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Sources: CIA behind strike on Venezuela

HONOR & TRADITION

Trump claims dock was used by drug smugglers

BY AAMER MADHANI and KONSTANTIN TOROPIN Associated Press

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 Duplessis family property on Wednesday.

Bonfire remembering patriarch 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 Winnebago 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.

ä See BONFIRE, page 3A

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 Netanyahu at his Mar-a-Lago 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.”

ä See STRIKE, page 3A

Paula Davis to step down from La. House

during her third and final term BR Republican says ‘decision did not come lightly’ sidelined

by DeVillier and Gov. Jeff Landry for

BY TYLER BRIDGES

Staff writer

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

WEATHER HIGH 68 LOW 52 PAGE 6B

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

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 then-Gov. 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 said at the time when asked about their meeting.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By TRAVIS SPRADLING

Rep. Paula Davis, R-Baton Rouge, has been a member ä See DAVIS, page 3A of the Louisiana House of Representatives since 2016.

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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.

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.

CORRECTION Due to incorrect information provided by East Baton Rouge Parish government, a story in Wednesday’s edition about garbage pickup said city-parish offices would be closed through Friday. Offices will be open on Friday.

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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 225-388-0200 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: 225-388-0262 • 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

“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 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 peo-

STRIKE

Continued from page 1A 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. 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

DAVIS

Continued from page 1A 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

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.

ple 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 her favorites.

“The guitar is still one of my favorites for sure,” she said. “ … The guitar was actually modeled after his guitar and amp that he had. And it burned the prettiest. 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 to-

gether.”

Courtney Laiche agrees.

“It brings up memories of past family members and stuff like that,” he said. “Just people who always came out to enjoy it, some who are no longer with us, and just being close to family.”

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.

The Venezuelan president made no mention of the CIA operation during an hourlong speech Tuesday at an international leadership school for women.

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 Griffon, 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.

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.

STAFF PHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS

Andrew and Audrey Laiche, top row, Paityn Odom, Adrian Laiche, Courtney Laiche, Chris Duplessis, Ava Duplessis and Joseph Duplessis, left to right, pose with the 1984 El Camino bonfire at the Laiche and Duplessis family property on Wednesday.

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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 Cossich the news.

“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.”

Former U.S. senator from Colorado dies

BY NIELS LESNIEWSKI CQ-Roll Call (TNS)

WASHINGTON — Former Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell, who first came to Congress as a Democrat but later switched to the GOP, has died at age 92.

Sen. John Hickenlooper, a Colorado Democrat, said the former senator died Tuesday afternoon.

“He was a master jeweler with a reputation far beyond the boundaries of Colorado.

He was always generous to me with his time and wisdom. I will not forget his acts of kindness,” Hickenlooper posted on X. “He will be sorely missed.”

Campbell, who was the only Native American serving in Congress during his tenure, was first elected to the House in 1986, representing western Colorado. He served three terms in the House before being elected to the Senate, also as a Democrat.

In March 1995, shortly after Republicans took control of majorities in Congress, Campbell announced that he would be joining the

Republican Party. His statement came the day after he voted for a balanced-budget constitutional amendment that failed to win Senate passage; he decided he no longer was comfortable calling himself a Democrat.

The switch infuriated Democrats, but on announcing his new party affiliation, Campbell underscored that he would continue on an independent course.

“I have always been considered a moderate, much to the consternation of the Democratic Party,” Campbell said. “My moderacy will now be to the consternation of the right wing of the Republican Party.”

In the Senate, Campbell served as chairman of the Indian Affairs Committee and rose to be a senior appropriator, including chairing the subcommittee that had jurisdiction over the Treasury Department and the Postal Service.

A member of the Northern Cheyenne tribe, Campbell was also an Air Force veteran who served in Korea and captain of the U.S. Olympic Judo Team that competed in Tokyo in 1964.

Was Scenic Highway ever scenic?

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.”

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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%

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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.

The Advocate ■ theadvocate.com ■ Thursday, January 1, 2026 ■ 7A

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Boop, ‘Blondie,’ Nancy Drew in public domain

BY ANDREW DALTON

read and became essential parody fodder for decades, become public via the “Elson Basic Readers” textbooks.

Associated Press

LOS ANGELES — Betty Boop and “Blondie” are joining Mickey Mouse and Winnie the Pooh in the public domain.

The first appearances of the classic cartoon and comic characters are among the pieces of intellectual property whose 95-year U.S. copyright maximum has been reached, putting them in the public domain on Jan. 1. That means creators can use and repurpose them without permission or payment.

The 2026 batch of newly public artistic creations doesn’t quite have the sparkle of the recent first entries into the public domain of Mickey or Winnie. But ever since 2019 — the end of a 20-year IP drought brought on by congressional copyright extensions — every annual crop has been a bounty for advocates of more work belonging to the public.

“It’s a big year,” said Jennifer Jenkins, law professor and director of Duke’s Center for the Study of the Public Domain, for whom New Year’s Day is celebrated as Public Domain Day. “It’s just the sheer familiarity of all this culture.”

Jenkins said that, collectively, this year’s work shows “the fragility that was between the two wars and the depths of the Great Depression.”

Here’s a closer look at what will enter the public domain on Thursday, based on the research of Jenkins and her center.

Cartoons and comics Betty Boop began as a dog. Seriously.

When she first appears in the 1930 short “Dizzy Dishes,” one of four of her cartoons entering the public domain, she’s already totally recognizable as the Jazz Age flapper later memorialized in countless tattoos, T-shirts and bumper stickers.

She has her baby face, short hair with groomed curls, flashy eyelashes and miniature mouth. But she’s also got dangling poodle ears and a tiny black nose. Those would soon morph into dangling earrings and a tiny white nose.

She started as essentially the Minnie Mouse to a popular anthropomorphic dog named Bimbo, whom she would eventually outshine — and push aside. She’s got a

Marxes, Marlene, Oscar winners A year after their film debut, “The Cocoanuts,” entered the public domain, the Marx Brothers’ beloved “Animal Crackers” joins it, as they entered their prime of high cinematic antics. The film finds Groucho, Harpo, Chico and Zeppo invading a Long Island society party celebrating an explorer of Africa.

Other movies entering the public domain include: n “The Blue Angel,” the German film from Josef von Sternberg that emblazoned Marlene Dietrich’s top-hatted image into film lore. n “King of Jazz,” featuring the first screen appearance of Bing Crosby. n A pair of Oscar best picture winners, “All Quiet on the Western Front,” which won in 1930, and “Cimarron,” which won in 1931. The ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By RON FREHM award was known as “Outstanding then.

The Betty Boop balloon collapses on Broadway near 49th Street as handlers work to raise the deflated helium Production” The coming decade will bring a balloon during a Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New york. true bounty of Hollywood Golden Age films into the public domain. supporting role in “Dizzy Dishes,” is distinct from the copyright in 1930, was known as Rover. (He 2027 will be a truly monster year, performing a slinky song-and- of works that feature them. The would get his long-term moniker literally, with the original 1931 Universal Pictures versions of dance in a tiny black dress. She’s Fleischer Productions trademark the following year.)

“Dracula” and “Frankenstein” not named, but sings “boop boop, of Betty Boop remains intact. among the titles due. a doop.”

Boops and doops were appar- Big detective debuts Jenkins suggests this canine ently in the air in 1930. Blondie The books entering the public Betty Boop could be rich for ex- Boopadoop was, like Betty, a young domain this year open the door to Dreamy and embraceable tunes ploitation in new works, and has flapper, and the central character three iconic detectives from the A whistle-worthy stream of a free idea: “She was bitten by a of Chic Young’s newspaper comic 20th century: tunes from the Great American n The teen sleuth Nancy Drew, Songbook will become public: radioactive dog, that’s why she strip that debuted in 1930. It inn Four cherished classics writhad this weird backstory,” she said spired a film series and radio show, whose first four books came in with a laugh. “This movie needs to and is still running today in papers 1930, starting with “The Secret of ten by George Gershwin, with lyrbe made.” the Old Clock.” They were written ics by his brother Ira: “Embracethat still have comics.

The character was designed and The strip followed her carefree by Mildred Benson under the pen able You,” “I’ve Got a Crush on owned by Fleischer Studios, and breeze through life with her boy- name Carolyn Keene.

You,” “But Not for Me” and “I Got n The middle-aged(-ish) sleuth the shorts were released by Para- friend, Dagwood Bumstead. The Rhythm.” n “Georgia on My Mind,” written mount Pictures. She was based at two would marry (and she would Sam Spade, who debuted via the least in part on singer Helen Kane, change her name) in 1933, and the full-book version of Dashiell Ham- by Hoagy Carmichael and Stuart known as the “Boop-Oop-a-Doop strip would become the sandwich- mett’s “The Maltese Falcon.” (It Gorrell. n “Dream a Little Dream of Me,” Girl,” thanks to a hit 1929 song. heavy domestic comedy familiar had been serialized in a magazine Kane would lose a lawsuit over to later readers. Though the strip the previous year.) written by Gus Kahn, Fabian Ann The elderly sleuth Miss MarBetty Boop’s character and use of was meant to be based on a womdre and Wilbur Schwandt. the phrase. During the proceed- an’s life, Dagwood would in many ple, who solves her first mystery Different laws regulate the acings the defense alleged Black ways become its breakout star — a in Agatha Christie’s “Murder at tual recordings of songs, and those singer Esther Lee Jones used simi- proto-Adam Driver, if you will, as the Vicarage.” newly in the public domain this the breakout actor from “Girls.”

A year after his “The Sound and week date to 1925. They include lar phrases first.

Nine new Mickey Mouse car- the Fury” became public, William Rodgers and Hart’s “Manhattan” Artists are now free to use this earliest Boop in films and similar toons also are becoming public do- Faulkner’s “As I Lay Dying” be- by the Knickerbockers, “Nobody work. But making merch won’t be main, two years after “Steamboat comes public domain. It would help Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen” by free. In an important distinction Willie” made the first version of lead to his Nobel Prize in literature. Marian Anderson and “The St. often raised by Disney over Mick- him public property. He’s joined And kiddie lit legends Dick and Louis Blues” by Bessie Smith, feaey Mouse, a character’s trademark this year by his dog Pluto, who, Jane, who taught generations to turing Louis Armstrong.

Trump says he’s dropping push for Guard in Chicago, L.A. and Portland for now

BY MICHELLE L. PRICE Associated Press

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said he’s dropping — for now — his push to deploy National Guard troops in Chicago, Los Angeles and Portland, Oregon, a move that comes after legal roadblocks hung up the effort.

Trump said in a social media post Wednesday that he’s removing the Guard troops for now. “We will come back, perhaps in a much different and stronger form, when crime begins to soar again — Only a question of time!” he wrote.

Troops had already left Los Angeles after the president deployed them earlier this year as part of a broader crackdown on crime and immigration. They had been sent to Chicago and Port-

land but were never on the streets as legal challenges played out.

Trump’s push to deploy the troops in Democrat-led cities has been met with legal challenges at nearly every turn.

The Supreme Court in December refused to allow the Trump administration to deploy National Guard troops in the Chicago area as part of its crackdown on immigration. The order was not a final ruling but was a significant and rare setback by the high court for the president’s efforts.

In the nation’s capital, District of Columbia Attorney General Brian Schwalb sued to halt the deployments of more than 2,000 guardsmen.

In Oregon, a federal judge permanently blocked the deployment of National Guard troops there.

California National Guard troops had already been removed from the streets of Los Angeles by Dec. 15 after a court ruling. But an appeals court had paused a separate part of the order that required control of the Guard to return to Gov. Gavin Newsom.

In a Tuesday court filing, the Trump administration said it was no longer seeking a pause in that part of the order. That paves the way for the California National Guard troops to fully return to state control after Trump federalized the Guard in June.

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8A ■ Thursday, January 1, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

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Antarctica teems with life amid growing risks Remote part of world threatened by climate change

BY MARK BAKER Associated Press

ANTARCTICA — The Southern Ocean is one of the most remote places on Earth, but that doesn’t mean it is tranquil. Tumultuous waves that can swallow vessels ensure that the Antarctic Peninsula has a constant drone of ocean. While it can be loud, the view is serene — at first glance, it is only deep blue water and blinding white ice.

Several hundred yards off the coast emerges a small boat with a couple dozen tourists in bright red jackets. They are holding binoculars, hoping for a glimpse of the orcas, seals and penguins that call this tundra home.

They are in the Lemaire Channel, nicknamed the “Kodak Gap,” referring to the film and camera company, because of its pictureperfect cliffs and ice formations. This narrow strip of navigable water gives anybody who gets this far south a chance to see what is at stake as climate change, caused mainly by the burning of oil, gas and coal, leads to a steady rise in global average temperatures.

The Antarctic Peninsula stands out as one of the fastest warming places in the world. The ocean that surrounds it is also a major repository for carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas that contributes to warming. It captures and stores roughly

peared to be putting on a show. They took breaks from their dives into the icy water to nest on exposed rock. As the planet warms, they are migrating farther south. They prefer to colonize rock and fish in open water, allowing them to grow in population.

The Adelie penguins, however, don’t have the same prognosis. The plump figures with short flippers and wide bright eyes are not able to adapt in the same way.

By 2100, 60% of Adelie penguin colonies around Antarctica could threatened by warming, according to one study. They rely on ice to rest and escape predators.

If the water gets too warm, it will kill off their food sources. From 2002 to 2020, roughly 149 billion metric tons of Antarctic ice melted per year, according to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

For tourists, Antarctica ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTOS By MARK BAKER is still a giant, glacial expanse that is home to only Adelie penguins stand on a block of floating ice at yalour Islands in Antarctica on Nov. 24. select species that can tolerate such harsh conditions.

For example, in the Drake Passage, a dangerous strip of tumultuous ocean, tourists stand in wonder while watching orca whales swim in the narrow strip of water and Pintado petrels soar above.

The majestic views in Antarctica, however, will likely be starkly different in the decades ahead. The growing Gentoo penguin colonies, the shrinking pieces of floating ice and the increasing Orcas swim in the Drake Passage en route to Antarctica.

Gentoo penguins prepare to enter the water at Walker Island. instances of exposed rock in the Antarctic Peninsula 40% of the CO2 emitted by National Oceanic and AtmoOn a recent day, Gentoo der, orange beaks and white all underscore a changing humans, according to the spheric Administration. penguins, who sport slen- spots above their eyes, ap- landscape.

Putin expresses confidence in victory over Ukraine Russian drones blast apartment buildings

BY ILLIA NOVIKOV Associated Press

KYIV, Ukraine — Russian drones blasted apartment buildings and the power grid in the southern Ukraine city of Odesa in an overnight attack that injured six people, including a toddler and two other children, officials said Wednesday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed confidence in his country’s eventual victory in the war against its neighbor.

Four apartment buildings were damaged in the Odesa bombardment, according to regional military administration head Oleh Kiper. The DTEK power provider said two of its energy facilities had significant damage. The company said 10 substations that distribute electricity in the region have been damaged in December.

Russia has escalated attacks on urban areas of Ukraine. As its invasion approaches a four-year milestone in February, it has also intensified targeting of energy infrastructure, seeking to deny Ukrainians heat and running water in the bitter winter months.

Between January and November, more than 2,300 Ukrainian civilians were killed and more than 11,000 were injured, the United Nations said earlier in December. That was 26% higher than in the same period in 2024 and 70% higher than in 2023, it said.

Renewed diplomatic push Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff said he, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Trump’s son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner had a “productive call” with the national security advisers of Britain, France, Germany and Ukraine “to discuss advancing the next steps in the European peace process.”

Witkoff added that a main element of the conversation was the reconstruction of Ukraine and how to ensure its prosperity in the future.

Wednesday’s call comes after U.S. President Donald Trump hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday and announced that a settlement is “closer than ever before.”

European and Ukrainian officials plan to meet Saturday, lead Ukrainian negotiator Rustem Umerov reaffirmed, adding that U.S. representatives were expected to join remotely.

Zelenskyy also is due to hold talks next week with European leaders support-

ing his efforts to secure ac- date. The video and claims could not be independently ceptable terms. verified.

Putin convinced of victory Kyiv has denied the allegaDespite progress in peace tions of an attack on Putin’s negotiations, which he didn’t lakeside country residence mention, Putin reaffirmed his belief in Russia’s eventual success in its invasion during his traditional New Year’s address.

He gave special praise to Russian troops deployed in Ukraine, describing them as heroes “fighting for your native land, truth and justice.”

“We believe in you and our victory,” Putin said, as cited by Russian state news agency Tass.

The Russian Defense Ministry said 86 Ukrainian drones were shot down overnight over Russian regions, the Black Sea and the illegally annexed Crimea peninsula.

and called them a ruse to derail progress in peace negotiations.

Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation said Wednesday the images could

not be considered evidence of the attack as the origin of the damaged drone, as well as the time and location of the video itself, remained unknown.

Be prepared before the next power outage.

Ukraine denies attack Russia’s Defense Ministry released a video of a downed drone that it said was one of 91 Ukrainian drones involved in an alleged attack this week on a Putin residence in northwestern Russia, a claim Kyiv has denied as a “lie.”

The nighttime video showed a man in camouflage, a helmet and a Kevlar vest standing near a damaged drone lying in snow. The man, his face covered, talks about the drone. Neither the man nor the Defense Ministry provided any location or

Trump administration orders Colorado coal-fired power generator to stay open

BY MEAD GRUVER

Associated Press

FORT COLLINS, Colo. — The Trump administration has told another coal-fired power facility to remain open, this time ordering the owners of a Colorado electricity generating unit to keep it running beyond its Wednesday retirement date.

Compliance will cost TriState Generation and Transmission Association and the other owners of the Craig Station power plant in northwestern Colorado. The plant owners will need to fix a broken valve that put the power plant’s 446-megawatt Unit 1 out of operation on Dec. 19, Tri-State said in a statement.

The order from Energy Secretary Chris Wright follows recent Department

of Energy moves to keep coal-fired power stations open in Indiana, Washington state and Michigan despite efforts by their owners to close them.

It’s part of President Donald Trump’s push to revive the U.S. coal industry at a time when many utilities are shifting to cheaper, less-polluting energy sources such as natural gas and renewables. The administration has blocked renewable energy, including wind power.

The 45-year-old generator in Colorado, one of three at Craig Station, had been scheduled to close at the end of 2025.

“As a not-for-profit cooperative, our membership will bear the costs of compliance with this order unless we can identify a method

to share costs with those in the region,” Tri-State CEO Duane Highley said in the statement.

The power plant’s owners had been planning since 2016 to shut down Unit 1 for economic reasons and to comply with “numerous state and federal requirements.”

Asked how much returning the unit to operation would cost and how long that would take, Tri-State spokesperson Amy Robertson said by email that the utility had no further information to share.

The generator must remain operational to address a shortage of electricity and electrical generation in the northwestern U.S., Wright wrote in Tuesday’s emergency order keeping the unit operational.

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

1Bn

STAFF FILE PHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS

East Baton Rouge Parish Mayor-President Sid Edwards is sworn in alongside his wife, Beanie Edwards, at his inauguration on Jan. 2 at the River Center Theatre.

LOOKING BACK AT

2025

Topics in Baton Rouge area ranged from new mayors to international intrigue

BY VICKI FERSTEL Staff writer

Politics dominated the Baton Rouge scene in 2025, with two new mayors and a governor grappling with fiscal woes and with President Donald Trump tapping Gov. Jeff Landry as a special envoy to Greenland.

The community paid tribute to a fallen police officer. And LSU got a new head football coach and a new president.

Sid Edwards takes the helm in Baton Rouge

cials calls for the transfer of parish sales taxes collected within St. George’s boundaries to go to the young city’s government, along with a plan to gradually transition services.

Discussing St. George’s first full budget, Mayor Dustin Yates said he expected about 75% of expenses to go to privatized services as the city starts taking over city-parish operations within its jurisdiction.

There are growing pains: After some residents voiced their concerns over a proposed city ordinance that could raise their energy bills, the City Council voted in December to postpone the matter until January.

The issue involves a 5% fee on the electric utility company DEMCO .

And get ready for another battle: The proposal to create a school district that matches the St. George boundaries will be shaping up, with supporters and opponents pushing their campaigns for and against a May 16 statewide vote to amend the state constitution on funding the system.

East Baton Rouge Parish Mayor-President Sid Edwards, the first Republican elected to the position in more than two decades, took his oath of office Jan. 2 after defeating incumbent Sharon Weston Broome, a Democrat.

It’s been a year of both highs and lows for the former Istrouma High School football coach and dean of students as the city-parish deals with the devastating budget blow dealt by the creation of the city of St. George.

The city-parish’s $15.5 million deficit forced layoffs and salary cuts, sparing only the Baton Rouge police and fire departments. Some 200 people Questions have been swirlhave been or soon will be laid ing ever since Gov. Jeff Landry off and another 200 unfilled po- accepted the offer from Presisitions were eliminated. dent Donald Trump to serve as the special envoy to Greenland, a self-governing Arctic territory of Denmark that Trump says he wants the U.S. After years of legal and po- to acquire.

Landry, in his first gubernalitical battles, the city of St. George began its operations in torial term, says the new role earnest in 2025. won’t affect his job as goverAn agreement between St. nor.

George and city-parish offiBut will holding two public

Trump taps Landry as envoy to Greenland

City of St. George begins operations

STAFF FILE PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

The hearse carrying Sgt. Caleb Eisworth from the services at the Istrouma Baptist Church passes under the American flag on Aug. 16 while being escorted by members of the Baton Rouge police motor patrol in Baton Rouge.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU’s new football coach Lane Kiffin listens to a reporter’s question on Dec. 1 after making a statement at an introductory news conference at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge.

STAFF FILE PHOTO

By HILARy SCHEINUK

St. George Mayor Dustin yates, center, addresses St. George positions violate state ethics Kiffin hired as LSU’s Police Chief Todd Morris on July laws? coach after Kelly fired 8 during a meeting of the City Denmark, meanwhile, is more than a little upset about Out with the old, in with the Council in St. George.

the matter.

Landry remains nonplussed: “They’re in the Western Hemisphere, fits inside the Monroe Doctrine and we’re gonna bring them some great Cajun food.”

new. But some things never change: like cheering and/or that pain.

Meanwhile, Kelly’s replacegrumbling over LSU sports.

Football coach Brian Kelly ment, former Ole Miss coach was fired Oct. 26 after a disap- Lane Kiffin, raised some pointing season. His multimilä See 2025, page 2B lion-dollar payout should ease

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

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Quake rattles northwest La. on Saturday

BY ADAM DUVERNAY Staff writer

Northwest Louisiana last week again felt the rumble of an earthquake, this time in De Soto Parish, northeast of the town of Pleasant Hill in Sabine Parish.

Since about this time last year, a number of small earthquakes — unusual, but increasingly frequent — have rattled northwest Louisiana and parts of east Texas on the state line. The earthquake that struck near Pleasant Hill on Saturday was one of the strongest

of at least 10 recorded in northwest Louisiana last December.

According to data from the U.S. Geological Survey, an earthquake occurred at 6:47 a.m. about 4 miles northeast of Pleasant Hill.

The earthquake was about 3 miles deep and registered as a 2.9 on the Richter scale, tying for fifth strongest in northwest Louisiana since this time last year.

Earthquakes in Louisiana are rare, largely because the region doesn’t sit on an active geological fault line like parts of California and the Pacific Northwest, where

shakes are more common and much stronger. Geologists believe the shallow, weak quakes now affecting this part of the country are more commonly man-made.

Geologists believe the culprit of the quakes in Louisiana, as well as in Oklahoma and Texas, are saltwater disposal wells used by the oil and gas industry. The wells inject wastewater from extraction processes back into the ground which geologists say, over time, can lubricate the earth and cause geological slippage.

“It’s almost certainly induced by

man-made operations,” USGS Research Geophysicist Thomas Pratt said after a quake struck in Caddo Parish in January. “There’s been a history of earthquakes induced by oil and gas operations out there, so this is probably another one of those.”

USGS recorded Saturday’s earthquake, but does not report on the cause of specific earthquakes.

Only three people reported to USGS that they felt the earthquake.

In December 2024, Caddo Parish registered a number of earth-

quakes around Mooringsport.

The quakes came in clusters but tapered off after January. At the same time, and throughout the rest of 2025, USGS recorded a string of other earthquakes in neighboring parishes and over the state line near east Texas towns.

Data on earthquakes in December 2024 originally identified with epicenters near Uncertain, Texas, later was revised to have origin points in Caddo Parish.

Email Adam Duvernay at adam. duvernay@theadvocate.com.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK

Light smoke rises from a handful of active hot spots as crews remain on scene on May 16 after a fire engulfed the historic Nottoway Plantation in White Castle a day earlier.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

Construction of the Hut 8 data center continues on Oct. 30 on La. 964 in St. Francisville.

2025

Continued from page 1B ruckus, at least at Ole Miss, when he decided to leave before their run in the playoffs began.

But LSU fans couldn’t be happier. When Kiffin was introduced to the faithful at Tiger Stadium after his hire, school officials, donors and other prominent figures gave him a standing ovation.

LSU: Out with the old, in with the new, Part Deux Wade Rousse was selected the 29th LSU president in November, replacing William F. Tate IV, who had left for Rutgers University.

Rousse, a Louisiana native, was president of McNeese State University in Lake Charles. He graduated from Nicholls State University in 1993 and went into the marine transportation business. He earned a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Illinois at Chicago, worked for two years at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago and founded an alternative investment company.

The position comes with a change. The Board of Supervisors voted to separate the roles president and chancellor, naming James Dalton to serve as the chancellor of the main campus.

Rousse served as an associate dean at Northern Arizona University before joining McNeese in 2019. He’s now planning some ”seismic” restructuring at LSU.

BR mourns death of Sgt. Caleb Eisworth

Hundreds of first responders formed a procession on Aug. 10 in tribute to Sgt. Caleb Eisworth, the decorated Baton Rouge police officer who died from injuries suffered June 16 when a pickup truck rammed his motorcycle. Authorities said it was an Eisworth intentional attack.

Eisworth served on the force for 23 years. He received multiple awards for heroism in the line of duty, including the Medal of Valor for having pulled a motorist from a burning vehicle while off-duty.

Gad Ezekiel Black, the man indicted in the killing, has been found mentally fit to stand trial.

State prosecutors said they likely will pursue the death penalty.

West Feliciana Parish data center promises jobs Hut 8, the Miami-based company building an artificial intelligence data center in West Feliciana Parish, is partnering with two companies — Fluidstack and Anthropic — to deliver power and equipment to the 600-acre River Bend campus, which is just south of St. Francisville Hut 8 is named after the building where pioneering computer scientist Alan Turing created the machines that cracked the Enigma code during World War II. Backers say the AI center will

STAFF FILE PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK

LSU President Wade Rousse mingles with fans as LSU hosts Southeastern on Dec. 19 at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge. create thousands of construction in Baton Rouge, died of cardiac arjobs and more than 50 technician rest on Father’s Day at the age of 90. and maintenance positions.

At its peak, his Jimmy SwagBut there are concerns about gart Telecast was such AI centers. Among those conbeing broadcast by upward of 200 cerns is the amount of water the television stations facilities will require. and watched by 2 million households. His church complex on Bluebonnet Boulevard Little remained of the historic Swaggart consisted of more Nottoway plantation home in Iberville Parish after a fire reduced the than a dozen buildings, including 160-year-old mansion to rubble in dormitories, television production studios and warehouses to handle May. Dozens of fire response vehicles, the bundles of mail that came into ambulances and civilian cars lined the ministry every day.

It was all almost derailed by two La. 1, as wind kicked smoke into the widely publicized incidents involvsky.

Parish President Chris Daigle ing the preacher and prostitutes. said the plantation home “was a cor- But the ministry survived and is nerstone of our tourism economy still in operation. and a site of national significance.

Its absence will be felt deeply — by our community, our state and by the many who found meaning in its preservation.”

Baton Rouge businessman and civic leader Jim Bernhard died Nov. 16 at age 71.

He founded The Shaw Group from a pipe fabrication company The Rev. Jimmy Swaggart, who and guided it into a publicly tradled an international ministry based ed, industrial services powerhouse

Fire destroys Nottoway Plantation home

Businessman, civic leader Jim Bernhard dies at 71

Televangelist Jimmy Swaggart dies at 90

with a spot on the Fortune 500 list.

After selling the company in 2013, he founded Bernhard Capital Partners, a private equity firm that is now one of the largest in the Gulf South with more than $5.5 billion in assets under management and 21 companies across Bernhard the country in the energy services, industrial and utilities sector.

He played a prominent role in state Democratic Party politics and was engaged in south Louisiana civic and charitable causes.

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Obituaries

Fortune, Romelle

Bowers, Velma Lorraine

Velma entered into eternal rest on December 17, 2025. She is preceded in death by her parents Dorseline and Vincent Bowers. She is a native of Baton Rouge. She was a former employee of Quality Group, Inc. A ceremony celebrating her life will be held at Winnfield Funeral Home on January 3, 2026, at 11:00 A.M., with visitation from 9:00-11:00 A.M. Burial will follow at Southern Memorial Gardens. Her memory will be treasured.

Breaux, Allen 'Peace'

Allen Michael "Peace" Breaux Sr., 63, native of White Castle, Louisiana, peacefully transitioned on Monday, December 22, 2025. Born on July 8, 1962, in White Castle, he was the son of the late Vilien "Buster" Breaux and Dolores Holmes Breaux. A gifted carpenter, builder, and world-class truck driver, Allen's life was deeply rooted in his love for God, his faith, and his family.

He is survived by his loving daughters, Audrey Breaux-Ryan (Marcus) and Audrecka Breaux-Hardy (Keith); and his son, Allen "Mike" Breaux Jr. (Leshonda); two beloved grandsons, Joseph Hardy and Allen Michael Breaux III. He also leaves to cherish his memory his sisters, Julia Breaux Jordan, Lillian Breaux Young, and Sharon Gilbert (John); his brothers, William Breaux Sr. (Vicki) and Jimmy Breaux (Belinda); his brother-inlaw, James Green; his uncle, John Thomas Sr; his aunt Geraldine Brown.

Visitation will be held Saturday, January 3, 2026, at Asberry Methodist Church, 31755 Laurel Ridge Road, White Castle, LA 70788, from 10:00 a.m. until religious service at 11:00 a.m. The service will be officiated by Reverend John Baptiste of Greater Bethesda Missionary Baptist Church. Interment will follow at Word of Truth New Life Center, Inc., Bayou Goula, Louisiana. Services are entrusted to Demby and Son Funeral Home, Inc. of Donaldsonville, Louisiana.

Churchwell, Carol S.

Carol S. Churchwell, 87, a resident of Zachary, LA, died on Sunday, December 28, 2025. She was retired, after working for Lane Memorial Hospital for over 35 years. She was a native of Pioneer, LA. There will be a visitation on Friday, January 2, 2026 at Charlet Funeral Home, Inc. from 1:00 pm until funeral services at 3:00 pm, conducted by Dr. Andrew Kuyoro.

Burial will be at Azalea Rest Cemetery. She is survived by her daughter, Sonja Churchwell; two sisters: Diane Simms and husband Johnny of Epps, LA; Sybil Hemphill of Mer Rouge, LA; one brother, Arthur Smith of Delhi, LA. She was preceded in death by her husband, G.W. Churchwell; parents James and Linnie Smith; brothers Douglas Smith, Henry Smith, Roger Smith, and brother-in-law Jimmy Hemphill. She was a member of the First Baptist Church of Zachary; the Order of the Eastern Star, Zachary; and an avid follower of Christ, her Savior.

The family wishes to thank the Hospice of Baton Rouge and Brenda Browning for all of their helpful and loving care.

Fortune, Romelle E. Entered into eternal rest at Baton Rouge General Bluebonnet on December 23, 2025. He was a 63 year old native of Baton Rouge.

Viewing at Bethany World Prayer Center North on Friday, January 2, 2026 at 8:00am until celebration life service at 10:00am conducted by Rev. Al Moore; Interment at Oak Grove Cemetery. Survivors included, LaGretta Lazard (John); nephews, Jordan and Joshua Lazard; other relatives and friends. Arrangements entrusted to Miller and Daughter Mortuary.

Hargrave, Dr. Carolyn Hooper

Dr. Carolyn Hooper Hargrave, born January 1, 1940, passed away in the early morning hours of Saturday, December 13, 2025.

She was predeceased by her beloved spouse, W. Lee Hargrave, and her parents, William Coggin Hooper and Carrie Nell Hooper. Carolyn is survived by her son, Michel Hooper Hargrave and his wife, Lacey Hargrave; her daughter, Aleah Hargrave Guilbeau; and her cherished grandchildren, Carrie Guilbeau, Jacob Guilbeau, and Lindley Guilbeau.

Born in Brownwood, Texas, Carolyn earned a B.A. in Mathematics and Economics from the University of Texas, an M.S. in Business Administration from the University of Rochester, and a Ph.D. in Economics and Statistics from the University of Texas. Her distinguished 45-year career at Louisiana State University began in 1968 as an Assistant Professor in the College of Business.

In 1974, Carolyn began her administrative career as Associate Dean of the Graduate School, followed in 1981 by her promotion to Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs.

During a decade of service in this role, she helped implement LSU's first admission requirements and launched major initiatives strengthening promotion, tenure, and research. In 1997, after serving again as Interim Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, Carolyn was appointed by the Louisiana Board of Regents as Deputy Commissioner for Academic Affairs. There, she helped initiate major efforts to strengthen teacher education programs across Louisiana colleges and universities and was instrumental in securing state and federal grants supporting the Louisiana Library Network, the LSU Digital Library, and statewide teacher education redesign.

After a brief attempt at retirement, Carolyn answered LSU's call in 2003 to serve as Vice President for Academic Affairs for the LSU System, a position she held until her retirement in 2015. As a visionary leader serving under several LSU presidents, she had direct responsibility for all academic, research, technology transfer, and related matters across the LSU System. She also worked closely with LSU medical campuses to develop and implement a statewide electronic health records system. In 2011, LSU became the first statewide public healthcare network in the United States to deploy electronic health records at all of its hospitals.

Carolyn's professional service included membership on LSU's first Commission on the Status of Women and the LSU Graduate Council; service as Chair of the GRE Board; Vice-Chair of the Executive Council of SACSCOC; and Chair of the Louisiana Library Network Commission, which initiated and implemented LOUIS, the Louisiana Online University Information System.

In recognition of her profound and lasting impact on higher education,

Carolyn received distinguished service awards from numerous organizations, including the LSU chapters of Phi Kappa Phi and Phi Beta Kappa, the Louisiana Academic Librarians, and the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. She was further honored by LSU through the Carolyn H. Hargrave Faculty Leadership Award, reflecting her enduring influence on libraries, education, and the state at large.

Brilliant, exceptionally kind, and possessing a powerful presence, Carolyn left an indelible mark on everyone she encountered and will be deeply missed by family, friends, colleagues, and students; the family extends sincere gratitude to Reverend Katie Simpson, along with close friends and family, for their love, prayers, and presence.

Family and friends are invited to celebrate Carolyn's life on Monday, January 5, 2025, at the University United Methodist Church, 3350 Dalrymple Drive, Baton Rouge. Family will be available to greet guests beginning at 10:00 a.m., followed by the service at 11:00 a.m. A reception will immediately follow in the Fellowship Hall.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the William B Reily Memorial University United Methodist Church on LSU Campus.

Knighten, Robert Edward

WWII Army Veteran, Robert E. Knighten, a devoted husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather and great-great grandfather, peacefully passed away at home on December 27,2025 at the age of 98. He was the last surviving child of eight siblings. He retired from U.S. Steel Company after 30 years of employment and worked at East Baton Rouge Parish School Board for ten years eventually retiring at the age of 65. He was a devoted member of the New Hope Baptist Church, Pastored by Reverend Leo D. Cyrus and Reverend Samuel C. Lofton where he faithfully served on the Deacon Board. Visitations will be held at New Hope Baptist Church on January 3,2026 from 8:00am to 10:00am followed by the Celebration of Life Service at 10:00am. He leaves to cherish his memories, four daughters: Beverly K. Anthony(Sterling); Betty K. Brown; Anita K. Green and Carla K. Criss (Michael).

He was preceded in death by his wife of seventy-one years, Myrtle A. Knighten and one granddaughter, Tonya N. Brown, his mother, three sisters and four brothers.

Langlois, Charles Leon 'Pete'

Charles Leon "Pete" Langlois passed away at his home in Greenwell Springs on Monday, December 29, 2025. Born in Baton Rouge on May 5, 1937, he was 88. He was a retired carpenter and was also a veteran of the United States Army (PVT (P) E2) stationed at USATC INF Fort Jackson South Carolina. He was a member of St. Alphonsus Catholic Church, member of the Knights of Columbus (3rd and 4th Degree), and was a graduate of Catholic High School in Baton Rouge (Class of 1955). Pete was preceded in death by his parents, Frank V. Langlois, Sr. and Mary Enola Langlois; his wife of 56 years, Audrey Duplessis Langlois; brothers: Frank V. Langlois, Jr. and John William Langlois, Sr.; three sons: Charles Leon Langlois, Jr., Christopher Langlois, and Jeffrey Langlois; and granddaughter, Mikki O'Neal. He is survived by his daughter, Stephanie L. O'Neal (Gary); son, Paul E.

Langlois; sister, Sybil LeSage; five grandchildren: Megan O'Neal Rhodes (Ryan), Ashley Williams, Blake Christopher O'Neal (Mikayla Gerald), Zachary Paul Langlois (Sierra Yoder), and Jordan Hinckley; and four great-grandsons: Eli James and Jack Michael Rhodes, and Nathan Charles and Mack David O'Neal. Visitation will be on Friday, January 2, 2026, from 5pm until 8pm at Rabenhorst Funeral Home East, 11000 Florida Blvd.

Visitation will resume on Saturday morning at St. Alphonsus Catholic Church, 14040 Greenwell Springs Rd, at 10am until Mass of Christian Burial at 11am, celebrated by Rev. Michael J. Moroney. Burial will follow at Greenoaks Memorial Park. Pete's family thanks the staff and caregivers at Heart of Hospice for their care and comfort in his last days.

The Advocate ■ theadvocate.com ■ Thursday, January 1, 2026 ■ 3B

James "Bodie" Greer, Lomax Napper, and Jonathan Nester. Honorary pallbearers include Dr. Tom Foster, Ernie Freeman, Donald Greer Jr, Ron Hensen, Charles "Butch" Hightower, Senator John Kennedy, and Daniel LaFont. The family extends heartfelt thanks to Dr. Louis Minsky and staff, Briuana Robins, and Hospice of Baton Rouge for their compassionate care. Services will be held Friday, January 2, 2025, at Jefferson United Methodist Church, with visitation from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM, followed by funeral services.

Ponthier, Myra Faye Lloyd

Napper II, James 'Jim'

It is with great love and sadness that we announce the passing of our husband, father, and grandfather, James "Jim" Napper II, who left us peacefully at home surrounded by family on December 27, 2025.

Jim, or "Jimmy" as he was known in his youth, was born in Simsboro, Louisiana, on November 27, 1946, to James "Harold" Napper and LaRue Bailey Napper. Growing up in Simsboro, Jimmy was a gifted athlete who excelled in academics, baseball, and basketball. At Simsboro High School, he was named a National Merit Finalist, earned all-state basketball honors, and graduated as Valedictorian. He later attended Louisiana Tech University, where he was a member of the men's basketball team during the 1964-1965 season. Jim earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and Economics from Louisiana Tech University and a Juris Doctor degree from the LSU Law Center in 1970. He served on active duty in the United States Army before beginning his legal career. Jim was admitted to practice law before all Louisiana state courts, the U.S. District Courts for the Western and Middle Districts of Louisiana, the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the U.S. Supreme Court. Jim's distinguished career as an attorney and public servant spanned more than five decades. He began practicing law in Monroe with the firm of Shotwell, Brown, and Sperry, later serving as Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Ouachita National Bank.

After relocating to Baton Rouge, he continued his banking career as Executive Vice President, Secretary, and General Counsel of Premier Bancorp and Premier Bank, N.A., later known as Bank One Louisiana. His career culminated in his service as Executive Counsel for the Louisiana Department of the Treasury. In recognition of his dedication to public service, Jim was named a recipient of the 50th Annual Monte J. Lemann Award by the Louisiana Civil Service League. Upon his retirement, January 15, 2015, was designated James H. "Jim" Napper II Day in the state of Louisiana. In his later years, Jim found great joy in cheering for LSU athletics, especially baseball. He and his wife, Charlotte, were longtime season ticket holders and regulars at LSU baseball games. Jim's faith and his connection to his church played a vital role in his life. He was a devoted member of the United Methodist Church, serving on various committees over the years, and he held his Tuesday Night Men's group especially close to his heart. Jim is survived by his wife, Charlotte Hightower Napper; his daughter, Hillary Napper Greer (Jonathan Nester); his son, James H. Napper III (Lucie); and his grandchildren, Caroline Greer (Rory Charest), James "Bodie" Greer, and James "Boomer" Napper IV. He is also survived by his brother, Marshall T. Napper (Paula), as well as a niece and many nephews. Jim was preceded in death by his parents, James "Harold" Napper and LaRue Bailey Napper, and his brother Lue Charles Napper. Pallbearers include Rey Abadie, Rory Charest, Robert Dillard, di

Myra Ponthier, 88, "Sissy", a resident of Zachary, died on Wednesday, December 24, 2025. There will be a visitation at the First Baptist Church of Zachary on Friday, January 2, 2026 from 9:00 am until funeral services at 11:00 am, conducted by Rev. Eddie Wren.

The burial will be at Azalea Rest Cemetery. She is survived by her two sons: Mike Kirby and wife Rosanne Kirby of Highlands Ranch, CO; Dennis Kirby and wife Ella Kirby of Zachary; daughter, Kim Kirby of Destin, FL; stepdaughters Marleen Lictenberger; Chrissy McCurry; and Robbie Heroman; sister, Debbie Lloyd Burkheiser and husband Mike Burkheiser; grandchildren: Brooke Deroscher, Zeke Kirby, Travis Kirby, Emily Kantor, step-grandchildren: Jerod McCurry, Luke McCurry, Jeff Lictenberger, Adam Lictenberger, Erika Vogel, Matthew Heroman, and Jessie Felps; greatgrandchildren: Brendan Deroscher, Vivian Kirby, Noah Kantor, Quinn Kantor, Hayes Kantor, and stepgreat-grandchildren: Cole McCurry, Harrison Felps, Leona Vogel, and Romy Vogel. She was preceded in death by her husband Robert Ponthier; father T.O. Lloyd; mother Hester Wales Lloyd; and brother Jerry G. Lloyd. Pallbearers will be Travis Kirby, Brendan Deroscher, Luke McCurry, Tommy Burkheiser, Todd Burkheiser, and Zeke Kirby. Honorary pallbearer will be Cole McCurry.

She graduated from Zachary High School and obtained her Pest Control License from the State of Louisiana. Together she and her husband started Cajun Pest Control. She was a member of Primetimers. She enjoyed playing cards, especially Bridge. She was a member of 3 Bridge clubs. She was a member of the Town and Country Reviewers Book Club. She especially enjoyed traveling with her family and entertaining her friends. Myra will be remembered as a loving wife, devoted mother, caring sister, and loyal friend to so many. Her kindness, dedication, and warmth left a lasting impact on everyone who had the privilege of knowing her. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in memory of Myra to the Alzheimer's Association and to the Northern Colorado Down Syndrome Association. The family of Myra extends their heartfelt appreciation to Rochelle Young, Farrel Fabre, Tiera Armstrong, and Shelly Wintz from Pinnacle Hospice for the love and care given to Myra and her family. The family would also like to thank the many sitters who were by her side and took such great care of her during her illness. Share sympathies, memories, and condolences at www.CharletFun eralHome.com.

Ragusa, Ben P.

Ben P. Ragusa, Jr attended Sacred Heart Elementary School and Baton Rouge High School. He played baseball and football, until all the other guys

were bigger than he was.

As a young child, Ben worked in his father's grocery store, eventually working as a butcher in the store.

Ben Jr left high school and enlisted in the Navy, earning his high school diploma while at sea. Ben Jr was stationed on aircraft carriers as a flight deck signal man. He spent months at sea In the Cuban blockade. Ben was on shore leave in Norfolk, VA when President Kennedy was assassinated...The chaos of MP's rounding up ALL the sailors in the bars and establishments in Norfolk and the resulting flood of ships leaving the docks with or without tugboat assistance was surreal.

Ben returned to Baton Rouge and opened his own neighborhood grocery store.

Ben met Patti Thomas on a blind date and told her that he was going to marry her at the end of their first date.

Ben started to look for a sales career. IBM and Xerox both wanted to hire him, but required a college degree, both offered to pay for the education. Ben could not take time to go to school; he had a growing family to support. Ben took an Interview with a company called Lanier.

The opportunity sounded right! Ben accepted the copier sales job with Lanier in late 1967. Ben quickly became the #2 sales rep for Lanier in the U.S., he never could beat Chuck Foreman, in Florida, they became great friends.

Ben ascended the ranks of Lanier winding up at the Atlanta HQ in the fall of 1977. Ben eventually left the company as Exec VP of Worldwide Sales (#3 in the Company).

In 1988, Ben and George DeBenedetto founded OMNI Business Products, a Toshiba copier dealer, in Atlanta. Jeff dropped out of LSU to Join the family business and Ed Doyle left Lanier and moved from New Jersey to Join OMNI. In 1994, Ben sold OMNI to Toshiba and Ben, Ed, & Jeff founded Applied Business Concepts, (ABC) in Baton Rouge and New Orleans. ABC now employs over 30 people and operates in all of South Louisiana with locations in Baton Rouge, Kenner, and Lafayette.

Ben supported Cure SMA, Tunnel to Towers, Folds of Honor, Wounded Warrior Project, Samaritan's Purse, St. Jude Hospital, and The Cannata Gala, as well as several Local Charities, Churches, and Schools.

Ben is preceded in death by his Beloved Wife, of 59 years, Patricia Thomas Ragusa. His Parents: Ben P Ragusa, Sr and Mary Ann Grasso Ragusa. His Siblings: Peter Anthony Ragusa and Angie Ann Ragusa Cates. Ben is Survived by His Siblings: Phillip Manuel Ragusa and Myrtle Jean Ragusa David.

His Children: Jeffrey Wayne Ragusa, Sr (57) and Stephanie Ragusa Charpentier (54) His Grandchildren: Madeline (28), Elizabeth (28), Jeffrey, Jr (27), Patricia (26), & Megan (24).

Relatives and friends are invited to Sacred Heart Catholic Church on Wednesday, January 7, 2026 for a visitation beginning at 10:00 AM until a Mass of Christian Burial at 11:00 AM followed by a committal service at Resthaven Gardens of Memory.

Roan, Emily Augustine

Emily Augustine Roan, age 85, passed away on Saturday, December 20, 2025, at her home. Visiting at St. Joseph Baptist Church, 2510 Tennessee St. on Friday, January 2nd

See more DEATHS, page

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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

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6B ■ Thursday, January 1, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

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Baton Rouge Weather TODAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

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Warming

Breezy, showers - 30%

Clearing - 10%

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Plenty of sun

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READING 52 MAIN POLLUTANT Ozone

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SOURCE: LOUISIANA DEQ AND AIRNOW.GOV

RIVER STAGES FLOOD STAGE 24-HOUR STAGE CHANGE Memphis 34 -4.20 -0.79 Vidalia-Natchez 48 16.80 +0.28 Red River Landing 48 19.40 +0.10 Baton Rouge 35 7.20 +0.30 Donaldsonville 27 3.80 none Reserve 22 2.81 +0.08 New Orleans 17 1.50 -0.07 MISSISSIPPI

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COMITE AMITE

Near Darlington Denham Springs Port Vincent TICKFAW

Montpelier Holden ATCHAFALAYA

Simmesport Melville Krotz Springs Butte La Rose Bayou Sorrel Morgan City

DEATHS continued from from 8:00am until service at 10:00am. Interment in Southern Memorial Gardens Cemetery 3012 Blount Rd, Baton Rouge, La 70807.

Rucker Sr., Thomas

Entered into eternal rest on December 17, 2025 at the age of 73. Visitation Friday, January 2, 2026, Hall's Celebration Center, 9348 Scenic Highway, Baton Rouge, LA., 4PM to 6PM. Visitation continues, Saturday, January 3, 2026, St. Mark United Methodist Church, 6217 Glen Oaks Dr. Baton Rouge, LA., 9AM until religious service at 11AM. Interment Sage Hill Cemetery, St. Francisville, LA. Funeral Service Entrusted to Hall Davis and Son.

Willis, Earl 'Bubba'

Earl "Bubba" Willis, Jr. a beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother and family man passed away doing what he loved on Monday, December 29, 2025, at the age of 69. He retired from Placid Refinery as an operator after 35 years of service; was a resident of Brusly and native of Plaquemine, LA. Visitation will be held at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, Brusly on Saturday, January 3, 2026, from 9:30am until Mass of Christian Burial at 11:30am, celebrated by Father Matt

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Alexandria 69/53

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AIR QUALITY YESTERDAY

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Monroe 70/54

Shreveport 71/58

24 hours through 5 p.m. Wed. 0.00” Month to date (normal) 6.40” (5.32”) year to date (normal) 59.70” (61.94”)

Near Olive

The chill will start to lose its grip as we move into New year’s Day. Thursday will feature plenty of sunshine with afternoon highs getting into the upper 60s, about 10 degrees higher than Wednesday. As we head into the end of the week, the weather pattern will shift a bit. On Friday, you’ll notice the wind picking up and a tinge of humidity in the air as moisture moves in from the Gulf. This breezy Friday will be our warmest day of the week, with highs in the mid-70s, but it will also bring our next chance for rain. Isolated to scattered showers are expected with measurable rain coverage around 30%, so some may not even get any, and there is no reason to cancel outdoor plans. Just have an indoor option nearby in case.

AROUND THE REGION

BATON ROUGE THROUGH 5 P.M. WEDNESDAy

Cairo

Weather News by Chief Meteorologist Dr. Josh Eachus

New Orleans 69/54

Lake Charles 70/57

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

Houma 71/51

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

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

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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

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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.

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Dupre. Entombment will follow at the church cemetery. Bubba is survived by his wife of 45 years, Danette K. Willis; children, Brittany Vincent and husband Anatole, Courtney Purpera and husband Dale, Jr., and Parker Willis and wife Marki; grandchildren, Drake, Cooper and Alyce Vincent, Coy, Dailyn and Kace Purpera, Maggie Louise and Rowdy Willis; siblings, Althea Ourso and husband Frank, Brian Willis and wife Charlotte, Willie Falcon and husband Al, and Erik Willis and wife Patty; mother-in-law, Betty Kane; sister-in-law, Vicki Strickland and husband Danny; and numerous nieces and nephews. Preceded in death by his parents, Earl "Red" and Joy Ourso Willis; father-in-law, Dan Kane; and godfather, Nicky Ourso. Bubba was the kind of person whose life revolved around the people he loved, and nothing brought him more joy than his family. He was very devoted to his wife, and their life together was the center of everything he did. His love for her was steady, protective, unwavering and brought him the most comfort. Those who knew Bubba knew how deeply he cherished his wife and his commitment, partnership and love will continue to surround Danette in the days ahead.

Bubba was a devoted father who took great pride in his children and the lives they built. Whether through guidance, quiet support, or simply being there when it mattered most, he showed his love in steady and meaningful ways. His children knew they could always count on him. Above all else, he cherished his grandchildren. They were the light of his life and the source of his biggest smiles. He loved spending time with them, telling stories, laughing, and watching them grow. To them, he was more than a grandfather, he was a constant presence of love, patience and warmth. Bubba will be remembered for his kind heart, his dedication to family, and the values he passed down through his children. His legacy lives on in the lives he touched, the lessons he taught, and the love he gave so freely.

Please share memories on-

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line at www.wilbertservices.com.

Wright Hall, Julia Beatrice Scan to download

Julia Beatrice Wright Hall, a native of Port Allen, LA and resident of Brusly, LA was welcomed home to be with the Lord on December 25, 2025 at the age of 82.

Julia will be remembered for her warmth, strength and unwavering love for her family, church family and friends.

She leaves to cherish her memories her daughter, Melissa (Bruce) James; four sons, Murial (Anita) Hall, Jr., Jerome (Caroline) Hall, Jeffrey Hall, and Marcus (fiancé, Janae') Hall; 14 grandchildren, and 13 great-grandchildren and a host of other relatives and friends. She is preceded in death by her loving husband, Murial Hall, Sr., parents, Horace, and Enoch Wright, 3 sisters and 2 brothers. Visitation will be held from 9:00am to 10:45am on January 2, 2026 at Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church, 2800 Wyandotte Street, Baton Rouge, LA with Celebration of Life Service beginning at 11:00am conducted by Rev. Byron K. Sanders, Sr., Pastor.

Sign the guest book at www.hallsinc.net.

Services entrusted to Hall Davis & Son Funeral Service.

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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

1Cn

LSU women’s depth keeps stars ‘fresh’

BY REED DARCEY Staff writer

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 ä Kentucky at LSU, team finally has 7 P.M.THURSDAy, SECN+. 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

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU guard Flau’jae Johnson dribbles into the lane against Texas-Arlington ä See LSU WOMEN, page 2C on Dec. 21 at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.

Roles reverse between Indiana, Alabama

BY GREG BEACHAM AP sportswriter

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 Rebels and Bulldogs square off Thursday.

WE MEET AGAIN Ole Miss, Georgia say Oct. game holds no bearing on rematch ä Georgia

BY LES EAST

vs. Ole Miss.

Contributing writer 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.

7 P.M.THURSDAy, ESPN

What will matter is how well 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 Chambliss 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

ä See BOWL, page 4C

LOS ANGELES — Nick Saban coached his final game for Alabama just two years ago in the Rose Bowl. Although the sport didn’t know it at the time, an era ended for the 21st century’s most dominant program when Jalen Milroe got stopped on fourth down in overtime by Michigan. ä Indiana The No. 9-seeded Crimson Tide is revs.Alabama, turning to the Rose 3 P.M.THURSDAy, Bowl’s storied turf ESPN Thursday as underdogs against unbeaten and top-seeded Indiana, which improbably has constructed a burgeoning superpower from the ground up during those two short years.

Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson sounded a bit like so many opponents of the Crimson Tide (11-3) over the past two decades Tuesday when he described the challenge of facing the Hoosiers (130) in a College Football Playoff quarterfinal doubling as the 112th edition of the Granddaddy of Them All. “They’re the No. 1 team for a reason, and we know it,” Simpson said. “As a coach’s son, I know that to get that program to where it is in that time frame is just super impressive. It’s going to be a tough challenge, but that’s what we live for.”

Alabama reached six CFP finals and won three titles under Saban during the postseason format’s first decade. Two years into the nearly impossible task of following Saban, coach Kalen DeBoer

ä See PREVIEW, page 4C

Some Saints set for their last New Orleans 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 5C Davis after a sack at the Caesars Superdome on Dec. 21.

2C ■ Thursday, January 1, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The 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.

Colts to start Leonard over Rivers at QB against Texans

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

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.

Source: RB Berry to return to LSU

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 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 after 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.

LSU men’s hoops signee to get a head start

BY TOYLOY BROWN III Staff writer

LSU basketball has added a new member to this year’s team from its 2026 recruiting class.

Four-star forward Marcus Vaughns, who hails from Melbourne, Australia, will enroll early at the university for the spring semester, coach Matt McMahon said Wednesday. While he is with the team after signing Nov. 12, he will not play in games this season.

The four-star recruit arrived at LSU (12-1) Tuesday and will

go through medical testing this week. The plan is for him to begin practicing next week.

“This is great for him, a fivemonth head start as I mentioned ... will join our scout team, (have) one-on-one time in the gym,” McMahon said.

McMahon said another benefit of having Vaughs, a 6-foot-8 wing who weighs 215 pounds, on campus early is for him to get stronger in the weight room with strength coach Mike Chatman.

“Just the overall acclimation to college, he’s been at the Centre of Excellence there in Austra-

lia,” McMahon said. “So he’s been away from home before.

“But still, I think having this semester head start will really benefit him with his transition here to LSU. So I think there’s only positives to take from it.”

Vaughns is listed as the No. 187 recruit in his class and the 55th small forward, according to the 247Sports Composite. He committed to the Tigers on May 22.

He will join a team that has LSU senior guard Max Mackinnon, who is from Brisbane, Australia, and played in the same prep program as Vaughns before

LSU WOMEN Continued from page 1C

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

STAFF PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK

LSU guard Mikaylah Williams works the ball around Charlotte guard Imani Smith on Nov. 12 at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. 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 sea-

beginning his college career.

LSU associate head coach David Patrick also has ties to Australia. The former college head coach and longtime assistant has been an assistant coach for the Australian National Team since 2019.

Vaughns is one of the three wings LSU signed in the 2026 recruiting class, along with Kevin Thomas and Herly Brutus. The Tigers currently own the 20thranked class in the country, according to ESPN. The site lists Thomas No. 71 and Brutus No. 88.

son. 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 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.”

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

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

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 Advocate ■ theadvocate.com ■ Thursday, January 1, 2026 ■ 3C

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Saints defensive end Chase young celebrates a sack against the Tennessee Titans on Sunday in Nashville, Tenn.

Look for the Saints to be the NFC South favorites in 2026, says Jeff Duncan.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JOHN AMIS

A look into Duncan’s 2026 crystal ball

H

to the Pro Football Hall of Fame on his first ballot. He is joined in the Class of 2026 by Larry Fitzgerald, Luke Kuechly,Adam Vinatieri and Willie Anderson. … At the NFL Honors show, Shough wins the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year award, making him the fourth player in Saints franchise history to earn the honor, joining George Rogers, Rueben Mayes and Alvin Kamara. Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford wins January the MVP award, the first of his 17-year career. Mike Vrabel is the In the College Football Playoff Coach of the Year, edging Liam quarterfinals, Texas Tech rolls Coen. … In Super Bowl LX, Payton over Oregon, while Indiana and avenges the NOLA no-call loss Georgia win nail-biters against Alabama and Ole Miss to advance. by defeating coach Sean McVay and the Rams 24-23 at Levi’s Stadium … The Saints finish the season in Santa Clara, California. Nix at 7-10 as Tyler Shough outduels Kirk Cousins in a 26-24 win over the Fal- is named the game’s MVP after passing for three touchdowns. cons in Mercedes-Benz Stadium. … On Black Monday, Raheem Morris Denver celebrates its fourth Su(Falcons), Jonathan Gannon (Cardiper Bowl title and first since 2015. … Further Ado goes gate-to-wire nals) and Mike McDaniel (Dolphins) to win the Grade II Risen Star are fired, joining Brian Daboll and Stakes at the Fair Grounds, givBrian Callahan in the NFL unemployment line. … The Falcons ing trainer Brad Cox his fourth win also fire general manager Terry in the race in the past six years.

Fontenot and introduce former star … For the first time in Carnival quarterback Matt Ryan as his suchistory, two grand marshals hail from the same household: Shough cessor. … The Broncos and 49ers secure the No. 1 seeds in the AFC in Bacchus and his golden retrievand NFC playoffs. … Colorado er, Murphy, in Barkus. …The Zulu receiver Omarion Miller, Ole Miss parade starts late on Mardi Gras quarterback Trinidad Chambliss and Day for the 116th consecutive Ole Miss running back Kewan Lacy year and is delayed by a series of enter the transfer portal and antractor breakdowns. nounce their plans to attend LSU. …Quarterback T.J. Finley signs with March Nicholls State, the sixth school Before the start of free agency, in his six-year playing career. … the Saints sign receiver Chris Olave In her final official duty in office, and defensive back Alontae Taylor to outgoing New Orleans Mayor long-term contract extensions, LaToya Cantrell flies and Taysom Hill announces his reto Milan, Italy, tirement from the NFL after nine to “scout” the seasons. … The Saints open free city’s last-minute agency by signing guard Teven preparations for Jenkins and announcing incentivethe Winter Olymladen, one-year deals with vetpics in case, she erans Demario Davis and Cam Jordan said, New Orleans to return for another season. … elects to bid on Dedan Thomas scores a game-high Cantrell a future Winter 21 points to lead four players in Olympiad. … The Seahawks, double figures as LSU beats Texas Rams and Packers advance with A&M 84-79 to finish the season wins in the NFC wild-card playat 22-9 and 10-8 in conference play, the program’s first winning offs. In the AFC, the Steelers, season since 2020-2021. … The Texans and Patriots move on.

LSU women finish 26-4 under … In the CFP semifinals, Texas coach Kim Mulkey and earn the No. Tech upsets Indiana to advance 3 seed in the SEC tournament. … to its first national title game apThe Tulane men’s basketball team pearance. Ohio State rolls past finishes the season with a loss to Ole Miss in the other semifinal.

Cal Irvine in the first round of the … Jose Ortiz pilots White Tiger to a NIT. Coach Ron Hunter announces strong rally down the stretch to win the Grade III Lecomte Stakes his retirement after seven seaat the Fair Grounds. …The Rams sons at the helm. … Mesquite wins and 49ers advance to the NFC the Grade II Louisiana Derby as championship game with wins trainer Cherie DeVaux scores her over the Seahawks and Packers. first career win in Louisiana’s In the AFC, the Broncos and Pamost prestigious race. Bella Balleritriots win their home divisional na wins the Grade II Fair Grounds games to advance. … In the CFP Oaks. … The LSU women earn the championship game, Julian Sayin No. 2 seed in the West Regional throws two TD passes to Jeremiah but fall to UCLA in the regional Smith and the Buckeyes’ defense final despite 30 points from Flau’jae makes a late goal-line stand to Johnson in her final college game. preserve a 20-16 victory over … LSU is upset by coach Will Wade Texas Tech as Ohio State celand the NC State Wolf Pack in the ebrates back-to-back titles. … The first round of the NCAA TournaNFL announces its slate of nine ment’s East Regional. international games for the 2026 season, including a Vikings-Saints April game in Paris. … The Rams rally Former Shaw High School and from a double-digit second-half Southeastern Louisiana runner deficit to edge the 49ers 35-33 in Bryant White wins the 48th running the NFC championship game. Bo of the Crescent City Classic afNix runs for two touchdowns and ter finishing second in 2025. … passes for another as the Broncos Michigan outlasts Gonzaga in a defeat the Patriots 27-16 in the 94-91 shootout in the men’s NCAA AFC championship game, sendFinal Four and record the school’s second national championship ing coach Sean Payton to his second and first since 1989. … Dawn Staley’s Super Bowl.

South Carolina Gamecocks upset February top-ranked UConn to win the women’s NCAA Final Four in On the eve of the trade deadPhoenix … Anthony Edwards scores line, the Pelicans deal guards Jose Alvarado and Jordan Hawkins to the At- 36 points in a 134-122 win over the lanta Hawks for wing shooter Luke Pelicans in Minneapolis. The Pels end their season at 34-48 and miss Kennard. … The Saints announce the addition of Gannon as a senior the final play-in spot by three defensive assistant. … The Winter games. … Director of basketball operations Joe Dumars announces Olympics open in Milan, Italy. …

Drew Brees becomes the first player that James Borrego will not be rein Saints history to earn induction tained as the team’s head coach. appy New Year, New Orleans.

In honor of the late, great Peter Finney, the legendary oracle of New Orleans sports, let’s dust off the crystal ball and see what 2026 portends for the world of sports.

And as Pete always advised: Do not bet the mortgage on this inside information.

Jeff Duncan

… Ludvig Åberg sinks a birdie putt on No. 18 to defeat Bryson DeChambeau and become the first Swede to win the Masters. … The Las Vegas Raiders select Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft. …

With the No. 9 pick, the Saints select Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love, making him the ninth running back taken in Round 1 in club history and first since Mark Ingram in 2011. … The Love Dallas Cowboys select LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane in Round 1 … The Saints select Oregon defensive tackle A’Mauri Washington and Louisville receiver Chris Bell on Day 2. … Danish twins Nicolai and Rasmus Højgaard become the first brother combination to win the Zurich Classic at TPC of Louisiana.

May The Pelicans introduce Kevin Ollie as the franchise’s 10th head coach. … Further Ado wears down Ted Noffey in the stretch to win the Kentucky Derby and give Cox his first win in the Run for the Roses in his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky. … Ted Noffey avenges the loss two weeks later by wiring the field to win the Preakness Stakes. … Viktor Hovland wins the first major championship of his career at the PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown, Pennsylvania … Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scores 38 points to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 120-116 victory over the San Antonio Spurs in Game 7 of the Western Conference finals. …

The New York Knicks out-grind the Detroit Pistons in six games to win the Eastern Conference finals and advance to the NBA Finals for the first time since 19981999. … LSU loses to Georgia in the semifinals of the SEC baseball tournament but earns the No. 6 national seed in the NCAA Tournament. … Tulane loses to Florida Atlantic in the semifinals of the American Conference baseball tournament to finish its season at 31-27 in its fourth season under manager Jay Uhlman. … At the NFL spring meeting in Orlando, Florida, NFL owners award the 2031 Super Bowl to New Orleans.

Nashville and Las Vegas are awarded the 2029 and 2030 Super Bowls, respectively. … Derik Queen and Jeremiah Fears are named to the NBA All-Rookie team, becoming the fourth and fifth players in Pelicans franchise history to earn first-team honors.

June Mesquite closes from last place to run down Further Ado and Ted Noffey at the wire and win the Belmont Stakes. … LSU makes the College World Series for the third time in four years when Zach Yorke hits a game-winning home run in the ninth inning to beat Texas in Game 3 of the Baton Rouge super regional, but the Tigers are eliminated in back-toback losses to No. 1 seed UCLA and Tennessee.

July

October

Jeff Kent and Carlos Beltran are inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, as the Class of 2026. … The Wizards select BYU forward A.J. Dybantsa with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, and the Pacers select Kansas guard Darryn Peterson at No. 2. … The Pelicans trade into the bottom of the first round and select Texas Tech wing J.T.Toppin. … Matt Fitzpatrick wins the British Open at Royal Birkdale in Southport, England. … Carlos Alcaraz defeats Jannik Sinner in the men’s final at Wimbledon to avenge last year’s defeat. ... Iga Swiatek of Poland wins the women’s final for the second consecutive year. ...

Slovenian superstar Tadej Pogacar wins his third consecutive Tour de France and fifth overall title, tying him with four others for most in the race’s 113-year history. …

The Saints open training camp in Metairie by announcing that the team has sold out its season ticket inventory for the 21st consecutive season. They are the consensus pick to win the NFC South. … LSU announces that Lane Kiffin has replaced former gymnast Livvy Dunne as the school’s largest social media brand influencer. Kiffin’s yellow lab, Juice, is No. 5 on the list.

Aaron Judge hits three home runs to power the New York Yankees to a 11-8 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 7 of the World Judge Series at Dodger Stadium. Judge is named World Series MVP after hitting six home runs in the series. … The Saints go 3-1 in the month, including a 28-27 win over the Vikings before a sellout crowd at Stade de France in Paris in the first NFL game in France. Saints tight end Juwan Johnson celebrates his game-winning TD catch by drinking champagne and leading a “Qui dat?” chant in the victorious postgame locker room. … LSU goes unbeaten in the month, defeating McNeese, Kentucky, Mississippi State and Auburn to improve to 6-2 and climb back into the AP Top 25. … The FireLaneKiffin.com website is disbanded. … Tulane finishes the month at 4-4 overall, splitting its four games, wins over Tulsa and Charlotte and losses to South Florida and Army. … The Pelicans open the season with a 124-113 win over the Dallas Mavericks behind Queen’s 24-point, 12-rebound double-double.

August Ohio State opens the season at consensus No. 1 pick in the preseason AP football poll. LSU checks in at No. 24. ... Vuori active wear company signs Kiffin to a multiyear endorsement contract…. Gov. Jeff Landry and Pelicans governor Gayle Benson announce a new long-term lease extension for New Orleans’ NBA team that includes a major renovation of the Smoothie King Center and reimagined entertainment district adjacent to the arena. The deal also includes a commitment by the NBA for New Orleans to host the 2028 NBA All-Star Game.

September The Lane Kiffin era at LSU begins with a 26-20 victory over Clemson before a capacity crowd at Tiger Stadium in a nationally televised prime-time game. … Darian Mensah throws four touchdown passes as Duke avenges its 2025 loss to Tulane with a 38-24 win over the Green Wave in Will Hall’s debut as head coach. … The Saints open the season as the favorites to win the NFC South and validate the predictions by routing the Bucs 36-16 behind Love’s 125-yard rushing day in his NFL debut before a sellout crowd at the Caesars Superdome. … Tulane gives Hall the first win of his head coaching tenure on Willow Street with a 36-20 victory over South Alabama at Yulman Stadium. …

LSU improves to 2-0 with a blowout home win over Louisiana Tech behind Lacy’s 120 yards rushing. … In what is billed as the biggest game in school history, Ole Miss hands Kiffin the first loss of his LSU coaching tenure, a 33-31 Rebels victory before a record crowd of almost 69,000 fans at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, Mississippi. Fans storm the field and pelt the LSU team buses with eggs after they exit the stadium. … Tulane finishes the month at 2-2, splitting games at Kansas State (loss) and at home against Southern Miss (win). …

Still hungover from the Ole Miss loss, LSU loses to Texas A&M at Tiger Stadium and finishes the month at 2-2. … FireLaneKiffin. com is launched and an online petition receives more than 19,000 signatures in 24 hours. ...

The Saints finish the month at 1-2 after back-to-back losses to the Rams and Ravens.

November The Saints go 2-3 in the month, beating the Bucs and Chiefs but losing to the Giants, Falcons and Packers. … LSU upsets Alabama 30-28 before a sellout crowd and nationally televised audience.

State officials commission a bronze sculpture of Kiffin to be constructed outside Tiger Stadium. … A week later, Arch Manning throws four touchdown passes to lead Texas to a 33-26 victory at Tiger Stadium. State officials cancel the plans for the Kiffin statue. …

LSU wins its final two games of the season against Tennessee and Arkansas to finish Kiffin’s first season at 9-3 and earn a Citrus Bowl berth. Lacy tops the 1,000yard rushing mark for the season. … Tulane reels off consecutive wins against North Texas, Rice and Texas-San Antonio but falls to Memphis in the season finale to finish Hall’s first season at 7-5. The Green Wave earn an invitation to play Toledo in the Gasparilla Bowl.

December The Saints lose to the Lions, then defeat the Panthers, Browns and Bengals to improve to 9-7 and ensure the franchise’s first winning season in three years. … Smyth ties Tom Dempsey’s franchise record with a 63-yard goal vs. the Panthers in the Caesars Superdome. … Love caps a dominant rookie season by winning the Offensive Rookie of the Year, making it back-to-back years a Saint has won the honor. … UL fires coach Michael Desormeaux after his fourth losing campaign in five seasons and names former LSU coach Ed Orgeron as his successor. …

Tulane nips Toledo 23-21 on Patrick Durkin’s last-second 41-yard field goal in the Gasparilla Bowl. The Green Wave end Hall’s first season by winning four of its final five games. … Miami whips LSU 30-20 in the Citrus Bowl. FireLaneKiffin. com relaunches. … The Browns fire Kevin Stefanski after seven seasons and target Saints defensive coordinator and Perry, Ohio, native Brandon Staley as his successor. … Orgeron announces his first commitment as UL coach: quarterback T.J. Finley. … On New Year’s Eve, Gov. Landry resigns from his White House envoy appointment when he learns that “Greenland” is not President Donald Trump’s nickname for Saudi Arabia.

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

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COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF Ole Miss, Georgia no strangers to Sugar Bowl

BY SPENCER URQUHART Staff writer

Georgia and Ole Miss face off in the 92nd annual Allstate Sugar Bowl on Thursday in a College Football Playoff quarterfinal matchup at the Caesars Superdome.

The matchup between No. 3-seeded Georgia and No. 6-seeded Ole Miss will mark the first time in more than 60 years that two Southeastern Conference schools have played in the Sugar Bowl.

Georgia fell 23-10 to Notre Dame in last year’s Sugar Bowl, and Ole Miss last appeared in 2022 in a 21-7 loss to Baylor.

Both Georgia and Ole Miss have played in the Sugar Bowl plenty of times over the years. Listed below are all 22 Sugar Bowl matchups that have involved either the Bulldogs or Rebels.

Jan. 1, 1947: Georgia 20, North Carolina 10 No. 3 Georgia faced No. 9 North Carolina in front of 73,000 fans at Tulane Stadium. North Carolina led 7-0 at halftime, but Georgia took a 13-10 lead in the third quarter after Charley Trippi completed a 67-yard touchdown pass to Dan Edwards. Georgia finished the season 11-0.

Jan. 1, 1953: Georgia Tech 24, Ole Miss 7 An all-SEC matchup between Ole Miss and Georgia Tech took place in front of 80,000 at Tulane Stadium. No. 7 Ole Miss took a 7-0 lead after a 4-yard touchdown run by Wilson Dillard, but No. 2 Georgia Tech scored 24 unanswered points.

Jan. 1, 1955: Navy 21, Ole Miss 0 Ole Miss returned to the Sugar Bowl for the second time in three years at Tulane Stadium. No. 6 Ole Miss faced No. 5 Navy, and the Rebels failed to score. Navy running back Joe Gattuso was named MVP after scoring two rushing touchdowns.

Jan. 1, 1958: Ole Miss 39, Texas 7 Ole Miss won its first Sugar Bowl in dominant fashion. No. 7 Ole Miss led No. 11 Texas 26-0 after the third quarter, and Rebels quarterback Raymond Brown was named MVP after finishing with 157 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 15 carries along with a passing touchdown.

Jan. 1, 1960: Ole Miss 21, LSU 0 An SEC rematch took place between No. 2 Ole Miss and No. 3 LSU. The Rebels prevailed after a dominant defensive performance in which the Rebels held LSU to 74 total yards. All three Ole Miss touchdowns were passes, one from Jake Gibbs and two from Bobby Franklin.

Jan. 2, 1961: Ole Miss 14, Rice 6 No. 2 Ole Miss earned backto-back Sugar Bowl wins with a strong showing against Rice. Ole Miss quarterback Jake Gibbs was the MVP, scoring both touchdowns.

Ole Miss was named national champion by the Football Writers

STAFF FILE PHOTO By MICHAEL DEMOCKER

Georgia Bulldogs wide receiver George Pickens holds the Sugar Bowl trophy after the Bulldogs beat the Baylor Bears in the Allstate Sugar Bowl at the Caesars Superdome on Jan. 1, 2020.

Association of America.

Jan. 1, 1963: Ole Miss 17, Arkansas 13 No. 3 Ole Miss was looking to keep its undefeated season intact against No. 6 Arkansas. A 33-yard pass from Ole Miss quarterback Glynn Griffing to Louis Guy gave the Rebels a 10-3 halftime lead, and they held on after Griffing’s rushing touchdown in the third quarter.

Jan. 1, 1964: Alabama 12, Ole Miss 7 Ole Miss was facing Alabama for the first time since 1944 even though they were both in the SEC. A defensive struggle resulted in a combined 13 turnovers, and Ole Miss scored the game’s only touchdown but fell short. Alabama kicker Tim Davis made four field goals.

Jan. 1, 1969: Arkansas 16, Georgia 2 No. 4 Georgia returned to the Sugar Bowl for the first time in 22 years to face No. 9 Arkansas. The only points Georgia scored came from a safety in the second quarter. Underdog Arkansas had Chuck Dicus win MVP after catching 12 passes.

Jan. 1, 1970: Ole Miss 27, Arkansas 22 With Archie Manning at quarterback, Ole Miss returned to the Sugar Bowl against No. 3 Arkansas. No. 13 Ole Miss struck first after Bo Bowen’s 69-yard touchdown run and led 24-12 at halftime after two touchdowns from Manning.

Ole Miss never trailed, and Manning was named MVP. Jan. 1, 1977: Pittsburgh 27, Georgia 3

in 20 years in a matchup with ACC champion Florida State. A 71-yard pick-six by Bruce Thornton swung the momentum in favor of Georgia, and the Bulldogs never trailed the rest of the way.

Jan. 2, 2006: West Virginia 38, Georgia 35 This Sugar Bowl was moved to the Georgia Dome in Atlanta with the Superdome undergoing repairs after Hurricane Katrina. West Virginia led by as much as 28 points and held off Georgia’s comeback attempt. West Virginia freshman Steve Slaton’s 204 yards rushing were a Sugar Bowl record.

Jan. 1, 2008: Georgia 41, Hawaii 10 Georgia represented the SEC in the Sugar Bowl with LSU in the BCS national championship game, and the Bulldogs faced the nation’s last remaining undefeated team in Hawaii. Georgia dominated the game, and Bulldogs defensive end Marcus Howard became the first defensive player to win MVP. Jan. 1, 2016: Ole Miss 48, Oklahoma State 20 Ole Miss returned to the Sugar Bowl for the first time in 46 years against Oklahoma State. The Ole Miss passing attack proved too much for Oklahoma State to contain, as Rebels quarterback Chad Kelly threw four touchdown passes, three of which went to Laquon Treadwell.

Jan. 1, 2019: Texas 28, Georgia 21

SEC runner-up Georgia faced Big 12 runner-up Texas. Texas led by as much as 21 points, and Longhorns quarterback Sam Ehlinger was named MVP after accounting for three touchdowns.

Jan. 1, 2020: Georgia 26, Baylor 14 Georgia returned to the Sugar Bowl for a second straight year against a Big 12 opponent and was able to earn redemption. Georgia set the tone with a 19-0 halftime lead, and George Pickens was named MVP after catching 12 passes for 175 yards and a touchdown.

Jan. 1, 2022: Baylor 21, Ole Miss 7 Ole Miss earned a Sugar Bowl bid for the first time with Lane Kiffin as coach, but the Rebels suffered some bad luck early with an injury to QB Matt Corral. Baylor set the tone with a 96-yard pick-six, and linebacker Terrel Bernard was named MVP with two sacks and 17 tackles.

Jan. 2, 2025: Notre Dame 23, Georgia 10 Last year’s Sugar Bowl was pushed back one day because of the Bourbon Street terrorist attack. In a CFP quarterfinal matchup between No. 2-seeded Georgia and No. 7-seeded Notre Dame, Jayden Harrison’s 98-yard kickoff return led to a Fighting Irish upset.

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.

winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza, the California transfer who has taken the Indiana offense to an elite level.

“We want to win the national championship, but playing in the Rose Bowl, getting a chance to play a historic team like Alabama, it’s something that’s really important to appreciate,” Mendoza said.

“The Big Ten championship was sweet, and it left a good taste in our mouth, but we’ve had a month for Coach Cignetti to light a fire under us and remind us we need to win the Rose Bowl. If we don’t, this season was great, but it isn’t what we want it to be.”

The Hoosiers beat the Buckeyes on Dec. 6, but Mendoza believes they can benefit from a 25-day layoff without succumbing to the rustiness that likely played a role in last year’s CFP, when all four teams with first-round byes lost.

“I think having the month off is also a plus, although it was a negative for some teams last year,” Mendoza said. “I just gave myself time to reflect on the Big Ten championship, the Heisman, all those other great things, let them sink in in a way where — ‘OK, that’s cool. Boom. Now we’ve got the new season.’ ”

The second Sugar Bowl played at the Superdome featured No. 5 Georgia against No. 1 Pittsburgh.

Heisman Trophy-winning running back Tony Dorsett found the end zone to give Pitt a 21-0 edge at halftime, and Georgia managed just one field goal against the eventual consensus national champions.

Jan. 1, 1981: Georgia 17, Notre Dame 10 No. 1 Georgia handled No. 7 Notre Dame. Georgia running back Herschel Walker won Sugar Bowl MVP as a true freshman, scoring both Georgia touchdowns and finishing with 150 yards rushing.

Georgia was the consensus national champion.

Jan. 1, 1982: Pittsburgh 24, Georgia 20 Reigning national champion Georgia faced Pittsburgh again.

Walker scored two touchdowns for Georgia, and the Bulldogs led 20-17 in the fourth quarter until Pitt quarterback Dan Marino completed a 33-yard touchdown pass to John Brown for the comeback win.

Jan. 1, 1983: Penn State 27, Georgia 23 The national championship was on the line with Georgia and Penn State ranked No. 1 and No. 2 overall. Penn State led 20-10 until a Walker touchdown run brought Georgia within three points, but that was the closest the Bulldogs would come.

Jan. 1, 2003: Georgia 26, Florida State 13 SEC champion Georgia returned to the Sugar Bowl for the first time

BOWL

Continued from page 1C Rebels’ 45-10 victory against the Green Wave on Sept. 20.

“The big message to our players 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 ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By COLIN HUBBARD will play its second game in 12 Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton runs with the ball against Ole Miss days. on Oct. 18 in Athens, Ga. “There’s no sport where you

PREVIEW

Continued from page 1C has had significant success — just not to the level expected at this program.

After going 9-4 last year, the Tide began this season with an embarrassing loss to Florida State, and it got blown out by Georgia in the SEC title game.

Alabama still made the CFP for the first time under DeBoer, who realizes he won’t win over his new fan base without a strong national title run. The Tide’s solid come-

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By AJ SISCO

Ole Miss wide receiver Laquon Treadwell catches a touchdown pass against Oklahoma State in the Allstate Sugar Bowl at the Caesars Superdome on Jan. 1, 2016.

back victory at Oklahoma in the first round suggested Alabama has the potential to ruin the Hoosiers’ perfect season, yet DeBoer understands the enormity of the task facing his team.

“They’re undefeated for a reason,” DeBoer said. “They’ve got a very good football team. They play well. From our standpoint, there’s a belief in who we are. And that’s what you really you’ve got to focus on is, who are we? What we’ve been through, and how we’ve overcome, is what we’re proud of.”

It’s a decade too soon to know whether Curt Cignetti is building the sport’s next titan, but there’s no

denying his first two seasons have been more impressive than Saban’s start at Alabama — when Cignetti was a Tide assistant.

Indiana is the CFP’s top seed and the Big Ten champion after its spectacular regular season culminated with a paradigm-shifting victory over Ohio State in the conference title game. The Hoosiers are in the Rose Bowl for the first time since 1968, and they’re the AP’s No. 1 team for the first time — a distinction Alabama has held 141 times.

The Hoosiers made the CFP last season, but the Rose Bowl is the CFP debut for Heisman Trophy-

Email Spencer Urquhart at surquhart@theadvocate.com.

The Advocate ■ theadvocate.com ■ Thursday, January 1, 2026 ■ 5C

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Saints aim for better red-zone results

BY LUKE JOHNSON AND MATTHEW PARAS

If the Panthers win, then Carolina wins the division.

But if Tampa Bay wins and Atlanta wins, then Carolina still would win the NFC South at 8-9 because of the division tiebreakers.

Staff writers

There was one big difference that separated the New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons the last time they met: Atlanta cashed in on its scoring opportunities, and New Orleans did not.

The Saints went 0 for 3 in the red zone against the Falcons. Two of those red-zone drives resulted in zero points — one on a missed field goal, the other a turnover on downs at the 1-yard line. Atlanta had only two red-zone trips, but both led to points.

“It was a tale of missed opportunities,” Saints coach Kellen Moore said.

It also was a of Notebook continuation a season-long problem for the Saints. After that game, New Orleans had scored touchdowns on only 10 of 29 redzone trips — a 34.5% conversion rate.

But the Saints have turned things around in a big way lately. In the last five games, New Orleans has scored touchdowns on 8 of 13 redzone chances (61.5%).

In that first Atlanta game, the Saints largely took the ball out of rookie quarterback Tyler Shough‘s hands once it got inside the Falcons’ 20-yard line. But since then, Shough has been performing at a high level in those situations.

It’s a small sample size, but Shough has a 133.4 passer rating in the red zone this season, completing 11 of 15 passes for 111 yards and six touchdowns without an interception. Shough also has a redzone rushing touchdown.

“It’s better chemistry, better feel of each other and just operating the plan,” Shough said. “I think it

Injury report The Saints held a light walkthrough instead of a normal practice Wednesday, but they still had a number of players missing from the session.

The injury report included 10 players listed as “DNPs”, including wide receiver Chris Olave and running back Alvin Kamara. Kamara has not practiced since suffering a knee injury in a Nov. 23 loss to the Falcons. Olave sat out because of an illness, not because of the back injury that has been nagging him for weeks.

Quarterback Spencer Rattler (right STAFF PHOTO By BRETT DUKE finger), guard Dillon Radunz (knee), New Orleans Saints quarterback Tyler Shough reacts after being sacked tight end Jack Stoll (knee), corby the Atlanta Falcons on Nov. 23. nerback Michael Davis (shoulder), tight end Zaire Mitchell-Paden, defencomes down to execution in that have to beat the Tampa Bay Buc- sive tackle Nathan Shepherd (ankle/ way … and we’re going to have to caneers (7-9) on Saturday to win knee), defensive tackle Bryan Bredo that again, because (the Falcons the NFC South and then the Saints see (knee) and wide receiver Maare) really good in the red zone, a (6-10) would need a victory over son Tipton (groin) also were absent. really good defense. We’ve got to the Falcons (7-9). In that scenario, Of those, Radunz’s and Ratbe dialed.” because the Falcons, Buccaneers tler’s injuries weren’t previously and Saints all would finish 7-10, the known. Moore said Radunz’s inNFC South scenarios Saints would win the tiebreaker be- jury was discovered Monday, The NFC South is still up for cause of a better in-division record while Rattler’s injury wasn’t of much concern. grabs heading into the final week (4-2).

Moore also said that Stoll, who The Saints would finish third in of the season, and while the Saints can’t win the division, they can cer- the division if they beat Atlanta but was carted back to the locker Tampa Bay beats Carolina. If that room during Sunday’s game, tainly affect it.

The Saints can finish as high as happens, the Buccaneers would wouldn’t play this weekend.

Elsewhere, linebacker Demario second in the division, though also make the playoffs, the Panthers have scenarios in which they could would finish second, followed by Davis (calf) and guard Cesar Ruiz (ankle) were limited. end up third or fourth. The order the Saints and Falcons.

Ruiz returned to practice after Losing to the Falcons would keep in which the Saints place will affect the opponents the team faces the Saints in fourth place since missing the last two games. their record would be 6-11. But the in 2026.

For New Orleans to place second, division order could shake out in Email Matthew Paras at matt. paras@theadvocate.com the Carolina Panthers (8-8) would one of two ways:

QB Manning leads Texas to win over Michigan

BY DOUG FERGUSON Associated Press

ORLANDO, Fla. — Arch Manning made big plays with his arm and his legs Wednesday in the Citrus Bowl, throwing two touchdown passes and putting it away with a 60-yard scoring run in a 41-27 victory that ended a rough month for No. 14 Michigan.

Manning was an easy choice as the Citrus Bowl MVP, and that was before he burst up the middle on his 60-yarder that gave the Longhorns (10-3) a 38-27 lead, the first time all game either team led by more than one score.

Manning was 21 of 34 for 221 yards passing, and he ran nine times for 155 yards.

He delivered a perfect throw to Kaliq Lockett on a 30-yard TD for a 31-27 lead, the first time Texas led since a field goal on its opening drive.

That was one play after he scrambled 15 yards for a first down on fourth-and-2. Manning twice converted on fourth down with clutch runs, both times extending drives that led to touchdowns.

Kyle Whittingham, who arrived in Orlando on Saturday to start meeting with players, watched from the box at the Citrus Bowl.

The longtime Utah coach takes over a Michigan team (9-4) that produced a strong running game and played tough on defense despite missing its top two defenders who opted out of the game.

SAINTS

Continued from page 1C 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

Bryce Underwood, Michigan’s freshman quarter, kept the Wolverines in the game until a pair of late interceptions sealed it. He was 23 of 42 for 199 yards and two touchdowns, along with three interceptions in the last 18 minutes of the game.

Underwood, who ran for 77 yards, scampered for a 5-yard touchdown run by diving to touch the pylon, giving Michigan its last lead at 27-24 with just under 11 minutes to go.

Hisd pass was intercepted by Ty’Anthony Smith over the middle after Texas had taken the lead, and Smith picked him another along the sideline on the next drive.

ReliaQuest Bowl IOWA 34, NO. 13 VANDERBILT 27:

In Tampa, Fla., Mark Gronowski threw two touchdowns and rushed for another to lead Iowa to a win over Vanderbilt in the ReliaQuest Bowl.

Gronowski was 16 of 22 passing for 212 yards, throwing touchdowns passes of 10 and 21 yards to Reece Vander Zee and DJ Vonnahme, respectively, as Iowa got out to a 21-3 lead early in the third quarter.

Vanderbilt (10-3) rallied behind Diego Pavia. The Heisman Trophy runner-up threw a 75-yard touchdown pass to Tre Richardson and a 16-yarder to Joseph McVay to pull the Commodores within 24-17.

The teams traded scores early in the fourth quarter, with Gronowski

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 season-ending 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 sixth offensive lineman, as the Saints almost certainly will look to up-

making it 31-17 with a 1-yard keeper and Pavia answering with an 11yard TD run.

Iowa (9-4) pushed the lead back to double digits with a 44-yard field goal from Drew Stevens to cap off a 13-play, 49-yard drive that took more than seven minutes. Vanderbilt answered with a 37-yard field goal from Brock Taylor to make it 34-27, but Iowa was able to close out the game with Xavier Williams running for 11 yards on a thirdand-1 with 1:55 remaining and the Commodores out of timeouts.

Pavia finished with 347 passing yards. Richardson caught six passes for 127 yards and Junior Sherrill had eight catches for 123 yards for Vanderbilt.

Vonnahme led the Hawkeyes with seven catches for 146 yards and Kamari Moulton rushed for 95 yards and a touchdown.

Sun Bowl DUKE 42, ARIZONA STATE 39: In El Paso, Texas, Darian Mensah threw for 327 yards and four touchdowns to lead Duke to victory over Arizona State.

Mensah, named the game’s MVP, was 29 of 51 passing with an interception. He helped Duke to its fourth straight win and tied a Sun Bowl record for TD passes in a game.

The Blue Devils (9-5) also won nine games for a second consecutive season — only the second time in program history they accomplished the feat.

The Sun Devils took the lead at 39-35 on a 6-yard TD pass from Sims to Malik McClain at 12:31 of the fourth quarter — their first lead since the game’s opening score, a 4-yard run by Sims.

The Sun Devils took over with 2:51 remaining and seemingly in control, but Demarius Robinson fumbled at the end of a 14-yard on the next play. Kendall Johnson forced the fumble and Ma’Khi Jones recovered for the Blue Devils on the ASU 22-yard line.

Las Vegas Bowl NO. 15 UTAH 44, NEBRASKA 22:

In Las Vegas, Devon Dampier threw for 310 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 148 yards and three scores, and in Morgan Scalley’s first game as coach Utah beats Nebraska.

Scalley was expected to be the Utes’ coach beginning after this game, but Michigan hired Kyle Whittingham on Friday, prompting a quicker change.

For Dampier, the question now is whether the junior will return to Salt Lake City or enter the transfer portal and maybe even follow his old coach to Michigan.

This game was considered a sort of audition for Nebraska freshman quarterback TJ Lateef, who passed for 182 yards and had a touchdown each throwing and running.

Utah turned around the game in the second period by outscoring Nebraska 17-0 and outgaining the Huskers.

Texas Tech, Oregon to face off

BY TIM REYNOLDS AP sportswriter

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — The formula for getting to this season’s Orange Bowl apparently went like this: Score a ton of points, allow very few points, have a big play on basically every possession, excel on third downs offensively, be stingy on third downs defensively.

That was Texas Tech’s path.

That was also Oregon’s path.

Numbers-wise, Texas Tech and Oregon have basically been mirroring images of one another this season. They’re both 12-1, neither has lost since mid-October, both have top-10 scoring offenses, both have top-10 scoring defenses ... the similarities go on and on and on.

The Red Raiders ( No. 4 AP, No. 4 CFP) and Ducks (No. 5 AP, No. 5 CFP) will square off in the Orange Bowl on New Year’s Day in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals, with the winner headed to the national semifinals at the Peach Bowl next week against either Indiana or Alabama.

“Everybody knows the stakes,” Oregon coach Dan Lanning said.

“These are moments that you’re excited to get to go be a part of.”

There are no shortage of numbers that have one team looking a lot like the other. Points per game, it’s Texas Tech 42.5 and Oregon 39.2. Points allowed per game, it’s Texas Tech 10.9 and Oregon 16.3. Yards per game, it’s Texas Tech 480 and Oregon 469.

Yards allowed per game, it’s Texas Tech 254 and Oregon 271. Yards allowed per play, it’s Texas Tech 3.96 and Oregon 4.36.

“How lucky are we? And that’s not a question, but man, a statement of gratitude,” Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire said. “You know, if you had told my 13-year-old self that I’m getting ready to coach on January 1st in the Orange Bowl at 11 a.m. Central time, man, I would have probably never believed it. So, I’m just so fortunate and grateful that we get to do this and man, we’re excited.”

It could be argued that this is already the best season in Texas Tech history, with a school record for wins and a strong likelihood that the Red Raiders will finish the year 10th or better in the final AP Top 25 for the first time.

“It’s more of an internal thing for us to push through and try to be the best that we can no matter what the outside voices say,” star Texas Tech linebacker Jacob Rodriguez said.

“If they say that we’re the best, we’ll try to play the best. If they say we’re the worst, we’ll try to play the best.”

Oregon quarterback Dante Moore said after the Ducks’ win over James Madison in Round 1 of the CFP that this has been the longest season of his life — now 14 games and counting, with the potential of two more after this one.

And he’s not complaining.

“I feel like with this team, we were very young at the beginning of the year, but we’ve had a lot of experience,” Moore said. “We’ve been pushing each other every day.”

Playing early Texas Tech will be playing for the sixth time this season in a game starting at noon Eastern, or 11 a.m.

Central. The Red Raiders are 5-0 in those games this season.

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 STAFF PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD one-year contracts, and all have played small but meaningful Saints quarterback Taysom Hill starts the ‘Who Dat’ chant before a LB Chris Rumph, S Terrell game against the Atlanta Falcons at the Caesars Superdome on Jan. roles: Burgess, and DLs Jonathan Bul7, 2024. lard and Jonah Williams. The same can be said of TE Jack Stoll, who grade their interior offensive the start of the season, and it was one of a few players with hisline. ended up paying off when start- tory under Moore.

C Luke Fortner: New Orleans ac- er Erik McCoy was lost for the quired Fortner in a trade with the season with an injury. Like Ra- Email Luke Johnson at Jacksonville Jaguars just before dunz, Fortner is best suited for ljohnson@theadvocate.com.

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

lll

High Cotton

Miami running back Mark Fletcher is tackled by Ohio State cornerback Devin Sanchez, right, during the first half of the Cotton Bowl College Football Playoff quarterfinal game Wednesday in Arlington, Texas. The game ended after press time.

SCOREBOARD 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

College football 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

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

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 NFL glance AFC East

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

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

Pro basketball

Texas Southern at Southern, 5 p.m.

Southern at Lamar, 6 p.m.

NBA conference glance

Women’s state scores, schedule

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Tuesday’s game

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

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

W L 11 5 7 8 4 12 3 13

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

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

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

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.

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

College basketball

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

NFC East

y-Philadelphia e-Dallas e-Washington e-N.Y. Giants South Carolina Tampa Bay e-Atlanta e-New Orleans North y-Chicago x-Green Bay e-Minnesota e-Detroit West

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.

Tuesday’s games

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

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

Wednesday’s games

Thursday’s games

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 71, Texas-Rio Grande Valley 69

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.

UTSA 65, Tulane 63

Wednesday’s games

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

Thursday’s games

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).

Pro hockey NHL glance EASTERN CONFERENCE

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

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.

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 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

Central Division GP Colorado 38 Dallas 39 Minnesota 40 Nashville 39 Utah 40 St. Louis 40 Chicago 39

L OT Pts GF GA 2 7 65 153 87 7 7 57 139 105 10 6 54 126 104 17 4 40 113 129 19 3 39 119 116 17 8 38 100 137 18 7 35 108 127

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.

TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING — Reinstated D Erik Cernak from long-term injured reserve. ===

3 Fast Connection (Castillo-Foster) 8-1 4 Moral Man (Pedroza, Jr.-Simpson) 10-1 5 Shakin My Head (Concepcion-Brion) 9-2 6 Mountain Grandeur (Murrill-Foley) 6-1 7 Leonardo (Lopez-Atras) 12-1 8 Chasing Gray (Loveberry-Forster) 20-1 9 Ogilvy (IRE) (Cannon-Beckman) 3-1 20-1 10 Starmetal (Graham-Pessin) SEVENTH RACE — ALLOWANCE, 4 YO’S & UP, F & M (FILLIES AND MARES), PURSE $55,000, SIX FURLONGS DIRT Shan’s Quest (McMahon-Tracy) 10-1 2 Sweet Darlin (Castillo-Wong) 5-2 3 Arijana’s Pearl (Rea-Atras) 12-1 4 Trust Fund Philly (Ortiz-Eurton) 3-1 5 Hay Evabody (Curtis-Walsh) 3-1 6 Terra Bella (Loveberry-Amoss) 4-1 7 Miss Maximus (Lopez-Ducoing) 10-1 EIGHTH RACE — ALLOWANCE, 4 YO’S & UP, PURSE $55,000, 5.5 FURLONGS TURF Mega Magic (Graham-Stall, Jr.) 6-1

12-1 2 This Time (Loveberry-Maker) 3 Hit That Review (IRE) (Curtis) 6-1 4 Vesture (Concepcion-Calhoun) 4-1 5 Sassi D (Rodriguez-Thomas) 12-1 6 Sight (Geroux-Stall, Jr.) 12-1 7 One True Gentleman (Murrill-Flint) 12-1 8 I’m Wide Awake (Ortiz-Casse) 7-2 9 Pharoah’s Dynasty (Lopez-Asmussen) 6-1 10 Silver Halo (Cannon-Foley) 12-1 11 Unbeatable (Pedroza, Jr.-West) 10-1 NINTH RACE — CLAIMING $5,000, 4 YO’S & UP, PURSE $14,000, SIX FURLONGS DIRT SHAWN’S SOLVING (MURRAY-NEY) 8-1 2 Crigler (Pedroza, Jr.-Govea) 4-1 3 Colt’s Brim (Riquelme-Hargrave) 3-1 4 Gordito Hermoso (Loveberry-) 8-1 5 Baby’s Last Dance (Ramirez, Jr.-Zeno) 8-1 6 Saberman (Hernandez-Romero) 10-1 7 Tap the Tequila (Castillo-Gelner) 8-1 8 Josan (Edison-Morrell) 5-1 9 Stone Alliance (Magnon-Patt, Jr.) 8-1

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

WESTERN CONFERENCE W 29 25 24 18 18 15 14

HOCKEY

FAIR GROUNDS ENTRIES Thursday Post time: 12:45 p.m.

FIRST RACE — CLAIMING $5,000, 3 YO’S & UP, PURSE $14,000, ONE MILE 70 YARDS DIRT No Rematch (Loveberry-Pessin) 7-2 2 Oliverio (Lopez-Lopez) 9-5 3 Dixie Doctor (Rea-Sharp) 5-1 4 Dan d’Oro (Pedroza, Jr.-Gibson) 2-1 5 Tsuperman (Magnon-Magnon) 12-1 6 Peyton’s Day (Andros-Tillis) 10-1 SECOND RACE — MAIDEN CLAIMING $20,000$15,000, 3 YO, F (FILLIES), PURSE $19,000, SIX FURLONGS DIRT Pam’s Friend (Cannon-West) 5-1 2 Geaux Geaux Tiger (Rea-Stidham) 2-1 3 Princess Celine (Pedroza, Jr.-Cox) 8-5 4 Mya Papaya (Curtis-Beckman) 6-1 5 Veronicaforthewin (Lopez-Lopez) 6-1 6 Honor and Obay (Murrill-West) 15-1 7 Lyla’s Golden Gal (Mudd-Zeringue, Jr.) 20-1

THIRD RACE — CLAIMING $5,000, 4 YO’S & UP, F & M (FILLIES AND MARES), PURSE $15,000, SIX FURLONGS DIRT Shorty Mac (Concepcion-Radosevich) 10-1 2 In Your Life (Hernandez-Lorefice) 10-1 3 Huntleigh (Nieves-Duhon) 5-1 4 Emilyhasherturn (Loveberry-Jean) 8-1 5 Ruby the Destroyer (Mudd-Brssard) 20-1 6 Zoom Erin (Riquelme-Hargrave) 6-1 7 Gold Plus (Lopez-Govea) 3-1 8 Dixie Morning (Curtis-Arndt) 9-2 4-1 9 Simona’s Choice (McMahon-Duke) FOURTH RACE — SOC $10,000-$5,000, 4 YO’S & UP, PURSE $19,000, 1 1/16 MILES TURF Red Road (Curtis-Ducoing) 6-1 2 Brit’s Wit (Ortiz-Maker) 6-1 3 Big Scully (Lopez-Wilson) 8-1 4 Prowling Tiger (Mudd-Govea) 30-1 5 Parrot Head (Castillo-Wilson) 30-1 6 Fortuity (Hernandez-Breaux) 9-2 7 Boitano (Concepcion-Camejo) 9-5

8 Ben Dreaming (Loveberry-Claire) 8-1 9 Publius (Rodriguez-Cano) 20-1 10 Z Z’s Prince (Nieves-Zeringue, Jr.) 20-1 11 Sendero (Pedroza, Jr.-Sanchez) 12-1 12 All in Sync (Hernandez-Wong) 20-1 13 Skip the Line (Lopez-Tracy) 10-1 14 Notion (Pedroza, Jr.-Mouton) 8-1 FIFTH RACE — MAIDEN SPECIAL WEIGHT, 4 YO’S & UP, PURSE $54,000, ONE MILE DIRT Top Notch Protocol (Loveberry) 5-2 2 Ayden’s Edge (Hernandez-Cangemi) 12-1 3 Cajun Moviestar (Chavez-Burkes) 5-1 4 Who Is Chief (McMahon-Mouton) 12-1 5 Rescue Squad (Mudd-Williams) 8-1 2-1 6 Vineaux (Ortiz-Calhoun) 7 Lightning Twirl (Concepcion) 6-1 8 Such a Pickle (Geroux-Gelner) 10-1 SIXTH RACE — MAIDEN OPTIONAL CLAIMING $50,000, 3 YO, PURSE $30,000, ONE MILE TURF High Go (Curtis-Walsh) 9-2 2 Strong (Hernandez-Desormeaux) 8-1

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 2D

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

1dn

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 2D 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 2D

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.

2D ■ Thursday, January 1, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The 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 1D 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 1D 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 1D 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 Advocate ■ theadvocate.com ■ Thursday, January 1, 2026 ■ 3D

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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

4D ■ Thursday, January 1, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The 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

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La TimeS CroSSword

The Advocate ■ theadvocate.com ■ Thursday, January 1, 2026 ■ 5D

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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

6D ■ Thursday, January 1, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

lll

classifieds.theadvocate.com Search Search& &Place PlaceAds AdsOnline Onlineatatclassifieds.theadvocate.com classifieds.theadvocate.com* Call * Call -Friday Us Monday-Friday 8AM-5PM at 225-383-0111 8AM-5PM at 225-383-0111

Announcements Anyone knowing the whereabouts of CLYDE M. KENNEDY AND JANNEAL KENNEDY please contact Atty.

Vernon W. Thomas at (225) 388-5265.

172403-12/31-1/1-1/2-3t $85.00 Notice of Self Storage Sale Please take notice Metco Self Storage - Ethel located at 7371 Line Road Ethel LA 70730 intends to hold an Auction to enforce its privilege against the following parties at the facility for default of payment of Rent. The sale will occur as an online auction via www.storagetreaures.com on 01/12/2026 at 10:00AM. Unless stated otherwise the description of the contents are household goods and furnishings. Michael Simpson Unit #016. This sale may be withdrawn at any time without notice. Certain terms and conditions apply.

171085-Jan 1, 1t $143.94

Notice of Self Storage Sale Please take notice Park Forest Self Storage located at 9708 Greenwell Springs Rd Baton Rouge LA 70814 intends to hold an Auction to enforce its privilege against the following parties at the facility for default of payment of Rent. The sale will occur as an online auction via www.storagetreaures.com on 01/13/2026 at 10:00AM. Unless stated otherwise the description of the contents are household goods, furnishings and garage essentials.

Jamira Yarbrough Unit #1074; Arianne Simmons Unit #1227; Kevin Henry Unit #1235; Jaliyah Gray Unit

#2016; Ronniesha Moore Unit #2034; Tia Bell Unit #2039. This sale may be withdrawn at any time without notice. Certain terms and conditions apply.

171079-Jan 1, 1t $168.98 Notice of Self Storage Sale Please take notice Radiant Storage Baton Rouge located at 6416 Quinn Dr. Baton Rouge LA 70817 intends to hold an Auction to enforce its privilege against the following parties at the facility for default of payment of Rent. The sale will occur as an online auction via www.storagetreasures.com on 01/13/2026 at 10:00AM. Unless stated otherwise the description of the contents are household goods, furnishings and garage essentials.

Jeremy Grubbs Unit #50; Greg Otto / Greg Otto Monique Otto Unit #77.

This sale may be withdrawn at any time without notice. Certain terms and conditions apply.

171078-Jan 1, 1t $150.20

Notice of Self Storage Sale Please take notice Radiant Storage Baton Rouge - Sullivan located at 6416 Quinn Dr., Baton Rouge, LA, 70817 intends to hold an Auction to enforce its privilege against the following parties at the facility for default of payment of Rent. The sale will occur as an online auction via www.storagetreasures.com on 1/12/2026 at 10:00AM. Unless stated otherwise the description of the contents are household goods, furnishings and garage essentials.

Jose Care / Jose EspinosaOver Grown Lawn Care Units #A-13 & P7; Alicia Davis Unit #B-13; Israel Olivas Unit #B-21; Dekendric Gipson Unit #B-28; Laura Huntington Unit #B-6; Kim Gordon Unit #D-13/D-14; Kiana Butler Unit #D-7. This sale may be withdrawn at any time without

HAPPY HOLIDAY

The Classified Advertising Department will be closed on Thursday, January 1 to observe the New Year’s holiday

EARLY DEADLINES FOR OUR ADVERTISEMENTS

DEADLINE ...........RUN DATE Fri, Dec 26 - 3pm................ Wed., Dec 31 Fri., Dec 26 - 3pm............... Thurs., Jan 1 Fri., Dec 26 - 3pm............... Fri., Jan 2 Tues, Dec 30-3pm ............... Sat/Sun Jan 3, 4 Wed., Dec 31 - 3pm ............ Mon., Jan 5 Fri., Jan 2 - 3pm ................. Tues., Jan 6

notice. Certain terms and conditions apply.

171081-Jan 1, 1t $181.50 Notice of Self Storage Sale Please take notice Red Door Storage located at 2010 Church St., Zachary LA 70791 intends to hold an Auction to enforce its privilege against the following parties at the facility for default of payment of Rent. The sale will occur as an online auction via www.storagetreasures.com on 1/13/2026 at 10:00AM. Unless stated otherwise the description of the contents are household goods, furnishings and garage essentials.

Jessica Moore Unit #B30; Malcolm Victorian Unit #D97. This sale may be withdrawn at any time without notice. Certain terms and conditions apply.

171076-Jan 1, 1-t $143.94 Advertising Looking to promote your services or find a new hire? Deliver your classified message statewide for as little as $265 per week through the Louisiana Press Association’s Classified Network. Pre-payment required. To learn more, email advertising@lapress.com or call 225-344-9309.

Miscellaneous We Buy Houses for Cash AS-IS! No repairs. No fuss. Any condition. Easy process: Call, get cash offer and get paid. Call today for your fair cash offer: 1-225-545-1983 Struggling with debt? If you have over $15,000 in debt we help you be debt free in as little as 24-48 months. Pay nothing to enroll. Call Now: 1-877-773-1742 Donate your car, truck, boat, RV and more to support our veterans!

Schedule a FAST, FREE vehicle pickup and receive a top tax deduction!

Call Veteran Car Donations at 1-844-742-5188 today!

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Call DIRECTV 1-866-734-0452

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Guaranteed! LeafFilter is backed by a no-clog guarantee and lifetime transferable warranty. Call today 1866-846-0785 to schedule a FREE inspection and no obligation estimate. Get 15% off your entire order. Plus, Military & Seniors get an additional 10% off. Limited time only.

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Home Improvement BATH & SHOWER UPDATES in as little as ONE DAY! Affordable prices - No payments for 18 months! Lifetime warranty & professional installs.

Senior & Military Discounts available. Call: 1-877-496-0371

Employment EDUCATION The LA Special School District is solicit‐ ing applications for future employment of certified teachers, school coun‐ selors & interpreters. To apply, go to governmentjobs.com/careers/Louisiana

Replace your roof with the best looking and longest lasting material…steel from Erie Metal Roofs! Three styles and multiple colors available. Guaranteed to last a lifetime! Limited Time Offer. Up to 50% off installation + Additional 10% off install (for military, health workers & 1st responders.) Call Erie Metal Roofs: 1-855-582-6043

Merchandise

Home Services PEST CONTROL: PROTECT YOUR HOME from pests safely and affordably. Roaches, Bed Bugs, Rodent, Termite, Spiders and other pests.

Locally owned and affordable. Call for service or an inspection today! Have zip code of property ready when calling! 1-877728-0264 DIRECTV- All your entertainment.

Nothing on your roof! Sign up for Directv and get your first three months of Max, Paramount+, Showtime, Starz, MGM+ and Cinemax included. Choice package

Baton Rouge Rental AREA 4 FREE RENT 225-351-7449

AREA 4 NO CREDIT CHECK/LEASE! Fully furnished apartments ALL BILLS PAID including premium cable & WIFI. Pet Friendly. Stay where you're appreciated! Call 225-434-4161 AREA 5 1 & 2 BR Apts, W/D, C A/H, Starting at $850/mo Deps vary 225-315-0930

AREA 5 655 North St. Subsidized eff Apts cpabr.org 225-383-5551.

TDD/TTY /711RELAY

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Industry-leading comprehensive warranty - 7 years ($849 value.) Proudly made in the U.S.A. Call Briggs & Stratton 1-844512-5930.

Prepare for power outages today with a Generac Home Standby Generator. Act now to receive a FREE 5-Year warranty with qualifying purchase. Call 1-844-3352962 today to schedule a free quote.

It’s not just a generator. It’s a power move.

CAMPING GEAR Camp Tent 9x9 Dome, Canopy, Slp Bag, 2 Lant, 2 Burner Stv, 48qt Ice Chest & All Access. Retail for $375 selling for $275 225-610-8411 after 2:00pm

AREA 5 1BR $550, 2BR $650 Tigerland. $500 Deposit. 225-475-1737

WANT TO BUY I buy old bourbon bottles. Wild Turkey, Weller, Old Grand Dad etc.

Call or text $300 (225)456-3434 MOBILE HOME 1, 2 & 3 BR mobile homes, $675 & up 6061 Plank Rd. CALL 225-978-4653 ROOMS FOR RENT Furnished Rooms. $125/wk. $500/mo.

225-933-7560

WANT TO BUY Old Records 33's, 45's & 78's. All types of music. Call 985-259-1889

PRINT ADVERTISING WORKS

Pets / Pet Services Directory PETS • SUPPLIES • SERVICES • OBITUARIES • LOST & FOUND

PLACE YOUR PET SERVICES INFORMATION IN THE PET SERVICES DIRECTORY TODAY! • IT IS FAST AND EASY! • CALL 225-383-0111

Reporting you can trust on stories that matter

DOGS CKC YORKIES or SHORKIES - (yorkies are with papers) all are vet checked with shot and worming, shorkies $450 will meet in Gulfport yorkies $600 (334) 467-3416

DISPLAY ADS 24 HOURS EARLIER

You may place your ad 7 days a week, 24 hours a day online at www.theadvocate.com or call Monday-Friday 8am-5pm

www.dental50plus.com/morning #6258

CATS RAGAMUFFIN & RAGDOLL KITTENS www.CatsByFrancy.com/kittens $700up! Reg. Shots & Guaranty 337-230-3150

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The Advocate ■ theadvocate.com ■ Thursday, January 1, 2026 ■ 7D

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SIMPLE ELECTRIC

Professional work • Lic/Ins/Bond.

40+ years experience

No job too smalll/large Call 225-921 2633

CALL FOR SPECIAL PRICING! INSTALL NEW ROOFS, J-W METAL, ROOFING* SHINGLES, FLAT, & REPAIRS.

MILITARY DISCOUNTS

STOP ALL LEAKS! CARPENTRY & PAINTING Lic/Ins. 225-205-9537 *Senior Citizen Discount

40 years experience

House calls | NoFixNoPay $125 First Visit - 1 Computer

225-803-8241 | THECOMPUTERDOCTORx.com

Swimming Pool Fill-In’s FIBERGLASS - GUNITE - LINER 20 Years of Experience - Licensed and Insured

Call Casey For a Free Estimate

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pooldemolitionbycasey.com

STEVE ROBINS

We are your go to company for your Gutter and Patio Top installations

HEATH WISE

VETERAN OWNED

WISE GUY’S GUTTERS & PATIOS DENHAM SPRINGS, LA 70726 WISEGUYSGUTTERSANDPATIOLA.COM GOLDDOG3447@YAHOO.COM

CALL 225-305-3776 FOR YOUR FREE ESTIMATE

INSURED Residential Rentals

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Call 225-301-7575

225-290-1980 / 225-993-9204

tree trimming/flower bed clean up/flower bed designs/irrigation/ lighting pathways/prune & mulch/weeding/drainage/sod/pergola deck/power washing/stump grinding/consulting available

FREE ESTIMATES

ON ALL TV’S THAT NEED REPAIR WHEN BROUGHT INTO THE SHOP!!

SHERWOOD TV & APPLIANCES *In-Home major appliances serviced at a charge.

WASHERS, DRYERS, REFRIGERATORS, FREEZERS, ELECTRIC & GAS RANGES

SHERWOOD MINI-STORAGE

MINI-WAREHOUSE (CLIMATE & REGULAR), MOTOR HOMES & BOAT STORAGE UP TO 45’ DEEP

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All work 35+ years of guaranteed experience No job to locally! big or small • Flashing • Gutters • Siding • Tree Pruning • Carpentry • Fences

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Call 225.925.0610

RUSSELL CARPENTER ZACH CARPENTER

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FIND AND FIX LEAKS ON ANY ROOF

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Denham Springs & Gonzales

LIGHTING 15% OFF! READY FOR GAME DAYS!

LEAK SPECIALIST

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Install & Repair Commercial • Residential Call Daniel 225-436-2759

WINTER SPECIAL YEAR-ROUND HOLIDAY

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• All Types Roofing & Repairs • Fllashings • Sheet Metal • Dry Wall • Carpentry C • Painting • Masonry • Flooring • Electrical Spe cialty Ventilation and Insulation

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(225) 603-2125 Cell KMRNBR55@GMAIL.COM

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• Doors • Tile • Painting • Windows & Door Awnings • Pressure Washing • Bathroom & Kitchen Repairs • Porch Roof and Metal Patio Covers

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LAGNIAPPE SERVICES, LLC

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To advertise here, please call (225) 383-0111

8D ■ Thursday, January 1, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate Public Notices

Public Notices Bids/Proposals

PUBLIC NOTICE --FALSE RIVER REGIONAL AIRPORT FALSE RIVER AIRPARK COMMISSION, LOUISIANA REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS FOR ENGINEERING SERVICES Notice is hereby given that the False River Air‐ park Commission is re‐ questing Statements of Qualifications from firms interested in providing engineering, land survey‐ ing, construction man‐ agement, and grant ad‐ ministration services re‐ quired for improvements to be made at the False River Regional Airport for the next (3) years with an option to renew for an additional two years be‐ ginning from the Notice to Proceed date of the first contract. The pro‐ jects planned at the air‐ port during the duration of the contract may in‐ clude land acquisition, obstruction mitigation, land development, air‐ field pavement rehabili‐ tation and/or realign‐ ment, airfield lighting, vi‐ sual aids to navigation, instrument approach, hangar development, and perimeter/security fencing. The False River Airpark Commission will follow the Louisiana De‐ partment of Transporta‐ tion and Development Di‐ vision of Aviation's Pro‐ gram Policy Manual and FAA Advisory Circular 150/5100-14E in the eval‐ uation and selection of consultants. The initia‐ tion of the engineering, legal proceedings, con‐ struction management and grant administration for the above listed pro‐ ject are subject to avail‐ ability of funding from the False River Airpark Commission, Louisiana Department of Trans‐ portation and Develop‐ ment and the Federal Aviation Administration, and other Federal Agen‐ cies. Firms with demon‐ strated experience, com‐ petence, and qualifica‐ tions pertinent to this type of service and hav‐ ing sufficient technical, supervisory and adminis‐ tration personnel to en‐ sure expeditious prose‐ cution of the work, inter‐ ested in performing these services are de‐ sired for consideration.

The selected consultant must possess the ability, experience and reputa‐ tion for optimum quality service necessary to pro‐ duce quality and func‐ tional projects. To ensure the consultant is capable of providing an accept‐ able level of service to the Airport, the following minimum qualifications must be met: Consultant must have the ability to direct, coordinate and prepare projects for the False River Regional Air‐ port. Consultant must have knowledge of re‐ quirements concerning the FAA and State grant process and must be fa‐ miliar with all Federal and State Airport design requirements.

Consul‐ tants must be properly li‐ censed to perform pro‐ fessional services in the State of Louisiana in the appropriate and applica‐ ble professional disci‐ plines. It is the intent of the Commission to exe‐ cute a contract with one Consultant firm which will be solely responsible to the Commission for the implementation of the projects. It is recog‐ nized and expected that the Consultant may de‐ sire or need the services of subconsultants to un‐ dertake various elements and items of the pro‐ jects. In the event that such subconsultants are anticipated, official doc‐ uments shall identify the proposed subconsultants and the specific ele‐ ments and items for which each will be re‐ sponsible. The use of any subconsultant shall not relieve the primary Con‐ sultant of any responsi‐ bilities for execution of the project. A single Point-of-Contact shall be identified by the primary Consultant for the pro‐ ject. In order to be con‐ sidered, six (6) copies of the Statement of Qualifi‐ cations must be received via FedEx or UPS no later than 2:00 p.m. local time on Tuesday, January 20, 2026: False River Re‐ gional Airport, Attn: Jean-Pierre DuRousseau, 8662 Airport Spur, New Roads, LA 70760. Hand delivering to the individ‐ ual listed above may also be accepted. Following the final evaluation of qualified applicants, the Sponsor will place the applicants in a final rank‐ ing based on qualifica‐ i l i l

Public Notices Bids/Proposals g q tions. Only timely re‐ ceived submittals meet‐ ing the requirements of this Request for Qualifi‐ cations will be consid‐ ered. Submittals shall be signed by an authorized representative of the Consultant.

Proposals will be reviewed by a Se‐ lection Committee con‐ sisting of at least three (3) designated members.

Negotiations will be un‐ dertaken with the best qualified licensed con‐ sultant in order of the total points received from the evaluation cri‐ teria which consists of the following: 1. Resumes of Key Personnel with a value of five. 2. Example Projects Which Best Illus‐ trate Proposed Team’s Qualifications with a value of five. 3. Key Per‐ sonnel Participation in Example Projects with a value of five. 4. Firm Size as Related to Project Magnitude with a value of three. 5. Proximity of Firm to the Project with a value of two. The Spon‐ sor reserves the right to reject all applicants and re-advertise for the con‐ tract. If you have any questions or need addi‐ tional information, con‐ tact Jean-Pierre DuRousseau, Airport Manager at (225) 6383192 or hzrairport@ yahoo.com.

170961 Jan. 1, 1t $536.36

Legal Notices

PUBLIC NOTICE --EARLY NOTICE AND PUBLIC REVIEW FOR LOWER BAYOU CONWAY DRAINAGE IMPROVEMENTS To: All interested Federal, State, and Local Agen‐ cies, Groups, and Individ‐ uals This notice is to inform the public that the As‐ cension Parish Govern‐ ment, acting under HUD 24 CFR Part 58, has con‐ ducted an evaluation as required by Executive Or‐ ders 11988 (Floodplain Management) and 11990 (Protection of Wetlands) and in accordance with 24 CFR 55.20, Subpart C. This evaluation is in‐ tended to determine the potential effect that the proposed activities within floodplains and wetlands may have on the human environment for the Lower Bayou Con‐ way Drainage Improve‐ ments project.

Ascension Parish Gov‐ ernment proposes to im‐ plement flood hazard mitigation measures within the Lower Bayou Conway Watershed. The project is located at 30° 10’ 31.22” N, 90° 52’ 20.04” W in Sorrento, LA. The proposed project in‐ cludes culvert replace‐ ments and the installa‐ tion of a detention pond and pump station. These improvements are essen‐ tial to protecting sur‐ rounding communities from hazardous flooding, safeguarding infrastruc‐ ture, and supporting un‐ interrupted local com‐ merce. Existing under‐ sized culverts will be re‐ placed with wider cul‐ verts to allow for in‐ creased drainage capac‐ ity. A new pump station will increase the sys‐ tem’s hydrologic capac‐ ity and allow higher vol‐ umes of stormwater to be conveyed more effi‐ ciently. The detention pond will provide critical additional stormwater storage.

The proposed project will require excavation of canals segments where existing widths are insuf‐ ficient to convey stormwater or to accom‐ modate the construction of the detention pond.

Disturbances along canal banks will be minimized, and impacts to wetlands will be avoided to the maximum extent practi‐ cable. Excavated mater‐ ial will be transported to an upland disposal site off LA Highway 22.

There are three primary purposes for this notice.

First, individuals and groups who may be af‐ fected by activities in floodplains and wetlands —or who have an interest in protecting these nat‐ ural resources—must be given the opportunity to express their concerns and provide relevant in‐ formation. Second, an ef‐ fective public notice pro‐ gram helps educate the public about floodplains and wetlands and en‐ hances Federal efforts to reduce risks associated

Legal Notices

with temporary impacts to these areas. Third, as a matter of fairness, when the Federal govern‐ ment determines it will participate in actions taking place in flood‐ plains, it must inform those who may be put at a greater or continued risk.

Written comments must be received by Carrie Schott, ELOS Environ‐ mental, on behalf of the Ascension Parish Gov‐ ernment, at the address below on or before Janu‐ ary 4th, 2026, during the hours of 8:00 AM and 5:00 PM. Carrie Schott Project Manager/ Environmental Scientist ELOS Environmental, LLC 607 W Morris Ave Hammond, LA 70403 cschott@elosenv.com December 18th 2025 170421 Dec. 18, 25, 2025, Jan. 1, 2026 3x $1,553.40

PUBLIC NOTICE --EARLY NOTICE AND PUBLIC REVIEW FOR LOWER BAYOU CONWAY DRAINAGE IMPROVEMENTS To: All interested Federal, State, and Local Agen‐ cies, Groups, and Individ‐ uals This notice is to inform the public that the As‐ cension Parish Govern‐ ment, acting under HUD 24 CFR Part 58, has con‐ ducted an evaluation as required by Executive Or‐ ders 11988 (Floodplain Management) and 11990 (Protection of Wetlands) and in accordance with 24 CFR 55.20, Subpart C. This evaluation is in‐ tended to determine the potential effect that the proposed activities within floodplains and wetlands may have on the human environment for the Lower Bayou Con‐ way Drainage Improve‐ ments project.

Ascension Parish Gov‐ ernment proposes to im‐ plement flood hazard mitigation measures within the Lower Bayou Conway Watershed. The project is located at 30° 10’ 31.22” N, 90° 52’ 20.04” W in Sorrento, LA. The proposed project in‐ cludes culvert replace‐ ments and the installa‐ tion of a detention pond and pump station. These improvements are essen‐ tial to protecting sur‐ rounding communities from hazardous flooding, safeguarding infrastruc‐ ture, and supporting un‐ interrupted local com‐ merce. Existing under‐ sized culverts will be re‐ placed with wider cul‐ verts to allow for in‐ creased drainage capac‐ ity. A new pump station will increase the sys‐ tem’s hydrologic capac‐ ity and allow higher vol‐ umes of stormwater to be conveyed more effi‐ ciently. The detention pond will provide critical additional stormwater storage.

The proposed project will require excavation of canals segments where existing widths are insuf‐ ficient to convey stormwater or to accom‐ modate the construction of the detention pond.

Disturbances along canal banks will be minimized, and impacts to wetlands will be avoided to the maximum extent practi‐ cable. Excavated mater‐ ial will be transported to an upland disposal site off LA Highway 22.

There are three primary purposes for this notice.

First, individuals and groups who may be af‐ fected by activities in floodplains and wetlands —or who have an interest in protecting these nat‐ ural resources—must be given the opportunity to express their concerns and provide relevant in‐ formation. Second, an ef‐ fective public notice pro‐ gram helps educate the public about floodplains and wetlands and en‐ hances Federal efforts to reduce risks associated with temporary impacts to these areas. Third, as a matter of fairness, when the Federal govern‐ ment determines it will participate in actions taking place in flood‐ plains, it must inform those who may be put at a greater or continued risk.

Written comments must be received by Carrie h i

lll

Legal Notices

y Schott, ELOS Environ‐ mental, on behalf of the Ascension Parish Gov‐ ernment, at the address below on or before Janu‐ ary 4th, 2026, during the hours of 8:00 AM and 5:00 PM. Carrie Schott Project Manager/ Environmental Scientist ELOS Environmental, LLC 607 W Morris Ave Hammond, LA 70403 cschott@elosenv.com December 18th 2025 170421 Dec. 18, 25, 2025, Jan. 1, 2026 3x $1,553.40 PUBLIC NOTICE ---

WBR Public Notices

WBR Public Notices Sheriff Sales

SHERIFF’S SALE UNION HOME MORTGAGE CORP. VS. COLBY ALEXANDER MCDANIEL DOCKET NO: 50582 18TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT WEST BATON ROUGE PARISH STATE OF LOUISIANA By virtue of a Writ of Seizure and Sale, di‐ rected by the Honorable The Eighteenth Judicial District Court, for the Parish of West Baton Rouge, in the above enti‐ tled and numbered cause, I have seized and proceed to sell by public auction, on the front

Notice is hereby given to all citizens and to all other interested persons that the Mayor and City Council of the City of Port Allen will hold a public hearing to obtain views on amending Sec‐ tion 2-1 of the City of Port Allen Code of ordinances to increase the salaries of the Municipal Clerk and the following elected positions: Mayor, Chief of Police, City Court Judge and Constable..

The hearing will be held on Wednesday, January 14, 2026, at 5:30 P.M. at Port Allen City Hall, 375 Court Street, for all inter‐ ested citizens. Interested citizens will have the op‐ portunity to give written or oral comment prior to any action taken by the City Council.

Mayor Terecita P. Pattan 172014-JAN 1-1T $11.51 PUBLIC NOTICE --Notice is hereby given to all citizens and to all other interested persons that the Mayor and City Council of the City of Port Allen will hold a public hearing for the purpose of adopting amendments to the City of Port Allen’s Fiscal Year 2025-2026 Budget in the General Fund and Water and Gas Fund to cover the costs associated with providing additional funding for increasing salaries of the Municipal Clerk and following elected positions: Mayor, Chief of Police, City Court Judge and Constable..

The hearing will be held on Wednesday, January 14, 2026, at 5:30 P.M. at Port Allen City Hall, 375 Court Street, for all inter‐ ested citizens. Interested citizens will have the op‐ portunity to give written or oral comment prior to any action taken by the City Council.

Mayor Terecita P. Pattan 172015-jan 1-1t $13.19

PUBLIC NOTICE --PUBLIC NOTICE Public notice is hereby given, as provided by Section 29(C), Article X of the Constitution of Louisiana, that there will be introduced at the forthcoming session of the Legislature of Louisiana, to be con‐ vened on March 9, 2026, a bill relative to the Munic‐ ipal Police Employees’ Retirement System; to provide relative to disso‐ lution and partial disso‐ lution and the circum‐ stances under which an employer is deemed dis‐ solved or partially dis‐ solved; to provide rela‐ tive to the assessment, calculation, payment, collection, and enforce‐ ment of any related un‐ funded accrued liability charges and/or financial penalties; to provide for definitions; to provide for venue and prescription; and to provide for re‐ lated matters.

Publication Dates: January 1, 2026 and January 2, 2026 NOCP 8842 172947-jan 1-2-2t $53.40

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WBR Public Notices Sheriff Sales

steps of the West Baton Rouge Courthouse, 850 8th Street, Port Allen, Louisiana on WEDNES‐ DAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2026 at 10:00 A.M., the following described property, to wit: That certain piece or por‐ tion of ground, together with all the buildings and improvements thereon, and all the rights, ways, privileges, servitudes, appurtenances and ad‐ vantages thereunto be‐ longing or in anywise ap‐ pertaining, situated in the Parish of West Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and being more particularly described according to a "Map Showing the Sur‐ vey of a lot designated hereon as LOT C (0.95) being a portion of the Willis H. Davis Property, located in Section 60, T6S, R11E, in West Baton Rouge Parish, LA; with di‐ i d l i

WBR Public Notices Sheriff Sales

WBR Public Notices Sheriff Sales

g mensions and location as shown for Richard Beatty and Linda Patty'' made by Toxie Craft, CE and Surveyor dated Baton Rouge, Louisiana 9/11/1985 as follows: commencing at a point on the westerly side of River Road (Louisiana Highway 415) which is marked by a pin found in concrete; thence south 16 degrees 32 minutes east a distance of 146.9 feet along the westerly side of the River Road (LA Highway 415) to an iron pipe found in con‐ crete and corner; thence south 53 degrees 42 min‐ utes west a distance of 300 feet to an iron pipe and corner; thence north 16 degrees 32 minutes west a distance of 146.9 feet to an iron pipe and corner; thence north 53 degrees 42 feet east a distance of 300 feet to the point of beginning; id l h i h

p g g said lot having such measurements and di‐ mensions as are shown on said map, being sub‐ ject to such servitudes and restrictions as are shown on said map or of record; subject to restric‐ tions, servitudes, rightsof-way and outstanding mineral rights of record affecting the property.

Municipal Address: 10343 NORTH RIVER ROAD, PORT ALLEN, LA 70767 Terms of Sale: Cash to the highest bidder WITH benefit of appraisement and according to law.

Attorney for the Plaintiff: Dean Morris, LLC 1505 North 19th Street Monroe, LA 71207-2867 (318) 388-1440 Advertise‐ Judicial ment(s) will appear in THE ADVOCATE on the

WBR Public Notices Sheriff Sales

date(s) of: January 1, 2026 and January 29, 2026.

JEFF BERGERON, SHERIFF PARISH OF WEST BATON ROUGE BY: ANGIE DELAUNE, DEPUTY SHERIFF $67.50

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PUBLIC NOTICE Department of Conservation and Energy Office of Permitting and Compliance Louisiana Regional Landfill Company Commercial, Class I Nonhazardous Waste Disposal Well Allen Parish, Louisiana Docket No. IMD 2025-12 Application No. 43577 Pursuant to provisions of the laws of the State of Louisiana and particularly Title 43 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950 as amended, and provisions of Statewide Order No. 29-N-1 and Statewide Order No. 29-B, notice is hereby given that the Department of Conservation and Energy has prepared a Draft Permit for the application referenced below and that the secretary will conduct a public hearing to solicit comments on the Draft Permit. The hearing will be held in the Allen Parish Civic Center, located at 609 Tiger Lane, Oberlin, Louisiana, at 6:00 pm on January 15, 2026.

At such hearing, the secretary or designated representative will give any interested person the opportunity to present testimony, facts, or oral or written comments relative to the Draft Permit prepared in response to an application by: Louisiana Regional Landfill Company 1158 Landfill Road Oakdale, LA 71463 Louisiana Regional Landfill Company has applied to the Department of Conservation and Energy for a permit to drill, construct, and operate one new Commercial, Class I Nonhazardous Waste Disposal Well in Section 19, Township 02 South, Range 02 West, of Allen Parish for disposal of industrial, nonhazardous liquid wastes and exploration and production (E & P) waste fluids. The proposed well will be identified as LRLC Well No. 001. Waste disposal is proposed to occur initially at a depth of 6,824 feet to 7,544 feet below ground level (bgl) within a disposal zone of 6,699 feet to 7,599 feet bgl. The base of the lowermost underground source of drinking water (USDW) at the specific facility location occurs at an approximate depth of 2,150 feet bgl A copy of the Draft Permit, fact sheet, application or other information concerning the application may be obtained by writing to Katelyn Roshto, Office of Permitting and Compliance, 617 North 3rd Street, 8th Floor, Baton Rouge, LA 70802 or by calling (225) 342-5515. The Draft Permit and fact sheet are also available for inspection between 8:00 A.M. and 4:30 P.M., Monday through Friday in the Department of Conservation and Energy, Rm. 817, of the LaSalle Building, 617 North 3rd Street, Baton Rouge, LA 70802. In addition, the application package is available at the Louisiana Department of Conservation and Energy website.

Interested parties may also submit written comments at any time prior to or during the public hearing.

Written comments concerning the application must be received by the Department of Conservation and Energy no later than 4:30 P.M., January 16, 2026. Submit all comments to: Katelyn Roshto, Office of Permitting and Compliance, 617 North 3rd Street, 8th Floor, Baton Rouge, LA 70802. Comments may also be e-mailed to info@la.gov. Please reference: Louisiana Regional Landfill Company Class I, Application Number 43577, Docket No. IMD 2025-12.

All persons having interest in the aforesaid shall take notice thereof.

By order of: Dustin H. Davidson Department of Conservation and Energy In accordance with Act 393 of the 2023 Louisiana Regular Section, accommodations will be provided upon request to people with disabilities in order to access this public hearing. To request an accommodation for this hearing, please contact Maranda.Rispone@la.gov.

168197-587297-dec 16-25-jan 1-3t $ 5,197.50

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