The Times-Picayune 12-30-2025

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Officials outline security plans SWEET TEAMS Members of the Ole Miss football team arrive in New Orleans on Monday aboard a Delta Air Lines jet painted to celebrate the New England Patriots’ Super Bowl victories.

Streets to close, National Guard to be deployed as N.O. prepares for New year’s, Sugar Bowl

Georgia, Ole Miss football teams receive warm welcomes as they arrive in town for Thursday’s Sugar Bowl

BY SOPHIE KASAKOVE Staff writer

STAFF PHOTOS By DAVID GRUNFELD

Suzanne McKamey dances as the Third Line Brass Band performs while Sugar Bowl President Dottie Reese welcomes members of the University of Georgia football team upon their arrival at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport in Kenner on Monday.

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 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.

ä See SECURITY, page 5A

Trump warns Iran of more U.S. strikes

Quarter road work halted by artifacts

Items discovered under St. Peter Street

Threat comes as president holds talks with Netanyahu

BY STEPHANIE RIEGEL Staff writer

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

WEATHER HIGH 50 LOW 37 PAGE 6B

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

Construction on a $9 million project to replace water mains running through the heart of the French Quarter came to a halt in early November after archaeologists monitoring the project discovered more than 1,000 artifacts and a layer of burnt clay containing clues about two devastating 18th-century fires.

The archaeological find was located nearly 5 feet below ground on St. Peter Street between Chartres and Royal streets, according to a document the Federal Emergency Management Agency sent on Dec. 23 to more than two dozen city and state agencies, civic

ä See TRUMP, page 5A

ä See ARTIFACTS, page 4A

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ALEX BRANDON

Associated Press

President Donald Trump listens as Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks after arriving in Palm Beach, Fla., on Monday. its supply of long-range 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

Business ......................6A Commentary ................5B Nation-World................2A Classified .....................7D Deaths .........................3B Opinion ........................4B Comics-Puzzles .....3D-6D Living............................1D Sports ..........................1C

13TH yEAR, NO. 140

2A ✦ Tuesday, December 30, 2025 ✦ nola.com ✦ The Times-Picayune

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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.

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.

CORRECTION An article Monday on the renovation of the Jerusalem Temple in New Orleans misspelled the name of Church of the King Executive Pastor Randy Craighead.

The Times-Picayune regrets the error.

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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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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 snow was expected in the coming days, although totals would

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. 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.

The National Weather Service said lake levels had risen to just below 8 feet, with the potential to reach 9 feet or more by late Monday, due to the strong southwest wind flow, and predicted “significant lakeshore flooding” along the Lake Erie shoreline of Erie and Chautauqua counties as well as along the

upper Niagara River.

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 possi-

ble 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.

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

Official says 6 IS militants, 3 police officers killed in clash in Turkey

By The Associated Press ANKARA, Turkey — Islamic State militants clashed with police in northwest Turkey on Monday, leaving three police officers and six militants dead, Turkey’s interior minister said. At least eight other police officers and a night guard were wounded.

The shooting occurred in Elmali district in Yalova province, south of Istanbul, as police stormed a house where the militants were hiding.

Special forces from neighboring Bursa province were dispatched to reinforce the operation.

Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said the operation in Yalova was one out of more than 100 simultaneous raids carried out against IS suspects in 15 provinces across the country.

The operation in Yalova was carried out with “great care” because women and children were inside the house where the militants were located, Yerlikaya said.

All five women and six children were safely evacuated from the house, he said.

All of the militants were Turkish nationals, the minister told reporters.

The operation began at around 2 a.m. local time and

was officially completed at 9:40 a.m, he added.

Meanwhile, the Yalova Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office launched an investigation, assigning five prosecutors to lead the probe, Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc said on the X social media platform.

He said five people have been taken into custody as part of the investigation, without providing further information on the suspects.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan offered his condolences for the police officers who were killed and vowed to press ahead with the fight against extremist groups.

WHEN YOU WANT

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.

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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 voluntary 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 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

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. 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 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 im-

ARTIFACTS

Continued from page 1A associations and neighborhood groups notifying them of the development.

“Assessment is still ongoing,” said the FEMA document, known as an unexpected discovery plan.

“However, the interpretation thus far is that the burn layers represent the Fire of 1788 and the Fire of 1794.”

It is not clear how long construction work was delayed by the find or if work has resumed. In its document, FEMA, which is helping fund the project, said it expected excavation at the site to be completed by Dec. 19.

The findings are significant from a historical perspective, according to the FEMA document. They contain information about the “intensity of burn and level of destruction along the 600 block of St. Peter Street” during the fires, which destroyed much of the known city at the time, as well as “reconstruction efforts implemented in their aftermath.”

But from the perspective of local business owners, the discovery is the latest setback for a project that has already faced delays and has proven to be a major disruption in the French Quarter at the end of what was already a slow year.

“I had not heard a thing about this and all I can do is laugh at this point,” said restaurateur Dickie Brennan, whose family of restaurants includes Tableau in the 600 block of St. Peter near the excavation site. “This project is sloppy and has been dragging on forever. It is utterly ridiculous.”

STAFF FILE PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER

Signs at the corner of St. Peter and Royal streets alert pedestrians to open businesses around road construction in the French Quarter.

On Monday morning, construction was underway at the site, according to several retailers on the block who saw workers. But it was not clear whether the work was related to the archaeological excavation or to the pipe replacements.

FEMA did not respond to multiple requests for comment. The New Orleans Sewerage & Water Board was unable to provide information in response to questions as of Monday afternoon.

City Hall did not respond to a request for comment.

Construction on the French Quarter Transmission Main Project began in mid-July and involved tearing up some of the most heavily traveled blocks of St. Peter and Decatur streets to replace 115-yearold water mains.

When the work began, merchants and property owners were told to expect disruptions and were warned the project could take a year to complete.

Still, the reality has been worse than many feared.

The street has been reduced to a mess of dirt, fences and cones, with tall fences

obscuring the signage and entrances of businesses.

The obstructions have made it hard to attract visitors to the street, and the pace of construction has appeared maddeningly slow.

“I’ve never seen a construction project where five days go by and we won’t see one worker on the site,” Brennan said. “In New York, this would have been done at night, in a week’s time and they would never have shut down the street.

Now, it appears that at least part of the reason for the delay is the archaeological discovery.

According to the FEMA document, the S&WB’s onsite archaeological monitoring firm found evidence of an intact archaeological deposit on Nov. 4.

“Work was immediately halted while the archaeologist began a site assessment and the SWBNO implemented additional security measures,” the document said.

The site is roughly 8.5 feet long and 4 feet wide with cultural deposits consisting of “brick fragments, artifacts and a layer of burnt clay.”

Although the site is “heav-

ily disturbed from previous utility work,” according to the report, “intact strata shows two burn events are represented” in the clay.

The 1788 fire destroyed more than 800 buildings representing nearly 80% of the structures in the French Quarter at the time. Its rapid spread has been attributed, in part, to its timing. It occurred on Good Friday and priests refused to allow church bells to be rung as an alarm.

The 1794 fire, though smaller, destroyed nearly 300 structures.

In addition to the clay deposits, over 1,000 artifacts have been recovered at the site, according to the FEMA

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prove 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.

document. They include a pewter button belonging to a uniform of a British regiment in the late 1700s, nails and other building materials of the time, as well as brass pins, bronze buckles, a copper coin and glass.

The FEMA document said federal officials had several meetings planned with S&WB officials, their archaeologists and the State Historic Office of Preservation in mid-December.

The document also said they planned to issue a news release to notify the public of the findings, though that did not happen before the holidays.

Preservationists on Monday were still trying to piece

the whole thing together.

Nathan Chapman, chair of the Vieux Carre Property Owners and Residents Association, said he received the FEMA notice over the holiday weekend and was in the process of gathering more information.

“This has been such a disruptive project and has really hurt French Quarter businesses,” he said. “At the same time, it’s an exciting find about an important piece of our history. We shouldn’t miss this opportunity to look back at the past.”

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

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SECURITY

Continued from page 1A 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 the attack last year that killed 14 people and injured many others.

Visitors to Bourbon Street in recent weeks have taken in the famous party strip from under a canopy of hand-crafted flags known as the “Second Line in the Sky.” The privately funded memorial is set to remain in place until Jan. 18.

Cantrell administration spokesperson Terry Davis said that the city is not holding an official memorial service on Jan. 1. But Cantrell and other city officials will be attending a Mass on Sunday hosted by Gov. Jeff Landry at the Immaculate Conception Jesuit Church on Baronne Street. Some church groups and others have also announced events to mark the day.

“We will never forget,” Landry said in a social media post last week, in an announcement of a designated mourning period across Louisiana in the first four days of 2026.

The Sugar Bowl is set to draw tens of thousands of fans to the city this week for the College Football Playoff matchup be-

TRUMP

Continued from page 1A time,” Trump said.

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

STAFF PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD

New Orleans police officers close reinforced safety barriers along Bourbon Street in the French Quarter on Dec. 23. The barriers are part of heightened security measures implemented to restrict vehicle access and protect pedestrians in the wake of the deadly Jan. 1 Bourbon Street terror attack. tween 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

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.

are needed. Instead, officials have relied on temporary steel barriers that can withstand only low-speed crashes, and that are at times shoved aside by Bourbon Street visitors.

A request officials made to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for a higher risk rating for the Sugar Bowl and New Year’s Eve events was denied, Arnold said.

The events have been deemed a “SEAR 3” threat level rather than

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 region, 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” program 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

“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 lo-

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 Is-

cally ... 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.

raeli 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.

Herzog’s office said in a statement that the Israeli president and Trump have not spoken since the pardon request was submitted, but that Herzog has spoken with a Trump representative about the U.S. president’s letter advocating for Netanyahu’s pardon.

“During that conversation, an explanation was provided regarding the stage of the process in which the request currently stands, and that any decision on the matter will be made in accordance with the established procedures,” the Israeli president’s office said.

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6A ✦ Tuesday, December 30, 2025 ✦ nola.com ✦ The Times-Picayune

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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.

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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.

The Times-Picayune ✦ nola.com ✦ Tuesday, December 30, 2025 ✦ 7A

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Court releases transcript from hearing in Kirk killing Proceedings discussed if defendant must be shackled

BY MATTHEW BROWN and HANNAH SCHOENBAUM Associated Press

SALT LAKE CITY — A Utah judge on Monday ordered the release of a transcript from a closed-door hearing in October over whether the man charged with killing Charlie Kirk must be shackled during court proceedings.

State District Judge Tony Graf said public transparency was “foundational” to the judicial system before ordering the release of details from the Oct. 24 closed hearing. Attorneys for media outlets including The Associated Press had argued for access because they said it was also the first time defense

THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE FILE PHOTO By RICK EGAN

Fourth District Court Judge Tony Graf presides over a hearing Dec. 11 for Tyler Robinson, who is accused of fatally shooting Charlie Kirk, in Provo, Utah. attorneys suggested a ban on cameras in the courtroom.

Prosecutors have charged Tyler Robinson with aggravated murder in the Sept. 10 shooting of the conservative activist on the Utah Valley University campus in Orem.

They plan to seek the death penalty. Robinson has not yet entered a plea.

In a 97-page transcript released later Monday, attorneys for Robinson argued that widespread videos and photos of him shackled and

No motive revealed in killing of Calif. farmer’s estranged wife

By The Associated Press HOLBROOK, Ariz. — Investigators declined to reveal the suspected motive in the shooting death of a prominent California farmer’s estranged wife in eastern Arizona, but they said the couple’s prolonged divorce case arose in nearly all interviews with family and friends.

Michael Abatti, 63, was arrested last week in El Centro, California, in the shooting death of Kerri Ann Abatti, 59, at her family’s vacation home in Pinetop, Arizona, where she moved after splitting with her husband.

Investigators, who discussed the case at a news conference Monday, say Michael Abatti traveled from El Centro to Pinetop on Nov. 20, carried out the killing and returned to California early the next morning.

They declined to say what occurred at the Pinetop house in the last days of Kerri Abatti’s life.

“Different theories will come up,” Navajo County Sheriff David Clouse said of the motive. “The only thing that’s glaring that I think everybody already knows is there’s a divorce in place and they weren’t able to come to a resolution. But I can’t speak exactly to what the motive would be.”

Owen Roth, one of Michael Abatti’s attorneys, said his client surrendered to law enforcement, agreed to be extradited to Arizona and remains innocent under the law. “Our client is in his mid60s and has significant health issues, and we continue to worry about his well-being,” Roth said. “We ask the public to respect his privacy and constitutional rights and reiterate that this case will be decided based on the evidence by a jury.” An autopsy report released Monday said Kerri Abatti’s cause of death was a gunshot wound to the head.

The report said she was found unconscious on the floor near her kitchen by her

nephew, who told investigators he heard a loud sound before finding her. When investigators searched the home they found a “circular defect” on a window and determined “a gunshot likely originated from the yard outside the home,” the autopsy report said.

The Associated Press left a message for the Navajo County Sheriff’s Office for further explanation. The medical examiner’s office in Coconino County, which conducted the autopsy, directed questions about the report to a Navajo County official, and the AP also left a message for the official. A descendant of early Latter-day Saints settlers who helped found Pinetop in the 1880s, Kerri had filed for divorce, with proceedings pending in California at the time of her death.

Authorities searched his home in far Southern California on Dec. 2 as part of the investigation into his wife’s death.

in jail clothing could create bias against him among potential jurors. Defense attorney Richard Novak said prohibiting cameras would be “very easy” for the court to enforce and could help curb visual prejudice.

“We’re not litigating this case in the press,” Novak said during the Oct. 24 hearing.

The transcript contained limited redactions to remove discussions of security protocols in the closely watched case. Graf also ordered the release of an audio recording of the hearing, again with redactions.

Robinson was not present in court Monday and appeared via audio feed from the Utah County Jail.

Graf has not ruled on the defense’s suggestion to ban cameras, but he has implemented other limitations.

Days after the closed-door hearing, Graf ruled that

Robinson could wear civilian clothes in pretrial hearings but must also wear restraints to ensure the safety of court staff and Robinson himself. Utah court rules require defendants who are in custody to be restrained or supervised at all times unless otherwise ordered.

Graf also prohibited media outlets from publishing photos, videos and live broadcasts that show Robinson’s restraints to help protect his presumption of innocence before a trial.

The judge briefly stopped a media livestream of a hearing earlier this month and ordered the camera be moved after Robinson’s attorneys said the stream showed the defendant’s shackles. Graf said he would terminate future broadcasts if there were further violations.

Lawyers for the media wrote in recent filings that

an open court “safeguards the integrity of the fact-finding process” while fostering public confidence in judicial proceedings. Criminal cases in the U.S. have long been open to the public, which the attorneys argued is proof that trials can be conducted fairly without restricting reporters.

In a separate ruling Monday, Graf denied a request from attorneys for the media who sought to intervene in the case. The judge said members of the press do not need to be formal parties in the proceedings to access court records.

Still, Graf said the involved publications must be notified of future requests to close hearings or restrict access to court filings.

Prosecutors are expected to lay out their case against Robinson at a preliminary hearing scheduled to begin May 18.

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Judge dismisses criminal case against streamer held in immigration custody

By The Associated Press LOS ANGELES — A federal judge has dismissed a criminal case against a popular Los Angeles TikTok streamer, citing constitutional violations after his lawyers were denied access to him while he was in immigration detention.

U.S. District Judge Fernando Olguin issued a ruling Saturday dismissing an indictment against Carlitos Ricardo Parias, who is known for documenting police and immigration enforcement activity online. Parias’ rights

were violated when federal authorities repeatedly failed to allow his criminal defense lawyers to visit or speak with him in immigration detention so he could prepare for trial this week, Olguin wrote, adding that the dismissal was with prejudice, which prevents the government from refiling the same charges against him again.

“In short, the government’s failure to coordinate the overlapping actions of its separate agencies while relentlessly pursuing Mr. Parias’s criminal proceedings created a situation from

which constitutional violations could — and did — occur,” Olguin wrote.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles said in a statement that the agency is evaluating its options for appeal. “We strongly disagree with the court’s version of the facts as well as its legal conclusions,” the statement said.

Parias was indicted last month and pleaded not guilty to charges of assault on a federal officer using a deadly or dangerous weapon and depredation of government property.

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Douglass High emerges as top school

Principal leads transformation from low state rating

BY MARIE FAZIO Staff writer

Every morning, before students walk through the doors of Frederick A. Douglass High School, Assistant Principal JaMarcus Welch leads staff through a recital of the “Bobcat identity.”

“Bobcats are the hardest working and smartest working people,” the mission statement begins. “In our character and results, we are models for the rest of the city of what is possible.”

In the years before Hurricane Katrina washed away New Orleans’

school system, Douglass was among the worst high schools in the state, earning repeated failing marks from the state Department of Education.

Twenty years later, the charter school that replaced it — and eventually took on its name — now ranks among the highest performing high schools in New Orleans. It earned an A rating this year from the state and is bursting with students, a feat for an open-enrollment school tasked with educating any student who walks through its doors.

The school’s trajectory began to change a decade ago when Towana

Investors join Uptown church project

Pierre-Floyd, a 9th Ward native and McDonogh 35 Senior High School graduate, took the helm of the charter school run by the KIPP New Orleans network. She ushered in a new era of data-driven learning, embedded a satellite college campus within the high school and built pathways for students to earn career credentials and see the world. It has more than 650 students and sees itself as an academic powerhouse.

“The vision for what is happening when you leave here is you are college and career ready and a global citizen,” Pierre-Floyd said. “You’ve seen the world to some extent, and

you’re really proud of you and your community and you know where you came from.”

Pierre-Floyd summoned the entire student body for a rare allschool meeting in the auditorium last month. Most students thought they were in for a serious lecture.

Instead, it was a celebration.

She announced the school had earned an A, and a curtain fell away from the stage, revealing Mardi Gras Indians and a brass band. Students exploded with cheers.

Douglass’ academic rise, administrators and teachers said, started with an intentional, data-focused

approach with students. Before freshman year starts, teachers and administrators said they make it clear to students that there are high expectations.

“You have to get them invested in their education early,” said Kristy Martin, who teaches ninth and 10th grade English. “I’m an A teacher. I need you to be an A student.”

From freshman year, teachers and administrators keep tabs on students’ performance so they can address issues in real time. David Whitehead, an assistant principal who oversees the ninth grade academy, is tasked with monitoring freshman student GPAs, a strategy deployed after research showed

ä See DOUGLASS, page 2B

Feeling French

Area is ‘the capstone of the developing Napoleon corridor’

BY ANTHONY McAULEY Staff writer

A growing cluster of restaurants, bars and redevelopment projects along Napoleon Avenue has drawn in two prominent New Orleans business figures, who are betting that an emerging Uptown corridor can support one of the city’s most ambitious new event venues.

John Georges and William Kearney IV have joined the ownership group of The Josephine on Napoleon, an event space housed inside the former Our Lady of Lourdes Church at the corner of Napoleon and Lasalle Street. The investment aligns them with Dickie Brennan & Co., the well-known restaurant group that earlier this year acquired a controlling stake in the project and is leading its operations.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The Josephine occupies a striking, century-old church that has been vacant since Hurricane Katrina and has undergone a roughly $10 million transformation into a high-capacity venue for weddings, galas, corporate events and performances. Original developers David Fuselier and his sister Mimi Spiehler, who spearheaded the redevelopment, retain a 16% ownership stake following the Brennan group’s entry and the addition of Georges and Kearney.

For Georges, the investment blends personal history with what he sees as a compelling real estate and business opportunity.

He grew up in the Uptown area and still lives nearby, but he said the broader appeal lies in the momentum building along Napoleon Avenue — a stretch he believes is becoming a natural commercial extension of Freret Street, one of the city’s most vibrant restaurant corridors.

“This will be like the capstone of the developing Napoleon corridor and it intersects nicely with Freret Street,” Georges said.

Georges is the chief executive of Georges Enterprises, whose holdings include Imperial Trading Co., Galatoire’s Restaurant on Bourbon Street and, together with his wife Dathel Coleman Georges, Georges Media, owner of The Times-Picayune and The Advocate. Kearney, a former CEO and continuing partowner of Galatoire’s, is a senior

ä See INVESTORS, page 2B

STAFF PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD

It feels like Paris around Jackson Square with early-morning light glowing through the French Quarter in New Orleans.

Fading fall colors clinging to the trees mark the city’s quiet transition into winter.

City Park driving range to close for upgrades $2.2M project for LIV Golf tournament

BY BEN MYERS Staff writer

The Bayou Oaks golf center in New Orleans City Park will close its driving range for three months to make improvements for the upcoming LIV Golf tournament, which is planning a New Orleans stop in June as part of its international tour.

The $2.2 million project will include surface regrading, irrigation and drainage work, a new practice area and putting green and other upgrades, according to a City Park news release.

The driving range will close Jan. 12 and is scheduled to reopen by the end of April.

The Bayou Oaks South and North courses will remain open for play, although the South Course will undergo work on fairways, putting greens and landscaping.

The project, funded by the state, is part of a $7 million deal that Gov. Jeff Landry struck to bring the Saudi-backed tourna-

South Africa.

The LIV Golf tournament in City Park means that New Orleans will be hosting two professional golf events in 2026. The city is the longtime home of the Zurich Classic, which is held at TPC Louisiana in Avondale and will take place from April 20-26.

That tournament, which has been played in the New Orleans area for decades, was held in City Park in the early 20th century when it was known as the Greater New Orleans Invitational.

LIV, launched in 2022, has emerged as a rival to the PGA, attracting some of the pro tour’s players with giant incentive packages. It is financed by SauSTAFF FILE PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER di Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, which has provided an The Bayou Oaks golf course in New Orleans City Park will close its estimated $5 billion in funding, driving range for three months to make improvements for the upcoming according to Reuters. The fund LIV Golf tournament. is led by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Landry has promoted the LIV ment to Louisiana. The deal also spending as much as $60 million includes a $5 million fee to LIV for the event, which runs from tournament as a way to generfrom a state incentive fund for June 26-28. New Orleans is one ate tourism during slow summer major events, according to the of five U.S. stops, according to months. the LIV website, which lists 13 Louisiana Illuminator.

State officials have said that events in 2026. Others include Email Ben Myers at bmyers@ tournament organizers are locations in Spain, Singapore and theadvocate.com.

2B ✦ Tuesday, December 30, 2025 ✦ nola.com ✦ The Times-Picayune

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N.O. homes restorer Carbine dies at 74

clients that he even called client whose Uptown address be fabulous.” admire the houses, Elizabeth Attention to detail one during his last hospital is a house Carbine built. “He And he did it all without a Carbine said. “He just loved Olivia Manning said. had an eye for detail and had degree in architecture. “It the architecture. I knew that won long list of stay, She and her husband, re- a talent for creating atmo- didn’t seem to matter to his he was going to be successnoted clients tired Saints quarterback Ar- spheres in houses that was clients,” Elizabeth Carbine ful.”

BY JOHN POPE

Contributing writer Michael Carbine, whose attention to the tiniest details in the houses he restored won him a long list of grateful well-heeled clients, died Sunday at Ochsner Medical Center of complications of surgery, his wife, Elizabeth “Basi” Carbine said. He was 74.

“Work was his first love,” she said. “He just loved doing his houses. He loved the architecture here (in New Orleans), and he loved fixing up the houses. … He was totally devoted to his clients and the project at hand. He threw himself into his work.”

He was so devoted to his

chie Manning, hired Michael Carbine several times over the decades.

Each time, “Michael tried in every way possible to M. Carbine make it affordable and make it work,” Manning said. “He never went overboard. He had the most exquisite taste. He never made a mistake with me.”

Manning said Carbine’s attentiveness to his work extended to a recent hospital stay, when he called a client from his room to discuss a job.

“I think he loved challenges,” said Boysie Bollinger, a

really unique.”

“He had an eye,” said Gail Bergin, a longtime client and friend. “He knew the bones (of a house). His sense of space was uncanny. He could look at a space and see if it needed to be smaller or bigger, and it always worked. He always said, ‘I can make this better.’”

Another client, Mary Hines, trusted him so much that she turned over to him every detail of a project, from paint colors to furniture, while she was recovering from giving birth.

“I came home from the hospital with a newborn, and my house was immaculate,” she said. “He could do everything. … He had the full vision that something would

said.

A native New Orleanian, Michael Carbine graduated from De La Salle High School and LSU and earned a master’s degree in historic preservation at Columbia University.

Graduates of that program typically had a two- to threeyear apprenticeship with an architect. “He didn’t want to,” his wife said. “He came back to New Orleans and started getting projects.”

The two had been friends since they were teenagers.

They had met the Valencia social club, where they could clear the floor whenever they started to jitterbug.

When they weren’t dancing, they two walked through Uptown neighborhoods to

His firm, M. Carbine Restorations, eventually employed about 30 people, Elizabeth Carbine said. “He was in high demand.”

“He was such a treasure to our city,” Bergin said. “No one can replace him.”

Survivors include two brothers, Geary Carbine, of New Orleans, and Christopher Carbine, of New Orleans and Mobile, Alabama; and two sisters, Bonnie Carbine McCullar, of New Orleans, and Mollie Rogers, of Vero Beach, Florida.

Lake Lawn Metairie Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements, which are incomplete.

Contact John Pope at pinckelopes@gmail.com.

New Orleans Area Deaths Autin, Richard Bossier, Jean Cognevich, Joseph Edwards, Victoria Gauthreaux, Debra Hecker, J. Plaisance, Wayne Rosiere Sr., Joseph Shipley, Rae

E Jefferson Leitz-Eagan Bossier, Jean

New Orleans Lake Lawn Metairie Hecker, J.

St Tammany Audubon

DOUGLASS

Continued from page 1B students with higher freshman GPAs have a stronger likelihood of graduating and going to college, he said.

Every Friday morning during the school year, students get a real-time “grade reflection” so they know “where they are and where they need to go,” Whitehead said.

“We know them by name, but we also know their data,” Pierre-Floyd said. “Right now, you’re 14 years old and have all the same emotions and irritations as a 14-yearold, but we’re planning ahead for you so when you’re 30, you don’t have regrets.”

Part of that forethought means ensuring students leave high school with options, she said. They moved up the timeline fostering students’ relationships with career and college counselors.

By sophomore year, students understand their potential path for the next two years and beyond.

In 2016, Pierre-Floyd helped forge a partnership with Bard College. The New York-based liberal arts school now operates a satellite degree-granting campus in a wing of Douglass, where students can take dual enrollment classes and graduate with up to 60 free college credits.

Douglass senior Trinity

STAFF PHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER

David Whitehead, right, an assistant principal at Frederick A. Douglass High School in New Orleans, helps student Ke’Michael Cobbins with a question as Cobbins works on a computer on Dec. 16.

Peeples, who will graduate with an associate degree, hopes to major in biochemistry and pre-med at Spelman College, a historically Black women’s liberal arts college in Atlanta.

“I already have a head start on what I want for myself,” Trinity said.

Students are also encouraged to earn certifications through the New Orleans Career Center, such as medical assistant or HVAC. “It’s unlimited opportunities, and it’s a totally different place from 10 years ago,”

Whitehead said.

In Douglass’ upstairs ninth grade hallway, panels tell the story of New Orleans and Douglass’ beginnings, from school segregation to the renaming of Francis T. Nichols High School after Frederick Douglass. It walks through Douglass’ reopening and subsequent closure after Katrina and KIPP Renaissance’s move into the longtime Douglass building on St. Claude Avenue. In 2019, it took on the Douglass name.

This acknowledgment of

history is important for the institution, Pierre-Floyd said. Students know who came before them and feel they’re part of something bigger than themselves.

Pierre-Floyd reinforces that with annual trips after graduation to show students the world, partially subsidized by the school.

She’s taken groups to Italy, Greece and Ghana, and this year plans to travel to Spain and Morocco.

KIPP, one of the largest charter networks in New Orleans, runs nine schools

INVESTORS

Continued from page 1B vice president at the Ehrhardt Group, a public relations firm, and has become increasingly active as an Uptown restaurant owner and investor.

Two years ago, Kearney partnered with attorney Jay Adams to purchase Gautreau’s, the long-running fine-dining restaurant on Soniat Street that has been a fixture of Uptown social life for decades. He said that experience — and the relative stability of neighborhood dining compared with the downtown market — helped shape his interest in The Josephine.

“Uptown restaurants and venues have remained fairly solid even while downtown businesses have been more volatile,” Kearney said. “The established neighborhood restaurants have been really thriving, even in today’s economy.”

He pointed to Gautreau’s and other longtime Uptown institutions like Clancy’s on Annunciation Street as evidence that local demand has strong underpinnings, even as tourism-dependent businesses elsewhere in the city have faced more uneven conditions.

A secular space The Josephine is positioned to tap into that local base while also drawing clients from across the city and region. The venue’s scale sets it apart from most Uptown spaces: The former sanctuary alone provides about 4,500 square feet, with total usable space —

STAFF PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD

Guests mingle during the Ieyoub-Cressy wedding reception at The Josephine on Napoleon Avenue in New Orleans on Saturday. Soft light fills the former church as candlelit tables, live music and conversations stretch across the evening beneath the vaulted ceiling. including courtyards and ancillary areas — reaching roughly 8,000 square feet.

Depending on configuration, it can host anywhere from 300 to 1,000 guests.

Much of the building’s original character has been preserved. The twin copperdomed towers, terra-cotta roof and Mission Revival exterior remain intact, while inside, the domed ceiling, choir loft and other architectural features have been restored and adapted for modern use. Former side wings are being converted into bars, and the choir loft has been reimagined as a flexible space that can serve multiple functions during events.

The Brennan group’s involvement brings deep experience in large-scale hospitality operations. Best known for its French Quar-

ter and downtown restaurants, Dickie Brennan & Co. has expanded in recent years into catering and venue management across the city, including partnerships with the Audubon Nature Institute and ownership of nearby Pascal’s Manale.

Fuselier said the addition of Georges and Kearney strengthens the project well beyond the balance sheet.

Their combined networks — spanning business, civic, hospitality and social circles — are expected to help ensure a steady pipeline of bookings once the venue is fully operational.

The investment also reflects growing confidence in the Napoleon Avenue corridor itself. In recent years, several high-profile transactions have reshaped key corners of the avenue, including the purchase of the

in the city with more than 6,000 students. Douglass was its first high school, but it has since added Booker T. Washington and John F. Kennedy high schools.

In 2014, when Pierre-Floyd started as principal, Douglass — then called KIPP Renaissance — earned a D rating from the state. Just two years later, the school received its first A rating but dropped to a B rating the following year, where it remained until recently.

Despite high expectations, teachers said students largely buy into what Douglass offers. Teachers said Pierre-Floyd gives them the autonomy to run their classrooms and pick materials in ways they see fit.

Students understand that education is “not something that is done to them,” said Stephanie Hinton, who teaches AP seminar. “It’s something that they actively participate in, and at the end of the day, this is their dream; this is their life.”

Trinity said students feel supported and seen by their teachers.

“Every day I wake up dumbfounded because it’s like a bunch of children from New Orleans, we’re able to be an A school,” Trinity said. “Not many people can say that, not in an open enrollment school located on one of the craziest streets in the city.”

tory before Fuselier and his partners began renovations in early 2023. Its revival follows a broader pattern in New Orleans, where several historic church properties have found new life as secular spaces, blending preservation with contemporary use.

In this case, the project also coincides with other redevelopment on the same block. An adjacent former school building is slated to be replaced by a Trader Joe’s, adding daily foot traffic to an area that has long been defined by residential uses.

For Georges and Kearney, the appeal lies in how those pieces fit together: a landmark building, a growing corridor and an event business capable of drawing large crowds without relying solely on tourism cycles.

“This is about the real estate, the neighborhood and the long-term prospects of the business,” Georges said.

The Josephine has already hosted weddings, fundraisers, play readings and private dinners, marking a new chapter for a building that has loomed quietly over Napoleon Avenue for generations.

buildings housing Superior Seafood and Fat Harry’s near St. Charles Avenue by Bob Kirchoff and Phil Barbaree, consolidating their ownership at one of Uptown’s busiest intersections.

Just blocks away, Freret Street has evolved over the past decade into a dense strip of restaurants, bars and cafés, drawing locals and visitors alike and supporting nearly three dozen Email Anthony McAuley food and beverage business- tmcauley@theadvocate. es. The Josephine sits just com. off that axis, close enough to benefit from its energy while offering a scale and setting Freret itself cannot LOTTERY easily accommodate, KearSUNDAY, DEC. 28, 2025 ney said.

A tangled history The church building, completed in 1925, stood dormant for years amid a complicated ownership his-

PICK 3: 9-7-6 PICK 4: 9-0-5-0 PICK 5: 3-3-8-8-8

Unofficial notification, keep your tickets.

Cognevich, Joseph

West Bank Mothe Autin, Richard Gauthreaux, Debra Rosiere Sr., Joseph

Obituaries Autin, Richard Joseph 'Dickey'

Richard “Dickey” Joseph Autin passed away on Sat‐ urday, December 27, 2025 at the age of 82. He met and married Ruth Borne in college and returned to Marrero in January of 1967.

Beloved father of Jude Autin (Kristy) and Jared Autin (Rochelle). Son of the late Nola Lorio and Oscar Autin. Brother of Yvonne Clement (Danny) and Ra‐ mona Weilman (Bobby). of Tristan, Grandfather Tyler, Brady and Abby. Step of Anna grandfather Copeland. Also survived by 4 nephews and one niece.

He graduated from USL in 1967 and returned to join his dad in his insurance agency where they worked together until his Dad’s death. He worked from 1967-1984 Oscar Autin In‐ Agency, 1984surance 2001, he was President of the Autin/Cohen Insurance Agency, 1984-2001. He then Kennedy, Lewis, joined Renton Insurance Agency and he retired on Decem‐ ber 31, 2020. He served honorably in the Air Na‐ tional Guard where he learned how to fly. He was certified to fly single and multi-engine airplanes and had an instrument rating.

He owned various air‐ planes and enjoyed taking trips in the South and He was Southwest. awarded Insurance Man of Year Professional the Agents of New Orleans and was Past President of the Insurance Professional Agents of Louisiana and New Orleans. He was also a member of the West Jef‐ ferson Jaycees, and Presi‐ dent of the Westbank Ro‐ tary. He had a camp on Grand Bayou where he en‐ joyed fishing and camping with his sons and grand‐ children. He also enjoyed deer, duck and rabbit hunt‐ ing, flying, and decorative duck carving. He was a member of the Louisiana Wildfowl Carvers and Col‐ lectors Guild for the past 23 years and has served as Treasurer since 2008. He enjoyed competing as a professional duck carver at local events and in Ocean City, Maryland, a national duck carving competition.

He won many awards for his decorative ducks at local and national levels.

Relatives and friends of the family are invited to attend Funeral Mass on the Wednesday, December 31, 2025 at 12pm at Mothe Fu‐ neral Home, 7040 Lapalco Blvd., Marrero, LA. Visita‐ tion will be held from 10am until 12pm. Interment, Our Lady of Prompt Succor Cemetery in Chackbay, LA. In lieu of flowers, dona‐ tions can be made to LWCCG, P.O. Box 115 New

The Times-Picayune ✦ nola.com ✦ Tuesday, December 30, 2025 ✦ 3B

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Sarpy, LA 70078. Family and friends can view and sign the online guest book at www.mothefunerals.com.

Bossier, Jean Evelyn Aucoin

Jean Evelyn Aucoin Bossier, of Algiers and New Orleans, passed away peacefully on Friday, December 26, 2025, at the age of 90. She was the loving wife of Septime "Tim" O. Bossier, Jr. who was beside her through life's journey. She is survived by her children: Ernest (Jo Ann) Bossier, Renee (Robert) Hymel, and Barry Bossier (Rick Tusson); her grandchildren: Jennifer (Stephen) Stanton, Alicia (Jerry) Winn, Kristen, Michael, Katelyn Bossier and Kacie (Brian) Pitre. She is also survived by seven great-grandchildren: Kayden, Riley, Ryan, Enoch, Nathaniel, Elijah and Cole.

Jean was preceded in death by her parents, Mr. Ernest Charles Aucoin and Mrs. Genevieve Cieutat Aucoin.

She was a graduate of Holy Name of Mary and Ursuline Academy along with secretarial business school. She held several clerical office positions, prepared thesis and term papers for college students, was a homemaker, a wonderful helpmate and wife of 64 years, and a loving mother. She was also a faithful, traditional Catholic and parishioner of Our Lady of Grace.

Services will be held on Saturday, January 3, 2026.

Visitation will be held at Leitz-Eagan Funeral Home, 4747 Veterans Memorial Blvd. in Metairie from 9:00 am 11:00 am.

A Traditional Latin Mass will follow at 11:30 am at Our Lady of Grace Church, 2552 Kentucky Ave., Kenner, LA 70062. Interment will be in Hope Mausoleum in New Orleans, LA. The family invites you to share your thoughts, fond memories, and condolences online at www.leitz eaganfuneralhome.com.

Cognevich, Joseph Clinton 'JC'

Joseph Clinton “JC” Cognevich, age 96, passed away on November 22, 2025, in Slidell, Louisiana. JC was born on November 15, 1929, in New Orleans, Louisiana, to Adam B. “Benny” Cognevich and Leona Levesque Cognevich. The youngest of three children, he was raised in Buras, Louisiana, along the Mis‐ sissippi Levee River Road, and graduated from Buras High School in 1947. JC was drafted into the United States Army and proudly served from 1951 to 1953 during the Korean War. He spent many years living and working in New Or‐ leans, Louisiana, and Hous‐ ton, Texas, in the oil indus‐ try before retiring and eventually making his home in Slidell, Louisiana.

A true jack of many trades, JC was a voracious reader, craftsman, handyman, wood carver, and fixer of all things, with a special knack for diagramming just about anything. He was a problem-solver, a teacher, and a father figure to many who were blessed to know him. He also loved telling a good joke and sharing a laugh. JC was married to the love of his life, Ann (Fife) Cognevich, for 46 years. He was a de‐ voted husband, father, grandfather, and greatgrandfather whose legacy lives on through his family.

He is survived by his chil‐ dren: Keith A. Cognevich (Denise), Kevin B. Cognevich, Natalie A. Cognevich-Heffley (Bill), Kasey C. Perry (Donavan), and Amanda L. Cognevich (Mark). He is also survived by his grandchildren: Keri

McAllister (Ryan), Matthew Cognevich (Alyson), Tyler Russell (Emma), Kyle Cognevich, Katherine Wel‐ born (Blake), Emily Christ‐ mas (Garrett), Kaleb Hef‐ fley, Lexi Heffley, Mason Langston, Benjamin Perry, Langston, and Layla Bethany Perry; and his great-grandchildren: Hai‐ ley McAllister, Luke McAl‐ lister, Andrew McAllister, Duncan Cognevich, Amelia Russell, and Grayson Mc‐ Clendon. JC was preceded in death by his parents; his beloved wife, Ann (Fife) Cognevich; his former wife of 25 years, Myrtle Anita (Jones), mother of his sons, Keith and Kevin; his grandson, Brian Joseph Cognevich; his brother, Leopold “Dode” Calvin Cognevich; and his sister, Doris Prejean. The family extends special thanks to the compassionate staff at Azalea Estates of Slidell for their dedicated care of JC, as well as the Interim Hos‐ pice staff for their kind‐ ness and support. Funeral services will be held at Audubon Funeral Home lo‐ cated at 61101 US-11 in Slidell, Louisiana, on Satur‐ day, January 3, 2026. Visita‐ tion will begin at 2:00 p.m., followed by a funeral ser‐ vice with Military Honors in the chapel at 2:30 p.m. A reception will immediately follow, concluding at 5:00 p.m. Burial will take place privately at the Southeast Louisiana Veterans Ceme‐ tery in Slidell. Memories and condolences may be expressed at www.Aud ubonFuneralHome.com

Stephen Edwards, Joshua Logan Edwards, and their father Judson Vincent Edwards; her two grandchildren, Ava Mae Edwards and Judson Abraham Edwards; her sister Brenda Hollifield Ovington (Chet) and her brother Michael Lee Hollifield (Pat); and many cherished nieces, nephews, cousins, in-laws, and friends. Her legacy of love, faith, and compassion will continue to live on in the hearts of all who were blessed to know her.

Though she will be deeply missed, we find comfort in the promise of the Resurrection and the hope of a joyful reunion. We love you forever, Mom. Friends and family may pay their respects at a visitation on Friday, January 2, 2026, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at the Garnett-New Funeral Home, 108 E. Main St, Warsaw, KY 41095. A funeral mass will follow the visitation and will be held at 12:30 p.m. at St. Joseph Parish, 602 Sparta Pike, Warsaw, KY 41095. The burial will follow at the Monterey Cemetery, located in Monterey, KY. A Celebration of Life will also be held in Louisiana, with details to be announced at a later date.

In memory of Victoria, contributions may be made to the charitable works of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, P.O. Box 7, Mandeville, LA 70470-0007 or ourladymc.org/giving/ or MD Anderson Cancer Center, P.O. Box 4486, Houston, TX 77210-4486 or MDAnderson.org/Gifts.

Gauthreaux, Debra A.

Edwards, Victoria Renee 'Vickie' Hollifield

In Loving Memory of Victoria "Vickie" Renee Hollifield Edwards, October 7, 1953 - December 24, 2025.

With profound sorrow, we announce the passing of Victoria Hollifield Edwards, age 72, of Covington, Louisiana. She departed this life peacefully on December 24, 2025, surrounded by family and immense love.

Born on October 7, 1953, in Louisville, Kentucky, Victoria was the cherished daughter of Clen and Gladys Hollifield. She was raised in a warm and lively home alongside her siblings —Brenda, Mary Ann, Johnnye, and Mike. In 1971, Victoria graduated from Daviess County High School in Owensboro, KY, and began her academic journey at Western Kentucky University. She later earned a bachelor's degree in liberal studies from the University of Louisville, graduating in 1978. During this time, she proudly served in the Kentucky National Guard, exemplifying her deep sense of patriotism and her enduring commitment to service. Victoria's life was marked by a passion for health and wellness.

She became a dynamic entrepreneur and speaker in the nutritional products industry, inspiring many with her dedication to helping others lead healthier, more fulfilling lives.

Her warmth, compassion, and authenticity made her a beacon of encouragement to all who knew her.

For nearly three decades, Victoria was a beloved and devoted staff member at the Christwood Retirement Community in Covington, Louisiana. Victoria held many positions at Christwood over the years; her most recent and cherished role was that of Resident Liaison, where she brought joy, comfort, and companionship to countless residents and colleagues. Her radiant spirit, boundless generosity, and unwavering kindness left an indelible mark on the community she served so faithfully. Above all, Victoria treasured her family.

She especially found joy in spending time with her two grandchildren, Ava and Abraham Edwards. Her deep faith and abiding love for Christ were the foundation of her life, guiding her actions and inspiring those around her. Victoria was preceded in death by her parents, Clen Wallace Hollifield and Gladys Sword Hollifield; her brother Johnnye Clen Hollifield; and her sister Mary Ann Hollifield Buchanan. Victoria is survived by her three loving sons, Judson Michael Edwards (Courtney), Jared

Debra A. Gauthreaux passed away peacefully on December 16, 2025, at the age of 74. She was born September 19, 1951, to the late Emile L. Gauthreaux, Sr and Alvera Guidroz Gau‐ threaux. Debra is survived by her brother Emile "Bubby" Gauthreaux, Jr; her loving nephews & niece Chad Gauthreaux (Brenda), Brandy Gau‐ threaux Hew (Robert), and Chivas Gauthreaux, Sr. (Meredith); her grand‐ nephews & grandniece, Ethan Hew, Scott Hew, Nicholas Gauthreaux, Caro‐ line Gauthreaux and Chivas Gauthreaux, Jr. She was a graduate of the Class of 1969, Immaculata High School where she built many longtime friend‐ ships, especially Judy Robertson & Marrette Leblanc who comforted her in the last days of her life. She retired from the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office in the Central Records Division, where she worked for 38 years.

She was an avid lover of all things Barbra Streisand & Starbucks. Visitation will be held Tuesday morning, January 6, 2026 from 9:30am until 11am at Mothe Funeral Home, 2100 Westbank Expwy., Harvey, LA. Relatives and friends of the family are invited to at‐ tend the Funeral Mass af‐ terward in the chapel at 11am. Interment, Westlawn Memorial Park Cemetery.

Family and friends may view and sign the online guest book at www.mot hefunerals.com.

Hecker, J. Keefe

J. Keefe Hecker, a known figure in New Orleans athletics, a devoted educator, and a beloved husband, father, and grandfather, passed away peacefully on December 27, 2025, surrounded by his loving family. He was 79.

Born and raised in New Orleans, Keefe was the son of Cornelius and Ruth Hecker. He was preceded in death by his parents, his brother, Cornelius Alfred Hecker III, and his sister, Catherine "Kay" Anne Hecker. A proud graduate of Jesuit High School, Class of 1964, Keefe was a foursport athlete for four consecutive years. He embodied the Jesuit ideal of being a "Man for Others," a philosophy that guided his life and career.

Keefe earned his undergraduate degree from Loyola University and a master's degree in education from Southeastern Louisiana University. He returned to Jesuit High School in 1970 to begin his teaching career before moving to Isidore Newman School, where he dedicated 37 years as a coach of football and track and field. Known to generations simply as "Coach Hecker," he believed the playing field was an arena for shaping character. His leadership helped guide Newman's track and field teams to back-to-back state championships in 2005 and 2006, yet his greatest pride was never in trophies, but in the integrity, discipline, and sportsmanship of the students he mentored.

In recognition of his lasting impact, the Newman Invitational was renamed the J. Keefe Hecker Newman Track and Field Invitational in 2013.

His influence continues to live on through countless former students and athletes who carry his lessons into their own lives.

Keefe's most cherished role was that of family man. He was the devoted husband of 56 years to Lynn Constantin Hecker.

He was a loving and steadfast father to Bradley Keefe Hecker (Lisa), Keflyn Hecker Fransen (Matthew), Kathryn Hecker Mullinax (Timothy), and Michael Drewes Hecker (Katie).

Keefe was a proud grandfather to William and Jackson Fransen, John Michael, Henry, Caroline, and Eliza Hecker, and Lillian "Mae Mae" Mullinax. To his family, he was a quiet teacher whose example spoke louder than words.

Keefe and Lynn spent the last twelve years residing in Pass Christian, MS. He was a proud member of the Knights of Columbus, Holy Family Parish. Keefe's legacy is one of humility, perseverance, and class.

He finished his race with faith and grace.

"Well done, good and faithful servant."

— Matthew 25:21 Relatives and friends are invited to celebrate Keefe's life on Friday, January 2, 2026 at Lake Lawn Metairie Funeral Home, 5100 Pontchartrain Blvd., New Orleans, LA 70124. The visitation will begin at 10:30 a.m. until the funeral mass at 12:00 p.m. at. A private burial will follow.

In lieu of flowers, the family welcomes contributions to the Alzheimer's Association.

Plaisance, Wayne Paul

Wayne Paul Plaisance entered into eternal rest at his home on Monday, December 22, 2025, at the age of 76. He was born on August 7, 1949, in Westwego, LA, where he spent his formative years and attended Westwego Elementary, Westwego Junior High, and West Jefferson High School.

Wayne treasured his childhood experiences with his brothers, assisting their father Herbert "Capt.

Tut" and spending many hours shrimping, fishing, and hunting—activities that instilled in him a lifelong appreciation for the outdoors. By the age of ten, Wayne had earned recognition among his siblings as "the best fisher and hunter" in the family.

Maw Maw always said, "Wayne could catch a fish out of a toilet bowl." He furthered his education at Delgado College, earning an associate's degree in Drafting. Wayne began his career at Marrero Blue Drafting Company before joining the United States Army where he served for two years. Upon his return, he worked at the US Army Corps of Engineers, where he served for over 30 years and finished his career at the US Mineral's Management Services.

Wayne was devoted to his wife, Peggy Fournet Plaisance, to whom he was married for 47 years. He was a caring father to Todd (Sabine), Jessica, Bethany, Daniel (Alex), and Hannah, and a cherished grandfather "Poppi" to Eva, Haven, and Jolene (daughters of Daniel and

Caroline). After his retirement, Wayne and Peggy purchased the homestead of their dreams "Zion" on five acres of land in Bush, LA, transforming it into a welcoming gathering place complete with farm animals, fresh vegetable gardens, swimming pool, pool house, jacuzzi, and a wellstocked pond, enjoyed by family, friends, and neighbors. Their home serves as a gathering place for parties, prayer groups and bible studies. Known for his dedication to improving his property, Wayne often could be found riding his tractor and tending to the land. Wayne was preceded in death by his parents, Herbert Paul "Captain Tut" Plaisance and Antionette Ronquille "Do" "Maw Maw" Plaisance. He is survived by his brothers Larry (Marcia), Chris (Bonnie), and Brian (Edna), with whom he shared memorable trips and experiences. Family gatherings at the Grand Isle camp "Tut, Do and the Boys" provided lasting memories of boating, fishing, shrimping, crabbing, tubing and swimming, followed by seafood boils, shrimp and fish fries, and enjoying special times and making precious memories with family and friends. He is fondly remembered as "Uncle Wayne" to Crissy, Kevin, Melanie, April, Amber, Richelle, Brian Jr., Joshua, Melissa, Jessica, Donald, and Kyle, and as brother-in-law to Nancy (Dan), Rene (Missy), and Michelle (Donnie). Wayne is also survived by his first wife, Pam Dooley, mother of Todd and Jessica. He is also survived by many great nieces and nephews.

Wayne was active in the St. Benilde Men's Club for many years and a member of The Eagle Claw Bass club of which he is on record for catching their biggest bass on record at nine pounds. He was a member of the Waggaman Golden Ages and Cleary Golden Ages Clubs.

He leaves behind loving dog, Joy, his two cats Inky and Simba, and his faithful tractor "Nellybelle."

Wayne is remembered for his kindness, calm demeanor, and unwavering faith in Jesus Christ—attributes that positively impacted all who knew him. His consistent effort to grow as a person and his loving spirit will be deeply missed. The legacy of Wayne's life will continue to inspire those fortunate enough to have known him. Relatives and friends of the family are invited to attend the Memorial Service at Cultivation Church at 958 N. Lee Rd. in Covington, LA on Saturday, January 3rd, 2026, at 11:00 am with a reception to follow on church grounds. In lieu of flowers, donations in Wayne's memory may be made to Cultivation Church or the charity of your choice. The family would like to express their gratitude to pastors, Matt and Christina Donley, Brother Anthony and Jeanette Marquize, members of Larry and Genia Buras' Bible Study, members of The Ladies of the Zion Prayer Group, and the countless friends, neighbors and family members who came to our aid for prayers and support during this difficult time.

Rosiere Sr., Joseph A.

Valenta. He is also survived by an aunt, nieces, nephews and cousins and other relatives and friends.

Joey will be deeply missed by his family, friends and all who knew him. Though he has deported this earthly life, his memory will forever remain in the hearts of those who loved him. A funeral service will take place on Wednesday, 12/31/2025, at 11:00am at Immaculate Conception Church 4401 Seventh St. Marrero, LA 70072. A pri‐ vate burial will follow. In lieu of flowers please do‐ nate to PMGawareness.org (polymicrogyria).

Shipley, Rae Wright

Rae Marie Wright Shipley died of natural causes at her home in Abita Springs, Louisiana, on December 18, 2025, at the age of 74. Rae was preceded in death by her beloved husband Gary Robert Shipley and parents, Luitgardis Tell Wright and Lewis Wright. She is survived by her sister and brother-in-law, Margarethe (MargAnn) and Donald Turnipseed. She was Aunt to Dory Turnipseed and Jon Turnipseed (wife, Sally), and Great-Aunt to Julia, Sara, Logan, and Molly Turnipseed.

Born and raised in New Orleans, Rae graduated from John F. Kennedy High School in its first graduating class, 1968, and Soule' Business College. Her lengthy career as an administrative/ executive assistant notably included D.H. Holmes Co. Ltd., the Audubon Nature Institute, and the St. Tammany Parish Tourist Commission (Visit The Northshore Visitor Center), where she worked over 20 years until her retirement.

Rae loved her Abita Springs home. She was a diehard Saints fan from the very first kickoff return in Tulane Stadium, and was an avid and successful gardener. Friends and family will remember Rae's soft-spoken kindness, her spirit, wicked sense of humor, and love of fun, which belied her old-soul wisdom, interest in history, and deep spirituality. E.J. Fielding Funeral Home of Covington, Louisiana, is handling cremation, and in keeping with Rae's wishes, services will be private. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in memory of Rae Shipley to be made to Take Paws Rescue, New Orleans (takepawsrescue.org) or Northshore Humane Society, Covington (norths horehumanesociety.org).

May memories of Rae Wright Shipley be a blessing to all who knew her, loved her, and appreciate one of her favorite quotes: "And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music" Friedrich Nietzsche

How to place an Obituary Notice EMAIL:

Joseph A. Rosiere, Sr. (Joey), entered into eternal rest on Wednesday, 12/24/2025. He was 71 years old and born on 10/11/1954 in New Orleans, LA. He was a graduate of West Jefferson High School, class of 1974. Joey leaves to cherish his mem‐ ories to his wife Estrella, his son’s Joey Jr. (Erin) and Chad, his daughter Jamie (Chris) and 5 grandchil‐ dren: Katie and Haley Rosiere, Emma, Avery and Caleb Riviere. Joey was a loving and devoted father and grandfather, all of whom brought him im‐ mense pride and joy. Pre‐ ceded in death by his par‐ ents, the late Francis G. Rosiere, Sr. and Lydia F. Rosiere.

Joey was a beloved brother to Francis G. Rosiere, Jr. (Cindy) and was preceded in death by his other brother Michael J. Rosiere, and 2 late sisters, Linda R. Distefano (late Joe Distefano, Jr.) and Elaine R. Laviolette (Nathan, Sr.). He leaves behind a sister-inlaw, Dana V. Capps (John) and 2 brother-in-laws, Milos Valenta, Jr. and Steve

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How to place a Memorial Ad An “In Memory Of” ad, is a way to pay tribute to your loved one.

This remembrance is often printed on the anniversary of a loved one’s death.

The deadline is two days prior to the day you want your ad to appear.

TO PLACE A MEMORIAL AD GO TO: obituaries.nola.com, click submit an obituary and select create a memoriam.

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OPINION N O L A.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.

TO SEND US A LETTER, SCAN HERE

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

TO SEND US A LETTER, SCAN HERE

6B ✦ Tuesday, December 30, 2025 ✦ nola.com ✦ The Times-Picayune

lll

with meteorologist Damon Singleton

TODAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

Mostly sunny and cool

Plenty of sunshine

Mostly sunny

Breezy in the afternoon

Partly sunny, nice and warm

Mostly sunny and nice

HIGH

HIGH

HIGH

HIGH

LOW

HIGH

LOW

50°

37° 58° 45°

LOW

67° 54°

LOW

72° 61°

LOW

73° 49°

HIGH

LOW

68° 48°

A Cold Weather Advisory is in effect for parts of the North Shore and Mississippi Gulf Coast due to temperatures in the 20s and wind chills that could fall into the teens. Otherwise, expect a mostly sunny, cold and windy day. Temperatures this afternoon will rise to the upper 40s to low 50s. Winds today will be northerly at 10-15 mph, gusting to 25 mph. Temperatures will feel like they’re in the low 40s. A freeze watch isn’t effect from tonight through tomorrow morning the parts of southeast Louisiana.

YESTERDAY

TODAY

READING 31 MAIN POLLUTANT Ozone

MAIN POLLUTANT Nitrogen oxide

New Orleans through 5 p.m. Monday

TEMPERATURE

Monroe 47/33

Shreveport 51/34 Longview 50/34

High/low Normal high Normal low Record high Record low

Jackson 45/30

FLOOD MON. 24-HOUR

Beaumont 54/35 Port Arthur 53/38

Baton Rouge 50/31

Lafayette 50/30

New Orleans 50/37

Lake Charles 54/35 Houma 51/32

Shown is today’s weather.

Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.

City

Austin Boston Dallas Denver Fairbanks Honolulu Las Vegas Louisville Miami

Hi

TODAY

Lo W

58 33 pc 27 22 pc 54 39 pc 48 26 s -24 -45 pc 78 69 sh 59 45 s 32 28 s 72 48 pc

Hi

WED.

Lo W

68 41 s 34 23 c 66 43 s 55 34 s -40 -47 pc 79 67 pc 57 46 pc 41 30 pc 68 45 s

24-hour total Month to date Normal month to date year to date Normal year to date

0.03” 4.29” 4.46” 57.53” 62.99”

GOOD

SOURCE: LOUISIANA DEQ AND AIRNOW.GOV

Hattiesburg 49/29

Alexandria 49/33

Many 49/32

69°/51° 63° 47° 81° in 2021 24° in 1983

GOOD

PRECIPITATION

City

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

Hi

TODAY

37 59 34 76 27 41 35 77 58

Lo W

28 s 38 pc 27 c 55 pc 21 sf 27 s 28 s 63 pc 41 pc

Hi

49 59 35 72 30 48 43 69 59

WED.

Lo W

32 s 43 s 29 c 57 c 11 sf 32 s 26 pc 60 sh 49 s

MISSISSIPPI STAGE STAGE CHANGE Memphis 34 -2.00 -1.30 Vidalia-Natchez 48 15.60 +1.33 Red River Landing 48 18.40 +1.30 Baton Rouge 35 6.30 +0.70 Donaldsonville 27 3.40 +0.40 Reserve 22 2.70 +0.20 New Orleans 17 1.80 +0.22 OHIO Cairo 40 11.51 -0.49 COMITE Near Olive 19 -1.41 +0.01 AMITE Near Darlington 18 -0.92 +0.01 Denham Springs 29 10.25 -0.01 Port Vincent 8 1.16 -0.26 TICKFAW Montpelier 13 2.03 -0.01 Holden 15 0.90 -0.03 ATCHAFALAYA Simmesport 47 5.08 +0.50 Melville 34 3.49 +0.48 Krotz Springs 29 3.14 +0.26 Butte La Rose 20 2.63 +0.33 Bayou Sorrel 12 2.30 +0.30 Morgan City 6 1.86 +0.24

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

data as of 7 a.m. Monday

TODAY’S TIDES Lake Pontchartrain (Tchefuncte River) Shell Beach South Point, Marsh Island Cypremort Point Grand Isle (Barataria Pass) Mississippi River (Southwest Pass) Wine Island

Sunrise today Sunset tonight Moonrise today Moonset today

HIGH

FT.

3:37a 0.5 9:35p 1.3 2:41p 1.6 6:08p 1.8 5:49p 1.0 5:10p 1.3 6:57p 1.2

6:56 a.m.

5:11 p.m.

1:31 p.m.

2:47 a.m.

FULL

LAST

NEW

FIRST

JAN 3

JAN 10

JAN 18

JAN 25

LOW

FT.

3:24p -0.2 8:28a -0.3 4:18a -0.8 8:24a -0.2 4:23a -0.5 2:50a -0.6 5:25a -0.6

HIGH

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

FT.

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

LOW

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

FT.

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

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.

MAJOR MINOR MAJOR MINOR

Today 6:59a 12:45a 7:28p Wednesday 7:52a 1:36a 8:23p Thursday 8:49a 2:33a 9:22p Friday 9:50a 3:34a 10:23p Saturday 10:53a 4:37a 11:25p Sunday 11:56a 5:41a ---Monday 12:30a 6:43a 12:57p

1:14p 2:07p 3:05p 4:06p 5:09p 6:11p 7:11p

Forecasts and graphics, except Damon’s Outlook, provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2025

IV Waste wishes you a

IV Waste wishes you a

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

NO TRASH AND RECYCLING collection on New Year’s Day Thursday, Jan. 1 for Service Area 1.

NO TRASH AND RECYCLING collection on New Year’s Day Thursday, Jan. 1 for Service Area 2.

Trash and recycling collection for Thursday locations will be on Friday, January 2, 2026.

Trash and recycling collection for Thursday locations will be on Friday, January 2, 2026.

Trash and recycling collection for Friday locations will be on Saturday, January 3, 2026.

Trash and recycling collection for Friday locations will be on Saturday, January 3, 2026.

For questions or concerns dial 311 or visit nola311.org To learn more scan QR code or visit nola.gov/sanitation nolaservice@ivwaste.com

For questions or concerns dial 311 or visit nola311.org To learn more scan QR code or visit nola.gov/sanitation nolaservice@ivwaste.com

OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE NEW ORLEANS SAINTS

SPORTS

N O L A.C O M

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

1cN

SAIN T S AT FALCONS • NOON SUNDAy • FOX

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

Zion’s big game not enough vs. Knicks

BY LES EAST

Contributing writer

STAFF PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK

LSU forward Marquel Sutton, left, and forward Robert Miller pressure Southern Miss guard Chiante’ Tramble on Monday at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. LSU won 90-62.

LSU throws block party in final SEC warm-up

BY TOYLOY BROWN III

Southeastern Conference play.

LSU accomplished both of those objectives as it beat Southern Miss LSU played its last game of 2025 90-62 on Monday at the Pete Maraagainst Southern Miss, which also vich Assembly Center. marked the end of the Tigers’ nonMike Nwoko had 22 points, six rebounds and a career-high five conference slate.

The Tigers hoped to fine-tune blocks for LSU. Dedan Thomas their defense and, most imporä See LSU MEN, page 5C tantly, leave with a victory before

Staff writer

Zion Williamson returned to the starting lineup, but the New Orleans Pelicans still lost their fourth consecutive game.

Williamson, who had come off the bench in the previous seven games, scored 32 points, but it wasn’t enough as New Orleans (826) lost to the New York Knicks 130-125 on Monday night in the Smoothie King Center Saddiq Bey and Jordan Poole scored 26 points each, and Trey Murphy added 21 for the Pelicans, who finish the 2025 portion of the schedule when they play at Chicago at 6 p.m. Wednesday before facing Portland at 7 p.m. Friday in the Smoothie King Center.

Reserve guard Jose Alvarado served the first game of a twogame suspension for his involvement in a fight with Phoenix center Mark Williams during s 123114 home loss Saturday.

Jalen Brunson had 28 points and 10 assists, OG Anunoby had 23 points and 11 rebounds, Mohamed Diawara scored 18, Miles McBride chipped in 14, and KarlAnthony Towns had 12 points and 12 rebounds for the Knicks (23-9).

Williamson scored eight points, Murphy made two 3-pointers and the Pelicans extended their threepoint halftime lead to 93-83 mid-

STAFF PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER

New york Knicks forward Og Anunoby scores against the Pelicans at the Smoothie King Center on Monday. way through the third quarter.

But they went scoreless for more than four minutes, and the Knicks crept within 103-96 at the end of the period.

Tyler Kolek, Miles McBride and Towns each made a 3-pointer as New York started the fourth quarter with a 13-3 run to take a 109-106 lead.

New Orleans scored seven straight for a two-point lead, and

the lead changed hands twice more before the score was tied at 114 and 117. Murphy broke the tie with a layup, and the lead changed hands three times before Brunson’s basket from the lane gave the Knicks a 124-121 edge with 1:06 left.

The Pelicans got within one point twice but couldn’t get a

ä See PELICANS, page 5C

2C ✦ Tuesday, December 30, 2025 ✦ nola.com ✦ The Times-Picayune

lll

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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.”

Harbaugh hopes Jackson can return for Steelers game

BY NOAH TRISTER Associated Press

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — John Harbaugh said he had some coaches and players over to watch the Pittsburgh-Cleveland game that could have eliminated his Baltimore Ravens from the playoffs.

When the Browns won, saving Baltimore’s season for now, the reaction was what you’d expect.

“It was uncorked, man. It was raucous,” Harbaugh said. “It was great. Everybody was jumping around and fired up and happy. A lot of hugging.”

Now it’s time to get back to business for the Ravens, who improbably have a chance to win the AFC North on Sunday night when they play at Pittsburgh. To stay alive, Baltimore needed a win at Green Bay last weekend and a loss by the Steelers. Both those results happened.

The Ravens (8-8) managed to beat the Packers 41-24 on Saturday night despite Lamar Jackson’s absence. Jackson has been nursing a back injury, but Tyler Huntley improved to 2-0 as the starting quarterback this season and Derrick Henry ran for 216 yards and four touchdowns.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MATT LUDTKE

Ravens coach John Harbaugh, right, is shown during a game against the Green Bay Packers on Saturday in Green Bay, Wis. Then the Browns pulled off a 13-6 upset against Pittsburgh on Sunday. Harbaugh said he wasn’t watching that game like a coach.

“I’m in fan mode, to be honest with you,” he said. “I’m complaining about the play calls.”

Harbaugh said he’ll have a better sense Wednesday about Jackson’s status for this next game, but the Baltimore coach shot down the idea that Huntley’s success would make the Ravens at all

hesitant to bring back Jackson.

“The fact that we have a lot of confidence in Tyler is a real big positive, a real plus, but it doesn’t factor into whether Lamar plays,” Harbaugh said. “If Lamar’s ready to go, he’s playing.”

Jackson has missed four games this season because of hamstring and back problems, but he played earlier this month when the Ravens lost at home to Pittsburgh, 27-22.

The rematch will be the final game of the NFL regular season — a major showcase on national TV. “It’s a great opportunity. We’ll be playing a division championship game on Sunday,” Harbaugh said. “We’ve worked hard to get to this position. There’s a lot of different paths in football, and there’s a lot of different paths in life, and this is the path of the 2025 season. So here we are, and our goal is to make the most of it.”

It’s the second straight season the Steelers and Ravens are playing an elimination game. Baltimore beat Pittsburgh 28-14 in the playoffs back in January.

If Jackson is able to play, this will be a chance for him to move past a rocky stretch. He hurt his hamstring in Week 4, and by the time he came back, Baltimore was 2-5.

The Ravens were facing elimination when they went to Green Bay, and Jackson missed the second half against the Patriots. He wasn’t able to play against the Packers, but Harbaugh said there was progress last week with his back injury.

“It was not good at all early in the week, and it improved as the week went on,” Harbaugh said.

“That was cause for optimism.”

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.

Hamlin’s father dies after fire; mom critically injured

The father of NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin died and his mother was critically injured after a weekend fire heavily damaged the North Carolina home where they lived, officials said Monday.

Firefighters in Stanley arrived Sunday night at a two-story home engulfed in fire, the Gaston County Office of Emergency Management and Fire Services said in a news release.

Dennis Hamlin, 75, and Mary Lou Hamlin, 69, were found outside the home, suffering from catastrophic injuries, officials said.

Dennis Hamlin later died from his injuries at a hospital, officials said.

Mary Lou Hamlin was taken to Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Burn Center in Winston-Salem, where she was being treated Monday, officials said.

The Times-Picayune ✦ nola.com ✦ Tuesday, December 30, 2025 ✦ 3C

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USC coach Riley blames Notre Dame for ending 100-year rivalry series

BY RAUL DOMINGUEZ Associated Press

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By OBED LAMy

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

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 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.

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 championship-winning 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-to-back AP Coach of the Year Curt Cignetti, finally abandoning the title of losingest program in the history of the 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 mid-September 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 unfa-

miliar 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.”

SAN ANTONIO — Notre Dame is responsible for the pause in the nearly 100-year rivalry with USC, Trojans coach Lincoln Riley emphatically stated.

Riley assigned blame Monday in San Antonio as No. 16 USC prepares to take on TCU in the Alamo Bowl.

A joint news conference with Horned Frogs coach Sonny Dykes was the first time Riley had a chance to speak about the discontinuation of the series, and the Trojans coach had a lot to say.

“We took Notre Dame at their word that they would play us anytime, anywhere,” Riley said. “That proposal was rejected. Not only was it rejected, but five minutes after we got the call, it was announced they scheduled another opponent, which I’ll give them credit, that might be the fastest scheduling act in college football history.”

In place of USC, Notre Dame announced on Dec. 21 that it will play a home-and-home series with BYU in 2026 and 2027.

Regarded as one of the fiercest rivalries in college football history, the Trojans and Irish have played 96 times since the first meeting in 1926. The teams have met every year since with the exception of a pause from 1943 to 1945 during World War II and again in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic when the Pac-12 Conference canceled all nonconference games.

Notre Dame leads the series 51–37–5, including victories in eight of the past 10 matchups.

Riley was eager to join the historic rivalry when he took over at USC on Nov. 28, 2021, after five seasons as the Oklahoma head coach.

“I have a deep respect for college football, been a part of some really great rivalries,” Riley said.

“Obviously, this is right there up at the top.”

So, being one of the only coaches in a century of USC football not to face Notre Dame during the regular season does not sit well with Riley.

AP PHOTO By KyUSUNG GONG

Southern California head coach Lincoln Riley walks on the field during the first half of a game against UCLA on Nov. 29 in Los Angeles.

“We’re hopeful something can be worked out in the future,” Riley said. “That would be fantastic. We at SC would love for the game to continue. We have no problem following through on our promises in the future.”

The rivalry between Notre Dame and USC traditionally was contested around Thanksgiving, but always in the final months of the season. This year’s contest was held Oct. 18 with the Irish scoring a 34-24 victory over the then-No. 20 Trojans.

The selection process for the NCAA’s 12-team playoff is causing teams to reconsider who they play in nonconference games, especially late in the season.

Notre Dame failed to make the CFP this season despite going 10-2. The Irish opted not to participate in a bowl game after the NCAA announced its playoff field.

“I know college football has changed a lot, but the fact is very, very clear, this can all be settled very quickly,” Riley said. “Had Notre Dame lived up to their word and played us anytime, anywhere, we would be playing in the next two years, and looking ahead after that, hopefully continuing the series. They did not follow through on it, thus we are not playing them the next couple years.”

Notre Dame and USC said in a joint statement on Dec. 22 that “our institutions will continue working towards bringing back The Battle for the Jeweled Shillelagh,” and that they “look forward to meeting again in the future.”

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 second-round 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

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.

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. 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.

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.

3. Carr’s retirement

5. Five in a row?

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.

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 long-term 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.

4. Mathieu’s retirement Two months after Carr’s surprising retirement, another veteran hung up his cleats.

Tyrann Mathieu, one of the most beloved football players to ever come out of New Orleans,

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 full-time 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 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 walk-on and emerged as a four-year starter at safety, used the same approach that worked for him as a player in his ascension from Division II coaching to a first-time 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.”

4C ✦ Tuesday, December 30, 2025 ✦ nola.com ✦ The Times-Picayune

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Expect snow in Miami for NHL’s Winter Classic

St. Charles LB named top defender in Class 4A

BY TIM REYNOLDS Associated Press

BY CHRISTOPHER DABE

Staff writer

St. Charles Catholic won a football state championship with linebacker Brooks Monica as the centerpiece of its defense. On Monday, the Louisiana Sports Writers Association rewarded Monica by selecting him as the outstanding defensive player on the Class 4A all-state team, as chosen by a statewide panel of sports reporters.

Monica, a senior, was joined on the all-state team by St. Charles teammates Dax Pregeant, a defensive back, and kicker Tyler Milioto, whose 44-yard field goal in the final seconds lifted St. Charles to a 23-21 victory over Shaw in the LHSAA Division II select state final at the Caesars Superdome.

Other New Orleans-area selections on the 4A team were Belle Chasse defensive lineman Savion Barthelemy and Shaw defensive back Rontrae Carter.

Monica completed the season with 142 total tackles, including 91/2 for loss with two sacks on a team that posted a 13-1 record — the only defeat coming on a last-play touchdown scored by St. James. Pregeant, selected as a defensive athlete, posted 106 tackles, including 71/2 for loss with three interceptions and one fumble recovery.

Milioto was 7 of 9 for field goals, including the season-long gamewinner in the Dome, and made 55 of 59 extra points in addition to 29 touchbacks on kickoffs.

For Shaw, Carter earned his second all-state nod with 97 total tackles, including 12 for loss to go along with two safeties, two forced fumbles and two interceptions. For Belle Chasse, Barthelemy had 45 tackles, including 11 sacks along with two forced fumbles and two recoveries. He played tight end on offense and caught five touchdown passes.

Contact Christopher Dabe at cdabe@theadvocate.com

STAFF FILE PHOTO By BRETT DUKE

St. Charles Catholic linebacker Brooks Monica, left, slaps hands with Byron Bailey after a play against Newman on Sept. 4 in LaPlace.

LSWA CLASS 4A ALL-STATE TEAM Offense Pos. Player WR Jeremiah Bushnell WR Kervin Johnson WR Terrance Pitre OL Nathan Dubroc OL Kohl Fulton OL Jayden Michael OL Drake Perry OL Sawyer Wells QB Luke Delafield RB J’vien Adams RB Trey Martin RB Aymaud Sykes PK Tyler Milioto ATH Dez Ellis

School Iowa Tioga South Lafourche North DeSoto Iowa Lutcher Teurlings Catholic South Lafourche North DeSoto Iowa Franklin Parish Grant St. Charles Franklin Parish

Ht. 6-3 6-3 5-11 6-1 6-3 6-4 6-1 6-3 6-1 5-9 5-11 6-3 5-7 6-2

Wt. 190 195 170 265 310 300 305 290 175 170 190 195 140 170

Class Sr. Sr. Sr. Sr. Sr. Sr. Sr. Sr. Sr. Sr. Jr. Jr. Sr. Sr.

Pos. Player School Ht. DL Chris Addison Franklin Parish 6-4 DL Savion Barthelemy Belle Chasse 6-3 DL Landon Joseph Iowa 6-1 DL Caden Parquette Lutcher 6-0 LB Charlie Diedrich E.D. White 6-1 LB Jaheim Diggs South Terrebonne 6-0 LB Hayden Horton Loyola 5-11 LB Brooks Monica St. Charles 5-11 DB Trandin Benjamin Westgate 5-9 DB Roderick Bingham Plaquemine 6-1 DB Rontrae Carter Shaw 6-1 DB Kaston Lewis Iowa 6-2 P Caden Reeser Comeaux 5-9 ATH Dax Pregeant St. Charles 6-0 RS Braylon Calais Cecilia 6-2 OUTSTANDING OFFENSIVE PLAYER: Luke Delafield, North DeSoto OUTSTANDING DEFENSIVE PLAYER: Brooks Monica, St. Charles COACH OF THE YEAR: Tommy Johns, Iowa

Wt. 245 280 215 250 220 205 188 190 180 170 190 182 145 185 196

Class Sr. Sr. Jr. Sr. Sr. Sr. Sr. Sr. Sr. Sr. Jr. Jr. Sr. Sr. Jr.

Defense

MIAMI — It’s going to snow in Miami on Friday night.

The NHL — as part of the celebrations planned for the Winter Classic game between the Florida Panthers and New York Rangers at loanDepot Park, home of baseball’s Miami Marlins — is going to make snow fall at the ballpark.

How it’ll happen, well, the NHL is keeping some of the exact details surrounding the plan quiet.

But some fans are going to get at least a few flakes.

“You may get snowed on,” Steve Mayer, the NHL’s president for events and content, said Monday in what essentially was a message to the more than 30,000 fans who are expected for the game. It’ll be the first time the NHL plays an outdoor game in Florida.

The rink is built, the ice is down and the ballpark feels about 20 degrees chillier than usual. The sets are still being built in some cases, but all will be ready when the teams come in for practices on Thursday.

“This is a show,” Mayer said.

“There’s a hockey game that goes on, and that is so important. I mean, this is a big game.

Panthers-Rangers, you know, when we’re in April, this could be a game that could determine whether a team makes the play-

offs or not. But we also know that people are here for an experience, for something different, and we’re going to give it to them — and we’re going to have some fun along the way.”

Which brings us back to snow.

Officially, it hasn’t snowed in Miami since 1977. There were some unconfirmed reports of a few flakes in the air in South Florida in 2010, and the temperature on Friday means the snow won’t be courtesy of Mother Nature. Forecasters expect the temperature in the area of the retractable roof stadium to be in the upper 50s by game time for Panthers-Rangers.

But inside the stadium, with plans for the roof to be open for the game, it’ll be a scene for all seasons. The NHL is planning to have everything from beach chairs to a lifeguard shack and palm trees as part of the backdrop for the game, with some nods to winter as well.

“We’ve designed it so that winter meets summer — or let’s go the opposite way, here in Florida, summer meets winter,” Mayer said. “Fire, ice, hot, cold, all of the thematics that you would think.

So, half the field is going to be a Miami beach ... and the other side is as if a huge snowstorm has hit Miami. That’s the dynamic that we’re going to have fun with throughout the game.”

Honorable mention

Chance Archangel, Westgate; Grant Barbera, E.D. White; Freddie Barra, George Washington Carver; Hayden Bell, North DeSoto; Tavon Bell, Franklin Parish; Cole Bergeron, St. Thomas More; Logan Boudreaux, Teurlings Catholic; Corey Bourgeois, Vandebilt Catholic; Christian Breaux, St. Thomas More; Trel Broom, Leesville; Gaven Brown, Iowa; Jayden Brown, St. Thomas More; Javon Calloway, Minden; Adonis Cannon, Washington-Marion; Jaden Celestine, Comeaux; S’Javien Champion, Tioga; Jacob Crane, Franklinton; Malique Credit, Franklin Parish; Michael Davis Jr., Leesville; Mason Drake, Loyola; Jacob Dunn, Skyler Edwards, St. Charles; Wossman; Andrew Fruge, Teurlings Catholic; Ronald Gardet, Frederick Douglass; Jonathan Hargrove, Peabody; Ethan Heney, Vandebilt Catholic; Rayheinz Henry, George Washington Carver; Logan Himel, Vandebilt Catholic; Lenord Howard, Westgate; Bryceson Fontenot, Iowa; Patrick Gales, Brusly; Ryan Jenkins, Plaquemine; Avery Johnson, Franklin Parish; Jerimiah Johnson, Northwood-Shreve; Kyran Johnson, Northwood-Shreve; Ben Jones, St. Michael; Braylon Jones, Cecilia; Jerimiah Jones, Minden; Tucker Landry, Tioga; Montrevell Lewis, Bossier; Conner McAtee, St. Thomas More; ChrisDon McClain, St. Charles; Charlie McKenzie, Loyola; Krash Menard, Vandebilt Catholic; Brennan Miles, Plaquemine; Parker Millet, St. Charles; Dakerrion Mitchell, Booker T. WashingtonShreve; Vontravious Moore, Booker T. Washington-Shreve; Alex Munoz, Teurlings Catholic; Chase Naquin, E.D. White; Landon Ortte, St. Thomas More; Jacob Pajinag, Leesville; Kenny Ponthier, Tioga; Jonathan Perry Jr., North DeSoto; Bryce Restovich, Loyola; Trenajh Smith, South Terrebonne; Jack Snyder, Teurlings Catholic; Cade Stevens, Lakeshore; Bryce Stigler, Lakeshore; Kenny Thomas, North DeSoto; Justin Thomas, Northwood-Shreve; Reggie Trusclair, Plaquemine; Andrew Viator, Teurlings Catholic; Drake Vincent, Brusly; John Walker, Plaquemine; Ian Wallace, Loyola; Ty Walsworth, Loyola; Miller Warren, North DeSoto; Makai Wells, Westgate; Daniel Whitlock, Wossman; Champ Williams, St. Michael; Amari Willis, DeRidder.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By KARL DEBLAKER

Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky watches the puck go by the net as Carolina’s Jordan Staal closes in on Dec. 23 in Raleigh, N.C.

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LSU women ready for ‘hard part’ of season

BY REED DARCEY

Staff writer

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 ä Kentucky at LSU, have each year since 7 P.M. THURSDAy, SECN+ coach Kim Mulkey’s tenure began in 2021. But they dominated their string of tuneups this season more so than they usually do, building confidence that 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 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

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU guard Mikaylah Williams pulls up for a jump shot against Texas-Arlington forward Mila Reynolds on Dec. 21 at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.

NBA suspends Alvarado two games for throwing punch

BY ROD WALKER Sports writer

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By CRAIG PESSMAN

Illinois forward David Mirkovic looks to pass as DaMariee Jones defends during a game against Southern on Monday in Champaign, Ill.

Balanced No. 20 Illinois cruises past Southern

BY STEVE STEIN Associated Press

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Jake Davis hit five 3-pointers and finished with 15 points, and Keaton Wagler had 11 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds as No. 20 Illinois closed out its non-conference schedule with a 90-55 win over Southern on Monday.

Zvonimir Ivisic had 13 points and three blocked shots, and his twin brother, Tomislav, added 11 points and seven rebounds for the highscoring Illini (10-3), who average nearly 90 points and have five players who average in double figures.

Illinois ranks third in the nation in that category, behind Baylor and Michigan, each with six. David Mirkovic also scored 11 points.

Michael Jacobs scored 11 points for Southern (4-9), which lost its fifth straight and fell to 1-9 on the road. Jacobs was held to nine points under his average and shot 3 for 16 from the floor. Malek Ab-

delgowad scored 10 points for the Jaguars.

Illinois outrebounded Southern 45-26. The Illini lead the nation with seven players averaging more than four rebounds per game.

The Illini led 46-25 at halftime.

They shot nearly 60% from the floor, made eight 3-pointers and were 8 for 8 from the free-throw line in the first half. Illinois finished 14 for 34 from long distance and 16 of 18 at the line.

Brad Underwood’s first game as coach at Illinois was a 102-55 victory over Southern on Nov. 10, 2017.

With Monday’s win, Underwood’s record in nine seasons in charge of the Illini is 175-104. Underwood is 10-0 in his career against the current 12-team membership of the Southwestern Athletic Conference, including 7-0 at Illinois.

The Illini are 19-0 all-time against current SWAC teams, including a 113-55 win over Jackson State on Nov. 3 in their season opener.

STAFF PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER

Pelicans forward Zion Williamson attempts to score against the New york Knicks at the Smoothie King Center on Monday.

PELICANS

Continued from page 1C defensive stop. Poole missed a potential tying 3-pointer with seven seconds left.

Bey had 23 points in the first quarter, the most he has scored in any quarter in his career. The Pelicans made seven 3-pointers, the most they have made in a first quarter this season, and led 41-

37 at the end of the period even though only four players scored.

Williamson scored eight points to help New Orleans opened a ninepoint lead, but Anunoby scored eight points and Brunson added seven to help the Knicks pull even at 65-65. Poole made a 3-pointer to break the tie, and the Pelicans took a 75-72 halftime lead.

They scored the most first-quarter points and the most first-half points by a New York opponent this season.

New Orleans Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado was suspended for two games after an altercation in Saturday’s 123-114 loss to the Phoenix Suns.

The league announced the suspension Sunday night, a day after Alvarado punched Suns center Mark Williams.

Alvarado missed Monday’s game against the New York Knicks and also will miss Wednesday’s game against the Chicago Bulls. Williams was suspended for one game.

The fight took place in the third quarter at the Smoothie King Center. Williams set a screen on Alvarado and Alvarado shoved him. An official called a foul on Alvarado after the shove, and Alvarado turned around to argue the call. As Alvarado had his back turned to Williams to argue the call, Williams shoved Alvarado.

Alvarado immediately stopped pleading his case to the official and turned back to Williams. After a brief stare down, Alvarado grabbed Williams’ jersey, and the two began to tussle. After Williams hit Alvarado in the head, Alvarado threw a punch at Wil-

STAFF PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER

Pelicans center yves Missi holds back guard Jose Alvarado after a scrum with Phoenix Suns center Mark Williams at the Smoothie King Center on Saturday. liams’ jaw.

Alvarado and Williams were separated after Alvarado’s punch.

Both were ejected from the game.

Alvarado, in his fifth season, is averaging 8.4 points and 3.2 as-

sists. He’s played in every game except the season opener against the Memphis Grizzlies.

Email Rod Walker at rwalker@ theadvocate.com.

LSU MEN

Continued from page 1C had 22 points and 12 assists for his third double-double this season. LSU (12-1) led by as many as 23 points and had a season-high 11 blocks. The most it had previously was six against Drake and Tarleton State.

Southern Miss (7-7) started the contest playing a zone defense, which led to an LSU turnover on the first possession. After that mishap, the Tigers were in complete control.

All five starters scored at least two points within the first five minutes of the game, and LSU led 19-7 at the 13:35 mark thanks to a 14-3 scoring run.

The sequence that led Southern Miss to call its first timeout started with an emphatic block by Nwoko on a driving layup. On the ensuing possession, Max Mackinnon pump-faked a defender into the air and nailed a 3-pointer near the right wing. The senior transfer from Portland made 3 of 6 3-pointers for 11 points in the first half, and he finished with 15.

Nwoko had a spurt of six straight points with about seven minutes left before halftime.

Two of the three field goals were dunks, and both were assisted by Thomas.

LSU played arguably its best defense of the year. The Golden Eagles were 5 of 17 from the field with 9:30 left in the first half. LSU was active and connected on the perimeter, and when there was some dribble penetration, Nwoko, Pablo Tamba and backup center Robert Miller were contesting well at the rim. In the first half, the team had six blocks.

LSU led 41-30 at halftime.

The strong defense was a wel-

STAFF PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK

LSU guard Dedan Thomas defends against Southern Miss guard Dylan Brumfield on Monday at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. come sight for coach Matt McMahon, who said after LSU’s most recent win that improvement at guarding opponents’ 3-point shots and defending in one-onone situations was a priority. In the Tigers’ 14-point win against Prairie View last week, they allowed Prairie View to make 12 of 20 from beyond the arc.

Southern Miss finished the game 3 of 14 from the 3-point line and shot 31% overall from the field.

The top player for Southern Miss was forward Tylik Weeks, who was averaging 17.8 points per game entering the game. He finished with 12 points.

After halftime, it was much of the same dominance for LSU. Marquel Sutton had an early

breakaway dunk. The team finished the game with 10 dunks, with four coming from Nwoko.

Southern Miss came to Baton Rouge having lost against two SEC opponents in competitive fashion. In its 83-79 overtime loss to South Carolina, the Golden Eagles were leading by 11 points with about four minutes remaining in regulation. They also lost 71-67 to Ole Miss.

Thomas threw precise passes throughout the night and balanced that with his scoring around the hoop. The 6-foot-1 guard also made his two 3-point attempts, including a step-back 3.

LSU’s next game will open SEC play when it faces Texas A&M (9-3) at 3 p.m. Saturday at Reed Arena in College Station, Texas.

6C ✦ Tuesday, December 30, 2025 ✦ nola.com ✦ The Times-Picayune

lll

As Tiger turns 50, golf’s greats now can relate

BY DOUG FERGUSON AP golf writer

Talk to any golfer who played against Tiger Woods and there is sure to be at least one story about one shot so sublime they were certain it could not be hit by them or anyone else.

He was just different. Better.

The 2-iron Woods hit into the par-5 10th hole at the TPC Sugarloaf led Stewart Cink to say, “This is a skill set I don’t have.” Padraig Harrington once saw Woods hit an 8-iron so majestic at Firestone that it got in his head and led to the Irishman making triple bogey.

Nick Price played the opening two rounds with Woods at St. Andrews in the 2000 British Open and felt the tournament already was over. Mark O’Meara played a practice round with him at Pebble Beach before the 2000 U.S. Open and told his wife before the championship started, “Tiger is going to win. And not only is he going to win, he’s going to blow away the field.” Woods won by 15 strokes.

For all those years, so many greats in the game could never relate to Woods. And now, finally, they can.

Not even Woods can beat time.

He turns 50 on Tuesday.

It’s a milestone for anyone, but it’s different in golf because the sport can be played well after the age when athletes have long retired in other sports. Phil Mickelson won a major at 50. Jack Nicklaus made an early Sunday charge at the Masters when he was 58.

With Woods, it’s complicated.

He now is eligible for the 50-and-

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By DAVID J. PHILLIP

Tiger Woods reacts as he wins the Masters golf tournament on April 14, 2019, in Augusta, Ga. older PGA Tour Champions. He also has had more surgeries than the 15 majors he won. This is the first year he didn’t play a single tournament, the result of a ruptured Achilles tendon in March and a seventh back surgery in September.

“I’m probably going to play 25 events on both tours, and I think that should cover most of the year, right?” Woods quipped in the Bahamas when asked about turning 50.

He won the U.S. Open just eight days before reconstructive surgery on his left knee. He won the

Masters two years after surgery to fuse his lower back. But he hasn’t been the same since that 2021 car crash in Los Angeles. Woods has played 11 times in the past five seasons, finished only four of those tournaments and hasn’t been closer than 16 shots to the winner.

“Come back to what point?”

Woods said. “I’d like to come back to just playing golf again.”

And so this celebration is more about looking back than forward.

Ernie Els was most prescient in 2000 at Kapalua when he was on the losing end again — no one finished second to Woods more

than Els. They matched eagles on the 18th in regulation, birdies on the 18th in a playoff, and Woods got him with a 40-foot birdie putt on the second extra hole. Vintage Tiger.

“I think he’s a legend in the making,” Els said that day. “He’s 24.

He’s probably going to be bigger than Elvis when he gets into his 40s.”

That’s up for debate, but Woods’ lasting effect on golf is undeniable.

Popularity soared and prize money skyrocketed. Woods made golf look different and he made it cool.

Perhaps his greatest legacy is he unwittingly trained a generation of players who wanted to be like him. Scottie Scheffler said nothing inspired him more than watching the intensity of Woods when he was out of contention at the 2020 Masters. Woods made a 10 on the 12th hole and followed with five birdies over his last six holes. He tied for 38th.

“Tiger was just different in the way he approached each shot. It was like the last shot he was ever going to hit,” Scheffler said.

It was the only time they played together. Scheffler now is coming up on three years at No. 1 in the world, the longest stretch since Woods.

But it started with that skill set unlike any other.

“He’s the only guy I’ve ever known who continually exceeded expectations,” Tom Lehman said of Woods. “No matter how much you heaped on him, he found a way to exceed them.”

Lehman recalls one moment at the Memorial on the 17th hole, a

green so rock-hard it felt impossible to get it close. Lehman hit 5-iron as high and far as he could and was pleased to see it roll out 25 feet from the cup.

“He hits this shot way up in the air and it was coming down like a parachute,” Lehman said. “Lands by the cup and bounces 2 feet and stops. I figure he must have hit a 7-iron. I said, ‘Tiger, what club was that?’ He said, ‘That was a little, three-finger 5-iron.’ He just filleted it in there.

“When I think of him, that’s what I think of. Only one guy could hit that shot. And he did it often.”

Woods had the career Grand Slam at age 24, the youngest of anyone. He had 50 wins worldwide and 10 majors before he turned 30.

These days, Woods is keeping plenty busy outside the ropes. He was appointed to the PGA Tour policy board without a term limit in 2023 as the tour was in the midst of its battle with Saudi-funded LIV Golf. He now heads up the Future Competition Committee charged with reshaping the tour model.

The next question is when he plays again. Woods is the only player to have won the U.S. Junior Amateur, U.S. Amateur and U.S. Open. The U.S. Senior Open is at Scioto, the Ohio course where Jack Nicklaus learned to play.

April at Augusta isn’t the same without Woods. He set the Masters record in 2024 by making the cut for the 24th consecutive time. How much more? How much longer?

“People want to see him,” golfer Matt Kuchar said. “And if he shoots 76, people still want to see him. He’s unique in our sport.”

SCOREBOARD Odds

New Jersey Carolina New York Philadelphia

Sports Betting Line NFL Saturday

FAVORITE at TAMPA Seattle

Sunday

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

FAVORITE LINE Ohio 5½ Wyoming 11 East Tennessee St. 12 at TOLEDO 11 at BOWLING GREEN 4 at WISCONSIN 20½ at CHARLOTTE 1 at MIAMI (FL) 11½ at DAVIDSON 2½ Seton Hall 3½ at UNC 15½ UMass 1½ Buffalo 6½ at TEN TECH 2½ Louisville 5½ Utah State 14½ Saint Mary’s (CA) 20 at CREIGHTON 4½ at STANFORD 3½ at COLORADO ST. 5 Gonzaga 27½ San Francisco 5½ at LOYOLA MARYMNT 4½ Santa Clara 11½ at SEATTLE U 4½ San Diego State 11½ at BOISE STATE 6

NBA

Tuesday

FAVORITE LINE 1½ Philadelphia Boston 7½ Detroit 2½ 10 at LA CLIPPERS

NHL

Tuesday

FAVORITE at FLORIDA

LINE -145

at TORONTO at PITTSBURGH at CHICAGO at VANCOUVER

-108 +105 +125 +105

Pro basketball

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

Tuesday

-112 -125 -148 -125

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 Pacific at PORTLAND Washington St at SAN JOSE ST New Mexico

O/U UNDERDOG (233½) at MEMPHIS (240½) at UTAH (231½) at LA LAKERS (223½) Sacramento

UNDERDOG Montreal

LINE +121

NBA EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division

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

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

W 20 18 16 10 8

L 10 13 16 21 24

Pct .667 .581 .500 .323 .250

GB — 2½ 5 10½ 13

Northwest Division

Pacific Division

Sunday’s Games

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

Monday’s Games

Phoenix 115, Washington 101 Milwaukee 123, Charlotte 113 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

8 9 9 10

0 0 0 0

.500 .438 .400 .375

297 364 307 289

364 397 360 364

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

W 11 9 8 8

L 5 6 8 8

T 0 1 0 0

Pct .688 .594 .500 .500

PF 425 388 328 462

PA 396 344 330 397

W x-Seattle 13 x-San Francisco 12 x-L.A. Rams 11 e-Arizona 3

L 3 4 4 13

T 0 0 0 0

Pct .813 .750 .733 .188

PF 470 434 457 335

PA 289 358 299 451

North

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

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.

Pro football NFL AMERICAN CONFERENCE

Gator Bowl

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

Texas Bowl

Houston 21 Houston 38, LSU 35

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

(ESPN) 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)

L.A. Rams at Atlanta, n

Late Sunday San Francisco 42, Chicago 38 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.

Chi 26 440 22-110 330 0-0 4-102 1-34 25-42-0 0-0 3-58.667 0-0 7-39 26:27

SF 32 496 34-200 296 2-11 4-92 0-0 24-33-1 1-7 2-40.5 0-0 5-55 33:33

First downs Total Net Yards Rushes-yards Passing Punt Returns Kickoff Returns Interceptions Ret. Comp-Att-Int Sacked-Yards Lost Punts Fumbles-Lost Penalties-Yards Time of Possession 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.

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

W 12 11 8 3

L 4 5 8 13

T 0 0 0 0

Pct .750 .688 .500 .188

PF 433 366 436 277

PA 329 265 374 437

Pittsburgh Baltimore e-Cincinnati e-Cleveland

W 9 8 6 4

L 7 8 10 12

T 0 0 0 0

Pct .563 .500 .375 .250

PF 371 400 396 259

PA 363 372 472 361

Friday’s games

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

W 13 11 6 2

L 3 5 10 14

T 0 0 0 0

Pct .813 .688 .375 .125

PF 382 365 350 227

PA 308 321 314 420

Phoenix Minnesota 20, New Mexico 17

College football GameAbove Sports Bowl

Detroit Northwestern 34, Central Michigan 7

Rate Bowl

First Responder Bowl Dallas UTSA 57, FIU 20

Saturday’s games Military Bowl

W 11 7 4 3

L 5 8 12 13

T 0 1 0 0

Pct .688 .469 .250 .188

PF 362 454 332 347

PA 301 477 434 422

Annapolis, Md. East Carolina 23, Pittsburgh 17

W

L

T

Pct

PF

PA

Boston

Pinstripe Bowl

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

Fenway Bowl

Tampa Bay Montreal Florida Buffalo Ottawa Boston Toronto

38 38 37 37 37 39 38

22 20 20 19 18 20 17

13 12 15 14 14 18 15

3 6 2 4 5 1 6

47 46 42 42 41 41 40

126 127 119 116 124 123 124

101 129 118 118 120 130 129

Metropolitan Division Carolina N.Y. Islanders Philadelphia Washington New Jersey N.Y. Rangers Pittsburgh Columbus

GP 37 39 37 38 38 40 37 37

W 23 21 19 20 20 19 16 16

L OT Pts GF GA 11 3 49 126 108 14 4 46 111 108 11 7 45 112 106 13 5 45 121 106 16 2 42 106 114 17 4 42 104 107 12 9 41 117 122 15 6 38 112 127

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Dec. 30

Monday’s Games

PA 310 357 386 468

South

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

Music City Bowl

PF 452 446 337 292

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

New Mexico Bowl

Sunday’s Games

Pct .813 .688 .438 .188

East

Tucson, Ariz.

Fresno St.18 Miami (OH) 3

Birmingham, Ala. Georgia Southern 29, Appalachian State 10

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

T 0 0 0 0

NATIONAL CONFERENCE

Arizona Bowl

Independence Bowl

L 3 5 9 13

West

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

Birmingham Bowl

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

W 13 11 7 3

North

Pop-Tarts Bowl

Saturday’s Games

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

South

Army 41, UConn 16

Monday’s games

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

A_71,836.

Tuesday’s Games

East

8 7 6 6

West

New York Boston Toronto Philadelphia Brooklyn

Southeast Division

Carolina Tampa Bay e-Atlanta e-New Orleans

Sun Bowl

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

Citrus Bowl

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

Las Vegas Bowl

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

College Football Playoff

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

FCS Playoffs Semifinals Illinois St. 30, Villanova 14 Montana St. 48, Montana 23

Jan. 5

FCS Championship Nashville, Tenn.

No. 2 Montana St. (13-2) vs. Illinois St. (12-4), 6:30 p.m. (ESPN)

Central Division Colorado Dallas Minnesota Utah St. Louis Nashville Winnipeg Chicago

GP 37 39 39 39 39 37 36 38

W 28 25 23 18 15 16 15 14

L OT Pts GF GA 2 7 63 148 85 7 7 57 139 105 10 6 52 121 102 18 3 39 116 112 16 8 38 98 133 17 4 36 105 124 17 4 34 106 111 18 6 34 106 124

Pacific Division

GP W L OT Pts GF GA Vegas 36 17 8 11 45 115 110 Anaheim 38 21 15 2 44 130 132 Edmonton 39 19 14 6 44 132 131 Los Angeles 37 16 12 9 41 97 97 San Jose 38 18 17 3 39 115 132 Seattle 36 16 14 6 38 93 108 Calgary 38 16 18 4 36 101 115 Vancouver 37 15 19 3 33 106 128 NOTE: Two points for a win, one point for overtime loss. Top three teams in each division and two wild cards per conference advance to playoffs.

Sunday’s Games

Columbus 4, N.Y. Islanders 2 Tampa Bay 5, Montreal 4, SO Pittsburgh 7, Chicago 3 Detroit 3, Toronto 2, OT Seattle 4, Philadelphia 1

Monday’s Games

Florida 5, Washington 3 N.Y. Rangers at Carolina, n Washington at Florida, n Edmonton at Winnipeg, n Buffalo at St. Louis, n Boston at Calgary, n Los Angeles at Colorado, n Nashville at Utah, n Minnesota at Vegas, n San Jose at Anaheim, n Vancouver at Seattle, n

Tuesday’s Games

State men’s schedule

Carolina at Pittsburgh, 6 p.m.

Montreal at Florida, 6 p.m.

New Jersey at Toronto, 6 p.m.

N.Y. Islanders at Chicago, 7:30 p.m.

Philadelphia at Vancouver, 9 p.m.

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

Transactions

College basketball Sunday’s games

Monday’s games

Illinois 90, Southern 55 Michigan 112, McNeese 71 LSU 90, Sothern Miss 62

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.

Major League Baseball

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

BASKETBALL

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

FOOTBALL

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

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.

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.

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.

Hockey

SOCCER

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 63, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 57 McNeese 74, Incarnate Word 53 UL 97, Dillard 56

Tuesday’s games

Tulane at UTSA, 1 p.m.

Wednesday’s game Thursday’s games

NHL EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division Detroit

GP W 40 23

L OT Pts GF GA 14 3 49 125 129

HOCKEY

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.

NASHVILLE SC — Acquired general allocation money from Los Angeles FC in

LIVING

N O L A.C O M

|

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

1dN

STAFF FILE PHOTO By IAN McNULTy

Balboni’s cannoli king cake started online as a fake Instagram account.

Chris Peet, of New Orleans, waves a flag he fashioned in memory of those slain in the Bourbon Street attack.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By DOUG MacCASH

PROVIDED PHOTO FROM ROB GERHART

ABOVE: Monica Resh and Kevin Nguyen were married in a New Orleans pothole, at the conclusion of a contest conducted by a popular Instagram account.

The day after being attacked by a dog, Mr. P, the famous Uptown peacock, was headed to the vet.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By SCOTT THRELKELD

The city’s weirdest stories of 2025 included Scrim, a pothole wedding, an AI king cake and more

BY DOUG MacCASH Staff writer

Writing about the culture, characters, creatures and, well, craziness of the Crescent City is the best job in the world.

The good, the bad, and the unsightly, it’s a beat that never ceases to engage.

Here are some of my favorite stories from 2025.

Scrim, captured at last On Feb. 11, a runaway mutt crept into a narrow metal cage meant to trap cats. When the door sprung closed, one of New Orleans’ greatest human-interest stories ever told entered its final chapter.

The small mongrel had evaded capture for months, dodging ambushes, tranquilizer darts and endless surveillance. He’d survived urban traffic, a fall from a second-story window and even a historic blizzard.

By the time he was taken in, the outlaw dog named Scrim had become one of those single-name celebrities like Elvis and Cher. But here’s the thing: the story was never re-

ally about the dog. It was about New Orleans. The little steppenwolf perfectly symbolized our “born-to-be-wild” nature.

Now, after considerable acclimation and training, Scrim has become civilized, according to the dog’s rescuer and keeper Michelle Cheramie.

Get this: By all appearances, Scrim seemed to be a terrier blend of some sort. But when Cheramie had his canine DNA tested, he turned out to be part chow chow, part schnauzer, and part … chihuahua.

Deepfake king cake Most of the time, a piece of king cake is nothing but pastry and sugar sprinkles, but the Balboni cannoli king cake that popped up during Carnival 2025 was so much more. It all began as a splendid hoax.

Despite what you may have seen on Instagram, there was no beloved Balboni bakery in the French Quarter in the 1950s, and there was no longforgotten recipe for a popular cannoli king cake, either.

Even the online photo of the “famous” Balboni cannoli king

cel and a ramshackle dwelling made of salvaged lumber.

By summer 2025, city agencies had warned Sipp that his shack was a hazard to him and others, particularly because of the open fire he regularly burned nearby. Finally in July, Sipp’s house was bulldozed and hauled away.

The demolition provoked a collision of public opinions on the topics of individual rights, governmental authority and housing. As promised from the beginning, the city provided Sipp with an apartment not STAFF FILE PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER far from his garden, where he Scrim is held Feb. 11 after his capture in New Orleans. tends his crops to this day. cake was a fake, generated by AI. It was all delicious hooey, dreamt up by brothers Matt and Ryan Balboni.

But then, reality unexpectedly intruded when a master baker named Jillian Duran began whipping up actual Balboni cannoli king cakes that sold for an eyebrow-raising $76.83. The project poked fun at our devotion to the ’Gram, our gullibility where AI is concerned,, and our insatiable Ca arni-

val cake craving.

Food writer Ian McNulty blanched at the price, but seemed to find the meta cake well worth the carbs.

Mr. Fred’s garden For years, octogenarian Fred Sipp grew okra, tomatoes and mustard greens on a patch of land in what’s now the Lafitte Greenway public park. Sipp had constructed a rambling wire fence around his par-

Infrastructure shenanigans As you may have noticed, New Orleans’ plague of street defects was not cured in 2025.

But the population made the best of it.

In February, a young couple got married in an axel-busting sinkhole at the corner of Felicity and Chestnut streets.

Attendees surrounded the chasm, which was beautifully

ä See WEIRD, page 2D

WA ANT TO R EAD MO R E IN TH E N E W YEAR?

Revive your love of books for 2026 R

BY AD DITHI RAMAKRISHNAN AP writter

GETTy IMAGES PHOTO

NEW YORK — People stop reading in adulthood for lots of reasons. But it’s never too late to turn the page on old habits and sstart again.

Curling up with a good book can reduce stress, increase creativity and boost empathy. A recent analysis of U.S. pathy

government data found that the percentage of Americans who read for pleasure during an average day has fallen to 16% in 2023 from 28% in 2004. That includes not just books but audiobooks, e-books and periodicals like magazines.

Some people say they’re fatigued from years of assigned reading in school. Others don’t have the time or would rather zone out by doom-scrolling on

social media. And many just got out of the habit.

“It’s difficult for people who are really tired and busy to think about getting into reading if it’s not something they’re used to,” said Jacqueline Rammer, director of Menomonee Falls Public Library in Wisconsin.

For those looking to set reading goals or resolutions in 2026, here’s how to get back

into the habit.

Choose the right book When picking your next book, avoid dense nonfiction or a 500page doorstop.

“Your first book should be something that you think will be joyful,” said Jocelyn Luizzi, a software engineer from Chicago who blogs about books.

ä See BOOKS, page 2D

2D ✦ Tuesday, December 30, 2025 ✦ nola.com ✦ The Times-Picayune

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‘Les Pierrettes Visits Candy Land’ for annual celebration Les Pierrettes dedicated the organization’s annual ball Monday to Pierrot, the French master of pantomime. Held at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, the ball had as its theme “Les Pierrettes Visits Candy Land.”

A whistle heralded this year’s captain, Miss Lauren Parker Kearney, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Clay Parker Kearney. She was attired in a short “Candyland” costume of pink moire and pink and white striped satin. A sugarplum headpiece, plus jewelry, shoes and gloves with similar embellishments, completed her ensemble.

The youthful captain led dancers in skater-style rose pink mini dresses to the floor for a vibrant, high-energy performance set to hits like, “I Want Candy” and “Candyman,” bringing the Candy Land to life. After the dance, the cast positioned themselves at the foot of a gold and silver throne.

Their monarch, Miss Frances Adele Mann, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Sanders Mann Jr. and her royal entourage held court. The queen wore a gown of white silk shantung with a softly pleated peplum at the waist. The traditional Les Pierrettes mantle of pink and white satin and crown and scepter completed the royal attire.

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 1922, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) officially came into existence.

In 2015, actor and comedian Bill Cosby was charged with drugging

BOOKS

Continued from page 1D Everyone’s taste is different, so get recommendations from a variety of places including friends, booksellers and online communities like BookTok. Rammer and her staff ask library visitors: What was the last book, TV show or movie that you really enjoyed? Then, they look for similar genres or themes.

Many libraries offer access to a service called NoveList which suggests “read-alikes” for various books and authors.

Set a reading routine To create a habit that sticks, “start by scheduling reading into your day,” said Gloria Mark, an attention span expert with the University of California, Irvine. Read five pages during a lunch break or right before bed.

If you’re reading a physical book, Mark said to avoid distractions by keeping phones and laptops out of sight.

But experimenting with other formats can make reading more convenient.

E-books are portable and audiobooks are a good candidate to accompany chores or the morning commute.

You can likely access both for free by downloading an app called Libby and signing in with a library card.

Try to read in a quiet setting, but don’t be afraid to make it a social activity.

Many cities in the U.S. and

Balart

Brennan

Calhoun

Ca. Carrere

Ch. Carrere

Claverie

Favrot

Guy

Hillery

Johnson

Lai. Kearney

Lanier

Livingston

Marshall

McEachin

Peus

Prieur

Schmidt

Suggs

Trube

Varisco

Villere

Weinmann

Frances Adele Mann, queen of Les Pierrettes 2025

Lauren Parker Kearney, captain of Les Pierrettes 2025 Maids to her majesty were Misses Madelyn Maria Argote, Caroline Wilson Balart, Eleonore Euxenia Brennan, Christina Anne Calhoun, Charlotte Reid

TODAY IN HISTORY

By The Associated Press

Argote

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.)

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. Actor-comedian 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.

around the world host silent book clubs where people read their own books together in coffee shops and libraries.

Setting a reading goal for the year or joining a local library’s winter reading challenge can help with motivation — but if it feels like added pressure, don’t do it.

Shannon Whitehead Smith, a book blogger from the Atlanta area who also works in marketing, says scrolling through lists of other people’s reads on social media and trackers like StoryGraph encourages her to keep the habit.

“Seeing all these other people reading motivates me to put my phone down and pick up this book that’s sitting beside me,” she said.

Feel free to skip a read If a book feels particularly sluggish, it’s OK to put it down and start another. Reading “shouldn’t feel like a burden,” said Jess Bone with University College London, who analyzed the survey data about American adults reading for pleasure.

Routine readers say the habit helps them stay curious and release the stress of the day. Rammer, the library director, reads mysteries rife with twists and turns, and romances that cycle through roller coasters of emotions.

Most of all, she likes books that end with a “happily ever after.”

“I think the guarantee of knowing that things are going to end up OK is really reassuring,” Rammer said.

Carrere, Camille Grace Carrere, Amelia Leone Claverie, Lauren Catherine Favrot, Elizabeth Claire Guy, Caroline Rutherford Hillery, Catherine Sylvia Johnson and Laine Meline Kearney.

Also serving in the court were Misses Logan Dupuy Lanier, Alexandra Nance Livingston, Elizabeth Lesley Marshall, Jane Elizabeth McEachin, Stella Elizabeth Peus, Anne Cameron Prieur, Caroline Claiborne Schmidt, Eugenie DePoincey Suggs, Olivia Favrot Trube, Lily Kaye Varisco, Molly Logan

WEIRD

Continued from page 1D decorated with flowers and traffic hazard cones.

The nuptials were paid for entirely by the popular Instagram account “Look At This F***** Street,” a repository of photos and videos of especially picturesque potholes and other infrastructure outrages. And in March, a street disrepair crew dug a rubblestrewn pit at the corner of Laurel and Webster streets.

With tongues in cheek, three neighborhood pals placed a cafe table and chairs in the hole and proceeded to sip Negronis in the setting sun, surrounded by caution tape. A waiter from the nearby Patois restaurant appeared tableside to take their orders and a satiric pothole supper ensued, to the delight of passersby.

Stray cat collection agency In September, we met Nita Hemeter, the charmingly gruff, 73-year-old queen of Crescent City feral felines.

Devoted to the reduction of the number of stray cats, Hemeter and the volunteer helpers in the Trap Dat Cat organization humanely catch, sterilized and release uncared-for cats, eliminating untold generations of offspring. Hemeter’s house is a busy kitty depot, with cages stacked on the front porch and in three rooms. She inadvertently became a part of the Scrim story in February, when the famous furry fugitive was finally captured in one of her baited traps.

Hemeter said that Trap Dat Cat rounded up 3,253 cats in 2025 — not counting December. This being New Orleans, Hemeter also plays drums in a jazz band that appears regularly at Buffa’s Lounge at the edge of the French Quarter.

A moving memorial In the early morning hours of New Year’s Day, a raging, radicalized veteran used his pickup truck as a weapon to kill 14 random pedestrians on Bourbon Street. The location of the terror attack happened to lie in the path of jogger Chris Peet’s regular route through the French Quarter.

Shocked and mournful, Peet painted the word LOVE on his shower curtain and carried it like a flag as he ran through the streets thereafter. Almost a year later, he continues to fly his flag on almost daily runs, affably engaging onlookers as he recalls a tragedy.

Tails of survival In March, word spread that Mr. P, a beloved peacock that had made an Uptown neighborhood his home since 2006, was attacked by a stray dog,

Villere and Caroline Sohlberg Weinmann.

The queen’s consort was Mr. Henry Tucker Fitch, son of Mr. and Mrs. Justin Michael Fitch. The dukes were Messrs. Charles Wilhem Adriance, Winston Walker Beahm, Albert Peyton Bush V, Evan Conway Crawford, Blake Tucker Couvillon, Curtis Collins Eustis, Patrick Voorhies Gahagan, Harrison Locke Herrigton, Hamilton John Houghton and Chapman Gordon Johnson IV. Also serving as dukes were Messrs. Baldwin

Scott Key, Emeric Parker Laborde, Atticus Yves LaFleur, John Bennett Lawrence, Brady Joshua Magee, Elliott Armstead Rice, John Maida Rinando III, Alexander Camors Roth, James Craik Ryan, John Allen Schafer, Benjamin Charles Singer, James Christian Vaicius, Veer Singh Walia and James Merritt Wrighton.

Serving as the queen’s pages were Misses Tate Campbell Adams, Catherine Carpenter Carey, Mary Harris Westfeldt Fitzpatrick, Eleanor Frances Gar-

identified as a pit bull.

Ben Franklin High School grad and Notre Dame University student Braylen Burrell heroically interceded, saving the regal bird from the jaws of death. The scene of the canine crime was strewn with iridescent green tail feathers.

Crescent Citizens collectively sighed with relief at the news that Mr. P survived the incident and returned to his regular Hickory Street roost to rest and recuperate.

But Mr. P was not the only exemplar of resiliency in

2025. In May, a Plaquemines Parish motorist shot video of an odd, awkward creature waddling across La. 23. The tailless alligator, described as a “cutie patootie,” became a Facebook sensation.

A reptile expert said the gator may have lost its tail in a fight with a rival male.

rison, Ellery Clayton Grace, Margaux Blair Harris, Lally Marcelle Leonard and Juliette Nancy Stone.

In keeping with tradition, the pages presented orchids to the mothers of the queen, captain and queen’s consort.

The pages also presented roses to Miss Livie Freret Montgomery, 2024 queen, and Miss Florence Virginia Dupuy, 2024 captain.

Music for the ball was provided by the Jimmy Maxwell Orchestra. A post-ball queen’s supper featured music from The Hitlist Band.

leading to Interstate 10 near South Carrollton Avenue.

Like an impacted tooth, the truck was seemingly jammed between the concrete guardrail and the girders that hold up the roadway. It wasn’t going anywhere soon, the path to the highway was closed, and commuter chaos and inconvenience ensued.

Stuck trash truck Adding a touch of levity Potholes aren’t the only to the moment were smarttraffic impediments in New alecky graffiti writers who Orleans. In May, a blue trash reached the inaccessible truck somehow tipped over truck and tagged it with the on the busy entrance ramp words “How’s My Driving?”

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The Times-Picayune ✦ nola.com ✦ Tuesday, December 30, 2025 ✦ 3D

lll

FrAnK And erneSt

bIG nAte

zItS

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

4D ✦ Tuesday, December 30, 2025 ✦ nola.com ✦ The Times-Picayune

CurTiS

Hi and LoiS

lll

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 Times-Picayune ✦ nola.com ✦ Tuesday, December 30, 2025 ✦ 5D

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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

6D ✦ Tuesday, December 30, 2025 ✦ nola.com ✦ The Times-Picayune

muttS

roSe iS roSe

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Scrabble GramS dIrectIons: make a 2- to 7-letter word from the letters in each row. add points of each word, using scoring directions at right. Finally, 7-letter words get 50-point bonus.

“Blanks” used as any letter have no point value. all the words are in the Official sCraBBlE® players Dictionary, 5th Edition.

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

jump Start

For more information on tournaments and clubs, email naspa – north american sCraBBlE players association: info@scrabbleplayers.org. Visit our website: www.scrabbleplayers.org. For puzzle inquiries contact scrgrams@gmail.com.

Get fuzzy

Hasbro and its logo sCraBBlE associated logo, the design of the distinctive sCraBBlE brand game card, and the distinctive letter tile designs are trademarks of Hasbro in the United states and Canada. ©2021 Hasbro. all rights reserved. Distributed by Tribune Content agency, llC.

ken ken

animal crackerS

DuStin

InstructIons: 1 - Each row and each column must contain the numbers 1 thorugh 4 (easy) or 1 through 6 (challenging) without repeating.

2 - The numbers within the heavily outlined boxes, called cages, must combine using the given operation (in any order) to produce the target numbers in the top-left corners.

3 - Freebies: Fill in the single-box cages with the number in the top-left corner.

Wallace the brave

Drabble

WiShinG Well breWSter rockit

luann

HErE is a plEasanT liTTlE gamE that will give you a message every day. it’s a numerical puzzle designed to spell out your fortune. Count the letters in your first name. if the number of letters is 6 or more, subtract 4. if the number is less than 6, add 3. The result is your key number. start at the upper left-hand corner and check each of your key numbers, left to right. Then read the message the checked figures give you.

The Times-Picayune ✦ nola.com ✦ Tuesday, December 30, 2025 ✦ 7D

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1-2 Bdrm Apts * From $800/mo Parking * Sec Gate 504-250-1446 * 504-454-1333

Merchandise

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New Price will be $1300 * Patio, Fenced Yd, Off St Prkg, Wtr Paid.

NO Smoking or Pets. 700+Credit Score. 504.442.1873 * 504.237.5200

Tree Trimming & Removal • Stump Grinding 504 -570 - 6683

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To advertise here, please call 225-383-0111

8D ✦ Tuesday, December 30, 2025 ✦ nola.com ✦ The Times-Picayune Public Notices

Public Notices Bids/Proposals

PUBLIC NOTICE --HOUSING AUTHORITY OF NEW ORLEANS REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS FOR EMPLOYMENT AND INCOME VERIFICATION SERVICES RFP #25-914-27 The Housing Authority of New Orleans (HANO) is requesting proposals from qualified and expe‐ rienced professional companies to provide in‐ come verification ser‐ vices for roughly 22,000 families for regularly scheduled annual reex‐ aminations of income and family composition, interim reexaminations, and determining initial eligibility for HANO’s Housing Choice Voucher Program (HCVP), Project Based Voucher (PBV) Program, and Public Housing Program.

Contractors must submit proposals that outline their qualifications and their ability to execute the services in accor‐ dance with the Scope of Services contained within the request for proposals (RFP). Specifi‐ cally, proposals must demonstrate their previ‐ ous experience, qualifi‐ cations, and other fac‐ tors, to perform the ser‐ vices outlined in the RFP. Single copies of the RFP package may be down‐ loaded from HANO’s website at www.hano. org. The RFP package will be available on Tuesday, December 23, 2025.

Sealed responses to this solicitation will be re‐ ceived by the Housing Authority of New Orleans (HANO) in the Depart‐ ment of Procurement and Contracts until 2:00 p.m., CST, on January 26, 2026.

Deliver four (4) complete sets (one original clearly marked or stamped “original”, and three (3) copies) of the required submittals, in a sealed envelope or box clearly marked with the words “RFP Documents”, to the Department of Procure‐ ment and Contracts at the following address: Housing Authority of New Orleans Procurement and Contracts Department Trudy Jackson, Contract Administrator 1555 Poydras, Suite 1800 New Orleans, Louisiana 70112 Place the following infor‐ mation in the upper, lefthand corner on the out‐ side of the envelope when submitting propos‐ als: Company Name Company Address RFP Name and Number Date and Time responses are due All responses submitted are subject to these In‐ structions and Supple‐ mental Instructions to Offerors, General and Supplemental Condi‐ tions, and all other re‐ quirements contained herein, all of which are made a part of this Re‐ quest for Proposal by ref‐ erence.

The Housing Authority of New Orleans reserves the right to reject any or all proposals for just cause and to waive any informalities in the sub‐ mission process, if it is in the best interest of the Housing Authority to do so.

171855-dec 23-30-jan 6-3t $134.89 PUBLIC NOTICE --New Orleans Public Facil‐ ity Management, Inc. (NOPFMI”) is issuing a Request for Proposals (“RFP”) to obtain propos‐ als for C-2199 Provide Air Compressor Mainte‐ nance Services.

Proposals are due Mon‐ day, January 5, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. at which time proposals received on time and in the correct location will be consid‐ ered. RFP documents may be obtained online https://www.central at auctionhouse.com/ Category/10822/NewOrle ansErnestNMorialConv entionCenter or by con‐ tacting the Contracts De‐ partment at (504) 582contracts@ 3562 or mccno.com.

All re‐ sponses must be submit‐ ted in accordance with the RFP documents.

171427-dec 22-30-2t $18.96 PUBLIC NOTICE --ORLEANS PARISH SCHOOL BOARD Purchasing Department 2401 Westbend Parkway, Suite 5055 New Orleans, Louisiana 70114 ADVERTISEMENT REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS NO. 26-0080 PROFESSIONAL MOVING SERVICES Electronic Responses to Request for Qualifica‐ tions relative to the above will be received via email submission to the Purchasing Depart‐ ment for the Orleans Parish School Board (“OPSB” or “the District”) at 2401 Westbend Park‐ way, Suite 5055, New Or‐ leans, Louisiana 70114 until 10:00 A.M. (CST) on Wednesday, January 21, 2026.

Public Notices Bids/Proposals

PUBLIC NOTICE --REQUEST FOR PROPOS‐ ALS As-Needed Civil Engineering and Professional Services Notice is hereby given that the Board of Com‐ missioners of the Port of New Orleans (Board) is requesting proposals for as-needed civil engineer‐ ing and professional ser‐ vices. All Request for Proposal (RFP) docu‐ ments will be available on www.centralbidding. com on Tuesday, Decem‐ ber 16, 2025. The RFP doc‐ uments may also be ob‐ tained from the SEBcon‐ nect App, available on both the Apple and Google play platforms.

Proposals must be sub‐ mitted via Central Bid‐ ding, no later than 11:00 AM (CST), on Friday Janu‐ ary 23, 2026, to be con‐ sidered.

Respondents shall follow the instruc‐ tions given in this Re‐ quest for Proposals (RFP) in order to respond with a valid proposal for eval‐ uation by the Board’s Evaluation Committee.

All inquiries shall be di‐ rected to the Procure‐ ment Department at pro‐ curement@portnola.com

by Monday, January 12, 2026 at 5:00 PM (CST).

Addenda to this RFP will be issued to all Respon‐ dents receiving this RFP. Questions and answers and all forms required will be posted on www. centralbiding.com.

170165-dec 16-23-30-3t $56.76 PUBLIC NOTICE --SEWERAGE & WATER BOARD OF NEW ORLEANS SOLICITATION NO. 2025-SWB-92 (30111) SUCTION ISOLATION AT 12 SEWER PUMPING STATIONS The Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans, is soliciting bids for: Prepa‐ ration and installation of valves for wet well isola‐ tion at twelve (12) vari‐ ous sewer pumping sta‐ tions located in New Or‐ leans, LA. Bid Documents and pro‐ posal forms are available for download on Decem‐ ber 30, 2025, at the fol‐ lowing websites: SWBNO: https://www2.swbno. org/business_bidspecific ations.asp LAPAC: https://wwwcfprd.doa. louisiana.gov/OSP/ LaPAC/dspBid.cfm?sea rch=department& term=181 A NON-MANDATORY prebid conference will be held on January 13, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. Central Time at the Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans’ Procurement Conference Room 131, New Orleans, Louisiana, 70165 or if you are unable to attend this in-person meeting, you can also join via teleconference call: Microsoft Teams Join the meeting now Meeting ID: 230 862 841 506 6 Passcode: Uf9iq2Xj Dial in by phone +1 504-224-8698,, 9618026# United States, New Orleans Phone conference ID: 961 802 6# All inquiries shall be di‐ rected to Kimberly Barnes, Procurement Specialist, at kbarnes@ swbno.org. The deadline for inquiries is on Janu‐ ary 20, 2026, at 5:00 p.m.

Central Time.

Bids are due on January 28, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. Any Bids received after the specified time will be re‐ jected.

Bids will then be publicly opened and read on Jan‐ uary 28, 2026, at 11:30 a.m. at Sewerage and Water Board of New Or‐ leans, 625 St. Joseph Street, Purchasing Con‐ ference Room 131, New Orleans, Louisiana.

Microsoft Teams Join the meeting now Meeting ID: 225 823 723 533 38 Passcode: HV2Zz75M Dial in by phone +1 504-224-8698,, 54517016# United States, New Orleans Phone conference ID: 545 170 16# LATE BIDS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. 172009-dec 30-jan 7-14-3t $136.33

Legal Notices

PUBLIC NOTICE --LOUISIANA DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY (LDEQ) OFFICE OF ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT WATER PLANNING AND ASSESSMENT DIVISION 2026 INTEGRATED REPORT ON WATER QUALITY IN LOUISIANA In accordance with the Louisiana Water Quality Management Plan (WQMP), 30-day notice is hereby given for solicita‐ tion of comments for the update of Volume 5: li

lll

Legal Notices

Legal Notices

Legal Notices

p Water Quality Inventory.

Updates to Volume 5 of the WQMP have been made through develop‐ ment of the 2026 Water Quality Integrated Report and the associated Inte‐ grated Report Rationale.

The Integrated Report Rationale provides a de‐ scription of the processes used in mak‐ ing water quality assess‐ ment and Integrated Re‐ port category determina‐ tions.

y p equal and parallel lines of one hundred six feet, seven inches (106'7"). All as more fully shown on a plat of survey by Gilbert, Kelly & Couturie, Inc., Surveyors, dated June 6, 1984.

The 2026 Integrated Re‐ port is a two-part report conducted every evennumbered year to meet requirements of the Clean Water Act, §305(b) and §303(d). The first, “§305(b) Report,” is an assessment of all waters in the State and the sec‐ ond part, “§303(d) List,” identifies, lists, and ranks impaired water bodies that require a more in-depth technical analysis to determine the maximum loading of a pollutant a water body can receive and how much reduction in load‐ ing is needed to maintain water quality standards.

This technical analysis is known as a Total Maxi‐ mum Daily Load (TMDL).

These two reports are combined, “integrated,” as one table of assess‐ ment results, along with the Integrated Report Ra‐ tionale.

Public notice is hereby given, as provided by Section 29(C), Article X of the Constitution of Louisiana, that there will be introduced at the forthcoming session of the Legislature of Louisiana, to be con‐ vened on March 9, 2025, a bill relative to the Munic‐ ipal Police Employees’ Retirement System; to provide relative to disso‐ lution and partial disso‐ lution and the circum‐ stances under which an employer is deemed dis‐ solved or partially dis‐ solved; to provide rela‐ tive to the assessment, calculation, payment, collection, and enforce‐ ment of any related un‐ funded accrued liability charges and/or financial penalties; to provide for definitions; to provide for venue and prescription; and to provide for re‐ lated matters.

y one thousand from within the district is sus‐ pended, and for pur‐ poses of this special election, it is ordered that the number of re‐ quired signatures for a member of the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education is one hundred fifty voters from within the district.

The deadline to submit signatures on such a nominating petition is January 30, 2026.

Section 9: The Secretary of State, Commissioner of Elections, Parish Board of Election Supervisors, Clerk of Court, Registrar of Voters, and all other persons charged with any power, function, right, duty or responsibil‐ ity in conducting elec‐ tions in the jurisdiction of Member, State Board of Elementary and Sec‐ ondary Education District 1, Parishes of Jefferson, Orleans, St. Tammany, and Tangipahoa, are hereby authorized, re‐ quested, directed and empowered to exercise every lawful function and to do every act neces‐ sary to conduct the spe‐ cial election, to cause the returns to be made, to canvass and promul‐ gate the results, and to perform all related and incidental functions.

The 2026 Integrated Re‐ port has been prepared using existing and read‐ ily available water qual‐ ity data and information in order to comply with rules and regulations under §303(d) and §305(b) of the Clean Water Act.

Publication Dates: December 30, 2025 and January 2, 2026 NOCP 8841

The report and associ‐ ated documents may be viewed on the LDEQ Web‐ site under Current Events at: http://deq.louisiana. gov/page/water-quality.

All interested persons are invited to submit written comments for the record on the 2026 In‐ tegrated Report and Ra‐ tionale. Comments must be received no later than 4:30 p.m., January 30, 2026.

All comments should be addressed to Ms. Rachael Mathews, Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, Office of Environmental Assessment, P.O. Box 4314, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 70821-4314, or Rachael. e-mail to Mathews@la.gov.

STATE OF LOUISIANA EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR PROCLAMATION NUMBER 79 JML 2025

Jonathan McFarland, Administrator Water Planning and Assessment Division Office of Environmental Assessment All correspondence should specify: AI Number 169294.

Scheduled for publica‐ tion: December 30, 2025 Advertiser, Advocate, American Press, Courier, News Star, New Orleans Advocate, Times and Town Talk; and the LDEQ Website 171563-dec 30-1t $62.24 PUBLIC NOTICE --NOTICE BIRDIE MASSIE DICK, ROBERT JOHN DICK, CYNTHIA D. PERKINS Pursuant to an order of the Civil District Court for the Parish of Orleans in the matter of James Wright and Stephanie Schaap, Docket No. 20255751, Div. L, Orleans Parish, State of Louisiana, dated October 20, 2025, it was ordered as follows: WHEREAS, James Wright and Stephanie Schaap, by act recorded on April 8, 2015 at Instrument Number 2015-15484 of the official records of Or‐ leans Parish, Louisiana, purchased property at tax sale from Orleans Parish, Louisiana for fail‐ ure to pay taxes.

WHEREAS, James Wright and Stephanie Schaap has applied to this Court for a monition or adver‐ tisement, in conformity with R.S. 47:2271 et seq.

THEREFORE, in the name of the State of Louisiana and the Civil District Court for the Parish of Orleans, all interested persons are cited and admonished to show cause within sixty days from the date on which this monition is first ad‐ vertised, why grounds exist for a nullity under the provisions of Chapter 5 of Subtitle III of Title 47 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950.

That portion of ground, together with all the buildings and improve‐ ments thereon, and all of the rights, ways, privi‐ leges, servitudes, appur‐ tenances, and advan‐ tages thereunto belong‐ ing or in anywise apper‐ taining, situated in the Third District of the City of New Orleans, State of Louisiana, in Square No. 4879, bounded by Lafaye (formerly Deers), Madrid, Baccich (formerly Rab‐ bits), and Robert E. Lee (formerly Hibernia) ac‐ cording to survey made

by F.C. Gandolfo, Sur‐ veyor, dated November 30, 1944, blue print of which is annexed to act of C.W. Duke, Notary Pub‐ lic, on July 9, 1945, an‐ other blue print of which is redated December 20, 1947, said square is des‐ ignated by the No. 4879 and said lot therein by the Lot No. M-13, and be‐ gins at a distance of fifty feet (50') from the corner of Robert E. Lee (formerly Hibernia) and Lafaye (formerly Deers) Streets and measures thence fifty feet (50') from the corner of Robert E. Lee (formerly Hibernia), same width in the rear, by a depth between l d ll l li

171479-dec 23-30-2t PUBLIC NOTICE --PUBLIC NOTICE

172308-dec 30-jan 2-2t $28.40 PUBLIC NOTICE ---

SPECIAL ELECTION AND STATE OF EMERGENCY – MEMBER, STATE BOARD OF ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION DISTRICT 1, PARISHES OF JEFFERSON, ORLEANS, ST. TAMMANY, AND TANGIPAHOA WHEREAS, a vacancy exists in the office of Member, State Board of Elementary and Sec‐ ondary Education District 1, Parishes of Jefferson, Orleans, St. Tammany, and Tangipahoa, due to the resignation of the Honorable Paul Hollis, ef‐ fective December 19, 2025; WHEREAS, R.S. 18:591 re‐ quires the Governor to call a special election to fill the vacancy when more than twelve (12) months of the term re‐ main unexpired, in accor‐ dance with the provi‐ sions of R.S. 18:591 and/or the dates for elec‐ tions set forth in R.S. 18:402; WHEREAS, the Secretary of State has certified an election emergency ex‐ ists pursuant to R.S. 18:401.1(H) because this vacancy is in a closed party primary office and that “a vacancy in a party primary office that may not be filled…in ac‐ cordance with the time‐ frames required by law shall constitute an emer‐ gency.”

NOW THEREFORE, I, JEFF LANDRY, Governor of the State of Louisiana, by virtue of the authority vested by the Constitu‐ tion and laws of the State of Louisiana, do hereby order and direct as fol‐ lows: Section 1: A state of emergency is proclaimed to fill this vacancy, in ac‐ cordance with R.S. 18:401.1(H).

Section 2: A special pri‐ mary and general elec‐ tion for the unexpired term shall be held throughout the jurisdic‐ tion of Member, State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education District 1, Parishes of Jef‐ ferson, Orleans, St. Tam‐ many, and Tangipahoa, for the purpose of elect‐ ing a member to fill the vacancy in the office.

Section 3: The special election shall be held and conducted under the applicable provisions of the Louisiana Election Code, La. R.S. 18:1 et seq.

Section 4: The qualify‐ ing period shall be dur‐ ing the period commenc‐ ing Wednesday, February 11, 2026 and ending Fri‐ day, February 13, 2026.

Section 5: The first party primary election shall be held Saturday, May 16, 2026. Early voting for the first party pri‐ mary election shall begin on May 2, 2026 and end on May 9, 2026, at the times and places and in the manner prescribed by law.

Section 6: The second party primary election, if necessary, shall be held Saturday, June 27, 2026.

Early voting for the sec‐ ond party primary elec‐ tion shall begin on June 13, 2026 and end on June 20, 2026, at the times and places and in the manner prescribed by law.

Section 7: The general election shall be on No‐ vember 3, 2026 at the times and places and in the manner prescribed by law. Early voting for the general election shall begin on October 20, 2026 and end on October 27, 2026, at the times and places and in the manner prescribed by law.

Section 8: Due to the state of the emergency, and in accordance with R.S. 18:401.1(H), for the purpose of qualifying for the general election pur‐ suant to R.S. 18:410.8, the provisions of La. R.S. 18:465(C)(3)(c) setting forth the number of re‐ quired signatures for a member of the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education at h d f

Specifications and quali‐ fications documents may be obtained by visiting the District’s website at www.nolapublicschools. com; or by contacting the Procurement Depart‐ ment at procurement@ nolapublicschools.com.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have set my hand offi‐ cially and caused to be affixed the Great Seal of the State of Louisiana in the City of Baton Rouge on this 23rd day of De‐ cember, 2025.

Jeff Landry GOVERNOR OF LOUISIANA ATTEST BY THE SECRETARY OF STATE Nancy Landry SECRETARY OF STATE 172169-dec 30-1t $60.36 PUBLIC NOTICE --STATE OF LOUISIANA EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR PROCLAMATION NUMBER 79 JML 2025

SPECIAL ELECTION AND STATE OF EMERGENCY – MEMBER, STATE BOARD OF ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION DISTRICT 1, PARISHES OF JEFFERSON, ORLEANS, ST. TAMMANY, AND TANGIPAHOA WHEREAS, a vacancy exists in the office of Member, State Board of Elementary and Sec‐ ondary Education District 1, Parishes of Jefferson, Orleans, St. Tammany, and Tangipahoa, due to the resignation of the Honorable Paul Hollis, ef‐ fective December 19, 2025; WHEREAS, R.S. 18:591 re‐ quires the Governor to call a special election to fill the vacancy when more than twelve (12) months of the term re‐ main unexpired, in accor‐ dance with the provi‐ sions of R.S. 18:591 and/or the dates for elec‐ tions set forth in R.S. 18:402; WHEREAS, the Secretary of State has certified an election emergency ex‐ ists pursuant to R.S. 18:401.1(H) because this vacancy is in a closed party primary office and that “a vacancy in a party primary office that may not be filled…in ac‐ cordance with the time‐ frames required by law shall constitute an emer‐ gency.”

NOW THEREFORE, I, JEFF

Legal Notices

Legal Notices

LANDRY, Governor of the State of Louisiana, by virtue of the authority vested by the Constitu‐ tion and laws of the State of Louisiana, do hereby order and direct as fol‐ lows: Section 1: A state of emergency is proclaimed to fill this vacancy, in ac‐ cordance with R.S. 18:401.1(H).

Section 2: A special pri‐ mary and general elec‐ tion for the unexpired term shall be held throughout the jurisdic‐ tion of Member, State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education District 1, Parishes of Jef‐ ferson, Orleans, St. Tam‐ many, and Tangipahoa, for the purpose of elect‐ ing a member to fill the vacancy in the office.

Section 3: The special election shall be held and conducted under the applicable provisions of the Louisiana Election Code, La. R.S. 18:1 et seq.

Section 4: The qualify‐ ing period shall be dur‐ ing the period commenc‐ ing Wednesday, February 11, 2026 and ending Fri‐ day, February 13, 2026.

Section 5: The first party primary election shall be held Saturday, May 16, 2026. Early voting for the first party pri‐ mary election shall begin on May 2, 2026 and end on May 9, 2026, at the times and places and in the manner prescribed by law.

Section 6: The second party primary election, if necessary, shall be held Saturday, June 27, 2026.

Early voting for the sec‐ ond party primary elec‐ tion shall begin on June 13, 2026 and end on June 20, 2026, at the times and places and in the manner prescribed by law.

Section 7: The general election shall be on No‐ vember 3, 2026 at the times and places and in the manner prescribed by law. Early voting for the general election shall begin on October 20, 2026 and end on October 27, 2026, at the times and places and in the manner prescribed by law.

Section 8: Due to the state of the emergency, and in accordance with R.S. 18:401.1(H), for the purpose of qualifying for the general election pur‐ suant to R.S. 18:410.8, the provisions of La. R.S. 18:465(C)(3)(c) setting forth the number of re‐ quired signatures for a member of the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education at one thousand from within the district is sus‐ pended, and for pur‐ poses of this special election, it is ordered that the number of re‐ quired signatures for a member of the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education is one hundred fifty voters from within the district.

The deadline to submit signatures on such a nominating petition is January 30, 2026.

Section 9: The Secretary of State, Commissioner of Elections, Parish Board of Election Supervisors, Clerk of Court, Registrar of Voters, and all other persons charged with any power, function, right, duty or responsibil‐ ity in conducting elec‐ tions in the jurisdiction of Member, State Board of Elementary and Sec‐ ondary Education District 1, Parishes of Jefferson, Orleans, St. Tammany, and Tangipahoa, are hereby authorized, re‐ quested, directed and empowered to exercise every lawful function and to do every act neces‐ sary to conduct the spe‐ cial election, to cause the returns to be made,

to canvass and promul‐ gate the results, and to perform all related and incidental functions.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have set my hand offi‐ cially and caused to be affixed the Great Seal of the State of Louisiana in the City of Baton Rouge on this 23rd day of De‐ cember, 2025.

Jeff Landry GOVERNOR OF LOUISIANA ATTEST BY THE SECRETARY OF STATE Nancy Landry SECRETARY OF STATE 172174-dec 30-1t $60.36 PUBLIC NOTICE --STATE OF LOUISIANA EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR PROCLAMATION NUMBER 80 JML 2025

SPECIAL ELECTION AND STATE OF EMERGENCY – ASSOCIATE JUSTICE, 1ST SUPREME COURT DISTRICT OF LOUISIANA, PARISHES OF LIVINGSTON, ORLEANS, ST. BERNARD, ST. TAMMANY, TANGIPAHOA, AND WASHINGTON WHEREAS, a vacancy exists in the office of As‐ sociate Justice, 1st Supreme Court District of Louisiana, Parishes of Livingston, Orleans, St. Bernard, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, and Wash‐ ington, due to the resig‐ nation of the Honorable Will Crain, effective De‐ cember 22, 2025; WHEREAS, Const. Art. V, § 22 and R.S. 18:621 re‐ quire the Governor to call a special election to fill the vacancy in an exist‐ ing judgeship when more than twelve (12) months of the term remain unex‐ pired, in accordance with the provisions of Const.

Art. V, § 22 and R.S. 18:621 and/or the dates for elections set forth in R.S. 18:402; WHEREAS, the Secretary of State has certified an election emergency ex‐ ists pursuant to La. R.S. 18:401.1(H) because this vacancy is in a closed party primary office and that “a vacancy in a party primary office that may not be filled…in ac‐ cordance with the time‐ frames required by law shall constitute an emer‐ gency.”

NOW THEREFORE, I, JEFF LANDRY, Governor of the State of Louisiana, by virtue of the authority vested by the Constitu‐ tion and laws of the State of Louisiana, do hereby order and direct as fol‐ lows: Section 1: A state of emergency is proclaimed to fill this vacancy, in ac‐ cordance with La. R.S. 18:401.1(H).

Section 2: A special pri‐ mary and general elec‐ tion for the unexpired term shall be held throughout the jurisdic‐ tion of Associate Justice, 1st Supreme Court Dis‐ trict of Louisiana, Parishes of Livingston, Orleans, St. Bernard, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, and Washington, for the purpose of electing an associate justice to fill the vacancy in the office.

Section 3: The special election shall be held and conducted under the applicable provisions of the Louisiana Election Code, La. R.S. 18:1 et seq.

Section 4: The qualify‐ ing period shall be dur‐ ing the period commenc‐ ing Wednesday, February d di i

Public Notices Meet/Hear/Min

Legal Notices

g y y 11, 2026 and ending Fri‐ day, February 13, 2026.

Section 5: The first party primary election shall be held Saturday, May 16, 2026. Early voting for the first party pri‐ mary election shall begin on May 2, 2026 and end on May 9, 2026, at the times and places and in the manner prescribed by law.

Section 6: The second party primary election, if necessary, shall be held Saturday, June 27, 2026.

Early voting for the sec‐ ond party primary elec‐ tion shall begin on June 13, 2026 and end on June 20, 2026, at the times and places and in the manner prescribed by law.

Section 7: The general election shall be on No‐ vember 3, 2026 at the times and places and in the manner prescribed by law. Early voting for the general election shall begin on October 20, 2026 and end on October 27, 2026, at the times and places and in the manner prescribed by law.

Section 8: Due to the state of the emergency, and in accordance with R.S. 18:401.1(H), for the purpose of qualifying for the general election pur‐ suant to R.S. 18:410.8, the provisions of La. R.S. 18:465(C)(3)(a) setting forth the number of re‐ quired signatures for a Louisiana Supreme Court justice at one thousand from within the district is suspended, and for pur‐ poses of this special election, it is ordered that the number of re‐ quired signatures for As‐ sociate Justice, 1st Supreme Court District of Louisiana, is one hun‐ dred fifty voters from within the district. The deadline to submit signa‐ tures on such a nominat‐ ing petition is January 30, 2026.

Section 9: The Secretary of State, Commissioner of Elections, Parish Board of Election Supervisors, Clerk of Court, Registrar of Voters, and all other persons charged with any power, function, right, duty or responsibil‐ ity in conducting elec‐ tions in the jurisdiction of Associate Justice, 1st Supreme Court District of Louisiana, Parishes of Livingston, Orleans, St. Bernard, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, and Wash‐ ington, are hereby autho‐ rized, requested, di‐ rected and empowered to exercise every lawful function and to do every act necessary to conduct the special election, to cause the returns to be made, to canvass and promulgate the results, and to perform all re‐ lated and incidental functions.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have set my hand offi‐ cially and caused to be affixed the Great Seal of the State of Louisiana in the City of Baton Rouge on this 23rd day of De‐ cember, 2025.

PUBLIC NOTICE --PUBLIC HEARING The Louisiana Depart‐ ment of Insurance hereby gives notice of a public hearing to be held on January 16, 2026, re‐ garding the conversion of Louisiana Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Com‐ pany from a mutual in‐ surance company to a stock insurance com‐ pany pursuant to La. R. S. 22:237.6. The public hear‐ ing is being held for the purpose of hearing evi‐ dence to determine if the Plan of Reorganization submitted by Louisiana Farm Bureau Mutual In‐ surance Company (1) properly protects the in‐ terests of the policyhold‐ ers as such and as mem‐ bers; (2) serves the best interests of policyhold‐ ers and members; and (3) is fair and equitable to policyholders and members as required by La. R.S. 22:237.6. The pub‐ lic hearing shall be con‐ ducted in accordance with La. R.S. 22:237.6, Rule I of the Louisiana Department of Insurance, and the Administrative Procedures Act. The public hearing will be held by the Louisiana Department of Insurance on January 16th, at 10:00 a.m. in the Poydras Hear‐ ing Room, Poydras Build‐ ing, 1702 North Third Street, Baton Rouge, Louisiana. If you are in‐ terested in participating in the public hearing, you have the option to make comments or provide ev‐ idence. You can do this by submitting your com‐ ments or evidence in writing to David Cald‐ well, Louisiana Depart‐ ment of Insurance, P.O. Box 94214, Baton Rouge, LA 70804-9214, by close of business, January 9, 2026, by 4:30 p.m. Com‐ ments or evidence re‐ ceived by January 9, 2026, will be posted on the Louisiana Depart‐ ment of Insurance web‐ site at https://www.ldi. la.gov/public-hearingand-rulemaking-notices.

The provided link directs to the public hearing no‐ tices page of the Louisiana Department of Insurance website. This page contains announce‐ ments and information regarding upcoming pub‐ lic hearings conducted by the Louisiana Depart‐ ment of Insurance. Users can access documents, notices, and other rele‐ vant information related to these proceedings. It is recommended to visit the website directly for the most up-to-date in‐ formation from the Louisiana Department of Insurance on this public hearing. Interested per‐ sons may appear at the public hearing to provide comments or evidence as well.

Jeff Landry GOVERNOR OF LOUISIANA

Timothy J. Temple Commissioner of Insurance Louisiana Department of Insurance

ATTEST BY THE SECRETARY OF STATE

169445-DEC 29-31-3T $117.76

Nancy Landry SECRETARY OF STATE 172178-dec 30-1t $61.22

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PUBLIC NOTICE Department of Conservation and Energy Office of Permitting and Compliance DOCKET NO. ENV 2026-01

Notice is hereby given that the Secretary of Conservation and Energy will conduct a hearing at 6:00 p.m., Tuesday, January 20, 2026, at the Grand Isle Multiplex Building, located at 3101 LA Hwy 1, Grand Isle, Louisiana.

At such hearing, the Secretary, or his designated representative, will hear testimony relative to the application of Crescent Midstream, LLC, 263 Trinity Ln, Gray, Louisiana 70359. The applicant requests approval from the Department of Conservation and Energy to construct and operate a commercial class II injection well disposal facility for disposal of exploration & production waste (E&P Waste) fluids located in Section 32, Township 21 South, Range 25 East in Jefferson Parish.

The application is available for inspection by contacting Mr. Christopher Delmar, Department of Conservation and Energy, Office of Permitting and Compliance, Eighth Floor of the LaSalle Office Building, 617 North 3rd Street, Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Copies of the application will be available for review at the Jefferson Parish Courthouse building and the Jefferson Parish Public Library located at 143 Ludwig Ln. Grand Isle, Louisiana, no later than 30 days prior to the hearing date.

Verbal information may be received by calling Mr. Delmar at (225) 342-3019.

All interested persons will be afforded an opportunity to present data, views or arguments, orally or in writing, at said public hearing. Written comments which will not be presented at the hearing must be received no later than 4:30 p.m., Tuesday, January 27, 2026, at the Baton Rouge Office.

Comments should be directed to:

Department of Conservation and Energy Office of Permitting and Compliance P.O. Box 94396 Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70804 Re: Docket No. ENV 2026-01 Commercial Facility Well Application Jefferson Parish

The District will host a Virtual Pre-Qualifications meeting to be held on Wednesday, January 7, 2026, at 10:00 A.M. (CST).

The Virtual link can be found below: Register in advance for this meeting:

By order of:

https://us06web.zoom. us/meeting/register/mSH OKYNcSGSdDb5vUAyXTw After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing infor‐ mation about joining the meeting.

The District reserves the right to reject any or all Responses to Request for Qualifications whenever such rejection is in its best interest in accor‐ dance with law. The pro‐ visions and requirements of this advertisement shall not be waived.

Paul A. Lucius Executive Director of Procurement FIRST INSERTION DATE: Tuesday, December 30, 2025 SECOND INSERTION DATE: Tuesday, January 6, 2026 171632 Dec. 30, 2026, Jan. 6, 2026, 2t $83.72

Gavin Broussard Director of Engineering Division Department of Conservation & Energy

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