The Acadiana Advocate 12-30-2025

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Trump warns Iran of more U.S. strikes

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ICE facility officer pleads guilty to abuse Worker admits to contact with Basile detainee

BY CLAIRE TAYLOR

Staff writer

A former detention officer at the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center in Basile pleaded guilty Monday in federal court in Lafayette to one count of sexual abuse of a ward or individual in federal custody.

David Courvelle, 56, entered a plea deal with prosecutors and pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Robert Summerhays.

Courvelle was a contract detention officer at the facility in Evangeline Parish managed by the GEO Group between Jan. 1 and July 30, according to court records.

Around Jan. 1, Courvelle allegedly began a personal and romantic “relationship” with a Nicaraguan ward at the detention center, Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Johnson said in court.

Johnson said the contact “was not forced.”

Between May and July 30, the document states, Courvelle had sexual contact multiple times with the detainee. He purchased gifts and food for the detainee, and gave her photographs of her daughter.

Courvelle allegedly arranged for other detainees

ä See ASSAULT, page 4A

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ALEX BRANDON

President Donald Trump listens as Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks after arriving at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla., on Monday.

Threat comes as president holds talks with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu

BY WILL WEISSERT, SAM MEDNICK, SAMY MAGDY and AAMER MADHANI

Associated Press

PALM BEACH, Fla. — President Donald Trump warned Iran on Monday that the U.S. could carry out further military strikes if the country attempts to reconstitute its nuclear program as he held wide-ranging talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his home in Florida.

Trump had previously insisted that Tehran’s nuclear capabilities were “completely and fully obliterated” by U.S. strikes on key nuclear enrichment sites in June. But with Netanyahu by his side, Trump raised the possibility that suspected activity could be taking place outside those sites. Israeli officials, meanwhile, have been quoted in local media expressing concern about Iran rebuilding its supply of long-range

“Now I hear that Iran is trying to build up again. And if they are, we’re going to have to knock them down. We’ll knock them down. We’ll knock the hell out of them. But hopefully that’s not happening.”

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP missiles capable of striking Israel.

“Now I hear that Iran is trying to build up again,” Trump told reporters gathered at his Mar-a-Lago estate. “And if they are, we’re going to have to knock them down. We’ll knock them down. We’ll knock the hell out of them. But hopefully that’s not happening.”

Trump’s warning to Iran comes as his administration has committed significant resources to targeting

drug trafficking in South America and the president looks to create fresh momentum for the U.S.-brokered Israel-Hamas ceasefire. The Gaza deal is in danger of stalling before reaching its complicated second phase that would involve naming an international governing body and rebuilding the devastated Palestinian territory.

At a news conference with Netanyahu after their meeting, Trump suggested that he could order another U.S. strike.

“If it’s confirmed, they know the consequences, and the consequences will be very powerful, maybe more powerful than the last time,” Trump said.

Iran has insisted that it is no longer enriching uranium at any site in the country, trying to signal to the

ä See TRUMP, page 4A

Former CEO of Fibrebond explains $240M bonuses Walker looks ahead after sale of Minden-based firm

BY LIZ SWAINE Staff writer

Former Fibrebond CEO Graham Walker is putting his workplace of more than 20 years behind him as he departs the family business.

The Minden-based Fibrebond was sold in April to Eaton, a multinational company with 92,000 employees doing business in more than 175 countries.

On the day after Christmas, Walker spent the morning in his office “getting his last things”

ä See FIBREBOND, page 5A

Director of U.S. Mint has always had love of coins Metairie’s Paul Hollis lands his dream job

BY MARK BALLARD Staff writer

WASHINGTON — At every major life event, Paul Hollis carries a coin his grandmother wore around her neck while she was alive.

It’s not worth much, said the 53-year-old coin expert, who has handled million-dollar sales of rare coins, but it’s his favorite.

The 1925 U.S. Indian Head Quarter Eagle, minted in Denver with a face value of $2.50, is worth

WEATHER HIGH 51 LOW 33 PAGE 6A

about $350 today. The coin was in Hollis’ pocket when he graduated LSU in 1994; when he got married in 1996; when his two children were born in 2003 and 2013; when he was elected to the Legislature in 2011; and then in 2023 when he won a position on the Board Hollis of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Then he held the coin on Dec. 18, when the U.S. Senate confirmed him as the 41st director of the U.S. Mint, the first from Louisiana.

Hollis, of Mandeville, also will be the first mint director who makes his living buying and selling coins.

He wrote a book, published in 2012.

“American Numismatist” recounts the history of coins in context with what was happening in the United States at the time of their production.

After resigning from BESE, he will assume federal office in January.

Hollis says this is his dream job.

When other young boys saw themselves playing center field in MLB, Hollis focused on becoming director of the mint.

“I’ve known what I wanted to do

since I was just a little kid,” Hollis said.

His interest in coins began at the age of 7 when his grandmother, Betty Beasley, of Monroe, gave him a Peace Dollar, engraved with Lady Liberty to remember World War I. “I thought it was the coolest thing,” Hollis recalled. “It started my coin collecting at a very early age.”

Hollis, who will be one of the highest-ranking Louisiana natives in the Trump administration, will be in charge of coins and

PHOTO PROVIDED By PAUL HOLLIS

Paul Hollis holds his favorite coin as the U.S. Senate votes to confirm him as director of the U.S. Mint on ä See COINS, page 5A Dec. 18.

Business ...................10C Commentary ................3B Nation-World ................2A Classified .....................4B Deaths .........................4B Opinion ........................2B Comics-Puzzles .....7C-9C Living............................5C Sports ..........................1C

101ST yEAR, NO. 183

2A ● Tuesday, December 30, 2025 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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FROM WIRE REPORTS

Families seek answers after Mexico train crash

EL ESPINAL, Mexico — Survivors and families of the victims of a deadly train crash in southern Mexico demanded answers on Monday as the government vowed to investigate what caused a train to derail the day before on a rail line connecting the Pacific Ocean with the Gulf of Mexico.

Thirteen people, including a teenager, died when the Interoceanic Train linking the states of Oaxaca and Veracruz — with 250 people on board — went off the rails on Sunday as it passed by a curve in near a town in Oaxaca. Nearly 110 people were injured.

Videos from the scene show train cars that had fallen off the side of a steep hill into dense jungle below as other cars lay toppled on their side.

In 2023, Mexico’s then-President Andrés Manuel López Obrador inaugurated the train line as part of a government push to expand the railway and connectivity in rural swaths of Mexico.

Hic critics noted that many of the president’s infrastructure projects were quickly constructed, often dodging regulatory bureaucracy and environmental impact studies.

López Obrador’s ally and successor, President Claudia Sheinbaum, told reporters on Monday she was heading to the region and that the train and the infrastructure had been working correctly.

Rain could dampen Rose Parade in Calif.

For the first time in 20 years, rain could be an intruder at the Rose Parade in Southern California, a venerable New Year’s Day event that attracts thousands of spectators and is watched by millions more on TV. Storms caused Christmas week flooding, mudslides and other miseries across the region. Now comes a 90% chance of rain Thursday in Pasadena, according to the National Weather Service.

“We try not to say that word around here,” joked Candy Carlson, a spokesperson for the Pasadena Tournament of Roses, the organization behind the 137th Rose Parade, which precedes the Rose Bowl college football playoff game.

It has rained only 10 times in the parade’s history, she said, and not since 2006.

In New York City, forecasters are predicting temperatures in the low 30s, which is not unusual, when the ball drops in Times Square on New Year’s Eve. Light rain is possible in Las Vegas, where several casinos will be shooting fireworks from rooftops.

At the Rose Parade, rare wet weather is unlikely to keep floats, marching bands, entertainers and others from participating.

Carlson said people riding on floats will have rain gear if necessary, and tow trucks will be standing by in case of mechanical problems.

Florida officials suspect bird flu after swans die

ORLANDO, Fla. — A dozen of the iconic swans that live in the heart of downtown Orlando, Florida, have died in recent days of an unknown cause, leading officials to suspect that bird flu is to blame.

The deaths of the swans at Lake Eola don’t appear to be suspicious, Orlando City Commissioner Patty Sheehan said Monday on social media.

About five dozen swans lived at the park before the recent deaths. The last bird flu outbreak in the park was in February 2024.

Because the deaths have taken place during holiday season, the city’s specialized veterinarians weren’t available to do an immediate evaluation. The dead swans were being stored in a secure location so necropsies can be performed and a cause of death determined, the city commissioner said.

“We can’t be certain until tests are completed,” Sheehan said.

The swans have been at Lake Eola for more than a century and are symbols of the central Florida city. They have been painted on street murals at city intersections, and visitors can rent swanshaped pedal-boats at the park.

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Trump: U.S. ‘hit’ alleged drug boat dock Strike comes amid pressure campaign on Venezuela; few details offered

BY MICHELLE L. PRICE and WILL WEISSERT

Associated Press

PALM BEACH, Fla. — President Donald Trump has indicated that the U.S. has “hit” a dock facility along a shore as he wages a pressure campaign on Venezuela, but the U.S. offered few details.

Trump initially seemed to confirm a strike in what appeared to be an impromptu radio interview Friday, and Trump when questioned Monday by reporters about “an explosion in Venezuela,” he said the U.S. struck a facility where boats accused of carrying drugs “load up.”

“There was a major explosion in the dock area where

they load the boats up with drugs,” Trump said as he met in Florida with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “They load the boats up with drugs, so we hit all the boats and now we hit the area. It’s the implementation area. There’s where they implement. And that is no longer around.”

It is part of an escalating effort to target what the Trump administration says are boats smuggling drugs bound for the United States. It moves closer to shore strikes that so far have been carried out by the military in international waters in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean.

Trump declined to say if the U.S. military or the CIA

carried out the latest strike or where it occurred. He did not confirm it happened in Venezuela.

“I know exactly who it was, but I don’t want to say who it was. But you know it was along the shore,” Trump said.

Trump first referenced the strike on Friday, when he called radio host John Catsimatidis during a program on WABC radio and discussed the U.S. strikes on alleged drug-carrying boats. The attacks have killed at least 105 people in 29 known strikes since early September.

“I don’t know if you read or saw, they have a big plant or a big facility where they send the, you know, where the ships come from,” Trump said. “Two nights ago, we knocked that out.

So, we hit them very hard.”

Trump did not offer any additional details in the interview.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth or one of the U.S. military’s social media accounts has in the past typically announced every boat strike in a post on X, but there has been no post of any strike on a facility.

The Pentagon on Monday referred questions to the White House, which did not immediately respond to a message seeking more details. The press office of Venezuela’s government did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Trump’s statement.

Trump for months has suggested he may conduct land strikes in South America, in Venezuela or possibly another country, and

in recent weeks has been saying the U.S. would move beyond striking boats and would strike on land “soon.”

In October, Trump confirmed he had authorized the CIA to conduct covert operations in Venezuela.

The agency did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment Monday.

Along with the strikes, the U.S. has sent warships, built up military forces in the region, seized two oil tankers and pursued a third.

The Trump administration has said it is in “armed conflict” with drug cartels and seeking to stop the flow of narcotics into the United States.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has insisted the real purpose of the U.S. military operations is to force him from power.

China stages military drills around Taiwan

BY KANIS LEUNG Associated Press

HONG KONG — China’s military on Monday dispatched air, navy and missile units to conduct joint live-fire drills around the island of Taiwan, which Beijing called a “stern warning” against separatist and “external interference” forces. Taiwan said it was placing forces on alert and called the Chinese government “the biggest destroyer of peace.”

Taiwan’s aviation authority said more than 100,000 international air travelers would be affected by flight cancellations or diversions.

The drills came after Beijing expressed anger at what could be the largestever U.S. arms sale to the self-ruled territory, and at a statement by Japan’s prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, saying its military could get involved if China takes action against Taiwan. China says Taiwan must come under its rule.

China’s military did not mention the United States and Japan in its statement on Monday, but Beijing’s foreign ministry accused Taiwan’s ruling party of trying to seek independence

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By WU TAIJING

A Taiwan fighter jet lands Monday at the Hsinchu Airbase in Taiwan. China’s military on Monday dispatched air, navy and missile units to conduct joint live-fire drills around the island. through requesting U.S. support.

Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said rapid response exercises were underway, with forces on high alert.

“The Chinese Communist Party’s targeted military exercises further confirm its nature as an aggressor and the biggest destroyer

of peace,” it said.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday said he was not informed of the military exercise in advance but that he was not worried either, because China has been “doing naval exercises for 20 years in that area.”

Touting his “great relationship” with Chinese

Zelenskyy: U.S. offers Ukraine 15-year security guarantee

BY ILLIA NOVIKOV Associated Press

KYIV, Ukraine — The United States is offering Ukraine security guarantees for a period of 15 years as part of a proposed peace plan, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday, though he said he would prefer an American commitment of up to 50 years to deter Russia from further attempts to seize its neighbor’s land by force.

President Donald Trump hosted Zelenskyy at his Florida resort on Sunday and insisted that Ukraine and Russia are “closer than ever before” to a peace settlement.

Negotiators are still searching for a breakthrough on key issues, however, including whose forces withdraw from where in Ukraine and the fate of Ukraine’s Russianoccupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, one of the 10 biggest in the world. Trump noted that the monthslong U.S.-led negotiations could still collapse.

“Without security guarantees, realistically, this war will not end,” Zelenskyy told reporters in voice messages responding to questions sent via a WhatsApp chat.

Ukraine has been fight-

ing Russia since 2014, when it illegally annexed Crimea and Moscowbacked separatists took up arms in the Donbas, a vital industrial region in eastern Ukraine.

Details of the security guarantees have not become public, but Zelenskyy said Monday they include how a peace deal would be monitored as well as the “presence” of partners. He didn’t elaborate, but Russia has said it won’t accept the deployment in Ukraine of troops from NATO countries.

Trump on Monday had “a positive call” with Russian President Vladimir Putin about the war, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a post on X. The two leaders had also spoken shortly before Trump’s talks with Zelenskyy on Sunday as the American president tries to steer the countries toward a settlement.

Later, to reporters, the U.S. president similarly characterized the call as “a very good talk” and said “we have a few very thorny issues, as you can imagine” in the negotiations to end the war.

“If we get them resolved, you’re going to have peace,” he added.

Putin’s foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov said Trump is pushing Ukraine

to seek a comprehensive peace agreement and not demand a temporary respite for its military through a ceasefire. Putin has insisted on a full settlement before any truce.

In Monday’s call, Putin told Trump that Ukraine attempted to attack the Russian leader’s residence in northwestern Russia with long-range drones almost immediately after Trump’s Sunday talks with Zelenskyy.

The attack “certainly will not be left without a serious response,” Ushakov said, adding that Moscow will now review its negotiating position.

Zelenskyy denied the Russian claim of an attack, describing it as an attempt to manipulate the peace process. He said it was “another lie” and came about because Moscow is unnerved by progress in peace efforts.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Ukraine launched an attack on Putin’s residence in the Novgorod region overnight from Sunday to Monday using 91 longrange drones.

“I don’t like it. It’s not good,” Trump said of the alleged attack on Putin’s home, confirming the Russian leader informed him of it during their call Monday morning.

President Xi Jinping, Trump suggested he didn’t think Xi was going to attack Taiwan.

Beijing sends warplanes and navy vessels toward the island on a near-daily basis, and in recent years it has stepped up the scope and scale of the exercises.

Senior Col. Shi Yi, spokes-

person of China’s People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command, said the drills would be conducted in the Taiwan Strait and areas to the north, southwest, southeast and east of the island.

Shi said activities would focus on sea-air combat readiness patrol, “joint seizure of comprehensive superiority” and blockades on key ports. It was the first large-scale military drill where the command publicly mentioned one goal was “all-dimensional deterrence outside the island chain.”

“It is a stern warning against ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist forces and external interference forces, and it is a legitimate and necessary action to safeguard China’s sovereignty and national unity,” Shi said.

China and Taiwan have been governed separately since 1949, when a civil war brought the Communist Party to power in Beijing.

Defeated Nationalist Party forces fled to Taiwan. The island has operated since then with its own government, though the mainland’s government claims it as sovereign territory.

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U.S. pledges $2 billion for U.N. humanitarian aid Trump warns agencies must ‘adapt or die’

BY JAMEY KEATEN and MATTHEW LEE Associated Press

GENEVA — The United States on Monday announced a $2 billion pledge for U.N. humanitarian aid as President Donald Trump’s administration slashes U.S. foreign assistance and warns United Nations agencies they must “adapt, shrink or die” in a time of new financial realities.

The money is a small fraction of what the U.S. has contributed in the past but reflects what the administration believes is still a generous amount that will maintain America’s status as the world’s largest humanitarian donor.

“This new model will better share the burden of U.N. humanitarian work with other developed countries and will require the U.N. to cut bloat, remove duplication, and commit to powerful new impact, accountability and oversight mechanisms,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on social media.

The pledge creates an umbrella fund from which money will be doled out to agencies and priorities, a key part of U.S. demands for drastic changes across the U.N. that have alarmed many humanitarian workers and led to severe reductions in programs and services.

The $2 billion is only a sliver of traditional U.S. humanitarian funding for U.N.-coordinated programs, which has run as high as $17 billion annually in recent years, according to U.N. data. U.S. officials say only $8 billion to $10 billion of that has been in volun-

TRUMP

Continued from page 1A West that it remains open to potential negotiations over its atomic program. The two leaders discussed the possibility of taking new military action against Tehran just months after June’s 12-day war.

The Iranian mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Trump’s warning.

Trump, with Netanyahu by his side, said he wants to get to the second phase of the Gaza deal “as quickly as we can.”

“But there has to be a disarming of Hamas,” Trump added.

The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas that Trump championed has mostly held, but progress has slowed recently. Both sides accuse each other of violations, and divisions have emerged among the U.S., Israel and Arab countries about the path forward.

The truce’s first phase began in October, days after the two-year anniversary of the initial Hamas-led attack

ASSAULT

Continued from page 1A to serve as lookouts while he and the detainee with the initials C.H. met in a janitorial closet, Johnson said in court.

On July 16, Johnston said, staff at the detention center saw Courvelle and C.H. exiting the janitorial closet.

Courvelle was transferred to another detention block and resigned after learning there were recordings of calls between him and C.H. In a September interview

tary contributions. The United States also pays billions in annual dues related to its U.N. membership.

“The piggy bank is not open to organizations that just want to return to the old system,” Jeremy Lewin, the State Department official in charge of foreign assistance, said at a news conference Monday in Geneva. “President Trump has made clear that the system is dead.”

The State Department said “individual U.N. agencies will need to adapt, shrink, or die.” Critics say the Western aid cutbacks have been shortsighted, driven millions toward hunger, displacement or disease, and harmed U.S. soft power around the world.

The move caps a crisis year for many U.N. organizations, including its refugee, migration and food aid agencies. The Trump administration has already cut billions in U.S. foreign aid, prompting the agencies to slash spending, aid projects and thousands of jobs.

Other traditional Western donors have reduced outlays, too.

The U.S. pledge for aid programs of the United Nations — the world’s top provider of humanitarian assistance and biggest recipient of U.S. humanitarian aid money — takes shape in a preliminary deal with the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, or OCHA, run by Tom Fletcher, a former British diplomat and government official.

Fletcher, who has spent the past year lobbying U.S. officials not to abandon U.N. funding altogether, appeared optimistic at the deal’s

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By MARWAN ALI

Women displaced from El-Fasher stand in line to receive food aid at the newly established El-Afadh camp in Al Dabbah, in Sudan’s Northern State, on Nov. 16. signing in Geneva.

“It’s a very, very significant landmark contribution. And a month ago, I would have anticipated the number would have been zero,” he told reporters. “And so I think, before worrying about what we haven’t got, I’d like to look at the millions of people whose lives will be saved, whose lives will be better because of this contribution, and start there.”

Even as the U.S. pulls back its aid contributions, needs have ballooned worldwide: Famine has been recorded this year in parts of conflict-ridden Sudan and Gaza, and floods, drought and natural disasters that many scientists attribute to climate change have taken many lives or driven thousands from their homes.

The cuts will have major implications for U.N. affiliates like the

on Israel that killed about 1,200 people. All but one of the 251 hostages taken then have been released, alive or dead.

The Israeli leader, who also met separately with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, has signaled he is in no rush to move forward with the next phase as long as the remains of Ran Gvili are still in Gaza.

Gvili’s parents met with Netanyahu as well as Rubio, U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and the president’s son-inlaw, Jared Kushner, in Florida on Monday.

“They’re waiting for their son to come home,” Trump said of the family of the young police officer known affectionately as “Rani.”

The path to implementing Trump’s peace plan is certainly complicated.

If successful, the second phase would see the rebuilding of a demilitarized Gaza under international supervision by a group chaired by Trump and known as the Board of Peace. The Palestinians would form a “technocratic, apolitical” committee to run daily affairs in Gaza, under Board of Peace supervision.

It further calls for normalized relations between Israel and the Arab world and a possible pathway to Palestinian independence.

Then there are thorny logistical and humanitarian questions, including rebuilding war-ravaged Gaza, disarming Hamas and creating a security apparatus called the International Stabilization Force.

Two main challenges have complicated moving to the second phase, according to an official who was briefed on those meetings. Israeli officials have been taking a lot of time to vet and approve members of the Palestinian technocratic committee from a list given to them by the mediators, and Israel continues its military strikes.

Trump’s plan also calls for the stabilization force, proposed as a multinational body, to maintain security.

But it, too, has yet to be formed. Whether details will be forthcoming after Monday’s meeting is unclear.

A Western diplomat said there is a “huge gulf” between the U.S.-Israeli understanding of the force’s mandate and that of other major countries in the re-

with ICE representatives, Johnson said, Courvelle denied the activity, but about 30 minutes later admitted he had a “relationship” with C.H. Courvelle is set to appear April 10 before Summerhays for sentencing.

He was released Monday on a $10,000 unsecured appearance bond.

Summerhays said Courvelle could face up to 15 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, supervised release of up to three years and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment.

A civil-rights complaint was filed in September with the Department of Homeland Security alleging former assistant warden Manuel Reyes, prison officers and ICE employees at the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center in Basile subjected a woman and three transgender people to abuse from 2023 to 2025.

The facility is operated by GEO Group Inc. and houses females and detainees of various gender identities.

gion, as well as European governments.

All spoke on the condition of anonymity to provide details that haven’t been made public.

The U.S. and Israel want the force to have a “commanding role” in security duties, including disarming Hamas and other militant groups. But countries being courted to contribute troops fear that mandate will make it an “occupation force,” the diplomat said.

Hamas has said it is ready to discuss “freezing or storing” its arsenal of weapons but insists it has a right to armed resistance as long as Israel occupies Palestinian territory. One U.S. official said a potential plan might be to offer cash incentives in exchange for weapons, echoing a “buyback” pro-

Contact Claire Taylor at ctaylor@theadvocate.com.

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International Organization for Migration, the World Food Program and refugee agency UNHCR. They have already received billions less from the U.S. this year than under annual allocations from the Biden administration — or even during Trump’s first term.

Now, the idea is that Fletcher’s office — which has aimed to improve efficiency — will become a funnel for U.S. and other aid money that can be redirected to those agencies, rather than scattered U.S. contributions to a variety of individual appeals for aid.

Asked by reporters if the U.S. language of “adapt or die” worried him, Fletcher said, “If the choices are adapt or die, I choose adapt.”

U.S. officials say the $2 billion is just a first outlay to help fund OCHA’s annual appeal for money.

Fletcher, noting the upended aid

landscape, already slashed the request this year. Other traditional U.N. donors like Britain, France, Germany and Japan have reduced aid allocations and sought reforms this year.

“This humanitarian reset at the United Nations should deliver more aid with fewer tax dollars — providing more focused, resultsdriven assistance aligned with U.S. foreign policy,” U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz said.

At its core, the changes will help establish pools of funding that can be directed either to specific crises or countries in need. A total of 17 countries will be initially targeted, including Bangladesh, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Syria and Ukraine.

U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres also welcomed the announcement, saying that “every dollar counts.”

Two of the world’s most desperate countries, Afghanistan and Yemen, are not included, with U.S. officials citing aid diversion to the Taliban and Houthi rebels as concerns over restarting contributions.

Also not mentioned on the list are the Palestinian territories, which officials say will be covered by money stemming from Trump’s asyet-incomplete Gaza peace plan.

The U.N. project, months in the making, stems from Trump’s longtime view that the world body has great promise but has failed to live up to it and has — in his eyes — drifted too far from its original mandate to save lives while undermining American interests, promoting radical ideologies and encouraging wasteful, unaccountable spending.

gram Witkoff has previously floated.

The two leaders, who have a long and close relationship, heaped praise on each other. Trump also tweaked the Israeli leader, who at moments during the war has raised Trump’s ire, for being “very difficult on occasion.”

Netanyahu said Trump during the lunch was formally told that his country’s education ministry will award him the Israel Prize, breaking the long-held convention of bestowing the honor on an Israeli citizen or resident.

“President Trump has broken so many conventions to the surprise of people,” Netanyahu said. He added, “So we decided to break a convention too, or create a new one.”

Trump also renewed his

call on Israeli President Isaac Herzog to grant Netanyahu, who is in the midst of a corruption trial, a pardon.

Netanyahu is the only sitting prime minister in Israeli history to stand trial, after being charged with fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes in three separate cases accusing him of exchanging favors with wealthy political supporters.

Trump has previously written to Herzog to urge a pardon and advocated for one during his October speech before the Knesset.

He said Monday that Herzog has told him “it’s on its way” without offering further details.

“He’s a wartime prime minister who’s a hero. How do you not give a pardon?”

Trump said.

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The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Tuesday, December 30, 2025 ● 5A

lll

FIBREBOND

Continued from page 1A

and walking through the Minden plant, shaking hands and saying goodbyes.

It was emotional, but after several months of assisting with the Eaton transition, it was time.

“It’s a hard thing to step away and to step away graciously, and you know that’s why it doesn’t happen very often. And you know part of it involves making sure your own ego isn’t checking this process and allowing other people to do things that they’re capable of doing.”

Walker began the process of making the tough decision in the early 2020s.

“There comes a Walker point at which, as I told everyone then, and a lot of times since, there’s a point at which the thing that holds a business back is me, you know, the person that’s in charge of leading the business.

So I’ve had to be keenly aware and honest with myself and critical of myself about where or when is the time that I’m the holdback, because the people that work there deserve not to be held back at all.”

By 2024, the family was looking at offers from a dozen possible buyers.

It boiled down, said Walker, to finding the one with the same corporate philosophy and consideration of employees, of one that could help Fibrebond continue to

COINS

Continued from page 1A the nation’s gold reserves at Fort Knox, Kentucky.

Facilities in Philadelphia, Denver, San Francisco and West Point, New York, press nickels, dimes, quarters and other coins used as currency — but not pennies.

The government minted its last penny on Nov. 12.

President Donald Trump on Feb. 9 ordered Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who will be Hollis’ supervisor, to stop minting pennies because each 1-cent piece, with President Abraham Lincoln’s profile, cost almost four cents to make. Taxpayers were losing about $85 million annually for a littleused coin that most people toss in a bowl at the end of the day.

As Congress has the power to decide coinage, bipartisan legislation was filed to make Trump’s order law.

On Dec. 20, a tongue-incheek funeral was held for the penny at the Lincoln Memorial, which attracted several thousand mourners — many dressed in stovepipe hats like the 16th president favored.

“That decision wasn’t made on my watch, but I wasn’t surprised by it,” Hollis said. “I understand it, and I think it’s the right decision.”

What will be on his watch is the growing imbroglio over whether to engrave Trump’s likeness on a coin.

The Trump administration in October released draft images of the president on a $1 coin.

PROVIDED PHOTO

Minden-based Fibrebond, with 540 employees, was sold in April to Eaton, a multinational company with 92,000 employees doing business in more than 175 countries.

In order for the deal with Eaton to fly, Eaton had to be willing to include 15% of the $1.4 billion purchase price as bonuses for the 540 Fibrebond workers.

It followed Fibrebond’s model, said Walker, which had everyone from the CEO to a security guard on the same incentive structure.

“We all won together, we lost together,” he said, and the family was not going to change that at the end.

“The entire family made the decision to have the 15% for employees, a lot of that was grounded in an emphasis on faith and an emphasis on trying to do the right

grow and to face the challenges of the market.

Fibrebond’s 12 employees got their start in 1982, building telecommunications equipment in Shreveport.

There were ups and downs, lean years and a devastating fire, but by 2025, as Walker was entering his 10th year as president/CEO, the company had grown to 540 employees and had launched a $150 million expansion.

The landscape was also continuing to change with the explosive growth of data centers that needed the electrical power modules built at Fibrebond.

The idea ran into headwinds from political opponents, but more so from a complex web of laws and traditions that forbid putting living presidents on currency.

The mint makes commemorative coins, also legal tender, and the Trump administration hopes that one of those coins remembering the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 2026, will feature the president.

Calvin Coolidge is the only sitting president who had his image on a coin, and it was in celebration of the nation’s 150th birthday.

Senate Democrats filed legislation on Dec. 9 clarifying the rules and to stop Trump from putting his face on a circulating coin.

More controversy arose when Trump discarded plans for the commemorative coins to include images of the abolition of slavery and civil rights.

One would’ve shown Ruby Bridges as a 6-year-old girl when she integrated William Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans on Nov. 14, 1960.

New designs are being drafted to depict the more exceptionalist episodes of American history, such as George Washington in the Revolutionary War and James Madison writing the U.S. Constitution.

Hollis wouldn’t comment on these controversies, saying he is not yet in office and hasn’t been briefed. But he is looking forward to visiting people around the country and telling them about the 2026 commemorative coins and their link to American

history.

A lifelong Republican, Hollis is the son of one of the state’s first elected Republicans in modern times, former state Sen. Ken Hollis, of Metairie. He said his late father’s 28 years in public service led him to a similar commitment.

Paul Hollis was born and raised in Metairie, where he graduated in 1990 from Grace King High School.

It was while part of the Louisiana Association of Student Councils that he met Mike Johnson, a student from Captain Shreve High School in Shreveport.

Hollis and Johnson renewed their friendship while both served in the Louisiana House of Representatives.

Johnson, R-Benton, went on to become speaker of the U.S. House.

Hollis said he had shared with Johnson his love of coins over the years. After Trump was elected to a second term in November 2024, Hollis mentioned to Johnson, almost in passing, his lifelong interest in being director.

Upon graduating LSU, Hollis went to work for the Blanchard and Company in New Orleans. One of the nation’s leading numismatic firms, Hollis sold gold bullion and rare coins for about a decade. He then opened Paul Hollis Rare Coins in Covington. He provides coins for the Home Shopping Network and trades with collectors.

His largest sale was a $10 gold coin and a $5 gold coin for $3.75 million in 2021.

Hollis also organized the exhibition of a unique 1844 gold piece that some believe

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But it’s a very emotional thing.

And these are people that you’ve worked with, and you’ve been through just as many hard times as you have been through good times with. I would just say it was really one of the most kind of sacred experiences of my life.”

“I can’t imagine I can ever do anything else in my life, certainly in my work career that will top that. That was, that was the best.”

“Eaton was great about (the raises). They’ve been committed to it the entire time. You know, just like they’ve been committed to the business. I mean, a business is only as good as the people there. And so they need the talent that’s sitting in Louisiana to stay engaged in the business. And there’s no better way to do it than this.”

While Walker admits this level of bonus might not become standard operating procedure, he hopes other businesses will see the wisdom in it.

One company contacted him Christmas week to ask questions.

“There are a lot of different ways I think, to accomplish this, to do something really good.”

At 46, Walker says he is excited about the opportunity of doing something “totally new,” but as yet is unsure what that will be.

“I hopefully will do what my wife has told me I need to do for a long time, which is just take a little time and really, you know, focus on family, and focus on, to a lesser degree, myself, and then come back at it, excited and interested in something.”

thing.”

Employees received $240 million. According to The Wall Street Journal, the average bonus was $443,000 to be paid over five years as long as the employee continued to work during that time. Employees who had worked for Fibrebond longer received more.

Walker said employees were told of the sale on March 11, and on March 25, administrative teams began meeting with them in small groups, telling them what the sale would mean to them.

“I had a headache for two days because, you know, I was just Email Liz Swaine at liz.swaine@ constantly on the verge of tears. theadvocate.com.

was struck as a special gift to President James Polk, who took office the following year.

“I exhibited my secondfavorite coin at the New Orleans Mint,” Hollis said.

The coin was minted in the building that is now the New Orleans Jazz Museum.

Hollis often visits, but acknowledges that while fascinated by the music created in New Orleans, he rarely goes to the second and third floors where exhibits tell the stories of Louis Prima, Jelly Roll Morton, Louis Armstrong and the history

of jazz.

It’s the first floor that captures Hollis’s attention.

That’s where the exhibits are that show when the building was used to forge coins of every denomination from 1838 to 1909, with a brief lapse during the Civil War. As director, he plans to visit with 1,700 or so employees at operating mints and Fort Knox.

He’ll also attend numismatic shows to discuss coins and their history as well as the commemorative coins being minted for the nation’s

250th birthday.

“I’ve known what I’ve wanted to do since I was a little kid. And everything has just been me following the cues,” Hollis said. “I’m looking forward to having my office in Washington and hanging a photograph of my dad with (President Ronald) Reagan and a photograph of my grandma when she was young.”

He plans to carry his favorite coin.

Email Mark Ballard at mballard@theadvocate. com.

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6A ● Tuesday, December 30, 2025 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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ALMANAC

AIR QUALITY

LAFAyETTE THROUGH 5 P.M. MONDAy

YESTERDAY

TEMPERATURE

High/low Normal high/low Record high Record low

GOOD

69°/48° 62°/44° 82° in 2021 14° in 1894

TODAY

PRECIPITATION

MODERATE

24 hours through 5 p.m. Mon. 0.04” Month to date (normal) 7.58” (4.59”) year to date (normal) 72.41” (62.44”)

MAIN POLLUTANT Particulates

SUN AND MOON Sunrise today Sunset tonight Moonrise today Moonset today

MAIN POLLUTANT Ozone

READING 30

7:04 a.m.

5:17 p.m.

1:37 p.m.

2:54 a.m.

SOURCE: AIRNOW.GOV

FULL

LAST

NEW

FIRST

JAN 3

JAN 10

JAN 18

JAN 25

THE NATION AND WORLD Today City

LOUISIANA FORECAST

RIVER STAGES MISSISSIPPI

Monroe 47/33

Shreveport 51/34

Jackson 45/30

Longview 50/34

Many 49/32

Hattiesburg 49/29

Alexandria 49/33

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

Cairo COMITE

Near Olive

Baton Rouge 50/31 Beaumont 54/35

Port Arthur 53/38

Lafayette

AMITE

Near Darlington Denham Springs Port Vincent

New Orleans 50/37

Lake Charles 54/35

TICKFAW

Montpelier Holden

Houma 51/32

ATCHAFALAYA

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

TIDES HIGH

Lake Pontchartrain (Tchefuncte River) 3:37a Shell Beach 9:35p South Point, Marsh Island 2:41p Cypremort Point 6:08p Grand Isle (Barataria Pass) 5:49p Mississippi River (Southwest Pass) 5:10p Wine Island 6:57p

First FT. LOW

FT.

HIGH

Second FT. LOW

FT.

0.5 1.3 1.6 1.8 1.0 1.3 1.2

-0.2 -0.3 -0.8 -0.2 -0.5 -0.6 -0.6

---------------

---------------

---------------

3:24p 8:28a 4:18a 8:24a 4:23a 2:50a 5:25a

---------------

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

Simmesport Melville Krotz Springs Butte La Rose Bayou Sorrel Morgan City

FLOOD STAGE 24-HOUR STAGE CHANGE

34 48 48 35 27 22 17

-2.00 15.60 18.40 6.30 3.40 2.70 1.80

-1.30 +1.33 +1.30 +0.70 +0.40 +0.20 +0.22

40

11.51

-0.49

19

-1.41

+0.01

18 29 8

-0.92 10.25 1.16

+0.01 -0.01 -0.26

13 15

2.03 0.90

-0.01 -0.03

47 34 29 20 12 6

5.08 3.49 3.14 2.63 2.30 1.86

+0.50 +0.48 +0.26 +0.33 +0.30 +0.24

Austin Boston Dallas Fairbanks Honolulu Las Vegas Louisville Miami Nashville

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

Wednesday

Hi

Lo

W

Hi

Lo

W

City

58 27 54 -24 78 59 32 72 37

33 22 39 -45 69 45 28 48 28

pc pc pc pc sh s s pc s

68 34 66 -40 79 57 41 68 49

41 23 43 -47 67 46 30 45 32

s c s pc pc pc pc s s

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

44 90 58 36 42 69 45 39 78 72 52

36 69 46 25 29 49 35 25 62 64 46

pc pc s s pc pc c s sh s c

45 90 53 37 41 69 40 37 72 71 54

39 70 41 34 32 50 33 32 57 63 45

c pc r sf c pc pc c pc s pc

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

Hi

Today

Wednesday

Lo

W

Hi

Lo

W

50 59 34 76 27 41 35 77 58

37 38 27 55 21 27 28 63 41

s pc c pc sf s s pc pc

58 59 35 72 30 48 43 69 59

45 43 29 57 11 32 26 60 49

s s c c sf s pc sh s

63 45 52 63 11 23 72 41 56 30 57

42 32 31 42 4 17 47 28 42 19 41

s pc s pc c c pc s pc s s

59 40 49 66 9 20 73 39 52 25 54

45 31 29 45 -3 12 51 28 37 22 38

pc pc s pc c sn pc s s pc pc

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

-10

-0s

0s

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

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

Today Wed. Thu. Fri. Sat. Sun. Mon.

Major

Minor

Major

7:07a 12:53a 7:36p 8:00a 1:44a 8:31p 8:57a 2:41a 9:30p 9:58a 3:42a 10:31p 11:01a 4:45a 11:33p 12:04p 5:49a ---12:38a 6:51a 1:05p

Minor

1:22p 2:15p 3:13p 4:14p 5:17p 6:19p 7:19p

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

Bomb cyclone brings blizzards to Midwest Storm system turning east

BY LEAH WILLINGHAM and JEFF MARTIN Associated Press

A strengthening bomb cyclone barreled across the northern U.S. on Monday, unleashing severe winter weather in the Midwest as it took aim at the East Coast.

The storm brought blizzard conditions, treacherous travel and power outages to parts of the Plains and Great Lakes on Monday as sharply colder air, strong winds and a mix of snow, ice and rain swept through.

Forecasters said the storm intensified quickly enough to meet the criteria of a bomb cyclone, a system that strengthens rapidly as pressure drops. The sharp cold front left parts of the central U.S. waking up Monday to temperatures as much as 50 degrees colder than the day before.

All that wind and snow created “a pretty significant system for even this part of the country,” said Cody Snell, a meteorologist with the Weather Prediction Center. Dangerous wind chills plunged as low as minus 30

across parts of North Dakota and Minnesota.

The National Weather Service had warned of whiteout conditions beginning Sunday that could make travel impossible in some places.

In Iowa, blizzard conditions eased by Monday morning but high winds were still blowing fallen snow across roadways, keeping more than 200 miles of Interstate 35 closed. State troopers reported dozens of crashes during the storm, including one that killed a person.

Forecasters expect the storm to intensify, fueled by a sharp clash between frigid Canadian air and lingering warmth across the southern United States.

Nationwide, about 350,000 customers were without power Monday afternoon, more than a third of them in Michigan, according to Poweroutage.us. Airports reported over 6,000 flight delays and around 775 cancellations within the United States.

Snow piled up quickly in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, where as much as 2 feet fell in some areas, according to the National Weather Service. Meteorologist Ryan Metzger said additional

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By CHARLES KRUPA

Jack, described as a mixed-breed mutt by his owner Shelley, keeps in stride on their Monday afternoon walk in sleet and freezing rain in Manchester, N.H. snow was expected in the coming days, although totals would be far lighter.

Waves on Lake Superior were expected to reach 20 feet Monday, sending all but one cargo ship into harbors for shelter, according to MarineTraffic.com. Weather forecasting on the lakes has improved greatly since the Edmund Fitzgerald sank in 1975 after waves were predicted at up to 16 feet.

The fierce winds on Lake Erie sent water surging

toward the basin’s eastern end near Buffalo, New York, while lowering water on the western side in Michigan to expose normally submerged lake bed — even the wreck of a car and a snowmobile.

Rain and a wintry mix fell farther east across parts of the Northeast. Freezing rain was reported in northern New York, with the threat extending into Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine.

Forecasters warned the

ice and wind could strain power lines and trees. More than 57,000 power outages were reported across upstate New York on Monday afternoon, utility officials said. Heavy lake-effect snow and possible whiteouts were forecast Tuesday for the northwestern part of the state, the National Weather Service said.

On the West Coast, the National Weather Service warned that moderate to strong Santa Ana winds

were expected in parts of Southern California through Tuesday, raising concerns about downed trees in areas where soils have been saturated by recent storms. Two more storms were forecast later this week, with rain on New Year’s Day potentially soaking the Rose Parade in Pasadena for the first time in about two decades.

A weekend snowstorm hit Alaska’s northern panhandle with 15 to 40 inches, according to the National Weather Service, keeping the region under a winter storm warning Monday as Juneau braced for up to 9 more inches and possible freezing rain. City facilities were closed and road crews piled snow into towering berms, while communities farther south faced flood watches from snowmelt and heavy rain.

And in central Illinois, an EF1 tornado with peak winds of 98 mph damaged buildings and snapped power poles on Sunday.

Associated Press writers Julie Walker in New York; Corey Williams in Detroit; Margery Beck in Omaha, Nebraska; Susan Haigh in Norwich, Connecticut; and Becky Bohrer in Juneau, Alaska, contributed.

2 N.J. pilots killed in helicopter collision frequented cafe together

BY DAVE COLLINS Associated Press

Two men who died after their helicopters collided midair in New Jersey over the weekend both earned their private pilot licenses over a decade ago and would often have breakfast together at a cafe near the crash site before taking to the skies from the local airport.

Authorities on Monday identified the two New Jersey men as Kenneth Kirsch, 65, and Michael Greenberg, 71. Witnesses told police that the two helicopters they were piloting Sunday

were flying close together just before they crashed in a farm field near the airport in Hammonton, about 35 miles southeast of Philadelphia.

Hammonton Police Chief Kevin Friel said in a statement that Kirsch, of Carney’s Point, was pronounced dead at an area hospital after being flown there, while Greenberg, of Sewell, died at the crash site.

Investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board were examining the accident site on Monday and determined the debris field is about 100 yards long and contains parts of the main rotors

and tail rotors, a spokesperson said. Both helicopters are expected to be removed from the site Tuesday and taken to another location for further review.

A preliminary report is expected in about 30 days, the NTSB said.

Friel said rescuers responded to a report of an aviation crash at about 11:25 a.m. Sunday. Video from the scene shows a helicopter spinning rapidly to the ground. Police and fire crews subsequently extinguished flames that engulfed one of the helicopters.

The Federal Aviation Administration described the

crash as a midair collision between an Enstrom F-28A helicopter and Enstrom 280C helicopter near Hammonton Municipal Airport. Only the pilots were on board.

Kirsch and Greenberg both received their private pilot licenses in 2014, FAA records show. They often stopped at the Apron Cafe next to the airport for breakfast before flying, said the restaurant’s owner, Sal Silipino.

Silipino said Kirsch and Greenberg ate at the cafe shortly before the crash. Patrons watched the helicopters take off from the airport and were stunned when the

aircraft fell from the sky, he said.

“It was shocking. Still shaking to see that happen,” Silipino said. “They were just at our cafe having breakfast.

They’re regulars. They come in every week or every other week. They fly in together.

They seem to be very nice people. They were also very kind to the workers and staff and all.”

He said the helicopters’ flights appeared to begin without incident.

“I saw one go down and then I saw the other one go down and there was little bit of disbelief. It’s like, is that

really happening?,” Silipino said.

FAA records show Kirsch was the registered owner of one of the helicopters, while the other aircraft was registered to M&M Charter LLC of Mountville, Pennsylvania. Contact information for M&M Charter could not be immediately found Monday.

Hammonton is a town of about 15,000 people located in Atlantic County in the southern part of New Jersey.

The town has a history of agriculture and is located near the Pine Barrens, a forested wilderness area that covers more than 1 million acres.

METRO

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

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T u e s d ay, d e c e m b e r 30, 2025

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Countdowns, more planned to ring in ’26 Find parties, family-friendly events around Lafayette

BY JA’KORI MADISON Staff writer

Lafayette residents will have many ways to ring in the new year as the area hosts multiple New Year’s Eve celebrations.

From family-friendly daytime events to late-night parties and live music, or prefer an early celebration, a festive party or a traditional midnight countdown,

N.O. preps for New Year’s, bowl

multiple events are planned around Acadiana. Some events require reservations or ticket purchases, while others are free and open to the public. n Children’s Museum of Acadiana New Year’s Noon Carnival: The annual family-friendly celebration returns to Children’s Museum of Acadiana, 201 E. Congress St. The event includes a midday countdown, live entertainment, activities for

children and the museum’s signature confetti drop on Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tickets are available online and at the door; children under 1 are admitted free. n New Year’s Eve Dance at Vermilionville: Ticketed New Year’s Eve dance at 300 Fisher Road on Wednesday from 8:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m.

The event will feature live music, food, dancing and a midnight

countdown along the Bayou Vermilion. Tickets are priced around $45 and can be purchased at bayouvermiliondistrict.org. n NYE at Adopted Dog Brewing: The brewery, 329 Dulles Dr., is having a New Year’s Eve party with live music from 8 p.m. to midnight.

Drinks will be available from the brewery. n Yard Goat’s White Out Party: New Year’s Eve party features DJ entertainment, free Champagne, fireworks, countdown to midnight, snow machines and glow

sticks. Guests are encouraged to wear all white. The event starts at 9 p.m. Wednesday. n Dave & Buster’s Lafayette: Ring in the new year early at Dave and Buster’s celebration with VIP bowling lanes, arcade play, party swag and a Champagne toast to kick off the evening. The event is from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday. n Jefferson Street Library: Get ready to ring in the new year at the library, 222 Jefferson St. Enjoy

ä See EVENTS, page 4B

DATE WITH DESTINy

Streets to close, National Guard to be deployed

BY SOPHIE KASAKOVE Staff writer

City and state officials said Monday that security plans are in place to keep residents and visitors safe during New Year’s Eve festivities and the Sugar Bowl, as New Orleans marks one year since the deadly terrorist attack on Bourbon Street.

Close to 800 local, state and federal law enforcement officials will be deployed downtown during the events, public safety officials said during a news conference to discuss the security measures.

Members of the Louisiana National Guard will work with state and local law enforcement to close off Bourbon Street in an “enhanced security zone” that will include redirecting traffic and conducting bag searches.

Poydras Street will also be closed to vehicles from Claiborne Avenue to Tchoupitoulas Street

ä See PREPS, page 4B

Warming station opens Transit fees waived for transportation to shelter

BY STEPHEN MARCANTEL Staff writer

Lafayette Consolidated Government opened its warming shelter Monday night ahead of this week’s cold weather.

The shelter opened at 6 p.m.

Monday at the Dupuis Recreation Center, 1212 E. Pont Des Mouton Road, according to an LCG announcement.

The facility will operate during the following times: n Tuesday: Closes at 10 a.m. and reopens at 6 p.m. n Wednesday: Closes at 8:30 a.m.

Monday’s low was expected to drop to 33 degrees, according to The Weather Channel. Tuesday’s low will fall even further to 29 degrees.

Transportation to the shelter was scheduled to depart from St. Joseph Diner, 401 St. John St., on Monday evening. Lafayette Transit System fees were waived

ä See WARMING, page 4B

STAFF PHOTO By BRAD BOWIE

Rosemary Winski welcomes family and friends to her 100th birthday party on Saturday at Acadian Village in Lafayette. The good times continued for the new centenarian with a brunch the following morning.

Brooks case defendant wants evidence suppressed Autopsy photos shouldn’t be used, attorney says

BY MATT BRUCE Staff writer

One of the men accused of having sex with killed LSU student Madison Brooks in the back seat of his friend’s car is now arguing the state has no evidence to prove he and Brooks actually engaged in intercourse.

Kaivon Washington’s attorney also argues Washington played no role in Brooks being struck and killed by a Lyft driver, so prosecutors should not be allowed to show jurors her autopsy photos.

“The tragic and gruesome photos from the autopsy of the deceased victim could only enrage and inflame the jurors as to this defendant, if they see said photos of this victim’s body or any descriptions of the body of the deceased,” Wendell Woods asserted in a slate of motions recently filed in Washington’s defense.

Woods is aiming to suppress key pieces of the state’s evidence at a potential trial, including any references to Brooks’ death.

Washington, a 21-year-old Walker man, was one of three men indicted on first- and thirddegree rape charges amid allegations they sexually assaulted Brooks as she was in a drunken stupor. The state claims Washington and Desmond Carter, who was 17 at the time, had sex with Brooks in the back seat of

Casen John Carver’s vehicle.

Court records suggest Carver, 21, cheered the two men on from the front seat and recorded portions of the sexual encounters.

The alleged assault happened early the morning of Jan. 15, 2023, after Brooks left Reggie’s bar, piling into a car with Carter, Carver, Washington and another man following a night of heavy drinking at the Tigerland cocktail lounge near LSU’s campus.

The 19-year-old LSU sophomore died later that morning, shortly after the men dropped her off near the Pelican Lakes subdivision along Burbank Drive. Minutes after they left Brooks, a Lyft driver struck and killed the severely intoxicated woman.

Attorneys for the indicted men have argued the sex was consensual, while prosecutors maintain Brooks was too intoxicated to give consent. She registered a blood alcohol content of 0.282, well over three times the legal driving limit, according to a wrongful-death lawsuit filed by her parents.

In his series of Dec. 19 motions, Woods argued that Washington wasn’t driving the car that ran Brooks over, he didn’t provide her any of the drinks that caused her intoxication that night and he didn’t contribute to her being placed in harm’s way because he didn’t even drive the vehicle that transported her to Pelican Lakes.

Woods said any images of Brooks’ autopsy would be highly prejudicial and destroy any chance Washington has at getting a fair trial in the high-profile

case.

“The defendant cannot possibly defend against the possibility of being blamed by the jurors for the gruesome photos that they are shown of the victim,” the court-appointed defense attorney stated in his motion.

He also raised doubt as to whether Washington even engaged in sex with Brooks, despite claims from at least one of his co-defendants who told police he saw Washington and Brooks engaged in intercourse.

Arrest reports show Washington denied having sex with Brooks when detectives questioned him just days after the alleged attack. Medical examiners determined Brooks suffered injuries consistent with anal sexual assault before she died.

Prosecutors have suggested there’s DNA evidence to prove Washington had sexual contact with the slain victim. But Woods said the presence of Washington’s DNA doesn’t prove the two had intercourse.

A video recording that detectives seized from Carver’s cellphone shows what appears to be Carter having sex with Brooks in the back seat. According to arrest reports, Washington got out of the car when Carter was engaging her. Sheriff’s Office detectives did indicate Washington could be seen on at least one of the recordings sitting in the back seat with his arm around Brooks.

Woods argued there’s no visual evidence showing Washington engaged in sex with Brooks, and there’s no proof that anything more than mere touching happened between the two.

No date for Washington’s trial has been set yet. His case is being handled by Donald Johnson, the 19th Judicial District’s chief judge.

District Judge Gail Horne Ray is presiding over Carter’s case.

She set his trial to begin Aug. 17.

Ray had been presiding over Carver’s bench trial also, but District Judge Fred Crifasi absorbed the case after prosecutors successfully lobbied for Ray’s recusal.

All three men face the prospect of a mandatory life sentence if they’re convicted of their respective aggravated rape charges.

While Carver was indicted on a charge of video voyeurism, a grand jury found insufficient evidence for charges of negligent homicide against him. Likewise, grand jurors also determined there was not enough evidence against Carter for a second-degree kidnapping indictment.

According to Washington’s recent motions, prosecutors sought to hold him liable for Madison Brooks’ death, but a grand jury rejected those charges.

Washington faces first-degree rape and sexual battery charges stemming from an unrelated incident. According to an arrest affidavit, Washington groped a woman as his co-defendant, 21-year-old Karson Reed Jones, raped the victim in his Baton Rouge home in October 2022.

The woman told police she met the pair at Reggie’s Bar, where she went to celebrate a friend’s birthday, and went with them be-

ä See CASE, page 4B

OPINION

2B ● Tuesday, December 30, 2025 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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

OUR VIEWS

Data centers highlight need for water use plan The Meta data center in Richland Parish has, since the announcement of its construction in December 2024, been rightly regarded as a major economic boon to one of the state’s poorest regions.

In addition to thousands of construction jobs, the center is expected to require around 500 permanent workers and will certainly bring further development to the area.

But those benefits don’t come without costs.

Already some have raised questions about the facility’s power use and the costs of new generation facilities required.

And last week, a report in this newspaper detailed the proposed water use for the facility, which is permitted to use as much as 23 million gallons per day. That staggering amount, which will be drawn from the Mississippi River Alluvial Aquifer, the same source for the farmers and other communities in the area, is roughly the equivalent of what 17,000 residents use in a day. Over a year, it would come to about 8.4 billion gallons.

Company and state officials have said, however, that they do not expect the center to use nearly that much per year.

Rather, Meta estimates put the total at around 500-600 million gallons per year once the facility opens in 2028. That’s an average of around 1.5 million gallons per day.

Most of the water use will happen in the warmer months, officials have said. The water will be cycled through a closed-loop system, similar to a car radiator, that also will cut down on water needs.

To help assuage concerns, the company paid for a third-party analysis, which found that its usage would not affect local systems or cause land sinking. And state analyses found that the company’s plans would not have major detrimental effects.

The company has also agreed to submit yearly reports detailing its water use for the first five years of its operation.

We have consistently praised the efforts that brought the Meta data center here, and we have not wavered in our belief that it is a good thing for the region and the state as a whole.

However, we note that while Meta’s water use may not have significant effects, there are at least two other active data center projects in other parts of the state and there is hunger for more.

Each of those will put further stress on Louisiana’s local water supplies, upon which most residents rely. Yet the state lacks a comprehensive plan or program to monitor and regulate its water resources, especially among industrial users.

We call upon state officials to take this matter seriously and work to come up with a plan that prioritizes residents and responsible water usage. We, like many others, are optimistic about what data centers can do for our state in the future. But not if it comes at the cost of one of Louisiana’s greatest assets.

YOUR VIEWS

As anti-vaxxers gain ascendency, follow facts I am appalled at the decisions made by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his anti-vaxxer politicos who have hijacked Health and Human Services away from physicians and scientists. Removing recommendations for Hepatitis B vaccination for newborns will put many at increased risk of lifelong complications from the chronic disease, including liver cancer.

Louisiana has mirrored this with our governor’s appointment of Surgeon General Evelyn Griffin. She is quoted as saying, “I am very, very skeptical” of the COVID vaccine. Large volumes of data show the risks of these and other vaccine complications to be incredibly low, so this decision is not based on science, but rather the whims of politicians practicing medicine yet ignoring scientific data.

As a child growing up, I frequently saw a woman in the neighborhood in an iron lung because of polio and was then the beneficiary of new polio vaccines, which basically eradicated the disease.

My family and I were the beneficiaries

of the COVID vaccination available in January 2021. As a practicing physician, I witnessed the Delta variant of COVID surge in the fall of 2021, with over 90% of local hospitalizations for severe COVID, including death, occurring in the unvaccinated. These and other anecdotes leave indelible memories. Despite obvious benefits with high safety marks, many more Americans will be making poor medical decisions following only the Make America Sick Again propaganda now being promulgated.

We all should be “very, very skeptical” of heeding poor advice. Consider the above and make intelligent decisions for you and your family based on scientific facts. If in doubt, please discuss this with your physician. If you choose not to hear the facts, please remember what Forrest Gump’s Mama said: “Stupid is as stupid does.”

Prove yourselves better.

DAVID ELIZARDI, M.D. Metairie

It’s no mystery why Republicans have no health care plan The Affordable Care Act was enacted in 2013. Despite their nonstop critiques and attempts to revoke it, Republicans have never put forth their own plan.

Why, you may wonder? Because they do not believe that the government should provide health care.

They believe that citizens need to pull themselves up by their bootstraps and pay for their own.

They don’t really care about those millions who get lost in the process. So, when

the Republicans are asked about the status of their plan, it would be nice if they would just be honest and say, “We want everything to go back to how it was before the ACA.” They don’t believe that the U.S. should provide national health care, even though we are the only developed nation in the world that does not provide it, and it’s overwhelmingly popular with the U.S. public.

GENE SHAPIRO New Orleans

Rebutting arguments for Ten Commandments in class LETTERS TO THE EDITOR ARE WELCOME. HERE ARE OUR GUIDELINES: Letters are published

identifying name, occupation and/or title and the writer’s city of residence.

The Advocate | The Times-Picayune require a street address and phone number for verification purposes, but that information is not published. Letters are not to exceed 300 words. Letters to the Editor, The Advocate, P.O. Box 588, Baton Rouge, LA 70821-0588, or email letters@ theadvocate.com.

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Regarding “Ten Commandments displays are well within American tradition,” the author welcomes posting the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms and the law permitting it. She claims it is not a violation of the “establishment” clause, which prohibits government establishment of religion.

She bases her support on three arguments: The posting is “passive,” not active, moralizing; historical precedent; and religion is a necessary baseline for morality.

The ACLU is challenging the recent Louisiana law. Whatever the outcome of the court case, it is clear that posting (even “passively”) a religious statement in public schools is a violation of the establishment clause. Private schools may be religious, not public schools. A “separa-

tionist” vision permits freedom of religion for everyone. If, as she claims, “passive” displays are not the establishment of a state religion, why is history (permitting state-sponsored religion) relevant? It can’t be both.

She states that since the Ten Commandments covers “Jewish, Catholic or Protestant traditions,” it is nonsectarian.

There are many people here, including Buddhists, Hindus, atheists and agnostics, who do not fall within these traditions.

Research has established that morality exists independent of religion.

This is a slippery slope toward a Christian theocracy. If one religion is government-sponsored, how would you feel if the dominant religion was not yours?

Give facts on how illegal immigrants cheat system A recent letter criticized Americans for the present-day “mistreatment of immigrants.”

Firstly, she failed to mention the words “illegal immigrants.” A large majority of Americans do not object to legal immigrants entering our country and entering our workforce. She pointed to our history but failed to mention the full story of American immigrants, most of whom entered our country through Ellis Island, New York. They had to follow a three-step vetting process before being admitted to our country: medical inspection, legal inspection and interview, detention and exclusion.

Other facts to consider when making conclusions about illegal immigrants: 1. Because they are not citizens, many do not pay the 6.2% FICA tax and employers do not pay the matching 6.2% FICA tax. This results in them not contributing 12.4% to our Social Security coffers.

2. In many cases, illegal immigrants pay no local, state or federal income taxes.

3. A large part of the income they make returns to their country of origin.

When one considers the fact that illegal immigrants receive health care, education, housing and other protections of the law free of charge, it is not fair to other Americans who have to pay their way.

Many of our legal immigrants who followed the law resent the fact that millions of illegal immigrants entered our country illegally in the past four years.

In our history, legal immigrants have always been welcome with open arms; illegal immigrants have not. An added fact is that most civilized countries of the world have a vetting process for immigration and a process of detention and deportation of immigrants here illegally.

JESSIE LEBLANC Port Allen

MARION FREISTADT New Orleans

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COMMENTARY 2025 LOUISIANAN OF THE YEAR FINALISTS At the end of the year, the Editorial Board recognizes the Louisianans who made significant contributions to their field, our country and the world in 2025. Today, we unveil our four finalists, and tomorrow, we will feature our choice for Louisianan of the year.

MIKE JOHNSON

FIRST RESPONDERS

The title itself is enough for U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Benton, to make him a contender for Louisianan of the Year.

Three other Louisianans in just over 50 years — a remarkable record for a relatively small state — had seemed well in line for the speakership before tragedy (Hale Boggs), resignation (Bob Livingston) and the combination of an assassination attempt and a mercurial president (Steve Scalise) stopped them just short of the third-highest elective position in U.S. government.

Johnson, on the other hand, was on almost nobody’s radar for speaker just over 26 months ago until a series of stalemated leadership votes suddenly resulted in elevating him to a post for which he hadn’t even been running days before. Remarkably, he has not only kept his position atop a notably fractious GOP conference ever since, but until about a month ago had kept the extremely narrow Republican majority together to win every key vote.

For better or worse,

One of the most indelible scenes of 2025 played out when the year was just a few hours old. Ten or so police officers were milling around on a French Quarter corner early New Year’s morning — and then, in a flash, they were on the move, running without hesitation toward an unknown threat.

The world soon learned that they were responding to an unspeakable act of violence, a terrorist attack that took the lives of 14 innocent revelers and injured many more. In that first confusing moment, though, the actions of those officers reminded us of something we should never take for granted: the willingness of first responders to put their own lives on the line to keep us safe.

That certainly goes for three New Orleans Police Department officers who found themselves near Shamsud-Din Jabbar when he opened fire after the pickup truck he’d driven down a crowded Bourbon Street crashed. Sgt. Nigel Daggs and officers Christian Beyer and Jacobie Jordan returned fire and killed Jabbar, who had also planted

House Speaker plays pivotal role on contentious Capitol Hill

STAFF PHOTO By JILL PICKETT

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-Benton Johnson’s deft managing of egos, surely assisted by Majority Leader Scalise’s well-known attention to the personal touch with his colleagues, resulted in the enactment of President Donald Trump’s massive tax- and fiscal-policy package and a set of spending rescissions. Also enacted were a series of more widely supported bills, such as one protecting people from nonconsensual intimate imagery or deepfakes and the HALT Fentanyl Act, authored by Sen. Bill Cassidy.

Johnson’s speakership

may prove even more important for the long term, but not in a good way, because of the way he seems to have kept internal House authority by ceding the chamber’s institutional authority to the executive within the larger government. In doing so, critics say Johnson sets a precedent that upsets the Constitution’s intended balance of powers.

How all this will play out over time is anybody’s guess, but in terms of national political significance, no Louisianan comes close to topping Johnson.

On a horrible New year’s morning, they ran toward danger

STAFF PHOTO By BRETT DUKE

Sgt. Nigel Daggs shakes hands with New Orleans Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick as he and officers Christian Beyer and Jacobie Jordan are honored for their response to the Jan. 1 terrorist attack. explosives that did not detonate.

“Everything happened so fast that the training just kicked in for us,” said Jordan, who was shot in the exchange.

“We were meant to be there that day,” Beyer added. “We were supposed to be in that position, and we did what we had to do.”

For their outstanding service, these officers, their colleagues from NOPD and all who responded, including medical personnel and members of the coroner’s

office, are on our list of finalists for Louisianans of the Year.

It’s true that the attack raised serious questions about New Orleans’ preparedness.

But there were no questions about the officers who charged into a situation that, at the time, they could not have begun to comprehend.

Their bravery and their readiness were on full display on an awful morning that would likely have been even worse had they not answered the call.

CADE BRUMLEY

AMANDA JONES

In 2025, Cade Brumley accomplished what many had talked about, but none had done: improved Louisiana’s educational rankings so dramatically as to make the state the marvel of the country.

In January, the National Assessment of Educational Progress, or NAEP, ranked Louisiana 32nd overall, its highest ranking ever. The gains were largely attributed to a massive uptick in reading scores among fourth graders, propelling the state from 42nd to 16th in that metric.

It took vision and leadership to guide changes that led to these gains, and that’s why Brumley is a finalist for Louisianan of the Year.

Five years ago, the year that Brumley took over as the state’s highest education official, Louisiana languished at 49th overall.

Other groups also gained in 2025, including students with disabilities and those considered disadvantaged.

These rankings are important because while internal metrics showed improvement, the NAEP is a national evaluation man-

Libraries have become an unlikely flashpoint in the culture wars in recent years, and librarians have borne the brunt of some vicious attacks. But one Livingston Parish librarian decided she wasn’t going to let supporters of book bans take control of the narrative. And in 2025, she won a rare court victory.

For standing up against censorship and in defense of librarians everywhere, Amanda Jones is a finalist for Louisianan of the Year.

In 2022, conservative groups began challenging books in Livingston public libraries, saying they were inappropriate for children. When Jones, who is a librarian at a Livingston Parish middle school, spoke up against book bans at a meeting, she soon started receiving harassing messages online.

She filed a defamation lawsuit against activists who claimed she was promoting porn. A district court dismissed the suit in October 2022, but this year, the Louisiana First Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the ruling and allowed it to

Education chief helped push state’s students to new heights Livingston Parish librarian led fight against censorship

STAFF PHOTO By LESLIE WESTBROOK

Cade Brumley, at right, La. superintendent of education dated by Congress.

Brumley has rightly praised teachers for the improvements, but he deserves credit as well. His data- and science-driven “back to basics” approach, as well as his expanded tutoring and new teacher training initiatives, have certainly helped fuel better scores.

Brumley became state superintendent of education in 2020 in the midst of the pandemic, after first serving as superintendent of rural DeSoto Parish’s schools and then moving to Jefferson Parish, Louisiana’s largest public school

system.

At each stop, he has impressed not just with his policy acumen but with his desire to support teachers and help them do their jobs better.

That’s the approach he has brought to the state’s top office, even as he has navigated notoriously fraught political waters.

But the heart of his work has been a focus on what happens in the classroom.

In 2025, those efforts bore real fruit and, for the first time, made us genuinely optimistic about the future of Louisiana elementary and secondary education.

PROVIDED PHOTO

Amanda Jones works at a Livingston Parish middle school. go forward.

She asked for only $1 and a public apology. And in an online video posted this November, one of the plaintiffs admitted that statements he made about Jones were false.

The case proceeds against the others.

Jones, meanwhile, hasn’t slowed down. She cofounded Louisiana Citizens Against Censorship and wrote a book telling her story. She is featured in the 2025 film “The Librarians,” produced by actress Sarah Jessica Parker, which fol-

lows the library fights popping up across the nation.

And she was recently chosen by Time magazine for its Time100 Next list, which honors emerging leaders around the globe.

Through it all, as cofounder of the Livingston Parish Library Alliance, she remains engaged in making sure her community has a library that serves all residents. At a time when we see a breakdown in civic society, Jones embodies the best of citizenship and the courage it requires to defend our freedoms.

YOUR NOMINATIONS | We asked readers for nominations on who should be Louisianan of the year. Here’s what you sent.

House speaker made the Oil, gas industry leader models excellence every day biggest impact on our country I am happy to have this opportunity to participate in your newspaper’s worthy Louisianan of the Year feature.

I submit that one doesn’t have to look far to see the ways Cut-Off native Garret “Hank” Danos has positively shaped our state.

As leader of Danos LLC, Danos he guides more than 5,000 employees in the oil and gas industry while fostering a culture of safety, excellence and integrity. He supports initiatives that

strengthen Louisiana, from coastal restoration and disaster relief to supporting nonprofits through the Danos Foundation.

At the same time, he empowers employees to volunteer thousands of hours annually.

Though a titan of industry, Hank remains humble and deeply committed to improving the lives of those around him and to the communities he calls home.

For these reasons, I respectfully submit his name for consideration as Louisianan of the Year.

RICK KEEN compliance coordinator, Danos

There is only one person from Louisiana who checks all of the boxes to be Louisianan of the Year: Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson.

He beat out all candidates from the other states to get the job.

Not only is he a leader, but he also understands the responsibilities that come with the job.

Johnson He is trying to control spending at a time when we are $38 trillion in debt, when giving out

“free stuff” would be easier and make him more friends. He has held the line on continuing subsidies for Obamacare, knowing that it is not fair to add a burden to hardworking taxpayers to continue to subsidize a failed health care system that promised affordability when it was rammed down our throats.

Mike Johnson is truthful, intelligent, dedicated and responsible to the citizens of this country and the state of Louisiana.

There is no better choice.

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

writer’s city of residence. The Advocate | The Times-Picayune require a street address and phone number for verification purposes, but that information is not published. Letters are not to exceed 300 words. Letters to the Editor, The Advocate, P.O. Box 588, Baton Rouge, LA 70821-0588, or email letters@theadvocate.com.

DAVID PALMISANO Marrero

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4B ● Tuesday, December 30, 2025 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

PREPS

Continued from page 1B following the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1, and officials are prepared to shut down portions of Canal Street as well, depending on traffic levels.

“We’re leveraging all of our law enforcement resources and public safety partners. ... absolutely taking in what we experienced almost one year ago,” Mayor LaToya Cantrell said. “I believe that we’ve proven, again, since that time, how we have gone the extra mile to ensure the safety again of our residents as well as our visitors.”

The security zone around Bourbon Street has become the new standard for securing sections of downtown during major events since the January 2025 attack exposed vulnerabilities in the city’s event plans.

While the French Quarter has long had a heightened police presence for New Year’s Eve, Carnival and other large gatherings, the measures that the city has put in place for events this year have included additional closures and, notably, the activation of Louisiana guardsmen.

Officials also announced that Crescent Park, a popular spot to watch fireworks over the Mississippi River, will be closed at its normal time of 6:30 p.m. rather than remaining open until 1 a.m., as is typical on New Year’s Eve. “We’re not going to take any chances opening up an entire other venue,” said Collin Arnold, the city’s homeland security chief.

The news conference to discuss security plans comes as New Orleans readies for a moment of reflection and mourning over

EVENTS

Continued from page 1B

fans to the city this week for the College Football Playoff matchup between Ole Miss and Georgia. While the security plans sought to allay any fears that could arise on the attack’s anniversary, French Quarter residents and leaders have continued to express ongoing concerns about safety and the need for a consistent, long-term solution to draw visitors back to New Orleans’ central tourist district.

The city has yet to install new permanent barriers along Bourbon Street, which officials agree are needed.

Instead, officials have relied on temporary steel barriers that can withstand only STAFF PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD low-speed crashes, and that are at times shoved aside by New Orleans police officers close reinforced safety barriers along Bourbon Street in the Bourbon Street visitors.

French Quarter of New Orleans on Dec. 23. The barriers are part of heightened security A request officials made to the U.S. Department of measures implemented after the deadly Jan. 1 Bourbon Street tragedy to restrict vehicle Homeland Security for a access and protect pedestrians. higher risk rating for the Sugar Bowl and New Year’s the attack last year that an announcement of a des- Safety concerns Eve events was denied, Arkilled 14 people and injured ignated mourning period many others. across Louisiana in the first The Sugar Bowl is set to nold said.

Visitors to Bourbon four days of 2026. draw tens of thousands of The events have been Street in recent weeks have taken in the famous mother, and great-grand- Landry and her husband Obituaries mother. Everyone who en- Vincent "Van" of Crowley, party strip from under a tered her home felt Christopher Charles John canopy of hand-crafted John, Rose Marie Olinger welcomed and loved. She and his wife Payton of flags known as the “Secfound great joy in cooking, Lafayette, and Katherine ond Line in the Sky.” The gardening, and entertain- John Hundley and her husprivately funded memoing family and friends, al- band Michael of Mowata; rial is set to remain in ways bringing people to- twenty grandchildren; and gether around her table. twenty-four great-grandplace until Jan. 18.

Nothing brought her more children.

Cantrell administrajoy than large family gathRose Marie is preceded tion spokesperson Terry erings, complete with ham in death by her husband of Davis said that the city sandwiches and her world- 42 years, Representative is not holding an offifamous potato salad. Her John N. John, Jr.; her parCatholic faith was central ents, Edward and cial memorial service to her life, and she was a Josephine Dischler Olinger; on Jan. 1. But Cantrell faithful member of six siblings, Ambrose and other city officials Immaculate Heart of Mary Olinger, Ray Olinger, Hilary will be attending a Mass Catholic Church.

She Olinger, Beatrice Olinger on Sunday hosted by A Mass of Christian worked tirelessly and was Leonards, Irene Olinger Gov. Jeff Landry at the Burial will be held at 1:00 instrumental in the found- Petitjean, and Mary Jo pm, Monday, December 29, ing of Redemptorist Olinger; and one grandImmaculate Concep2025, at Immaculate Heart Catholic Grade School, daughter, Mary Helen tion Jesuit Church on of Mary Catholic Church where her children attend- Hundley.

Baronne Street. Some for Rose Marie Olinger ed. Sitti also gave generPallbearers will be church groups and othJohn, 95, who passed away ously of her time as a Pink William Mark John, ers have also announced surrounded by her loving Lady for many years at Christopher Charles John, family on Christmas Day. events to mark the American Legion Hospital. John Namie John IV, Alex Fr. Matthew Served interim as a LA Wilmer Rasmussen, day.

Higginbotham, pastor of State Representative for Cecillius Joseph Hundley II, “We will never forget,” The Nativity of Our Lady her late husband John N and Paul Albert Hundley.

Landry said in a social Catholic Church will be of- John, Jr. A lifelong mem- Honorary pallbearers are media post last week, in ficiating for the services. ber of the Sodality of Mary Sitti's grandsons: Nicholas

Eve Celebration: Enjoy a traditional New Year’s Eve party with bowling, live music (including performances by Clay Cormier and the Highway Boys), and festive atmosphere to ring in 2026.

Kicks off around 9 p.m.

Wednesday.

performances by the ladies of the library, complimentary Champagne at midnight and a $2,000 balloon drop at midnight.

VIP tables are available for purchase; $10 cover. Email Ja’kori Madison Doors open at 8 p.m. at jakori.madison@ n Rock ’N’ Bowl New Year’s theadvocate.com.

WARMING

Continued from page 1B Monday and will continue to be waived Tuesday for those seeking transportation to the warming shelter.

Anyone in need of transportation assistance can call 211.

All donations to the shelter should be directed to ARCH Share House, locat-

CASE

Continued from page 1B cause she was too drunk to drive home.

Washington is slated to be tried on that alleged rape along with Reed at the same time he goes on trial in the Madison Brooks case. Woods, his attorney, has asked the Johnson, the judge, to try Washington and Reed separately.

Prosecutors intend to introduce evidence from a 2020 rape case at Washington’s trial. According to a Sept. 21 motion filed

by Assistant District Attorney Kathleen Barrios Heap, Washington followed a juvenile girl, who was under the age of 13, into her bedroom without her consent in May 2020.

He refused to leave and subsequently raped her, according to reports.

That case, which is ongoing in Livingston Parish, has yet to reach disposition. But prosecutors said it shows a pattern of Washington targeting victims who can’t legally consent, either because they are too young or too impaired.

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ed at 211-A Guilbeau Road, between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.

Tuesday.

Priority needs include towels and washcloths, travel-sized hygiene products, new packaged underwear and new or gently used pillows.

For more information or real-time alerts, subscribe to LafayetteNOW emergency notifications via lafayettela.gov/alert or by texting “Join LFTalert” to 31002.

“The defendant’s previous sexual assault of a juvenile indicates he has a lustful disposition towards children and/or evidences his sexually assaultive behavior and it should be admitted for the probative value of such,” Barrios Heap wrote in her motion to get the juvenile victim’s statement to police admitted as evidence.

Washington’s attorney countered that the evidence from that case is confidential because Washington was also a juvenile at the time. He’d turned 16 a few months before that alleged rape.

Woods argued there must be a pretrial hearing to unseal Washington’s confidential juvenile arrest records before they can be used in court. The parties are expected to argue all the issues during a motions hearing slated for Jan. 6 before Johnson.

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The family is requesting visiting hours to be held Sunday from 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm and Monday from 8:00 am to 12:30 pm at Geesey-Ferguson Funeral Home in Crowley. A Rosary will be recited at 6:00 pm on Sunday. Interment will be in Woodlawn Mausoleum.

Sitti, affectionally known by her grandchildren and many others, was born March 7, 1930, raised in Roberts Cove and resided in Crowley after her marriage. She was a devoted wife, mother, grand-

at St. Leo's Catholic Church in Robert's Cove, and a Catholic Daughter.

True to her German Catholic roots, she lovingly embraced the Lebanese heritage she married into.

Her legacy is one of faith, family, and a life dedicated to caring for those around her.

She is survived by her six children, John N. John, III and his wife Melanie of Crowley, Joseph A. John and his wife Gretchen of Estherwood, William Mark John and his wife Michelle of Carencro, Michelle John

B. Rasmussen, Joseph A. John, II, Andrew N. John, Adam J. John, Michael Charles Hundley, Jr, John Edward Hundley, Jack Thomas Hundley, Christian Joseph Hundley, C. Harrison John, C. Hays John, Jack A. Cassedy. Gift bearers are Sitti's granddaughters, Ashley J. Hicks, Rose Marie R. Liuzza, Natalie S. John, Anne Katherine Hundley, Caroline E. Cassedy.

The family would like to thank Dr. Santinder Saini, Chris Gardiner, NSI Nursing

deemed a “SEAR 3” threat level rather than “SEAR 1” as officials requested, which would have expanded the city’s access to federal resources like bomb-sniffing canine teams, drones, air security and tactical support.

Arnold said that despite the rating, “federal partners” are stepping up with more personnel and law enforcement resources.

“Initially, we were disappointed, but it is what it is,” Arnold said. “But we have great partnerships with federal authorities here locally ... they’re going to do their part regardless of some ranking on some form.”

Some 350 National Guard members will also remain in the city through Mardi Gras as part of an activation

by Landry, who secured approval from the Trump administration that will unlock federal funding.

Email Sophie Kasakove at sophie.kasakove@ theadvocate.com.

Specialty, Hope Hospice, and especially Grethen Zaunbrecher John, and everyone that cared for Mrs. John over the past years.

Memorial contributions may be made in her name to Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church in Crowley: 901 E. Elm St. Crowley, LA 70526 or a charity of your choice.

Arrangements have been entrusted to GeeseyFerguson Funeral Home of Crowley.

Savant, Lee Burnell Paul

Lee Burnell Paul Savant, 81. Visitation will be on Tuesday, December 30, 2025, from 4:00 pm until 8:00 pm and resumes on Wednesday, December 31, 2025, from 8:30 am until the Catholic Funeral Service at 10 am. Online obituary and guest book may be viewed at www.fountainmemorialf uneralhome.com. Fountain Memorial Funeral Home and Cemetery, 1010 Pandora St. 337-981-7098 is in charge of arrangements.

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T u e s d ay, d e c e m b e r 30, 2025

SAIN T S AT FALCONS • NOON SUNDAy • FOX

1cN

Ole Miss coach Golding began his journey in Hammond

BY LES EAST

Contributing writer

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By GEORGE WALKER IV

Saints quarterback Tyler Shough celebrates after defeating the Tennessee Titans on Sunday in Nashville, Tenn.

Comings and goings Arrival of Shough, Moore and surprising departures top 2025 Saints stories

You’ve heard the saying a thousand times.

“It’s not how you start.

It’s how you finish.”

New Orleans Saints fans would agree after what they have seen over the past 365 days.

Rod As we close the book on Walker 2025, it’s time to take a look back at the five biggest headlines for the Saints this year.

1. Shough’s emergence If you had asked me back in October whether Saints rookie quarterback Tyler Shough would be on this list, my answer would have been an emphatic no.

Shough wasn’t even playing two months ago. He got his first start on the first Sunday in November, but since then he has become the biggest star in town. Finally, the Saints have what they have been searching for since Drew Brees retired. The list of guys trying to fill the shoes of No. 9 kept getting longer and longer: Jameis, Taysom, Trevor, Ian, Andy, Derek, Jake and Spencer. Shough

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ERIN HOOLEy

Saints head coach Kellen Moore talks to an official in the second half against the ä See WALKER, page 3C Chicago Bears on Oct. 19 in Chicago.

Pete Golding has come a long way from Hammond.

Yet he won’t be far from there when he takes center stage to lead No. 6-seeded Ole Miss against No. 3-seeded Georgia in a College Football Playoff quarterfinal in the Allstate Sugar Bowl at 7 p.m.

Thursday in the Caesars Superdome.

It’s a mere 60 miles from Southeastern Louisiana University, where the Hammond native and Hammond High School alumnus ä Sugar Bowl: cut his teeth as a Ole Miss Division I college assistant coach. vs. Georgia, But Golding has 7 P.M.THURSDAy, ESPN entered a whole different world as he coaches his second game as a head coach in what is arguably the biggest football game in the Rebels’ storied history.

Golding won another really important game just 20 days after he was promoted from defensive coordinator in the wake of head coach Lane Kiffin leaving Oxford to become head coach at LSU. Ole Miss (12-1) routed Tulane 41-10 on Dec. 20 to reach this game against the 12-1 Bulldogs.

It was business as usual under Golding after a tumultuous end to November in which the Rebels beat rival Mississippi State, then lost Kiffin to LSU. The Ole Miss braintrust quickly turned to Golding, 41, not just to guide this team through the CFP but also to continue guiding a program that had four consecutive non-winning seasons before Kiffin began his highly successful six-year run.

Ron Roberts, for whom Golding played and under whom Golding was a graduate assistant and later defensive coordinator at Division II Delta State, hired Golding as the Southeastern defensive coordinator (2012-13).

“Coach Roberts had a huge impact on me as a player and more importantly as a man and as a coach,” Golding said.

“That’s a big piece of who I am.”

In 2013, Golding helped the Lions win their first conference title since 1961.

He went on to coach on the FBS level at Southern Miss, Texas-San Antonio and Alabama (where in five seasons he helped head coach Nick Saban win three SEC championships and a national championship in 2022) before Kiffin came calling.

Kiffin, whose first three Ole Miss

ä See GOLDING, page 3C

LSU women ready for ‘hard part’ of season

BY REED DARCEY Staff writer

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By OBED LAMy

Bill Murphy points to a wall of framed sports photos in a room at his home in Greenfield, Ind., on Dec. 17.

Indiana fans in heaven after decades of losing

BY MAURA CAREY AP sportswriter

Bill Murphy has been an Indiana football season-ticket holder for 66 years. He said he rarely has missed a game even though 55 of them have been losing seasons in a historic stretch of bowl-less holidays.

One of those rare misses stands out: The 1968 Rose Bowl, when

ä Rose Bowl: Alabama

vs. Indiana, 3 P.M.THURSDAy, ESPN Indiana lost 14-3 to O.J. Simpson and a USC team that went on to be crowned national champion. Murphy was 15 at the time, and his parents weren’t on board with sending him to California alone.

ä See INDIANA, page 3C

In its first 14 games, the LSU women’s basketball team trailed for about 17 minutes.

The No. 5 Tigers (14-0) played a light nonconference schedule, like they have each year since coach Kim Mulkey’s tenure began in 2021. But they dominated their string of tune-ups this season more so than they usually do, buildä Kentucky at LSU, ing confidence that 7 P.M.THURSDAy, SECN+ they can handle their difficult slate of Southeastern Conference matchups that begins Thursday against No. 11 Kentucky in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.

“There’s nothing else that I can learn about this team in a nonconference schedule,” Mulkey said Sunday after a 109-41 win over Alabama State. “What I’m gonna learn is gonna be through these games in the SEC.” Every AP top-five team has played at least four Quad 1 games except for LSU. As things stand, the Tigers have only one such matchup on their resume — a 9377 road win over Duke on Dec. 4.

The schedule is about to stiffen.

Half of the 16 league games the Tigers are set to play are against

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU guard Mikaylah Williams pulls up for a jump shot against TexasArlington forward Mila Reynolds on Dec. 21 at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. teams ranked in the latest edition of the AP Top 25 Poll. Four of them are against current top-10 teams.

Mulkey usually tightens her rotation for those matchups. But that approach could change this season because she appears to have a deeper, more balanced roster.

In nonconference play, 10 Tigers played at least 13 minutes per night, but none of them played more than 25. Seven scored at least 10 points per game, but none scored more than 16.

LSU also leads the country in bench points. Its reserves are chipping in 50 points per game — about a dozen more than any other Division I team. Stars Mikaylah Williams and Flau’jae Johnson are playing only 25 and 23 minutes per game, respectively.

“Ready to play competition,” Williams said, “ready to lock in and get to the hard part of the season, get to the postseason and just accomplish all the goals that we

ä See LSU WOMEN, page 3C

2C ● Tuesday, December 30, 2025 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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New Hampshire at Nebraska BTN Notre Dame at Stanford ESPN2 Butler at Creighton FS1 San Diego St. at San Jose St. CBSSN New Mexico at Boise St. FS1 COLLEGE FOOTBALL 1 p.m.

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Reid plans to return as Chiefs coach next season

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid said Monday that he plans to return next season, batting away any thought of an impending retirement by making a tongue-in-cheek joke about his status with a franchise he has led to three Super Bowl titles.

“I mean, I think I’m coming back, right?” Reid told local Kansas City reporters on a Zoom call.

“If they’ll have me back, I’ll come back. You never know in this business. That’s a tough one. But I plan on it, yeah.”

The 67-year-old Reid, who signed a five-year, $100 million extension with the Chiefs in April 2024, spent his first 14 seasons as an NFL head coach in Philadelphia, where he led the Eagles to 130 regular-season wins and 10 more in the playoffs.

Boxer ‘stable’ after 2 die in car accident in Nigeria

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTOS By CAROLyN KASTER

Colts quarterback Philip Rivers throws while under pressure from Jacksonville Jaguars safety Eric Murray, left, on Sunday in Indianapolis.

Rivers happy for 3 ‘bonus games’

BY MICHAEL MAROT

Associated Press

INDIANAPOLIS — Philip Rivers has made the postgame walk to answer tough questions dozens of times over his previous 17 NFL seasons.

This time seemed different.

With the Indianapolis Colts having been eliminated from the postseason for a fifth consecutive year even before Rivers and his teammates took the field Sunday, the 44-year-old Pro Football Hall of Fame semifinalist knows he may have taken his last snap.

“It’s been an absolute blast for three weeks and if I go back now and said, ‘All right, now you know everything that’s going to happen, what are you going to do? I’d do it all again,’ ” Rivers said after the Colts lost 23-17 to Jacksonville.

“So, yeah, if it’s the last one, it’s the last one. I thought the last one was walking off the field in Buffalo (in January 2021), walking up that tunnel and I was fine with that. I had tears those few days after that and I was at peace with that being the last one. So, certainly, if it is (the last one), I got three more bonus games that I never saw coming.”

Rivers provided two elements the Colts (8-8) needed when they brought him out of a five-year retirement. His passion energized the locker room after Daniel Jones suffered a season-ending

Jaguars quarterback Nick Mullens, left, talks with Colts quarterback Philip Rivers after their game on Sunday in Indianapolis. torn Achilles tendon, and he gave the Colts a chance to pull themselves out of a historic secondhalf swoon in which they became just the sixth team since 1970 — and the first in 30 years — to start 8-2 and miss the playoffs.

But Rivers has lost all three of his starts, with the Colts’ overall skid now at six games.

His late interception at Seattle ended the Colts’ bid for a miracle rally. And an interception Sunday on a tipped ball allowed the Jags (12-4) to kick the tiebreaking field goal with 6:58 to play.

While Rivers took accountability for both miscues with his

typical down-home demeanor, he knows he’s not the face of the Colts’ future.

So with one meaningless game remaining next weekend at Houston, the Colts could give Rivers one more start, but it might make sense for them to take a look at Anthony Richardson — the No. 4 overall draft pick in 2023 — or rookie Riley Leonard. Richardson has not been activated from the injured reserve list but has started practicing.

“I’ll figure that out Tuesday,” coach Shane Steichen said.

If Rivers’ career is over, again, five years after he left the first

time, he has no regrets.

He rented a place in Indianapolis, moved his entire family back to Indy for the final month of the season and brought dozens of players from St. Michael Catholic High School in Fairhope, Alabama — where he’s the head coach — to Lucas Oil Stadium to watch his home finale.

In career start No. 423, Rivers surpassed Hall of Famer Warren Moon as the fourth-oldest quarterback to start in the NFL. Rivers played at 44 years, 20 days; Moon was 44 years and eight days.

If he makes start No. 424, Rivers would pass Vinny Testaverde — 44 years and 26 days — as the third oldest, trailing only Steve DeBerg and seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady.

Rivers ranks sixth in league history in TD passes with 425 and is eighth on the career yards passing list with 63,984 — just behind Matthew Stafford and 105 yards away from moving past two-time Super Bowl winner Ben Roethlisberger.

Rivers knows he may not get that chance.

“I’m going to be on board and supportive of whatever the organization, Shane and whoever, however that decision is going to come to be,” Rivers said. “I’m sure I’ll have some conversation. It won’t just be a blind-side Tuesday conversation for me. And I’m going to be on board to do what’s best for the guys.”

Highland Baptist runner Blissett signs with Army

BY MATTHEW LOUVIERE Contributing writer

Highland Baptist senior distance runner Tyler Blissett has accomplished everything available to a prep runner in his distinguished career, adding the final piece of the puzzle over the weekend when he announced that he will be continuing his athletic and academic career Blissett at the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York.

“Army was pretty much the number one spot,” Blissett said.

“It always was. It’s more than just an athletic thing for me.”

Blissett established himself early as one of the state’s top distance runners and sustained that success throughout his high school career. In cross country, he won four consecutive LHSAA Division V state championships, finishing so far ahead this year that he was able to partake in a post-race drink before his closest

competitor saw the finish line.

Blissett carried the same level of success into track and field, where he proved effective across multiple distances. Competing primarily in the 800, 1,600 and 3,200 meters, he regularly advanced to state finals and finished on the podium.

At the LHSAA outdoor state championships, Blissett recorded multiple first-place finishes, including sweeps of the distance events in Class 1A during his junior and senior seasons. His ability to compete in both middle- and long-distance races made him one of the most versatile runners in Louisiana.

Blissett also found success indoors, earning runner-up finishes in the 1,600 meters at the LHSAA indoor state meet, while using the season as preparation for outdoor competition.

Across cross country, indoor track and outdoor track, Blissett accumulated more than a dozen state podium finishes. While individual titles defined much of his career, Blissett said the 2024 team cross country championship stands out most.

“That one meant a lot,” Blissett said. “Winning as a team and being able to share that with your teammates is different than winning an individual race.”

One goal still remains before his high school career concludes.

“In track, I want to break nine minutes in the 2-mile,” Blissett said. “That’s what I’m chasing right now.”

Blissett has been coached throughout his high school career by his father, Toby Blissett, who serves as Highland Baptist’s head cross country and track coach.

That dynamic made the signing particularly meaningful.

“It’s special,” Toby Blissett said.

“It’s been a fun ride for both of us, and it’s rewarding to see it come together at a place like West Point, where he’ll get a great education and the opportunity to serve his country.”

Toby Blissett said the transition to the collegiate level will bring new challenges.

“He’s going to have to work for a spot on the team,” he said. “That’s not something he’s really had to do before, and it’ll be an adjustment. But I can’t think of a better

environment for him.”

The move will also bring a change of scenery, as Blissett will attend school in New York after spending his entire career in New Iberia.

“I think he’s ready for it,” Toby Blissett said. “He’s been prepared for this kind of structure and accountability over the years.”

Blissett will be the first member of his family to enter military service. While he has not yet determined a long-term career path within the Army, he said the opportunity to combine athletics, academics and service was a key factor in his decision.

“I’m still figuring that part out,” Blissett said. “The Army gives me time and options.”

Support for his decision has been widespread among family members and teammates.

“They’re excited,” Blissett said.

“My teammates are happy for me.”

For Toby Blissett, the focus remains on what comes next.

“This was his decision,” he said.

“My role was to support him and help prepare him. Wherever this takes him, we’ll be behind him.”

LAGOS, Nigeria — Anthony Joshua, the British boxer and former world heavyweight champion, is “stable” in hospital after a car crash that killed two other passengers in Nigeria on Monday.

“Following thorough clinical evaluations, medical professionals have confirmed that both patients (hospitalized after the accident) are stable and do not require any emergency medical intervention at this time,” a joint statement by Lagos and Ogun governments said.

Photos on social media showed the boxer being extricated from a wrecked vehicle while he was wincing in pain.

The Ogun state government said “preliminary reports indicate that two male foreign nationals died on the spot.”

Pitcher Heaney says he is retiring after 12 seasons

Pitcher Andrew Heaney says he is retiring after 12 major league seasons.

“I am now ready to return my focus and energy to being a husband, father, family man and active member of my community,” he wrote Sunday on social media. “I’m retiring from baseball, but I hope to give back more than I received.”

A 34-year-old left-hander, Heaney was 56-72 with a 4.57 ERA in 208 starts and 22 relief appearances for teams including Texas (2023-24) and Pittsburgh (2025), which signed him to a $5.25 million, one-year deal in February.

He was 5-10 with a 5.52 ERA this year in 23 starts and four relief appearances. He was released by the Pirates on Aug. 29, signed with the Dodgers three days later and made one appearance.

Orioles bring back Eflin on $10M, one-year deal

The Baltimore Orioles are bringing back right-hander Zach Eflin on a $10 million, one-year contract.

The Orioles acquired Eflin in a trade from Tampa Bay during the 2024 season, and he pitched well down the stretch that year, but he went 6-5 with a 5.93 ERA during an injury-plagued 2025.

With the Orioles on their way to a last-place finish, Eflin seemed like a candidate to be traded in July, but just before the deadline he went on the injured list with back trouble, and he was eventually ruled out for the season.

After becoming a free agent, the 31-year-old Eflin is returning to the Orioles. He’s set to receive $5 million in 2026, plus a $3 million signing bonus.

Ronaldo aims for 1,000 goals before ending career

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Cristiano Ronaldo has expressed his desire to score 1,000 goals by the end of his career.

And the 40-year-old Portugal superstar is in no doubt he’ll get there.

“I will reach that number for sure, if no injuries,” Ronaldo said late Sunday at the Globe Soccer Awards in Dubai, where he was named as the best player in the Middle East.

Ronaldo moved onto 956 career goals by scoring twice for AlNassr in the Saudi Pro League on Saturday.

His tally includes the men’s international record of 143 goals for Portugal, which Ronaldo is set to lead into next year’s World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Tuesday, December 30, 2025 ● 3C

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LSU WOMEN Continued from page 1C

want to accomplish.”

Mulkey said Sunday that she isn’t sure how many players will see consistent minutes inside her rotation once SEC play begins.

She could have up to 11 Tigers competing for playing time, if senior guard Kailyn Gilbert rejoins the team or if freshman guards Bella Hines and Divine Bourrage force their way onto the floor.

“That’s a good thing, right?” Mulkey said. “That STAFF FILE PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD

Saints quarterback Derek Carr warms up before a game against the Atlanta Falcons at the Caesars Superdome on Nov. 10, 2024.

WALKER

Continued from page 1C ended the search.

He didn’t dazzle in his starting debut against the Los Angeles Rams but got his first win a week later against the Carolina Panthers. He hasn’t looked back since. He’s 5-3 as the starter and has jumped into the Offensive Rookie of the Year conversation.

He and Carolina receiver Tetairoa McMillan are neck and neck as the favorites to win it.

In just eight months, Shough has gone from a relatively unknown secondround draft pick out of Louisville to a guy who is now the biggest star in town.

Start counting how many No. 6 jerseys you start seeing in the city. And just wait until Mardi Gras: “Shough me something, Mister!”

The Saints no longer having to wonder who their quarterback will be is easily the franchise’s biggest story of the year.

2. Moore hiring When the search to find Dennis Allen’s replacement began, Kellen Moore wasn’t on most people’s radar.

Ben Johnson, the former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator, was the hottest name out there. Aaron Glenn, a former Saints player and assistant and the Lions defensive coordinator, was also toward the top of Mickey Loomis’ list.

Johnson and Glenn ended

up choosing head coaching jobs with the Chicago Bears and New York Jets, respectively. The Saints were even in on former Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy.

When all was said and done, the Saints hired Moore, making him the youngest head coach in the league. Things didn’t start off well. He went 1-8 in his first nine games.

Now things look a bit more promising as the Saints were undefeated in the month of December, something they had done previously in only 1987 and 2011.

Moore should be commended for his ability to keep his team believing when it had every reason not to do so.

3. Carr’s retirement Nobody saw this one coming.

Derek Carr dropped this bomb on the day before Mother’s Day, citing complications from an injured right shoulder. Many fans heard the news and immediately thought “good riddance” for a quarterback who didn’t quite live up to lofty expectations.

Carr arrived in New Orleans from the Las Vegas Raiders in 2023. The change of scenery was supposed to be just what he needed, and his veteran presence was supposed to be just what the Saints needed. The marriage never panned out.

4. Mathieu’s retirement Two months after Carr’s surprising retirement, an-

other veteran hung up his cleats.

Tyrann Mathieu, one of the most beloved football players to ever come out of New Orleans, surprisingly announced his playing career was over. The former St. Augustine and LSU standout played three seasons with his hometown Saints. He was one of the most respected players in the locker room but decided to stop playing right before the start of training camp.

5. Five in a row?

There were plenty of options for the fifth spot. Brandon Staley’s defense. Cam Jordan and Demario Davis still drinking from the fountain of youth. An Irish kicker with a bionic leg. Trading Rashid Shaheed. The longterm deal to keep Saints in the Dome through 2035. The stellar rookie class. Owner Gayle Benson’s interview in November.

But the last spot goes to the current four-game winning streak. Like the emergence of Shough, the hiring of Moore and the retirement of Carr and Mathieu, nobody saw this winning streak coming. The Saints have a chance to make it five in a row Sunday when they travel to play the Atlanta Falcons.

That game will be played on the first Sunday of 2026, a year that all of a sudden looks much brighter for Saints fans.

Email Rod Walker at rwalker@theadvocate.com.

INDIANA

Continued from page 1C Neither Murphy nor his parents could have anticipated the bowl drought that followed. The Hoosiers didn’t make another bowl until 1979, and after that, 1986.

Now 77, Murphy wasn’t sure this day would come again. So a backup plan was established in case of an emergency.

“I told my wife, son and daughter, I told them, ‘If I die before we go to the Rose Bowl again, I want you to take my urn and buy a program, buy a seat, set the program and urn on the seat, and I’ll be there with you guys,’ ” he said.

Murphy’s story resonates with any lifelong Indiana football fan, though he warns there may not be many. He grew up a dedicated supporter of Indiana’s losing football team in Bloomington, a city that rallied around the powerhouse and championshipwinning basketball team.

The script has since flipped a bit. Hoosiers fans have had more to cheer about the past season or two when it comes to football than basketball. A team that was once an afterthought in its community has a new brand of committed fans who have the chance to head to Pasadena for the program’s biggest game in years: Top-seeded Indiana will play No. 9-seeded Alabama on Thursday in the Grandaddy of Them All for a chance to advance to the College Football Playoff semifinals.

The program has reached new heights over the past two years under back-toback AP Coach of the Year Curt Cignetti, finally abandoning the title of losingest program in the history of the

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By OBED LAMy

Bill Murphy, 77, an Indiana football fan, looks through vintage sports programs in a photo album at his home in Greenfield, Ind., on Dec. 17.

Bowl Subdivision and handing the unwelcome crown to Northwestern earlier this year. Indiana finished the regular season as the Big Ten champions with a 13-0 record behind quarterback Fernando Mendoza, the school’s first Heisman Trophy winner.

Longtime fan Kevin Harrell wouldn’t miss the Rose Bowl, even though his last trip to the stadium wasn’t too long ago. When the Big Ten expanded with four West Coast teams in 2024, he took the opportunity to see his team play in the iconic stadium, thinking the midSeptember matchup against UCLA could be the closest he’d come to seeing Indiana in the Rose Bowl this century.

“It’s beyond my wildest dreams,” Harrell said, admitting that having this level of confidence in the team is an unfamiliar feeling. “We have always expected the worst. We could always find a new way to lose the game.

It’s been kind of weird how quickly I’ve gone from that way of thinking to expecting to win. I expect this team to win every time they take the field, and I think that’s just a testament to the job Curt Cignetti has done.”

Not all fans have earned their stripes like Harrell and Murphy. The Indiana football bandwagon is filling up.

Memorial Stadium reached the brim with new followers this season. “Heis-Mendoza” chants on Saturdays became common this fall, and for the second straight year, all four home conference games sold out.

Airlines have adjusted accordingly to the high demand. Delta, American and Southwest Airlines added additional nonstop flights from Indianapolis to Los Angeles in the days leading up to the Rose Bowl.

“People get excited because people like winners,” Murphy said. “(There are) not a tremendous amount of people like me that will go support their team win or lose, and I’ve seen a lot of losing football over the years.”

So now, 58 years later, Murphy finally gets the chance to make up for the missed game that has haunted him for decades.

“Fortunately for me, I get to go this year and actually sit in a seat and see the game,” Murphy said. “I’m still pinching myself, trying to make sure I’m not dreaming.”

means we have depth.

“I’m not afraid to throw some of them in there, even though it’s their first time.

I’m not afraid of that. They may be, and they may have a deer-in-the-headlights look when they see how tough it is, but I’ll watch that.”

In its first 14 games, LSU posted the best per-possession offensive and defensive numbers of the Mulkey era. The Tigers lead the nation in both points scored per 100 possessions (131.5) and points allowed per 100 possessions (65.3), according to Her Hoop Stats.

No Division I team is

scoring more points, shooting at a higher percentage, rebounding more misses or winning by larger margins than LSU, which showed Mulkey all she needed to see during the nonconference games.

“They’re enjoying being together,” Mulkey said.

“They’re enjoying winning.

They’re enjoying the people who come see them play.

“I don’t have any drama, so I go to sleep at night happy. I don’t go to sleep at night worrying about drama, and that’s enjoyable, particularly when you get to be my age and you’ve done it for a long period of time.”

GOLDING

Continued from page 1C teams finished 5-5, 10-3 and 8-5, needed to upgrade his defense in order to get the Rebels to where they are today. He lured Golding away from Saban, who also was a former boss of Kiffin’s.

Since Golding’s hiring, Ole Miss has gone 11-2, 10-3 and 12-1.

Four of Kiffin’s offensive assistants will be with Kiffin at LSU, but not on a fulltime basis until Ole Miss’ season is done.

Finishing one job while beginning another can be a tricky proposition, but Golding’s players praise his ability to communicate his defensive demands in simple terms, and he put that skill to work with the Ole Miss/LSU coaches on his staff.

“We have coaches that are working two different jobs like a lot of teams do right now,” Golding said. “When it’s not game week, they work in the role in their other job, and when it’s game week, they’re fully vested in where they’re at.”

When announcing Golding’s promotion, Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter said the coach has “a deep understanding of our culture, values and what it

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ROGELIO V. SOLIS

Tulane coach Jon Sumrall, left, and Ole Miss coach Pete Golding talk before a College Football Playoff game on Dec. 20 in Oxford, Miss. means to be part of the Ole Miss family,” adding that Golding is “one of us.”

The Ole Miss family united around Golding leading up to the game against Tulane. Archie Manning spoke to the team at practice the day before the game, and Eli Manning embraced Golding on the field prior to it.

Shortly after Golding’s promotion was announced, he canceled the news conference to introduce him as head coach because he didn’t want to draw attention away from the players earning the CFP berth.

Golding, who started playing at Delta State as a walkon and emerged as a fouryear starter at safety, used the same approach that worked for him as a player

in his ascension from Division II coaching to a firsttime head coach trying to win a national title.

“Regardless of whether I was a walk-on or not,” Golding said, “my mentality was, go outwork everyone else regardless of the position they put me at, regardless of how I got there, who’s on full scholarship. It doesn’t matter.

“Everybody wants to understand how do you get to where you want to go?

You’ve got to outwork everybody else. You’re not always going to be the most talented guy or be seen as the most talented guy.

You’ve got to be willing to do things that they’re not, and when you have talent and do those things then you have a lot of success.”

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4C ● Tuesday, December 30, 2025 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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STM, Westgate cruise into Sunkist title game

BY MIKE COPPAGE Contributing writer

A pair of District 4-4A rivals will battle for supremacy in the finals of the St. Thomas More Sunkist Shootout.

Westgate (6-2) and host St. Thomas More (8-4) advanced with semifinal wins Sunday.

Westgate defeated Lafayette Renaissance for the second time in a week 79-58 after victories over Catholic New Iberia and Teurlings Catholic the previous two days.

“We wanted to dictate the pace,” Westgate coach Oliver Winston said. “I thought our kids did a really good job of making them run 94 feet and set up on offense.”

Dakylon Joseph (six 3-pointers) and Antonio Quetel each scored 21 points for Westgate, which has handed LRCA its only two losses.

Cayden Lancelin added 15 points, 13 rebounds, five steals and four assists.

“When (Joseph) is able to get into a rhythm like that, it really opens the floor up for everybody else because a lot of times teams

are paying so much attention to Cayden,” Winston said. “With Antonio getting hot, that puts a lot of pressure on a defense.”

The Tigers are young and mostly guard driven except for 6-foot-4 Chance Archangel and 6-3 Brock Mitchell, but their quickness more than made up for a lack of size vs. much bigger teams Teurlings and Catholic High.

“We know we’re not the biggest team, but you have to contend with the speed,” Winston said. “If you want to put those big boys on the floor for four quarters, hopefully

they can run, because we’re going to run.”

LRCA (10-2) missed 19 free throws (22 of 41) after missing 17 in the first meeting against Westgate (a 74-66 loss).

St. Thomas More ripped a highly regarded Neville team 53-26. Ryan Robertson scored 19 points, and Xarian Babineaux contributed 12. Michael Lacour provided eight big points in the paint against a large Neville (10-3) frontcourt. Davis Lerillle and Mack Tasman came off the bench for a combined three

3-pointers.

STM outscored the Tigers 20-2 in the fourth quarter and 31-8 in the second half.

The Cougars sprinted to a 10-0 lead in the first quarter. Babineaux hit a 3, and Matthew Cook had a basket. After leading 22-18 at the half, the Cougars increased the advantage to 30-22 in the third quarter, then scored 23 of the next 27 points.

The Cougars had 22 points in the paint, including a slam dunk after an offensive rebound by Robertson.

HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL GLANCE STM Sunkist Shootout (Boys at St. Thomas More)

Friday’s Games

Teurlings 60, Menard 29 Lafayette Renaissance 48, St. Louis 35 Ellender 55, Sulphur 43 Lafayette Christian 47, Shaw 41 Neville 59, Vandebilt 40 St. John XXIII 75, Church Point 66 (OT) St. Thomas More 71, Terrebonne 47 Westgate 69, Catholic-NI 41

Saturday’s Games

Shaw 52, St. Louis 47 Catholic-NI 53, Menard 30 Vandebilt 63, Church Point 28 Sulphur 64, Terrebonne 47 Westgate 52, Teurlings 41 Lafayette Renaissance 36, Lafayette Christian 21 St. Thomas More 59, Ellender 39 Neville 62, St. John 49 St. Thomas More 59, Ellender 39 ELLENDER (39) Travonte Alridge 4, Jordan Williams 7, Chavez Collins 2, Kieren Mosley 3, Bernie Dunmilesa 9, Viky White 12, Deuce Nicholl 2.

Totals: 14-39 (6-19) 5-8.

ST. THOMAS MORE (59) John Michael Charbonnet 4, Matthew Cook 29, Ryan Robertson 6, Michael Lacour 4, Xarian Babineaux 2, LG Carbo 11, Landon Ortte 1, Will Brupbacher 2.

Totals: 23-36 (8-16) 5-9.

Ellender 8 8 13 10 — 39 STM 5 17 18 19 — 59 3-pointers — STM: Cook 7, Carbo 1; ELL: Williams 1, Mosley 1, Dunmeilsea 3, White 1. Total Fouls: STM 12, ELL 11.

Lafayette Renaissance 36, Lafayette Christian 21 LAFAYETTE RENAISSANCE (36) Turbo Gordon 6, Evan Ledoux 2, Arsenio Charles 4, Xavier Baker 11, Bubba Etienne 10, Cayman Washington 3. Totals: 12-32 (5-11) 7-10.

LAFAYETTE CHRISTIAN (21) Josh Wilson 10, Graham Comeaux 4, Kerrance Vallot 4, Christian Glenn 3. Totals: 7-36 (1-16) 6-8.

LRCA 9 10 8 9 — 36

TEURLINGS (59) Jordan Senegal 16, AJ Price 8, Trae Olivier 1, Riley Stout 2, Devon Warren 22, Brewer Cain 7, Teryance Alfred 3. Totals: 25-50 (1-7) 8-14.

LAC 10 6 9 22 — 47 Teurlings 15 8 18 18 — 59 3-pointers — LCA: Mire 2, G. Comeaux 3; TEUR: Cain 1. Total Fouls LCA 19, TEUR 11.

LCA 6 10 0 5 — 21 3-pointers — LRCA: Gordon 2, Baker 2, Washington 1; LCA: Glenn 1. Total Fouls: LRCA 8, LCA 10.

Sunday’s Games

Shaw 40, Catholic-NI 37 (OT) Vandebilt 45, Sulphur 39 Teurlings 59, Lafayette Christian 47 St. John XXIII 56, Ellender 35 St. Thomas More 53, Neville 26 Westgate 79, Lafayette Renaissance 58 Westgate 79, Lafayette Renaissance 58 WESTGATE (79) Cayden Lancelin 15, Shadon Lee 7, Dakylon Robertson 21, Antonio Quetel 21, Chance Archangel 2, Zyre Stokes 3, Brock Mitchell 2, Trandin Benjamin 3, Rhylon Collins 5.

Totals: 28-60 (9-23)( 14-21.

LAFAYETTE RENAISSANCE (58) Turbo Gordon 10, Evan Ledoux 11, Ansenio Charles 5, Xavier Baker 7, Bubba Etienne 3, Landen Anderson 2, Kaymen Washington 8, Pop Guillory 4, Buga Paddio 8. Totals: 17-51 (2-11) 22-41.

Westgate 18 14 29 18 — 79 LRCA 11 12 15 20 — 58 3-pointers — LRCA: Gordon 1, Washington 1; WEST: Lee 1, Robertson 6, Quetel 1, Benjamin 1. Total Fouls: WEST 31, LRCA 24.

St. Thomas More 53, Neville 26 NEVILLE (26) Allen Fisher 2, Konnor Mason 4, Jaden Austin 4, Harper Robinson 2, Jeremy Smith 12, Franco Santiago 2. Totals: 11-49 (2-25) 2-24.

ST. THOMAS MORE (53) Matthew Cook 2, Ryan Robertson 17, Michael Lacour 8, Xarian Babineaux 12, LG Carbo 3, Davis Lerille 6, Landon Ortte 2, Mack Tasman 3, . Totals: 18-37 (6-21) 11-14.

Neville 7 11 6 2 — 26 STM 14 8 11 20 — 53 3-pointers — NEV: Smith 1; STM: Lacour 1, Babineaux 1, Carbo 1, Tasman 1, Lerille 2. Total Fouls: Neville 13, STM 10.

Teurlings 59, Lafayette Christian 47 LAFAYETTE CHRISTIAN (47) Josh Wilson 4, Hudson Mire 9, Graham Comeaux 16, Cullen Francis 4, Christian Glenn 10, Caiden Bellard 2, Hayden Comeaux 2. Totals: 19-50, (5-17) 4-6.

Monday’s Games

3 p.m. – Shaw vs. Vandebilt 4:30 p.m. – Teurlings vs. St. John winner 6 p.m. – Neville vs. Lafayette Renaissance 7:30 p.m. – St. Thomas More vs.

Westgate Darrell Mitchell Sr. Holiday Classic (Boys, girls at St. Martinville)

Sunday’s Games

Northside 47, Comeaux 44 (boys) Cecilia 58, Breaux Bridge 43 (boys) Cecilia 27, St. Martinville 19 (girls) New Iberia 52, Rayne 29 (boys) Beau Chene 44, Breaux Bridge 39 (girls) Peabody 58, Lafayette High 45 (boys)

Monday’s Games

Beau Chene vs. Cecilia 26, Beau Chene 23 (girls) Franklin vs. Northside (boys) 3:30 p.m. – Rayne vs. Lafayette High (boys) 5 p.m. – New Iberia vs. Westgate (girls) 7 p.m. – New Iberia vs. Peabody (boys) Northwest Holiday Classic (Boys, girls at Northwest High)

Monday’s Games

Noon – Girls consolation finals Beau Chene 46, North Central 39 (boys) 3 p.m. – Girls third place game 4:30 p.m. – David Thibodaux vs. TBA 6 p.m. – Girls championship game 7:30 p.m. – Washington-Marion vs.

Opelousas-Northwest winner (boys) Vermilion Catholic Yuletide Classic (Boys, girls at Vermilion Catholic)

Friday’s Games

Southside 57, Basile 13 (girls) Ascension Episcopal 55, Crowley 46 (boys) Erath 39, Lafayette Renaissance 36 (girls) Avoyelles 70, Erath 52 (boys) Acadiana Renaissance 45, ESA 27 (boys) Vermilion Catholic 49, Delcambre 12 (girls) Vermilion Catholic 52, Delcambre 46 (boys)

Boudreaux 4, De’Maurion Cormier 8, Connor Stubblefield 12, Floyd Francis 1, Kevin Small 3, Grayson Broussard 2. Totals: 10 (2) 7-16.

NOTRE DAME (68) A. Hoffpauir 16, Ty Savant 26, L. Frank 13, L. Swacker 5, B. Hetzel 8. Totals: 23 (4) 10-19.

Kaplan 8 2 16 7 — 33 Notre Dame 14 20 18 126 — 68 3-pointers — KAP: Cormier 1, Stubblefield 1; ND: Savant 2, Frank 2.

Total Fouls: KAP 15, ND 12.

ESA 44, Delcambre 37 (boys) Erath 45, Crowley 44 (boys) Notre Dame 68, Kaplan 33 (boys) Southside 69, Kaplan 49 (girls) Avoyelles 51, Acadiana Renaissance 45 (boys) Vermilion Catholic 50, Erath 21 (girls) Abbeville 70, Vermilion Catholic 50 (boys) Vermilion Catholic 50, Erath 21 ERATH (21) Kayleigh Perro 8, Ali Bouillion 4, Rylin Perro 3, Irion Ardoin 4, Ryleigh Fobbs 2. Totals: 8 (1) 2-10.

VERMILION CATHOLIC (50) Camille Simon 2, Zoei Thibodeaux 8, Jolie Broussard 1, Anna Boudreaux 6, Evelyn Vincent 2, Bree Thomassee 14, Sara Ellen Hagle 9, Brylynn Broussard 8.

Totals: 22 6-10.

Erath 2 5 5 9 — 21 VC 20 9 13 8 — 50 3-pointers — Erath: R. Perro 1. Total Fouls: Erath 11, VC 16.

Abbeville 70, Vermilion Catholic 50 ABBEVILLE (70) J. Campbell 2, C. Gray 16, K. Fletcher 2, C. Samuels 18, K. Vital 11, J. Joiner 8, N. Badon 12, W. Rideau 1. Totals: 20 (7) 9-11.

VERMILION CATHOLIC (50) Dominick Gautreaux 10, Austin Nguyen 4, William Simon 8, Ty LeBlanc 7, Tre Hebert 8, Ian Boudreaux 5, Beckett Brantley 8.

Totals: 18 (1) 11-21.

Abbeville 15 18 23 14 — 70 VC 6 10 17 17 — 50 3-pointers — ABB: Samuels 2, Vital 3, Joiner 2; VC: LeBlanc 1. Total Fouls: ABB 19, VC 15.

Notre Dame 68, Kaplan 33 KAPLAN (33) Ethan Campbell 3, Rashad

11:30 a.m. – Erath vs. Basile (girls) 1 p.m. – Erath vs. ESA (boys) 2:30 p.m. – Kaplan vs. Vermilion Catholic (boys) 4 p.m. – Ascension Episcopal vs.

Notre Dame (boys) 5:30 p.m. – Avoyelles vs. Abbeville (boys)

Saturday’s Games

Monday’s Games

Tuesday’s Games

11:30 a.m. – Delcambre vs. LRCABasile winner (girls) 1 p.m. – Boys consolation game 2:30 p.m. – Girls third place game 4 p.m. – Boys third place game 5:30 p.m. – Southside vs. Vermilion Catholic (girls) 7 p.m. – Boys championship game Beal and Hebert Invitational (Girls at Teurlings Catholic)

Monday’s Games

1 p.m. – DeRidder vs. Breaux Bridge 2:20 p.m. – North Vermilion vs.

Jeanerette 3:40 p.m. – Church Point vs. Carencro 5 p.m. – St. Thomas More vs St. Charles 6:20 p.m. – Teurlings vs. Iowa

Tuesday’s Games

1 p.m. – Teurlings vs. Jeanerette 2:20 p.m. – St. Charles vs. DeRidder 3:40 p.m. – St. Thomas More vs. Iowa 5 p.m. – North Vermilion vs. Carencro 6:20 p.m. – Teurlings vs. Church Point Kendall/Brad Fontenot Holiday Shootout (Boys, girls at St. Edmund)

Saturday’s Games

Mamou 38, Elton 37 (girls) Westminster 64, Elton 28 (boys)

St. Edmund 51, Pine Prairie 41 (girls) Pitkin 50, Sacred Heart-VP 49 (boys) Lacassine vs. Sacred Heart-VP (girls) Lacassine 72, Iota 54 (boys) Basile vs. St. Edmund (boys)

Monday’s Games

9 a.m. – Elton vs. Sacred Heart- VP (boys) 10:30 a.m. – St. Edmund vs. Mamou (girls) Noon – Iota vs. Basile-St. Edmund loser (boys) 1:30 p.m. – Pine Prairie vs. Elton (girls) 3 p.m. – Westminster vs. Pitkin (boys) 4:30 p.m. – St. Edmund vs. Lacassine (girls) 6 p.m. – Lacassine vs. Basile-St. Edmund winner (boys) 7:30 p.m. – Iota vs. Sacred Heart-VP (girls)

Tuesday’s Games

9 a.m. – Boys consolation game 10:30 a.m. – Boys third place game Noon – Sacred Heart-VP vs. Elton (girls) 1:30 p.m. – Boys consolation finals 3 p.m. – Lacassine vs. Mamou (girls) 4:30 p.m. – Boys championship game 6 p.m. – Pine Prairie vs. Iota (girls) Other Games Carencro 65, LaGrange 55 LAGRANGE (55) Freeman 10, Courtney 12, Granger 5, Harris 17, Guidry 2, Napoleon 2, Courtney 5, Guidry 2.

Totals: 13 (8) 5-10.

CARENCRO (65) BJ Jones 9, Dentrell Morrison 19, Chance Babineaux 3, Derrick Lotts 2, Hayden Monroe 16, Kendrick Bernard 12, Jaden Batiste 4. Totals: 12 (4) 15-19.

LaGrange 12 12 10 21 — 55 Carencro 16 12 19 18 — 65 3-pointers — LAG: Freeman 3, Courtney 2, Granger 2, Courtney 1; CAR: Jones 1, Morrison 2, Bernard 1. Total Fouls: LAG 17, CAR 6.

SCOREBOARD Odds

at LOYOLA MARYMNT 4½ Santa Clara 11½ at SEATTLE U 4½ San Diego State 11½ at BOISE STATE 6

Sports Betting Line NFL Saturday

FAVORITE at TAMPA Seattle

Sunday

NHL

OPEN TODAY O/U UNDERDOG 3 2½ (44) Carolina 4½ 1½ (49½)at SAN FRAN

FAVORITE OPEN TODAY O/U UNDERDOG Dallas 1½ 5½ (52½) at GIANTS at CIN 8½ 7½ (44½) Cleveland at MIN 1½ 6½ (36½) Green Bay at JAX 4½ 12 (47½) Tennessee at HOUSTON 4½ 10 (40½) Ind at ATLANTA 5½ 2½ (43½) N.O. Kansas City 6 5½ (36½) at VEGAS at LA RAMS 4½ 9½ (47½) Arizona at CHICAGO 1½ 2½ (50½) Detroit at NEW ENG 2½ 11½ (45½) Miami at DENVER 2½ 7½ (39½) LA Chargrs at PHILA 4½ 8½ (41½) Wash at BUFFALO 9½ 7½ (39½) NY Jets Baltimore 3 3½ (41) at PIT

College Football Tuesday

Independence Bowl FAVORITE OPEN TODAY O/U UNDERDOG La Tech 6½ 9½ (51½) C. Carolina Music City Bowl FAVORITE OPEN TODAY O/U UNDERDOG Tennessee 8½ 3 (61½) Illinois Alamo Bowl FAVORITE OPEN TODAY O/U UNDERDOG USC 5½ 6½ (55½) TCU

Wednesday

ReliaQuest Bowl FAVORITE OPEN TODAY O/U UNDERDOG Vanderbilt 3½ 5½ (46½) Iowa Sun Bowl FAVORITE OPEN TODAY O/U UNDERDOG Duke 1½ 3 (49½) Arizona St. Citrus Bowl FAVORITE OPEN TODAY O/U UNDERDOG Texas 4½ 7½ (48½) Michigan Las Vegas Bowl FAVORITE OPEN TODAY O/U UNDERDOG Utah 13½ 14 (50½) Nebraska Cotton Bowl FAVORITE OPEN TODAY O/U UNDERDOG Ohio State 9½ 9½ (40½) Miami (FL)

Thursday

Orange Bowl FAVORITE OPEN TODAY O/U UNDERDOG Oregon 1½ 2½ (51½) Texas Tech Rose Bowl FAVORITE OPEN TODAY O/U UNDERDOG Indiana 6½ 7 (48½) Alabama Sugar Bowl FAVORITE OPEN TODAY O/U UNDERDOG Georgia 6½ 6½ (56½) Ole Miss

Friday

Armed Forces Bowl FAVORITE OPEN TODAY O/U UNDERDOG Texas State 6½ 14 (57½) Rice Liberty Bowl FAVORITE OPEN TODAY O/U UNDERDOG Navy 6½ 7 (54½) Cincinnati Duke’s Mayo Bowl FAVORITE OPEN TODAY O/U UNDERDOG Miss St. 2½ 3 (53½) W. Forest Holiday Bowl FAVORITE OPEN TODAY O/U UNDERDOG Arizona 1½ 3 (51½) SMU

COLLEGE BASKETBALL Tuesday

FAVORITE Ohio Wyoming East Tennessee St. at TOLEDO at BOWLING GREEN at WISCONSIN at CHARLOTTE at MIAMI (FL) at DAVIDSON Seton Hall at UNC UMass Buffalo at TEN TECH Louisville Utah State Saint Mary’s (CA) at CREIGHTON at STANFORD at COLORADO ST. Gonzaga San Francisco

LINE 5½ 11 12 11 4 20½ 1 11½ 2½ 3½ 15½ 1½ 6½ 2½ 5½ 14½ 20 4½ 3½ 5 27½ 5½

UNDERDOG at C. MICHIGAN at AIR FORCE at CITADEL W. Michigan Miami (OH) Milwaukee Temple Pittsburgh Duquesne at MARQUETTE Florida State at E. MICHIGAN at N. ILLINOIS Tennessee State at CAL at FRESNO STATE at PEPPERDINE Butler Notre Dame Nevada at SAN DIEGO at OREGON ST

Tuesday

FAVORITE at FLORIDA New Jersey Carolina New York Philadelphia

Pacific at PORTLAND Washington St at SAN JOSE ST New Mexico

South x-Jacksonville x-Houston e-Indianapolis e-Tennessee

PA 329 265 374 437

Pittsburgh Baltimore e-Cincinnati e-Cleveland

W L T Pct PF 9 7 0 .563 371 8 8 0 .500 400 6 10 0 .375 396 4 12 0 .250 259

PA 363 372 472 361

W L T Pct PF 13 3 0 .813 382 11 5 0 .688 365 6 10 0 .375 350 2 14 0 .125 227

PA 308 321 314 420

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

W L T Pct PF 11 5 0 .688 362 7 8 1 .469 454 4 12 0 .250 332 3 13 0 .188 347

PA 301 477 434 422

Carolina Tampa Bay e-Atlanta e-New Orleans

W L T Pct PF 8 8 0 .500 297 7 9 0 .438 364 6 9 0 .400 307 6 10 0 .375 289

PA 364 397 360 364

GameAbove Sports Bowl

y-Chicago x-Green Bay e-Minnesota e-Detroit

W L T Pct PF 11 5 0 .688 425 9 6 1 .594 388 8 8 0 .500 328 8 8 0 .500 462

PA 396 344 330 397

First Responder Bowl

W L T Pct PF 13 3 0 .813 470 12 4 0 .750 434 11 4 0 .733 457 3 13 0 .188 335

PA 289 358 299 451

North

LINE UNDERDOG -145 Montreal -112 at TORONTO -125 at PITTSBURGH -148 at CHICAGO -125 at VANCOUVER

LINE +121 -108 +105 +125 +105

NBA EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division

NATIONAL CONFERENCE East

New York Boston Toronto Philadelphia Brooklyn

W 22 19 19 16 10

L 9 12 14 14 19

Pct .710 .613 .576 .533 .345

GB — 3 4 5½ 11

Orlando Miami Atlanta Charlotte Washington

W 18 17 15 11 7

L 14 15 18 20 23

Pct .563 .531 .455 .355 .233

GB — 1 3½ 6½ 10

Detroit Cleveland Chicago Milwaukee Indiana

W 24 17 15 13 6

L 8 16 16 19 26

Pct .750 .515 .484 .406 .188

GB — 7½ 8½ 11 18

Southeast Division

Central Division

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Southwest Division San Antonio Houston Memphis Dallas New Orleans

W 23 19 15 12 8

L 8 10 17 21 25

Pct .742 .655 .469 .364 .242

GB — 3 8½ 12 16

Oklahoma City Denver Minnesota Portland Utah

W 27 22 20 13 12

L 5 9 12 19 19

Pct .844 .710 .625 .406 .387

GB — 4½ 7 14 14½

L 10 13 16 21 24

Pct .667 .581 .500 .323 .250

GB — 2½ 5 10½ 13

Northwest Division

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

Sunday’s Games

W 20 18 16 10 8

Oklahoma City 129, Philadelphia 104 Toronto 141, Golden State 127, OT Portland 114, Boston 108 Washington 116, Memphis 112 L.A. Clippers 112, Detroit 99 L.A. Lakers 125, Sacramento 101

West

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

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

Pro football NFL AMERICAN CONFERENCE PA 310 357 386 468

Friday’s games Detroit Northwestern 34, Central Michigan 7

Rate Bowl

Phoenix Minnesota 20, New Mexico 17 Dallas UTSA 57, FIU 20

Saturday’s games Military Bowl

Annapolis, Md. East Carolina 23, Pittsburgh 17

Pinstripe Bowl

Bronx, N.Y. Penn St. 22, Clemson 10

Fenway Bowl

Pop-Tarts Bowl

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 Sunday’s games

Kansas State 94, UL-Monroe 85 UL 63, Norfolk State 54

Monday’s games

Illinois 90, Southern 55 McNeese at Michigan, n

Tuesday’s game

Centenary at Grambling, noon Southeastern at Incarnate Word, 5 p.m

Wednesday’s games

Stephen F. Austin at Northwestern State, 3:30 p.m.

Tulane at East Carolina, 11 a.m.

UL-Lafayette at South Alabama, noon UNO at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, 3:30 p.m.

Nicholls at Texas-Rio Grande Valley, 4:30 p.m.

Thursday’s games

Southern Miss at UL-Monroe, 4 p.m.

State women’s schedule

Sunday’s games

Texas 120, Southeastern 38 LSU 109, Alabama State 41

Monday’s games

UTRGV 87, UNO 81 OT Nicholls at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, n McNeese at Incarnate Word, n Dillard at UL, n

Tuesday’s games

Tulane at UTSA, 1 p.m.

Wednesday’s game

Stephen F. Austin at Northwestern State, 1 p.m.

Thursday’s games

Saturday’s Games

Tucson, Ariz.

Fresno St.18 Miami (OH) 3

Northwestern at Nicholls, 1 p.m.

South Alabama at UL – Monroe, 1:30 p.m.

Prairie View at Southern, 2 p.m.

Troy at UL – Lafayette, 4 p.m.

Texas Southern at Grambling, 6:30 p.m.

Kentucky at LSU, 7 p.m.

Sunday’s Games

Albuquerque No. 23 North Texas 49, San Diego St. 47

Transactions

Jacksonville, Fla. No. 20 Virginia 13, No. 25 Missouri 7

American League ATHLETICS — Agreed to terms with LF Tyler Soderstrom on a seven-year contract through 2032 with a club option for 2033.

Orlando, Fla. No. 12 BYU 25, No. 24 Georgia Tech 21

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

Arizona Bowl

Houston 20, L.A. Chargers 16 Baltimore 41, Green Bay 24

New Mexico Bowl

Cincinnati 37, Arizona 14 Cleveland 13, Pittsburgh 6 Jacksonville 23, Indianapolis 17 Miami 20, Tampa Bay 17 New England 42, N.Y. Jets 10 New Orleans 34, Tennessee 26 Seattle 27, Carolina 10 N.Y. Giants 34, Las Vegas 10 Philadelphia 13, Buffalo 12 San Francisco 42, Chicago 38

Gator Bowl

Texas Bowl

Houston 21 Houston 38, LSU 35

Monday’s games Birmingham Bowl

Birmingham, Ala. Georgia Southern 29, Appalachian State 10

Chicago 14 7 7 10 — 38 San Francisco 14 14 7 7 — 42 First Quarter Chi_Edwards 34 interception return (Santos kick), 14:45.

SF_Tonges 1 pass from Purdy (Pineiro kick), 10:57.

SF_Purdy 10 run (Pineiro kick), 4:52.

Chi_Burden 35 pass from Ca.Williams (Santos kick), 2:58.

Second Quarter SF_McCaffrey 5 run (Pineiro kick), 13:44.

Chi_Loveland 36 pass from Ca.Williams (Santos kick), 12:20.

SF_Purdy 3 run (Pineiro kick), 3:23.

Third Quarter Chi_Swift 2 run (Santos kick), 9:51.

SF_Juszczyk 6 pass from Purdy (Pineiro kick), 4:52.

Fourth Quarter Chi_Swift 22 run (Santos kick), 14:54.

Chi_FG Santos 29, 5:22.

SF_Jennings 38 pass from Purdy (Pineiro kick), 2:15.

Philadelphia at Memphis, 7 p.m.

Boston at Utah, 8 p.m.

Detroit at L.A. Lakers, 9:30 p.m.

Sacramento at L.A. Clippers, 10 p.m.

College football

Boston Army 41, UConn 16

Late Sunday San Francisco 42, Chicago 38

Tuesday’s Games

y-New England x-Buffalo e-Miami e-N.Y. Jets

North

L.A. Rams at Atlanta, n

Milwaukee at Charlotte, n Phoenix at Washington, n Denver at Miami, n Golden State at Brooklyn, n Orlando at Toronto, n Atlanta at Oklahoma City, n Cleveland at San Antonio, n Indiana at Houston, n Minnesota at Chicago, n New York at New Orleans, n Dallas at Portland, n

W L T Pct PF 13 3 0 .813 452 11 5 0 .688 446 7 9 0 .438 337 3 13 0 .188 292

South

Monday’s Games

Monday’s Games

East

West

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

Pro basketball

Punt Returns 0-0 2-11 Kickoff Returns 4-102 4-92 Interceptions Ret. 1-34 0-0 Comp-Att-Int 25-42-0 24-33-1 Sacked-Yards Lost 0-0 1-7 Punts 3-58.667 2-40.5 Fumbles-Lost 0-0 0-0 Penalties-Yards 7-39 5-55 Time of Possession 26:27 33:33 INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS RUSHING_Chicago, Swift 9-54, Monangai 8-38, Ca.Williams 5-18. San Francisco, McCaffrey 23-140, Purdy 6-28, B.Robinson 4-22, Moore 1-10.

PASSING_Chicago, Ca.Williams 25-42-0-330.

San Francisco, Purdy 24-33-1-303.

RECEIVING_Chicago, Burden 8-138, Loveland 6-94, Monangai 3-9, Walker 2-30, Swift 2-25, Kmet 2-16, Smythe 1-11, Moore 1-7. San Francisco, Tonges 7-60, Pearsall 5-85, McCaffrey 4-41, Jennings 2-42, D.Robinson 2-30, Juszczyk 2-14, Bourne 1-25, B.Robinson 1-6.

MISSED FIELD GOALS_None.

W L T Pct PF 12 4 0 .750 433 11 5 0 .688 366 8 8 0 .500 436 3 13 0 .188 277

A_71,836.

First downs Total Net Yards Rushes-yards Passing

Chi 26 440 22-110 330

SF 32 496 34-200 296

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

Major League Baseball

BASKETBALL

National Basketball Association TORONTO RAPTORS — Signed C Mo Bamba to a rest-of-season contract.

FOOTBALL

National Football League ATLANTA FALCONS — Promoted WR Chris Blair and OLB Khalid Kareem from the practice squad to the active roster.

BUFFALO BILLS — Released K Michael Badgley from the practice squad.

HOUSTON TEXANS — Reinstated WR Justin Watson from injured reserve.

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS — Signed QB Seth Henigan to the practice squad.

LOS ANGELES RAMS — Reinstated CB Roger McCreary from injured reserve.

MINNESOTA VIKINGS — Placed DL Elijah Williams on injured reserve. Promoted CB Zemaiah Vaughn from the practice squad to the active roster.

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS — Released CB Miles Battle and OL Brenden Jaimes.

PITTSBURGH STEELERS — Signed DT Kyler Baugh to the practice squad. Released DB Daryl Porter from the practice squad.

HOCKEY

National Hockey League OTTAWA SENATORS — Reinstated F Shane Pinto from injured reserve.

UTAH MAMMOTH — Recalled G Matt Villalta from Tucson (AHL). Placed G Karel Vejmelka on injured reserve.

SOCCER

Major League Soccer LOS ANGELES FC — Acquired F Jacob Shaffelburg from Nashville SC in exchange for general allocation money.

LOS ANGELES GALAXY — Signed M Justin Haak to a one-year contract.

LIVING

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

|

T u e s d ay, d e c e m b e r 30, 2025

5cN

Keep it cool Interested in growing fruit trees?

Read this primer on chill hours and why they matter

Late fall and winter are prime time for planting trees in Louisiana. If you’re interested in adding some fruit trees to your landscape, you should first familiarize yourself with the concept of chilling hours.

“Chilling hours is probably the No. GARDEN 1 thing you NEWS need to look at before deciding which fruit tree you want to plant in your backyard,” said Michael Polozola, LSU AgCenter fruit and nut specialist.

Chilling hours, often shortened to chill hours, refer to the number of hours a fruit tree is exposed to temperatures between 32 F and 45 F during its cool-season dormancy. They’re essential to the tree’s ability to produce flowers and fruit in the spring and summer.

Fruit tree species such as peaches, plums and apples, along with blueberry shrubs, all depend on hitting a certain chill hour threshold to know when it’s safe to transition out of dormancy. Chilling needs vary by species and even variety or cultivar. Some must spend several hundred hours in the cold while others need less.

Hometown highlights

I was born and raised in Baton Rouge. My perspective of the city has changed since reporting on it.

BY JOY HOLDEN Staff writer

LSU AGCENTER PHOTO

By OLIVIA McCLURE

Fruit trees with low chill hour requirements, such as these La Feliciana peaches, break dormancy and begin flowering sooner.

“When buying trees, check the tag or ask the nursery about chill hour requirements to ensure success,” Polozola said. “Matching the right variety to your region’s chill hours is one of the simplest ways to enjoy healthy trees and abundant fruit.”

The right amount of chill keeps trees dormant until conditions are ideal for active growth. Too much or too little can lead to disappointment.

If you try to grow a tree that needs more chill hours than you can provide, it may flower late or unevenly and have poor fruit set. In some cases, the tree may not bloom or produce fruit at all. On the other hand, if you plant a low-chill variety in an area that experiences colder, longer winters, it could break dormancy too soon, leaving tender buds and leaves vulnerable to frost damage.

Louisiana can be broken into three regions based on typical chill hour accumulation patterns: n North Louisiana: 600 to 800 chill hours. Good for traditional peaches, plums and apples with high chill hour requirements. n Central Louisiana: 400 to 600 chill hours. Mid-chill choices like rabbiteye blueberries and some peach and apple varieties work well here. n South Louisiana: 200 to 400 chill hours. Stick with varieties

ä See CHILL, page 6C

PROVIDED PHOTO

Joy Holden climbs up one of the ladders on the USS Kidd.

There I was, kneeling on the cold concrete, watching the ribbon-cutting for a new casino opening. The manager of Bally’s, Richard Cannon, hugged Wendie Green, a 31-year employee of the Belle, and the whole crowd erupted in cheers.

Green cut the red ribbon with a giant grin. I got chills — and not from the mild, 65-degree weather we were having in early December. Who knew a casino opening would make me emotional?

After the cheers, “Swag Surfin’” bellowed out of the outdoor speakers, and purple and gold drones lit up the night over the Mississippi River bridge.

“This is so Baton Rouge,” I thought.

The Bally’s grand opening was a night that summed up my surprising year with The Advocate.

As I drove home that night, I was full of thoughts and feelings for my city. I reflected on 2025, my first full year as a reporter at the newspaper.

What exactly does “so Baton Rouge” mean? To those on Facebook and Twitter from other

and religion separate us, even when we pretend otherwise. As bold and sharp as those lines are, though, there are some places that are rubbed into faded gray because of the love between coworkers, families, strangers and classmates.

Love covers a multitude of sins, and in Baton Rouge, both of those things can be found in spades.

What I’ve learned this year is that there is light in this city, and it’s in the form of dedicated people committed to greater callings than themselves.

I was born at the old Woman’s Hospital in 1980. A Baton Rouge girl raised in Shenandoah, off STAFF PHOTO By JOy HOLDEN George O’Neal, in the Country Reporter Joy Holden takes a selfie Club of Louisiana and Santa Maat the top of the Louisiana State ria. I’m a Parkview Baptist Eagle who was voted “Most Likely to Capitol building.

Succeed” and “Miss PBS Class of 1999.” I remember Catfish Town, cities, “so Baton Rouge” is not a the Village Square shopping cencompliment, especially if you’ve been tracking Ole Miss fans’ anter and Fun Fair Park. I’ve seen our city change in many ways. gry social media posts.

Through school, attending mulBut to me, the phrase reflects a city that, when you catch it just tiple churches, teaching at several so, leaves a distinct impression — schools and working at a local a mélange of culture, music, food, magazine, I know people in many history and fascinating people. avenues of life. I thought I knew a Division lines are often drawn ä See HOMETOWN, page 6C around here. Lines of race, class

BR’s dining scene to continue growth in new year The Round the World pizza from Fleur de Lis Pizza is making its return after the restaurant closed in 2022.

PROVIDED PHOTO

By MINH KIET

BY MADDIE SCOTT

Vals

Staff writer

n 7242 Perkins Road

New dining spots are bringing fresh dishes to the tables of Baton Rouge in 2026 — some brand new, others opening second locations.

The city’s bustling dining scene is responsible for the opening of 40 restaurants in 2025, and already, there are six restaurants set to open in the new year.

Here’s what’s coming soon.

With one other location in New Orleans, the popular, Mexicaninfluenced restaurant is bringing a taste to Baton Rouge.

The business hopes to open in February inside the former Rock Paper Taco building at 7242 Perkins Road.

The menu is the same as the

ä See GROWTH, page 6C

6C ● Tuesday, December 30, 2025 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

lll

Sometimes incredulity is the best response (When I once replied “yes” to this Dear Miss Manners: When I meet new people and tell them where I type of question, the person reearned my bachelor’s degree and sponded by telling me that I was what my plans for the fucocky.)

How do I respond to ture are, I frequently get these inappropriate quescomments and questions such as, “Wow, you must tions without seeming eibe really smart,” or “Did ther rude or arrogant? you do well on the MCAT?” Gentle reader: What house or “What was your GPA?” were you in?

Judith Having been raised to Sorry, just a little joke Martin consider this information from a school where they MISS personal, I am unsure how learn to avoid that tedious MANNERS to respond. It is not inforconversation by answering “Where did you go to colmation I feel comfortable sharing with people I know, much lege?” with “In the northeast.” less people I have just met.

But your questioners are also If the questions are yes-or-no asking about test scores? Miss (such as “Did you always excel Manners would be unable to at school?”), stating “yes” comes resist asking incredulously, “Do across as though I am bragging, you even remember your old test but to say “no” would be a lie. scores?”

And if they say yes, you can say, “Well, you must be really smart.”

Without adding “ … and must not have a life.”

Dear Miss Manners: I’m pleased that our daughter is teaching her children (ages 4 and 7) about thankyou notes. My question concerns the e-card version of this.

With a written note, certainly a parent must stamp and address it, and perhaps hover over the child to inspire them to write. But the results are a delight for both receiver (sweet childish notes, misspellings and all!) and sender (learning to express thankfulness).

With an e-card, one wonders if the child had any role at all, and if so, what they learned from it.

Even if the child could type, does

Today is Tuesday, Dec. 30, the 364th day of 2025. There is one day left in the year.

Today in history: On Dec. 30, 2006, former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein was executed by hanging after being convicted of crimes against humanity by the Iraqi High Tribunal. Hussein was captured in 2003 by U.S. forces while hiding near his hometown of Tikrit.

Also on this date: In 1860, 10 days after South Carolina seceded from the Union, the state militia seized the United States Army arsenal in Charleston.

In 1896, José Rizal, whose writings inspired the Philippine Revolution, was executed by Spanish army troops after being convicted of rebellion, sedition and conspiracy.

In 1903, more than 600

people died when fire broke out at the recently opened Iroquois Theater in Chicago.

In 1922, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) officially came into existence.

In 2009, seven CIA employees and a Jordanian intelligence officer were killed by a suicide bomber at a U.S. base in Khost, Afghanistan.

In 2015, actor and comedian Bill Cosby was charged with drugging and sexually assaulting a woman at his suburban Philadelphia home in 2004. (Cosby’s first trial ended in a mistrial after jurors deadlocked; he was convicted on three charges at his retrial in April 2018 and sentenced to three to 10 years in prison, but the Pennsylvania Supreme Court overturned the conviction in June 2021, setting Cosby free.)

In 2020, a large explo-

sion rocked the airport in the southern Yemeni city of Aden soon after a plane carrying the government’s newly formed Cabinet landed there. At least 25 people were killed and 110 wounded, and a later report to the U.N. Security Council attributed the blast to Houthi rebels.

Today’s birthdays: Baseball Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax is 90. TV director James Burrows is 85.

Singer-author Patti Smith is 79. Musician Jeff Lynne is 78. Actor Sheryl Lee Ralph is 69. Country singer Suzy Bogguss is 69. Actorcomedian Tracey Ullman is 66. TV commentator Sean Hannity is 64. Golfer Tiger Woods is 50. TV personality and retired pro boxer Laila Ali is 48. Singer-actor Tyrese Gibson is 47. Actor Eliza Dushku is 45. Actor Kristin Kreuk is 43. NBA star LeBron James is 41.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS

The Mexican Fruit Stand cocktail is pictured alongside the BLDG 5 Mango Strawberry Basil Lemonade used to make it and other house cocktails with different lemonade flavors. and renovation from Tiek Byday is complete.

Continued from page 5C Known for its square pizzas, Fleur de Lis opened in 1946 and was one of the New Orleans spot, offering city’s oldest restaurants. tacos, ceviche and salad. The menu will serve a seThere will also be margari- lection of pizzas including tas, cocktails, beers and anchovy, salami, pineapple, onion and more. wines.

Buns

BLDG 5

n 7004 Siegen Lane

n 7515 Guy Ave.

Inside the former Burger King on Siegen Lane, a new burger and bun-centric restaurant is hoping to soft open between Christmas and New Year’s, with a grand opening in early January, according to co-owner Don Mousa.

The gelatin-free, house made bread will be the restaurant’s signature. The menu will have a variety of smash and dry-aged burgers, brisket, chicken wings, fried appetizers and salad.

The rustic restaurant known for its shareable boards announced in midNovember the construction of a second location. There currently isn’t an opening date, but the new location will open in 2026 inside the Jefferson Plaza Shopping Mall at 7515 Guy Ave. BLDG 5 originally opened in 2019, its first location in the Perkins Road Overpass area at 2805 Kalurah St., Baton Rouge. The menu includes bowls, salads, sandwiches, soups and boards.

Fleur de Lis Pizza

n 5655 Government St.

The once iconic Baton Buffet of Louisiana Rouge pizzeria is returning n 9626 Airline Highway to its pink abode on GovernSpanning 13,000 square ment Street after closing feet, this all-you-can-eat in 2022. It’s set to open in Asian buffet at 9626 Airspring after construction line Highway is set to open

CHILL

Continued from page 5C labeled as low chill, which will leaf out and bloom with minimal cold exposure.

Remember that weather, especially in Louisiana,

sometimes has a mind of its own. Mild winters can result in reduced flowers and fruit through no fault of your own. And unexpected lateseason freezes can harm newly set flower buds, even in high-chill varieties.

For a more in-depth look at chill hours, you can read

Send questions to Miss Manners at her website, www. missmanners.com; to her email, dearmissmanners@gmail.com; or through postal mail to Miss Manners, Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.

in late December or early January, once all inspections are passed.

The spread will include a ramen bar, sushi bar, Mongolian grill and six buffet islands. Manager Jack Weng said the food options will also include dishes seen at typical Chinese takeout restaurants like fried rice, egg rolls and beef and broccoli.

people don’t read books anymore. Our local booksellers have receipts to prove that they do.

Continued from page 5C

Only in Baton Rouge

lot about my city.

Through a year of reporting on my hometown, I have learned so much more. These are the experiences and moments that shaped my understanding of Baton Rouge in 2025.

A trip down history lane In April, I found myself aboard the USS Kidd in a shipping yard in Houma.

I toured the ship with new eyes, taking in all of the renovations and restorations being done while the ship was in dry dock.

USS Kidd ship superintendent Tim NesSmith showed me, a television news reporter and two photographers around the World War II destroyer. I gained a new respect for the ship that I always saw in water.

I talked to people like Butch Gendron, a volunteer at the Rural Life Museum who devotes his time to restoring history by building and fixing structures. I dove into the ownership records of houses in order to discover the truth behind the ”Paul Newman lived on the LSU lakes” rumor and to uncover the history of an old cypress house near the lakes.

The bats, birds and bees

GROWTH

What she has apparently not taught is that it is not enough to send a mere receipt, such as a rote text, which is probably precomposed. Rather, the expression must be personal. Even toddlers can be urged to say something sincere and specific — about both the present and the donor’s kindness.

That is a lesson that has an even deeper value than the essential social one.

HOMETOWN

TODAY IN HISTORY

By The Associated Press

a mailed birthday card, attached to a package or gift of money, merit only an e-card reply?

This may be an issue the generations view quite differently — that mailed thank-yous, birthday and anniversary greetings may be seen as charming but archaic.

If etiquette suggests we get with the times, I will receive these e-thanks as happily as handwritten ones. (And if so, I assume texting and regular emails also suffice.) At the moment, though, I am slightly disappointed.

Gentle reader: That is because your daughter taught part of the lesson, but not the hard part.

That presents require thanks is the first major lesson, especially as it is no longer universally practiced. So that is valuable.

I attended lectures about bats at LSU and bugs at the LSU Hilltop Arboretum.

I learned so much about pollinators and native plants. I interviewed Jane Patterson of Baton Rouge Audubon Society about hummingbirds.

I met Carl Motsenbocker, the Louisiana Farm to School executive director and professor of horticulture and sustainable agriculture at LSU, and I watched as teachers learned how to make grow towers for strawberries that they could take back to their schools.

I picked blueberries and blackberries with my son in Prairieville and found out I went to high school with one of the orchard owners. I visited the Seed Library at the Main

STAFF PHOTOS By JOy HOLDEN

Drones form the shape of a purple and gold LSU Tiger face at the Bally’s grand opening on Dec. 6.

Library and left with envelopes of native plants to sow in my own yard.

Independent bookstores This year was a big year for Baton Rouge bookstores, and I was able to be a small part of each story.

TBR Books & Tea opened on Highland Road in April.

Red Stick Reads relocated to a larger store off of Government Street in May. Cavalier House got comfortable in its renovated space in Denham Springs and conducted numerous book fairs at local schools.

Best friends, Courtney Degraw and Nikki Rowland from Watson, opened their mobile bookstore, Chapter Twenty, in September and have showed up at many festivals and local businesses already.

The Louisiana Book Festival was a huge success.

Don’t believe the myth that

Joy Holden takes a selfie in the Cavalier House Book Tent at the Louisiana Book Festival on Nov. 1.

I can’t recount the year without mentioning my experiences that were “So Baton Rouge.” When the LSU baseball team set off for Omaha, I was standing in the Alex Box parking lot waiting for a giant tiger to come rolling down the street.

Mardi Gras Mike — the 13.5-foot Mike the Tiger float — and St. James Place, a local senior residential community, joined forces with the Rocco’s Jell-O shot challenge to raise money for the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank.

Hanging out with some of Baton Rouge’s coolest senior citizens while we all watched the College World Series and took Jell-O shots is a night I will never forget.

The difference makers One more group must be mentioned — the difference makers.

From The O’Brien House, who welcomes those suffering from addiction and helps them start new lives, to the Love Your Neighbor van from First United Methodist that travels the city helping homeless individuals, I was able to encounter kindness, compassion and hope.

From the Islamic Center of Baton Rouge and its devoted teenagers during Ramadan to the United Jewish Synagogue of Baton Rouge and its Yom HaShoah service that honored liberators of concentration camps, I was able to step into other places of worship and participate in small moments of faithfulness.

After a year of reporting, I have come away with this truth about Baton Rouge: It is a complex city but rich in many ways. Layers upon layers of incredible people are working to make it better.

There’s no shame in being “so Baton Rouge.”

Email Joy Holden at joy. holden@theadvocate.com.

Josephine’s

n 5350 Government St.

A new Italian restaurant is coming to Baton Rouge from the owners of Jed’s Local and Eliza Restaurant & Bar, and it’s opening inside the former Roman’s Greek and Lebanese Cafe on Government Street.

The menu will honor family recipes for meatballs, pomodoro and antipasto.

There’ll also be risotto, polenta, lasagna, osso buco, pizza, pasta, a panzanella salad and local seafood. Dessert will include panna cotta and tiramisu.

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Did we miss one? Let us know by emailing madison.scott@ theadvocate.com.

an article by Polozola at www.LSUAgCenter.com/ ChillHours. For information on cultivars that are best suited for Louisiana, check out The Louisiana Home Orchard: Deciduous Tree Fruits, a free publication available at www.LSUAgCenter.com/HomeOrchard.

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The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Tuesday, December 30, 2025 ● 7C

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zodIAC cAPRIcoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Don't shy away from initiating ideas, concepts and new beginnings. It's best to address money matters with accuracy and discipline. Build on solid ground.

AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Put your energy into self- or home improvements.

Following a path that turns something you enjoy into a profit will bring you satisfaction and gratitude. Make wise life choices.

PIscEs (Feb. 20-March 20) Look at your options and consult with an expert if necessary. It's best to put your papers in order and to sort through any differences you have with anyone before you initiate a move.

ARIEs (March 21-April 19) Go about your business. It's what you accomplish that matters, along with consistency and keeping your thoughts to yourself.

Mixed emotions regarding work and money will surface.

TAuRus (April 20-May 20) Focus on home improvement and better relationships with loved ones. Learn from experience and dedicate more time to spicing up your love life.

GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Gather information, be observant, ask questions and focus your attention on bringing about positive change. Knowledge and participation are the keys to opportunities. cAncER (June 21-July 22) Strike while you can. Your insight will spark your imagination and help you devise ways

to improve your work or whatever you pursue today. Broaden your horizons.

LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) Think twice before you say or do anything that may disrupt your plans or a relationship. Take care of matters that require involvement with institutions or government agencies.

VIRGo (Aug. 23-sept. 22) You are heading in the right direction. Don't secondguess yourself; trust your instincts and initiate positive change. Updating your skills will position you for advancement or help you pursue what you want.

LIBRA (sept. 23-oct. 23) Familiarize yourself with what's unfolding. Misinformation will be at the root of any problem that arises. Seeing is believing, and verification is a necessity. scoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) Start conversations with well-informed people. Ask questions, show concern and be a part of their lives, and the flow of information will enrich your life. Personal growth will enhance your appeal. sAGITTARIus (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Stop short of exaggeration. It's better to underplay a situation or event than to oversell something or someone. Focus on self-improvement, instead of trying to change others.

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: H EQuALs B

Mother GooSe And GrIMM

SherMAn’S LAGoon FAMILY CIrCUS

dooneSbUrY

8C ● Tuesday, December 30, 2025 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

CurTiS

Hi and LoiS

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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

The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Tuesday, December 30, 2025 ● 9C

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B.C.

Bridge

By PHILLIP ALDER Short books that concentrate on one topic have enjoyed considerable popularity. One example is Audrey Grant’s “Five Steps to Simplify the Endplay” (Baron Barclay).

The reader is given the five steps to work through when planning an endplay. There are 31 pages with illustrative deals covering these key aspects.

Then there are 10 problems to solve, so the reader can check that the theory has been grasped. The main snag is that at the table, it can be harder spotting an endplay than executing it once the need is recognized.

In this deal from the book, look at only the North and South hands. The contract is four spades. After West leads the diamond king, how should South plan the play, given that trumps are breaking 3-2?

Three no-trump would have been easy to make, and perhaps North, since he has a strong doubleton, should have eschewed Stayman. But that would have ruined the lesson.

South is in danger of losing three hearts and one diamond. He can hope that East has the heart ace, but better is to give West the lead with his known diamond queen when he must either lead a heart around to declarer’s king or concede a ruff-and-sluff. This requires eliminating all the black-suit cards from West.

South wins the first trick, draws

garfield

Pearls Before swiNe

hagar the horriBle

trumps, and cashes his four club tricks.

Then he leads a diamond. West takes declarer’s jack with his queen, but he is endplayed.

In real life, the endplay will be unnecessary half the time, because East will have the heart queen — but not in books, magazines or lessons. © 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 — cAnVAssInG: KAN-veh-sing: Soliciting political support or

Bizarro

marmaduKe

opinions in a district.

Average mark 16 words Time limit 30 minutes Can you find 24 or more words in CANVASSING? yEsTERDAy’s WoRD — BucKRAM back

crumb

mark

bark

curb

muck

buck

rack

murk

burka

ruck

carb

rumba

crab

amuck

cram

marc

loCKhorNs hidato Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

today’s thought “The Lord is near to them that are of a broken heart; and saves such as be of a contrite spirit.” Psalms 34:18

Brokenness can be a great opportunity for us to lock into God’s peace and love. — G.E. Dean

10C ● Tuesday, December 30, 2025 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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BUSINESS T H E A D V O C AT E.C O M/news/business

DOW 48,461.93 -249.04 -0.51%

NASDAQ 23,474.35 -118.75 -0.50%

BRIEFS

FROM WIRE REPORTS

Protests erupt in Iran over currency’s plunge

TEHRAN, Iran — Iran’s largest protests in three years erupted Monday after the country’s currency plummeted to a record low against the U.S. dollar, and the head of the Central Bank resigned.

State TV reported the resignation of Mohammad Reza Farzin, while traders and shopkeepers rallied in Saadi Street in downtown Tehran as well as in the Shush neighborhood near Tehran’s main Grand Bazaar. Merchants at the market played a crucial role in the 1979 Islamic Revolution that ousted the monarchy and brought Islamists to power.

The official IRNA news agency confirmed the protests. Witnesses reported similar rallies in other major cities including Isfahan in central Iran, Shiraz in the south and Mashhad in the northeast. In some places in Tehran, police fired tear gas to disperse protesters.

Monday’s protests were the biggest since 2022, when the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Jina Amini in police custody triggered nationwide demonstrations. She was arrested by the country’s morality police for allegedly not wearing her hijab properly.

Witnesses said traders shut their shops Monday and asked others to do the same. The semiofficial ILNA news agency said many businesses stopped trading even though some kept their shops open.

On Sunday, protests were limited to two major mobile markets in downtown Tehran, where the demonstrators chanted anti-government slogans.

Iran’s rial on Sunday plunged to 1.42 million to the dollar. On Monday, it traded at 1.38 million to the dollar.

Reports about Farzin’s possible resignation had been circulating over the past week. When he took office in 2022, the rial was trading at around 430,000 to the dollar.

The rapid depreciation is compounding inflationary pressure, pushing up prices of food and other daily necessities and further straining household budgets, a trend that could worsen with a gasoline price change introduced in recent days.

New York subway ends its MetroCard era NEW YORK — When the MetroCard replaced the New York City subway token in 1994, the swipeable plastic card infused much-needed modernity into one of the world’s oldest and largest transit systems.

Now, more than three decades later, the gold-hued fare card and its notoriously finicky magnetic strip are following the token into retirement.

The last day to buy or refill a MetroCard is Wednesday as the transit system fully transitions to OMNY, a contactless payment system that allows riders to tap their credit card, phone or other smart device to pay fares, much like they do for other everyday purchases.

Transit officials say more than 90% of subway and bus trips are now paid using the tap-and-go system, introduced in 2019.

Major cities around the world, including London and Singapore, have long used similar contactless systems. In the U.S., San Francisco launched a pay-go system earlier this year, joining Chicago and others.

The humble MetroCard may have outlasted its useful life, but in its day it was revolutionary, says Jodi Shapiro, curator at the New York Transit Museum in Brooklyn, which opened an exhibit earlier this month reflecting on the MetroCard’s legacy.

Before MetroCards, bus and subway riders relied on tokens, the brass-colored coins introduced in 1953 that were purchased from station booths.

When the subway opened in 1904, paper tickets cost just a nickel, or about $1.82 in today’s dollars.

S&P 500 6,905.74 -24.20 -0.35%

EURO 1.1770 -0.0002 -0.02%

CRUDE OIL 58.08 1.34 2.36%

GOLD 4,327.00 -202.10 -4.46%

6-MO T-BILLS 3.61 0.02 0.56%

30-YR T-BONDS 4.8 -0.02 -0.37%

Market slips as year winds down

BY DAMIAN J. TROISE Associated Press

NEW YORK — Stocks slipped in quiet trading on Wall Street Monday to kick off another holiday-shortened week.

The losses have little impact on the broader annual gains for major indexes as they close out their final days of the year. There are two trading days left before the year ends. Markets in the U.S. will be closed Thursday for New Year’s Day. The S&P 500 fell 24.20 points, or 0.3%, to 6,905.74. The benchmark index is still up more than 17% for the year and it remains on track for its eighth monthly gain in a row.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 249.04 points, or 0.5%, to 48,461.93. The Nasdaq composite fell 118.75 points, or 0.5%, to 23,474.35.

Big technology stocks with outsized valuations were among the heaviest weights on the market.

Nvidia fell 1.2% and Broadcom fell 0.8%. Investor optimism about the future of artificial intelligence has been driving the sector mostly higher all year and pushing the broader market to a series of records.

Technology stocks have been more unsteady as the year heads to a close, though. They mostly slipped in November and have only notched modest gains through December.

Nvidia and several other companies focusing on AI or benefiting heavily from the developing technology have become some of the most valuable in the world.

Investors have seemingly become more skeptical about whether the eventual payoff will make the hefty investments worthwhile.

Energy stocks gained ground along with rising oil prices. U.S. benchmark crude jumped 2.4% to settle at $58.08 per barrel. The price of Brent crude, the international standard, rose 2.1% to settle at $61.94 a barrel. Exxon Mobil rose 1.2%.

Gold and silver prices pulled back from their recent sharp gains after the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, one of the world’s largest trading floors for commodities, asked traders to put up more cash to make bets on precious metals.

The price of gold fell 4.6%, though prices for the precious metal are still up about 64% for the year. Silver prices slumped 8.7%, but they have still more than doubled overall in 2025.

Treasury yields fell in the bond market. The yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 4.11% from 4.13% late Friday.

Treasury yields have fallen significantly from the start of the year.

That’s partly due to initial anticipation for cuts and eventual cuts to interest rates in 2025 from the Federal Reserve. The central bank cut its benchmark interest rate three times later in the year. At the same time, it started facing a more complicated economic situation, where inflation remained stubbornly high while the job market started slowing.

The central bank cut rates with the aim of offsetting the impact on the economy from a slowdown in jobs growth.

That risks heating up inflation that is already stubbornly above the central bank’s target rate of 2%. Interest rate cuts could boost the economy by making loans less expensive, but that benefit could be nullified by rising inflation stunting economic growth.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTOS By GODOFREDO A. VÁSQUEZ

A man records a humanoid robot inside the exhibition room at the Humanoids Summit in Mountain View, Calif.

AI BOOM SPARKS INTEREST IN HUMANOID ROBOTS Conference shows off prototypes, but many still skeptical

BY MATT O’BRIEN AP technology writer

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — Robots have long been seen as a bad bet for Silicon Valley investors — too complicated, capital-intensive and “boring, honestly,” says venture capitalist Modar Alaoui.

But the commercial boom in artificial intelligence has lit a spark under long-simmering visions to build humanoid robots that can move their mechanical bodies like humans and do things that people do.

Alaoui, founder of the Humanoids Summit, gathered more than 2,000 people earlier this month, including top robotics engineers from Disney, Google and dozens of startups, to showcase their technology and debate what it will take to accelerate a nascent industry.

Alaoui says many researchers now believe humanoids or some other kind of physical embodiment of AI are “going to become the norm.”

“The question is really just how long it will take,” he said.

Disney’s contribution to the field, a walking robotic version of “Frozen” character Olaf, will be roaming on its own through Disneyland theme parks in Hong Kong and Paris early next year. Entertaining and highly complex robots that resemble a human — or a snowman — are already here, but the timeline for “general purpose” robots that are a productive member of a workplace or household is farther away.

Even at a conference designed to build enthusiasm for the technology, held at a Computer History Museum that’s a temple to Silicon Valley’s previous breakthroughs, skepticism remained high that truly humanlike robots will take root anytime soon.

yuka Iwashita, right, interacts with a robotic hand at the AltBionics table.

“The humanoid space has a very, very big hill to climb,” said Cosima du Pasquier, cofounder of Haptica Robotics, which works to give robots a sense of touch.

“There’s a lot of research that still needs to be solved.”

The Stanford University postdoctoral researcher came to the conference in Mountain View, California, just a week after incorporating her startup.

“The first customers are really the people here,” she said.

Researchers at the consultancy McKinsey & Company have counted about 50 companies around the world that have raised at least $100 million to develop humanoids, led by about 20 in China and 15 in North America.

China is leading in part due to government incentives for component production and robot adoption and a mandate last year “to have a humanoid ecosystem established by 2025,” said McKinsey partner Ani Kelkar. Displays

by Chinese firms dominated the expo section of the summit. The conference’s most prevalent humanoids were those made by China’s Unitree, in part because researchers in the

U.S. buy the relatively cheap model to test their own software.

In the U.S., the advent of generative AI chatbots like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini has jolted the decades-old robotics industry in different ways. Investor excitement has poured money into ambitious startups aiming to build hardware that will bring a physical presence to the latest AI. But it’s not just crossover hype — the same technical advances that made AI chatbots so good at language have played a role in teaching robots how to get better at performing tasks.

Paired with computer vision, robots powered by “visual-language” models are trained to learn about their surroundings.

One of the most prominent skeptics is robotics pioneer Rodney Brooks, a co-founder of Roomba vacuum maker iRobot who wrote in September that “today’s humanoid robots will not learn how to be dexterous despite the hundreds of millions, or perhaps many billions of dollars, being donated by VCs and major tech companies to pay for their training.” Brooks didn’t attend but his essay was frequently mentioned.