6 conferences. 1 state.

SPECIAL WRAP-UP EDITION

TONIGHT •8PM

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HOLIDAY TRADITIONS

Cangelosi Dance Project’s “Holiday Nutcracker” is at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. Saturday at Brown-Holt Theatre, and Baton Rouge Ballet’s “The Nutcracker — A Tale from the Bayou” is at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m.

Saturday and Sunday at the River Center Theatre for Performing Arts. cangelosidanceproject.com/ or batonrougeballet.org/.

LIVING

T H E A D V O C AT E.C O M

|

F r i d ay, d e c e m b e r 19, 2025

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Morgan Wallen, ‘I’m the Problem’ PROVIDED PHOTO By CATHy SMART

A scene unfolds in a past production of Opéra Louisiane’s ‘Amahl and the Night Visitors.’

SZA, ‘Lana’

A holiday miracle

TRACK

Joshua Thomas joins Opéra Louisiane’s rich storytelling of special journey in ‘Amahl’

BY ROBIN MILLER Staff writer

Joshua Thomas’ bass-baritone voice is as rich when he speaks as when he sings the part of Balthazar on stage.

He’ll be playing that character when Opéra Louisiane opens its Christmas production of “Amahl and the Night Visitors” at 7:30 p.m.

Friday at the Manship Theatre.

The performance will mark the second time Thomas will sing the part of the Wise Man for Opéra Louisiane, which he likens to a homecoming.

“I went to LSU, and Opéra Louisiane was where I performed in my first opera,” he said. “I was a freshman, and I was in the chorus for the operetta ‘H.M.S. Pinafore.’”

Then came his Thomas sophomore year, when Thomas was cast in “Amahl” and eventually stepped into the role of Balthazar, one of the three Wise Men who stop for the night at the home of Amahl and his widowed mother.

The boy and his mom are poor, but they offer what little they have to these royally dressed men who say they’re being guided by a star to the birthplace of the newborn savior.

The opera is a one-act production

by Gian Carlo Menotti. It was commissioned by the NBC television network, where the NBC Opera Theatre premiered it on Dec. 24, 1951, in Studio 8H. Yes, the same Studio 8H, in New York’s Rockefeller Center, that’s been home to “Saturday Night Live” since 1975.

The main character of the live production back then was Amahl, a disabled boy who walks with the aid of a wooden crutch.

Madi Diaz, ‘Fatal Optimist’

Dijon, ‘Baby’

STARS

From Jensen McRae to Mariah Carey — the 25 best albums of 2025

BY MIKAEL WOOD

Los Angeles Times (TNS) LOS ANGELES — Piling on, stripping down, looking back, pushing ahead: Musicians found all sorts of uses for the album form this year, long after the jukebox in your pocket first threatened its existence. Here are the 25 LPs that held together the shards of my attention span in 2025. n 1. Jensen McRae,“I Don’t Know How but They Found Me!” The year’s sharpest pop songwriting

PROVIDED PHOTOS

came from an overachieving L.A. native who understands at 28 that romantic relationships don’t live — and certainly don’t die — between just two people. In chatty yet carefully measured tunes with nearly as many hooks as words, McRae illuminates the accumulated humiliations and misunderstandings against which every couple flails. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll wonder whether her ex’s sister had any luck with the baby. n 2. SZA,“Lana” The only dishonest thing about “Lana,” which arrived just before Christmas last

Bad Bunny, ‘Debí Tirar Más Fotos’ year as 15 new songs slipped under the wrapping of 2022’s “SOS,” is that SZA says it’s not an album. n 3. Madi Diaz,“Fatal Optimist” Nothing to lose and nowhere to hide. n 4. Morgan Wallen,“I’m the Problem” It’s his party, and he’ll cry if he wants to. n 5. Dijon,“Baby” An album about new parenthood that feels like new parenthood. n 6. Bad Bunny,“Debí Tirar Más Fotos”

ä See ALBUMS, page 6C

ä See MIRACLE, page 6C

Randy Travis has 3 La. dates on next tour Bayou Chicot native to join him on stage

BY JUDY BERGERON Staff writer

PROVIDED PHOTO

Country Music Hall of Famer Randy Travis has recruited a Louisiana talent for his ‘More Life Tour.’

Country icon Randy Travis will bring his “More Life Tour” to Louisiana in late March and early April, and it will be a homecoming for his guest vocalist James Dupré.

The tour will stop in Monroe on March 26 for a 7:30 p.m. show at the WL Jack Howard Theatre; in

Baton Rouge on March 27 for a 7:30 p.m. concert at the Raising Cane’s River Center Theatre for Performing Arts; and April 18 also at 7:30 p.m. to play the Lake Charles Civic Center’s Rosa Hart Theatre.

Tr a v i s h a n d picked Bayou Chicot native Dupré to join him on the tour to sing all 16 of Travis’ No. 1 singles, including “On The Other Hand,” “For-

ever and Ever, Amen” and “Three Wooden Crosses.” Travis will engage with the audience and take part in the concerts in other ways, according to a news release.

A major stroke in 2013 left Travis, 66, with limited speech and vocal abilities, although he can and does sing short parts on the tour.

Through artificial intelligence technology, Travis’ baritone voice has been recreated and he’s released new music, including this year’s single “Horses in Heaven.”

Dupré, 41, rose in the music

world following appearances on YouTube, “Ellen” and “The Voice.” Now living in Nashville, Dupré, also a baritone, released his first EP, “Perfect Time,” and full-length album, “It’s All Happening” this year. He’ll also perform Dec. 28 at the Manship Theatre in Baton Rouge as part of the theatre’s “Home for the Holidays” show.

Sign up for presale tickets, starting at $62, at randytravis.com.

Email Judy Bergeron at jbergeron@theadvocate.com.

6C ● Friday, December 19, 2025 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

lll

Solving the mystery of linens that turn ‘battleship gray’ Dear Heloise: My mother alInstead of putting used ways complained her daughand damp dish towels into ter-in-law, Sally, did not know the laundry basket, he how to do laundry. Her dish would hang them up to dry. towels were always dingy.

The dried-out towel would Ma called them “battleship be used day after day. The gray.” This was 50 years ago. Hints from grime from day one would Heloise be compounded by mulNow, after a few decades of married life myself, I know tiday use until Sally had how this dull color came about. It enough laundry to fill the washer. was not Sally who caused the prob- No amount of bleach could cut through all those dried-out layers lem. It was my brother, Louie.

of compounded grime. — Catherine R., in New Orleans Catherine, it could also be your water. If it has a heavy mineral content or your laundry soap is not strong enough to remove residue, it can cause a buildup that’s hard to eliminate over time. — Heloise

Bye-bye, fruit fly Dear Heloise: How do we get rid of those pesky tiny bugs that fly over

MIRACLE

SHOWS TO WATCH — ACADIANA

Continued from page 5C

PROVIDED PHOTO FROM FACEBOOK

Acadiana cover band Krossfyre takes the stage at Rock ’n’ Bowl in Lafayette at 9 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are $12.

FRIDAY

LIVE MUSIC: Cane River Pecan Company Pie Bar, New Iberia, 5 p.m.

BLAKE LUQUETTE: Prejean’s, Broussard, 6 p.m.

FRIDAY NIGHT JAM: La Maison de Begnaud, Scott, 6 p.m.

JULIE WILLIAMS: Charley G’s Seafood Grill, Lafayette, 6 p.m.

MELISSA SINGS: Adopted Dog Brewing, Lafayette, 6 p.m.

RIVER SMOOTH DUO: Buck & Johnny’s, Breaux Bridge, 6:30 p.m.

THE TAILGATORS: Silver Slipper, Arnaudville, 7 p.m.

BAJAA JAZZ: Whiskey & Vine, Lafayette, 7 p.m.

CHÈRE ELISE CHRISTMAS SHOW: Hideaway on Lee, Lafayette, 8 p.m.

HAS BEANS: Artmosphere, Lafayette, 8 p.m.

MAS DONKEY: Blue Moon Saloon, Lafayette, 8 p.m.

BOBBY DWYER & HONKY TONK NONC: Toby’s Lounge, Opelousas, 8:30 p.m.

SATURDAY

CJ VEDELL & THE ZYDECO GRAPHERS: Buck & Johnny’s, Breaux Bridge, 8 a.m.

CAJUN JAM: Moncus Park, Lafayette, 9 a.m.

CAJUN JAM: Tante Marie, Breaux Bridge, 11 a.m.

JAMMIN’ ON THE BAYOU: St. Landry Parish Visitor Center, Opelousas, 1 p.m.

CAJUN FRENCH MUSIC JAM: Vermilionville, Lafayette, 1 p.m.

CAJUN JAM SESSION: Touchet’s Bar, Maurice, 2 p.m.

DUSTIN DALE GASPARD: Prejean’s, Broussard, 6 p.m.

JULIE WILLIAMS: Charley G’s Seafood Grill, Lafayette, 6 p.m.

SUGAR JAM FEATURING PINK TRAILER BAND: Sugar Mill Pond, Youngsville, 6 p.m.

DAVID HENRY: Silver Slipper, Arnaudville, 7 p.m. ”THE CREOLE NUTCRACKER”: Heymann Center, Lafayette, 7 p.m.

CLOSE ENOUGH CHRISTMAS: Artmosphere, Lafayette, 8 p.m.

JULIAN PRIMEAUX: Hideaway on Lee, Lafayette, 8 p.m.

MSB’S HOLIDAY HONKY TONK SPECIAL: Blue Moon Saloon, Lafayette, 8 p.m.

HIGH PERFORMANCE: La Poussiere, Breaux Bridge, 8 p.m.

GREGG MARTINEZ & DELTA KINGS: Toby’s Lounge, Opelousas, 8:30 p.m.

KROSSFYRE: Rock ’n’ Bowl, Lafayette, 9 p.m.

SUNDAY

GLENN ZERINGUE: Whiskey & Vine, Lafayette, 11 a.m.

LIVE MUSIC: Tante Marie, Breaux Bridge, 11 a.m.

LES FRERES MICHOT: Prejean’s, Carencro, 11:30 a.m.

LE BAL DU DIMANCHE — KEVIN HUVAL’S CAJUN/CREOLE DANCE BAND: Vermilionville, Lafayette, 1 p.m.

CAJUN JAM: Bayou Teche Brewing, Arnaudville, 2 p.m.

OPEN MIC NIGHT: Adopted Dog Brewing, Lafayette, 3 p.m.

ALONG THE RIVER ROAD: Warehouse 535, Lafayette, 6 p.m.

MICHALIS: Charley G’s Seafood Grill, Lafayette, 6 p.m.

CHILI DOG CHRISTMAS: Blue Moon Saloon, Lafayette, 8 p.m.

MONDAY

PATRICIO LATINO SOLO: Cafe Habana City, Lafayette, 11 a.m.

SAM SPHAR: Charley G’s Seafood Grill, Lafayette, 6 p.m.

BLUEGRASS JAM: Cité des Arts, Lafayette, 6:30 p.m.

CARNELIAN + AMELIE CECIL: Blue Moon Saloon, Lafayette, 8 p.m.

TUESDAY

GROOVE ROOM: Blue Moon Saloon, Lafayette, 6 p.m.

MICHALIS: Charley G’s Seafood Grill, Lafayette, 6 p.m.

PAUL TASSIN: Whiskey & Vine, Lafayette, 6 p.m.

TERRY HUVAL & FRIENDS: Prejean’s Restaurant, Lafayette, 6 p.m. ”MRS. DOUBTFIRE”: Heymann Center, Lafayette, 7:30 p.m.

His mother fears that he will become a beggar after her eventual death. That’s when she notices the bright star lighting up the sky. And the star brings the Magi, who, in turn, bring Amahl to the newborn Christ, where the boy witnesses a miracle.

Singer Thomas lives in Houston these days, where he not only grew up but now teaches at the University of Houston while working on his doctorate degree. In the spring, he’ll be singing the part of Sarastro in the university’s production of Mozart’s “The Magic Flute.”

“We’ve been rehearsing on the Manship Theatre stage (for ‘Amahl’), and tonight (Monday) we’ll be rehearsing in costumes,” he said. “I know the part, but a couple of days before coming here, I was reviewing the music, there were some things that I didn’t remember. I said, ‘Let me get this back in my brain.’”

But things seemed to click once

ALBUMS

Continued from page 5C After the adventure, the homecoming. n 7.Tobias Jesso Jr.,“Shine” A pop-star whisperer takes a moment to listen to himself. n 8. Parker McCollum,“Parker McCollum” Beware the Nashville authenticity play — and admit that sometimes it works. n 9. Gigi Perez,“At the Beach, In Every Life” Like an emo-folk snowglobe. n 10. Justin Bieber,“Swag” On which, having survived teenpop stardom, he flicks another ash out on the old patio. n 11. Geese,“Getting Killed” Rock is safe in the hands of the 25-and-unders.

our kitchen counter and around our faces? I thought cooler weather would take care of them, but they popped up again. I don’t want to use bug spray. — Cecelia P., in Kenosha, Wisconsin Cecelia, take some apple cider vinegar and dish soap, and place them in a bowl. Cover the bowl with cling wrap and poke holes in the cling wrap. The gnats will be attracted to the vinegar, but the soap

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.

Send a hint to heloise@heloise. com.

‘AMAHL AND THE NIGHT VISITORS’

“When you have an opportunity on stage to tell a story as special as this one, which has all these in intricacies in this journey from the beginning, where you meet this An Opéra Louisiane presentation curious little kid that just doesn’t 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, have much, to the climax of the and 3 p.m. Sunday ● Manship mother trying to take the gold Theatre, Shaw Center for the Arts, just to be able to feed her family, 100 Lafayette St., Baton Rouge ● to Amahl’s giving up the one thing he has, to the story of a miracle $41.50-$61.50 ● operalouisiane. unfolding. It’s just one of the most com ALSO: Hands-on family activities will beautiful stories you could tell in opera. There’s just nothing like it,” take place in the lobby before each Thomas said. performance, where young guests can Meanwhile, he is enjoying his time in Baton Rouge in the days decorate their own star ornaments leading up to the performances. to take home.There also will be “It feels so good to be back,” he complimentary treats throughout said. “It’s been four years since the weekend, including cookies, hot I’ve been able to come back to chocolate and coffee. On Sunday, Louisiana. I’ve been doing a lot of Santa and Mrs. Claus will visit patrons traveling and performing in other places, but coming back to Baton in the lobby.

Rouge feels just like home. To come back as a professional singhe joined the cast in stage rehears- er and just seeing the old stomping als. Thomas’ rich bass-baritone grounds, it’s really a blessing to be immediately brought Balthazar to back.” life in a story that’s special to him.

“I’d say it’s special because of Email Robin Miller at romiller@ the story,” he said. theadvocate.com.

n 12.Alemeda,“But What the Hell Do I Know” Seriously. n 13. Sam Fender,“People Watching” A pint hoisted in the heartland. n 14. Lady Gaga,“Mayhem” The second (third?) life of a showgirl. n 15. Bon Iver,“Sable, Fable” “I could leave behind the snow/ For a land of palm and gold.” n 16. Sabrina Carpenter,“Man’s Best Friend” Every himbo has his day. n 17. CMAT,“Euro-Country” Hungry for love, hungry for sex, hungry for anything not cooked by Jamie Oliver. n 18. Haim,“I Quit” Lots of breakup albums seek comfort in certainty; Haim’s lives on the slippery surface of doubt. n 19. Lucy Dacus,“Forever Is a Feeling” Sensual or cerebral is a false dichotomy.

n 20. Summer Walker,“Finally Over It” A sculpted eyebrow arched in perpetuity. n 21. Lily Allen,“West End Girl” [Flush-faced emoji] n 22. Bruce Springsteen,“Streets of Philadelphia Sessions” From the Boss’ “Tracks II” trove of lost albums, a more vivid depiction of Bummed-Out Bruce than director Scott Cooper’s leaden “Deliver Me From Nowhere.” n 23. Zach Top,“Ain’t in It For My Health” Nashville’s friskiest traditionalist. n 24. Eddie Chacon,“Lay Low” Shimmering slow-mo psychedelia. n 25. Mariah Carey,“Here for It All” Crinkly ’70s soul, jumping slapbass gospel, a faithful cover of Wings’ wonderfully gloopy “My Love”: As its title promises, Carey’s 16th studio album opens its doors to a little bit of everything.

TODAY IN HISTORY

WEDNESDAY

”MRS. DOUBTFIRE”: Heymann Center, Lafayette, 1 p.m.

ALYSSA MCMURRAY: Charley G’s Seafood Grill, Lafayette, 6 p.m.

DONALD WRIGHT: Whiskey & Vine, Lafayette, 6 p.m.

LIVE MUSIC: Park Bistro, Lafayette, 6 p.m.

LIVE MUSIC: Tap Room, Youngsville, 6:30 p.m.

CAJUN JAM: Blue Moon Saloon, Lafayette, 8 p.m.

breaks the water tension, killing the gnats.

Follow this by pouring some bleach down the kitchen drain pipes to kill any gnats hiding in there. Also, don’t leave fruit on the kitchen countertop. Gnats love to gather around these tasty treats.

— Heloise

By The Associated Press Today is Friday, Dec. 19, the 353rd day of 2025. There are 12 days left in the year.

Today in history: On Dec. 19, 1998, President Bill Clinton was impeached by the U.S. House of Representatives for perjury and obstruction of justice.

(He was subsequently acquitted by the Senate.)

Also on this date: In 1777, during the American Revolutionary War, Gen. George Washington led his army of more than 12,000 soldiers to Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, to camp for the winter.

In 1907, 239 workers died in an explosion at the Darr coal mine near Van Meter, Pennsylvania.

In 1960, fire broke out on the hangar deck of the nearly completed aircraft carrier USS Constellation at the New York Naval Shipyard, killing 50 civilian workers.

In 1972, Apollo 17 splashed down in the Pacific, concluding the Apollo program of crewed lunar landings.

In 2008, citing imminent danger to the national economy, President George W. Bush ordered a $17.4 billion emergency bailout of the U.S. auto industry.

In 2011, North Korea announced

the death two days earlier of leader Kim Jong Il; North Koreans marched by the thousands to mourn while state media proclaimed his youngest son, Kim Jong Un, as the nation’s new leader.

Today’s birthdays: Actor Tim Reid is 81. Singer Janie Fricke is 78. Actor Jennifer Beals is 62. Basketball Hall of Famer Arvydas Sabonis is 61. Olympic skiing gold medalist Alberto Tomba is 59. Actor Kristy Swanson is 56. Model Tyson Beckford is 55. Actor Alyssa Milano is 53. Football Hall of Famer Warren Sapp is 53. Actor Jake Gyllenhaal is 45. Actor Annie Murphy is 39.

Journalist Ronan Farrow is 38.

SHOWS TO WATCH — BATON ROUGE FRIDAY

STUART HADDAD: The Colonel’s Club, 5 p.m.

THOMAS CAIN: Crowne Plaza, 6 p.m.

ERIC BASKIN: Sullivan’s Steakhouse, 6 p.m.

CONNOR UNDERWOOD: Stab’s Restaurant, 6 p.m.

ERIC STELLY: Agave Blue, Zachary, 6 p.m.

KENDALL SHAFFER: Galvez Seafood, Prairieville, 6 p.m.

JEFF BAJON PROJECT: BLDG 5, 6 p.m.

KEEPIN’ TIME BAND: T’Quilas, Zachary, 6 p.m.

KAITLYN WALLACE: Mi Padres, Dutchtown, 6 p.m.

RYAN LEBLANC: Court To Table, 6 p.m.

DANIEL BAILEY: Le Chien Brewing Co., Denham Springs, 6:30 p.m.

THE LEE SERIO BAND: T’Quilas, Denham Springs, 6:30 p.m.

THE LONGNECK SOCIETY: El Paso, Denham Springs, 6:30 p.m.

ACOUSTICRATS: The Brakes Bar, 7 p.m.

DIZZY: Bin 77, 7 p.m.

RHODES, MAURER & FRIENDS: On The Half Shell, Prairieville, 7 p.m.

RHETT ANTHONY: 18 Steak at

L’Auberge, 7 p.m.

CHRISTMAS JAZZ: Rally Cap Brewing Company, 7 p.m.

THE CHAMBER: Mid City Ballroom, 8 p.m.

KILEY MCDONNEL: The Colonel’s Club, 8 p.m.

GARRETT REMSON: Spanky’s, Prairieville, 8 p.m.

HENRY TURNER JR. & ALL-STARS: Henry Turner Jr.’s Listening Room, 8 p.m.

2 DOMESTIC 1 IMPORT: O’Hara’s Irish Pub, 8 p.m.

TAYLOR NAUTA: Spanky’s, Dutchtown, 8 p.m.

WILL WESLEY: Riverbend Terrace II at L’Auberge, 8 p.m.

CHRIS LEBLANC: The Vineyard, 8 p.m.

CONNOR MARTIN: Court To Table, 8:30 p.m.

BEN RAGSDALE: Swamp Chicken Daiquiris, St. Amant, 9 p.m.

ANNA CLAIRE & BRADY GEORGE: Sandy’s Daiquiris, Port Allen, 9 p.m.

SPANK THE MONKEY: Coop’s on 621, Gonzales, 9 p.m.

RYAN FORET & FORET TRADITION: Southern Rhythm, Denham Springs, 9 p.m.

JOEY HOLAWAY & BO: Fat Cat Saloon, Prairieville, 9 p.m.

CORNER POCKET: Churchill’s, 9 p.m.

ISSY: The Edge Bar at L’Auberge, 9 p.m.

BRIAN RITTENHOUSE: Frozen Assets Daiquiris, Gonzales, 9 p.m.

SATURDAY

BRIAN & THE BANDITS: Classic Vinyls, 2 p.m.

RUSTY YATES: The Colonel’s Club, 5 p.m.

IAN WEBSTER DUO: Sullivan’s Steakhouse, 5:30 p.m.

PAPO Y SON MANDAO: Pedros, Denham Springs, 6 p.m.

JIM PAYNE: Court To Table, 6 p.m.

ARNETT HAYES: Stab’s Restaurant, 6 p.m.

MIKE HOGAN: BLDG 5, 6 p.m.

TONI TERRY: T’Quilas, Denham Springs, 6 p.m.

MATT WILLIAMS: Rally Cap Brewing Company, 6 p.m.

ROCKIN’ ROUGE: T’Quilas, Zachary, 6 p.m.

DON POURCIAU & KONSPIRACY: Pedro’s-Siegen, 6 p.m.

DERRICK LEMON: Le Chien Brewing Co., Denham Springs, 6:30 p.m.

MELISSA SINGS: El Paso, Denham Springs, 6:30 p.m.

2 DOMESTIC 1 IMPORT: Curbside Burgers, 7 p.m.

JAY PARKER & CHARLES PIERCE: Bin

77, 7 p.m.

DIZZY: On The Half Shell, Prairieville, 7 p.m.

THE LEE SERIO BAND: The Legacy, 7 p.m.

CAM PYLE: 18 Steak at L’Auberge, 7 p.m.

GRAND COUNTRY JUNCTION: Suma Crossing Theatre, Satsuma, 7 p.m.

T-BOY & JUST US: Coop’s on 621, Gonzales, 8 p.m.

MJ & THE REDEEMERS: Backstreet Lounge, 8 p.m.

BUBBA PLAUCHÉ: Riverbend Terrace II at L’Auberge, 8 p.m.

ACOUSTIC SATURDAY WITH THE LANDFORD 10: Henry Turner Jr.’s Listening Room, 8 p.m.

JOEL COOPER & SCOTT JORDAN: Spanky’s, Dutchtown, 8 p.m.

COTEAU GROVE: Court To Table, 8:30 p.m.

ON TAP: Swamp Chicken Daiquiris, St. Amant, 9 p.m.

ANNA CLAIRE & BRADY GEORGE: The Vineyard, 9 p.m.

SUNDAY

ERIC BASKIN: Watermark Hotel, 10 a.m.

MIKE HOGAN: Galvez Seafood, Prairieville, 10:30 a.m.

JOVIN WEBB: On The Half Shell,

Prairieville, 11 a.m.

JUSTIN BURDETTE TRIO: Superior Grill MidCity, 11 a.m.

BATON ROUGE BLUES SOCIETY CHRISTMAS: Phil Brady’s, 3 p.m.

SONGWRITER SUNDAYS: La Divina Italian Cafe, 5 p.m.

GEORGE BELL AND FRIENDS: The Edge Bar at L’Auberge, 6:30 p.m.

OPEN MIC JAM: Fat Cat Saloon, Prairieville, 7 p.m.

MONDAY

CAM PYLE: Superior Grill-MidCity, 6 p.m.

MIKE ESNEAULT: Stab’s Restaurant, 6 p.m.

NICK PERKINS: El Paso, Denham Springs, 6 p.m.

TUESDAY

PERIQUE: BLDG 5, 5:30 p.m.

MIKE ESNEAULT: Stab’s Restaurant, 6 p.m.

KATIE KENNEY: Superior Grill-MidCity, 6 p.m.

EDDIE SMITH: On The Half Shell, Prairieville, 6:30 p.m.

WEDNESDAY

JEFF BAJON PROJECT: Superior Grill-MidCity, 6 p.m.

The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Friday, December 19, 2025 ● 7C

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BUSINESS T H E A D V O C AT E.C O M/news/business

DOW 47,951.85 65.88 0.14%

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FROM WIRE REPORTS

Wall Street rises on inflation update

NEW YORK — U.S. stocks rose on Thursday following an encouraging report on inflation that could help the Federal Reserve keep cutting interest rates next year.

Some relief came from a report showing that inflation was less bad last month than economists expected. That could soothe nerves at the Fed, which is responsible for keeping inflation low and for keeping the job market strong. Micron Technology, the seller of memory and storage for computers, rallied 10.2% after reporting better profit and revenue for the latest quarter than analysts expected.

CEO Sanjay Mehrotra said each of the company’s business units enjoyed stronger revenue and made more in profit off each $1 of that revenue.

Darden Restaurants, the company behind Olive Garden and LongHorn Steakhouse, climbed 1.8% even though its profit for the latest quarter fell short of expectations. Its growth in revenue topped forecasts, benefiting from both the opening of new restaurants and increased revenue at its older locations.

CarMax dropped 4.2% even though the auto retailer reported a stronger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected. It said it may make less profit from each $1 of revenue in sales of used autos during the current quarter, as it tries to get more competitive in the market.

Instacart to pay $60M in settlement with FTC Delivery company Instacart will pay $60 million in customer refunds under a settlement reached with the Federal Trade Commission over alleged deceptive practices.

The FTC said Thursday that Instacart has been falsely advertising free deliveries. The San Francisco-based company isn’t clearly disclosing service fees, which add as much as 15% to an order and must be paid for customers to receive their groceries, the FTC said.

Instacart has also failed to clearly disclose that customers who enroll in a free trial for its Instacart+ program will be charged membership fees at the end of the trial. The FTC said hundreds of thousands of customers have been charged but have received no benefits from memberships or refunds.

Instacart+ offers members free deliveries on most orders for $99 per year.

The FTC said Instacart also advertises a “100% satisfaction guarantee,” but customers who experience late deliveries or unprofessional service are typically only offered a small credit that can be used toward a future order and not a refund.

Jeep apologizes to recalled 4xe owners Jeep’s CEO on Tuesday apologized and promised $100 gift cards in a note to owners of the brand’s plug-in hybrids, who have dealt with as many as three recalls over battery fire risk in the past two years.

Bob Broderdorf said most of the brand’s Wrangler and Grand Cherokee 4xe hybrids aren’t affected by the battery problems but acknowledged the recalls — which most recently have asked 320,065 owners to stop charging and park away from structures — could be “unsettling.” He asked owners to “Please accept our sincerest apologies.”

The apology came as the Stellantis NV brand also released details to dealers for how to fix the Wrangler plug-in hybrids, though not yet the Grand Cherokee versions, after the battery recall was issued in late October.

The fix, as with the prior two Jeep battery recalls, doesn’t involve immediately replacing the battery. Instead, it involves a software update that is supposed to be able to detect if there is damage in a battery component called a separator.

If an issue is detected, battery charging will be disabled, the company said, at which point the battery will be replaced.

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U.S. says price increases eased

“It’s likely a bit distorted,” said last month’s numbers were sus- month.

Data may be distorted that The inflation report was delayed Diane Swonk, chief economist at pect because they’d been delayed and likely distorted by the 43-day eight days by the shutdown, which the tax and consulting firm KPMG. and Americans federal shutdown. And most Ameri- also prevented the Labor Depart- “The good news is that it’s cooling. cans have not felt any letup in the ment from compiling overall num- We’ll take a win when we can get it.” aren’t feeling it Still, Swonk added: “The data is high prices they are paying for food, bers for consumer prices and core

BY PAUL WISEMAN and ANNE D’INNOCENZIO

insurance, utilities and other basic necessities.

The Labor Department reported AP business writers Thursday that its consumer price WASHINGTON — At a time when index rose 2.7% in November Americans are frustrated and from a year earlier. Yet, year-overangry over the high cost of living, year inflation remains well above the government released a report the Federal Reserve’s 2% target.

Thursday showing that inflation had Americans, dismayed by high priccooled unexpectedly in November. es, handed big victories to DemoBut economists quickly warned crats in local and state elections last

inflation in October and disrupted the usual data-collecting process.

Thursday’s report gave investors, businesses and policymakers their first look at CPI since the September numbers were released on Oct. 24.

Consumer prices had risen 3% in September from a year earlier, and forecasters had expected the November CPI to match that yearover-year increase.

truncated, and we just don’t know how much of it to trust.” By disrupting the economy — especially government contracting — the shutdown may have contributed to a cooling in prices, she said.

Many economists don’t expect to get a reliable read on inflation until next month when the Labor Department releases CPI numbers for December.

Landry troubleshooter at DOTD tapped to lead Port of South La. Julia Fisher-Cormier’s return to agency comes just months after she was named deputy secretary at DOTD

BY ANTHONY McAULEY Staff writer

Julia Fisher-Cormier, a former senior executive at the Port of South Louisiana who more recently emerged as one of Gov. Jeff Landry’s key government troubleshooters, has been named the port’s next executive director.

The move comes only months after she was tapped to help overhaul the state Department of Transportation and Development.

The Port of South Louisiana’s Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to appoint Fisher-Cormier following a national search, the port announced Thursday. She replaces Paul Matthews, who resigned in August after a disagreement with the board, ending a three-year tenure marked by both a return to growth and several high-profile setbacks.

A surprise move from Baton Rouge Fisher-Cormier’s appointment brings a familiar face back to one of Louisiana’s most important economic engines. Though she had long expressed an interest in the top job at the port, the timing was forced by the sudden departure of Matthews, which came just as she was transitioning into her role at the state transportation department. FisherCormier said her bosses were aware of her interest in the job and blessed her departure for the new role.

“As a lifelong resident of the River Parishes, returning to the Port of South Louisiana as its leader is both an honor and a responsibility that I embrace,” Fisher-Cormier said in a statement. “My passion for public service has deepened my commitment to build a more resilient and competitive infrastructure and logistics network that has historically been the backbone of our region.”

Port Commission Chair Joey Murray said the board was drawn to Fisher-Cormier’s blend of private-sector logistics experience and statewide leadership.

“After a thorough national search, the commission proudly voted unanimously to appoint a River Parish native as executive director,” Murray said. “We are confident she will accelerate the port’s strategic priorities and strengthen our position as an economic engine for Louisiana and America.”

PROVIDED PHOTO

Julia Fisher-Cormier, a former senior executive at the Port of South Louisiana, has been named the port’s next executive director. The port’s Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to appoint Fisher-Cormier following a national search, the port announced Thursday. she previously served as chief commercial officer, a role in which she was credited with helping reverse a decadelong decline in tonnage.

During that period, the port launched more than $1 billion in new foreign direct investment, retained and expanded anchor tenants, and revitalized the Globalplex Intermodal Facility at Reserve.

The Port of South Louisiana spans 54 miles of the Mississippi River between New Orleans and Baton Rouge, encompassing St. Charles, St. John the Baptist and St. James parishes.

It is the largest port in Louisiana and ranks second in the Western Hemisphere by tonnage handled, serving as the nation’s top grain export port and a major hub for energy transfers.

he was hired in 2022, stepped down by mutual agreement with the board in August.

While his tenure saw consecutive years of increased cargo volumes and revenue after a prolonged slump caused by tariffs, the pandemic and supply-chain disruptions, it was also marked by controversy.

Among the most significant setbacks was the collapse of a proposed $400 million grain terminal project in Wallace after sustained local opposition and permitting delays, as well as the port’s abandoned $455 million bid to purchase Avondale Global Gateway.

That deal drew intense scrutiny from public officials and industry observers, who questioned both the price and the strategic rationale, and was ultimately shelved after consultants concluded it did not make financial sense.

Since Matthews’ departure, deputy chief Port leadership turnover Brian Cox has served as interim executive Fisher-Cormier’s return comes after a director. period of leadership turbulence at the port.

Return to familiar role Matthews, who became the first Black chief Email Anthony McAuley at tmcauley@ Fisher-Cormier returns to the port where executive of a major Louisiana port when theadvocate.com.

Trump Media to merge with firm that wants to power AI

BY MATT O’BRIEN and JENNIFER MCDERMOTT

Associated Press

The parent company of President Donald Trump’s Truth Social media platform is merging with a fusion power company, an unusual pairing of the Trump name with a futuristic clean energy venture that aims to power the next wave of artificial intelligence. Trump Media & Technology announced its merger with TAE Technologies in an all-stock deal that the companies said Thursday is valued at more than $6 billion.

The combined company says it plans to find a site and begin con-

struction next year on the “world’s first utility-scale fusion power plant,” with aims to provide the electricity needed for artificial intelligence.

Nuclear fusion is seen as a promising solution to climate change caused by burning fossil fuels, but one that is a long way off compared to today’s clean technologies like wind and solar. It will need huge investment as well as regulation to advance, which makes Trump’s ties a major conflict, said Richard Painter, a former White House ethics lawyer in the George W. Bush administration.

“He’s jumping into this industry just like he jumped into crypto-

currency a couple of years ago,” Painter said. “Just as the United States government is gonna get all involved in it. And it’s so obvious that there’s a huge conflict of interest.”

Devin Nunes, the Republican congressman who resigned in 2021 to become the CEO of Trump Media, will be co-CEO of the new company with TAE CEO Michl Binderbauer.

Shares of Trump Media & Technology, the parent company of Truth Social, have tumbled 70% this year but jumped 34% in afternoon trading Thursday.

Backed by Google and other investors, TAE is a private company

and the merger with Trump Media would create one of the first publicly traded nuclear fusion companies.

“We’re taking a big step forward toward a revolutionary technology that will cement America’s global energy dominance for generations,” Nunes said in a prepared statement.

TAE focuses on nuclear fusion, a technology that combines two light atomic nuclei to form a single heavier one. It releases enormous amount of energy, a process that occurs on the sun and other stars, according to the United Nations’ International Atomic Energy Agency.

8C ● Friday, December 19, 2025 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

FrAnK And erneSt

bIG nAte

zItS

lll

zodIAC sAGIttARIus (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Take the long route if it will help you perfect what you want to achieve. Time is on your side, making the journey worthwhile. Trust your ability to handle matters your way.

CAPRICoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Put your energy where it counts, and you will make headway. Going into a new year with a positive attitude and a plan in place will give you something to celebrate this festive season.

AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) A change will do you good. Visit a place that evokes fond memories, and consider how you can apply that feeling to strengthen relationships with the people you love.

PIsCEs (Feb. 20-March 20) Pursuing a change of scenery or participating in events with those who love and protect you will give you the time you need to rejuvenate and rethink how you want to move forward. Choose stability and consistency.

ARIEs (March 21-April 19) An open mind and heart will help you fulfill your aspirations. Communication followed by action will lead to a realization that enables you to adopt lifestyle changes. tAuRus (April 20-May 20) Refuse to let what others choose to do confuse you.

Pick the lane that sparks your imagination and offers a crystal-clear message, guiding you in the most compatible direction.

GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Push forward with strength and courage. It's how you promote yourself with charm and

eloquence that will get people on board with your plans. Trust your instincts.

CAnCER (June 21-July 22) Take advantage of an opportunity to communicate with people who can help you advance.

Innovative input, combined with dedication and a disciplined approach to authenticity and staying up to date, will pay off.

LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) Learn from experience and prepare to use work-related functions to make headway in your chosen field. Offer people intriguing information, and you'll make an impression that pays off.

VIRGo (Aug. 23-sept. 22) Bypass situations that you cannot change. Distance yourself from drama and people with big egos trying to outmaneuver everyone they encounter. It's up to you to choose positive alternatives.

LIBRA (sept. 23-oct. 23) Exaggeration will lead to trouble. Communication can make or break a relationship. Don't make promises unless you plan to follow through immediately. Your best bet is to be fun, kind and informative. sCoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) Get on the fast train, adjust on the fly and learn as you go. Look at the big picture and your long-term plans, and associate with people who can offer valuable introductions.

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

For better or For WorSe WonderWord

peAnUtS

SALLY Forth

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

toDAy's CLuE: L EQuALs K

Mother GooSe And GrIMM

SherMAn’S LAGoon FAMILY CIrCUS

dooneSbUrY

The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Friday, December 19, 2025 ● 9C

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CurTiS

Hi and LoiS

Sudoku InstructIons: Sudoku is a number-placing puzzle based on a 9x9 grid with several given numbers.

The object is to place the numbers 1 to 9 in the empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. The difficulty level of the Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

BaBY BLueS

BLondie

THe wiZard oF id

nea CroSSwordS

La TimeS CroSSword

10C ● Friday, December 19, 2025 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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B.C.

Bridge

By PHILLIP ALDER Victor Mollo wrote humorous stories featuring his “menagerie” of bridge players. When he died in 1987, everyone assumed that would be that. However, many unpublished articles have been found among his papers. These have been put into a series of books. “The Hog Takes to Precision” came out in 2011, “Diamonds Are the Hog’s Best Friend” appeared in 2013, and others are available. All are published by Master Point Press.

The Rueful Rabbit is a poor player who always lands on his feet. This deal is a typical example. North has a problem over two no-trump. He might pass; or he could respond three clubs, Stayman, planning on either bidding four hearts if a 4-4 fit is disclosed, or settling for three no-trump and hoping the diamonds run.

In this auction, North-South had agreed to use transfer bids, but North forgot. So he assumed South’s three-heart rebid indicated length in that suit.

Against four hearts, West led the spade king (luckily not a trump). The Rueful Rabbit ruffed in the dummy, played a diamond to his ace, trumped another spade, returned to the diamond king, ruffed a third spade, and took two club tricks ending on the board.

After a brief pause, R.R. trumped a diamond with his heart jack. West had

garfield

Pearls Before swiNe

hagar the horriBle

to discard a spade. Then a fourth spade ruff was followed by another diamond.

With this coup en passant, East could not stop South from scoring his heart king.

Four hearts bid and made!

If you have never read any of these stories, start with the original book, “Bridge in the Menagerie.” © 2025 by NEA, Inc., dist. By Andrews McMeel Syndication

wuzzles Each Wuzzle is a word riddle which creates a disguised word, phrase, name, place, saying, etc. For example: NOON GOOD = GOOD AFTERNOON

PiCKles

Previous answers:

mallard fillmore

word game InstRuCtIons: 1. Words must be of four or more letters. 2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed. 3.

Additional words made by adding a “d” or an “s” may not be used. 4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed.

toDAy’s WoRD — VACuousnEss: VAK-yoo-us-ness: Lacking content.

Bizarro

marmaduKe

Average mark 25 words Time limit 45 minutes Can you find 40 or more words in VACUOUSNESS? yEstERDAy’s WoRD — ECCEntRIC enter entice entire erect erne cent center centric cite nice nicer

niece niter teen tern tier tine tire tree trice recent recite

rein rent retie rice rite inert inter

loCKhorNs hidato Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

today’s thought “Chasten your son while there is hope, and let not your soul spare for his crying.” Proverbs 19:18

Consistent loving discipline is what every child needs. — G.E. Dean

The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Friday, December 19, 2025 ● 11C

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PUBLIC NOTICE --NOTICE The Lafayette City Council met in Regular Session on December 16, 2025 and adopted the following ordinances: CITY ORDINANCE NO. CO-124-2025 AN ORDINANCE OF THE LAFAYETTE CITY COUNCIL AMENDING THE LAFAYETTE DEVELOP‐ MENT CODE SO AS TO RE‐ CLASSIFY THE PROPERTY OF CASE NO. 2025-20-REZ 520 SOUTH MAGNOLIA STREET REZONING, LO‐ CATED GENERALLY NORTH OF TENTH STREET,

Legal Notices

WEST OF SOUTH MAGNO‐ LIA STREET, AND SOUTH OF LOUISIANA AVENUE; BEING REZONED FROM RS-1 (RESIDENTIAL SIN‐ GLE-FAMILY) TO MN-1(C) (MIXED-USE NEIGHBOR‐ HOOD (WITH CONDI‐ TIONS)) BE IT ORDAINED by the Lafayette City Council, that: SECTION 1: The Lafayette Development Code is hereby amended so as to reclassify Case No. 202520-REZ 520 South Magno‐ lia Street Rezoning lo‐ cated generally north of Tenth Street, west of South Magnolia Street, and south of Louisiana Avenue, the particular parcel being rezoned from RS-1 (Residential Single-Family) to MN1(C) (Mixed-Use Neigh‐ borhood (with condi‐ tions)); the said parcel being shown and identi‐ fied on a map titled, i f

Legal Notices

p “Area Map Rezoning of Property RS-1 to MN-1,” prepared by Pioneer Sur‐ veying, LLC, dated Sep‐ tember 8, 2025, a copy of which is attached hereto and made a part thereof.

SECTION 2: The following condition is to apply: 1. Hours of operations will not exceed 6:00am CST to 9:00pm CST. SECTION 3: All ordi‐ nances or resolutions, or parts thereof, in conflict herewith are hereby re‐ pealed.

SECTION 4: This ordi‐ nance shall become ef‐ fective upon signature of the Lafayette MayorPresident, the elapse of ten (10) days after re‐ ceipt by the Lafayette Mayor-President without signature or veto, or upon an override of a veto, whichever occurs first. ***** CITY ORDINANCE NO.

PROCEEDINGS OF THE LAFAYETTE PARISH COUNCIL MEETING OF THE PARISH OF LAFAYETTE, STATE OF LOUISIANA, TAKEN AT A REGULAR MEETING OF DECEMBER 16, 2025 HELD AT 705 W. UNIVERSITY AVENUE, LAFAYETTE, LA. ATTENDANCE COUNCIL: AB Rubin (Chair, District 5), Donald Richard (Vice-Chair, District 2), Ken Stansbury (District 3) and John Guilbeau (District 4) ABSENT: Bryan Tabor (District 1) COUNCIL STAFF: Joseph Gordon-Wiltz (Clerk of the Council), Jeremy J. Swiney (Associate Clerk for Legislative Affairs) and Cindy Semien (Assistant Clerk for Legislative Affairs) ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF: Monique B. Boulet (Mayor-President), Rachel Godeaux (Chief Administrative Officer), Karen Fontenot (Chief Financial Officer), Patrick S. Ottinger (City-Parish Attorney), Paul Escott (Assistant City-Parish Attorney) and Tammy Luke (Community Development and Planning Director) (4:31:00) CALL TO ORDER Chair Rubin called the Regular Parish Council Meeting of December 16, 2025 to order.

AGENDA ITEM NO. 1: Invocation and Pledge of Allegiance The Chair called upon Councilmember Richard to cite the invocation and called upon Avianna Thomas, to lead the Pledge of Allegiance.

WELCOME AND CHAIR ANNOUNCEMENTS Chair Rubin made the following announcements: • Item #10, JO-071-2025, relative to the proposed Public Works reorganization, Finance is proposing an amendment to reinstate a filled position in Public Works that will be relocated to Drainage and delete a vacant position within Public Works; • Councilmember Tabor is unable to attend today’s meeting, due to illness.

AGENDA ITEM NO. 2: COUNCIL ANNOUNCEMENTS Rubin introduced Avianna Thomas and her twin sister Avion Thomas.

Avianna is the 13-year-old national boxing champion and Avion made it to the semifinals. Rubin presented them with a key to the parish.

Rubin clarified that he has no issue with Christians serving on boards and commissions, but the council should be looking at credentials and not just religious affiliations when considering board appointments.

AGENDA ITEM NO. 3: EXECUTIVE/MAYOR-PRESIDENT’S REPORT Mayor-President Boulet gave the following report: • Lafayette opened its warming shelter this past Sunday and Monday due to the cold snap. It served approximately 40 people each night and reunited 2 displaced people with their families; • Invited everyone to attend the University Avenue public meeting on December 17th at 6pm to discuss both current and future plans for the corridor; • Most LCG buildings are services will close early on Christmas Eve and be closed on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. Trash services will be pushed back 1 day due to Christmas and New Year’s.

RESOLUTION AGENDA ITEM NO. 4: PR-026-2025 A resolution of the Lafayette Parish Council providing for canvassing the returns and declaring the results of the special election held in the Parish of Lafayette, State of Louisiana, on Saturday, November 15, 2025, to authorize the continuation of special taxes therein, motion to adopt by Richard, seconded by Stansbury, and the vote was as follows: YEAS: Richard, Stansbury, Guilbeau, Rubin NAYS: None ABSENT: Tabor ABSTAIN: None Motion to adopt was approved.

JOINT RESOLUTION AGENDA ITEM NO. 5: JR-041-2025 A joint resolution of the Lafayette City Council and the Lafayette Parish Council adopting a Louisiana Compliance Questionnaire as a required part of Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government’s annual financial and compliance audit, motion to adopt by Guilbeau, seconded by Stansbury, and the vote was as follows: YEAS: Richard, Stansbury, Guilbeau, Rubin NAYS: None ABSENT: Tabor ABSTAIN: None Motion to adopt was approved.

ORDINANCES FOR FINAL ADOPTION AGENDA ITEM NO. 6: PO-056-2025 An ordinance of the Lafayette

Legal Notices

CO-139-2025 AN ORDINANCE OF THE LAFAYETTE CITY COUNCIL AMENDING THE LAFAYETTE DEVELOP‐ MENT CODE SO AS TO RE‐ CLASSIFY THE PROPERTY OF CASE NO. 2025-22-REZ 500, 502, 504, 600, 602, 604, 606, 700, 702, 704, 706, 800, 802 & 804 WEST WILLOW STREET REZON‐ ING, LOCATED GENER‐ ALLY NORTH OF WEST WILLOW STREET, EAST OF CORA STREET, AND SOUTH OF MARTIN LUTHER KING JR DRIVE; BEING REZONED FROM RS-1 (RESIDENTIAL SIN‐ GLE-FAMILY) TO RM-1 (RESIDENTIAL MIXED) BE IT ORDAINED by the Lafayette City Council, that: SECTION 1: The Lafayette Development Code is hereby amended so as to reclassify Case No. 202522-REZ 500, 502, 504, 600,

Legal Notices

602, 604, 606, 700, 702, 704, 706, 800, 802 & 804 West Willow Street Re‐ zoning, located generally north of West Willow Street, east of Cora Street, and south of Mar‐ tin Luther King Jr Drive, the particular parcels being rezoned from RS-1 (Residential Single-Fam‐ ily) to RM-1 (Residential Mixed); the said parcel being shown and identi‐ fied on a map titled, “Map Showing Zoning Reclassification From RS1 to RM-1,” prepared by Joe Maniscalco, Jr., PE, PLS, dated October 8, 2023, a copy of which is attached hereto and made a part thereof.

SECTION 2: All ordi‐ nances or resolutions, or parts thereof, in conflict herewith are hereby re‐ pealed.

SECTION 3: This ordi‐ nance shall become ef‐ fective upon signature of the Lafayette Mayorid h l f

BE IT ORDAINED by the Lafayette City Council, that: SECTION 1: The Lafayette Development Code is hereby amended so as to reclassify Case No. 202526-REZ 304 Academy Road Rezoning, located generally north of Good‐ night Drive, east of Nor‐ mandy Road, and south of Academy Road, the particular parcel being rezoned from RS-1 (Resi‐ dential Single-Family) to RS-2 (Residential SingleFamily); the said parcel being shown and identi‐ fied on a map titled, “Re‐ zoning Map Showing the Proposed Rezoning of Lot 545 of Riverside Drive Subdivision Extension No. 2,” prepared by Richard C. Spikes, Inc., dated October 7, 2025, a copy of which is at‐ tached hereto and made a part thereof.

SECTION 2: All ordi‐ nances or resolutions, or parts thereof, in conflict herewith are hereby re‐ pealed.

SECTION 3: This ordi‐ nance shall become ef‐ fective upon signature of the Lafayette MayorPresident, the elapse of ten (10) days after re‐ ceipt by the Lafayette Mayor-President without signature or veto, or upon an override of a veto, whichever occurs first. ***** /s/ Joseph Gordon-Wiltz JOSEPH GORDON-WILTZ LAFAYETTE CLERK OF THE COUNCIL 171236-dec 19-1t $68.36 PUBLIC NOTICE --NOTICE The Lafayette City Coun‐ cil met in Regular Ses‐ sion on December 16, 2025 and introduced the following ordinances.

Legal Notices

y y President, the elapse of ten (10) days after re‐ ceipt by the Lafayette Mayor-President without signature or veto, or upon an override of a veto, whichever occurs first. ***** CITY ORDINANCE NO. CO-142-2025 AN ORDINANCE OF THE LAFAYETTE CITY COUNCIL AMENDING THE LAFAYETTE DEVELOP‐ MENT CODE SO AS TO RE‐ CLASSIFY THE PROPERTY OF CASE NO. 2025-26-REZ 304 ACADEMY ROAD RE‐ ZONING, LOCATED GEN‐ ERALLY NORTH OF GOOD‐ NIGHT DRIVE, EAST OF NORMANDY ROAD, AND SOUTH OF ACADEMY ROAD; BEING REZONED FROM RS-1 (RESIDENTIAL SINGLE-FAMILY) TO RS-2 (RESIDENTIAL SINGLEFAMILY)

Parish Council amending the FY 25/26 operating and capital budgets of the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government by authorizing the use of PY Fund Balance of the Juvenile Detention Facility (Fund 2650) in the amount of $9,000 and appropriating within the Office of the Chief Administrative Officer, Juvenile Detention Division, Kitchen Section, for the purchase of a commercial refrigerator, motion to adopt by Guilbeau, seconded by Richard, and the vote was as follows: YEAS: Richard, Stansbury, Guilbeau, Rubin NAYS: None ABSENT: Tabor ABSTAIN: None Motion to adopt was approved Godeaux invited Alonzo Thomas, JDH Administrator, to speak.

Thomas stated that the refrigerator has given them a lot of trouble over the years. He also noted that the facility has had severe security issues and sewer issues which need to be addressed.

AGENDA ITEM NO. 7: PO-057-2025 An ordinance of the Lafayette Parish Council amending the FY 25/26 operating and capital budgets of the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government by authorizing the use of PY Fund Balance of the Juvenile Detention Facility (Fund 2650) in the amount of $450,000 and combining with existing funds and appropriating within the Office of the Chief Administrative Officer, Juvenile Detention Division, to fund safety improvements at the Juvenile Detention Home, motion to adopt by Stansbury, seconded by Richard, and the vote was as follows: YEAS: Richard, Stansbury, Guilbeau, Rubin NAYS: None ABSENT: Tabor ABSTAIN: None Motion to adopt was approved.

JOINT ORDINANCE FOR FINAL ADOPTION AGENDA ITEM NO. 8: JO-069-2025 A joint ordinance of the Lafayette City Council and the Lafayette Parish Council amending the FY 25/26 operating budget of the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government by increasing the use of fund balance and appropriating within the Promotion Costs Account of the Community Development and Planning Department, Development Division to allow for the promotion of the Development Supervisor, motion to adopt by Richard, seconded by Stansbury, and the vote was as follows: YEAS: Richard, Stansbury, Guilbeau, Rubin NAYS: None ABSENT: Tabor ABSTAIN: None Motion to adopt was approved.

AGENDA ITEM NO. 9: JO-070-2025 A joint ordinance of the Lafayette City Council and the Lafayette Parish Council amending Chapter 26, Article II, by repealing Sections 26-31 and 26-32 and amending Chapter 26, Article XII by enacting Section 26-801 and amending Chapter 26, Article XVI, Section 26-1175 of the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government Code of Ordinances related to the condemnation & demolition of dilapidated and dangerous buildings or structures within the City of Lafayette and unincorporated areas of Lafayette Parish, motion to adopt

by Stansbury, seconded by Guilbeau, and the vote was as follows: YEAS: Richard, Stansbury, Guilbeau, Rubin NAYS: None ABSENT: Tabor ABSTAIN: None Motion to adopt was approved.

Stansbury requested an explanation of the provided flow charts.

Luke and Kathy Trahan, Compliance Manager, explained that a bill was passed in the state legislature, authored by Senator Boudreaux, that now allows these changes. They reviewed the current and proposed process and noted that it could cut the process time down by 60 to 90 days.

AGENDA ITEM NO. 10: JO-071-2025 A joint ordinance of the Lafayette City Council and the Lafayette Parish Council approving the renaming of the Public Works Department to the Capital Improvements Department and an administrative realignment of a division of the Public Works Department and reallocation and realignment of other divisions of the Public Works Department to the Drainage Department and the Traffic, Roads and Bridges Department and amending the FY 25/26 operating and capital improvement budgets and adjusting manning tables of the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government, motion to adopt by Richard, seconded by Guilbeau.

A motion to amend to reinstate a filled position in Public Works that will be relocated to Drainage and to delete a vacant position within Public Works was offered by Guilbeau, seconded by Richard, and the vote was as follows: YEAS: Richard, Stansbury, Guilbeau, Rubin NAYS: None ABSENT: Tabor ABSTAIN: None Motion to amend was approved.

The Chair then called for the vote to adopt, as amended, and the vote was as follows: YEAS: Richard, Stansbury, Guilbeau, Rubin

CO-143-2025 An ordi‐ nance of the Lafayette City Council amending Chapter 86, Article IX, Di‐ vision 1, Section 86-138 “Parking of Large Vehi‐ cles and Trailer” and Di‐ vision 6, Section 86-174 “Schedule of Fines for Parking Violators” of the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Govern‐ ment Code of Ordinances related to the parking of large vehicles and trail‐ ers in the Louisiana Av‐ enue Zoning & Develop‐ ment Overlay District in the City of Lafayette.

CO-144-2025 An ordi‐ nance of the Lafayette City Council authorizing the Lafayette MayorPresident to enter into a Cooperative Endeavor Agreement between the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Govern‐ ment, the Louisiana De‐ partment of Treasury and the State of Louisiana concerning ACT 461 of the 2025 Regular Legisla‐ tive Session of the Louisiana Legislature and amending the FY 25/26 capital budget of h f i i h

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p g the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Govern‐ ment by increasing rev‐ enues in the amount of $250,000 received from the State of Louisiana Department of Treasury and appropriating within the Public Works Depart‐ ment for North Lafayette Redevelopment Initia‐ tives.

y Trust Financing Authority as a Louisiana public trust.

CO-145-2025 An ordi‐ nance of the Lafayette City Council authorizing the Lafayette MayorPresident to accept a do‐ nation of certain im‐ provements hereinafter described for the pur‐ pose of operating and maintaining sewer facili‐ ties.

The ordinances will ap‐ pear before the Lafayette City Council for public hearing and final adop‐ tion in the Ted A. Ardoin City-Parish Council Audi‐ torium located at 705 W. University Avenue, Lafayette, LA on January 6, 2026. /s/ Joseph Gordon-Wiltz JOSEPH GORDON-WILTZ LAFAYETTE CLERK OF THE COUNCIL 171250-dec 19-1t $19.33 PUBLIC NOTICE --NOTICE The Lafayette Parish Council and the Lafayette City Council each met in Regular Ses‐ sion on December 16, 2025 and introduced the following joint ordi‐ nances.

JO-072-2025 A joint ordi‐ nance of the Lafayette City Council and the Lafayette Parish Council amending Ordinance No. JO-061-2025 to correct the name of the Lafayette Public Trust Fi‐ nance Authority to Lafayette Public Trust Fi‐ nancing Authority and to correct the description of the Lafayette Public i i h i

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JO-073-2025 A joint ordi‐ nance of the Lafayette City Council and the Lafayette Parish Council, acting in their capacity as the governing author‐ ity of the City of Lafayette and the Parish of Lafayette, respec‐ tively, providing for the abandonment of a cer‐ tain portion of public right-of-way at the inter‐ section of West Willow Street (formerly known as G.L. Landry Road) and North Ambassador Caf‐ fery Parkway, and autho‐ rizing the Lafayette Mayor-President to exe‐ cute an act of abandon‐ ment in order to effectu‐ ate the abandonment on behalf of the City of Lafayette and Parish of Lafayette.

JO-074-2025 A joint ordi‐ nance of the Lafayette City Council and the Lafayette Parish Council authorizing the Lafayette Mayor-President to enter into a Cooperative En‐ deavor Agreement be‐ tween the Lafayette CityParish Consolidated Gov‐ ernment, the Louisiana Department of the Trea‐ sury and the State of Louisiana concerning ACT 461 of the 2025 Regu‐ lar Legislative Session of the Louisiana Legislature and amending the FY 25/26 capital budget of the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Govern‐ ment by increasing rev‐ enues in the amount of $125,000 received from the State of Louisiana Department of the Trea‐ sury and appropriating within the Community Development and Plan‐ ning Department for a community assessment for a mental health crisis center.

The ordinances will ap‐ pear before each the Lafayette Parish Council and the Lafayette City Council for public hear‐ ing and final adoption in the Ted A. Ardoin CityParish Council Audito‐ rium located at 705 W. University Avenue, Lafayette, LA on January 6, 2026. /s/ Joseph Gordon-Wiltz JOSEPH GORDON-WILTZ LAFAYETTE CLERK OF THE COUNCIL 171245-dec 19-1t $31.49 PUBLIC NOTICE --NOTICE The Lafayette Parish Council met in Regular Session on December 16, 2025 and adopted the fol‐ lowing ordinances: PARISH ORDINANCE NO. PO-056-2025

SUBSCRIBE TODAY

AN ORDINANCE OF THE LAFAYETTE PARISH COUNCIL AMENDING THE FY 25/26 OPERATING AND CAPITAL BUDGETS OF THE LAFAYETTE CITYPARISH CONSOLIDATED

NAYS: None ABSENT: Tabor ABSTAIN: None Motion to adopt, as amended, was approved.

INTRODUCTORY ORDINANCES A motion to introduce agenda items 11-12, in globo, was offered by Stansbury, seconded by Richard.

11. PO-058-2025 An ordinance of the Lafayette Parish Council authorizing the Lafayette Mayor-President to enter into a Cooperative Endeavor Agreement and Act of Donation by and between Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government and the Fire Protection District No. 7 of the Parish of Acadia, State of Louisiana concerning the donation of a surplus 2003 tanker fire truck.

12. PO-059-2025 An ordinance of the Lafayette Parish Council authorizing the Lafayette Mayor-President to enter into a Cooperative Endeavor Agreement between the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government, the Louisiana Department of Treasury and the State of Louisiana concerning ACT 461 of the 2025 Regular Legislative Session of the Louisiana Legislature and amending the FY 25/26 capital budget of the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government by increasing revenues in the amount of $250,000 received from the State of Louisiana Department of Treasury and appropriating within the Public Works Department for road projects involving Cormier Road.

The Chair then called for a vote to introduce the ordinances (items 11-12), in globo, and the vote was as follows: YEAS: Richard, Stansbury, Guilbeau, Rubin NAYS: None ABSENT: Tabor ABSTAIN: None Motion to introduce, in globo, was approved.

JOINT INTRODUCTORY ORDINANCES A motion to introduce agenda items 13-15, in globo, was offered by Richard, seconded by Stansbury.

13. JO-072-2025 A joint ordinance of the Lafayette City Council and the Lafayette Parish Council amending Ordinance No. JO-061-2025 to correct the name of the Lafayette Public Trust Finance Authority to Lafayette Public Trust Financing Authority and to correct the description of the Lafayette Public Trust Financing Authority as a Louisiana public trust.

14. JO-073-2025 A joint ordinance of the Lafayette City Council and the Lafayette Parish Council, acting in their capacity as the governing authority of the City of Lafayette and the Parish of Lafayette, respectively, providing for the abandonment of a certain portion of public right-of-way at the intersection of West Willow Street (formerly known as G.L. Landry Road) and North Ambassador Caffery Parkway, and authorizing the Lafayette Mayor-President to execute an act of abandonment in order to effectuate the abandonment on behalf of the City of Lafayette and Parish of Lafayette.

15. JO-074-2025 A joint ordinance of the Lafayette City Council and the Lafayette Parish Council authorizing the Lafayette Mayor-President to enter into a Cooperative Endeavor Agreement between the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government, the Louisiana Department of the Treasury and the State of Louisiana concerning ACT 461 of the 2025 Regular Legislative Session of the Louisiana Legislature and amending the FY 25/26 capital budget of the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government by increasing revenues in the amount of $125,000 received from the State of Louisiana Department of the Treasury and appropriating within the Community Development and Planning Department for a community assessment for a mental health crisis center.

The Chair then called for a vote to introduce the ordinances (items 13-15), in globo, and the vote was as follows: YEAS: Richard, Stansbury, Guilbeau, Rubin NAYS: None ABSENT: Tabor ABSTAIN: None Motion to introduce, in globo, was approved.

(5:07:00) ADJOURN There being no further business to come before the Council, Chair Rubin declared the Regular Meeting adjourned. /s/ Joseph Gordon-Wiltz JOSEPH GORDON-WILTZ, LAFAYETTE CLERK OF THE COUNCIL

171231-597780-dec 19-1t $ 304.29

12C ● Friday, December 19, 2025 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate Legal Notices

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NOTICE The Lafayette City Council and the Lafayette Parish Council each met in Regular Session on December 16, 2025 and adopted the following ordinances: ORDINANCE NO. JO-069-2025 A JOINT ORDINANCE OF THE LAFAYETTE CITY COUNCIL AND THE LAFAYETTE PARISH COUNCIL AMENDING THE FY 25/26 OPERATING BUDGET OF THE LAFAYETTE CITY-PARISH CONSOLIDATED GOVERNMENT BY INCREASING THE USE OF FUND BALANCE AND APPROPROATING WITHIN THE PROMOTION COSTS ACCOUNT OF THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND PLANNING DEPARTMENT, DEVELOPMENT DIVISION TO ALLOW FOR THE PROMOTION OF THE DEVELOPMENT SUPERVISOR BE IT ORDAINED by the Lafayette City Council and the Lafayette Parish Council, that: SECTION 1: The FY 25/26 operating budget of the Lafayette CityParish Consolidated Government is hereby amended by increasing the Use of Fund Balance and appropriating within the Promotion Costs Account of the Community Development and Planning Department, Development Division to allow for the promotion of the Development Supervisor.

SECTION 2: This transfer of funds shall be as reflected in any pertinent documents which are attached hereto and made a part hereof and filed in the Office of the Clerk of the Council.

SECTION 3: All ordinances and resolutions, or parts thereof, in conflict herewith are hereby repealed.

SECTION 4: After first having been adopted by a majority of the authorized membership of both the Lafayette Parish Council and the Lafayette City Council, this joint ordinance shall become effective upon signature of this joint ordinance by the Lafayette Mayor-President, the elapse of ten (10) days after receipt by the Lafayette Mayor-President without signature or veto, or upon an override of a veto, whichever occurs first. ***** ORDINANCE NO. JO-070-2025 A JOINT ORDINANCE OF THE LAFAYETTE CITY COUNCIL AND THE LAFAYETTE PARISH COUNCIL AMENDING CHAPTER 26, ARTICLE II, BY REPEALING SECTIONS 26-31 AND 26-32 AND AMENDING CHAPTER 26, ARTICLE XII BY ENACTING SECTION 26-801 AND AMENDING CHAPTER 26, ARTICLE XVI, SECTION 26-1175 OF THE LAFAYETTE CITY-PARISH CONSOLIDATED GOVERNMENT CODE OF ORDINANCES RELATED TO THE CONDEMNATION & DEMOLITION OF DILAPIDATED AND DANGEROUS BUILDINGS OR STRUCTURES WITHIN THE CITY OF LAFAYETTE AND UNINCORPORATED AREAS OF LAFAYETTE PARISH BE IT ORDAINED by the Lafayette City Council and the Lafayette Parish Council, that: WHEREAS, the Lafayette City Council and Lafayette Parish Council desire to amend Chapter 26, Article II, by repealing Sections 26-31 and 26-32 and amending Article XII by enacting Section 26-801 and amending Chapter 26, Article XVI, Section 26-1175 of the LCG Code of Ordinances, the same being necessary to further the health, safety and welfare of the citizens of the City of Lafayette and unincorporated Lafayette Parish.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER ORDAINED by the Lafayette City Council and the Lafayette Parish Council, that: SECTION 1: All of the above “Whereas” clauses are adopted as part of this joint ordinance.

SECTION 2: Chapter 26, Article II, Sections 26-31 and 26-32 of the LCG Code of Ordinances are hereby repealed in their entirety, with words in strikethrough being deletions from existing law, and words underscored and boldfaced being additions: Sec. 26-31. – Reserved.Repair and condemnation of dangerous buildings or structures – Definition. (a) In accordance with the provisions of R.S. 33:1236(49), the within and ensuing provisions are adopted relating to the repair and condemnation of buildings, dwellings, and other structures that have become derelict and present a danger to the health and welfare of residents of the parish. (b) The phrase “derelict and present a danger to the health and welfare”, as used herein, shall include, but not be limited to, buildings or structures which have any of the following characteristics: (1) Are structurally unsafe; (2) Are not provided with adequate egress; (3) Constitute a fire hazard; (4) Are otherwise dangerous to human life; (5) By way of existing use or condition constitute a hazard to public safety, health, or welfare by reason of inadequate maintenance, dilapidation, obsolescence, fire hazard or abandonment.

Sec. 26-32. – Reserved.Same – Procedure adopted.

The provisions of R.S. 33:4761 relative to the condemnation and demolition of any building or structure when it is in a dilapidated and dangerous condition which endangers the public welfare are hereby adopted and incorporated herein by reference as the procedure to be utilized by the city-parish consolidated government for the demolition, condemnation and/or removal of any building or structure in the unincorporated areas of the parish, when it is determined by this council to be in such condition as to warrant such action, provided however, that the adoption of R.S. 33:4761—33:4768, as applied herein, shall be with the following amendments in those statutes, wherever applicable, to wit: (1) Wherever the term “within the municipality” appears, same shall read “within the unincorporated areas of Lafayette Parish, Louisiana.”

(2) Wherever the term “Mayor or Chief Executive Officer” appears, same shall instead read “Lafayette City-Parish President.”

(3) Whenever the term “Governing authority of the municipality” appears, same shall instead read the “Lafayette City-Parish Council or the governing authority of the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government.”

(4) Whenever the term “Municipality” appears, same shall read “unincorporated areas in Lafayette Parish, Louisiana.”

(5) Whenever the term “Governing authority of the City of Lafayette” appears, same shall mean and refer to “governing authority of the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government.”

Any lien amount, specified in R.S. 33:4761 through 33:4768, shall bear legal interest from the date of recordation until paid.

SECTION 3: Chapter 26, Article XII “RESERVED”, and Section 26801 “Reserved” of the LCG Code of Ordinances are hereby amended in the following particulars, with words in strikethrough being deletions from existing law, and words underscored and boldfaced being additions: ARTICLE XII – RESERVEDCONDEMNATION AND DEMOLITION Sec. 26-801 Reserved.Condemnation and demolition of dilapidated and dangerous buildings or structures.

A. It shall be a violation of this Code for any person, natural or juridical, to own, maintain, or permit the continued existence of any building or structure that is dilapidated, dangerous, blighted, or abandoned, as defined herein. Such conditions are deemed a threat to public health, safety, and welfare, and are hereby prohibited.

B. Pursuant to the provisions of La. R.S. 13:2575 and La. R.S. 33:4754, the Hearing Officer of the Administrative Adjudication Bureau for the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government shall have the authority to condemn buildings or structures determined to be dilapidated, dangerous, blighted, or abandoned and authorize the City of Lafayette, Parish of Lafayette, and/or Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government to demolish said buildings or structures, pursuant to the procedures set forth in Article XVI “Administrative Adjudication”, Section 26-1175.

C. For the purposes of this Section, the phrase “dilapidated, dangerous, blighted, or abandoned” shall include, but shall not be limited to, buildings or structures which have any of the following characteristics: (1) Are structurally unsafe; (2) Are not provided with adequate egress; (3) Constitute a fire hazard; (4) Are otherwise dangerous to human life; (5) By way of existing use or condition constitute a hazard to public safety, health, or welfare by reason of inadequate maintenance, dilapidation, obsolescence, fire hazard or abandonment; (6) Due to its physical condition, neglect, or structural failure, poses a hazard to public health or safety, or is unfit for human occupancy or use.

Secs. 26-801—26-920. - Reserved. Secs. 26-802—26-920. Reserved.

SECTION 4: Chapter 26, Article XVI, Section 26-1175 of the LCG Code of Ordinances is hereby amended in the following particulars, with words in strikethrough being deletions from existing law, and words underscored and boldfaced being additions: ARTICLE XVI – ADMINISTRATIVE ADJUDICATION Sec. 26-1175. - Enforcement of Violations; Administrative Adjudication; Penalties 1. Applicability.

A. This Section is an available alternative enforcement mechanism for the adjudication of Violations, occurring in the City of Lafayette and/or the unincorporated areas of Lafayette

lll

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Parish, of the following Articles in this Chapter: i.

Article III – Building Code ii.

Article IV – Electrical Code iii. Article V – InternationalLCG Property Maintenance Code iv.

Article VI – International Mechanical Code v.

Article VII – Moving of Buildings vi. Article VIII – Plumbing and Gas Code vii. Article IX – Swimming Pool Regulations viii. Article XI – Flood Damage Prevention ix. Article XII – Condemnation and Demolition ixx. Article XIII – Misc. Restrictions and Requirements in City of Lafayette x.xi. Article XV – Prohibition on Recreational Park Trailers Being Used as Permanent Residences in the Unincorporated Areas of the Parish of Lafayette B. Nothing contained in this Section shall be construed to prohibit, in lieu of proceeding under the enforcement mechanisms of this Section, the enforcement of Violations of this Chapter through any processes or procedures contained within any other Section of this Chapter or state law.

C. The provisions of this Section shall be retroactive and shall apply to any Violation(s) of the above listed Articles of this Chapter in existence as of the adoption of this Section and any occurring thereafter, regardless of whether said Violation(s) initially occurred prior to the adoption of this Section.

2. Definitions.

In addition to the definitions contained in Chapter 26, the following words, terms, and phrases, when used in this Section, shall have the meanings ascribed to them, except where the context clearly indicates a different meaning.

Violation means a civil violation, related, but not limited to, any act, omission, condition, failure to act, and/or any non-compliance with or of any provision of Chapter 26, Articles III – IX, XI, XII, XIII, and XV. Order, judgment or notice of judgment means an administrative act of the hearing officer.

Unoccupied means having no legal occupant(s), vacant.

Violator means person(s), natural or juridical, who has been found liable for a Violation and/or ordered to abate or correct a Violation in an Order issued under this Section.

3. Authorization.

The City of Lafayette, Parish of Lafayette, and/or the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government, through one or more of its appropriate departments, agencies, agents, employees, contractors and/or representatives (“LCG”), shall be authorized to and may enforce any Violation(s) of Articles III – IX, XI, XII, XIII, and XV of this Chapter against all alleged Violators pursuant to the procedures for administrative adjudication established in this Section. ***** 6. Powers of a Hearing Officer.

The hearing officer shall have the power to: A. Administer oaths and affirmations.

B. I ssue orders compelling the attendance of witnesses, respondents, alleged violators, and Violators, and the production of documents.

C. Determine whether or not an alleged violator is liable for Violations.

D. Levy fees, costs, and monetary penalties.

E. Order Violators to correct Violations within a stipulated time.

F. Take any and/or all necessary and lawful measures to effect corrections of the Violation if the Violator fails to do so within the time allocated by the hearing officer.

G. Record orders, judgments, notices of judgments, or liens in the mortgage records of the Lafayette Parish Clerk of Court’s Office.

H. Condemn buildings or structures determined to be dilapidated, dangerous, blighted, or abandoned and authorize the City of Lafayette, Parish of Lafayette, and/ or Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government to demolish said buildings or structures.

7. Procedure for Hearing.

A. Whenever LCG determines that a Violation exists, a notice of violation(s) shall be provided to the alleged violator(s). ***** H. The hearing officer shall issue a final order, judgment, or notice of judgment within 30 days of the hearing, excluding legal holidays. A copy of the final order, judgment, or notice of judgment shall be personally served or sent to the Violator(s) in the manner set forth in subsection C within 14 days of issuance. Any notification so sent and returned by the U.S. Post Office shall be considered as having fulfilled the notification requirement. In addition, a final order, judgment, or notice of judgment declaring a building or structure to be condemned and ordering the demolition of same shall be filed in the mortgage records of the Lafayette Parish Clerk of Court. Once filed, such filing shall be deemed notice to all subsequent transferees, who shall take such property subject to the order of condemnation and demolition and all consequences resulting therefrom.

Notwithstanding the foregoingAt the hearing, the Violator or his/her representative may enter into the record of the hearing (either orally or in writing) an alternate mailing or electronic address for the purposes of receipt of any notice herein. The order, judgment, or notice of judgment shall: i. Be signed by the hearing officer; ii. State whether or not the alleged Violator is liable for each Violation and any specific determinations thereto; iii. Provide the amount of fees, costs, and penalties assessed for each Violation; iv. Provide the defects to be corrected and the extent by which each Violation shall be corrected, repaired, and/or abated; v. Provide the reasonable period of time by which each Violation shall be corrected, repaired and/or abated; vi. Notify the Violator(s) of their right to appeal; and vii. Notify the Violator that LCG may act to abate Violation(s) if the Violator fails to act in accordance with the order, judgment, or notice of judgment, where applicable.

I. LCG may enforce any order, judgment, or notice of judgment assessing fees, costs, and penalties, and/or stipulating a required correction, repair, or abatement measure. ***** 10. Costs. ***** B. In addition to any costs assessed in any order, judgment, or notice of judgment, at any point in the enforcement process after the time for compliance has expired, or following the conclusion of the LCG’s enforcement/abatement action(s), the appropriate department(s), division(s), and/or component(s) of LCG enforcing the Violation(s) may notify, in the manner provided for in 26-1175(7)(C), the Violator of the proposed full cost recovery that was the subject of enforcement/abatement action. Any notification so sent and returned by the U.S. Post Office shall be considered as having fulfilled the notification requirement. The notice of cost recovery issued must provide an itemized list of costs incurred by LCG, and contain a date not less than 30 days from the date of notice (date personally served, date mailed, or date e-mailed) providing a hearing with a hearing officer to appealcontest the accuracy and reasonableness of the costs.

C. In the event full payment is not received within 30 days of the notice of cost recovery, then following any cost recoveryappeal hearing upholding all or part of the costs, LCG may, where applicable, lien the property that was subject to the enforcement/abatement action for all applicable costs by recording the notice of cost recovery or administrative hearing order, judgment, or notice of judgment affirming appropriate costs in the mortgage and/or UCC records of the Lafayette Parish Clerk of Court’s Office. ***** 13. Appeal.

Except for violations of Chapter 26, Article XII, Section 26-801, Aany person determined by the hearing officer to be liable for a violation may appeal the determination to the Fifteenth Judicial District Court for the Parish of Lafayette. Such appeal shall be instituted by filing, within 30 calendar days of notice of the hearing officer’s order, judgment, or notice of judgment, a petition with the Fifteenth Judicial District Clerk of Court along with payment of such costs as may be required by the Clerk of Court. After filing a petition for appeal, the Clerk of Court shall schedule a hearing and notify all parties of the date, time, and place of such hearing. Service of notice of appeal under this subsection shall not stay the enforcement and collection of the order, judgment, or notice of judgment unless the person who files the appeal furnishes security prior to the service of notice of appeal with the appropriate department(s), division(s), and/or component(s) of LCG enforcing the violation(s) in the amount fixed by the hearing officer sufficient to assure satisfaction of the finding of the hearing officer relative to the fine(s), fee(s), monetary penalty/ penalties, cost(s) of the hearing, and cost(s), if any, of correcting the violation(s). For violations of Chapter 26, Article XII, Section 26-801, any appeal shall first be made to the Lafayette City Council or the Lafayette Parish Council, as the case may be, within 30 calendar days of notice of the hearing officer’s order, judgment, or notice of judgment. Thereafter, any appeal of the

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decision of the Lafayette City Council or the Lafayette Parish Council, as the case may be, may be made to the Fifteenth Judicial District Court within 30 calendar days of the decision of the Lafayette City Council or the Lafayette Parish Council, in the same manner required for all other violations of Chapter 26. ***** 17. Additional Available Alternative Enforcement Procedures for Violations of Chapter 26, Article V and Article XII. In addition to all other remedies and powers available in this Section, the Hearing Officer, in adjudicating Violations of Article V and Article XII of Chapter 26 of this Codethe LCG Code of Ordinances, shall have the power to order securing the building, structure, or premises from entry (boarding) and/or order that the building, structure, or premises be vacated consistent with the following: ***** B. Order to vacate. i. When an occupied building, structure, or premises is found by the Hearing Officer to be unsafe, unfit for human occupancy, and/or unlawful, an order to vacate may be issued.

(1) A building, structure, or premises is unsafe if it is found to be dangerous to the life, health, property or safety of the public or to any occupants therein because the premises is damaged, decayed, dilapidated, structurally unsafe, of faulty construction and/or unstable.

(2) A building, structure, or premises is unfit for human occupancy when the premises is in disrepair, is unsanitary, vermin or rat infested, contains filth and contamination, or lacks ventilation, illumination, sanitary or heating facilities, utilities, or other equipment as required by or necessary to comply with the PMC. (3) A building, structure, or premises is unlawful when it is found in whole or in part to be overcrowded, or was erected, altered, or occupied contrary to law. ii. At the hearing, if, in the opinion of the Hearing Officer, a building, structure, or premises is unsafe, unfit, and/or unlawful, an order to vacate within a certain delay may be issued by the Hearing Officer. The order shall provide the specific violations of this Chapterthe PMC that justify the finding that the building, structure, or premise is unsafe, unfit and/or unlawful. iii. The building, structure, or premises shall be posted bearing notice of the order to vacate within 48 hours of the Hearing Officer’s determination and order. The notice shall be signed by the Building Official, provide the date of the determination, and advise the public that the building, structure, or premises has been deemed unsafe, unfit, and/or unlawful and that the public is warned to keep away. The order shall be posted or affixed in a prominent location on the building, structure, or premises, or, if safe access to same is not reasonably practicable, on some prominent fixture on the adjacent public right-of-way as near as possible to the building, structure, or premises, and shall provide the date and time by which all occupants shall vacate. It shall be unlawful for any person to remove any notice to vacate posted pursuant to this subsection. iv. All occupants shall vacate within the time period ordered by the Hearing Officer at the hearing. The building, structure, or premises shall remain vacated until the Building Official determines that the violations creating the unsafe, unfit and/or unlawful building, structure, or premises have been abated. Upon this determination, the Building Official shall issue a letter of re-occupancy to the Owner, and, at that time, the posting of the order to vacate may be removed.

SECTION 5: All ordinances and resolutions, or parts thereof, in conflict herewith, are hereby repealed.

SECTION 6: After first having been adopted by a majority of the authorized membership of both the Lafayette City Council and the Lafayette Parish Council, this joint ordinance shall become effective upon signature of this joint ordinance by the Lafayette Mayor-President, or the elapse of ten (10) days after receipt by the Lafayette Mayor-President without signature or veto, or upon override of a veto, whichever occurs first. ***** ORDINANCE NO. JO-071-2025 A JOINT ORDINANCE OF THE LAFAYETTE CITY COUNCIL AND THE LAFAYETTE PARISH COUNCIL APPROVING THE RENAMING OF THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT TO THE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS DEPARTMENT AND AN ADMINISTRATIVE REALIGNMENT OF A DIVISION OF THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT AND REALLOCATION AND REALIGNMENT OF OTHER DIVISIONS OF THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT TO THE DRAINAGE DEPARTMENT AND THE TRAFFIC, ROADS AND BRIDGES DEPARTMENT AND AMENDING THE FY 25/26 OPERATING AND CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT BUDGETS AND ADJUSTING MANNING TABLES OF THE LAFAYETTE CITY-PARISH CONSOLIDATED GOVERNMENT BE IT ORDAINED by the Lafayette City Council and the Lafayette Parish Council, that: WHEREAS, in accordance with the provisions of Section 4-17A of the Home Rule Charter of the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government, the Lafayette Mayor-President has proposed to the Lafayette City Council and Lafayette Parish Council the renaming of the Public Works (“PW”) Department to the Capital Improvements Department and an administrative reorganization of the PW Department which realigns certain positions within a division of the PW Department and reallocates and realigns the functions, powers, duties and responsibilities of other divisions of the PW Department to the Drainage Department and the Traffic, Roads, and Bridges Department, as more fully described herein (the “Proposed Reorganization”); and WHEREAS, Section 4-17B of the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government Home Rule Charter provides that, upon receipt of the plan of reorganization as proposed and submitted by the Lafayette MayorPresident, the presiding officers of the Lafayette City Council and the Lafayette Parish Council, respectively, shall cause to be introduced an ordinance to implement the proposed reorganization plan; and WHEREAS, the justification for the Proposed Reorganization of the PW Department, as more fully described herein, is set forth in a letter/ memo dated November 17, 2025, from Monique B. Boulet, Lafayette Mayor-President, to the Chair of the Lafayette City Council and the Chair of the Lafayette Parish Council, a copy of which is attached hereto as Exhibit “A” and made a part hereof by reference; and WHEREAS, the adoption and implementation of the Proposed Reorganization will allow the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government to better serve the public by reallocating certain responsibilities and functions and realigning certain positions within the respective departments, which will streamline operations, enhance services, and reduce costs when possible.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER ORDAINED by the Lafayette City Council and the Lafayette Parish Council, that: SECTION 1: All of the aforesaid “Whereas” clauses are adopted as part of this joint ordinance.

SECTION 2: The Lafayette City Council and the Lafayette Parish Council do hereby authorize, ratify and approve the Proposed Reorganization of the respective departments, with all attendant budget revisions and manning tables, as more fully shown and described in detail on Exhibit “B” attached hereto and made a part hereof.

SECTION 3: The Office of the Chief Financial Officer, through the Lafayette-Mayor-President, is authorized and directed to comply with the dictates and intent of this administrative reorganization through whatever means it deems to be prudent and necessary to effectuate the administrative reorganization including, but not limited to, amendments, adjustments, and/or revisions to manning tables, budgetary revisions, etc., all as reflected in detail on Exhibit “B” attached hereto and made a part hereof.

SECTION 4: All ordinances or resolutions, or parts thereof, in conflict herewith are hereby repealed.

SECTION 5: This joint ordinance shall become effective at the earlier of: (1) the Lafayette City Council’s and the Lafayette Parish Council’s failure to act on the proposed reorganization within 60 days of its submission to the Lafayette City Council and Lafayette Parish Council (as provided in Section 4-17C of the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government Home Rule Charter); or (2) after first having been adopted by a majority of the authorized membership of both the Lafayette Parish Council and the Lafayette City Council, and (i) upon signature of this joint ordinance by the Lafayette Mayor-President, the elapse of ten (10) days after receipt by the Lafayette Mayor-President without signature or veto; or (ii) upon override of a veto, whichever occurs first. ***** /s/ Joseph Gordon-Wiltz JOSEPH GORDON-WILTZ LAFAYETTE CLERK OF THE COUNCIL

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PROCEEDINGS OF THE LAFAYETTE CITY COUNCIL MEETING OF THE CITY OF LAFAYETTE, STATE OF LOUISIANA, TAKEN AT A REGULAR MEETING OF DECEMBER 16, 2025 HELD AT 705 W. UNIVERSITY AVENUE, LAFAYETTE, LA. ATTENDANCE COUNCIL: Kenneth P. Boudreaux (Chair, District 5), Liz W. Hebert (ViceChair, District 3), Elroy Broussard (District 1), Andy Naquin (District 2) and Thomas Hooks (District 4) ABSENT: None COUNCIL STAFF: Joseph Gordon-Wiltz (Clerk of the Council), Jeremy J. Swiney (Associate Clerk for Legislative Affairs) and Cindy Semien (Assistant Clerk for Legislative Affairs) ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF: Monique B. Boulet (Mayor-President), Rachel Godeaux (Chief Administrative Officer), Karen Fontenot (Chief Financial Officer), Patrick S. Ottinger (City-Parish Attorney), Paul Escott (Assistant City-Parish Attorney) and Tammy Luke (Director, Community Development and Planning) (5:31:00) CALL TO ORDER Chair Boudreaux called the Regular City Council Meeting of December 16, 2025 to order.

AGENDA ITEM NO. 1: Invocation and Pledge of Allegiance The Chair called upon Councilmember Naquin to cite an invocation and upon Councilmember Hooks to lead the Pledge of Allegiance.

WELCOME AND CHAIR ANNOUNCEMENTS Chair Boudreaux made the following announcements: • Item #8, CO-129-2025, regarding a right of access agreement with LCVC, I will be requesting an indefinite deferral; • Item #15, JO-071-2025, relative to the proposed Public Works reorganization, Finance is proposing an amendment to reinstate a filled position in Public Works that will be relocated to Drainage and delete a vacant position within Public

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DEFERRED INDEFINITELY AGENDA ITEM NO. 8: CO-129-2025 An ordinance of the Lafayette City Council authorizing the Lafayette Mayor-President to enter into a Right of Access Agreement by and between Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government and the Lafayette Convention & Visitors Commission, motion to defer indefinitely by Hebert, seconded by Broussard, and the vote was as follows: YEAS: Broussard, Naquin, Hebert, Hooks, Boudreaux NAYS: None ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None Motion to defer indefinitely was approved.

AGENDA ITEM NO. 9: CO-139-2025 An ordinance of the Lafayette City Council amending the Lafayette Development Code so as to reclassify the property of Case No. 2025-22-REZ 500, 502, 504, 600, 602, 604, 606, 700, 702, 704, 706, 800, 802 & 804 West Willow Street Rezoning, located generally north of West Willow Street, east of Cora Street, and south of Martin Luther King Jr Drive; being rezoned from RS-1 (Residential SingleFamily) to RM-1 (Residential Mixed), motion to adopt by Broussard, seconded by Naquin, and the vote was as follows: YEAS: Broussard, Naquin, Hebert, Hooks, Boudreaux NAYS: None ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None Motion to adopt was approved.

FAILED AGENDA ITEM NO. 10: CO-140-2025 An ordinance of the Lafayette City Council amending the Lafayette Development Code so as to reclassify the property of Case No. 2025-24-REZ 800 Block Verot School Road Rezoning, located generally north of Verot School Road, west of South Beadle Road, and south of Harbor Lights Drive; being rezoned from CM-1 (Commercial Mixed) to CH (Commercial-Heavy), motion to adopt by Hebert, seconded by Hooks, and the vote was as follows: YEAS: None NAYS: Broussard, Naquin, Hebert, Hooks, Boudreaux ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None Motion to adopt was failed.

Hooks requested a more detailed explanation of the zoning commission’s vote to deny.

AGENDA ITEM NO. 2: COUNCIL ANNOUNCEMENTS Boudreaux wished everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

He noted that this is the last City Council meeting of the year. He wished everyone a safe holiday season and celebration of the birth of Christ.

Luke stated that several subdivisions were concerned with traffic, parking and road use and did not want live events. Staff felt that the change would increase the use of the property.

Broussard wished everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and wished a happy birthday to Coach Moore who is turning 96.

37 citizens contacted the Council Office in opposition.

Two (2) citizens signed in, in opposition, but did not wish to speak.

Naquin wished everyone a Merry Christmas and thanked the community.

Angelle Pearce and Julie Gauthier spoke in opposition to the ordinance, sharing capacity and traffic concerns as well as the unknown size and scale of possible live events.

AGENDA ITEM NO. 3: EXECUTIVE/MAYOR-PRESIDENT’S REPORT Mayor-President Boulet gave the following report: • Lafayette opened its warming shelter this past Sunday and Monday due to the cold snap. It served approximately 40 people each night and reunited 2 displaced people with their families; • Invited everyone to attend the University Avenue public meeting on December 17th at 6pm to discuss both current and future plans for the corridor; • Most LCG buildings are services will close early on Christmas Eve and be closed on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. Trash services will be pushed back 1 day due to Christmas and New Year’s.

Escott clarified that a yes vote would rezone the property and that a no vote would leave the property zoned as is.

RESOLUTIONS

A motion to defer, to allow additional time for conditions to be considered and language drafted was offered by Hooks, seconded by Boudreaux, and the vote was as follows: YEAS: Broussard, Naquin, Hebert, Hooks, Boudreaux NAYS: None ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None Motion to defer to 01/20/2026 was approved.

AGENDA ITEM NO. 4: CR-021-2025 A resolution of the Lafayette City Council approving the FY 2026 budget of the Downtown Development Authority (“DDA”), the governing authority of the Lafayette Centre Development District (“LCDD”), motion to adopt by Naquin, seconded by Hebert, and the vote was as follows: YEAS: Broussard, Naquin, Hebert, Hooks, Boudreaux NAYS: None ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None Motion to adopt was approved.

One (1) citizen signed in, in support of the resolution, but did not wish to speak.

AGENDA ITEM NO. 5: CR-022-2025 A resolution of the Lafayette City Council approving water service outside of the corporate limits of the City of Lafayette, in accordance with Ordinance No. O-030-2015 (LPUA), (3043 Verot School Road), motion to adopt by Naquin, seconded by Hebert, and the vote was as follows: YEAS: Broussard, Naquin, Hebert, Hooks, Boudreaux NAYS: None ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None Motion to adopt was approved.

Will Potier stated that the only reason that LUS is requested that he annex is that LCG is requesting him to install new fire sprinklers which require an additional tap to the water lines. He requested that the council adopt the resolution.

Brian Blanchard signed in, in support of the resolution, to answer any questions. There were no questions.

JOINT RESOLUTION AGENDA ITEM NO. 6: JR-041-2025 A joint resolution of the Lafayette City Council and the Lafayette Parish Council adopting a Louisiana Compliance Questionnaire as a required part of Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government’s annual financial and compliance audit, motion to adopt by Hebert, seconded by Broussard, and the vote was as follows: YEAS: Broussard, Naquin, Hebert, Hooks, Boudreaux NAYS: None ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None Motion to adopt was approved.

ORDINANCES FOR FINAL ADOPTION AGENDA ITEM NO. 7: CO-124-2025 An ordinance of the Lafayette City Council amending the Lafayette Development Code so as to reclassify the property of Case No. 2025-20-REZ 520 South Magnolia Street Rezoning, located generally north of Tenth Street, west of South Magnolia Street, and south of Louisiana Avenue; being rezoned from RS-1 (Residential Single-Family) to MN-1 (Mixed-Use Neighborhood), motion to adopt by Hebert, seconded by Hooks.

A motion to add a condition limiting the hours of operation to 6am to 9pm was offered by Naquin, seconded by Hooks, and the vote was as follows: YEAS: Broussard, Naquin, Hebert, Hooks, Boudreaux NAYS: None ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None Motion to amend was approved.

The Chair then called for a vote to adopt, as amended, and the vote was as follows: YEAS: Broussard, Naquin, Hebert, Hooks, Boudreaux NAYS: None ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None Motion to amend was approved.

Luke noted that she spoke to the owners who have agreed to the time stipulation.

Jake Zimmerman and Tuyet Tran stated that the amendment was acceptable to them.

DEFERRED UNTIL 01/20/2026 AGENDA ITEM NO. 11: CO-141-2025 An ordinance of the Lafayette City Council approving a Conditional Use Permit to allow a convenience store (with fuel sales) in a CM-1 (Commercial Mixed) Zoning District, Case No. 2025-25-REZ 801 Foreman Drive CUP (Conditional Use Permit), located generally north of Dulles Drive, east of Marie Antoinette Street, and south of Belle Chase Drive, motion to adopt by Naquin, seconded by Broussard.

Broussard stated that developers should do their due diligence and work with neighbors in the future.

14 citizens contacted the Council Office in opposition.

131 citizens signed a petition in support of the ordinance.

One (1) citizen signed in, in support, but did not wish to speak.

Nine (9) citizens signed in, in opposition, but did not wish to speak.

Jeanne Trahan, William Nice and John Jefcoat spoke in opposition to the ordinance sharing concerns regarding safety and traffic if a gas station would be allowed in a residential area.

Connie Dubose, Sky Abshire, Carl Sonnier, Jack Aumiller, Jude Bourque, Ed Amo, Brent Hollier and Tony Robertson spoke in support of the ordinance noting Grab-N-Geaux has a history of safety and security, increased tax revenue and no incidents of major crimes.

Tony Robertson provided the Councilmembers with a packet that was distributed to them.

Luke recapped the department’s recommendations and discussions.

Councilmembers discussed possible conditions that could be set to assist the neighborhood.

John Jefcoat spoke in opposition to the deferral.

Tony Robertson spoke in support of the deferral.

AGENDA ITEM NO. 12: CO-142-2025 An ordinance of the Lafayette City Council amending the Lafayette Development Code so as to reclassify the property of Case No. 2025-26-REZ 304 Academy Road Rezoning, located generally north of Goodnight Drive, east of Normandy Road, and south of Academy Road; being rezoned from RS-1 (Residential Single-Family) to RS-2 (Residential Single-Family), motion to adopt by Naquin, seconded

by Hebert, and the vote was as follows: YEAS: Broussard, Naquin, Hebert, Hooks, Boudreaux NAYS: None ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None Motion to adopt was approved.

JOINT ORDINANCES FOR FINAL ADOPTION AGENDA ITEM NO. 13: JO-069-2025 A joint ordinance of the Lafayette City Council and the Lafayette Parish Council amending the FY 25/26 operating budget of the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government by increasing the use of fund balance and appropriating within the Promotion Costs Account of the Community Development and Planning Department, Development Division to allow for the promotion of the Development Supervisor, motion to adopt by Naquin, seconded by Hebert, and the vote was as follows: YEAS: Broussard, Naquin, Hebert, Hooks, Boudreaux NAYS: None ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None Motion to adopt was approved.

AGENDA ITEM NO. 14: JO-070-2025 A joint ordinance of the Lafayette City Council and the Lafayette Parish Council amending Chapter 26, Article II, by repealing Sections 26-31 and 26-32 and amending Chapter 26, Article XII by enacting Section 26-801 and amending Chapter 26, Article XVI, Section 26-1175 of the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government Code of Ordinances related to the condemnation & demolition of dilapidated and dangerous buildings or structures within the City of Lafayette and unincorporated areas of Lafayette Parish, motion to adopt by Broussard, seconded by Hebert, and the vote was as follows: YEAS: Broussard, Naquin, Hebert, Hooks, Boudreaux NAYS: None ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None Motion to adopt was approved.

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Broussard noted that there were lots of dilapidated properties in his area and inquired if the new process would allow for a quicker turn around.

Luke and Kathy Trahan, Compliance Manager, explained that a bill was passed in the state legislature, authored by Senator Boudreaux, that now allows these changes. They reviewed the current and proposed process and noted that it could cut the process time down by 60 to 90 days.

AGENDA ITEM NO. 15: JO-071-2025 A joint ordinance of the Lafayette City Council and the Lafayette Parish Council approving the renaming of the Public Works Department to the Capital Improvements Department and an administrative realignment of a division of the Public Works Department and reallocation and realignment of other divisions of the Public Works Department to the Drainage Department and the Traffic, Roads and Bridges Department and amending the FY 25/26 operating and capital improvement budgets and adjusting manning tables of the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government, motion to adopt by Naquin, seconded by Broussard.

A motion to amend to reinstate a filled position in Public Works that will be relocated to Drainage and to delete a vacant position within Public Works was offered by Hooks, seconded by Hebert, and the vote was as follows: YEAS: Broussard, Naquin, Hebert, Hooks, Boudreaux NAYS: None ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None Motion to amend was approved.

The Chair then called for the vote to adopt, as amended, and the vote was as follows: YEAS: Broussard, Naquin, Hebert, Hooks, Boudreaux NAYS: None ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None Motion to adopt, as amended, was approved.

INTRODUCTORY ORDINANCES A motion to introduce agenda items 16-18, in globo, was offered by Naquin, seconded by Hebert.

16. CO-143-2025 An ordinance of the Lafayette City Council amending Chapter 86, Article IX, Division 1, Section 86-138 “Parking of Large Vehicles and Trailer” and Division 6, Section 86-174 “Schedule of Fines for Parking Violators” of the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government Code of Ordinances related to the parking of large vehicles and trailers in the Louisiana Avenue Zoning & Development Overlay District in the City of Lafayette.

17. CO-144-2025 An ordinance of the Lafayette City Council authorizing the Lafayette Mayor-President to enter into a Cooperative Endeavor Agreement between the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government, the Louisiana Department of Treasury and the State of Louisiana concerning ACT 461 of the 2025 Regular Legislative Session of the Louisiana Legislature and amending the FY 25/26 capital budget of the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government by increasing revenues in the amount of $250,000 received from the State of Louisiana Department of Treasury and appropriating within the Public Works Department for North Lafayette Redevelopment Initiatives.

18. CO-145-2025 An ordinance of the Lafayette City Council authorizing the Lafayette Mayor-President to accept a donation of certain improvements hereinafter described for the purpose of operating and maintaining sewer facilities.

The Chair then called for a vote to introduce the ordinances (items 16-18), in globo, and the vote was as follows: YEAS: Broussard, Naquin, Hebert, Hooks, Boudreaux NAYS: None ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None Motion to introduce, in globo, was approved.

JOINT INTRODUCTORY ORDINANCES A motion to introduce agenda items 19-21, in globo, was offered by Naquin, seconded by Hebert.

19. JO-072-2025 A joint ordinance of the Lafayette City Council and the Lafayette Parish Council amending Ordinance No. JO-061-2025 to correct the name of the Lafayette Public Trust Finance Authority to Lafayette Public Trust Financing Authority and to correct the description of the Lafayette Public Trust Financing Authority as a Louisiana public trust.

20. JO-073-2025 A joint ordinance of the Lafayette City Council and the Lafayette Parish Council, acting in their capacity as the governing authority of the City of Lafayette and the Parish of Lafayette, respectively, providing for the abandonment of a certain portion of public right-of-way at the intersection of West Willow Street (formerly known as G.L. Landry Road) and North Ambassador Caffery Parkway, and authorizing the Lafayette Mayor-President to execute an act of abandonment in order to effectuate the abandonment on behalf of the City of Lafayette and Parish of Lafayette.

21. JO-074-2025 A joint ordinance of the Lafayette City Council and the Lafayette Parish Council authorizing the Lafayette Mayor-President to enter into a Cooperative Endeavor Agreement between the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government, the Louisiana Department of the Treasury and the State of Louisiana concerning ACT 461 of the 2025 Regular Legislative Session of the Louisiana Legislature and amending the FY 25/26 capital budget of the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government by increasing revenues in the amount of $125,000 received from the State of Louisiana Department of the Treasury and appropriating within the Community Development and Planning Department for a community assessment for a mental health crisis center.

The Chair then called for a vote to introduce the ordinances (items 19-21), in globo, and the vote was as follows: YEAS: Broussard, Naquin, Hebert, Hooks, Boudreaux NAYS: None ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None Motion to introduce, in globo, was approved.

Emily Lopez signed in, in support of JO-073-2025, to answer any questions. There were no questions.

COMMENT(S) FROM THE PUBLIC AGENDA ITEM NO. 22: Comments from the public on any other matter(s) not on this agenda.

Corey L. Francis, Sr. stated that his neighborhood submitted a petition for speedbumps due to frequent speeding, shoot outs and safety concerns that that LCG only approved 1 speed lump and that more were requested.

He provided the Council with a handout and maps.

Boudreaux stated that he will investigate but ultimately it is an administrative decision.

(7:25:00) ADJOURN There being no further business to come before the Council, Chair Boudreaux declared the Regular Meeting adjourned.

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/s/ Joseph Gordon-Wiltz JOSEPH GORDON-WILTZ, LAFAYETTE CLERK OF THE COUNCIL

171230-597775-dec 19-1t $ 469.67

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GOVERNMENT BY AUTHO‐ RIZING THE USE OF PY FUND BALANCE OF THE JUVENILE DETENTION FA‐ CILITY (FUND 2650) IN THE AMOUNT OF $9,000 AND APPROPRIATING WITHIN THE OFFICE OF THE CHIEF ADMINISTRA‐ TIVE OFFICER, JUVENILE DETENTION DIVISION, KITCHEN SECTION, FOR THE PURCHASE OF A COMMERCIAL REFRIGER‐ ATOR

GOVERNMENT BY AUTHO‐ RIZING THE USE OF PY FUND BALANCE OF THE JUVENILE DETENTION FA‐ CILITY (FUND 2650) IN THE AMOUNT OF $450,000 AND COMBINING WITH EXISTING FUNDS AND AP‐ PROPRIATING WITHIN THE OFFICE OF THE CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFI‐ CER, JUVENILE DETEN‐ TION DIVISION, TO FUND SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS AT THE JUVENILE DETEN‐ TION HOME

BE IT ORDAINED by the Lafayette Parish Council, that: SECTION 1: The FY 25/26 operating and capital budgets of the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government are hereby amended by authorizing the use of PY Fund Bal‐ ance of the Juvenile De‐ tention Facility (Fund 2650) in the amount of $9,000 and appropriating within the Office of the Chief Administrative Offi‐ cer, Juvenile Detention Division, Kitchen Section, to fund the purchase of a commercial refrigerator.

SECTION 2: This transfer of funds shall be re‐ flected in any pertinent documents which are at‐ tached and made a part hereof and filed in the Office of the Clerk of the Council.

SECTION 3: All ordi‐ nances or resolutions, or parts thereof, in conflict herewith are hereby re‐ pealed.

SECTION 4: This ordi‐ nance shall become ef‐ fective upon signature of the Lafayette MayorPresident, the elapse of ten (10) days after re‐ ceipt by the Lafayette Mayor-President without signature or veto, or upon an override of a veto, whichever occurs first. ***** PARISH ORDINANCE NO. PO-057-2025 AN ORDINANCE OF THE LAFAYETTE PARISH COUNCIL AMENDING THE FY 25/26 OPERATING AND CAPITAL BUDGETS OF THE LAFAYETTE CITYPARISH CONSOLIDATED

BE IT ORDAINED by the Lafayette Parish Council, that: SECTION 1: The FY 25/26 operating and capital budgets of the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government are hereby amended by authorizing the use of PY Fund Bal‐ ance of the Juvenile De‐ tention Facility (Fund 2650) in the amount of $450,000 and combining with existing funds and appropriating within the Office of the Chief Ad‐ ministrative Officer, Ju‐ venile Detention Division, to fund safety improve‐ ments at the Juvenile De‐ tention Home.

SECTION 2: This transfer of funds shall be re‐ flected in any pertinent documents which are at‐ tached and made a part hereof and filed in the Office of the Clerk of the Council.

SECTION 3: All ordi‐ nances or resolutions, or parts thereof, in conflict herewith are hereby re‐ pealed.

SECTION 4: This ordi‐ nance shall become ef‐ fective upon signature of the Lafayette MayorPresident, the elapse of ten (10) days after re‐ ceipt by the Lafayette Mayor-President without signature or veto, or upon an override of a veto, whichever occurs first. *****

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/s/ Joseph Gordon-Wiltz JOSEPH GORDON-WILTZ LAFAYETTE CLERK OF THE COUNCIL

p g tion in the Ted A. Ardoin City-Parish Council Audi‐ torium located at 705 W. University Avenue, Lafayette, LA on January 6, 2026.

171239-dec 19-1t $35.41

/s/ Joseph Gordon-Wiltz JOSEPH GORDON-WILTZ LAFAYETTE CLERK OF THE COUNCIL

PUBLIC NOTICE ---

171246-dec 19-1t $16.11

NOTICE The Lafayette Parish Council met in Regular Session on December 16, 2025 and introduced the following ordinance.

PO-058-2025 An ordi‐ nance of the Lafayette Parish Council authoriz‐ ing the Lafayette MayorPresident to enter into a Cooperative Endeavor Agreement and Act of Donation by and be‐ tween Lafayette CityParish Consolidated Gov‐ ernment and the Fire Pro‐ tection District No. 7 of the Parish of Acadia, State of Louisiana con‐ cerning the donation of a surplus 2003 tanker fire truck.

PO-059-2025 An ordi‐ nance of the Lafayette Parish Council authoriz‐ ing the Lafayette MayorPresident to enter into a Cooperative Endeavor Agreement between the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Govern‐ ment, the Louisiana De‐ partment of Treasury and the State of Louisiana concerning ACT 461 of the 2025 Regular Legisla‐ tive Session of the Louisiana Legislature and amending the FY 25/26 capital budget of the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Govern‐ ment by increasing rev‐ enues in the amount of $250,000 received from the State of Louisiana Department of Treasury and appropriating within the Public Works Depart‐ ment for road projects involving Cormier Road.

The ordinance will ap‐ pear before the Lafayette Parish Council for public hearing and final adop‐ i i h d d i

N O R T H A M ER I CA’S

PUBLIC NOTICE --NOTICE TO PUBLIC NOTICE OF PROPOSED ORDINANCE NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that Ordinance No. PO-058-2025 has been introduced and is pro‐ posed for adoption by the Lafayette Parish Council on January 6, 2026, whereby the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Govern‐ ment would donate a surplus 2003 Tanker Fire Truck to Fire Protection District No. 7 of the Parish of Acadia, State of Louisiana which is no longer needed for public purposes, the following described property, to wit: Surplus 2003 Tanker Fire Truck Description KW 2003 Serial/vin 1NKDL00X23J394801 Any opposition to the proposed ordinance shall be made in writing and filed with the Office of the Lafayette Clerk of the Council within 15 days after the first publication of this notice. If an oppo‐ sition is filed, the Lafayette Parish Council shall not adopt the ordi‐ nance until a hearing has been held. /s/ Joseph Gordon-Wiltz JOSEPH GORDON-WILTZ LAFAYETTE CLERK OF THE

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COUNCIL Publication Dates: 12-1925, 12-26-25, 01-02-26 171252-dec 19-26-jan 2-3t $38.70 PUBLIC NOTICE --PROCEEDINGS OF THE LAFAYETTE PUBLIC POWER AUTHORITY MEETING OF THE CITY OF LAFAYETTE, STATE OF LOUISIANA, TAKEN AT A SPECIAL MEETING OF DE‐ CEMBER 16, 2025 HELD AT 705 W. UNIVERSITY AV‐ ENUE, LAFAYETTE, LA. ATTENDANCE COUNCIL: Kenneth P. Boudreaux (Chair, Dis‐ trict 5), Liz W. Hebert (Vice-Chair, District 3), Elroy Broussard (District 1), Andy Naquin (District 2) and Thomas Hooks (District 4) ABSENT: None COUNCIL STAFF: Joseph Gordon-Wiltz (Clerk of the Council), Jeremy J. Swiney (Associate Clerk for Legislative Affairs) and Cindy Semien (Assis‐ tant Clerk for Legislative Affairs) ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF: Monique B. Boulet (Mayor-President), Rachel Godeaux (Chief Administrative Officer), Karen Fontenot (Chief Fi‐ nancial Officer), Patrick S. Ottinger (City-Parish Attorney) and Paul Es‐ cott (Assistant CityParish Attorney) (7:25) CALL TO ORDER Chair Boudreaux called the Special Lafayette Public Power Authority Meeting of December 16, 2025 to order.

RESOLUTION AGENDA ITEM NO. 1: RLPPA-170 A resolution of the Lafayette Public Power Authority (LPPA) adopting a Louisiana Compliance Question‐ i i d

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Legal Notices

p Q naire as a required part of Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Govern‐ ment’s Annual Financial and Compliance Audit, motion to adopt by Naquin, seconded by Broussard, and the vote was as follows: YEAS: Broussard, Naquin, Hebert, Hooks, Boudreaux NAYS: None ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None Motion to adopt was ap‐ proved.

(7:26:00) ADJOURN There being no further business to come before the LPPA, Chair Boudreaux declared the Special Meeting ad‐ journed. /s/ Joseph Gordon-Wiltz JOSEPH GORDON-WILTZ, LAFAYETTE CLERK OF THE COUNCIL 171234-dec 19-1t $27.49 PUBLIC NOTICE --PROCÈS VERBAL OF THE CANVASS OF THE VOTES CAST AT THE SPECIAL ELECTION HELD IN THE PARISH OF LAFAYETTE, STATE OF LOUISIANA, ON SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2025.

BE IT KNOWN AND RE‐ MEMBERED that on Tues‐ day, December 16, 2025, at 4:30 p.m., at its regular meeting place, the Coun‐ cil Auditorium, 705 West University Avenue, Lafayette, Louisiana, the Lafayette Parish Council (the "Governing Author‐ ity"), acting as the gov‐ erning authority of the Parish of Lafayette, State of Louisiana (the "Parish"), and being the authority ordering the election held special therein on Saturday, No‐ vember 15, 2025, with a quorum of the Governing Authority present did, in open and public session, examine the official cer‐ tified tabulations of votes cast at the said

Legal Notices

election, and did exam‐ ine and canvass the re‐ turns of the said election, there having been sub‐ mitted at said election the following proposi‐ tions, to wit: PROPOSITION NO. 1 OF 2 (MILLAGE CONTINUA‐ TION) Shall the Parish of Lafayette, State of Louisiana (the "Parish"), continue to levy a special tax of 4.47 mills on all property subject to taxa‐ tion in the Parish (an es‐ timated $12,743,000 rea‐ sonably expected at this time to be collected from the levy of the tax for an entire year), for a period of 10 years, beginning with the year 2027 and ending with the year 2036, for the purpose of constructing, improving and maintaining roads and bridges in the Parish, said millage to be contin‐ ued at the rate currently being levied, represent‐ ing a 0.30 mill increase (due to reappraisal) over the 4.17 mills authorized to be levied through the year 2026 pursuant to an election held on March 28, 2015?

PROPOSITION NO. 2 OF 2 (MILLAGE CONTINUATION AND REDEDICATION) Shall the Parish of Lafayette, State of Louisiana (the "Parish"), continue to levy a special tax of 3.81 mills (the "Tax") on all property subject to taxation in the Parish, for a period of 10 years, beginning with the year 2026 and ending with the year 2035 (an estimated $10,861,000 reasonably expected at this time to be collected from the levy of the Tax for an entire year), and shall the proceeds of the Tax heretofore or here‐ after received be used for the purposes of con‐ structing, acquiring, im‐ proving, maintaining, op‐ erating, and supporting public facilities and pro‐ grams in the Parish as follows: (i) 1.24 mills for drainage; (ii) 0.422 mills f idi fi

Legal Notices

g for providing fire protec‐ tion and all costs affili‐ ated thereto; (iii) 0.078 mills for roads and bridges; and (iv) 2.07 mills for public health units, mosquito and other arthropod abate‐ ment and control, animal control, drainage, and paying mandated ex‐ penses of the coroner, said millage to be contin‐ ued at the rate currently being levied, represent‐ ing a 0.25 mill increase (due to reappraisal) over the 3.56 mills tax autho‐ rized to be levied through the year 2025 pursuant to an election held on March 28, 2015?

There was found by said count and canvass that (i) there was a total of 6,892 votes cast IN FAVOR OF Proposition No. 1 and a total of 3,081 votes cast AGAINST Proposition No. 1, as hereinabove set forth, and it was further found and determined that there was a majority of 3,811 votes cast IN FAVOR OF Proposition No. 1 as hereinabove set forth and (ii) there was a total of 6,980 votes cast IN FAVOR OF Proposition No. 2 and a total of 2,977 votes cast AGAINST Proposition No. 2, as hereinabove set forth, and it was further found and determined that there was a majority of 4,003 votes cast IN FAVOR OF Proposition No. 2 as hereinabove set forth.

Legal Notices

portal.sos.la.gov).

Exhibit "A" attached hereto and made a part of this Procès Verbal is a copy of the Notice of Special Election and proof of publication thereof.

THUS DONE AND SIGNED at Lafayette, Louisiana, on this, the 16th day of December, 2025.

ATTEST: /s/ AB Rubin Chairman /s/ Joseph Gordon-Wiltz Lafayette Clerk of the Council 171235-dec 19-1t $43.77

Reporting you can trust

Therefore, the Governing Authority did declare and proclaim and does hereby declare and pro‐ claim in open and public session that the Proposi‐ tions as hereinabove set forth were duly CARRIED by a majority of the votes cast by the qualified electors voting at the said special election held in the Parish on Satur‐ day, November 15, 2025.

Results by precinct are available from the Clerk of the Council of this Governing Authority dur‐ ing regular business hours or via the Louisiana Secretary of State’s website (voter‐

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The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Friday, December 19, 2025 ● 1S

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Stores will close at 7pm Christmas Eve and remain closed Christmas Day. PRICES GOOD WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 17TH - WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 24TH, 2025

SAVE 70 ¢

USDA GRADE A SANDERSON FARMS

Fresh Whole Chicken

99

LB

¢ LB

LIMIT 2

HALF

Hormel Cure 81 Spiral Sliced Ham

99

¢

SAVE $ 00 2 LB

LB

LIMIT 1

SAVE $ 30 2

LARGE TROPICAL

Golden Pineapples

1

$ 19

16 OZ QUARTERS SALTED OR UNSALTED

Rouses Butter

5

2/$

LIMIT 4

SAVE up $ 58 to 3 When You Buy 2

SAVE up $ 58 to 3

When You Buy 2

8 - 16.3 OZ SELECTED

Pillsbury Crescents, Cinnamon Rolls or Grands Biscuits

4

2/$

24 PACK 12 OZ

Coke, Pepsi, Sprite, Dr. Pepper or Mountain Dew

9

SAVE up $ 02 to 5

$ 97

flip over for more

2S ● Friday, December 19, 2025 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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Planning an Event?

Rouses is here to help!

Please contact your local Rouses or email catering@rouses.com to place an order.

NOW TAKING ORDERS FOR

HOLIDAY DINNERS! Traditional Dinner Choose a ham or turkey:

10-12 lb.* Spiral Ham (Serves 4-6) 10-12 lb.* Oven Roasted Turkey (Serves 4-6) 10-12 lb.* Cajun Turkey (Serves 4-6) 16-18 lb.* Oven Roasted Turkey (Serves 6-8) 2.5 lb.* Small Turkey Breast (Serves 4-6)

Holiday sides included

2 lbs. Cornbread Dressing 2 lbs. Green Bean Casserole 2 lbs. Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes 1 pint Turkey Gravy 1 pint Cranberry Orange Relish 12 ct. Dinner Rolls

*Weight before cooking. • All dinners are sold as ‘Heat and Eat’ • Food will not be hot when picked up. Dinners take 1 to 2 hours to reheat—Instructions included with dinners.

additional holiday sides Spinach Madeline Cornbread Dressing Oyster Bienville Dressing Shrimp & Mirliton Dressing Cranberry Orange Relish Sweet Potato Casserole Green Bean Casserole Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes

Corn Pudding Macaroni & Cheese Dirty Rice Dressing Turkey Gravy Carrot Soufflé Roasted Creole Carrots Garlic Green Beans Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon Seafood Eggplant Crawfish Cornbread Dressing

Getting into the holiday spirit 750 ML

Silver Oak Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

SAVE SAVE $ 2400 $26 39

59 99

750 ML

Caymus Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

6360

$

$

Lowest Price Allowed by Law! 750 ML

Bonanza Cabernet Sauvignon

14

$

99

SAVE $ 00 8

750 ML

Pizzolato Organic Prosecco, Rosé or Moscato

1499

$

750 ML

Fireball Cinnamon or Blazin’ Apple Whisky

11

$

99

Jack Daniel’s Black Label

20

Corazon Blanco Tequila

19 99

$

750 ML

750 ML

$

750 ML

47

Glenlivet 12 Year Scotch Whisky

4299

$

The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Friday, December 19, 2025 ● 3S

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4

2/$

32 OZ

Kitchen Basics Stock

40 OZ

Crisco Vegetable Oil

3

$ 99

Rouses Family Recipe

6

$ 49

HALF GALLON

Rouses Egg Nog

8 OZ BAR

Prairie Farms Cream Cheese

5

3/$

Rouses Pineapples

6 - 10.5 OZ

4

6

Rouses Artichoke Hearts

6

2/$

Little Debbie Christmas Cakes

Sister Schubert’s Dinner Rolls

2/$

12 - 14.1 OZ SELECTED

1 - 2 OZ SELECTED

McCormick Extracts

limited time only

7

2/$

10 CT SELECTED

Birds Eye Steamfresh Vegetables

2/$

20 OZ CAN CRUSHED, SLICED OR CHUNK

4

2/$

10 - 14.4 OZ SELECTED

Rouses Small Sweet Peas

3

$ 99

8 OZ

Hershey’s Cocoa

5

4/$

15 OZ CAN

5

$ 49 *

* when you buy $100 or more in participating gift cards shown below.

OFFER VALID: 11/28/25 - 12/24/25. Subject to availability. See gift cards for details, terms, conditions and (if applicable) fees. All trademarks are property of their respective owners.

Product may not be available in all states. The gift cards featured are not sponsors or otherwise affiliated with this company. Valid once per transaction. In-Store purchase only.

Rouses gift cards are not included in purchase offer. Gift cards must be purchased with a debit card or cash only. One4all Gift Cards are issued by Pathward®, N.A., Member FDIC.

beer, wine & spirits

CRYSTAL CLEAR SPHERES 750 ML

Miller Lite, Coors Light, Bud Light or Yuengling

750 ML

Traveller Blended Whiskey

31

$

750 ML

Belle Glos Dairyman or Frank Family Pinot Noir

34

$

99

750 ML

Don Julio or Casamigos Tequila Reposado

49

$

99

99

$ 99 24

750 ML

Amaretto di Amore or Fireball Yule Nog

11

750 ML

Guesswork Napa Valley Chardonnay or Cabernet Sauvignon

19

$

99

12 PACK 12 OZ

Heineken Premium Lager

17

$

49

SAVE Woodford $ 00 Reserve, 1 1792 Small Batch

24 PACK 12 OZ

$

49

750 ML

Louis Latour Les Pierres Dorees Pinot Noir or Daou Cabernet Sauvignon

21

$

99

12 PACK 11.2 OZ

Stella Artois Lager

16

$

99

or Jefferson’s VSB Bourbon

30

$

99

750 ML SELECTED

Joel Gott Wine or La Griffe de Barreyres Bordeaux

14

$

99

8 PACK 355 ML

High Noon Sun Sips

750 ML

Cabernet Sauvignon

92 POINTS

16

$

99

750 ML

Taittinger or Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label

55

$

99

4 PACK 12 OZ

16

$

SAVE John Sloat $ 00 Napa Valley 6

99

Cutwater Cocktails

9

$ 99

Prices good at Baton Rouge, Zachary, Gonzales, Prairieville, Lafayette, New Iberia and Youngsville locations December 17th thru December 24th, 2025.

4S ● Friday, December 19, 2025 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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Stores will close at 7pm Christmas Eve and remain closed Christmas Day.

PRICES GOOD WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 17TH - WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 24TH, 2025

30

30 OFF

$

100% PREMIUM USDA ANGUS CHOICE BEEF

standing Scan For Recipe!

SAVE $ 12 1

1

LB

8

$ 77

LIMIT 2

13

Fresh Louisiana $ Lump Crab Meat

1

99 Boneless

Pork Loin

Yellow Onions

3

2/$

SAVE $ 98 2

When You Buy 2

SAVE up $ 98 to 1

Tasteful Selections Potatoes

6

2/$

When You Buy 2

Blue Plate Mayonnaise

2

$ 87 Louisiana Local 24 - 32 OZ

Edwards Pie

5

$ 97 18.5 - 19 OZ CAN

Progresso Soup

5

3/$

SAVE Community $ 72 1 Coffee

3

$ 99

Fresh Gourmet Bacon Pieces 30 OZ JAR

1

$ 12

5

10 - 12 CT SINGLE SERVE OR 10 - 12 OZ BAG

Brisket

2 LB PACK

Pero Farms Green Beans

6

$ 99

1

12 COUNT PACK

King’s Hawaiian Dinner Rolls

6

2/$

8

10/$

3

$ 97

5

$ 87

Ground Beef

LB

SAVE up $ 10 to 2

SAVE Pecan Pieces $ 00 1

10 OZ CHOPPED OR HALVES

Fisher Walnuts

r in ouUCE D PROpartment de

4

$ 99

$ 99 7 Pecan Halves 2 SAVE PARTY SIZE SAVE $ 11 $ 30 Tostitos, Doritos, 1 2 Fritos or Cheetos 12 OZ ISLAND PECAN COMPANY

8.25 - 15.8 OZ BAG SELECTED

$ 88

Vegetables

When You Buy 3

LB

Fresh Gourmet Crispy Onion Topping

Rouses Chunk, Sliced or Shredded Cheese

SAVE $ 32 Libby’s 2

Tony Chachere’s Injectable Marinade

VALUE PACK

$ 99

3.5 OZ

Louisiana Local

17 OZ

Ground Fresh In Store Several Times Daily!

8 OZ ISLAND PECAN COMPANY

8 OZ PACK

14.5 - 15 OZ CAN SELECTED GREEN BEANS, CORN OR SWEET PEAS

SAVE up $ 78 to 3

LB

Extra Savings through Christmas!

24 OZ BAG

2.5 - 2.8 OZ PACK

LB

LB LB

SAVE

PRIME BEEF $ 47 USDA $ 99 93% Lean Whole Boneless

HALF

EXTRA BONUS DEALS! 3 LB BAG U.S. #1

5

$ 99

LB

LB

LB

10/15 Count Louisiana Shrimp

LB

SAVE $ 00 1

SAVE $ 22 1

8 OZ

SAVE 2

WILD-CAUGHT HEAD-ON

Boneless Top Sirloin Steak $ 00

LB

SAVE $ 00 2

(Minimum 3 bones or more roast)

USDA PRIME BEEF

LB

$ 27

Standing Rib Roast

OFFER VALID DECEMBER 17TH THRU DECEMBER 24TH, 2025

SAVE $ 22 6

Boston Butt Pork Roast

100% PREMIUM USDA ANGUS CHOICE BEEF

Limit one per purchase per customer. Void if altered, reproduced, exchanged, sold, purchased, or where prohibited or restricted by law. No monetary value. Valid at any Rouses location. Coupon valid December 17th thru December 24th, 2025.

With Coupon VALUE PACK

ROUSES STORE COUPON

4

$ 99

SAVE Kraft Deluxe up $ 90 to 4 Mac & Cheese

9.4 - 14 OZ SELECTED

When You Buy 2

or Velveeta Shells & Cheese

SAVE up $ 98 to 2

When You Buy 2

5

2/$ 16 - 32 OZ

Best Choice Half & Half or Heavy Whipping Cream

2

$ 99

Louisiana Local

Prices good at Baton Rouge, Zachary, Gonzales, Prairieville, Lafayette, New Iberia and Youngsville locations December 17th thru December 24th, 2025.