The Advocate 01-05-2026

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The need for speed Small but mighty internet company connecting state’s rural areas

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M o n d ay, J a n u a ry 5, 2026

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Rubio walks back talk of U.S. ‘running’ Venezuela Administration to press for changes through oil blockade

BY JENNA ROSS Staff writer

ABBEVILLE — At an event celebrating the completion of another project

by Cajun Broadband, the little internet company that could, there were speeches by local officials, a video message from Gov. Jeff Landry and a ribbon-cutting.

And there was seafood gumbo, cooked the night before by Chris Disher, the company’s co-founder.

His grandmother made her gumbo with tomatoes, but Disher Disher skipped them, knowing the crowd, and used shrimp and oysters harvested from parish waters.

The gathering in Vermilion Parish, like much of what Cajun Broadband does, had a personal feel that belied a bigger truth: The company is among those leading Louisiana’s push to bring speedy internet to the state’s rural reaches.

This fall, it won $18.2 million in federal funding from the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment Program, or BEAD, to connect another 4,000 homes and businesses. This month, they’ll be among the companies breaking ground with that funding: “We’re small, so we can build fast,” Disher said.

Already, the Broussard-based company provides fiber internet across Acadiana, in a doughnut-like shape surrounding Lafayette. In 2023, Inc. Magazine named it among the fastest-growing companies in the U.S. — landing at 603 out of 5,000 and fourth among those based in Louisiana.

“We kept doubling the size every year,” Disher said, “because we didn’t understand just how big this

ä See INTERNET, page 3A

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By yUKI IWAMURA

Federal law enforcement personnel stand watch outside the Metropolitan Detention Center as they await the arrival of captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in New york on Saturday.

BY REGINA GARCIA CANO, MATTHEW LEE, WILL WEISSERT and ERIC TUCKER Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Marco Rubio suggested Sunday that the United States would not govern Venezuela day-to-day other than enforcing an existing “oil quarantine” on the country, a turnaround after President Donald Trump announced a day earlier that the U.S. would be running Venezuela following its ouster of leader Nicolás Maduro.

Rubio’s statements on TV talk shows seemed designed to temper concerns that the assertive action to achieve regime change in VenRubio ezuela might lead the U.S. into another prolonged foreign intervention or failed attempt at nation-building. They stood in contrast to Trump’s broad but vague claims that the U.S. would at least temporarily “run” the oil-rich nation, comments that

suggested some sort of governing structure under which Caracas would be controlled by Washington.

Rubio offered Maduro a more nuanced take, saying the U.S. would continue to enforce an oil quarantine that was already in place on sanctioned tankers before Maduro was removed from power early Saturday

ä See VENEZUELA, page 6A

Human trafficking survivor fights to protect others Experience is helping La. shape policy to combat trade

trafficking, she didn’t believe them.

It was 2011. She was in her 20s and facing jail time after authorities conducted a sting operation on her “pimp,” Carlos Lampley.

Trafficked? That couldn’t be true, she thought. It was around the same

BY AIDAN McCAHILL time the movie “Taken” was popuStaff writer lar, and she and a group of LampWhen the FBI first told Michelle ley’s girls had just watched it with Johnson she was a victim of human him. In her mind, that’s what traf-

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ficking was.

“We weren’t drugged, we weren’t chained, we weren’t brought to another country,” she said.

Besides, she thought Lampley had loved her. He told her so, even as he forced her into sex work in New Orleans’ French Quarter, Baton Rouge and online for more than

ä See SURVIVOR, page 4A

Classified .....................6C Deaths .........................9A Nation-World................2A Comics-Puzzles .....3C-5C Living............................1C Opinion .....................10A Commentary .............11A Metro ...........................8A Sports ..........................1B

Out of this World, Close to home

ä Trepidation in Venezuela after U.S. captures Maduro. PAGE 3A ä Plan to seize Venezuela’s oil industry faces hurdles. PAGE 5A ä Trump’s military intervention sparks unease.

PAGE 6A

Michelle Johnson, a survivor of human trafficking, now serves as chair of Gov. Jeff Landry’s Human Trafficking Prevention Commission and Advisory Board.

STAFF PHOTO By JOHN BALLANCE

101ST yEAR, NO. 189

2A ■ Monday, January 5, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

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Rain continues as Calif. reels from floods, high tides

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FROM WIRE REPORTS

Drone strikes kill 2 in Russian border regions

Two people were killed in Ukrainian drone strikes in Russian border regions, local officials said Sunday, ahead of peace talks to end the nearly 4-year-old war in Paris this week.

Belgorod regional Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov said one person died and two others, including a young child, were wounded when a Ukrainian drone struck a car.

Another person was killed in a drone strike on a village in the Kursk region, regional Gov. Alexander Khinshtein said Sunday.

In Ukraine, three people were wounded in the Kharkiv region in drone strikes overnight into Sunday, the country’s State Emergency Service said.

Meanwhile, the death toll from a Russian missile attack on the city of Kharkiv on Friday increased to five when body parts were found under the rubble of a building, Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said Sunday.

The latest attacks came after national security advisers from Europe and other allies visited Kyiv on Saturday to discuss security guarantees and economic support, as a U.S.-led diplomatic push to end the war in Ukraine intensifies.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, preparing to travel to Paris for a meeting with partners, said Saturday that work on the peace proposals could now accelerate as Ukraine has shared all documents under discussion with the 18 national security advisers, including those on security guarantees.

North Korea launches missiles toward sea

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea launched multiple ballistic missiles toward its eastern waters Sunday, its neighbors said, just hours before South Korea’s president left for China for talks expected to cover North Korea’s nuclear program.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement it detected several ballistic missile launches from North Korea’s capital region around 7:50 a.m.

It said the missiles flew about 560 miles and that South Korea and U.S. authorities were analyzing details of the launches.

South Korea’s Defense Ministry noted the launches violated U.N. Security Council resolutions that ban any ballistic activities by North Korea. It urged North Korea to cease provocative actions immediately and respond to South Korea’s push to restart talks and restore peace on the Korean Peninsula.

Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said that at least two missile launches by North Korea have been confirmed. “They are a serious problem, threatening the peace and security of our nation, the region and the world,” Koizumi told reporters.

The U.S. military said in a statement on social media that the missile launches did not “pose an immediate threat to U.S. personnel or territory, or to our allies.”

“The United States remains committed to the defense of the U.S. homeland and our allies in the region,” the military said.

Pilot killed in plane crash on Cape Cod

A small plane crashed Sunday at the Provincetown Municipal Airport on Cape Cod, catching fire and killing the pilot, who was the only person on board, officials said.

Firefighters and other emergency responders extinguished the fire at the crash site near the seaside community at the very tip of Cape Cod, city officials said in a news release.

The statement said the pilot was pronounced dead at the crash site.

The National Transportation Safety Board said in a statement that the aircraft was a Cessna 172N and that it will investigate the crash. It gave no preliminary indication of a possible cause.

The airport was closed following the crash.

Provincetown is located about 50 miles southeast of Boston at the end of Cape Cod, the hooked peninsula jutting into the Atlantic Ocean in southeast Massachusetts.

By The Associated Press

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By BAZ RATNER

Firefighters cry Sunday as they attend a memorial march in Crans-Montana, Swiss Alps, Switzerland, after a devastating fire in Le Constellation bar left 40 dead and dozens injured during a New year’s Eve celebration.

Hundreds march to honor bar fire victims 40 killed in New year’s Eve blaze in Switzerland

BY JOHN LEICESTER and JAMEY KEATEN Associated Press

CRANS-MONTANA, Switzerland — Hundreds marched in silence Sunday to honor the victims of the New Year’s Eve fire at a bar in the Swiss Alpine resort of CransMontana, which left 40 dead and many severely injured.

Somber mourners, many with reddened eyes, filed silently out of the chapel to organ music after the hourlong Mass at the Chapelle Saint-Christophe in CransMontana. Some exchanged hugs before marching up a hill to Le Constellation bar.

Many hundreds of people walked in the dense snaking procession in the bright sunlight past shuttered stores. Up on the mountain overlooking the town, snow machines sent plumes of white flakes into the air.

At the top of the street, in front of Le Constellation — which is still largely shielded from view by white screens — the swelling crowd stood in near total silence, some weeping.

Then they broke out into sustained applause for the rescue teams and police who rushed to the scene of horror, their hands in gloves and mittens against the cold. Mourners and well-wishers deposited bouquets at a makeshift memorial piled with flowers, cuddly toys and other tributes. Some firefighters wiped their eyes too.

“Through this tragic event, I believe we must all remember that we are all brothers and sisters in humanity,” Véronique Barras, a local resident who knows grieving families, said. “It’s important to support each other, to hug each other, and to move forward towards light.”

Cathy Premer said her daughter was out celebrating her 17th birthday on New Year’s Eve when she called in the early hours of the morning to say she was stuck because Le Constellation was cordoned off.

“For the young — but even for adults — it’s hard to understand things that seem inexplicable,” she said. “They went there to party, it’s a destination for Dec. 31, it’s very festive, there were people of many nationalities ... and it all turned into a tragedy.”

In the crowd, Paola Ponti Greppi, an 80-year-old Italian who has a house in Crans-Montana, called for safety checks in bars. “We need more safety in these places because it’s not the only place like this. Why didn’t the town do the proper checks? For me that’s terrible.”

During the Mass, the Rev. Gilles Cavin spoke of the “terrible uncertainty” for families unsure if their loved ones are among the dead or still alive among the injured.

“There are no words strong enough to express the dismay, anguish, and anger of those who are affected in their lives today. And yet, we are here, gathered because silence alone is not enough,” he said.

In the crowded pews, a grieving woman listened intently, her hands clasped tightly and sometimes clasping rosary beads, as speakers delivered readings in German, French and Italian.

Forty people died and 119 were injured in the blaze that broke out around 1:30 a.m. on Thursday at Le Constellation bar. Police have said many of the victims were in their teens to mid-20s.

By Sunday evening, Swiss authorities had identified all of the 40 fatalities.

One of the victims was 16-year-old Arthur Brodard, whose mother had been frantically searching for him.

“Our Arthur has now left to party in paradise,” a visibly shaken Laetitia Brodard said in a Facebook story posted on Saturday night, speaking to a camera.

“We can start our mourning, knowing that he is in peace and in the light.”

Brodard’s frenzied search for her son reflected the desperation of families of the young people disappeared during the fire, who did not know whether their loved ones were dead or in the hospital.

Swiss authorities said the process of identifying victims was particularly hard because of the advanced degree of the burns, requiring the use of DNA samples. Brodard also had given her DNA sample to help in the identification process.

In her Facebook post, she thanked those who “testified their compassion, their love” and to those who shared information as she anxiously searched and waited for news of her son. Other parents and siblings are still waiting in anguish.

Swiss authorities have opened a criminal investigation of the bar managers.

Gunmen kill at least 30, abduct others in raid in north Nigeria

By The Associated Press MINNA, Nigeria — At least 30 villagers have been killed and several others are missing after gunmen raided a village in northern Nigeria’s Niger state, police said Sunday, the latest in a cycle of deadly violence in the conflict-hit region.

The gunmen stormed the Kasuwan-Daji village in the Borgu local government area on Saturday evening and opened fire on residents. They also razed the local market and several houses, state police spokesperson Wasiu Abiodun said in a statement.

At least two residents put the death toll at 37 and said it could be much higher as some people remained missing as of Sunday. Locals also said the security forces are yet to arrive in the area, contradicting a police claim that they have deployed officers to search for those kidnapped.

The Rev. Stephen Kabirat, a spokesman for the Catholic Church of Kontagora Diocese where the attack happened, told local media that the gunmen killed more than 40 people and abducted several others, including children.

Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu condemned the attack and said he has directed security officials to hunt down the gunmen and rescue the hostages.

“These terrorists have tested the resolve of our country and its people,” Tinubu said in a statement. “They must face the full consequences of their criminal actions. No matter who they are or what their intent is, they must be hunted down. In addition, those who aid, abet, or enable them will also be brought to justice.”

The gunmen had been lurking around nearby communities for about a week before the attack, according to one resident who asked not to be named for fear of his safety. Now survivors are too afraid to go recover the bodies.

“The bodies are there (in Kasuwan-Daji village). If we don’t see any security, how can we go there?” the resident said, adding that the attack lasted for up to three hours.

Such attacks are common in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, where dozens of rogue gangs seeking control often target remote communities with limited security and government presence.

CORTE MADERA, Calif. — Crews cleared mud from key California highways as forecasters warned Sunday that more thunderstorms were on the way after downpours and high tides caused flooding, road closures and rescues of people trapped in cars.

Five northern counties remained under a flood watch, with up to three inches of rain possible through Monday night in areas that have been drenched off and on since around Christmas, said the National Weather Service office in Eureka.

At least a foot of snow was likely in the mountains.

To the south near the San Francisco Bay Area, waters were slowly receding after roadways from Sausalito to San Rafael were flooded during heavy rain that coincided with record-breaking “king tides.” Such tides occur when the moon is in its closest position to the Earth, creating a stronger gravitational pull.

Some people kayaked along swamped streets, while others waded through water above their knees.

Authorities were called to assist when cars got stuck in water as high as 3 and 4 feet, Marin County Sheriff’s Sgt. Michael Dobbins said

Saturday.

“I’ve been around here for the king tides and I’ve never seen it this high. Never,” Jeremy Hager of San Rafael told KTVU-TV. Flooding was reported across Marin, Sonoma, Alameda, San Mateo and San Francisco counties.

While the tides were waning, lingering thunderstorms on Sunday could cause additional problems throughout low-lying areas, forecasters said. “For anyone driving, slow down and allow extra time to reach your destination,” the Bay Area office of the weather service warned on social media.

Farther south in Santa Barbara County, a key highway was reopened Sunday after it was blocked for most of the weekend near Goleta due to a series of mudslides. A man died after he was swept into a creek during the storm, the sheriff’s office said Saturday.

Parts of Santa Barbara County received more than four inches of rain over two days, the weather service said Sunday.

After a mostly dry autumn, California has been hit by a series of powerful winter storms that brought the wettest holiday season to the state in years.

SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE PHOTO By STEPHEN LAM

Brothers Connor and Brett Cardinal and friend Eli Ferrell kayak toward a flooded Mill Valley-Sausalito Path on Saturday during king tide in Mill Valley, Calif.

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The Advocate ■ theadvocate.com ■ Monday, January 5, 2026 ■ 3A

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Trepidation mixes with joy after Maduro capture

BY REGINA GARCIA CANO, MEGAN JANETSKY and JUAN ARRAEZ Associated Press

CARACAS, Venezuela — An anxious quiet fell over Venezuela’s capital on Sunday as trepidation mixed with joy while a nation waited to see what comes next.

People were slow to resume routines in Caracas after President Nicolás Maduro was deposed and captured in a dramatic U.S. military operation. Dozens of stores, restaurants and churches remained closed. Those on the streets looked shellshocked, staring at their phones or into the distance.

“People are still shaken,” said 77-year-old David Leal, who arrived to work as a parking attendant but realized he likely would not have customers. He pointed to the deserted street, a few blocks from Venezuela’s presidential palace, which was guarded by armed civilians and military personnel.

‘God give us strength’ Venezuela is no stranger to political tumult, but the deadof-night U.S. military operation early Saturday marked a new chapter with no ready script.

President Donald Trump

INTERNET

Continued from page 1A

need was in the rural communities.”

Humble beginnings But it started in 2017 with an antenna in a pine tree.

Disher’s two then-teenage sons had been nagging him for years about the slow, spotty internet. One Sunday before church, they’d hooked up their Xbox for a software update, “and the game wasn’t even 5% done updating after being gone for like three and a half hours,” said his son Matthew.

Meanwhile, Disher’s friend, neighbor and now partner Jimmy Lewis, an IT professional struggling with his own internet service, had been driving by an empty tower on his way to work each day.

He wondered: What if we put an antenna on that?

They got the OK, grabbed a chain saw and mounted a dish. “And Chris is hollering up at me, ‘We’ve got 60 megs!’” Lewis said. “‘We’ve got 60 megs!’”

They hooked up one neighbor, then another, then 10.

They kept their day jobs, at first, working nights and weekends.

Within two years, they had more than 1,000 customers, said Daniel Romero Jr., operations manager. (Disher declined to give a current count, but the company’s website touts “nearly 10,000 customers across seven Louisiana parishes.”)

“We just kept going and kept building and kept working,” said Lewis, Cajun’s managing director.

When Louisiana’s Granting Underserved Municipalities Broadband Opportunities, or GUMBO, program was announced, Disher bought a nice tie and went door to door, parish to parish. In late 2022, with nearly $20 million in GUMBO funding, Cajun Broadband installed some 90,000 feet of fiber in St. Martin Parish.

It was the first completed project in the state under GUMBO, whose mission is in its name. Cajun Broadband competed with and beat bigger companies to nab GUMBO funds, said Veneeth Iyengar, executive director for the Louisiana Office of Broadband Development and Connectivity.

“They bootstrapped this business,” he said. “They saw a need in their community that was not fulfilled, and they decided to bootstrap it through entrepreneurial capitalism and build a business which is now impacting thousands of lives.”

Still, the business has stayed small and nimble.

Ask an employee how many of them there are, and they’ll begin ticking off names,

initially said the U.S. would “run” the country until there was stability, a remark that Secretary of State Marco Rubio seemed to walk back on Sunday.

Rubio insisted in interviews that Washington will use control of Venezuela’s oil industry to force policy changes, and called the government currently in place illegitimate. The country is home to the world’s largest proven crude oil reserves.

“We want to see Venezuela transition to be a place completely different than what it looks like today. But obviously, we don’t have the expectation that’s going to happen in the next 15 hours,” Rubio said.

Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López, flanked by the high military command, told Venezuelans that Maduro was still the rightful leader.

Presidential duties, however, now belong to Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, whom the high court ordered to assume the role of interim president.

Rodríguez made no public comment Sunday.

Maduro’s cadre of government officials demanded his release from custody in New York, where his first court appearance is set for Monday. State-controlled media did not air the images of him

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MATIAS DELACROIX

Residents look Sunday at a damaged apartment complex in Catia La Mar, Venezuela, that neighbors say was hit during U.S. strikes to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. handcuffed on U.S. soil.

Venezuelans instead saw them on social media, and many could not believe their eyes.

“May God give us strength for what we are experiencing. I’m sad. He is a human being,” said Nely Gutiérrez, a retiree, as her eyes welled with tears. “They have him handcuffed, and if he is in the hands of the empire, no one can save him from there, only God, not even God. He will die there.”

Gutiérrez had walked to church only to find it closed.

She said she would have prayed for peace in Ven-

ezuela and for Maduro. She declined to say whether she ever voted for him but said, “The word of God says love your enemy.”

Fear of celebrating In the U.S. and some Latin American countries, Maduro’s ouster was celebrated.

In Venezuela, the scene was different, with some supporters burning U.S. flags and holding signs reading “Gringo go home.”

Others muted any antiMaduro feelings for now.

Construction worker Daniel Medalla said people did not dare celebrate out of fear of

Broadband’s first full-time employee, he said. “She just kept saying, ‘You can do it, you can do it.’ ” At first, he felt responsible to his family, his mortgage in mind. Then, he felt responsible for the company’s employees, their families in mind. Now, he feels responsible for the region and its residents.

Several broadband customers were at the STAFF PHOTO By LESLIE WESTBROOK LSU AgCenter office in Company founders and state and local officials hold Abbeville for last month’s ribbon-cutting, which a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the expansion of Cajun marked the completion of Broadband into Vermilion Parish at the LSU AgCenter three broadband projects in Cooperative Extension Building in Abbeville on Dec. 9.

Vermilion Parish comprising some 500,000 feet of fiber to

government repression.

“We were longing for it,” Medalla, 66, said of Maduro’s exit.

Memories remain fresh of the government crackdown following the 2024 presidential election, which Maduro claimed to have won despite credible evidence that he lost by a more than 2-to-1 margin.

Protests left 28 people dead, 220 injured and at least 2,000 detained, according to official figures.

The presence of police and military personnel across Caracas on Sunday was notable for its smaller size compared with an average day. Soldiers attempted to clear an area of an air base that burned along with at least three passenger buses during the U.S. attack.

Rubio in interviews said no U.S. forces were on the ground in Venezuela but didn’t rule out further strikes there.

Left with ‘ruins’ Wilman González picked through rubble and broken furniture coating the floor of his home in the coastal state of La Guaira on Sunday.

He was quiet, mourning everything he’d unexpectedly lost early Saturday morning when an American strike blew apart the wall of his apartment. The blast killed

1,750 homes and businesses.

Among the beneficiaries: Michelle Romero, a 38-yearold mother, nurse and health coach who can now upload her workout videos in a few minutes, rather than several hours. (Disher used healthier oils in his gumbo, knowing she’d be in the crowd.)

And there’s the North Vermilion Youth Athletic Association, which for years had struggled to make credit card sales in its concession stand using Cox internet.

“We had issues on top of issues,” said Josh Broussard, the nonprofit’s president.

Cajun Broadband offered the athletic association free

his sleeping 80-year-old aunt Rosa Elena González.

The family rushed her to the hospital, where medical staff scrambled to give her oxygen, but González said there was nothing they could do.

Venezuelan officials have said Saturday’s operation killed civilians and military personnel. But they have not given a toll, and the government’s press office has not responded to multiple requests.

Now, with stitches lining the corner of his blackened eye, González was left staring at the gaping hole in his wall.

“This is it, what we are left with: ruins,” he said.

González spoke with anger not just at all he’d lost, but also the compounding economic and political crises that Venezuela has endured for years, and a government that he said has stopped working for the people.

The government “can throw me in jail if they want, but I’m talking about the reality of the country we live in,” González said. “What we want is a government that is good for all Venezuelans, not just a few.”

Janetsky reported from Mexico City. Arraez reported from La Guaira, Venezuela.

hookups, Wi-Fi service and boosters in exchange for some publicity. Now, the park has strong enough service to fuel live scoreboards and stream games, Broussard said, which means that they can host regional tournaments.

Broussard, who played sports at the park as a child, said the change is much needed.

“I saw what it was, and I just want to improve it,” Broussard said, “and make it better than what it was when we were there.”

Email Jenna Ross at jenna. ross@theadvocate.com.

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STAFF PHOTO By JENNA ROSS

Matthew Disher splices fiber in a Cajun Broadband truck for a Maurice home in December. counting the number on two hands. It feels like family, said Steven Creduer, field supervisor. “I’m leaving my house to go to my other house.”

Disher’s son, Matthew, works in the field as a splicer now. Romero’s daughter works for the company, too.

Employees exchange “Merry Christmas” texts with customers. Many of them had long struggled to use Zoom, to upload and to stream, and were thrilled to spot Cajun Broadband’s trailer on their rural roads.

Technicians see firsthand how people rely on the internet for necessities, from

health care to homework.

“People are really happy you’re there,” Disher said.

‘Issues on top of issues’ A Louisiana-born-andeducated engineer, Disher hadn’t yearned to be an entrepreneur, the 55-year-old said. “I never wanted to do anything on my own.”

For years, he worked for General Electric in the oil fields of Singapore and Brazil, eventually supporting six regions from Broussard — but traveling often. Then GE downsized, and Disher lost his job.

With his wife’s encouragement, he became Cajun

PUBLIC NOTICE EAST FELICIANA PARISH REGISTRAR OF VOTERS VACANCY The East Feliciana Parish Police Jury is soliciting applications from qualified individuals seeking an appointment as the East Feliciana Parish Registrar of Voters.

A qualified applicant is a registered voter who satisfies the experience and/or education requirements established in Section 18:52(B) of the Louisiana Election Code.

Applicants must submit an application along with a cover letter, current resume with a list of references, evidence of voter registration, and any other materials pertinent to the qualifications, knowledge, experience, and ability.

Letters of recommendation, though not required, are preferred.

Applications are due no later than 5:30pm on January 29, 2026. Applications must be submitted in person to Parish Secretary-Treasurer Yamesha Harris, 12064 Marston Street, Clinton, Louisiana 70722.

Once the application period has closed, qualified applicants will be contacted to schedule interviews. The Police Jury will make a final appointment on or before March 31, 2026.

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4A ■ Monday, January 5, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

SURVIVOR

Continued from page 1A three years, beating her if she didn’t bring back enough money.

“He was the first person to ever ask me about my life,” she said. “I didn’t know what love was.”

From the outside, she was a prostitute. But as she began revealing details to prosecutors, the picture shifted.

Today, Lampley is serving a 40-year sentence in federal prison for one count each of trafficking a child for sexual purposes, human trafficking and attempted human trafficking.

Johnson, after years of intensive therapy, now shares her harrowing experience.

She has used it to raise awareness and to counsel countless victims who continue to endure what she once did.

In 2024, the state identified 1,350 new trafficking victims — most younger than 17 — while continuing to serve nearly 1,000 already in the system, according to state data. Officials warn that overlapping reports mean some duplication, but they believe the numbers still significantly understate the problem. The practice is not confined to drug cartels or private islands, they stress, but is widespread — including in Louisiana, where the convergence of interstates 10, 12 and 55 helps fuel the trade.

“Not everyone understands that human trafficking is happening in your own backyard,” said Jordyn McDempsey, a criminal investigator for Louisiana State Police’s Special Victims Unit. “Within the last 15 years, we’ve really seen just how many people are influenced and coerced and forced to do these things.”

The growing victim count reflects both progress and challenge. Since 2017, the number of trafficking victims receiving state services has more than tripled, jumping 242%, an improvement officials credit to recent legislation and increased awareness.

“The question becomes, is human trafficking occurring at higher rates? Or are we doing a better job at identifying trafficking victims? I tend to think it’s the latter,” said Mary Kate Andrepont, executive director of the Governor’s Office of Human Trafficking Prevention.

But law enforcement has struggled to keep pace, and specific arrests for trafficking remain low. Louisiana made just 46 human trafficking arrests in 2024 — the first year the state systematically tracked such data — roughly the same number as eight years earlier.

“The money and the manpower that’s devoted to strictly human trafficking is pretty minuscule compared to what’s really needed,” said East Baton Rouge District Attorney Hillar Moore.

How it begins For Johnson, it started at a Waffle House on Siegen Lane in 2007. A new friend had asked her for a ride to

lll

the restaurant to meet someone. A man in a car pulled into the parking lot and motioned for Johnson, then 19, to get in.

“The moment I got in his car, he told me he was a pimp. I laughed and said there is no such thing,” she said. “He laughed with me.”

She had a car, a job and an apartment. Raised in a difficult home, she had recently escaped living with an older man who had exploited her for sex since she was 16. The severe, untreated trauma left her unable to recognize danger.

“You’re sitting there and you have a lack of fear response,” she said. A common trauma response, she added, is to “fawn,” rather than fight, flee or freeze.

“It’s where you just go along with it.”

The day after the car ride, her new friend called and asked if she could stay at Johnson’s place. Only later did Johnson realize the woman had been recruiting her for Lampley.

“From there, I should’ve ran and ignored all of them,” she said. “She recruited me the moment I was emotionally upset about something.

But she’s also a victim … so I don’t hate her.”

Lampley drew Johnson in gradually. She didn’t have a phone, so he lent her his on the condition she return it to his hotel each night.

“For him, that was my vulnerability,” she said. “When I wouldn’t let him sell me, he became my boyfriend.”

He listened when she shared pieces of her troubled past. Then he crashed her car. Then he told her to stop working.

“That trafficker uses that grooming to then gain power and control, which then leads to exploitation,” said Holly Tupper, executive director of Unbound Now Louisiana, a nonprofit that in 2025 provided services for 145 victims of child sex trafficking in the state.

Tupper said most victims come from vulnerable backgrounds. State data show that in 2024, 85% of victims served in Louisiana were 17 or younger, with the highest share coming from East Baton Rouge and Orleans parishes.

Nationally, 60% of child sex trafficking victims were involved in the child welfare system. Louisiana mirrors those trends.

“Part of it is a lack of resources for DCFS who really are responsible for those kids,” said Melanie S. Fields, an assistant district attorney in Moore’s office who handles trafficking and sexual exploitation cases.

“A youth that runs from placement, they have to have food, clothing and a need for relationships,” Tupper added. “There are all these basic human needs that are needed. It ends up that traffickers exploit that need.”

Recent Baton Rouge-area cases involving massage parlors and a Nicholson Drive brothel have highlighted the presence of foreign nationals in the trade, both as victims and perpetrators. Statewide, however, more than 70% of traffick-

STAFF FILE PHOTO

A billboard on Interstate 12 near Drusilla Lane in Baton Rouge warns of the dangers of human trafficking. ing victims are U.S. citizens.

Tupper said many traffickers hang out outside group homes, shelters and food banks, though social media has now allowed them to message potential victims online. McDempsey, with the State Police, added she has investigated cases where recruitment occurs at schools, hospitals and rehab centers.

“It’s not walking around Walmart and getting kidnapped,” she said.

Other times, trafficking begins in the home. It is estimated that 10% to 20% of such cases in Louisiana involve a family member, according to data provided by the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office.

Barriers to freedom On Johnson’s first night on Bourbon Street, she just stood there. She had been driven from Baton Rouge with a car full of girls, where she had been told to find a date. Lampley beat her when she had no money to show for herself the next morning. Another girl was sent to show her the ropes the following night.

Each night for three years, she was driven to New Orleans. If she hadn’t made enough money by 6 a.m., the route continued — truck stops in LaPlace, then across the river in West Baton Rouge, or postings on escort sites.

“You just never slept.

You’re deprived of food.

You’re deprived of sleep.

You’re deprived of medical needs,” she said.

Trafficking and prostitution often spike around major events, McDempsey said, such as the Super Bowl, major concerts and Mardi Gras.

“It’s easy to make money where there’s a lot of people.

It’s almost ideal with these major events,” she said.

Escape seemed impossible for Johnson. One pimp moved down the street to keep a watch on her. When she fled to her mother’s house, Lampley or an associate would eventually show up outside. To protect her family, she always left.

Johnson also became known to local law enforcement, accumulating prostitution charges and traffic tickets.

“I couldn’t just pick up the phone and say, ‘Hey come help me,’ ” she said. “They would pull me over and tell me, ‘We’re gonna hold you up all night so you get beat-

en by your pimp.’”

One night around 2010, the FBI staged a sting operation targeting Lampley. Johnson was outside and saw them approaching and tried to send a warning.

As in domestic violence cases, persuading victims to cooperate remains one of the biggest hurdles for prosecutors. After years of grooming and abuse, many do not see themselves as victims — even in cases when they have been tortured.

Identifying victims is also challenging. They use a rotating cast of apps designed to evade law enforcement.

Most ads show only body parts. Some platforms require sellers to post ID with their photos, but fake identification is common.

“If we get a trafficker’s phone and we’re looking at the ads, we don’t know if it’s a juvenile or not,” said Sonya Cardia-Porter, an assistant district attorney in East Baton Rouge who prosecutes sex crimes.

Language barriers, distrust of law enforcement, interstate and cross-border gang involvement and a relatively young body of case law — because federal anti-trafficking statutes date back only to 2000 — add to the complexity. Many prosecutors opt to pursue lighter, more familiar charges, such as child porn, statutory rape or prostitution-related counts.

“You don’t have time to develop a suspect or a trafficking issue; you have to focus on what you do have,” Cardia-Porter said.

East Baton Rouge Parish prosecutors have brought 13 human trafficking cases in the past three years. Statewide, 54 trafficking-related cases reached final disposition in 2024 across 11 of Louisiana’s 42 judicial districts. In only one of those did a trafficking conviction — which brings at least 10 years in prison — stand on the final charge.

A seat at the table About a year after the initial sting operation, Lampley still forced Johnson to work nightly. But she was determined to escape his grip, whether “in a body bag or on foot,” she recalls.

Then the FBI conducted another online sting with agents posing as buyers.

This time, Johnson quietly unlocked the door to Lampley’s hotel room and kept it open as agents climbed the stairs.

“I knew I was going to be in jail for a while,” she said.

“I was literally so happy.”

She spent about a year and a half in prison before being released in 2013. During that time and for years after, she lived with complex PTSD, having to relearn how to eat and sleep and function in society. She struggled to find a job and underwent multiple surgeries, including heart procedures and facial reconstruction. Therapy did not seem to help at first, but slowly, things improved.

“It was the people that believed me, learning to trust others that would have your best interest, and those people empowered me,” she said.

Eventually, she testified against Lampley at his trial.

Her victim advocate suggested she might make a powerful advocate herself.

So she went back to school, and in 2017, the year Lampley was sentenced, she began teaching youth at Florida Parishes Juvenile Detention Center about trafficking and exploitation.

“I was scared to death, but I looked at the kids and was like, I think I need to do this to make sure they know what could happen,” she said.

Louisiana also intensified its anti-trafficking response.

In 2017, then-Gov. John Bel Edwards created the Human Trafficking Prevention Commission and Advisory Board, and Johnson was appointed as a member.

At the Capitol, she met state Sen. Beth Mizell, one of the Legislature’s most persistent voices on trafficking. She shared how her criminal record followed her and how survivors are often forced into crimes as part of their exploitation.

Mizell listened, and Johnson was soon testifying in the House and Senate in support of post-conviction relief for trafficking survivors.

“They never stopped me.

I just shared everything.

They listened,” she said.

“God kind of gave me levels.

I realized I had something to offer.”

Act 130, known as “The Michelle Johnson Act,” was passed in 2021, making it easier for survivors to expunge their records. The same year, Edwards created the Governor’s Office of Human Trafficking Prevention, which collects statewide data and coordinates responses with law enforcement and nonprofits.

The most significant antitrafficking legislation came in 2023. Act 662 created a hotline through the Department of Child and Family Services — which received over 1,000 reports this year — and dedicated $4 million annually to victim services and funding nonprofits like Unbound Now, which deploys advocates to meet child victims in Baton Rouge, New Orleans and Covington.

Louisiana State Police also adopted a more victim-centered approach, increasing training on spotting trafficking and trauma-informed response. McDempsey said building trust with victims — an approach not used in

the past — is both the hardest and most rewarding part of her work.

“You’re staying in contact for years to come,” she said.

As more cases move through courts, Andrepont believes prosecutions will become more straightforward.

“Every year, I think we’re gonna start to see more and more cases make its way through prosecution,” Andrepont said.

And while trafficking arrests remain low, the net law enforcement is casting for related crimes has grown larger, seeping into the digital world. Surging arrests for child porn and sexual assault against minors have nearly doubled the total of sexual exploitation-related apprehensions since 2018, to 1,571 in 2024.

“For so long we just talked and talked and never saw any impact in getting the traffickers off the street,” Mizell said. “And I do see that now.”

In 2025, Louisiana joined a small group of states by making the purchase of sex a felony, marking a significant push to go after the demand side of the business.

Johnson, who now chairs Gov. Jeff Landry’s Human Trafficking Prevention Commission and Advisory Board, supports the shift but stressed that an impetus for enforcement of the new law is still needed.

“Why do people want to bring people into our country? Because we are the buyers, we have the money,” she said.

Gaps remain Many believe the reason the number of child sex victims is so high is because that is where the resources are dedicated. Labor trafficking is still a blind spot, and Act 662 doesn’t fund services for adults, though the state is now looking to expand the model.

“We focus a lot on minors, and we forget that once they turn 18 and they’re still in it, they’re still gonna be in it as an adult,” Johnson said.

Aside from a few Homeland Security Investigations and FBI officers, few local officers investigate trafficking full-time. McDempsey said State Police take proactive approaches when possible, but most cases come from hotline tips.

“Sometimes we’re so overloaded with those cases that are being reported that we try to plan our proactive approaches around what we have going on,” she said. “We have these people in front of us first that we have to help.”

Johnson continues to teach classes on human trafficking to law enforcement and at the Louisiana Correctional Institute for Women, serves as an expert witness in court cases and works as an advocate for victims — the same kind of advocates she credits with helping her reclaim her life. Her journey has sparked a passion for making sure others don’t feel as alone as she once did. It burns bright.

“I can’t prevent trafficking,” Johnson said, “but I can prevent victims from feeling like they’re all alone in the process.”

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Plan to seize Venezuela’s oil industry faces hurdles

BY JOSH FUNK

AP business writer President Donald Trump’s plan to take control of Venezuela’s oil industry and ask American companies to revitalize it after capturing President Nicolás Maduro in a raid isn’t likely to have a significant immediate impact on oil prices.

Venezuela’s oil industry is in disrepair after years of neglect and international sanctions, so it could take years and major investments before production can increase dramatically. But some analysts are optimistic that Venezuela could double or triple its current output of about 1.1 million barrels of oil a day to return to historic levels fairly quickly.

“While many are reporting Venezuela’s oil infrastructure was unharmed by U.S. military actions, it has been decaying for many many years and will take time to rebuild,” said Patrick De Haan, who is the lead petroleum analyst at gasoline price tracker GasBuddy.

American oil companies will want a stable regime in the country before they are willing to invest heavily, and the political picture remained uncertain Saturday with Trump saying that the United States is in charge — while the current Venezuelan vice president argued, before Venezuela’s high court ordered her to assume the role of interim president, that Maduro should be restored to power.

“But if it seems like the U.S. is successful in running the country

for the next 24 hours, I would say there would be a lot of optimism that U.S. energy companies could come in and revitalize the Venezuelan oil industry fairly quickly,” said Phil Flynn, a senior market analyst at the Price Futures Group.

And if Venezuela can grow into an oil production powerhouse, Flynn said “that could cement lower prices for the longer term” and put more pressure on Russia.

Oil isn’t traded over the weekend, so there wasn’t an immediate impact on prices. But a major shift in prices isn’t expected when the market does reopen. Venezuela is a member of OPEC so its production is already accounted for there. And there is currently a surplus of oil on the global market.

Proven reserves Venezuela is known to have the world’s largest proven crude oil reserves of approximately 303 billion barrels, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

That accounts for roughly 17% of all global oil reserves.

So international oil companies have reason to be interested in Venezuela. Exxon Mobil didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment Saturday. ConocoPhillips spokesperson Dennis Nuss said by email that the company “is monitoring developments in Venezuela and their potential implications for global energy supply and stability.

It would be premature to speculate on any future business activities or investments.”

Chevron is the only one with sig-

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO

By MATIAS DELACROIX

Vehicles drive past the El Palito refinery in Puerto Cabello, Venezuela, on Dec. 21.

nificant operations in Venezuela, where it produces about 250,000 barrels a day. Chevron, which first invested in Venezuela in the 1920s, does business in the country through joint ventures with the state-owned company Petróleos de Venezuela S.A., commonly known as PDVSA. “Chevron remains focused on the safety and well-being of our employees, as well as the integrity of our assets. We continue to operate in full compliance with all relevant laws and regulations,” Chevron spokesperson Bill Turenne said.

But even with those massive reserves, Venezuela has been producing less than 1% of the world’s crude oil supply. Corruption, mismanagement and U.S. economic sanctions saw production steadily decline from the 3.5 million barrels per day pumped in 1999 to today’s levels.

The problem isn’t finding the oil.

It’s a question of the political environment and whether companies can count on the government to

live up to their contracts. Back in 2007, then-President Hugo Chávez nationalized much of the oil production and forced major players like Exxon Mobil and ConocoPhillips out.

“The issue is not just that the infrastructure is in bad shape, but it’s mostly about how do you get foreign companies to start pouring money in before they have a clear perspective on the political stability, the contract situation and the like,” said Francisco Monaldi, who is the director of the Latin American energy program at Rice University.

But the infrastructure does need significant investment.

“The estimate is that in order for Venezuela to increase from one million barrels per day — that is what it produces today — to four million barrels, it will take about a decade and about a hundred billion dollars of investment,” Monaldi said.

Strong demand Venezuela produces the kind of heavy crude oil that’s needed for diesel fuel, asphalt and other fuels for heavy equipment. Diesel is in short supply around the world because of the sanctions on oil from Venezuela and Russia and because America’s lighter crude oil can’t easily replace it.

Years ago, American refineries on the Gulf Coast were optimized to handle that kind of heavy crude at a time when U.S. oil production was falling and Venezuelan and Mexican crude was plentiful. So refineries would love to have more

access to Venezuela’s crude because it would help them operate more efficiently, and it tends to be a little cheaper.

Boosting Venezuelan production could also make it easier to put pressure on Russia because Europe and the rest of the world could get more of the diesel and heavy oil they need from Venezuela and stop buying from Russia.

“There’s been a big benefit for Russia to see Venezuela’s oil industry collapse. And the reason is because they were a competitor on the global stage for that oil market,” Flynn said.

Complicated legal picture But Matthew Waxman, a Columbia University law professor who was a national security official in President George W. Bush’s administration, said seizing control of Venezuela’s resources opens up additional legal issues.

“For example, a big issue will be who really owns Venezuela’s oil?”

Waxman wrote in an email. “An occupying military power can’t enrich itself by taking another state’s resources, but the Trump administration will probably claim that the Venezuelan government never rightfully held them.”

But Waxman, who served in the State and Defense departments and on the National Security Council under Bush, noted that “we’ve seen the administration talk very dismissively about international law when it comes to Venezuela.”

Associated Press writers Matt O’Brien and Ben Finley contributed to this report.

Cocaine and corruption led to the indictment of Maduro

BY ALANNA DURKIN RICHER and LARRY NEUMEISTER

Associated Press

NEW YORK — A newly unsealed U.S. Justice Department indictment accuses captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro of running a “corrupt, illegitimate government” fueled by an extensive drug-trafficking operation that flooded the U.S. with thousands of tons of cocaine.

The arrest of Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, in a stunning military operation early Saturday in Venezuela sets the stage for a major test for U.S. prosecutors as they seek to secure a conviction in a New York courtroom against the longtime leader of the oil-rich South American nation.

Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a post on X that Maduro and Flores “will soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts.”

Drug and weapons charges Maduro is charged alongside his wife, his son and three others. Maduro is indicted on four counts: narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices.

Maduro is facing the same charges as in an earlier indictment brought against him in Manhattan

federal court in 2020, during the first Trump presidency. The new indictment unsealed Saturday, which adds charges against Flores, was filed under seal in the Southern District of New York just before Christmas.

Maduro is due to make his first appearance Monday in federal court in Manhattan. A video posted Saturday night on social media by a White House account showed Maduro, smiling, as he was escorted through a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration office in New York by two federal agents grasping his arms. He was expected to be detained while awaiting trial at a federal jail in Brooklyn.

‘Cocaine-fueled corruption’ The indictment accuses Maduro of partnering with “some of the most violent and prolific drug traffickers and narco-terrorists in the world” to allow for the shipment of thousands of tons of cocaine into the U.S. Authorities allege powerful and violent drugtrafficking organizations, such as the Sinaloa Cartel and Tren de Aragua gang, worked directly with the Venezuelan government and then sent profits to high-ranking officials who helped and protected them in exchange.

But a U.S. intelligence assessment published in April, which drew on input from the 18 agencies that

comprise the intelligence community, found no coordination between Tren de Aragua and the Venezuelan government.

Maduro allowed “cocaine-fueled corruption to flourish for his own benefit, for the benefit of members of his ruling regime, and for the benefit of his family members,” the indictment alleges.

U.S. authorities allege that Maduro and his family “provided law enforcement cover and logistical support” to cartels moving drugs throughout the region, resulting in as much as 250 tons of cocaine trafficked through Venezuela annually by 2020, according to the indictment.

Drugs were moved on gofast vessels, fishing boats and container ships or on planes from clandestine airstrips, the indictment says.

“This cycle of narcoticsbased corruption lines the pockets of Venezuelan officials and their families while also benefiting violent narco-terrorists who operate with impunity on Venezuelan soil and who help produce, protect, and transport tons of cocaine to the United States,” the indictment says.

Successive U.S. administrations have warned about Venezuela’s role as a transit point for cocaine and a haven for criminal gangs, terrorist groups and drugsmuggling leftist rebels from neighboring Colom-

bia. While reliable data is hard to ascertain, the vast majority of cocaine departs South America from Colombia and Ecuador, making its way northward through the eastern Pacific Ocean, not the Caribbean.

murders “against those who owed them drug money or otherwise undermined their drug trafficking operation.”

That includes the killing of a local drug boss in Caracas, according to the indictment.

Maduro’s wife is also accused of accepting hunKidnappings and murders dreds of thousands of dolThe U.S. accuses Maduro lars in bribes in 2007 to and his wife of ordering arrange a meeting between kidnappings, beatings and “a large-scale drug traf-

ficker” and the director of Venezuela’s National AntiDrug Office. In a corrupt deal, the drug trafficker then agreed to pay a monthly bribe to the director of the anti-drug office as well as about $100,000 for each cocaine-carrying flight “to ensure the flight’s safe passage.” Some of that money then went to Maduro’s wife, the indictment says.

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Trump’s military intervention sparks unease

Venezuela mission tests Republican unity

BY STEVEN SLOAN Associated Press

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s military intervention in Venezuela will pose a fresh test of his ability to hold together a restive Republican coalition during a challenging election year that could be defined by domestic concerns like health care and affordability.

While most Republicans lined up behind the president in the immediate aftermath of the stunning U.S. mission to capture Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and bring him to New York to face criminal charges, there were signs of unease across the spectrum within the party. In particular, Trump’s comments about the U.S. positioning itself to “run” Venezuela have raised concerns that he is abandoning the “America First” philosophy that has long distinguished him from more traditional Republicans and helped fuel his political rise.

“This is the same Washington playbook that we are so sick and tired of that doesn’t serve the American people, but actually serves the big corporations, the banks and the oil executives,” said Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, of Georgia, a former Trump ally who is resigning on Monday, in an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday.

Those concerns were shared by some who are not associated with the party’s far-right flank.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO

By ALEX BRANDON

President Donald Trump speaks at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Fla., as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth listens on Saturday.

Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, of Pennsylvania, a moderate who is one of the most vulnerable Republicans in the November midterms, said in a statement that “the only country that the United States of America should be ‘running’ is the United States of America.”

Those comments reflect the sensitive dynamics between Trump and his fellow Republicans at the outset of an election year in which their party risks losing control of Congress. While the president’s dominance remains undisputed, the ironclad grip that he has held over the party has faced unusual challenges in recent months. Blocs of Republicans have banded together to pressure Trump to release the Jeffrey Epstein files. Others have been vocal in encouraging Trump to take concerns about affordability more seriously.

Trump’s aggressive vision Few issues are as central to

VENEZUELA

and use that leverage as a means to press policy changes in Venezuela.

“And so that’s the sort of control the president is pointing to when he says that,” Rubio said on CBS’ “Face the Nation.” “We continue with that quarantine, and we expect to see that there will be changes, not just in the way the oil industry is run for the benefit of the people, but also so that they stop the drug trafficking.”

The blockade on sanctioned oil tankers — some of which have been seized by the U.S. — “remains in place, and that’s a tremendous amount of leverage that will continue to be in place until we see changes that not just further the national interest of the United States, which is No. 1, but also that lead to a better future for the people of Venezuela,” he added.

Leaders in Venezuela have so far pushed back, at least publicly, calling on the Trump administration to release Maduro.

Even before the operation that nabbed Maduro, experts were already questioning the legality of aspects of the administration’s pressure campaign on Venezuela, including the deadly bombing of boats accused of trafficking drugs that some scholars said stretched the boundaries of international law.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By yUKI IWAMURA

times at a news conference in Florida on Saturday, sparked concerns among some Democrats. It also drew unease from parts of his own Republican coalition, including an “America First” base that is opposed to foreign interventions, and from observers who recalled past nation-building efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Rubio dismissed such criticism, saying Trump’s intent had been misunderstood.

“The whole foreign policy apparatus thinks everything is Libya, everything is Iraq, everything is Afghanistan,” Rubio said. “This is not the Middle East. And our mission here is very different. This is the Western Hemisphere.”

Rubio also suggested the U.S. would give Maduro’s subordinates now in charge time to govern, saying, “We’re going to judge everything by what they do.” And though he did not rule out boots on the ground in Venezuela, Rubio said the U.S., which has built up its Trump vows to ‘run’ Venezuela presence in the region, was already Trump’s vow to “run” Venezuela, capable of stopping drug boats and repeated more than half a dozen sanctioned tankers.

Public Notices Sheriff Sales

SHERIFF'S SALE Suit No: (17) 767055 U.S. BANK TRUST COM‐ PANY, NATIONAL ASSOCI‐ ATION NOT IN ITS INDI‐ VIDUAL CAPACITY BUT SOLELY AS INDENTURE TRUSTEE OF CIM TRUST 2022-R2 vs THE UN‐ OPENED SUCCESSION OF AND UNKNOWN HEIRS OF INEZ ABRAM AKA INEZ ABRAM Baton Rouge, LA 19th Judicial District Parish of East Baton Rouge State of Louisiana Acting under and by virtue of Writ of Seizure and Sale issued out of honorable court the aforesaid, in the above entitled and numbered cause, dated, September 08, 2025 and to me di‐ rected, I did seize and will, beginning at 10:00 o'clock a.m. on January 07, 2026, via an online auction site at www. bid4assets.com/EBRS0sh eriffsales, offer for sale at public auction the fol‐ lowing described mort‐ gaged property belong‐ ing to: THE UNOPENED SUCCESSION OF AND UN‐ KNOWN HEIRS OF INEZ ABRAM AKA INEZ ABRAM One (1) certain lot or par‐ cel of land, together with all the buildings and im‐ provements thereon, and all the rights, ways, privi‐ leges, servitudes, appur‐ tenances and advan‐ tages thereunto belong‐ ing or in anywise apper‐ taining, situated in the Parish of East Baton State of Rouge, Louisiana, in that subdi‐ vision known as St. Ger‐ ard Place, No. 2, and on the official map of said subdivision on file and of record in the office of the clerk and recorder for the Parish of East Baton State of Rouge, Louisiana, as lot number (84), said eighty-four subdivision, said lot hav‐ ing such measurements dimensions and and being subject to such i d

Public Notices Sheriff Sales

A day earlier, Trump told reporters, “We’re going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition.”

He later pointed to his national security team with him, including Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and said it would be done for a period of time by “the people that are standing right behind me.

We’re gonna be running it, we’re gonna be bringing it back.”

The White House declined to comment beyond what Trump said Saturday.

Maduro’s arrival Maduro landed late Saturday afternoon at a small airport in New York City’s northern suburbs following the middle-of-the-night operation that extracted him and his wife, Cilia Flores, from their home in a military base in the capital city of Caracas — an act Maduro’s government called “imperialist.”

The couple faces U.S. charges of participating in a narco-terrorism conspiracy.

The dramatic seizure of the Maduros capped an intensive Trump ad-

Public Notices Sheriff Sales

Public Notices Sheriff Sales g j servitudes as are more particularly described on said subdivision map; subject to restrictions, servitudes, rights-of-way and outstanding mineral rights of record affecting the property.

TERMS OF SALE: Cash to the highest bid‐ der, at Public Auction WITHOUT Appraisement and according to law.

Sid J. Gautreaux, Sheriff East Baton Rouge Parish ADVERTISED DATE December 05, 2025 January 05, 2026 $260.22 SHERIFF'S SALE Suit No: (17) 767183 BANK OF AMERICAN A VS ERIC LJONES AKA ERIC LOUIS JONES, SR. AND ASHLEY D. MARSHALL Baton Rouge, LA 19th Judicial District Parish of East Baton Rouge State of Louisiana Acting under and by virtue of Writ of Seizure and Sale issued out of honorable court the aforesaid, in the above entitled and numbered cause, dated, October 02, 2025 and to me directed, I did seize and will, be‐ ginning at 10:00 o'clock a.m. on January 07, 2026, via an online auction site at www.bid4assets.com/ EBRSOsheriffsales, offer for sale at public auction the following described mortgaged property be‐ longing to: ERIC L JONES AKA ERIC LOUIS JONES, SR. AND ASHLEY D. MAR‐ SHALL THAT CERTAIN LOT OR PARCEL OF GROUND, to‐ gether with all the build‐ ings and improvements thereon, and all the rights, ways, privileges, appurte‐ servitudes, nances and advantages thereunto belonging or in appertaining, anywise situated in the PARISH OF EAST BATON ROUGE,

Venezuela policy is emerging within the GOP. Instead, many lawmakers appear to be giving the Republican administration some room and, at most, offer some warnings.

Sen. Susan Collins, of Maine, who faces a potentially challenging reelection campaign this year, called Maduro a “narco-terrorist and international drug trafficker” who should stand trial even, as she said “Congress should have been informed about the operation earlier and needs to be involved as this situation evolves.”

Even Sen. Rand Paul, of Kentucky, who often criticizes military interventions, did not specifically oppose Trump’s actions. He wrote on social media that “time will tell if regime change in Venezuela is successful without significant monetary or human cost.”

Many Democrats denounced Trump’s actions in Venezuela and the Democratic National Committee quickly sought to raise money by blasting “another unconstitutional war from Trump.”

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., rejected the administration’s argument that it was combating drug crimes, saying on X that the White House is instead focused on “oil and regime change” while seeking to “to distract from Epstein + skyrocketing healthcare costs.”

Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said the strike was part of an “old and obvious pattern” where an “unpopular president — failing on the economy and losing GOP opposition to the strikes his grip on power at home — decides It is not clear that any forceful, to launch a war for regime change organized opposition to Trump’s abroad.”

Protesters gather outside Metropolitan Detention Center in New york on Sunday.

Continued from page 1A

CLASSIFIEDS continued from

handling of the Iraq War. During a 2013 speech before the Conservative Political Action Conference, Trump said the U.S. should “take” oil from Iraq and “pay ourselves back.”

Frustration with the handling of the Iraq War contributed to major gains for Democrats in the 2006 election and helped create the conditions for Barack Obama to be elected to the presidency two years later. Given the baggage surrounding those wars, Trump allies insist that the actions this weekend in Venezuela are different.

“Venezuela looks nothing like Libya,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on “Meet the Press.”

“It looks nothing like Iraq. It looks nothing like Afghanistan. It looks nothing like the Middle East other than the Iranian agents that are running through there plotting against America, OK?” Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Tom Cotton argued that the 1989 ouster of Manuel Noriega in Panama is a better comparison.

“That was a successful operation,” Cotton said on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “I believe, in the long run, this will be too.”

Still, amid some of the pushback about the U.S. taking expansive responsibility for managing Venezuela, Rubio suggested a more limited role. He said that Washington would not handle day-to-day governance of the South American country other than enforcing an existing “oil quarantine” on Venezuela.

Trump’s political brand as ensuring that the U.S. does not get entangled in seemingly endless foreign conflicts at the expense of domestic goals. During a 2016 Republican presidential debate, for instance, he described the war in Iraq as a “big, fat mistake.”

But on Saturday, Trump said he was “not afraid of boots on the ground” in Venezuela if that was deemed necessary, and he framed his actions as prioritizing the safety and security of Americans. He articulated an aggressive vision of U.S. dominance in the Western Hemisphere, and he told reporters it was important to “surround ourselves with good neighbors.”

However, much like the Iraq War, a president’s early confidence after a dramatic military action can sometimes meet more sobering realities that drain domestic political support.

In Venezuela, U.S. troops could be placed in harm’s way again as Trump warns that more military operations may be in the works. An ongoing conflict could worsen the hemisphere’s refugee crisis, something the White House has tried to tamp down with stricter border controls. In addition, there are questions about how much cooperation the U.S. will receive from officials still in Venezuela or how easily the country’s oil reserves could be tapped to fulfill Trump’s goal of extracting more energy with Maduro out of the picture.

Trump’s comments this weekend about revitalizing the oil industry in Venezuela are in line with some of the earliest critiques he made of the

LOUISIANA, known as EAST SHERWOOD FOREST SU DIVISION, THIRD FIL‐ ING, and being more par‐ ticularly described ac‐ cording to the official map of said subdivision, a copy of which is on file and of record in the of‐ fice of the Clerk and Recorder for said Parish and State as LOT TWO HUNDRED FIFTY SEVEN (257), the said East Sher‐ wood Forest Subdivision, Third Filing, the said lot the measure‐ having ments and being subject to the servitudes shown on said official map; sub‐ ject to restrictions, servi‐ tudes, rights-of-way and mineral outstanding rights of record affecting the property.

TERMS OF SALE: Cash to the highest bid‐ der, at Public Auction WITHOUT Appraisement and according to law.

Sid J. Gautreaux, Sheriff East Baton Rouge Parish ADVERTISED DATE December 05, 2025 January 05, 2026 $244.89 SHERIFF'S SALE Suit No: (17) 767465 MICHAEL BROWN FAMILY INVESTMENT COMPANY LLC vs ROSEMARY ALISE HARDIN WILKINSON Baton Rouge, LA 19th Judicial District Parish of East Baton Rouge State of Louisiana Acting under and by virtue of Writ of Seizure and Sale issued out of honorable court the aforesaid, in the above entitled and numbered cause, dated, September 19, 2025 and to me di‐ rected, I did seize and will, beginning at 10:00 o'clock a.m. on January 07, 2026, via an online auction site at www. bid4assets.com/EBR SOsheriffsales, offer for sale at public auction the described following mortgaged property be‐ longing to: ROSEMARY ALISE HARDIN WILKIN‐

SON certain condo‐ That minium unit in "THE COMMON POINT" A Re‐ tail Condominium Shop‐ ping Center, described in and designated, accord‐ ing the the Condominium Declaration creating the condominium reg me of "The Common Point" A Condominium Retail Center, Shopping recorded as Original 586, Bundle 9553, of the records of the Clerk of Court and Ex Officio Recorder of Mortgages of East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, and the sur‐ vey, site plans and typi‐ cal building section and individual floor plans at‐ tached to said Condo‐ minium Declaration, and First Amendment to Con‐ dominium Declaration of "The Common Point" A Condominium Retail Center, Shopping recorded as Original 298, Bundle 9561, of the records of the Clerk and Recorder of East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, as CONDOMINIUM UNIT, 0-8 of "The Common Point" A Retail Condo‐ minium Shopping Center, situated in the City of Baton Rouge, Parish of East Baton Rouge, State of Louisiana, on the par‐ cel of ground, designated as TRACT "A", WELLING‐ TON WEST SUBDIVISON, on that map entitled "Final Plat of Wellington West, being the subdivi‐ sion of Tract "1-W-1A" of the T.P. Singletary Prop‐ erty located in Section 49, 77 & 79, T7S, R2E, Greensburg Land District, East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, for George W. Robinson, Jr.," made by Ferris and Associates En‐ gineering, Inc., dated July 7, 1982, on file and of record as Original 599, 9508, official Bundle records of East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, together with the undi‐ vided interest in the common elements, both general and limited, ap‐ pertaining to said condo‐ minium unit under the terms and provisions of said Condominium Dec‐ laration, and subject to ll i i bli

Public Notices Sheriff Sales j all restrictions, obliga‐ tions, charges and all other provisions of said Declara‐ Condominium tion, the by laws of "The Common Point" A Retail Condominium Shopping LSA-R.S. Center, through 9:1121.101 9:1148, and all servitudes and restrictions of record TERMS OF SALE: Cash to the highest bid‐ der, at Public Auction WITHOUT Appraisement and according to law.

Sid J. Gautreaux, Sheriff East Baton Rouge Parish ADVERTISED DATE December 05, 2025 January 05, 2026 $362.28 SHERIFF'S SALE Suit No: (17) P113190 ASCENSION OAKS NURS‐ ING & REHABILITATION CENTER, LLC vs JAMES MCHUGH AND MICHELLE ARNOTT Baton Rouge, LA 19th Judicial District Parish of East Baton Rouge State of Louisiana Acting under and by virtue of Writ of Fieri Fa‐ cias issued out of the honorable court afore‐ said, in the above enti‐ and numbered tled cause, dated, January 28, 2025 and to me directed, I did seize and will, be‐ ginning at 10:00 o'clock a.m. on January 07, 2026, via an online auction site at www.bid4assets.com/ EBRSOsheriffsales, offer for sale at public auction the following described property belonging to: JAMES MCHUGH AND MICHELLE ARNOTT One certain lot or parcel of ground, together with all the buildings and im‐ provements thereon, and all of the rights, ways, servitudes, privileges, appurtenances and ad‐ vantages thereunto be‐ longing or in anywise ap‐ pertaining, situated in the Parish of East Baton State of Rouge, Louisiana, in that subdi‐

ministration pressure campaign on Venezuela’s autocratic leader and months of secret planning, resulting in the most assertive American action to achieve regime change since the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Legal experts raised questions about the lawfulness of the operation, which was done without congressional approval.

Venezuela’s vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, demanded that the U.S. free Maduro and called him the country’s rightful leader as her nation’s high court named her interim president. So did the country’s defense minister, Vladimir Padrino López, who said Sunday that the country’s armed forces “categorically reject the cowardly kidnapping” and will “maintain internal order and peace.”

Maduro is due to make his first appearance Monday in Manhattan’s federal court.

Maduro and other Venezuelan officials were indicted in 2020 on narco-terrorism conspiracy charges, and the Justice Department released a new indictment Saturday of Maduro and his wife that painted his administration as a “corrupt, illegitimate government” fueled by a drug-trafficking operation that flooded the U.S. with cocaine. The U.S. government does not recognize Maduro as the country’s leader.

The Trump administration spent months building up American forces in the region and carrying out attacks on boats in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean for allegedly ferrying drugs.

Public Notices Sheriff Sales

vision know as ONE FLORIDA PLACE - II, and being designated accord‐ ing to the official map of said subdivision entitled PLAT ONE "FINAL FLORIDA PLACE- II Being the Resubdivision of Lots 5 thru 9 & 11-38 One Florida Place Located in 68, R7S-R1E, Section Greensburg Land District, East Baton Rouge, Parish, LA, For Dale Cangelosi 141 North 6th Street, Baton Rouge, LA." Pre‐ pared by Edward E. Evans & Associates, Inc., on file and of record as Original 215 if Bundle 9557, offi‐ cial records of East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana as LOT NUMBER TWENTYFOUR-C (24-C), said One Florida Place -11, said lot 33.16 feet measuring front on Cashel Avenue, by a depth between equal and parallel lines 0121.16 fee being subject to a 10 foot utility servi‐ tude across the front and a 5 foot sidewalk servi‐ tude along the westerly sideline and a 5 foot pri‐ sanitary sewer vate servitude across the rear thereof.

TERMS OF SALE: Cash to the highest bid‐ der, at Public Auction WITH Appraisement and according to law.

Sid J. Gautreaux, Sheriff East Baton Rouge Parish ADVERTISED DATE December 05, 2025 January 05, 2026 $278.07

WBR Public Notices

WBR Public Notices Meet/Hear/Min

PUBLIC NOTICE --AGENDA WEST BATON ROUGE PARISH COUNCIL REGU‐ LAR MEETING

Quiet falls in Venezuela Venezuela’s government kept operating as usual over the weekend as ministers remained in their posts.

The capital was unusually quiet Sunday with few vehicles moving around and convenience stores, gas stations and other businesses closed.

Maduro’s son, lawmaker Nicolás Ernesto Guerra, has not appeared in public since the attack. On Saturday, he posted on Instagram a government statement repudiating the capture of his father and stepmother.

The country’s incoming National Assembly is set to be sworn in at the legislative palace in Caracas.

The unicameral assembly will remain under control of the ruling party.

Under Venezuelan law, Rodríguez would take over from Maduro. Rodriguez, however, stressed during a Saturday appearance on state television that she did not plan to assume power, before Venezuela’s high court ordered that she assume the interim role. Trump told The Atlantic in an interview Sunday that Rodríguez could “pay a very big price” if she doesn’t do what he thinks is right for Venezuela.

That contrasted with the Republican president’s comments about Rodríguez on Saturday when he said Rubio had spoken with her and she was willing to do what the U.S. thinks is needed to improve the standard of living in Venezuela.

WBR Public Notices Meet/Hear/Min

WBR Public Notices Meet/Hear/Min

GOVERNMENT BUILDING 880 North Alexander Av‐ enue, Port Allen Thurs‐ day, January 8, 2026 5:30 PM

Amend And Reenact Sec‐ tions 28-1 (“Created; Pur‐ pose; Boundaries”) And 28-4 (“Narrative Descrip‐ tion of Subdistrict), Of Article 1 (“West Baton Rouge Parish Fire Protec‐ tion District No. 1”), Of Chapter 28 (“Fire Protec‐ tion And Prevention”), Part II (“Code Of Ordi‐ nances”) Of The West Baton Rouge Parish Code Of Ordinances To Elimi‐ nate Industrial Areas of the Fire District. Public Hearing Date: January 22, 2026 C. An Ordinance To Amend And Reenact Part III (Unified Development Code) Chapter 101 (Gen‐ eral Provisions), Sec. 1011, (Definitions), Chapter (“Zoning Ordi‐ 104 nance”), Article II (Dis‐ trict Regulations), Sec. (Adoption, 104-26 Amendment, and Inter‐ pretation of Zoning Dis‐ tricts), Sec. 104-28 (Base District Regulations By Zoning Districts), Chap‐ ter 106 (Site Planning), Article II (Stormwater Management), Sec. 10623 (Allowable Plants for Manage‐ Stormwater ment Areas), Article V Open (Yard/Setback, Space And Common Area Requirements), Sec 160137(SO Site Development Regulations), and Appen‐ dix A (“Zoning Districts”), Of The West Baton Rouge Parish Code Of Ordi‐ nances. Public Hearing Date: February 12, 2026 D. An Ordinance To Amend And Reenact The West Baton Rouge Parish Code Of Ordinances, Part III (“Unified Development Chapter 109 Code”), Mainte‐ (“Property nance”), Article V, (Aban‐ Vehicles and doned Junk), And Reenact Sec. 109-104, Sec. 109-106 and Sec. 109-109. Public Hear‐ ing Date: January 22, 2026 E. An Ordinance Amend‐ ing Chapter 104 Zoning To Incorporate Amended Zoning Designation Map (Zoning Plan) Under Sec‐ tion 104-3 Establishment Of Districts, Official Zon‐ ing Map For Rezoning Re‐ quest Of Woodrow Wil‐ son Construction LLC. Rezoning Tract FS-3A ( ) ( i l

1. CALL MEETING TO ORDER & REQUEST ALL ELECTRONIC DEVICES BE SILENCED 2. OPENING PRAYER 3. PLEDGE OF ALLE‐ GIANCE 4. LOG ATTENDANCE 5. ELECTION OF OFFICERS A. Election of Council Chairman for 2026.

B. Election of Council Vice Chairman for 2026.

6. MINUTES APPROVAL A. Approval of Minutes from the Regular Meeting of December 11, 2025.

7.

CONSIDER ANY AMENDMENTS TO THE AGENDA 8. PARISH PRESIDENT’S REPORT 9. PUBLIC COMMENTS 10.

COMMUNICATIONS WITH COUNCIL MEMBERS AND/OR ELECTED OR AP‐ POINTED OFFICIALS 11. PUBLIC HEARING ON INTRO‐ PREVIOUSLY DUCED ORDINANCES A. An Ordinance to Amend and Re-enact Chapter 22 Elections, Sec. 22-59 Polling Places to Relocate Precinct 21 and 22 from Erwinville Community Center to the Caneview K-8 School, 5217 McLin Rd., Port Allen, La 70767.

12. RESOLUTIONS 13. CONSIDER STATUS RE‐ PORT, CHANGE ORDER AND/OR OTHER MATTERS AS REQUIRED ON CUR‐ RENT PROJECTS A. Consider Change Order No. 3 for Arena Well #2 Project.

14. CONSIDER SUBDIVI‐ SION PLATS, CONDEMNA‐ TIONS, WAIVERS AND RELATED MATTERS THERETO 15. INTRODUCTION OF ORDINANCES A. An Ordinance To Amend And Reenact The West Baton Rouge Parish Code Of Ordinances, Part II (General Code of Ordi‐ Chapter 70 nances), (“Roads and Drainage”), Section 70-5 (“Bridge Standards and Permit‐ Public Hearing ting).

Date: January 22, 2026 B. An Ordinance To

WBR Public Notices Meet/Hear/Min g (.97ac) From AG (Agricul‐ tural) to I-1 (Light Indus‐ Public Hearing trial.

Date: February 12, 2026 F. An Ordinance Amend‐ ing Chapter 104 Zoning To Incorporate Amended Zoning Designation Map (Zoning Plan) Under Sec‐ tion 104-3 Establishment Of Districts, Official Zon‐ ing Map, and Section 11178 (Special, Conditional Use Requirements And Procedures) For Request of Grand Bayou Nursery, LLC. Regarding Property located at 9268 HWY 190 W Port Allen, LA 70767. #2025-0015: De‐ File scribed by the WBR As‐ sessor as: TRACT E-1 CONT 2.22 AC IN SEC 28 T6S R11E 14-150 Request‐ ing a Special Use Permit for a Plant Nursery in an I-1 zone. Public Hearing Date: February 12, 2026 16. ALCOHOL PERMITS A. Kent Store Develop‐ ment, LLC dba Kent Kwik 991 located at 3051 N. Lobdell Hwy. Port Allen, LA 70767, Requesting a Class B (package liquor) License, Change of Own‐ ership 17.

CORRESPONDENCE REPORT 18. ADJOURN IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT, IF YOU ASSISTANCE, NEED CONTACT PLEASE MICHELLE TULLIER AT (225) 214-4242, DESCRIB‐ THE ASSISTANCE ING THAT IS NECESSARY ALL MEETING INFORMA‐ TION INCLUDING MIN‐ UTES AND VIDEOS CAN BE FOUND ON OUR WEBSITE WBRPARISH.ORG UNDER THE AGENDA AND MIN‐ UTES TAB. 172580-JAN 5-1T $72.48

NEWS 24/7 ON

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METRO NEWS Excavation complete on French Quarter discovery

BY STEPHANIE RIEGEL Staff writer

An excavation of the 600 block of St. Peter Street, where workers replacing underground water mains made a significant archaeological discovery in early November, has been completed, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which is helping fund the $9 million project.

In an email dated Dec. 31, FEMA officials said archaeological work at the site, which contained more than 1,000 artifacts and a layer of burned clay containing clues about two 18th-century fires that devastated the French Quarter, was completed on Dec. 19 and that the artifacts have been sent to a lab for analysis.

It’s not clear, however, whether construction on the project to replace the water main, which has brought foot traffic on the street to a virtual standstill since it began last summer, has resumed or when it might be completed.

On Friday morning, a backhoe stood idle behind large construction fencing near the excavation site — a deep trench roughly 5 feet deep, 6 feet wide and several yards long. The trench appeared empty. A couple of workers were visible at the site early in the day, though they did not appear to be working and were not operating any equipment.

FEMA did not provide any information on the status or timeline of the project itself, referring questions to the Sewerage & Water Board. A spokesperson for the Sewerage & Water Board was unavailable for comment. City Hall did not respond to requests for comment.

The discovery, which appears to have halted construction on the project for much of November and December, is the latest headache for merchants in the heart of the French Quarter, who say the project has killed their business during what is typically their best time of year.

“We’re 70% off of what we would usually be,” said David Barton, a tour agent at Haunted History Tours in the 600 block of St. Peter Street. By noon Friday, while much of the rest of the French Quarter was buzzing with holiday tourists, he’d sold just two tour tickets.

The discovery is one of the occupational hazards of digging up streets in the oldest neighborhood in a city that is more than 300 years old, according to local historians, who say the excavation is the latest of nearly 30 archaeological digs in the French Quarter since 1960.

“It happens all the time,” said Erin Greenwald, deputy director of The Historic New Orleans Collection. “The entire block is sitting on the city’s historic core. This is some of the oldest property in the city.”

What was under Bourbon Street?

While archaeological discoveries are not unusual in the French Quarter, they don’t always happen under the eye of official monitors as on St. Peter Street.

That only occurs when federal funds are involved, per a federal law that seeks to protect findings related to Indigenous or native cultures.

In contrast to the St. Peter Street project, no archaeologists were on site when Bourbon Street was dug up and completely overhauled between 2017 and 2019 on the city’s dime.

“This meant that the reporting by the local media at the time is the only record of it that exists,” said D. Ryan Gray, an archaeology professor at the University of New Orleans, who has led several excavations in the French Quarter, including a partial dig of the St. Louis Cathedral.

Gray said there’s no telling what might have been unearthed if monitoring had occurred during the morethan-two-year Bourbon Street project.

Though he is not involved in the work on St. Peter Street, he said the goal of compliance archaeology — government-mandated oversight of an underground project in a historic area — would be to work as swiftly and efficiently as possible, recognizing the disruption that such a major infrastructure project poses to the neighborhood.

“Normally you are trained to get in and document what is there and get out of the way as quickly as possible,” he said. “Anywhere in the French Quarter, anywhere in New Orleans, if you dig, you are going to find artifacts of some sort. The trick is to know if they tell you anything you don’t already know.”

STAFF PHOTO By ROBIN MILLER

A bronze statue of Solomon Northup, a free Black man who was kidnapped and enslaved in Louisiana, was unveiled on the Avoyelles Parish Courthouse lawn on Sunday, the 173rd anniversary of when he was set free. His story was the subject of the 2013 Oscar-winning film ‘Twelve years a Slave.’

Face of freedom

and dedicated the Solo- rounded by plaques bearing quotes 173 years after court Darkness,” mon Northup Plaza on its courthouse from Northup’s memoir.

Though the current Avoyelles Parin Marksville. victory, Avoyelles Parish lawn The statue was designed and cre- ish Courthouse was built in 1925, its unveils Solomon ated by Oscar and Emmy Award- predecessor, where Northup was winning artist Wesley Wofford, of awarded his freedom, stood on the Northup statue North Carolina. It’s the first bronze grounds now occupied by the statue

BY ROBIN MILLER Staff writer

For Justin Gilliam, looking into the face of the bronze likeness of Solomon Northup was like looking into the faces of members of his family.

Gilliam is the great-great-greatgrandson of Northup, whose story was commemorated by the unveiling of a bronze statue Sunday on the Avoyelles Parish Courthouse lawn in Marksville. He traveled from his home in Virginia to join other Northup descendants for the unveiling ceremony.

Northup was born a free Black man in New York. He was kidnapped in Washington, D.C., in 1841, sold into slavery and trafficked to Louisiana, where he spent the next 12 years fighting for his freedom.

Northup never gave up hope through that fight and won back his freedom in the Avoyelles Parish court system on Jan. 4, 1853.

And on Sunday, the 173rd anniversary of that day, Avoyelles Parish unveiled of the statue, “Hope Out of

sculpture of Northup, whose 1853 memoir “Twelve Years A Slave” was adapted into an Oscar-winning film 180 years later.

And though the film is steeped in reality, most of Northup’s real-life enslavement played out on the Edwin Epps plantation along Bayou Boeuf in Avoyelles Parish.

The parish seat of Marksville has documented Northup’s story through city historic markers in its downtown area. Now the city is home to Louisiana’s first public monument honoring Northup.

“This has been a 31/ 2-year project,” said Wilbert Carmouche, director of the Avoyelles Parish Tourism Commission and member of the Solomon Northup Committee for Commemorative works. “The entire project cost more than $300,000, and it was paid for through donations.”

The Solomon Northup Commission for Commemorative Works is a Louisiana-based nonprofit founded in 2022 with a mission to preserve Northup’s history through public art, education and commemoration. The statue stands in a rounded plaza sur-

and plaza.

For Wofford, the most difficult part of the project was creating a likeness of Northup. No official portraits exist, though woodcut prints of what he was thought to look like appear in his book.

“Wesley used the prints and pictures of his descendants to create the statue,” Gilliam said.

“I knew when Solomon Northup finally appeared through the sculpture in my studio,” Wofford said. “I called the family and told them, ‘Solomon is here.’”

Wofford said handprints from descendants of slaves appear at the bottom of the statue, signifying those who didn’t find freedom from slavery. He added that papers held high in the sculpted Northup’s clutched hand signify both the court papers that set him free and his memoir.

The commission also has asked Wofford to create a school curriculum to accompany his work.

In the meantime, Gilliam and his family are in awe of Wofford’s work.

“Really, it’s just like looking into the face of an uncle,” Gilliam said.

Cannabis dispensary opens in New Orleans general manager Tangela Robin- more than during the compa- a public library, elementary Owners try to son, explaining the process of fill- rable period in 2024. In the third school and church. Neighborhood a prescription for a first-time quarter of 2025, the number of opponents argued last fall that alleviate neighbors’ ing qualified patients had increased converting the long-vacant clinic patient. building to a marijuana dispento more than 128,000.

The facility is the first of three concerns Total year-end figures for 2025 sary was incompatible with the new dispensaries to come to the

BY STEPHANIE RIEGEL Staff writer

Over the stiff opposition of several neighborhood groups, the metro area’s latest medical marijuana facility has opened on a busy, tree-lined stretch of South Carrollton Avenue.

Located in a former medical office building near Willow Street, the NOLA Cannabis Co. dispensary opened Dec. 18 with a staff of roughly 40 employees and a brightly colored showroom displaying the various products — cannabis flowers, pre-rolls, gummies, concentrates, vape pens, tinctures, bongs and pipes, among others — that can be filled on-site with a prescription.

At 9:30 a.m. recently, a steady stream of customers trickled into the dispensary and were greeted by staffers wearing red polo shirts bearing the company logo and carrying iPads with product and patient information.

“We meet with them, assess their prescription and explain to them what we have and try to determine what they’re looking for, how they want to feel,” said

metro area as the local cannabis industry continues to expand. Another new dispensary will open later this month on Manhattan Boulevard in Harvey in a former Rite Aid. A dispensary in the 400 block of Bourbon Street is scheduled to open in March.

They join three existing dispensaries in the Warehouse District, Metairie and Kenner.

The outlets, which are owned by two separate investor groups with common, though not identical, memberships, are all managed by an arm of one of the state’s two licensed growers, Good Day Farm, and do business under the brand name NOLA Cannabis Co. The growth in the number of local dispensaries comes nearly a decade after the Louisiana Legislature passed the first set of bills legalizing medical marijuana, laws which have been amended several times since as acceptance of the drug continues to grow.

In the first quarter of 2025, nearly 98,000 patients made at least one purchase of medical marijuana at one of the nearly two dozen dispensaries currently open in the state — about 70%

are not yet available from the Louisiana Department of Health, which took over regulating the medical marijuana industry last May from the Louisiana Board of Pharmacy.

“There is greater access, and the prices have come down across the board, about 20% on average,” said John Davis, president of Good Day Farm, which is licensed to grow and manufacture the cannabis products sold in the state.

The company’s subsidiary, Good Day Farm Retail Management, runs the six NOLA Cannabis Co. sites and nine others around the state.

The new outlets, when completed, will bring to 29 the number of dispensaries operating in Louisiana, which allows a total of 30 sites by law. Each of the 10 licensed retail operators is allowed to have three locations.

Most of the locations in the greater New Orleans area are located along busy commercial corridors like Veterans Boulevard, Airline Highway and Manhattan Boulevard. The South Carrollton location, though commercial, also contains a mix of historic homes,

surrounding area.

In October, they sued the city, claiming it failed to follow zoning regulations by granting the dispensary a license to operate without first requiring the developers to seek a conditional use permit — a process that would have alerted the neighborhood of their plans for the site and triggered a series of public meetings.

At those meetings, neighbors said, they would have raised concerns about the dispensary’s proximity to the library and school, among other things.

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Funerals Today Bourgeois, William

St. Joseph Catholic Church, 2130 Rectory St., Paulina, LA at 12pm.

Diamond, Gloria

Wilbert Funeral Home, 24120 Railroad Avenue in Plaquemine, at 1 p.m.

Efferson, Russell

Resthaven Funeral Home, 11817 Jefferson Highway, at 3 p.m.

Hargrave, Carolyn

University United Methodist Church, 3350 Dalrymple Drive, Baton Rouge at 11am.

Hawkins Jr., Jeremiah

Winnfield Funeral Home, 17221 Plank Road, at 9 a.m.

Hogan, Shirley

Broadmoor United Methodist Church, 10230 Mollylea Dr. at 10am.

Isadore, Miller

Hall's Celebration Center, Scenic Highway, at 1 p.m.

9348

Lewis, Nancy

Episcopal Church of the Epiphany, 303 West Main Street in New Iberia, at 11 a.m.

Nunez, Harry

St. Peter Church in Covington at 11 a.m.

Rabalais, Steven

Our Lady Prompt Succor Church, Chalmette, Louisiana at 11am.

Weaver, John

Greenoaks Memorial Park, 9595 Florida Boulevard, at 1 p.m.

Obituaries Cossich Jr., Philip Francis

Philip Francis Cossich, Jr., a resident of Plaquemines Parish, was born September 23, 1958 and passed away in his home on December 29, 2025, at the age of 67.

Phil was larger than life, and he inspired everyone he met. Always an athlete at heart, Phil approached everything in life as if he were walking onto a playing field. He was only satisfied with his performance if he felt he had left it all on the field—giving up was never an option. He fought and loved in the same way: fiercely, completely, and with everything he had.

Born and raised in Louisiana, Phil grew up on the water and spent most of his life immersed in the outdoors he loved so deeply. The bays, marshes, and coast of his home were not just where he lived—they were part of who he was. His lifelong connection to the water shaped his values, his passions, and ultimately his life's work.

Phil graduated from Tulane University, earning both his undergraduate and law degrees, and went on to become an extraordinarily successful national trial attorney. An incredible storyteller, competitor, and advocate, he devoted his professional life to championing the rights of the powerless and the wronged.

He believed deeply in the cases he brought and in the importance of his work, viewing the law as a way to protect and restore the people, communities, and environments he loved so much.

He represented clients during the most vulnerable and difficult moments of their lives, and each client became a friend for life. In a contentious profession, Phil was respected by both sides of the aisle and by the judiciary alike.

Phil was one of the attorneys responsible for two of the largest national environmental settlements in history: the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and the PFAS drinking water settlements. Over the course of his career, he successfully represented thousands of individuals, counties, parishes, states, and businesses. In the final year of his life, he helped try a case on behalf of Plaquemines Parish that resulted in the largest jury verdict in the state. He was especially proud that all proceeds from that case will go directly toward coastal restoration in his beloved home parish. In his final months, Phil reflected often on how many people he had helped, taking great pride and comfort in knowing that through his hard work, he was leaving the world a better place.

Even more than his professional accomplishments, Phil was most proud of his family. He married his high school sweetheart, Deena, and they shared 50 years together, including 46 years of marriage. They were inseparable and loved traveling the world side by side. Phil's favorite days

were spent on his boat with Deena, surrounded by his children and grandchildren. One of his final wishes was to renew their wedding vows, which they did surrounded by their family—a beautiful moment that reflected a love story truly meant for the ages.

Phil cherished time with his children, coaching them, teaching them to fish, and instilling in them a deep love for the water and the outdoors. He never stopped being their father—always offering advice, encouragement, and challenges to be better, even into their adult years.

He was immensely proud of their accomplishments and especially proud of the families they built.

But nothing brought Phil more joy than his grandchildren. To them, he was lovingly known as "the Dude," a name that perfectly captured his largerthan-life spirit and easy warmth. He adored every moment spent with them—on the water, telling stories, teaching life lessons, or simply being present. He followed their lives closely, celebrated their milestones enthusiastically, and bragged about their achievements to anyone who would listen.

Phil believed deeply in showing up, and he showed up for his grandchildren with the same passion and commitment that defined every part of his life. He wanted them to know where they came from, to love the outdoors as he did, and to understand the importance of standing up for what is right. His stories, laughter, guidance, and fierce love will always stay with them.

Phil lived fully, loved deeply, and gave tirelessly of himself to his family, his clients, and his community. His legacy is one of strength, compassion, and unwavering commitment to protecting what he loved and doing what was right. He will be profoundly missed and forever remembered.

He was a devoted and proud father to Christina Cossich (Michael), Philip Cossich III (Sarah), Melissa Myers (Will), and Tiffany Sands (Sam), and a deeply loved grandfather—affectionately known as " the Dude"—to Michael "Mickey" deYoung, Jr., Alexander "Alex" deYoung, Mary "Dory" Cossich, William Myers, Jr., Philip "Ford" Cossich IV, Katherine "Kate" Myers, and Eleanor "Ella" Sands.

He is also survived by his beloved mother, Miriam Mae Cossich; his sister, Joy Lobrano; and his brother, Dimy Cossich. He was preceded in death by his father, Philip Francis Cossich, Sr. The family would like to extend their heartfelt gratitude to Dr. Jonathan Mizrahi for his exceptional care and support.

Family and friends will gather for visitation at Lake Lawn Metairie Funeral Home, 5100 Pontchartrain Boulevard, New Orleans, on Wednesday, January 7, 2026, at 11 am. A funeral mass will be celebrated at 2 pm. The interment will be private. . Condolences may be expressed at lakelawnmetairie.com

Folse, Raymond O.

Dr. Raymond O. Folse, a beloved husband, father, and grandfather passed away on December 31, 2025, at the age of 89. Raymond was a native of Thibodaux, Louisiana and a resident of Napoleonville, Louisiana. He met his adoring wife Marlene, the love of his life, in 1958 while they were students at Nicholls State University.

They were married for 59 years. He is survived by his two daughters: Mignon F. Gillen and husband Roger J. Gillen, and Rachelle F. Cope and husband Robert F. Cope III; grandchildren, Daniel L. Gillen, Gabriel J. Gillen, Matthew R. Cope, and Madeleine R. Cope. He is also survived by his siblings: brother, Charles "Gray" Folse (Rita), and three sisters Charlotte Decker (Bob), Shirley Andrews (Troy), and Mary Sue McFarland (Floyd). He was preceded in death by his wife, Marlene LaBarre

Folse; parents, Emile L. "Ike" Folse and Florence K. Folse; brother, Emile L. Folse, Jr.; and a grandson, Michael D. Gillen.

Dr. Folse served as an educator for over four decades. He holds the honor of being named Professor Emeritus of both Computer Science and Computer Information Systems at Nicholls State University.

He earned his BS degree in Science and Math Education from Nicholls State University in 1959. After earning his undergraduate degree, he accepted his first assignment teaching math and science at Assumption High School from 1959 to 1961. As a teacher, he was exceptionally good at breaking a problem down into a few simple principles. His teaching methodology helped countless students on their career paths.

Next, he fulfilled his military obligation in the US Army, serving during the Berlin Crisis. Upon returning from his military duty, he began teaching at Thibodaux High School.

Later, he was awarded a National Science Foundation (NSF) Fellowship to Louisiana State University from 1962-1963 to earn an MS degree in Mathematics.

A year later, he began his career at Nicholls State University in 1964 as a faculty member of the Mathematics Department.

In the Summer of 1965, Raymond was selected to attend an NSF program designed to prepare college faculty members to be the first teachers in the emerging field of computer science. It was with this background that he began to teach the first computer science courses. In 1970, with the support of administration, he helped to develop one of the first fouryear degree programs in computer science in Louisiana. The program successfully prepared Nicholls students to enter computer-related careers both locally and throughout the nation. Raymond went on to receive a doctorate in Information Systems and Decision Sciences from LSU in 1977 and went on to serve as Department Head of Computer Science for many years.

During this time, the program earned the prestigious honor of national accreditation.

In 1993, Dr. Folse was asked to move to the College of Business Administration to develop a new Computer Information Systems program. In a short period of time, the program became successful in producing graduates to enter the Information Systems field. Throughout his four decades at NSU, Dr. Folse was a guiding force to the university and all who worked with him. His vision, dedication, and professionalism were admired and also instrumental in shaping the university's technological future.

Raymond had a passion for sports and coached youth championship teams in flag football, basketball, and Little League Baseball while he was an undergraduate at Nicholls. During football season, the students in his Monday morning classes at Nicholls were always engaged with analysis of the New Orleans Saints and LSU Tigers.

Raymond was a devout Catholic and parishioner of St. Anne Catholic Church where he served as a teacher of religion and worked with his wife on numerous committees.

On Tuesday, January 6, 2026, a visitation will be held at St. Anne Catholic Church in Napoleonville, LA from 9:00 AM until funeral mass will begin at 11:00 AM. Interment will follow immediately at St. Anne Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

Landry's Funeral Home, Inc. is in charge of arrangements.

Meek, Albert James 'A.J.'

Born on August 29, 1941, he was the son of Albert Adelbert "A.A." Meek of Ravena, Nebraska, and Alta May Meek of Casper, Wyoming. He graduated from Westminster High School in 1959, served in the United States Air Force, later studied at the Art Center College of Design in Los Angles, California, and completed his M.F.A. at Ohio University.

In 1977, Meek joined Louisiana State University, where he established the fine art photography department and taught for nearly three decades. He retired as Professor Emeritus in 2005, and was a mentor to generations of students. His photographic work has been widely exhibited and published. A.J. Meek was the author of several acclaimed photography books, including Sacred Light, Gardens of Louisiana, Gettysburg to Vicksburg, Clarence John Laughlin: Prophet Without Honor, and The Healing Presence.

He was preceded in death by his beloved wife of nearly 60 years, Belinda Meek, and by his parents.

He is survived by his daughter, Patricia Lynn Meek, and her wife, Rhonda Lynn Mouser, of Baton Rouge; and by his sister, Terre Donaldson, and brother-in-law, Jon Donaldson, of Arvada, Colorado and their kids, Marc and Scott Donaldson and their families.

A Celebration of Life will be held at University Presbyterian Church, 3240 Dalrymple Dr., Baton Rouge, on Saturday, February 7, at 10:30 a.m. (please confirm with the church). A reception will follow.

Miles, E.D.

E.D. Miles, 90, of Central, Louisiana, passed away peacefully on January 1, 2026, in Jackson, Louisiana.

Born on August 16, 1935, in Sicily Island, Louisiana, E.D. was the son of the late Thomas Jeff and Ethel Miles.

He served in the U.S. Air Force from 1953 to 1957. He was a member of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, serving as a construction supervisor and truck driver. E.D.'s lifelong hobby was training and racing horses.

E.D. is survived by sons, Eddie Miles (Sydney) and Scott Miles (Lisa); grandchildren, Evelyn Henderson (Josh), Garrett Miles, Emily Lovvorn (Cody), Morgan Miles, and Luke Miles; great-grandchildren, Bryson, Cooper, Wrenleigh, Eli, and Lyric.

He was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 52 years, Rosalie, his brothers, R.D. and W.C., and sisters, Rose, Lucille, and Lillie.

The family is grateful to the wonderful staff of the Louisiana Veterans Home and Southern Grace Hospice for their compassionate care and support during his final days.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Cure Alzheimer's Fund.

The Advocate ■ theadvocate.com ■ Monday, January 5, 2026 ■ 9A

A private graveside service will be held for the family.

Arrangements have been entrusted to Harry McKneely & Son Funeral Home and Crematory of Hammond and Ponchatoula.

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.

Louisiana needs in-depth, solutions-driven, public service journalism more than ever.

How to place an Obituary Notice EMAIL:

obits@theadvocate.com OR CALL FOR MORE INFORMATION:

225-388-0289

How to place a Memorial Ad Albert James "A.J." Meek, August 29, 1941 November 8, 2025.

Albert James "A.J." Meek, 84, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, passed away suddenly at his home on November 8, 2025.

Meek was an internationally recognized photographer, educator, and founder of the fine art photography program at Louisiana State University.

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

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

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

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

Please consider donating to local journalism in Louisiana. Your tax-deductible contribution goes solely to funding reporters in the field.

To donate and to see the work our team has done, visit

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10A ■ Monday, January 5, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

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

Nungesser shows patriotism by speaking out on immigration raids

Democrats fight for working families while Republicans just cut programs Prices aren’t coming down.

Prices ratchet up and stay there.

A few groceries might dip, but the total at the register never budges. Insurance never goes backward. Utilities only rise. The real crisis isn’t inflation — it’s that Louisiana families don’t have the resources to survive an economy designed to squeeze them. And the Republican leaders who run our state and country are ideologically incapable of helping.

They’re promising something that cannot be delivered.

Inflation doesn’t mean prices are going down — it just tells us how fast they’re still going up.

The biggest costs families face — housing, health care, insurance, utilities — hardly ever fall. So if prices won’t drop, the only way life gets easier is if our resources go up: higher wages, public investment and accountability for corporations with too much power. Republican ideology blocks all of this.

Their “free market” approach has cost working people dearly: suppressed wages, disappearing competition, subsidies for corporations and political power for the wealthy. And those interests overwhelmingly fund Republicans to keep it that way.

Democrats offer real solutions that raise people’s resources: a higher minimum wage, labor protections, stronger FEMA, Medicare for All and fairer taxes on the super-wealthy to rebuild the public goods that once made life affordable — Social Security, Medicare, the GI Bill, rural electrification, interstate highways and public universities.

Republicans try to cut the programs Louisiana relies on most: Medicaid, SNAP, CHIP, FEMA, hospitals. These federal transfers keep families and towns afloat.

Cutting them sucks billions from Louisiana and redirects it upward as tax breaks for the rich. These cuts make everything more expensive.

For decades, Republicans have made promises that never come true while families fall behind.

Democrats are offering something different: higher wages, safer communities, stronger schools and leaders willing to fight for working families.

DUSTIN GRANGER Lake Charles

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR ARE WELCOME. HERE ARE OUR GUIDELINES: Letters are

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

Sunlight shines on the U.S. Capitol dome on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.

On behalf of all of our good citizens and our true patriots who believe in the creed outlined in our amazing Pledge of Allegiance, our national anthem and our Declaration of Independence, I want to thank Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser for his vocal opposition to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations which have plagued our beautiful New Orleans during the past several weeks.

Nungesser Many good persons who are here legally (either via valid work permits, visas, etc.) have been wrongfully detained by ICE agents in New Orleans — in gross violation of their constitutional rights. Also, several U.S. citizens have been wrongfully detained or harassed by those agents. These are all people who have played by the rules and followed the law of the land, only to be violated by those who, under the color of a “uniform,” see fit to violate our Constitution and our laws as one nation under God. In speaking out against these horrific injustices, Nungesser has proven to be a great patriot and public servant of our people. Thank you, Billy.

STAFF FILE PHOTO

End the charade over health care, national debt

The Affordable Care Act, the first successful attempt to assure all Americans access to adequate health care, was signed into law on March 23, 2010, after 427 days of debate, 11 hearings and 11 different proposed bills.

It was a lengthy struggle, opposed every step of the way by Republican ideologues.

Then, in 2025, funding for the subsidies the ACA provided was cut by the Republicans’ in the name of cutting government spending and thus, the debt.

Then those same Republicans made a slapdash effort to pass a bill, in a matter of weeks, to save themselves from the consequences of what they’ve done. What type of solution could have been expected from such an effort?

Of course, if the roles were reversed, the Democrats would be doing the same thing.

Recently, both parties approved a defense

budget of a record $901 billion.

Yet, according to the Government Accounting Office, the Department of Defense is the “only one of 24 federal agencies” that has failed to pass a financial audit since the Chief Financial Officers Act of 1990 and, according to the GAO, is expected to fail audits through 2028, allowing it continue to face “significant fraud exposure.”

This, despite the efforts of the “Department of Government Efficiency” and Republicans’ persistent, shrill cries to reduce government debt.

I don’t recall a desire being voiced by the Democratic Party to reduce federal debt, so, going into the midterms, I suppose they can claim they are not hypocrites.

At least, not where the budget is concerned.

WAYNE PARKER Baton Rouge

Stop giving illegal immigrants a pass Letter writer Betsy Kyle Burke’s letter on Dec. 10 about the alleged mistreatment of immigrants is unfortunately replete with inaccurate information.

All illegal immigrants have the benefit of U.S. law to come to the U.S. legally, but make the deliberate choice to come illegally.

The Immigration and Nationality Act allows 675,000 immigrants each year, in addition to an unlimited number of asylum applicants.

According to President Joe Biden’s Border Patrol, all illegal immigrants crossing the southern border pay thousands of dollars to human traffickers to cross into the U.S., a felony, rendering them ineligible for citizenship. Asserting that they commit fewer crimes than Americans is ludicrous. Paying human smugglers to cross the border, stealing Social Security numbers, failing to file state and federal tax returns, using false identification and lying on their I-9 forms, claiming to be citizens to obtain a job, are all felonies. It is illegal for an illegal immigrant

JASON SAVOY Mamou

to work in the U.S. and a misdemeanor to evade a border inspection point. They have a nonviolent crime rate of 100%.

Illegal immigrants do work in hotels, assist in building houses and some pick crops, but they do not do any jobs for Americans. They do it for money, for themselves. However, it is simply illegal for illegal immigrants to work in the U.S. To do so is an immediately deportable offense.

If U.S. citizens paid a criminal organization to commit a crime, stole a Social Security number, used false government identity documents or failed to file tax returns, they would be prosecuted. If an illegal immigrant commits any of these crimes, they do not, for the most part, face prosecution but are simply deported — two systems of justice. What is unfair is that Americans are prosecuted for these crimes and illegal immigrants are not.

What if other countries start following U.S. lead on sinking boats?

Mexico is among the top five countries in gun violence, even though Mexico has only two gun manufacturers and one gun store.

Strict regulations make it next to impossible for Mexicans to purchase and possess guns if they are not police or military.

In the aftermath of horrible gun violence and police raids, Mexican authorities display the thousands of guns recovered which are made in the United States and smuggled into Mexico.

To discourage the smuggling of guns into Mexico that cause the death and misery that drugs cause in the United States, Mexico should adopt the precedent, pretext, logic and “right” set by the United States in the Caribbean to discourage drug smuggling.

The Mexican military should indiscriminately blow up small fishing boats leaving the U.S. coast entering the Gulf of Mexico on suspicion that the boats and passengers are smuggling guns. Small fishing boats leaving the U.S. coast, allegedly smuggling guns, can easily reach Mexico compared to the impossibility of small fishing boats allegedly smuggling drugs from the Caribbean reaching the U.S. After all, what’s good for the goose is good for the gander. Right?

Happy tuna fishing, Louisianans!

JOSEPH IAFET Fairhope, Alabama

End false narrative that immigrants are dangerous I am compelled both morally and ethically to respond to the recent letter to the editor praising Gov. Jeff Landry’s immigration enforcement. Unfortunately, the letter focuses on what is described as a “disastrous Biden administration” but neglects or refuses to recognize that many, if not most, of the immigrants who are presently being arrested under Landry’s orders have been in this country for decades under the policies of both Democratic and Republican presidents.

Furthermore, the overwhelming majority of these people have been hard-working and law-abiding, contrary to the one or two examples cited in the recent letter. In addition, contrary to the claims in that letter, the overwhelming number of immigrants who

came to our state and city are responsible for helping to rebuild New Orleans after our devastating hurricanes. They have not been harmful as the letter writer implies, but rather they have been very helpful.

Instead of trying to project an image of a “tough guy,” if Landry really was interested in law and order he would be working with the president to find a pathway to citizenship for those immigrants who have been in this country for over 10 years, working hard, with no criminal record, instead of the current campaign of indiscriminate harassment, arrest and deportation based on the color of their skin.

MIKE GERTIER New Orleans

CHARLES MOSLEY Morgan City

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COMMENTARY Science-based coastal restoration is out, managing surrender is in

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., speaks during a news conference on the Epstein Files Transparency Act on Nov. 18 outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington.

A tale of two congresswomen Marjorie Taylor Greene’s early publican leadership, where she ranked exit from Congress reveals that her No. 3. tough-broad persona was very much Before Trump erupted into his 2020 an act. After she angered Donelection lies, Cheney had supald Trump by demanding the ported about 93% of Trump’s release of the Epstein files, she positions. She was a loyal Rebecame the target of the slings, publican but an even more loyal arrows and threats unleashed American. by the president and his enforcThe amoral Kevin McCarthy, then-Republican House minorers.

Froma Her response? Flight. leader, warned the party’s Harrop ity “Once I left her, she repolitical consultants that they’d have to choose between worksigned,” Trump said. “She would never have survived a primary.” ing for her or for him. The Morning Maybe. Maybe not. But the woman Group, a fundraising firm that Cheney who posted a picture of herself holding had hired to help prepare for the next a rifle alongside photos of three liberal primary, immediately refused to work congresswomen turned tail. Greene further on her campaign. held a good number of lunatic beliefs, A spokesman for Cheney said, “It’s but her push to get to the bottom of Jef- sad but not surprising that Kevin Mcfrey Epstein’s sex trafficking of girls Carthy is continuing down the morally was well-founded — and, evidently, bankrupt path of embracing House Reshared by most Republicans. publicans who are White supremacists Greene could have learned a lesson and conspiracy theorists but attacking in courage from a very different ReLiz Cheney for telling the truth and standing with the Constitution.” publican congresswoman, Liz Cheney Add to that the anonymous threats of of Wyoming. Cheney is about as ideopersonal harm. Cheney did not flinch. logically conservative as they come, She ran for reelection in 2022. When but she regarded Trump’s violenceasked whether she expected to lose, fueled attempt to halt the official vote Cheney said that if defending the Concount in an election he had lost as an attack on democracy itself. And that’s stitution cost her the seat, it was a sacwhat the 2021 Capitol riot was. rifice she’d accept. She ended up losing Cheney joined a handful of patriotic to a MAGA clone.

Republicans in supporting Trump’s imThe coup attempt was OK with Greene, though she later found courpeachment. For her brave stance, the so-called Freedom Caucus demanded age elsewhere. But the moment Trump her resignation from the House Recalled her “a traitor,” she threw on her

sneakers and ran away.

Another party member, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, is now bravely facing a primary challenge after being one of seven Senate Republicans who voted to convict Trump for inciting the Jan. 6 riot. Cassidy is a physician who has long criticized Trump’s health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., over his fringe theories linking vaccines to autism. He’s running in an election he might lose.

When Greene announced her sudden retirement, she warned, “If I am cast aside by the president and the MAGA political machine and replaced by Neocons, Big Pharma, Big Tech, Military Industrial War Complex, foreign leaders and the elite donor class that can never, ever relate to real Americans, then many common Americans have been cast aside and replaced as well.”

She cast herself aside. In any case, if Greene believes all that stuff, why doesn’t she run for reelection and use it in her campaign?

Because she’s chicken.

It happens that both Cheney and Greene crossed Trump for good reasons. But Greene fled. Outside of her entertainment value, she will not be widely missed. But Cheney keeps fighting, armor still on. And if she comes back to run again, plenty of good Americans will be cheering her on.

Froma Harrop is on X, @ FromaHarrop.

‘Never again’ could become ‘ever again’ last weekend’s shootings that appears How many more Jews must die not to be true. before the world wakes up and does If the Australian government had something about it? Maybe that’s the been paying attention and intensifying problem: The world doesn’t want to security to meet the threat, this terwake up as too many people are fine with hating Jews. rible incident might have been The murder of at least 15 avoided. While Australia has an Jewish Hanukkah celebrants estimated 117,000 Jews (among and the wounding of many its population of 28 million), the more in Australia recently Executive Council of Austracould have been prevented lian Jewry reports antisemitic if the government had estabincidents have reached historic Cal highs and are at “almost five lished a security presence at Thomas times the average number Bondi Beach. Instead, it was before October 7.” The organireported that police officers stood by during the shooting rampage zation documented 1,654 anti-Jewish conducted by a Muslim father and son, incidents between Oct. 1, 2024, and who were reportedly inspired by the Sept. 30, 2025.

Islamic State. For two years, Sydney Since biblical times many have tried has been shut down every weekend and failed to understand and explain by pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel the hatred directed toward Jewish demonstrators. Did no one anticipate people. consequences from those who em“Allegations of well poisoning were a major theme in Jewish persecubraced and openly spouted extremist ideology? tion in Europe throughout the Middle After the Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Isra- Ages and into the modern period.

They were a central component in the el by Hamas terrorists in Gaza, there development of modern antisemitism have been fire-bombings, arson, grafin the 19th century. Blood libel accufiti and hate speech directed at Jews, their organizations and buildings in sations often led to pogroms, violent Australia. riots launched against Jews and freThe director-general of Australia’s quently encouraged by government Security Intelligence Organization, authorities.” Read more at the United Mike Burgess, has stated that address- States Holocaust Memorial Museum ing antisemitism is a top priority when from which this quote was taken.

Many are praising the courageous it comes to threats to life. In light of

man who was wounded while tackling one of the gunmen and preventing him from committing additional murders.

His name is Ahmed al-Ahmed. He is a Muslim from Syria and a father of two. His parents told the media he came to Australia in 2006 because he has a “passion to defend people.”

When he recovers from his wounds he should be invited to Israel and given an award for his selfless bravery.

Australia recently passed a law requiring certain popular social media platforms to block users under the age of 16.

The stated reason by lawmakers is to protect children from harm that includes cyberbullying and predators.

Why can’t the country ban websites that promote hate, including and especially antisemitism? If protection is to be granted for young people, why not do more to protect its Jewish population? Isn’t the principle the same?

Antisemitism must be fought with more than statements of horror, flowers, and “thoughts and prayers.” Because of its aggressive nature, it must also be characterized by an aggressive response. Otherwise, the slogan “never again,” which was invoked after the Holocaust, is likely to become “ever again.”

Email Cal Thomas at tcaeditorstribpub.com.

Welcome to 2026 and a whole new direction for Louisiana’s coastal future.

What had been a multiyear science-tested plan to sustain some part of the state’s bottom third against the rising Gulf of Mexico has been redesigned by the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority appointed by Gov. Jeff Landry.

At the governor’s urging, the board is now focused on managing surrender to the Gulf but producing as much seafood as possible in the process.

Here are the three steps in that process.

Bob The first step — once again, Marshall at the governor’s urging — was taken late last year by removing large river sediment diversions from the master plan and transferring that funding to projects rebuilding marshes by pumping sediment from the Mississippi River into the wetlands. Half the funding had always gone to this method.

Since taking office, Landry has sided with shrimpers and oyster fishers opposing diversions. While the influx of fresh water from diversions might restore the natural balance to the estuary that existed before levees were raised, it would also drive their target species further south. Those species have only moved into current fishing grounds since the system devolved into higher salinities.

By now, everyone knows the trade-offs.

The pump-and-dump method can quickly rebuild marshes but must be repeated every 20 to 30 years because the deltas will always continue to sink. Diversions are much more expensive, but they can build wetlands and extend the life of pump-and-dump projects as long as the river runs. They are the definition of sustainability.

The fishers want marshes rebuilt because that’s the habitat producing their targets. But they only want a few small freshwater diversions — just enough to keep salinities ideal for the species they catch and sell.

Step 2 was announced at the CPRA board’s December meeting: They are giving the fishermen just what they and the governor want.

They plan to move funding from diversions to rebuild wetlands as quickly as possible and spend more money on levees, flood walls and the like. Basically, they will be managing the coastal zone as a large fisheries farm for as long as the money holds out as the Gulf moves ever closer.

Which brings us to Step 3: They will do this while not just ignoring the biggest threat to the coastal zone but increasing it.

I’m talking about the “threat that must not be mentioned” by the political rulers of this state and the master they worship: climate change caused by fossil fuel emissions, and President Donald Trump, who calls it a hoax.

That this is here, is happening and could remove much of the state below Interstate 10 in the decades ahead and is backed by evidence and recognized by the science in the master plan the board is effectively abandoning.

Sea levels are rising at record levels, caused by ocean warming due to fossil fuel use. Federal research shows that Louisiana has seen 17 inches of rise just since 1970 and could see 2 feet by 2050 due to warming alone. Add our subsidence and those estimates soar as high as 5 feet by 2100.

Indeed, the master plan shows that some wetlands currently being rebuilt could be flooded by sea level rise and sinking before 2050.

Sea level rise will continue for centuries, but the rate can be slowed beyond 2050 if the world is successful in dramatically reducing emissions over the next two decades. That can only be done by a steady transition to renewable energy.

Yet Trump is waging war on all programs designed to reduce emissions, canceling emission regulations and stopping even private green energy projects on land and the ocean, while ramping up permits and programs for oil production and even coal.

Our governor is Trump’s loud and loyal supporter and controls the board, which is refocusing our coastal survival plan to one of surrender.

Maybe the price of an oyster po-boy will drop — but you may have to eat it in Baton Rouge.

Bob Marshall, a Pulitzer Prize-winning Louisiana environmental journalist, can be reached at bmarshallenviro@gmail.com, and followed on X, @BMarshallEnviro.

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12A ■ Monday, January 5, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

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Baton Rouge Weather TODAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

Clouds, then sun

Mostly cloudy

Mostly cloudy

Isolated showers - 30%

Scattered t-storms - 60%

Lingering clouds - 10%

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59°/52° 62°/42° 85° in 1946 18° in 2002

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THE NATION

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TODAY

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READING 73 MAIN POLLUTANT Particulates

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SOURCE: LOUISIANA DEQ AND AIRNOW.GOV

RIVER STAGES FLOOD STAGE 24-HOUR STAGE CHANGE Memphis 34 -2.09 +0.05 Vidalia-Natchez 48 14.83 -0.40 Red River Landing 48 18.45 -0.55 Baton Rouge 35 6.72 -0.18 Donaldsonville 27 4.11 -0.21 Reserve 22 2.42 -0.18 New Orleans 17 1.76 -0.71 MISSISSIPPI

OHIO 40

13.76

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6.28 4.14 3.78 3.02 2.50 2.74

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Jackson 70/56

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Beaumont 73/59 Port Arthur 72/61

Hattiesburg 71/55

Alexandria 70/58

Many 68/57

AIR QUALITY YESTERDAY

-10

Monroe 67/57

Shreveport 71/61

24 hours through 5 p.m. Sun. 0.00” Month to date (normal) Trace (0.81”) year to date (normal) Trace (0.81”)

Cairo

Expect a mixture of clouds and sun on Monday. Cloud cover will be more focused on the morning with a few cloud breaks possible by afternoon. Highs should reach the upper 60s, though a few spots could sneak into the low 70s if afternoon sunshine can prevail. On the flip side, stubborn clouds would keep highs on the cooler side.

The pattern will swing in the warmer and muggier direction for the rest of the week. A warming southerly wind will push highs into the upper 70s to near 80 from Tuesday through Thursday. Meanwhile, overnight lows will hold in the low to mid-60s midweek onward.

Rising humidity may also lead to patchy and occasionally widespread morning fog. By late week, increasing warmth and humidity will lead to more rain.

AROUND THE REGION

BATON ROUGE THROUGH 5 P.M. SUNDAy

High/low Normal high/low Record high Record low

Weather News by Meteorologist Malcolm Byron

New Orleans 70/60

Lake Charles 70/59

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

Houma 73/60

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.

TIDES HIGH

FT.

Lake Pontchartrain (Tchefuncte River) 8:43a 0.6 Shell Beach 2:49a 1.4 South Point, Marsh Island 2:30a 1.5 Cypremort Point 10:12p 1.1 Grand Isle (Barataria Pass) 11:17p 0.9 Mississippi River (Southwest Pass) 10:28p 1.1 Wine Island -----

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8:37p -0.3 2:08p -0.6 9:26a -1.0 1:28p -0.8 9:50a -0.6 8:03a -0.7 10:52a -0.8

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Associated Press

WASHINGTON — As Donald Trump was inaugurated for the second time on Jan. 20, 2025, former Capitol Police Sgt. Aquilino Gonell put his phone on “do not disturb” and left it on his nightstand to take a break from the news.

That evening, after Gonell spent time with family and took his dog on a long walk, his phone started to blow up with calls. He had messages from federal prosecutors, FBI agents and the federal Bureau of Prisons — all letting him know that the new president had just pardoned about 1,500 people who had been convicted for their actions at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. The pardons included rioters who had injured Gonell as he and other officers tried to protect the building.

“They told me that people I testified against were being released from prison,” Gonell said. “And to be mindful.”

Gonell was one of the officers who defended the central West Front entrance to the Capitol that day as Congress was certifying Democrat Joe Biden’s victory and hundreds of Trump’s supporters broke into the building, echoing his false claims of a stolen election. Gonell was dragged into the crowd by his shoulder straps as he tried to fight people off. He almost suffocated. In court, he testified about injuries to his shoulder and foot that still bother him to this day.

“They have tried to erase what I did” with the pardons and other attempts to play down the violent attack, Gonell said. “I lost my career, my health, and I’ve been trying to get my life back.”

Five years since the siege, Gonell and some of the other police officers who fought off the rioters are still coming to terms with what happened, especially

after Trump was decisively elected to a second term last year and granted those pardons. Their struggle has been compounded by statements from the Republican president and some GOP lawmakers in Congress minimizing the violence that the officers encountered.

“It’s been a difficult year,” said Officer Daniel Hodges, a Metropolitan Police Department officer who was also injured as he fought near Gonell in a tunnel on the West Front. Hodges was attacked several times, crushed by the rioters between heavy doors and beaten in the head as he screamed for help.

“A lot of things are getting worse,” Hodges said.

An evolving narrative More than 140 police officers were injured during the fighting on Jan. 6, which turned increasingly brutal as the hours wore on.

Former Capitol Police Chief Thomas Manger took over the department six months after the riot. He said in a recent interview that many of his officers were angry when he first arrived, not only because of injuries they suffered but also “they resented the fact that they didn’t have the equipment they needed, the training they needed ” to deal with the unexpectedly violent crowd.

Several officers who fought the rioters told The Associated Press that the hardest thing to deal with has been the effort by many to play down the violence, despite a massive trove of video and photographic evidence documenting the carnage.

Trump has called the rioters he pardoned, including those who were most violent toward the police, “patriots” and “hostages.” He called their convictions for harming the officers and breaking into the building “a grave national injustice.”

“I think that was wrong,”

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Struggles linger for officers 5 years after Jan. 6 riot

BY MARY CLARE JALONICK

TUESDAY

Hi

THE WORLD

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

Today Tue. Wed. Thu. Fri. Sat. Sun.

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Adam Eveland, a former District of Columbia police officer, said of Trump’s pardons. If there were to be pardons, Eveland said, Trump’s administration should have reviewed every case.

“I’ve had a hard time processing that,” said Eveland, who fought the rioters and ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By JIM LO SCALZO helped to push them off the Capitol grounds.

U.S. Capitol Police Sgt. Aquilino Gonell wipes his eye as The pardons “erased what he watches a video being displayed during a House select little justice there was,” said committee hearing on the Jan. 6 attack on July 27, 2021, former Capitol Police Officer Winston Pingeon, who on Capitol Hill in Washington. was part of the force’s Civil Disturbance Unit on Jan. ful thing,” he said. as he tried to prevent people 6. He left the force several from entering the Capitol, Safety and support months afterward. said Jan. 6 was part of the As police officers strug- reason he left the departPushback gled in the aftermath, Man- ment and moved home to Hodges and Gonell have ger, the former Capitol Po- Massachusetts. He has been speaking out about lice chief, said the depart- dealt with his experience their experiences since July ment had to figure out how to by painting images of the 2021, when they testified better support them. There Capitol and his time there, before the Democratic-led were no wellness or coun- as well as advocating for House committee that in- seling services when he ar- nonviolence. He said he now vestigated Jan 6. Since then, rived, he said, and they were feels ready to forgive.

“The real trauma and they have received support put in to place. but also backlash.

“The officers who were heartache and everything At a Republican-led Sen- there and were in the fight I endured because of these ate hearing in October on — we needed to make sure events, I want to move past political violence, Hodges that they got the help that it,” he said.

Gonell left the Capitol testified again as a witness they needed,” Manger said.

Manger, who retired in Police because of his injucalled by Democrats. After Hodges spoke about his May, also oversaw major ries. He has not returned experience on Jan. 6, Sen. improvements to the de- to service, though he hopes Peter Welch, D-Vt., asked partment’s training, equip- to work again. He wrote a the other witnesses whether ment, operational planning book about his experience, they supported Trump’s par- and intelligence. He said the and he said he still has postdons of the rioters, including Capitol is now “a great deal traumatic stress disorder for those who injured Hodg- safer” than it was when he related to the attack.

While many of the officers es. Three of the witnesses, arrived.

“If that exact same thing who were there have stayed all called by Republicans, happened again, they would quiet about their experiencraised their hands.

“I don’t know how you have never breached the es, Eveland said he decided would say it wasn’t violent,” building, they would have that it was important to talk says Hodges, who is still a never gotten inside, they publicly about Jan. 6 to try would have never disrupted to reach people and “come at Washington police officer.

It has not just been politi- the electoral count,” Manger it from a logical standpoint.”

Still, he said, “I’ve had to cians or the rioters who have said.

Pingeon, the former Capi- come to terms with the fact doubted the police. It also is friends and family. tol Police officer, said he that just because something “My biggest struggle believes the department is happened to me and was through the years has been in many ways “unrecogniz- a major part of my world the public perception of it,” able” from what it was on doesn’t mean that everyone Eveland said, and navigating Jan. 6 and when he left sev- else has to understand that or even be sympathetic to conversations with people eral months later. close to him, including some “It was a wake-up call,” he that.”

He added: “The only thing fellow police officers, who said.

I can do is tell my story, and do not think it was a big deal. hopefully the people who “It’s hard for me to wrap Pressing on my head around that, but Pingeon, who was attacked respect me will eventually ideology is a pretty power- and knocked to the ground listen.”

Trump: Ukraine didn’t target Putin’s residence

By The Associated Press ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE — President Donald Trump on Sunday told reporters that U.S. officials have determined that Ukraine did not target a residence belonging to Russian President Vladimir Putin in a drone attack last week, disputing Kremlin claims that Trump had initially greeted with deep concern.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov last week said Ukraine launched a wave of drones at Putin’s state residence in the northwestern Novgorod region that the Russian defense systems were able to defeat. Lavrov also criticized Kyiv for launching the attack at a moment of intensive negotiations to end the war.

The allegation came just a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had traveled to Florida for talks with Trump on the U.S. administration’s still-evolving 20-point plan aimed at ending the war, and had Zelenskyy quickly deny it.

Trump said that “something happened nearby” Putin’s residence but that Americans officials didn’t find the Russian president’s residence was targeted.

“I don’t believe that strike happened,” Trump told reporters as he traveled back to Washington on Sunday after spending two weeks at his home in Florida. “We don’t believe that happened, now that we’ve been able to check.”

Trump addressed the U.S. determination after European officials argued that the Russian claim was nothing more than an effort by Moscow to undermine the peace effort.

SPORTS

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

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M o n d ay, J a n u a ry 5, 2026

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FALCONS

SAINTS

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OUT OF GAS SEASON RECORD: 6-11

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By BRyNN ANDERSON

Saints quarterback Tyler Shough throws a pass against the Atlanta Falcons in the second half on Sunday in Atlanta. The Saints ended the season with a 19-17 loss to the rival Falcons.

Saints can’t overcome all that was missing, fall to Falcons in season finale

New Orleans lost final game of season, but 2025 season felt like a victory

BY LUKE JOHNSON

NFC South title, which is The New Orleans Saints what would have happened made the Atlanta Falcons had they upset Atlanta. Rework and the Carolina Panthers sweat Sunday. gardless, the Saints put up an Ultimately, their efforts admirable fight to the finish weren’t enough to overcome and made the Panthers wait a more talented and experiuntil the game’s final seconds Jeff enced Atlanta squad on its Duncan before celebrating their first division title in a decade. home field in a gritty 19-17 While there are no moral loss, but the Saints made sure victories in the NFL, it certainly felt the NFC South title was earned and like one for the Saints at Mercedesnot given.

Benz Stadium.

I’m sure they hated the idea of Because of injuries and attrition, helping their fierce division rivals, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, in any ä See DUNCAN, page 5B way, especially gifting them another

Staff writer

ATLANTA — When Tyler Shough dropped back and scanned the field for an open receiver late in the fourth quarter against the Atlanta Falcons, he had thrown 148 consecutive passes without an interception.

He didn’t make it to No. 149.

The New Orleans Saints were in striking distance, trailing by six and facing a third-and-7 from the Atlanta 20-yard line, and they called a double slant. Falcons nickel defender Dee Alford recognized what was happen-

ing, and as Shough was releasing the ball, he came off his man to pick the pass off.

Alford returned it 59 yards, flipping the field and setting Atlanta up in field goal range. The Falcons kicked a field goal, and those points ultimately ended up deciding the game. The Saints lost their season finale, 19-17, snapping a four-game win streak.

“Just an unbelievable play by Alford,” Shough said. “I’ve got to see that … but credit to their defense, credit to him, great play in that

ä See SAINTS, page 4B

LSU struggles with turnovers, falls to Vandy

With 2:20 left in the fourth quarter, need to keep the Commodores (15-0, 2-0) off Tigers drop second straight freshman ZaKiyah Johnson gave LSU a the boards. The Tigers’ loss to Kentucky lead with a layup. Then Vanderbilt on Thursday doubled as one of the worst game, start 0-2 in SEC play 58-57 freshman guard Aubrey Galvan canned a rebounding games of the Mulkey era. That for first time in Mulkey era corner 3-pointer at the other end, and star night, the No. 11 Wildcats grabbed more

BY REED DARCEY Staff writer

First it was the rebounding. Then it was the turnovers.

The LSU women’s basketball team tried to address one problem, then saw another one surface Sunday in a 65-61 road loss to No. 12 Vanderbilt.

In their second straight defeat, the No. 5 Tigers turned the ball over 22 times — the sixth-most giveaways they’ve tallied in a game they’ve played under coach Kim Mulkey.

sophomore Mikayla Blakes finished a pair of driving layups, bringing her scoring tally to a game-high 32 points. The Tigers (14-2, 0-2 SEC) committed two turnovers around those shots — one by MiLaysia Fulwiley and another by Mikaylah Williams.

No Mulkey-coached team — at either LSU or Baylor — had ever started 0-2 in conference play before this season.

“It’s a possession game,” Mulkey said, “when you get to conference (play). We’re not talented enough to beat people like we have been, so possessions matter.”

LSU began Sunday’s contest with a clear

than four times as many offensive boards as LSU did.

Things improved on Sunday. The Tigers corralled more offensive rebounds in the first quarter of their game against the No. 12 Commodores (five) than they did in their entire matchup with Kentucky (four), and they eventually won the rebounding battle by 20 boards — a decisive edge that allowed them to recover a nice chunk of the possessions they gave away. But not enough to get a win.

Fulwiley keyed the turnaround on the glass. She rebounded three of LSU’s misses

AP PHOTO By CAMDEN HALL

LSU guard Mikaylah Williams tries to shoot past Vanderbilt guard Mikayla Blakes during ä See LSU, page 3B the first half on Sunday in Nashville, Tenn.

2B ■ Monday, January 5, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

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BROADCAST HIGHLIGHTS On TV MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL 5:30 p.m. Nebraska at Ohio St. FS1 6 p.m.

Will. & Mary at Charleston So. CBSSN 6 p.m.

Oregon at Rutgers Peacock 7:30 p.m. Southern Cal at Michigan St. FS1 WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL 5:30 p.m. Minnesota at Michigan BTN 7:30 p.m. Iowa at Northwestern BTN

FCS CHAMPIONSHIP 6:30 p.m. Illinois St. vs. Montana St. ESPN IIHF WORLD JUNIOR HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIP 3:30 p.m. Bronze Medal: Sweden vs.TBD NHLN 7:30 p.m. Gold Medal: Finland vs.TBD NHLN NBA 6 p.m.

New york at Detroit Peacock 7:30 p.m. Denver at Philadelphia Peacock 9 p.m.

Golden State at L.A. Clippers Peacock

IN BRIEF

FROM STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS

SPEED SKATING U.S.Winter Olympic Trials USA TENNIS 5 a.m.

United Cup,ATP,WTA Tennis 5:30 p.m. United Cup,ATP,WTA Tennis UNRIVALED BASKETBALL 12:30 p.m. Mist vs. Hive TRUTV 1:45 p.m. Vinyl vs. Laces TRUTV 7 p.m.

Lunar Owls vs. Rose TNT,TRUTV 8:15 p.m. Phantom vs. Breeze TNT,TRUTV 4 p.m.

LSU FOOTBALL NOTEBOOK

Receiver commits; OT leaves portal

BY WILSON ALEXANDER

Staff writer

Former Hawaii wide receiver Jackson Harris committed to LSU, a source confirmed Sunday with The Advocate, making him the first transfer to choose the team since Lane Kiffin became the head coach.

Harris had a breakout season this year with 49 catches, 963 yards and 12 touchdowns while playing in 11 games to earn firstteam All-Mountain West honors.

He visited LSU this weekend soon after the transfer portal opened. He has two more years of eligibility.

LSU has to rebuild its wide receiver corps entering the first season with Kiffin and a new offensive staff, and it has targeted multiple transfers. The Tigers have only three wide receivers who have not left the team, and they signed three incoming freshmen in the 2026 class.

Harris, a native of Berkeley, California, is listed at 6-foot3 and 205 pounds. He caught six passes for 86 yards and one touchdown in two seasons at Stanford before transferring to Hawaii.

In his one season with the Rainbow Warriors, Harris was tied for the most 60-plus-yard receptions in the country with five, and four of those went for 70-yard touchdowns. He averaged 19.7 yards per catch, which ranked eighth in the FBS.

OT transfers… then does not LSU redshirt freshman offensive tackle Weston Davis entered the transfer portal Sunday morning, but it was brief. Davis withdrew his name within an hour of it appearing in the database and plans to stay at LSU next season.

Davis came to terms with LSU and wanted to have his name removed from the transfer portal before it showed up, according to a report from Matt Moscona of WNXX, 104.5-FM. Davis has three more years of eligibility.

Davis played in 12 games this season with 10 starts. LSU re-

Fury says he is coming out of retirement in 2026

MANCHESTER, England — Tyson Fury is returning to the ring after announcing on Sunday that he will step out of retirement.

The former heavyweight world champion confirmed his comeback in a post on social media, which sets up the prospect of a longawaited showdown with Anthony Joshua.

“2026 is that year. Return of the mac,” Fury posted on Instagram.

“Been away for a while but I’m back now, 37 years old and still punching. Nothing better to do than punch men in the face and get paid for it.”

Fury retired last year after losing for a second time to Oleksandr Usyk in December 2024. Before his two bouts with Usyk he was unbeaten in 35 fights, winning 34 and drawing one.

Speedskater Stolz starts but doesn’t race 1,500

STAFF FILE PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK

LSU offensive tackle Weston Davis, center, and offensive lineman Tyree Adams take the field before kickoff against South Carolina on Oct. 11. Davis briefly entered the transfer portal on Sunday before leaving it. placed him at right tackle for two games with redshirt freshman Ory Williams, who later entered the transfer portal, before Davis regained his spot.

A four-star recruit in the 2024 class from Beaumont, Texas, Davis was the No. 111 overall prospect in his class and a top 10 offensive tackle on the 247Sports composite rankings. He flipped from Texas A&M to LSU late in the recruiting process.

LSU has two starting offensive linemen who have remained with the team to this point in Davis and redshirt junior center Braelin Moore, as well as five backups and two incoming freshmen. It has to sign multiple transfers who can start and provide depth.

Seven LSU offensive linemen have entered the transfer portal since it opened Jan. 2: Williams, redshirt freshman Ethan Calloway, freshman Carius Curne, redshirt sophomore Paul Mubenga, redshirt sophomore Tyree Adams, redshirt freshman Coen Echols and redshirt sophomore DJ Chester.

LSU also lost right guard Josh Thompson, a fifth-year senior who exhausted his eligibility.

Cooley comes back LSU secured a key piece of the defense as the team announced Sunday redshirt sophomore safety Tamarcus Cooley will stay.

Cooley could have entered the NFL draft, but he has two more years of eligibility. He established himself as a starter in his first season at LSU, finishing with 70 tackles, 11/2 tackles for loss and two interceptions.

LSU has to replace safety AJ Haulcy and star cornerback Mansoor Delane, who both exhausted their eligibility, but it will bring back Cooley, safety Dashawn Spears, cornerback DJ Pickett and cornerback PJ Woodland, setting a solid foundation in the secondary.

Cooley, a native of North Carolina, was a three-star recruit in the 2023 class who began his career at Maryland. He transferred to NC State after one season, and in his only year with the Wolfpack, Cooley played in every game while making nine starts at nickel. He recorded 43 tackles and two interceptions.

Cooley, who’s listed at 6-foot and 198 pounds, moved to deep

safety at LSU. He started every game and played a team-high 777 snaps.

At the other safety spot, Spears will have a chance to become a starter for the first time in his career next season. He said at one point he would enter the transfer portal, but he changed his mind a few hours later after conversations with the LSU staff.

Latest in the portal Former Boise State junior safety Ty Benefield visited LSU on Sunday, a source said. Benefield was named first-team All-Mountain West this past season after recording 107 tackles, 8 1/ 2 tackles for loss and two interceptions. He played in 41 games over the past three seasons, starting 33 times.

Benefield has one more year of eligibility.

LSU also hosted Old Dominion wide receiver Tre Brown, a source confirmed. He caught 38 passes for 762 yards and four TDs this past season after transferring from a junior college. He ranked seventh in the country with an average of 20.05 yards per catch.

He’s also set to visit Ohio State.

MILWAUKEE — Star speedskater Jordan Stolz figured some extra rest was more important than competing in an event he didn’t need to with an Olympic berth already assured, so after finishing first in the 500 meters at the U.S. trials Sunday, he decided to just line up at the start of the 1,500 instead of actually racing.

The 21-year-old Stolz, twice the world champion at the 500, 1,000 and 1,500 and expected to be one of the faces of the Milan Cortina Games, took a couple of strides from an upright position in the outside lane, then took a hard left and skated toward the sideline. He shrugged as he came off the track.

Emery Lehman, who is from Chicago, won, and Casey Dawson was second.

American Britcher wins another WC gold in luge USA Luge’s Summer Britcher is flying into the Olympics.

Britcher got her second women’s singles luge win of the season on Sunday, moving her atop the World Cup standings and further cementing her status as a medal contender for the Olympics next month.

She prevailed in Sigulda, Latvia, rallying in the second heat to top Lisa Schulte of Austria and Julia Taubitz of Germany. Britcher’s two-run time was 1 minute, 23.840 seconds, while Schulte finished in 1:23.877 and Taubitz in 1:23.931.

It was Britcher’s seventh career singles win, extending her alltime record for USA Luge sliders.

The women’s singles win was one of two medals on the day for Britcher, who also helped USA Luge capture the bronze in the team relay.

cuts ties with Miami gets inspiration from echoes of its past Djokovic players’ org he co-founded ä Miami vs. Ole Miss

BY TIM REYNOLDS

Associated Press

6:30 P.M.THURSDAy, ESPN

CORAL GABLES, Fla. — Miami defensive lineman Rueben Bain Jr. doesn’t say much. He just plays.

That’s part of the reason why Bain giving a short, impromptu and unexpected halftime speech to teammates during Miami’s win over Ohio State in a College Football Playoff quarterfinal at the Cotton Bowl last week was a moment that went viral.

“They don’t got the energy we got, bro,” Bain said. “They don’t want it how we want it.”

And with that, Bain got his “Joaquin said dominate” moment that surely will go into Hurricane lore.

Miami (12-2, CFP No. 10 seed) had more than enough of the energy that Bain was speaking of, beat Ohio State 24-14 and moved into Thursday’s CFP semifinal at the Fiesta Bowl against Mississippi (13-1, CFP No. 6 seed).

It was at a game in 2001 — Miami’s last national championship season — when eventual Pro Football Hall of Fame safety Ed Reed gave a now-famous speech to teammates at halftime in Tallahassee, a game the Hurricanes were leading rival Florida State 21-13. Reed’s shoulder was banged up, and the Seminoles seemed to have the momentum.

Reed turned and faced his teammates before they returned to the field, quoting offensive lineman Joaquin Gonzalez for emphasis.

“I’m hurt, dawg. Don’t ask me if I’m all right. Hell, no,” Reed shouted. “Joaquin said dominate, and we’re not doing it.” He said a little more, turned and ran out of the tunnel. What happened over the next few minutes showed how

Miami sideline for the past couple of seasons, and Cristobal has welcomed the energy he brings. When running back Mark Fletcher fumbled the ball early in the Ohio State game, it was Edgerrin James — another Hall of Famer — who got into his ear and calmed him down. And when Beck was warming up for the game, he was starstruck when he saw Ray Lewis — another Hall of Famer — just a few feet away.

“I literally just looked at him and just shook his hand and he introduced himself,” Beck said.

“And then he’s like, ‘Yo, go win us the ball game.’ And I was like: ‘Well, now I have to. We literally have to go score. Like, I can’t let this dude down.’ ” Sometimes, the impact of those past Miami stars comes even when they’re not physically there.

Keionte Scott, the standout from Miami’s secondary who had a game-changing pick-six against Ohio State, slept inside the indoor practice facility during fall camp and found himself gazing at the roof over the field at the banners showing the names of all the Hurricanes’ past All-Americans.

He was looking up at those same banners Sunday when he explained the story.

“It’s a different feeling,” Scott said. “It’s a testimony to how much The U means to them. It just shows me how much The U was able to do for them. They could be doing anything in the world and they’re supporting their team and they’re supporting their college.

It’s just something that makes you want to go harder.”

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JULIO CORTEZ

Former NFL players Ray Lewis, left, and Michael Irvin celebrate after a Miami touchdown during a Cotton Bowl College Football Playoff quarterfinal game against Ohio State on Wednesday in Arlington, Texas. much Reed’s words mattered to his teammates.

Miami scored four touchdowns in the third quarter, blowing out Florida State and eventually finishing the season as 12-0 national champions. Reed didn’t seek the spotlight in those days, much in the same way Bain doesn’t seek it now.

“To come out and speak in front of the entire team, when that’s not necessarily something that he does all the time, you know he means it,” Miami quarterback Carson Beck said. “I think there’s weight behind that. That’s something that’s coming from the heart, something that you know he needs to say to the team. Shoot, it had me juiced. I was ready to roll out there and go die for those boys. Obviously, I think it’s an iconic moment that we’ll always

remember as a team.”

It’s a balancing act for Miami coach Mario Cristobal, who played on two national title teams when he was a Hurricanes offensive lineman. He welcomes back the alumni, while simultaneously making sure the current team keeps looking forward.

“I think just the entirety of the Miami Hurricanes family from years past, showing up and supporting our team and getting back involved with the university, is absolutely awesome,” Cristobal said.

“It also gives our players a chance to experience that brotherhood that we have always spoken about so strongly of.”

At Miami, the names from the past — like Reed — still inspire.

Michael Irvin — another Hall of Famer — has been a regular on the

Novak Djokovic is cutting ties with the Professional Tennis Players Association, a group he cofounded that sued the sport’s governing bodies last year, writing on social media Sunday that “my values and approach are no longer aligned with the current direction of the organization.”

The 24-time Grand Slam champion announced at the 2020 U.S. Open that he and now-retired Canadian player Vasek Pospisil were launching the PTPA. They said they were aiming to offer representation for players.

One of the goals made clear along the way was to become a sort of full-fledged union that negotiates collective bargaining agreements like those that exist in team sports, although that sort of thing hasn’t happened.

Royals manager agrees to 3-year contract extension KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City Royals manager Matt Quatraro has agreed to a three-year contract extension though 2029.

His deal includes a team option for 2030, the Royals said Sunday.

Quatraro replaced Mike Matheny after the 2022 season and has led the Royals to a 224-262 record in three years.

Kansas City improved from 56106 during Quatraro’s first season to 86-76 in 2024. The Royals then went 82-80 last year for their first consecutive winning seasons since 2013-15.

Quatraro finished second to Cleveland’s Stephen Vogt in 2024 American League Manager of the Year voting.

The Advocate ■ theadvocate.com ■ Monday, January 5, 2026 ■ 3B

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Defense carries Tulane to pivotal win over FAU

BY GUERRY SMITH Contributing writer

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU coach Matt McMahon, shown throwing his hands up during a game against Prairie View on Dec. 22, said he was disappointed but not discouraged by the Tigers’ 75-72 loss to Texas A&M on Saturday.

McMahon laments missed chances in loss to Texas A&M

BY TOYLOY BROWN III

Staff writer

Disappointment is one word coach Matt McMahon used to describe LSU’s loss.

The Tigers fell 75-72 to Texas A&M on Saturday at Reed Arena in College Station, Texas. What loomed before and after the outcome of their first Southeastern Conference game was the absence of Dedan Thomas.

The lefty point guard is day-today with a lower leg injury, McMahon said after the game. The ESPNU broadcast said the junior had a foot injury, and he was seen wearing a boot on his left foot.

Thomas’ playmaking and ballsecurity talents were desperately needed as LSU committed a season-high 16 turnovers against the only conference opponent that employs a full-court press for an entire game.

Even still, McMahon wasn’t consumed by the letdown of dropping a winnable game.

“Obviously disappointed in the result for us, but certainly not

discouraged. Very encouraged by the toughness, the effort, the intentions of our group,” the fourthyear coach said in the post-game press conference. “We had our chances.”

Those chances to get an improbable victory without the SEC’s leader in assists at 7.1 per game were eye-catching.

A sequence that was “painful” for McMahon was three straight turnovers in the backcourt that turned a tie game into a 69-66 deficit with 1:58 remaining.

Even when the errors zapped much of LSU’s offensive flow, it had a chance to tie the game down 72-70 with nine seconds remaining.

However, freshman point guard Jalen Reece threw a difficult pass from half-court that was too high for the 6-foot-10 Mike Nwoko to snag.

“We wanted to get Jalen Reece on the run there,” McMahon said.

“If we had Mike over the top, we would take it. If not, we were just trying to get downhill and get our shooters space down, down two there with nine seconds to go,

which was plenty of time. And Jalen, he did a lot of great things today. I know he’s very disappointed in a couple of the turnovers late, but this will be a great learning experience for him, and he’ll keep getting better moving forward.”

Reece finished with four points, a career-high seven assists and three turnovers in 36 minutes. The most playing time he had previously was 23 against Prairie View.

The Tigers also had a decent lastsecond 3-pointer that missed short from freshman Mazi Mosely, who only played the final 3.7 seconds, that could’ve sent the game into overtime.

McMahon emphasized that his players’ mettle was tested and their intensity reached a required standard to create winning chances when it trailed by as many as 10 points with 8:53 remaining in the game.

“I can’t fault our energy, our effort or our togetherness. All those things (were) fantastic,” McMahon said. “Just didn’t execute well enough to find a way to get the win at the end.”

Lee scores 17, makes clutch play to help Texas survive Ole Miss

LSU

Continued from page 1B in the first half — a team-high — then wrapped up her night with 13 points, seven boards, six assists and two steals. Sophomore point guard Jada Richard added 13 points of her own. Williams finished with 12 points, eight boards and six assists, but she turned the ball over four times. Fulwiley gave away five possessions.

Seven of the eight LSU players who saw the floor Sunday committed multiple turnovers.

Transfer center Kate Koval had nine points and 10 rebounds, and ZaKiyah Johnson had 10 points and eight boards. Flau’jae Johnson finished with zero points in 19 minutes, going scoreless for just the second time in her four-year career. She took only four shots.

“We’re not tough enough,” Mulkey said. “And toughness is, you either have it or you don’t.

And we’re not tough enough, and that’s all (the) players in that locker room tonight. You’re not tough enough to make a play when you need it. You’re not tough enough to get that rebound when we need it.

“It’s not just one or two. It’s the whole locker room at different times.”

In the first quarter, LSU gave away six of its first 11 possessions and missed eight of its first 11 field goals. The game started to turn in the Tigers’ favor only after they began to force more misses and took better care of the ball. An 11-0 second-quarter run propelled LSU to a 28-22 halftime lead.

Then Galvan started hitting 3-pointers. She drained three of the four long-range shots the Commodores canned in the third quarter to shave five points off the Tigers’ lead and begin the fourth down just 43-42.

But LSU’s rebounding issues reappeared throughout the final 10 minutes. Vanderbilt turned five offensive boards into 10 second-chance points in the fourth quarter alone. Two of those opportunities came off missed free

Tulane struggled to find any offensive rhythm in its American Conference home opener against Florida Atlantic on Sunday, shooting below 40% for most of the afternoon.

No matter. Tenacious defense saved the Green Wave again.

Forcing turnovers on four of the Owls’ final five possessions, Tulane (11-4, 2-0) closed with a 7-0 run to win 69-66 in a pivotal early-season matchup between two teams that hope to contend for the league championship.

Florida Atlantic (9-6, 1-1), which had scored more than 100 points in three of its past five games, settled for its lowest total since November. Leading scorer Devin Vanterpool hit his first shot from the floor and never made another, finishing 1 for 8 while committing four of the Owls’ 18 turnovers.

“Our defense was really good, and it has been all year,” Tulane coach Ron Hunter said. “We don’t want to talk about being the best defensive team in the league. We want to actually show it, and the last seven minutes of the game our defense was incredible.”

Point guard Rowan Brumbaugh’s steal at the 1:53 mark gave the Wave the ball with a 66-65 deficit, leading to his tying free throw. A contested Florida Atlantic pass landed in the backcourt for a violation with 1:13 left, setting up Asher Woods’ goahead 3-point play 17 seconds later.

Brumbaugh then swiped a ball away from FAU’s Kanaan Carlyle that Woods corralled.

After an empty Tulane possession, the Owls’ Xander Pintelon missed a would-be tying 3 that went out of bounds off Brumbaugh’s hand with 2.5 seconds left. Given one final chance, Carlyle lost control of the ball on an inbounds pass that went directly to Tulane’s Tyler Ringgold standing in front of him as time ran out.

Brumbaugh paced the Wave with 20 points despite hitting only two of his eight 3-point attempts.

Woods scored 13 of his 16 in the second half, but his decisive basket reflected the difficulty both teams had scoring late. Vanterpool blocked his driving attempt

before Woods caught it in front of the rim and laid it in while being fouled.

“I thought I got fouled initially, but I just tried to keep playing through it when the whistle wasn’t there,” Woods said. “We knew the game was going to come down to stops. We hung our hat on that today.”

This one was tight from start to finish. Tulane led 16-9 early, getting 3s from Scotty Middleton, Ringgold, Brumbaugh and Curtis Williams for its first 12 points, but the rest of the game was not pretty offensively. Neither team hit a 3 in the second half until Carlyle connected on a pull-up with 6:53 left that Woods answered immediately with his own trey.

FAU led for the last 4:33 of the first half and most of the second half, taking its largest lead, 5346, on Maxim Logue’s dunk off a steal from Brumbaugh with 8:45 left.

Points were hard to come by the rest of the way, with reserve Tulane center Percy Daniels blocking one 3-point attempt out of bounds while also controlling the paint. The Wave outscored the Owls by 12 in his 16 minutes on the court, and he even scored five points in a quick stretch during the second half — well above his average of 1.5.

“Percy was a monster,” Hunter said. “I don’t know how many baskets they scored when he was in the game.”

One hoop Daniels allowed came on an incredibly difficult attempt by FAU guard Isaiah Elohim, who challenged him with a baseline drive and shot the ball on his way down to tie the score at 60. Vanterpool followed with four free throws, but Middleton drained a huge 3 to pull the Wave within 66-65 at the 2:16 mark.

It was reminiscent of the dagger trey he sank late in Tulane’s 79-70 win at East Carolina on Wednesday.

Tulane plays at Texas-San Antonio next Saturday with a chance to reach 3-0 in league play for the first time since 1996-97 in Conference USA. Just getting to 2-0 was huge in Hunter’s eyes.

“We needed to have this win,” he said. “Florida Atlantic’s not going to lose many games at home.”

BY MARK ROSNER Associated Press

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By CAMDEN HALL

Vanderbilt guard Mikayla Blakes attempts to dribble past LSU guard Jada Richard during the first half on Sunday in Nashville, Tenn.

“These five games are as tough a bunch of games in a row that I think I’ve ever coached in. We know what we face, and we gotta keep working.

Gotta get better.”

the shorter, more athletic forward ZaKiyah Johnson — a freshman who started 10 of LSU’s 14 nonconference contests. Senior transfer Amiya Joyner remained in the other forward spot.

LSU has now dropped back-toback games for just the fourth time since Mulkey’s tenure began in 2021.

Things won’t get much easier for the Tigers in the next couple of weeks of SEC play. They’ll next KIM MULKEy, LSU coach face Georgia Thursday on the road, then return to the Pete Marathrows. vich Assembly Center for a showIn the waning seconds of the down with No. 2 Texas on Sunday fourth, officials did not see before going back on the road to Blakes step out of bounds when take on No. 8 Oklahoma on Jan. 18.

LSU trapped her near halfcourt.

“These five games are as tough The ball should’ve gone to the Ti- a bunch of games in a row that gers, who were down 64-61, but I think I’ve ever coached in,” Blakes instead ended up at the Mulkey said. “We know what we free-throw line, where she iced face, and we gotta keep working. the win for the Commodores.

Gotta get better.”

Mulkey used a new starting lineup on Sunday. She gave Fulwiley Email Reed Darcey at reed. her first start of the season — and darcey@theadvocate.com. just the fourth of her career — in For more LSU sports updates, place of Richard. In the front- sign up for our newsletter at court, she swapped the Koval for theadvocate.com/lsunewsletter

AUSTIN, Texas — Jordan Lee scored 17 points, including a clutch layup and free throw late in the game, helping No. 2 Texas hold off a big rally by No. 15 Mississippi for a 67-64 win Sunday.

Texas (17-0, 2-0 Southeastern Conference) led by 19 early in the third quarter and by 15 at the end of the period. But Cotie McMahon scored 12 of her 19 points in the fourth quarter for Mississippi (14-3, 1-1), and Latasha Lattimore had eight of her 17 in the final period, giving the Rebels a chance.

Unfortunately for Ole Miss McMahon missed two free throws with 4.3 seconds left. Rori Harmon then missed a pair from the line for Texas with one second remaining, and McMahon’s long 3-point shot bounced off the rim as the game ended.

The Longhorns are off to their best start since 1985-86, when they were NCAA champions, finishing 34-0. Texas has won 35 straight home games. The Longhorns are 5-0 this season against teams ranked in the Associated Press top 15 at the time of the games.

Texas showed some resolve after blowing the big lead. A jump shot by Madison Booker (15 points) put Texas ahead by five with three minutes remain-

AP PHOTO By RODOLFO GONZALEZ

Ole Miss guard Kaitlin Peterson is squeezed between Texas guards Jordan Lee and Rori Harmon during the first half of a game on Sunday in Austin, Texas.

ing. Lee made her layup and free throw at the 2:25 mark, and Ashton Judd spun inside for a basket while getting fouled, her three-point play coming with 1:38 left.

Mississippi hit 8 of 13 shots from the field in the fourth quarter and committed just one turnover. Texas contributed to the Rebels’ comeback by missing 8 of 13 shots while committing six turnovers and seven fouls.

Harmon had 10 assists in the game for Texas, but she committed five turnovers, including two in the fourth quarter. Harmon had 62 assists and only three turnovers in her previous seven games.

SPORTS

24/7

4B ■ Monday, January 5, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

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FALCONS 19, SAINTS 17

BY THE NUMBERS

SAINTS NOTEBOOK

Atlanta 19, New Orleans 17 New Orleans 0 7 3 7 — 17 Atlanta 7 3 3 6 — 19 First Quarter Atl— D.London 15 pass from Cousins (Gonzalez kick), 3:02. Drive: 2 plays, 5 yards, 00:16. Atlanta 7, New Orleans 0.

Second Quarter Atl—FG Gonzalez 40, 10:19. Drive: 8 plays, 31 yards, 3:54. Key Plays: Cousins 11 pass to D.London on 3rd-and-5; B.Robinson 12 run.

Atlanta 10, New Orleans 0.

NO—Shough 1 run (Smyth kick), 4:31. Drive: 11 plays, 65 yards, 5:48. Key Plays: Shough 11 pass to Austin; Shough 19 pass to Estime on 3rd-and-6; Shough 22 pass to Pettis.

Atlanta 10, New Orleans 7.

Third Quarter Atl—FG Gonzalez 51, 8:50. Drive: 6 plays, 41 yards, 2:13. Key Play: Cousins 37 pass to D.London. Atlanta 13, New Orleans 7.

NO—FG Smyth 29, 2:15. Drive: 15 plays, 56 yards, 6:35. Key Plays: Hull kick return to New Orleans 33; Shough 15 pass to Austin; Shough 6 pass to Hill on 3rd-and-10; Shough 14 pass to J.Johnson on 4th-and-4; Estime 1 run on 3rd-and-4; Shough 13 pass to Hill on 4th-and-3. Atlanta 13, New Orleans 10.

Fourth Quarter Atl—FG Gonzalez 38, 10:43. Drive: 14 plays, 45 yards, 6:32. Key Plays: Drummond kick return to Atlanta 36; Cousins 15 pass to D.London; Cousins 10 pass to Mooney on 3rd-and-10; Cousins 6 pass to Pitts on 3rdand-6. Atlanta 16, New Orleans 10.

Atl—FG Gonzalez 38, 2:52. Drive: 4 plays, 7 yards, 00:22. Key Plays: Alford 59 interception return to New Orleans 27; Allgeier 1 run on 3rd-and-4. Atlanta 19, New Orleans 10.

NO—Bell 16 pass from Shough (Smyth kick), 1:11. Drive: 8 plays, 65 yards, 1:41. Key Plays: Shough 5 pass to Estime on 3rd-and-6; Estime 2 run on 4th-and-1; Shough 26 pass to Pettis; Shough 12 pass to Pettis. Atlanta 19, New Orleans 17.

A—69,512.

NO Atl FIRST DOWNS 16 14 Rushing 5 2 Passing 10 11 Penalty 1 1 THIRD DOWN EFF 5-16 4-14 FOURTH DOWN EFF 3-3 1-1 TOTAL NET YARDS 340 208 Total Plays 65 61 Avg Gain 5.2 3.4 NET YARDS RUSHING 108 49 Rushes 26 25 Avg per rush 4.154 1.96 NET YARDS PASSING 232 159 Sacked-Yds lost 4-27 4-21 Gross-Yds passing 259 180 Completed-Att. 23-35 18-32 Had Intercepted 1 1 Yards-Pass Play 5.949 4.417 KICKOFFS-EndZone-TB 4-0-0 6-4-2 PUNTS-Avg. 5-40.6 4-57.25 Punts blocked 1 0 FGs-PATs blocked 0-0 0-0 TOTAL RETURN YARDAGE 106 158 Punt Returns 3-28 3-26 Kickoff Returns 3-78 3-73 Interceptions 1-0 1-59 PENALTIES-Yds 6-40 5-42 FUMBLES-Lost 1-1 0-0 TIME OF POSSESSION 31:19 28:41 INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS RUSHING—New Orleans, Estime 21-63, Shough 3-34, Hull 2-11. Atlanta, B.Robinson 15-33, Allgeier 7-16, Cousins 3-0.

PASSING—New Orleans, Shough 23-35-1-259.

Atlanta, Cousins 18-32-1-180.

RECEIVING—New Orleans, Pettis 5-60, Estime 5-43, Austin 4-37, Johnson 3-61, Hill 3-32, Bell 2-23, Toure 1-3. Atlanta, Pitts 6-58, D.London 4-78, Mooney 3-20, B.Robinson 3-10, Sills 1-11, Allgeier 1-3.

PUNT RETURNS—New Orleans, Pettis 2-17, Miller-Hines 1-11. Atlanta, Thompkins 3-26.

KICKOFF RETURNS—New Orleans, Hull 3-78.

Atlanta, Thompkins 2-42, Drummond 1-31.

TACKLES-ASSISTS-SACKS—New Orleans, Granderson 5-5-1.5, Taylor 4-0-0, C.Young 3-3-1.5, Jordan 3-1-1, Riley 3-1-0, McKinstry 3-0-0, Stutsman 3-0-0, D.Davis 1-5-0, Williams 1-3-0, Sanker 1-1-0, Werner 1-1-0, Boyd 1-0-0, Burgess 1-0-0, Ridgeway 0-3-0, Bullard 0-1-0, Reid 0-1-0, Rumph 0-1-0. Atlanta, Alford 5-4-0, Watts 4-3-0, Henderson 3-4-0, Street 3-1-1, Terrell 3-1-0, Elliss 2-4-0, Pearce 2-1-2, Bates 2-1-0, Deablo 1-7-0, Onyemata 1-5-0, L.London 1-3-1, Walker 1-1-0, Bryant 1-0-0, Bertrand 0-2-0, Garcia 0-2-0, Kareem 0-2-0, Floyd 0-1-0, Orhorhoro 0-1-0.

INTERCEPTIONS—New Orleans, Granderson 1-0. Atlanta, Alford 1-59.

MISSED FIELD GOALS—New Orleans, Smyth 56.

OFFICIALS—Referee Ron Torbert, Ump Barry Anderson, HL Frank LeBlanc, LJ Brian Bolinger, FJ Ryan Dickson, SJ Keith Washington, BJ Courtney Brown, Replay Kevin Stine.

SAINTS

Continued from page 1B crucial moment.”

The Falcons’ win upended the division. They were one of three teams in the NFC South to finish with an 8-9 record, meaning the division title went to the Carolina Panthers via tiebreaker. The Saints, at 6-11, finished last in the NFC South for the second consecutive season.

But even the loss and the lastplace finish could not dampen the optimism for what’s on the horizon in New Orleans, and a big part of that is because of the player who threw the interception late with the game on the line.

Consider this: Every single running back or receiver that played for the Saints in Week 18 began the season either on a practice squad or unemployed. As a group, that group of players entered Sunday’s game with a combined 408 yards from scrimmage this season — nearly half of which had come from running back Audric Estime, who initially signed to the practice squad in October.

Making matters more challenging, standout rookie left tackle Kelvin Banks left the game for good in the second quarter with an ankle injury, and jack-of-all-trades quarterback Taysom Hill, who has so often come up big against the Saints’ most hated rival, exited in the third quarter.

“It’s the journey of what an NFL season usually looks like,” said

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MIKE STEWART

Atlanta Falcons running back Tyler Allgeier carries between New Orleans Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan and safety Jonas Sanker in the first half of a game on Sunday in Atlanta.

2026 schedule is set after 4th-place finish

BY ROD WALKER, LUKE JOHNSON AND MATTHEW PARAS Staff writers

ATLANTA — The New Orleans Saints know their opponents for next season.

The Saints lost to the Atlanta Falcons 19-17 in Sunday’s season finale, meaning the Saints finished fourth in the NFC South for a second straight year.

In addition to their games against their division opponents, the NFL schedule rotation for 2026 has the Saints playing all four teams from the NFC North and AFC North.

The remaining three games are dependent on each team’s finish. Because they finished fourth, the Saints will face the fourth-place finishers from the NFC West (Arizona Cardinals), the NFC East (New York Giants) and the AFC West (Las Vegas Raiders).

The Saints are scheduled to play nine home games and eight road games next season. The NFL’s international schedule hasn’t been announced. The dates and order of games will be announced in May.

coach Kellen Moore. “You’re going to have to navigate stuff.”

Or, as Shough said, “Screw it, let’s go play, man. This is why you play football. … We want to go freakin’ win. That was the most fun I had throughout this whole week, communicating with guys — and throughout the game.”

All that was missing ended up being too much for the Saints superb rookie quarterback to overcome.

But Shough played a strong game, considering the circumstances, and he responded to his interception by breathing one last gasp of life into the Saints’ sails.

Trailing 19-10 with no timeouts and 2:52 remaining, Shough completed four of his five pass attempts for 63 yards while guiding the Saints’ hamstrung offense down the field. The last of those passes found Ronnie Bell, who entered Sunday’s game having played two offensive snaps all season, for a 16-yard touchdown to cut the lead to two.

New Orleans was not able to recover the ensuing onside kick, however, and Atlanta was able to kneel out the remainder of the game clock.

Shough finished the day completing 23 of 35 attempts for 259 yards and a touchdown, adding 34 yards and a score on the ground. He led five drives that pushed inside the Atlanta 40-yard line, but two of them finished with no points.

The offense’s struggles to cash in on its chances negated an otherwise excellent game from the Saints defense, which kept Falcons

Eighth in line The loss also locked in New Orleans’ pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.

The Saints will have the No. 8 selection after finishing 6-11 with a worse strength of schedule than any other team that could finish with that record.

If the Saints make their selection at that spot, it’ll be their highest pick since they took Sedrick Ellis at No. 7 in the 2007 draft. Last year, New Orleans picked offensive tackle Kelvin Banks at No. 9.

The draft is scheduled for April 23-25 in Pittsburgh.

Banks injured An already short-handed Saints offense lost one of its few remaining premier players early in Sunday’s game.

Banks hobbled off the field in the second quarter with an ankle injury. After a brief examination in the injury tent on the Saints’ sideline, Banks rode a cart back to the Saints locker room. The team ruled him out for the remainder of the game during the halftime break.

After the game, Saints coach Kellen Moore said he didn’t believe Banks’ injury came with any longterm concerns.

Banks, the No. 9 overall pick in this season’s draft, had turned in an impressive rookie season to that point. He was replaced in the lineup by Asim Richards.

About the only regulars the Saints had in the lineup Sunday were quarterback Tyler Shough, tight end Juwan Johnson and the regular starting offensive line. New Orleans went into the game without any of the receivers or running backs that it opened the 2025 season with.

Haener active

The Saints had a different backup quarterback for Sunday’s season finale.

Spencer Rattler was among the team’s inactives for Sunday’s game against the Atlanta Falcons after missing practice all week with a right finger injury. In Rattler’s place, Jake Haener served as Shough’s primary backup after New Orleans elevated him from the practice squad on Saturday.

Rare company Rattler started the first eight Cam Jordan wrapped up his superb games of the season before being 2025 season with another sack, benched for Shough, who made putting him in some elite histori- his ninth start of the season. cal company.

With his first-quarter sack of Kirk Odds and ends Cousins, Jordan notched his sevThe Falcons outscored the enth career season with at least Saints 7-0 in the first quarter 10 sacks. In doing so, he became Sunday, putting a bow on what the first player to notch a season has been a bad statistic for the with 10-plus sacks at age 36 or Saints all season long. They older since 2017, when Julius Pep- finished the regular season bepers did it. ing outscored 122-29 in the first He became the eighth player quarter. Their 29 first-quarter to record 10 or more sacks in a points this season … Johnson season at age 36 or older since became the second tight end in sacks became an official statistic Saints history to record at least in 1982. Of the previous seven to 75 catches in a single season, do it, six are Hall of Famers — joining Jimmy Graham, who topped Peppers, Michael Strahan, Bruce Smith, that mark in four straight seaReggie White, Chris Doleman and Kevin sons.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By DANNy KARNIK

Saints wide receiver Ronnie Bell catches a pass for a touchdown during the second half against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. star running back Bijan Robinson in check and harassed Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins.

Robinson came into the game as the NFL’s yards from scrimmage leader, averaging 140.9 yards per game over the first 16 games.

Against the Saints on Sunday, he turned his 15 carries into just 33 yards and three catches into 10 yards.

Greene.

“Just relentless effort in the run game,” Moore said. “... Really special performance by those guys; it took all 11 (players).”

Robinson’s 43 total yards from scrimmage were the third-lowest single-game total of his career.

With Robinson bottled up, the Saints turned their defensive front loose on Cousins. Chase Young, Cam Jordan and Carl Grander-

son combined for four sacks, and Granderson added a diving interception on a screen pass. When the Saints weren’t dropping Cousins behind the line of scrimmage, they were making things tough on the back end, and Cousins completed just 56.3% of his passes.

“Find a way to win is the name of the game, and I think our defense put ourselves in position to do that a few times,” Jordan said.

But Atlanta took advantage of some premier opportunities.

Falcons special-teamer Jammie Robinson streaked through the heart of the Saints’ punt protection in the first quarter to block a Kai Kroeger punt. Atlanta recovered at the Saints’ 5-yard line and scored two plays later, when Cousins found a wide-open Drake London for a 15-yard touchdown.

Two other Atlanta drives started in prime field position — one near midfield after Charlie Smyth missed a 56-yard field goal, another at the Saints’ 27-yard line following Alford’s interception.

Both of those drives resulted in field goals.

The result was the 11th loss of the season for New Orleans in its first year under Moore. But despite the record and the last-place finish, the Saints ended the 2025 campaign feeling confident about which direction their organizational arrow is pointing.

“I know I’m going to give everything I have this offseason to make sure we’re in the playoffs and fighting for a Super Bowl next year,” Shough said.

The Advocate ■ theadvocate.com ■ Monday, January 5, 2026 ■ 5B

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FALCONS 19, SAINTS 17 THREE AND OUT: ROD WALKER’S TOP THREE TAKEAWAyS FROM THE SAINTS’ SEASON FINALE LOSS

1

SHOUGH’S THE MAN Five weeks from now, the NFL will announce the winners of the postseason awards. That includes, of course, the Offensive Rookie of the year. I don’t know if Saints quarterback Tyler Shough will win it, but he sure made a strong case for himself. Shough finished the year completing 221 of 327 passes for 2,384 yards and 10 touchdowns (6 interceptions). Even more impressive is what he did Sunday (23-35, 259, 1 TD, 1 INT) with a receiving corps consisting of the likes of Kevin Austin, Dante Pettis and Ronnie Bell. This is a game the Saints had no business even being in. Shough gave them a legitimate chance in a game that wasn’t decided until the final minute.

2

GAME BALLS Kellen Moore likes to give out game balls.The Saints didn’t win Sunday, but Brandon Staley deserves a game ball.The best decision Moore made when hired was getting Staley to come to New Orleans to run his defense.When the offense struggled, Staley’s defense played well enough to give the Saints a chance. Staley’s unit did enough for the Saints to win Sunday, holding the Falcons to just 19 points (one TD and four field goals).And since Moore doesn’t mind giving out more than one game ball, you have to give one to defensive ends Chase young, Carl Granderson and Cam Jordan.young missed the first five games, but was the Saints’ best defensive player this year.

3

THAT’S A WRAP Let’s start with the bad news. For the fifth consecutive season, the Saints will miss the playoffs.And for the fourth time in five years, the Saints (6-11) finished with a losing record.They finished fourth in the NFC South.The good news? Nobody, coming into the season, thought the Saints had a chance to finish with a winning record anyway.The Saints falling just short of finishing on a five-game winning streak after a 1-8 start says a lot for Moore. Mickey Loomis and the Saints have plenty to do this offseason to make this roster better. But one of the main objectives this season was to see if they had their quarterback of the future on the roster.They do.

Saints ruin Bucs’ playoff hopes ‘Unique’ situation put NFC South’s fate in Saints-Falcons hands

Sept. 7

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20-13

Sept. 14

L

26-21

Sept. 21

L

44-13

Sept. 28

L

31-19

BY MATTHEW PARAS Staff writer

ATLANTA — In a span of two months, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers went from seeing their general manager roast New Orleans Saints defensive end Cam Jordan online to watching several players — including their quarterback — openly admit they’d be rooting for the black and gold to help get them into the playoffs.

The NFC South was on the line Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. But not for the teams playing in it.

In the end, the Carolina Panthers prevailed as the division champs, thanks to New Orleans’ 19-17 loss to the Atlanta Falcons to conclude the season.

Carolina made the postseason despite finishing below .500 and losing Saturday’s contest to Tampa Bay because they held a three-way tiebreaker over the Buccaneers and Falcons after each team ended up with an 8-9 record.

The stakes heading into the game were clear: Carolina needed Atlanta to win. Tampa Bay needed New Orleans.

The dynamic created an unusual situation for the players involved.

“It was really unique,” Saints safety Justin Reid said, laughing. “This is the first time in my career where we played a game that it decides the fate of two other teams in the same division.

“I thought it might have been fun to ruin the Panthers’ day three times in one year, you know what I mean? But hey, it is what it is.”

Here’s how unique it was: Sunday’s crowd featured small pockets of fans wearing Panthers and Buccaneers jerseys, cheering when the results went their way. On the Fox broadcast, the game’s producers would cut to patrons’ reactions at bars in Charlotte and Tampa.

A day earlier, an unidentified Tampa Bay player even yelled, “Tyler Shough!” as linebacker Lavonte David broke down the team’s huddle after beating the Panthers. The Buccaneers understood that their postseason hopes would rest on the rookie quarterback.

It was ironic that Tampa Bay even

RESULTS

Oct. 5

W

26-14

Oct. 12

L

25-19

Oct. 19

L

26-14

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By DANNy KARNIK

Saints defensive end Chase young wraps up Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins in the first half on Sunday in Atlanta. found itself in this position. On Oct. 26, after a 23-3 win over New Orleans improved his team to 6-2, Bucs general manager Jason Licht tweeted an old clip of Jordan insisting Tampa Bay would “probably go back to where Tampa Bay has been” following Tom Brady’s retirement, spliced with a screenshot of the defensive end’s unproductive box score from that game.

At the time, Tampa Bay seemed to be well on its way to winning the division for a record fifth straight time.

Since then? The Buccaneers lost seven of their last nine games.

“Never thought I’d see a day where I’m rooting for the Saints,” David told reporters, according to ESPN. Jordan, too, was among those who provided Tampa Bay a glimmer of hope as Sunday’s game unfolded. The 36-year-old recorded a sack, giving him 101/ 2 for the season, and New Orleans’ defensive line created enough havoc to keep the Saints in the game, even when they fell behind in a 10-0

hole early. Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins took four sacks.

But the Saints, who beat the Panthers twice in the regular season, couldn’t ruin Carolina’s season for a third time.

Shough, throwing to a depleted supporting cast, committed a costly interception that set up Atlanta’s ultimately game-sealing field goal with 2:57 left in the fourth.

Still, the rookie did his best to make the Panthers uncomfortable. After that turnover, Shough responded with a 16yard touchdown strike to wide receiver Ronnie Bell — who made a spectacular one-handed catch with his left hand.

“They would have been really nervous if we had got that onside (kick),” Bell said.

Bell and several others said the NFC South implications didn’t necessarily push the Saints to play harder. The rivalry of Falcons-Saints sells itself, they said, and there’s always motivation in chasing a win. Reid, though, was disappointed that New Orleans couldn’t get

the “two for one” by ruining Carolina’s season and ending Atlanta’s year on a down note.

Ruining Tampa Bay’s playoff chances provided no comfort, he said.

As a result of their loss, the Saints finished fourth in the division at 6-11.

But remarkably, New Orleans and Atlanta might have been the ones playing for the NFC South if a game or two had gone its way. The Falcons closed the year on a four-game winning streak, while New Orleans rebounded from a 1-8 start and also rattled off four straight wins before that streak was snapped Sunday.

“All I can say is they got lucky,” defensive end Carl Granderson said. “Everybody got lucky. If we would have won an extra game back then, then it would have been a different turnout.

But good luck to them guys.

“But next year, we’ll see ’em again.”

Email Matthew Paras at matt. paras@theadvocate.com

Oct. 26

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23-3

Nov. 2

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34-10

Nov. 9

17-7 W Nov. 23

L

24-10

Nov. 30

DUNCAN

one that started 1-8, and the one that finished 5-3.

Continued from page 1B Ultimately, the Saints won only one more game than they did in 2024, but the vibes around the team and the perception of the organization are they were undermanned and overdramatically different than a year ago matched in terms of talent and per— night-and-day different. sonnel. The offense was reduced to “There’s a lot to be excited about,” rookie quarterback Tyler Shough, said Davis, who then rattled off the Juwan Johnson and a collection of names of nearly every young player castoffs and street free agents. And on the roster, starting with Shough. they even lost prized rookie left tack“(We’re) heading into the offseason le Kelvin Banks to injury early in the with a lot of momentum. What you game. And yet, they still managed to have is no longer ‘potential,’ but you push the Falcons to the limit. have guys who are answering the call It wasn’t always pretty or perfect, and becoming who they were projectbut they played with intensity and ed to be. When you have all that hapenthusiasm for four quarters despite pening at one time, it’s a good thing.” unfavorable odds and circumstances.

The Saints entered the season with The effort was evident, even if the innumerable questions. They had execution wasn’t always there to the most inexperienced quarterback match it. room in the league, and their roster “Screw it, let’s go play,” Shough said was widely viewed as the worst in the when asked about his mindset entering NFL. But in the end, they exceeded Sunday’s game without seven offenthe expectations of most analysts and sive starters. “Who cares what people pundits, including yours truly. And are saying? This is why you play footASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By DANNy KARNIK along the way, they found answers ball. (It was) an unbelievable job of Saints quarterback Tyler Shough, left, celebrates a touchdown with offensive to questions at the game’s most imeverybody stepping up. Credit to our tackle Asim Richards during the first half against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday portant spots: quarterback and head guys for showing up and battling.” coach. For those reasons alone, the Granted, these aren’t the Boy season was a win. for this organization,” veteran linefalling to 2-10 in Week 13. Instead, Scouts. No one awards participation In Shough and Moore, the Saints they played their best football of the backer Demario Davis said. “I love trophies in the NFL. The players are have a promising young battery to paid handsomely to do their jobs. But season down the stretch and finished the coaches they brought in and the build around. They have altered the culture that has been established.” the season with four wins in their the reality is, teams often pack it in perception and the trajectory of the All things considered, it might be once they are eliminated from playoff final five games. That’s a credit to entire franchise. A future that once contention. See: Las Vegas, Tennessee the culture established by the team’s the best six-win season in franchise looked hopeless now seems hopeful. history. The glass certainly felt halfleaders, head coach Kellen Moore and New York (Jets) as examples.

And their days of playing spoilers in and his staff. It’s also a positive sign full after the way the season ended.

And it would have been easy for the NFC South just might be a thing Indeed, it felt like the Saints were for the future. the Saints to follow suit. They could “There’s a lot to be optimistic about two different teams this season — the of the past. have easily folded their tents after

L

21-17

Dec. 7

W

24-20

Dec. 14

W

20-17

Dec. 21

29-6 W

Dec. 28

W

34-26

Jan. 4

L

19-17

6B ■ Monday, January 5, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

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NFL ROUNDUP

Streaking Jaguars clinch AFC South title

By The Associated Press JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Trevor Lawrence’s teammates gave him a light-hearted present in the locker room after the quarterback broke the franchise record for total touchdowns in a season and led the Jacksonville Jaguars to the AFC South title: a diamond-covered mouth grille.

Lawrence gladly slipped it into place and posed for pictures, mimicking an AI-generated image that went viral weeks ago. It seemed to fit perfectly alongside championship hats and T-shirts.

Lawrence threw three touchdown passes, breaking the club’s single-season mark for total scores, and the Jaguars earned a home playoff game with a 41-7 drubbing of Tennessee on Sunday. It was the most lopsided outcome in series history.

And now Lawrence has some mouth jewelry to remember the occasion.

“Pretty funny,” Lawrence said.

“It’s just been awesome this year with the team and just how close we are.”

The Jaguars (13-4) clinched their third division title in nine years, swept the Titans (3-14) for the third time in four seasons and topped a dozen wins for just the second time in the team’s 31-year history.

BROWNS 20, BENGALS 18: In Cincinnati, Myles Garrett set the NFL’s single-season record with his 23rd sack and Shedeur Sanders led a late scoring drive that was capped by Andre Szmyt’s 49-yard field goal as time expired to help the Cleveland Browns rally for a victory over the Cincinnati Bengals in the season finale.

Garrett sacked Joe Burrow with 4:09 remaining in the fourth quarter for the record-setting sack, surpassing the 221/2 by Michael Strah-

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JOHN RAOUX

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence runs the ball past Tennessee Titans outside linebackers Truman Jones, left, and Jaylen Harrell, far right, on Sunday in Jacksonville, Fla. an and T.J. Watt. Burrow was in the shotgun formation on first-and-10 at the Browns 45-yard line.

VIKINGS 16, PACKERS 3: In Minneapolis, J.J. McCarthy had a productive first half before he was injured again, fullback C.J. Ham rushed for a short touchdown, and the Minnesota Vikings finished a frustrating season by beating the resting Green Bay Packers.

GIANTS 34, COWBOYS 17: In East Rutherford, New Jersey, New York Giants owner John Mara got a seasonending gift from his team three months into his cancer treatment.

Mara got a game ball in an emotional locker room scene after the

Giants beat the rival Dallas Cowboys to finish their lost season on a two-game winning streak.

RAMS 37, CARDINALS 20: In Inglewood, California, Matthew Stafford passed for 259 yards and threw two of his four touchdown passes to Colby Parkinson, and the Los Angeles Rams secured the No. 5 seed in the NFC playoffs with a victory over the Arizona Cardinals.

Tyler Higbee returned from injury with five receptions for 91 yards and a key fourth-quarter TD for the Rams (12-5), who will visit the NFC South champion Carolina Panthers (8-9) in the wild-card round.

RAIDERS 14, CHIEFS 12: In Las Vegas,

Daniel Carlson made a career-long 60-yard field goal with eight seconds left to give Las Vegas a victory over the Kansas City Chiefs and end the Raiders’ 10-game losing streak.

Carlson and Kansas City’s Harrison Butker each made four field goals, with Butker hitting a 41-yarder with 1:01 left to give the Chiefs a short-lived 12-11 lead.

COMMANDERS 24, EAGLES 17: In Philadelphia, the Eagles’ backup plan backfired, and the Super Bowl champions will start their postseason defense of the title as the No. 3 seed in the NFC. With Jalen Hurts, Saquon Bark-

ley and most key Eagles starters sitting out even with playoff seeding at stake, the Washington Commanders got fourth-quarter passing and rushing touchdowns from Josh Johnson to beat Philadelphia.

PATRIOTS 38, DOLPHINS 10: In Foxborough, Massachusetts, Rhamondre Stevenson ran for two touchdowns and caught another from MVP contender Drake Maye, and the New England Patriots completed their remarkable turnaround season with a win over the Miami Dolphins.

Stevenson rushed seven times for 131 yards as New England posted its first sweep of the Dolphins since the 2016 season. TreVeyon Henderson added touchdown runs of 2 and 5 yards.

LIONS 19, BEARS 16: In Chicago, Jared Goff led five scoring drives, Jake Bates kicked a 42-yard field goal as time expired and the Detroit Lions regrouped to beat the NFC North champion Chicago Bears after blowing a 16-point lead in the fourth quarter.

The Bears (11-6) stumbled into the playoffs with back-to-back losses, though they secured the No. 2 seed in the NFC with Washington beating Philadelphia. Chicago will host Green Bay in a wild-card game next week and would have homefield advantage in the divisional round if it beats the Packers.

BRONCOS 19, CHARGERS 3: In Denver, the Denver Broncos secured the AFC’s top playoff seed with a win over the Los Angeles Chargers’ bevy of backups, a victory fueled

by Ja’Quan McMillian’s 45-yard interception return for a touchdown.

Wil Lutz was 4-for-4 on field goals as the Broncos (14-3) tied their franchise record for most victories in a season and earned their first No. 1 playoff seed since 2015, which they parlayed into a third Super Bowl title.

Panthers win the NFC South thanks to help from Falcons

BY ROB MAADDI

AP pro football writer

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ASHLEy LANDIS

Houston Texans defensive tackle Tommy Togiai, left, celebrates his touchdown against the Indianapolis Colts with head coach Demeco Ryans, right, during a game on Sunday in Houston.

Texans clinch No. 5 seed in AFC playoffs with win

BY KRISTIE RIEKEN AP sportswriter

HOUSTON — The playoff-bound Houston Texans got their starters some rest on Sunday and the backups helped them get another win.

C.J. Stroud accounted for two touchdowns before sitting down at halftime and Ka’imi Fairbairn made a go-ahead field goal with 12 seconds left to lift the Texans to a 38-30 win over the Indianapolis Colts that extended their winning streak to nine games.

The victory gives the Texans (12-5) the No. 5 seed in the AFC playoffs.

Defensive tackle Tommy Togiai scooped up a fumble on the final play and returned it 17 yards for a touchdown to pad the lead.

The Texans clinched a third straight postseason berth last week and they had a chance to win the AFC South with a victory and a Jacksonville loss. But with the Jaguars up big over the Titans at halftime, coach DeMeco Ryans opted to rest quarterback Stroud, defensive stars Will Anderson Jr., Danielle Hunter, Derek Stingley and several other starters after the break.

Houston is the fifth team since 1990 to open a season 0-3 and reach the playoffs and the first team to do it twice after the 2018 Texans also achieved the feat.

“Our guys were able to accomplish a lot of great things,” Ryans said. “No matter how dim it looked to start the season, I’m proud our guys for continue to battle every single week and finding a way to win games. Now we finish on a high note to win against a really good team.”

Stingley said the mindset that got them where they are now was

a simple one.

“We treated every game like it was a playoff game,” he said.

“So that’s how we went on our streak.”

The Colts led 30-29 after a field goal with about 21/2 minutes to go before Fairbairn’s 43-yard kick put the Texans on top 32-30 and gave him a career-high six field goals in the game.

“We can’t be where we are right now without (Fairbairn) and what he’s been doing,” Ryans said.

Rookie Riley Leonard had 270 yards passing with two TDs and he ran for another score. But he also lost a fumble and threw an interception in his first NFL start after the 44-year-old Philip Rivers started the past three games for the Colts after coming out of retirement.

“I learned that he can definitely play in this league for a long time,” coach Shane Steichen said of Leonard. “To go out and do it against the top defense like he did was pretty impressive. He’s a competitor.”

It’s the seventh straight loss for the Colts (8-9), who were eliminated from postseason contention with Houston’s win last week.

“It was frustrating,” Steichen said. “The last half of this season, for sure. That’s what it’s been — not finding ways to finish. We’ve got to work tirelessly on getting that fixed.”

Stroud had an 11-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter and added a 2-yard run in the period to put the Texans up 20-10.

The Texans trailed 27-26 early in the fourth when Alijah Huzzie picked off Leonard to give them great field position. They failed to move the ball and settled for a 44-yard field goal to take a 2927 lead.

The Carolina Panthers are NFC South champions for the first time in 10 years.

The Panthers (8-9) clinched the division title when the Falcons beat the Saints 19-17 on Sunday to eliminate the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Led by second-year coach Dave Canales and third-year quarterback Bryce Young, the Panthers are the NFC’s No. 4 seed and will host either the Rams (11-5) or 49ers (12-5). It’s their first playoff appearance under owner David Tepper and first since 2017, when they lost a wild-card game two years after they went 15-1 and lost the Super Bowl.

The Buccaneers (8-9) beat Carolina on Saturday to stay alive for an extra day but lost a three-team tiebreaker with the Falcons also finishing 8-9. Tampa Bay started 6-2 before losing seven of nine, failing to win its fifth straight division title.

The Jacksonville Jaguars won the AFC South with a 41-7 rout of Tennessee. Rookie coach Liam Coen and Trevor Lawrence led the Jaguars to a 13-4 record, a major turnaround after going 4-13 in 2024.

The road to the Super Bowl in the NFC goes through Seattle.

The Seahawks secured the No. 1 seed and won the NFC West with a 13-3 victory over the San Francisco 49ers on Saturday night in a showdown that had major ramifications. The 49ers could have won the division but instead will be the No. 5 or 6 seed.

While Sam Darnold and the Seahawks (14-3) earned a first-round bye, Brock Purdy, Christian McCaffrey and the injury-depleted 49ers missed an opportunity to play at home the rest of the way. Levi’s Stadium, which is San Francisco’s home field, hosts the Super Bowl on Feb. 8.

Thirteen of the 14 playoff berths have been secured. The AFC’s No. 1 seed is still up for grabs and there’s a winner-take-all game for the AFC North between the Ravens and Steelers to wrap up the regular season.

The Broncos (13-3), Patriots (133), Jaguars (13-4), Texans (12-5), Chargers (11-5) and Bills (11-5) have secured playoff spots in the AFC. The Seahawks (14-3), Bears (115), Eagles (11-5), Panthers, Rams (11-4), 49ers (12-5) and Packers (96-1) are heading to the NFC playoffs.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By CHRIS O’MEARA

Carolina Panthers wide receiver Jalen Coker reacts after his touchdown catch over Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Benjamin Morrison during a game on Saturday in Tampa, Fla.

NOTEBOOK Raiders LAS VEGAS SECURES NO. 1 OVERALL PICK IN NFL DRAFT: The Las Vegas Raiders will pick first in this year’s NFL draft after the New York Giants defeated the Dallas Cowboys 34-17 on Sunday.

The Giants’ victory assured that the Raiders, who were 2-14 entering their Sunday home game against the Kansas City Chiefs, would have the worst record.

If the Giants (4-13) had lost to Dallas, Las Vegas only would have secured the top pick with a loss to the Chiefs. New York’s victory made that outcome irrelevant for the Raiders as it relates to the draft.

This is just the second time the Raiders have had the top pick. The then-Oakland Raiders selected quarterback JaMarcus Russell out of LSU with the No. 1 choice in 2007. He became one of the franchise’s top draft busts.

Falcons ATLANTA FIRES COACH MORRIS AND GM FONTENOT: The Raheem Morris era is over in Atlanta.

The Falcons fired Morris as their head coach Sunday,

just after concluding his second consecutive 8-9 season.

Also fired was general manager Terry Fontenot, whose tenure will be remembered for taking two big swings for quarterbacks by signing Kirk Cousins and drafting Michael Penix, and missing on both those big swings.

Morris was hired by the Falcons two years ago in the hopes that he could turn around a franchise that hasn’t had a winning record since 2017, but he kept the Falcons where they always seem to be, mired in mediocrity.

Morris now has an overall record of 36-56 as a head coach, which includes the last two seasons in Atlanta, three seasons as head coach of the Buccaneers, and a previous stint as the Falcons’ interim head coach in 2020.

It seems unlikely that Morris will get another shot at a head coaching job.

Now the Falcons will begin a search for a new head coach and GM, who will inherit a roster that has plenty of talent, but also has a large question mark at quarterback. Until a general manager gets the quarterback situation figured out, it’s going to be hard for any coach to win in Atlanta.

The Advocate ■ theadvocate.com ■ Monday, January 5, 2026 ■ 7B

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Murphy’s big night not enough to beat Heat Pels forward breaks franchise record in sixth consecutive loss

BY ROD WALKER

Staff writer

As Trey Murphy was shooting his way into the franchise record book Sunday, the New Orleans Pelicans were busy shooting themselves in the foot.

Murphy became the franchise’s all-time leader in 3-pointers Sunday, surpassing CJ McCollum.

But it wasn’t enough to stop a sloppy Pelicans performance that led to a 125-106 setback to the Miami Heat at Kaseya Center.

It was the seventh consecutive loss for the Pelicans (8-29). The losing streak has included losses where the Pelicans struggled with rebounding or couldn’t make free throws. In this loss, it was turnovers that did the Pels in.

The Pelicans committed 17 of their 26 turnovers in the first half and trailed 70-62 at the break. The Heat (20-16) then outscored the Pels 23-15 in the third quarter to stretch the lead to 93-77.

“The turnovers cost us,” said Pelicans interim coach James Borrego. “That was the game. Some of that was carelessness. Some of that was their aggression. Some of that was rim decisions. Paint decisions. … We’ve got to be bet-

numbers. I’m proud of him. He’s fantastic and keeps growing every year and adding to his game. He’s tremendous and deserves all the credit for that.”

Murphy knocked down a seasonhigh seven 3-pointers in the game on 15 attempts. He finished with 27 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Miami’s Norman Powell was even hotter, making 9 of 12 treys to finish with a game-high 34 points.

The Pelicans are allowing an average of 127.1 points per game during the losing streak that started when defensive stopper Herb Jones suffered an ankle injury that has sidelined him.

Derik Queen, who also returned after missing Friday’s game, scored 13 points to go with six rebounds. Williamson, who had scored at least 30 points in each of the last three games, finished with 12 points on 6 of 10 shooting. Those were the only three Pels in double figures.

“They made it tough on him at the rim,” Borrego said about WilASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By REBECCA BLACKWELL liamson’s night. “We’ll try to do a Pelicans forward Trey Murphy charges forward between Miami Heat forward Andrew Wiggins, left, and guard better job of opening up the floor and getting him some easy looks.

Davion Mitchell during a game on Sunday in Miami.

He’s been tremendous during this ter there. The challenge for us missing Friday’s game against the the half on an assist from Zion run, and I expect him to bounce defensively is present enough. We Portland Trail Blazers with a back Williamson. Murphy, in his fifth back Tuesday night.”

The Pelicans will try to end their don’t need to help our opponents injury, needed just two quarters to season, needed just 285 games to set the record. seven-game losing streak Tuesday by turning it over and giving them rewrite the record book.

“He deserves a ton of credit,” when they host the Los Angeles Murphy tied McCollum’s record easy ones.”

Miami scored 31 points off turn- of 692 3-pointers with 3:58 left in Borrego said. “He’s put the work Lakers. overs, enough to ruin Murphy’s the second quarter on an assist in. He’s a tremendous worker. He’s from Jordan Poole. He broke the going to have a wonderful career Email Rod Walker at rwalker@ record-breaking night.

Murphy, who returned after record with 39.8 seconds left in here. He’s already put up some big theadvocate.com.

SCOREBOARD Odds College Football Fiesta Bowl Glendale, Ariz.

FAVORITE OPEN TODAY O/U UNDERDOG Miami (FL) 3 3½ (51½) Ole Miss

Friday

Peach Bowl Atlanta FAVORITE OPEN TODAY O/U UNDERDOG Indiana 4 4 (46½) Oregon

NBA Monday

FAVORITE LINE O/U UNDERDOG New York 2½ (235½) at DETROIT at TORONTO OFF (OFF) Atlanta at BOSTON 10½ (236) Chicago at HOUSTON OFF (OFF) Phoenix at OKLAHOMA CITY OFF (OFF) Charlotte at PHILADELPHIA OFF (OFF) Denver at LA CLIPPERS 1 (223½) Golden State at PORTLAND 5½ (243½) Utah

COLLEGE BASKETBALL Monday

FAVORITE LINE at CORNELL 1½ at OHIO STATE 1½ Milwaukee 1½ Oregon 4½ Lamar 1 Yale 9½ at PRINCETON 1½ at HARVARD 6½ at CHARLESTON (SC) 1½ at MCNEESE 10 at MICHIGAN STATE 10½

UNDERDOG Columbia Nebraska at GREEN BAY at RUTGERS at SE LOUISIANA at BROWN Pennsylvania Dartmouth William & Mary SFA USC

NHL FAVORITE at WASHINGTON at N.Y RANGERS at OTTAWA at CALGARY at LOS ANGELES

LINE -156 -127 -156 -164 -115

UNDERDOG Anaheim Utah Detroit Seattle Minnesota

LINE +132 +107 +131 +138 -105

Detroit 114, Cleveland 110 Orlando 135, Indiana 127 Brooklyn 127, Denver 115 Miami 125, New Orleans 106 Minnesota 141, Washington 115 Phoenix 108, Oklahoma City 105 Milwaukee at Sacramento, n Memphis at L.A. Lakers, n

Miami 125, New Orleans 106 NEW ORLEANS (106)

Matkovic 2-5 0-0 4, Williamson 6-10 0-0 12, Queen 5-11 3-4 13, Fears 8-13 1-2 21, Murphy III 10-19 0-0 27, Peavy 2-5 0-0 4, Missi 3-5 0-0 6, Alexander 0-0 0-0 0, Alvarado 2-7 0-0 6, Hawkins 0-1 0-0 0, McGowens 1-3 2-2 5, Poole 3-11 0-0 8. Totals 42-90 6-8 106.

MIAMI (125)

Adebayo 5-14 1-1 12, Wiggins 4-9 2-2 10, Ware 7-13 1-2 16, Mitchell 3-10 0-0 9, Powell 11-15 3-4 34, Fontecchio 0-0 0-0 0, Gardner 1-5 2-2 4, Jovic 7-16 3-4 19, Jakucionis 1-4 0-0 3, Larsson 7-15 1-3 16, Smith 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 47-102 13-18 125.

New Orleans 39 23 15 29 — 106 Miami 43 27 23 32 — 125 3-Point Goals—New Orleans 16-40 (Murphy III 7-15, Fears 4-6, Alvarado 2-6, Poole 2-6, McGowens 1-2, Hawkins 0-1, Queen 0-1, Matkovic 0-3), Miami 18-44 (Powell 9-12, Mitchell 3-6, Jovic 2-8, Jakucionis 1-2, Adebayo 1-3, Ware 1-4, Larsson 1-5, Gardner 0-2, Wiggins 0-2). Fouled Out—None. Rebounds—New Orleans 43 (Murphy III 8), Miami 43 (Ware 12).

Assists—New Orleans 28 (Poole 8), Miami 30 (Adebayo, Larsson, Mitchell 6). Total Fouls— New Orleans 14, Miami 14. A—19,600 (19,600)

NBA conference glance

Bowl glance

EASTERN CONFERENCE

College Football Playoff

L 9 12 12 15 14 16 16 17 18 20 20 23 22 25 30

Pct .743 .657 .647 .583 .576 .556 .556 .541 .486 .459 .429 .343 .333 .265 .167

GB — 3 3½ 5½ 6 6½ 6½ 7 9 10 11 14 14 16½ 20½

W Oklahoma City 30 San Antonio 25 Denver 23 Houston 21 L.A. Lakers 21 Minnesota 23 Phoenix 21 Golden State 19 Portland 16 Memphis 15 Dallas 13 L.A. Clippers 12 Utah 12 Sacramento 8 New Orleans 8

L 6 10 12 11 11 13 14 17 20 19 23 22 22 27 28

Pct .833 .714 .657 .656 .656 .639 .600 .528 .444 .441 .361 .353 .353 .229 .222

GB — 4½ 6½ 7 7 7 8½ 11 14 14 17 17 17 22 22½

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Saturday’s games

Minnesota 125, Miami 115 Toronto 134, Atlanta 117 Philadelphia 130, New York 119 Charlotte 112, Chicago 99 Portland 115, San Antonio 110

Sunday’s games EAST

New York at Detroit, 6 p.m.

Atlanta at Toronto, 6:30 p.m.

Chicago at Boston, 6:30 p.m.

Charlotte at Oklahoma City, 7 p.m.

Phoenix at Houston, 7 p.m.

Denver at Philadelphia, 7:30 p.m.

Golden State at L.A. Clippers, 9 p.m.

Utah at Portland, 9 p.m.

College football

W 26 23 22 21 19 20 20 20 17 17 15 12 11 9 6

Men’s national scores

Monday’s games

Pro basketball

Detroit New York Boston Toronto Philadelphia Orlando Miami Cleveland Chicago Atlanta Milwaukee Charlotte Brooklyn Washington Indiana

Lamar at Southeastern, 6 p.m.

Prairie View A&M at Southern, 6:30 p.m.

Stephen F. Austin at McNeese, 6:30 p.m.

NW State at Nicholls, 6:30 p.m.

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

East Texas A&M at UNO, 7 p.m.

Sunday’s games

Thursday

Monday

Monday’s games

Dallas 110, Houston 104 Boston 146, L.A. Clippers 115 Golden State 123, Utah 114

Canisius 82, Sacred Heart 78 Central Connecticut 72, New Haven 61 Delaware 67, Kennesaw State 52 Fairfield 83, Niagara 75 Marist 83, Iona 38 Mercyhurst 74, Le Moyne 60 Merrimack 73, Manhattan 66 Quinnipiac 80, Mount St Marys 69 Richmond 83, Fordham 75 Seton Hall 56, Creighton 54 Siena 74, Rider 65 St. Francis (PA) 85, Fairleigh Dickinson 82 Stonehill 69, Wagner 60 UConn 73, Marquette 57

SOUTH

Florida International 76, UTEP 64 Liberty 78, Jacksonville State 69 Middle Tennessee 68, Sam Houston 67 Murray State 86, Bradley 66 Northern Kentucky 94, Youngstown State 79 Southern Illinois 68, Belmont 67 Tulane 69, Florida Atlantic 66 UAB 109, South Florida 106, 2OT Western Kentucky 66, Louisiana Tech 61

MIDWEST

Drake 74, Indiana State 72 Missouri State 89, New Mexico State 82 Northern Iowa 62, Evansville 48 Oakland 96, Robert Morris 73 Purdue Fort Wayne 74, Cleveland State 71 St. Thomas 92, Denver 88 Valparaiso 66, UIC 59 Wright State 81, IU Indianapolis 77

SOUTHWEST

North Texas 72, Tulsa 67

FAR WEST

LIU 74, Chicago State 55 Pacific 74, Pepperdine 69 San Francisco 73, Portland 68 Santa Clara 98, San Diego 70

Women’s state scores, schedule Friday’s games

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

Saturday’s games

Quarterfinals Wednesday At Cotton Bowl, Arlington, Texas No. 10 Miami 24, No. 3 Ohio St. 14

Arkansas State 89, UL-Monroe 71 McNeese 65, Lamar 57 Northwestern State 50, Nicholls 46 Stephen F. Austin 87, Southeastern 72.

Grambling 85, Prairie View 60 Tulane 70, Wichita State 60 Southern 64, Texas Southern 45 East Texas A&M 72, UNO 63 South Alabama 81, UL 56

Thursday At Orange Bowl, Miami Gardens, Fla. No. 5 Oregon 23, No. 4 Texas Tech 0 At Rose Bowl, Pasadena, Calif.

No. 1 Indiana 38, No. 11 Alabama 3 At Sugar Bowl, New Orleans No. 6 Ole Miss 39, No. 2 Georgia 34

Sunday’s game

Monday Frisco, Texas Illinois State (12-4) vs. Montana State (13-2), 6:30 p.m., ABC

College basketball Men’s state scores, schedule Friday’s games

Joyner 2-4 0-0 4, Fulwiley 6-13 1-4 13, ZaKiyah Johnson 4-9 2-4 10, Flau’jae Johnson 0-4 0-0 0, Williams 5-11 0-0 12, Knox 0-0 0-0 0, Koval 3-7 3-3 9, Richard 5-10 2-2 13, Totals 25-58 8-13 61 Pissott 2-7 0-0 6, Washington 2-5 0-0 4, Blakes 10-25 9-12 32, Galvan 4-16 2-3 14, Mwenentanda 1-2 1-1 3, Mitchell 0-0 2-8 2, Black 0-0 0-0 0, Brown 1-2 1-2 4, Totals 20-57 15-26 65 LSU 12 16 15 18 — 61 Vanderbilt 15 7 20 23 — 65 3-Point Goals—LSU 3-7 (Fulwiley 0-1, F.Johnson 0-1, Williams 2-3, Richard 1-2), Vanderbilt 10-27 (Pissott 2-5, Blakes 3-9, Galvan 4-10, Mwenentanda 0-1, Brown 1-2).

Assists—LSU 15 (Fulwiley 6, Williams 6), Vanderbilt 12 (Blakes 4). Fouled Out—None.

Rebounds—LSU 48 (Koval 10), Vanderbilt 28 (Washington 7). Total Fouls—LSU 23, Vanderbilt 13. Technical Fouls—None. A—6,576.

Saturday’s games

Southern Miss 74, UL 67 Texas State 84, UL-Monroe 79 Texas A&M 75, LSU 72 Nicholls 80, East Texas A&M 58 Stephen F. Austin 73, Southeastern 63 Northwestern State 74, UNO 68 Grambling 76, Prairie View A&M 72 Southern 84, Texas Southern 73

Sunday’s games

Tulane 69, Florida Atlantic 66 Western Kentucky 66, Louisiana Tech 61

Alabama 77, Arkansas 48 Belmont 75, Illinois State 68 Charleston 85, Northeastern 58 Clemson 70, Miami (FL) 55 Duke 82, Notre Dame 68 Elon 84, Hampton 75 George Mason 68, VCU 58 Georgia 64, Texas A&M 56, OT Hofstra 54, UNC Wilmington 46 Kansas 83, UCF 68 Kennesaw State 78, Western Kentucky 64 Kentucky 74, Missouri 52 Louisville 85, Virginia Tech 60 Middle Tennessee 69, Jacksonville State 52 Missouri State 80, Florida International 69 Monmouth 61, North Carolina A&T 55 North Carolina State 71, California 60 Northern Kentucky 75, Detroit Mercy 57 South Carolina 74, Florida 63 Stanford 77, North Carolina 71, OT Stony Brook 73, William & Mary 57, OT Syracuse 73, Wake Forest 58 Tennessee 73, Auburn 56 Vanderbilt 65, LSU 61 Virginia 91, Florida State 87, 2OT

MIDWEST

Baylor 72, Iowa State 70 Creighton 67, Butler 59 Green Bay 64, Robert Morris 43 Marquette 85, Villanova 69 Michigan State 81, Illinois 75 Milwaukee 66, Cleveland State 58 Nebraska 78, Purdue 62 Northern Iowa 91, Southern Illinois 64 Ohio State 71, Rutgers 49 Providence 69, DePaul 59 UIC 70, Indiana State 57 West Virginia 60, Kansas State 58 Wisconsin 74, Penn State 73 Georgia Tech 67, SMU 59 Liberty 86, UTEP 66 Oklahoma 95, Mississippi State 47 Texas 67, Ole Miss 64

Pro football

Pct .647 .441 .294 .235

PF 379 471 356 381

PA 325 511 451 439

y-Carolina e-Tampa Bay e-Atlanta e-New Orleans

W 8 8 8 6

L 9 9 9 11

T 0 0 0 0

Pct .471 .471 .471 .353

PF 311 380 353 306

PA 380 411 401 383

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

W 11 9 9 9

L 6 7 8 8

T 0 1 0 0

Pct .647 .559 .529 .529

PF 441 391 344 481

PA 415 360 333 413

W L T Pct *-Seattle 14 3 0 .824 x-L.A. Rams 12 5 0 .706 x-San Francisco 12 5 0 .706 e-Arizona 3 14 0 .176 e-Eliminated from playoffs x-clinched playoff spot y-clinched division *-clinched home-field advantage

PF 483 518 437 355

PA 292 346 371 488

North

West

Saturday’s games

Tampa Bay 16, Carolina 14 Seattle 13, San Francisco 3

Sunday’s games

Atlanta 19, New Orleans 17 Cleveland 20, Cincinnati 18 Houston 38, Indianapolis 30 Jacksonville 41, Tennessee 7 Minnesota 16, Green Bay 3 N.Y. Giants 34, Dallas 17 Buffalo 35, N.Y. Jets 8 Denver 19, L.A. Chargers 3 Detroit 19, Chicago 16 L.A. Rams 37, Arizona 20 Las Vegas 14, Kansas City 12 New England 38, Miami 10 Washington 24, Philadelphia 17 Baltimore at Pittsburgh, n

At ASB Tennis Centre Auckland, New Zealand Purse: $283,347

Women’s Singles

Round of 32 Sara Bejlek, Czechia, def. Panna Udvardy, Hungary, 7-5, 6-1.

Iva Jovic (3), United States, def. Gabriela Knutson, Czechia, 4-6, 6-1, 6-0.

Women’s Doubles

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

W 14 12 7 3

L 3 5 10 14

T 0 0 0 0

Pct .824 .706 .412 .176

PF 490 481 347 300

PA 320 365 424 503

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

W 13 12 8 3

L 4 5 9 14

T 0 0 0 0

Pct .765 .706 .471 .176

PF 474 404 466 284

PA 336 295 412 478

Pittsburgh Baltimore e-Cincinnati e-Cleveland

W 9 8 6 5

L 7 8 11 12

T 0 0 0 0

Pct .563 .500 .353 .294

PF 371 400 414 279

PA 363 372 492 379

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

W 14 11 6 3

L 3 6 11 14

T 0 0 0 0

Pct .824 .647 .353 .176

PF 401 368 362 241

PA 311 340 328 432

West

T 0 1 0 0

Monday

New Mexico State 64, Delaware 57, OT Portland 74, Pacific 53 Saint Mary’s 57, San Diego 49 San Francisco 85, Loyola Marymount 82, OT Santa Clara 77, Gonzaga 73 UC San Diego 65, Hawai’i 54 Washington State 73, Seattle 69

North

L 6 9 12 13

WTA ASB Classic results

FAR WEST

South

W 11 7 5 4

Pro tennis

SOUTHWEST

AMERICAN CONFERENCE East

No. 12 Vanderbilt 65, No. 5 LSU 61

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

South

SOUTH

None scheduled.

VANDERBILT (15-0)

McNeese 82, Lamar 70 Middle Tennessee 88, Louisiana Tech 51

Campbell 62, Drexel 51 Fairleigh Dickinson 73, St. Francis (PA) 28 LIU 60, Chicago State 51 Mercyhurst 89, Le Moyne 72 New Haven 70, Central Connecticut 51 Wagner 62, Stonehill 59 Xavier 52, Georgetown 51

NFL glance

LSU (14-2)

NATIONAL CONFERENCE East

Sunday’s games EAST

Vanderbilt 65, LSU 61

Monday’s games

FCS glance Final

Women’s national scores

Round of 16 Maia Lumsden, Britain, and Isabelle Haverlag, Netherlands, def. Laura Pigossi and Ingrid Martins, Brazil, 6-2, 6-7 (1), 12-10.

Magda Linette, Poland, and Shuko Aoyama, Japan, def. Sabrina Santamaria, United States, and Qianhui Tang, China, 6-3, 7-5.

Transactions BASEBALL

Major League Baseball American League KANSAS CITY ROYALS — Agreed to terms with manager Matt Quatraro on a contract extension and with SS Michael Braswell III on a minor league contract.

HOCKEY

National Hockey League FLORIDA PANTHERS — Recalled D Tobias Björnfot from Charlotte (AHL).

SAN JOSE SHARKS — Signed F Alexander Wennberg to a three-year contract extension.

SOCCER

Major League Soccer D.C. UNITED — Signed F Gabriel Segal to a two-year contract.

SUNDAY’S FAIR GROUNDS RESULTS POST TIME: 12:45 PM Track Condition: fast

First Race — Purse $14,000, Claiming $5,000, 4 yo’s & up, One Mile

7-Regatta Bay (Castillo I.) $2.40 $2.10 $2.10 2-Hudson’s Day (Rea H.) $4.00 $3.40 6-Saucy Argument (Inirio J.) $6.40 Also Ran: Contraband Early, My Dad’s Guitar, Triple Four.

Late Scratches: Byathread Race Time: 1:40.47 Exacta (7-2) $5.60; Superfecta (7-2-6-4) $19.93; Trifecta (7-2-6) $13.00

Second Race — Purse $14,000, Claiming $5,000, 4 yo’s & up, One Mile Seventy Yards

3-Steel Venom (Castillo I.) $3.40 $2.80 $2.40 2-License to Steal (Rea H.) $8.80 $5.80 6-Crecencio (Cannon D.) $5.80 Also Ran: Lil Bro Coop, Dr. Niko.

Late Scratches: Concentration, Battleoflexington Race Time: 1:44.59 Daily Double (7-3) $2.50; Exacta (3-2) $15.30;

Superfecta (3-2-6-5) $14.96; Trifecta (3-2-6) $39.00 Claimed: Steel Venom ($5,000.00, Owner: Paw Paw Pretty Girls Racing LLC, Trainer: George Leonard III)

Third Race — Purse $54,000, Maiden special weight, 3 yo’s & up, Seven And A Half Furlongs

3-Thebabes. (Graham J.) $2.60 $2.20 $2.10 5-Global Honor (Vives S.) $10.20 $5.40 2-Victory Prince (Magnon D.) $5.80 Also Ran: Lil Central, Jus Surprise Me, Musical Band, Eskenforave and Ak, Alwaysfreaky, Temple of Peace, Metairie, Zong’s Favor.

Late Scratches: Reach for the Aces Race Time: 1:30.63 Daily Double (3-3) $3.10; Exacta (3-5) $12.00; Superfecta (3-5-2-11) $56.46; Trifecta (3-5-2) $30.70; Pic 3 (7-3-3) $1.90

Fourth Race — Purse $54,000, Maiden special weight, 4 yo’s & up, Six Furlongs

1-Miz Chris (Curtis B.) $9.60 $3.20 $3.00 2-(dh)Sister Lily (Lopez P.) $2.10 $2.40 3-(dh)Texas Queen (Conc. A.) $2.10 $2.10

Also Ran: Olympic Star, Cloud Number Nine, Relevate.

Race Time: 1:11.46 Daily Double (3-1) $9.50; Exacta (1-2) $7.50; Exacta (1-3) $7.00; Superfecta (1-2-3-4) $3.21; Superfecta (1-3-2-4) $3.14; Trifecta (1-2-3) $5.95; Trifecta (1-3-2) $5.80; Pic 3 (3-3-1) $9.05

Fifth Race — Purse $19,000, SOC $10,000-$5,000, 4 yo’s & up, One Mile

8-Roar of Silence (Loveb. J.) $5.60 $3.20 $3.00 3-True Blue Sky (Pedroza, Jr. M.) $5.00 $4.20 1-Deal’em and Weep (Murrill M.) $5.80 Also Ran: Irish Kitten, Gypsan, Desert Glow, Start Singing, All About Me, Spicy Italian, Talksalot, April’s Gem. Late Scratches: Im Singled Up, Blueberry Eyes, Berlaine, Reimagine Race Time: 1:38.03 Daily Double (1-8) $16.00; Exacta (8-3) $14.30; Superfecta (8-3-1-4) $78.15; Trifecta (8-3-1) $40.35; Pic 3 (3-1-8) $15.45; Pic 4 (1/3/4-3/121-5/6/8/14/15) $28.55; Pic 5 (3/7-1/3/4-3/121-5/6/8/14/15) $40.75 Claimed: Roar of Silence ($10,000.00, Owner:

Eduardo Rodriguez, Trainer: Eduardo Rodriguez)

Sixth Race — Purse $30,000, Maiden optional claiming $50,000, 3 yo, Six Furlongs

1-S S Radio (Concepcion A.) $7.80 $5.20 $3.60 6-Halo Music (Castillo I.) $8.20 $4.80 9-Kazoom (Lopez P.) $2.60 Also Ran: A Cab On the Rocks, Emancipation, Rudie Won’t Fail, Outlaw Empire, Awesome Magic.

Late Scratches: Straitshootinlarry, Chicanery Race Time: 1:10.38 Daily Double (8-1) $23.70; Exacta (1-6) $29.10; Superfecta (1-6-9-10) $79.12; Trifecta (1-6-9) $95.10; Pic 3 (1-8-1) $28.95

Seventh Race — Purse $22,000, Maiden Claiming $30,000, 4 yo’s & up, One And One Sixteenth Miles

9-Carc Brothers (Geo. F.) $37.60 $10.40 $5.80 8-Denizen (Lopez P.) $2.40 $2.20 2-Royal Irish (Cannon D.) $7.00

Also Ran: McGinnis, Zun Reyder, Don Pablo, Rivage, Film At Eleven, Greasepaintgroucho.

Late Scratches: Where Y’at Race Time: 1:43.14 Daily Double (1-9) $67.70; Exacta (9-8) $45.40; Superfecta (9-8-2-1) $84.93; Trifecta (9-8-2) $188.45; Pic 3 (8-1-9) $149.30

Eighth Race — Purse $54,000, Maiden special weight, 3 yo, One Mile

9-Braken Poppa (Lopez P.) $5.80 $3.40 $2.20 $9.20 $3.80 8-What’s Love (Hernandez C.) 10-Fade to Gold (Hernandez, Jr. B.) $2.10 Also Ran: Simple Spice, Our Castle Queen, Restless Mind, Stella Guitar, Rainy Day. Late Scratches: Lost Art, Sweet Aurora G, Bistineau Beauty Race Time: 1:39.97 Daily Double (9-9) $46.30; Exacta (9-8) $15.50; Superfecta (9-8-10-6) $15.23; Trifecta (9-8-10) $15.90; Pic 3 (1-9-9) $58.75; Pic 4 (5/6/8/14/15-1-9-9) $364.30; Pic 5 (1-5/6/8/14/15-1-9-9) $1,883.10; Pic 6 (3/12-15/6/8/14/15-1-9-9) $1,864.12 Handle: $0

8B ■ Monday, January 5, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

lll

ALL-METRO SWIMMING BOYS SWIMMER OF THE YEAR

GIRLS SWIMMER OF THE YEAR

STAFF FILE PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

Parkview Baptist’s Faith Kubricht smiles after winning the 50-yard freestyle at the Capital City Swim Championships on Nov. 1. The freshman won both the 50 and 100 freestyle at the city meet and took home the 100 breaststroke and 100 freestyle at the state meet.

Catholic’s Noah Vargas swims the breaststroke during the 200 individual medley at the Capital City Swim Championships on Nov. 1 at Crawfish Aquatics. Vargas was named Swimmer of the Meet and went on to win the 200 IM and 100 breaststroke at the LHSAA swim meet. He was also a member of the state-winning 400 freestyle relay team.

FAITH KUBRICHT PARKVIEW BAPTIST, FRESHMAN

NOAH VARGAS CATHOLIC HIGH, JUNIOR

Faith Kubricht’s freshman campaign stood out among the rest.

She won both of her individual races at the Capital City Swim Championships.

In the 50 freestyle, she placed first with a time of 23.98 seconds. In the 100 freestyle, she took home first place with a time of 52.29 to earn The Advocate’s All-Metro Swimmer of the year honors.

Kubricht’s efforts helped the Eagles earn a second-place finish at the city championship before leading the Eagles to a runner-up finish at the Division III state meet in Sulphur.

At the state meet, she swam a season’s-best

Noah Vargas capped a terrific season by helping the Bears to a Division I state title and a championship in the Capital City Swim Meet.

Vargas was named Swimmer of the Meet at the city meet, where he won the 100 breaststroke and the 200 IM. He was also a part of the 200 medley relay and 200 freestyle relay teams that finished first.

At the LHSAA state meet,Vargas won both the 200 IM and 100 breaststroke. He set Division I meet records in the preliminaries. earning all-American times in both races.

In the 100 breaststroke, he finished with a time of 55.12 seconds in the prelims and

STAFF FILE PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

time of 1 minute, 10.26 seconds in the 100 breaststroke preliminaries. She then bettered that performance by setting a Division III record in the 100 breaststroke final with a time of 1:06.11.

Kubricht also won the 100 freestyle at state with a time of 52.64.

She was also a part of the Eagles’ winning 200 medley and 400 freestyle relays.The freestyle relay set a Division III state record with a time of 3:41.26. Her performances helped her earn the title of Division III Swimmer of the Meet.

Jackson Reyes

Jackson Reyes

BOYS COACH OF THE YEAR

GIRLS COACH OF THE YEAR

SION CAVANA CATHOLIC HIGH

JIMMY ROBERTS ST. JOSEPH’S ACADEMY Roberts capped the season by leading the Redstickers to the Division I state title in Sulphur after winning at the city championships.

The Redstickers won the girls team title with 3661/2 points to edge Dominican, which finished second with 335.

St. Joseph’s 13-year streak of state titles

55.83 in the final. In the 200 IM, he swam with a time of 1:50.58 in the prelims and 1:51.67 in the final.

He was a member of the 400 freestyle relay team that placed first at state.Those accomplishments were more than enough to make Vargas The Advocate’s All-Metro Swimmer of the year.

“I saw a lot of heart, a lot of grit from him,” coach Sion Cavana said of Vargas’ performance at state.“I’m proud of the way that he was able to handle his four swims between the relays and the individual swims.”

was snapped last season, and Roberts emphasized resetting the team culture to get his team back to the top. He said the team spent the majority of the season working on building bonds and learning to trust each other, which helped spark their effort in the state swim meet.

Jackson Reyes

GIRLS ALL-METRO TEAM

Cavana continued an impressive start to his tenure with the Bears.

Cavana guided Catholic to its second Division I state title in as many years. He also coached the Bears to another first-place finish at the city championship.

Catholic finished first at state with 4371/2 points to easily outdistance Jesuit, which had

3271/2 points.

Cavana pointed to his team’s culture and bond as reasons for the team’s success. “ ‘Special’ would be an understatement,” Cavana said.“It’s surreal. It’s inspiring on my end to see how they handle the swims, handle the meet and rely on one another.”

Jackson Reyes

BOYS ALL-METRO TEAM

GRACYN CALFO Dutchtown, Jr. Second in 200 free and 100 back at CCSL meet

BERKLEY MAY Denham Springs, Sr. Third in 100 back at CCSL meet

RILEY ROEDEL St. Joseph’s Academy, So. Second in 200 IM and 100 fly at CCSL meet

JACK CANNON Catholic, Jr. Finished second in 200 and 500 free at CCSL meet

AUSTIN LANDRY Catholic, Sr. Third in 200 free, second in 100 free at CCSL

VAN NGUYEN Baton Rouge High, Jr. Second in 200 IM and first in 500 free at CCSL

KEIRA CARMICHAEL Baton Rouge High, Sr. 2nd in 50, 100 free at CCSL

MOLLY MAYO St. Joseph’s Academy, Jr. First in 200 IM and 100 breast at CCSL meet

JJ RUSH University High, 8th Third in 50 free at CCSL

BEN DICKSON Baton Rouge High, Sr. Second in 100 fly at CCSL

JAMES LEBLANC Catholic, Jr. Third 50 free and 100 free

LYDIA TALLEY Parkview Baptist, So. First in 200 free and 500 at CCSL

MICHAEL FORET Baton Rouge High, Sr. Second in 100 back at city meet

JACK McCONNELL Episcopal, Jr. Second in 50 free and 100 breast at CCSL

DORUK SAYAI Baton Rouge High, Jr. First in 100 free and third in 100 breast at CCSL

Editor’s note: The Advocate’s AllMetro swimming selections are made by the Baton Rougearea swimming coaches at the Metro Coaches meeting.

JONATHAN KIRK Catholic, Jr. First in 100 free and second in 500 free at CCSL

KHOA NGUYEN Catholic, Sr. First in 100 fly at CCSL

SAMANTHA JOHNSTON Parkview Baptist, 8th First in 100 fly and 100 back at CCSL meet LILIANA LATOUR Episcopal, Jr. Third in 200 IM and 100 breast at CCSL meet AUDREY LEMOINE St. Joseph’s Academy, Sr. Third in 100 fly and second in 100 breast at CCSL

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CATHERINE MCALLISTER University High, Fr. Third in 100 free at CCSL meet LIA OSTENDORF St.Amant, Jr. Third in 500 free CCSL meet MARY CLAIRE ROBERTS St. Joseph’s Academy, Jr. Third in 200 free and second in 500 at city meet

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DEAN KOLB Catholic, Jr. Third in 100 back at CCSL swim meet

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TOBY NGUYEN Baton Rouge High, So. Second in 200 IM and first in 500 free at CCSL

BLAKE TALBERT Catholic, Sr. First in 50 free and third in 100 breast at CCSL COOPER WEBB Catholic, So. Third in 200 IM at CCSL

ONE great state FOUR great apps

LIVING

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

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M o n d ay, J a n u a ry 5, 2026

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ALZHEIMER’S Q&A

From red donkeys to vibrant art, Fernando Dávila’s color ful journey as a colorblind painter

Accept your loved one at every stage of disease journey Any words of wisdom for Alzheimer’s caregivers for the new year?

Seeing believing

Fernando Dávila, a colorblind painter, shows his glasses designed to help see color at his gallery in Doral, Fla. AP PHOTOS By CODy JACKSON

BY CODY JACKSON Associated Press

DORAL, Fla. — When Fernando Dávila was 8 years old in Colombia, he failed a drawing class because he painted donkeys red.

There was a reason for that: He is colorblind.

Now the 72-year-old Dávila is an established and respected artist whose vibrant paintings have been exhibited in South America, Europe and the United States.

“I have the most wonderful job in the world, which is painting every morning,” Dávila said from his studio in a Miami suburb. “To mix colors. To have joy to share with the world, that’s really my passion.”

He started off painting only in black and white until he was around 30 years old because of his colorblindness, a congenital condition which makes it difficult for people to tell the difference between certain colors, particularly red and green, and shades of color. There is no cure for the condition, which for Dávila also makes the colors pink, violet, turquoise and yellow-green confusing.

Since the mid-1980s, Dávila has painted in color through the help of glasses

ä See COLORBLIND, page 2C

Fernando Dávila, a colorblind painter, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at his gallery on Dec. 18. Since the mid-1980s, Dávila has painted in color through g the help of gglasses developed by an ophthalmologist g in New yorkk.

Pick up the slack We asked nutritionists what they eat during the winter.

Here’s their grocery list

BY AVERY NEWMARK

Atlanta Journal-Constitution (TNS) The holidays may be the most wonderful time of the year, but it’s also the time when the sniffles return, cold medicine is a mainstay on your nightstand and you catch yourself side-eyeing every cough within a 10-foot radius.

Handwashing and sleep are still the real MVPs for dodging a cold, but what you eat can help your body get through winter a

little more smoothly with everyday choices that support how your body functions.

To figure out which foods are worth prioritizing, we spoke with Lauren Manaker, a Charlestonbased registered dietitian, and Kip Hardy, manager of food & nutrition services at Emory Healthcare. Here’s what they lean on when the colder months hit.

ä See LIST, page 2C

GETT TTTy IMAGES PHOTO

Most often, caregivers are “told” what they should or could be doing in the care of their loved ones with Alzheimer’s disease, sparking confusion and an onset of emotions such as frustration or resentment.

Suggestions and recommendations from health care professionals and well-meaning friends are meant to educate and ease the caregiving journey, not provoke defensiveness in the caregiver or instill doubt about their methods of caregiving.

For the Alzheimer’s caregiver, accepting the affected individual in the present moment is paramount. Focus energy on the person behind the disease instead of what the disease is doing to him or her. The affected individual is always changing, is different in many ways, but accepting that person at every stage of the disease eases the circumstances and makes the journey enduring.

As written in the familiar Serenity Prayer: “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”

The progression of Alzheimer’s disease in an affected individual will not change. It is up to the caregiver to change his or her own behaviors, ways of looking at the disease and the individual, and to be comfortable with that acceptance of everything.

Patience is essential to daily life and having patience means being able to wait calmly in the face of exasperation or adversity. The caregiving journey, for the most part, is filled with stress and anxiety, and the caregiver should know when to step away from a situation and find ways to channel self-care and relaxation, which are critical for the caregiver to be patient and loving with their loved one.

In the upcoming new year, find ways to create meaningful experiences for yourself and for your loved ones. Viktor Frankl, an Austrian neurologist, Holocaust survivor and writer, once wrote that there were three ways to make life more meaningful: 1) through what we give; 2) through what we take (experiences); and 3) through the stand we take toward a fate we no longer can change, such as an incurable disease like Alzheimer’s.

Find times of meaning during caregiving through stories and find times for reflection and celebration that can be woven during the caregiving journey.

Be forgiving of yourself and the disease. Offer your loved one the best version of yourself (which is why self-care is so important). Redefine success by making more moments that really matter with your loved one and identifying what is most important for the both of you for the new year.

Trust your instincts. Avoid being a people pleaser.

ä See STAGES, page 2C

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UTIs reflect underlying biology, not cleanliness Dear Doctors: I get frequent UTIs and was shocked you said they are caused by lax hygiene or sexual contact. I am meticulous about hygiene and have no sexual contact.

My urologist said it is not the case all the time. This should have been worded differently in your article.

Now my friends think I should take better care in cleansing myself. It’s quite frustrating.

Dear reader: We regret that our discussion of urinary tract infections (UTIs) in a recent column did not include enough context to make clear that they can happen due to multiple causes. As we wrote, most uncomplicated UTIs happen when bacteria enter the urinary tract through common anatomical routes. Often, this is due to accidental transfer from

Dr. Elizabeth Ko Dr. Eve Glazier ASK THE DOCTORS

the rectum, or during sexual activity. However, that’s not true for everyone. The focus of the column you are referencing was the growing challenge of antibiotic resistance in treating UTIs. Your letter gives us a chance to take a closer look at other ways UTIs can happen. We hope we can help ease the concerns of other readers like yourself.

When it comes to UTIs, anatomy is destiny. About half of all women will have at least one UTI in their lifetime. Only about 10% of men will have one. Part of the reason is that in women, the urethra is much shorter than it is in men. In men, the urethra is about 20 centimeters long. In women, it’s about 4 centimeters. This is a much shorter distance for bacteria to travel to infect a female bladder.

Add in how close the urethra is to the rectum. This increases the risk of bacterial transfer even more, even with good hygiene.

Other factors can play a role in being susceptible to UTIs. One cause is the hormonal changes that occur during perimenopause and menopause. During these phases, the tissues of the urinary

LIST

TODAY IN HISTORY help them resist communist aggression in what became known as the Eisenhower Today is Monday, Jan. 5, Doctrine. the fifth day of 2026. There In 1972, President Richare 360 days left in the year.

Today in history: ard Nixon announced the On Jan. 5, 1933, construc- Space Shuttle program, dition began on the Golden recting NASA to produce a Gate Bridge; the bridge was reusable vehicle that would completed in May 1937. boost manned space exploAlso on this date: ration while bringing down In 1896, an Austrian news- its costs. (The first shuttle launched in 1981 and the paper reported the discovlast in 2011.) ery by German physicist In 1980, “Rapper’s DeWilhelm Röntgen of a new type of radiation that came light,” by The Sugarhill to be called “X-ray.”

Gang, became the first In 1925, Democrat Nellie hip-hop song to reach the Tayloe Ross of Wyoming Billboard Top 40, helping took office as America’s to popularize the emerging first female governor. musical genre.

In 1953, Samuel Beckett’s In 2022, Australia denied two-act tragicomedy “Wait- entry to tennis star Novak Djokovic, who was seeking ing for Godot,” considered to play for a 10th Austraa classic of the Theater of the Absurd, premiered in lian Open title later in the Paris. month; authorities canceled In 1957, President Dwight his visa upon his arrival D. Eisenhower proposed in Melbourne because he assistance to countries to failed to meet the requireBy The Associated Press

COLORBLIND Continued from page 1C

developed by an ophthalmologist in New York, where Dávila was living at the time. One lens is transparent and the other is shaded red, and they help him discriminate between contrasting shades that normally blur together. With the lenses, he can see almost two-thirds of the colors, but without them he only sees around 40% of the colors.

Dávila compared his condition to having a box of chocolates but only being able to eat a sample of the selection.

He says he has such a strong

STAGES

Continued from page 1C Appreciate and value yourself. Let go of things you can’t control. Understand that the need will always be greater than the resources. Never give up on your hopes and dreams.

Remember to take care of your mind, body and spirit

tract and the vagina change in ways that are favorable to harmful bacteria. Constipation, diabetes, inability to fully empty the bladder, catheter use, anatomical abnormalities and a weakened immune system can increase chances of getting a UTI. Vaginal and urinary microbiome composition and some spermicidal products can also play a role in UTI risk.

Another risk factor for UTIs brings us back to the topic of the original column, which is antibiotic resistance. This is when bacteria adapt to survive the antibiotics that would normally kill them. It’s a widespread problem that makes infections of all types even more difficult to treat and control. With UTIs, there’s an epidemic of recurrent infections due to antibiotic

ments for an exemption to COVID-19 vaccination rules.

In 2024, a door plug on Alaska Airlines jetliner blew out shortly after takeoff from Portland, Oregon, forcing the 171 passengers and six crew to don oxygen masks before the pilots made an emergency landing. No one was seriously hurt, but the sudden depressurization left a gaping hole in the Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft.

Today’s birthdays: Actor Robert Duvall is 95. Filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki is 85. Actor Vinnie Jones is 61. TV personality Carrie Ann Inaba is 58. Rock singer Marilyn Manson is 57. Actor-filmmaker Bradley Cooper is 51. Actor January Jones is 48. Actor Brooklyn Sudano is 45. Actor Mike Faist is 34. Actor and model Suki Waterhouse is 34. Actor Walker Scobell is 17.

desire to see every color.

“It’s something that I miss in my life, that if somebody says, ‘Look at this flower,’ which is bright, bright pink, I want to do it,” he said. “It’s something that comes from my heart so passionately.

I can feel the vibration of color.”

Colorblindness runs his family. A grandfather and some great uncles only saw in black and white, while his mother and her three sisters also were colorblind even though the condition is rarer in women. His two brothers also have trouble discriminating between colors.

Dávila has spent his career in Colombia, New York and Florida. He was awarded

the “Order of Democracy” by the Colombian Congress in 1999 for his contribution to the arts. He also has published two books and many catalogues about his paintings, and his work has appeared at major auctions including Christie’s and Sotheby’s.

His paintings include romantic images of men and women embracing and landscapes, often using the color blue as a foundation.

“I think color is one of the most important things in life,” he said. “And especially for me.”

so that there is something left to give to your loved one. Seek ways to reach out to your loved one through their long-term, joyful memories and enjoy that present moment together.

Above all, for the new year, simply, love always!

Taught Me About Alzheimer’s Disease.”

She hosts “The Memory Whisperer.” Email her at thememorywhisperer@ gmail.com.

Continued from page 1C

What the pros reach for

Manaker keeps things simple, focusing on nutrient-dense staples.

“Citrus fruits like oranges and grapefruits are a go-to for their vitamin C,” she said. She’ll toss spinach or kale into smoothies and regularly reaches for tuna (she likes Safe Catch) because it’s packed with protein and omega-3s.

Vitamin C helps support normal immune function, leafy greens deliver antioxidants that protect cells from seasonal stress, and omega-3s help support a healthy inflammatory response — exactly what your immune system needs when it’s working overtime.

Hardy’s winter staples are similar.

“My everyday staples are citrus fruit and dark leafy greens … berries, garlic, ginger, beans, and whole grains,” she shared, adding that polyphenols — the compounds behind the bright colors in foods like berries, red cabbage and greens — deserve more love for the an-

resistance. This is when a drug is unable to completely kill the bacterium at the source of the infection. The surviving microbes then replicate, allowing the infection to persist or recur. Around 20% to 30% of women who have contracted their first UTI go on to experience a bounce-back infection.

The takeaway here is that UTIs reflect underlying biology rather than personal habits. It’s a distinction that can lead to improved diagnosis, prevention and treatment.

Send your questions to askthedoctors@mednet.ucla. edu, or write: Ask the Doctors, c/o UCLA Health Sciences Media Relations, 10880 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1450, Los Angeles, CA, 90024.

tioxidant support they bring.

And don’t overlook zinc.

Hardy calls it a “workhorse nutrient” that often gets overshadowed by vitamin C. “Beans, lentils, chickpeas, nuts, seeds (especially pumpkin seeds), and whole grains are good sources of zinc. Pairing these foods with vitamin C — rich ingredients like citrus, tomatoes, or peppers can also help with zinc absorption,” she said.

Throat tickles set in Staying hydrated isn’t just a summer thing. Mild dehydration can make your mucous membranes (your body’s first barrier against germs) less effective.

Warm liquids keep things moving, and research shows they can help your body clear out irritants and viruses.

Hardy leans heavily on soups and stews because “they’re hydrating, comforting, filling, and an easy way to get lots of nourishment in a meal.” She sticks to warm liquids, including herbal tea with lemon or ginger, broth-based soups and even warm water.

Manaker reaches for “warm teas with honey and lemon” and often makes a

tea with slippery elm bark and a little Manuka honey when her throat needs soothing. Honey has been shown to help reduce coughing in both kids and adults.

Don’t overcomplicate it Between work, kids and the general winter blues, convenience matters.

Hardy’s solution is to prep a few basics ahead of time — extra grains, a sheet pan of roasted veggies or dips like hummus you can grab from the fridge. Those building blocks, she says, make it easy to mix and match meals throughout the week so you don’t get bored, and they turn eating well into something that feels manageable instead of like a chore.

Manaker suggests snacks, such as apple slices with almond butter or a quick trail mix with sunflower seeds and dried fruit.

“These options are simple, kid-friendly, and full of immune-supporting nutrients,” she said.

In the end, it’s about consistency, not perfection.

Balanced meals, plenty of hydration, good sleep, and a little prep go a long way during cold and flu season.

Start Your Move Today Get your FREE accurate home evaluation today.

Mike Schneider in Orlando, Florida, contributed to this report.

Dana Territo is an Alzheimer’s advocate and author of “What My Grandchildren

NEWS 24/7 ON

YEARS

addresslafayettela.com 1-800-801-4620

SEASON PREMIERE! TONIGHT•7PM

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This website is a marketing and information program that sends all inquiries to state-licensed real estate professionals.

DRE#01901536

The Advocate ■ theadvocate.com ■ Monday, January 5, 2026 ■ 3C

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FrAnK And erneSt

bIG nAte

zItS

For better or For WorSe

zodIAC CAPRICoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Consider how to get the most out of whatever situation you encounter. Compromise and incentives will lead to positive change and a better understanding of what's possible.

AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Channel your energy into activities that help to dissipate emotional and domestic difficulties. Anger is not the answer, but rational thinking and behavior will help you achieve what you set out to do.

PIsCEs (Feb. 20-March 20) Stay on track.

Don't mince words. Discipline is an asset that can help you redeem a situation that goes wrong or is misconstrued. Work your magic, and you'll gain respect.

ARIEs (March 21-April 19) Make wise choices. Participate in social settings that give you space to regroup and reset your options. Close encounters will be taxing and leave you vulnerable. tAuRus (April 20-May 20) Check your emotions at the door and proceed with confidence. Use your intelligence, experience and charm to create opportunities and make things happen. Become the master of your destiny.

GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Adjust whatever isn't working for you. Distance yourself from anyone applying pressure. Concentrate on making your surroundings more functional. Put personal gain first.

CAnCER (June 21-July 22) Look at the big picture, ask questions and change only what's feasible. Follow the rules

and regulations, and pay attention to the fine print. Partnerships require definitive protections.

LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) Refuse to let anyone talk you into something you don't need. Trust your instincts and avoid overkill. You don't need change; you need stability, comfort and peace of mind.

VIRGo (Aug. 23-sept. 22) Pay attention to what's happening around you. A change someone makes will influence your position. Networking, meetings and interviews will pan out well for you.

LIBRA (sept. 23-oct. 23) Bide your time, and invest in making your life run smoothly. Rearrange your schedule and surroundings to ensure efficiency and comfort. Don't take on too much, or you will fall short. sCoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) Travel, teach, communicate and socialize with people who can offer you something in return.

Working alongside like-minded people will spark your imagination and encourage you to diversify. sAGIttARIus (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Observe, learn and take notes. Temptation is overpowering, and excess, indulgence and poor choices are likely if you don't have discipline. Pace yourself; time is on your side.

The horoscope, an entertainment feature, is not based on scientific fact. © 2026 by NEA, Inc., dist. By Andrews McMeel Syndication

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: s EQuALs B

Mother GooSe And GrIMM

SherMAn’S LAGoon FAMILY CIrCUS

dooneSbUrY

4C ■ Monday, January 5, 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.

Saturday’s Puzzle Answer

BaBY BLueS

BLondie

THe wiZard oF id

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La TimeS CroSSword

The Advocate ■ theadvocate.com ■ Monday, January 5, 2026 ■ 5C

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B.C.

Bridge

By PHILLIP ALDER Matthew Arnold, an English poet who died in 1888, said, “Journalism is literature in a hurry.”

Inexperienced players often find it difficult to sacrifice a trick when it can be won. This deal, as you have no doubt surmised, is an example.

South is in four hearts. West leads the spade ace: five, seven, four. West continues with the spade king: jack, two, 10.

West perseveres with the spade queen.

How should South proceed?

West had an excellent hand for a weak two-bid in this age of the flimsy pre-empt.

North overcalled three clubs. Then South might have bid a forcing three hearts, but he decided that four hearts rated to be the best contract.

West noticed East’s high-low in spades and was not distracted by South’s falsecard with his 10. West led a third spade, hoping East could overruff the dummy.

And at the table, that was exactly what happened. Declarer ruffed the third spade with dummy’s heart eight.

But East overruffed with the 10 and shifted to the diamond king. Suddenly, South saw that he was stranded on the board. Whether he returned a diamond or played three rounds of clubs, discarding his last diamond, declarer had to lose another trick and go down one.

South, of course, complained he was unlucky that East had the heart 10. But

garfield

Pearls Before swiNe

hagar the horriBle

given the 6-2 spade break, East was more likely to hold that trump.

Instead, South should have discarded from the dummy at trick three. He could have won whatever West led next, drawn trumps (the heart eight still being in the dummy), and run the clubs.

Consider the possibilities carefully. © 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 — PEttIER: PEH-tee-er: Having less importance.

Bizarro

marmaduKe

Average mark 12 words Time limit 20 minutes Can you find 17 or more words in PETTIER? sAtuRDAy’s WoRD — sQuABBLInG sail sang sign signal sing slab slain slang sling slub slug

slung snag snail snub snug squab squib subbing suing sung quail

quasi ulna using abusing align bail bang basil basin basing bias

blab blain blin bling bluing bulb bung busing lain lasing ling

lung nail gain glib

loCKhorNs hidato Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

today’s thought “For he has made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”

2 Corinthians 5:21 Jesus made it possible to trade our sin for His righteousness because He died in our place for our sins. — G.E. Dean

6C ■ Monday, January 5, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

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Public Notices Bids/Proposals

Public Notices

Public Notices Bids/Proposals

PUBLIC NOTICE --ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS Bids will be received by the Office of Purchasing, Room 213 Thomas Boyd Hall, Louisiana State Uni‐ versity and Agricultural and Mechanical College 70803 until 11:00 AM on Thursday, January 22, 2026 ** Refer to www.centerlinebidco nnect.com for bid sub‐ mission instructions. All bids must be submitted via email to lsubids@lsu. edu ** ANY PERSON REQUIRING SPECIAL ACCOMMODA‐ TIONS SHALL NOTIFY LOUISIANA STATE UNI‐ VERSITY, OFFICE OF PUR‐ CHASING OF THE TYPE(S) OF ACCOMMODATION RE‐ QUIRED NOT LESS THAN SEVEN (7) DAYS BEFORE THE BID OPENING. FOR: Furnish Labor and Materials for SVM Large Animal Hospital Refinish Flooring LSU SOLICITATION NUMBER: RFQ-0000002668 Complete Bidding Docu‐ ments for this project may be obtained from: www.centerlinebidco nnect.com.

Printed copies are not available from the Designer, but arrangements can be made to obtain them through most repro‐ graphic firms.

Contractors unable to access bidding docu‐ ments at www.centerl inebidconnect.com should contact Tipton Associates 449 Westmoreland Drive Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70806 Phone: 225.387.0101 Email:shigdon@tiptonassociates.com All bids must be accom‐ panied by bid security equal to five percent (5%) of the sum of the base bid and all alter‐ nates, and must be in the form of a certified check, cashier’s check or Bid Bond Form written by a surety company licensed to do business in Louisiana, signed by the surety’s agency or attor‐ ney-in-fact. Surety must be listed on the current U.S. Department of the Treasury Financial Man‐ agement Service list of approved bonding com‐ panies as approved for an amount equal to or greater than the amount for which it obligates it‐ self in the Bond, or must be a Louisiana domiciled insurance company with at least an A- rating in the latest printing of the A.M. Best’s Key Rating Guide. If surety qualifies by virtue of its Best’s list‐ ing, the amount of the Bond may not exceed ten percent of policyholders’ surplus as shown in the latest A.M. Best’s Key Rating Guide. The Bid Bond shall be in favor of the Louisiana State Uni‐ versity and Agricultural and Mechanical College, and shall be accompa‐ nied by appropriate power of attorney. No Bid Bond indicating an oblig‐ ation of less than five percent (5%) by any method is acceptable.

The successful Bidder shall be required to fur‐ nish a Performance and Payment Bond written by a company licensed to do business in Louisiana, in an amount equal to 100% of the Contract amount. Surety must be listed currently on the U.S. Department of Trea‐ sury Financial manage‐ ment Service List (Trea‐ sury List) as approved for an amount equal to or greater than the con‐ tract amount, or must be an insurance company domiciled in Louisiana or owned by Louisiana resi‐ dents. If surety is quali‐ fied other than by listing on the Treasury list, the contract amount may not exceed fifteen percent of policyholders’ surplus as shown by surety’s most recent financial state‐ ments filed with the Louisiana Department of Insurance and may not exceed the amount of $500,000.

However, a Louisiana domiciled in‐ surance company with at least an A- rating in the latest printing of the A.M. Best’s Key Rating Guide shall not be subject to the $500,000 limitation, provided that the con‐ tract amount does not exceed ten percent of policyholders’ surplus as shown in the latest A.M. Best’s Key Rating Guide nor fifteen percent of policyholder’s surplus as shown by surety’s most recent financial state‐ ments filed with the Louisiana Department of Insurance.

The Bond shall be signed by the surety’s agent or attor‐ ney-in-fact.

A PRE-BID CONFERENCE

ANYONE knowing the whereabouts of Marquis Zarick Williams, or his/her relatives or descendants please contact Ethel Clay, Attorney at Law, (225) 906-0435.

172638-1/5-6-7-3t $97.00

WILL BE HELD

Tuesday, January 6, 2026, 10:00AM LSU School of Veterinary Medicine Building (Main Lobby) Skip Bertman Drive Baton Rouge, LA 70803 Bids shall be accepted from Contractors who are licensed under LA. R.S. 37:2150-2163 for the classification of BUILD‐ ING CONSTRUCTION. Bid‐ der is required to comply with provisions and re‐ quirements of LA R.S. 38:2212 (A)(1)(c). No bid may be withdrawn for a period of thirty (30) days after receipt of bids, ex‐ cept under the provi‐ sions of LA. R.S. 38:2214.

The Owner reserves the right to reject any and all bids for just cause. In ac‐ cordance with La. R.S. 38:2212 (A)(1)(b), the pro‐ visions and requirements of this Section, those stated in the advertise‐ ment for bids, and those required on the bid form shall not be considered as informalities and shall not be waived by any public entity.

When this project is fi‐ nanced either partially or entirely with State Bonds or federal funds, the award of this Contract is contingent upon the granting of lines of credit, the sale of bonds by the Bond Commission or the commitment of federal funds. The Uni‐ versity shall incur no obligation to the Con‐ tractor until the Contract Between Owner and Con‐ tractor is fully executed.

AD RUN DATES: December 10 and 17, 2025 January 5, 2026 169535 Dec. 10, 17, 2025 Jan. 5, 2026, 3t $203.37 PUBLIC NOTICE --ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS Sealed bids will be re‐ ceived for the Orleans Parish School Board (OPSB) by the Procure‐ ment Department, Room 5055, 2401 Westbend Parkway, New Orleans, Louisiana 70114, until 1:00 PM CST on Thursday, February 5, 2026.

Bids shall be publicly opened and read aloud at that time and place, and a tabulation will be made for consideration by the Owner in award‐ ing the Contract.

Bids received after the above-designated date and time will not be opened and will be re‐ jected.

ANY PERSON REQUIRING SPECIAL ACCOMMODA‐ TIONS SHALL NOTIFY THE ORLEANS PARISH SCHOOL BOARD OF THE TYPE(S) OF ACCOMMO‐ DATION REQUIRED NOT LESS THAN SEVEN (7) DAYS BEFORE THE BID OPENING. FOR: Multi-Sport Venue in Eastern New Orleans and Lower Ninth Ward 4290 Almonaster Avenue New Orleans, LA 70126 PROJECT NUMBER: ITB 26-FAC-0053 Complete Bidding Docu‐ ments may be obtained from: City Blueprint & Supply Co. 1904 Poydras Street New Orleans, LA 70112 Attn: Reproduction De‐ partment plan‐ room@cityblueprin t.com (504) 522-0387 Bid documents will be emailed by Architect or a downloadable link will be provided to obtain bid documents in PDF format at no charge.

All Bids must be accom‐ panied by bid security equal to five percent (5%) of the sum of the Base Bid and all Alter‐ nates, and must be in the form of a certified check, cashier's check or the Orleans Parish School Board Bid Bond Form written by a surety com‐ pany licensed to do busi‐ ness in Louisiana, signed by the surety's agency or attorney-in-fact. Surety must be listed on the current U.S. Department of the Treasury Financial Management Service list of approved bonding companies as approved for an amount equal to or greater than the amount for which it ob‐ ligates itself in the Bond, or must be a Louisiana domiciled insurance company with at least an A - rating in the latest printing of the A.M. Best's Key Rating Guide.

If surety qualifies by virtue of its Best's listing, the amount of the Bond may not exceed ten per‐ cent of policyholders' surplus as shown in the latest A.M. Best's Key Rating Guide . The Bid Bond shall be in favor of the Orleans Parish

Anyone knowing the whereabouts of Tia Loubre of the mother of Marlon Washington Jr. to contact the Ennis Law Firm 225-400-6600.

172555-1/3-4-5-3t $85.00

Merchandise 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 MISC FOR SALE LADIES SMALL BLACK LEATHER COAT LIKE NEW $40 225-752-7273

Baton Rouge Real Estate For Sale

PUBLIC NOTICE ---

The Owner reserves the right to reject any and all bids for just cause. In ac‐ cordance with La. R.S. 38:2212 (B)(1), the provi‐ sions and requirements of this Section, those stated in the advertise‐ ment bids, and those re‐ quired on the bid form shall not be considered as informalities and shall not be waived by any public entity.

NOTICE OF PUBLIC FUNDING: Notice is hereby given that this Project is to be financed in whole or in part by federal or other funds which will not be readily available at the time the Bids are re‐ ceived. As a result, pur‐ suant to La. R.S. 38:2215, the Owner is exempt from the requirement of acting to award the Con‐ tract or reject all Bids within forty-five (45) cal‐ endar days of receipt of the Bids. Pursuant to this Statute, the Owner specifically reserves the right to hold all Bids for greater than forty-five (45) calendar days.

The Orleans Parish School Board shall incur no obligation to the Con‐ tractor until the Contract Between Owner and Con‐ tractor is fully executed.

INCORPORATION OF IN‐ STRUCTIONS TO BIDDERS INTO ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS The Instructions to Bid‐ ders contained in the Bid Documents (referenced above), and all require‐ ments contained therein, are incorporated into this Advertisement for Bids as if completely set forth herein.

By: Mr. Paul Lucius Executive Director of Procurement Insertion dates: (1) W (2) W (3) W

DOGS AKC Beautiful Mini Schnauzer Female pups. Vet Chk'd, Guar (985) 320-5288 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

Public Notices Bids/Proposals

ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS Sealed bids will be re‐ ceived for the Gas Utility District #1 of East Baton Rouge, by GD Architec‐ ture, LLC until 2:00 P.M., JANUARY 27, 2026, at the following address:

The bid proposal is firm for a period of sixty (60) days from the opening of the bids and no bid pro‐ posal can be withdrawn for any reason during this period of time.

GD Architecture, LLC 3112 Valley Creek Drive, Suite H Baton Rouge, LA 70808 (O) 225/383-3915

Full information and bid specifications may be obtained upon request from the Purchasing Divi‐ sion, East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office, P. O. Box 3277, Baton Rouge, La 70821 by phone at (225) 389-4833, and infor‐ mation also available on‐ line and bids may also be submitted online at https://www.centralbidd ing.com

For: Gas Utility District #1 of East Baton Rouge – Office Addition and Inte‐ rior Renovation GD Architecture Project #: 25002 Complete Bid Documents for this project are avail‐ able in electronic form.

They may be obtained without charge and with‐ out deposit from Letter‐ man’s Blueprint and Sup‐ ply through their online public plan room at the following URL: https:// www.centerline.co/ bidding/login

The right to reject all bids and waive informali‐ ties is reserved.

Bid# 1106 EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH SHERIFF’S OFFICE Stephin Henderson, Purchasing Department 171014-dec 19-jan 5-2t $58.72 PUBLIC NOTICE --BIDS TO BE OPENED: 1/27/26 @ 11:00 AM CST Notice to Proposers

Printed copies are not available from the De‐ signer, but arrangements can be made to obtain them through most re‐ prographic firms. Plan holders are responsible for their own reproduc‐ tion costs. Questions about this procedure shall be directed to Gary Dunn at: PHONE (225) 383-3915.

Notice is hereby given that sealed proposals will be received by the Recreation and Park Commission for the Parish of East Baton Rouge (BREC) until Janu‐ ary 27, 2026 at 11:00 AM local time in Room 1501, BREC Administration Building, 6201 Florida Blvd., Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 70806 for:

All bids shall be accom‐ panied by bid security in an amount of five per‐ cent (5.0%) of the sum of the base bid and all al‐ ternates. The form of this security shall be as stated in the Instructions to Bidders included in the Bid Documents for this project.

RFP No. 241 – Request for Proposal for Liberty Lagoon Waterpark Waterslide Refurbishment

The successful Bidder shall be required to fur‐ nish a Performance and Payment Bond written as described in the Instruc‐ tions to Bidders included in the Bid Documents for this project.

A NON-MANDATORY PREBID CONFERENCE WILL BE HELD at 10:00 am on JANUARY 14, 2026 at the GUD#1 Ad‐ ministration Building (1633 Greenwell SpringsPort Hudson Road, Zachary, LA 70791).

Bids shall be accepted from Contractors who are licensed under LA. R.S. 37:2150-2192 for the classification of Building Construction. Bidder is required to comply with provisions and require‐ ments of LA R.S. 38:2212(B)(5). No bid may be withdrawn for a pe‐ riod of forty-five (45) days after receipt of bids, except under the provisions of LA. R.S. 38:2214. The Owner re‐ serves the right to reject any and all bids for just cause. In accordance with La. R.S. 38:2212(B) (1), the provisions and requirements of this Sec‐ tion; and those stated in the bidding documents shall not be waived by any entity. The Owner shall incur no obligation to the Contractor until the Contract Between Owner and Contractor is fully executed.

171160 Dec. 22, 29, 2025, Jan. 5, 2026, 3t $988.95 PUBLIC NOTICE --ADVERTISEMENT OF BID TO BE PUBLISHED-LEGAL: December 19, 2025 & January 5, 2026 BIDS TO BE OPENED: 10am – Tuesday – January 20, 2026 NOTICE The Purchasing Division, East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office, Suite 200, Jackie Cochran Building, Parish of East Baton Rouge will receive sealed bids, until 10am / Tues‐ day – January 20, 2026 for the following: “TRANSPORT TRAILER” At precisely 10am / Tues‐ day – January 20, 2026 they will be publicly opened and read aloud in Suite 200, Jackie Cochran Building. Bid proposals, amendments to bid or re‐ quest for withdrawal of bids received after time specified for bid opening h ll b id d

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PETS • SUPPLIES • SERVICES • OBITUARIES • LOST & FOUND

p p g shall not be considered for any cause whatso‐ ever. Bidders or their au‐ thorized representatives are invited to be present.

No other information or tabulations will be avail‐ able until awards are made after all bids are fully checked as to speci‐ fications and accuracy.

We reserve the right to divide items to avail our‐ selves of the low bid.

ANY PERSON REQUIRING SPECIAL ACCOMMODA‐ TIONS SHALL NOTIFY GD ARCHITECTURE, LLC, OF THE TYPE(S) OF ACCOM‐ MODATION REQUIRED NOT LESS THAN SEVEN (7) DAYS BEFORE THE BID OPENING.

MOBILE HOME 1, 2 & 3 BR mobile homes, $675 & up 6061 Plank Rd. CALL 225-978-4653

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

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

172321 Jan. 5, 12, 20, 2026 3t $327.34

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Pets / Pet Services Directory

AREA 7 57728 Grove Rd, 3BR 2BA, 2200sqft, Sml Apt in back, Upgrades, $200k+ (pending apprais) (225) 776-0404

The successful Bidder shall be required to fur‐ nish a Performance Bond and a Payment Bond written by a company li‐ censed to do business in Louisiana, in an amount equal to 100% of the Con‐ tract amount.

Surety must be listed currently on the U. S. Department of Treasury Financial Management Service List (Treasury List) as ap‐ proved for an amount equal to or greater than the contract amount , or must be an insurance company domiciled in Louisiana. If the Surety is not listed on the Trea‐ sury Lis t, and has less than an " A-" rating (as shown in the latest edi‐ tion of A.M. Best' s Key Rating Guide) the maxi‐ mum Contract amount for which that Surety may provide a Bond is $500,000.00(Five Hundred Thousand Dollars), or fif‐ teen percent of

Bids shall be accepted from Contractors who are licensed under LA. R.S. 37:2150-2163 for the classification of Building Construction. Bidder is required to comply with provisions and require‐ ments of LA R.S.38:2212 (A)(1)(a). No bid may be withdrawn for a period of forty five (45) days after receipt of bids, except under the provisions of LA. R.S. 38:2214.

WORKS

5364 Jackson 2BR's 1BA, Rent $500, Dep $300 225-357-6436

Monday, January 5, 2026 Monday, January 12, 2026 Tuesday, January 20, 2026

Attendance at this con‐ ference is NOT required but highly encouraged and Bidders are advised that they will be required to state on the Bid Form that they are familiar with the Project site lo‐ cated at 4290 Almonaster Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70126

PRINT ADVERTISING

AREA 3

School Board, and shall be accompanied by ap‐ propriate power of attor‐ ney. No Bid Bond indicat‐ ing an obligation of less than five percent (5%) by any method is accept‐ able.

at 10:00 a.m.

Wednesday, January 21, 2026 at George W Carver HS, 3059 Higgins Blvd., New Orleans, LA 70126

ROOMS FOR RENT Furnished Rooms. $125/wk. $500/mo.

225-933-7560

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

MISC FOR SALE SMALL SOLID BLACK THROW PILLOWS MANY AVAILABLE! EACH $5 225-752-7273

Public Notices Bids/Proposals

A PRE-BID CONFERENCE WILL BE HELD

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

TDD/TTY /711RELAY

AREA 5 1 & 2 BR Apts, W/D, C A/H, Starting at $850/mo Deps vary 225-315-0930

Public Notices Bids/Proposals

the Surety’s policyhold‐ ers' surplus (as shown

by Surety's most recent financial statements filed with the Louisiana Department of Insur‐ ance), whichever is less.

If the Surety is not listed on the Treasury List, and has at least an “A”- rat‐ ing or better (as shown in the latest edition of A.M. Best’s Key Rating Guide), the maximum Contract amount for which that Surety may provide a Bond is fifteen percent of the Surety’s policyholders' surplus (as shown by Surety's most recent financial statements filed with the Louisiana Department of Insurance.

The Bond shall be signed by the surety's agent or attor‐ ney-in-fact, and shall be in favor of the Orleans Parish School Board.

Baton Rouge Rental

Proposals received after the above specified time will not be considered.

Proposals will be opened immediately after pro‐ posal opening time in Room 1501 of the Admin‐ istration Building. All in‐ terested parties are in‐ vited to be present.

Copies of the Request for Proposal may be ob‐ tained from the Purchas‐ ing Division, 6201 Florida Blvd, Room 1501, Baton Rouge, LA 70806 or tele‐ phoning 225-272-9200, ex‐ tension 1422. The right to reject any and all propos‐ als and to waive irregu‐ larities and informalities is reserved.

BREC is an equal oppor‐ tunity employer and en‐ courages the participa‐ tion of Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBE) in all of its pro‐ jects.

Proposers/ Prospective Contractors are strongly encouraged to make positive efforts to utilize minority sub‐ contractors for a portion of this project.

Proposers are requested to include in their pro‐ posal a description of plans for minority partic‐ ipation under this Con‐ tract as suppliers or sub‐ contractors.

All questions concerning the Solicitation and Con‐ tract Documents must be received in accordance with the Schedule of Events cited in the Solici‐ tation documents and as further defined in the Proposer Inquiry Periods section of the same doc‐ ument. *Note: BREC has elected to use LaPAC, the state’s online electronic bid posting and notification system, in addition to its standard means of ad‐ vertising this require‐ ment. LaPAC is resident on State Purchasing’s https:// website at wwwcfprd.doa.louisiana. gov/osp/lapac/pubMain. cfm and is available for vendor self-enrollment.

In that LaPAC provides an immediate e-mail no‐ tification to subscribing bidders that a solicita‐ tion and any subsequent addenda have been let and posted, notice and receipt thereof is consid‐ ered formally given as of their respective dates of posting. Though not re‐ quired if receiving solici‐ tation and addenda no‐ tices from LaPAC, BREC will mail addenda to all vendors contacting our office and requesting to be put on our office Ven‐ dor Listing for this solici‐ tation.

RECREATION AND PARK COMMISSION FOR THE PARISH OF EAST BATON ROUGE /s/ Janet Simmons, BREC Interim

Public Notices Bids/Proposals

Superintendent THE ADVOCATE BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA To be Published # Times: 12/24/25, 12/29/25 and 1/5/26 171601-dec 24-29-jan 5-3t $140.64 PUBLIC NOTICE ---

Public Notices Bids/Proposals

Public Notices Bids/Proposals

Public Notices Bids/Proposals

p (list airports, grant pro‐ jects, and grant amounts) and the admin‐ istration of same with a value of 1 – 10 points.

Q tions (SOQ) from highly qualified architectural firms interested in pro‐ viding complete archi‐ tectural design services for the project described below.

The Zachary Community School Board Child Nutri‐ tion Program is funded approximately 50% with federal funds for a total of approximately $1,500,000.00 per year.

6. Firm size relative to the magnitude of typical general aviation projects similar to those listed, demonstrated ability to meet schedules and deadlines, and evidence to make good faith ef‐ forts to meet airport DBE goals with a value of 1 – 5 points.

PROFESSIONAL AVIATION PLANNING, CIVIL ENGINEERING, and

8. Responsiveness to Re‐ quest For Qualifications with a value of 1 – 5 points.

The selection process will be in accordance with FAA Advisory Circu‐ lar 150/5100-14E and DOTD standards. In the execution of the work, the firm may be required to provide administrative services, ALP updates, cost estimates, grant management services, preliminary plans, final construction plans and specifications as well as to assist with construc‐ tion administration.

Firms interested in per‐ forming these services shall furnish a statement of qualifications on Fed‐ eral Standard Form 330 (SF 330). A separate SF 330 shall be submitted by the prime for each sub consultant. Copies of FAA AC 150/5100-14E and SF 330 are attached to the RFQ Package and elec‐ tronic versions are avail‐ able from the FAA and DOTD Division of Avia‐ tion.

You may request the RFQ Package from Kaitlan Ri‐ vere, Federal & State Grants Administrator or Gary Hebert, Purchasing Agent by sending your company info and your contact info to krivere@ stmaryparishla.gov or ghebert@stmaryparis hla.gov.

The criteria and weight‐ ing factors to be used by the Sponsor in evaluat‐ ing responses will be as follows: 1. Staff familiarity with current DOTD and FAA aviation planning, pave‐ ment, drainage, electri‐ cal, lighting, navaid, ob‐ struction, air space, con‐ struction at public air‐ ports, and other applica‐ ble standards as well as experience in typical General Aviation projects with a value of 1 – 5 points.

2. Aviation planning, civil engineering, other re‐ lated staff experience (e.g., surveyors, inspec‐ tors, etc.), and grant ac‐ quisition and administra‐ tion capabilities of key personnel to be assigned to the project with a value of 1 – 10 points.

This experience should include master planning; property and topographi‐ cal surveys; runway, taxi‐ way, and apron restrip‐ ing; and/or other miscel‐ laneous pavement im‐ provements. Principals of firms with only adminis‐ trative experience on avi‐ ation projects will not be counted as staff design experience and should not submit as such. Plan‐ ners shall be AICP certi‐ fied. Engineers and sur‐ veyors shall have rele‐ vant professional li‐ censes issued by the State of Louisiana.

3. Key personnel’s pro‐ fessional qualifications and experience and availability for the pro‐ posed project; their repu‐ tation and professional integrity and compe‐ tence; and their knowl‐ edge of FAA regulations, policies, and procedures with a value of 1 – 5 points.

4. Familiarity with the de‐ velopment concerns of the Harry P. Williams Air‐ port, the environs of the site, compliance issues, and an understanding of potential problems, and the sponsor’s special concerns with a value of 1 – 10 points.

5. History of assisting with the acquisition of FAA and DOTD aviation grant funds as well as other sources of funding for airfield improvements (li i

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7. Location of firm rela‐ tive to airport with a value of 1 – 5 points.

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NOTICE REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS

Notice is hereby given that the St. Mary Parish Government is request‐ ing qualification state‐ ments from professional planning and engineer‐ ing firms interested in performing certified planning and profes‐ sional civil and related engineering services at the Harry P. Williams Memorial Airport in Pat‐ terson, Louisiana.

If funded, projects will be limited to Rehabilitation of Runway/Taxiway, Parking Lot Improve‐ ments, Rehabilitation of the North Apron, Edits to the Airport Layout Plan, and General Administra‐ tion Services. Design and Implementation are gen‐ erally dependent upon FAA and/or DOTD fund‐ ing.

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9. Maximum points are 55.

possible

Firms with demonstrated experience, competence, and qualifications perti‐ nent to the requirements noted having sufficient technical, supervisory, and administrative per‐ sonnel to ensure expedi‐ tious prosecution of work are desired for con‐ sideration. In responding to the items listed, it is important to be specific and concise and to as‐ sure that planning and design projects which are referred to as having been accomplished by your staff are projects which were accom‐ plished by your person‐ nel included in the SF 330.

The successful firm will be required to execute a project specific agree‐ ment and, if a project is funded, a standard DOTD engineering services agreement in confor‐ mance with all Parish, DOTD, and FAA guide‐ lines, standards, and as‐ surances. The St. Mary Parish Government en‐ courages participation by disadvantaged busi‐ ness enterprises in all bids and proposals to the extent possible.

The Parish affords minority and women owned busi‐ ness enterprises full op‐ portunity to submit an indication of interest in response to this invita‐ tion and will not discrim‐ inate against a firm on the basis of race, creed, color, sex, age, or na‐ tional origin in awarding a contract.

The SF 330 (one original and three copies) shall be delivered to the office of the St. Mary Parish Government which is lo‐ cated at 500 Main St., 5th Floor Courthouse Bldg, Franklin, Louisiana 70538.

Firms wishing to apply must submit a fully com‐ pleted SF 330 as failure to provide all information requested may result in the submission being considered non-respon‐ sive, and the firm will not be given a total score in the evaluation process.

Statements of qualifica‐ tions will be accepted until 10:00 a.m. on Thurs‐ day, January 8, 2026.

Questions regarding this project should be pre‐ sented to Mr. Gary Hebert, Purchasing Agent, at 337-828-4100, ext. 5010 or ghebert@stm aryparishla.gov St. Mary Parish Govern‐ ment Sam Jones Parish President Advertise: Baton Rouge Advocate: Monday De‐ cember 29, 2025 & Janu‐ ary 5, 2026 169682-dec 29-jan 5-2t $124 PUBLIC NOTICE --NOTICE TO BIDDERS SP# 935 Sealed bids will be re‐ ceived by the Procure‐ ment Section of the Divi‐ sion of Administration, 1201 N. 3rd. St., 2nd.

Floor, Suite 2-160, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, at 10:00 A.M. for the follow‐ ing: RFx No. 3000025716, Hy‐ giene Items for Canteen Resale – DOC-PE, 1/21/26 Bid proposal forms, in‐ formation and specifica‐ tions may be obtained by accessing the bid num‐ ber in LaPac at www.doa.

Louisiana.gov/osp or from the procurement section listed above. No bids will be received after the date and hour specified. The right is re‐ served to reject any and all bids and to waive any informalities.

Amy Vincent Director of State Procurement FAX (225) 342-8688 172575-jan 5-1t PUBLIC NOTICE --NOTICE TO QUALIFIERS The Recreation and Park Commission for the Parish of East Baton Rouge (BREC) is seeking Statements of Qualifica‐ i ( ) f hi hl

Statements of Qualifica‐ tions for this project will be accepted by the Recreation and Park Commission for the Parish of East Baton Rouge (BREC) until Thursday, January 29, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. CT in Room 1501 of BREC Ad‐ ministration Building, 6201 Florida Blvd., Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70806 for:

169998 Dec. 12, 2025, Jan. 5, 2026 $21.68

Request for Qualifications No. 238 CONSTRUCTION MANAGER at RISK FOR A NEW CONTEMPORARY ARTS CENTER AT CITYBROOKS COMMUNITY PARK

Electronic or sealed bids will be received by the City of Baton Rouge and Parish of East Baton Rouge, Purchasing Divi‐ sion, City Hall Building, Room 826, 222 Saint Louis Street, 8th Floor, Baton Rouge, La. until 11:00 A.M. CST, January 14, 2026 for the following:

Statements of Qualifica‐ tions shall only be sub‐ mitted on the attached BREC Standard Qualifica‐ tions Form BREC-AE. Fail‐ ure to submit all of the information on BREC Standard Qualifications Form BREC-AE shall be considered non-respon‐ sive and may result in the Qualifications State‐ ment being rejected.

Only those firms that have obtained the official RFQ package for this pro‐ ject will be considered. If the applicant is a joint venture, each prime firm is required to obtain an RFQ package. Submittals received after the above specified time will not be considered. All inter‐ ested parties are invited to be present. BREC re‐ serves the right to reject any or all proposals for just cause and to waive any informalities.

Copies of the solicitation, docu‐ complete RFQ ments, and subsequent addenda shall be ob‐ tained from the Purchas‐ ing Division, 6201 Florida Blvd., Room 1501, Baton Rouge, LA 70806, or by telephoning 225-272-9200, ext. 1581. All vendors shall contact our office and request to be put on our office Vendor Listing for this solicitation. to re‐ ceive notification of ad‐ denda. BREC will mail and/or email addenda to all registered vendors.

BREC has elected to use LaPAC, the state’s online electronic bid posting and notification system, in addition to its stan‐ dard means of advertis‐ ing. LaPAC is resident on the Office of State Pro‐ curement’s website at LaPAC Public Menu (louisiana.gov) and is available for vendor selfenrollment. In that LaPAC provides an immediate email notification to sub‐ scribing bidders that a solicitation or RFQ and any subsequent addenda have been let and posted, notice and re‐ ceipt thereof is consid‐ ered formally given as of their respective posting dates.

All questions concerning the Request for Qualifi‐ cations must be received in accordance with the Schedule of Events and Procedures for Ques‐ tions/Clarifications as cited in the RFQ docu‐ ment.

Non-Mandatory Pre-Sub‐ mittal Meeting will be held on Wednesday, Jan‐ uary 7, 2026, at 1:00 p.m.

CT. Refer to the RFQ doc‐ ument for further infor‐ mation.

BREC is an Equal Oppor‐ tunity Employer.

The Submitter is encouraged to utilize minority partici‐ pation in this contract to the extent possible through the use of small, disadvantaged and women-owned busi‐ nesses as suppliers or subcontractors.

RECREATION AND PARK COMMISSION FOR THE PARISH OF EAST BATON ROUGE /s/ Janet Simmons, Interim Superintendent THE ADVOCATE BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA To be Published Times: 12/29/2025 01/05/2026

Two and

171756-dec 29-jan 5-2t $111.28

PUBLIC NOTICE --VOUCHER# 26-090900 BIDS TO BE OPENED: 01/14/26 NOTICE TO BIDDERS

A26-90900 Temporary Labor Service for Building Maintenance and Construction Official bid documents are available at Central (https://www.

Bidding centralauctionhouse. com/rfpc10656-city-ofbaton-rouge.html) or by request from the City of Baton Rouge at dsstew‐ art@brla.gov.

Bids shall be submitted electronically via www. centralbidding.com or on the solicitation bid forms furnished by the City of Baton Rouge and Parish of East Baton Rouge prior to the bidding deadline.

Electronic bids for the solicitation will be down‐ loaded by the City of Baton Rouge and Parish of East Baton Rouge, Pur‐ Division and chasing paper bids will be opened. Beginning as soon as feasible after the bid closing time all the names of vendor submit‐ ting bids will read aloud.

Note: The City-Parish has elected to use LaPAC, the state's online electronic bid posting and notifica‐ tion system, in addition to its standard means of advertising this require‐ ment. This Invitation to Bid is available in elec‐ tronic form at the LaPAC https:// website wwwcfprd.doa.louisiana. gov/osp/lapac/dspBid. cfm?search=departm ent&term=102.

Bids, amendments to bids or request for with‐ drawal of bids received after time specified for bid openings shall not be considered for any cause whatsoever.

Inquiries will be received up until 5 pm CST on Jan‐ uary 7, 2026.

Full information may be obtained upon request from the above address or by telephoning Dexter Stewart at (225) 389-3259, Ext. 3264, or via email dsstewart@brla.gov.

Any vendor who would like to listen to the open‐ ing of this bid can access the following link, at the date and time of this bid opening: Join by phone +1-408-418-9388 United States Toll Access code: 263 373 080 (followed by the # but‐ ton) Alternate numbers to call if number above is not available, which may occur due to network traffic (use the same Ac‐ cess Code, followed by the # button): United States Toll (Boston) +1-617-315-0704 United States Toll (Chicago) +1-312-535-8110 United States Toll (Dallas) +1-469-210-7159 United States Toll (Denver) +1-720-650-7664 United States Toll (Jacksonville) +1-904-900-2303 United States Toll (Los Angeles) +1-213-306-3065 These numbers will pro‐ vide you with live audio access to this bid open‐ ing.

171602 Dec. 29, 2025,, Jan. 5, 2026, 2t $95.78

PUBLIC NOTICE --Sealed bids will be ac‐ cepted at the Zachary Community School Board, Child Nutrition Program Office, until 4:00 pm January 13, 2026 for Produce furnishing Items.

Bids will be opened at 9:00 am Janu‐ ary 14, 2026.

Specifications and bid forms may be obtained at 205 East Flanacher Road, Zachary, Louisiana 70791, telephone, 225658-7049. The Public is in‐ vited to attend the bid opening at this address.

Clemency I, BILLY ROBINSON, DOC #113928 have applied for clemency for my conviction of SECOND DEGREE MURDER; ILLEGAL POSSESSION STOLEN THINGS. If you have any comments, contact the Board of Pardons (225)342-5421.

172477 - JAN 4-6 3T $310

The Advocate ■ theadvocate.com ■ Monday, January 5, 2026 ■ 7C

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8C ■ Monday, January 5, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate Clemency I, RONALD ROSS, DOC #556392 have applied for clemency for my conviction of SCHEDULE I; SIMPLE BURGLARY. If you have any comments, contact the Board of Pardons (225)342-5421.

172017 - Jan 3-5 3t $310

Legal Notices

PUBLIC NOTICE --(NOTICE OF INTENTION TO INTRODUCE BILL) Public notice is hereby given that there may be introduced at the session of the Legislature to be convened on March 9, 2026, a bill relative to a local, state, or statewide retirement system; to provide for the member‐ ship of the Constable of the New Orleans Second City Court; to provide for the membership of cer‐ tain position(s) within the office of the Consta‐ ble of the New Orleans Second City Court; to provide for an effective date; and to provide for related matters.

172562-jan 5-6-2t $168.76 PUBLIC NOTICE --(NOTICE OF INTENTION TO INTRODUCE RETIRE‐ MENT BILL – HLS 26RS295) 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 unfunded accrued liability of state retirement systems; to provide relative to appli‐ cation of nonrecurring state monies to such debt; to provide for re‐ strictions; and to provide for related matters.

172478-JAN 5-6-2T $41.68 PUBLIC NOTICE --(NOTICE OF INTENTION TO INTRODUCE RETIRE‐ MENT BILL – HLS 26RS318) 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 Fire‐ fighters' Retirement Sys‐ tem and the Municipal Police Employees' Retire‐ ment System; to provide relative to membership in the systems; to pro‐ vide relative to full or partial dissolution; to provide relative to pay‐ ment of unfunded ac‐ crued liability; and to provide for related mat‐ ters.

172539-JAN 5-6-2T $44.54 PUBLIC NOTICE --(NOTICE OF INTENTION TO INTRODUCE RETIRE‐ MENT BILL – HLS 26RS317) 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 financial penalties; to provide for definitions; to provide for venue and prescription; and to provide for re‐ lated matters.

172544-JAN 5-6-2T $48.54 PUBLIC NOTICE --Pursuant to La. R.S. 22:691.4.E.(2) notice is hereby given that on Monday, January 26, 2026, the Louisiana De‐ partment of Insurance, located at 1702 North Third Street, Baton Rouge, LA 70802, will hold a public hearing con‐ cerning the acquisition of The Gray Casualty & Surety Company by Palo‐ mar Holdings, Inc. The Hearing will begin at 10:00 AM in the Poydras Hearing room located on the first floor.

Any written comments or questions must be sub‐ mitted to the above ad‐ dress marked attention "Company Licensing" and be received no later than two days before the Hearing date. Email com‐ ments or questions can be submitted to public‐ comments@ldi.la.gov.

Interested parties may also participate electron‐ ically by going to ldi.la. gov/public-hearings and clicking on the link pro‐ vided therein on the date and time stated above.

Timothy J. Temple Commissioner of Insurance Louisiana Department of Insurance 172003-jan 5-6-7-3t

Public Notices Sheriff Sales

SHERIFF'S SALE Suit No: (17) 717365 WALID HAMED HUSSAIN vs ABDULKHALEQ AHMED

Public Notices Sheriff Sales p on file and of record in the office of the Clerk and Recorder for the said parish and state, as LOT NUMBER TWELVE (12), said subdivision, said lot having such measure‐ ments and dimensions as shown on said map, and having the municipal address 16124 Magnolia Trace Parkway, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70817 TERMS OF SALE: Cash to the highest bid‐ der, at Public Auction WITH Appraisement and according to law.

Sid J. Gautreaux, Sheriff East Baton Rouge Parish

Public Notices Sheriff Sales y pp g situated in the Parish of East Baton Rouge, State of Louisiana, in that sub‐ division known as GREENVILLE EXTENSION, and designated on the official plan thereof, on file and of record in the office of the Clerk and Recorder of the Parish of East Baton Rouge, State of Louisiana, as LOT NUMBER TWENTY-FIVE (25), SQUARE FIFTY-FOUR (54), said subdivision, said lot having such measurements and di‐ mensions and being sub‐ ject to such servitudes as are more particularly described on said subdi‐ vision map.

ADVERTISED DATE December 05, 2025 January 05, 2026 $211.71

TERMS OF SALE: Cash to the highest bid‐ der, at Public Auction WITHOUT Appraisement and according to law.

SHERIFF'S SALE

Sid J. Gautreaux, Sheriff East Baton Rouge Parish

Suit No: (17) 725326 REGIONS BANK OBA RE‐ GION MORTGAGE SUC‐ CESSOR BY MERGER TO UNION PLANTERS BANK, N.A. VS MARREO JARED KIMBROUGH AKA MARREO J. KIMBROUGH AKA MARREO KIM‐ BROUGH AND INGA PAT‐ TERSON KIMBROUGH AKA INGA P. KIMBROUGH AKA INGA KIMBROUGH Baton Rouge, LA 19th Judicial District Parish of East Baton Rouge State of Louisiana Acting under and by virtue of Writ of Seizure and Sale issued out of the honorable court aforesaid, in the above entitled and numbered cause, dated, November 17, 2022 and to me di‐ rected, I did seize and will, beginning at 10:00 o'clock a.m. on January 07, 2026, via an online auction site at www. bid4assets.com/EBR SOsheriffsales, offer for sale at public auction the following described mortgaged property be‐ longing to: MARREO JARED KIMBROUGH AKA MARREO J. KIMBROUGH AKA MARREO KIM‐ BROUGH AND INGA PAT‐ TERSON KIMBROUGH AKA INGA P. KIMBROUGH AKA INGA KIMBROUGH One certain lot or parcel of ground, together with all the buildings and im‐ provements thereon, and all the rights, ways, privi‐ leges, servitudes, appur‐ tenances and advan‐ tages thereunto belong‐ ing or in anywise apper‐ taining, situated in the Parish of East Baton of Rouge, State Louisiana, in that subdi‐ vision known as FOREST HEIGHTS PARK, FIRST FIL‐ ING, being designated according to the official plat thereof on file and of record in the office of the Clerk and Recorder for the Parish of East Baton Rouge, Louisiana, as LOT NUMBER SIXTEEN-A (16A), said subdivision, said lot having such measure‐ ments and dimensions and being subject to such servitudes as are more particularly shown on said map.

TERMS OF SALE: Cash to the highest bid‐ der, at Public Auction WITH Appraisement and according to law.

Sid J. Gautreaux, Sheriff East Baton Rouge Parish ADVERTISED DATE December 05, 2025 January 05, 2026 $260.22 SHERIFF'S SALE Suit No: (17) 729638 THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON FKA THE BANK OF NEW YORK, AS THE TRUSTEE FOR THE CER‐ TIFICATEHOLDERS OF THE CWABS, INC., ASSETBACKED CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2007-1 vs THE UN‐ OPENED SUCCESION OF ALBERT L. LANEHART A/K/A ALBERT L. LANE‐ HART A/K/A ALBERT LANEHART AND VERTA‐ BELL LANEHART AKA VERTABELL DOUGLAS LANEHART AKA VERTA‐ BELL D. LANEHART Baton Rouge, LA 19th Judicial District Parish of East Baton Rouge State of Louisiana Acting under and by virtue of Writ of Seizure and Sale issued out of the honorable court aforesaid, in the above entitled and numbered cause, dated, March 23, 2023 and to me directed, I did seize and will, be‐ ginning at 10:00 o'clock a.m. on January 07, 2026, via an online auction site at www.bid4assets.com/ EBRSOsheriffsales, offer for sale at public auction the following described mortgaged property be‐ longing to: THE UN‐ OPENED SUCCESION OF ALBERT L. LANEHART A/K/AALBERT L. LANE‐ HART A/K/AALBERT LANEHART AND VERTA‐ BELL LANEHART AKA VERTABELL DOUGLAS LANEHART AKA VERTA‐ BELL D. LANEHART One (1) certain lot or par‐ cel of ground, together with all the buildings and improvements thereon, and all the rights, ways, privileges, servitudes, advantages and appurte‐ nances thereunto be‐ longing or in anywise ap‐ pertaining, situated in the Parish of East Baton Rouge, State of Louisiana, in that subdi‐ vision known as Cinque‐ mano, and being desig‐ nated on the official plan of said subdivision, on file and of record in the Office of the Clerk and Recorder of said Parish and State, as lot number two (2), said subdivision, said lot having such size, shape and dimensions and being subject to such servitudes as are shown on said map.

TERMS OF SALE: Cash to the highest bid‐ der, at Public Auction previously offered WITH Appraisement, no bids were received, so the sale will be offered at cost and according to law.

Sid J. Gautreaux, Sheriff East Baton Rouge Parish ADVERTISED DATE December 05, 2025 January 05, 2026 $278.07 SHERIFF'S SALE

Baton Rouge, LA 19th Judicial District Parish of East Baton Rouge State of Louisiana

Suit No: (17) 752681

Acting under and by virtue of Writ of Seizure and Sale issued out of the honorable court aforesaid, in the above entitled and numbered cause, dated, February 03, 2025 and to me di‐ rected, I did seize and will, beginning at 10:00 o'clock a.m. on January 07, 2026, via an online auction site at www. bid4assets.com/EBR SOsheriffsales, offer for sale at public auction the following described mortgaged property be‐ longing to: HUSSAIN AB‐ DULKHALEQ AHMED

Baton Rouge, LA 19th Judicial District Parish of East Baton Rouge State of Louisiana

An undivided one-half in‐ terest in ONE (1) CERTAIN LOT OR PARCEL OF GROUND, together with all of the buildings and Improvements thereon, situated in that subdivi‐ sion of the Parish of East Baton Rouge, State of Louisiana, known as LAKES AT MAGNOLIA TRACE, 1ST FILING, and being designated on the official subdivision map, fil d f d i

lll

FANNIE MAE vs MARGIE JOSEPH

Acting under and by virtue of Writ of Seizure and Sale issued out of the honorable court aforesaid, in the above entitled and numbered cause, dated, July 16, 2025 and to me directed, I did seize and will, be‐ ginning at 10:00 o'clock a.m. on January 07, 2026, via an online auction site at www.bid4assets.com/ EBRSOsheriffsales, offer for sale at public auction the following described mortgaged property be‐ longing to: MARGIE JOSEPH One (1) certain piece or portion of ground, to‐ gether with all the build‐ ings and improvements thereon, and all of the rights, ways, privileges, servitudes, appurte‐ nances and advantages thereunto belonging or in anywise appertaining, i d i h i h f

ADVERTISED DATE December 05, 2025 January 05, 2026 $221.93 SHERIFF'S SALE Suit No: (17) 758462 BANKPLUS vs TANGIBLE INVESTMENT GROUP LLC Baton Rouge, LA 19th Judicial District Parish of East Baton Rouge State of Louisiana Acting under and by virtue of Writ of Seizure and Sale issued out of the honorable court aforesaid, in the above entitled and numbered cause, dated, February 24, 2025 and to me di‐ rected, I did seize and will, beginning at 10:00 o'clock a.m. on January 07, 2026, via an online auction site at www. bid4assets.com/EBR SOsheriffsales, offer for sale at public auction the following described mortgaged property be‐ longing to: TANGIBLE IN‐ VESTMENT GROUP LLC ONE (1) CERTAIN LOT OR PARCEL OF GROUND, to‐ gether with all the build‐ ings and improvements thereon, situated in the PARISH OF EAST BATON ROUGE, STATE OF LOUISIANA, in that subdi‐ vision known as BUHLER TOWN, and designated on the official plan thereof, on file and of record in the office of the Clerk and Recorder of the Parish of East Baton Rouge, State of Louisiana, as LOT NUM‐ BER SEVEN (7), OF SQUARE TWENTY-TWO OR NINETY (90), said Buhler Town, said lot measuring Sixty Six (66') feet front along the north side of Florida Street by a depth of One Hundred TwentyEight (128') feet between parallel lines and along the west side of North 17th Street (formerly Stewart Street).

Municipal Address: 1659 Florida Street, Baton Rouge, LA 70802 TERMS OF SALE: Cash to the highest bid‐ der, at Public Auction WITH Appraisement and according to law.

Sid J. Gautreaux, Sheriff East Baton Rouge Parish ADVERTISED DATE December 05, 2025 January 05, 2026 $229.60 SHERIFF'S SALE Suit No: (17) 759266 PENNYMAC LOAN SER‐ VICES LLC VS CRYSTAL ANN LANDRY AND KISA HOMES, LLC Baton Rouge, LA 19th Judicial District Parish of East Baton Rouge State of Louisiana Acting under and by virtue of Writ of Seizure and Sale issued out of the honorable court aforesaid, in the above entitled and numbered cause, dated, March 28, 2025 and to me directed, I did seize and will, be‐ ginning at 10:00 o'clock a.m. on January 07, 2026, via an online auction site at www.bid4assets.com/ EBRSOsheriffsales, offer for sale at public auction the following described mortgaged property be‐ longing to: CRYSTAL ANN LANDRY AND KISA HOMES, LLC ALL THAT CERTAIN PIECE OR PORTION OF GROUND, together with .all the buildings and improve‐ ments thereon, and all the rights, ways, privi‐ leges, servitudes, appur‐ tenances and advan‐ tages thereunto belong‐ ing or in anywise apper‐ taining, in that subdivi‐ sion of the PARISH OF EAST BATON ROUGE, STATE OF LOUISIANA, known as RIVER OAKS SUBDIVISION, SECOND FILING, and designated on the official map of said subdivision on file and of record in the of‐ fice of the Clerk and Recorded for the Parish of East Baton Rouge, State of Louisiana, as LOT Two Hundred Thirty Seven A (237-A), said subdivision, said lot measuring Ninety (90') feet front on Gloria Drive, by a depth between equal and parallel lines of One Hundred. Forty Five (145') feet; said lot subject to a seven and 5/10 (7.5) foot servitude for public utilities across there rear and along the southerly side line; all as shown on the official recorded subdivision map; subject to restric‐ tions, servitudes, rightsof-way and outstanding mineral rights of record affecting the property.

TERMS OF SALE: Cash to the highest bid‐ der, at Public Auction WITHOUT Appraisement and according to law.

Sid J. Gautreaux, Sheriff East Baton Rouge Parish ADVERTISED DATE December 05, 2025 January 05, 2026 $262.78 SHERIFF'S SALE Suit No: (17) 760137 SELECT PROTFOLIO SER‐ VICING INC vs ANTHONY K. BENTON AND ARDESSIA D. BENTON Baton Rouge, LA 19th Judicial District Parish of East Baton Rouge State of Louisiana Acting under and by virtue of Writ of Seizure and Sale issued out of the honorable court aforesaid, in the above entitled and numbered cause, dated, June 09, 2025 and to me directed, I did seize and will, be‐ ginning at 10:00 o'clock a.m. on January 07, 2026, via an online auction site at www.bid4assets.com/ EBRSOsheriffsales, offer for sale at public auction the following described mortgaged property be‐ longing to: ANTHONY K. BENTON AND ARDESSIA D. BENTON THAT CERTAIN LOT OR PARCEL OF GROUND, TO‐ GETHER WITH ALL THE BUILDINGS AND IM‐ PROVEMENTS THEREON, SITUATED IN THE PARISH OF EAST BATON ROUGE, STATE OF LOUISIANA, IN THAT SUBDIVISION THEREOF KNOWN AS WOODLAND HILLS, AND BEING DESIGNATED AS LOT D-1-C ON A PLAT PREPARED BY BATON ROUGE LAND SURVEYING. INC., DATED JANUARY 2,

Public Notices Sheriff Sales

2004, ENTITLED MAP SHOWING SURVEY AND SUBDIVISION OF LOT D-1 WOODLAND HILLS INTO LOTS D-1-A, D-1-B, D-1-C & D-1-D LOCATED IN SEC‐ TION 77, TOWNSHIP 6 SOUTH, RANGE 2 EAST, GLD EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH, FOR MATTIE HAMILTON ", A COPY OF IS WHICH PLAT RECORDED AT ORIGINAL 77, BUNDLE 11567, OFFI‐ CIAL RECORDS OF THE CLERK AND RECORDER FOR EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH, LOUISIANA SAID LOT HAVING SUCH MEA‐ SUREMENTS AND DIMEN‐ SIONS, AND BEING SUB‐ JECT TO SUCH SERVI‐ TUDES AND BUILDING LINE RESTRICTIONS OF RECORD, AND AS SHOWN ON THE ABOVE' DE‐ SCRIBED PLAT. (the "Property") TERMS OF SALE: Cash to the highest bid‐ der, at Public Auction WITHOUT Appraisement and according to law.

Sid J. Gautreaux, Sheriff East Baton Rouge Parish ADVERTISED DATE December 05, 2025 January 05, 2026 $260.22 SHERIFF'S SALE Suit No: (17) 760646 REGIONS BANK D/B/A RE‐ GIONS MORTGAGE VS MARLEN JOSEPH BABIN A/K/A MARLEN BABIN Baton Rouge, LA 19th Judicial District Parish of East Baton Rouge State of Louisiana Acting under and by virtue of Writ of Seizure and Sale issued out of the honorable court aforesaid, in the above entitled and numbered cause, dated, April 21, 2025 and to me directed, I did seize and will, be‐ ginning at 10:00 o'clock a.m. on January 07, 2026, via an online auction site at www.bid4assets.com/ EBRSOsheriffsales, offer for sale at public auction the following described mortgaged property be‐ longing to: MARLEN JOSEPH BABIN A/K/A MARLEN BABIN One (1) certain lot or par‐ cel of ground, together with all the buildings and improvements thereon, situated in the Parish of East Baton Rouge, State of Louisiana, in that sub‐ division thereof known as SHENANDOAH HILLS SUBDIVISION, SECOND FILING and being desig‐ nated according to the official map of said sub‐ division, a copy of which is on file and of record in the office of the Clerk and Recorder for the said Parish and State, as LOT NUMBER ONE HUNDRED TWENTY-NINE (129), said subdivision; said lot hav‐ ing such measurements and and dimensions being subject to any and all servitudes of record on the said official subdi‐ vision map.

Which has the address of3723 Soledad Drive, Baton Rouge, LA 70816 TERMS OF SALE: Cash to the highest bid‐ der, at Public Auction WITH Appraisement and according to law.

Sid J. Gautreaux, Sheriff East Baton Rouge Parish ADVERTISED DATE December 05, 2025 January 05, 2026 $224.49 SHERIFF'S SALE Suit No: (17) 761071 AURORA FINANCIAL GROUP vs WILLIAM E ED‐ WARDS Baton Rouge, LA 19th Judicial District Parish of East Baton Rouge State of Louisiana Acting under and by virtue of Writ of Seizure and Sale issued out of the honorable court aforesaid, in the above entitled and numbered cause, dated, April 22, 2025 and to me directed, I did seize and will, be‐ ginning at 10:00 o'clock a.m. on January 07, 2026, via an online auction site at www.bid4assets.com/ EBRSOsheriffsales, offer for sale at public auction the following described mortgaged property be‐ longing to: WILLIAM E EDWARDS A CERTAIN CONDO‐ MINIUM UNIT, together with all privileges and appurtenances there‐ unto, in the condo‐ minium regime known as JACKSON SQUARE CON‐ DOMINIUM, located in Section 94, Township 7 South, Range 1 East, Greensburg Land District, Parish of East Baton Rouge, State of Louisiana (formerly TRACT E-4-B-1C, on the map prepared

by Norris J. Decoteau, R.L.S., entitled "Map showing Subdivision of Tracts E-4-A-1 and E-4-B into Tract E-4-A-1-A and E-4-B-1, being a portion of a 222.78 acre tract of the Aldrich Est. located in Sec 94, T7S, R1 E, G.L.D., East Baton Rouge Parish for Concord Apart‐ ments" as revised 9/11/84 to show change of property between TRS. E-4-A-1-A and E-4-B-1 into TRS. E-4-A-1-A-2 and E-4B-1-C recorded as Origi‐ nal 350 Bundle 9698, offi‐ cial records of the Parish of East Baton Rouge, State of Louisiana) and designated as UNIT 32, BUILDING 5 of JACKSON SQUARE CONDOMINIUM, having such measure‐ ments and dimensions as more particularly de‐ scribed in the condo‐ minium declaration enti‐ tled DECLARATION CRE‐ ATING AND ESTABLISH‐ ING A CONDOMINIUM REGIME FOR THE JACK‐ SON SQUARE CONDO‐ MINIUM BY NSH CORP., filed for record in the of‐ ficial records of East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana as Original 417, Bundle 11521; said unit and the owner of same being subject to all the provisions of said decla‐ ration as it exists, or may from time to lime be amended, together with all rights and obligations as pertaining to the owner of same, particu‐ larly, but not exclusively, the undivided share of the common and/or lim‐ ited common elements, the use of the limited common elements re‐ served for said unit, membership in the JACK‐ SON SQUARE CONDO‐ MINIUM ASSOCIATION, INC., and the obligation to pay a share of the common expenses all as set forth in said declara‐ tion and as specified in the Louisiana Condo‐ minium Act. Also con‐ veyed unto PUR‐ CHASER(S) are all cur‐ rently installed and builtin appliances and fix‐ tures, including air con‐ ditioning and heating units.

Which has the address of 4990 Jamestown Avenue, Unit 32, Balon Rouge, LA 70808 TERMS OF SALE: Cash to the highest bid‐ der, at Public Auction WITH Appraisement and according to law.

Sid J. Gautreaux, Sheriff East Baton Rouge Parish ADVERTISED DATE December 05, 2025 January 05, 2026 $377.61

Public Notices Sheriff Sales

Public Notices Sheriff Sales

SHERIFF'S SALE

SHERIFF'S SALE

Suit No: (17) 761132

Suit No: (17) 763095

CARRINGTON MORTGAGE SERVICES, LLC vs THE OPENED SUCCESSION OF PERCY LAWRENCE TURN‐ LEY, JR. AND ELLA MAE TURNLEY (A/K/A ELLA MAE HOWARD TURNLEY) AND CEARA TURNLEY AND SARAH TURNLEY AND JOSHUA TURNLEY AND SENETRA TURNLEY AND KRISTALYN TURNLEY

HANCOCK WHITNEY BANK vs THE UNOPENED SUCCESSION OF CRAIG DURHAM AKA CRAIG GORDON DURHAM, SR. DECEASED

Baton Rouge, LA 19th Judicial District Parish of East Baton Rouge State of Louisiana Acting under and by virtue of Writ of Seizure and Sale issued out of the honorable court aforesaid, in the above entitled and numbered cause, dated, April 30, 2025 and to me directed, I did seize and will, be‐ ginning at 10:00 o'clock a.m. on January 07, 2026, via an online auction site at www.bid4assets.com/ EBRSOsheriffsales, offer for sale at public auction the following described mortgaged property be‐ longing to: THE OPENED SUCCESSION OF PERCY LAWRENCE TURNLEY, JR. AND ELLA MAE TURNLEY (A/K/A ELLA MAE HOWARD TURNLEY) AND CEARA TURNLEY AND SARAH TURNLEY AND JOSHUA TURNLEY AND SENETRA TURNLEY AND KRISTALYN TURNLEY ONE CERTAIN LOT OR PARCEL OF GROUND, TO‐ GETHER WITH ALL THE BUILDINGS, AND IM‐ PROVEMENTS THEREON, SITUATED IN THE PARISH OF EAST BATON ROUGE, STATE OF LOUISIANA, IN THAT SUBDIVSION KNOWN AS PARKLAND TERRACE SUBDIVISION, AND DESIGNATED ON THE OFFICIAL PLAN THEREOF, ON FILE AND OF RECORD IN THE OFFICE OF THE CLERK AND RECORDER FOR THE PARISH OF EAST BATON ROUGE, STATE OF LOUISIANA, AS LOT NUM‐ BER FIFTY FOUR (54), SAID SUBDIVISION, SAID LOT HAVING SUCH MEA‐ SUREMENTS AND DIMEN‐ SIONS AND BEING SUB‐ JECT TO SUCH SERVI‐ TUDES AND RESTRIC‐ TIONS AS ARE MORE PAR‐ TICULARLY SHOWN ON SAID MAP. TERMS OF SALE: Cash to the highest bid‐ der, at Public Auction WITHOUT Appraisement and according to law.

Sid J. Gautreaux, Sheriff East Baton Rouge Parish ADVERTISED DATE December 05, 2025 January 05, 2026 $262.78 SHERIFF'S SALE Suit No: (17) 761840 MIDFIRST BANK VS PAR‐ RISH SHERMAN MCCLAIN AND TRESSY ANN MC‐ CLAIN A/K/A TRESSY ANN HOUSTON MCCLAIN Baton Rouge, LA 19th Judicial District Parish of East Baton Rouge State of Louisiana Acting under and by virtue of Writ of Seizure and Sale issued out of the honorable court aforesaid, in the above entitled and numbered cause, dated, May 05, 2025 and to me directed, I did seize and will, be‐ ginning at 10:00 o'clock a.m. on January 07, 2026, via an online auction site at www.bid4assets.com/ EBRSOsheriffsales, offer for sale at public auction the following described mortgaged property be‐ longing to: PARRISH SHERMAN MCCLAIN AND TRESSY ANN MCCLAIN A/K/A TRESSY ANN HOUSTON MCCLAIN ONE (1) CERTAIN LOT OR PARCEL OF GROUND, to‐ gether with all the build‐ ings and improvements thereon, with all the rights, ways, privileges, servitudes, appurte‐ nances and advantages thereunto appertaining situated in the Parish of East Baton Rouge. State of Louisiana in that sub‐ division known as PASADENA SUBDIVISION, THIRD FILING, and desig‐ nated on the official map thereof on file and of record in the Office of the Clerk and Recorder for the Parish of East Baton Rouge, Louisiana as Original 24, Bundle 6685, as LOT NUMBER TWENTY-THREE (23), said subdivision; said lot hav‐ ing the same measure‐ ments and dimensions and being subject to such servitudes and building lines as set forth on said official map; sub‐ ject to restrictions, servi‐ tudes, rights-of-way and outstanding mineral rights of record affecting the property.

TERMS OF SALE: Cash to the highest bid‐ der, at Public Auction WITHOUT Appraisement and according to law.

Sid J. Gautreaux, Sheriff East Baton Rouge Parish ADVERTISED DATE December 05, 2025 January 05, 2026 $247.45 SHERIFF'S SALE Suit No: (17) 762823 MORTGAGE RESEARCH CENTER LLC, OBA VETER‐ ANS UNITED HOME LOANS, A MISSOURI LIM‐ ITED LIABILITY COMPANY VS QUIENETHA WILLIAMS Baton Rouge, LA 19th Judicial District Parish of East Baton Rouge State of Louisiana Acting under and by virtue of Writ of Seizure and Sale issued out of the honorable court aforesaid, in the above entitled and numbered cause, dated, May 28, 2025 and to me directed, I did seize and will, be‐ ginning at 10:00 o'clock a.m. on January 07, 2026, via an online auction site at www.bid4assets.com/ EBRSOsheriffsales, offer for sale at public auction the following described mortgaged property be‐ longing to: QUIENETHA WILLIAMS One certain lot or parcel of ground, being Lot 65, together with all the buildings and improve‐ ments thereon, and all the rights, ways, privi‐ leges, servitudes, appur‐ tenances and advan‐ tages thereunto belong‐ ing or in anywise apper‐ taining, situated in the Parish of East Baton Rouge, State of Louisiana, in that subdi‐ vision known as Hunting‐ ton Park Subdivision, First Filing, and being designated according to the official map thereof, on file and of record as Original 841 of bundle the official 9270 of records of the Parish of East Baton Rouge, State of Louisiana. Said Lot 65, having such measure‐ ments and dimensions and being subject to such servitudes as are more fully shown on the official map.

TERMS OF SALE: Cash to the highest bid‐ der, at Public Auction WITHOUT Appraisement and according to law.

Sid J, Gautreaux, Sheriff East Baton Rouge Parish ADVERTISED DATE December 05, 2025 January 05, 2026 $229.60

Baton Rouge, LA 19th Judicial District Parish of East Baton Rouge State of Louisiana Acting under and by virtue of Writ of Seizure and Sale issued out of the honorable court aforesaid, in the above entitled and numbered cause, dated, June 05, 2025 and to me directed, I did seize and will, be‐ ginning at 10:00 o'clock a.m. on January 07, 2026, via an online auction site at www.bid4assets.com/ EBRSOsheriffsales, offer for sale at public auction the following described mortgaged property be‐ longing to: THE UN‐ OPENED SUCCESSION OF CRAIG DURHAM AKA CRAIG GORDON DURHAM, SR. DECEASED ONE (1) CERTAIN PIECE OR PORTION OF GROUND, together with all the buildings and improve‐ ments thereon, and all of the rights, ways, privi‐ leges, servitudes, appur‐ tenances and advan‐ tages thereunto belong‐ ing or in anywise apper‐ taining, situated in the Parish of East Baton Rouge, State of Louisiana, in that subdi‐ vision known as BAKER OAKS, and designated on the official plan thereof, on file and of record in the office of the Clerk and Recorder of the Parish of East Baton Rouge, State of Louisiana, as LOT NUM‐ BER' THIRTY (30), said subdivision, said lot hav‐ ing such measurements and dimensions and being subject to such servitudes as are more particularly described on said subdivision map.

TERMS OF SALE: Cash to the highest bid‐ der, at Public Auction previously offered WITH Appraisement, no bids were recieved, so the sale will be offered at cost and according to law.

Sid J. Gautreaux, Sheriff East Baton Rouge Parish ADVERTISED DATE December 05, 2025 January 05, 2026 $247.45 SHERIFF'S SALE Suit No: (17) 763972 SYNERGY BANK (F/K/A PEOPLE'S BANK AND TRUST COMPANY OF POINTE COUPEE) vs SRT ENTERPRISE, LLC AND RRC INVESTMENT PROP‐ ERTIES, LLC Baton Rouge, LA 19th Judicial District Parish of East Baton Rouge State of Louisiana Acting under and by virtue of Writ of Seizure and Sale issued out of the honorable court aforesaid, in the above entitled and numbered cause, dated, June 25, 2025 and to me directed, I did seize and will, be‐ ginning at 10:00 o'clock a.m. on January 07, 2026, via an online auction site at www.bid4assets.com/ EBRSOsheriffsales, offer for sale at public auction the following described mortgaged property be‐ longing to: SRT ENTER‐ PRISE, LLC AND RRC IN‐ VESTMENT PROPERTIES, LLC ONE (1) CERTAIN LOT OR PARCEL OF GROUND, to‐ gether with all the build‐ ings and improvements thereon, situated in that subdivision of the Parish of East Baton Rouge, State of Louisiana, known as JEFFERSON COURT, and being desig‐ nated on the official sub‐ division map, on file and of record in the office of the Clerk and Recorder for said parish and state, as LOT NUMBER FIVE (5), said subdivision; said lot having such measure‐ ments and dimensions as shown on said map.

Together with any and all present and future build‐ ings, constructions, com‐ ponent parts, improve‐ ments, attachments, ap‐ purtenances, fixtures, rights, ways, privileges, advantages, batture, and batture rights, servitudes and easements of every type and description, now and/or in the future relating to the Property, and any and all items and fixtures attached to and/or forming integral or component parts of the Property in accor‐ dance with the Louisiana Civil Code. The Property or its address is com‐ monly known as 8013 BRANDON DR., BATON ROUGE, LA 70809.

TERMS OF SALE: Cash to the highest bid‐ der, at Public Auction WITH Appraisement and according to law.

Sid J. Gautreaux, Sheriff East Baton Rouge Parish ADVERTISED DATE December 05, 2025 January 05, 2026 $270.41 SHERIFF'S SALE Suit No: (17) 763972 SYNERGY BANK (F/K/A PEOPLE'S BANK AND TRUST COMPANY OF POINTE COUPEE) vs SRT ENTERPRISE, LLC AND RRC INVESTMENT PROP‐ ERTIES, LLC Baton Rouge, LA 19th Judicial District Parish of East Baton Rouge State of Louisiana Acting under and by virtue of Writ of Seizure and Sale issued out of the honorable court aforesaid, in the above entitled and numbered cause, dated, June 25, 2025 and to me directed, I did seize and will, be‐ ginning at 10:00 o'clock a.m. on January 07, 2026, via an online auction site at www.bid4assets.com/ EBRSOsheriffsales, offer for sale at public auction the following described mortgaged property be‐ longing to: SRT ENTER‐ PRISE, LLC AND RRC IN‐ VESTMENT PROPERTIES, LLC THAT CERTAIN PIECE OR PORTION OF GROUND, to‐ gether with oil the build‐ ings and improvements thereon, and nil the rights, ways, privileges, servitudes, appurte‐ nances and advantages thereunto belonging or in anywise appertaining, situated in the Parish of East Baton Rouge, State of Louisiana, in that sub‐ division known as BONAIRE SUBDIVISION, and being more particu‐ larly described on the of‐ ficial map of record in the office of the Clerk and Recorder for East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, as LOT SEV‐ ENTY-EIGHT (78), said Bonaire Subdivision, said Lot measuring Seventy Five (75') feet across the front on the Eastern side of Rainbow Drive by a depth between equal and parallel lines of One Hun‐ dred Twenty Five (125') feet; said Lot being sub‐ ject to a Twenty Five (25') foot building line across the front and to a Seven and 5/10 (7.5') foot servi‐ tude across the rear.

Together with any and all present and future build‐ i i

Public Notices Sheriff Sales p ings, constructions, com‐ ponent parts, improve‐ ments, attachments, ap‐ purtenances, fixtures, rights, ways, privileges, advantages, batture, and batture rights, servitudes and easements of every type and description, now and/or in the future relating to the Property, and any and all items and fixtures attached to and/or forming integral or component parts of the Property in accor‐ dance with the Louisiana Civil Code. The property or its address is com‐ monly known u 8356 RAINBOW DRIVE, BATON ROUGE, LA 70809.

TERMS OF SALE: Cash to the highest bid‐ der, at Public Auction WITH Appraisement and according to law.

Sid J. Gautreaux, Sheriff East Baton Rouge Parish ADVERTISED DATE December 05, 2025 January 05, 2026 $313.81

SHERIFF'S SALE Suit No: (17) 763972 SYNERGY BANK (F/KIA PEOPLE'S BANK AND TRUST COMPANY OF POINTE COUPEE) vs SRT ENTERPRISE, LLC AND RRC INVESTMENT PROP‐ ERTIES, LLC Baton Rouge, LA 19th Judicial District Parish of East Baton Rouge State of Louisiana Acting under and by virtue of Writ of Seizure and Sale issued out of the honorable court aforesaid, in the above entitled and numbered cause, dated, June 25, 2025 and to me directed, I did seize and will, be‐ ginning at 10:00 o'clock a.m. on January 07, 2026, via an online auction site at www.bid4assets.com/ EBRSOsheriffsales, offer for sale at public auction the following described mortgaged property be‐ longing to: SRT ENTER‐ PRISE, LLC AND RRC IN‐ VESTMENT PROPERTIES, LLC A certain lot or parcel of ground, together with all the buildings and im‐ provements thereon, sit‐ uated in that subdivision of the City of Baton Rouge, known as BEAU‐ REGARD TOWN, and being more particularly described as a portion of LOT NUMBER NINE (9), SQUARE FIFTY-SIX (56) of said subdivision, said fractional lot measuring twenty-seven and 2/10 (27.2) feet front on the south side of America Street by a depth along its western boundary line of seventy-two and 4/10 (72.4) feet, and a depth along its eastern boundary line of fifty and 1/10 (50.1) feet. and mea‐ suring thirty-four and 1/10 (34.1) feet on its rear or southerly bound‐ ary which is along Grandpre Street, all as shown according to map made by A.G. Mundinger, C.E. and Surveyor, dated April 12, 1945 the portion of said lot hereinabove described, being west of and contiguous to that triangular portion of said LOT NUMBER NINE (9), SQUARE NUMBER FIFTYSIX (56), BEAUREGARD TOWN, which measures fifty-eight and 6/10 (58.6) feet front on the south side of America Street by a depth along its western side of fifty and 1/10 (50.1) feet and measuring seventy-six and 6/ 10 (76.6) feet along Grand‐ pre Street.

Together with any and all present and future build‐ ings, constructions, com‐ ponent parts, improve‐ ments, attachments, ap‐ purtenances, fixtures, rights, ways, privileges, advantages, batture, and batture rights, servitudes and easements of every type and description, now and/or in the future relating to the Property, and any and all items and fixtures attached to and/or forming integral or component parts of the Property in accor‐ dance with the Louisiana Civil Code. The Property or its address is com‐ monly known as 838 AMERICA STREET, BATON ROUGE, LA 70802 TERMS OF SALE: Cash to the highest bid‐ der, at Public Auction WITH Appraisement and according to law.

Sid J. Gautreaux, Sheriff East Baton Rouge Parish ADVERTISED DATE December 05, 2025 January 05, 2026 $346.99 SHERIFF'S SALE Suit No: (17) 764059 U.S. BANK TRUST COM‐ PANY NATIONAL ASSOCI‐ ATION vs THE CHAUTEAU TIGER LAND APART‐ MENTS LLC Baton Rouge, LA 19th Judicial District Parish of East Baton Rouge State of Louisiana Acting under and by virtue of Writ of Seizure and Sale issued out of the honorable court aforesaid, in the above entitled and numbered cause, dated, June 24, 2025 and to me directed, I did seize and will, be‐ ginning at 10:00 o'clock a.m. on January 07, 2026, via an online auction site at www.bid4assets.com/ EBRSOsheriffsales, offer for sale at public auction the following described mortgaged property be‐ longing to: THE CHAUTEAU TIGER LAND APARTMENTS LLC One (1) certain lot or par‐ cel of ground, together with all buildings and im‐ provements thereon, sit‐ uated in the Parish of East Baton Rouge, State of Louisiana, in that sub‐ division known as Tiger‐ land Acres, and being designated on the offi‐ cial map thereof on file and of record as Original 574, Bundle 9105, in the office of the Clerk and Recorder for the Parish of East Baton Rouge, State of Louisiana, as Lot Number Sixty-Two 8 (628) said Tigerland Acres, said lot measuring One Hundred Thirty (130) feet front on Tigerland Av‐ enue, One Hundred Thirty (130) feet front on Y.A. Tittle Avenue, by a depth of Three Hundred (300) feet between equal and parallel lines; sub‐ ject to a Five (5) foot sidewalk servitude across the front along Tigerland Avenue, a Five (5) foot utility servitude across the front along Tigerland Avenue, a Five (5) foot sidewalk servi‐ tude across the front along Y.A. Tittle Avenue, subject to any such servitudes shown on said map.

Municipal Address: 4707 Tigerland Avenue/4728 Y.A. Tittle Avenue, Baton Rouge, LA 70820 TERMS OF SALE: Cash to the highest bid‐ der, at Public Auction WITH Appraisement and according to law.

Sid J. Gautreaux, Sheriff East Baton Rouge Parish ADVERTISED DATE December 05, 2025 January 05, 2025 $265.33

Public Notices Sheriff Sales

SHERIFF'S SALE Suit No: (17) 764196 PENNYMAC LOAN SER‐ VICES, LLC vs PATRICIA B. STEWART A/K/A PATRI‐ CIA STEWART, CHRISTINE MOORE AND BRYAN RAN‐ DALL STEWART A/K/A BRYAN R. STEWART A/K/A BRYAN STEWART, HEIRS OF RANDOLPH L STEWART, JR. A/K/A RAN‐ DOLPH STEWART, JR. Baton Rouge, LA 19th Judicial District Parish of East Baton Rouge State of Louisiana Acting under and by virtue of Writ of Seizure and Sale issued out of the honorable court aforesaid, in the above entitled and numbered cause, dated, August 22, 2025 and to me directed, I did seize and will, be‐ ginning at 10:00 o'clock a.m. on January 07, 2026, via an online auction site at www.bid4assets.com/ EBRSOsheriffsales, offer for sale at public auction the following described mortgaged property be‐ longing to: PATRICIA B. STEWART A/K/A PATRI‐ CIA STEWART, CHRISTINE MOORE AND BRYAN RAN‐ DALL STEWART A/K/A BRYAN R. STEWART A/K/A BRYAN STEWART, HEIRS OF RANDOLPH L STEWART, JR. A/K/A RAN‐ DOLPH STEWART, JR. One (1) certain lot or par‐ cel of ground, together with all the buildings and improvements thereon, situated in the Parish of East Baton Rouge, State of Louisiana, in that sub‐ division thereof known as Country Manor, 1st Filing, and being more particularly described according to the official map of said subdivision, on file and of record in the office of the clerk and recorder for the said parish and state, as lot fifty-four (54), said subdi‐ vision, said lot having such measurements and dimensions and being subject to such servi‐ tudes as shown on the said map.

TERMS OF SALE: Cash to the highest bid‐ der, at Public Auction WITHOUT Appraisement and according to law.

Sid J. Gautreaux, Sheriff East Baton Rouge Parish ADVERTISED DATE December 05, 2025 January 05, 2026 $244.89 SHERIFF'S SALE Suit No: (17) 764912 JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION vs DARYL D. SAM (A/K/A DARYL SAM, DARYL DWAYNE SAM) Baton Rouge, LA 19th Judicial District Parish of East Baton Rouge State of Louisiana Acting under and by virtue of Writ of Seizure and Sale issued out of the honorable court aforesaid, in the above entitled and numbered cause, dated, July 24, 2025 and to me directed, I did seize and will, be‐ ginning at 10:00 o'clock a.m. on January 07, 2026, via an online auction site at www.bid4assets.com/ EBRSOsheriffsales, offer for sale at public auction the following described mortgaged property be‐ longing to: DARYL D. SAM (A/K/A DARYL SAM, DARYL DWAYNE SAM) One certain lot or parcel of ground, together with all the buildings and im‐ provements thereon, and all the rights, ways, privi‐ leges, servitudes, appur‐ tenances, and advan‐ tages thereunto belong‐ ing or in anywise apper‐ taining, situated in the Parish of East Baton Rouge, State of Louisiana, in that subdi‐ vision known as FEN‐ NWOOD LINKS SUBDIVI‐ SION, and being desig‐ nated on the official plat thereof on file and of record in the office of the Clerk and Recorder for East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, as LOT NUM‐ BER THIRTEEN (13), said subdivision, said lot hav‐ ing such measurements and dimensions and being subject to such servitudes as are more particularly shown on said map.

Which has the address of 6519 Summerlin Drive, Zachary, LA 70791 TERMS OF SALE: Cash to the highest bid‐ der, at Public Auction WITH Appraisement and according to law.

Sid J. Gautreaux, Sheriff East Baton Rouge Parish ADVERTISED DATE December 05, 2025 January 05, 2026 $234.71 SHERIFF'S SALE Suit No: (17) 765171 LOANDEPOT.COM, LLC vs JAMES E. BLACK A/K/A JAMES BLACK Baton Rouge, LA 19th Judicial District Parish of East Baton Rouge State of Louisiana Acting under and by virtue of Writ of Seizure and Sale issued out of the honorable court aforesaid, in the above entitled and numbered cause, dated, July 17, 2025 and to me directed, I did seize and will, be‐ ginning at 10:00 o'clock a.m. on January 07, 2026, via an online auction site at www.bid4assets.com/ EBRSOsheriffsales, offer for sale at public auction the following described mortgaged property be‐ longing to: JAMES E. BLACK A/K/A JAMES BLACK Situated in the county of East Parish Rouge Parish and State of Louisiana: A certain lot or parcel of ground, together with all buildings and improve‐ ments thereon and all rights, ways, privileges and servitudes thereunto appertaining, located in Section 62 and 68, Town‐ ship 6 South, Range 1 East, East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, con‐ taining ten (10) acres and being shown as Tract "A" according to a map entitled "Map showing the removal of 10.0 acres from 43 acre tract, lo‐ cated in Sections 62 and 688, T-6-S, R-1-E, (Ida L. Sibley and Bruce H. Hunt Property), Parish of East Baton Rouge, LA. For Glen Cox", Prepared by William L. Bowman, dated October 10, 1969, a copy of which is on file and of record in the of‐ fice of the Clerk and Recorder for said parish and state, said ten (10) acres being more partic‐ ularly described as fol‐ lows, to-wit: Commence at a point where the center line of the Comite River and the Northwest property line of the ten (10) acre tract bisects the South rightof-way of Comite Drive as shown on said plat, which said point is the point of beginning; thence proceed South 47 degrees, 52 minutes East along the Southern boundary of Comite Drive a distance of 313.96 feet to a point; thence continue along around the curve of the Southern right-of-way line of Comite Drive a distance

Public Notices Sheriff Sales

of 430.17 feet to a pint and comer; thence pro‐ ceed South 5 degrees 17 minutes West a distance of 196.1 feet to a point and comer; thence pro‐ ceed South 52 degrees, 47 minutes West a dis‐ tance of 542. 7 feet to the center line of the Comite River; thence proceed. a Northwesterly direction following the center line of the Comite River to the point of beginning all as shown on said map.

TERMS OF SALE: Cash to the highest bid‐ der, at Public Auction WITH Appraisement and according to law.

Sid J. Gautreaux, Sheriff East Baton Rouge Parish ADVERTISED DATE December 05, 2025 January 05, 2026 $329.10 SHERIFF'S SALE Suit No: (17) 765751 TOWD POINT MORTGAGE TRUST ASSET-BACKED SE‐ CURITIES, SERIES 2021SJ1, US BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS INDEN‐ TURE TRUSTEE VS LE OTHER D DUPAS JR A/KIA LE OTHER D DUPAS A/K/A LE OTHER DUPAS JR A/K/A LE OTHER DUPAS AND SHIRLEY HAMPTON DUPAS AKA SHIRLEY H. DUPAS AKA SHIRLEY DUPAS AKA SHIRLEY HAMPTON Baton Rouge, LA 19th Judicial District Parish of East Baton Rouge State of Louisiana Acting under and by virtue of Writ of Seizure and Sale issued out of the honorable court aforesaid, in the above entitled and numbered cause, dated, July 28, 2025 and to me directed, I did seize and will, be‐ ginning at 10:00 o'clock a.m. on January 07, 2026, via an online auction site at www.bid4assets.com/ EBRSOsheriffsales, offer for sale at public auction the following described mortgaged property be‐ longing to: LEOTHER D DUPAS JR A/K/A LEOTHER D DUPAS A/K/A LEOTHER DUPAS JR A/K/A LEOTHER DUPAS AND SHIRLEY HAMPTON DUPAS AKA SHIRLEY H. DUPAS AKA SHIRLEY DUPAS AKA SHIRLEY HAMPTON One (1) certain lot or par‐ cel 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, being situ‐ ated in the Parish of East Baton Rouge, State of Louisiana in that subdivi‐ sion thereof known as WELLS PLACE, and being more particularly de‐ scribed according to a map or plat of said sub‐ division on file and ·of record in the office of the Clerk and Recorder for East Baton Rouge. Parish, Louisiana, as LOT NUM‐ BER ONE (1 ), SQUARE NUMBER THREE (3), said Wells Place, said lot mea‐ suring Fifty (50') feet front on the North side of Wells Street by a depth on its East sideline of Two Hundred (200') feet, and by a depth on its West sideline of One Hundred Ninety-Nine and 64/100 (199.64') feet and with a width across the rear of Fifty (50') feet.

TERMS OF SALE: Cash to the highest bid‐ der, at Public Auction WITH Appraisement and according to law.

Sid J. Gautreaux, Sheriff East Baton Rouge Parish ADVERTISED DATE December 05, 2025 January 05, 2026 $285.74 SHERIFF'S SALE Suit No: (17) 765760 JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, NAAS SUCCESSOR BY MERGER TO J.P. MORGAN MORTGAGE ACQUISITION CORP. vs ESTATE OF CLEVELAND JACKSON AND ESTATE OF DOROTHY ELSEY JACKSON Baton Rouge, LA 19th Judicial District Parish of East Baton Rouge State of Louisiana Acting under and by virtue of Writ of Seizure and Sale issued out of the honorable court aforesaid, in the above entitled and numbered cause, dated, August 01, 2025 and to me directed, I did seize and will, be‐ ginning at 10:00 o'clock a.m. on January 07, 2026, via an online auction site at www.bid4assets.com/ EBRSOsheriffsales, offer for sale at public auction the following described mortgaged property be‐ longing to: ESTATE OF CLEVELAND JACKSON AND ESTATE OF DOROTHY ELSEY JACKSON One certain lot or parcel of ground, together with all the buildings and im‐ provements thereon, and all of the rights, ways, privileges, servitudes, appurtenances and ad‐ vantages thereon be‐ longing or in anywise ap‐ pertaining, situated in the Parish of EAST BATON ROUGE, State of Louisiana, in that subdi‐ vision known as ARM‐ WOOD SUBDIVISION, and being designated on the official plan of said sub‐ division, on file and of record in the office of the Clerk and Recorder of said Parish and State, as LOT NUMBER FOURTEEN (14), said subdivision, said lot having such measurements and di‐ mensions and being sub‐ ject to such servitudes as shown on said subdi‐ vision map.

TERMS OF SALE: Cash to the highest bid‐ der, at Public Auction WITHOUT Appraisement and according to law.

Sid J. Gautreaux, Sheriff East Baton Rouge Parish ADVERTISED DATE December 05, 2025 January 05, 2026 $234.71

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