The Acadiana Advocate 01-01-2026

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Sources: CIA behind strike on Venezuela Trump claims dock was used by drug smugglers

BY AAMER MADHANI and KONSTANTIN TOROPIN Associated Press

WASHINGTON — The CIA was behind a drone strike last week at a docking area believed to have been used by Venezuelan drug cartels, according to two people familiar with details of the operation who requested anonymity to discuss the classified matter.

The first known direct operation on Venezuelan soil since the U.S. began strikes in September marks a significant escalation in the administration’s months-long pressure campaign on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s government. The strike has not been acknowledged by Venezuelan officials.

President Donald Trump first made reference to the operation in an interview Friday with John Catsimatidis on WABC radio in New York, saying the U.S. had knocked out some type of “big facility where ships come from.”

In an exchange with reporters Monday as he hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin

ä See STRIKE, page 3A

STAFF PHOTOS By LESLIE WESTBROOK

Kids throw confetti into the air during the New year’s Noon Carnival and Countdown on Wednesday at the Children’s Museum of Acadiana in Lafayette. The annual event gives families a way to ring in the new year kid-style with confetti, music, hands-on play and a countdown at noon instead of midnight.

Chaotic 24 hours changed N.O. forever One year later, officials reflect on attack that left 14 dead

BY JAMES FINN Staff writer

The phone call jolted him awake at 4 a.m. on New Year’s Day. Gov. Jeff Landry, asleep at a French Quarter hotel, heard New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell on the line.

“This can’t be good,” he thought.

Speaking so hurriedly that Landry had to ask her to slow down, Cantrell relayed how an attacker had just killed “a bunch of people on Bourbon Street, ran over them with a truck,” Landry recalled.

ABOVE: June Robertson, 5, blows bubbles during Wednesday’s event.

RIGHT: Rhylan Quebedeaux, 6, swings on an aerial silk.

ä See CHAOTIC, page 5A

Annual bonfire honors family members This year’s structure is shaped like a 1984 El Camino

BY CHRISTOPHER CARTWRIGHT

Staff writer

For nearly a quarter century, two Gonzales families have crafted elaborate bonfires to ring in the new year on Dec. 31.

Built since 2001 by the Laiche and Duplessis families, which are related by marriage, the structures have included a chain saw with spinning blades, a Winneba-

WEATHER HIGH 70 LOW 39 PAGE 6A

go motorhome and a 15-foot-tall, wooden-layered “wedding cake” built last year to congratulate Sherry and Dooney Laiche, as well as Greg and Sue Duplessis, for 50 years of marriage.

This year’s creation — the 25th nontraditional bonfire — again honors Dooney Laiche, who is currently battling cancer. Adrian Laiche, his daughter, said the finished sculpture is a 20-foot-long likeness of a 1984 El Camino.

“He drove a classic old El Camino for the majority of our lives, and it was easily recognizable,” she said. “We had great memories of him with that vehicle, like I said,

since I was little bitty.”

Courtney Laiche, Adrian’s brother, added that his father was always the group’s chef, creating his go-to dishes of sauce piquante and gumbo.

“He would cook,” he said. “He was always our cook.”

Anywhere from 75 to 100 people gather at the property on La. 74 to visit, eat Cajun food and watch the bonfire.

Since it began, the tradition has had a close link to honoring family members. According to Adrian and Courtney Laiche, it began with

STAFF PHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS

Ava Duplessis, 15, right, and Paityn Odom, 10, pretend to adjust the side mirror and drive the wooden 1984 El Camino bonfire at the Laiche and ä See BONFIRE, page 3A Duplessis family property on Wednesday.

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

101ST yEAR, NO. 185

2A ● Thursday, January 1, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

BRIEFS

FROM WIRE REPORTS

Channel Tunnel power malfunction fixed

PARIS — Trains were running again Wednesday in both directions through the Channel Tunnel between continental Europe and the United Kingdom but problems remained after a day of travel chaos caused by power malfunctions.

The tunnel operator, Eurotunnel, said the 32-mile undersea link was back to “full capacity” after a power fault inside it was fixed overnight Tuesday. The short statement didn’t detail the cause of the power failure.

But Eurostar, which runs passenger trains through the tunnel, warned of continued possible delays and cancellations because of “knock-on impacts” from the severe disruptions on Tuesday. Its website showed delays Wednesday to LondonParis, London-Brussels and London-Amsterdam trains in both directions and early morning cancellations.

Tuesday’s hourslong interruption of cross-Channel train services and a resulting cascade of cancellations upended travelers’ end-of-year getaway plans and provoked scrambles for flights and buses.

Another power malfunction Tuesday on the U.K. side that Eurostar said was related to the electrical fault inside the tunnel also caused severe delays for passengers aboard three trains, Eurostar said.

Just 52 bears killed in Fla. hunt, state reports Fifty-two bears were killed in the first black bear hunt in Florida in a decade, far fewer than the cap the state had set, according to numbers released Tuesday by the state’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

The 23-day hunt from Dec. 6-28 was restricted to 172 permit holders, each of whom won a “tag” through a lottery to take or harvest one bear, terms the agency uses for killing.

The state devised a far more restrictive structure for the 2025 hunt than the last hunt in 2015, which was open to all licensed hunters but was shut down after a few days as the bear toll rose above 300. This time, only tag holders could hunt a bear, and tags were limited by geographic zone.

Statewide, as many as 50 permit-holders may have secured a tag through the lottery with no plan to participate in the hunt.

Animal advocates mounted a “spare a bear” campaign and said foes of the hunt entered the lottery to prevent the killing of bears for sport.

Each lottery entry cost $5. The state said it sold about 163,000 permit applications, and no one could win more than one.

Guinea’s junta leader wins election in landslide Guinea’s military leader Mamadi Doumbouya won a widely expected victory in Dec. 28 elections from which several opposition figures were barred from running.

Doumbouya, who seized power in a 2021 coup, secured 86.7% of the vote, according to preliminary results from the General Directorate of Elections.

Standing under the banner of the Generation for Modernity and Development, he defeated former central bank governor Abdoulaye Yéro Baldé of the Democratic Front of Guinea who won 6.6%, said Djenabou Touré Camara, managing director of the electoral body. Voter turnout was 81%, Camara said on state television late Tuesday.

Ahead of the vote, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said opposition figures in Guinea faced intimidation and enforced disappearances, creating “a climate of fear” that could undermine the election’s credibility.

Doumbouya, 41, a former special forces commander who overthrew President Alpha Condé in the 2021 coup, built his campaign around major infrastructure projects and a national development plan linked to the Simandou iron ore project.

Production began last month at the majority Chinese-owned mega-mining project, located at the world’s largest iron ore deposit, after decades of delays.

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EPSTEIN FILES

DOJ reviewing 5.2M documents

BY STEPHEN GROVES and SEUNG MIN KIM Associated Press

WASHINGTON — The Department of Justice has expanded its review of documents related to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein to 5.2 million as it also increases the number of attorneys trying to comply with a law mandating release of the files, according to a person briefed on a letter sent to U.S. attorneys.

The figure is the latest estimate in the expanding review of case files on Epstein and his longtime girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell that has run more than a week past a deadline set in law by Congress.

The Justice Department has more than 400 attorneys assigned to the review, but does not expect to release more documents until Jan. 20 or 21, according to the person briefed on the letter who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss it.

The expanding scope of the disclosure and the additional legal firepower committed to it showed how the Epstein file investigation

will continue to occupy significant attention in Congress and the White House, almost ensuring that it remains a potent political force as the new year rolls toward midterm elections.

The White House did not dispute the figures laid out in the email, and pointed to a statement from Todd Blanche, the deputy attorney general, who said the administration’s review was an “all-hands-ondeck approach.”

Blanche said Wednesday that lawyers from the Justice Department in Washington, the FBI, the Southern District of Florida, and the Southern District of New York are working “around the clock” to review the files. The additional documents and lawyers related to the case were first reported by The New York Times.

“We’re asking as many lawyers as possible to commit their time to review the documents that remain,” Blanche said. “Required redactions to protect victims take time, but they will not stop these materials from being released.”

Still, Attorney General Pam Bondi is facing pressure from Congress after the Justice Depart-

ment’s rollout of information has lagged behind the Dec. 19 deadline to release the information.

“Should Attorney General Pam Bondi be impeached?” Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican who helped lead the effort to pass the law mandating the document release, asked on social media this week.

Democrats also are reviewing their legal options as they continue to seize on an issue that has caused cracks in the Republican Party and, at times, flummoxed President Donald Trump’s administration.

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said on social media that the latest figures from the Department of Justice “shows Bondi, Blanche, and others at the DOJ have been lying to the American people about the Epstein files since Day One” and pointed out that the documents released so far represented a fraction of the total.

A late January release of documents would put the Department of Justice more than a month behind the deadline set in law, but some key lawmakers appeared willing to let the process play out before trying to take direct action

against the Trump administration.

Massie has also said that he wants to see the release of statements that victims gave to the FBI. He has claimed that those could disclose the names of influential business figures and political donors who were involved or complicit in Epstein’s abuse.

The pair has also argued that the expanding disclosure is evidence that more people were involved besides Epstein and Maxwell.

The Trump administration has already struggled to move past the Epstein files for the better part of last year. While it’s not clear what else will be shown in the files, it will almost certainly give Democrats continued fodder to continue to seize on the issue.

A tranche of documents released just before Christmas showed that Trump flew on Epstein’s private jet in the 1990s, when they had a friendship before a falling out. But the documents revealed little new information about their relationship. The initial release of documents also showed several photos of former President Bill Clinton with women whose faces were blacked out.

Thailand releases 18 Cambodian prisoners of war

BY SOPHENG CHEANG and WASAMON AUDJARINT Associated Press

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — Thailand on Wednesday released 18 Cambodian prisoners of war held for five months, fulfilling the terms of a ceasefire agreement the two countries signed to end bitter fighting along their border.

The release was stipulated in the ceasefire agreement, signed Saturday by the defense ministers of the two countries at the same border checkpoint between Thailand’s Chanthaburi province and Cambodia’s Pailin province where the soldiers were released.

“The repatriation of the 18 Cambodian soldiers was undertaken as a demonstration of goodwill and confidence-building, as well as in adherence to international humanitarian principles,” Thailand’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Cambodia’s Defense Ministry said the release “creates an environment conducive to peace, stability, and the full normalization of relations for the benefit of both nations and their people in the near future.”

The soldiers’ release removes a major impediment toward that goal after two rounds of destruc-

airport.

They and their families were then taken by buses for what was reported to be a planned private meeting with Prime Minister Hun Manet.

Crowds outside the airport gates cheered and waved small flags as their motorcade passed. The freed men acknowledged the welcome by waving or displaying the traditional Asian greeting of clasping hands in prayerlike fashion in front of one’s face or chest.

The two countries had given differing accounts of the circumstances of the men’s capture, which took place on the same day the initial ceasefire came into effect at the end of July.

Cambodian officials say their soldiers approached AGENCE KAMPUCHEA PRESS PHOTO the Thai position with Cambodian soldiers are welcomed by villagers upon their arrival at Prum border gate, in friendly intentions to ofPailin province, Cambodia, Wednesday, after being captured and held by Thailand. fer post-fighting greetings, while Thai officials said the tive combat over compet- by Cambodia’s govern- Phnom Penh, where they Cambodians appeared to ment to rally nationalist were greeted with hugs have hostile intent and ening territorial claims.

Thailand insisted it was sentiment in the conflict and visible emotion by their tered what Thailand considfamilies as they stepped off ers its territory and subseallowed to hold the men against Thailand.

Wednesday’s statement a helicopter at the city’s old quently were taken prisoner. under the Geneva Conventions’ rules of war, which from Cambodia’s Defense say prisoners can be de- Ministry said the govGET IN TOUCH tained until the end of ernment “has remained hostilities. The prisoners steadfast in the promise Customer Service: HELP@THEADVOCATE.COM or 337-234-0800 were allowed visits by the made to the families of the News Tips / Stories: NEWSTIPS@THEADVOCATE.COM International Committee 18 soldiers and the CamObituaries: 225-388-0289 • Mon-Fri 9-5; Sat 10-5; Closed Sun of the Red Cross and other bodian people: that no solAdvertising Sales: 337-234-0174 • Mon-Fri 8-5 rights covered under in- dier would be left behind.”

Classified Advertising: 225-383-0111 • Mon-Fri 8-5 The former prisonternational humanitarian Subscribe: theadvocate.com/subscribe law, Thai authorities said. ers were flown in the afE-Edition: theadvocate.com/eedition Their continued deten- ternoon from western Archives: theadvocate.newsbank.com tion was used effectively Cambodia to the capital,

Trump vetoes 2 bipartisan bills

BY MICHELLE L. PRICE and MEG KINNARD at the heart of that bill.

Associated Press

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump issued the first vetoes of his second term on Tuesday, rejecting two low-profile bipartisan bills, a move that had the effect of punishing backers who had opposed the president’s positions on other issues.

Trump vetoed drinking water pipeline legislation from Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado, a longtime ally who broke with the president in November to release files on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. He also vetoed legislation that would have given the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida more control of some of its tribal lands. The tribe was among groups suing the administration over an immigration detention center in the Everglades known as “Alligator Alcatraz.”

Both bills had bipartisan support and had been noncontroversial until the White House announced Trump’s vetoes Tuesday night.

Trump appeared to acknowledge the tribe’s opposition to the detention facility in a letter to Congress explaining his veto. “The Miccosukee Tribe has actively sought to obstruct reasonable immigration policies that the American people decisively voted for when I was elected,” Trump wrote.

Trump did not allude to Boebert in his veto of her legislation, but raised concerns about the cost of the water pipeline

In an interview later Wednesday with Politico, Trump also criticized the state’s Democratic Gov. Jared Polis while saying that he issued the veto because “They’re wasting a lot of money and people are leaving the state. They’re leaving the state in droves. Bad governor.”

Boebert, one of four House Republicans who sided with House Democrats early on to force the release of the Epstein files, shared a statement on social media suggesting that the veto may have been “political retaliation.”

“I sincerely hope this veto has nothing to do with political retaliation for calling out corruption and demanding accountability. Americans deserve leadership that puts people over politics,” her statement said. Boebert added in another post: “This isn’t over.”

The Florida legislation had been sponsored by Republican Rep. Carlos Gimenez, whom Trump has endorsed.

Gimenez and the Miccosukee Tribe were not immediately available for comment on Wednesday.

Boebert’s legislation, the “Finish the Arkansas Valley Conduit Act,” aimed to improve access to clean drinking water in eastern Colorado.

While the congresswoman has long been a staunch supporter of Trump, she found herself at odds with the president with her support this year for legislation that required the Justice Department to release files related to Epstein.

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Feds freezing child care funds to Minnesota Move comes after fraud schemes in recent years

BY HALLIE GOLDEN Associated Press

President Donald Trump’s administration announced on Tuesday that it’s freezing child care funds to Minnesota and demanding an audit of some day care centers after a series of fraud schemes involving government programs in recent years.

Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services Jim O’Neill said on the social platform X that the move is in response to “blatant fraud that appears to be rampant in Minnesota and across the country.”

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz pushed back on X, saying fraudsters are

BONFIRE

Continued from page 1A the 2001-2002 New Year’s Eve celebration following the death of her cousin, Luke Villar, who was killed at 18 during a 2001 armed robbery in St. Amant.

“It was usually just a brush pile that we had from our property, and we would just burn that for New Year’s Eve,” Courtney Laiche said.

“And then after that happened, we decided to start building a structure out of it.”

The group builds the bonfire over the course of weeks, beginning just after Thanksgiving.

Adrian Laiche, a professional photographer, has documented the tradition since it began and said it “has gotten so much bigger over the years.”

“They used to get annoyed with me with my camera out here taking pictures, and then every year it gets bigger and bigger and people want to see,” she said.

“And now they’re so proud that we have all these pictures from every year.”

For her, the 10th anniversary bonfire — a guitar that memorialized Villar — stands out as one of

STRIKE

Continued from page 1A Netanyahu at his Mar-aLago resort, Trump added that the operation targeted a “dock area where they load the boats up with drugs.”

But the president declined to comment when asked whether the attack was conducted by the military or the CIA. The CIA and White House officials also declined to offer further comment on the matter. Col. Allie Weiskopf, a spokesperson for Special Operations Command, which oversees U.S operations in the Caribbean, said in a statement that “Special Operations did not support this operation to include intel support.”

The strike escalates what began as a massive buildup of U.S. personnel in the Caribbean Sea starting in August, which has been followed by at least 30 U.S.

a serious issue that the state has spent years cracking down on but that this move is part of “Trump’s long game.”

“He’s politicizing the issue to defund programs that help Minnesotans,” Walz said.

O’Neill referenced a right-wing influencer who posted a video Friday claiming he found that day care centers operated by Somali residents in Minneapolis had committed up to $100 million in fraud.

O’Neill said he has demanded Walz submit an audit of these centers that includes attendance records, licenses, complaints, investigations and inspections.

“We have turned off the money spigot and we are finding the fraud,” O’Neill said.

The announcement comes one day after U.S. Homeland Security officials were in Minneapolis conducting a fraud investigation by going to unidentified businesses

and questioning workers.

There have been years of investigations that included a $300 million pandemic food fraud scheme revolving around the nonprofit Feeding Our Future, for which 57 defendants in Minnesota have been convicted.

Prosecutors said the organization was at the center of the country’s largest COVID-19-related fraud scam, when defendants exploited a state-run, federally funded program meant to provide food for children.

A federal prosecutor alleged earlier this month that half or more of the roughly $18 billion in federal funds that supported 14 programs in Minnesota since 2018 may have been stolen. Most of the defendants in the child nutrition, housing services and autism program schemes are Somali Americans, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Minnesota.

O’Neill, who is serving as acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, also said in the social media post Tuesday that payments across the U.S. through the Administration for Children and Families, an agency within the U.S. Health and Human Services Department, will now require “justification and a receipt or photo evidence” before money is sent. They have also launched a fraud-reporting hotline and email address.

The Administration for Children and Families provides $185 million in child care funds annually to Minnesota, according to Assistant Secretary Alex Adams.

“That money should be helping 19,000 American children, including toddlers and infants,” he said in a video posted on X. “Any dollar stolen by fraudsters is stolen from those children.”

Adams said he spoke Monday

with the director of Minnesota’s child care services office and she wasn’t able to say “with confidence whether those allegations of fraud are isolated or whether there’s fraud stretching statewide.”

Trump has criticized Walz’s administration over the fraud cases, capitalizing on them to target the Somalia diaspora in the state, which has the largest Somali population in the U.S. Walz, the 2024 Democratic vice presidential nominee, has said an audit due by late January should give a better picture of the extent of the fraud. He said his administration is taking aggressive action to prevent additional fraud. He has long defended how his administration responded.

Minnesota’s most prominent Somali American, Democratic U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, has urged people not to blame an entire community for the actions of a relative few.

When the flames came through all the wood on that one, that was the one that was the prettiest to watch on fire.”

The tradition itself evolved as the families aged. At first, many of those helping build were teenagers.

Now they have families of their own, with children learning to carry on the tradition, Adrian Laiche said.

“All these boys, when they started, most of them were teenagers,” she said. “And now they’re all dads and have kids of their own, and their kids are out here.”

To her, that is the essential element of the tradition.

“We do enjoy that it’s kind of become a whole community thing.

Everybody around here who knows this is like, ‘What are they building?’ ” she said. “But for us, like, if that never happened, that wouldn’t have stopped them. They would still be doing this because we just all love spending time toSTAFF PHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS gether.”

Courtney Laiche agrees.

Andrew and Audrey Laiche, top row, Paityn Odom, Adrian Laiche, Courtney Laiche, Chris Duplessis, Ava “It brings up memories of past Duplessis and Joseph Duplessis, left to right, pose with the 1984 El Camino bonfire at the Laiche and family members and stuff like Duplessis family property on Wednesday. that,” he said. “Just people who always came out to enjoy it, some her favorites. favorites for sure,” she said. “ … after his guitar and amp that he who are no longer with us, and just “The guitar is still one of my The guitar was actually modeled had. And it burned the prettiest. being close to family.”

military strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific. More recently, Trump has ordered a quasi-blockade aimed at seizing sanctioned oil tankers coming in and out of Venezuela.

CNN first reported on the CIA’s involvement in the operation.

Trump for months had threatened that he could soon order strikes on targets on Venezuelan land. He’s also taken the unusual step of publicly acknowledging that he had authorized the CIA to carry out covert action inside Venezuela.

The administration is required to report covert CIA actions to senior congressional officials, including the chair and ranking members of both the Senate and House intelligence committees.

But Trump, by entrusting what appears to be the first land strike of the Venezuelan campaign to the intelligence agency,

could be calculating that the action would face less scrutiny from lawmakers than a military strike.

“I authorized for two reasons, really. No. 1, they have emptied their prisons into the United States of America,” he said in October as he confirmed to reporters his approval for the CIA to act. “And the other thing, the drugs, we have a lot of drugs coming in from Venezuela, and a lot of the Venezuelan drugs come in through the sea.”

All the while, Trump has repeatedly said Maduro’s days in power are numbered. The Venezuelan leader and members of his inner circle have been under federal indictment in the United States since 2020 for narcoterrorism and other charges.

Maduro has denied the charges. The U.S. Justice Department this year doubled to $50 million the reward for information that leads to his arrest.

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PUBLIC NOTICE --Advertisement for Bids Notice is hereby given that sealed bids (one original) will be received by the Lafayette Parish School System Purchas‐ ing Department, located at 202 Rue Iberville, Lafayette, Louisiana, 70508 and electronic bids will be received at www. centerlinebidconnect. com. Delivery to any de‐ partment other than the Purchasing Department is unacceptable and may result in non-considera‐ tion of the bid. Bids will be received until 10:00 a.m., CST on January 22, 2026, for construction of the following project as described in the Bidding Documents and listed on the Bid Form: BID #31-26 Cooler Replacement at: Broussard Middle School 1325 S Morgan Avenue Broussard, Louisiana It is further understood and agreed that the work under this contract shall be completed by July 31, 2026, subject to reim‐ bursement to the owner of liquidated damages in the amount of one thou‐ sand dollars ($1,000.00) per consecutive calendar day beyond the comple‐ tion time stated above.

Bids will be publicly opened and read aloud at the above stated time and date in the Confer‐ of the ence Room Lafayette Parish School System Central Office Building.

Complete Bidding Docu‐ ments for this project are also available in elec‐ tronic form and may be obtained without charge and without deposit from www.centerlinebidco nnect.com.

Printed copies are not available from the Project De‐ signer but arrangements can be made to obtain them through most re‐ prographic firms. Plan holders are responsible for their own reproduc‐ tion costs. Electronic bids may be submitted online at www.centerl inebidconnect.com.

Each bid must be accom‐ panied by a certified check, cashier’s check, or Bid Bond using the Owner’s form payable to the Lafayette Parish School System, the amount of which shall be five percent (5%) of the amount of the proposed Base Bid plus all Alter‐ nates. Money Orders will not be accepted.

The successful Bidder shall be required to fur‐ nish a Performance and Payment Bond in an amount equal to 100% of the Contract on the forms provided by the School Board and written in accordance with Louisiana law.

Bids shall be accepted only from contractors who are licensed by the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors for the classification of Building Construction. No bid may be withdrawn for a period of forty-five (45) days after receipt of bids, except under the provisions of La. R.S. 38:2214.

Pre-Bid Mandatory A Conference will be held Broussard Middle at School, at 3:00 p.m. CST, January 7, 2026.

The owner reserved the right to reject any and all bids for just cause.

The Lafayette Parish School System strongly encourages the partici‐ pation of minority busi‐ ness enterprises in all contracts or procure‐ ments let by the Board for goods and services.

To that end, all contrac‐ tors and suppliers are encouraged to utilize mi‐ nority business enter‐ prises in the purchase or sub-contracting of mate‐ rials, supplies, and ser‐ vices in which minority owned businesses are available.

LAFAYETTE PARISH SCHOOL SYSTEM Kristie Sam, Purchasing & Procurement Coordinator Advertising dates: 12/18/25 12/25/25 01/01/26 170670 Dec. 18, 25, 2025, Jan. 1, 2026, 3t $103.65

PUBLIC NOTICE --Advertisement for Bids Notice is hereby given that sealed bids (one original) will be received by the Lafayette Parish School System Purchas‐ ing Department, located at 202 Rue Iberville, Lafayette, Louisiana, 70508 and electronic bids will be received at www. centerlinebidconnect. com . Delivery to any de‐ partment other than the Purchasing Department is unacceptable and may

Public Notices Bids/Proposals p y result in non-considera‐ tion of the bid. Bids will be received until 10:30 a.m., CST on January 22, 2026, for construction of the following project as described in the Bidding Documents and listed on the Bid Form: BID #32-26 Cooler Replacement at: Lafayette Elementary School 1301 W University Ave. Lafayette, Louisiana It is further understood and agreed that the work under this contract shall be completed by July 31, 2026, subject to reim‐ bursement to the owner of liquidated damages in the amount of one thou‐ sand dollars ($1,000.00) per consecutive calendar day beyond the comple‐ tion time stated above.

Bids will be publicly opened and read aloud at the above stated time and date in the Confer‐ ence Room of the Lafayette Parish School System Central Office Building.

Complete Bidding Docu‐ ments for this project are also available in elec‐ tronic form and may be obtained without charge and without deposit from www.centerlinebidco nnect.com.

Printed copies are not available from the Project De‐ signer but arrangements can be made to obtain them through most re‐ prographic firms. Plan holders are responsible for their own reproduc‐ tion costs. Electronic bids may be submitted online at www.centerl inebidconnect.com .

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Public Notices Sheriff Sales

ing described property, to wit: THAT CERTAIN PARCEL OF GROUND, TOGETHER WITH ALL IMPROVE‐ MENTS THEREON, AND ALL THE RIGHTS, WAYS, PRIVILEGES, SERVITUDES, APPURTENANCES AND ADVANTAGES THERE‐ UNTO BELONGING AND ALL APPURTENANCES THEREOF, BEING KNOWN AND DESIGNATED AS LOT SEVENTY-ONE (71) OF MONTGOMERY PARK SUBDIVISION, EXTENSION NO. 1 & 2, A SUBDIVISION OF THE PARISH OF LAFAYETTE, LOUISIANA, ON THAT CERTAIN PLAT OF SURVEY PREPARED BY EDMOND E. DUPRE, JR., DATED OCTOBER 25, 1990, ATTACHED TO THAT ACT RECORDED UNDER ENTRY NO. 90-33282 OF THE RECORDS OF LAFAYETTE PARISH, LOUISIANA, AND MADE A PART HEREOF BY REFERENCE, AND BEING DESCRIBED WITH REFER‐ ENCE THERETO AS HAV‐ ING A FRONTAGE OF 80.0 FEET ON LEISURE LANE, AND IS BOUNDED NORTH‐ EASTERLY BY LOT 72, SOUTHEASTERLY BY LEISURE LANE, SOUTH‐ WESTERLY BY EPSILON DRIVE, AND HAVING SUCH OTHER DIMEN‐ SIONS, BOUNDARIES AND MEASUREMENTS AS ARE MORE FULLY SHOWN ON SAID PLAT OF SURVEY; SUBJECT TO RESTRIC‐ TIONS, SERVITUDES, RIGHTS-OF-WAY AND OUTSTANDING MINERAL RIGHTS OF RECORD AF‐ FECTING THE PROPERTY. MUNICIPAL ADDRESS: 122 LEISURE LANE, LAFAYETTE, LA 70506

Public Notices Sheriff Sales

LAFAYETTE PARISH GOV‐ ERNMENT BUILDING, 1010 LAFAYETTE STREET, 2ND FLOOR in Lafayette, Louisiana, between the legal sale hours com‐ mencing at 10:00 A.M. on WEDNESDAY, ***FEBRU‐ ARY 4, 2026***,the follow‐ ing described property, to wit: THAT CERTAIN LOT OR PARCEL OF GROUND, TO‐ GETHER WITH ALL IM‐ PROVEMENTS THEREON AND THEREUNTO BE‐ LONGING, SITUATED IN SECTIONS 91 & 116, TOWNSHIP 9 SOUTH, RANGE 5 EAST, LAFAYETTE PARISH, LOUISIANA, BEING KNOWN AND DESIG‐ NATED AS LOT TWENTYFIVE (25) OF WILLOW‐ DALE PARK SUBDIVISION, SAID PROPERTY HAVING A FRONTAGE OF 75 FEET, MORE OR LESS, ON ASH LANE, WITH THE FUR‐ THER DIMENSIONS, BOUNDARIES, SHAPE, FORM, LOCATION AND CONFIGURATION AS SHOWN ON THAT CER‐ TAIN PLAT OF SURVEY OF SAID SUBDIVISION DATED JUNE 14, 1965, PREPARED

BY COLOMB & LAURENT, ATTACHED TO THAT ACT RECORDED UNDER ENTRY NO. 477327 OF THE RECORDS OF LAFAYETTE PARISH, CLERK OF COURT. MUNICIPAL ADDRESS: 115 ASH LANE, LAFAYETTE, LA 70501 ANYONE PURCHASING PROPERTY AT SHERIFF'S SALE IS GIVEN UNTIL 2: 00 P .M. ON SALE DAY TO PAY THE FULL PURCHASE AMOUNT BY CERTIFIED FUNDS PUBLISH ON: JANUARY 1, 2026 & JANUARY 29, 2026

Each bid must be accom‐ panied by a certified check, cashier’s check, or Bid Bond using the Owner’s form payable to the Lafayette Parish School System, the amount of which shall be five percent (5%) of the amount of the proposed Base Bid plus all Alter‐ nates. Money Orders will not be accepted.

ANYONE PURCHASING PROPERTY AT SHERIFF'S SALE IS GIVEN UNTIL 2:00 P.M. ON SALE DAY TO PAY THE FULL PURCHASE AMOUNT BY CERTIFIED FUNDS

LAFAYETTE PARISH SHER‐ IFF'S OFFICE MARK T. GARBER, SHERIFF $34.97

PUBLISH ON: JANUARY 1, 2026 & JANUARY 29, 2026

SHERIFF'S SALE

LAFAYETTE PARISH SHER‐ IFF'S OFFICE MARKT. GARBER, SHERIFF $39.05

LAFAYETTE CONSOLI‐ DATED GOVERNMENT Versus No. 20256275 TRAVELODGE LAFAYETTE LLC

The successful Bidder shall be required to fur‐ nish a Performance and Payment Bond in an amount equal to 100% of the Contract on the forms provided by the School Board and written in accordance with Louisiana law.

CITIMORTGAGE, INC. Ver‐ sus No. 20251154 CAR‐ OLYN BURLEIGH WALKER AND AMY ELIZABETH STELLY

Bids shall be accepted only from contractors who are licensed by the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors for the classification of Building Construction. No bid may be withdrawn for a period of forty-five (45) days after receipt of bids, except under the provisions of La. R.S. 38:2214.

A Mandatory Pre-Bid Conference will be held at Lafayette Elementary School, at 1:00 p.m. CST, January 7, 2026.

The owner reserved the right to reject any and all bids for just cause.

The Lafayette Parish School System strongly encourages the partici‐ pation of minority busi‐ ness enterprises in all contracts or procure‐ ments let by the Board for goods and services.

To that end, all contrac‐ tors and suppliers are encouraged to utilize mi‐ nority business enter‐ prises in the purchase or sub-contracting of mate‐ rials, supplies, and ser‐ vices in which minority owned businesses are available.

LAFAYETTE PARISH SCHOOL SYSTEM Kristie Sam, Purchasing & Procurement Coordinator Advertising dates: 12/18/25 12/25/25 01/01/26 171029-dec 18-25-jan 1-3t $103.02

Public Notices Sheriff Sales

SHERIFF'S SALE AMERIHOME MORTGAGE COMPANY, LLC Versus No. 20225136 FRANK ELEMI BROWN AS INDE‐ PENDENT ADMINISTRA‐ TOR OF THE SUCCESSION OF LYNETTE ALSANDOR BROWN FRANCISCO A/K/A LYNETTE CASWA‐ LYN ALSANDOR BROWN FRANCISCO 15TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT---PARISH OF LAFAYETTE STATE OF LOUISIANA Notice is hereby given that by virtue of a writ of AMENDED SEIZURE AND SALE issued in the here‐ inabove entitled and numbered cause I have seized and taken into my possession and will offer for sale and sell for cash, ***WITHOUT*** ap‐ praisement, to the last and highest bidder, at public auction, at the LAFAYETTE PARISH GOV‐ ERNMENT BUILDING, 1010 LAFAYETTE STREET, 2ND FLOOR in Lafayette, Louisiana, between the legal sale hours com‐ mencing at 10:00 A.M. on WEDNESDAY, ***FEBRU‐ ARY 4, 2026***,the follow‐

SHERIFF'S SALE

15TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT---PARISH OF LAFAYETTE STATE OF LOUISIANA Notice is hereby given that by virtue of a writ of SEIZURE AND SALE is‐ sued in the hereinabove entitled and numbered cause I have seized and taken into my possession and will offer for sale and sell for cash, ***WITH*** appraise‐ ment, to the last and highest bidder, at public auction, at the LAFAYETTE PARISH GOV‐ ERNMENT BUILDING, 1010 LAFAYETTE STREET, 2ND FLOOR in Lafayette, Louisiana, between the legal sale hours com‐ mencing at 10:00 A.M. on WEDNESDAY, ***FEBRU‐ ARY 4, 2026***,the follow‐ ing described property, to wit: THAT CERTAIN LOT OR PARCEL OF GROUND, TO‐ GETHER WITH ALL BUILD‐ INGS AND IMPROVE‐ MENTS THEREON AND THEREUNTO BELONGING, BEING KNOWN AND DES‐ IGNATED AS LOT 8, BLOCK 10, RIVER OAKS SUBDIVI‐ SION, CITY AND PARISH OF LAFAYETTE, LOUISIANA, SAID LOT HAVING A FRONTAGE ON ALABAMA ROAD WITH THE DIMENSIONS, BOUNDARIES, SHAPE, FORM, LOCATION AND CONFIGURATION AS SHOWN ON THAT CER‐ TAIN PLAT OF SURVEY DATED JANUARY 17, 1980, PREPARED BY EDMOND E. DUPRE, JR., INC., RECORDED UNDER ENTRY NO. 80-003142 OF THE RECORDS OF THE LAFAYETTE PARISH CLERK OF COURT'S OF‐ FICE. MUNICIPAL AD‐ DRESS: 122 ALABAMA ROAD, LAFAYETTE, LA 70501 ANYONE PURCHASING PROPERTY AT SHERIFF'S SALE IS GIVEN UNTIL 2:00 P.M. ON SALE DAY TO PAY THE FULL PURCHASE AMOUNT BY CERTIFIED FUNDS

15TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT---PARISH OF LAFAYETTE STATE OF LOUISIANA Notice is hereby given that by virtue of a writ of FI FA issued in the here‐ inabove entitled and numbered cause I have seized and taken into my possession and will offer for sale and sell for cash, ***WITH*** appraise‐ ment, to the last and highest bidder, at public auction, at the LAFAYETTE PARISH GOV‐ ERNMENT BUILDING, 1010 LAFAYETTE STREET, 2ND FLOOR in Lafayette, Louisiana, between the legal sale hours com‐ mencing at 10:00 A.M. on WEDNESDAY, ***FEBRU‐ ARY 4, 2026***,the follow‐ ing described property, to wit: THAT CERTAIN PARCEL OF GROUND, SITUATED IN THE CITY OF LAFAYETTE, LOUISIANA, IN THE DEM‐ ANADE TRACT ON THE EAST SIDE OF PINHOOK ROAD; SAID PROPERTY HAVING A FRONTAGE OF ONE HUNDRED (100') FEET ON PINHOOK ROAD

BY A DEPTH IN PARALLEL LINES OF TWO HUNDRED TWENTY-FIVE (225') FEET; SAID PARCEL OF GROUND IS BOUNDED ON THE NORTH BY A STREET DED‐ ICATED UNDER ACT NO. 237515, ON THE SOUTH BY PROPERTY OF HAROLD DEMANADE, JR., OR ASSIGNS, ON THE EAST BY PROPERTY OF GWYNNE E. FELTON, AND ON THE WEST BY PIN‐ HOOK ROAD: BEING A PART OF THE SAME PROPERTY ACQUIRED BY PAUL CHASTANT UNDER ACT NO. 238640, CLERK'S OFFICE, LAFAYETTE; AND THAT CERTAIN PARCEL OF GROUND, SITUATED IN THE CITY OF LAFAYETTE. PARISH OF LAFAYETTE, LOUISIANA, HAVING A FRONTAGE OF NINETYEIGHT (98') FEET ON PIN‐ HOOK ROAD BY A DEPTH ALONG ITS NORTHER BOUNDARY OF 225' FEET; WITH A REAR OR EAST‐ ERLY LINE PARALLEL TO PINHOOK ROAD AT RIGHT ANGLES TO THE SAID NORTHERN LINE, BEGIN‐ NING FROM THE SAID NORTHERLY LINE UP TO

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Public Notices Sheriff Sales

(THE FORMER) RIVER ROAD; SAID PARCEL OF GROUND BEING BOUNDED NORTHERLY BY PROP‐ ERTY OF DR. HAROLD P. CHASTANT, OR ASSIGNS, SOUTHERLY BY (FORMER) RIVER ROAD, EASTERLY BY THE REMAINING PROPERTY OF, WESTERLY BY PINHOOK ROAD, BEING A PART OF THE SAME PROPERTY AC‐ QUIRED BY RELIE SAVOY UNDER ACT NO. 299567, CLERK'S OFFICE, PARISH OF LAFAYETTE. BOTH TRACTS ABOVE ALSO BEING MORE FULLY DE‐ SCRIBED ON PLATS OF RECORDED SURVEY UNDER ACT NOS. 62431061 AND 63-438819 OF THE RECORDS OF LAFAYETTE PARISH, LOUISIANA. SAID PAR‐ CEL(S) BEAR THE MUNICI‐ PAL ADDRESS OF 1101 W. PINHOOK ROAD, LAFAYETTE, LOUISIANA 70503 AND ARE IDENTI‐ FIED BY THE LAFAYETTE PARISH TAX ASSESSOR AS PARCEL 6022750.

ANYONE PURCHASING PROPERTY AT SHERIFF'S SALE IS GIVEN UNTIL 2: 00 P .M. ON SALE DAY TO PAY THE FULL PURCHASE AMOUNT BY CERTIFIED FUNDS PUBLISH ON: JANUARY 1, 2026 & JANUARY 29, 2026 LAFAYETTE PARISH SHER‐ IFF'S OFFICE MARK T. GARBER, SHERIFF $43.55 SHERIFF'S SALE NBKC BANK Versus No. 20250570 CHRISTOPHER HUNT 15TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT---PARISH OF LAFAYETTE STATE OF LOUISIANA Notice is hereby given that by virtue of a writ of SEIZURE AND SALE is‐ sued in the hereinabove entitled and numbered cause I have seized and taken into my possession and will offer for sale and sell for cash, ***WITH*** appraise‐ ment, to the last and highest bidder, at public auction, at the LAFAYETTE PARISH GOV‐ ERNMENT BUILDING, 1010 LAFAYETTE STREET, 2ND FLOOR in Lafayette, Louisiana, between the legal sale hours com‐ mencing at 10:00 A.M. on WEDNESDAY, ***FEBRU‐ ARY 4, 2026***,the follow‐ ing described property, to wit: THOSE CERTAIN LOTS OR PARCELS OF GROUND, TO‐ GETHER WITH ALL IM‐ PROVEMENTS THEREON AND THEREUNTO BE‐ LONGING, SITUATED IN LAFAYETTE PARISH, LOUISIANA, BEING AND DESIG‐ KNOWN NATED AS LOTS FIVE (5), SIX (6), SEVEN (7), EIGHT (8) AND NINE (9) OF BLOCK I OF SOUTHWEST‐ ERN VILLA SUBDIVISION, SAID PROPERTY HAVING A FRONTAGE ON EDWIN STREET, WITH THE FUR‐ THER DIMENSIONS, BOUNDARIES, SHAPE, FORM, LOCATION AND CONFIGURATION AS SHOWN ON THAT CER‐ TAIN PLAT OF SURVEY OF SAID SUBDIVISION PRE‐ PARED BY F.S. ROBERT RECORDED IN THE RECORDS OF LAFAYETTE PARISH CLERK OF COURT. WHICH HAS THE AD‐ DRESS OF 118 EDWIN STREET, LAFAYETTE, LA 70506 ANYONE PURCHASING PROPERTY AT SHERIFF'S SALE IS GIVEN UNTIL 2: 00 P .M. ON SALE DAY TO PAY THE FULL PURCHASE AMOUNT BY CERTIFIED FUNDS PUBLISH ON: JANUARY 1, 2026 & JANUARY 29, 2026 LAFAYETTE PARISH SHER‐ IFF'S OFFICE MARK T. GARBER, SHERIFF $32.83 SHERIFF'S SALE PENNYMAC LOAN SER‐ VICES, LLC Versus No. 20241417 BRANDON OGE' AND JY JOHNNIE 15TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT---PARISH OF LAFAYETTE STATE OF LOUISIANA

Public Notices Sheriff Sales

Notice is hereby given that by virtue of a writ of SEIZURE AND SALE is‐ sued in the hereinabove entitled and numbered cause I have seized and taken into my possession and will offer for sale and sell for cash, ***WITHOUT*** ap‐ praisement, to the last and highest bidder, at public auction, at the LAFAYETTE PARISH GOV‐ ERNMENT BUILDING, 1010 LAFAYETTE STREET, 2ND FLOOR in Lafayette, Louisiana, between the legal sale hours com‐ mencing at 10:00 A.M. on WEDNESDAY, ***FEBRU‐ ARY 4, 2026***,the follow‐ ing described property, to wit: THAT CERTAIN PARCEL OF GROUND, TOGETHER WITH ALL IMPROVE‐ MENTS THEREON, AND ALL RIGHTS, WAYS, PRIVI‐ LEGES, SERVITUDES, AP‐ PURTENANCES AND AD‐ VANTAGES THEREUNTO BELONGING AND ALL AP‐ PURTENANCES THEREOF, SITUATED IN SECTION 22, TOWNSHIP 10 SOUTH, RANGE 3 EAST, BEING KNOWN AND DESIG‐ NATED AS LOT THIRTYTHREE (33) OF GOLDEN GRAIN ESTATES SUBDIVI‐ SION, A SUBDIVISION OF THE PARISH OF LAFAYETTE, LOUISIANA ON THAT CERTAIN PLAT OF SURVEY PREPARED BY SELLERS, DUBROC & AS‐ SOCIATES, INC., AT‐ TACHED TO THAT ACT RECORDED UNDER ENTRY NO. 84-14228 AND MADE PART HEREOF BY REFER‐ ENCE, AND BEING DE‐ SCRIBED WITH REFER‐ ENCE THERETO AS HAV‐ ING A FRONTAGE ON WHEATFIELD DRIVE AND HAVING SUCH DIMEN‐ SIONS, BOUNDARIES AND MEASUREMENTS AS ARE MORE FULLY SHOWN ON SAID PLAT OF SURVEY. MUNICIPAL ADDRESS: 123 WHEATFIELD DRIVE, DUSON, LA 70529 ANYONE PURCHASING PROPERTY AT SHERIFF'S SALE IS GIVEN UNTIL 2:00 P.M. ON SALE DAY TO PAY THE FULL PURCHASE AMOUNT BY CERTIFIED FUNDS PUBLISH ON: JANUARY 1, 2026 & JANUARY 29, 2026 LAFAYETTE PARISH SHER‐ IFF'S OFFICE MARKT. GARBER, SHERIFF $34.97 SHERIFF'S SALE SERVBANK, N.A. Versus No. 20256890 EFRAIN ALE‐ JANDRO GARCIA 15TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT---PARISH OF LAFAYETTE STATE OF LOUISIANA Notice is hereby given that by virtue of a writ of SEIZURE AND SALE is‐ sued in the hereinabove entitled and numbered cause I have seized and taken into my possession and will offer for sale and sell for cash, ***WITHOUT*** ap‐ praisement, to the last and highest bidder, at public auction, at the LAFAYETTE PARISH GOV‐ ERNMENT BUILDING, 1010 LAFAYETTE STREET, 2ND FLOOR in Lafayette, Louisiana, between the legal sale hours com‐ mencing at 10:00 A.M. on WEDNESDAY, ***FEBRU‐ ARY 4, 2026***,the follow‐ ing described property, to wit: LOT 56, FAIRGROUNDS NORTH SUBDIVISION PHASE II, LOCATED IN SECTION 35, TBS, R4E, LAFAYETTE PARISH, LOUISIANA, AS SHOWN ON A PLAT ENTITLED "FINAL PLAT OF FAIR‐ GROUNDS NORTH PHASES II" DATED JUNE 26, 2015, PREPARED BY PAUL L. MIERS ENGINEER‐ ING, LLC, RECORDED JULY 27, 2015, AT FILE NO. 201528787, RECORDS OF LAFAYETTE PARISH, LOUISIANA. WHICH HAS THE AD‐ DRESS OF 107 SADDLE CREST DRIVE, LAFAYETTE, LA 70507 ANYONE PURCHASING PROPERTY AT SHERIFF'S SALE IS GIVEN UNTIL 2: 00 P. M. ON SALE DAY TO PAY THE FULL PURCHASE AMOUNT BY CERTIFIED FUNDS

PUBLISH ON: JANUARY 1, 2026 & JANUARY 29, 2026

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Notice is hereby given that by virtue of a writ of SEIZURE AND SALE is‐ sued in the hereinabove entitled and numbered cause I have seized and taken into my possession and will offer for sale and sell for cash, ***WITHOUT*** ap‐ praisement, to the last and highest bidder, at public auction, at the

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SUBSCRIBE TODAY Public Notices Sheriff Sales

PUBLISH ON: JANUARY 1, 2026 & JANUARY 29, 2026 LAFAYETTE PARISH SHER‐ IFF'S OFFICE MARK T. GARBER, SHERIFF $30.47 SHERIFF'S SALE THE EVANGELINE BANK & TRUST COMPANY Versus No. 20254609 DANIELS. DUGAR 15TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT---PARISH OF LAFAYETTE STATE OF LOUISIANA Notice is hereby given that by virtue of a writ of SEIZURE AND SALE is‐ sued in the hereinabove entitled and numbered cause I have seized and taken into my possession and will offer for sale and sell for cash, ***WITH*** appraise‐ ment, to the last and highest bidder, at public auction, at the LAFAYETTE PARISH GOV‐ ERNMENT BUILDING, 1010 LAFAYETTE STREET, 2ND FLOOR in Lafayette, Louisiana, between the legal sale hours com‐ mencing at 10:00 A.M. on WEDNESDAY, ***FEBRU‐ ARY 4, 2026***, the fol‐ lowing described prop‐ erty, to wit: THAT CERTAIN LOT OF GROUND, TOGETHER WITH ALL BUILDINGS AND IMPROVEMENTS AND THE COMPONENT PARTS THEREOF, SITU‐ ATED IN SECTION 63 AND/OR SECTION 64, TBS, R4E, LAFAYETTE PARISH, LOUISIANA, AND BEING KNOWN AND DESIG‐ NATED AS LOT 16 OF WESTLAND ESTATES SUB‐ DIVISION, PHASE I, SAID LOT HAVING SUCH MEA‐ SUREMENTS, BOUND‐ ARIES, CONFIGURATIONS, AND DIMENSIONS AS ARE MORE FULLY SHOWN AND DESCRIBED ON THAT CER‐ TAIN PLAT OF SURVEY PREPARED BY ALDON A. LEBLANC, C.E. & L.S., DATED NOVEMBER 1, 2000, A COPY OF WHICH IS ATTACHED TO THAT CERTAIN ACT FILED UNDER ENTRY NO. 200048254, RECORDS OF LAFAYETTE PARISH, LOUISIANA, WHICH PLAT OF SURVEY IS MADE A PART HEREOF BY REFER‐ ENCE THERETO. SAID LOT BEARS THE MUNICIPAL ADDRESS OF 416 KILCHRIST ROAD, CAREN‐ CRO, LOUISIANA 70520.

ANYONE PURCHASING PROPERTY AT SHERIFF'S SALE IS GIVEN UNTIL 2: 00 P.M. ON SALE DAY TO PAY THE FULL PURCHASE AMOUNT BY CERTIFIED FUNDS PUBLISH ON: JANUARY 1, 2026 & JANUARY 29, 2026 LAFAYETTE PARISH SHER‐ IFF'S OFFICE MARK T. GARBER, SHERIFF $34.33

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Public Notices Sheriff Sales

SHERIFF'S SALE WELLS FARGO BANK, N.A. Versus No. 20251874 BRANDON H. AUTIN A/K/A BRANDON HEATH AUTIN A/K/A BRANDON AUTIN AND JENNIFER J. AUTIN A/K/A JENNIFER JAMES AUTIN A/K/A JEN‐ NIFER AUTIN 15TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT---PARISH OF LAFAYETTE STATE OF LOUISIANA Notice is hereby given that by virtue of a writ of SEIZURE AND SALE is‐ sued in the hereinabove entitled and numbered cause I have seized and taken into my possession and will offer for sale and sell for cash, ***WITH*** appraise‐ ment, to the last and highest bidder, at public auction, at the LAFAYETTE PARISH GOV‐ ERNMENT BUILDING, 1010 LAFAYETTE STREET, 2ND FLOOR in Lafayette, Louisiana, between the legal sale hours com‐ mencing at 10:00 A.M. on WEDNESDAY, ***FEBRU‐ ARY 4, 2026***,the follow‐ ing described property, to wit: LOT 90, SUGAR RIDGE SUBDIVISION, PHASE 1, A RESIDENTIAL DEVELOP‐ MENT LOCATED IN SEC‐ TIONS 17 & 20, T-11-S, R-5E, CITY OF YOUNGSVILLE, LAFAYETTE PARISH, LOUISIANA, AS SHOWN ON "FINAL PLAT OF SUGAR RIDGE PHASE l" PREPARED BY BARRY J. BLEICHNER, P.E. PLS, DATED DECEMBER 4, 2012, RECORDED DECEMBER 10, 2012 AT FILE NO. 201248287 OF THE RECORDS OF LAFAYETTE PARISH, LOUISIANA. MUNICIPAL ADDRESS: 104 CAUTILLION DRIVE, YOUNGSVILLE, LA 70592 ANYONE PURCHASING PROPERTY AT SHERIFF'S SALE IS GIVEN UNTIL 2: 00 P .M. ON SALE DAY TO PAY THE FULL PURCHASE AMOUNT BY CERTIFIED FUNDS PUBLISH ON: JANUARY 1, 2026 & JANUARY 29, 2026 LAFAYETTE PARISH SHER‐ IFF'S OFFICE MARK T. GARBER, SHERIFF $31.76 SHERIFF'S SALE WELLS FARGO BANK, N.A. Versus No. 20255274 RYAN NOGOT, JR. A/K/A RYANS. NOGOT, JR. AND HAZEL GRACE NOGOT A/K/A HAZEL G. NOGOT A/K/A HAZEL NOGOT 15TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT---PARISH OF LAFAYETTE STATE OF LOUISIANA Notice is hereby given that by virtue of a writ of SEIZURE AND SALE is‐ sued in the hereinabove entitled and numbered cause I have seized and taken into my possession and will offer for sale and sell for cash, ***WITH*** appraise‐ ment, to the last and highest bidder, at public i h

g p auction, at the LAFAYETTE PARISH GOV‐ ERNMENT BUILDING, 1010 LAFAYETTE STREET, 2ND FLOOR in Lafayette, Louisiana, between the legal sale hours com‐ mencing at 10:00 A.M. on WEDNESDAY, ***FEBRU‐ ARY 4, 2026***, the fol‐ lowing described prop‐ erty, to wit: THAT CERTAIN LOT OR PARCEL OF GROUND, TO‐ GETHER WITH ALL BUILD‐ INGS AND IMPROVE‐ MENTS THEREON AND THEREUNTO, AND WITH ALL RIGHTS, WAYS, SERVITUDES, PRIVILEGES AND APPURTENANCES THEREUNTO APPERTAIN‐ ING, AND BEING KNOWN AND DESIGNATED AS LOT T-3 OF STONEHAVEN ON THE RIVER, THANESTONE VILLAGE-PHASE I, A SUB‐ DIVISION OF THE PARISH OF LAFAYETTE, LOUISIANA ON THAT CER‐ TAIN PLAT OF SURVEY PREPARED BY MONTAG‐ NET & DOMINGUE, INC. DATED FEBRUARY 13, 2004, ATTACHED TO THAT ACT RECORDED UNDER ENTRY NO. 2005-999 OF THE RECORDS OF LAFAYETTE PARISH, LOUISIANA AND MADE A PART HEREOF BY REFER‐ ENCE, AND BEING DE‐ SCRIBED WITH REFER‐ ENCE THERETO AS HAV‐ ING A FRONTAGE OF 14.15 FEET ALONG CURVE 95 BEARINGS 39°31'05"E AND 43.10 FEET ALONG CURVE 96 BEARING N 43°30'09" WON CROFT ROW AND IS BOUNDED NORTH BY PORTIONS OF LOTS 70 AND 71, DRIFTWOOD SUB‐ DIVISION, EAST BY LOT T4, STONEHAVEN ON THE RIVER, SOUTH BY CROFT ROW, AND WEST BY LOT T-2, STONEHAVEN ON THE RIVER AND HAVING SUCH OTHER DIMENSIONS, BOUNDARIES AND MEA‐ SUREMENTS AS ARE MORE FULLY SHOWN ON SAID PLAT OF SURVEY. MUNICIPAL ADDRESS: 126 CROFT ROW, LAFAYETTE, LA 70503 ANYONE PURCHASING PROPERTY AT SHERIFF'S SALE IS GIVEN UNTIL 2: 00 P .M. ON SALE DAY TO PAY THE FULL PURCHASE AMOUNT BY CERTIFIED FUNDS PUBLISH ON: JANUARY 1, 2026 & JANUARY 29, 2026 LAFAYETTE PARISH SHER‐ IFF'S OFFICE MARK T. GARBER, SHERIFF $38.83

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Public Notices Sheriff Sales

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SHERIFF'S SALE

15TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT---PARISH OF LAFAYETTE STATE OF LOUISIANA

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The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Thursday, January 1, 2026 ● 5A

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CHAOTIC

Continued from page 1A The call touched off a frenzied 24 hours in which local, state and federal law enforcement officers, along with elected officials in Louisiana’s tourist hub, sought to secure one of America’s most famous party neighborhoods after an attack that killed 14.

As they raced against the clock on the eve of the Sugar Bowl and with the impending kickoff of Carnival season, they frantically tried to discern whether the attacker, 42-year-old Shamsud Din-Jabbar, acted alone in planting explosives around the French Quarter hours before he swerved a Ford pickup onto the famous party strip. He ran down dozens of revelers and engaged police in a shootout that left him dead.

The burst of violence lasted all of 15 seconds, but had horrific consequences.

The attack sent officials scrambling to New Orleans after they had been celebrating the holiday with their families across the state.

Their mission: to determine whether Jabbar acted alone amid at-times mixed messages from federal law enforcement. Investigators would also need to evaluate whether a flurry of additional bomb warnings called in by anxious pedestrians after the attack posed further threats.

Resolving those questions would be key in deciding whether the city’s tourism core could reopen in time for the Sugar Bowl — and whether the city, among the most seasoned in the country at hosting major events, could bounce back in the longer term to host a successful 2025 Mardi Gras season and Super Bowl LIX. About 30 minutes before Landry bolted awake, Yehonatan Ben-Tzur, an Israeli soldier on vacation in the United States, was walking back to his Canal Street hotel with a friend after a night partying in the French Quarter. They saw Jabbar’s truck come flying toward them.

The vehicle slammed Ben-Tzur’s right side, crushing his arm and rupturing an artery in his leg along with ligaments, bones and tendons.

A police officer rushed to help him.

He blacked out.

Col. Robert Hodges, the Louisiana State Police superintendent and a veteran of the agency, woke up four minutes after the attack

STAFF FILE PHOTO By BRETT DUKE

A coroner’s van sits near the intersection of Conti Street and Bourbon Street as law enforcement investigates a New year’s Day attack on Jan. 1, 2025. The attack left 14 people dead and dozens injured. when his phone rang with a call from New Orleans Police Department Chief Anne Kirkpatrick. He shaved, put on his blue State Police uniform and drove south from his northshore home across Lake Pontchartrain.

By 4 a.m., Hodges was walking west-to-east along a three-block stretch of Bourbon from Canal to Conti Street. The strip is normally bustling with tourists streaming in and out of a Walgreens, Galatoire’s restaurant and a strip club.

Now, Hodges saw blood on the concrete and bodies shrouded in white sheets. Jabbar’s mangled F-150 sat wedged against a cherrypicker that had stopped its destructive path.

It was eerily quiet, except for the wail of sirens as emergency crews rushed victims to nearby hospitals.

“I’ve never been on a scene and seen that many deceased at the same time in a small area,” Hodges said.

Daylight brought a flurry of conflicting messages and tough choices.

At an initial news briefing that morning, then-FBI Assistant Special Agent In Charge Alethea Duncan said the attack “was not a terrorist event” moments after Cantrell called the carnage a “terrorist attack.”

Later that morning, staffers for Landry and state law enforcement leaders gathered at the regional State Police headquarters in Benson Tower. Landry had been discussing with Sugar Bowl leaders whether to postpone the game between Georgia and Notre Dame that evening. There was pressure from ESPN to play on as scheduled, Landry said. He felt strongly that

the city needed an extra 24 hours.

“Every hour we could buy was an hour we could pour more resources into the city,” Landry said. “We were juggling the largest crime scene probably in the history of the state with a manhunt, because we didn’t know if this was a lone actor.”

The governor rode in an SUV for a half-block — security didn’t want him walking — to deliver that message to Sugar Bowl leaders at their offices in the Superdome.

Cantrell and her staff were in the City Hall Emergency Operations Center, so a Landry staffer texted her, summoning the mayor to Benson Tower. When she arrived, the discussion turned again to whether it was safe to play the Sugar Bowl game that evening.

Thousands of fans in Georgia and Notre Dame gear wandered the French Quarter that morning with dazed looks on their faces, toting suitcases after being evacuated from hotels. Bomb-disposal agents found nails and C4 explosives inside an ice chest at Bourbon Street and Orleans Avenue, plus a similar device at JAX Brewery that was deemed not to be explosive. More bomb-making materials were found inside an Airbnb in St. Roch, which Jabbar had set ablaze.

Agents fielded “numerous additional bomb threats” that morning, Hodges said. IV Waste Owner Sidney Torres, whose company cleans the French Quarter, ordered workers not to empty dumpsters while law enforcement combed them for explosives.

Later, Cantrell’s administration would take flak for its failure to erect robust vehicle barriers on Bourbon Street and for not follow-

ing a clear official security plan on New Year’s. But after she arrived at Benson Tower on the morning of Jan. 1, people in the room credited Cantrell for helping to make the decision to postpone the Sugar Bowl.

“There are still bodies on Bourbon Street,” Cantrell told the room of public safety leaders.

The room fell silent.

“That’s the end of the ‘are we playing the Sugar Bowl tonight’ discussion,” said JT Hannan, then a policy adviser in Landry’s administration who was in the discussions.

Landry drew blowback later after posing for a photo with his wife, Sharon, outside a Central Business District steakhouse and posting it on X on the night of Jan. 1. “Proud to be a part of this incredibly resilient city,” he wrote. “See everyone at the game tomorrow!”

The governor, in a recent interview, acknowledged the criticism, saying he sent the message after hearing from hospitality industry leaders who were anxious that the attack would harm business.

“The next day, when we went to the football game, I had out-of-state fans thanking me (for the post),” he said. “Those were things we tried to do to send a message to the public that we had our hands around the situation.”

While the Landrys dined, FBI agents and State Police technicians sorted spent bullet casings, phones, fragments of Jabbar’s truck and other crime scene detritus on tables near Bourbon and Conti streets. They started packing up around 9 p.m.

By midnight, law enforcement agents were replaced by cleaning crews armed with hot water pressure washers.

It was light out by the time the last traces of gore were gone from the street.

Law enforcement leaders gathered back at Benson Tower the next morning to discuss updates in the investigation. Duncan, the FBI special agent who initially said the attack was not terrorism, had been sidelined. Instead, a senior FBI counterterrorism official from Washington, Chris Raia, arrived to lead the investigation going forward.

By the end of the day, officials would reiterate that they believed Jabbar had acted alone. They said he was radicalized by the Islamic State terror group, but that he had not appeared to work with others directly to plan the attack.

Fallout and finger-pointing relat-

ed to the attack were widespread.

Spats erupted in oversight hearings before the City Council. Congress took federal law enforcement officials to task because Lyonel Myrthil, the FBI’s special agent in charge for New Orleans, had been out of the country when the attack happened.

Much of the response turned to caring for survivors and victims’ families. The feds frustrated some local and state officials by setting up a victims’ assistance unit in a relatively remote stretch of Elysian Fields Avenue, far from New Orleans’ downtown core where the attack occurred.

“There was some stress between the FBI’s victims office and our victims’ office, just trying to contact families and victims,” Landry said.

“But … by the time the Sugar Bowl was done and over, I felt like we had our hands around it.”

A Landry staffer dedicated to supporting crime victims, Patty Giovingo, met in the hospital with Ben-Tzur, the Israeli man struck by Jabbar’s truck. He would need nine surgeries in two months in New Orleans, plus another when he returned home to Israel.

The Israeli government provides free health care to survivors of terror attacks, and Ben-Tzur needed certification from the FBI that his injuries stemmed from a terrorist incident. Giovingo helped him secure a letter from the FBI affirming as much.

Ben-Tzur said he harbors no ill will toward the attacker who maimed him. “There is no one to be angry about,” he said. “He’s dead.”

Current and former officials praised coordination between state, federal and local law enforcement in the attack’s immediate aftermath.

But official statements and a consultant’s report have since exposed weaknesses of the city’s defenses, and New Orleans has taken only patchwork steps to protect downtown residents, The Times-Picayune | The Advocate reported this week. Those measures include barriers and armored vehicles used to block streets during major events and holidays.

City officials at a news conference this week described a network of street closures, law enforcement deployments and National Guard units planned for the night of the attack’s one-year anniversary.

“We’re absolutely taking in what we experienced one year ago,” Cantrell said.

6A ● Thursday, January 1, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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ALMANAC

AIR QUALITY

LAFAyETTE THROUGH 5 P.M. WEDNESDAy

YESTERDAY

TEMPERATURE

High/low Normal high/low Record high Record low

GOOD

61°/30° 62°/44° 86° in 1940 16° in 1983

TODAY

PRECIPITATION

MODERATE

24 hours through 5 p.m. Wed. 0.00” Month to date (normal) 7.58” (4.96”) year to date (normal) 72.41” (62.81”)

MAIN POLLUTANT Ozone

SUN AND MOON Sunrise today Sunset tonight Moonrise today Moonset today

MAIN POLLUTANT Particulates

READING 49

7:04 a.m.

5:19 p.m.

3:26 p.m.

5:20 a.m.

SOURCE: AIRNOW.GOV

FULL

LAST

NEW

FIRST

JAN 3

JAN 10

JAN 18

JAN 25

THE NATION AND WORLD Today City

LOUISIANA FORECAST

RIVER STAGES MISSISSIPPI

Monroe 70/54

Shreveport 71/58

Jackson 68/51

Longview 69/56

Many 68/51

Hattiesburg 68/47

Alexandria 69/53

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

Cairo COMITE

Near Olive

Baton Rouge 71/54 Beaumont 74/58

Port Arthur 71/60

Lafayette

AMITE

Near Darlington Denham Springs Port Vincent

New Orleans 69/54

Lake Charles 70/57

TICKFAW

Montpelier Holden

Houma 71/51

ATCHAFALAYA

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

TIDES HIGH

First FT. LOW

Lake Pontchartrain (Tchefuncte River) 5:00a 0.7 Shell Beach 11:29p 1.5 South Point, Marsh Island 4:25p 1.8 Cypremort Point 8:02p 1.3 Grand Isle (Barataria Pass) 7:41p 1.2 Mississippi River (Southwest Pass) 6:54p 1.6 Wine Island 8:49p 1.5

FT.

5:05p -0.5 10:51a -0.7 5:57a -1.4 10:00a -1.0 6:12a -0.8 4:31a -1.1 7:14a -1.0

HIGH

Second FT. LOW

FT.

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

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Forecasts and graphics, except KATC forecasts, provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2026

Simmesport Melville Krotz Springs Butte La Rose Bayou Sorrel Morgan City

FLOOD STAGE 24-HOUR STAGE CHANGE

34 48 48 35 27 22 17

-4.20 16.80 19.40 7.20 3.80 2.81 1.50

-0.79 +0.28 +0.10 +0.30 none +0.08 -0.07

40

14.23

+2.33

19

-1.42

-0.01

18 29 8

-0.96 10.19 0.40

-0.02 -0.05 -0.49

13 15

2.02 0.87

-0.04 -0.02

47 34 29 20 12 6

5.49 3.49 3.27 2.47 2.40 1.91

+0.41 +0.30 +0.28 +0.34 +0.70 +0.10

Austin Boston Dallas Fairbanks Honolulu Las Vegas Louisville Miami Nashville

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

Friday

Hi

Lo

W

Hi

Lo

W

City

75 31 70 -34 82 55 41 69 55

54 15 56 -45 71 45 31 51 34

pc pc pc s sh sh c s s

85 28 72 -37 79 60 42 72 58

55 19 45 -45 70 44 30 55 42

s s s s sh c c s c

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

43 91 56 38 40 69 43 38 72 72 53

36 72 39 34 34 54 33 34 54 55 45

r pc pc sn c pc pc c c s r

41 90 57 37 39 65 39 38 75 64 50

33 72 45 28 31 48 29 30 53 53 37

sh pc pc sf pc c s pc c s pc

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

Hi

Today

Friday

Lo

W

Hi

Lo

W

69 66 34 69 21 54 38 67 68

54 46 24 56 16 30 28 59 52

s s pc sh sf pc pc sh s

74 71 35 70 28 57 40 70 71

64 52 24 53 16 41 27 58 61

pc pc pc c pc c c c pc

71 44 46 72 12 14 66 38 55 34 49

49 35 39 41 -6 -2 50 35 47 25 40

s pc c pc sf sn sh c pc sn c

73 40 53 73 11 17 66 40 61 27 46

54 29 41 43 1 15 48 29 55 23 35

s pc pc pc c c pc sh r sn sh

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

-10

-0s

0s

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

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

Today Fri. Sat. Sun. Mon. Tue. Wed.

Major

8:57a 9:58a 11:01a 12:04p 12:38a 1:37a 2:32a

Minor

Major

2:41a 9:30p 3:42a 10:31p 4:45a 11:33p 5:49a ---6:51a 1:05p 7:50a 2:02p 8:43a 2:55p

Minor

3:13p 4:14p 5:17p 6:19p 7:19p 8:14p 9:06p

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

Attorney Philip Cossich dies Singer Richard Smallwood dies Trial lawyer was behind some of La.’s biggest lawsuits

BY TYLER BRIDGES Staff writer

Philip Cossich Jr., a prominent trial attorney who won big judgments for people injured or harmed by companies accused of negligence, especially in south Louisiana, died Monday from pancreatic cancer at his home in Belle Chasse. He was 67.

Cossich was known for his legal smarts and also for his ability to work with anybody.

Former Gov. John Bel Edwards and Gov. Jeff Landry are political foes, but both expressed dismay Tuesday of Cossich’s passing.

“He was an unbelievable lawyer and a great guy,” Landry said, stunned at the news.

Cossich “Unlike most, he was a big thinker,” Edwards said. “He had a way of looking not just at what was happening but where the law was going and where he could make a big difference. I genuinely don’t believe the word brilliant begins to describe how smart he was.”

In his final case, Cossich was part of the team of lawyers who accused Chevron of causing the loss of land in Plaquemines Parish through their drilling activities.

In April, a jury awarded Plaquemines Parish $745 million in damages. Chevron is seeking to have the U.S. Supreme Court overturn that ruling.

John Carmouche, the plaintiffs’ lead attorney, said Cossich played a key role in getting the Plaquemines Parish Council to agree to sign onto the lawsuit and helped fight efforts by oil and gas representatives afterward to have the council drop the case.

Cossich told the council in

2018 that the attorneys’ goal was simply to make the oil and gas companies pay what they owed.

“If you made up a mess, clean up your mess,” he said.

More recently, Cossich helped Carmouche formulate strategy on how to try the lawsuit in 2025 and who to pick for the jury.

“I never heard anyone ever say a cross word about Phil Cossich,” said Donald Price, a veteran Baton Rouge-based trial attorney.

In a long career, Cossich’s law firm won tens of millions of dollars for school boards and local businesses after hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005.

Cossich represented oystermen and menhaden fish processors following the giant BP oil spill in 2010.

He helped craft a $2.3 billion settlement for the seafood industry, said Daniel Balhoff, an attorney involved in the case.

“It meant they could continue to take care of their families when things were tough,” said John Tesvich, a fourth-generation oysterman in Buras.

Cossich represented cities and water providers in several states that accused 3M, DuPont and other companies of contaminating drinking water with “forever chemicals” known as PFAS. They were part of a team that won nearly $15 billion in a settlement for their clients.

“He was able to utilize both his historical knowledge and relationships to get very good and fair settlements for his clients,” said John Perry, a Baton Rouge-based lawyer and court-appointed mediator. “He could land the plane. He wouldn’t land the plane unless his clients were taken care of.”

Cossich expressed a distaste for politics, but he and his law firm — Cossich, Sumich, Parsiola & Taylor — donated tens of thousands of dollars over the years to governors, attorneys general, senators, state legislators, mayors and district attorneys, Democrats and Republicans alike.

In 2011-12, he served as president of the Louisiana

Association for Justice, which represents the interests of trial attorneys in Baton Rouge.

He and Edwards became friends through their membership in the association.

In May 2015, Cossich and two other prominent trial attorneys got their firms to put up $50,000 apiece to form Gumbo PAC, with a message to keep then-Sen. David Vitter, an anti-trial lawyer Republican, from being elected governor.

“I said, “Guys, we fight bullies for a living. Why not take on this one?” Cossich said in a 2016 interview.

Vitter had fought to limit BP’s legal exposure after the spill.

Later in 2015, Cossich’s law firm donated $5,000 to Edwards, who was elected governor.

His firm also donated money to Landry when he was reelected as attorney general in 2019 and when he was elected governor in 2023.

Cossich’s is survived by his wife Deena, who was his high school sweetheart, and four children: Christina Cossich, Tiffany Cossich Sands, Melissa Myers and Philip Cossich III. His sister, Joy Lobrano, is a judge on the 4th Circuit Court of Appeal, which serves Orleans, Plaquemines and St. Bernard parishes.

Cossich’s funeral is scheduled for Jan. 7 at Lake Lawn Funeral Home in New Orleans.

Cossich was a star athlete in the 1970s at Buras High School, where his father served as athletic director, and he tended to view his activities through a sporting lens, said Christina Cossich.

He and Edwards bonded over their shared experiences as high school quarterbacks, trial lawyers and parents.

He and Edwards frequently sat next to each other in the governor’s suite during Saints games, intently watching the play on the field, not wanting to be interrupted.

“We went to the game to see the game and not to be seen,” Edwards said. “We absolutely had that in common.”

BY JEFF MARTIN Associated Press

Richard Smallwood, a gospel singer and recording artist nominated eight times for Grammy Awards, has died. He was 77.

Smallwood died Tuesday of complications of kidney failure at a rehabilitation and nursing center in Sandy Spring, Maryland, his representative Bill Carpenter announced.

Smallwood had health issues for many years, and music gave him the strength to endure, Carpenter said in an interview.

“Richard was so dedicated to music, and that was Smallwood the thing that kept him alive all these years,” he said. “Making music that made people feel something is what made him want to keep breathing and keep moving and keep living.”

Smallwood’s songs were performed and recorded over the years by artists such as Whitney Houston, Stevie Wonder, Destiny’s Child and Boyz II Men. Houston brought his music to film by performing “I Love the Lord” in the 1996 movie “The Preacher’s Wife,” according to Smallwood’s biography at the Gospel Music Hall of Fame.

Smallwood “opened up my whole world of gospel music,” singer and songwriter Chaka Khan wrote on Facebook after his death. “His music didn’t just inspire me, it transformed me,” she said. “He is my favorite pianist, and his brilliance, spirit, and devotion to the music have shaped generations, including my own journey.”

Smallwood was born Nov. 30, 1948, in Atlanta and began to play piano by ear by the

age of 5, according to biographic materials provided by Carpenter. By age 7, he was taking formal lessons. He had formed his own gospel group by the time he was 11.

He was primarily raised in Washington, D.C., by his mother, Mabel, and his stepfather, the Rev. Chester Lee “C.L.” Smallwood. His stepfather was the pastor of Union Temple Baptist Church in Washington.

Smallwood was a music pioneer in multiple ways at Howard University in Washington, where he graduated cum laude with a music degree. He was a member of Howard’s first gospel group, the Celestials. He was also a founding member of the university’s gospel choir, according to an obituary from Carpenter.

After college, Smallwood taught music at the University of Maryland and went on to form the Richard Smallwood Singers in 1977, bringing a contemporary sound to traditional gospel music. He later formed Vision, a large choir that fueled some of his biggest gospel hits, including “Total Praise.”

“Total Praise” became a modern-day hymn that touched people from all types of backgrounds and walks of life, Carpenter said by phone Wednesday.

“You can go into any kind of church — a Black church, a White church, a nondenominational church — and you might hear that song,” he said. “Somehow it found its footing throughout the whole Christian world.

If he never wrote anything else, that would have put him in the modern hymn book.”

Wonder performed “Total Praise” at the funeral of Martin Luther King Jr.’s son Dexter Scott King at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta on Feb. 10, 2024.

‘The Wire’ actor Isiah Whitlock Jr. dies

BY ANDREW DALTON Associated Press

Isiah Whitlock Jr., an actor who made frequent memorable appearances on the HBO series “The Wire” and “Veep” and in five films with director Spike Lee, died Tuesday. He was 71.

Whitlock’s manager Brian Liebman told The Associated Press in an email that the actor died in New York after a short illness.

Whitlock played openly corrupt state Sen. Clay Davis on 25 episodes across the five seasons of “The Wire.”

Davis, a fan-favorite character, was known for his profane catchphrase — “sheee-it” — delivered by Whitlock in moments of triumph and blunt honesty. The actor first used the phrase in his first film with Lee, 2002’s “The 25th Hour,” when his detective character discovers a cache of drugs hidden in a couch.

“It’s a big, big, big loss,” Lee said in a phone call with the AP on Tuesday. “I’m going to miss him for the rest of my life.”

Whitlock went on to appear in four other Lee films, including 2004’s “She Hate Me,” 2012’s “Red Hook Summer,” 2015’s “Chi-Raq,” 2018’s “BlacKkKlansman” and 2020’s “Da 5 Bloods.”

“We vibed over all those years,” Lee said.

“We clicked from the jump.”

Lee said he has especially sweet memories of the extended time he spent with Whitlock shooting “Da 5 Bloods” on location in Thailand. “He was just a beautiful, beautiful soul,” Lee said. “If you were around him, he made everybody feel good in his presence. He would radiate. I would put that over his acting.”

A native of South Bend, Indiana, Whitlock went to Southwest Minnesota State University, where he played football and studied theater. Injuries pushed him to study acting, and he moved to San Francisco to work in theater.

After “The Wire,” Whitlock moved on to another HBO show, the political satire “Veep,” where he played Secretary of Defense George Maddox for three seasons.

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

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T h u r s d ay, J a n u a ry 1, 2026

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STAFF FILE PHOTO By BRAD BOWIE

Lucas Bexley, 10, gets a push from Trent McGoldrick, left, and his mom, Danielle Wirth, right, while sledding on a cardboard box on Jan. 21 beneath the Jefferson Street overpass as snow falls in downtown Lafayette.

LOOKING BACK AT

2025 Top headlines in Lafayette area included historic snow, federal trials and business developments

Staff reports The past year has been nothing short of eventful for Lafayette and Acadiana.

From the conclusion of a yearslong federal investigation to new business announcements, 2025 was filled with news.

Here are some of the stories that made the biggest waves in Acadiana.

Assistant DA found guilty of bribery Former Lafayette Assistant District Attorney Gary Haynes was convicted in September by a federal jury on six felony charges related to a bribery scheme in the 15th Judicial District Attorney Office’s pretrial intervention program, which he headed.

Haynes was found guilty on two counts of using a cellphone in interstate commerce in aid of bribery and on single counts of conspiracy to engage in bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds, bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds, conspiring to commit money laundering and obstruction of justice.

The bribery scheme, dubbed Operation Cajun Hustle, involved others who directed offenders with pending charges to businesses owned by Leonard Franques that provided online classes and substance abuse treatment for fees.

Franques split the revenue from the classes with Haynes and co-conspirator Dusty Guidry.

A federal judge sentenced Haynes to seven years in federal prison, and he was imme-

diately taken into custody on Dec. 12.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By LESLIE WESTBROOK The U.S. Bureau of Prisons inmate search on Dec. 30 listed Gary Haynes, a former assistant district attorney in the 15th Judicial District Attorney’s Office, arrives details about Haynes, such as Sept. 18 at the John M. Shaw Federal Courthouse in Lafayette. Haynes was convicted in September his age and registration numby a federal jury on six felony charges related to a bribery scheme. ber, but noted that he was not in their custody.

Franques, who cooperated with federal investigators, pleaded guilty to one felony count of conspiracy to defraud the United States. He was sentenced to 12 months in federal prison for his role in another kickback scheme involving the secretary of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.

Franques must report to prison by Jan. 6.

Guidry pleaded guilty to three federal charges and was sentenced to 48 months in STAFF FILE PHOTO By BRAD KEMP prison. He is serving at a lowSTAFF FILE PHOTO By BRAD KEMP Workers pressure-wash Northgate Mall on June 20 in security federal prison in Atlanta, according to the Bureau Cardinals sit on a bird feeder covered in Lafayette. The mall has new ownership and is getting a snow on Jan. 22 in Lafayette. rebrand. of Prisons inmate search.

Former Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Secretary Jack Montoucet is scheduled for trial in federal court starting May 11.

Lafayette’s oldest shopping Claire Taylor, staff reporter mall has new ownership and is getting a rebrand.

The mall was put on the market in late 2024 and bought for $2.8 million by local developer Lafayette experienced a rare Jacoby Landry in June. Landry winter wonderland when Win- plans to rebrand the 55-yearter Storm Enzo buried the re- old mall as The Hub, a nod to gion in 8-11 inches of snow in Lafayette’s nickname as the Hub City.

January.

The redevelopment will foDespite the sporadic power outages, boil water advisories, cus on mixed-use commerce, school closures and treacher- green spaces and lighting to ous travel conditions, residents ensure safety and create a welenjoyed the historic conditions coming atmosphere.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By BRAD BOWIE by sledding down a hill at MonThe former Planet Fitness Faculty, staff, and alumni bid farewell to E. Joseph Savoie after cus Park and trying to build space will house a health club the announcement of his retirement as the sixth president of the snowmen.

University of Louisiana at Lafayette on July 30 at Martin Hall. ä Acadiana Advocate staff See 2025, page 4B

Northgate Mall to be redeveloped

Historic snow blankets Lafayette

2B ● Thursday, January 1, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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

OUR VIEWS

State in good position to address challenges in 2026 It’s that time of year when many of us are recommitting ourselves to attack long-festering issues, whether it’s that extra 20 pounds that just won’t go away by themselves or the pile of seldom-worn clothes that really should be donated.

It’s also a time to focus on things beyond selfhelp and domestic order, to take stock of the world around us and figure out how we all can play a part in helping to address some lingering issues.

Louisiana has its fair share of those, but let us say first that we saw a lot of good things happening in our state in 2025. Education appears to be a bright spot with Louisiana student and school performance scores at new highs. Crime still remains at record lows in many areas. It seems that perhaps some of the multi-pronged efforts to lower our insurance costs may be starting to have an effect. The state budget picture appears to be good.

And we particularly like what we have seen on the economic development front, not only with new projects being announced but also with the strategy of diversifying economic potential in all parts of the state.

So we’re at least starting the year with our heads above water. Still, there are a few areas where we would like to see more attention.

The coast: We have previously expressed concern about the cancellation of the big sediment diversion projects that were set to help rebuild land lost along the coast. And while we are open to new strategies that are supposedly being pursued, we still don’t see a comprehensive vision. It has taken a phenomenal effort to bring our coastal issues into the national conversation; let’s not see that spotlight dim.

Health care: The cuts to Medicaid and potential loss of health insurance by those who can no longer afford it without subsidies present a real challenge to our state. We were glad to hear the state will get $208 million from the federal government for rural health care to address some of these issues but wonder if it will be enough.

Youth: If Louisiana is to have a prosperous future, we simply must invest more in our youth.

While crime in general is down, violent crime among juveniles remains stubbornly high in our state. Our rates of teen pregnancy are also unacceptable. Everyone in Louisiana, from the governor on down, should be looking at ways we can encourage young people to make healthy and smart choices. We need to spend more on education and organizations that give youths a connection to community.

With congressional races shaping up to be contentious in 2026, we hope at least, during their campaigns, the candidates talk about the serious issues facing our state rather than just stick to their national party talking points.

We need a real conversation if we ever hope become the state our people deserve.

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YOUR VIEWS

Let’s all try to stop spread of preventable diseases Whooping cough hasn’t been a threat in the U.S. since the 1940s. But less than a decade ago, I became infected with the highly contagious respiratory condition. It left me coughing uncontrollably and barely able to breathe. I wouldn’t wish that terrifying experience on anyone.

I was eventually diagnosed with a form of primary immunodeficiency, meaning part of my immune system is missing or not functioning properly. I am more susceptible to different types of infections that people with healthy immune systems fight off naturally.

Whooping cough is rare to see due to high vaccine rates. Those traditionally high rates are being threatened by misinformation and proposed changes to vaccine policies not rooted in science. Lower vaccination rates threaten people like me and the millions of others across the country with compromised immune systems.

I am the mother of a 1-year-old, who is just making her way through the routine childhood vaccine schedule.

Column tries to erase Iroquois contributions to U.S.

I am also the wife of a physician at a local health system. My husband is routinely exposed to infectious pathogens through his patients. The declining vaccination rates in the general population and any possible threat to the access of safe vaccines are a major concern for my young family.

I was honored to speak at a roundtable for Louisianans hosted recently by the Immune Deficiency Foundation.

We discussed shifting vaccination rates and how people with compromised immune systems rely on community immunity to stay healthy.

This goes beyond a simple plea to get your flu shot. We are pleading to policymakers and public health officials at the state level in Louisiana and at the federal level to keep promoting vaccines with proactive policies and accurate information. We need to make certain vaccine-preventable diseases like whooping cough and measles remain a thing of the past for everyone.

Rich Lowry in his Dec. 3 column dismisses any influence the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy had in the founding of the United States, saying it is “a nice fairy tale;” they had “no role in our constitutional history,” and the idea was a “childish canard.” Lowry minimizes Benjamin Franklin’s knowledge of it in a specious and demeaning rewriting of history.

Reality check: Franklin, George Washington and others studied Haudenosaunee governance when shaping the colonial confederacy.

Franklin was Indian Commissioner for Pennsylvania, chairman of the Indian committee for the Continental Congress, and published records of treaty councils as Pennsylvania’s official printer.

The Grand Council of the tribes has sections of Elder and Younger Brothers, similar to the U.S.’s twohouse Congress. The 13 arrows bundled together on the Great Seal of the United States is after an analogy of 6 bundled arrows that Onondaga leader Canassatego used to urge colonies to unite at the 1744 Treaty of Lancaster. Franklin recorded and published his speech.

Lowry implies that there is but one sentence in a March 20, 1751, letter where Franklin expressed knowledge of the Haudenosaunee Confederation. That potent sentence to James Parker says: “It would be a very strange Thing, if six Nations of ignorant Savages should be capable of forming a Scheme for such an Union, and be able to execute it in such a Manner, as that it has subsisted Ages, and appears indissoluble; and yet that a like Union should be impracticable for ten or a Dozen English Colonies, to whom it is more necessary, and must be more advantageous.”

Franklin proposed the Albany Plan that Lowry belittles; the Haudenosaunee attended the meeting. It was a significant forerunner for the Articles of Confederation and the U.S. Constitution, embodying the federalist principles in the Iroquois system.

More is in the 392-page 1987 U.S. Senate report, “Iroquois Confederacy of Nations.”

JENNIFER HARRY New Orleans

Mandatory Commandments display defies values The recent defense of mandatory Ten Commandments displays in Louisiana classrooms by Andrea PicciottiBayer rests on a selective reading of both history and original intent.

The Ten Commandments undeniably emerge from the Bronze Age cultures of the ancient Middle East — societies that were overwhelmingly hierarchical, theocratic and monarchical. Law in those systems flowed downward from divine authority to subjects.

What they did not generate were the defining political institutions of the Western liberal tradition: trial by jury, election of leaders, separation of powers, and the subordination of rulers to law.

Those features arise instead from entirely different historical streams — Greek civic reasoning, Roman civil law, and especially the communal legal practices of early European “barbarian” societies, where free men assembled, judged one another, and selected leaders. Our jury system does not descend from Sinai; it descends from forests, villages, and common-law traditions that treated political authority as conditional rather than divine.

Originalist arguments fare no bet-

ter. The Founding generation was indeed largely Christian, but that fact reflects accident of birth, not constitutional prescription. The Constitution itself avoids enshrining any religion, forbids religious tests for office, and guarantees both free exercise and non-establishment — precisely because its architects understood that future Americans would not necessarily share their beliefs. To confuse demographic coincidence with constitutional intent is to misread the very design they created.

Finally, if the mandated classroom displays were truly intended as neutral moral instruction rather than symbolic religious preference, basic empathy and intellectual consistency would require the inclusion of ethical traditions from other cultures as well.

The exclusive elevation of a single religious code, while labeling it “nonsectarian,” quietly excludes the pluralistic reality of modern classrooms.

The strength of American civic life had never rested on the authority of any saved text, but on a political architecture built to govern people of many beliefs under shared law.

BRIAN HANLEY Baton Rouge

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COMMENTARY Celebrate that 2025 is over What Samuel Johnson said of Milton’s “Paradise Lost” can be said of 2025: No one ever wished it longer. As this year slinked offstage, remember some memorable moments: Cracker Barrel stumbled into crisis when many Americans who have too much spare time became enraged because the restaurant chain deleted from its logo an elderly man in overalls. An Immigration and Customs Enforcement social media graphic said: “If it crossGeorge es the U.S. border illeWill gally, it is our job to stop it. People. Money. Products. Ideas.” Particularly pesky ideas.

A trans-identifying male Transportation Security Administration agent at Dulles Airport sued the TSA because its discriminatory policy would not let him (now her: Danielle) conduct security pat-downs of female travelers.

After 32 years at Ford Motor Co., an executive retired with 2,229 examples of colleagues’ verbal pratfalls, including: “He’s going to be so happy he’ll be like a canary in a coal mine.”

To prepare young Oklahomans for the demands of a high-tech future, the state’s board of education mandated instruction about “discrepancies” in the 2020 presidential election. Intellectuals really are the last to learn things: Harvard Law School thought the Magna Carta it bought 79 years ago for $27.50 was one of many later reproductions. Now British researchers think it might be one reissued in 1300.

In a mailing to its 3 million members, the National Education Association, America’s largest union of K-12 teachers, linked to an article explaining that Hitler was “pushed into the genocide option” because European Jews refused his offer to send them elsewhere.

In other organized labor news, the United Auto Workers (1.5 million members in 1979; 400,000 today) had in 2025 about 100,000 members from higher education’s proletariat. Neither the UAW’s communications director nor its chief of staff have ever worked in an auto factory. Sen. Bernie Sanders, the Vermont socialist, said many warehouse jobs are (a) inhumane and (b) should be protected from automation.

Elon (“I’m not just MAGA, I’m dark gothic MAGA”) Musk’s DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency),

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO

Cracker Barrel stumbled into crisis when many Americans became enraged because the restaurant chain deleted from its logo an elderly man in overalls. which never existed (actual departments are created by Congress), went out of existence after streamlining the government, which you might not have noticed. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who last year helped make Kamala Harris what she is today, told a 2025 crowd he relishes watching stock of Musk’s Tesla company tumble. Two Minnesota state funds own a total of almost 2 million Tesla shares.

The 24-day fire of 2025 indicated that in 2024 Los Angeles County should have spent on firefighters some of the $70.8 million it then spent on 134 lifeguards, one of whose compensation was $523,351. The U.S. president — he is such a cut-up — posted an AIconcocted video of himself as a fighter pilot wearing a gold (of course!) crown and dropping excrement on “No Kings” protesters. Explaining his commutation of the prison sentence of the fraudulently elected ex-congressman George Santos, the president said Santos “had the Courage, Conviction, and Intelligence to ALWAYS VOTE REPUBLICAN.” So there.

The president decreed that the Gulf of Mexico is the Gulf of America. In 1945, Manhattan’s Sixth Avenue was renamed Avenue of the Americas. Has anyone ever called it that?

In the Republicans’ hotly contested Toadyism Sweepstakes, a House member proposed legislation to mandate carving Donald Trump’s visage on Mount Rushmore. Channeling the etiquette of the Golfer-in-Chief, American spectators at the Ryder Cup

shouted vulgarities at the European players. Cannot protectionism fend off the NBA’s overbearing foreigners?

In the season that ended in June, the five top players, as identified by two sophisticated metrics, had passports from Canada, Serbia, Greece, France and Slovenia.

New York elected a socialist mayor (“free” buses and child care and lots of other stuff). Seattle, whose motto should be “Anything you can do we can do weirder,” elected a 43-year-old socialist mayor who has been living partly on checks from her parents.

(Shocker: Both are professors.) She promises government guided by people from, among others, the following communities: Black, Indigenous, Asian and Pacific Islander, Latinx/Hispanic, people of color, women, immigrants, refugees, people with disabilities, and 2SLGBTQIA+. Q = Queer or Questioning, I = Intersex, A = asexual.

2S = Two-Spirit, which you understand or you probably are a bigot. A taxpayer-funded Chicago nonprofit’s “Subversion Summer Camp” taught “queer magic” for resisting Trump.

Paleontologists in New Mexico found evidence that before a 6-milewide space rock smacked Earth 66 million years ago, dinosaurs were flourishing. Post-rock, all was desolation, but out of this came, eventually, human beings. Was this progress? Not on the evidence of 2025.

Email George Will at georgewill@ washpost.com.

Jimmy Lai’s last hope may be fading with foreign forces and sedition.

The sham trial of media tycoon and Lai did nothing of the sort, though he democratic activist Jimmy Lai in Hong did once meet with Rep. Nancy Pelosi, Kong has ended with an 855-page D-California, and then-Vice President guilty verdict. Sentencing could mean Mike Pence. The activities for which the 78-year-old will die as he has lived he was charged, however, were before since his arrest five years ago — in a the national security law’s imposition. cell the size of a closet, in solitary con“It was a test case,” Jonathan Price, a finement with only his Catholic faith barrister on Lai’s international for comfort. legal team, said. “The law was He faces a sentence of life, brought in to challenge people which many fear wouldn’t take engaged in peaceful protest. It long. Lai, a diabetic, is ailing was essential that this showcase and diminishing by the day. His event end with a conviction.” daughter, Claire Lai, described The court’s rendering, he said, her once-larger-than-life father Kathleen is a “testament to the death of at a news briefing in D.C. HavParker the rule of law in Hong Kong.” ing lost significant weight, he In short, Lai is China’s warnsuffers from heart disease and infections, she said, and is losing his vi- ing to other activists and journalists who would dare speak freely against sion and hearing. When she visits him, Beijing. Leaders in the United States she sees that his nails are discolored and falling off. His teeth are rotting. In and Britain, among others, have urged Lai’s release for humanitarian reasons, the courtroom where he was paraded but Beijing hasn’t budged. I would before spectators for 156 days, Lai argue China has made its point. Hong appeared pale. “You could tell he was Kong’s Democratic Party disbanded a shivering,” she said. Some days he day before Lai’s verdict. couldn’t stand or walk.

To some readers, Lai’s reprehensible This image contrasts starkly with persecution may seem worlds away the robust, bon vivant billionaire who and none of our business. Even Britain, arrived in Hong Kong as a child stowaway and grew up to become a success- where Lai is a citizen, has been slow to act on his behalf. With a few noble exful businessman, eventually creating the pro-democracy Apple Daily newsceptions, the country was nearly mute, paper, where Lai promoted free speech while President Donald Trump proved the more reliable advocate, mentionand the rule of law.

China had promised to protect such ing Lai’s plight during recent trade freedoms when Britain handed over talks with China. Inarguably, Lai’s fate Hong Kong in 1997. But communist should be a global concern. regimes aren’t widely heralded for Jodie Ginsburg, chief executive of their commitments to truth, justice the Committee to Protect Journalists, and liberty for all. Thus, China imsaid at the briefing that a record numposed a national security law on Hong ber of journalists are in jail worldwide.

Kong in June 2020 following massive “So, this case matters not just for pro-democracy protests. The law Jimmy Lai and Jimmy’s family, but it criminalized secession, subversion and matters for press freedom globally,” collusion with foreign forces. Lai was Ginsburg said. charged with conspiracy to collude Sadly, Lai’s suffering seems to have

escaped most people’s attention, while China’s influence is vast and growing.

Like a massive octopus, its tentacles are reaching around the globe, through technology, investments, acquisitions and not least through its massive Belt and Road Initiative.

Launched in 2013, the BRI is modeled after the ancient Silk Road and aims to create trade routes by land and sea.

The original goal was to physically connect Asia to Europe, but in the decade since it has expanded to Africa and Latin America.

In the U.S., Chinese companies have bought 384,000 acres of agricultural land and Smithfield Foods, the nation’s largest pork producer, raising concerns in D.C. that China might have control over these properties, especially since many of these purchases are near sensitive sites, including military installations. At least Chinese expats working in the U.S. will have little trouble adapting to the current government’s fashionable posture of hating the press. Maybe instead they’ll begin to appreciate our freedoms, all of which start with speech — and end when speech is censored or controlled.

This is proving true in Hong Kong, as it has elsewhere and throughout history.

Lai’s only crimes were fealty to freedom, commitment to the Catholic Church and the unflinching courage to remain in Hong Kong with fellow freedom fighters to face his jailers rather than jump ship when he could have.

Today, his only hope for release comes, ironically, from a man who shares China’s disdain for the press. Trump and China still have a few trade details to work out. Let’s hope one of them is Lai’s freedom.

Email Kathleen Parker at kathleenparker@washpost.com.

Live the New Year simply.

Smell the cheeses.

MONTREAL — Michael Finnerty finally has wakened up. His awakening is a lesson for us all — in personal struggle and purpose, in renewal and redemption.

Thus, a perfect tale for anyone contemplating a New Year’s resolution.

This story involves two mighty islands, many time zones, sleepless nights, early mornings, bus billboards, toilets, Persillé du Beaujolais, Mistralou, Chabichou and Castillon Frais.

Those last four are cheeses.

You should get to know them. You should get to know Mr. Finnerty, David Shribman too.

For years, before his version of the Great Awakening, his bedside alarm rang at 3:20 a.m., to rouse the host of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s Montreal morning drive show. From 5:30 to 8:30, his voice coursed through the homes of the city’s Englishspeaking minority, making Daybreak Montreal a cheery wake-up comprised of the news, commentary, and the latest gossip. His face was on buses. His checking account bulged.

Then he stopped.

Quit. Hung up his headset, you might say.

Or, more precisely, took a sabbatical, kind of a halfway house to a more substantial life change.

Moved to England. Ran out of money. Discovered there was such a profession as “cheese monger.” Began working at a cheese stand in a London public market. Cleaned the staff toilet.

Scrubbed the basement stairs. Apprenticed with people half his age. Put his gift of gab to work behind the counter. Learned the difference between Camembert and Brie. Came to appreciate the difference between Camembert and Brie.

Wrote a book.

Along the way, changed his life.

“I began a journey of reinvention, a pivot,” Mr. Finnerty, 59 years old, told me over a Europeanstyle lazy lunch in a French bistro. He had a salad, I had the onion soup, loaded with cheese.

“I make less money. Some of my friends think I’m crazy. Some of them think I’m brilliant. But it’s brought happiness. I didn’t have that in my career as a journalist at the end.”

He sees beauty in “turning milk into this marvelous product that not only immersed you but also leads you to irresistible delight.” He believes cheese “almost makes you levitate as you consume it” and that it was a bit like wine because, he goes on, “there’s the land, the knowhow, the making of it, the keeping of it.”

Had he gone mad — or had the man who once worked with Louise Penny when the mystery writer was host of the Quebec City morning show simply become the bard of blue cheese, the maestro of Manchego, the pastor of Provelone, the rector of Ricotta?

This new life — it sure was different from the old one, which he came to see as one part fun, many parts misery.

Writing the book, titled “The Cheese Cure: A Memoir” (Aveo Press, a subsidiary of the University of Toronto Press), helped restore the color. Part of it involves the decision to devote a big slice of his life to some slices of cheese.

Here’s some advice from the guy we might call the Cheese Wiz, a fellow who as a Saskatchewan youngster considered La Vache Qui Rit, paired with apple sauce, the height of gustatory achievement. He thinks Tomme de Chambrouze might be a good gateway to new heights of cheese, or maybe Tomme de Savoie or Fourme d’Ambert. These are not marketed by Kraft Heinz. You will not find them shrink-wrapped in the refrigerated section of your local grocery shop.

And here’s some Finnerty advice for life: Take a breather. To coin a phrase: Slow down and smell the cheeses.

“My new life that is mongering, writing and some broadcasting has required sacrifices,” he writes in his memoir. “I’m no longer on a presenter’s wage and while I may be a full-fledged monger, I’m not a manager, meaning I’ve had to downsize some projects I’d had for my future to fit my lifestyle into my more modest means.

Honestly, the choice isn’t a hard one and thinking about it makes me smile because those former projects hold considerably less appeal than what I’m doing now. A simpler life appeals to me.”

That, and a slice of Chabichou, might be all anyone really needs.

Mike Finnerty believes that Chabichou goat cheese works well in a spinach pie, or, if you are daring, with grilled squash. It also pairs well with a dry Loire wine. He thinks you’ll love the gooey cream line that appears just under the rind when you cut it. And when you cut it, it’s clear Mike Finnerty has learned more than what he could share when he delivered only the news.

Email David Shribman at dshribman@postgazette.com.

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

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

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4B ● Thursday, January 1, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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Paula Davis to step down from state House BR-area Republican says ‘decision did not come lightly’

BY TYLER BRIDGES Staff writer

STAFF FILE PHOTO By BRAD KEMP

Jaimie Hebert, front, hugs Ramesh Kolluru after Hebert asked that Kolluru become the new interim president of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette on Nov. 13 during a special meeting of the UL system board at Abdalla Hall in Lafayette.

2025

In a December town hall, Kolluru told faculty and Continued from page 1B staff that, with continued budget restrictions, he expected UL to end the fiscal and spa in partnership with year with a $10.5 million his sister, Rachel McCorvey budget deficit.

Ashley White and Megan of BeLuxxe Health and Wellness Center. Other concepts Wyatt, staff reporters could include a grocery store and children’s entertainment options, Landry said.

Adam Daigle, Acadiana One person has been business reporter charged as part of an investigation into possibly forged construction bids submitted to the Lafayette Parish school system.

The district said it was After much speculation, it’s official: Lafayette is get- made aware in May of the allegations by the state licensting a Trader Joe’s.

The specialty grocery ing board, which was invesagreed to purchase nearly tigating a complaint against 3 acres near River Ranch at a contractor working with the corner of Camellia Bou- LPSS. The district received levard and Bluebird Drive. three bids for a project, but Preliminary site work has two companies said they begun at the site. Trader never submitted those bids.

The school system Joe’s was approved for a building permit by Lafay- launched an investigation ette Consolidated Govern- that it eventually handed ment in October, with work over to the Lafayette Police Department. The Police Devalued at $6.5 million.

Adam Daigle, Acadiana partment arrested former business reporter LPSS construction director Robert Gautreaux in August and charged him with injuring public records and filing false public records.

The Police Department The University of Louisiana at Lafayette started its shared its investigation with fall semester without a per- the District Attorney’s Ofmanent president after its fice and with the Louisiana longtime president, Joseph Attorney General’s Office.

Savoie, abruptly stepped It is not clear whether the Attorney General’s Office is down at the end of July.

Jaimie Hebert, who was going to conduct its investiserving as the school’s pro- gation.

Ashley White, staff reportvost, was named interim president. He announced er a $25 million deficit and a $25 million budget shortfall.

Since that announcement, there have been layoffs, position eliminations and conPrograms and agencies in solidations, retirements and Lafayette and Acadiana felt the effects of federal fundresignations.

The University of Louisi- ing and directive changes.

Many federal agencies ana system, which oversees UL and other schools in the were impacted by the early state, delayed announcing moves of the Trump admintangible next steps in a pres- istration and its brief stint idential search and rumors with Elon Musk’s running of began to swirl that it would the Department of Governforgo that process, violating ment Efficiency, or DOGE. its own rules and bylaws to Among those cuts was a appoint Ramesh Kolluru to Department of Agriculture the position. program that provided food The system board ultimate- to local schools and food ly held a special meeting in pantries and paid producers November and appointed for these products.

The sudden shift left a loKolluru, who had overseen research and economic de- cal small farm and meat provelopment at UL, to the in- ducer unsure about what it terim president position at means for the future of their the behest of Hebert, who re- businesses.

DOGE is expected to close turned to his spot as provost.

Probe into LPSS construction bid

Lafayette Trader Joe’s finally confirmed

UL’s turbulent fall semester

D.C. decisions trickle down to Acadiana

its doors in July and ultimately saved the federal government very little despite its monumental shakeup, according to an analysis

by The New York Times.

Earlier in the saga of DOGE cuts was the near-total gutting of the U.S. Agency for International Development, which provided food, medical research and opportunities for social and economic development to countries worldwide.

Louisiana is one of the largest producers of rice for international food relief, with food aid being one of the top 10 purchasers of rice in the nation, purchasing more than $126 million of rice in 2024. Louisianabased companies directly benefited from USAID purchases, with Supreme Rice’s CEO, Bobby Hanks, having previously defended the agency.

While New Orleans may be receiving much of the headlines around Trump’s U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, some of those arrested under suspicion of entering the country illegally are being held in the small towns of Basile and Jena.

The Jena facility handled high-profile cases, including those of Columbia University graduate student Mahmoud Khalil. The ICE Processing Center in Basile came under fire after multiple groups filed a complaint over systemic sexual abuse at the all-women facility.

Both were widely protested earlier in the year by people throughout the state and country, with several federal elected officials making appearances.

This story was produced using stories Acadiana Advocate’s reporters have covered throughout 2025.

Reach the newsroom at acadiananews@ theadvocate.com.

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STAFF FILE PHOTO By TRAVIS SPRADLING

State Rep. Paula Davis, R-Baton Rouge, is resigning from the House next month, she said Tuesday. said at the time when asked about their meeting.

She said Grigsby’s comments played no role in her decision to vote no on the tax measure and wouldn’t on future votes.

In fact, in June 2018, Davis stepped forward during a special session to sponsor a compromise measure that would renew a state sales tax at 0.45% for seven years. Far-right conservatives were dead-set against it, but Davis agreed with Democrats and moderate Republicans that the state needed the money to fund essential services.

Then-Speaker Taylor Barras, R-New Iberia, and Edwards supported the bill after tough negotiations. But state Rep. Raymond Crews, R-Bossier City, threatened to derail the measure at the last minute.

“No, you’re not going to do this,” she told Crews on the House floor. “You’re not going to put this amendment on my bill.”

Several other legislators intervened on her behalf, and Crews dropped his opposition. The House and then the Senate approved the bill.

Her role led Moon Grif-

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fon, the conservative talk radio host in Lafayette, to dub her “Paula ‘Pelosi’ Davis.”

Davis won reelection two more times.

In her resignation letter, Davis said she sponsored more than 100 bills, with more than 50 becoming law.

“These efforts focused on strengthening our state’s business climate, workforce development, economic recovery, modernizing insurance frameworks, improving health care and access to IVF treatments, pro-family policies, reinforcing infrastructure and championing small business resiliency,” she wrote.

She voted with Louisiana Right to Life 97% of the time during her tenure, according to the group’s scorecard.

Davis, who is originally from Breaux Bridge, has worked as a real estate broker, a lobbyist, a spokesperson for L’Auberge casino in Baton Rouge and as a senior official at the state Insurance Department.

The Legislature already has five vacancies among its 144 seats, with primary elections set to fill them on Feb. 7.

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State Rep. Paula Davis is resigning from the House next month, the Baton Rouge Republican announced Tuesday night.

Davis didn’t give an explanation for her move in a letter to House Speaker Phillip DeVillier, R-Eunice.

“This decision has not come lightly, but I believe the time is right to step away from public office and embrace the next chapter of my personal and professional life,” she wrote.

Davis will step down on Jan. 9 as the representative from District 69, which covers south Baton Rouge.

Davis took office in 2016 with a group of fellow freshmen Republicans bent on quickly learning the ropes and banding together to increase their political power.

Some — such as state Rep. Jack McFarland, R-Jonesboro, who chairs the House Appropriations Committee — have gone on to positions of leadership. But political insiders say Davis has been sidelined during her third and final term by DeVillier and Gov. Jeff Landry for being too independent.

Early in her career, she won notice by not being cowed by Baton Rouge business owner Lane Grigsby, who met with her privately to say that he would start a recall if she voted for a tax measure sought by thenGov. John Bel Edwards to help fill the budget shortfall that Edwards inherited from his predecessor, Gov. Bobby Jindal.

“I just said OK. He got up and walked out,” Davis

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T h u r s d ay, J a n u a ry 1, 2026

1Cn

Some Saints set for last N.O. ride free agents, and how the other than a Saints uniform, that These players are not pending team approaches them this offsea- could be on the table if New Orson should say something about leans decides to get younger. signed for 2026 where the organization believes LB Demario Davis: Father Time may

BY LUKE JOHNSON Staff writer

For all he knows, this could be Cam Jordan’s final time playing his most hated rival as a member of the New Orleans Saints.

The Saints, who were eliminated from playä Saints at Falcons, off contention NOON SUNDAy, FOX way back in November, will play their final game of the 2025 season Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons. Jordan is one of several notable Saints players with expiring contracts who may be playing his final game in a Saints uniform.

It’s an interesting group of im-

it is, and what it is prioritizing in the second season under Kellen Moore.

Jordan is one of three Saints on expiring contracts who are well into their 30s, and there’s only one homegrown player who is set to play the last game of his rookie contract among this group.

Here’s the list.

DE Cam Jordan: The 15-year veteran has delivered a resurgent 2025, boosting his Hall of Fame credentials with a team-high 91/2 sacks — a feat he’s pulled off while playing just 53% of the defensive snaps.

He clearly has something left in the tank at 36 years old, and it is hard to imagine Jordan hanging up his cleats after such a strong season. While it is equally hard to imagine him playing in anything

be undefeated, but he is having a hard time catching up with Davis.

Now 37 years old, Davis is putting together another fine season. He’s recorded 137 tackles this season, breaking a career best that he set last season. He hasn’t been as impactful with the game-swinging plays in 2025 — Davis has recorded half a sack, his lowest total since his rookie season, and his three passes defended are his worst mark since 2017 — but he is still playing at a high level. As with Jordan, it’s a question of age and whether the Saints are open to blocking Danny Stutsman’s path to the field for another season.

QB Taysom Hill: Maybe it’s nothing, but it sure felt like the Saints

STAFF PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD

Saints defensive end Cam Jordan, left, celebrates with linebacker Demario ä See SAINTS, page 3C Davis after a sack at the Caesars Superdome on Dec. 21.

Late miscues cost UL men a victory

BY KEVIN FOOTE Staff writer

STAFF FILE PHOTO By BRAD KEMP

UL quarterback Lunch Winfield loses the ball while diving for the goal line against Southern Miss during their Sun Belt Conference game at Our Lady of Lourdes Stadium on Oct. 18.

Good riddance UL athletics not sad to see 2025 come to a close

The year 2025 is now over.

As far as UL athletics is concerned, it’s good riddance.

Quite frankly, it was a downright miserable year for the Ragin’ Cajuns.

Athletic years and calendar years aren’t the same, and there were a few pretty good perforKevin mances.

Foote For instance, the men’s track and field team won the Sun Belt indoor title and finished third outdoors, while the women’s squad was fifth in the indoor and second in the outdoor.

Soccer was 7-6-5, made the Sun Belt Tournament and tied for the most

STAFF FILE PHOTO By BRAD KEMP

UL softball coach Alyson Habetz, left, talks to center fielder Maddie Hayden during a ä See FOOTE, page 3C game against South Alabama at Lamson Park on April 19.

The UL men’s basketball team has cut down on turnovers tremendously, committing only 13 total during a two-game winning streak.

Through the first 38 minutes of Wednesday’s 63-58 loss to South Alabama at the Cajundome, the Ragin’ Cajuns only had six turnovers.

But two critical giveaways in the final 1:04 of play led to a frustrating loss.

“Really disappointed the way we finished the game,” UL coach Quannas White said. “Obviously, that’s on me as the head coach. We got to be better down the stretch.

“This is a game we should have won, minus the mistakes that we made. We’ll get it corrected.”

UL dropped to 3-12 and 1-2 in the Sun Belt with the loss, while the visiting Jaguars improved to 11-4 and 2-1. The Cajuns next will play Southern Miss at noon Saturday in Lafayette.

It was a close game throughout with the biggest lead by either team being six points. There were six lead changes and four ties.

Jaxon Olvera hit one of his six 3-pointers with 2:35 left to give UL a 56-52 lead.

He added a jumper in the lane with 1:44 left for a 58-54 lead, but the Cajuns wouldn’t score again.

Brian Hawthorne responded with a 3-pointer for South Alabama, then the two turnovers wasted crucial scoring chances for the Cajuns at they were outscored 9-0 in the final 1:44.

Both turnovers took place near midcourt as UL was trying to get into its offense. The first one resulted in a layup going the other way to give South Alabama the lead for good at 59-58.

“I’m not sure what happened on that one,” White said. “It was right in front of us on the other side, where he got

ä See UL MEN, page 3C

Ole Miss, Georgia dismiss result from game in October

BY LES EAST

ä Georgia

Georgia defeated Ole Miss 43-35 on Oct. 18 in Athens, Georgia.

Those teams will meet again at 7 p.m. Thursday in a College Football Playoff quarterfinal in the Allstate Sugar Bowl in the Caesars Superdome.

The No. 3-seeded and SEC champion Bulldogs (12-1) and the No. 6-seeded Rebels (12-1) agree that what happened 75 days ago will have little bearing on determining who advances to the semifinals.

“There’s nothing about our last game against Ole Miss that’s going to help us in this game,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said.

What will matter is how well

7 P.M.THURSDAy. ESPN

Contributing writer

vs. Ole Miss.

each team adjusted to what happened in that game and since.

The Bulldogs have won the final five games of a nine-game winning streak since the first meeting. The Rebels have gone 6-0 since their only loss of the season, beginning with a 34-26 victory at eventual CFP participant Oklahoma a week after the Georgia game.

“We didn’t know how we would react to losing versus Georgia, and then we had to go on the road to Norman and play Oklahoma,” Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Cham-

bliss said. “So that was a test of our faith and our confidence in this team. And beating Oklahoma, we knew that the sky was the limit. “ By far the biggest change since the first meeting is Ole Miss defensive coordinator Pete Golding succeeding Lane Kiffin as head coach after Kiffin left in late November for the LSU job.

Everything went fine in Ole Miss’ first game under Golding, a 41-10 home victory against Tulane in the CFP first round Dec. 20. That game also was a rematch and followed a very similar script to the Rebels’ 45-10 victory against the Green Wave on Sept. 20.

“The big message to our players

STAFF PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD

Ole Miss Rebels coach Pete Golding, left, and Georgia Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart shake hands at the end of the Allstate Sugar Bowl coaches news conference at the Sheraton Hotel of New Orleans on Tuesday. The ä See BOWL, page 3C Rebels and Bulldogs square off Thursday.

2C ● Thursday, January 1, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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BROADCAST HIGHLIGHTS 5 p.m.

On TV WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL 11 a.m. California at North Carolina ACCN 11 a.m. Michigan St. at Indiana BTN 1 p.m.

Stanford at NC State ACCN 1 p.m.

Nebraska at Iowa BTN 3 p.m.

Notre Dame at Georgia Tech ACCN 3 p.m.

Maryland at Illinois BTN

Michigan at Washington COLLEGE FOOTBALL 11 a.m. Oregon vs. Texas Tech 3 p.m.

Alabama vs. Indiana 7 p.m.

Mississippi vs. Georgia HORSE RACING 1:30 p.m. America’s Day at the Races NBA 7:30 p.m. Philadelphia at Dallas

IN BRIEF

FROM STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS

BTN ESPN ESPN ESPN FS1 NBATV

NHL Utah at N.y. Islanders NHLN Winnipeg at Toronto NHLN MEN’S SOCCER 8:55 a.m. Birmingham City at Watford CBSSN 11:30 a.m. Leeds United at Liverpool USA 2 p.m.

Manchester City at Sunderland USA TENNIS 8 p.m.

ESP v. ARG TENNIS 2 p.m.

6 p.m.

LSU women keep stars ‘fresh’

BY REED DARCEY

ä Kentucky at LSU. 7 P.M. THURSDAy,

Staff writer

SECN+.

The answer seemed obvious, but Mikaylah Williams made sure to emphasize it anyway — first by bobbing her head, then by stretching out the first few syllables of her response.

The LSU women’s basketball team finally has reached Southeastern Conference play. Williams, a junior, has never played fewer minutes across any stretch of games than she did through the 14 nonconference contests the Tigers rolled through this season.

Does she feel fresher as a result?

“Oh, ab-so-lutely,” Williams said. “This is a blessing.”

The same is true for Flau’jae Johnson. She’s a senior, and she’s logging a career-low 23 minutes per game. Williams is averaging only 25 minutes, which shows that the No. 5 Tigers (14-0) may begin their SEC slate at 7 p.m.

Thursday at home against No. 11 Kentucky (SEC Network+) with a deeper collection of rotation players — and a fresher pair of stars — than they have had in at least the last two years they’ve played under coach Kim Mulkey.

“It’ll allow me to play them even more minutes,” Mulkey said, “because hopefully their bodies feel good, and they’re not going into that SEC play with the wear and tear that they’ve had on their bodies the last two years because we didn’t have the depth.”

Ten players are logging more than 13 minutes per game, and seven have double-digit scoring averages.

South Carolina transfer MiLaysia Fulwiley (15.1 ppg) is one of the Tigers’ two leading scorers.

She comes off the bench just like Grace Knox, a five-star freshman forward who started only two games in nonconference play but scored 11.5 ppg and shot 69% from the field.

Knox is contributing about as much to LSU wins as the other three frontcourt players who have rotated in and out of Mulkey’s starting lineup.

East Carolina transfer forward Amiya Joyner is scoring 11.4 ppg and grabbing 7.3 rebounds on 66% shooting. Notre Dame transfer center Kate Koval is scoring 12.1 ppg, grabbing 7.1 boards and shooting 61% from the field. ZaKiyah Johnson, another five-star

freshman, is notching 12.2 ppg on 64% shooting.

They’ve all teamed up with Fulwiley to help LSU lead Division I in bench scoring. The Tigers received only 16.3 ppg from their reserves across the last three seasons, but this year they’re getting 50 ppg.

Those contributions have allowed Flau’jae Johnson and Williams to spend more time on the bench than they ever have before.

Mulkey said she’s “not gonna hesitate” to include most of her eight newcomers in the rotation she uses against SEC teams. That group should include freshman guard Bella Hines, and it could include freshman ballhandler Divine Bourrage in addition to the eight players already locked into significant roles.

Flau’jae Johnson spent 100 fewer minutes on the floor against nonconference competition than she did in the previous two years. For Williams, it’s 82 fewer minutes.

The lighter workloads could help them both avoid the kind of nagging injuries they’ve each had to battle right as the Tigers approach the postseason.

In 2024, plantar fasciitis forced Williams to miss LSU’s regularseason finale and first two SEC Tournament games. In 2025, shin splints started bugging Flau’jae Johnson in the middle of February. They eventually forced her to sit out the Tigers’ regular-season finale and both of their SEC Tournament matchups.

Flau’jae Johnson told ESPN for a story published in December that she thinks she suffered that injury because she didn’t take proper care of her body during the season. Mulkey said she hasn’t told Johnson this season to dial back the extra work she tries to squeeze in outside of practices and games.

“I have not had conversations with her about what she does with a trainer away from our practices,” Mulkey said. “Maybe I should, but how do you tell kids (to) put the ball down in November and December? And what am I gonna tell her any different her senior year that I haven’t already told her previous?

“So she knows. She’s a senior now, and she knows what she has

Philip Rivers’ brief comeback is over — and apparently so is his career. Again.

The 44-year-old quarterback who came out of retirement to try and lead the Indianapolis Colts back to the playoffs three weeks ago will not start Sunday’s game against the Houston Texans and has likely taken the final snaps of his 18-year NFL career.

Coach Shane Steichen announced Wednesday, as expected, Rivers would be replaced in the starting lineup by rookie Riley Leonard in the Colts’ season finale Sunday at Houston.

Rivers came out of retirement two days after Daniel Jones suffered a season-ending torn right Achilles tendon that could keep him out at least until the start of training camp, perhaps longer.

Falcons’ Dorlus will miss season finale vs. Saints

Atlanta Falcons defensive tackle Brandon Dorlus avoided a serious injury after leaving Monday’s 2724 win over the Los Angeles Rams.

The second-year defensive tackle left in the third quarter with what was thought to be a knee injury.

Coach Raheem Morris expressed concern after the game, saying that “it didn’t look great” and that he “felt for the young man.”

The coach said on Wednesday it was a hamstring injury and not a torn ligament in the knee.

Morris was optimistic about the defensive tackle’s prognosis. He said he’s uncertain if surgery will be required.

The Falcons wrap up the season against the Saints on Sunday, but Dorius has been ruled out of the game.

Bills DT Oliver hurts knee, further delaying his return

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU guard Flau’jae Johnson dribbles into the lane against TexasArlington on Dec. 21 at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. to do to stay healthy.”

The extra depth should help.

So should the fact that Johnson and Williams spent more time on the bench during the nonconference slate than they ever have before in their respective careers.

More than 45 SEC players have played more minutes this season than Williams. More than 55 have seen the floor for more time than Johnson.

Williams said she has more gas in her tank as a result, something that will help LSU navigate the difficult 16-game stretch of league play that begins Thursday.

“I am just very, very grateful for the depth that we have,” Williams said. “So, I’m excited.

I feel fresh going into the SEC.” Email Reed Darcey at reed. darcey@theadvocate.com.

Source: RB Berry commits to LSU return

BY WILSON ALEXANDER Staff writer

LSU running back Harlem Berry has agreed to return for his sophomore season, a source with knowledge of the situation confirmed to The Advocate, marking an early win for new coach Lane Kiffin and his coaching staff.

Berry was expected to finalize a new contract Wednesday, which compensates him through a combination of revenue sharing and NIL funds.

As a freshman this past season, Berry was LSU’s second-leading rusher with 104 carries for 491 yards and two touchdowns. He also caught eight passes for 32 yards.

Berry might be LSU’s only active scholarship running back to return next season amid the coaching change, depending on the future of sophomore running back Caden Durham. Two backups, junior Kaleb Jackson and sophomore Ju’Juan Johnson, plan to enter the transfer portal when it opens beginning Friday.

Freshman JT Lindsey has been suspended since an August arrest. LSU did not sign a running back in the 2026 recruiting class.

Berry was a five-star recruit and the No. 1 running back in the country in the 2025 class, according to the 247Sports composite rankings. He was a priority for Kiffin’s new staff, and his return

Colts to start Leonard over Rivers at QB against Texans

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Buffalo Bills starting defensive tackle Ed Oliver had minor surgery for a knee injury this week, further delaying his return off injured reserve for playoff-bound Buffalo.

Coach Sean McDermott provided the update on Wednesday by saying the injury happened while Oliver was rehabbing from a torn left bicep he suffered in late October. Oliver was originally projected to return before the end of the season.

McDermott did not have a timetable on Oliver’s recovery but said the knee injury adds a level of uncertainty.

Buffalo (11-5) closes the regular season by hosting the New York Jets (3-13) on Sunday. The Bills are currently the AFC’s No. 7 seed.

NBA Christmas viewership hits 15-year high at 47M

NEW YORK — The NBA saw its best Christmas Day viewership numbers in 15 years, the league announced Wednesday.

More than 47 million people in the U.S. watched at least some of the five-game slate on ABC and ESPN, which represents a 45% increase over last year. And there was an average of 5.5 million viewers for the games, up 4% from a year ago.

The Cleveland-New York game was the most-watched Christmas game ever that started at noon Eastern, with an average of 6.4 million viewers. The San AntonioOklahoma City game was the mostwatched in the 2:30 p.m. Christmas timeslot since 2017 and the DallasGolden State game was the mostwatched in the 5 p.m. timeslot since 2019.

Bulls Giddey, White to miss next few games with injuries

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU running back Harlem Berry, center, cuts past Texas A&M cornerback Dezz Ricks, right, in the second quarter on Oct. 25 at Tiger Stadium. gives LSU a promising player to build around heading into the 2026 season.

After the Texas Bowl, thenLSU interim coach Frank Wilson suggested Berry would return to LSU when asked why he did not touch the ball after fumbling in the first half. Berry finished the game with three carries for 45 yards. Wilson said the decision

was made to avoid turnovers in a close game. Berry has to work on ball security in the offseason.

“Harlem has been outstanding in his freshman campaign,” Wilson said. “He has a bright future here. He’ll be one of the greats when it’s all said and done.”

Wilson, a primary figure in Berry’s recruitment out of St. Martin’s in New Orleans, left af-

ter the game to become the Ole Miss running backs coach and senior associate head coach.

LSU hired Ole Miss running backs coach Kevin Smith to fill the position, and he quickly met with Berry after arriving in Baton Rouge. With the room depleted, LSU is expected to pursue top running backs in the transfer portal to pair with Berry.

CHICAGO — The Chicago Bulls will have to get by without their top two scorers for at least the next few games, with Josh Giddey sidelined because of a strained left hamstring and Coby White out with right calf tightness.

The team said Wednesday that Giddey will be reevaluated in two weeks and White in one. Both players were injured in Monday’s 136-101 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Giddey walked off the court gingerly with an apparent left hamstring injury in the first minute of the second half. The Australian is averaging 19.2 points, 8.9 rebounds and 9 assists in his second season since a trade from Oklahoma City.

He has seven triple-doubles.

Chicago hosted New Orleans on Wednesday night.

The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Thursday, January 1, 2026 ● 3C

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FOOTE

Continued from page 1C

conference wins since 2013.

Golf is hard to quantify as an individual sport, but the Cajuns were effectively 98-44-2 against all the teams they competed against in tournament fields throughout the season.

With that said, it was the worst calendar year for UL sports in recent memory — perhaps in nearly 50 years, or arguably in modern history.

Just to throw out a few other possibilities, football was 0-10 in 1973 and baseball only 14-19, but men’s basketball was elite at 25-4 and beat No. 7 Houston in the NCAA Tournament.

In 1981, football was 1-9-1, softball was 6-14 during its first year of existence, men’s basketball was in a 15-13 transition season and women’s hoops was 10-14. But baseball enjoyed a 4023 campaign.

Of course, one could contend the basketball death penalty years of 1974-75 were the worst years local fans have endured.

This calendar year, UL football got off to a miserable 2-6 start but rallied with four straight wins late to earn a bowl berth, before falling to Delaware in the 68 Ventures Bowl for a losing record.

No, 6-7 wasn’t what anyone in these parts had in mind in August, but it still ended much better than the start suggested.

Men’s basketball enjoyed the wonder and excitement of a coaching change after a 12-21

UL MEN

Continued from page 1C fouled, but still we have to do a better job of taking care of the ball.

We did the entire game, and right there at the end, that cost us.”

The second turnover came with 16.5 seconds left to keep UL from attempting a potential game-tying 3-pointer.

The disappointing finish spoiled a game in which the Cajuns made 13 3-pointers on 40 attempts.

“I would say it’s confidence and then also we have more chemistry now and we’re finding each other in the right spots more often,” Olvera said of UL’s recent 3-point shooting upswing. “I’d also say a lot of our legs are starting to come back and we feel better.”

basketball up in the air, it’s critical for the two diamond sports to return to form if 2026 is going to provide some needed relief.

Perhaps no program was a better example of how rough of a year it was for UL than women’s basketball. Last season wasn’t all that bad overall, finishing 13-16 and 9-9 in the Sun Belt.

But the offseason that followed might have been the worse in school history in any sport. The Cajuns didn’t have a single player return from last season’s roster.

The coaching staff even had vacancies well into the current season.

The team started 0-11 before Monday’s win over NAIA program Dillard.

The fewest combined basketball wins in school history is nine in 1995. Football went 6-5 that year and softball was 49-9 and made STAFF PHOTO By BRAD KEMP it to the Women’s College World The UL dugout watches as UL pitcher Chase Morgan delivers a pitch against James Madison during a game at Series.

As for the other sports not yet Russo Park on March 28. mentioned, volleyball was solid at 15-11 and 7-9, while both tennis struggling. That wasn’t the case coach Matt Deggs’ program took season the year before that teams had losing records and neia step backward in the spring, fin- ther made it past the first round resulted in coach Bob Marlin be- in 2025. ishing 27-31 for its worst record In coach Alyson Habetz’s first ing fired in December 2024. of Sun Belt Tournament play. season, the program endured its since 2012.

The excitement faded when In short, 2025 produced frustraTransition seasons are more worst season (29-25) since 1988. coach Quannas White’s Cajuns tion for UL fans at almost every common for UL baseball than All signs point to a more unigot off to a 1-11 start to the turn. softball, but this one came in the fied effort in 2026 with much season. That’s a rough calendar It’s also true 2025 gave us the midst of a rough year overall at more talent and experience in year for the school’s once glamshort-lived energy of a renovated UL, so it was harder for some to the circle, but last season was a orous sport. football stadium and the hope of swallow.

UL did win two of its last three culture shock at Lamson Park. a few popular new head coaching The jury is still out on how Even in 1988, softball was still games of the year, although it hires that could produce divi29-16 while football was 6-5 in the much happier the Russo Park lost a 63-58 home game against dends in the future.

Brian Mitchell era. Baseball went fans will be this spring with a new South Alabama on Wednesday, For now, there’s simply the hope pitching coach and a revamped so there’s some reason to believe to an NCAA regional for the first a new year will bring brighter roster. It’s hard to imagine wintime at 41-23. better days are ahead. days. ning fewer than 30 games again.

Baseball didn’t help either this But UL usually can hang its The bottom line is with the year. Coming off of a Sun Belt hat on the softball program, Email Kevin Foote at kfoote@ future of men’s and women’s championship the year before, even if all other programs are theadvocate.com.

Against South Alabama’s zones, White was fine with the large amount of 3-point attempts.

“That was a game we were in position to win, so that (40 attempts) didn’t really matter, right?” White said. “That’s what they were giving, so we took advantage of it. I have confidence in all of my guys.

We’re going to take what the defense gives us.”

UL almost overcome another huge deficit at the free-throw line where the Jaguars outscored the Cajuns 17-5.

In addition to Olvera’s 18 points and seven assists, Dorian Finister had 17 points and six rebounds for UL. “All my workouts, I try to practice shooting, like, two or three steps behind the line, just to work on my range,” Olvera said of his range on 3s. “So I have been doing

that for a while now.”

Joshua Lewis finished with 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting and four rebounds in 19 minutes. De’Vion Lavergne scored only five points but had four rebounds and six assists.

Post player Todd Jones was limited to nine minutes before fouling out with 5:05 left.

“Not having him out there on the floor and his rebounding, you know, just protecting the rim hurt,” White said. “How active he’s been and how consistent he’s been over the last three or four games has really helped uplift this team.

“But again, you know, it’s got to be a next-man-up mentality. The guys on the bench are more than capable.”

Email Kevin Foote at kfoote@ theadvocate.com.

STAFF PHOTO By BRAD KEMP

UL guard Dorian Finister drives on South Alabama forward Adam Olsen, left, and guard Chaze Harris on Wednesday in the Cajundome.

SAINTS

Continued from page 1C

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By COLIN HUBBARD

Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton runs with the ball against Ole Miss on Oct. 18 in Athens, Ga.

BOWL

Continued from page 1C has been: ‘You’re in the playoffs.

You’ve got to play your best game.

We’re not asking you to do anything different than you’ve done all year,’ ” Golding said. “ ‘But you’ve got to be locked in, focused and be able to execute the call.’ ” The Bulldogs also have a recent experience with a rematch, avenging their lone loss (a 2421 home setback to Alabama on Sept. 27) by beating the Crimson Tide 28-7 in the SEC championship game on Dec. 6.

Georgia will play for the first time in 26 days whereas Ole Miss will play its second game in 12 days.

“There’s no sport where you have this long of a layoff,” Smart said. “Not basketball, not football, not baseball, where you go from playing once (a week) to 25, 30 days (before) playing again.”

There are elements of the first game that one team or the other would like to replicate or prevent from being replicated.

The most obvious is that the Rebels would like to force a punt after not forcing any in the first game.

Though the final score was a onescore margin, there were larger disparities in key statistics.

Running the football and stopping the run are Georgia’s bread and butter, and its superiority in those areas (221-88 edge in rushing yards) contributed to those disparities in total yards (510-351), first downs (34-21) and time of possession (37:36-22:21).

“I think the biggest thing is not over-thinking it,” Golding said.

“Neither one of us is the same team we were when we played there. I think you can get too cute sometimes. There’s a foundation of who you are and what you believe in and the things you’ve got to do to be successful, regardless of who you play, you’re going to continue to do them.”

Smart agreed.

“If you’re a good team, you do what you do and you do it well,” he said. “You don’t trick people.

You go out and you beat them with what you do best.”

The Bulldogs trailed 35-26 after three quarters, but outscored the Rebels 17-0 in the fourth quarter.

“It was a good game through three quarters,” Ole Miss wide receiver Harrison Wallace III said, “and then the fourth quarter, it got bad.”

The SEC has been a major part of Sugar Bowl history. Although Georgia is third in number of appearances (12) as the 92nd edition prepares to kick off and Ole Miss is fourth (10), these teams have never met in this game before.

were trying to do Hill a solid a few weeks ago against the Jets by sending him off with a bang in the final home game of 2025. Hill has been an especially valuable player for the Saints over the years, but he looks like he’s lost a step after suffering a major knee injury late in the 2024 season. Of all the old guard on this list, he feels closer to retirement than a return.

CB Alontae Taylor: He is the only homegrown Saints player whose rookie contract is expiring, because he’s one of only two left from the 2022 draft class (the other, Chris Olave, will play on his fifth-year option if he doesn’t reach a new contract with the Saints). Taylor has been a bit of a boom-or-bust player in his four seasons with New Orleans, but he’s a four-year starter who has shown high-level potential. He could command a solid deal in free agency.

S Julian Blackmon: Defensive coordinator Brandon Staley made no secret about how he had tried to coach Blackmon for years, and the veteran safety looked primed for a big 2025 year based off of his training camp performance. Unfortunately, Blackmon suffered a seasonending shoulder injury after the first game. Rookie Jonas Sanker has played well in his absence.

TE Foster Moreau: Like Hill, Moreau spent the first part of the season rehabilitating from a serious knee injury, and he’s played a smaller role in the offense since getting back on the field. He’s also already done for the year, having been placed on injured reserve last week. Still, Moreau is well-liked within the building, and there is always a role for players with his skillset.

LG Dillon Radunz: The Saints signed Radunz this offseason to give them a potential starter on the interior. He ended up starting nine of the first 16 games, paving the way for the team to trade former first-rounder Trevor Penning. Radunz is probably better suited to being the team’s

STAFF PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD

Saints quarterback Taysom Hill starts the ‘Who Dat’ chant before a game against the Atlanta Falcons at the Caesars Superdome on Jan. 7, 2024. sixth offensive lineman, as the Saints almost certainly will look to upgrade their interior offensive line.

C Luke Fortner: New Orleans acquired Fortner in a trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars just before the start of the season, and it ended up paying off when starter Erik McCoy was lost for the season with an injury. Like Radunz, Fortner is best suited for a depth role, but he’d be worth bringing back as insurance for McCoy. DB Ugo Amadi: There always seems to be a spot for Amadi with the Saints — he’s signed one-year deals each of the last three years — but he’s often been inactive on game day in 2025.

The injured offensive linemen: Both

Landon Young and Will Clapp spent the entire 2025 season on injured reserve, and the Saints made trades to fill both gaps, acquiring Fortner and Asim Richards. It’s possible those trades made both Young and Clapp redundant (Richards is under contract through 2026).

The Staley gang: The Saints signed a bunch of defensive players who had history with Staley to one-year contracts, and all have played small but meaningful roles: LB Chris Rumph, S Terrell Burgess, and DLs Jonathan Bullard and Jonah Williams. The same can be said of TE Jack Stoll, who was one of a few players with history under Moore.

Email Luke Johnson at ljohnson@theadvocate.com.

4C ● Thursday, January 1, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

lll

Coming off 1st win, Cajuns host SBC power Troy UL coach Brodhead familiar with Trojans coach Rigby, team’s fast-paced style

BY KEVIN FOOTE

“The style they play is difficult for us sometimes. I think it’s going to be a great lesson. None of these kids have ever played against Troy, so they’re in for a rude awakening.”

Staff writer

No one has to tell UL women’s basketball coach Garry Brodhead how dangerous Troy is.

He coached against Trojans coach Chanda Rigby for about two decades in college and in high school.

The question is will Brodhead’s young team be prepared for Troy’s style of play when the Trojans invade the Cajundome for a Sun Belt contest at 4 p.m. Thursday.

“Troy’s a very, very good team,” Brodhead said of the Trojans (10-2, 1-0 Sun Belt).

“The style they play is difficult for us sometimes. I think it’s going to be a great lesson. None of these kids have ever played against Troy, so they’re in for a rude awakening.”

Troy plays an up-tempo, high-scoring brand of basketball.

STAFF PHOTO By BRAD KEMP Brodhead remembers the UL guard Mikaylah Manley shoots over East Texas A&M first time facing Troy with a young team early in his time forward Tiani Ellison on Dec. 2 at the Cajundome.

GARRy BRODHEAD, UL coach ä Troy at UL.

4 P.M. THURSDAy, ESPN+ at UL (1-11, 0-2).

“I had some freshmen that could get up and down the floor, and we came out in the first half, we stayed with them, running up and down the floor,” he said. “But the second half was just a disaster. ... So we got beat by, I think, by 40 that game.”

UL learned from the experience in the rematch and won by double digits.

The Cajuns are still experimenting on defense — even after ending an 11-game losing streak with a 97-56 win over Dillard on Monday.

Usually a man-to-man defensive team, UL has flirted with playing zone.

that can’t defend. So we’re going to put that together and show up and we’re going to guard them, you know?

We’ll do our best to guard.”

Freshman Amijah Price (12.3 ppg, 5.0 rpg), freshman Imani Daniel (11.9 ppg, 6.3 rpg) and junior Mikaylah Manley (11.6 ppg, 5.3 rpg) have displayed scoring potential of late. Price had 30 points in Monday’s win over Dillard.

Manley said she’s beginning to overcome an early shooting slump.

“I’ve just got to keep shooting,” Manley said after scoring 17 points Monday. “They’re going to fall, but I’m also doing the other things, like playing defense, and being able to get my teammates involved,so they can score. If I’m having a bad game, then I ain’t going to really trip about it. I’m going try to keep shooting, but do the other things.”

“We’ve been playing a little bit more zone and I think it’s helped our man-to-man a little bit because they really want to play man, and I really want to play man,” Brodhead said. “I’m not a zone coach. “ Troy is averaging 85.7 points per game and giving up 67. The Trojans’ losses came against Kansas State 81-59 and Alabama 77-59.

Fortuna Ngnawo (15.3 points per game, 8.9 rebounds per game), Emani Jenkins (13.1 ppg, 3.2 rpg) and Zay Dyer (12.4 ppg, 12.3 rpg) lead Troy.

Troy has 98 3-pointers to 40 for UL. “(Rigby’s) not going to take us lightly because she knows we can defend,” Brodhead Email Kevin Foote at said. “I’ve never had a team kfoote@theadvocate.com.

SCOREBOARD High school basketball

Tuesday’s games

Philadelphia 139, Memphis 136, OT Boston 129, Utah 119 L.A. Clippers 131, Sacramento 90 Detroit 128, L.A. Lakers 106

Girls LCA New Year’s Bash

at Lafayette Christian and St. Leo-Seton Friday’s games at Lafayette Christian Madison Prep vs. Iowa, 10 a.m.

Midland vs. Southern Lab, 11:20 a.m.

Lafayette High vs. Neville, 12:40 p.m.

JS Clark vs. Simpson, 2 p.m.

Ponchatoula vs. Fairview, 3:20 p.m.

Zachary vs. Huntington, 4:40 p.m.

Lafayette Christian vs. Karr, 6 p.m.

7:20 p.m. — LaGrange vs. Wossman at St. Leo-Seton Ville Platte vs. Mandeville, 2 p.m.

Teurlings vs. Opelousas, 3:20 p.m.

Northwest vs. Abbeville. 4:40 p.m.

Northside vs. Beau Chene, 6 p.m.

Wednesday’s games

Golden State 132, Charlotte 125 Atlanta 126, Minnesota 102 Orlando 112, Indiana 110 Cleveland 129, Phoenix 113 New Orleans at Chicago, n New York at San Antonio, 6 p.m.

Denver at Toronto, n Portland at Oklahoma City, n Washington at Milwaukee, n

Thursday’s games

Houston at Brooklyn, 5 p.m.

Miami at Detroit, 6 p.m.

Philadelphia at Dallas, 7:30 p.m.

Boston at Sacramento, 9 p.m.

Utah at L.A. Clippers, 9:30 p.m.

Beal and Hebert Invitational

Pro hockey

at Teurlings Catholic Tuesday’s games Teurlings 63, Jeanerette 43 Breaux Bridge 52, DeRidder 39 Iowa 73, St. Thomas More 30 St. Charles 46, DeRidder 44 Teurlings 66, Church Point 53 Teurlings 66, Church Point 53

NHL glance EASTERN CONFERENCE

Boys, girls

Vermilion Catholic Yuletide Classic

Boys, girls at Vermilion Catholic Tuesday’s games Basile 60, Delcambre 34 (girls) Acadiana Renaissance 60, Kaplan 48 (boys) Kaplan 50, Erath 20 (girls) Abbeville 53, Notre Dame 31 (boys) Southside 70, Vermilion Catholic 30 (girls) Avoyelles 53, Ascension Episcopal 44 (boys)

Avoyelles 53, Ascension Episcopal 44

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JOHN RAOUX

AVOYELLES (53) Orlando Jacobs 4, Chris Barnes 15, Elijah Mayes 3, Trey Waters 3, Kingston Rouse 13, Terrance Valant 4, Coby Smith 3, Deron Jenkins 8. Totals: 10 (7) 12-17.

ASCENSION EPISCOPAL (44) DJ Kelly 7, Christian Huggard 18, Ian Trawick 16, Austin Adams 3. Totals: 15 (4) 2-3.

Avoyelles 12 8 15 18 — 53 Ascension 9 14 6 15 — 44 3-pointers — AVOY: Barnes 2, Waters 1, Rouse 3, Jenkins 1; AES: Huggard 2, Trawick 1, Adams 1. Total Fouls: AVOY 8, AES 16.

Texas hold ’em

Abbeville 53, Notre Dame 31

College football

ABBEVILLE (53) Jacolby Campbell 13, Chayson Gray 4, Cameron Samuels 4, Kolby Vital 4, Jazavain Briggs 1, Trenton Cormier 5, Nigel Baudoin 8, Jaidyn Levy 8, Andrew Payton 4, Walter Rideau 2. Totals: 17 () 1-4.

NOTRE DAME (31) A. Hoffpauir 19, T. Savant 6, L. Swacker 4, L. Frank 2. Totals; 13 5-7.

Abbeville 21 14 7 11 — 53 Notre Dame 6 1 8 15 — 31 3-pointers — ABB: Campbell 1, Cormier 1, Baudoin 2, Levy 2. Total Fouls — ND 12, ABB 17.

Kaplan 50, Erath 20

KAPLAN (50) Chloe Painter 2, Addison Baudoin 2, Adalyn Stelly 4, Camille Marceaux 12, Cedera Edwards 4, Nakia Roy 4, Ajia Comeaux 22. Totals: 20 (1) 7-19.

ERATH (20) Kayleigh Perro 6, Sophie Romero 1, Skylor Marshall 7, Celene Watkins 2, Ryleigh Fobbs 4. Totals: 9 2-10.

Kaplan 12 11 15 12 — 50 Erath 4 8 2 6 — 20 3-pointers — KAP: Marceaux 1. Total Fouls — Erath 14, KAP 12.

Southside 70, Vermilion Catholic 30

VERMILION CATHOLIC (30) Zoei Thibodeaux 18, Hannah Boudreaux 2, Isabelle Potier 2, Ali Broussard 6, Brynn Broussard 2. Totals: 13 4-8.

SOUTHSIDE (70) Mariah Moore 19, Layla Breland 4, Lola Dimas 19, Annaleigh Horton 3, Addisyn Batiste 5, Chanel Fiero 4, Avery Rogers 2, Urijah Carmouche 14. Totals: 18 (10) 4-6.

VC 7 14 5 4 — 30 Southside 23 21 18 8 — 70 3-pointers — SOU: Moore 3, Dimas 5, Horton 1, Batiste 1. Total Fouls: VC 8, SOU 12.

Odds NFL Saturday FAVORITE OPEN TODAY O/U UNDERDOG at TAMPA BAY 3 2½ (44) Carolina Seattle 4½ 1½ (49½) at SAN FRAN. Sunday FAVORITE OPEN TODAY O/U UNDERDOG at CINC. 8½ 7½ (44½) Cleveland Dallas 1½ 3½ (51½) at NY GIANTS at J’VILLE 4½ 12½ (47½) Tennessee at HOUSTON 4½ 10½ (39) Indianapolis at ATLANTA 5½ 3½ (43½) New Orleans at MINNESOTA 1½ 6½ (36½) Green Bay at LA RAMS 4½ 7½ (46½) Arizona at N. ENGLAND 2½ 10½ (45½) Miami at CHICAGO 1½ 3 (50½) Detroit Kansas City 6 5½ (36½) at LAS VEGAS at DENVER 2½ 12½ (37½) LA Chargers at PHILADELPHIA 4½ 7 (39½) Washington at BUFFALO 9½ 7 (38) NY Jets Baltimore 3 3½ (40½) at PITTS.

College football Thursday

Orange Bowl FAVORITE Oregon Rose Bowl Indiana Sugar Bowl Georgia

Friday

OPEN TODAY O/U UNDERDOG 1½ 2½ (51½) Texas Tech 6½

7

(48)

Alabama

6½

6½ (55½)

Ole Miss

15½(57½)

Rice

7½ (54½)

Cincinnati

Armed Forces Bowl Texas State 6½ Liberty Bowl Navy 6½ Duke’s Mayo Bowl Mississippi St. 2½ Holiday Bowl Arizona 1½

3

(53½) Wake Forest

2½ (52½)

SMU

Texas quarterback Arch Manning is stopped by Michigan defensive back Jayden Sanders after a short gain during the first half of the Citrus Bowl on Wednesday in Orlando, Fla. Manning passed for 221 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 155 yards and two more TDs in Texas’ 41-27 win.

NFC East

Bowl glance Dec. 29

Birmingham Bowl Georgia Southern 29, Appalachian State 10

Dec. 30

Independence Bowl Louisiana Tech 23, Coastal Carolina 14 Music City Bowl Illinois 30, Tennessee 28 Alamo Bowl TCU 30, No. 16 Southern Cal 27, OT

Wednesday

Friday

Armed Forces Bowl Texas State vs. Rice, noon (ESPN) Liberty Bowl No. 22 Navy vs. Cincinnati, 3:30 p.m. (ESPN) Duke’s Mayo Bowl Mississippi St. vs. Wake Forest, 7 p.m.

(ESPN) Holiday Bowl No. 21 Arizona vs. SMU, 7 p.m. (FOX)

College Football Playoff

Quarterfinals Wednesday At Cotton Bowl, Arlington, Texas No. 10 Miami at No. 3 Ohio St., n Thursday At Orange Bowl, Miami Gardens, Fla. No. 5 Oregon at No. 4 Texas Tech, 11 a.m.

(ESPN) At Rose Bowl, Pasadena, Calif.

No. 11 Alabama at No. 1 Indiana, 3 p.m.

(ESPN) At Sugar Bowl, New Orleans No. 6 Mississippi at No. 2 Georgia, 7 p.m.

(ESPN)

FCS championship

Monday Frisco, Texas Illinois State (124) vs. Montana State (13-2), 6:30 p.m., ABC

Pro football AFC y-New England x-Buffalo e-Miami e-N.Y. Jets South x-Jacksonville x-Houston e-Indianapolis e-Tennessee North Pittsburgh Baltimore e-Cincinnati e-Cleveland West y-Denver x-L.A. Chargers e-Kansas City e-Las Vegas

T 0 1 0 0

Pct .688 .469 .250 .188

PF PA 362 301 454 477 332 434 347 422

W L 8 8 7 9 7 9 6 10

T 0 0 0 0

Pct .500 .438 .438 .375

PF PA 297 364 364 397 334 384 289 364

W 11 9 8 8

T 0 1 0 0

Pct .688 .594 .500 .500

PF PA 425 396 388 344 328 330 462 397

W L T x-Seattle 13 3 0 x-San Francisco 12 4 0 x-L.A. Rams 11 5 0 e-Arizona 3 13 0 e-Eliminated from playoffs x-clinched playoff spot y-clinched division

Pct .813 .750 .688 .188

PF PA 470 289 434 358 481 326 335 451

Carolina Tampa Bay e-Atlanta e-New Orleans North

L 5 6 8 8

Saturday’s games

Carolina at Tampa Bay, 3:30 p.m.

Seattle at San Francisco, 7 p.m.

Sunday’s games

Cleveland at Cincinnati, noon Dallas at N.Y. Giants, noon Green Bay at Minnesota, noon Indianapolis at Houston, noon New Orleans at Atlanta, noon Tennessee at Jacksonville, noon Arizona at L.A. Rams, 3:25 p.m.

Detroit at Chicago, 3:25 p.m.

Kansas City at Las Vegas, 3:25 p.m.

L.A. Chargers at Denver, 3:25 p.m.

Miami at New England, 3:25 p.m.

N.Y. Jets at Buffalo, 3:25 p.m.

Washington at Philadelphia, 3:25 p.m.

Baltimore at Pittsburgh, 7:20 p.m.

College basketball Men’s state scores, schedule Tuesday’s scores

Grambling 90, Centenary 58 Incarnate Word 79, UIW 70

Wednesday’s games

Tulane 79, East Carolina 70 South Alabama 63, UL 58 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 83, UNO 69 Stephen F. Austin 74, Northwestern State 64 Nicholls at Texas-Rio Grande Valley, n

NFL glance East

W L 11 5 7 8 4 12 3 13

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

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

ReliaQuest Bowl No. 23 Iowa 34, No. 13 Vanderbilt 27 Sun Bowl Arizona St. vs. Duke, n Citrus Bowl No. 14 Texas 41, No. 18 Michigan 27 Las Vegas Bowl No. 15 Utah 44, Nebraska 22

Thursday’s games

W L 13 3 11 5 7 9 3 13

T 0 0 0 0

Pct .813 .688 .438 .188

PF PA 452 310 446 357 337 386 292 468

W L 12 4 11 5 8 8 3 13

T 0 0 0 0

Pct .750 .688 .500 .188

PF PA 433 329 366 265 436 374 277 437

W L 9 7 8 8 6 10 4 12

T 0 0 0 0

Pct .563 .500 .375 .250

PF PA 371 363 400 372 396 472 259 361

W L 13 3 11 5 6 10 2 14

T 0 0 0 0

Pct .813 .688 .375 .125

PF PA 382 308 365 321 350 314 227 420

Thursday’s game

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

Friday’s games

Lamar at McNeese, 6 p.m.

Louisiana Tech at Middle Tennessee, 6:30 p.m.

Saturday’s games

Southern Miss at UL, noon Texas State at UL-Monroe, 2:30 p.m.

LSU at Texas A&M, 3 p.m.

East Texas A&M at Nicholls, 3 p.m.

Stephen F. Austin at Southeastern, 3:30 p.m.

UNO at Northwestern State, 3:30 p.m.

Prairie View A&M at Grambling, 4 p.m.

Texas Southern at Southern, 5 p.m.

Southern at Lamar, 6 p.m.

Women’s state scores, schedule Tuesday’s game

UTSA 65, Tulane 63

Wednesday’s games

Stephen F. Austin 76, Northwestern State 71 Nicholls State 66, UTRGV 56

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

Prairie View at Southern, 2 p.m.

Troy at UL, 4 p.m.

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

Kentucky at LSU, 7 p.m.

Friday’s game

Sam Houston at Louisiana Tech, 6:30 p.m.

Saturday’s games

Arkansas State at UL-Monroe, noon Lamar at McNeese, 1 p.m.

Stephen F. Austin at Southeastern, 1 p.m.

Northwestern State at Nicholls, 1 p.m.

Prairie View at Grambling, 2 p.m.

Tulane at Wichita State, 2 p.m.

Texas Southern at Southern, 2 p.m.

East Texas A&M at UNO, 2 p.m.

South Alabama at UL, 3 p.m.

South Alabama 63, UL 58

SOUTH ALABAMA (11-4) Brady 0-3 3-4 3, Olsen 7-13 10-10 26, Cooper 1-6 1-2 3, Harris 4-8 3-4 12, Louis Jeune 1-5 0-0 3, Broom 2-2 0-0 5, Hawthorne 1-3 0-0 3, S.Williams 4-5 0-0 8, Wheat 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 20-45 17-20 63.

UL (3-12) Jones 1-1 0-0 2, Lewis 4-6 0-0 11, Finister 5-10 4-5 17, Lavergne 2-9 0-0 5, Mejia 1-6 0-0 3, Olvera 6-18 1-2 18, Evans 1-3 0-0 2, Woodson 0-1 0-0 0, Bilal 0-2 0-0 0, Ratliff 0-1 0-0 0.

Totals 20-57 5-7 58.

Halftime — South Alabama 31-30. 3-Point Goals — South Alabama 6-18 (Olsen 2-6, Broom 1-1, Harris 1-1, Hawthorne 1-1, Louis Jeune 1-4, Cooper 0-2, Brady 0-3), UL 13-40 (Olvera 5-15, Lewis 3-4, Finister 3-6, Lavergne 1-6, Mejia 1-6, Woodson 0-1, Bilal 0-2). Fouled Out — Jones. Rebounds — South Alabama 31 (Brady 8), UL 26 (Finister, Evans 6). Assists — South Alabama 10 (Harris 4), UL 16 (Olvera 7). Total Fouls — South Alabama 11, UL 15. A — 2,337 (11,550).

Atlantic Division GP W Detroit 40 23 Montreal 39 21 Tampa Bay 38 22 Florida 39 21 Buffalo 38 20 Toronto 39 18 Boston 40 20 Ottawa 38 18 Metropolitan Division GP W Carolina 39 24 N.Y. Islanders 40 22 Philadelphia 38 20 Washington 40 21 Pittsburgh 38 17 N.Y. Rangers 42 19 New Jersey 39 20 Columbus 38 17

L OT Pts GF GA 14 3 49 125 129 12 6 48 130 131 13 3 47 126 101 15 3 45 126 124 14 4 44 120 120 15 6 42 128 129 18 2 42 124 132 15 5 41 125 124 L OT Pts GF GA 12 3 51 130 115 14 4 48 114 110 11 7 47 118 109 14 5 47 130 114 12 9 43 122 123 18 5 43 109 116 17 2 42 106 118 15 6 40 116 128

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Central Division GP W L OT Pts GF GA Colorado 38 29 2 7 65 153 87 Dallas 39 25 7 7 57 139 105 Minnesota 40 24 10 6 54 126 104 Nashville 39 18 17 4 40 113 129 Utah 40 18 19 3 39 119 116 St. Louis 40 15 17 8 38 100 137 Chicago 39 14 18 7 35 108 127 Winnipeg 37 15 18 4 34 107 114 Pacific Division GP W L OT Pts GF GA Edmonton 40 20 14 6 46 135 132 Vegas 38 17 10 11 45 119 119 Anaheim 39 21 16 2 44 134 137 Los Angeles 38 16 13 9 41 99 102 San Jose 39 19 17 3 41 120 136 Seattle 37 16 14 7 39 95 111 Calgary 39 17 18 4 38 103 116 Vancouver 39 16 20 3 35 112 136 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.

Tuesday’s games

Pittsburgh 5, Carolina 1 Toronto 4, New Jersey 0 Montreal 3, Florida 2, OT N.Y. Islanders 3, Chicago 2, SO Philadelphia 6, Vancouver 3

Wednesday’s games

Washington 6, N.Y. Rangers 3 Nashville 4, Vegas 2 Minnesota at San Jose, n Tampa Bay at Anaheim, n Winnipeg at Detroit, n New Jersey at Columbus, n Buffalo at Dallas, n St. Louis at Colorado, n Boston at Edmonton, n Philadelphia at Calgary, n

Thursday’s games

Washington at Ottawa, noon Utah at N.Y. Islanders, 2 p.m.

Detroit at Pittsburgh, 6 p.m.

Montreal at Carolina, 6 p.m.

Tampa Bay at Los Angeles, 6 p.m.

Winnipeg at Toronto, 6 p.m.

Dallas at Chicago, 7:30 p.m.

Nashville at Seattle, 9 p.m.

Transactions BASEBALL

Pro basketball NBA conference glance EASTERN CONFERENCE Detroit New York Boston Toronto Orlando Philadelphia Miami Cleveland Chicago Atlanta Milwaukee Charlotte Brooklyn Washington Indiana

W 25 23 20 20 19 17 18 19 15 16 14 11 10 7 6

L 8 9 12 14 15 14 15 16 17 19 19 22 20 24 28

Pct GB .758 — .719 1½ .625 4½ .588 5½ .559 6½ .548 7 .545 7 .543 7 .469 9½ .457 10 .424 11 .333 14 .333 13½ .226 17 .176 19½

Oklahoma City San Antonio Denver Houston L.A. Lakers Minnesota Phoenix Golden State Memphis Portland Utah Dallas L.A. Clippers Sacramento New Orleans

W 28 23 22 20 20 21 19 18 15 14 12 12 11 8 8

L 5 9 10 10 11 13 14 16 18 19 20 22 21 25 26

Pct .848 .719 .688 .667 .645 .618 .576 .529 .455 .424 .375 .353 .344 .242 .235

WESTERN CONFERENCE

GB — 4½ 5½ 6½ 7 7½ 9 10½ 13 14 15½ 16½ 16½ 20 20½

Major League Baseball National League CHICAGO CUBS — Agreed to terms with RHP Hunter Harvey on a one-year major league contract.

FOOTBALL

NFL CLEVELAND BROWNS — Signed C Kingsley Eguakun to the active roster from Detroit’s practice squad. Placed G Wyatt Teller on injured reserve.

MINNESOTA VIKINGS — Signed RB Sincere McCormick to the practice squad. Waived LB Austin Keys.

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS — Designated LT Will Campbell to return from injured reserve.

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES — Signed LS Charley Hughlett to the practice squad.

PITTSBURGH STEELERS — Placed TE Darnell Washington on injured reserve.

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS — Signed RB Josh Williams to the practice squad. Released RB Michael Wiley.

WASHINGTON COMMANDERS — Placed C Tyler Biadasz on injured reserve. Promoted OL Julian Good-Jones from the practice squad to the active roster. Signed G Sala Aumavae-Laulu and DE D.J. Johnson to the practice squad.

HOCKEY

NHL BUFFALO SABRES — Reinstated G Colten Ellis from injured reserve.

NEW YORK RANGERS — Reinstated D Adam Fox from long-term injured reserve. Sent D Scott Morrow to Hartford (AHL).

PITTSBURGH PENGUINS — Acquired D Yegor Zamula from Philadelphia in exchange for F Philip Tomasino.

LIVING

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

A little extra on top Blueberry French toast casserole gets a tangy finish from homemade lemon curd

BY GRETCHEN MCKAY

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (TNS) Need to prepare breakfast for a house full of guests?

The best solution for a busy host is a dish you can whip up in advance and serve at everyone’s leisure.

This blueberry-packed French toast casserole recipe is worth considering. Not only does it serve a small crowd, but if you take the time to assemble it the night before, all you have to do the next morning is throw it into the oven.

Then, it bakes while you enjoy your first cup of coffee.

It brings all the same great flavors as “regular” French toast to the breakfast table, but because it’s made in one large pan, it’s more hands off for the cook.

The homemade lemon curd that is spooned on top makes the moist and custardy casserole feel extra-special, and you can spread the leftovers like jam on top of cookies or toast, swirl it into yogurt or use it as a filling for tarts.

(The recipe makes two 8-ounce jars of curd.)

I used brioche, a light and sweet yeast bread with a slightly sweet, golden crumb, but thick, sturdy slices of challah would also work beautifully. French and Italian bread slices also get the job done, especially if they’re day-old and slightly stale.

(Dried-out bread absorbs the custard mixture better than fresh without falling apart.)

I added fresh blueberries, but you could substitute

ä See CASSEROLE, page 6C

|

T h u r s d ay, J a n u a ry 1, 2026

5Cn

RISE & SHINE Breakfast Quesadilla PHOTOS By LIZ FAUL

Boost your mornings with protein-rich breakfast ideas: quesadillas, overnight oats, more

BY LIZ FAUL

calories and/or grams of protein has never appealed to me — it can feel too overwhelming to make We all move in and out of healthy meal plans that involve doing habits like a dance. One step for- math.

I find that it’s easier to calculate ward and two steps back. Some the simple fact that starting the days are better than others. day with protein-rich foods, like As we begin a new year, many yogurt, nuts, seeds, beans or eggs people are inclined to set new provides the immediate benefit goals and proclaim healthy of feeling good and having more resolutions, but tackling a lot of energy. A breakfast quesadilla change or the latest health trend is quick and easy and offers a is often too much. Instead of setway to start the day with a boost ting yourself up for failure, consider allowing each morning to be of protein from eggs, beans and a new beginning for small change. cheese.

Lately, my favorite hot breakI have found that having a nutritious breakfast paves the way to fast is steel-cut oats with fruit, other positive choices throughout toasted nuts and a little milk on the day. top.

The first step toward building You can start a pot of steel-cut a new routine is to have a plan. oats at night by bringing the pot Begin by filling your pantry and to a boil, stirring the oats, turnrefrigerator with ingredients like ing off the heat, covering the oats, chia seeds, nuts and nut but- pot and heading to bed. Wake up ters, whole grain bread, fresh and to a ready-made pot of oats that dried fruit, eggs, yogurt and milk, simply needs to be warmed up which can be combined to form a with some milk and desired fruit, nut or seed toppings. Adding chia number of breakfast meals. seeds or toasted pumpkin seeds Protein has become the latest adds protein and tastes great. buzzword in wellness circles When my kids were young, I these days. Health influencers would make overnight oats. proclaim that we need many grams of protein to maintain ä See MORNING, page 6C muscle and lose weight. Counting Contributing writer

TNS PHOTO By LINDA GASSENHEIMER

Hearty Borscht Dinner

Prepped beets get Borscht on table in no time

BY LINDA GASSENHEIMER Tribune News Service (TNS)

Borscht is often served cold, but this version is warm and comforting. It’s perfect for a chilly winter day.

I was delighted to discover pre-cooked, vacuum-sealed beets in the produce section of my market. They’re a great shortcut since roasting beets from scratch can take quite a while. Using these readyto-eat beets cuts the cooking time dramatically, making this a quick, easy and satisfying vegetarian meal.

ä See BORSCHT, page 6C

RECIPES INSIDE: ● Breakfast Quesadillas ● Easy Overnight Oats ● Steel Cut Oats

Fancy Toast 2 slices of whole-grain bread, toasted 4 tablespoons of peanut butter or almond butter 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 1 teaspoon honey (divided on each piece of toast) 4 strawberries (thinly sliced) 1 banana (thinly sliced) 2 teaspoons poppy seeds 1. Place the sliced bread in a toaster, and toast the bread.

2. Spread the peanut butter or almond butter over the toast in a thick layer. Add the cinnamon and drizzle the honey over the nut butter and spread it in. Place thinly sliced strawberries and bananas on top of the nut butter. Sprinkle the poppy seeds on top to add a little texture and crunch.

6C ● Thursday, January 1, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

TODAY IN HISTORY

By The Associated Press Today is Thursday, Jan. 1, the first day of 2026. There are 364 days left in the year. This is New Year’s Day. Today in history: On Jan. 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation during the Civil War, declaring that all enslaved people in rebellious states “are, and henceforward shall be free.”

Also on this date: In 1804, Haiti declared itself independent from France, becoming the world’s first Blackmajority republic.

In 1808, the federal law prohibiting the importation of enslaved people to the United States took effect.

In 1818, Mary Shelley’s novel “Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus” was first published in London, when Shelley was 20 years old.

In 1892, the Ellis Island Immigration Station in New York formally opened, processing nearly 700 immigrants on its first day; nearly 12 million immigrants would ultimately pass through the station before its closure in 1954.

In 1959, Fulgencio Batista resigned as Cuban president and fled the country, marking victory for Fidel Castro’s rebel troops and the Cuban Revolution.

In 2000, an anxious world held its breath as computers silently switched to the year 2000, but the dreaded “Y2K bug” caused few serious issues.

In 2013, thousands were trampled leaving a New Year’s fireworks display at a stadium in Ivory Coast, leaving at least 64 people dead amid the chaos.

In 2024, an earthquake rocked the west coast of Japan, collapsing homes, killing at least 260 people and forcing the evacuation of more than 3,000 others.

In 2025, a man driving a pickup that bore the flag of the Islamic State group slammed into revelers during New Orleans’ New Year’s celebration, killing 15 people. The man was shot dead by police and the attack was subsequently investigated by the FBI as an act of terrorism.

Today’s birthdays: Filmmaker Frederick Wiseman is 96. Actor Frank Langella is 88. Musician Country Joe McDonald is 84.

Actor-comedian Don Novello is 83. DJ Grandmaster Flash is 68. Actor Dedee Pfeiffer is 62. Actor Morris Chestnut is 57. Olympic gold medalist ice dancer Meryl Davis is 39. Rapper Ice Spice is 26.

BORSCHT

Continued from page 5C Helpful hints:

n Canned beets can be used in-

stead of packaged cooked beets.

Be sure they are not pickled and drain them before use. n Any type of tomato sauce can be used.

Hearty Borscht Dinner Yields 2 servings. Recipe is by Linda Gassenheimer.

4 cups reduced-sodium vegetable broth 1/4 cup tomato sauce 1/2 cup sliced celery 1/2 cup sliced, peeled baby carrots 1 cup sliced onion 3/4 pound yellow potatoes, cut into 1/4- to 1/2-inch pieces (about 21/2 cups) 1 pound pre-cooked beets cut into 1/2inch pieces (about 11/2 cups) 1/2 cup canned, rinsed and drained reduced- sodium red kidney beans Salt and freshly ground black pepper 4 tablespoons sour cream 2 teaspoons prepared horseradish 1/4 cup broken walnuts 1. Add the vegetable broth, tomato sauce, celery, carrots, onion and potato to a large saucepan. Place over medium-high heat.

2. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and cover with a lid.

Cook 10 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.

3. Add the beets and beans and raise the heat to medium-high and cook, uncovered, 5 more minutes.

4. Meanwhile, mix sour cream and horseradish together in a small bowl.

5. Ladle the soup into two bowls. Sprinkle walnuts on top and add a spoonful of the sour cream mixture to each bowl.

Nutrition info per serving: 513 calories (27 percent from fat), 15.3 g fat (3.2 g saturated, 3.6 g monounsaturated), 14 mg cholesterol, 20.4 g protein, 83.2 g carbohydrates, 13.5 g fiber, 421 mg sodium.

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Is the container part of the gift?

Dear Miss Manners: A friend came to a dinner party and brought with her the tin I had given her at Christmas. It had been filled with homemade curried nuts, and she had eaten those and washed out the tin.

She apologized for Judith returning it Martin not sooner and left it on MISS my kitchen counter.

MANNERS Last Christmas, I gave another friend some small packages of fancy store-bought popcorn, which I put in a basket that I’d purchased and decorated especially to be part of that gift. The basket was later returned to me.

I’ve always considered the container — whether a tin, basket or jar that contains a food item or other small presents — to be part of the gift. It’s intended to be kept or given away by the recipient,

MORNING

Continued from page 5C This shortcut to a healthy breakfast was a game-changer.

Unlike a bowl of warm oatmeal, overnight oats are meant to be

but not returned to the giver.

This has happened to me often enough to cause me to wonder if I’m being rude by not returning the containers I receive with gifts. I have always kept them, whether to use in my house or to hold gifts for other people. Should I be returning them?

Gentle reader: One is expected to return containers that are clearly part of the originating household and are used for ferrying informal gifts — such as homemade pies or leftovers from family dinners.

Everything else you get to keep, although Miss Manners is still pondering whether Salome should have returned the silver platter.

Dear Miss Manners: Would it be wrong for a church member to ask people to leave the church due to disruptive and inappropriate behavior?

My husband and I very much enjoy the Christmas Eve services at our church, and many guests

attend. This year, there was one group of guests that sat in front of us, and I’ve seen kindergartners who were better behaved.

The two women, especially, were disruptive and apparently didn’t know that sound travels.

They started pointing at the pastor and giggling and whispering back and forth, obviously making fun of her.

When the choir was singing, the older of these two women started singing along, loudly, while everyone else in the congregation was quietly listening.

This went on through the entire service. Toward the end, the older one cupped her hand around the younger one’s ear and whispered something to her. The younger one burst into laughter and she could not gain her composure, laughing loudly and shaking through the remainder of the service!

Even people in her party were

eaten cold, so it is an ideal graband-go breakfast. The process is easy — simply add oats, chia seeds and milk (or almond milk) to an old jelly jar and store in the refrigerator overnight. Take it out in the morning and top it with your favorite fruit or toasted nuts.

My daughter named her go-to

quick breakfast “fancy toast.”

She simply adds peanut butter, cinnamon and honey to a piece of toast, then layers it with thinly cut strawberries and bananas and adds a crunchy poppy seed topping.

Try one of these easy recipes to start your day with your best foot forward in 2026.

Steel Cut Oats 3 cups water 1 cup steel-cut oats 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1 cup milk of choice (to reheat in the morning) 1-2 teaspoons pure maple syrup (optional) Toppings: 1 ⁄3 cup fresh blueberries 2 tablespoons toasted slivered almonds 2 tablespoons granola for added crunch 1. In a medium pot, bring 3 cups of water to a simmer. Then add the steel-cut oats and salt and stir. Let the oats simmer for a minute, then stir the oats, turn the heat to low and cover the pot for about 25 minutes. Be sure to stir the oats once during this cooking time to prevent them sticking to the bottom of the pan. Turn off the heat and let the oats sit for 2 minutes.

2. Stir in the milk, cinnamon and maple syrup into the cooked oats.

3. Serve the oats in a bowl and top with your favorite fresh fruit, nuts, seeds or granola.

Easy Overnight Oats

⁄3 cup old-fashioned oats 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 tablespoon chia seeds 3 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt 2 ⁄3 cup milk (or almond milk) 1-2 teaspoons of honey or pure maple syrup Topping ideas: fresh berries roasted nuts (almonds,walnuts or pistachios) Granola 1. In a one-pint mason jar, jelly jar or small lidded bowl, add the oats, cinnamon, chia seeds and yogurt. Stir until combined. Then cover the oat mixture with milk. Drizzle in the honey or maple syrup. Stir again. Then cover the jar or bowl and refrigerate overnight.

2. The next morning, top the overnight oats with fresh fruit, nuts, seeds or granola and enjoy.

1

CASSEROLE

Steel Cut Oats

Breakfast Quesadillas 4 eggs 1/4 cup milk (optional) 1/2 teaspoon of salt 1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper 1/2 tablespoon of butter (divided) 4 flour tortillas 1/4 can of black beans (strained) 1/4 of a red bell pepper (seeded and chopped) 1/2 cup baby spinach (chopped) 1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese (grated) 1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, salt and pepper.

2. In a nonstick pan, over medium-low heat, add the butter to coat the bottom of the pan.

Then add the egg mixture to the prepared pan. Cook the eggs slowly, using a spatula to gently push them from the edges to the center. Keep moving the eggs around the pan until they are cooked. This should take about 4-5 minutes. Remove the eggs into a serving bowl and reserve for later use.

3. Clean any remaining eggs out of the nonstick pan, then place the pan over medium heat.

For lemon curd: 2 cups granulated sugar Continued from page 5C 1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter, softened 4 large eggs 2 large egg yolks 1 tablespoon lemon zest frozen or use another fruit like 1 cup fresh lemon juice (about 6 large strawberries — or no berries at lemons) all.

1. Grease a 9-inch-by-13-inch For an all-day sugar high, serve baking pan with butter. the casserole not just with the 2. Add bread cubes and bluebercurd, but also maple syrup and/ or a sprinkling of confectioners’ ries, toss with your hands to comsugar. bine and spread out to cover the entire bottom of the pan.

3. In a large bowl, beat milk, eggs, sugar, salt, vanilla and cinnamon together until well comServes 8-10. Recipe is from bined.

Gretchen McKay, Post-Gazette 4. Pour milk mixture over bread For French toast casserole: cubes and toss to coat. Dot with 1 tablespoon butter, cut into 8 pieces, butter cubes and sprinkle lightly plus more for greasing pan with brown sugar.

7 cups stale brioche bread cubes (about 5. Place a sheet of plastic wrap 1 loaf) on top of the pan, and press down 1 pint fresh blueberries on the bread with your fingers.

2 cups milk You want to make sure all of the 6 large eggs bread has been submerged in the 1/4 cup white sugar milk mixture.

1/4 teaspoon salt 6. Place pan in the refrigerator 1 teaspoon vanilla extract for at least 1 hour up to overnight.

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 7. Make curd: In a stand mixer Brown sugar, for sprinkling outfitted with a whisk, beat butMaple syrup and/or confectioners’ sugar, ter and sugar on medium speed for serving (optional) until blended, about 45 seconds.

Blueberry French Toast Casserole

PHOTOS By LIZ FAUL

Add the remaining butter to recoat the pan with a thin layer of fat. Once the pan is hot, add one tortilla. Then add the cooked egg, some of the beans, bell pepper, spinach and top with the grated cheese. Top the eggs, vegetables and cheese with another tortilla.

4. Using a spatula, gently flip the quesadilla to brown the other side. Let the second side warm in the skillet. Then remove the quesadilla to a cutting board. Let the quesadilla cool for a minute, then using a pizza cutter, or a sharp knife, divide the tortilla into four triangles.

5. Serve the warm breakfast quesadilla with a salsa and fresh fruit.

Add eggs and then egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition.

8. Gradually pour in lemon juice to butter mixture, beating at low speed just until blended. Stir in zest. Don’t worry if the mix looks curdled — that’s OK! 9. Transfer mixture to a heavy 4-quart sauce pot and cook, whisking constantly, over medium-low until mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon, about 12-14 minutes.

10. Transfer cooked curd to a bowl and place a piece of plastic wrap directly on warm curd to prevent a film from forming.

Chill until it is firm and spreadable, about 4 hours. (Curd can be refrigerated in an airtight container up to 2 weeks.)

11. When ready to bake the casserole, preheat oven to 350 F. Bake until the center is set and top is golden, about 45-50 minutes. It’s done when the top is golden brown and puffed, the edges are bubbly and the center is set (not jiggly); an inserted knife should come out clean.

12. Cut into squares and enjoy topped with lemon curd, maple syrup or powdered sugar.

looking at her with disgust. I don’t know why they bothered coming if they were going to be their own entertainment. They spoiled the service for that entire section in the congregation.

Would it have been wrong or out of place for me to ask these women to excuse themselves from the service?

Gentle reader: As this was more than just a case of the church giggles, Miss Manners believes you could have politely asked them to have their talk elsewhere.

It sounds like they would have been more than happy to have an excuse to do so.

Send questions to Miss Manners at her website, www. missmanners.com; to her email, dearmissmanners@gmail.com; or through postal mail to Miss Manners, Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.

Use new year to change life Dear readers: Happy New Year!

Can you believe that 2025 has passed us by already? It’s hard to grasp, and yet here we are.

Take a moment to breathe and reflect on all that occurred in the past year. What did you learn? How did you grow? What do you need to work on moving forward? Be honest with yourself Harriette — and also be kind to yourself.

Cole Now look SENSE AND ahead. Here you SENSITIVITy are at the beginning. I consider it a blessing to start a new year with all of the anticipation that beginnings can bring. What is your intention for yourself and your life this year? Take some time to contemplate that. What will you make manifest? Let the sky be the limit as you consider this. If you could do anything you want this year, what would it be?

You can design your life and take the steps you need in order to make your dreams manifest.

Start with a big idea and then break that down into manageable steps. Record those steps into your calendar so that you can hold yourself accountable every day. If you focus on your goals every day starting now, you will be able to see your progress in real time.

I host 100 Day Plan sessions that have this concept in mind.

Here’s what you can do on your own: Come up with three big ideas that you want to manifest in your life right now and that you pledge to enact in the next 100 days. Write down what they are and what could stand in the way of you reaching your goals.

Then consider what you can do to get around those obstacles.

Next, make a checklist of tasks you can complete in order to stay focused and do the work.

In the best of worlds, you will find an accountability partner who will cheer you on as the days tick by. Root for each other and don’t give up, even if you miss a day.

Promise yourself that you are worth the effort you are putting forth for your life. Check in with yourself each week. How are you doing? What have been your successes? What have been your setbacks? Keep moving. If you stay the course, you will meet at least some of your goals. It’s amazing how effective this focused effort can be.

You can be the architect of your life. Go for it and see what you are able to make happen.

You can also sign up for a 100 Day Plan cohort if you don’t want to do it alone. Visit harriettecole.com/100dayplan to learn more.

The bottom line here is that you have power over your own life. Don’t sit back waiting for someone to make things happen for you. Go for it. Now. Believe in your dreams. Say them out loud and work hard every day to make them come true. You are worth it!

Send questions to askharriette@harriettecole. com or c/o Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.

The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Thursday, January 1, 2026 ● 7C

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FrAnK And erneSt

bIG nAte

zItS

zodIAC CAPRICoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Restructure your living expenses to fit your budget.

Rethink your schedule and fill in any blanks with a pastime or project that makes you feel good and doesn't create debt.

AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Plan your day strategically. Personal change will positively impact how well you do. Be open to suggestions, and manipulate the information you receive to accommodate your intentions. Stop dreaming and start doing.

PIsCEs (Feb. 20-March 20) Changing your domestic situation may not be well-received, but it will be necessary to reach your goal. Weigh the pros and cons, and consider offering incentives.

ARIEs (March 21-April 19) Keep your life simple, affordable and running efficiently. Don't mix business with pleasure or offer too much personal information. Be friendly and helpful but on guard.

TAuRus (April 20-May 20) A change will give you a unique perspective on life, love and moving forward. It's a good time to shed bad habits and replace them with something new and exciting.

GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Review your involvements and what's consuming time you don't have to spare. A takecharge attitude will help you gain support, recognition and the opportunity to bring in extra cash.

CAnCER (June 21-July 22) Expand your circle of friends. An opportunity to use

your strengths and skills differently will create additional income. A partnership looks inviting, but it's essential to get what you want in writing.

LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) Consider your needs. Open communication is necessary if you plan to make progress in both personal and professional affairs.

Refuse to let someone beat you to the finish line.

VIRGo (Aug. 23-sept. 22) Do something you enjoy or that makes you feel good about how you look, what you can do or the prospects that excite you. Refuse to let anyone stand in your way.

LIBRA (sept. 23-oct. 23) Focus on learning, practicing and honing your skills.

Keep your eye on your dreams, hopes and wishes, and not on what others want you to do. You must satisfy your needs first. sCoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) Learn something new that can upgrade your standard of living and make you less dependent on others. A change of scenery can shift your perspective on how you move forward. sAGITTARIus (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Someone will twist your words if you aren't precise with your facts, figures and promises. Emotions will fester if you get caught in someone's trap or miscalculate the cost of a guarantee.

The horoscope, an entertainment feature, is not based on scientific fact. © 2026 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: K EQuALs J

Mother GooSe And GrIMM

SherMAn’S LAGoon FAMILY CIrCUS

dooneSbUrY

8C ● Thursday, January 1, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

CurTiS

Hi and LoiS

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Sudoku InstructIons: Sudoku is a number-placing puzzle based on a 9x9 grid with several given numbers.

The object is to place the numbers 1 to 9 in the empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. The difficulty level of the Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

BaBY BLueS

BLondie

THe wiZard oF id

nea CroSSwordS

La TimeS CroSSword

The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Thursday, January 1, 2026 ● 9C

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B.C.

Bridge

By PHILLIP ALDER Here are four good bridge books from England: “Bridge for the Connoisseur”

by Hugh Kelsey, “The Rabbi and the Weaker Sex” by David Bird and Ron Klinger (originally titled “Kosher Bridge 2”), “Playing to Win at Bridge” by Ron Klinger (all Weidenfeld & Nicolson), and “Card Play Technique” by Victor Mollo and Nico Gardener (Master Point Press).

Kelsey discusses 58 interesting deals.

The rabbi book is humorous and instructive. Klinger gives 90 problems, moving from elementary to intermediate and on to advanced.

The Mollo and Gardener book covers all aspects of declarer play and defense, with quizzes at the end of each chapter.

Originally published in 1955, this edition has been modernized by Mark Horton, editor of Bridge Magazine.

Here is a deal from this book. South is in three no-trump. West leads a low spade and East puts up the queen. What should declarer do?

South has seven top tricks: one spade (given the lead), three hearts, one diamond and two clubs. He can get the other winners from diamonds, but if that finesse is losing, East will return a spade. Here, as you can see, if South takes the first trick, he goes down, losing

garfield

Pearls Before swiNe

hagar the horriBle

one diamond and four spades. But as long as declarer ducks the first trick, which the authors say requires willpower, the contract is safe.

East returns his second spade and West wins, but he has no entry. And if spades were 4-3, South would lose at most one diamond and three spades. © 2026 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 — EuPHoRIA: yoo-FOR-ee-uh: A feeling of well-being or elation.

Bizarro

marmaduKe

Average mark 26 words Time limit 35 minutes Can you find 32 or more words in EUPHORIA? yEsTERDAy’s WoRD — TInsEL tile tine inlet inset isle islet istle nest sent silent silt

sine site slit snit stein stile enlist lenis lens lent lest

lien line lint list listen lite

loCKhorNs hidato Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

today’s thought “There has no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that you may be able to bear it.”

1 Corinthians 10:13 God can give you the victory over temptation. Amen to that. Give your problems to the Lord.

— G.E. Dean

10C ● Thursday, January 1, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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BUSINESS T H E A D V O C AT E.C O M/news/business

DOW 48,063.29 -303.77 -0.63%

NASDAQ 23,241.99 -177.09 -0.76%

BRIEFS

FROM WIRE REPORTS

Applications for jobless benefits fall below 200K

WASHINGTON — Fewer Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week with layoffs remaining low despite a weakening labor market.

U.S. applications for jobless claims for the week ending Dec. 27 fell by 16,000 to 199,000 from the previous week’s 215,000, the Labor Department reported Wednesday.

Analysts surveyed by the data firm FactSet forecast 208,000 new applications.

Unemployment benefit filings are often distorted during holiday-shortened weeks. The shorter week can cause some who have lost jobs to delay filing claims.

The weekly report was released a day early due to the New Year’s Day holiday.

Earlier, the government reported that the U.S. gained a decent 64,000 jobs in November but lost 105,000 in October as federal workers departed after cutbacks by the Trump administration. That helped to push the unemployment rate up to 4.6% last month, the highest since 2021.

The October job losses were caused by a 162,000 drop in federal workers, many of whom resigned at the end of fiscal year 2025 on Sept. 30 under pressure from billionaire Elon Musk’s purge of U.S. government payrolls.

Labor Department revisions also knocked 33,000 jobs off August and September payrolls.

Recent government data has revealed a labor market in which hiring has clearly lost momentum, hobbled by uncertainty over President Donald Trump’s tariffs and the lingering effects of the high interest rates the Fed engineered in 2022 and 2023 to rein in an outburst of pandemic-induced inflation. Since March, job creation has fallen to an average 35,000 a month, compared to 71,000 in the year ended in March.

Boeing to make fighter jets for Israel Boeing will design and produce 25 new fighter jets for the Israeli Air Force under a new contract with the U.S. Department of Defense.

The Pentagon said Monday it had awarded Boeing an $8.6 billion contract to build and deliver 25 new F-15IA aircraft for the Israeli Air Force, with an option for an additional 25 aircraft to be included in the order.

Boeing’s F-15 fighter, a twinengine aircraft, was originally built by McDonnell Douglas in 1969 for the U.S. Air Force.

Boeing merged with McDonnell Douglas in 1997 and has since produced several variants of the F-15 family. Israel is a longtime operator of the Boeing plane, which has seen extensive use in Gaza.

Opponents to Israel’s war against Hamas following the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks have criticized Boeing and other American firms for providing support to the Israeli military and government during the conflict.

Following the new contract, Boeing will produce the fighter jets for the Israeli Air Force in its St. Louis facilities, where the manufacturer completes most of its defense production. The Pentagon expects the work will be complete by the end of 2035.

The deal was immediately condemned by the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization.

“The Pentagon’s decision to funnel billions of American taxpayer dollars and advanced weaponry to the Israeli military is morally indefensible,” CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell said in a statement.

Boeing has long provided military aircraft and support to the Israel Defense Force, dating back to 1948, when the Israeli Air Force flew Boeing’s B-17 Flying Fortress.

S&P 500 6,845.50 -50.74 -0.74%

EURO 1.1732 0.0000 0.00%

CRUDE OIL 57.42 -0.53 -0.91%

GOLD 4,325.60 -44.50 -1.02%

6-MO T-BILLS 3.61 0.0 0.0%

30-YR T-BONDS 4.84 0.04 0.73%

Wall Street falls in light trading It ends banner year for markets

BY ALEX VEIGA

AP business writer Wall Street closed out another banner year for stocks Wednesday with a downbeat finish that extended the market’s recent losing streak to a fourth day.

The S&P 500 gave up 0.7%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.6% and the Nasdaq composite closed 0.8% lower. Trading volume was very thin ahead of the New Year’s Day holiday, when markets will be closed, as most big investors have already closed out their positions for the year.

Even with their mini post-Christmas pullback, the major U.S. stock indexes finished with strong gains for the year.

The S&P 500, which set 39 record highs in 2025, closed 16.4% higher for the year, its third straight double-digit annual gain. The Nasdaq gained 20.4% and the Dow finished 13% higher.

Wall Street’s 2025 gains came as investors embraced the optimism surrounding artificial intelligence and its potential for boosting profits across almost all sectors. But the market had no shortage of turbulence along the way amid President Donald Trump’s on-again, off-again tariffs on imported goods worldwide and uncertainty over the trajectory of interest rates.

The S&P 500 plunged nearly 5% on April 3, its worst day since the 2020 COVID crash. It fell another 6% a day later, after China’s response raised fears of an escalating trade war. Worries also gripped the U.S. Treasury market.

Trump eventually put most of his tariffs on pause and negotiated agreements with countries to lower his proposed rates on their imports, helping calm investors’ nerves.

“Once the market realized that no, these tariffs are on again, off again, and probably will not result in a recession, it was amazing how quickly it got back to breakeven,” said Sam Stovall, chief investment strategist at CFRA. Strong profit reports from companies and three cuts to interest

rates by the Federal Reserve also helped drive markets higher.

“You could say that it’s the longterm AI optimism combined with the continuously improving earnings growth outlook for this year and the coming two years, as well as the Fed easing interest rates, that’s kept optimism alive,” Stovall said.

Still, the AI frenzy that drove markets in 2025 did not come without concerns. Chief among them is the worry that artificial intelligence technology may not produce enough profits and productivity to make all the investment worth it.

That could keep the pressure on AI stocks like Nvidia and Broadcom, which were responsible for much of the market’s gains this year.

Big retailers increasingly hit by online refund fraud

Operatives moving to online ‘because there is more business there’

BY MIKE HUGHLETT and BILL LUKITSCH

The Minnesota Star Tribune (TNS) Noir Luxury Refunds marketed itself as an expert in helping consumers get refunds from retailers.

But its expertise was grounded in fraud, federal prosecutors say.

Noir’s operatives spanned the country, though the fraud ring was allegedly run from Egypt. It’s one of several online refund fraud rings to have surfaced in recent years, generating big losses at major retailers such as Amazon, Walmart and Target.

“It is safe to assume that any retailer the size of Target or Best Buy have experienced this problem,” said J. Bennett, chief customer officer of Signifyd, an e-commerce fraud prevention firm. “We will be talking about online refund fraud more in the next few years.”

Leaders of internet refund fraud rings aren’t easy to pin down, though some have been prosecuted.

Amazon, the world’s largest online retailer, has aggressively pursued refund fraud rings in federal courts.

Fraudulent and “abusive” returns totaled $103.8 billion in 2024 — equal to 15% of all U.S. retail sales, according to the fraud prevention software firm Appriss Retail and Deloitte, a prominent consultancy.

Refund fraud is part of the broader problem of return fraud, and both have long plagued physical retailers. But e-commerce transactions have grown rapidly since the COVID-19 pandemic, making up 28% of all U.S. retail sales in 2024, according to Appriss and Deloitte.

Fraudsters “are moving to online because there is more business there,” said Vishal Patel, Appriss’ chief product and technology officer.

And online refund fraud is often easier to pull off than in-store scams.

These cheaters aren’t just dishonest shoppers, he added. “These are businesses.”

More than $1.5M in losses Noir certainly ran like a business.

It advertised a “concierge” refund service on Telegram. More than 5,900 users “followed” the criminal ring between 2020 and 2022 on the Dubai-based social media platform.

Those customers would pay Noir a percentage of the product price — usually in

TNS PHOTO By RICHARD TSONG-TAATARII

Big retailers including Target have lost millions from one online refund scheme, federal prosecutors said. cryptocurrency — in exchange for the organization fraudulently refunding the item on the customer’s behalf. The customers would keep the product.

Losses to retailers stung by Noir tallied $1.5 million to $3.5 million over the two years, according to federal prosecutors. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in northern Alabama credited Target and other major retailers with providing “assistance” in taking down Noir.

Nine people, mostly 20-somethings from several states, have pleaded guilty in an Alabama federal court to wire fraud and mail fraud conspiracy. They are awaiting sentencing.

Prosecutors contend that a 21-year-old man in Alexandria, Egypt, ran the scheme.

An Alabama federal grand jury indicted him in April.

Varying levels of sophistication The Noir scam worked like this: A user would fill out an online form and select a valuable product, like designer clothing or electronics, to buy from a specific retailer.

Noir then assigned a professional fraudster to pose as the user.

Different methods with varying degrees of sophistication were used to steal expensive merchandise.

In some cases, fraudsters would simply claim a box arrived empty. In others, shipping labels were manipulated, and malicious software was used to trick a retailer’s own inventory tracking to abuse its return poli-

cies.

As Noir grew in scale, so did its services.

At one point the criminal organization created a “mentorship” training course for aspiring “refunders” — at a minimum $2,500 fee.

It also developed a travel service. Organizers discovered how to gain illicit access to airline employee benefit programs. A Russian known to federal investigators as “Yangboyz” helped steal airline miles from compromised loyalty accounts, according to the government.

Through its methods exploiting merchants, Noir also amassed stolen inventory that conspirators sold on eBay.

Rings originated in Lithuania, Albania Amazon isn’t waiting for criminal charges to punish alleged online fraud rings.

In four civil cases reviewed by the Minnesota Star Tribune, the online retailer sued the purported leaders of two rings, one a particularly large online refund scam from Lithuania, the other based in Albania.

In February, a federal judge in Washington hit the Lithuanian man who ran the Rekk refund ring with a $2 million default judgment.

Four Amazon fulfillment center workers — insiders who profited from the Rekk scam — were hit with default judgments of $67,000 to $175,000.

Amazon is also pursing relatively smalltime participants in organized refund fraud.

Public records show no criminal charges for many of the defendants in the four Amazon suits.

Lee Enterprises stabilizes finances with $50M investment

BY JOSH FUNK Associated Press

Lee Enterprises announced a compromise Tuesday with billionaire investor David Hoffmann, who offered to take over the nation’s third-largest newspaper chain this year, to help stabilize the company’s finances with a $50 million investment and set Lee up for the future.

Hoffmann, whose family investment firm already owns more than 40 other publications, will become Lee’s chairman as he continues to pursue his goal of becoming the country’s largest newspaper publisher. He has said in recent inter-

views that he believes newspapers can continue to play an important role in covering local communities and build a successful digital subscription business.

Lee said that when Hoffmann takes over, CEO Kevin Mowbray will retire after 39 years with the Davenport, Iowa-based company, which owns the St. Louis PostDispatch, Buffalo News, Omaha World-Herald and dozens of other publications in 25 states.

“With improved financial stability and a clear governance framework in place, the focus can now be on disciplined execution and longterm value creation,” said Hoffmann, who declined to comment

beyond the statement on the deal.

He built his initial fortune through the DHR Global executive search firm he founded and went on to set up his investment fund. It now includes more than 125 brands and 22,000 employees and is set to become the controlling owner in the Pittsburgh Penguins next year.

The test will be whether Hoffmann and Lee reinvest in newsrooms to strengthen coverage of high school sports and other local institutions like he has talked about after he takes over, said Tim Franklin, a professor and chair of local news at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journal-

ism.

In recent years Lee — like many news companies — has cut staff and sold off some of the real estate its newspapers own as advertising and website traffic declined. Many Lee publications also stopped printing on Mondays.

The company also struggled with $455.5 million of debt taken on when it bought Warren Buffett’s newspapers from Berkshire Hathaway and refinanced its existing debt. Lee said the new infusion from Hoffmann and other investors will allow it to reduce the interest rate on that debt from 9% to 5% and to save about $18 million a year.