The Advocate 12-26-2025

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EBR schools leader pushes for pay raises Cole plans to roll out new salary schedules

BY CHARLES LUSSIER

STAFF PHOTOS By HILARy SCHEINUK

Staff writer

Volunteers prepare hot meals for diners during the Christmas Day meal Thursday at St. Vincent de Paul in Baton Rouge.

When he interviewed to be East Baton Rouge Parish schools superintendent, LaMont Cole pledged to find money to increase employee pay. Seventeen months later, he says he is almost there.

Cole said he hopes to propose across-the-board pay raises in the next few months.

He also plans to roll out a simpler but more generous set of Cole employee salary schedules.

For some employees, the two changes, if approved, would mean not one but two pay boosts. They would take effect with the start of the 2026-27 fiscal year in July.

In June, the school system agreed to pay Huntsville, Alabama-based consulting firm LEAN Frog Consulting $59,500 to rework the current complex set of schedules — they stretch for 83 pages — into something that’s “competitive, equitable and reflects current best practices with particular emphasis on improving employee retention, especially for certified staff.”

LEAN Frog staff have spent the past six months analyzing the current schedules and benchmarking them against pay scales in comparable districts in Louisiana, other southeastern states and the nation. Cole said he has been receiving recommendations from LEAN Frog, and in the new year, he plans to test them out.

One way new salary schedules can improve employee pay, he said, is by shifting lowerpaid employees to schedules of employees with similar caliber jobs but better pay.

God rest ye merry

Faith-based organization St. Vincent de Paul had its dining room open Thursday serving Christmas lunch to all who came through the nonprofit’s doors.

ABOVE: Volunteers Terrill Germany, left, and Wanda Halkett prepare to-go bags. LEFT: Volunteer Kailey Lockwood, 3, hands a slice of cake to a diner.

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‘It’s our absolute honor’: Volunteer guard gives veterans a final salute Adam Mouton, of the Acadiana Veterans Honor Guard, plays taps on a bugle Dec. 11 for Navy veteran Curtis Schexnayder at Our Lady of the Lake Cemetery in Delcambre.

BY JENNA ROSS

Staff writer

DELCAMBRE — The church doors opened to reveal a line of men in uniform, shirts crisp, faces stoic. As the casket approached, the commander gave the word, and they clasped their rifles in unison, or as close as they get to unison these days.

They stood ready to fire the

STAFF PHOTO By BRAD KEMP

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guns, to sound the bugle, to give the final salute.

When a veteran dies within an hour’s drive of Lafayette, this volunteer crew of the Acadiana Veterans Honor Guard reports to duty, alerting its roster, loading into a little bus and trekking to the cemetery.

Four veterans started the nonprofit in 2014, after noticing that formal requests for

military honors were going unfilled. So they began answering the call, showing up to funerals, to burials and to hospice, bestowing pins.

“During COVID, nobody came out,” said Barry Dufour, 72, an Air Force veteran. “Military did not come out. But we did.”

They have attended more than 175 funerals this year, so far, sometimes two a day.

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Three, one day. They’ve also done 28 flag events and 42 hospice visits. All for free.

They’re volunteers, but they’re also military-trained, so they arrive on time, their shoes shined.

“We hate to do this,” said Roy Pearrow, the honor guard’s chaplain, standing beneath the flag in the

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China’s military buildup makes U.S. vulnerable, Pentagon says

BRIEFS

FROM WIRE REPORTS

Arkansas ticket wins $1.817B Powerball

A Powerball ticket purchased at a gas station outside Little Rock, Arkansas, won a $1.817 billion jackpot in Wednesday’s Christmas Eve drawing.

The winning numbers were 4, 25, 31, 52 and 59, with the Powerball number being 19. The winning ticket was sold at a Murphy USA in Cabot, lottery officials in Arkansas said Thursday.

No one answered the phone Thursday at the location, which was closed for Christmas. The community of roughly 27,000 people is 26 miles northeast of Little Rock.

Final ticket sales pushed the jackpot higher than previous expected, making it the secondlargest in U.S. history and the largest Powerball prize of 2025, according to www.powerball. com. The jackpot had a lump sum cash payment option of $834.9 million.

Lottery officials said they won’t know who won until at least Monday because winners must contact a claims center, which is closed for the holidays until then, according to Karen Reynolds, a spokesperson for the Arkansas lottery.

The prize followed 46 consecutive drawings in which no one matched all six numbers.

The last drawing with a jackpot winner was Sept. 6, when players in Missouri and Texas won $1.787 billion.

Turkey detains suspects accused of attack plans ISTANBUL — Istanbul police launched scores of simultaneous raids on Thursday, detaining over a hundred suspected members of the militant Islamic State group who were allegedly planning attacks against Christmas and New Year’s celebrations, authorities said.

A statement from the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office said police were tipped off that the extremist group had called for action — particularly against non-Muslims — during the celebrations.

The office had issued warrants for 137 suspects, of whom 115 were detained. Officers also seized many firearms, cartridges and documents during the raids. It said 124 locations were raided.

The arrests come days after the Trump administration launched widespread military strikes in neighboring Syria to “eliminate” Islamic State fighters and weapons’ sites in retaliation for an ambush blamed on the group that killed two U.S. troops and an American civilian interpreter.

Syrian security forces have also launched operations against IS in recent days, including two raids on the outskirts of Damascus, the Syrian capital. In those raids, Syrian officials said Taha al-Zoubi, identified as the IS leader in the Damascus area, was captured and Mohammed Shahadeh, a senior IS commander in Syria, was killed.

Russian court sentences activist to six years A court in Russia on Thursday convicted a pro-war activist and critic of President Vladimir Putin of justifying terrorism and sentenced him to six years in prison.

Sergei Udaltsov, the leader of the Left Front movement that opposes Putin and is affiliated with the Communist Party, was arrested last year.

According to Russian independent news site Mediazona, the charges against him stem from an article Udaltsov posted online in support of another group of Russian activists accused of forming a terrorist organization. Those activists were convicted earlier this month and handed sentences ranging from 16 to 22 years in prison.

Udaltsov has rejected the charges against him as fabricated.

According to the court ruling, the activist will be serving his sentence in a maximum security penal colony.

Udaltsov was previously imprisoned in 2014 and sentenced to 4½ years on charges related to his role in organizing a 2012 demonstration against Putin that turned turbulent. He was released in 2017.

BY COURTNEY McBRIDE Bloomberg News (TNS)

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By GREGORIO BORGIA

Pope Leo XIV waves before delivering the ‘Urbi et Orbi’ (Latin for ‘To the City and to the World’) Christmas Day blessing Thursday from the main balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican.

Shed indifference in face of suffering, pope urges Leo XIV gives first Christmas message

BY SILVIA STELLACCI and COLLEEN BARRY Associated Press

VATICAN CITY — Pope Leo XIV during his first Christmas Day message on Thursday urged the faithful to shed indifference in the face of those who have lost everything, such as in Gaza, those who are impoverished, such as in Yemen, and the many migrants who cross the Mediterranean Sea and the American continent for a better future.

The first U.S. pontiff addressed some 26,000 people from the loggia overlooking St. Peter’s Square for the traditional papal “Urbi et Orbi” address, Latin for “To the City and to the World,” which serves as a summary of the woes facing the world.

While the crowd gathered under a steady downpour during the papal Mass inside St. Peter’s Basilica, the rain had subsided by the time Leo took a brief tour of the square in the popemobile, then spoke to the crowd from the loggia.

Leo revived the tradition of offering Christmas greetings in multiple languages abandoned by his predecessor, Pope Francis. He received especially warm cheers when he made his greetings in his native

English and Spanish, the language of his adopted country of Peru where he served first as a missionary and then as archbishop.

Someone in the crowd shouted out “Viva il papa!” or “Long live the pope!” before he retreated into the basilica. Leo took off his glasses for a final wave.

During the traditional address, the pope emphasized that everyone could contribute to peace by acting with humility and responsibility. “If he would truly enter into the suffering of others and stand in solidarity with the weak and the oppressed, then the world would change,” the pope said.

Leo called for “justice, peace and stability” in Lebanon, the Palestinian territories, Israel and Syria, prayers for “the tormented people of Ukraine,” and “peace and consolation” for victims of wars, injustice, political instability, religious persecution and terrorism, citing Sudan, South Sudan, Mali, Burkina Faso and Congo.

The pope also urged dialogue to address “numerous challenges” in Latin America, reconciliation in Myanmar, the restoration of “the ancient friendship between Thailand and Cambodia,” and assistance for the suffering of those hit by natural disasters in South Asia and Oceania.

“In becoming man, Jesus took upon himself our fragility, identify-

ing with each one of us: with those who have nothing left and have lost everything, like the inhabitants of Gaza; with those who are prey to hunger and poverty, like the Yemeni people; with those who are fleeing their homeland to seek a future elsewhere, like the many refugees and migrants who cross the Mediterranean or traverse the American continent,” the pontiff said.

He also remembered those who have lost their jobs or are seeking work, especially young people, underpaid workers and those in prison.

Earlier, Leo led the Christmas Day Mass from the central altar beneath the balustrade of St. Peter’s Basilica, adorned with floral garlands and red poinsettias.

In his homily, Leo underlined that peace can emerge only through dialogue. “There will be peace when our monologues are interrupted and, enriched by listening, we fall to our knees before the humanity of the other,” he said.

He remembered the people of Gaza, “exposed for weeks to rain, wind and cold” and the fragility of “defenseless populations, tried by so many wars,” and of “young people forced to take up arms, who on the front lines feel the senselessness of what is asked of them, and the falsehoods that fill the pompous speeches of those who send them to their deaths.”

Charles III calls for kindness, unity in Christmas message

BY DANICA KIRKA Associated Press

LONDON — On a Christmas Day when the war in Ukraine casts a shadow over Europe, concerns over immigration divide societies, and some politicians fan anger and resentment, Britain’s King Charles III called on people to focus on kindness instead of conflict.

Delivering his annual holiday address from Westminster Abbey, Charles said Thursday the Christmas story of wise men and shepherds traveling through the night to find their savior shows how we can find strength in the “companionship and kindness of others.”

“To this day, in times of uncertainty, these ways of living are treasured by all the great faiths and provide us with deep wells of hope, of resilience in the face of adversity,” Charles said. “Peace through forgiveness, simply getting to know our neighbors and by showing respect to one another, creating new friendships.”

“In this, with the great diversity of our communities, we can find the strength to ensure that right triumphs over wrong,” he added.

The speech, which concluded with a Christmas carol sung by a Ukrainian choir, comes as European leaders rally support for Ukraine amid signs that U.S. President Donald Trump is losing patience with America’s traditional European allies. At home, British politics have become increasingly bitter as Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government struggles to control unauthorized migration and bolster creaking public services.

Charles, the titular head of the Church of England, chose Westminster Abbey as the site of his Christmas Day broadcast to underscore the theme of pilgrimage that ran through the speech. The abbey, known as the site of coronations and

royal weddings, is also the focus of an annual pilgrimage honoring Edward the Confessor, an early king of England who was canonized as a saint in 1161.

“Pilgrimage is a word less used today, but it is of particular significance for our modern world, and especially at Christmas,” he said. “This is about journeying forward into the future, while also journeying back to remember the past and learn from its lessons.”

Charles and his family made their own pilgrimage on foot earlier in the day to St. Mary Magdalene Church on the king’s private Sandringham Estate, about 100 miles north of London.

Charles and Queen Camilla, along with Prince William and his wife, Kate, and their children, Princes George and Louis and Princess Charlotte, and extended family walked to the church and greeted the crowds of people after the service.

Events earlier this year marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II underscored the need to learn from the past, Charles said. While there are fewer and fewer living veterans of that conflict, we must remember the courage and sacrifice of those who fought the war and the way communities came together “in the face of such great challenge,” he said.

“These are the values which have shaped our country and the Commonwealth,” he said. “As we hear of division, both at home and abroad, they are the values of which we must never lose sight.”

The monarch’s annual holiday message is watched by millions of people in the U.K. and across the Commonwealth, a voluntary association of 56 independent nations, most of which have historic ties to Britain.

The speech is one of the rare occasions when Charles, 77, is able to voice his own views and doesn’t seek guidance from the government.

WASHINGTON — The Chinese military is in the midst of a “historic military buildup” that has made the U.S. homeland “increasingly vulnerable,” according to the latest edition of a Pentagon report on the capabilities of the Chinese military, presenting a challenge to President Donald Trump’s plans for new limitations on U.S., Chinese and Russian nuclear arsenals.

The congressionally mandated report, posted on the Pentagon website Tuesday, is the first version issued during the second Trump administration.

It describes a Chinese military that is increasingly sophisticated and resilient, wary of largescale agreements with the U.S. and learning lessons from Russia’s setbacks in Ukraine as it increases pressure on Taiwan.

And while the report notes China and Russia continue to deepen their strategic partnership, “almost certainly driven by a shared interest in countering the United States,” that cooperation is hindered by both sides harboring a “mutual distrust” of each other.

Experts have warned that China is outpacing the U.S. on the development of hypersonic weapons. Trump’s planned “Golden Dome” system is intended to defend against those and other innovative threats, as well as more traditional ballistic missiles.

The most recent edition of the report, published in December 2024 by the Biden administration, warned that China was the only competitor to the U.S. that has “the intent and, increasingly, the capacity to reshape the international order.” It emphasized the importance of meeting the challenge of China’s “increasingly capable military.”

A September 2020 iteration of the report found that Beijing was engaged in “a determined pursuit of political and social modernity that includes farranging efforts to expand China’s national power, perfect its governance systems, and revise the international order.”

The Defense Department issues a classified version of its findings to Congress and releases an unclassified summary to the public.

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Trump-backed candidate wins Honduras’ presidential vote

BY MARLON GONZÁLEZ and MEGAN JANETSKY Associated Press

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras — Trump-backed candidate Nasry Asfura won Honduras’ presidential election, electoral authorities said Wednesday afternoon, ending a weekslong count that has whittled away at the credibility of the Central American nation’s fragile electoral system.

The election is continuing Latin America’s swing to the right, coming just a week after Chile chose the far-right politician José Antonio Kast as its next president.

Asfura, of the conservative National Party, received 40.27% of the vote in the Nov. 30 vote, edging out four-time candidate Salvador Nasralla of the conservative Liberal Party, who finished with 39.53% of the vote.

The former mayor of Honduras’ capital Tegucigalpa, won in his second bid for the presidency, after he and Nasralla were neck-andneck during a weekslong vote count that fueled international concern.

On Tuesday night a number of electoral officials and candidates were already fighting and contesting the results of the election.

Meanwhile, followers in Asfura’s campaign headquarters erupted into cheers.

Asfura, in a video statement released late Wednesday night, promised to be a

leaders across Latin America, namely Trump-ally Argentine President Javier Milei, also congratulated the politician.

Asfura ran as a pragmatic politician, pointing to his popular infrastructure projects in the capital. Trump endorsed the 67-year-old conservative just days before the vote, saying he was the only Honduran candidate the U.S. administration would work with.

Nasralla has for weeks alleged the election was fraudulent, and said Wednesday that electoral authorities who announced the results “betrayed the Honduran people.”

On Tuesday night, he also addressed Trump in a post ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MOISES CASTILLO on X, writing: “Mr. PresiNasry Asfura, presidential candidate for the National Party, gestures during general elections dent, your endorsed candidate in Honduras is comin Tegucigalpa, Honduras, on Nov. 30. Electoral authorities said Wednesday that Asfura had plicit in silencing the votes won the presidential race. of our citizens. If he is truly worthy of your backing, if Secretary of State Marco looks forward to working his hands are clean, if he unifying force for the CenRubio congratulated Asfura with his administration to has nothing to fear, then why tral American nation.

“Today, with deep grati- on Wednesday, writing on advance prosperity and se- doesn’t he allow for every vote to be counted?” tude, I accept the honor of a post on X: “The people of curity in our hemisphere.”

He and other opponents being able to work for you. Honduras have spoken …

The European Union and I extend my hand so we can (the Trump administration) a number of right-leading of Asfura have maintained walk together with determination to work tirelessly for Honduras. I will not fail SHOP TODAY 11 AM - 8 PM you,” he said.

The results were a rebuke of the current leftist leader, and her governing democratic socialist Liberty and Refoundation Party, known as LIBRE, whose candidate finished in a distant third place with 19.19% of the vote.

Ukraine says it hit gas processing plant, oil refinery in Russia Bloomberg News (TNS) Ukraine said its drones struck the largest Russian gas processing plant in the Orenburg region, which also processes gas from Kazakhstan’s Karachaganak oil and gas condensate field.

Long-range UAVs successfully hit the Orenburg gas processing plant, about 1,050 miles east of Kyiv, said a person familiar with the matter who declined to be identified as the information isn’t public. The information couldn’t be independently verified.

Orenburg region Governor Evgeniy Solntsev said in a Telegram post that drones attempted to target an industrial facility in the region, which he didn’t name, and that infrastructure there sustained minor damage.

Ukraine has widened the scope of its attacks on Russian energy assets, targeting not only crude refineries but also pipelines and, increasingly, terminals for seaborne oil exports and shadow fleet tankers carrying Russian supplies.

Coupled with international sanctions on some key Russian producers, the strikes have made seaborne exports of the nation’s barrels more challenging logistically.

The U.S. continues to push for a ceasefire in the conflict.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Tuesday that differences remain between Kyiv and Washington on territorial issues and on management of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant that Russia seized early in its 2022 full-scale invasion.

The Kremlin is reviewing information delivered to President Vladimir Putin by his envoy Kirill Dmitriev

after weekend talks with the U.S. in Miami, and will decide on further contacts with the U.S. based on the president’s decision, spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian media on Thursday.

The Orenburg gas processing station was previously targeted in October, temporarily affecting oil and gas output at neighboring Kazakhstan’s Karachaganak field, which cannot maintain normal oil production rates when gas output is disrupted.

The design capacity of the Orenburg plant is 45 billion cubic meters per year.

Kazakhstan already faces lower oil output after a recent drone attack damaged a mooring at the Caspian Pipeline Consortium terminal in Russia’s Novorossiysk, which Kazakhstan uses to ship crude from one of its largest oil fields for export.

Gazprom and the Kazakh energy ministry didn’t immediately respond to Bloomberg requests for comments on the Orenburg strike.

Ukraine also targeted the seaport of Temryuk in Russia’s southern Krasnodar region, with two oil tanks burning and emergency services working to extinguish a fire covering about 43,000 squrae feet, local authorities said.

Separately, Ukraine’s Air Force attacked the independent Novoshakhtinsk oil refinery in Russia’s southern Rostov region with Storm Shadow air-launched cruise missiles, the General Staff said on Telegram.

In Ukraine, authorities introduced emergency power outages in the Black Sea city of Odesa on Thursday following a series of Russian strikes, local authorities said.

that Trump’s last-minute endorsement was an act of electoral interference that ultimately swung the results of the vote.

The unexpectedly tumultuous election was also marred by a sluggish vote count, which fueled even more accusations.

The Central American nation was stuck in limbo for more than three weeks as vote counting by electoral authorities lagged, and at one point was paralyzed after a special count of final vote tallies was called, fueling warnings by international leaders.

After expressing democratic concern about the lack of results days before, Organization of American States Secretary General Albert Rambin wrote Wednesday on X that the OAS “takes note” of the results announced and noted it is “closely following events in Honduras.” It also condemned electoral authorities for announcing the results while the final 0.07% of votes were still being counted.

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Trump says U.S. struck IS targets in Nigeria lll

of Nigerian authorities whether directed at Christians, tonight, there was,” Trump wrote clashes between farmers and Country has failed inrequest Soboto State” and had killed Muslims or other communities, Thursday night. He said that U.S. herders over dwindling resources, remains an affront to Nigeria’s defense officials had “executed communal rivalries, secessionist ISIS terrorists.” to rein in persecutions “multiple “Tonight, at my direction as values and to international peace numerous perfect strikes, as groups and ethnic clashes.

The U.S. security footprint only the United States is capable in Chief, the United and security,” the ministry said. of Christians, he says Commander Nigeria’s government has of doing” and added that “our has diminished in Africa, where States launched a powerful

BY WILL WEISSERT Associated Press

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — President Donald Trump said Thursday that the U.S. launched a “powerful and deadly” strike against Islamic State forces in Nigeria, after spending weeks accusing the West African country’s government of failing to rein in the persecution of Christians.

In a Christmas evening post on his Trump social media site, Trump did not provide details or mention the extent of the damage caused by the strikes. But U.S. Africa Command said on X that strikes had been conducted “at the

and deadly strike against ISIS Terrorist Scum in Northwest Nigeria, who have been targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians, at levels not seen for many years, and even Centuries!” Trump wrote.

A Defense Department official, who insisted on anonymity to discuss details not made public, said the U.S. worked with Nigeria to carry out the strikes, and that they’d been approved by that country’s government.

Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the cooperation included exchange of intelligence and strategic coordination in ways “consistent with international law, mutual respect for sovereignty and shared commitments to regional and global security.”

“Terrorist violence in any form,

previously said in response to Trump’s criticisms that people of many faiths, not just Christians, have suffered attacks at the hands of extremist groups.

Trump ordered the Pentagon last month to begin planning for potential military action in Nigeria to try and curb Christian persecution. The State Department recently announced it would restrict visas for Nigerians and their family members involved in mass killings and violence against Christians there.

And the U.S. recently designated Nigeria a “country of particular concern” under the International Religious Freedom Act. “I have previously warned these Terrorists that if they did not stop the slaughtering of Christians, there would be hell to pay, and

Country will not allow Radical Islamic Terrorism to prosper.”

In its X post, the U.S. Africa Command wrote that “lethal strikes against ISIS demonstrate the strength of our military and our commitment to eliminating terrorist threats against Americans at home and abroad.”

Nigeria’s population of 220 million is split almost equally between Christians and Muslims. The country has long faced insecurity from various fronts including the Boko Haram extremist group, which seeks to establish its radical interpretation of Islamic law and has also targeted Muslims it deems not Muslim enough.

But attacks in Nigeria often have varying motives. There are religiously motivated ones targeting both Christians and Muslims,

military partnerships have either been scaled down or canceled.

U.S. forces likely would have to be drawn from other parts of the world for any larger-scale military intervention in Nigeria.

Nigeria has faced a series of attacks on schools and churches in violence that experts and residents say targets both Christians and Muslims.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth posted Thursday night on X: “The President was clear last month: the killing of innocent Christians in Nigeria (and elsewhere) must end.”

Hegseth said that U.S. military forces are “always ready, so ISIS found out tonight — on Christmas” and added, “More to come …

Grateful for Nigerian government support & cooperation” before signing off, “Merry Christmas!”

Trump wishes ‘radical left scum’ a merry Christmas

BY BRIAN NIEMIETZ

New york Daily News (TNS) President Donald Trump wished a merry Christmas to all, including “Radical Left Scum.”

“Merry Christmas to all, including the Radical Left Scum that is doing everything possible to destroy our Country, but are failing badly,” the President posted Wednesday on his Truth Social media platform and Elon Musk’s X. Some of the President’s followers supported his un-

conventional holiday message while others wondered if it was appropriate.

“We no longer have Open Borders, Men in Women’s Sports, Transgender for Everyone, or Weak Law Enforcement,” Trump continued before celebrating a strong stock market and the effects of his tariffs.

The stock market closed on a record high Wednesday while seasonal job growth beat expectations despite growing unemployment.

“We are respected again, perhaps like never before,”

Trump concluded. “God Bless America!!! President DJT.” The President’s Christmas post comes 10 days after he drew bipartisan criticism for using his social media platform to speculate upon the murders of Hollywood couple Rob and Michelle Reiner. Trump claimed Rob Reiner and his wife were killed because of the effect the famed filmmaker’s “obsession” with the President had on others. The couple’s son Nick Reiner has been charged with their murders.

Families, kidnapped children reunite

By The Associated Press PAPIRI, Nigeria — In a Christmas reunion, families and villagers in north-central Nigeria cried and hugged schoolchildren who were held for a month after being seized in one of the largest mass abductions in the country’s history.

The 130 schoolchildren and teachers were released on Sunday and brought home in Niger state’s Papiri community late Wednesday night, marking the last batch freed since the Nov. 21 attack on St. Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri.

Mothers with teary eyes hugged their kids tightly while other children were lifted high in the air, their faces beaming with joy as villagers called out to them and examined them carefully to make sure they were not harmed.

“This Christmas, since we are celebrating Christmas with our children, we are so glad. And this Christmas will be different from the others,” said Yusuf Timothy, whose

daughter, Rejoice, was among those freed.

“I am happy, I am happy,” said Rita Marcus, who was reunited with her son, tears flowing down her face. “This happiness, it is too much.”

School kidnappings driven by ransoms have become a major security issue in Africa’s most populous country.

Authorities earlier said 303 schoolchildren and 12 teachers were seized in the Niger state attack but later revised the number to 230, adding that all had now been released, without stating how.

Most of the children were aged between 10 and 17, the school said. Onyeka Chieme, one of the students, earlier told The Associated Press that gunmen threatened to shoot them during the attack.

Yusuf Timothy said his family had to put their life on hold since the attack.

“Sometimes even though I’m asleep with my wife, if we wake up, we will start thinking. We will start crying. When are we going to see our child?” he said.

5 killed in attack on mosque in Nigeria

BY RUTH OLUROUNBI

Bloomberg News (TNS)

Suspected Boko Haram insurgents detonated an explosive device at a mosque in Maiduguri, the capital of Nigeria’s Borno state, killing at least five people, police said.

About 35 people were

wounded in the blast at the Juma’at mosque, which occurred during prayers late on Wednesday, state police spokesman Nahum Daso told Lagos-based broadcaster Channels TV. Nigeria has been battling a jihadist insurgency in its northeast since 2009. At least

40,000 people have died in the fighting and some 2 million have been displaced, according to the United Nations.

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu ordered security operations to be intensified in Borno following the attack, Vice President Kashim Shettima said in a statement.

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Saudi Arabia urges Yemen’s separatists to withdraw Faction controls 2 governorates

BY JON GAMBRELL Associated Press

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Saudi Arabia on Thursday called on Emirati-backed separatists in southern Yemen to withdraw from two governorates they now control, a move that has threatened to spark a confrontation within a fragile coalition that has been battling the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in the country’s north.

The statement from Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry appeared aimed at putting public pressure on the Southern Transitional Council, a separatist Yemeni force long supported by the United Arab Emirates. Saudi Arabia backs the National Shield Forces of Yemen’s internationally backed government in the war against the Houthis.

The separatists’ actions have “resulted in an unjustified escalation that harmed the interests of all segments of Yemeni people, as well as the southern cause and the coalition’s efforts,” the ministry said. “The kingdom stresses the importance of cooperation among all Yemeni factions and components to exercise restraint and avoid any measures that could destabilize security and stability.”

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO

Supporters of the Southern Transitional Council, a coalition of separatist groups seeking to restore the state of South yemen, hold South yemen flags during a rally Thursday in Aden, yemen. The Arabic reads, ‘announcement of South Arab state.’

Mahra. The Saudi statement said that mediation efforts were underway to have the council’s forces return to “their previous positions outside of the two governorates and hand over the camps in those areas” to the National Shield Forces.

The local Hadramout governorate’s authority said that it supported the Saudi announcement and called for the Emirati-backed separatists to withdraw to positions outside the governorates.

Those aligned with the council have increasingly Ongoing negotiations flown the flag of the flag of The Southern Transitional South Yemen, which was a Council moved earlier this separate country from 1967month into Yemen’s gover- 90. Demonstrators rallied norates of Hadramout and on Thursday in the southern

port city of Aden to support political forces calling for South Yemen to again secede from Yemen.

Following the capture of Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, and much of the country’s north by the Houthis in 2014, Aden has been the seat of power for the internationally recognized government and forces aligned against the Houthi rebels.

The actions by the separatists have put pressure on the relationship between Saudi Arabia and the UAE, which maintain close relations and are members of the OPEC oil cartel, but also have competed for influence and international business in recent years.

Further chaos The Houthis seized Sanaa in September 2014 and forced the internationally recognized government into exile. Iran denies arming the rebels, although Iranianmanufactured weaponry has been found on the battlefield and in sea shipments heading to Yemen.

A Saudi-led coalition armed with U.S. weaponry and intelligence entered the war on the side of Yemen’s exiled government in March 2015. Years of inconclusive fighting have pushed the Arab world’s poorest nation to the brink of famine.

The war has killed more than 150,000 people, including fighters and civilians, and created one of the globe’s worst humanitarian disasters, killing tens of thousands more.

The Houthis have launched attacks on hundreds of ships in the Red Sea corridor over the IsraelHamas war, greatly disrupting regional shipping.

While traffic has inched up recently, many shippers continue to go around Africa through the Cape of Good Hope to avoid the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

Further chaos in Yemen could again draw in the United States.

Washington launched an intense bombing campaign targeting the rebels earlier this year that U.S. President Donald Trump halted just before his trip to the Middle East in October. The Biden administration also conducted strikes against the Houthis, including using B-2 bombers to target what it described as underground bunkers used by the Houthis.

In Sanaa, crowds gathered

as uniformed men carried coffins draped in Yemen’s flag and topped with flowers during the funerals for the four Houthi fighters.

The dead fighters include Maj. Gen. Zakaria Abdullah Yahya Hajar, whom analysts identified as the group’s drone and missile chief.

U.S. forces reportedly targeted Hajar, who allegedly received training from the expeditionary Quds Force of Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, in a strike in March in Sanaa.

The Houthis provided no information on how or when he died. However, a transcript of a discussion between top American officials on the messaging app Signal later published

by The Atlantic magazine included then-national security adviser Mike Waltz referencing the initial March 15 attack targeting a Houthi missile commander.

“The first target — their top missile guy — we had positive ID of him walking into his girlfriend’s building and it’s now collapsed,” Waltz wrote at the time.

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Thailand, Cambodia renew ceasefire talks Bloomberg News (TNS) The Thai military said ceasefire talks with Cambodia, which began Wednesday, are expected to conclude with a meeting of the countries’ defense ministers on Saturday, as the two sides seek to end weeks of deadly clashes.

Thailand’s Ministry of Defense outlined several demands to be discussed ahead of the bilateral meeting of the General Border Committee on Saturday.

If secretariat-level discussions fail to reach agreement on key technical frameworks such as troop deployments, the Thai side won’t proceed with the GBC meeting or sign any agreement Saturday, the defense ministry said.

The discussions mark the first bilateral dialogue since clashes erupted on Dec. 7,

with at least 44 people killed and more than half a million civilians displaced on both sides of their 500-mile border. Five days of clashes in July ended with an initial ceasefire agreement mediated by Malaysia and U.S. President Donald Trump.

Fighting continued in parts of Thailand’s eastern and northeastern provinces bordering Cambodia as both sides sought to claim territory, a Thai defense ministry spokesman said at a briefing Wednesday. One soldier was killed in clashes on Tuesday, bringing the military death toll to 22, he said.

Thai civilian deaths from the latest fighting meanwhile rose to 41, and about 150,000 people have been displaced to shelters, he said.

The five issues the Thai military plans to raise in the talks are:

n The use of anti-personnel land mines n The use of historical sites as military positions n The firing of heavy weapons from civilian communities n The use of civilian buildings as military positions or weapons storage facilities.

Both sides have denied targeting civilians, claiming they’re only attacking military targets.

The Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority has separately condemned what it called Thailand’s military aggression and campaign of misinformation, the Khmer Times reported.

Cambodia asked that the meetings be held in Kuala Lumpur instead, but Thailand rejected that request, Thai defense spokesman Surasant Kongsiri told Bloomberg News earlier.

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GUARD

Continued from page 1A Delcambre cemetery. “But it’s our absolute honor to the highest degree to be able to have the wisdom, have the courage, have the physical ability to come out and run up and down these rural roads.”

Many of the veterans dying these days, like those honoring them, served during the Vietnam War. When they returned home from that unpopular conflict, they were called names and spat on, said Fred Aucoin, 79, who served in the Navy, coming back in 1970. At a funeral a while back, the veteran’s widow approached the casket, telling her deceased husband, “They weren’t here for you when you came home, but they’re here today.”

Aucoin shook his head. “I had to bite my lip.”

Now, driving back from a funeral, the best feeling comes over Aucoin, one he can’t even explain. “It’s kind of a healing thing,” he said.

“Finally, we get our healing.”

‘That says it all’ They met at 10:30 a.m. at headquarters, the old police station in Broussard, where they keep the rifles triple-locked and the coffee stocked.

“What size you want, Sarge?” said Jim Weber, the group’s commander, offering up plastic foam cups.

Weber became commander this year, after volunteering with the group for a decade, because “nobody else wanted the job,” he said

STAFF PHOTOS By BRAD KEMP

Members of the Acadiana Veterans Honor Guard perform a 21-gun salute Dec. 11 during honor services for Navy veteran Curtis Schexnayder at Our Lady of the Lake Cemetery in Delcambre. Four veterans started the nonprofit honor guard in 2014 after noticing that formal requests for military honors were going unfilled. So they began answering the call, showing up to funerals, burials and hospice to bestow pins. with a laugh.

His goal is to please the family. Some families don’t want guns going off. Some spouses tell him that taps, that solemn tune, makes them too sad. If the military is providing its own personnel, as it was in Delcambre, the honor guard will step back, allowing them to present the flag.

“People don’t even have to thank you,” he said. “I see it in their eyes. … That says it all.”

The government provides blank ammunition. But otherwise, this honor guard is self-sufficient, raising money via an annual golf tournament and accepting — but never requesting — donations from families.

It’s professional, with strict bylaws, set scripts and matching military dress. (A few years back, after too many skin cancer diagnoses, they switched to black, brimmed Stetsons.)

But Weber plans to increase training, from flag folding to marching.

“Some people just cannot march,” he said, chuckling, “especially the Air Force guys.”

The bus to Delcambre was filled with that kind of ribbing, and the passing around of a roll of paper towels after a bump jostled the coffee.

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Members of the Acadiana Veterans Honor Guard place their hands on the casket and pray for Navy veteran Curtis Schexnayder during his funeral Dec. 11 at Our Lady of the Lake Cemetery in Delcambre.

in Vietnam. James Savoy, a Marine who earned rifle and pistol sharpshooter medals during his 14 months and 13 days overseas, is now the group’s rifle commander.

Most of them are now retired, in their late 60s, 70s and 80s.

A final salute The family of Curtis Schexnayder, who died Dec. 8 at 88 years old, requested no flowers at his funeral, no wreaths, no extras. But they knew Schexnayder, a Navy veteran, would want a flag.

“My dad only served two years, but he was very proud,” said his daughter Hedi Frederick. He was especially grateful for how that service, via the G.I. Bill, paid for his college education.

So after talking to folks at the funeral home, Frederick contacted Weber. Then he, in turn, emailed the volunteers a memo with the details: date, time, bus departure.

“Personnel: Presenter, Flag Folder, Bugler w/ bugle, 1 Rifle “Cmdr., 7-person Rifle Team W/ Rifle Rack, toolbox & NAVY BELL.” “Thanks to all who have

Jim Weber, left, commander of the Acadiana Veterans Honor Guard, salutes the flag while taps is played for Navy veteran Curtis Schexnayder at Our Lady of the Lake Cemetery in Delcambre. been able to participate,” Weber wrote. “Mr. Schexnayder was a proud Navy veteran and was 88 years old.”

Just at the sight of them, standing at attention outside the church, some mourners began to cry. For others, it was in the mausoleum when Pearrow said a prayer. “Our creator was most gracious in returning him safely home to live out the rest of his life. …”

When they placed their gloved hands on the casket.

When the bells sounded.

When the rifles fired.

Then Adam Mouton, 84, played taps on the augmented bugle, and a dozen others teared up.

Frederick appreciated how the ceremony echoed her father’s time in the service, she said later, when that song marked the day’s end. “It’s a true ending,” she said, her voice catching, “where it once started.”

Contact reporter Jenna Ross at jenna.ross@ theadvocate.com.

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Family back in Venezuela after deportation

BY MATIAS DELACROIX and REGINA GARCIA CANO Associated Press

MARACAY, Venezuela — This was not the Christmas that Mariela Gómez would have imagined a year ago. Or the one that thousands of other Venezuelan immigrants would have thought. But Donald Trump returned to the White House in January and quickly ended their American dream.

So Gómez found herself spending the holiday in northern Venezuela for the first time in eight years. She dressed up, cooked, got her son a scooter and smiled for her in-laws. Hard as she tried, though, she could not ignore the main challenges faced by returning migrants: unemployment and poverty.

“We had a modest dinner, not quite what we’d hoped for, but at least we had food on the table,” Gómez said of the lasagna-like dish she shared with her partner and in-laws instead of the traditional Christmas dish of stuffed corn dough hallacas. “Making hallacas here is a bit expensive, and since we’re unemployed, we couldn’t afford to make them.”

Gómez, her two sons and her partner returned to the city of Maracay on Oct. 27 after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border to Texas, where they were quickly swept up

by U.S. Border Patrol amid the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration.

They were deported to Mexico, from where they began the dangerous journey back to Venezuela.

They crossed Central America by bus, but once in Panama, the family could not afford to continue to Colom-

RAISES

Continued from page 1A “If you consolidate some of these things, people will inherently get a raise,” Cole said.

Cole was hesitant earlier this year to say whether the district could afford both a more generous pay scale and an across-the-board pay raise, but now he is expressing more confidence that both can happen.

The specifics are unclear.

Cole said those will emerge starting in January as the district formally begins internal meetings to develop a budget for the 2026-27 fiscal year.

To fund these pay increases, Cole has also been looking for ways to trim costs in the district so that enough money is available. He has taken note of a handful of local districts — Livingston, St. Helena and Zachary — that in recent memory tried and failed to persuade voters to raise pay for school employees. Cole said he is focused on finding the necessary money strictly inhouse, “without having to go to voters about asking the public for a dime.”

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTOS By MATIAS DELACROIX

ABOVE: Mariela Gómez has her hair dyed for Christmas dinner. LEFT: Mariela Gómez, right, and her partner Abraham Castro, a Venezuelan migrant couple, sit for Christmas dinner at Castro’s parents’ home Thursday in Maracay, Venezuela. bia via boat in the Caribbean.

Instead, they took the cheaper route along the Pacific’s choppy waters, sitting on top of sloshing gasoline tanks in a cargo boat for several hours and then transferring to a fast boat until reaching a jungled area of Colombia.

They spent about two weeks there until they were wired money to make it to the border with Venezuela.

Gómez was among the more than 7.7 million Venezuelans who left their home country in the last decade, when its economy came undone as a result of a drop in oil prices, corruption and mismanagement. She lived in Colombia and Peru for years before setting her sights on the U.S. with hopes of building a new life.

Trump’s second term has dashed the hopes of many like Gómez.

As of September, more than 14,000 migrants, mostly from Venezuela, had returned to South America

But her prayers for next since Trump moved to limit grate to Brazil next month.

Gómez is hoping to make year are mostly for good migration to the U.S., according to figures from Co- hallacas for New Year’s Eve health.

“I ask God for many lombia, Panama and Costa and is also hoping for a job.

Rica. In addition, Venezuelans were steadily deported to their home country this year after President Nicolás Maduro, under pressure from the White House, did away with his long-standing policy of not accepting deportees from the U.S. Immigrants arrived regularly at the airport outside the capital, Caracas, on flights operated by a U.S. government contractor or Venezuela’s state-owned airline. More than 13,000 immigrants returned this year on the chartered flights.

Gómez’s return to Venezuela also allowed her to see the now 20-year-old daughter she left behind when she fled the country’s complex crisis.

They talked and drank beer during the holiday knowing it might be the last time they share a drink for a while — Gómez’s daughter will mi-

Keeping promises

schools, though, the more they lose ground. By year seven, East Baton Rouge teachers slip notably: only Pointe Coupee, Livingston and St. Helena parishes pay less. By year 20, only St. Helena Parish teachers earn less in salary. If you include the extra checks districts pay out, a 20-year teacher in East Baton Rouge is the worst paid in the region for teachers with that much experience.

In lieu of permanent raises, many Louisiana school districts rely on one-time stipends and various pay supplements to stay competitive. In the past two months, school leaders in Ascension, West Baton Rouge and Feliciana parishes all approved across-the-board, one-time stipends of $1,500, $1,200 and $2,000, respectively.

Livingston Parish approved a $1,500 one-time stipend for certified staff and $750 for support staff.

In September, East Baton Rouge Parish approved a similarly structured stipend: $2,000 for certified staff, $1,000 for support staff.

When Cole interviewed to be superintendent in July 2024, he told his soon-to-be bosses on the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board that increasing employee pay was a key priority for him.

“We have to be willing to have a compensation package that’s at least at a regional average,” Cole said then.

Cole already had some help on that front. The month before he was hired, the board approved permanent employee pay raises: $2,200 more for educators, $1,500 more for principals and assistant principals and $1,300 more for support workers.

Those raises made East Baton Rouge more competitive with its neighbors, but the competition continues.

Iberville Parish has been the pacesetter in the Baton Rouge region, increasing its salaries by a total of $5,000 over the past two years.

District comparisons

things, first and foremost life and health, so we can continue enjoying our family,” she said.

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East Baton Rouge’s current starting teacher salary of $50,000 a year is close to the region’s average.

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U.S. tells Afghan migrants to check in during holidays

BY HADRIANA LOWENKRON

Bloomberg News (TNS)

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement summoned Afghans residing in the U.S. to present their documents during the holiday season, marking the latest effort by the Trump administration to crack down on migrants from the Asian nation.

ICE is seeking appointments for a “scheduled report check-in,” with one requesting such a meeting on Christmas Day and another asking for one on New Year’s Day, according to copies of letters sent to different people seen by Bloomberg News. Other notices were for check-ins around the holidays on

Dec. 27 and Dec. 30.

The immigration agency has arrested migrants who appear at its offices in response to such formal requests, including those attending interviews for their green cards. Recipients of the letters had previously gained legal protection and were deemed “Afghan allies” as part of a program started by former President Joe Biden in August 2021 to protect those who fled to the U.S. after the American military’s withdrawal from Afghanistan and the Taliban’s subsequent takeover of the war-torn country.

“ICE is using federal and religious holidays to detain Afghans when access to legal counsel,

courts, and advocates is at its lowest,” Shawn VanDiver, founder of the nonprofit group AfghanEvac that supports Afghans who assisted the U.S. war effort, said in a statement criticizing the call-ins and their timing. “This is not routine administrative scheduling.”

A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson, however, called the check-ins “routine” and “long-standing” without elaborating on how many letters were sent out. The spokesperson added that ICE continues its standard operations during the holidays.

The call-ins follow substantial changes to the U.S. immigration policy under President Donald Trump targeting Afghans in the

wake of the November shooting of two National Guard troops by Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national who worked with U.S. forces and the CIA in Afghanistan before arriving in the U.S. in 2021. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said that Lakanwal, who has been charged with murder, came to the U.S. through the Biden program known as Operation Allies Welcome.

Since the November shooting, the Trump administration has announced it will re-review the cases of all refugees resettled under the Biden administration and freeze their green card applications, and will consider among “significant negative factors” a country’s inclu-

sion on the president’s vast travel ban.

In another blow to Afghans, the administration’s refugee cap for fiscal year 2026 was vastly lowered to 7,500 from 125,000. The presidential determination indicated it will favor White South Afrikaners and did not mention Afghans.

The administration also removed an exemption for Afghan nationals with Special Immigration Visas — which offers those who provided services to the U.S. government or military in Afghanistan — when it expanded its entry ban list to nationals of more than 30 countries from 19 previously. Afghan nationals were already on the entry ban list prior to the expansion.

19 states sue HHS over declaration against gender-affirming care for minors

BY ALI SWENSON Associated Press

NEW YORK — A coalition of 19 states and the District of Columbia on Tuesday sued the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, its secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and its inspector general over a declaration that could complicate access to gender-affirming care for young people.

The declaration issued last Thursday called treatments like puberty blockers, hormone therapy and surgeries unsafe and ineffective for children and adolescents experiencing gender dysphoria, or the distress when someone’s gender expression doesn’t match their sex assigned at birth.

It also warned doctors that they could be excluded from federal health programs like Medicare and Medicaid if they provide those types of care.

The declaration came as HHS also announced proposed rules meant to further curtail gender-affirming care for young people, although the lawsuit doesn’t address those as they are not final.

Tuesday’s lawsuit, filed in

U.S. District Court in Eugene, Oregon, alleges that the declaration is inaccurate and unlawful and asks the court to block its enforcement. It’s the latest in a series of clashes between an administration that’s cracking down on transgender health care for children, arguing it can be harmful to them, and advocates who say the care is medically necessary and shouldn’t be inhibited.

The lawsuit alleges that HHS’s declaration seeks to coerce providers to stop providing gender-affirming care and circumvent legal requirements for policy changes. It says federal law requires the public to be given notice and an opportunity to comment before substantively changing health policy — neither of which, the suit says, was done before the declaration was issued.

A spokesperson for HHS declined to comment.

HHS’s declaration based its conclusions on a peerreviewed report the department conducted earlier this year that urged greater reliance on behavioral therapy rather than broad gender-affirming care for youths with gender dysphoria.

The report questioned standards for the treatment of transgender youth issued by the World Professional Association for Transgender Health and raised concerns that adolescents may be too young to give consent to life-changing treatments that could result in future infertility.

Major medical groups and those who treat transgender young people have sharply criticized the report as inaccurate, and most major U.S. medical organizations, including the American Medical Association, continue to oppose restrictions on transgender care and services for young people.

The declaration was announced as part of a multifaceted effort to limit gender-affirming health care for children and teenagers — and built on other Trump administration efforts to target the rights of transgender people nationwide.

HHS on Dec. 18 also unveiled two proposed federal rules — one to cut off federal Medicaid and Medicare funding from hospitals that provide gender-affirming care to children, and another to prohibit federal Medicaid dollars from being used for

such procedures.

The proposals are not yet final or legally binding and must go through a lengthy rulemaking process and

public comment before becoming permanent.

Several major medical providers already have pulled back on gender-af-

firming care for young patients since Trump returned to office — even in states where the care is legal and protected by state law.

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10A ■ Friday, December 26, 2025 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

Waterlogged California gets even more rain lll

More than 70,000 statewide without power

BY TY ONEIL

Associated Press WRIGHTWOOD, Calif. — California, soaked from days of relentless rain and recovering from mudslides in mountain towns, was hit with another powerful storm Christmas Day that led to evacuation warnings and high surf advisories.

The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department in Southern California issued an evacuation warning for Wrightwood, a mountain town about 80 miles northeast of Los Angeles, a day after rescuing people trapped in cars during a mudslide.

The National Weather Service said waves near the San Francisco Bay Area could reach up to 25 feet Friday.

Statewide, more than 70,000 people were without power Thursday afternoon, according to PowerOutage. us.

A day ago, heavy rain and fierce winds were blamed for at least two deaths.

A major storm system moving toward the Midwest and Northeast was expected to interfere with travel, according to the National Weather Service.

A mix of freezing rain and sleet could create icy conditions in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Maryland. Forecasters warned heavy ice could cause outages. Snow was expected to blanket the Northeast early Friday.

Roads in the 5,000-resident California town of Wrightwood were covered in rocks, debris and thick mud on Thursday. With power out, a gas station and coffee shop running on generators were serving as hubs for residents and visitors.

“It’s really a crazy Christmas,” said Jill Jenkins, who was spending the holiday with her 13-year-old grand-

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTOS By WILLIAM LIANG

Davey Schneider walks on the roof of his storm-damaged home on Thursday in Wrightwood, Calif.

Mud covers the inside of a property after a series of storms on Thursday in Wrightwood, Calif. son, Hunter Lopiccolo.

Lopiccolo said the family almost evacuated the previous day, when water washed away a chunk of their backyard. But they decided to stay and still celebrated the holiday. Lopiccolo got a new snowboard and e-bike.

“We just played card games all night with candles

and flashlights,” he said.

Davey Schneider hiked a mile and a half through rain and floodwater up to his shins from his Wrightwood residence Wednesday to rescue cats from his grandfather’s house, walking through floodwater up to his shins as it rained.

“I wanted to help them out

A car is buried in mud Thursday in Wrightwood, Calif., after a series of storms. because I wasn’t confident that they were going to live,” Schneider said Thursday.

“Fortunately, they all lived.

They’re all OK — just a little bit scared.”

Arlene Corte said roads in town turned into rivers, but her house was not damaged.

“It could be a whole lot worse,” she said. “We’re

here talking.”

With more rain on the way, more than 150 firefighters were stationed in the area, said San Bernardino County Fire spokesman Shawn Millerick.

“We’re ready,” he said.

“It’s all hands on deck at this point.”

A falling tree killed a San

Diego man Wednesday, news outlets reported. Farther north, a Sacramento sheriff’s deputy died in what appeared to be a weather-related crash.

Areas along the coast, including Malibu, were under a flood watch until Friday afternoon, and wind and flood advisories were issued for much of the Sacramento Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area.

The storms were the result of atmospheric rivers carrying massive plumes of moisture from the tropics during one of the busiest travel weeks of the year.

Southern California typically gets half an inch to 1 inch of rain this time of year, but this week many areas could see between 4 and 8 inches, with even more in the mountains, National Weather Service meteorologist Mike Wofford said.

More heavy snow was expected in the Sierra Nevada, where gusts created “near white-out conditions” and made mountain pass travel treacherous. Officials said there was a “high” avalanche risk around Lake Tahoe and a winter storm warning was in effect through Friday.

Ski resorts around Lake Tahoe recorded about 1 to 3 feet of snow overnight, said Tyler Salas, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Reno. Forecasters expect to see up to another 3 feet of snow through Friday, Salas said. The area could see 45-mph gusts in low elevation areas and 100-mph winds along mountain ridges.

Gov. Gavin Newsom declared emergencies in six counties to allow state assistance.

The state deployed resources and first responders to several coastal and Southern California counties, and the California National Guard was on standby.

Associated Press writers Sophie Austin in Oakland, California, and Hannah Schoenbaum in Salt Lake City contributed.

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F r i d ay, d e c e m b e r 26, 2025

1bN

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

People gather Wednesday around the different bonfires that line the Mississippi River during the Christmas Eve bonfires on the levee in Gramercy.

HOLIDAY SPIRIT STAFF PHOTOS By HILARy SCHEINUK

Runners participating in a SLAKK the Halls 5K follow the path on a foggy Christmas Day at Woman’s Hospital in Baton Rouge.

The Rev. Cleo Milano shares a reading during midnight Mass in the early hours of Christmas Day at Our Lady of Mercy in Baton Rouge.

ä See more photos on Page 2B.

River Coulton, 8, watches as his new puppy, Reese, that he got from Santa Claus on Christmas Day, runs through his grandparents’ yard in Galvez.

Firefighters working on Christmas Day are joined by their families for a special shift meal at the Baton Rouge Fire Department’s Station 12 in Baton Rouge.

2B ■ Friday, December 26, 2025 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

lll

STAFF PHOTOS By HILARy SCHEINUK

Dense fog shrouds a young cypress tree on Christmas Day in Baton Rouge.

STAFF PHOTO FILE By CHRIS GRANGER

The entire top-floor penthouse of the Four Seasons Hotel and Private Residences at the foot of Canal Street is on the market for $23 million, after its local owner decided to focus on other projects, the brokers marketing the property said.

N.O. Four Seasons penthouse for sale

FOGGy HOLIDAy

A pair of American white pelicans glide across the surface of Capitol Lake on Christmas Day in Baton Rouge.

Bridgewater Realty Developers continue negotiating with based Advisors, which is marketing the penthouse. lenders as some units still unsold “This is just simply a de-

BY STEPHANIE RIEGEL Staff writer

The entire top-floor penthouse of the Four Seasons Hotel and Private Residences — an unfinished shell on the 31st floor of New Orleans’ premier luxury hotel and condominium complex at the foot of Canal Street — is on the market for $23 million, after its local owner decided to focus on other projects, the brokers marketing the property said.

The listing comes three months after prominent businessman Boysie Bollinger took his penthouse on the building’s 30th floor off the market, after listing it for sale for more than two years.

B o l l i n g e r Bollinger had been asking $19.5 million for his unit, which is one of two on the 30th floor and is fully built out and decorated.

Bollinger said in a text message last week that he took his 4,300-square-foot condo off the market in September because “it’s worth having.”

Though he doesn’t use it often, he said, “I enjoy it when I use it.”

The developments come as more than two dozen of the condos in the building — more than 25% of the total — remain unsold four years after the project opened, records from the Orleans Parish Assessor’s Office show.

Sluggish sales of the luxury units were among the reasons cited in 2024 by the Four Seasons’ local developer for financial troubles with the project’s lender. At the time, the New York-based lender, Madison Capital, was threatening to foreclose on the property.

In the months since, the developers have been able to stave off foreclosure, according to city officials with knowledge of the project. Though it’s not clear what kind of deal has been reached, the two sides are continuing to negotiate — a welcome development for a project that was a signature achievement of Mayor Mitch Landrieu’s administration and is considered a bellwether for the city’s hospitality sector.

“They are in negotiations with their lenders, but they are not in foreclosure,” said Annie McBride, executive director of the New Orleans Building Corp., the city agency that technically owns the 33-story building.

“The developers are in control of the property.”

The developers also are current on their lease obligations to the city, which currently average around $3 million a year, McBride said.

The project’s lead developer, Massachusetts-based Carpenter & Co., and Madison, the lender, did not re-

spond to requests for comment. Paul Flower, whose Woodward Interests is a local partner in the Four Season, declined to comment.

The financial issues surrounding the Four Seasons have not impacted the relationship with the Four Seasons hotel management company, which has a longterm agreement to operate the 341-room hotel on the lower floors of the building and the 92 condos and penthouses on the upper floors.

Occupancy rates for the Four Season hotel were not available. In 2024, Flower said the luxury high-rise was outperforming its downtown competitors, which at the time were averaging 65% and have since declined to around 60%.

Rocky history

veloper who is repositioning,” Marullo said. “He hasn’t had a lot of time or energy to finish it himself.

He would rather someone do it right and enjoy it.”

The brokers declined to identify the owner.

Orleans Parish property transfer records show that City Views NOLA LLC, registered to Christopher Michael Collins, bought the four shell units that make up the 31st floor in three separate transactions in 2023 and 2024.

The price of the sales was not disclosed.

The 31st floor comprises more than 17,000 square feet and is the uppermost residential unit in the building. It has floor-to-ceiling windows on all sides, offering 360-degree views of the city. All plumbing and electrical work have been completed.

“While the other units in the building are absolutely incredible, there isn’t a better asset than this unit, being on the top floor,” said Mason McCullough, also of Bridgewater Realty. “Having the ability to customize your place in the Four Seasons is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

The 31st floor is being offered in its entirety at a price that averages around $1,320 a square foot, or as individual units. The four units, which average around 4,300 square feet each, are listed for between $6.9 million and $7.1 million, or around $1,600 a square foot.

In order to make the deal more attractive to a potential buyer, the seller is offering to help finance the deal on a short-term or long-term basis at a lower interest rate than currently available from a bank, the brokers said.

“A buyer can take advantage of the creative financing and then go to the bank for a construction loan,” McCullough said.

Since the listing hit the market in early December, Marullo said “a lot of people have reached out to Bridgewater.”

“We have pleasantly surprised with the response both locally and nationally,” he said. “We know this is a patient game with this one.”

The Four Seasons was an ambitious conversion of the former World Trade Center — once the center for global trade in a city whose port was among the nation’s busiest — into a luxury high-rise.

It began nearly a decade ago, when the city selected the Woodward-Carpenter group, through a competitive bid process, to redevelop it.

But construction was delayed for two years by an unsuccessful lawsuit filed by one of the failed bidders.

The project took another three years to complete. By the time it opened in 2021, the hospitality market was struggling to recover from pandemic-era shutdowns, interest rates had more than doubled and construction costs had skyrocketed.

The project’s total cost ultimately topped $560 million.

In the fall of 2023, a group of wealthy foreign investors who, collectively, invested more than $50 million in the project, were notified that the Four Seasons project had been “adversely affected by conditions currently affecting the real estate industry nationally and worldwide” and that, “the developer has been unable to improve net operating income of the hotel or sell enough residential condo units.”

In February 2024, the investors were told that Carpenter had defaulted on its loan agreement with Madison and been instructed to find new sources of capital Email Stephanie Riegel or prepare to sell. at stephanie.riegel@ At the time, Flower said theadvocate.com. the developers were in talks with the lenders and workLOTTERY ing toward a resolution.

Last week, McBride said WEDNESDAY, DEC. 24, the city has been kept up to 2025 date on the developments PICK 3: 4-5-9 and that the building has not PICK 4: 6-4-0-6 been sold and is not in foreclosure.

PICK 5: 9-9-9-1-7

‘Once-in-a-lifetime’ The larger issues between the Four Seasons developer and its lender are unrelated to the decision by the owner of the 31st-floor penthouse to sell his unit, according to Bryce Marullo, of Metairie-

Police say man died of multiple gunshot wounds A 37-year-old man died of multiple gunshot wounds early Christmas morning after being found in a vehicle outside of the Savoy Plaza apartment complex, according to Baton Rouge police.

Officers responded to CRIME the apartment complex in BLOTTER the 500 block of Wooddale Boulevard around 1:35 a.m. staff Thursday. reports There, officers found Stanley Lofton in the driver’s seat of a vehicle, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds, according to the BRPD news release.

He was taken to a hospital where he died of his injuries, police said.

No suspects or motive have been developed at this time, according to the release.

One in critical condition after Christmas morning shooting A man is in critical condition following a Christmas morning shooting off Greenwell Springs Road.

East Baton Rouge Parish Emergency Medical Services responded to the shooting around 8:45 a.m. Thursday at an apartment in the 6700 block of Morgan Road.

One man was found shot and was taken to a hospital in critical condition, according to a news release from the Sheriff’s Office.

Four killed in Christmas crash in St. James Parish Four people, including three Baton Rouge residents, were killed in a two-vehi-

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cle crash in St. James Parish early Christmas morning.

Tyreione Parker, 35, Kedrick Robertson, 29, Gevin Harvey, 25, all from Baton Rouge, as well as Christina Gillam, 22, of Shreveport, were killed in the crash, according to Louisiana State Police.

A 13-year-old minor in the same vehicle survived with moderate injuries. The driver of the second vehicle survived with moderate injuries as well.

The accident occurred at 3:45 a.m. Thursday on La. 641 south of Interstate 10 in St. James Parish.

Parker was driving a 2008 Honda Accord north on La. 641, with Robertson, Harvey, Gillam and the 13-year-old in the vehicle, police said.

At the same time, a 2019 GMC Sierra was traveling south on La. 641.

For reasons still under investigation, Parker lost control of the Honda. It began to rotate, entered the southbound lane and struck the GMC. Parker, who was unrestrained, suffered fatal injuries and died on scene. Robertson, the front passenger, as well as the rear passengers Gillam and Harvey, were all unrestrained and suffered severe injuries, police said.

The three were taken to a hospital where they died of their injuries.

The 13-year-old was improperly restrained at the time of the crash, police said.

The driver of the GMC was restrained.

It is not known if either driver was impaired, but standard toxicology samples were taken.

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The Advocate ■ theadvocate.com ■ Friday, December 26, 2025 ■ 3B

lll

Funerals Today

Guitreau, Pearl Virginia

Coots, Richard

Faith Baptist Church, 4060 Richfield Drive in Livonia, at 1 p.m.

Dier, Annie

Resthaven Funeral Home at 2:30pm.

Ferguson, Marie

Hall's Celebration Center, Scenic Highway, at 11 a.m.

9348

Jones, Anna

True Light Baptist Church, 3836 North Street, at 11 a.m.

Obituaries Billie, Alvin James

Entered into eternal life on December 8, 2025 at the age of 66. Visitation Saturday, December 27, 2025, Hall's Celebration Center, 9348 Scenic Highway, Baton Rouge, LA., 10:00 am until religious service at 11:00 am.

Entombment Heavenly Gates Cemetery of Baton Rouge. Funeral Service Entrusted to Hall Davis and Son.

Coots, Richard Clark

A resident of Port Allen & Erwinville passed away December 21, 2025 at the age of 71. Visitation & religious services are Friday December 26, 2025 at Faith Baptist Church 4060 Richfield Dr. Livonia, La. 11am until 1pm services. Conducted by Rev. Freddie Rodrigue Interment Cottonwood Cemetery. Cherishing his precious memories: his devoted wife of 39 years; Wanda B. Coots, two beautiful daughters; Katrina Ilean Coots Ward and husband Michael of Greenwell Springs, LA, and Beverly Cherie' Coots Johnson and husband Jeff of Lakeland.

Pearl Guitreau was born on December 6, 1924, in Garyville, Louisiana. She recently celebrated her 101st birthday surrounded by her loving family. She passed away peacefully into the arms of Jesus at her home on December 20, 2025.

Visitation will be held on Saturday, December 27, 2025, at St. Theresa of Avila Catholic Church of Gonzales from 9:30am until Mass of Christian Burial at 11am. Burial to follow at Hope Haven Gardens of Memory Cemetery in Gonzales, LA. In lieu of flowers, please donate to the Food Pantry/Community Services of St. Theresa Catholic Church, Gonzales, LA.(Phone: (225) 647-6588)

Hall, Charles Albert

Charles Albert Hall, 81, a resident of Baker, Louisiana died on Thursday, December 18, 2025.

Please join his family by honoring his life with the following services. Visitation: Saturday, December 27, 2025 9:30am until Celebration of Life at 11am.

Hollywood Street Church of Christ 5111 Hollywood Street Baton Rouge, La 70805. Interment Turner Chapel 831 Turner Chapel Road Greensburg, LA. All professional services are entrusted to B.J. Ginn Funeral & Cremation Services 61077 Bennett Road Amite, La 70422.

was an 87-year-old native of Lakeland, Louisiana born to the late Reverend Cenas Jones, Sr. and Mrs. Julia Moore Jones. She attended New Roads High School prior to graduating from Cohn High School in 1958 and went on to attend Southern University before beginning her long-standing professional career in retail sales.

Carolyn worked at TG&Y and Weiner's Department Store as an Office Manager and Assistant Store Manager until her retirement. She confessed her faith and was baptized at St. Alma Baptist Church where she faithfully served in the choir and as a member for over 50 years. She leaves to cherish her memory: one son and daughter; Donovan W. Jones, Sr. and Pamela D. Jones, Erwinville, Louisiana; daughter-in-law; Brenda LeBeauJones, New Orleans, Louisiana; grandchildren; Derrick D. (Tiffany) Jones, Baton Rouge, Louisiana and Angienika McCloud, New Orleans, Louisiana, two sisters; Florida (Eugene) Collins and Thelma Jones, Erwinville, Louisiana; one brother, Cenas (Jacqueline) Jones, Baton Rouge, Louisiana; one sister-in-law, Thelma J. Jones, Erwinville, Louisiana; and numerous nieces, nephews, relatives and friends. She was preceded in death by her parents, grandson, Donovan W. Jones, Jr., brothers, Ernest (Myrtle) and Rev. Lemuel Jones and sister, Olevia (George) Carter.

Visitation Saturday, December 27, 2025, Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church, 185 Eddie Robinson, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 9:00 am. until religious service at 11:00 am. Rev. Dr. Mary Moss, St. Alma Baptist Church, Officiant. Entombment Heavenly Gates Mausoleum. Services entrusted to Hall Davis and Son.

her daily Rosary prayer. As a homemaker, Mary cherished her days cooking, gardening, and caring for others. She is survived by her sons, Timothy Spillman, Bradley Spillman (Billie), Douglas Gallagher, Scott Gallagher (Adrianne), and Michael Knapps; brother, Ernest Sanchez Jr (Teresa); and her grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Dalton Willis; and brother, Larry Sanchez. A

memorial service for Mary will be held on Monday, December 29th, 2025, at St. Gabriel Catholic Church at 11 am, conducted by Father Albert Blount.

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Carolyn Jones peacefully entered eternal rest at her residence in Erwinville, Louisiana on Sunday, December 14, 2025. Carolyn

Mary Helen Sanchez Willis was born in Baton Rouge, LA, on June 8, 1949, to the late Helen and Ernest Sanchez Sr. A longtime resident of Sunshine, LA, she passed away on December 21, 2025, at age 76. Mary was a member of St. Gabriel Catholic Church and the Ladies Altar Society, and she never missed

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OPINION

4B ■ Friday, December 26, 2025 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

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

Make health care treatment more affordable In Louisiana, a cancer diagnosis at the center of the problem.

Louisiana is home to excepis not only a medical emergency — it is a financial one. Families tional cancer centers and nationare blindsided by a crisis ally respected physicians. for which no one is preBreast cancer patients in particular travel here pared. from across the country Most people do not have for advanced microvascua “cancer savings account,” yet the average palar reconstruction — mediKim tient faces more than $600 cally necessary proceSport per month in out-of-pocket dures that restore dignity costs just to stay in treatand physical wholeness GUEST COLUMNIST after mastectomy. Our exment. These costs mount quickly: deductibles, unpertise is world-class.

But excellence means covered medications, child very little when insurers decide a care, lost wages, transportation patient cannot afford to reach it. to specialty centers and lodging Even with some of the strongest near hospitals during prolonged breast reconstruction laws in therapy. the nation — laws viewed as the Beyond these visible expenses, national model — many Louisiana cancer patients also need nutriwomen still cannot access the tional supplements, protein-rich “gold standard” procedures their meals, hydration support and physicians recommend. other essential elements of healInsurers sidestep the intent of ing — none of which are covered the law by narrowing networks, by insurance, yet all of which determine whether a patient has the raising deductibles and reducing reimbursement to out-of-network strength to complete treatment. specialists who are often the only We often talk about innovation in cancer care. But the real crisis qualified providers for complex in Louisiana is not innovation. It is reconstructive surgeries.

The consequences are devaccess, and insurance coverage is

astating: Women are pushed toward inferior surgical options, overwhelming debt and delayed reconstruction. Some abandon the process altogether because life becomes unaffordable.

Insurers also routinely deny coverage for travel to chemotherapy, lodging during radiation, necessary supportive medications and the nutritional resources essential to healing. These are not luxuries. They are foundational to a patient’s ability to comply with treatment and survive cancer.

This is where nonprofits — like the Cancer Association of Louisiana (CALA) and its Breastoration program — step in. For decades, CALA has filled the widening gap between what medicine can do and what insurance covers. We help patients get to radiation, secure lodging, access reconstruction and maintain care plans that hospitals rely on for strong outcomes.

But nonprofits cannot continue to shoulder this responsibility alone.

The truth is simple: Nonprofits are subsidizing Louisiana’s cancer

care system, supporting insurers, hospitals and the state — all without a single dollar of state funding and with limited institutional partnership.

It is time for action.

Lawmakers must create a dedicated, recurring state appropriation to fund nonprofits that provide direct cancer-treatment support.

Our laws guarantee reconstruction and continuity of care, but our budget does not support the reality necessary to enforce those rights. State investment in nonprofits is not new spending — it is a cost-effective intervention that reduces long-term health care expenses, improves outcomes and prevents families from facing financial collapse.

Hospitals benefit directly from the work nonprofits perform.

When CALA removes barriers, patients arrive at treatment. Performance metrics rise. Complications fall. Reimbursements stabilize. Yet nonprofits are financing services that allow hospitals to meet their own treatment goals. It is time for every hospital and can-

cer center that regularly refers patients to nonprofit programs to make annual institutional contributions that reflect the true value provided.

Insurers must stop placing bureaucratic and financial barriers between patients and the care that Louisiana law already guarantees. Narrow networks and inflated out-of-network costs undermine treatment adherence and patient survival. Insurers must reform coverage practices to reflect medical necessity, not profit structures.

Louisiana has everything it needs to deliver world-class cancer care: extraordinary physicians, advanced facilities and strong laws. What we lack is a coordinated commitment from legislators, hospitals and insurers to make that care truly accessible.

It is time for our institutions to step up and fund the path to survival.

Kim Sport is an attorney, three-time cancer survivor, president of CALA and founder of Breastoration.

What if corporate America learned Scrooge’s lesson?

Every December, we dust off No executive would lose a “A Christmas Carol” and remind home. ourselves that Ebenezer Scrooge No founder would forgo secuwas redeemed not by becoming rity. poor, but by remembering the No billionaire would be unable people who made his to buy a yacht, perhaps only wealth possible. one a few feet shorter than That detail matters. originally planned.

Scrooge did not lose In other words, lifestyles his business. He did not at the top would remain esgive away his fortune. He sentially unchanged. did not suffer. He simply But at the bottom, where chose to share a small the real work happens, David portion of his abundance would breathe Waldron families with those who labored again. Credit card balances Anderson would disappear. Second for it and discovered that GUEST generosity costs far less jobs would vanish. Parents COLUMNIST would see their children bethan we fear.

Two centuries later, we fore bedtime. live in an economy Dickens could This is not socialism. It is stewnever have imagined. A handful ardship. of companies — Amazon, Apple, It is not charity. It is recogniWalmart, Tesla and others — tion. move goods, money and informaMany of these companies began with founders sleeping under tion at a scale larger than many desks, working impossible hours, governments. fueled by belief, loyalty and risk Their founders and shareholdshared with early employees. ers have accumulated wealth Somewhere along the way, growth measured not in millions, but in created distance, and distance hundreds of billions. dulled gratitude.

At the same time, millions of Markets reward efficiency. their hourly workers are strugBut economies are not merely gling. systems of optimization; they are Many work two jobs. systems of people.

Many rely on food assistance.

When the people packing boxes, Many live one unexpected bill stocking shelves, and driving deaway from crisis, even while helping deliver unprecedented liveries cannot afford the goods corporate profits. they move, something is broken, This is not a moral accusation. even if the stock price is rising.

It is a fact.

Christmas is not about punishSo here is a simple Christmas ment or redistribution. It is about thought experiment. remembering who we are, and What if, just once, these compa- who we owe.

The miracle in “A Christmas nies acted like Scrooge after the Carol” was not Scrooge’s generosghosts?

What if every hourly employee ity. received a $25,000 one-time bonus It was how little it actually cost this Christmas? him.

What if the minimum full-time wage were reset to $25 an hour, David Waldron Anderson is a paired with a 401(k) match and New Orleans-based retired bankcost-effective, reliable healthcare er and author. He is the creator — not extravagant benefits, just of “A Christmas Modern Carol,” a humane ones. modern holiday parable inspired For workers, this would be lifeby Dickens that examines wealth, changing. corporate responsibility and For companies, it would be … moral accountability in a modern manageable.

America.

Simple choices can save lives this holiday season

I see preventable holiday tragedies for a living.

Slow down, stay alert and watch the behavior of Cars flipped into ditches, headlights illuminating your loved ones. Are they more withdrawn than twisted metal, blood mixing with scattered gifts and usual? More agitated? Showing signs of sadness, State Police lights flashing against the night. Famiisolation or even sudden bursts of unusual happilies who should be celebrating are grieving ness? These can be warning signs of depresinstantly — often for mistakes that could sion or suicidal thoughts. The holidays often have been avoided. Every year, I witness magnify grief from past losses, making this lives ending in moments that could have been a critical time to check in on friends, family, prevented if only someone slowed down, paid and neighbors. If you see something, say attention or made a simple choice. something.

Toby J. From November through January, AmeriHolidays bring hidden dangers beyond the Savoy road. Cold fronts can exacerbate chronic illcans celebrate Thanksgiving, Christmas and GUEST New Year’s. We gather with family, laugh, nesses. Rich meals and large gatherings can COLUMNIST trigger heart attacks, strokes or other medishare meals and look forward to creating memories — but every holiday season also cal emergencies. Fatigue, stress and distracbrings a spike in preventable deaths. People tion can turn ordinary routines into hazards. are rushing to finish last-minute shopping, travel I’ve seen these moments unfold in real life, and to family gatherings or drive after parties and dinthe consequences are devastating: suicides, infant deaths, pedestrian fatalities, motor vehicle crashes ners. These distractions, combined with impaired or distracted drivers, make the holidays some of the and other accidents that could have been prevented.

Every incident leaves families shattered. most dangerous times of the year.

And yet, there is hope. Small choices make a big I always tell friends and family to expect the difference. Slow down on the road, plan extra time unexpected. Life is unpredictable, and every day for travel and take the longer, safer route. Keep could be the last you see a loved one. That advice an eye on your loved ones’ physical and emotional becomes even more critical during the holidays, well-being. Encourage safe behaviors at parties and when travel, stress and celebrations can put anygatherings, remind them to wear seat belts and inone at risk. If you have a choice between a short, dark back road and a longer, well-lit highway, take tervene if someone is impaired or distracted. Every the safer route. That extra 10 or 15 minutes may step you take toward safety can save a life. save your life — or the life of someone you love. On This is my gift to Americans. If I can save one holiday nights, nearly every other driver may be life, I’ve done my job. The holidays do not have to texting, distracted or under the influence of alcohol be defined by tragedy. They can be moments of joy, or drugs. Pedestrians walking in dark clothing, chil- connection and celebration. Slow down, pay attendren leaving family gatherings or drivers leaving tion, and expect the unexpected. Make choices that stores or parties can be hit in a blink. I’ve seen it protect yourself and those you love. Every day is a happen: Cars swerving into oncoming lanes, famigift. Treasure it, protect those around you and let this season be a time of life, not loss. lies never making it home and the chaos of a crash scene illuminated only by emergency lights.

Toby J. Savoy is chief coroner investigator in St. There are other simple steps we can take to mitiLandry Parish and board-certified by the Amerigate loss. Always buckle up. Never drink and drive and avoid texting or scrolling behind the wheel. can Board of Medicolegal Death Investigators.

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The Advocate ■ theadvocate.com ■ Friday, December 26, 2025 ■ 5B

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COMMENTARY

Construction on the Hut 8 data center on La. 964 in October in St. Francisville

STAFF FILE PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

ISSUE OF THE WEEK ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE The rise of data centers around the country, including in Louisiana, has raised several concerns, mainly around energy usage.The data centers are needed to fuel a growing economy centered on artificial intelligence.There’s no doubt that Wall Street is flying high on spending to support AI by high-tech companies, but some are calling for caution.What does the current frenzy around AI mean for the future?

Here are two perspectives:

Some historical context on the AI spending boom

The year 1929 is a yellow caution light as railroads did in the 1860s. In the 1880s, constantly flashing in the national memrailroads accounted for about 60% of the stock market. ory. In his March 4 Inaugural Address, Then came the shakeout as some railHerbert Hoover proclaimed: “In no nation are the fruits of accomplishment more roads went bust. “Building ahead of desecure … I have no fears for the future of mand,” Wooldridge says, “all but guaranour country.” Just 239 days later — tees booms and busts.” However: Oct. 29, Black Tuesday — the stock “Building rail lines in the middle market crashed, causing … it is of nowhere requires a big upfront unclear what. investment. But once you have New York Times financial colbuilt the railway, civilization floods in and the value of the wilderness umnist Andrew Ross Sorkin has rises exponentially.” kicked a hornets’ nest by writing George In just four years (1868 through “1929,” his lively retelling of what Will 1871), 33,000 miles of track were preceded the crash, and what the built. Fortunes were made — and crash precipitated. It is about the lost. But when the financial dust settled, consequences of the crash itself that the the nation was laced together by steel hornets are being heard from. A pugnarails, connecting communities summoned cious cohort, they correctly argue that, but for misguided New Deal policies from into existence by trains.

Today, Wooldridge notes, “digital com1933 through 1939, the decade-long economic Depression would have been much panies are investing heavily well before milder and shorter. revenue streams come online.” Would-be The deep (33%) stock market collapse titans gush about AI “in the same mystical of 1920 did not provoke government activ- tones that the railway barons once talked about manifest destiny.” By shrinking ism. The Roaring Twenties followed. time and space, the railway boom hugely The 1920s brought, Sorkin says, “the benefited the public, especially future genbirth of the modern consumer economy” — cars, radios, household appliances, etc. erations. Will today’s AI boom?

It was fueled by consumer credit. First, The Economist says, “If America’s stockGeneral Motors, then Sears, then many market crashes, it will be one of the most others began selling their products on predicted financial implosions in history.” credit. As did stock brokers.

Stocks are 21% of households’ net worth, The New York Times did not rank the and AI-related assets “are responsible for crash the top story of 1929 (Richard Byrd’s nearly half the increase in Americans’ flight to the South Pole was). But a lost de- wealth over the past year.” And “a fall in stocks comparable to the [early 2000s] dotcade followed. Sorkin and the hornets can debate the causation. Now, about today. com bust would reduce Americans houseThe Wall Street Journal says business holds’ net worth by 8%. That could cause a AI investments might have accounted for big retrenchment in consumer spending.” half of GDP growth, adjusted for inflaThis will be messy. But bet on a net bention, in 2025’s first six months. JPMorgan efit from today’s AI investment mania, Chase says this year rising AI stock prices which now accounts for 1.5% of GDP. boosted consumer spending almost 1%.

In 1969, one enormous, ubiquitous comAnd when the bubble bursts? 1929 and its pany — Sears — accounted for 1% of GDP. aftermath again? Adrian Wooldridge, auSeven years earlier, however, a 44-year-old thor (with Alan Greenspan) of “Capitalism Arkansas retailer borrowed audaciously and opened a store named for him, sort of. in America,” suggests the 19th century Sam Walton called it Wal-Mart Discount again.

City.

In a Bloomberg column, he discerns In 2018, Sears filed for bankruptcy. Then similarities between America’s railroad as now, a new day dawning meant the sunand digital revolutions. Both had transformative impacts on the entire economy, set for older ways. enriching “a handful of titans.” Capital spending on AI currently accounts for Email George Will at georgewill@washabout the same percentage of the economy post.com.

The Bernie Sanders plan to sabotage the future

Most people welcome economic ference between victory and defeat. The growth, but Bernie Sanders hates it. As Blitzkrieg swept all before because the they say, there’s no accounting for taste. Nazis had figured out how to wed innoThe Vermont socialist has come out vations in mobility to advances in radio against data centers, the mass computcommunications. The British, in turn, fended off the Nazi air assault in the Bating facilities essential to the development of artificial intelligence. tle of Britain because they made There are all sorts of NIMBYmaximum use of radar without type reasons for local residents to the Germans realizing it. oppose data centers — they use a Sanders wants us to take our lot of energy and water, they are chances ceding a technological noisy and unsightly — but Sandadvantage to China and hoping everything turns out OK. The ers is against them on principle.

Rich Chinese may be communists — If he can stop the creation of Lowry whereas Sanders is just a socialnew data centers, he can squeeze AI research to a standstill and ist — but even they aren’t this supposedly save American jobs foolish. and give Congress more time to regulate We are in the equivalent of a space the new industry. race, and Sanders is talking about cutWhen Donald Trump floated the idea ting off our supply of rocket fuel. of a Muslim ban during his 2016 presiThere may be cause eventually to regdential campaign, he said we needed a ulate AI, but we don’t even know how it’s moratorium “until our country’s repregoing to develop at the moment; we had sentatives can figure out what the hell is to have the widespread adoption of cars before we had the National Highway going on.”

Traffic Safety Administration.

In a nutshell, that’s the Sanders posiEven if Sanders were to get his way, tion on AI. there’s no stopping AI. China and other This might be the most poisonously foreign countries will continue to sprint stupid idea of the year. ahead, and U.S. companies denied data The sheer destructiveness of it is on centers here at home will go find them par, say, with blocking the creation of overseas. new generators after Thomas Edison McKinsey & Company estimates that set up the Pearl Street Station in 1882 $7 trillion will be invested in data cenon grounds that we didn’t fully understand how electrification would affect ters globally by 2030, with 40% of that cities. Or, prohibiting the mining of coal coming from the United States. This in Britain at the outset of the Industrial investment has already been a boon to Revolution because the coming changes the U.S. economy, making up for any were too hard to fathom. weakness due to other factors. It’d be The comparison with the Industrial perverse to affirmatively seek to cut off Revolution is apt. The benefits to Britain a capital investment spigot that every of leading the way were vast, in terms of other country in the world should envy. economic growth, trade, the welfare of The practical issues with data centers, its people and national power. primarily energy usage, are solvable by There is a winner-take-all aspect to rationalizing our energy policies. It will these sort of tech races. The company be shame on us — an energy behemoth that takes the lead and gets people accli- — if we can’t figure out how to power mated to its product earns revenues that the research that might create the definit can plow back into further research ing innovations of our age. and development. In so doing, it mainAs for Bernie Sanders, he calls himtains its lead in the market. self a progressive. Yet, his troglodyte Why wouldn’t we want this company opposition to a potential productivity to be American rather than Chinese? revolution shows that he’s really the naThere will also be crucial military aption’s foremost reactionary socialist. plications of AI. History says that a leg up in technical acumen can make the dif- Rich Lowry is on X, @RichLowry.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR ARE WELCOME. HERE ARE OUR GUIDELINES: Letters are published identifying name, occupation and/or title and the

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6B ■ Friday, December 26, 2025 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

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Baton Rouge Weather TODAY

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

A.M. Fog, P.M. Sun

A.M. Fog, P.M. Sun

Partly Sunny 10%

A.M. Showers, FallingTemps - 20%

Chilly Temps

HIGH

HIGH

HIGH

HIGH

LOW

79° 61°

LOW

80° 60°

LOW

80° 59°

LOW

HIGH

59° 31°

ALMANAC

WEDNESDAY Weather News by Meteorologist Malcolm Byron

Sunny

LOW

HIGH

49° 29°

LOW

55° 33°

AROUND THE REGION

THE NATION

BATON ROUGE THROUGH 5 P.M. THURSDAy

TEMPERATURE

High/low Normal high/low Record high Record low

77°/55° 63°/42° 83° in 2015 11° in 1983

PRECIPITATION

Longview 79/66

TODAY

GOOD

GOOD

READING 45 MAIN POLLUTANT Nitrogen oxide

MAIN POLLUTANT Nitrogen oxide

SOURCE: LOUISIANA DEQ AND AIRNOW.GOV

RIVER STAGES FLOOD STAGE 24-HOUR STAGE CHANGE Memphis 34 0.60 +1.61 Vidalia-Natchez 48 11.20 -0.11 Red River Landing 48 15.30 -0.40 Baton Rouge 35 5.10 -0.30 Donaldsonville 27 3.40 none Reserve 22 1.82 -0.08 New Orleans 17 2.20 -0.14 MISSISSIPPI

OHIO 40

16.09

-0.80

19

-1.40

-0.03

18 29 8

-0.89 10.41 1.68

-0.01 -0.08 -0.16

13 15

2.79 1.04

-0.03 -0.02

47 34 29 20 12 6

4.53 3.00 2.74 2.02 2.40 1.73

none +0.07 -0.10 -0.02 -0.10 +0.15

COMITE

Near Olive

AMITE

Near Darlington Denham Springs Port Vincent

TICKFAW

Montpelier Holden

ATCHAFALAYA

Simmesport Melville Krotz Springs Butte La Rose Bayou Sorrel Morgan City

-0s

0s

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

Jackson 78/65

Baton Rouge 79/61

Lafayette 80/67

Beaumont 78/67 Port Arthur 75/66

Hattiesburg 77/65

Alexandria 78/66

Many 78/65

AIR QUALITY YESTERDAY

-10

Monroe 78/67

Shreveport 80/66

24 hours through 5 p.m. Thu. 0.00” Month to date (normal) 6.32” (4.12”) year to date (normal) 59.62” (60.74”)

Cairo

After another round of morning fog, expect clearing by afternoon.

This will warm highs to the upper 70s, with a few neighborhoods sneaking into the low 80s. The foggy pattern seems to maintain it’s tight grip on the Capital Area over the weekend. Still, keep an eye out for it if traveling early on Saturday and Sunday. With sunshine, daytime highs will run nearly 20 degrees above average in the lower 80s. Record highs might even be in danger. The prolonged warm stretch will come to a dramatic end early Monday with the arrival of a cold front. Expect a few showers as it passes, with colder air quickly following suit. Highs will plunge into the 50s for the first half of next week, with lows near or below freezing in the final days of 2025.

New Orleans 79/64

Lake Charles 78/65

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

Houma 79/62

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

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

TIDES HIGH

FT.

Lake Pontchartrain (Tchefuncte River) 10:34a 0.3 Shell Beach 5:05a 0.9 South Point, Marsh Island 9:20p 1.2 Cypremort Point 8:10a 1.0 Grand Isle (Barataria Pass) 12:13a 0.6 Mississippi River (Southwest Pass) 10:13p 0.5 Wine Island 1:21a 0.7

LOW

SUN AND MOON Sunrise today Sunset tonight Moonrise today Moonset today

FT.

9:43p 0.0 2:31p 0.0 11:41a 0.1 5:47a 1.0 10:32a 0.0 9:09a 0.0 11:34a 0.0

HIGH

FT.

LOW

----10:54p 0.7 ----11:08p 1.2 9:11p 0.3 ----10:19p 0.4

FT.

------------3:49p 0.5 -------------

TODAY City

Hi

Lo W

SATURDAY Hi

Austin Boston Dallas Fairbanks Honolulu Houston Las Vegas Louisville Miami Minneapolis

81 67 pc 25 21 pc 84 64 s -10 -31 c 82 67 sh 82 69 pc 61 44 pc 68 50 c 80 62 s 38 31 c

80 67 pc 26 18 sn 81 63 pc -25 -40 pc 80 66 r 82 67 pc 59 42 pc 62 58 c 81 62 s 42 28 c

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

35 89 56 32 37 70 45 39 79 60 58

42 89 57 37 38 69 47 41 81 68 51

SOLUNAR TABLE

7:00 a.m.

5:11 p.m.

11:17 a.m.

11:35 p.m.

FIRST

FULL

LAST

NEW

DEC 27

JAN 3

JAN 10

JAN 18

MAJOR

3:56a 4:43a 5:28a 6:15a 7:03a 7:56a 8:53a

MINOR

10:07a 10:54a 11:40a 12:04a 12:49a 1:40a 2:37a

MAJOR

TODAY City

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

SATURDAY

Hi

Lo W

Hi

Lo W

70 79 80 33 73 46 51 65 67 78

58 c 64 pc 55 s 29 sn 56 c 35 r 45 c 45 s 54 sh 59 s

74 78 76 34 67 41 68 65 64 77

64 c 63 pc 59 s 28 i 50 c 34 c 41 pc 58 pc 48 sh 60 pc

67 44 48 68 6 34 69 39 59 38 52

53 pc 35 pc 33 pc 45 pc 5 pc 28 c 48 pc 30 s 41 c 30 pc 37 pc

69 47 51 69 15 31 67 40 57 39 46

55 pc 41 pc 41 s 49 pc 5 pc 25 c 48 pc 31 s 36 s 29 s 37 pc

THE WORLD

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.

Lo W

MINOR

4:18p 10:29p 5:05p 11:17p 5:53p ---6:41p 12:28p 7:32p 1:18p 8:27p 2:11p 9:26p 3:09p

29 s 74 s 52 sh 28 pc 26 s 53 pc 41 pc 29 s 59 pc 59 pc 47 pc

33 pc 72 pc 50 r 28 c 32 s 57 pc 42 pc 31 pc 58 pc 61 pc 45 r

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

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

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F r i d ay, d e c e m b e r 26, 2025

SAIN T S AT T I TANS • NOON SUNDAy • CB S

1cN

Not much separated Ole Miss, Georgia

BY PATRICK MAGEE Staff writer

STAFF PHOTOS By DAVID GRUNFELD

Saints outside linebacker Demario Davis slows down Carolina Panthers running back Chuba Hubbard during a game at the Caesars Superdome on Dec. 14.

GOOD STUFFS Saints excel at shutting down short-yardage situations

BY LUKE JOHNSON Staff writer

Being completely honest, Cam Jordan doesn’t like it when opponents line up to go for it on fourth and short against the New Orleans Saints.

Jordan wants to see the punter come out after a third-down stop, because that is the signal the defense has done its job.

But if teams are going to test the Saints, then so be it.

“It means they don’t fear us,” Jordan said. “It’s like

when you’re talking to your kids, and sometimes they don’t listen. I’m telling you what I need you to do. Punt it. If you don’t want to punt it, OK, then it’s going to cost you.”

Those aren’t empty words, at least not all of the time.

Though short-yardage situations typically favor NFL offenses — on average, teams across the league are converting 66.7% of their third-and-1 opportunities this season — the Saints have made those situations closer to a coin flip.

The Saints have given up a

Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce young is pressured by Saints defensive end Carl Granderson during a game at the Caesars Superdome on Dec. 14. first down on 12 of 21 thirdand-1 situations — a 42.9% stuff rate that ranks sixth in the NFL this season.

New Orleans also has been especially tough on fourth and 1 lately, yielding just four first downs on eight attempts in the last six games.

“If we can get off the field on

fourth and short, that’s a turnover for us,” defensive lineman Bryan Bresee said. “We don’t expect people to be able to get that yard on us. We’ve proved it over and over again that we can do it, so I feel like if we’re doing anything less

ä See SAINTS, page 3C

Georgia rallied for a 43-35 victory over Ole Miss when the two teams met Oct. 18 in Athens, Georgia, and that game will be picked apart and analyzed as the two teams prepare to meet again on New Year’s Day in the Sugar Bowl.

At 7 p.m. Thursä Ole Miss day, we’ll find out whether the Ole vs. Georgia, 7 P.M.THURSDAy, ESPN Miss offense has survived the departure of head coach Lane Kiffin and whether Georgia can build off its dominant win over Alabama in the SEC title game.

When the Rebels collapsed late against Georgia earlier this season, there had to be concern in Oxford that Kiffin’s squad was in danger of entering a midseason slump. Just a week prior, Ole Miss had to fight and claw its way to a 24-21 victory over Washington State despite being a 321/2-point favorite.

Those worries were washed away the next week when Ole Miss went on the road to earn a 34-26 win over Oklahoma.

The Rebels haven’t been threatened since that win over Oklahoma, with a 34-24 win over Florida on Nov. 15 providing the smallest margin of victory during that stretch. Considering Ole Miss outgained the Gators by more than 200 yards, the 10-point margin didn’t accurately reflect the team’s dominance.

With nine consecutive wins under its belt, Georgia has been similarly dominant over that same stretch. It was also Florida, in a 24-21 game in Athens, that gave the Bulldogs their toughest fight since that hard-fought victory over Ole Miss.

There was also the bruising 16-9 victory over rival Georgia Tech in the regular-season finale, but a 28-7 thumping of Alabama in the SEC title game indicates that Kirby Smart’s team is at its best entering the Sugar Bowl.

Georgia will have nearly a month’s worth of rest while Ole Miss took a few lumps in a decisive 41-10 win over Tulane in the first round of the CFP last Saturday.

When the two teams face off in New Orleans, 75 days will have passed, but

ä See REVIEW, page 4C

Diggs, Jones among Louisiana spice in the Sugar Bowl

BY CHRISTOPHER DABE Staff writer

Logan Diggs stood in the backfield to the left of Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, slightly bent at the waist and with his hands against the outer part of his thighs.

Chambliss clapped, and the ball was snapped — not to Chambliss, but to Diggs, who quickly raised his hands to catch the shotgun snap and followed his blockers 3 yards into the end zone. The direct-snap touchdown for Diggs — a former Rummel standout whose five-year college career included an ACL tear at the end of his one season with LSU — came on the

first play of the fourth quarter in a College Football Playoff win on Saturday against Tulane.

On the other side of the ball for Ole Miss was starting linebacker Andrew Jones, a John Ehret product who spent two seasons at Memphis before becoming one of the top tacklers in the country while at Grambling, leading to another transfer to Ole Miss for his final college season.

The next game for the duo will come New Year’s Day in the Allstate Sugar Bowl for the CFP quarterfinal against Georgia — a sort of homecoming for both New Orleans area natives.

Diggs scored his touchdown after first-team all-SEC running

back Kewan Lacy went out with what Ole Miss coach Pete Golding told reporters afterward was a bruised shoulder.

Against Tulane, Diggs ran four times for 11 yards and had two receptions for 25 yards. His season totals are 29 carries for 179 yards (6.2 yards per carry) and four touchdowns, plus four receptions for 37 yards.

Diggs has not topped four carries in a game since he ran seven times for 91 yards and a touchdown in the season opener against Georgia State.

This is the first fully healthy season for Diggs since he tore an ACL

FILE PHOTO By JOHN OUBRE

Rummel running back Logan Diggs carries the ball against Catholic High ä See BOWL, page 4C during the 2020 football season at Memorial Stadium.

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Faulks adds ex-Southern player Balancier to staff

A familiar name is coming back to Southern as part of Marshall Faulk’s first coaching staff.

Former standout player Anthony Balancier will be the defensive backs coach, a university official confirmed to The Advocate on Wednesday.

Balancier makes his way back to Baton Rouge after serving as the defensive quality control analyst and assistant cornerbacks coach at Colorado from 2023-25.

Balancier was an All-Southwestern Athletic Conference secondteam linebacker as a junior in 2012. He was named the defensive MVP of the 2013 SWAC championship game in a 34-27 double-overtime win. He had 11 tackles, an interception and a forced fumble in the game.

Nuggets forward Johnson to miss at least 4 weeks

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott throws during the first half against the Washington Commanders on Thursday in Landover, Md.

Denver Nuggets forward Cam Johnson is expected to miss at least four to six weeks after hyperextending his right knee Tuesday in Dallas, the team announced before hosting Minnesota on Christmas.

Johnson underwent an MRI that revealed a bone bruise Wednesday.

Johnson, 29, is averaging 11.7 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game in his first season as a Nugget. Denver traded Michael Porter Jr. and a future first-round pick for him in June. He started the season in a nasty slump but turned a corner around mid-November, helping the Nuggets to a 10-5 record in games without Gordon and Braun.

In his last 17 games, Johnson was averaging 14.6 points on 52.3% shooting from beyond the arc.

Cowboys start fast to beat Commanders

Marlins pick up closer Fairbanks on 1-year deal

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By NICK WASS

BY DAVID GINSBURG Associated Press

LANDOVER, Md. — The Dallas Cowboys had every excuse for starting the game with a thud. Instead, they roared out in front and made the most of a road trip on Christmas Day. Dak Prescott threw for 307 yards and two touchdowns, and the Cowboys took control at the outset against Washington by reaching the end zone on each of their first three possessions in a 30-23 victory Thursday.

Both teams previously were eliminated from playoff contention, which severely lessened the significance of this matchup between longtime NFC East rivals.

But you couldn’t tell that to the Cowboys (7-8-1), who raced to a 21-3 lead.

“It was huge,” Prescott said.

“Not playing for anything, you want to get on top and not give them any hope. It’s important to make them play from behind, but we’ve got to do a better job of finishing.”

The Commanders (4-12) cut the gap to a touchdown on three different occasions, but they couldn’t complete the comeback and absorbed their 10th loss in 11 games.

Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer was absolutely certain his team wouldn’t be flat. Not after losing three straight and not with a .500 season still possible.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By STEPHANIE SCARBROUGH

Dallas Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson catches a touchdown pass as Washington Commanders safety Quan Martin defends during the first half on Thursday in Landover, Md. “I never worry about these guys’ effort. I really don’t,” he said. “These guys are built different, man. I had no question we would come out and play hard. I thought we were hitting on all cylinders offensively early on.”

Prescott completed 19 of 37 passes and helped Dallas convert all six of its fourth-down tries. His two TD passes gave him 30, tying Tony Romo’s franchise record of four seasons with at least 30 touchdown throws.

Prescott shrugged off six sacks, including three by Jer’Zhan New-

ton.

“I was in my zone. Whenever I catch fire, it’s hard to cool me off,” Newton said.

Prescott can attest to that, noting, “I took some hits, but I was able to come out clean.”

Playing without injured quarterbacks Jayden Daniels (elbow) and Marcus Mariota (quad, hand), Washington turned to 39-year-old journeyman Josh Johnson. Making his 10th career start and first since 2021, Johnson went 15 for 23 for 198 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions.

“I was just trying to play clean and give us a chance to win the game,” Johnson said. “We had a chance. Unfortunately, we just came up short.”

Dallas ran 87 offensive plays to 41 for Washington. The Cowboys also dominated the time of possession by more than 17 minutes. But the outcome wasn’t decided until Dallas kept hold of the ball for the final two minutes, ending the game by converting a fourth down.

Jacory Croskey-Merritt scored on runs of 10 and 72 yards for Washington. The latter touchdown got the Commanders to 24-17 in the third quarter, but Dallas restored its double-digit lead with a 52-yard field by Brandon Aubrey.

Aubrey added a 51-yarder to make it 30-20 with 3:59 remaining.

After Prescott threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to tight end Jake Ferguson on the game’s opening drive, Johnson went 3 for 3 for 68 yards to get Washington to 7-3.

The key play was a 41-yard completion to Deebo Samuel, Johnson’s longest since 2018. Samuel finished by running into Donovan Wilson, knocking the safety’s helmet off.

On their second possession, the Cowboys converted three fourth downs on a 17-play march that ended with a touchdown run by Javonte Williams. Prescott then made it three TDs in three drives with an 86-yard scoring pass to KaVontae Turpin.

Vikings force 6 TOs, eliminate Lions from playoffs

BY DAVE CAMPBELL

AP pro football writer

MINNEAPOLIS — Jordan Addison took a jet sweep handoff 65 yards for the game-sealing touchdown with 3:43 left after the Minnesota Vikings forced six turnovers and eliminated the Detroit Lions from contention for the playoffs with a 23-10 victory Thursday.

Harrison Smith, the 14th-year veteran safety, had one of the two interceptions and one of the five sacks of Jared Goff as the Vikings (8-8) won their fourth straight game. Goff was charged with three lost fumbles, once on a sack and twice on errant snaps by backup center Kingsley Eguakun.

With the third straight loss for the Lions (8-8), the Green Bay Packers clinched at least a wildcard spot and could still catch the Chicago Bears for the NFC North title that went to Detroit the past two seasons and Minnesota the year before that.

The Lions and Vikings combined

for 29 wins last season, making this an attractive matchup for the NFL’s three-game Christmas Day showcase before injuries and other assorted setbacks took them out of the race.

Undrafted rookie Max Brosmer started for the injured J.J. McCarthy at quarterback and — with the Vikings missing starters at both tackle spots, center and tight end — took seven sacks while going just 9 for 16 for 51 yards against a relentless pass rush.

The Vikings had only 75 net yards before Addison took the ball and burst around the right end untouched for his longest career score, capping it with a dive at the pylon to make sure the ball got in as he was pushed ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By BRUCE KLUCKHOHN out of bounds.

But Brosmer protected the ball Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff is chased by Minnesota Vikings the way Goff usually does, help- linebacker Dallas Turner during the first half of a game on Thursday in ing set up Will Reichard for three Minneapolis. field goals and making sure the remarkable effort by the defense didn’t get wasted.

Isaac TeSlaa late in the second That was the first passing touchGoff went 18 for 29 for 197 quarter to cap a 19-play, 80-yard down allowed by the Vikings in yards and a touchdown pass to drive that took 10:08 off the clock. seven games.

The Miami Marlins made their first sizable free-agent investment in two years on Wednesday, agreeing to terms with veteran righthander closer Pete Fairbanks on a one-year, $13 million deal.

Fairbanks will become the team’s second-highest-paid player, behind Sandy Alcantara, and gives the Marlins their most established closer in several years.

Fairbanks, 32, had 27 saves (in 32 chances) and a 2.83 ERA in 61 games for Tampa Bay last season, allowing 63 runners in 601/3 innings with 59 strikeouts.

He had 90 saves and a 2.98 ERA in seven seasons for Tampa Bay. Peter Bendix, the president of baseball operations for the Marlins, was familiar with Fairbanks because of their time together with the Rays.

Backup QB throws one pass to win Hawaii Bowl

HONOLULU — Backup quarterback Luke Weaver threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to Nick Cenacle with 10 seconds left, and Hawaii rallied for a 35-31 comeback victory over California in a thrilling Hawaii Bowl on Wednesday night.

Weaver entered the game after Micah Alejado took a hard hit on the previous play. With the Rainbow Warriors (9-4) in range for a tying field goal, coach Timmy Chang took a shot at the end zone.

Alejado finished 32 of 46 for 274 yards and three touchdowns, helping Hawaii rally from an early 21-0 deficit. Pofele Ashlock had 14 catches for 123 yards and two TDs for the Rainbow Warriors, who scored 22 points in the fourth quarter.

Norwegian biathlete, 27, found dead in hotel room

Norwegian biathlon Olympic hopeful Sivert Guttorm Bakken died suddenly. He was 27.

“The International Biathlon Union is deeply saddened to learn that Norwegian biathlete Sivert Guttorm Bakken has passed away at the age of 27 during a training camp in Italy,” the sport’s governing body said Tuesday.

Bakken was found dead in his hotel room in the Alpine town of Lavaze in the Trentino region of Italy, Norwegian TV NRK said. Bakken was diagnosed with myocarditis, a heart condition, in 2022 and took a break.

He was the reigning European champion in the 10-kilometer sprint and two relays, and was preparing to compete in the Winter Olympics.

The Advocate ■ theadvocate.com ■ Friday, December 26, 2025 ■ 3C

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The Harbaugh way Players describe experiences under each brother’s tutelage

JOSH TOLENTINO

Baltimore Sun (TNS) BALTIMORE — When Alohi Gilman learned that he was being traded to the Baltimore Ravens in early October, his phone buzzed with a message that made him pause amid the expected chaos from an in-season, crosscountry move from Los Angeles to Baltimore.

Jim Harbaugh, a coach who trusted him and pushed the Chargers toward a tougher identity over the past two seasons, wanted Gilman to know that he’d be missed.

“He said he’s bummed for me to leave,” Gilman recalled. “But happy that he knows where I’m going … he knows I’m in good hands.”

Gilman is one of three current Ravens, along with outside linebacker David Ojabo and practice squad wide receiver Cornelius Johnson, who have played for both John and Jim Harbaugh. Together, they offer a rare inside look at two of the most decorated coaching siblings in football history.

The Harbaugh family tree has intersected at the highest level. John holds a 3-0 edge over his younger brother Jim in their head-to-head matchups as opposing NFL coaches.

There was the Thanksgiving night game in 2011, when the Ravens beat the 49ers, 16-6. There was the biggest stage of all, Super Bowl XLVII, a 34-31 Baltimore victory that remains etched in league history as the “Harbaugh Bowl.” The Harbaugh brothers met on opposite sidelines again in November 2024, when the Ravens defeated the Chargers, 30-23, at SoFi Stadium.

Jim, who turned 62 on Tuesday, has never forgotten any of the matchups with John, 63.

“My brother, my best friend, I love him, I’m proud of him,” Jim said in February. “He earned that (Super Bowl XLVII victory) and he deserved that and his team did. When I say it motivates me every day, it’s every day.”

Competition runs deep in the Harbaugh family, even

from afar. After the Chargers defeated the Steelers in Week 10, aiding the Ravens in the AFC North race, John jokingly acknowledged that he texted his younger brother numerous “good luck” and “thank you” messages that week.

“I was very pleased with the outcome,” John Harbaugh said with a big laugh on Nov. 10, one day after Jim’s Chargers defeated Pittsburgh.

For the three Ravens who have experienced both brothers up close, the similarities often outweigh the differences. The Harbaughs are unapologetically oldschool, and both brothers always credit their mother, Jackie, and father, Jack, who spent more than four decades coaching among the college ranks.

“They have a true passion for their dad and that family and that family tree and football,” Ojabo said. “Experiencing it in their delivery … they have their own unique way of handing off messages. Both are very football-oriented. They keep the main thing the main thing, every single story somehow has a way to relate back to football. Which again, is what we get paid to do, so their messaging is perfect in my eyes.”

Said Gilman: “They’re a big football family. They’re all about ball. Kind of a nononsense environment, just all about ball.”

Each Harbaugh brother has carved his own path.

Jim spent more than a decade in the NFL playing as a quarterback and now as a coach gravitates toward the “offense as his baby,” Gilman said. John worked his way up through special teams and defense, and he still expresses plenty of passion with those specific phases.

Since Gilman arrived in October, the Ravens defense rediscovered its identity, emphasizing communication and physicality. His presence in the secondary also has allowed former college teammate and fellow safety Kyle Hamilton to play closer

to the line of scrimmage. The trade that sent pass rusher Odafe Oweh to Los Angeles was a reminder that even in a season full of twists, Baltimore was determined to reinforce its strengths, deployed for 18 seasons under John.

Ojabo has witnessed the Harbaugh way shape players from the very beginning. He vividly remembers sitting in a diner booth as a teenager when Jim traveled to his New Jersey prep school to sit down with and recruit him to Michigan.

“From that moment, I knew already — this is my coach,” Ojabo said. “His energy was pure and it was strictly football. He also stressed the importance of education, which is very important in my [Nigerian] culture. I was sold.”

Ojabo broke out during his sophomore season, posting 11 sacks. He credits his growth to the Harbaugh mentality, repeatedly drilled

by Jim. “That confidence instilled from the teaching of the coaching staff, it made you unbreakable,” Ojabo said.

“If [Jim or John] put you out there, you can’t take that for granted, man. They’ve seen a lot of football, won a lot of games, changed a lot of programs.

“I don’t want to let either of them down.”

Draft night brought his journey full circle. John and the Ravens selected Ojabo in the second round in 2022.

“It just shows family,” Ojabo said. “They take care of each other. I’m sure they talked, they exchanged notes. … From the start man, that whole Harbaugh family aspect and football aspect, it’s been conjoined.”

Johnson took a longer road to Baltimore, but he sees a similar heartbeat in both coaches. He spent a rare five years, all at Michigan under Jim, culminating in a national championship season that became a defining moment in Jim’s second act in college football.

“I never transferred. We built something strong there

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By CAROLyN KASTER

Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh walks on the field before a game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Dec. 14 in Cincinnati.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MATT PATTERSON

Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh motions while on the sidelines during a game against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday in Arlington, Texas. with my teammates and coach Harbaugh,” Johnson said. “At Michigan they say, ‘Those who stay will be champions.’ And we ended up being national champions.”

That same offseason, Jim left Michigan to replace Brandon Staley in Los Angeles. On Day 3 of the draft, the Chargers selected Johnson.

“That was a dream come true,” he said. “I’m forever thankful Jim gave me the opportunity.”

“Compared to Staley, [Jim] changed the culture in Los Angeles, the accountability,” Gilman said. “He kind of created that tough-nosed, gritty mentality over there.”

Johnson was later cut by the Chargers and spent the 2024 season on the Packers practice squad. Green Bay waived him this past August, and about a week later, the Ravens called with an offer for him to join the team’s developmental group. Johnson considered the opportunity

Ravens, Packers QBs questionable for Saturday

By The Associated Press GREEN BAY, Wis. — Lamar Jackson is listed as doubtful for Baltimore’s game against the Green Bay Packers on Saturday night as he continues to deal with a back injury that knocked him out of the game against the New England Patriots last weekend.

The two-time MVP quarterback hasn’t practiced this

SAINTS

Continued from page 1C than that, that’s on us.”

The Saints’ performance on third down is just one piece of what has become an increasingly clear picture: In its first year under defensive coordinator Brandon Staley, this defense has turned around quite a few problem areas from the previous regime.

Staley’s defense is allowing 4.95 yards per offensive play. If it maintained that pace, that would be the lowest mark by any Saints defense since 1997. It represents nearly a full yard improvement from last season (5.77).

That applies to rushing defense (126.2 yards allowed per game and 4.1 yards per carry this year, vs. 141.4 ypg and 4.9 ypc last season) and passing defense (177.3 ypg and on track to be team’s best year since 1996).

It also is true of the pass rush (the Saints are on pace for 42 sacks this season, their best year since 2022). The Saints have forced more turnovers this year (18) than last (17) with two games to go.

It hasn’t been a perfect sea-

week after getting hurt in the second quarter of Baltimore’s 28-24 loss. Tyler Huntley, who went 9 of 10 for 65 yards against New England, likely would start if Jackson’s unavailable.

Green Bay (9-5-1) has its own quarterback issues after Jordan Love left the Packers’ 22-16 overtime loss at Chicago last weekend because of a concussion. Love

and Green Bay backup quarterback Malik Willis are both listed as questionable for Saturday’s game against the Ravens (7-8).

Love practiced on a limited basis this week. Willis hurt his throwing shoulder against the Bears and was considered a limited practice participant Tuesday and Thursday. Willis didn’t practice Wednesday because of

an illness.

The Packers also are listing offensive tackle Zach Tom (back/knee), center Sean Rhyan (knee/illness), wide receiver Christian Watson (shoulder/illness), safety Evan Williams (knee) and cornerback/receiver Bo Melton (illness) questionable. Tom and Williams didn’t play against the Bears.

son by any stretch, but the improvement from last season and even from the start of this season is even to find.

That includes those gottahave-it situations when the Saints have a yard or less to defend.

The Saints were a mess in those situations last season.

They allowed opponents to convert 19 of 26 thirdand-1 attempts (73.1%) and 7 of 9 fourth-and-1 attempts (77.8%). This season, they’ve improved both numbers by about 15 percentage points.

Some of that credit goes to the dirty-work players on the interior who rarely light up the box scores.

Offseason acquisitions Davon Godchaux and Jonathan Bullard have made the Saints stronger at the point of attack.

“That’s the monster in the middle that isn’t talked about enough,” Jordan said.

“For us to have the success we have on these third and shorts, fourth and shorts — it’s interior play.

“Let the big men eat, and let the edges rush.”

But it’s a collective effort. In order to have a truly effective short-yardage defense, Staley said, the second- and third-level

defenders need to seek out contact. Demario Davis has made several critical stops, and the defensive backfield also has chipped in — like Kool-Aid McKinstry did with a chase-down tackle on fourth down against Miami earlier this season.

“We practice a lot of those high-leverage situations, and we scout it heavily,” Staley said. “We really try to pour into it, because any time you get into one of those (downs and distances), whether it’s a third or fourth and 1 or it’s on the goal line, big things are at stake.”

New Orleans has defended only 35 such plays this season — a fraction of its overall defensive snaps — but the high-leverage moments can play a huge factor in swinging the outcome of games.

The fourth-down stops are turnovers. A thirdand-1 stop can be the difference between a punt and a touchdown drive.

“You look at the win probability after knocking one of those down, it totally changes the complexion of a football game,” Staley said. “I think that we’ve been able to do a good job of that this year. We just need

to stay the course. They’re not easy downs, and you’re just one game away from feeling different.”

to work under the older Harbaugh a no-brainer.

“They’re different,” Johnson said of Jim and John, “but you also see a lot of similarities in between like some of their mannerisms.

They both talk about their father, Jack Harbaugh, a lot. They both like boxing.

It makes sense because they grew up together. It’s cool to see that. They have a lot of similarities in some of the ways they do stuff with the team meetings and how they deliver messages.”

After they shared a dormitory hall and multiple classes at Michigan, Johnson and Ojabo are reunited in Baltimore. The NFL season has been a blur, but during down times, the pair of teammates enjoy reflecting on their individual journeys, playing for both Jim and now John.

With just two weeks re-

maining in the regular season, the Ravens currently sit outside the AFC’s playoff picture, while the Chargers sit in the No. 5 seed.

Regardless of how the season finishes out, the Harbaugh brothers have changed programs, created legacies and lifted trophies on different levels.

Throughout their individual coaching careers, family and football always serves as the foundation.

“You’ve got to realize, man, they’re legends,” Ojabo said. “Think about brothers, blood brothers, winning together and playing against each other on the biggest stage. You can’t script that up. So you’ve got to take it all in while it’s here.

“I don’t know if there’s ever going to be brothers coaching at this level in the future. You’ve got to take it all in.”

Notice is hereby given pursuant to Article 7, Section 23(C) of the Louisiana Constitution and R.S. 47:1705(B) that a public hearing of Central Community School System in East Baton Rouge Parish will be held at its regular meeting place in the School Board Conference room of the School Board Office, located at 11576 Sullivan Road, City of Central, LA 70818 on Monday, February 9, 2026 at 5:30 p.m. to consider levying additional or increased millage rates without further voter approval by adopting the adjusted millage rates after reassessment and rolling forward to rates not to exceed the prior year’s maximum. The estimated amount of tax revenues to be collected in the next year from the increased millage is $9,716,297 and the amount of increase in taxes attributable to the millage increase is $ 952,892.

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TV ratings fall for first round of College Football Playoff

BY JOE REEDY AP sportswriter

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By RyAN SUN

Ohio State Buckeyes defensive coordinator Matt Patricia arrives before a game against Michigan on Nov. 29 in Ann Arbor, Mich.

Ohio St. assistant Patricia fitting in at college nicely

BY JOE REEDY

AP sportswriter

Matt Patricia is used to postseason runs from his days as the defensive coordinator of the New England Patriots.

But Patricia acknowledges the preparation for the College Football Playoff ä Ohio State is different than the vs. Miami, 6 P.M. WEDNESDAy, ESPN NFL. Patricia is in his first season as the Ohio State defensive coordinator as the No. 2-seeded Buckeyes (12-1) get ready to face 10th-seeded Miami (11-2) in a CFP quarterfinal at the Cotton Bowl on Dec. 31.

“It’s a learning (process) for me. We’d have bye-week kind of moments in the NFL, but this is a really long layover and break,” Patricia said. “Right now, I’m trying to trust the expertise in the building. Some of the things we did transfer, you know, because we have some different kind of scheduling and when everybody is in school and that stuff.”

Ohio State was off for two weeks after its 13-10 loss to Indiana in the Big Ten championship game Dec. 6. Players mostly were occupied with final exams while waiting to see who they would face in the Cotton Bowl.

With the Buckeyes going for consecutive national championships for the first time in school history, Patricia’s first season in Columbus has exceeded expectations. He was hired after Jim Knowles left for Penn State, tasked with leading a unit that returned only three starters, none on the defensive line.

Patricia and Ohio State made an emphatic opening statement in their Aug. 30 14-7 victory over Texas and continued the momentum throughout the season.

The Buckeyes are ranked either first or second nationally in nine different categories. They lead the nation in scoring defense (8.2 points per game), passing yards (129.1), red-zone scores (66.7%) and fewest plays of 10 or more yards (90).

Ohio State had three AP AllAmerica first-team selections on the defense — defensive tackle Kayden McDonald, linebacker Arvell Reese and safety Caleb Downs. All three, plus linebacker Sonny Styles, are projected to be first-round picks in the April NFL draft.

Patricia, who returned to coaching in college for the first time since 2002, is a finalist for the Broyles Award, which is given to

REVIEW

Continued from page 1C

“It’s a learning (process) for me. We’d have bye-week kind of moments in the NFL, but this is a really long layover and break.

Right now, I’m trying to trust the expertise in the building.

Some of the things we did transfer, you know, because we have some different kind of scheduling and when everybody is in school and that stuff.”

Last weekend’s first round of the College Football Playoff averaged 9.9 million viewers on ABC, ESPN, TNT, TBS and truTV, according to ESPN and Nielson. That is a 7% drop from last year.

A big reason for the drop was that the final game, James Madison vs. Oregon, was on TNT, TBS and truTV and not on ABC and ESPN, along with an NFL game in prime time.

The Chicago Bears’ 22-16 overtime victory over the Green Bay Packers on Fox averaged 21.3 million viewers while Oregon’s 51-34 win over James Madison drew 4.4 million. Last year’s Ohio State-Tennessee game on ABC/ESPN averaged 14.3 million, plus it did not go up against an NFL game.

The most-watched CFP game was Alabama’s 34-24 comeback victory over Oklahoma, which averaged 14.9 million on a Friday night on ABC/ESPN. Not only was that the highest-viewed CFP firstround game in the two years of the expanded 12-team field, it was the fifth-most watched game of the season. Six of the top 20 mostviewed games this year involve Alabama.

Last year’s CFP opener between Notre Dame and Indiana averaged 13.4 million.

Miami’s 10-3 win over Texas

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ALONZO ADAMS

Alabama wide receiver Lotzeir Brooks makes a touchdown catch against Oklahoma on Dec. 19 in Norman, Okla.

A&M averaged 14.8 million on ABC/ESPN on Saturday afternoon and more than doubled the 6.4 million that tuned in for the SMUPenn State game in the same time slot on TNT/TBS and truTV. The Hurricanes’ victory was the sixth-most watched game of the season.

Ole Miss’ 41-10 rout of Tulane averaged 6.2 million on TNT/TBS and truTV, down from the 8.6 million average from last year’s Texas-Clemson game in the same time slot and networks.

The Saturday middle CFP game

has had competition from the NFL the last two years. Philadelphia’s 29-18 win over Washington on Fox averaged 15.5 million, the same audience that tuned in for last year’s game between Pittsburgh and Baltimore.

ESPN sublicenses CFP games to TNT/TBS and truTV. Besides two first-round games again next year, the Warner Bros. Discovery channels will have two quarterfinals and a semifinal game.

Last year’s four quarterfinal matchups averaged 16.9 million on ESPN and ESPN2.

MATT PATRICIA, Ohio State defensive coordinator the top assistant coach in college football.

“The players have done an unbelievable job. Again, give them all the credit. I think they’ve played so hard and aggressive and flying around on the field.

And it is a lot of fun. I tell them all the time, it’s such a privilege to be up there in front of the group and talk to the group,” Patricia said. “And just for me, personally, it has been so much fun to come back to college and have that little bit of a youthful energy with the players that we have here and their excitement to go out and play.”

When Patricia was hired, many lauded his ability to adjust his personnel by running multiple fronts and coverages. He also has shown the ability to relate to players.

“When he first stepped on campus here, it was like a long-lost family member that just came back from whatever he came from, but he came back home,” defensive end Kenyatta Jackson said. “And I mean, all the guys love him. Even offensive guys.

He don’t just talk to the starters or whatever the case may be, but he talks to everybody. And I think that’s why everybody loves him.”

One person who hasn’t been surprised about Patricia’s success is the guy who hired him.

“His background speaks for itself and putting guys into a situation to be successful. And every player just wants someone that’s going to be there to get them better but also wants someone to care about them. He’s done both of those things,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said. “It’s great to have somebody in the building who has been through some of the games he’s been through, the Super Bowls and a lot of playoff games, so there’s a confidence level the guys have in him. So, I think all of that adds up to what you’re seeing.”

in the fourth quarter.

Stockton stands out

STAFF FILE PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD

Bonnabel running back Kyrin Brown is stopped by John Ehret linebackers Jersey Brown, left, and Andrew Jones on Oct. 22, 2020, in Metairie. Jones now plays for Ole Miss.

BOWL

Continued from page 1C while playing in what turned out to be his final game with LSU. Diggs played his first two college seasons at Notre Dame but transferred to LSU for the 2023 season. He was the second-leading rusher behind Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Jayden Daniels going into the ReliaQuest Bowl against Wisconsin that season.

Diggs had one carry for 1 yard in that game, and he was on the field for several other plays as a blocking back. He ran pass routes on other plays.

Late in the first quarter, Diggs caught a swing pass from out of the backfield. After a tackle near the Wisconsin sideline, he stayed on the grass at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, for a moment and pressed both hands against his left knee until teammate Brian Thomas helped him to his feet. Diggs limped across the

els have gained 2,607 yards and 36 touchdowns on 528 attempts for an average of 4.6 yards a carry.

Sophomore running back Kewan Lacy, a Missouri transfer, has run 273 times for 1,366 yards and 21 touchdowns this season.

Against Georgia, he ran 12 times for 31 yards and two touchdowns.

As a team, the Rebels managed just 88 yards on 24 carries.

That’s a significant dip from the Rebels’ average of 185.6 rushing yards a game.

field to the LSU sideline. The play got negated by an illegal formation penalty.

Diggs entered the transfer portal soon after that game and chose Ole Miss, a school that recruited him hard three years earlier when he was a senior at Rummel.

His time at Ole Miss consisted largely of rehabbing from the ACL tear in 2024, when he missed the entire regular season and wore a knee brace when he made his team debut with two touches (one carry, one reception) for 21 yards in the Gator Bowl win against Duke.

Ole Miss coaches never pressured Diggs to come back from the injury sooner than he did.

“I didn’t feel rushed at all,” Diggs told reporters in March. “I feel like it was the perfect time to come back.”

Jones came to Ole Miss after two seasons at Grambling, where he ranked sixth in the country in total tackles (122) and was a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award, which is presented annually to the top defensive player in the FCS.

Jones redshirted his first season at Memphis and ended his twoyear stay at the school with four total tackles in 14 games.

Jones has started the last four games after he registered only three tackles through the first six games but drew some notice with four tackles late in the first matchup against Georgia. His eight tackles in the Egg Bowl against Mississippi State were a season-high.

Other South Louisiana products on the Sugar Bowl rosters include Ole Miss safety Sage Ryan, another LSU transfer who attended Lafayette Christian. Also on the team are freshman safety Anthony Robinson (Destrehan High School), and offensive linemen Jude Foster (Southern Lab) and Ethan Fields (Dutchtown). Corey Adams, a 2025 signee out of Edna Karr, died in a shooting just outside Memphis in the summer. For Georgia, kicker Peyton Woodring is from Ascension Episcopal.

Contact Christopher Dabe at cdabe@theadvocate.com

In the second half, Stockton completed all 12 of his pass atit’s worth noting what happened the tempts for 135 yards and three touchdowns. last time they played.

The performance was made all Bulldogs dominate fourth the more impressive considering Ole Miss appeared to be in con- Stockton was banged up entertrol after three quarters with a ing the game, missing a pair of 35-26 advantage, but Georgia practices early in the week as he owned the final 15 minutes at battled an oblique injury.

He showed up strong in cruSanford Stadium.

The Bulldogs outscored the cial moments against Ole Miss, Rebels 17-0 in the fourth quar- finishing with 26 completions on ter with quarterback Gunner 31 attempts for 289 yards and five Georgia TEs deliver Stockton connecting on touch- touchdowns. He also ran 10 times Georgia hadn’t leaned on its ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By COLIN HUBBARD down passes to Nate Frazier and for 59 yards and a TD. tight ends much entering the conLawson Luckie. Lafayette native test against Ole Miss, but Stockton Ole Miss wide receiver Deuce Alexander catches a pass against Georgia Peyton Woodring put the finish- Rebels struggle to run found his big targets often against on Oct. 18 in Athens, Ga. ing touches on the win with a 42While Ole Miss QB Trinidad the Rebels. yard field goal with 2:06 remain- Chambliss has received much of Luckie pulled in five receptions ing.

It’s a fair bet that Pete Golding, find a way to make sure the dethe buzz this season as the leader for 43 yards and three touchdowns The Georgia defense held Ole of the offense, it’s the rushing at- while Oscar Delp caught four the Rebels defensive coordinator fense doesn’t let the tight ends get Miss to 13 yards of total offense tack that sets the tone. The Reb- passes for 42 yards. turned head coach, will have to loose in the Caesars Superdome.

The Advocate ■ theadvocate.com ■ Friday, December 26, 2025 ■ 5C

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Skiing star Shiffrin eyes big weekend

BY ANDREW DAMPF AP sportswriter

Mikaela Shiffrin has plenty to celebrate this Christmas.

The American skiing standout is off to a perfect start in slalom during the Olympic season with four wins in four World Cup races. And she’s regaining her form in other disciplines, too, following the two biggest crashes of her career.

“This season so far I had the ability to like bring top level turns in those pressure moments,” Shiffrin said. “The world when they’re watching thinks there’s no pressure because I have a big lead or I did it the race before but every single time I stand in the start it’s like a new situation and I found a way so far. I found a way to dig really deep to find that quality skiing. But it’s not straightforward. It takes so much effort.”

This weekend, Shiffrin returns to the Austrian resort of Semmering where she’s claimed seven of her record 105 World Cup victories. On two occasions, Shiffrin has claimed three victories in three days in Semmering — in 2016 and in 2022.

This season there are just two

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By MARCO TROVATI

Mikaela Shiffrin of the U.S. poses with Santa Claus as she celebrates on the podium after winning an alpine skiing women’s World Cup slalom on Nov. 15 in Levi, Finland. races: a giant slalom on Saturday and then a slalom on Sunday.

While Shiffrin has won a record 22 World Cup giant slaloms, she hasn’t been on the podium in the discipline since before her nasty crash in Killington, Vermont, last season — which left her with a deep puncture wound in her side

and severe trauma to her oblique muscles.

But Shiffrin has been getting closer in giant slalom, finishing fourth twice this season, including in the last race in Tremblant, Quebec.

“It’s just going to keep taking time,” she said. “I want to just keep

improving or maybe get repetition from the slalom level.”

Shiffrin also recently entered a super-G in St. Moritz, Switzerland, for her first speed event since crashing in a downhill in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, nearly two years ago. She was on pace for a decent finish until she missed the final gate.

Still, it was progress toward her goal of possibly adding super-G to her program at the upcoming Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, where women’s alpine skiing will be contested in Cortina.

“Even if it’s not the Olympics, super-G is a big goal of mine to return to a strong form in super-G World Cup,” Shiffrin said.

In slalom, Shiffrin’s form is so solid that she’s been able to consistently win by massive margins — an average gap of 1.5 seconds — and quickly recover from errors.

It’s quite a turnaround from the second half of last season, when Shiffrin was struggling with posttraumatic stress disorder because of her fall in Killington.

“Right now I can feel when I have a disruption in my momentum and then in my mind it is like a gas pedal,” she said of how she

can turn up the pace mid-run.

One more victory in slalom and Shiffrin will match the best start to a season in her career in the discipline. She won the first five slaloms back in 2018-19.

Overall, Shiffrin has won five straight slaloms including the final race of last season. Her longest total winning streak is seven slaloms, which she has achieved twice.

Already the holder of two Olympic golds — slalom in 2014 and giant slalom in 2018 — Shiffrin could race in four events at the Olympics in Cortina: slalom, giant slalom, super-G and the new team combined.

Shiffrin and downhill teammate Breezy Johnson claimed gold in team combined at last season’s world championships.

The team combined involves one racer competing in a downhill run and then a teammate competing in a slalom run, with the times added together to determine the results.

Lindsey Vonn unsuccessfully campaigned to team with Shiffrin in combined at worlds but now has a better chance at forming a skiing “Dream Team” after her strong start this season at age 41.

Kolek’s big block sparks Knicks in comeback win

BY BRIAN MAHONEY AP basketball writer

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By GERALD LEONG

San Antonio Spurs guard De’Aaron Fox shoots against Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren during the first half of a game on Thursday in Oklahoma City.

Spurs take down Thunder for 3rd time in 2 weeks

BY CLIFF BRUNT AP sportswriter

OKLAHOMA CITY — De’Aaron Fox scored 29 points, and the San Antonio Spurs defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 117-102 on Thursday for their third win over the reigning NBA champs in the past two weeks.

The Spurs also defeated the Thunder in an NBA Cup semifinal on Dec. 13 and in San Antonio on Tuesday. The teams meet again on Jan. 13 in Oklahoma City.

Victor Wembanyama had 19 points and 11 rebounds, and Stephon Castle had 19 points and seven assists for the Spurs (23-7). San

Antonio shot 53.6% from the field and held the Thunder to 38.9% shooting.

It was San Antonio’s eighth straight win and Oklahoma City’s second home loss of the season.

The Thunder entered the day at the top of the Western Conference standings, with the Spurs in second.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 22 points, but the reigning league MVP made just 7 of 19 field goals.

He scored at least 20 points for the 102nd consecutive game.

Isaiah Hartenstein had 13 points and 12 rebounds, and Chet Holmgren added 10 points and 12 rebounds for the Thunder.

Oklahoma City started the season 24-1, tied for the league’s best record through 25 games. The Thunder is 2-4 since, including the three losses to the Spurs.

The Thunder made its first seven field goals and went up 18-12 before Fox helped the Spurs fight back. His 21 points in the first half helped San Antonio head into the break with a 69-60 lead.

The Spurs pushed the lead to 85-68 midway through the third quarter, and a dunk by Dylan Harper late in the third quarter put the Spurs up 91-74. The Spurs led 95-79 at the end of the period and maintained control from there.

NEW YORK — Tyler Kolek sprinted back to chase down Donovan Mitchell and had enough energy left to gloat about his defensive stop afterward.

“Right when Donovan Mitchell was on the ground, I told him that was all ball,” Kolek said.

He was right. A replay review turned what was originally called a foul into a block with 1:45 remaining, one of Kolek’s pivotal plays that had fans chanting his name inside Madison Square Garden on Christmas Day as the New York Knicks rallied to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 126-124 on Thursday.

Cleveland led most of the way and was ahead by 17 points with under 101/ 2 minutes remaining.

But Kolek and fellow reserves Mitchell Robinson and Jordan Clarkson helped spark the comeback, with Kolek scoring 11 of his 16 points in the final period.

Yet it was the second-year guard’s play on the other end of the floor that had fans chanting “Tyler Kolek! Tyler Kolek!”

Jalen Brunson lost control of the ball with Cleveland leading 117116 with 1:47 remaining. Darius Garland scooped it up and threw it ahead toward Mitchell, who was alone near the basket. Kolek, a few steps behind when Mitchell caught it, raced back and swung his hand down as Mitchell was going up for his shot.

A foul was called, and Mitchell grabbed his lower arm in hopes of selling the call. He wouldn’t have needed to had he not appeared to slow down a bit as he neared the rim.

“Lay it up, Dom. Lay it up with one foot,” Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson said. “He knew it. I think he tried to do the two-foot gather and go for the dunk … but he knows. He’ll tell you.”

Mitchell did later acknowledge that he slowed up, because he never expected Kolek to be there.

AP PHOTO By yUKI IWAMURA

New york Knicks guard Tyler Kolek reacts after a 3-pointer in the second half of a game against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday in New york.

“Credit to him, man. I didn’t see him at all,” Mitchell said. “I don’t slow up unless there’s nobody around and he was like at the wing. I didn’t even know anybody was behind me. So, credit to him.

Hell of a play. That’s winning basketball.”

Kolek kept it up afterward.

The Cavs maintained possession because Kolek had batted the ball out of bounds. They missed their next shot and he tracked down the rebound near the sideline, then fed Mikal Bridges for a jumper that gave the Knicks a 118-117 lead.

It was on that play that the chants broke out for the player who got little time as a rookie but is emerging as a key contributor under coach Mike Brown, and was needed down the stretch after Josh Hart left after appearing to roll his ankle earlier in the fourth.

But it’s the block of the All-Star Mitchell that figured to get most of the highlights.

“We always talk about nextplay speed and I saw him running and honestly if he ran and just did a regular layup, I wouldn’t have caught up to him,” Kolek said.

“But he wanted to do some windmill (stuff). He slowed down.

He was trying to do something crazy.”

Warriors’ supporting cast steals show against Mavs JOSEPH DYCUS

Bay Area News Group (TNS) SAN FRANCISCO — On one end of the court was Steph Curry, going through his famed shooting routine with longtime coach Bruce Fraser at Chase Center on Thursday.

On the other was his onetime Splash Brother, Klay Thompson, wearing green Mavericks attire.

One after another, both baskets were peppered with swishes by an all-time great shooter.

But while both looked primed to duke it out on Christmas, it was the role players who propelled the Warriors to an 126-116 victory in

a game in which Curry surpassed the 26,000-point milestone.

No sequence illustrated that strength in numbers ethos quite like the track meet the Warriors put on in the second quarter, when the team ran off six quick fast-break points. Brandin Podziemski’s lob pass to Moses Moody led to the first two points, and on the next possession, Jimmy Butler threw a sky-high lob to Trayce Jackson-Davis for a dunk.

The Warriors got 12 points from Moody, 13 from Podziemski and 64 total points from the bench.

Curry finished with 23 points, De’Anthony Melton had 16 and

Butler scored 14.

Cooper Flagg finished with 27 points and guard Brandon Williams put in 24 points for the Mavericks.

Star Dallas center Anthony Davis pulled up lame while running the fast break at 8:40 in the second quarter and left for the locker room. He did not return. On the other end, the transition attack was a boon for Golden State. Golden State led 71-58 at halftime.

Dallas attempted to use its size to score inside buckets on straightline drives. Helping keep the Mavericks in check was a locked-in Draymond Green.

The Warriors leader had not fin-

ished the past two games — ejected from one, benched after an argument with coach Steve Kerr in the other — but played without incident against the Mavericks.

The Warriors led 100-89 after three quarters, and the Mavericks mounted a few charges in the fourth, getting the deficit down to 104-99 with around six minutes left. But led by Melton, Curry and Payton, the Warriors held the Mavericks off.

The Warriors (16-15) are now winners of three in a row.

Flagg, the No. 1 pick in the draft, did not disappoint a national TV audience in his first Christmas game.

The league’s top rookie was the center of attention for the Warriors’ defense, especially after Davis left the game. Butler began the night on Flagg, as Green drew the Davis assignment at the other forward spot.

Jackson-Davis even got a few minutes on the rookie in the first quarter, before Green guarded Flagg and did a masterful job of denying him the ball at times.

But the 19-year-old rookie who is putting up 18 points per game was still a handful for Golden State. He showed off a smooth jumper and raw athleticism on a third-quarter dunk over Quinten Post.

6C ■ Friday, December 26, 2025 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

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SCOREBOARD Odds

Punts 1-53.0 3-43.333 Fumbles-Lost 0-0 0-0 Penalties-Yards 11-89 10-71 Time of Possession 38:44 21:16 INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS RUSHING_Dallas, Davis 20-103, J.Williams 13-54, Luepke 7-30, Prescott 4-24. Washington, Croskey-Merritt 11-105, Samuel 2-25, Johnson 2-10, McNichols 1-(minus 2).

PASSING_Dallas, Prescott 19-37-0-307. Washington, Johnson 15-23-0-198.

RECEIVING_Dallas, Lamb 5-46, Pickens 4-78, Tolbert 4-31, Schoonmaker 2-15, Turpin 1-86, Spann-Ford 1-31, Luepke 1-14, Ferguson 1-6.

Washington, McLaurin 5-63, Sinnott 3-29, McNichols 3-12, Samuel 2-68, Moore 1-15, Burks 1-11.

MISSED FIELD GOALS_Dallas, Aubrey 58.

Sports Betting Line NFL Saturday

FAVORITE OPEN TODAY O/U UNDERDOG at LA CHRGRS 1½ 1½ (39½) Houston at GREEN BAY 1½ 3½ (40½) Baltimore Sunday FAVORITE OPEN TODAY O/U UNDERDOG Pittsburgh 2½ 3 (34½) at CLE at CINCINNATI 4 7½ (53½) Arizona Seattle 1½ 7 (42½) at CAR Jacksonville 1½ 6½ (48½) at IND Tampa Bay 1 5½ (45½) at MIAMI New England 1½ 13½ (43) at NY JETS New Orleans 3½ 2½ (39½) at TEN NY Giants 2½ 1½ (41½) at VEGAS at BUFFALO 1½ 1½ (44) Phila at SAN FRAN 3 3 (52½) Chicago

Monday FAVORITE LA Rams

Minnesota 23, Detroit 10

OPEN TODAY O/U UNDERDOG 8½ 8½ (49½)at ATLANTA

College Football Friday

GameAbove Sports Bowl FAVORITE OPEN TODAY O/U UNDERDOG Northwestrn 12½ 10½ (43½) C. Michign Rate Bowl FAVORITE OPEN TODAY O/U UNDERDOG Minnesota 3 1½ (43½) New Mex First Responder Bowl FAVORITE OPEN TODAY O/U UNDERDOG UTSA 8½ 5½ (60½) Florida Intl

Saturday

Military Bowl FAVORITE OPEN Pittsburgh 10½ Pinstripe Bowl FAVORITE OPEN Clemson 3½ Fenway Bowl FAVORITE OPEN Army 2½ Pop-Tarts Bowl FAVORITE OPEN BYU 3½ Arizona Bowl FAVORITE OPEN Fresno State 3½ New Mexico Bowl FAVORITE OPEN North Texas 6½ State Gator Bowl FAVORITE OPEN Missouri 7 Texas Bowl FAVORITE OPEN Houston 3½

Monday

TODAY O/U UNDERDOG 10½ (52½) E. Carolina TODAY O/U UNDERDOG 3 (48½) Penn St. TODAY O/U UNDERDOG 9½ (43½) UConn TODAY O/U UNDERDOG 3½ (55½) Ga Tech TODAY O/U UNDERDOG 5½ (41½) Miami (OH) TODAY O/U UNDERDOG 5½ (53) San Diego TODAY O/U UNDERDOG 4 (44½) Virginia TODAY O/U UNDERDOG 2½ (41½) LSU

Birmingham Bowl FAVORITE OPEN TODAY O/U UNDERDOG Ga Southern 3½ 7 (59½) Applchn St

Tuesday

Independence Bowl FAVORITE OPEN TODAY O/U UNDERDOG Louisiana Tech 6½ 9½ (51½) C. Carolina Music City Bowl FAVORITE OPEN TODAY O/U UNDERDOG Tennessee 8½ 2½ (61½) Illinois Alamo Bowl FAVORITE OPEN TODAY O/U UNDERDOG USC 5½ 6½ (55½) TCU

Wednesday

ReliaQuest Bowl FAVORITE OPEN Vanderbilt 3½ Sun Bowl FAVORITE OPEN Duke 1½ Citrus Bowl FAVORITE OPEN Texas 4½ Las Vegas Bowl FAVORITE OPEN Utah 13½ Cotton Bowl FAVORITE OPEN Ohio State 9½

Thursday, Jan. 1

TODAY O/U UNDERDOG 4½ (47½) Iowa TODAY O/U UNDERDOG 3 (49½) Arizona St. TODAY O/U UNDERDOG 7½ (48½) Michigan TODAY O/U UNDERDOG 16½ (50½) Nebraska TODAY O/U UNDERDOG 9½ (42½) Miami (FL)

Orange Bowl FAVORITE OPEN TODAY O/U UNDERDOG Oregon 1½ 1½ (52½) Texas Tech Rose Bowl FAVORITE OPEN TODAY O/U UNDERDOG Indiana 6½ 7 (48½) Alabama Sugar Bowl New Orleans FAVORITE OPEN TODAY O/U UNDERDOG Georgia 6½ 6½ (56½) Ole Miss

Friday, Jan. 2

Armed Forces Bowl FAVORITE OPEN TODAY O/U UNDERDOG Texas State 6½ 11½ (59½) Rice Liberty Bowl FAVORITE OPEN TODAY O/U UNDERDOG Navy 6½ 7 (54½) Cincinnati Duke’s Mayo Bowl FAVORITE OPEN TODAY O/U UNDERDOG Mississippi St. 2½ 3 (53½) W. Forest Holiday Bowl FAVORITE OPEN TODAY O/U UNDERDOG Arizona 1½ 3 (51½) SMU NBAFriday FAVORITE LINE O/U UNDERDOG Boston 7 (219½) at INDIANA at ATLANTA 4½ (243½) Miami Toronto 9 (228½) at WASH at ORLANDO 6½ (231½) Charlotte at CHICAGO 2 (238½) Philadelphia

Pro basketball NBA EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division New York Boston Toronto Philadelphia

W 21 18 18 16

L 9 11 13 12

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By CHARLIE RIEDEL

Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix is tackled by Kansas City Chiefs defensive end George Karlaftis during the first half of a game on Thursday in Kansas City, Mo. Denver won 20-13.

Brooklyn

9

19

.321

11

Orlando Miami Atlanta Charlotte Washington

W 17 15 15 10 5

L 13 15 16 20 23

Pct .567 .500 .484 .333 .179

GB — 2 2½ 7 11

Detroit Cleveland Chicago Milwaukee Indiana

W 24 17 14 12 6

L 6 15 15 18 24

Pct .800 .531 .483 .400 .200

GB — 8 9½ 12 18

Southeast Division

Central Division

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Southwest Division San Antonio Houston Memphis Dallas New Orleans

Northwest Division

GB — 2½ 3½ 4

L 7 10 16 19 23

Pct GB .767 — .630 4½ .467 9 .387 11½ .258 15½

Oklahoma City Denver Minnesota Portland Utah

W 26 21 20 12 10

L 5 8 10 18 19

Pct GB .839 — .724 4 .667 5½ .400 13½ .345 15

L.A. Lakers Phoenix Golden State L.A. Clippers Sacramento

W 19 16 15 8 7

L 9 13 15 21 23

Pct GB .679 — .552 3½ .500 5 .276 11½ .233 13

Pacific Division

Wednesday’s Games No games scheduled.

Friday’s Games

Boston at Indiana, 6 p.m.

Charlotte at Orlando, 6 p.m.

Miami at Atlanta, 6 p.m.

Toronto at Washington, 6 p.m.

Philadelphia at Chicago, 6:30 p.m.

Milwaukee at Memphis, 7 p.m.

Phoenix at New Orleans, 7 p.m.

Detroit at Utah, 8:30 p.m.

L.A. Clippers at Portland, 9 p.m.

NFL AMERICAN CONFERENCE x-New England x-Buffalo e-Miami e-N.Y. Jets

W L 12 3 11 4 6 9 3 12

T 0 0 0 0

Pct .800 .733 .400 .200

PF 410 434 317 282

PA 300 344 369 426

x-Jacksonville Houston Indianapolis e-Tennessee

W L 11 4 10 5 8 7 3 12

T 0 0 0 0

Pct .733 .667 .533 .200

PF 410 346 419 251

PA 312 249 351 403

Pittsburgh Baltimore e-Cincinnati e-Cleveland

W L 9 6 7 8 5 10 3 12

T 0 0 0 0

Pct .600 .467 .333 .200

x-Denver

W 12

T 0

Pct PF PA .800 362 295

West

L 3

.733 349 301 .400 337 294 .133 217 386

NATIONAL CONFERENCE East y-Philadelphia e-Dallas e-Washington e-N.Y. Giants

W L 10 5 7 8 4 12 2 13

T 0 1 0 0

Pct .667 .469 .250 .133

PF 349 454 332 313

PA 289 477 434 412

Carolina Tampa Bay e-Atlanta e-New Orleans

W L 8 7 7 8 6 9 5 10

T 0 0 0 0

Pct .533 .467 .400 .333

PF 287 347 307 255

PA 337 377 360 338

x-Chicago Green Bay Detroit e-Minnesota

W 11 9 8 7

L 4 5 7 8

T 0 1 0 0

Pct .733 .633 .533 .467

PF 387 364 452 305

PA 354 303 374 320

x-Seattle x-San Francisco x-L.A. Rams e-Arizona

W L 12 3 11 4 11 4 3 12

T 0 0 0 0

Pct .800 .733 .733 .200

PF 443 392 457 321

PA 279 320 299 414

South

North

West

e-Eliminated from playoffs x-clinched playoff spot y-clinched division Thursday’s Games

PF 365 359 359 246

PA 350 348 458 355

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl Washington St. 34, Utah St. 21

Tuesday’s games Boca Raton Bowl

Louisville 27, Toledo 22

New Orleans Bowl

Western Kentucky 27, Southern Miss 16

Frisco Bowl

Ohio 17, UNLV 10

Wednesday’s game Hawai’i Bowl

Honolulu Hawaii 35, Cal 31

Friday’s games GameAbove Sports Bowl

Rate Bowl

First Responder Bowl

Dallas FIU vs. UTSA, 7 p.m. (ESPN)

Saturday’s Games

Houston at L.A. Chargers, 3:30 p.m.

Baltimore at Green Bay, 7 p.m.

Saturday’s games Military Bowl

Annapolis, Md. Pittsburgh vs. East Carolina, 10 a.m. (ESPN)

Pinstripe Bowl

Bronx, N.Y. Clemson vs. Penn St., 11 a.m. (ABC)

Fenway Bowl

Boston UConn vs. Army, 1:15 p.m. (ESPN)

Pop-Tarts Bowl

Dallas 7 17 3 3 — 30 Washington 3 7 10 3 — 23 First Quarter Dal_Ferguson 6 pass from Prescott (Aubrey kick), 9:42.

Was_FG Moody 29, 4:44.

Second Quarter Dal_J.Williams 4 run (Aubrey kick), 12:06.

Dal_Turpin 86 pass from Prescott (Aubrey kick), 7:00.

Was_Croskey-Merritt 10 run (Moody kick), 4:35.

Dal_FG Aubrey 42, :19.

Third Quarter Was_Croskey-Merritt 72 run (Moody kick), 9:34.

Dal_FG Aubrey 52, 4:42.

Was_FG Moody 23, :16.

Fourth Quarter Dal_FG Aubrey 51, 3:59.

Was_FG Moody 51, 2:09.

A_64,407.

Dec. 22

Phoenix New Mexico vs. Minnesota, 3:30 p.m. (ESPN)

Dallas 30, Washington 23 Minnesota 23, Detroit 10 Denver 20, Kansas City 13

First downs Total Net Yards Rushes-yards Passing Punt Returns Kickoff Returns Interceptions Ret. Comp-Att-Int Sacked-Yards Lost

College football

Detroit Central Michigan vs. Northwestern, noon (ESPN)

Dallas 30, Washington 23

Pro football

South

0 0 0

Arizona at Cincinnati, noon Jacksonville at Indianapolis, noon New England at N.Y. Jets, noon New Orleans at Tennessee, noon Pittsburgh at Cleveland, noon Seattle at Carolina, noon Tampa Bay at Miami, noon N.Y. Giants at Las Vegas, 3:05 p.m.

Philadelphia at Buffalo, 3:25 p.m.

Chicago at San Francisco, 7:20 p.m.

New York 126, Cleveland 124 San Antonio 117, Oklahoma City 102 Golden State 126, Dallas 116 Houston 119, L.A. Lakers 96 Minnesota at Denver, n

East

11 4 6 9 2 13

Sunday’s Games

Thursday’s Games

North

Pct .700 .621 .581 .571

W 23 17 14 12 8

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

Detroit 0 7 0 3 — 10 Minnesota 7 0 6 10 — 23 First Quarter Min_A.Jones 1 run (Reichard kick), 1:35.

Second Quarter Det_TeSlaa 4 pass from Goff (Bates kick), 1:05.

Third Quarter Min_FG Reichard 52, 3:03.

Min_FG Reichard 56, 1:57.

Fourth Quarter Det_FG Bates 48, 4:39.

Min_Addison 65 run (Reichard kick), 3:43.

Min_FG Reichard 42, 1:04.

Det Min First downs 16 11 Total Net Yards 231 161 Rushes-yards 30-68 28-158 Passing 163 3 Punt Returns 5-31 0-0 Kickoff Returns 4-116 1-24 Interceptions Ret. 0-0 2-1 Comp-Att-Int 18-29-2 9-16-0 Sacked-Yards Lost 5-34 7-48 Punts 3-53.0 7-51.143 Fumbles-Lost 4-4 1-0 Penalties-Yards 5-25 3-20 Time of Possession 32:30 27:30 INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS RUSHING_Detroit, Gibbs 17-41, Montgomery 10-25, Goff 3-2. Minnesota, Addison 1-65, A.Jones 18-53, Chandler 7-24, Brosmer 2-16.

PASSING_Detroit, Goff 18-29-2-197. Minnesota, Brosmer 9-16-0-51.

RECEIVING_Detroit, St. Brown 8-68, TeSlaa 3-49, J.Williams 2-37, Gibbs 2-23, Montgomery 2-15, Raymond 1-5. Minnesota, Jefferson 4-30, A.Jones 3-10, Oliver 1-8, Sims 1-3.

MISSED FIELD GOALS_None.

Dal 28 480 44-211 269 0-0 5-115 0-0 19-37-0 6-38

Was 17 328 16-138 190 1-0 5-123 0-0 15-23-0 2-8

Orlando, Fla. No. 12 BYU vs. No. 24 Georgia Tech, 2:30 p.m.

(ABC)

Arizona Bowl

Tucson, Ariz.

Fresno St. vs. Miami (OH), 3:30 p.m. (CW)

New Mexico Bowl

Albuquerque No. 23 North Texas vs. San Diego St., 4:45 p.m. (ESPN)

Gator Bowl

Jacksonville, Fla. No. 25 Missouri vs. No. 20 Virginia, 6:30 p.m.

(ABC)

Texas Bowl

Houston LSU vs. No. 21 Houston, 8:15 p.m. (ESPN)

Monday’s games Birmingham Bowl

Birmingham, Ala. Georgia Southern vs. Appalachian State, 1 p.m. (ESPN)

Dec. 30

Independence Bowl

Shreveport Coastal Carolina vs. Louisiana Tech, 1 p.m.

(ESPN)

Music City Bowl

Nashville, Tenn.

Tennessee vs. Illinois, 4:30 p.m. (ESPN)

Alamo Bowl

San Antonio No. 16 Southern Cal vs. TCU, 8 p.m. (ESPN)

Dec. 31

ReliaQuest Bowl

Tampa, Fla. No. 13 Vanderbilt vs. No. 23 Iowa, 11 a.m.

(ESPN)

Sun Bowl

El Paso, Texas Arizona St. vs. Duke, 1 p.m. (CBS)

Citrus Bowl

Orlando, Fla. No. 14 Texas vs. No. 18 Michigan, 2 p.m.

(ABC)

Las Vegas Bowl

Las Vegas No. 15 Utah vs. Nebraska, 2:30 p.m. (ESPN)

College Football Playoff

Quarterfinals At Cotton Bowl, Arlington, Texas Miami at No. 3 Ohio St., 6:30 p.m. (ESPN)

FCS Playoffs

Semifinals Illinois St. 30, Villanova 14 Montana St. 48, Montana 23

Jan. 5

FCS Championship Nashville, Tenn.

No. 2 Montana St. (13-2) vs. Illinois St. (12-4), 6:30 p.m. (ESPN)

College basketball State men’s schedule Thursday’s games

No games scheduled.

Friday’s games

No games scheduled.

Saturday’s games

No games scheduled.

Sunday’s games

UL-Monroe at Kansas State 1 p.m.

Norfolk State at UL, 2 p.m.

State women’s schedule

Thursday’s games

No games scheduled.

Friday’s games

No games scheduled.

Saturday’s games

No games scheduled.

Sunday’s games

Southeastern at Texas, 1 p.m.

Alabama State at LSU, 3 p.m.

Hockey NHL EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division Detroit Montreal Tampa Bay Florida Ottawa Boston Buffalo Toronto

GP W L OT Pts GF 38 22 13 3 47 120 37 20 12 5 45 123 36 20 13 3 43 117 36 20 14 2 42 117 36 18 13 5 41 119 38 20 17 1 41 122 36 18 14 4 40 112 36 16 15 5 37 115

GA 122 124 95 114 113 126 117 121

Carolina Philadelphia N.Y. Islanders Washington N.Y. Rangers New Jersey Pittsburgh Columbus

GP W L OT Pts GF 36 22 11 3 47 121 36 19 10 7 45 111 37 20 13 4 44 107 37 19 13 5 43 117 39 19 16 4 42 104 37 20 16 1 41 103 36 15 12 9 39 110 36 15 15 6 36 108

GA 106 102 104 103 105 110 119 125

Metropolitan Division

WESTERN CONFERENCE Central Division Colorado Dallas Minnesota Utah Nashville St. Louis Winnipeg Chicago

GP W L OT Pts GF 36 27 2 7 61 142 38 25 7 6 56 136 38 22 10 6 50 117 39 18 18 3 39 116 36 16 16 4 36 103 38 14 16 8 36 95 35 15 17 3 33 103 36 13 17 6 32 99

Pacific Division

GA 80 101 99 112 121 131 107 114

GP W L OT Pts GF GA Vegas 35 17 8 10 44 110 104 Anaheim 37 21 14 2 44 129 126 Edmonton 38 19 13 6 44 130 128 Los Angeles 36 15 12 9 39 91 96 San Jose 37 17 17 3 37 109 129 Seattle 35 15 14 6 36 89 107 Calgary 37 15 18 4 34 98 113 Vancouver 36 15 18 3 33 103 122 NOTE: Two points for a win, one point for overtime loss. Top three teams in each division and two wild cards per conference advance to playoffs.

Wednesday’s Games No games scheduled

Thursday’s Games No games scheduled

Friday’s Games

No games scheduled

Saturday’s Games

N.Y. Rangers at N.Y. Islanders, 5 p.m.

Boston at Buffalo, 6 p.m.

Detroit at Carolina, 6 p.m.

Minnesota at Winnipeg, 6 p.m.

Ottawa at Toronto, 6 p.m.

Tampa Bay at Florida, 6 p.m.

Washington at New Jersey, 6 p.m.

Chicago at Dallas, 7 p.m.

Nashville at St. Louis, 7 p.m.

Anaheim at Los Angeles, 8 p.m.

Colorado at Vegas, 9 p.m.

Edmonton at Calgary, 9 p.m.

San Jose at Vancouver, 9 p.m.

Transactions FOOTBALL

National Football League BALTIMORE RAVENS — Designated DL Taven Bryan to return from injured reserve.

FRIDAY’S FAIR GROUNDS ENTRIES Post Time: 12:45PM First Race, Purse $14,000, Claiming $5,000, 3 yo’s & up Six Furlongs-Dirt 01 Dr. Niko (E Nieves) 2-1 02 Itzcoatl (P Lopez) 6-1 03 Homeland Messa (J Mudd) 30-1 04 Kinsman Redeemer (M Murrill) 5-2 05 Red Moscato (A Concepcion) 9-2 06 Storm Strategy (J Rodriguez) 10-1 07 Donegal Dreamer (C McMahon) 9-2 Second Race, Purse $56,000, AOC $20,000, 3 yo’s & up, F & M (fillies and mares) Seven And A Half Furlongs-Turf 01 Rusty’s Sunrise (P Lopez) 8-1 02 Jojo Bean (B Hernandez, Jr.) 9-5 03 Box of Pictures (I Castillo) 10-1 04 Jus Press Star (S Vives) 10-1 05 Lightofmaine (C McMahon) 8-1 06 In B. J.’s Honor (C Hernandez) 6-1 07 Swamp Queen (J Loveberry) 4-1 08 Jus Evelyn (J Graham) 9-2 09 Kalil (M Pedroza, Jr.) 2-1 Third Race, Purse $28,000, Claiming $40,000-

$30,000, 2 yo, F (fillies) Six Furlongs-Dirt 01 Queen of Queens (A Concepcion) 4-1 02 Authentic Angel (J Graham) 8-1 03 Maddie’s Garden (P Lopez) 3-1 04 Miamante (I Castillo) 8-1 05 Summers With Sonya (C McMahon) 6-1 06 Great Owl (H Rea) 12-1 07 Special Sauce (J Loveberry) 9-5 Fourth Race, Purse $18,000, Claiming $15,000-$10,000, 3 yo’s & up, F & M (fillies and mares) Six Furlongs-Dirt 01 Precious Money (A Concepcion) 3-1 02 Congrats Cadet (M Pedroza, Jr.) 4-1 03 The Pretty Sister (H Rea) 5-2 04 Kentucky Cajun (M Murrill) 6-1 05 Sacred Saint (J Mudd) 6-1 06 Thundering Desire (C Hernandez) 6-1 07 Lulu’s Magic (D Magnon) 8-1 Fifth Race, Purse $23,000, Claiming $30,000, 3 yo’s & up One Mile-Turf 01 Sharp Strike (J Loveberry) 12-1 02 Consecrated (M Pedroza, Jr.) 8-1 03 E Lion (I Castillo) 6-1

04 Maki Monarchy (B Hernandez, Jr.) 7-2 05 Date the Prince (D Magnon) 10-1 06 Rock N Roll Bolt (C McMahon) 12-1 07 Jack Rabbit (M Murrill) 20-1 08 Hammer of Justice (P Lopez) 6-1 09 Battle Drum (FR) (A Concepcion) 4-1 10 Bolt From Above (B Curtis) 5-1 11 Cash App Mike (D Cannon) 20-1 12 Texas Splurge (D Cannon) 12-1 Sixth Race, Purse $15,000, Maiden Claiming $12,500, 3 yo’s & up, F & M (fillies and mares) Six Furlongs-Dirt 01 D’ Argonaut (H Rea) 15-1 02 Perfect Union (J Graham) 7-2 03 Torrey Pine (J Riquelme) 6-1 04 Diamond Tiara (J Loveberry) 5-1 05 Illy Simz (D Cannon) 6-1 06 Maiz’n Money (J Mudd) 12-1 07 Mutually Exclusive (M Pedroza, Jr.) 3-1 08 Amora (C McMahon) 9-2 Seventh Race, Purse $30,000, Maiden optional claiming $50,000, 2 yo, F (fillies) One Mile-Turf 01 Cara Felce (A Concepcion) 10-1

02 Ur Fabulous (S Vives) 20-1 03 Grazie Prego (C McMahon) 15-1 04 Struck At Midnight (P Lopez) 3-1 05 Faithful Departed (J Loveberry) 20-1 06 Leah’s First (I Castillo) 15-1 07 Clawless Brit (M Pedroza, Jr.) 12-1 08 Dream Eagle (E Nieves) 20-1 09 Honor Azteca (J Graham) 8-1 10 Don’s Joy (D Cannon) 4-1 11 Jetties (B Curtis) 9-2 12 Loch Fyne (M Murrill) 10-1 13 You’re in Heaven (A Concepcion) 8-1 Eighth Race, Purse $20,000, Claiming $20,000, 3 yo’s & up Six Furlongs-Dirt 01 Hard Line (B Hernandez, Jr.) 9-2 02 Starport (P Lopez) 10-1 03 Blame Me Seriously (I Castillo) 8-1 04 Starry Eyed (E Murray) 4-1 05 Running Ragged (C McMahon) 6-1 06 Prodigy Paradise (C Hernandez) 9-2 07 Yockey’s Drivethru (J Loveberry) 7-2 08 Gabe’s Possum (M Pedroza, Jr.) 5-1 Ninth Race, Purse $55,000, Allowance, 3 yo’s

& up, F & M (fillies and mares) One And One Sixteenth Miles-Turf 01 Sheila’s Lion (J Graham) 8-1 02 Ontario (B Curtis) 7-2 03 Triumphant Spirit (D Cannon) 3-1 04 No Map Needed (J Rodriguez) 15-1 05 Take My Picture (S Vives) 12-1 06 Mambo Queen (B Hernandez, Jr.) 9-2 07 Starina (J Loveberry) 12-1 08 Competitive Threat (IRE) (Cncpcn) 8-1 09 Miskellieanne (I Castillo) 8-1 10 Lady of Sky (M Murrill) 10-1 11 Arijana’s Pearl (H Rea) 8-1 Tenth Race, Purse $14,000, Maiden Claiming $10,000, 2 yo, F (fillies) Six Furlongs-Dirt 01 Betsy Louise (J Mudd) 3-1 02 Go Hot Girl (C Rosier) 10-1 03 Athena’s Iron Lady (E Murray) 12-1 04 Major Move (M Murrill) 3-1 05 Metallic Maid (M Pedroza, Jr.) 12-1 06 Dewey’s Soldier (S Vives) 8-1 07 Sautee Nacoochee (C McMahon) 10-1 08 Jaja Ja Mar (J Loveberry) 5-2

For All Your Outdoor Needs 8630 Perkins Rd, Baton Rouge, LA 70810 | 225-766-1200 | www.bowieoutfitters.com Store hours: Monday-Friday, 9am-8pm Saturday, 9am-7pm

WINDING DOWN

MORE ‘CHRISTMAS’

It’s the final weekend for Skating on the River at the Raising Cane’s River Center Arena. Sessions are at 10 a.m., noon, 2, 4, 6 and 8 p.m. Friday-Sunday, as well as Monday and Tuesday. Each session lasts 75 minutes and skate rental is available. Tickets starts at $28. raisingcanesrivercenter.com.

The Louisiana Art & Science Museum keeps the holiday spirit going as “Coca-Cola Christmas: A Month of Magic” continues.

See larger-than-life Coca-Cola box displays and holiday-themed planetarium shows.

Hours are 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Sunday. lasm.org.

WHAT’S AHEAD

THINGS TO DO THIS WEEKEND

BREC’s Highland Road Park Observatory unveils much of its 2026 schedule of lectures, camps, celestial events, special programs, classes and guests at a party from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Friday. In addition, catch solar viewing noon to 2 p.m., and evening sky viewing 7:30 p.m. to 10 p.m., both on Saturday. brec.org.

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 26, 2025

1dN

HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS WITH CJ SOLAR, ALEX SMITH, JAMES DUPRÉ, RHETT ANTHONY GLINDMEYER, DAVID BORNÉ AND AMANDA SHAW 7 p.m. Sunday l Manship Theatre, 100 Lafayette St. l $25-$55 l manshiptheatre.org and jamesdupre.com

Out with a bang

17 celebrations to ring in your 2026

BY JUDY BERGERON Staff writer

through the actual performance.”

The first two of only four albums by Evans’ landmark trio with bassist Scott LaFaro and drummer Paul Motian, “Portrait in Jazz” and “Explorations” made an immediate impact. DownBeat magazine dubbed the trio’s debut an “album with meaning.” Its follow-up won a four-star DownBeat review and Billboard’s jazz critics’ best piano album poll.

Kisses at midnight, “Auld Lang Syne,” fireworks — all traditional components of New Year’s celebrations near and far.

Close to home, Baton Rouge’s official farewell to one year and welcome to the next is Red Stick Revelry. Drawing the community to downtown’s Rhorer Plaza on Wednesday evening, the free event will offer music leading up to the countdown to 2026 and the Red Stick drop. Fireworks over the Mississippi River will cap off the night.

Louisiana First News (NBC33/ FOX44) anchor Andre Moreau will host the festivities, with LFN broadcasting its full newscast from the event.

But first, Press 1 for English will get the music going on The Crest Stage from 8 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. After 8 takes over with more party music from 10 p.m. to midnight.

The New Year’s Eve fun doesn’t stop there. Here are other events happening throughout the day and evening. All celebrations are in the Baton Rouge unless otherwise indicated: RED STICK RISING: 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., River Center Branch Library and North Boulevard Town Square. New Year’s Eve fun for the kids, including arts activities, the rising of the Red Stick at noon, an “Auld Lang Syne” singalong and The Amazing Bacon stilt walker.

NOON YEAR’S EVE BALLOON DROP: 10 a.m. to noon, Knock Knock Children’s Museum. It’s a family-friendly event with hands-on activities such as kazoo making, “Looking Back, Leaping Forward” goal reflections, and specialty headbands and crowns making. Topping things off is a balloon drop and confetti blast at noon. $15, general admission; free, members and children younger than 2. Pre-purchasing tickets online for a speedier check-in is recommended. https://knockknockmuseum. org/event/noon-years-eve/.

ROOFTOP RING IN: 8:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m., River Terrace, Shaw Center for the Arts. It’s a double celebration for the center as it marks the beginning of 2026 and its 20th anniversary. This special fundraising event will feature entertainment by the band Souled Out and Carl Mack Productions, light hors d’oeuvres, bar service featuring specialty cocktails, unique photo ops, and a premier view of the fireworks show over the river. Proceeds will be donated to the maintenance and enhancement fund of the Shaw Center. The Hotel Indigo Downtown Baton Rouge will offer discounted hotel room rates for event attendees. Tickets are $150/person or $1,500 for a reserved table of eight and can be purchased at https://nyeshawcenter.eventbrite.com/.

NEW YEAR’S EVE BASH: 11 p.m. (doors 10:30 p.m.), L’Auberge Casino & Hotel Baton Rouge.

ä See EVANS, page 2D

ä See CELEBRATIONS, page 2D

James Dupré joins 5 other Louisiana artists for ‘Hitmakers’ concert at the Manship Theatre

A

BY JOHN WIRT

Contributing writer

former Nashville resident, James Dupré won’t be far from home when he performs for this year’s “Hitmakers Home for the Holidays” concert Sunday in Baton Rouge.

A native of Bayou Chicot in Evangeline Parish, Dupré followed his country music dreams in Music City for a decade. He left Nashville in 2021, returning to Acadiana to happily settle in Broussard with his wife, Kelsie, and their daughter, Rellie.

Despite the move, Dupré didn’t give up music. His singing, songwriting and recording career hit a milestone in August when Warner Music Nashville released his third and latest album, “It’s All Happening.”

ä See DUPRÉ, page 2D PROVIDED PHOTO By KORI BACQUE

James Dupré’s singing, songwriting and recording career hit a milestone in August when Warner Music Nashville released his third and latest album, ‘It’s All Happening.’

ALL TOG E TH E R NOW

New Bill Evans set collects original trio’s recordings

BY JOHN WIRT

Contributing writer Six years after Concord Records released the massive 61-track “Everybody Still Digs Bill Evans: A Career Retrospective (1956-1980),” the label has issued a new collection by the late jazz piano great who graduated from Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond.

“Haunted Heart: The Legendary Riverside Studio Recordings” features every studio recording

PROVIDED ALBUM COVER ART

made by the original Bill Evans Trio. The collection pairs the trio’s two studio albums — 1960’s “Portrait in Jazz” and 1961’s “Explorations” — with 26 alternate takes and outtakes.

“What gave that trio its character was a common aim and a feeling of potential,” Evans says in “How My Heart Sings,” Peter Pettinger’s 1998 biography of the innovative and influential pianist.

“The music developed as we performed, and what you heard came

2D ■ Friday, December 26, 2025 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

lll

TODAY IN HISTORY

By The Associated Press Today is Friday, Dec. 26, the 360th day of 2025. There are five days left in the year.

Today in history: On Dec. 26, 2004, a 9.1-magnitude earthquake beneath the Indian Ocean off the Indonesian island of Sumatra triggered a tsunami with waves up to 100 feet high that killed about 230,000 people across a dozen countries as far as East Africa.

The worst-affected countries were Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India and Thailand.

Also on this date: In 1908, Jack Johnson became the first Black boxer to win the world heavyweight championship as he defeated Canadian Tommy Burns in Sydney, Australia.

In 1941, during World War II, Winston Churchill became the first British prime minister to address a joint meeting of the U.S. Congress, just two weeks after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor that plunged the U.S. into the war.

In 1966, Kwanzaa was first cel-

EVANS

Continued from page 1D

ebrated, a seven-day holiday to help African Americans reconnect with their African heritage.

In 1990, Nancy Cruzan, a young woman in an irreversible vegetative state whose case led to a U.S. Supreme Court decision on the right to die, died at a Missouri hospital.

In 1991, the USSR was formally dissolved through a declaration by the Supreme Soviet.

In 2006, former President Gerald R. Ford died in Rancho Mirage, California, at age 93.

In 2021, South African Nobel Peace Prize winner Desmond Tutu died at 90; the retired archbishop had been an uncompromising foe of apartheid and a modern-day activist for racial justice and LGBTQ rights.

Today’s birthdays: “America’s Most Wanted” host John Walsh is 80.

Baseball Hall of Fame catcher Carlton Fisk is 78. Baseball Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith is 71. Humorist David Sedaris is 69. Rock musician Lars Ulrich (Metallica) is 62. Actor-musician Jared Leto is 54. Rock singer Chris Daughtry is 46. Actor Beth Behrs is 40.

Actor Kit Harington is 39.

remain stagnant until it becomes a solo. There are transitional passages — a voice begins to be heard more and more and finally breaks into prominence.”

The groundbreaking first Bill Evans Trio ended when the 25-year-old LaFaro died in a car crash in 1961. A broken artist, Evans didn’t touch the piano for months. Nor could he bring himself to contribute liner notes for “Sunday at the Village Vanguard,” the album his trio recorded 11 days before LaFaro’s death.

“When you have evolved a concept of playing which depends on the specific personalities of outstanding players, how do you start again when they are gone?”

Evans asked.

Following months of silence, Pettinger writes in “How My Heart Sings,” Evans made one or two club appearances. He eventually returned to the keyboard and, despite years of heroin addition, released more than 40 trio albums in his lifetime. His recordings won seven Grammy Awards, two Grammy Hall of Fame awards and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

A native of Plainfield, New Jersey, Evans followed his older brother, Harry Evans, to the music program at Southeastern.

After their graduations, Bill Evans pursued performing while his brother taught music in the East Baton Rouge Parish school system and became the system’s first music supervisor.

Bill Evans returned to Hammond in November 1979 for a performance at SLU with the then-current Bill Evans Trio lineup. After the concert’s first selection, he told the audience: “I won’t go into what kind of special night this is for me. At least two of the four years I spent here were among the happiest of my life.”

Harry Evans’ suicide in April 1979 at 51 years old is believed to have contributed to his brother’s death 16 months later, also at 51, from cirrhosis complications and untreated hepatitis. The brothers are buried side by side at Roselawn Memorial Park in Baton Rouge.

“Haunted Heart: The Legendary Riverside Studio Recordings” is available as a five-LP box set, three-CD box set and high-resolution digital audio. Seventeen tracks are previously unreleased.

The set’s physical editions include rare photos, a fold-out poster, an appreciation by the Doors’ John Densmore and liner notes by jazz journalist Eugene Holley Jr. In his “Haunted Heart” notes, Holley writes that the seemingly entranced Evans coaxed “notes from the piano that sang” and “lingered long after the duration of their prescribed notational time limits; notes that would ultimately resonate with the hearts of listeners for generations to come.”

Evans formed his trio with LaFaro and Motian following sideman studio sessions for Cannonball Adderley’s “Portrait of Cannonball,” Chet Baker’s “Chet: The Lyrical Trumpet of Chet Baker” and Charles Mingus’ “East Coasting.” Impressive, but his eight months in 1958 with trumpeter Miles Davis superseded everything that came before.

Evans toured with the Davis group that included Adderley and John Coltrane and played on nearly every track on Davis’ 1959 release, “Kind of Blue,” the bestselling jazz album in history.

“Bill had this quiet fire that I loved on piano,” Davis writes in his autobiography. “The sound he got was like crystal notes or sparkling water cascading down from some clear waterfall.”

Although Evans’ collaboration with Davis secured his place in jazz history, the pianist entered a new realm of ensemble artistry with Motian and LaFaro, forming the trio that influenced the future of jazz.

“I’m hoping the trio will grow in the direction of simultaneous improvisation rather than just one guy blowing followed by another guy blowing,” Evans said. “If the bass player, for example, hears an idea that he wants to answer, why should he just keep playing a 4/4 background? … in classical Email John Wirt at j_wirt@msn. composition, you don’t hear a part com.

PROVIDED PHOTO

Baton Rouge’s Press 1 for English will lead off the music for Red Stick Revelry at 8 p.m. Wednesday.

CELEBRATIONS Continued from page 1D

Music by Downbeat Louisiana.

Must be 21 or older. Ticket includes access to a premium open bar. $81. lbatonrouge.com.

NEW YEAR’S EVE AT THE QUEEN: 10 p.m. to 2 a.m., The Queen Baton Rouge.

Live music from The Michael Foster Project, along with jackpot jams with Ma3stro, a live DJ taking requests from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.

At midnight, it’s a floorwide Champagne toast, with complimentary Champagne distributed throughout the casino. Pick up complimentary New Year’s Eve party favors on the casino floor from 6 p.m. to midnight (while supplies last).

Free shuttle is available from The Queen to Bally’s. For tickets, visit TheQueenBR.com.

NYE AT BALLY’S: 8 p.m. to 1 a.m., Bally’s Baton Rouge Casino. Live entertainment on the casino floor, complimentary midnight Champagne toast. Partygoers can also pick up complimentary New Year’s Eve party favors on the casino floor from 6 p.m. to midnight. (while supplies last). Free shuttle is available from Bally’s to The Queen. https://casinos.ballys.com/ baton-rouge/.

NEW YEAR’S EVE PARTY: 7 p.m., Crowne Plaza Baton Rouge. Live

DUPRÉ

Continued from page 1D Dupré will sing songs from his first major label album at the multi-artist “Home for the Holidays” show, an acoustic songwriters night at the Manship Theatre with CJ Solar, Alex Smith, Rhett Anthony Glindmeyer, David Borné and Amanda Shaw.

“I’m excited to see everyone,” he said last week. “I know Alex, CJ and all those guys. We did a show together on Mardi Gras this year, representing Louisiana in Nashville. It was a good time.”

Dupré’s other gigs in 2025 included 70 dates on the “More Life Tour.” A celebration of Randy Travis, the tour features Dupré and Travis’ original band performing the country music star’s No. 1 hits.

Travis himself tours with the tribute show, appearing on stage with Dupré and the band.

“The ‘More Life Tour’ celebrates something so much more than a musical moment in time,” Travis said in news release. “It’s a gift to me to spend time with my fans and my band, as James Dupré perfectly presents the songs that best define my career.”

performances by the Chase Tyler Band and Wayne Toups, a Louisiana-inspired dinner buffet, and an open bar. crowneplaza.com.

LAUGHS ON THE LOW: 5:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. (reservation required), The Tunnel Speakeasy, Hilton Baton Rouge Capitol Center. Intimate comedy experience features stand-up, light bites, cocktails and a complimentary Champagne toast. hilton.com, ALL THAT GLITTERS: NYE ROOFTOP PARTY: 8 p.m. to 2 a.m., The Main Lobby.

Live music with Cleave, Alana and a guitarist, 9 p.m. to 11 p.m.; rooftop entertainment featuring DJ Zeus and DJ Strique, 11 p.m. to 2 a.m.; Champagne toast, midnight. Also, signature cocktails and full bar service; elegant NYE dress code encouraged. $28.52. https://www.themainlobbybr.com/.

EMO NIGHT: 8 p.m., Chelsea’s Live.

Hear those nostalgic anthems all night. Emo DJ set with Dan Lion, karaoke. 18 years and up. $15. https://www.chelseaslive.com/.

THE SOUTHERN SOUL NEW YEAR’S EVE BASH: 6:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., Jewel Newman Community Center. Entertainment by Jaye Hammer, K Morris, Tirvarrus, She Go Hard, Mr. Laid Back and DJ Chika. Free food. $37. ticketleap.events.

THE COUNTDOWN: 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. (doors at 5 p.m.), Holiday Inn-College Drive. Live R&B and jazz by Terrell Griffin & Velvet Audio, open

bar and hors d’oeuvres. Also available, late-night breakfast, stay-over packages. (225) 448-2030.

SOJI NEW YEAR’S EVE: 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m., Soji: Modern Asian. Predinner reception followed at 7 p.m. by the first course of a six-course wine dinner. Also complimentary Champagne and cash bar. Limited seating available. Starting at $185. https://www.eatsoji.com/.

NEW YEAR’S EVE DANCE: 6:30 p.m. to 12:30 p.m. (doors 6 p.m.), American Legion Post 38. Music by Eddie Smith Band 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. and Lee Serio Band 9:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. Midnight Champagne toast; cash bar. $25, presale; $30, door. (225) 927-8826.

THE DISCO BALL DROP: A NEW YEAR’S EVE CELEBRATION: 9 p.m., Splash Nightclub. Dance anthems with DJ Ruff, performances by Bombshell’s own Miss Thing & Kozmik, free party favors, a complimentary Champagne toast at midnight, a balloon drop with crazy prizes. From $15. eventbrite.com.

NEW YEAR’S EVE PARTY: 8 p.m. to 1 a.m., The Mallory, St. Francisville. Crafted cocktails, live music, a mechanical bull, complimentary hors d’oeuvres, midnight fireworks display and complimentary Champagne toast. $42.68. bontempstix. com.

Dupré and Travis met in Nashville in 2012. Little did Dupré know that his 10-minute visit with his music hero was a prelude to co-starring with Travis in the 2015 movie, “The Price.”

The “More Life Tour” began in 2019, six years after a nearly fatal stroke paralyzed Travis’ right side and impaired his ability to speak and sing.

Dupré is excited that the “More Life Tour” will finally reach Louisiana next year. The show arrives March 26 in Monroe at the Jack Howard Theatre and March 27 in Baton Rouge at the River Center Theatre for Performing Arts.

“I don’t impersonate him or try to sound like him, because no one can sound exactly like Randy Travis,” Dupré said. “This is a celebration of a country music icon, his life and his music. Besides all his big hits, video plays throughout the show, even some of his movies and TV shows. It’s a beautiful live documentary about Randy Travis.”

Last year, Dupré’s involvement with Travis took another turn when vocals Dupré recorded for an unreleased song, “Where That Came From,” were used as the “bed vocal” for an AI-assisted new Travis single.

CBS News documented the project in a “CBS Sunday Morning” report.

At producer Kyle Lehning’s studio in Nashville, Dupré recalled, “They surprised me and got my reaction on camera. As I’m listening to ‘Where That Came From,’ I hear Randy sing it exactly as how I sang it. I realized ‘OK, this must be AI.’ ” Lehning and Warner Music Nashville wanted Dupré’s blessing as well as his continued participation in the creation of new Travis recordings.

“They were excited about it,” he said. “I was, like, ‘Absolutely. This is incredible.’ ” The Travis recording project opened a second unexpected door for Dupré this year, when Warner Music Nashville finally released an album of songs he recorded with Lehning in 2011. Dupré guesses that the rise of hip-hop and rock-influenced bro-country in the 2010s made his traditional country sound noncommercial.

“I never thought it would see the light of day,” he said of recordings he made during his four-year contract with Warner Music Nashville. “It’s the first project that I did in the studio and it will always be special to me. I’m so glad that it’s actually out in the world.”

Email Judy Bergeron at jbergeron@theadvocate.com.

Email John Wirt at j_wirt@msn. com.

After Christmas Sale

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The Advocate ■ theadvocate.com ■ Friday, December 26, 2025 ■ 3D

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Reader writes in with two hints in our bank safety deposit box.

Dear Heloise: I have a couple of Our co-personal representatives hints to suggest for your column: have access to the passkeys. In I rubber-band my accessible my opinion, this is more secure parking placard to my sun visor than having a safe in our so that when I park in a home since most are not parking space, I just have fireproof! Our funeral to pull down the visor to director also has a copy of expose the parking sign. our instructions. — Ken F., in It is very visible, and I do Nebraska not have to hang it back up on the rearview mirror Hints from Refreshing toys when I vacate the parkHeloise ing lot. I observe other Dear Heloise: I’m writing drivers will leave their about a reader’s advice permit hanging on their mirror that you printed regarding freshwhile driving. This is against the ening a teddy bear. The writer law in our state! I have suggested suggested a used dryer sheet that this to several friends and family was sprayed with air freshener. I members, and they like my idea would not recommend this hint! as well.

The chemicals in the air freshMy wife and I prefer to place ener and dryer sheets are not our wills and funeral instructions healthy for a child to ingest or

inhale up close.

There must be a better way, such as lightly misting the bear with water and air-drying it outside on a spring day. — Trish, in Buffalo, New York Trish, my personal favorite is washing the toy by hand or on a gentle cycle in the washing machine. I wash dog toys this way and usually let them dry overnight. The toy is clean, and if they are not dry by morning, I toss them in the dryer for about 15 minutes.

While a number of toy manufactures suggest using a dryer sheet, I prefer a completely clean toy whenever possible. — Heloise Send a hint to heloise@heloise. com.

SHOWS TO WATCH — BATON ROUGE

AROUND BATON ROUGE

FRIDAY

FRIDAY-TUESDAY

LOUISIANA LIGHTS: half-hour start times between 5:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m., closes 10 p.m. Windrush Gardens, LSU Rural Life Museum, 4560 Essen Lane. Elaborate holiday display where you can wander through enchanting garden rooms illuminated with dazzling lights, where nature blends with artistry.

General admission, $24.76; kids 3 and younger, free. https://www.lsu. edu/rurallife/.

ZOO LIGHTS: 5:30 p.m.-9 p.m. (admission gates close at 8 p.m.), Baton Rouge Zoo, 3000 Zoo Circle, Baker. Presented by Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Health. Magical wonderland of twinkling lights and animal encounters. Adults/teens, $5; seniors, $4; Zoo members, $3 per person; children (2-12), $3; children (1 and younger), free. brec.org.

FRIDAY-WEDNESDAY

HOLIDAY LIGHTS: nightly, Baton Rouge General-Bluebonnet, 8785 Picardy Ave. Thousands of sparkling lights, festive music and a few surprises. Park in the Bluebonnet campus slots near display. Free.

THE MERRIEST MILE: 6 p.m.-10 p.m., Livingston Parish Fairgrounds, 19869 Fairgrounds Road. Christmas light drive-thru event synchronized to holiday music. $30 and up per vehicle.

SATURDAY

RED STICK FARMERS MARKET: 8 a.m.-noon, Fifth and Main streets, downtown. Farm-fresh produce, goods, cooking demonstrations. breada.org.

FAMILY-HOUR STARGAZING: 10 a.m., Irene W. Pennington Planetarium at the Louisiana Art & Science Museum, 100 S. River Road. Learn about the stars and constellations in the local nighttime sky, followed by an all-ages show. lasm.org.

STEM EXPANSION (FALL): 2:30 p.m.6:30 p.m., BREC Highland Road Park Observatory, 13800 Highland Road.

Advanced demonstrations, topic extensions, and all-new games and activities for ages 12-16. This month’s focus: archaeology. $15.

Register at brec.org.

SUNDAY

BATON ROUGE CHESS CLUB: 6 p.m.8 p.m., La Divina Italian Cafe, 3535 Perkins Road, Unit 360. A chance to play and learn; all levels welcome.

Free.

TRIVIA NIGHT: 6:30 p.m., Burgersmith, 18303 Perkins Road. Collect your team and jockey for first place. loom.ly/y-CKtQ4.

BATON ROUGE ZYDECO VS. TOPEKA SCARECROWS (ICE HOCKEY): 7 p.m., Raising Cane’s River Center Arena, 275 S. River Road. $25. raisingcanesrivercenter.com.

ONGOING

ART GUILD OF LOUISIANA: Independence Park Theatre, 7800 Independence Blvd. “A Holiday Retrospective — AGL Member Show 2025,”

STAFF PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK

Spectators enjoy the light show at The Merriest Mile on Dec. 10 at the Livingston Parish Fairgrounds in Livingston. through Jan. 8. (225) 773-8020 or artguildlouisiana.org.

BATON ROUGE GALLERY CENTER FOR CONTEMPORARY ART: 1515 Dalrymple Drive. “Surreal Salon 18,” with special guest juror SWOON,” Jan 2-25. batonrougegallery.org.

CAPITOL PARK MUSEUM: 660 N. Fourth St. “Billy Cannon: They Called Him Legend,” through Jan. 10.

“Grounds for Greatness: Louisiana and the Nation,” “The Louisiana Experience: Discovering the Soul of America,” “African American History,” “Music and Musicians” and “Mardi Gras,” permanent exhibits.

(225) 342-5428 or louisianastatemuseum.org.

CARY SAURAGE COMMUNITY ARTS CENTER SHELL GALLERY: 233 St. Ferdinand St. “Continuum” by David Bruner, through Jan. 10. Hours are from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. artsbr.org.

ELIZABETHAN GALLERY: 680 Jefferson Highway. Group show. Call (225) 924-6437 or follow the gallery’s Facebook page.

THE GALLERY AT MANSHIP: 100 Lafayette St. “A New Frame of Mind,” group exhibition that challenges the traditional role of the picture frame. through Jan. 31. Hours are 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday, 9 a.m.-10 p.m.

Tuesday-Thursday, 9 a.m.-11 p.m.

Friday, 10 a.m.-11 p.m. Saturday, and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday.

LOUISIANA ART & SCIENCE MUSEUM: 100 S. River Road. “Crossroads & Connections: A Century of the Railway in Baton Rouge,” now in the Republic Finance Gallery. “Landscapes Along the Railway: The Art of John Cleaveland,” Soupçon Gallery; “Going Places: Transportation Toys of the Past,” Discovery Gallery; and “Shelf Queens: Model Train Masterpieces,” Colonnade Gallery.

(225) 344-5272 or lasm.org.

LSU MUSEUM OF ART: Shaw Center for the Arts, 100 Lafayette St. “The Sculpture of Scott, Payton, Hayden, and Bechet,” through Jan. 25. “A Bayou State of Mind,” highlighted

PROVIDED PHOTO FROM FACEBOOK

Catch Baton Rouge-based country recording artist Thomas Cain at 9 p.m. Friday at The Texas Club in Baton Rouge. Sharing the bill is Adam Leger. Cain also performs at Court to Table in Baton Rouge at 6 p.m. Saturday.

by the exhibition “The Bayou Collection,” a series of 40 paintings by George Rodrigue, through Jan. 4.

(225) 389-7200 or lsumoa.org.

MANSHIP THEATRE JONES WALKER FOYER: 100 Lafayette St. “Composition-Color-Pattern” by artist Kevin Babb, through Wednesday. Free and open during regular Shaw Center building hours unless there is a private event.

LSU TEXTILE & COSTUME MUSEUM: Human Ecology Building, Tower Drive, LSU campus. “Dressing Louisiana Histoires de la mode de la Louisiane,” through March 6. (225) 578-5992 or email textile@lsu.edu.

MAGNOLIA MOUND MUSEUM + HISTORIC SITE: 2161 Nicholson Drive.

Guided and self-guided tours. Hours are from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. MondaySaturday and from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Sunday. brec.org/facility/MagnoliaMound.

OLD GOVERNOR’S MANSION: 502 North Blvd. Open for tours. Hours are from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. MondayFriday. Free admission. oldgovernorsmansion.com.

OLD STATE CAPITOL: 100 North Blvd.

Free. The museum is closed for annual cyclical maintenance and will reopen on Tuesday, Jan. 20. louisianaoldstatecapitol.org.

USS KIDD VETERANS MUSEUM: 305 S. River Road. Displays of a variety of artifacts that celebrate veteran and naval military history. Note: Vessel is in Houma for dry dock repairs. usskidd.com.

WEST BATON ROUGE MUSEUM: 845 N. Jefferson Ave., Port Allen. “An American War in Vietnam,” through Tuesday. (225) 336-2422 or westbatonrougemuseum.org.

Compiled by Judy Bergeron.

Have an open-to-the-public event you’d like to promote?

Email details to red@ theadvocate.com. Deadline is 5 p.m. Friday for the following Friday’s paper.

TAYLOR RAE: Galvez Seafood, Prairieville, 6 p.m.

RACHAEL HALLACK & ERIC CANTRELLE: Sullivan’s Steakhouse, 6 p.m.

GARY BELLO & FRIENDS: T’Quilas Denham Springs, 6 p.m.

EDDIE SMITH: T’Quilas, Zachary, 6 p.m.

TREY MORGAN: BLDG 5, 6 p.m.

MICHAEL AARON: Court To Table, 6 p.m.

CHRIS ALLEN: Bin 77, 7 p.m.

THE DRUNK UNCLES: On The Half Shell, Prairieville, 7 p.m.

DENTON HATCHER: 18 Steak at L’Auberge, 7 p.m.

DAMON KING & BO JAMISON: Coop’s on 621, Gonzales, 8 p.m.

BUBBA PLAUCHÉ: Riverbend Terrace II at L’Auberge, 8 p.m.

HENRY TURNER JR. & ALL-STARS: Henry Turner Jr.’s Listening Room, 8 p.m.

SHANE MADERE: Court To Table, 8:30 p.m.

AARON DAY: Swamp Chicken Daiquiris, St. Amant, 9 p.m.

TNT: Churchill’s, 9 p.m.

THOMAS CAIN/ADAM LEGER: The Texas Club, 9 p.m.

KYLE WILSON: Fat Cat Saloon, Prairieville, 9 p.m.

MONSTER CRAWFISH: Double D Daiquiris, 9 p.m.

WEN TILLEY TRIO: Phil Brady’s, 9 p.m.

JUMP SCHOOL: The Edge Bar at L’Auberge, 9 p.m.

JIMMY AUCOIN: Beer Belly’s, Plaquemine, 9 p.m.

OMT: The Queen Baton Rouge, 9 p.m.

SATURDAY

JOSH MARTIN: Leola’s Café, 11 a.m.

BRITTON MAJOR: Sullivan’s Steakhouse, 5:30 p.m.

THOMAS CAIN: Court To Table, 6 p.m.

JOSHUA MAGEE: BLDG 5, 6 p.m.

KAITLYN WALLACE: T’Quilas, Zachary, 6 p.m.

DRAMA KINGS: T’Quilas, Denham Springs, 6 p.m.

PAPO Y SON MANDAO: Pedros, Denham Springs, 6 p.m.

ROCKIN’ ROUGE: El Paso, Denham

Springs, 6:30 p.m.

JOEY HOLAWAY: 18 Steak at L’Auberge, 7 p.m.

JIMMY AUCOIN: Pelican Pub, 7 p.m.

ALLISON COLLINS: On The Half Shell, Prairieville, 7 p.m.

SHANE MADERE & LAURIE WHITNEY: Bin 77, 7 p.m.

CADE MCBRIDE/ HORSEFLY/BOZO RED: Mid City Ballroom, 8 p.m.

THE DRUNK UNCLES: Coop’s on 621, Gonzales, 8 p.m.

LETTERS IN RED: Spanky’s, Prairieville, 8 p.m.

PHIL CHANDLER: Riverbend Terrace II at L’Auberge, 8 p.m.

ACOUSTIC SATURDAYS W/HENRY TURNER: Henry Turner Jr.’s Listening Room, 8 p.m.

QUICK SILVER: Court To Table, 8:30 p.m.

ESSENTIALL GROOVE: Churchill’s, 9 p.m.

PARISH COUNTY LINE/NOAH JAMES/ KYBALION: The Texas Club, 9 p.m.

THE DUPONT BROTHERS: The Vineyard, 9 p.m.

SPANK THE MONKEY: Fat Cat Saloon, Prairieville, 9 p.m.

I-10 BOUND BAND: Swamp Chicken Daiquiris, St. Amant, 9 p.m.

SUNDAY

JOVIN WEBB: Leola’s Café, 11 a.m.

PERIQUE: On The Half Shell, Prairieville, 11 a.m.

JUSTIN BURDETTE TRIO: Superior GrillMidCity, 11 a.m.

SONGWRITER SUNDAYS: La Divina Italian Cafe, 5 p.m.

JEFF BAJON PROJECT: Pizza Byronz, 5:30 p.m.

HITMAKERS: HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS: The Manship Theatre, 7 p.m.

OPEN MIC JAM: Fat Cat Saloon, Prairieville, 7 p.m.

MONDAY

PHOEBE KOONTZ: BLDG 5, 5:30 p.m.

MIKE ESNEAULT: Stab’s Restaurant, 6 p.m.

TREY MORGAN: Superior Grill-MidCity, 6 p.m.

TUESDAY

CHRIS OCMAND: BLDG

5, 5:30 p.m.

JEFF BAJON PROJECT: Superior Grill-MidCity, 6 p.m.

STEVE GUSTAFSON: Stab’s Restaurant, 6 p.m.

EDDIE SMITH: On The Half Shell, Prairieville, 6:30 p.m.

WEDNESDAY

MATT TORTORICH: 18 Steak at L’Auberge, 6 p.m.

EDDIE SMITH BAND: American Legion, 6:30 p.m.

CHASE TYLER BAND/ WAYNE TOUPS: Crowne Plaza, 7 p.m.

JOEY HOLAWAY: Riverbend Terrace II at L’Auberge, 8 p.m.

PRESS 1 FOR ENGLISH: Red Stick Revelry, 8 p.m.

SOULED OUT: Shaw Center for the Arts, 8:30 p.m.

CONNOR MARTIN: Locals, Central, 9 p.m.

BEN RAGSDALE: Fred’s on the River, Prairieville, 9:30 p.m.

THE LEE SERIO BAND: American Legion, 9:30 p.m.

STEVE GUSTAFSON: Stab’s Restaurant, 9:30 p.m.

AFTER 8: Red Stick Revelry, 10 p.m.

MICHAEL FOSTER PROJECT: The Queen Baton Rouge, 10 p.m.

TRUE SPIN: The Edge Bar at L’Auberge, 10 p.m.

DOWNBEAT LOUISIANA: L’Auberge Event Center, 10:30 p.m.

BRASSHEARTS SECONDLINE: L’Auberge Event Center, 11:59 p.m.

THURSDAY

JIMMY AUCOIN: Moonlight Inn, French Settlement, 8 p.m.

OUTLYING SATURDAY

KING GEORGE: Mári Showroom at Paragon Casino, Marksville, 8 p.m.

Compiled by Marchaund Jones.

Want your venue’s music listed?

Email info/photos to showstowatch@ theadvocate.com.

The deadline is noon FRIDAY for the following Friday’s paper.

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Trust our experts to design and install your window treatments before the holidays!

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4D ■ Friday, December 26, 2025 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

FrAnK And erneSt

bIG nAte

zItS

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zodIAC cAPRIcoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Emotions will be prevalent. Think twice before you agree to something that can cost you financially, physically or emotionally.

AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Be reluctant to agree to anything without looking at every angle. Haste makes waste, and choices can bury you in debt and regret. Avoid people who get your dander up.

PIscEs (Feb. 20-March 20) Say little but do a lot. Set the pace and the scenario by your actions, not your promises. If you want to fulfill your dreams, you'll find taking the lead to be your best bet.

Put yourself first.

ARIEs (March 21-April 19) Rejuvenate and enjoy some downtime. Give some thought to days gone by and to days you look forward to. It's a great day to figure out how you want to proceed.

TAuRus (April 20-May 20) Stick to your plans, and everything will be alright.

Focus on timing, travel and maintaining a dialogue that keeps everyone on point, and you'll stay energized and achieve whatever you set out to do.

GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Offer only what you can. Set boundaries with those asking for too much. Stick up for your rights and do what's best for you. Set high standards and pay attention to your needs. cAncER (June 21-July 22) Be open to invitations and opportunities, and spend time with someone you love to share information with. Enjoy your

day. Positive change is heading your way.

LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) Be reluctant to make a hasty decision. Make your position clear and your timeframe known, and go about your business.

Socializing will be fun, but don't take what others say as gospel.

VIRGo (Aug. 23-sept. 22) If change is what you need, start putting it in motion. Initiate what your heart suggests, and you'll feel good about the outcome. Live, love and be happy, and everything will fall into place.

LIBRA (sept. 23-oct. 23) Slow down but think standing up. Putting everything in place and getting your plans finalized early will pave the way for a quieter day, offering time to hit the reset button and prepare for year-end festivities. scoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) A change is within reach, and it's up to you to pick and choose what's next. Take your time; weigh the pros and cons, and you'll gain insight into what's best for you. sAGITTARIus (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Avoid anyone who tends to annoy you. Arguments will ruin your day and put you in a foul mood. Do something that requires energy and stamina and that makes you feel good about yourself.

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: G EQuALs u

Mother GooSe And GrIMM

SherMAn’S LAGoon FAMILY CIrCUS

dooneSbUrY

The Advocate ■ theadvocate.com ■ Friday, December 26, 2025 ■ 5D

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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

6D ■ Friday, December 26, 2025 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

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B.C.

Bridge

By PHILLIP ALDER Sydney J. Harris, a journalist in Chicago who died in 1986, said, “An idealist believes the short run doesn’t count. A cynic believes the long run doesn’t matter. A realist believes that what is done or left undone in the short run determines the long run.”

At bridge, the short run — one deal — may determine the long run — your success in the event. And in that onedeal short run, counting will probably be required.

In this deal, South is in four hearts.

West leads the spade nine. East takes three tricks in the suit (West discarding the club three) and continues with his fourth spade. What should South do?

Note South’s three-club rebid. He was right not to jump to four hearts, because North might have raised to two hearts with only three cards in the suit, especially when he had a singleton spade. A typical hand pattern would have been 1-3-5-4.

Then maybe five or even six clubs might have been better than four hearts. North, though, knowing of the eight-card fit, happily jumped to four hearts.

South has four minor-suit winners (three diamonds and one club), so needs six trump tricks. Since he has four winners on the board, he should aim on taking two ruffs in his hand.

He starts by ruffing the fourth spade high, to stop West from overruffing.

garfield

Pearls Before swiNe

hagar the horriBle

Let’s assume West throws another club, keeping equal diamond length with the board.

Now declarer plays a trump to dummy’s nine, returns a diamond to his king, leads a diamond to dummy’s queen, ruffs a diamond high, draws trumps and claims. © 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 — InsPEcT: in-SPEKT: To view closely or officially.

Bizarro

marmaduKe

Average mark 28 words Time limit 45 minutes Can you find 38 or more words in INSPECT? yEsTERDAy’s WoRD — REJoIcED redo reed rejoice rice ride rode eider erode jeer iced cede

cero cider cire code coder coed cord core credo creed cried

decor deer deice deicer dice dicer dire doer

loCKhorNs hidato Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

today’s thought “Though the Lord be high, yet has he respect to the lowly: but the proud he knows afar off.” Psalms 138:6

God is mighty and holy. He is drawn to the humble but is repulsed by the proud. — G.E. Dean

The Advocate ■ theadvocate.com ■ Friday, December 26, 2025 ■ 7D

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classifieds.theadvocate.com Search Search& &Place PlaceAds AdsOnline Onlineatatclassifieds.theadvocate.com classifieds.theadvocate.com* Call * Call -Friday Us Monday-Friday 8AM-5PM at 225-383-0111 8AM-5PM at 225-383-0111

Announcements ANYONE knowing the whereabouts of any property owner, heir or other related person, in regard to the properties listed below, please contact the East Baton Rouge CityParish, Department of Development – Neighborhood Revitalization Office at 225-389-8680.

1319 N 49TH ST LUCILLE FLEMING 1106 W GARFIELD ST THE ESTATE OF ROBERT LEE GINN JR 10288 WHITE OAK DR ETM ENTERPRISES, LLC 2462 AUBIN LN AUBIN PROPERTIES, LLC 1143 W GARFIELD ST BROTHERS & OTHER PROPERTIES, LLC 425 S 17TH ST EDDIE G ROBINSON 1713 SPAIN ST PELICAN CONSTRUCTION GROUP, LLC 2525 NORTH ST RAY J'S COLLEGE OF HAIR, LLC 2517 SPAIN ST JOSEPH ALEXANDER, SR 8273 RAINBOW DR TRIMANI ANTHONY RILEY, SR 11606 SEWANEE DR JASMINE R SLAN

6130 CRESTWAY AVE ECLECTIC HOME DESIGNS, LLC 2825 WASHINGTON AVE ADRIENNE S VICTORIAN 11404 STAN AVE ROBINS RENTALS, LLC 904 N ACADIAN THWY E DON LEWIS WHITFIELD 7435 BANBURY CT LUCILLE HARRINGTON 341 N 23RD ST EMERSON J RUSSELL 2343 ERIE ST C/O ROBERT W MORGAN 388 W JOHNSON ST ROBERT HENDERSON 805 ARCADIA DR RONALD G. BATES 1217 N 44TH ST WILMA JACKSON MCCLAIN 702 CORMORANT ST RANDALL HARVEY 2162 75TH AVE THOMAS GUERIN, JR 338 S 12TH ST ALAN W JUDERJAHN 1143 NORTH ST BATON ROUGE PARISH SCHOOL BOARD 1826 THERON ELVIN STERLING 1806 THERON ELVIN STERLING 5748 HENDERSON AVE GEORGE L SEVERAN CO MAVIS DURR 753 FLICKER LEON WALKER, JR 5470 SATINWOOD DR

CAREY FORD 3681 GREENTREE CATRICE SCOTT 10625 BERTHA ST JERONIMA S CRUZ 1724 HARCO PSB CREDIT SERVICES, INC 5432 MADISON AVE JAMES W WILLIAMS 1595 N 44TH LINDA HAWKINS GRIFFIN 226 W POLK MITCHELL W AND JULIA MAE W ROBINSON 1944 ARIZONA ST CONRAD ENTERPRISES, INC 706 N 19TH ST COLLIS B TEMPLE, JR. 1902 HEMLOCK ST DAVID J EVERITT 288 NANCY DR TIFFANY O PRATER 6325 CELIA AVE REGGIE J DAVIS, JR 3336 AMARILLO ST IRIS M. MONTGOMERY 3808 HOLLYWOOD ST CANDANCE LEDET 4612 BYRON ST JACKIE J PUTMAN 5912 LINDEN ST ROBYN KIRKLAND 343 LOFASO ST FRANK G. SMITH, III. 1453 N 46TH ST DWANDA MICHELLE GAGE 1031 N 40TH ST LINDA SUE RAY 1217 N 44TH ST WILMA JACKSON MCCLAIN 10588 GOODWOOD BLVD

SUZETTE PEARL GASTON

Anyone knowing the whereabouts of Rachel Hebert, please contact Creighton B. Abadie, Attorney, at (225) 924-5150.

171726-Dec 24-26, 3t $85

Merchandise

The Classified Advertising Department will be closed on Thursday, January 1 to observe the New Year’s holiday

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Fri, Dec 26 - 3pm................ Wed., Dec 31 Fri., Dec 26 - 3pm............... Thurs., Jan 1 Fri., Dec 26 - 3pm............... Fri., Jan 2 Tues, Dec 30-3pm ............... Sat/Sun Jan 3, 4 Wed., Dec 31 - 3pm ............ Mon., Jan 5 Fri., Jan 2 - 3pm ................. Tues., Jan 6

DISPLAY ADS 24 HOURS EARLIER

You may place your ad 7 days a week, 24 hours a day online at www.theadvocate.com or call Monday-Friday 8am-5pm

225-383-0111

PUBLIC NOTICE --A 1972 Chevrolet Corvette, VIN: 00001Z37T4S414265 is being held at Insurance Auto Auctions, 5978 High‐ way 75, Carville, LA 70721, 708-492-7282. Un‐ less claimed within 60 days of November 13, 2025 it will be dismantled or sold at auction to highest bidder.

Out‐ standing charges must be paid in order to re‐ move vehicle.

Order newspaper page reprints of any day WANT TO BUY I buy old bourbon bottles. Wild Turkey, Weller, Old Grand Dad etc.

Call or text $300 (225)456-3434

171835 Dec. 26, 29, 2t $122.84

Public Notices Bids/Proposals

PUBLIC NOTICE --ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS Bids will be received by the Office of Purchasing, Room 213 Thomas Boyd Hall, Louisiana State Uni‐ versity and Agricultural and Mechanical College 70803 until 11:00 AM on Thursday, January 22, 2026. ** Refer to www.centerl inebidconnect.com for bid submission instruc‐ tions. All bids must be submitted via email to lsubids@lsu.edu ** ANY PERSON REQUIRING SPECIAL ACCOMMODA‐ TIONS SHALL NOTIFY LOUISIANA STATE UNI‐ VERSITY, OFFICE OF PUR‐ CHASING OF THE TYPE(S) OF ACCOMMODATION RE‐ QUIRED NOT LESS THAN SEVEN (7) DAYS BEFORE THE BID OPENING. FOR: Furnish Labor and Materials for LSUA Buchanan Bldg HVAC – Utilities Phasing LSU SOLICITATION NUMBER: RFQ-0000002672 Complete Bidding Docu‐ ments for this project may be obtained from: www.centerlinebidco nnect.com.

Printed copies are not available from the Designer, but arrangements can be made to obtain them through most repro‐ graphic firms.

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Contractors unable to access bidding docu‐ ments at www.centerl inebidconnect.com should contact Salas O’Brien, LLC 500 Dover Blvd, Suite 310 Lafayette, LA 70503 Phone: 337-261-9633 Email: doug.dorsey@ salasobrien.com All bids must be accom‐ panied by bid security equal to five percent (5%) of the sum of the base bid and all alter‐ nates, and must be in the form of a certified check, cashier’s check or Bid Bond Form written by a surety company licensed to do business in Louisiana, signed by the surety’s agency or attor‐ ney-in-fact. Surety must be listed on the current U.S. Department of the Treasury Financial Man‐ agement Service list of approved bonding com‐ panies as approved for an amount equal to or greater than the amount for which it obligates it‐ self in the Bond, or must be a Louisiana domiciled insurance company with at least an A- rating in the latest printing of the A.M. Best’s Key Rating Guide. If surety qualifies by virtue of its Best’s list‐ ing, the amount of the Bond may not exceed ten percent of policyholders’ surplus as shown in the latest A.M. Best’s Key i id h id

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g Room 213 Thomas Boyd Hall, Louisiana State Uni‐ versity and Agricultural and Mechanical College 70803 until 11:00 AM on Tuesday, January 20, 2026.

p Insurance and may not exceed the amount of $500,000.

However, a Louisiana domiciled in‐ surance company with at least an A- rating in the latest printing of the A.M. Best’s Key Rating Guide shall not be subject to the $500,000 limitation, provided that the con‐ tract amount does not exceed ten percent of policyholders’ surplus as shown in the latest A.M.

The Owner reserves the right to reject any and all bids for just cause. In ac‐ cordance with La. R.S. 38:2212 (A)(1)(b), the pro‐ visions and requirements of this Section, those stated in the advertise‐ ment for bids, and those required on the bid form shall not be considered as informalities and shall not be waived by any public entity.

When this project is fi‐ nanced either partially or entirely with State Bonds or federal funds, the award of this Contract is contingent upon the granting of lines of credit, the sale of bonds by the Bond Commission or the commitment of federal funds. The Uni‐ versity shall incur no obligation to the Con‐ tractor until the Contract Between Owner and Con‐ tractor is fully executed.

169616-dec 12-19-26-3t PUBLIC NOTICE --ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS Bids will be received by the Office of Purchasing, h d

** Refer to www.centerlinebidco nnect.com for bid sub‐ mission instructions. All bids must be submitted via email to lsubids@lsu. edu ** ANY PERSON REQUIRING SPECIAL ACCOMMODA‐ TIONS SHALL NOTIFY LOUISIANA STATE UNI‐ VERSITY, OFFICE OF PUR‐ CHASING OF THE TYPE(S) OF ACCOMMODATION RE‐ QUIRED NOT LESS THAN SEVEN (7) DAYS BEFORE THE BID OPENING. FOR: Furnish Labor and Materials for LSUA Park‐ ing Lot No. 5 Reconstruc‐ tion LSU SOLICITATION NUMBER: RFQ-0000002669 Complete Bidding Docu‐ ments for this project may be obtained from: www.centerlinebidco nnect.com.

Printed copies are not available from the Designer, but arrangements can be made to obtain them through most repro‐ graphic firms.

Contractors unable to access bidding docu‐ ments at www.centerl inebidconnect.com should contact Monceaux-Buller & Associates, LLC 610 Desoto Street Alexandria, LA 71301 Phone: 318-442-8465 Email: David@monceau xbuller.com All bids must be accom‐ panied by bid security equal to five percent (5%) of the sum of the base bid and all alter‐ nates, and must be in the form of a certified check, cashier’s check or Bid Bond Form written by a surety company licensed to do business in Louisiana, signed by the surety’s agency or attor‐ ney-in-fact. Surety must be listed on the current U.S. Department of the Treasury Financial Man‐ agement Service list of approved bonding com‐ panies as approved for an amount equal to or greater than the amount for which it obligates it‐ self in the Bond, or must be a Louisiana domiciled insurance company with at least an A- rating in the latest printing of the A.M. Best’s Key Rating Guide. If surety qualifies by virtue of its Best’s list‐ ing, the amount of the Bond may not exceed ten percent of policyholders’ surplus as shown in the latest A.M. Best’s Key Rating Guide. The Bid Bond shall be in favor of the Louisiana State Uni‐ versity and Agricultural and Mechanical College, and shall be accompa‐ nied by appropriate power of attorney. No Bid Bond indicating an oblig‐ ation of less than five percent (5%) by any method is acceptable.

The successful Bidder shall be required to fur‐ nish a Performance and Payment Bond written by a company licensed to do business in Louisiana, in an amount equal to 100% of the Contract amount. Surety must be listed currently on the U.S. Department of Trea‐ sury Financial manage‐ ment Service List (Trea‐ sury List) as approved for an amount equal to or greater than the con‐ tract amount, or must be an insurance company domiciled in Louisiana or owned by Louisiana resi‐ dents. If surety is quali‐ fied other than by listing on the Treasury list, the contract amount may not exceed fifteen percent of policyholders’ surplus as shown by surety’s most recent financial state‐ ments filed with the Louisiana Department of d

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Best’s Key Rating Guide nor fifteen percent of policyholder’s surplus as shown by surety’s most recent financial state‐ ments filed with the Louisiana Department of Insurance.

The Bond shall be signed by the surety’s agent or attor‐ ney-in-fact.

A PRE-BID CONFERENCE WILL BE HELD

10:00 AM, Tuesday, Janu‐ ary 6, 2026 LSU-Alexandria, Facility Services Building Confer‐ ence Room, 8209 Acorn Drive, Alexan‐ dria, LA 71302 Bids shall be accepted from Contractors who are licensed under LA. R.S. 37:2150-2163 for the classification of HIGH‐ WAY, STREET AND BRIDGE CONSTRUCTION. Bidder is required to comply with provisions and re‐ quirements of LA R.S. 38:2212 (A)(1)(c). No bid may be withdrawn for a period of thirty (30) days after receipt of bids, ex‐ cept under the provi‐ sions of LA. R.S. 38:2214.

The Owner reserves the right to reject any and all bids for just cause. In ac‐ cordance with La. R.S. 38:2212 (A)(1)(b), the pro‐ visions and requirements of this Section, those stated in the advertise‐ ment for bids, and those required on the bid form shall not be considered as informalities and shall not be waived by any public entity.

When this project is fi‐ nanced either partially or entirely with State Bonds or federal funds, the award of this Contract is contingent upon the granting of lines of credit, the sale of bonds by the Bond Commission or the commitment of federal funds. The Uni‐ versity shall incur no obligation to the Con‐ tractor until the Contract Between Owner and Con‐ tractor is fully executed.

AD RUN DATES: December 12, 19, 26, 2025 169544 Dec. 12, 19, 26, 3t $205.95

PUBLIC NOTICE --ADVERTISEMENT OF BID THE REPLACEMENT OF PVC NATURAL GAS FACILITIES – PHASE 1 FOR City of Walker Gas Department Walker City Hall 13600 Aydell Lane Walker, Louisiana 70785 The City of Walker, Louisiana is requesting sealed bids for furnish‐ ing all materials and equipment necessary for a PHMSA Natural Gas Distribution Infrastruc‐ ture and Safety Modern‐ ization Grant program.

The project consists of installing approximately 11,660 linear feet of 4inch PE coiled pipe along Courtney Rd. (East and West) and Courtney Cir‐ cle and approximately 10,350 linear feet of 2inch PE coiled pipe with associated fittings and vales along Clark White Rd., Mockingbird Lane, Juniper St., Leach Lane, Huntington Place, Melanie St., and Lotts Lane. Additionally, the project requires the re‐ placement of 57 existing services with 7,000 linear feet of 1-inch PE coiled

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y Rating Guide. The Bid Bond shall be in favor of the Louisiana State Uni‐ versity and Agricultural and Mechanical College, and shall be accompa‐ nied by appropriate power of attorney. No Bid Bond indicating an oblig‐ ation of less than five percent (5%) by any method is acceptable.

Bids shall be accepted from Contractors who are licensed under LA. R.S. 37:2150-2163 for the classification of ME‐ CHANICAL. Bidder is re‐ quired to comply with provisions and require‐ ments of LA R.S. 38:2212 (A)(1)(c). No bid may be withdrawn for a period of thirty (30) days after re‐ ceipt of bids, except under the provisions of LA. R.S. 38:2214.

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Public Notices Bids/Proposals

A PRE-BID CONFERENCE WILL BE HELD 10:00 AM, Wednesday, January 7, 2026 LSU-Alexandria, Facility Services Building Confer‐ ence Room, 8209 Acorn Drive, Alexan‐ dria, LA 71302

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Public Notices Bids/Proposals

Best’s Key Rating Guide nor fifteen percent of policyholder’s surplus as shown by surety’s most recent financial state‐ ments filed with the Louisiana Department of Insurance.

The Bond shall be signed by the surety’s agent or attor‐ ney-in-fact.

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Public Notices Bids/Proposals

The successful Bidder shall be required to fur‐ nish a Performance and Payment Bond written by a company licensed to do business in Louisiana, in an amount equal to 100% of the Contract amount. Surety must be listed currently on the U.S. Department of Trea‐ sury Financial manage‐ ment Service List (Trea‐ sury List) as approved for an amount equal to or greater than the con‐ tract amount, or must be an insurance company domiciled in Louisiana or owned by Louisiana resi‐ dents. If surety is quali‐ fied other than by listing on the Treasury list, the contract amount may not exceed fifteen percent of policyholders’ surplus as shown by surety’s most recent financial state‐ ments filed with the Louisiana Department of Insurance and may not exceed the amount of $500,000.

However, a Louisiana domiciled in‐ surance company with at least an A- rating in the latest printing of the A.M. Best’s Key Rating Guide shall not be subject to the $500,000 limitation, provided that the con‐ tract amount does not exceed ten percent of policyholders’ surplus as shown in the latest A.M.

FURNITURE Queen Bed w/Hollywood Frame w/Maple Headboard, Innerspring Matt (2) Box Spr.$400 (225) 658-8456 CAMPING GEAR Camp Tent 9x9 Dome, Canopy, Slp Bag, 2 Lant, 2 Burner Stv, 48qt Ice Chest & All Access. Retail for $375 selling for $275 225-610-8411 after 2:00pm

DEADLINE ...........RUN DATE

Auctions

WANT TO BUY Old Records 33's, 45's & 78's. All types of music. Call 985-259-1889

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AREA 4

HAPPY HOLIDAY

Public Notices

Baton Rouge Real Estate For Sale

171213-Dec 22-28, 7t $2,818

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Public Notices Bids/Proposals

Public Notices Bids/Proposals

pipe, 57 service risers, and meter assemblies.

Included in the new gas distribution system is the installation of 4” and 2” PE ball valves, neces‐ sary road bores and ob‐ struction bores. The suc‐ cessful bidder will also be required to furnish in‐ cidentals such as miscel‐ laneous fittings, tracer wire, detector tape, and provide a pressure test meeting PHMSA require‐ ments at 90 PSI on all new piping.

natural gas distribution system operators whom they have performed work exceeding a value of $250,000 in the past five (5) years.

BABA Compliance Notice This project is subject to the Build America, Buy America (BABA) require‐ ments under the Infra‐ structure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). All iron, steel, manufactured products, and construc‐ tion materials used in this project must be pro‐ duced in the United States as outlined in 2 CFR Part 184 and related federal guidance. Bid‐ ders must provide docu‐ mentation demonstrat‐ ing BABA compliance for all applicable materials and components.

Sealed Bids shall be by the City of Walker at the City Hall office located at 13600 Aydell Lane in Walker, Louisiana. Sealed Bids will be received until 10:00 AM Local Time on Tuesday, January 20, 2026, after which time said proposals shall be publicly opened and read aloud.

All proposals must be submitted in a sealed en‐ velope bearing the con‐ tractor’s name, address and contractor’s license number plainly marked on the outside of the en‐ velope and addressed as follows: BID FOR: THE REPLACEMENT OF PVC NATURAL GAS FACILITIES – PHASE 1 FOR City of Walker Gas Department Walker City Hall 13600 Aydell Lane Walker, Louisiana 70785 Eligibility of Bidders to Receive Bidding Docu‐ ments The City of Walker is a participating member of the Louisiana Municipal Gas Authority and thus under ACT No. 176, amending R.S. 33:4546.21, Bidders must be prequalified before obtain‐ ing Bidding Documents.

In order to be pre-quali‐ fied, Bidders must sub‐ mit a copy of their writ‐ ten Operator Qualifica‐ tion and Training Pro‐ gram to ensure compli‐ ance with the certifica‐ tion requirements of 49 CFR Part 192.801 et seq., as mandated by the United States Depart‐ ment of Transportation – Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Admin‐ istration (PHMSA) and the Louisiana Depart‐ ment of Natural Re‐ sources – Pipeline Safety Division.

Specific scrutiny will be given to those individual work‐ men employed by the prospective bidder and their training documen‐ tation regarding the cer‐ tification of workmen to perform “Covered Tasks” on a natural gas distribu‐ tion system. Perspective bidders should be able to show that at least four (4) workmen, one of which must serve in a su‐ pervisory role, have been OQ certified for all cov‐ ered tasks related to PE gas line installations.

Bidders who do not al‐ ready have a current and active OQ program will not be qualified to obtain bidding documents.

In addition, prospective bidders must submit suf‐ ficient evidence of an on‐ going Drug and Alcohol Mis-use Program meet‐ ing Part 199 of the PHMSA Regulations plus a list of at least three (3) references from other

Copies of the Bidding Documents will be pro‐ vided only to Contractors and Subcontractors who meet the above eligibility requirements. Upon sat‐ isfactory qualification of a perspective bidder, copies of the CONTRACT DOCUMENTS may be ob‐ tained up to 24 hours prior to bid time, upon payment of $100.00 re‐ fundable deposit for each set, from the office of the Engineer listed below.

SJB GROUP, LLC 5344 Brittany Dr. Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70808 (225) 769-3400, office According to Act No. 478, July 9, 1988, Section 1, R.S. 38:2212: Deposits on the first set of docu‐ ments furnished to bona fide prime bidders will be fully refunded upon re‐ turn of the documents no later than ten (10) days after receipt of bids. On other sets of documents furnished to bidders, the deposit less actual cost of reproduction will be refunded upon return of the documents no later than ten (10) days after receipt of bids. No re‐ funds will be given to contractors that have re‐ quested bidding docu‐ ments and returned them prior to the bid and/or do not submit a bid. No refund will be given to contractor that has been awarded the project. Subcontractors qualify for half refund.

ALL PLANS MUST BE RE‐ TURNED IN GOOD CONDI‐ TION, COMPLETE WITH ADDENDA, IN GOOD CON‐ DITION TO QUALIFY FOR REFUND. Contract, if awarded, will be on the basis stated herein and in the Instruc‐ tions to Bidders. No bid may be withdrawn for a period of 45 days after bid opening except as provided by law.

Bidders must meet the requirements of the State of Louisiana Con‐ tractor’s Licensing Law, R.S. 37:2151 et seq. Bid‐ ders shall be either li‐ censed under the classi‐ fication of Municipal & Public Works Construc‐ tion, or under the spe‐ cialty classification of Pipe Work (Gas Lines).

In order to be considered a responsible bidder, the lowest three (3) bidders will be required on re‐ quest to provide within 10 days after receipt of bids, the following addi‐ tional documents: 1. Bidders must provide the fully completed At‐ testation Clause Form as required by Louisiana RS 38:2227. (Past Criminal Convictions) 2. Attestation and Affi‐ davit required by LA R.S.38:1212.10C, showing that Bidder is registered with and participates in and utilizes the Status Verification System, also known as “E-Verify” pro‐ gram.

3. Non-Collusion Affidavit as required by LA R.S. 38:2224.

4. Bidders must provide the fully completed Drug Testing Affidavit indicat‐ ing that Bidder complies with the requirements of the PHMSA, Pipeline Safety Regulations, Part 199, regarding the admin‐ istration of an appropri‐ ate Drug Training and Al‐ cohol Mis-Use Program.

5. In addition, as required by the eligibility require‐ ments mentioned above bidders must also be able to provide docu‐ mentation that they have an ongoing Operator Qualification Program, which provides training of employees for per‐ forming “Covered Tasks” on a natural gas pipeline system meeting the re‐ quirements of, Part h h

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Public Notices Bids/Proposals

Public Notices Bids/Proposals

q 192.801 through Part 192.809 of the PHMSA, Pipeline Safety Regula‐ tions. In addition, the training program shall be equivalent and compati‐ ble with that of the Owner’s OQ Training Pro‐ gram, which is based on the training protocols de‐ veloped by the ITS and/or Midwest Energy Association for the Cov‐ ered Tasks applying to Natural Gas Pipeline In‐ stallations. Specific re‐ quirements of the Opera‐ tor Qualification Program are further described in the Supplementary Con‐ ditions of the Project Specifications, which as prescribed by Title 38, Chapter 10, Part II, 2211 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes, shall be consid‐ ered a part of the Bidding Documents.

j q ments of this Advertise‐ ment, the Bid Form, and Instructions to Bidders shall not be considered as informalities and will not be waived.

Questions concerning the contract package may be addressed to Brian Suberbielle at SJB Group, L.L.C. at the ad‐ dress and phone num‐ bers above, or he may be contacted by email at Brian.Suberbielle@ sjbgroup.com.

All proposals must be ac‐ companied with a bid bond or a certified check in the amount of five (5) percent of the total amount bid.

Bids will be accepted only from respective bid‐ ders who have been pro‐ vided bidding documents and shall be submitted on the Bid forms pro‐ vided by the ENGINEER. Contractors are encour‐ aged to view onsite con‐ ditions and become fa‐ miliar with local require‐ ments affecting the work.

A Pre-Bid Conference will be held at 10:00 AM Local Time on Tuesday, Janu‐ ary 13th, 2026, at the Walker City Hall Building, 13600 Aydell Lane, Walker, LA 70785. Atten‐ dance is mandatory, for all qualified bidders are encouraged to attend the Pre-Bid Conference.

The City of Walker re‐ serves the right to reject any and/or all bids for just cause. The require‐ f hi d i

City of Walker Gas Department S/S Mayor James Watson Advertisement to appear in Baton Rouge Advocate Friday, December 26th Friday, January 2nd Friday, January 9th 171228 Dec. 26, 2025, Jan. 2, 9, 2026 3t $3,234.19 PUBLIC NOTICE --NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS The City of Baton Rouge and Parish of East Baton Rouge will receive elec‐ tronic or paper bids for the construction of the following project: LOBDELL AVE / GOODWOOD BLVD AND LOBDELL AVE / SEVEN OAKS AVE INTERSECTION PEDES‐ TRIAN IMPROVEMENTS CITY-PARISH PROJECT NO. 23-EN-HC-021A PROJECT DESCRIPTION: Pedestrian and Traffic Signalization, ADA Ramps, Sidewalks, strip‐ ing, and associated items of work.

Electronic or sealed bids will be received until 2:00 p.m. Local Time, THURS‐ DAY_ January 22nd, 2026 by the Purchasing Divi‐ sion, Room 826, City Hall, 222 Saint Louis Street, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70802. No bids will be re‐ ceived after 2:00 p.m. on the same day and date.

Bid Openings can be in person or via teleconfer‐ ence.

Teleconference Call-in In‐ formation Join by phone +1-408-418-9388 United States Toll Access code: 263 373 080 (followed by the # but‐ ton) Alternate numbers to call if number above is not

Public Notices Bids/Proposals

available, which may occur due to network traffic (use the same Ac‐ cess Code, followed by the # button): United States Toll (Boston) +1-617-315-0704 United States Toll (Chicago) +1-312-535-8110 United States Toll (Dallas) +1-469-210-7159 United States Toll (Denver) +1-720-650-7664 United States Toll (Jacksonville) +1-904-900-2303 United States Toll (Los Angeles) +1-213-306-3065 Electronic bids and elec‐ tronic bid bonds for the solicitation will be down‐ loaded by the City of Baton Rouge and Parish of East Baton Rouge, Pur‐ chasing Division.

Beginning as soon as feasible after the bid closing time all elec‐ tronic bids will be down‐ loaded and publicly read aloud along with all paper bids received, if any, in 806 of City Hall immediately after the 2:00 p.m. bid closing.

Bids, amendments to bids, or request for with‐ drawal of quotations, re‐ ceived after time speci‐ fied for bid opening shall not be considered for any cause whatsoever.

Bids shall be firm for a period of sixty (60) days from the date of the opening of bids and no bid shall be withdrawn for any reason during this period of time ex‐ cept as allowed per R.S. 38:2214.C. Official Bid Documents are available at Central Bidding (www.central bidding.com). Electronic Bids may be submitted at Central Bidding (www. centralbidding.com). For questions related to the electronic bidding process, please call Cen‐ tral Bidding at 225-8104814. Paper copies of the plans, specifications and contract documents are on file and may be ob‐ tained from the Public

Order frameable newspaper page reprints of any special day important to you.

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8D ■ Friday, December 26, 2025 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate Public Notices Bids/Proposals

Works and Planning Cen‐ ter located at 1100 Laurel St., Engineering Division, Room 137 or Post Office Box 1471, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70821, upon payment of Ten Dollars ($10.00). (Make checks payable to the City of Baton Rouge and Parish of East Baton Rouge.)

Fees for plans, specifica‐ tions and contract docu‐ ments are to cover the cost of reproduction and are non-refundable in ac‐ cordance with Louisiana Revised Statutes.

A Certified Check or Cashier's Check, payable to the Parish of East Baton Rouge or a satis‐ factory Bid Bond exe‐ cuted by the Bidder and an acceptable surety, in an amount equal to five percent (5%) of the total bid, shall be submitted with each bid.

Bids shall be received electronically via www. centralbidding.com or on solicitation bid forms furnished by the City of Baton Rouge and Parish East Baton Rouge, and only those bids shall be received by the CityParish which is submit‐ ted by those Contractors in whose names the so‐ forms licitation bid and/or specifications were issued. In no event shall paper solicitation forms be issued later than twenty-four (24) hours prior to the hour and date set for receiv‐ ing proposals.

The City of Baton Rouge and Parish of East Baton Rouge has established a Socially and Economi‐ Disadvantaged cally Business Enterprise (SEDBE) program in ac‐ cordance with Revised Statute RS 33:2233.4. It is the policy of the Parish to ensure that Eligible Business Enterprises EBE’s, certified in accor‐ dance with the Parish program, have an equal opportunity to receive and participate in parish contracts.

For this project the EBR Parish Purchasing office has directed a review of the scope of work and has established a mini‐ mum EBE goal of 8% of the contract amount. All Bidders shall achieve this goal or demonstrate good faith efforts to achieve the goal. Good efforts include faith meeting this EBE goal or providing documentation demonstrating that the Bidder made sufficient good faith efforts in at‐ tempting to meet this goal. Only EBE firms cer‐ tified under the Parish SEDBE Certification Pro‐ gram at the time of sub‐ mittal of the bid will count toward this EBE goal. To be considered responsive, the apparent low bidder must submit EBE Forms 1, 1A, and 2, and Letters of EBE Certi‐ fication, as appropriate within 10 days after bid opening All Contractors bidding on this work shall com‐ ply with all provisions of the State Licensing Law Contractors, R.S. for as 37:2150-2163, amended, for all public contracts. It shall also be the responsibility of the General Contractor to as‐ sure that all subcontrac‐ tors comply with this law. If required for bid‐ ding, Contractors must hold an active license is‐ sued by the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors in the classi‐ of HIGHWAY, fication STREET AND BRIDGE CONSTRUCTION, and must show their license number on the face of the bid envelope and the if bli k id

lll

Public Notices Bids/Proposals

Public Notices Bids/Proposals

p Uniform Public Works Bid Form.

p y aloud along with all paper bids received, if any, in 806 of City Hall immediately after the 2:00 p.m. bid closing.

In accordance with La. R.S. 38:2214 (B) the City of Baton Rouge and Parish of East Baton Rouge reserves the right to reject any and all bids for just cause. In accor‐ dance with La. R.S. 38:2212 (A)(1)(b), the pro‐ visions and requirements of this Section, those stated in the advertise‐ ment for bids, and those required on the bid form, shall not be considered as informalities and shall not be waived by any public entity.

For additional informa‐ tion please contact Ms. Jolie Maberry, P.E, Project Manager at Jolie.

Maberry@stantec.com.

171421 Dec. 26, 2025, Jan. 2, 9, 3t $320.26 PUBLIC NOTICE --To be published three times Legal- Dec. 19th, 26th, 2025 & Jan. 2nd, 2026 THE ADVOCATE BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS The City of Baton Rouge and Parish of East Baton Rouge will receive elec‐ tronic or paper bids for the construction of the following project: US-61 SCENIC HWY. (LA-408 HARDING BOULEVARD TO SWAN AVENUE) CITY-PARISH PROJECT NO. 20-EN-HC-0006 PROJECT DESCRIPTION: Grading, earthwork, drainage structure modi‐ fications, asphaltic con‐ crete pavement, lighting, striping, signing, and as‐ sociated items of work Electronic or sealed bids will be received until 2:00 p.m. Local Time, TUES‐ DAY January 13th, 2026 by the Purchasing Divi‐ sion, Room 826, City Hall, 222 Saint Louis Street, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70802. No bids will be re‐ ceived after 2:00 p.m. on the same day and date.

Bid Openings can be in person or via teleconfer‐ ence.

Teleconference Call-in Information Join by phone +1-408-418-9388 United States Toll Access code: 263 373 080 (followed by the # but‐ ton) Alternate numbers to call if number above is not available, which may occur due to network traffic (use the same Ac‐ cess Code, followed by the # button): United States Toll (Boston) +1-617-315-0704 United States Toll (Chicago) +1-312-5358110 United States Toll (Dal‐ las) +1-469-210-7159 United States Toll (Den‐ ver) +1-720-650-7664 United States Toll (Jack‐ sonville) +1-904-900-2303 United States Toll (Los Angeles) +1-213-306-3065 Electronic bids and elec‐ tronic bid bonds for the solicitation will be down‐ loaded by the City of Baton Rouge and Parish of East Baton Rouge, Pur‐ chasing Division.

Beginning as soon as feasible after the bid closing time all elec‐ tronic bids will be down‐ loaded and publicly read l d l i h ll

Public Notices Bids/Proposals

Bids, amendments to bids, or request for with‐ drawal of quotations, re‐ ceived after time speci‐ fied for bid opening shall not be considered for any cause whatsoever.

Bids shall be firm for a period of sixty (60) days from the date of the opening of bids and no bid shall be withdrawn for any reason during this period of time ex‐ cept as allowed per R.S. 38:2214.C. Official Bid Documents are available at Central Bidding (www.central bidding.com). Electronic Bids may be submitted at Central Bidding (www. centralbidding.com). For questions related to the electronic bidding process, please call Cen‐ tral Bidding at 225-8104814. Paper copies of the plans, specifications and contract documents are on file and may be ob‐ tained from the Public Works and Planning Cen‐ ter located at 1100 Laurel St., Engineering Division, Room 137 or Post Office Box 1471, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70821, upon payment of Ten Dollars ($10.00). (Make NC-2 checks payable to the City of Baton Rouge and Parish of East Baton Rouge.) Fees for plans, specifications and con‐ tract documents are to cover the cost of repro‐ duction and are non-re‐ fundable in accordance with Louisiana Revised Statutes.

A Certified Check or Cashier's Check, payable to the Parish of East Baton Rouge or a satis‐ factory Bid Bond exe‐ cuted by the Bidder and an acceptable surety, in an amount equal to five percent (5%) of the total bid, shall be submitted with each bid.

Bids shall be received electronically via www. centralbidding.com or on solicitation bid forms furnished by the City of Baton Rouge and Parish East Baton Rouge, and only those bids shall be received by the CityParish which is submit‐ ted by those Contractors in whose names the so‐ licitation bid forms and/or specifications were issued. In no event shall paper solicitation forms be issued later than twenty-four (24) hours prior to the hour and date set for receiv‐ ing proposals.

The City of Baton Rouge and Parish of East Baton Rouge has established a Socially and Economi‐ cally Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (SEDBE) program in ac‐ cordance with Revised Statute RS 33:2233.4. It is the policy of the Parish to ensure that Eligible Business Enterprises EBE’s, certified in accor‐ dance with the Parish program, have an equal opportunity to receive and participate in parish contracts.

For this project the EBR Parish Purchasing office has directed a review of the scope of work and has established a mini‐ mum EBE goal of 14% of the contract amount. All Bidders shall achieve this goal or demonstrate good faith efforts to achieve the goal. Good faith efforts include meeting this EBE goal or providing documentation demonstrating that the Bidder made sufficient

N O R T H A M ER I CA’S

good faith efforts in at‐ tempting to meet this goal. Only EBE firms cer‐ tified under the Parish SEDBE Certification Pro‐ gram at the time of sub‐ mittal of the bid will count toward this EBE goal. To be considered responsive, the apparent low bidder must submit EBE Forms 1, 1A, and 2, and Letters of EBE Certi‐ fication, as appropriate within 10 days after bid opening.

All Contractors bidding on this work shall com‐ ply with all provisions of the State Licensing Law for Contractors, R.S. 37:2150-2163, as amended, for all public contracts. It shall also be the responsibility of the General Contractor to as‐ sure that all subcontrac‐ tors comply with this law. If required for bid‐ ding, Contractors must hold an active license is‐ sued by the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors in the classi‐ HIGHWAY, fication of STREET AND BRIDGE CONSTRUCTION, and must show their license number on the face of the bid envelope and the Uniform Public Works Bid Form.

In accordance with La. R.S. 38:2214 (B) the City of Baton Rouge and Parish of East Baton Rouge reserves the right to reject any and all bids for just cause. In accor‐ dance with La. R.S. 38:2212 (A)(1)(b), the pro‐ visions and requirements of this Section, those stated in the advertise‐ ment for bids, and those required on the bid form, shall not be considered as informalities and shall not be waived by any public entity.

For additional informa‐ tion please contact Mr. Joseph Cain III, P.E, Pro‐ ject Manager at joseph. cainsiii@stantec.com.

170907-dec 19-26-jan 2-3t $323.29

Legal Notices

made a motion to ad‐ journ; seconded by Com‐ missioner Popleon. The motion passed with a unanimous vote. The meeting adjourned at 6:32 PM. /s/Patricia Gaudet Thibodaux, Recording Secretary 171825 Dec. 26, 1t $20.94 PUBLIC NOTICE The Historic Preservation Commission of the City of Baton Rouge and the Parish of East Baton Rouge will hold a public meeting on Wednesday, January 14, 2026 at 8:30 a.m., in the Planning Commission Conference Room 1st floor Baton Rouge, Louisiana to con‐ sider the following: 631 Lakeland Drive To consider making a pre‐ liminary determination of Demolition by Neglect for a property located on the north side of Lake‐ land Drive, east of North 6th Street, now or for‐ merly known as Lot 7-A of Aubert Town Subdivi‐ sion, Square 4 (Council District 10- Coleman) 645 North 8th Street To consider making a pre‐ determination liminary of Demolition by Neglect for a property located on the west side of North 8th Street, south of Span‐ ish Town Road, now or formerly known as a por‐ tion of Lots 8 and 9 of In‐ dustry Town Subdivision, Square 45 (Council Dis‐ trict 10- Coleman) 764 Spanish Town Road To consider making a preliminary determina‐ tion of Demolition by Ne‐ glect for a property lo‐ cated on the south side of Spanish Town Road, east of Bungalow Lane, now or formerly known as the north portion of Lot 1 of Industry Town Subdivision, Square 45 (Council District 10- Cole‐ man) Run Dates: 12/26/2025 171430 Dec. 26, 1t $19.93

Public Notices Meet/Hear/Min

PUBLIC NOTICE --MINUTES OF THE BRUSLY PLANNING & ZONING COMMISSION MEETING November 19, 2025 The meeting of the Brusly Planning & Zoning Commission was held on this date, November 19, 2025, at the Brusly Town Hall. Chairman LeMoine called the meeting to order at 6:30 PM. Com‐ missioner Guidry led the Pledge of Allegiance. A roll call determined the following officials pre‐ sent: Commissioners: Steve Guidry, Kim LeMoine, Steve Perkins, Ronda Per‐ rault, Cindy Popleon, Gary So‐ niat, Jeff Travasos Absent: None Others Present: None A motion to approve the minutes of October 22, 2025, meeting of the Planning & Zoning Com‐ mission, as written, was made by Commissioner Guidry and seconded by Commissioner Travasos.

The minutes were ap‐ proved unanimously.

Zoning: None Planning: None Other Business: None Points of Personal Privilege: None Announcements: None Commissioner

Perkins

PUBLIC NOTICE --December 8, 2025 Town of Brusly Brusly, Louisiana The regular meeting of the Town of Brusly was called to order this date, December 8, 2025, at the Brusly Town Hall, at 6:30 p.m., by Mayor Rhodes.

Council Member Tassin led the Pledge of Alle‐ giance. A roll call deter‐ mined the following offi‐ cials present: Mayor: Scot Rhodes Council Members: Daigle, Young, Tassin, Chustz, Kershaw Town Attorney: Thomas Acosta, Jr. Absent: None Recognitions & Commendations: Mayor Rhodes called for a moment of silence for Town Hall Staff Member Davis’s father Brandi who passed away over the weekend.

Mayor Rhodes intro‐ duced Louisiana Queen Sugar, Olivia Daigle and presented her with a cer‐ tificate in appreciation of her many achievements.

A motion to approve the minutes of the Town’s

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regular meeting of No‐ vember 10, 2025, was made by Council Member seconded by Chustz; Council Member Young.

Mayor Rhodes opened the floor for public com‐ ment. Hearing no com‐ the motion ments, passed with a unani‐ mous vote.

Public Works Committee: Mayor Rhodes read the Public Works Report for the month of November, by Public prepared Works Supervisor Shane Sarradet. There were .9 inches of rainfall in the month; 0 SCADA alarms at our wastewater lift stations; a sinkhole was repaired on Ory Drive; Christmas decorations are up; receiving quotes for new electrical panel at Brusly Oaks Lift Sta‐ tion; street marking on N. LaBauve, rear portions of Allene & Live Oak will take place soon for 2025/2026 road overlay project; Josh Badeaux & Darren Badeaux have both completed Waste‐ water Class 1 training and are awaiting test re‐ sults for certification.

Waste Pro roadside de‐ bris and out of cart pickup is scheduled for the week of December 8th.

Mr. Toby Frugé of Owen & White gave a brief up‐ date on the Sewer La‐ goon Project, explaining that Spinks Contractors took it upon themselves to fix the bridge leading to the sewer ponds.

Council Member Daigle Council Member and Tassin, along with Mayor Rhodes requested a re‐ port stating the load lim‐ its of the bridge and a statement from Spinks excepting all risk.

Mr. Toby Frugé of Owen & White also gave a brief drainage study update on the Allene St. Basin.

Planning and Zoning Committee: None Finance Committee: Mayor Rhodes noted that the “Budget to Actual Comparison Report” for November, is available for Council Members to review.

Upon recommendation of Mayor Rhodes, a motion to approve Liquor Li‐ censes for the following businesses: Back Brusly Grocery Oaks LLC; Café Family Dollar Oasis, Store; JW Food Mart; Lit Pizza; La. Bayou Bistro; Ramez Food Mart; Rio Cantina and Walk-On’s Bistreaux & Bar, was made by Council Member Kershaw; seconded by Council Member Chustz.

Mayor Rhodes opened the floor for public com‐ ments. Hearing no com‐ the motion ments, passed unanimously.

Margaret Pritchard, of Baxley & Associates, de‐ livered the 2024/2025 Audit, reporting that the Town of Brusly received the highest level of opin‐ ion on the audit. Ms. Pritchard reported that the Town received one finding, the lack of a CPA on staff. A motion to ac‐ cept the audit report as reported by Ms. Margaret Pritchard, was made by Council Member Ker‐ seconded by shaw; Council Member Tassin.

Mayor Rhodes opened the floor for public com‐ ments. Hearing no com‐ the motion ments, passed unanimously.

Personnel Committee: Following a recommen‐ from Mayor dation Rhodes, a motion to ap‐ prove the prepared 2026 Holiday Schedule was d b il b

Public Notices Meet/Hear/Min y made by Council Member seconded by Young; Council Member Tassin.

Mayor Rhodes opened the floor for public com‐ ments. Hearing no com‐ ments, the motion passed unanimously.

Recreation Committee: None Police Committee: None Governmental Affairs Committee: Upon the request of Mayor Rhodes, a motion to approve the Arbor Day Proclamation was made Council Member by Tassin; seconded by Council Member Daigle.

Mayor Rhodes opened the floor for public com‐ ments. Hearing no com‐ the motion ments, passed unanimously.

Consideration of Vetoed Ordinances: None Hearing & Final Action on Ordinances: None Introduction of Ordinances: None Resolutions: Mayor Rhodes read aloud Resolution 10 of 2025, Surplus Item and Donation of 2015 Chevy Tahoe police unit. A mo‐ tion to approve Resolu‐ tion 10 of 2025, declaring and approving the sur‐ plus and donation of the 2015 Tahoe, was made by Council Member Chustz; seconded by Council Member Kershaw. Mayor Rhodes opened the floor for public comment.

Hearing no comments, the motion passed unani‐ mously.

Police Department Report: The Police Department Report for the month of November was given by Asst.

Chief Southon.

There were (23) Agency Assists, (7) Alarms, (1) Animal Problem, (1) child custody exchange, (1) civil problem, (1) Con‐ trolled Substance, (1) Damaged Property, (3) Disturbances, (2) DUI, (1) Fire, (2) Fraud, (1) Ha‐ rassment, (2) Juvenile Problems, (14) Medical, (5) No Insurance Tows, (1) Obstruct Justice, (1) violation, (6) privacy Public Service, (7) Suspi‐ cious, (5) Traffic Acci‐ dents, (9) Traffic Prob‐ lems, (4) Unlocks, (3) Warrants, (1) Weapons Offense and (2) Welfare Checks. Total of 104 calls for the month. For the month, there were 164 total citations and 194 vi‐ olations.

Flock Activity: 5 NCIC Warrants, 6 Protective Orders, 2 Out-of-Country Alerts.

Drone Activity: None.

Mayor’s Report: Mayor Rhodes thanked everyone who voted for the tax renewals that were on the ballot. The Mayor gave a brief up‐ date on derelict building in Town. Mayor Rhodes congratulated the Brusly School Football High Team for a 10 and 2 record for the year.

Mayor Rhodes gave a brief recap of the Tree Ceremony, Lighting Town Clerk thanking Blaine Rabalais, the en‐ tire Maintenance Depart‐ ment and the Police De‐ partment for all their help with putting on the event. The Mayor gave a special thanks to Mainte‐ Worker Cindy nance Jones for her hard work taking care the grounds of the park and Town Hall. The Mayor gave a brief update on the road overlay project. In clos‐ ing, the Mayor wished everyone a Merry Christ‐ mas.

Remarks of Personal Privilege: Council Member Daigle wished everyone a Merry h i

Public Notices Meet/Hear/Min

Christmas.

y

y

Announcements: Town Hall will close for December Christmas 24th and 25th.

Council Member Young made a motion to ad‐ journ; seconded by Coun‐ cil Member Tassin. Hear‐ ing no comments, the motion passed with a unanimous vote. The meeting was adjourned at 7:11pm. ________________ Scot Rhodes, Mayor ____________ Blaine Rabalais, Town Clerk 171815 Dec. 26, 1t $109.20

Public Notices Sheriff Sales

SHERIFF'S SALE Suit No: (17) 769522 ESSENITAL CREDIT UNION vs JAMES EDWARD JARVIS Ill AND LAWANA BROWN MONGATINET A/KIA LAWANDA BROWN

Public Notices Sheriff Sales

N9HC610638 MILEAGEUNKNOWN STORED AT SMART TOWING 3045 ROSENWALD ROAD TERMS OF SALE: Cash to the highest bid‐ der, at Public Auction WITH Appraisement and according to law.

Sid J. Gautreaux, Sheriff East Baton Rouge Parish ADVERTISED DATE December 26, 2025 $155.57

Public Notices Successions

PUBLIC NOTICE --19TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF EAST BATON ROUGE STATE OF LOUISIANA NO. P-115810, SECTION 33 IN THE MATTER OF THE SUCCESSION OF RICHARD HERMAN JONES, JR.

19th Judicial District Parish of East Baton Rouge State of Louisiana

NOTICE OF FILING OF EIGHTH TABLEAU OF DIS‐ TRIBUTION

Acting under and by virtue of Writ of SEIZURE AND SALE issued out of the honorable court aforesaid, in the above entitled and numbered cause, dated, November 20, 2025 and to me di‐ rected, I did seize and will, beginning at 10:00 o'clock a.m. on Wednes‐ day, January 7, 2026, via an online auction site at www.bid4assets.com/ EBRSOsheriffsales., offer for sale at public auction the following described mortgaged property be‐ longing to: JAMES ED‐ WARD JARVIS Ill AND LAWANA MONGATINET BROWN A/K/A LAWANDA BROWN

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that Kathleen Mills Jones, Administratrix of Succession of the Richard Herman Jones, Jr., No. P-115810, Section 33, on the docket of the Judicial District 19th Court has filed a petition seeking authority to pay certain liabilities of the Succession of Richard Herman Jones, Jr., as listed in the Eighth Tableau of Distribution filed in the record of these proceedings.

2018 BMW/ 4SERIES 4301 WBA4J1C56JBM10154 MILEAGE-UNKNOWN STORED AT SP! RECOV‐ ERY 17949 HOO SHOO TOO ROAD TERMS OF SALE: Cash to the highest bid‐ der, at Public Auction WITH Appraisement and according to law.

Sid J. Gautreaux, Sheriff East Baton Rouge Parish ADVERTISED DATE December 26, 2025 $168.35 SHERIFF'S SALE Suit No: (17) 769803 CAMPUS FEDERAL CREDIT UNION vs ARTHUR JAMES LEONARD 19th Judicial District Parish of East Baton Rouge State of Louisiana Acting under and by virtue of Writ of SEIZURE AND SALE issued out of honorable court the aforesaid, in the above entitled and numbered cause, dated, November 10, 2025 and to me di‐ rected, I did seize and will, beginning at 10:00 o'clock a.m. on Wednes‐ day, January 7, 2026, via an online auction site at www.bid4assets.com/ EBRSOsheriffsales., offer for sale at public auction the following described mortgaged property be‐ to: ARTHUR longing JAMES LEONARD 2017 PATHFINDER

NISSAN/ 5N1DR2M‐

Any interested person has seven (7) days from the date of publication of this Notice to file an op‐ position to the homolo‐ gation of the Eighth Tableau of Distribution.

These proceedings are pending before the 19th Judicial District Court in and for the Parish of East Baton Rouge. The ad‐ dress of the Court is 300 North Boulevard, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70802.

Baton Rouge, Louisiana, this ______ day of ________, 20____.

DOUG WELBORN, CLERK OF COURT By:______________ Deputy Clerk Return notice to the fol‐ lowing person to be sub‐ mitted to The Advocate for publication: William C. Shockey Shockey & Associates 10114 Jefferson Highway Baton Rouge, LA 70809 171849 Dec. 26, 1t $49.65

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