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ä See BUC-EES, page 7A

READY TO RIDE

10 Bl uf f

construction could begin in late spring of this year. A company official said in early talks with Lafayette Consolidated Government that the project would take 13 months to build.

No building permits have been issued from LCG. The completion could come before then since Buc-ee’s often factors in potential delays for weather or

ow

now scheduled to open in about 18 months at the corner of Louisiana Acadiana business editor Avenue and Interstate 10.

“We’re excited to be coming to LaThe Buc-ee’s store planned for Lafayette could be open by July fayette,” the spokesperson said.

2027, a company spokesperson said Crews in recent weeks have Thursday. worked to bring in fill dirt to the site Despite an earlier document that to raise the ground level since the indicated the opening would not property is in a flood zone. happen until 2028, the project is A July 2027 opening could mean

Site of Buc-ee’s

ad

BY ADAM DAIGLE

other factors, said Mandi Mitchell, president and CEO of the Lafayette Economic Development Authority.

“I’m super thrilled about the investment in this portion of our city and the additional jobs and growth of our tax base,” she said.

Buc-ee’s initially indicated the store would have opened by the 2025 holiday shopping season.

The company cooperative endeav-

Sh

‘We’re excited to be coming to Lafayette,’ official says

Louisiana Ave.

Buc-ee’s set to open by July 2027

DA drops charges in McNeese hazing case

BY MEGAN WYATT Staff writer

STAFF PHOTO By BRAD BOWIE

Shawn Calhoun saddles one of his horses on Thursday for the annual Mid-Winter Fair Rodeo at Blackham Coliseum in Lafayette. Calhoun works as a pickup man, ensuring the safety of riders and livestock in rough stock competitions of bareback riding, saddle bronc riding and bull riding.

The Calcasieu Parish District Attorney’s Office will not pursue charges against two McNeese State University students who were arrested last fall over hazing complaints at Kappa Sigma fraternity.

The McNeese Police Department arrested the students in October on one misdemeanor count each of criminal hazing. University records described the case as being based on “physical, psychological and emotional hazing” with alcohol involved.

But attorneys for the two students — whom The Advocate is not naming since they are not being prosecuted — say the case against them was weak from the start.

“Our clients should never have been arrested, had their phones seized, or seen their names splashed across the news and social media,” said attorneys Adam Johnson and Andy Leonards in a

ä See HAZING, page 7A

Minnesota must play role in probe of killing, governor says

BY REBECCA SANTANA and TIM SULLIVAN Associated Press

MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota must play a role in investigating the fatal shooting of a Minneapolis woman by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer, Gov. Tim Walz insisted Thursday, pushing back against the Trump administration’s decision to keep the investigation solely in federal hands.

A day after the ICE officer shot Renee Good in the head as she tried to drive away on a snowy Minneapolis street, tensions remained high, with dozens of protesters venting their out-

WEATHER HIGH 77 LOW 65 PAGE 12C

rage outside of a federal facility that’s serving as a hub for the administration’s latest immigration crackdown on a major city.

“We should be horrified,” protester Shanta Hejmadi said as demonstrators shouted “No More ICE,” “Go Home Nazis” and other slogans at a line of Border Patrol officers, who responded with tear gas and pepper spray. “We should be saddened that our government is waging war on our citizens. We should get out and say no. What else can we do?”

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, President Donald Trump and others in his administration charac-

terized the shooting as an act of selfdefense and cast Good as a villain, suggesting she used her vehicle as a weapon to attack the officer who shot her.

Vice President JD Vance weighed in Thursday, saying the shooting was justified and that Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, was a “victim of leftwing ideology.”

“I can believe that her death is a tragedy while also recognizing that it is a tragedy of her own making,” Vance said, noting that the officer who killed her was injured while making an

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By TOM BAKER

People gather Thursday around a makeshift memorial ä See PROBE, page 7A honoring the victim of Wednesday’s shooting in Minneapolis.

Business ......................6A Commentary ................3B Nation-World................2A Classified ..................10C Deaths .........................4B Opinion ........................2B Comics-Puzzles .....7C-9C Living............................5C Sports ..........................1C

101ST yEAR, NO. 193

2A ● Friday, January 9, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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FROM WIRE REPORTS

High winds, 2 tornadoes hit Okla., officials say

PURCELL, Okla. — Severe storms moved through Oklahoma around sunrise Thursday, spinning off two tornadoes and high winds that damaged buildings, downed trees and caused power outages, officials said.

A tornado that was at least an EF1, with wind speeds between 86 and 110 mph, struck the area of Purcell, some 40 miles south of Oklahoma City, said Phillip Ware, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Norman.

He said crews will also be surveying damage in the Shawnee area, where another tornado was confirmed by radar.

“We’re confident we had at least two tornadoes this morning,” Ware said. There were no immediate reports of major injuries or deaths.

Much of Purcell, a city of about 7,000, was without power after the storm moved through there, said Bobby Elmore, chief of police and interim city manager. He said some metal barns were damaged, as were the roofs of some homes.

“Right now our priority is just restoring power and then dealing with debris, a little debris.

But it’s not too bad,” Elmore said Thursday morning.

Two schools in Purcell were closed Thursday after losing power. In a letter posted on the Purcell Public Schools’ website, Superintendent Sheli McAdoo said the storm hit during the morning drop-off, and she thanked staffers’ “quick thinking and calm response” in ensuring that students were moved “from buses and hallways into shelters in a matter of moments.”

NASA cuts space mission short for medical issue NEW YORK — NASA is cutting a mission aboard the International Space Station short after an astronaut had a medical issue.

The space agency said Thursday the U.S.-Japanese-Russian crew of four will return to Earth in the coming days, earlier than planned.

NASA canceled its first spacewalk of the year because of the health issue. The space agency did not identify the astronaut or the medical issue, citing patient privacy. The crew member is now stable.

NASA officials are “erring on the side of caution for the crew member,” said Dr. James Polk, NASA’s chief health and medical officer.

The crew of four returning home arrived at the orbiting lab via SpaceX in August for a stay of at least six months. The crew included NASA’s Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke along with Japan’s Kimiya Yui and Russia’s Oleg Platonov.

Fincke and Cardman were supposed to carry out the spacewalk to make preparations for a future rollout of solar panels to provide additional power for the space station.

New boycotts enrage Kennedy Center head Multi-Grammy-winning banjo player Béla Fleck has become the latest artist to cancel planned performances at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts after President Donald Trump’s hand-picked board of directors added their boss’ name to the storied venue.

The development appears to have infuriated the center’s interim president, MAGA loyalist Richard Grenell.

Fleck said in a statement on Tuesday that he decided performing at the newly dubbed Trump Kennedy Center “has become charged and political, at an institution where the focus should be on the music.”

The Upper West Side native said he was therefore pulling the plug on three shows with the National Symphony Orchestra next month, but looks forward to jamming with the group under different circumstances.

“You just made it political and caved to the woke mob who wants you to perform for only Lefties,” Grenell raged on X. He further declared that “The Trump Kennedy Center believes all people are welcome — Democrats and Republicans and people uninterested in politics.”

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Protests erupt in Iran; internet cut

BY JON GAMBRELL Associated Press

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — People in Iran’s capital shouted from their homes and rallied in the street Thursday night after a call by the country’s exiled crown prince for a mass demonstration, witnesses said, a new escalation in the protests that have spread nationwide across the Islamic Republic. Internet access and telephone lines in Iran cut out immediately after the protests began.

The protest represented the first test of whether the Iranian public could be swayed by Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, whose fatally ill father fled Iran just before the country’s 1979 Islamic Revolution. Demonstrations have included cries in support of the shah, something that could bring a death sentence in the past but now underlines the anger fueling the protests that began over Iran’s ailing economy.

Thursday saw a continuation of the demonstrations that popped up in cities and rural towns across

Iran on Wednesday. More markets and bazaars shut down in support of the protesters. So far, violence around the demonstrations has killed at least 41 people while more than 2,270 others have been detained, said the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency.

The growth of the protests increases the pressure on Iran’s civilian government and its Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

CloudFlare, an internet firm, and the advocacy group NetBlocks reported the internet outage, both attributing it to Iranian government interference. Attempts to dial landlines and mobile phones from Dubai to Iran could not be connected. Such outages have in the past been followed by intense government crackdowns.

Meanwhile, the protests themselves have remained broadly leaderless. It remains unclear how Pahlavi’s call will affect the demonstrations moving forward.

“The lack of a viable alternative has undermined past protests in Iran,” wrote Nate Swanson of the Washington-based Atlantic Coun-

cil, who studies Iran.

“The Iranian security apparatus has arrested, persecuted and exiled all of the country’s potential transformational leaders.”

Pahlavi had called for demonstrations at 8 p.m. on Thursday and Friday. When the clock struck, neighborhoods across Tehran erupted in chanting, witnesses said. The chants included “Death to the dictator!” and “Death to the Islamic Republic!” Others praised the shah, shouting: “This is the last battle! Pahlavi will return!” Thousands could be seen on the streets.

“Great nation of Iran, the eyes of the world are upon you. Take to the streets and, as a united front, shout your demands,” Pahlavi said in a statement. “I warn the Islamic Republic, its leader and the (Revolutionary Guard) that the world and (President Donald Trump) are closely watching you.

Suppression of the people will not go unanswered.”

Pahlavi had said he would offer further plans depending on the response to his call. His support of and from Israel has drawn criti-

cism in the past — particularly after the 12-day war Israel waged on Iran in June. Demonstrators have shouted in support of the shah in some demonstrations, but it isn’t clear whether that’s support for Pahlavi himself or a desire to return to a time before the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Iranian officials appeared to be taking the protests seriously. The hard-line Kayhan newspaper published a video online claiming security forces would use drones to identify those taking part.

Iran has faced rounds of nationwide protests in recent years.

As sanctions tightened and Iran struggled after the 12-day war, its rial currency collapsed in December, reaching 1.4 million to $1.

Protests began soon after, with demonstrators chanting against Iran’s theocracy.

It remains unclear why Iranian officials have yet to crack down harder on the demonstrators.

Trump warned last week that if Tehran “violently kills peaceful protesters,” America “will come to their rescue.”

New dietary guidelines upend ‘food pyramid’ Advice given to eat more whole foods, protein

BY JONEL ALECCIA Associated Press

Americans should eat more whole foods and protein, fewer highly processed foods and less added sugar, according to the latest edition of federal nutrition advice released Wednesday by the Trump administration.

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins issued the 2025-30 U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which offer updated recommendations for a healthy diet and provide the foundation for federal nutrition programs and policies. They come as Kennedy has for months stressed overhauling the U.S. food supply as part of his Make America Healthy Again agenda.

“My message is clear: Eat real food,” Kennedy said at a White House briefing.

The guidelines emphasize consumption of fresh vegetables, whole grains and dairy products, long advised as part of a healthy eating plan. Officials released a new graphic depicting an inverted version of the long-abandoned food pyramid, with protein, dairy, healthy fats and fruits and vegetables at

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JACQUELyN MARTIN

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins stands by an image of a food pyramid Wednesday at the White House. the top and whole grains at the bottom.

But they also take a new stance on “highly processed” foods, and refined carbohydrates, urging consumers to avoid “packaged, prepared, readyto-eat or other foods that are salty or sweet, such as chips, cookies and candy.”

That’s a different term for ultraprocessed foods, the tasty, energy-dense products that make up more than half the calories in the U.S. diet and have been linked to chronic diseases such as diabetes and obesity.

The new guidance backs away from revoking longstanding advice to limit saturated fats, despite signals from Kennedy and Food and Drug Commissioner Marty Makary that the administration would push for more consumption of animal fats to end the “war” on saturated

fats.

Instead, the document suggests that Americans should choose whole-food sources of saturated fat — such as meat, whole-fat dairy or avocados — while continuing to limit saturated fat consumption to no more than 10% of daily calories. The guidance says “other options can include butter or beef tallow,” despite previous recommendations to avoid those fats.

The dietary guidelines, required by law to be updated every five years, provide a template for a healthy diet. But in a country where more than half of adults have a dietrelated chronic disease, few Americans actually follow the guidance, research shows.

The new recommendations drew praise from some prominent nutrition and medical experts.

Dispute led to Utah shooting that left 2 dead, police say

BY JACQUES BILLEAUD and HANNAH SCHOENBAUM Associated Press

SALT LAKE CITY — A complicated crime scene and uncooperative witnesses hindered Salt Lake City police efforts to investigate a shooting outside funeral services at a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints house of worship.

The shooting in a church parking lot left two people dead and six injured, including five who remained hospitalized with police protection Thursday. Investigators say the shooting erupted from a dispute between people who knew each other and were attending a funeral. No arrests had been made as of mid-day Thursday, a day after the gunfire. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is widely known as the Mormon church. Authorities say they do not know whether the shooting was gang-related and that they are having trouble getting witnesses to cooperate.

“Our houses of worship are sacred, whatever the affiliation,” Salt Lake City Police Chief Brian Redd said Thursday morning. “We should all protect those spaces. We should all respect those spaces.” All the shooting victims were adults. At least three of the injured were in critical condition, police said. Vaea Tulikihihifo, 46, and Sione Vatuvei, 38, were identified as the two people killed.

Police said they do not believe the

shooting was random or motivated by animus against Mormons.

The red brick church mostly serves Tongan congregants and holds regular worship services in their native tongue, according to its website. Missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints first arrived in Tonga in the early 1890s, according to the church’s website.

“Since the 19th century, the church has had a really, really prominent place in Tongan society,” said Matthew Bowman, a Claremont Graduate University professor specializing in U.S. religious history.

Brennan McIntire said he and his wife, Kenna, heard several loud gunshots from their apartment next to the church parking lot while watching TV. He jumped off the couch and ran outside to see what happened.

“As soon as I came over, I see someone on the ground,” he said. “People are attending to him and crying and arguing.”

Kenna McIntire was rattled at the sight of first responders lifting an unconscious woman into an ambulance.

The couple said they hear gunshots in their neighborhood almost daily, but never right outside their door. “It was really heartbreaking to hear and see,” Kenna McIntire said.

Police said they were reviewing license plate readers and surveillance videos from nearby businesses in their search for suspects.

“There should be broad agreement that eating more whole foods and reducing highly processed carbohydrates is a major advance in how we approach diet and health,” said Dr. David Kessler, a former FDA commissioner who has written books about diet and nutrition and has sent a petition to the FDA to remove key ingredients in ultraprocessed foods.

Other experts were relieved that the guidelines didn’t go against decades of nutrition evidence linking saturated fat to heart disease, but they were critical of the guidelines’ focus on meat and dairy as a primary source of protein instead of plant-based sources.

“Overall, if people eat the way these are recommended, they will be eating more calories, not less,” said Marion Nestle, a nutritionist and food policy expert who advised previous editions of the guidance.

The guidance will have the most profound effect on the federally funded National School Lunch Program, which is required to follow the guidelines to feed nearly 30 million U.S. children on a typical school day.

The Agriculture Depart-

ment will have to translate the recommendations into specific requirements for school meals, a process that can take years, said Diane Pratt-Heavner, spokesperson for the School Nutrition Association. The latest school nutrition standards were proposed in 2023 but won’t be fully implemented until 2027, she noted.

The new guidelines largely rejected the advice of a 20-member panel of nutrition experts convened by the Biden administration, who met for nearly two years to review the latest scientific evidence on diet and health.

Kennedy had criticized the expertise of the panel members and suggested that they had ties to the food industry that influenced their advice.

Instead, the new guidance relied on a new set of experts revealed Wednesday in supporting documents. Of the 10 experts who led the new scientific review under Kennedy, five reported financial ties to beef, pork or dairy industries or to makers of infant formula or supplements.

The new group rejected more than half the recommendations of the previous panel, the documents showed.

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House passes bill to extend health care subsidies

BY LISA MASCARO and KEVIN FREKING Associated Press

WASHINGTON — In a remarkable rebuke of Republican leadership, the House passed legislation Thursday, 230-196, that would extend expired health care subsidies for those who get coverage through the Affordable Care Act as renegade GOP lawmakers joined essentially all Democrats in voting for the measure.

Forcing the issue to a vote came about after a handful of Republicans signed on to a so-called “discharge petition” to unlock debate, bypassing objections from House Speaker Mike Johnson. The bill now goes to the Senate, where pressure is building for a similar bipartisan compromise.

Together, the rare political coalitions are rushing to resolve the standoff over the enhanced tax credits that were put in place during the COVID-19 crisis but expired late last year after no agreement was reached during the government shutdown.

“The affordability crisis is not a ‘hoax,’ it is very real — despite what Donald Trump has had to say,” said House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, invoking the president’s remarks.

Ahead of voting, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated that the bill, which would provide a three-year extension of the subsidy, would increase the nation’s deficit by about $80.6 billion over the decade. At the same time, it would increase the number of people with health insurance by 100,000 this year, 3 million in 2027, 4 million in 2028 and 1.1 million in 2029, the CBO said.

Johnson, R-Benton, worked for months to prevent this situation. His office argued Thursday that the federal health care funding from the COVID-19 era is ripe with fraud, pointing to an investigation in Minnesota, and urged a no vote.

On the floor, Republicans argued that the subsidies as structured have contributed to fraud and that the chamber should be focused on lowering health insurance costs for the broader population.

“Only 7% of the population relies on Obamacare marketplace plans. This chamber should be about helping

100% of Americans,” said Rep. Jason Smith, the Republican chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee.

While the momentum from the vote shows the growing support for the tax breaks that have helped some 22 million Americans have access to health insurance, the Senate would be under no requirement to take up the House bill.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said that for any plan to find support in his chamber, it will need to have income limits to ensure that the financial aid is focused on those who most need the help. He and other Republicans also want to ensure that beneficiaries would have to at least pay a nominal amount for their coverage.

Finally, Thune said there would need to be some expansion of health savings accounts, which allow people to save money and withdraw it tax-free as long as the money is spent on qualified medical expenses.

Trump has pushed Republicans to send money directly to Americans for health savings accounts so they can bypass the federal government and handle insurance on their own. Democrats largely reject this idea as insufficient for covering the high costs of health care.

The action by Republicans to force a vote has been an affront to Johnson and his leadership team, who essentially lost control of what comes to the House floor as the Republican lawmakers joined Democrats for the workaround.

Johnson had discussed allowing more politically vulnerable GOP lawmakers a chance to vote on another health care bill that would temporarily extend the subsidies while also adding changes.

But after days of discussions, Johnson and the GOP leadership sided with the more conservative wing, which has assailed the subsidies as propping up ACA, which they consider a failed government program. He offered a modest proposal of health care reforms that was approved, but has stalled.

It was then that rank-andfile lawmakers took matters into their own hands, as many of their constituents faced soaring health insurance premiums beginning this month.

Trump sets nomination for federal bench in N.O. Anna St. John selected for post

BY MARK BALLARD

Staff writer

WASHINGTON — New Orleans lawyer Anna St. John will be nominated for a lifetime appointment as a federal judge for the Eastern District of Louisiana, President Donald Trump said on social media Thursday.

“Anna has a strong record of tirelessly fighting to protect Free Speech, champion Religious Liberty, and keep men out of women’s sports.

Anna will make a fantastic Judge, and continue to fearlessly defend the Constitution on the Federal Bench,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Tuesday night.

Based in New Orleans, the Eastern District has jurisdiction over parishes in the southeastern corner of the state.

St. John is a New Orleansbased lawyer and president and general counsel at the Center for Class Action Fairness, a part of the Hamilton Lincoln Law Institute, a conservative, free market-focused legal nonprofit headquartered in Washington.

Class actions are large lawsuits that combine the interests of a group of people, such as the 2004 class action by smokers and state health agencies against cigarette

manufacturers for deceptive marketing. Louisiana received about $590 million for health costs.

The center St. John runs “represents consumers and shareholders pro bono against abusive class action settlements,” according to its website.

Last year, she argued in support of the Trump administration in a challenge by 16 Democratic states seeking to reverse the cancellation of nearly $800 million in National Science Foundation grants for projects considered to be supporting diversity. The Trump administration agreed in a December settlement to review those cancellations.

Carl Tobias, a University of Richmond law professor who watches federal judicial nominations closely, said St. John may not have as clear sailing as other Trump nominees from Louisiana have had because of her association with a group that generally opposes class-action lawsuits.

“I predict the Democrats will say no to her nomination,” Tobias said.

St. John graduated from LSU and Columbia Law School. She clerked for 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Rhesa Barksdale of Mississippi, who was nominated by Republican President George H.W. Bush in 1990, Trump wrote.

Jan. 6 plaque to be placed But Johnson says memorial doesn’t comply with law

BY LISA MASCARO

AP congressional correspondent WASHINGTON — The Senate has agreed to display a plaque honoring the police who defended the Capitol during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack, rebuffing House Speaker Mike Johnson who has said the commemorative memorial does not comply with the law.

The action happened swiftly, with brief debate, in floor action Thursday.

Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina had announced during this week’s fifth anniversary of the Capitol siege that he would seek to ensure the plaque is installed, partnering with Democratic Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon, who was also working on the situation, and Sen. Alex Padilla of California. No senators objected.

“A lot of people said it was a dark day for democracy,” Tillis said about Jan. 6, 2021, describing his memory of hearing the thousands of people — “thugs,” he said — lay siege to the Capitol as Congress was tallying the 2020 election results.

He said that because of the work of the law enforcement officers, it became a great day for democracy.

“We came back and completed our constitutional duty to certify the election,” he said. “We owe them eternal gratitude and this nation is stronger because of them.”

This week, senators stepped up after learning the plaque, which had been approved by Congress more than three years ago, was nowhere to be found at the Capitol. Instead, many House lawmakers have been hanging up replicas outside their office doors.

The Senate also appeared to be motivated by the shifting narrative from President Donald Trump’s White House about what happened Jan. 6, 2021, when his supporters stormed the building after he urged them go to Capitol Hill to confront Congress over Democrat Joe Biden’s 2020 elec-

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JULIA DEMAREE NIKHINSON

A replica plaque commemorating the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot stands outside the office of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.y, on Dec. 30 at the U.S. Capitol in Washington. tion victory.

Trump himself shifted blame for the attack during a speech this week in which he said he only intended for his supporters to march peacefully to the Capitol. Moreover, the White House produced a glossy new report also shifting blame for the deadly riot — on Democrats, for Biden’s victory over Trump, and on the police for their response to the mob.

“It’s so important we be honest with the American people about what happened,” Merkley said.

“It’s so important we recognize those who defended our democratic republic on that day,” he said, and that “people know we can back, as senators and House members, and finished our work that day, for the peaceful transfer of power.”

Padilla said part of the context is the White House’s new website that he said is an “attempt to rewrite history.”

He said that “dishonors” the officers.

The plaque, according to the law, was intended to be placed at the west front of the Capitol where some of the fiercest fighting took place. It was required to be installed in 2023, a year after the legislation had passed.

The new resolution directs the Architect of the Capitol to “prominently display” the plaque in a “publicly accessible” location in the Senate wing of the Capitol until it can be placed in its permanent location.

To display the plaque in its intended location would require agreement with the House.

The office of Johnson, a Republican who before becoming the House speaker led efforts to object to the 2020 election results, said this week that the plaque, as constructed, does not comply with the law.

Police have sued to have the plaque put on display, as required, but Trump’s Justice Department is trying to dismiss the lawsuit.

Tillis said part of the “technical implementation problem” was a concern that the law specified the plaque would honor all the officers involved, but the plaque only lists the various law enforcement agencies that responded to help the Capitol Police that day.

He said there will be a digital component, presumably a website, that will list all the names. The number of officers runs into the thousands.

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Denmark, Greenland envoys protest call for ‘takeover’

BY AAMER MADHANI and CLAUDIA CIOBANU Associated Press

Denmark and Greenland’s envoys to Washington have begun a vigorous effort to urge U.S. lawmakers as well as key Trump administration officials to step back from President Donald Trump’s call for a “takeover” of the strategic Arctic island.

Denmark’s ambassador, Jesper Møller Sørensen, and Jacob Isbosethsen, Greenland’s chief representative to Washington, met on Thursday with White House National Security Council officials to discuss a renewed push by Trump to acquire Greenland, perhaps by military force, according to Danish government officials who were not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

The White House did not respond to a request for comment about the meeting.

The envoys have also held a series of meetings this week with American lawmakers as they look to enlist help in persuading Trump to back off his threat.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to meet next week with Danish officials.

Trump, in a New York Times interview published Thursday, said he has to possess the entirety of Greenland instead of just exercising a long-standing treaty that gives the United States wide latitude to use Greenland for military posts.

“I think that ownership gives you a thing that you can’t do with, you’re talking about a lease or a treaty.

Ownership gives you things and elements that you can’t get from just signing a document,” Trump told the newspaper.

The U.S. is party to a 1951 treaty that gives it broad rights to set up military bases there with the consent of Denmark and Greenland.

Meanwhile, Trump’s vice president, JD Vance, told re-

“What we’re asking our European friends to do is take the security of that landmass more seriously, because if they’re not, the United States is going to have to do something about it.”

“Nothing can be decided about Denmark and about Greenland without Denmark, or without Greenland.”

ANTONIO COSTA, president of the European Council remote Pituffik Space Base in the northwest with some 200 soldiers today. The base supports missile warning, missile defense and space surveillance operations for the U.S. and NATO. The 1951 agreement “offers ample opportunity for the United States to have a much stronger military presence in Greenland,” Rasmussen said. “If that is what you ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By EMILIO MORENATTI wish, then let us discuss it.”

VICE PRESIDENT JD VANCE porters that European leaders should “take the president of the United States seriously” as he framed the issue as one of defense.

“What we’re asking our European friends to do is take the security of that landmass more seriously, because if they’re not, the United States is going to have to do something about it,” Vance said.

Danish officials were hopeful about the upcoming talks with Rubio in Washington.

“This is the dialogue that is needed, as requested by the government together with the Greenlandic government,” Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen told Danish broadcaster DR. The island of Greenland, 80% of which lies above the Arctic Circle, is home to about 56,000 mostly Inuit people.

Vance criticizes Denmark Vance said on Wednesday that Denmark “obviously” had not done a proper job in securing Greenland and that Trump “is willing to go as far as he has to” to defend American interests in the Arctic.

In an interview with Fox News, Vance repeated Trump’s claim that Greenland is crucial to both the U.S. and the world’s national security because “the entire missile defense infrastructure is partially dependent on Greenland.”

He said the fact that Denmark has been a faithful military ally of the U.S. during World War II and the more recent “war on terrorism” did not necessarily mean they were doing enough to

N O R T H A M ER I CA’S

The Northern Lights shimmer over homes in Nuuk, Greenland, on Feb. 17. secure Greenland today.

“Just because you did something smart 25 years ago doesn’t mean you can’t do something dumb now,” Vance said, adding that Trump “is saying very clearly, ‘you are not doing a good job with respect to Greenland.’”

Right to self-determination Earlier, Rubio told a select group of U.S. lawmakers that it was the Republican administration’s intention to eventually purchase Greenland, as opposed to using military force.

“Many Greenlanders feel that the remarks made are disrespectful,” Aaja Chemnitz, one of the two Greenlandic politicians in the Danish parliament, told The Associated Press. “Many also experience that these conversations are being discussed over their heads. We have a firm saying in Greenland, ‘Nothing about Greenland, without Greenland.’”

She said most Greenlanders “wish for more self-determination, including independence” but also want to “strengthen cooperation with our partners” in security and business development as long as it is based on “mutual respect and rec-

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Chemnitz denied a claim

by Trump that Greenland is “covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place.”

Greenland is “a longstanding ally and partner to the U.S. and we have a shared interest in stability, security, and responsible cooperation in the Arctic,” she said. “There is an agreement with the U.S. that gives them access to have bases in Greenland if needed.”

France’s President Emmanuel Macron has denounced the “law of the strongest” that is making people “wonder if Greenland will be invaded.”

In a speech to French ambassadors at the Elysee presidential palace on Thursday, Macron said: “It’s the greatest disorder, the law of the strongest, and every day people wonder whether Greenland will be invaded, whether Canada will be under the threat of becoming the 51st state (of the United States) or whether Taiwan is to be further circled.”

He pointed to an “increasingly dysfunctional” world where great powers, including the U.S and China, have

‘Defense of Greenland’

Last year, Denmark’s par“a real temptation to divide the world amongst them- liament approved a bill to allow U.S. military bases on selves.”

Danish soil.

Surveillance operations Denmark is moving to “Greenland belongs to strengthen its military presits people,” Antonio Costa, ence around Greenland and president of the European in the wider North Atlantic.

Council, said on Wednesday.

Last year, the govern“Nothing can be decided ment announced a $2.3 bilabout Denmark and about lion agreement with parties Greenland without Den- including the governments mark, or without Greenland. of Greenland and the Faroe They have the full solid sup- Islands, another self-governport and solidarity of the Eu- ing territory of Denmark, to “improve capabilities for ropean Union.”

The leaders of Canada, surveillance and maintaining France, Germany, Italy, sovereignty in the region.”

The plan includes three Poland, Spain and the U.K. joined Denmark’s Prime new Arctic naval vessels, Minister Mette Frederik- two additional long-range sen on Tuesday in defending surveillance drones and satGreenland’s sovereignty in ellite capacity. the wake of Trump’s comDenmark’s Joint Arctic ments about Greenland, Command, headquartered which is part of the NATO in Nuuk, is tasked with the “surveillance, assertion of military alliance.

After Vance’s visit to sovereignty and military deGreenland last year, Dan- fense of Greenland and the ish Foreign Minister Lars Faroe Islands,” according Løkke Rasmussen published to its website. It has smaller a video detailing the 1951 de- satellite stations across the fense agreement between island.

The Sirius Dog Sled Patrol, Denmark and the U.S.. Since 1945, the American military an elite Danish naval unit presence in Greenland has that conducts long-range redecreased from thousands connaissance and enforces of soldiers over 17 bases Danish sovereignty in the and installations on the is- Arctic wilderness, is also land, Rasmussen said, to the stationed in Greenland.

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Senate pushes back on Trump’s military threats

BY STEPHEN GROVES and JOEY CAPPELLETTI

Associated Press

WASHINGTON — The Senate advanced a resolution Thursday that would limit President Donald Trump’s ability to conduct further attacks against Venezuela, sounding a note of disapproval for his expanding ambitions in the Western Hemisphere.

Democrats and five Republicans voted to advance the war powers resolution on a 52-47 vote and ensure a vote next week on final passage. It has virtually no chance of becoming law because Trump would have to sign it if it were to pass the Republican-controlled House. Still, it was a significant gesture that showed unease among some Republicans after the U.S. military seized Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro in a surprise nighttime raid over the weekend.

Trump’s administration is now seeking to control Venezuela’s oil resources and its government, but the war powers resolution would require congressional approval for any further attacks on the South American country.

“To me, this is all about going

Schexnayder pleads not guilty in board theft

BY MATTHEW ALBRIGHT Staff writer

Former Louisiana House Speaker Clay Schexnayder pleaded not guilty Thursday to criminal charges related to the disappearance of an ancient cypress board that once hung in the halls of the state Capitol.

Attorney General Liz Murrill’s office in November charged Schexnayder with felony theft greater than $25,000 and malfeasance in office. He faces a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison and a $5,000 fine.

The board is about 20 feet by 6 feet and bears an inscription that says it was carved from a cypress tree in the Lake Maurepas area that was an estimated 1,294 years old and nearly 8 feet wide. Walter Stebbins donated the board to the state in the 1950s, and it adorned the wall in the Capitol for decades.

In 2013, the board was moved to Schexnayder’s district office in a Gonzales strip mall. When he left office due to term limits, he said he left the board there, though the building manager has said no one from his company had it.

The Advocate | The Times-Picayune reported on the board in September after Stebbins’ descendants questioned its whereabouts. Murrill later called for Schexnayder to return the board, saying it was his responsibility, and eventually indicted him.

Contact Matthew Albright at malbright@ theadvocate.com.

forward,” said Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley, one of the five Republican votes. “If the president should determine, ‘You know what? I need to put troops on the ground of Venezuela.’ I think that would require Congress to weigh in.”

The other Republicans who backed the resolution were Sens.

Rand Paul of Kentucky, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine and Todd Young of Indiana.

Trump reacted to their votes by saying on social media that they “should never be elected to office again” and that the vote “greatly hampers American Self Defense and National Security.”

Democrats had failed to pass several such resolutions in the months that Trump escalated his campaign against Venezuela.

But lawmakers argued now that Trump has captured Maduro and set his sights to other conquests such as Greenland, the vote presents Congress with an opportunity.

“This wasn’t just a procedural vote. It’s a clear rejection of the idea that one person can unilaterally send American sons and daughters into harm’s way without Congress, without debate,” said Senate

Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. Republican leaders have said they had no advance notification of the raid early morning Saturday to seize Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, but mostly expressed satisfaction this week as top administration officials provided classified briefings on the operation.

Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., who forced the vote on the resolution, said he believes many Republicans were caught off guard by the outcome. He said that Trump’s recent comments to The New York Times suggesting U.S. oversight in Venezuela could last for years — combined with details revealed in the classified briefings — prompted some lawmakers to conclude that “this is too big to let a president do it without Congress.”

The administration has used an evolving set of legal justifications for the monthslong campaign in Central and South America, from destroying alleged drug boats under authorizations for the global fight against terrorism to seizing Maduro in what was ostensibly a law enforcement operation to put him on trial in the United States.

Republican leaders have backed

Trump.

“I think the president has demonstrated at least already a very strong commitment to peace through strength, especially in this hemisphere,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D. “I think Venezuela got that message loudly and clearly.”

Young in a statement said he supported the operation to capture Maduro, but was concerned by Trump’s statements that his administration now “runs” Venezuela.

“It is unclear if that means that an American military presence will be required to stabilize the country,” Young said, adding that he believed most of his constituents were not prepared to send U.S. troops to that mission.

House Democrats were introducing a similar resolution on Thursday.

Trump criticized the Senate vote as “impeding the President’s Authority as Commander in Chief” under the Constitution.

Presidents of both parties have long argued the War Powers Act infringes on their authority.

Passed in 1973 in the aftermath of the Vietnam War — and over the veto of Republican President Rich-

ard Nixon — it has never succeeded in directly forcing a president to halt military action.

Congress declares war while the president serves as commander in chief, according to the Constitution. But lawmakers have not formally declared war since World War II, granting presidents broad latitude to act unilaterally. The law requires presidents to notify Congress within 48 hours of deploying forces and to end military action within 60 to 90 days absent authorization — limits that presidents of both parties have routinely stretched.

Democrats argue those limits are being pushed further than ever. Some Republicans have gone further still, contending congressional approval is unnecessary altogether.

Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a close Trump ally who traveled with the president aboard Air Force One on Sunday, said he would be comfortable with Trump taking over other countries without congressional approval, including Greenland.

“The commander in chief is the commander in chief,” Graham said.

House refuses to override pair of Trump vetoes

BY KEVIN FREKING Associated Press

WASHINGTON — The House refused Thursday to override President Donald Trump’s veto of two low-profile bills as Republicans stuck with the president despite their prior support for the measures.

Congress can override a veto with support from twothirds of the members of the House and the Senate. The threshold is rarely reached.

In this case, Republicans opted to avoid a fight with the president in an election year over bills with little national significance. The two vetoes were the first of Trump’s second term.

One bill Trump vetoed was designed to help local communities finance the construction of a pipeline to provide water to tens of thousands in Colorado. The other designated a site in Everglades National Park as a part of the Miccosukee Indian Reservation. On the Colorado bill, 35 Republicans sided with Democrats in voting for an override. On the Florida bill, only 24 Republicans voted for the override.

The White House did not issue any veto threats prior to passage of the bills, so Trump’s scathing comments in his veto message came as a surprise to sponsors of the legislation. Ultimately, his vetoes had the effect of punishing those who had opposed the president’s positions on other issues.

The water pipeline bill came from Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado, a longtime Trump ally who broke with the president in November to release files on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The bill to give the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians more control of some of its tribal lands would have benefited one of the groups that sued the administration

Trump did not allude to Boebert in his veto of her legislation, but raised concerns about the cost of the water pipeline, saying “restoring fiscal sanity is vital to economic growth and the fiscal health of the Nation.”

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

In his veto message, Trump was critical of the tribe, saying, “The Miccosukee Tribe ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MARK SCHIEFELBEIN has actively sought to obRep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., left, speaks with Rep. Lauren struct reasonable immigraBoebert, R-Colo., during a House committee hearing tion policies that the American people decisively voted Wednesday in Washington. for when I was elected.” over an immigration detenWhen asked by a reporter Before the House voted to tion center known as “ Alli- if the veto was in response to pass his bill, Gimenez said her signing a discharge pe- it would simply allow an ingator Alcatraz.”

Speaker Mike Johnson, R- tition to release the Epstein habited tribal village to be Benton, said leadership was files, she said, “I certainly included in the Miccosukee not urging — or “whipping” hope not.”

Reservation, empowering — members on how to vote.

He said he would personally vote to sustain the vetoes and the president’s message opposing the bills “sounded very reasonable to me.” He said he understood the concerns of the Colorado lawmakers about the veto and would work to help them on the pipeline issue going forward.

Boebert said she has been talking to colleagues individually about overriding Trump’s veto, but wasn’t sure about hitting the two-thirds threshold. Some colleagues “don’t want to go against the president,” she said.

On the House floor, Boebert told colleagues that the communities targeted through the bill could see the cost of their drinking water triple without the legislation.

“This bill makes good not only on a 60-year plus commitment without wasting hundreds of millions of dollars in state and local and federal investments, but it also makes good on President Trump’s commitment to rural communities, to Western water issues,” Boebert said.

the tribe to manage water flow into the Everglades and raise structures within the camp to prevent floodin.

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., urged colleagues to vote to override.

“This bill is so narrowly focused that (the veto) makes absolutely no sense other than the interest in vengeance that seems to have emanated in this result,” Wasserman Schultz said.

Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., said he would vote to override the president’s vetoes.

“They passed unanimously,” Bacon said of the bills. “And I don’t know if I agree with the explanations for the veto.”

Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, RN.Y., said she would vote to sustain the vetoes. “My constituents want me to stand with Trump,” she said.

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Wall Street drifts as defense companies rally

NEW YORK — Modest moves for Wall Street overall masked some big swings underneath the surface on Thursday On Wall Street, defense-industry companies rallied after Trump said he wants to increase U.S. military spending to $1.5 trillion in 2027 from $901 billion in order to build the “Dream Military.”

L3Harris Technologies jumped 5.2%, Lockheed Martin climbed 4.3% and Northrop Grumman added 2.4%. They bounced back from losses the prior day, when Trump complained defense contractors were making military equipment too slowly.

RTX inched up 0.8% after Trump said that it was the “slowest in increasing their volume.”

Trump signed an executive order Wednesday calling on the Pentagon to ensure future contracts with contractors contain a provision prohibiting their ability to buy back their own stock during a period of underperformance on U.S. government contracts.

Another winner on Wall Street was Constellation Brands, which climbed 5.3% after the beer and wine company reported a better profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette shutting down in May PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s owners announced Wednesday the paper will be shutting down in a few months, citing financial losses.

Block Communications Inc. announced it will cease publication on May 3. The paper is printed on Thursdays and Sundays and says on its website the average paid circulation is 83,000.

A couple dozen union members returned to work at the Post-Gazette in November after a threeyear strike.

More than five years ago, the newspaper declared it had reached a bargaining impasse with the Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh and unilaterally imposed terms and conditions of employment on those workers.

The paper was later found to have bargained in bad faith by making offers that were not intended to help reach a deal and by declaring an impasse prematurely.

The announcement that Block was shutting it down came on the same day the U.S. Supreme Court declined the PG Publishing Co. Inc.’s emergency appeal to halt a National Labor Relations Board order that forced it to abide by health care coverage policies in an expired union contract.

The paper traces its roots to 1786, when the Pittsburgh Gazette began as a four-page weekly, and became a leading advocate for the abolition of slavery in the 19th century. It went through a series of mastheads and owners before 1927, when Paul Block obtained the paper and named it the Post-Gazette.

Google, chatbot maker to settle suit over suicide TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Google and artificial intelligence chatbot maker Character Technologies have agreed to settle a lawsuit from a Florida mother who alleged a chatbot pushed her teenage son to kill himself.

Attorneys for the two tech companies have also agreed to settle several other lawsuits filed in Colorado, New York and Texas from families who alleged Character.AI chatbots harmed their children, according to court documents filed this week in federal courts in those states.

None of the documents disclose the specific terms of the settlement agreements, which must still be approved by judges.

The suits against Character Technologies, the company behind Character.AI, also named Google as a defendant because of its ties to the startup after hiring its co-founders in 2024.

In the Florida lawsuit, Megan Garcia alleged that her 14-yearold son Sewell Setzer III fell victim to a Character.AI chatbot that pulled him into what she described as an emotionally and sexually abusive relationship that led to his suicide in February 2024.

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wary Multiple AI devices top Experts of AI health ‘Worst in Show’ at CES gadgets at tech show

BY MATT O’BRIEN AP technology writer

BY JESSICA HILL

The promise of artificial intelligence was front and center at this year’s CES gadget show. But spicing up a simple machine like a refrigerator with unnecessary AI was also a surefire way to win the “Worst in Show.”

The annual contest that no tech company wants to win announced its decisions Thursday. Among those getting the notorious “anti-awards” for invasive, wasteful or fragile products were an eye-tracking AI “soulmate” companion for combating loneliness, a musical lollipop and new AI features for Amazon’s widely used doorbell cameras.

Associated Press

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JOHN LOCHER

A pair of Bosch 800 Series fully-automatic espresso machines are displayed Wednesday at the Bosch booth during the CES tech ‘Bespoke AI’ fridge show in Las Vegas. The German tech company received two ‘Worst Samsung’s “Bespoke AI Fam- in Show’ awards at the tech show.

ily Hub” refrigerator received the overall “Worst in Show” recognition from the group of consumer and privacy advocates who judged the contest.

Samsung invites users to speak to the refrigerator and command it to open or close the door, but a demonstration at the sprawling Las Vegas technology expo showed it didn’t always detect what people were saying if there was too much ambient noise. That was just part of the complications and reliability concerns Samsung added to an appliance that’s supposed to have one important job: keeping food cold, said Gay GordonByrne of the Digital Right to Repair Coalition in a recorded video ceremony announcing the anti-awards.

“Everything is an order of magnitude more difficult,” she said of the fridge that also tracks when food items are running low and can advertise replacements.

Samsung said in response that “ Our Bespoke AI experiences are designed to simplify decisions around the home, making life more convenient and enjoyable.”

Who decides the worst?

The judges have no affiliation with CES or the trade group that runs the show.

They say they make the choices based on how uniquely bad a product is, what impact it could have if widely adopted and if it was significantly worse than previous versions of similar technology. The judges represent groups including Consumer Reports, the Electronic Frontier Foundation and rightto-repair advocates iFixit.

“We definitely intend some shame,” said iFixit’s director of sustainability, Elizabeth Chamberlain, in an interview. “ We’re pointing to trends that we see in the industry as a whole. And a lot of the things that we’re calling out, we picked an individual product, but we could have picked a whole category.”

supporting the misconception that more surveillance always makes us safer,” said Cindy Cohn, executive director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

Among the new Ring features is an “AI Unusual Event Alert” that is supposed to detect unexpected people or happenings like the arrival of a “pack of coyotes.”

“That includes facial recognition,” Cohn said of the new Ring features. “It includes an app store that’s going to let people develop even sketchier apps for the doorbell than the ones that Amazon already provides.”

Amazon didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Deskbound AI ‘soulmate’ Winning the “People’s Choice” of worst products was an AI companion called Ami, made by Chinese company Lepro, which mostly sells lamps and lighting technology. Ami appears as a female avatar on a curved screen that is marketed as “your always-on 3D soulmate,” designed for remote workers looking for private and “empathetic” interactions during long days at the home office. It tracks eye movements and other emotional signals, like tone of voice.

The group says it is calling out Lepro “for having the audacity to suggest that an AI video surveillance device on a desk could be anyone’s soulmate.” Advocates acknowledged the device comes with a physical camera shutter but said they were unsettled by its “always-on” marketing.

Lepro didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Tech lollipop

Lollipop Star attracted attention early at CES as a candy that plays music while you eat it. Its creators say it uses bone induction technology to enable people to hear songs — like tracks from Ice Spice and Akon — through the lollipop as they bite it using their back Amazon’s doorbells teeth. But the sticks can’t be An array of new features for recharged or reused after the Amazon’s Ring doorbell cam- candy is gone, leaving consumera system won the “Worst in er advocate Nathan Proctor to Show” for privacy for “doubling give it a “Worst in Show” for down on privacy invasion and the environment.

“We need to stop making so many disposable electronics, which are full of toxic chemicals, require critical minerals to produce and can burn down waste facilities,” said Proctor, who directs the Public Interest Research Group’s right-torepair campaign.

A spokesperson for Lollipop Star maker Lava Brand didn’t immediately respond to a message seeking comment.

AI treadmill “Worst in Show” for security went to Merach’s internet-connected treadmill that boasts of having the industry’s first AI coach powered by a large language model that can converse with the user but also proactively adjust the speed and incline based on heart rate changes.

All that collection of biometric data and behavioral inferences raised concerns for security advocates, but so did the fine print of a privacy policy that stated: “We cannot guarantee the security of your personal information.”

China-based Merach didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Bosch takes 2 awards German tech company Bosch received two “Worst in Show” awards, one for adding voice assistants and subscriptions to coffee-making with a “Personal AI Barista” machine and another for a purported anti-theft feature on an e-bike app.

Cory Doctorow criticized Bosch’s “parts pairing” to digitally connect an e-bike with its parts, like motors and batteries, in a way that flags a part if it appeared on a database of stolen products.

Even if Bosch doesn’t seek to prosecute its own customers for routine repairs, it could always change its deal with them later, in line with Doctorow’s theory of the decay of online platforms as companies exploit the customers they earlier won over.

Bosch said in a statement Thursday “that earning and keeping trust with our consumers, especially in the areas of privacy and cybersecurity, is at the core of our company’s values.”

LAS VEGAS — Health tech gadgets displayed at the annual CES trade show make a lot of promises. A smart scale promoted a healthier lifestyle by scanning your feet to track your heart health, and an egg-shaped hormone tracker uses AI to help you figure out the best time to conceive.

Tech and health experts, however, question the accuracy of products like these and warn of data privacy issues — especially as the federal government eases up on regulation.

The Food and Drug Administration announced during the show in Las Vegas that it will relax regulations on “low-risk” general wellness products such as heart monitors and wheelchairs. It’s the latest step President Donald Trump’s administration has taken to remove barriers for AI innovation and use. The White House repealed former President Joe Biden’s executive order establishing guardrails around AI, and last month, the Department of Health and Human Services outlined its strategy to expand its use of AI. Booths at the conference showcased new tech designed to help people living in rural areas with their health care needs amid doctor shortages, boost research into women’s health and make life easier for people with disabilities.

AI technologies have benefits in the over $4.3 trillion health care industry, according to Marschall Runge, professor of medical science at the University of Michigan. They’re good at analyzing medical imaging and can help streamline doctors’ busy schedules, Runge said, but they can also promote biases and “hallucinate,” providing incorrect information stated as fact.

“I would urge people not to think that the technology is the same as a well-resourced, thoughtful, researchdriven medical professional,” said Cindy Cohn, executive director of the digital rights group Electronic Frontier Foundation.

Privacy protections like the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act do not cover information collected by consumer devices, and the companies could be using the data to train their AI models, or selling it to other businesses, Cohn said.

With a lot of the gadgets at CES, it’s difficult to find out where your information is going, Cohn said.

“You have to dig down through the fine print to try to figure that out, and I just don’t think that’s fair or right for the people who might rely on it,” she said.

But the creators of the products say their innovations fill in health care gaps, and they maintain they protect their cuvstomers’ privacy.

Sylvia Kang, founder and CEO of Mira, said she created the egg-shaped hormone tracker because many of her friends were trying to conceive and realized they had no knowledge of their hormonal health. To use the “world’s mini hormone lab,” you dip a wand in urine, insert the wand into the monitor and look at the results on the app.

Kang said her company uses AI to analyze female hormone data and has one of the world’s biggest hormonal health banks. The data is stored on the cloud and is not shared with anyone, Kang said.

“There was no such thing before,” Kang said of her $250 product.

Google adding new AI features to Gmail

BY MICHAEL LIEDTKE AP technology writer

More artificial intelligence is being implanted into Gmail as Google tries to turn the world’s most popular email service into a personal assistant that can improve writing, summarize far-flung information buried in inboxes and deliver daily to-do lists.

The new AI features announced Thursday could herald a pivotal moment for Gmail, a service that transformed email when it was introduced nearly 22 years ago. Since then, Gmail has amassed more than 3 billion users to become nearly as ubiquitous as Google’s search engine.

Gmail’s new AI options will only be available in English within the

United States for starters, but the company is promising to expand the technology to other countries and other languages as the year unfolds.

The most broadly available tool will be a “Help Me Write” option designed to learn a user’s writing style so it can personalize emails and make real-time suggestions on how to burnish the message.

Google is also offering subscribers who pay for its Pro and Ultra services access to technology that mirrors the AI Overviews that’s been built into its search engine since 2023. The expansion will enable subscribers pose conversational questions in Gmail’s search bar to get instant answers about information they are trying to retrieve from their inboxes.

In what could turn into another revolutionary step, “AI Inbox” is also being rolled out to a subset of “trusted testers” in the U.S. When it’s turned on, the function will sift through inboxes and suggest to-do lists and topics that users might want to explore.

All of the new technology is tied to the Google’s latest AI model, Gemini 3, which was unleashed into its search engine late last year. The upgrade, designed to turn Google search into a “thought partner” has been so well received that it prompted OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, whose company makes the popular ChatGPT chatbot, to issue a “code red” following its release.

But thrusting more AI into Gmail poses potential risks for Google, especially if the technology malfunc-

DREAMSTIME/TNS FILE PHOTO

More artificial intelligence is being implanted into Gmail as Google tries to turn the world’s most popular email service into a personal assistant.

tions and presents misleading information or crafts emails that get users into trouble — even though people are able to proofread the messages or turn off the features at any time.

The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Friday, January 9, 2026 ● 7A

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PROBE

Continued from page 1A arrest last June.

But state and local officials and protesters rejected that characterization, with Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey saying video of the shooting shows the self-defense argument was “garbage.”

The shooting happened on the second day of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown on the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, which Homeland Security said is the biggest immigration enforcement operation ever.

More than 2,000 officers are taking part, and Noem said they have already made more than 1,500 arrests.

It provoked an immediate response in the city where police killed George Floyd in 2020, with hundreds of people turning up to the scene to vent their outrage at the ICE officers and the school district canceling classes for the rest of the week as a precaution.

Good’s death — at least the fifth tied to immigration sweeps since Trump took office — has resonated far beyond Minneapolis, as protests took place or were expected this week in many large U.S. cities.

On Thursday, the Minnesota agency that investigates officerinvolved shootings said it was informed that the FBI and U.S. Justice Department would not work with the department, effectively ending any role for the state to determine if crimes were committed.

Noem said the state has no jurisdiction.

“Without complete access to the evidence, witnesses and information collected, we cannot meet the investigative standards that

HAZING

Continued from page 1A statement. “The complaint in this case, from a less than reputable source, alleged waterboarding and hazing — claims that were demonstrably false.”

“Once that proof was presented to the court, the judge agreed and the search warrants were quashed,” the attorneys’ statement continued. “All charges were then timely rejected by the state.

McNeese likewise concluded that my clients were not guilty. My clients love McNeese to their core and will continue to represent their families, their community and their university with integrity.”

Bethany Bryant, a spokesperson for the District At-

BUC-EE’S

Continued from page 1A or agreement with the authority does not include any specific penalties for delay, only that Buc-ee’s “shall use its best efforts” to complete the project within 36 months after all permits required to construct the facility are obtained.

It is still planning a 74,000-square-foot store along with about 120 gas pumps and nearly 700 park-

Minnesota law and the public demands,” Drew Evans, the bureau’s superintendent, said.

Walz publicly demanded that the state be allowed to take part, repeatedly emphasizing that it would be “very difficult for Minnesotans” to accept that an investigation that excludes the state could be fair.

Noem, he said, was “judge, jury and basically executioner” during her public comments about the confrontation.

“People in positions of power have already passed judgment, from the president to the vice president to Kristi Noem — have stood and told you things that are verifiably false, verifiably inaccurate,” the governor said.

Frey, the mayor, told The Associated Press: “We want to make sure that there is a check on this administration to ensure that this investigation is done for justice, not for the sake of a cover-up.”

Several bystanders captured footage of Good’s killing, which happened in a neighborhood south of downtown.

The videos show an officer approaching an SUV stopped across the middle of the road, demanding the driver open the door and grabbing the handle. The Honda Pilot begins to pull forward, and a different ICE officer standing in front of it pulls his weapon and immediately fires at least two shots at close range, jumping back as the vehicle moves toward him.

It isn’t clear from the videos if the vehicle makes contact with the officer, and there is no indication of whether the woman had interactions with ICE agents earlier. After the shooting the SUV speeds into two cars parked on a curb before crashing to a stop.

The mayor said he’s working with community leaders to try to keep any protests peaceful.

Shooting victim was mother of 3, poet Associated Press

WASHINGTON — The woman shot and killed by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in Minneapolis on Wednesday was Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother of three who had recently moved to Minnesota.

She was a U.S. citizen born in Colorado and appears to never have been charged with anything involving law enforcement beyond a traffic ticket.

In social media accounts, Good described herself as a “poet and writer and wife and mom.” She said she was currently “experiencing Minneapolis,” displaying a pride flag emoji on her Instagram account. A profile picture posted to Pinterest shows her smiling and holding a young child against her cheek, along with posts about tattoos, hairstyles and home decorating.

Her ex-husband, who asked not to be named out of concern for the safety of their children, said Good had just dropped off her 6-year-old son at school Wednesday and was driving home with her current partner when they encountered a group of ICE agents on a snowy street in Minneapolis, where they had moved last year from Kansas City, Missouri.

Video taken by bystanders posted to social media shows an officer approaching her car, demanding she open the door and grabbing the handle. When she begins to pull forward, a different ICE officer standing in front of the vehicle pulls his weapon and immediately fires at least two shots into the vehicle at

torney’s Office, confirmed that the charges have been dropped and her office will not prosecute the case.

A McNeese investigation determined that the fraternity did not violate the antihazing policy, but the organization was found responsible for violating the standards of conduct outlined for student organizations.

McNeese issued sanctions against Kappa Sigma, including suspending its chapter and requiring all its members to complete at least three hours of antihazing training, along with 40 hours of community service during the spring semester. The fraternity may be eligible for reinstatement in April.

The punishment from McNeese went further than the fraternity’s proposed plan of action in the wake of the

incident, which recommended suspending everyone involved but not the fraternity as a whole. The fraternity also proposed an increase in training and community service.

“Along with these self-proposed immediate steps, we are undergoing and conducting an internal investigation into the matter in order to identify practices and actions contrary to the Kappa Sigma Code of Conduct and the values of this beloved fraternity,” the acting fraternity president wrote in its proposed action plan. “We realize fully the gravity of such a situation and it is our sincere hope that through this commitment to restoration we can rebuild our trust with the community, McNeese State University and those individuals affected by these events.”

ing spaces, along with public infrastructure improvements to Louisiana Avenue.

The authority predicts it will generate $1.5 million in sales tax collections a year and employ 150.

Roadwork near the site is also expected to begin before the store opens to handle the increased traffic.

Upgrades include: n Extending the third right lane from the westbound I-10 exit into the entrance to Buc-ee’s. n Installing a traffic signal at the intersection south of

I-10. n Adding a third lane on Louisiana Avenue between Buc-ee’s and the I-10 westbound entrance ramp.

It will likely be the second Buc-ee’s in Louisiana when it opens after the Ruston store had its groundbreaking ceremony in October. Construction on that site is expected to last 15 to 16 months.

Buc-ee’s opened a store in Pass Christian, Mississippi, in June.

Email Adam Daigle at adaigle@theadvocate.com.

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close range.

In another video taken after the shooting, a distraught woman is seen sitting near the vehicle, wailing, “That’s my wife, I don’t know what to do!”

Calls and messages to Good’s current partner received no response.

Trump administration officials painted Good as a domestic terrorist who had attempted to ram federal agents with her car. Her ex-husband said she was no activist and that he had never known her to participate in a protest of any kind.

He described her as a devoted Christian who took part in youth mission trips to Northern Ireland when she was younger. She loved to sing, participating in a chorus in high school and studying vocal performance in college.

She studied creative writing at Old Dominion University in Virginia and won a prize in 2020 for one of her works, according to a

The Oct. 2 incident that prompted the investigation involved pledges being forced to eat an unknown mixture of items until they were nauseated, as well as pledges being hosed down with water, according to documents The Advocate obtained through a public records request. The university did not provide The Advocate with videos or photos included in

post on the school’s English department Facebook page. She also hosted a podcast with her second husband, who died in 2023.

Good had a daughter and her son from her first marriage, who are now ages 15 and 12. Her 6-year-old son was from her second marriage.

Her ex-husband said she had primarily been a stay-at-home mom in recent years but had previously worked as a dental assistant and at a credit union.

Donna Ganger, her mother, told the Minnesota Star Tribune the family was notified of the death late Wednesday morning.

“Renee was one of the kindest people I’ve ever known,” Ganger told the newspaper. “She was extremely compassionate. She’s taken care of people all her life.

She was loving, forgiving and affectionate. She was an amazing human being.”

Ganger did not respond to calls or messages from the AP.

complaints.

Court records show that 14th Judicial District Judge Bobby Holmes recalled search warrants that the court had previously issued after reviewing 10 videos and concluding they did not depict hazing under the definition of state law.

Three videos that Johnson, one of the students’ attorneys, shared with The Advocate offer a glimpse into

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One video shows young men being shouted at and hosed down as they recite a fraternity oath. Another shows a lumpy, orange mixture being poured onto the heads of the students, who are seen spitting out the substance. A third video depicts the group doing squats as they chant “Thank you!”

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8A ● Friday, January 9, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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1Bn

Fireworks caused brief spike in air pollution Several warnings issued over 24-hour period

BY DAVID J. MITCHELL Staff writer

STAFF PHOTO By BRAD BOWIE

Jasmyne Cormier stands in Doc’s Pop-in in downtown Lafayette on Dec. 23. Cormier, who also owns Pop’s Poboys, had a busy 2025. This year will be a year of getting it right.

‘TWEAKING EVERYTHING’

Pop’s Poboys owners reflect on busy year, look ahead to what’s next

BY KATHERINE FRAZER

Contributing writer

Jasmyne Cormier never set out to be a restaurateur.

Over the past decade, she’s transformed a text message with an idea for a food truck into a recognized group of dining establishments in Lafayette alongside her husband, Collin.

Cormier met her husband years earlier when they both worked at Tsunami downtown. She waited tables while he was in his first job after attending culinary school.

After he worked in the restaurant industry in the Caribbean, he moved back home and the two got together.

He was working as the executive chef at Blue Dog Cafe while she worked as a massage therapist in Lafayette. After she got hurt on the job and was later told to stop practicing, they sought out to do something new.

“One morning, he sent me a couple pictures on his phone, and he was just playing around in the kitchen,” Cormier said. “He made a waffle sandwich. And I was like, ‘I think this could be something.’ He brought it home and I was

“Let’s just pause for a little while.

Get Doc’s nice and tight, get Central Pizza in Broussard nice and tight. Probably next year, tweaking everything and going back and revisiting and refocusing on the details instead of trying to do something new.”

JASMyNE CORMIER, restaurateur

like, ‘This is interesting.’ ” That’s how Viva La Waffle was born.

It began as a food truck until the couple found a location downtown and opened Pop’s Poboys in 2015. Since then, the Cormiers and their partners have added others to the restaurant group, including popular downtown destinations like The Flats, Doc’s Pop-In next door to Pop’s and Central Pizza.

Here, Cormier talks more about the unexpected growth of her family’s business ventures and what comes next.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Rain and cooler temps expected through Friday Fog expected during morning commute

BY JA’KORI MADISON

Staff writer

fall to around 43.

“Isolated flash flooding will be possible in low-lying and poor drainage areas, especially where storms repeatedly move over the same locations,” according to National Weather Service forecasters.

The cold front will move through Friday night into early Saturday, keeping showers and possible thunderstorms in the forecast Friday evening before slowing down overnight. On Saturday, a 30% chance of showers is expected mainly before noon.

Going into the weekend, cooler and drier air will settle into Acadiana for the weekend and early next week.

Highs on Saturday and Sunday will be in the 50s, with lows in the 30s. A 30% chance of showers lingers early Saturday, but conditions turn dry by Sunday with no precipitation expected.

Severe thunderstorms and heavy rainfall are expected in Lafayette this week, followed by cooler and drier weather early next week.

Warm and humid conditions were expected to continue through Friday. Dense fog is expected to develop early Friday morning, which may reduce visibility for the morning commute, according to local weather forecasters. Going into Friday afternoon, there’s a slight to marginal risk for severe weather and excessive rainfall.

The chance of precipitation is 100% on Friday, with rainfall amounts expected to be between three-quarters and 1 inch. It is expected to be mostly cloudy on Friday, with a high near 65, gusts up Email Ja’kori Madison at jakori. to 20 mph, and overnight lows will madison@theadvocate.com.

What was the decision like to step away from the food truck business and open Pop’s Poboys? Was it a giant leap of faith?

When we founded Pop’s, we were looking for a brick-and-mortar location for Viva la Waffle. The truck was just getting too hard. If it rained, you were out of luck. If the generators went down, you were out of luck. There were just so many stumbling blocks. For as good as it was, it was very hard. We just randomly found the location downtown in a paper and went and looked at it.

When we walked in, we were like, “This is not Viva. This is something else.” We sat on it for about a week and Collin was like, “We’re going to do a po-boy pop up; let’s try that and see what happens.” It felt like an old po-boy shop there so we did it, and it was crazy. It went so well that we were like, “We’re just going to have to do it.”

It’s been 10 years since the restaurant opened.

Are you surprised it has lasted this long?

Yes. I call us instinctual entrepreneurs. We’re not like books and paper and pen and like, you got to figure out all of this stuff. We don’t really go off

ä See POP’S, page 4B

New Year’s fireworks displays bring sound, color and joy to mark the transition from one year to the next, but the practice also can create significant, if temporary, air pollution.

While people were ringing in 2026, fine particle levels potentially left from exploding fireworks spiked in spots across New Orleans and parts of Baton Rouge, state air monitoring data show.

Nine air quality warnings for fine particulate pollution were issued based on state monitor readings in Kenner, Chalmette, New Orleans City Park, French Settlement and Marrero in the hours shortly before and after the clock struck midnight.

Based on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s color-coded Air Quality Index, some warnings were rated “orange” and advised asthmatics to avoid exertion outside.

Others were the more serious “red” variety that presented unhealthy air for some in the general public, warning children, asthmatics and people with heart and lung diseases to avoid outdoor exertion, according to the state alerts.

Fireworks can release sulfur dioxide and carbon monoxide; trace amounts of toxic metals like aluminum, manganese, and cadmium; and other fine particles, according to a 2007 study by Chinese state and university researchers.

More generally, fine particulates are associated with a wide range of health effects to the respiratory and cardiovascular systems, according to federal regulators and others. The American Lung Association advises people to avoid

ä See FIREWORKS, page 4B

STAFF PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER

While ringing in 2026, fine particle levels potentially left from exploding fireworks spiked in a number of locations around the state.

Bear hunting season ends 16 killed in state, with biggest weighing 565 pounds

BY MIKE SMITH Staff writer

Louisiana’s second iteration of its newly restarted black bear hunting season has ended with 16 bears killed, with the biggest weighing in at 565 pounds, the state Department of Wildlife and Fisheries said.

The state opted to allow a highly restricted hunting season for black bear starting in 2024 after the species expanded in population after having previously been decimated. The hunt is limited in duration and restricted to specific regions of the state.

Hunters, who must be Louisiana residents, are chosen through a lottery.

The 2024 season was the first in more than 35 years. The second iteration was held from Dec. 6 to

PHOTO PROVIDED By DERON SANTINy

Deron Santiny poses with a 696-pound black bear that he hunted in the 2024 hunting season.

Dec. 21 in three regions, located in swaths of south, central and northeast Louisiana. Twenty-six tags, or permits, were issued.

Ten males and six female bears were killed, the department said. n Eight were killed in Area 4,

which includes all or portions of the following northeastern parishes: East Carroll, Madison, Tensas, West Carroll, Catahoula, Franklin and Richland.

ä See SEASON, page 4B

OPINION

2B ● Friday, January 9, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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

Keeping the coast working is key to state’s health Across southeast Louisiana, tion and production through a families, small businesses and revenue-sharing model. industries depend on a strong, Importantly, Louisiana dediworking coast that supports cates those dollars to coastal our economy and national serestoration and hurricane procurity. tection efforts. Last month, the Keith Mitch Louis As elected leaders of coastal first offshore lease sale in the Hinkley Orgeron Pommes Gulf under President Donald parishes and members of ParGUEST GUEST GUEST Trump’s Working Families Tax ishes Advocating for Coastal COLUMNIST COLUMNIST COLUMNIST Cut Act was held. It showed Endurance (PACE), we see clear confidence and eagerfirsthand the serious threats facing our shoreline and the ness from energy companies responsibility we share to restore livelihoods. to continue investing in the Gulf. and protect it for today’s commuFrom elevating and maintaining This lease sale generated nearly our levee systems to restoring $300 million in high bids from 30 nities and generations to come. our marsh and barrier islands, we different companies.

We’d like to take a moment to have massive challenges in LouiThis is welcome news because highlight the work of our congressman, Steve Scalise, who siana, but one of our biggest chal- in our state, energy exploration and production and our coastal understands those challenges and lenges is finding the funds to pay restoration efforts go hand in continues to deliver for Louisiana for our coastal restoration and hand. families, our communities and hurricane protection projects.

Offshore energy activity not our local economies.

Some of the dollars that pay for His work to secure vital federal these projects come from a feder- only drives good-paying jobs for dollars for our coastal restoration al law allowing energy-producing communities but also provides and hurricane protection efforts states in the Gulf region to benefit critical funding from these lease sales directly to our state and will undoubtedly save lives and from offshore energy explora-

parishes for coastal restoration projects.

Louisiana is well known as an energy state, punching above its weight in delivering energy to Louisiana families, our nation and our allies abroad. In fact, Louisiana produces nearly 20% of our nation’s domestically produced oil and natural gas right off our coast.

Additionally, our state accounts for about 20% of our nation’s oil refining capacity.

Earlier this year, Scalise was instrumental in getting the Working Families Tax Cut signed into law with Trump.

This law required 30 lease sales in the Gulf of America in the next 15 years to deliver predictability and attract more investment. Additionally, the revenue sharing model our parishes and state rely on to fund our coastal restoration and hurricane protection projects

is set to receive hundreds of millions of new dollars from these lease sales.

We represent just some of the parishes that are directly impacted by both the state’s energy sector and the urgent need for funds for coastal restoration projects.

Louisiana is fortunate to have champions fighting for coastal restoration, and as leaders in the PACE coalition of local officials dedicated to this cause, we will continue to work alongside our state and federal partners to continue pursuing ways to increase revenues for our coastal restoration and hurricane protection efforts in south Louisiana.

Keith Hinkley is the president of Plaquemines Parish. Mitch Orgeron is the president of Lafourche Parish. Louis Pommes is the president of St. Bernard Parish.

Fixing processed food problem requires more than slogans America is facing a serious that disrupt normal fullness and metabolic health crisis. More metabolic signals. than 40% of adults are obese.

So what should Americans acOver 38 million Americans have tually do? The answer is not comtype 2 diabetes, and anplicated, even if our food environment makes it other 98 million are predifficult. Eat real food — diabetic. vegetables, fruits, whole Cardiovascular disease grains, lean proteins and remains our leading killer. beans. Cook more meals These are not just statisJohn P. at home. Move your body tics to me — they are the reason I have devoted Kirwan every day.

Even moderate exmy career to metabolic GUEST research and the reason COLUMNIST ercise produces major Pennington Biomedical metabolic benefits. Limit Research Center exists. sugary drinks, which The Make America Healthy may be the single most damagAgain movement has brought ing category of ultra-processed ultra-processed foods into the products. And ignore the noise: political spotlight. A major series You do not need expensive of papers just published in The supplements, detox programs or Lancet reviewed more than 100 elimination diets. You need the studies linking these foods to basics, done consistently. obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardioAt Pennington Biomedical, vascular disease and early death. we study how food and exercise affect how our cells make enAs someone who has spent three decades studying metabol- ergy, how the body responds to insulin, the bacteria in our gut ic disease, I welcome this attenand inflammation. We know that tion. But I also believe we need exercise can restore metabolic clear thinking based on science function even when someone rather than slogans. has obesity. My own research The science is strong: Ranhas shown that simply replacing domized controlled trials have shown that people who eat ultra- refined grains with whole grains produces meaningful improveprocessed diets consume 500 to 1,000 more calories per day than ments in cardiovascular risk those who eat whole foods. This factors. The human body has a happens even when both diets remarkable ability to heal when have the same amounts of progiven the right inputs. Metabolic health can be recovered. tein, fat and carbohydrates.

I am encouraged by the biparAs Marion Nestle notes in her new book “What to Eat Now,” tisan interest in nutrition policy. even supposedly healthier ultra- Removing petroleum-based food processed foods seem to encour- dyes is sensible, evidence-based action. But real reform requires age overeating. These products more: strong funding for nutriappear designed to override our natural fullness signals. tion research, policies that make The conversation often lacks minimally processed foods afprecision. The NOVA classificafordable and attention to the millions of Americans for whom tion system groups some foods ultra-processed foods remain the that provide health-promoting most accessible option. nutrients, like whole-grain inOur bodies are complicated gredients, or foods modified systems. The relationship befor other health concerns, like gluten-free versions, in the same tween what we eat and how we “ultra-processed” category as metabolize it is equally complex. soft drinks and candy.

America’s metabolic health criThis has real consequences for sis demands urgent action. But policy. Processing itself is not au- that action must be guided by tomatically harmful — pasteuri- science, not slogans. The stakes are too high for anything less. zation, fortification and fermentation have provided enormous public health benefits. What mat- John P. Kirwan, Ph.D., is the director of the Louisiana ters is the industrial creation of Clinical and Translational products designed to maximize Science Center. consumption, using additives

STAFF PHOTO By JILL PICKETT

Work continues on the Meta Richland Parish Data Center near Rayville.

Data centers like Meta’s will help to lower energy costs At Power for Tomorrow, we track how U.S. utili- markets don’t follow the typical economic model where more demand tends to result in higher pricties adapt to challenges like artificial intelligence and data centers — sharing what works to keep es — on the contrary, electrical utilities operate power reliable and affordable. That’s why we’re on an economy of scale, where more customers closely watching the emerging data center hub mean more ways to spread out the impact of fixed in the Gulf South, including Louisiana, system costs, like physical infrastructure. where Meta is building what may become Rather than increasing electricity prices, the world’s largest AI facility in Richland new data center projects present an opParish. portunity to lower prices — if handled the Louisiana securing the historic Meta right way. project wasn’t luck — it was leadership.

The key is to ensure that these giant State officials saw the opportunity and customers are paying their way and that Gary worked across party lines to solve a tough the cost of their growth isn’t being passed Meltz problem: how to power massive data on to other customers’ bills. That’s where GUEST centers without raising rates or hurting Louisiana is getting it right: The utility powCOLUMNIST ering Meta’s Richland Parish data center, reliability. Louisiana figured it out — and proved that smart growth can benefit evEntergy Louisiana, and the Louisiana Public Service Commission built safeguards into Meta’s eryone.

U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said, “When agreement so other customers don’t foot the bill.

In fact, many grid upgrades tied to the project will people say, ‘AI is going to drive up my price of benefit all customers — at no extra cost. electricity,’ it’s actually the opposite. The way to For example, to meet the data center’s needs get electricity prices down is to produce more without straining the state’s grid, Meta is funding electricity.”

The Trump appointee has emphasized that build- three new Entergy power plants. These modern, more fuel-efficient facilities will serve all Entergy ing new infrastructure to support data centers customers and save them money on bills by proand manufacturing will ultimately lower average electricity prices. In fact, one of the nation’s leadducing more power at lower cost for decades.

Meta’s investment also provides Entergy with ing science labs — the same one that Congress more resources to strengthen the grid against selected last year to prepare a report on data storms at a lower cost to current customers. That center energy usage — recently identified that, in many instances, large customers like data centers means fewer outages and real bill savings, includcan help stabilize or even lower electric bills for ing reducing what other customers pay for grid homes and small businesses. upgrades and future storm repairs by 10%. All In October, The Washington Post published an told, Meta’s participation in the Entergy Louisiana article titled “There’s a reason electricity prices grid is projected to save other customers upward are rising. And it’s not data centers,” which noted of $650 million over their 15-year agreement. that the recent trend in the national conversation Louisiana is proving that data centers don’t have of making data centers the scapegoat for rising to mean higher power bills for residents. On the electricity prices simply doesn’t hold up when you contrary, strategic infrastructure investments examine the facts. The article pointed out that tied to industrial growth can be used to improve “the biggest factors behind rising rates were the grid reliability, boost economic growth and lower cost of poles, wires and other electrical equipment costs for everyone.

— as well as the cost of safeguarding that infraGary Meltz is the executive director of Power for structure against future disasters.”

Tomorrow.

The article goes on to explain that electricity

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COMMENTARY

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By CRISTIAN HERNANDEZ

Supporters of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro embrace in downtown Caracas, Venezuela on Saturday after U.S. President Donald Trump announced that Maduro had been captured and flown out of the country.

ISSUE OF THE WEEK VENEZUELA On Saturday, U.S. forces arrested Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in an unprecedented attack on the country’s capital. For months, the Trump administration has instituted a blockade off the country’s coast and shot down boats that allegedly carried smugglers bringing drugs into the United States.The U.S. has said that the Maduro regime spearheaded the trafficking operation.

Still, capturing and removing a sitting head of state raises some serious legal and constitutional questions, many say. But Trump administration officials said the action was justified to protect the security of the United States.As Maduro faces trial in N.y., President Donald Trump said the U.S. will run the country indefinitely, rebuilding the country’s oil industry. Meanwhile, many wonder what the fallout will be from this action on the world stage and what’s next? Here are two perspectives.

It will take years for U.S. Monster-hunting Trump to really fix Venezuela untainted by any legality It’s hard to imagine a worse leader itable than ever before. Unfortunately for Venezuela than Nicolás Maduro, for the Venezuelans, those high prices who combined corruption, economic spurred capitalists to look for new mismanagement and brutal repression sources, such as shale oil. Meanwhile, in one repulsive package. That doesn’t the socialists at home were destroying mean America was right to invade the country’s ability to pump the country and arrest him, which what it had out of the ground. strikes me as both unconstituOil extraction requires a lot of capital and know-how tional and unwise. And while it’s — particularly in the case of hard to imagine a worse leader Venezuela’s heavy, sulfurous than Maduro, that doesn’t mean crude, which is difficult to there isn’t one out there, waiting Megan ega pump and refine. But with in the wings.

McArdle Chávez diverting PDVSA Yet the thing is done, so what’s funds into social spending, left is to figure out whether Venthere was less money to invest in the ezuela can be rebuilt into what Trump says he wants — “good neighbors” who oil fields. The country’s human capital help the United States “surround” itself was eroding just as fast, as experienced engineers and managers were replaced “with stability.” That will depend on with regime loyalists. Meanwhile, the the other thing Trump says he wants: government kept demanding more and a rapid ramp-up in Venezuelan oil promore concessions from multinationals duction. Everyone should want that operating in the country, to the point much, because it’s the only way to lift where they looked less like “concesVenezuelans out of the dire poverty of their failed socialist economy. sions” and more like “extortion.”

Alas, Venezuela’s destruction took Unsurprisingly, Venezuelan oil prodecades. Its reconstruction probably duction slowly began to slide. By 2013, will too. the year Chávez died of cancer, it was The country is sitting on the world’s down to 2.65 million. For a time, this largest proven oil reserves, which once steady erosion of production was offset gave it the fourth-highest gross doby the steep increase in oil prices, so mestic product per capita in the world. Chávez never lived to see the conseThough that position had slipped conquences of his efforts. That whirlwind siderably by the 1990s, thanks to falling was reaped by his successor, Maduro, oil prices and underinvestment, a set of who saw oil prices and production go into free fall together, resulting in the market liberalizations and good manlargest peacetime economic contracagement by PDVSA, the state-owned oil company, had boosted production to tion ever recorded. more than 3 million barrels per day by Turning that around will require 1998, the year socialist Hugo Chávez the capital and skill of multinationals was elected. who are justifiably wary. Because oil Chávez slapped rigid price controls fields are expensive to develop — and on the economy and turned PDVSA because the infrastructure is hard into a piggy bank for his domestic to move once it’s in place — governsocial programs, as well as an instruments face the eternal temptation to ment of his foreign policy. He got away expropriate companies as soon as the development phase is finished. Under with this for quite a while, thanks to socialism, Venezuela indulged that extremely fortuitous timing: Chávez temptation with a vengeance. came into office just as oil prices were If the U.S. actually wants Venezuela bottoming out following the Asian fito stabilize, and a reversal of the flood nancial crisis. of refugees, much more than removIn the two years after he took office, prices more than doubled, and then ing Nicolás Maduro will be required. they really began to take off, briefly If a new democratic government takes touching $140 a barrel right before the shape and it can make long-term com2008 U.S. financial crisis. Even after mitments to growth, a major deployLehman Brothers went belly up and ment of U.S. influence and money will the global economy tanked, oil prices be needed. I doubt reconstruction funds remained comfortably above $80 a bar- and state-building were what Trump and his advisers were thinking of when rel. This was the period when various they decided to invade Venezuela. But lefties made fools of themselves praisif they’d been thinking it through, they ing Chávez for proving that socialism probably wouldn’t have invaded in the worked. first place.

In fact, the illusory early success of Chávismo was entirely a function of Megan McArdle in on X, @asymcapitalist markets that were making the oil under Venezuela’s soil more prof- metricinfo.

There is a constant tug toward univerU.S. involvement in regime changes, wars of choice and nation-building. The lovers salism in U.S. foreign policy, and hence will recover. a recurring temptation for crusading.

Remember, however, what Colin Powell, The strength of the tug waxes and wanes, prior to the invasion of Iraq, called “the responding to the perceived success or Pottery Barn rule” (“You break failure of the most recent undertaking it, you own it”) regarding the to reorder realities abroad. use of U.S. force to restructure Universalism flows from the ninth other countries. We owned word of the most important sentence Iraq and Afghanistan for many in this creedal nation’s catechism: unhappy years. Perhaps this “all.” All human beings are endowed time things will go smoothly as with unalienable rights, including George U.S. officials, in the president’s the right to government legitimized Will insouciant words, “run” Venby consent. The perennial American argument concerns what, if anything, ezuela until “we can do a safe, this catechism commits the nation to do. proper and judicious transition.”

Twenty-one years ago, George W. Bush’s Transition to what? Presumably, the second inaugural address proclaimed administration has plans. Certainly, there “the calling of our time” to be nothing less is an aphorism: “If you want to make God than “ending tyranny in our world.” This laugh, tell him your plans.” project has not fared well since then.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration The 1823 Monroe Doctrine declared the must devise justifications for the VenWestern Hemisphere closed to further ezuelan intervention without employing European colonization, and, implicitly, categories by which Vladimir Putin and open to U.S. intervention in order to Xi Jinping can give a patina of faux legalguarantee … Here things become murky. ity to forcibly ending nearby regimes Commercial considerations (long ago, they dislike. The Trump administration’s bananas; today, oil) and geopolitics have incantations of its newly minted and nondriven interventions. sensical phrase “narco-terrorism” will not The doctrine, although promulgated by suffice.

President James Monroe, should be called Andrew C. McCarthy, the conservative the Adams Doctrine, for his secretary of lawyer who prosecuted terrorists convictstate, John Quincy Adams. (The Marshall ed of the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Plan, announced in a brief Harvard comCenter, says this phrase “has no standing as a legal term — no significance in the mencement speech by Harry Truman’s secretary of state, George Marshall, is not extensive bodies of federal law defining narcotics trafficking and terrorism.” known as the Truman Plan.)

As Bishop Joseph Butler (1692-1752) Although European colonization in this said, “Everything is what it is, and not hemisphere long ago subsided, perhaps another thing.” Narcotics trafficking is a the Monroe Doctrine is still apposite. But serious crime. It is not a terrorist activity. two years before the Monroe Doctrine was enunciated, Secretary Adams said of Neither is the self-“poisoning” of Ameriour nation: cans who ingest drugs.

“Wherever the standard of freedom and So, the administration must improvise independence has been or shall be unpost facto rationalizations for the forcible regime change in Venezuela, rationalizafurled, there will her heart, her benedictions and her prayers be. But she goes not tions harmonious with the president’s reabroad, in search of monsters to destroy. cent pardoning of Juan Orlando HernánShe is the well-wisher to the freedom and dez, the former Honduran president independence of all. She is the champion convicted in a U.S. court of shipping here and vindicator only of her own.” more than 400 tons of cocaine. “The HonMany presidents, and most recent ones, duran regime,” McCarthy writes in Nahave rightly disagreed. The current one, tional Review, “figures prominently in the who also disagrees, speaks so often and so indictment of Maduro brought by the first imprecisely, as in his meandering babble Trump administration.” Maduro’s lawyers late Saturday morning, a cloud of confuwill have fun with this.

And perhaps with this: When Theodore sion envelopes everything. Dissipating it Roosevelt asked Attorney General Philancan begin with this: That Nicolás Maduro is a monster is der Knox to concoct a legal justification patent, as was the illegitimacy of his gov- for the unsavory U.S. measures that enernment, which disdained respect for the abled construction of the Panama Canal, consent of the governed. But the urgent Knox replied, “Oh, Mr. President, do not argument begins, not ends, with those two let so great an achievement suffer from facts. any taint of legality.”

Heartbreak, a risk inherent in puppy love, today afflicts those who believed this Email George Will at georgewill@washpresident’s reiterated disparagements of post.com.

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Leader of Baton Rouge drug ring gets 13 years

BY MATT BRUCE Staff writer

Francisco Palma had a natural-born knack for earning money. The El Paso, Texas, native moved to Baton Rouge at the age of 19 and started his first business. It helped spur a long run of entrepreneurial endeavors that saw Palma prosper.

He became ensconced in the local business community, helping to found a slate of charities and organize fundraisers.

At his height, he drove a Lamborghini and paid nearly $120,000 for a RollsRoyce. He lived in a mansion on the LSU Lakes that was so ritzy, Hollywood filmmakers used it to film scenes for the hit movie “Pitch Perfect 2.”

But it all collapsed when Palma was indicted on charges of running a major drug trafficking network that smuggled kilograms of heroin and cocaine into Louisiana from Mexico.

Standing inside a federal courtroom on Wednesday,

Palma said he has lost everything over the past seven years. He lost even more of his freedom after a federal judge sentenced him to 13 years behind bars for masterminding the drug ring.

“The court is really impressed with your intelligence and industriousness,” U.S. Middle District of Louisiana Chief Judge Shelly Dick said moments before imposing the sentence.

“Your resolve, your initiative and your work ethic.

But you used all of those talents and skills … to hurt the citizens of this community by importing cocaine, and even worse, heroin.”

Bespectacled and clean shaven, Palma appeared in court with the tidy, dapper demeanor of a banker.

But his manicured appearance was betrayed by the manacles shackled around his wrists, waist and ankles.

Artwork from tattoos on the nape of his neck crept up just past the collar of his orange jumpsuit.

Palma spoke at a feverish pace as he read a letter of

remorse. He told the judge of a “moral compunction” he has lived with over his actions since he was initially arrested in January 2019.

He stressed that “true apology is a change in behavior” and said he has helped other inmates with translation while in jail.

“There’s no excuse for breaking the law, and there’s no excuse for positioning myself to be in the predicament that I find myself in. Seven years of penitence to reflect and atone for my wrongdoing, I stand here with a heart full of contrition.”

Federal prosecutors said Palma led a crew of traffickers that transported and distributed cocaine, heroin and cash in Baton Rouge, across Louisiana and beyond. They used phones to negotiate their deals and often talked in code to thwart law enforcement. The traffickers conducted many of the cash and drug exchanges in highly visible public places like the Tanger Outlets in Gonzales, Walmart parking lots and at popular restaurants

on College Drive and near Essen Lane.

Six people were named in a 22-count indictment the feds filed in August 2022. It alleged they orchestrated the trafficking operation from October 2017 to January 2019, distributing drugs in Texas and south Louisiana.

Palma pleaded guilty in March 2023 to 11 counts that included drug conspiracy, racketeering, money laundering and a weapons charges.

Wednesday marked the final chapter in the saga as Palma became the last of the six defendants to receive his sentence.

Richard Antunez pleaded to conspiracy and distribution charges, and Dick handed him 70 months in August 2023. Four months later, she sentenced Marco Antonio Filos, a midlevel operative in the organization, to 26 months for conspiracy, distribution and racketeering.

Brittany Adell Allison, Palma’s live-in girlfriend at the time, entered into

an 18-month pretrial diversionary program in May 2024 and the government deferred her indictments.

Those charges were dismissed in November after she completed the diversionary program, court records show.

Juan Villareal Jr. got 78 months for drug conspiracy, distribution and unlawful communications charges in November 2024. Clarence Corey Alexander escaped with two years of probation in August for his role in the operation.

Palma and Villareal traveled to Mexico City on multiple occasions to meet with cartel members and other kingpins who supplied them with kilos of cocaine and heroin. They smuggled the drugs across the border and sold it to dealers in New Orleans, Baton Rouge and other parts of the state.

Palma ran the drug operation from what was then his upscale Baton Rouge home at the LSU Lakes. Villareal, a north Texas man, ran a hub of the operation near Dallas-Fort Worth.

STAFF PHOTO By BRAD BOWIE

a little bit at Pop’s, just to kind of do a big refresh and all that stuff, but then you also have to think about that. If we’re talking about taking off certain items, are people going to freak out if we take off that stuff?

It seems like 2025 was a busy year, with the opening of Doc’s PopIn and Central Pizza’s new location in Broussard. What’s on the horizon for 2026?

Honestly, we opened two things this year. Next year, nothing. Let’s just pause for a little while. Get Doc’s nice and tight, get Central Pizza in Broussard nice and tight. Probably next year, tweaking everything and going back and revisiting and refocusing on the details instead of trying to do something new. Digging back in and making sure it’s really solid, especially in this economy, and making sure that people feel taken care of and feel like they’re getting a good value for spending their money. I want to make sure that the customers that do come to us in whatever venue feel like it’s money well spent.

pollution matter.

Stuart Kaplow, a Maryland lawyer and adjunct law professor who writes his own green building law blog, says fireworks’ regulatory status is a rare case “where the balance tips sharply toward tradition, with minimal bureaucratic burden.”

“In the U.S., our legal framework largely exempts them from lasting regulation under air and water laws, treating particulate surges as short-lived cultural trade-offs rather than ongoing public health threats,” he wrote in a post for July Fourth earlier this year.

POP’S

time. Our partners at Central Pizza came to my husband and his cousin, and they were like, “Would y’all be interested in sitting down and having a conversation with us so we can maybe figure out what would be cool in this space that we just bought?” And that kind of developed into, “Well, y’all should just become a part of it.” Then we did Tula Tacos right next door to it that

got eaten up by COVID-19, unfortunately.

You mentioned Tula Tacos closing.

What’s it like when things don’t work out?

I try to think of it as a lesson learned. Not everything is long for the world, and if you don’t take a shot, you’ll never know. I don’t look at it as a regret. It’s just like, “OK, what did we do wrong?

What could we have done better? What were the cir-

cumstances?” Sometimes, like with COVID-19, that was out of our control, and we tried everything. We revamped, we redid the menu, but it was a victim of the circumstances of the times.

I can’t spend my whole life regretting something that really was out of my control. So you take the lessons and you move forward.

In the past 10 years, people in Lafayette seem to connect to Pop’s.

From T-shirts with your logo to ornaments of the building for Christmas trees, it’s all over. How does that response make you feel?

Sometimes we call it seeing our stuff in the wild.

Sometimes we’ll see Pop’s shirt in the wild, and we’re like, “Oh, that’s us, That’s crazy.” We went to a UL baseball game with our kids, and everybody wore red, and some dude had a red HOT HOT po-boy shirt on, and our kids were like, “Wow, it’s so cool.” We don’t think about it too much because we live so hard inside of it. It’s hard to sometimes see outside of that bubble.

We’re talking right now about changing up the menu

spokesperson for the state Department of Environmental Quality said the high particulate levels in the days leading up to New Year’s and afterward are due to fireworks or annual burning in harvested sugar cane fields.

The string of nine warnings went out between 5 p.m. Dec. 31 and 4 a.m.

Jan. 1. The most warnings at any single time, three, were issued at 2 a.m. Jan. 1 for Chalmette, French Settlement and New Orleans City Park.

The significant short-term air pollution from community fireworks displays is

a well-documented effect in the United States, Europe, China and India from celebrations ranging from the Fourth of July and New Year’s to Diwali and Lantern Day, according to studies conducted over the past 15 years.

In 2015, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration examined 315 air monitoring sites across the nation over more than a decade for Fourth of July evening and the morning after.

The monitors across the nation picked up an average 24-hour increase in particulate pollution of 42% over

the days before and after the Fourth.

Using the same comparison and 24-hour averaging methods as the NOAA study, New Orleans City Park, for example, saw a more than 480% increase in average particulate concentrations for late New Year’s Eve and most of New Year’s Day compared with the average concentrations in days leading up to and following the big night of fireworks.

Just as sugar cane waste and some other agricultural burning operate under state exemptions, the use of fireworks is largely unregulated in most states as an air

Continued from page 1B that kind of stuff. We go more off what our guts tell us, like, “This feels right, this looks right, this makes sense, so let’s do it.” Let’s do it instead of crunching the numbers for six months.

If it feels good and it feels right, then that’s kind of where we take our jumping point.

You’ve tried out a lot of new things in Lafayette over the past decade.

What’s that decision-making process like?

When we opened Pop’s, we were running the food truck at the same time. He stayed at Pop’s, I ran the truck, and it was nuts. We were like, “We’ll get Pop’s up and running, and then we’ll step away and take the truck back out.” We got Pop’s up and running and we didn’t leave for a year and a half. We couldn’t walk away; we couldn’t get back out. We kind of put a pin in Viva, and we also had Swamp Pop, the soda company at the same

FIREWORKS

Continued from page 1B fireworks smoke because of these possible effects.

The three warnings with the highest concentrations of particulate pollution, all rated “red,” were issued at 6 p.m. Dec. 31 in Kenner, at 1 a.m. Jan. 1 in Marrero, and at 2 a.m. in New Orleans City Park. Particulate levels were 2.5 to 3 times the federal standard for short-term exposure over a 24-hour period, state warnings say.

Asked about the string of public health warnings, a

SEASON

Continued from page 1B The largest bear was killed here. n Three bears were killed in Area 2, which includes all or portions of Pointe Coupee, West Feliciana, Iberville, Landry, St. Martin and West Baton Rouge. n Five bears were killed in Area 1, which includes a long list of south Louisiana parishes In 2024, hunters killed 10 bears, including one that weighed nearly 700 pounds.

The department said population estimates and other data were used to determine the number of permits issued. Cubs and females with cubs cannot be killed.

“Our second bear hunting season proved to be successful and a tribute to the conservation effort of our department, private landowners, hunters and other partners who helped bring back the Louisiana black

Jasmyn Cormier stands in front of Doc’s Pop-in in downtown Lafayette on Dec. 23.

Funerals Today Higgins, Bliss

The Unitarian Church of Baton Rouge, 8470 Goodwood Boulevard, at 10 a.m.

Person, Micheal

St. Joseph's Catholic Church, 15710 LA-16 in French Settlement, at 11 a.m.

Obituaries Judice, Shirley Lagneaux

Shirley Lagneaux Judice, 87. Visitation will be observed at Fountain Memorial Funeral Home on Saturday, January 10, 2026, from 8:30 am until the Mass of Christian Burial at 11:00 am. Online obituary and guest book may be viewed at www.fountainm emorialfuneralhome.com.

Fountain Memorial Funeral Home and Cemetery, 1010 Pandora St., 337-981-7098 is in charge of arrangements.

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Protection your loved ones deserve ... bear,” department Secretary Tyler Bosworth said.

“We’re pleased to give our state hunters a chance to enjoy this special season.

And the lottery revenue which comes from the hunt helps to make sure the Louisiana black bear thrives.”

All black bear lottery fees and license revenue is reinvested into the Louisiana Black Bear Program, which includes annual live trapping and radio-collaring, winter den checks to monitor reproductive rates and noninvasive hair sampling to monitor range expansion, the department said.

The state considers the black bear a conservation success story. The species was removed from protection under the Endangered Species Act in 2016.

But it remains controversial for some. For many farmers, the bear population’s revival has become a nuisance, but there are also concerns that the bear population remains tenuous and that it is too soon to al-

low hunts.

The Louisiana black bear was given protected status and listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in 1992.

Hunting and habitat loss took a heavy toll on the species, with as few as between 80 and 120 bears in Louisiana by the 1950s, according to some estimates.

Bear hunting nonetheless remained legal in parts of Louisiana through the late 1980s.

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F r i d ay, J a n u a ry 9, 2026

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LSU picked No. 1 in preseason poll

A look at what lies ahead for Saints’ veteran stars, coaching staff and injured starters

ON THE HORIZON Saints linebacker Demario Davis pursues a play during the second half against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday in Atlanta. Coming off a strong ending with the Saints, Davis, 36, is set to become a free agent. AP PHOTO By DANNy KARNIK

Three Tigers also named to Perfect Game’s All-America team Staff report Perfect Game thinks the LSU baseball team is the perfect choice to start the season at No. 1.

The website released its preseason top 25 Thursday, putting the Tigers in the top spot for the second time in the past four seasons.

Perfect Game also ranked LSU No. 1 in 2023 when the Tigers went on to win the College World Series. LSU started 2025 at No. 2 according to the website and won its eighth CWS championship.

LSU coach Jay Johnson enters his fifth season with a team that has 19 returning players and 20 newcomers on its roster.

Three Tigers made Perfect Game’s preseason All-American teams: sophomore center fielder Derek Curiel (first team), sophomore pitcher Casan Evans (second team) and senior pitcher Zac Cowan (third).

The Tigers feature seven returning position players with starting experience at LSU, including senior outfielder Chris Stanfield, senior infielder Tanner Reaves, junior shortstop Steven Milam, junior outfielder Jake Brown, sophomore catcher Cade Arrambide, sophomore infielder John Pearson and Curiel.

The pitching staff includes 10 players who have recorded innings at LSU: Cowan, Evans, senior right-hander Connor Benge,

ä See POLL, page 3C

One of the more interesting questions the New Orleans Saints must answer this offseason is what they plan to do with some of their elder statesmen.

Defensive standouts Cam Jordan and Demario Davis are both coming off strong seasons, but both are set to become free agents in their late 30s. Alvin Kamara ended the season by missing his final six games with a knee injury, and he was not productive in the 11 games in which he played. Taysom Hill suffered a major knee injury in 2024 that caused him to miss the first four games of the season, and he did not look like himself when he did return to the field.

Jordan and Davis have both already made clear they intend to play in 2026, and while both said they’d welcome a return to New Orleans, they acknowledged it isn’t totally up to them.

General manager Mickey Loomis took a similar stance when asked about them Wednesday during his news conference to wrap the 2025 season.

“I think, and it’s not just specific to those guys, but there’s a process that we go through at the end of the season,” Loomis said. “It’s an evaluation and then it’s a determination of, hey, do they want to come back? Do we want them back? And then even then, there’s a lot of variables. What’s the contract situation? What’s the

Saban’s legacy lives on as former assistants dominate CFP

BY MAURA CAREY Associated Press

It’s been two years since Nick Saban last took the field as a coach, but he still has his hands all over the College Football Playoff, regardless of how it shakes out.

Five of the 12 CFP teams this year are led by a coach who served directly under Saban at one time or another. Four of them are still in the race: Curt Cignetti at No. 1 Indiana, Dan Lanning at No. 5 Oregon, Pete Golding at No. 6 Mississippi, and Mario Cristobal at No. 10 Miami.

“Four for four,” Cignetti said. “There’s a lot of disciples out there doing well. That’s why he’s the greatest of all time.”

The disciples Cignetti speaks of are some

ä See CFP, page 3C

timeline? There’s just too many variables for me to give you a definitive answer on any of that.

“But look, I’m excited to hear when those guys declare they want to be back here, and I would say on the surface we definitely want to have them back. But there’s just so many other variables that exist that I can’t really answer that question right now.”

It’s worth noting that both Davis ($14.3 million) and Jordan ($18.8 million) will carry dead cap charges on next year’s salary cap if they are not on the team. As they did with Chase Young and Juwan Johnson last season, the

ä See SAINTS, page 3C

STAFF FILE PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK

LSU left fielder Derek Curiel celebrates after hitting a two-run single against Coastal Carolina in Game 2 of the College World Series on June 22 in Omaha, Neb.

LSU lands two more DL commitments

BY WILSON ALEXANDER Staff writer

When the transfer portal opened, LSU wanted to add several players across the defensive line. It has already signed Clemson defensive tackle Stephiylan Green, and it landed commitments from two more transfers Thursday.

LSU gained commitments from Auburn defensive lineman Malik Blocton and South Carolina edge rusher Jaylen Brown, adding depth to positions of need. LSU is in the mix for several others at the same time, including Tennessee sophomore Jordan Ross, a five-star recruit in the 2024 class.

Blocton, an Alabama native, played in 12 games while starting eight times for Auburn this past season. He has made 34 tackles, 81/ 2 tackles for loss and two sacks over the past two seasons. Blocton has three more years AP PHOTO By MICHAEL WOODS of eligibility.

Coming out of Pike Road High, Blocton Auburn defensive lineman Malik was a four-star recruit ranked No. 434 overBlocton runs a play during the second all in the 2024 recruiting class, according half against Arkansas on Oct. 25 in to the 247Sports composite rankings. He is Fayetteville, Ark. Blocton committed to listed at 6-foot-3 and 291 pounds.

LSU on Thursday.

Brown missed the entire 2025 season after

suffering a right knee injury during spring practice. Although he did not play, Brown spent the past year with new LSU defensive line coach Sterling Lucas. He will have three more years of eligibility.

Brown began his career at Missouri, where he signed as a four-star recruit in the 2024 class out of Alabama. He played 39 snaps in five games as a freshman while recording two tackles. He’s listed at 6-foot-5 and 265 pounds.

LSU adds first OL transfer LSU gained its first commitment from a transfer offensive lineman this year when North Carolina Central redshirt sophomore Ja’Quan Sprinkle announced in a social media post Thursday he would join the team.

Sprinkle entered the transfer portal with two more years of eligibility. He started 27 games over three seasons at NC Central, spending time at both guard and tackle. His commitment gave needed depth to the offensive line room, a position that LSU has to continue to add to before head coach Lane Kiffin‘s first season.

ä See LSU, page 3C

2C ● Friday, January 9, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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Gold medalist Kim injured ahead of Winter Games

American snowboarding star Chloe Kim said Thursday that she took “the silliest fall” in training and dislocated her shoulder, threatening her chance to win a third straight gold medal at nex month’s Winter Olympics in Italy.

Kim posted video of the accident in Switzerland earlier this week as she practiced for a key Olympic tune-up there next weekend. She tumbled to the snow and went skittering across the halfpipe.

She did not say which shoulder she hurt, but she was “trying to stay optimistic” about competing at the Olympics. The 25-year-old said she has an MRI scheduled for Friday that will reveal the extent of the damage.

Kim’s absence would deprive the Olympics of one of its biggest names and one of its best storylines.

Hawks trade high-scoring guard Young to Wizards

Trae Young’s tenure in Atlanta is over, with the Hawks agreeing to trade the high-scoring and frequently criticized guard to the Washington Wizards for a package including former Pelican CJ McCollum, a person with knowledge of the move said Wednesday.

Corey Kispert is also headed from Washington to Atlanta, said the person, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the trade had not received the required league approval.

Young leaves Atlanta as the Hawks’ career leader in assists and 3-pointers. He’s fourth on Atlanta’s free throws list and sixth in points.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By KyUSUNG GONG

Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza celebrates after a win over Alabama in the Rose Bowl College Football Playoff quarterfinal game on Jan. 1 in Pasadena, Calif.

QBs Moore, Mendoza face off again Oregon meets Indiana in Peach Bowl

BY ANNE M. PETERSON AP sportswriter

The first meeting between Fernando Mendoza and Dante Moore wasn’t pretty.

It was two years ago, before the Pac-12’s demise. Mendoza was quarterback at California, while Moore started for UCLA in the final game of the regular season.

Cal went on to win 33-7. Mendoza, who started the season as Cal’s third-string QB, threw for a pair of touchdowns and two interceptions.

Moore was also picked off twice.

So much has changed since then.

Moore transferred to Oregon, where he waited behind starter Dillon Gabriel last season for his turn. Mendoza spent one more year with Cal, which had jumped to the ACC amid conference realignment, before landing at Indiana.

With that year of growth under their belts, both quarterbacks looked considerably more polished when they met again in Oc-

ä Peach Bowl. 6:30 FRIDAy, ESPN

tober. Mendoza’s Indiana came out on top 30-20 in Eugene after he threw for 215 yards and a fourthquarter touchdown that put the Hoosiers in front for good.

Moore threw for 186 yards and a TD, but was picked off twice and also sacked six times.

That first meeting in Eugene propelled undefeated Indiana up the rankings and smack into the College Football Playoff conversation. The Hoosiers didn’t drop a game all season and beat Ohio State for the Big Ten title to grab a first-round bye in the playoffs.

Mendoza, of course, went on to win the Heisman Trophy. He has thrown for 3,172 yards and 36 touchdowns, with just six interceptions. He’s also rushed for 256 yards and six scores.

“To me that’s the winning edge.

I mean, when you look at a quarterback, obviously he’s gotta have throwing ability and be able to process, but the ability to extend plays, whether it’s with his legs or once he’s out of the pocket with his arm, his eyes down field, I mean, that’s the key,” Indiana coach Curt Cignetti said. “A guy that cannot extend plays, you really become vulnerable.

And Fernando’s ability to make plays with his legs, boy, I can’t even count the number of times in big games this year where his legs have come through and extended drives.”

Mendoza is naturally getting buzz as a top pick in the NFL draft.

Indiana has already prepared for his departure, landing heralded TCU quarterback Josh Hoover out of the transfer portal. Plus, it still has Mendoza’s younger brother, Alberto, on the roster.

Moore has not announced his intentions, but also is in the mix to be the No. 1 pick — if he declares for the draft. Sophomore Brock Thomas emerged as Moore’s backup during the season and made appearances in six games, throwing for 130 yards and a touchdown. Quarterback Austin Novosad, who played briefly in the opener, has reportedly entered the transfer portal.

A sophomore after redshirting last season, Moore has thrown for 3,280 yards with 28 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He has also run for two TDs. This week ahead of the Peach Bowl, Moore said he made that first meeting with Indiana this season bigger than it was.

“I was too fast on my progressions.

There were some times where there

was an open guy, and you can say I was kind of seeing ghosts out there.

More of just trying for get through my progressions too fast,” Moore said. “And another thing too is when I climbed to the pocket, I was trying to rush and get out. And there were some times where I could climb into the pocket, and there was no need for me to move. So those are probably the two biggest things, just gotta learn from there.”

He did learn from there. In the games since the loss to Indiana, Moore has thrown for 1,885 yards with 13 touchdowns, completing 73.6% with six interceptions. Both of his rushing touchdowns have come following the loss, the only blemish on Oregon’s season.

“You gotta remember when we played earlier in the season, Dante hadn’t played a ton of games,” Oregon coach Dan Lanning said. “As you play an entire season, you get exposed to a lot of different looks, and you learn from those moments, and Dante has certainly learned from a lot of those moments what he’s seen.

He’s been obviously a great player for us and done an unbelievable job, but he’s not the same player as he was earlier this year.”

Harbaugh’s availability adds intrigue to coaching carousel

BY ROB MAADDI

AP pro football writer The NFL coaching carousel keeps spinning.

Eight teams are seeking a new head coach after Baltimore fired John Harbaugh on Tuesday and Miami fired Mike McDaniel on Thursday. Others could join the search if their team is one-anddone in the playoffs. Harbaugh’s sudden availability after 18 seasons with the Ravens could create a new opening.

Multiple teams are interested in Harbaugh, including a club without a current opening, two people with knowledge of the conversations told The Associated Press.

Both spoke on condition of anonymity because the discussions are private.

Teams with head coaches can’t secretly work behind the scenes to hire Harbaugh or anyone else because the NFL adopted the Rooney Rule in 2003. It requires teams to conduct in-person interviews with at least two diverse — minority or female — candidates

who don’t currently work for the team.

The Buccaneers aren’t among the teams looking for a new coach because Todd Bowles is staying put in Tampa Bay, a person with knowledge of the team’s thinking told the AP. Bowles is under contract for three more seasons and is returning for a fifth year as head coach despite a major collapse in the second half. The Bucs went from 6-2 to 8-9 and missed the playoffs after winning the NFC South for four straight seasons. Bowles was the defensive coordinator under Bruce Arians when Tom Brady led the Bucs to a Super Bowl title five years ago.

The New York Giants, Tennessee Titans, Atlanta Falcons, Arizona Cardinals, Cleveland Browns and Las Vegas Raiders also have current openings for a head coach.

Here are three more teams that could decide to make a coaching change:

Buffalo Bills Sean McDermott has led the

Bills (12-5) to the playoffs in eight of his nine seasons. But after five straight AFC East titles, they enter this postseason as a wild-card team with the No. 6 seed.

McDermott and Josh Allen have been under pressure to get to the Super Bowl after falling short in the conference championship game last year. They lost in the divisional round the previous three seasons. The Bills won’t have to face Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs, who knocked them out four times in the last five years.

The Bills are one-point favorites on the road against Jacksonville on Sunday. If Buffalo loses, it might force a change despite McDermott’s success.

Green Bay Packers Matt LaFleur has led the Packers (9-7-1) to the playoffs six times in seven seasons. He guided them to three straight 13-win seasons in his first three years but they lost at home in the NFC championship game twice. They’ve been the No. 7 seed each of the last three seasons.

Green Bay is a one-point road favorite against division rival Chicago on Saturday night. The Packers and Bears split their season series.

Losing star pass rusher Micah Parsons was a major blow for Green Bay’s Super Bowl hopes.

LaFleur has a tough task this postseason.

Pittsburgh Steelers Mike Tomlin was a missed 44yard field goal from being eliminated and Harbaugh and the Ravens would be hosting the Houston Texans this week as the AFC North champion instead of the Steelers.

Tomlin is a Super Bowl champion coach who has led Pittsburgh for 19 seasons, one longer than Harbaugh was in Baltimore. He’s 193-114-2 in the regular season and 8-11 in the playoffs. But the Steelers (10-7) haven’t won a playoff game since 2016 and there’s been speculation about Tomlin throughout the season. A loss Monday night to the Texans could lead to a change.

Suspects in Sanders’ burglary are from Atlanta

The four suspects involved in the burglary of Shedeur Sanders’ home on Nov. 16 are from Atlanta and used a stolen rental car in the break-in, authorities said Thursday.

The Medina County Sheriff’s Office also said during a briefing that the group had robbed others, including professional athletes.

Jarvet Myrick, Deandrez Jackson and Maurice Exavier Taylor are in custody after being arrested in Georgia and are awaiting extradition to Northeast Ohio. Carlos DeAnthony Morris remains at large and has an active warrant.

Detective Rodney Rees said that the suspects stole the rental car in the Atlanta area, drove to Ohio and stayed at a hotel in Medina Township the night before the burglary took place.

PGA Tour set to expand player equity program

The PGA Tour is expanding its Player Equity Program to reward current performance, adding the top 50 in the FedEx Cup this year to those receiving recurring grants from a first-of-its-kind program that has topped $1 billion in equity for more than 200 players.

CEO of PGA Tour Enterprises, Brian Rolapp, sent a memo to players on Thursday. The Associated Press viewed the memo, which included a new schedule model by a committee chaired by Tiger Woods.

The expansion to the top 50 in the FedEx Cup was a result of a player meeting at the Rocket Classic, one week after Rolapp took over the PGA Tour Enterprises.

This will roughly double the number of players receiving recurring grants this year.

MLB to produce FanDuel network team broadcasts

Major League Baseball is prepared to produce and distribute local broadcasts for teams whose telecasts are uncertain this season because of the financial problems of the FanDuel Sports Network regional networks.

Main Street Sports Group, which operates the FanDuel networks, did not make its December payment to the St. Louis Cardinals. It also carries games of Atlanta, Cincinnati, Detroit, Kansas City, the Los Angeles Angels, Miami, Milwaukee and Tampa Bay, along with 13 teams in the NBA and seven in the NHL. “No matter what happens, whether it’s Main Street, a third party or MLB media, fans are going to have the games,” baseball commissioner Rob Manfred said Thursday.

The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Friday, January 9, 2026 ● 3C

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POLL

2026 PERFECT GAME PRESEASON POLL

Continued from page 1C senior right-hander Grant Fontenot, junior right-hander Gavin Guidry, junior right-hander Jaden Noot, junior left-hander DJ Primeaux, sophomore left-hander Cooper Williams, sophomore right-hander Mavrick Rizy and sophomore right-hander William Schmidt.

Eight other Southeastern Conference teams are ranked: No. 3 Tennessee, No. 4 Arkansas, No. 6 Mississippi State, No. 8 Texas, No. 10 Auburn, No. 12 Florida, No. 15 Georgia and No. 19 Vanderbilt.

The Tigers play Tennessee, Mississippi State, Georgia and Vandy on the road and Florida at home.

LSU opens the season Feb. 13 at Alex Box Stadium against Milwaukee.

For more LSU sports updates, sign up for our newsletter at theadvocate.com/lsunewsletter

1. LSU 2. Georgia Tech 3. Tennessee 4. Arkansas 5. UCLA 6. Mississippi State 7. Oregon State 8. Texas 9. Florida State 10. Auburn 11. TCU 12. Florida 13. Oregon 14. Virginia 15. Georgia 16. Louisville 17. Coastal Carolina 18. North Carolina 19. Vanderbilt 20. Clemson 21. UC Santa Barbara 22. NC State 23. Southern Miss 24. Miami 25. East Carolina

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MARK J. TERRILL

Indiana coach Curt Cignetti calls a play during the Rose Bowl against Alabama last Thursday in Pasadena, Calif.

CFP

Continued from page 1C of the most successful in the game. Cignetti and the Hoosiers will face Oregon in the Peach Bowl. Across the country, Cristobal’s Miami Hurricanes and Golding’s Ole Miss Rebels go head-to-head in the Fiesta Bowl.

Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs were eliminated in the quarterfinals. Lane Kiffin passed the baton to Golding after leading Ole Miss to the playoffs. Brent Key’s Georgia Tech team had a historic season and fell just short of the ACC Championship game.

Jimbo Fisher stepped away from coaching after a highly decorated career.

Saban’s disciples argue it’s no coincidence.

“Everybody learned a lot from Nick,” said Cignetti, who was Saban’s initial receivers coach and recruiting coordinator at Alabama. “He was a great mentor, very organized, detailed; had a plan for everything. Managed lead, how to stop complacency, game day, recruiting, recruiting evaluation, player evaluation.

I mean, he had it all. And if you were serious about your career and wanted to be a head coach one day, you took great notes or great mental notes.”

Lanning saw the value in learning under Saban from afar. He took a gamble, leaving behind a full-time position at Sam Houston State and taking a pay cut to accept a graduate assistant role with Alabama.

SAINTS

Continued from page 1C Saints can actually lower the cap figure for both if they bring them back and push the dead money into the future.

Hill is also on an expiring deal, but his dead cap hit is a more manageable $9.7 million.

Kamara has one year left on the extension he signed last season and is currently set to count $18.6 million against the team’s cap next season. Releasing him would save the team next to no money.

“He’s always been a talented guy; I don’t see a lot of difference there,” Loomis said. “And I haven’t had a conversation with Alvin since the season ended, so I’m excited to have that with him and see where he’s at in his mind space.

“He’s been in such an important part of our team for the last nine years. He’s a talented player, and we have to give him the right opportunities and we’ll see how that goes going forward.”

Here’s what else stood out from Loomis and head coach Kellen Moore’s comments after they put a bow on the season Wednesday.

Staff changes?

When asked if he would be making any changes to his coaching staff for the 2026 season, Moore gave a nonanswer, saying he feels great about

“When anybody asked me why, I said, ‘I’m going to get my doctorate in football,’ ” Lanning said.

“Working for Coach Saban, just like Coach (Cignetti) said, you learn so much. Things I thought I knew, I realized I didn’t know anything. I got to really carry that over with the opportunity to work with Coach Smart, who built off of that as well at Georgia. And that was an unbelievable experience for me, and obviously it shows here as we enter the semifinals.”

Similar sentiments are being echoed in Arizona, as Ole Miss and Miami prepare for the Fiesta Bowl.

Golding and Cristobal narrowly missed each other in Tuscaloosa.

Cristobal was Saban’s offensive line coach from 2013-16. Golding led the Crimson Tide defense for five years, from 2018-22.

Cristobal says his time in Tuscaloosa opened his eyes to what college football has become and what’s necessary to run a successful program. But above all else, he adapted Saban’s mentality, and keeping that alive will always be a top priority for him as a coach.

Golding doubled down. In an era where the life of a college football player can be luxurious, keeping the traditional hardnosed spirit of college football, embodied by Saban for 17 years at Alabama, is key.

“There’s a toughness component, a competitive character component to hold these guys accountable and hold them to a high standard,” Golding said. “I think that’s pretty consistent with whoever is playing right now.”

the staff and that he would have to be prepared for the possibility of one of them being hired away for a promotion elsewhere.

It made sense for Moore to neither give a yes or no answer to the question — he and the rest of the staff will take a short break to reset before returning to the facility, and he certainly wasn’t going to break the news of a coach being let go in a press conference.

But he also did not flat-out reject the idea, either.

Moore was asked specifically about special-teams coordinator Phil Galiano, one of the few holdovers from the previous regime’s coaching staff. New Orleans struggled mightily on special teams this season in Galiano’s first full campaign as a coordinator, ranking 31st in DVOA and last in Expected Points Added.

New Orleans also ranked last in both overall field goal percentage (71.4%) and net punting average (36.1) in 2025.

But Moore praised Galiano for the work he did navigating a fluid roster situation. As an example, he brought up rookie Jonas Sanker, who was penciled in for a core special-teams role before an injury pushed him into the defensive starting lineup.

“We did have a lot of moving pieces there,” Moore said. “And so I thought he did a really good job of helping a lot of young players get ready and prepared to con-

SAINTS NOTEBOOK

Shough, Young earn NFL honors

BY LUKE JOHNSON

to play 17 games because I think when he came back after Week 5, that really impacted our defense,” said general manager Mickey Loomis. “And the way they performed from that point forward was pretty spectacular.”

Staff writer

Tyler Shough is the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the ... Month.

Shough, the New Orleans Saints’ rookie quarterback, earned the first monthly honor of his career Thursday, after leading his team to a 4-1 record in the 2025 season’s final month.

In those final five games, Shough completed 114 of his 163 pass attempts (69.9%) with five touchdowns against two interceptions.

He averaged 263.2 passing yards per game over that stretch, which featured back-to-back 300-yard passing performances, while also adding 135 yards and three touchdowns as a runner.

That late-season surge has also pushed Shough into the forefront of the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year conversation — one that has grown somewhat contentious, given Shough only started a little more than half of the Saints’ games.

Shough was one of four rookie quarterbacks who started at least seven games this season, joined by the Titans’ Cam Ward, the Giants’ Jaxson Dart and the Browns’ Shedeur Sanders.

Among that group, Shough ranked second in passer rating (91.3) but first in passing yards per game (216.7), completion percentage (67.6), yards per attempt (7.3), success rate (44.1%) and, crucially, wins (5).

Shough authored two fourthquarter comebacks and three game-winning drives in his rookie season. The rest of the nine rookie starting quarterbacks who played this season combined to post the exact same numbers.

His main competition for the prestigious rookie of the year award may come from within his division, as wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan is the current betting fa-

LSU

Continued from page 1C Sprinkle also had offers from a handful of non-power conference schools, including Western Kentucky, Marshall and South Alabama. Sprinkle, a South Carolina native, is listed at 6-foot-3 and 295 pounds. He was named secondteam All-MEAC this past season while starting at right tackle.

LSU needs to add several offensive linemen in the transfer portal after most of its starters left the team amid the coaching change to Kiffin and new offensive line coach Eric Wolford. The Tigers only have seven offensive linemen who have not entered the NFL draft or the transfer portal, and they signed two incoming freshmen.

This week, LSU has hosted Minnesota transfer Kahlee Tafai and junior college transfer JaKolby Jones, a Louisiana native. It also offered Division II Ouachita Baptist offensive lineman Terence Roberson.

LSU hosted two SEC offensive lineman Thursday. One of them was former Alabama offensive lineman Micah DeBose, sources confirmed. LSU also had a visit from former Tennessee backup center William Satterwhite, according to On3.

Former Saints CB arrested

Chase Young turned in an impressive finish for the Saints, and the NFL recognized him for it, too.

Young was named the NFC’s Defensive Player of the Month on Thursday after finishing the 2025 season with five sacks, one forced fumble and two fumble recoveries in the final five games of the season.

The former No. 2 overall pick last won a monthly award in December/ January of his rookie season.

After he impressed in his debut with the Saints last season on a oneyear deal, New Orleans brought Young back on a three-year contract extension this offseason.

The 26-year-old responded with the best season of his career, despite missing the first five games with a calf injury. Young posted 10 sacks, 11 tackles for loss, and three fumble recoveries — all numbers that either matched or exceeded his previous career highs.

“I wish he would have been able

Former Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore was arrested in Ohio on weapon charges, according to police.

Lattimore, who now plays for the Washington Commanders, was arrested in Lakewood, Ohio, on Wednesday evening, 3News reported. He was charged with carrying concealed weapons and improperly handling firearms in a motor vehicle.

“We have been made aware of the arrest and are gathering more information,” the Commanders’ official statement read. “We are in communication with the NFL League Office and have no further comment at this time.”

In November 2021, Lattimore pled guilty to carrying a concealed weapon, a first-degree misdemeanor, in Ohio. He was sentenced to 180 days in jail, but the sentence was suspended. Instead of jail, he was on one year of non-reporting probation.

Lattimore, 29, was the Saints’ first pick at No. 11 of the franchise’s memorable 2017 NFL Draft class.

He spent seven seasons with the Saints before he was traded to the Commanders during the 2024 season. The Saints were a top 15 team in passing yards allowed in 2020 and 2021, and also held opposing quarterbacks to the fourth-lowest passer rating in those seasons.

With the Saints, Lattimore won Defensive Rookie of the Year honors and made four Pro Bowl appearances.

New kicker in town

Players leaving

LSU landed a commitment Wednesday from former Arkansas kicker Scott Starzyk.

Starzyk started as a freshman for the Razorbacks this past season, connecting on 14 of 18 field goals and all 47 extra points. He went 2 for 3 on field goals over 50 yards with a long of 53 that came on the first attempt of his career.

Starzyk was named to the freshman All-SEC team.

Starzyk was a highly-rated kicker in the 2025 recruiting class coming out of The Woodlands, Texas.

He has three more years of eligibility. LouisianaSports.net first reported his commitment.

New LSU special teams coordinator Joe Houston has now added Starzyk, former Florida punter Hayden Craig and former Florida long snapper Mack Mulhern from the transfer portal. All of them committed Wednesday. Although LSU brought in Craig, a source said LSU punter Grant Chadwick plans to stay next year for his junior season.

LSU needed to find a new kicker after senior Damian Ramos exhausted his eligibility and sophomore Aeron Burrell decided to enter the transfer portal. Burrell, LSU’s kickoff specialist the past two years, did not attempt a field goal at LSU.

Four days after LSU announced defensive tackle Walter Mathis would return for his sophomore season, an indication that he had agreed to a new deal with the team, he said Thursday that he plans to enter the transfer portal.

Mathis, a 6-foot-2, 285-pound former four-star recruit, wrote in a social media post that he notified LSU that he would like to enter his name into the portal.

This past season, Mathis carved out a rotational role on the interior of the Tigers’ defensive line. He recorded nine tackles in 12 games.

Mathis was expected to compete for more playing time in 2026 because LSU is replacing three of its top four defensive tackles.

Mathis is from Savannah, Georgia. He signed with the Tigers in 2025 as a top-500 national recruit, according to 247Sports composite rankings, and he’s now one of 31 players to leave the program via the transfer portal this cycle.

LSU redshirt freshman defensive end CJ Jackson also entered the transfer portal Thursday, and fifthyear senior safety Jardin Gilbert told On3 that he plans to transfer after spending two seasons with the Tigers.

Staff writer Reed Darcey contributed to this report.

STAFF PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD

Saints quarterback Tyler Shough runs the ball against the New york Jets on Dec. 21 at the Caesars Superdome.

vorite to win the award. McMillan hauled in 70 passes for 1,014 yards and seven touchdowns while helping the Carolina Panthers end a seven-season playoff drought.

Young wins defensive honor

“(Organized team activities), some guys will go through a little bit of a process where they’re working their way back, but training camp looks like a lot of optimism.”

Center Erik McCoy, who missed the final 10 games with a torn biceps, said he should be fully cleared to resume football activities in April.

Summer plans?

STAFF PHOTO By BRETT DUKE

Saints general manager Mickey Loomis, left, and coach Kellen Moore speak during a news conference at the team’s headquarters on Wednesday in Metairie. tribute on our … special teams that were a little bit new to that aspect of football.

“Are there areas that we want to improve on and get better? Absolutely. And that’s certainly something we’ll do in all three phases.”

While it won’t officially be announced until next month, Drew Brees will almost certainly be made a first-ballot Hall of Famer in the 2026 class.

And with that in mind, it might impact when the Saints get things going this summer: Loomis expressed interest in participating in the annual Hall of Fame game in Canton, Ohio, the first preseason game of the year.

“We’ve thought about that,” Loomis said. “I don’t want to just assume that (Brees is) going to get in the Hall of Fame, but yeah, I think it’d be a good thing for a team to experience that … that whole experience of the Hall of Fame is really good for anyone involved in football and anyone who’s a fan of football. And if Drew gets in, I think it’d be a great thing for us to play in that game.”

This year’s Hall of Fame game is scheduled to be played Aug. 6.

The top three receivers, the top three running backs, the Nos. 2 and 3 tight ends, two starting offensive linemen, two starting defensive linemen and a starting safety.

But the good thing is, according to Moore, none of those players should be looking at such an extensive reHealthy outlook habilitation that they’ll not be ready By the time the season ended, for training camp next year.

“There’s plenty of guys that will the Saints were extremely limited because of a rash of injuries in the go through a lot of cleanups and different things through the next final month of the season.

Among the notable players who week or two, and those guys will Email Luke Johnson at missed time during that stretch: go in that process,” Moore said. ljohnson@theadvocate.com.

4C ● Friday, January 9, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

lll

STM, Teurlings considered Ken Cole favorites Cougars hoping to unseat reigning champ Rebels in annual event

BY KEVIN FOOTE Staff writer

Perhaps it’s simply coach speak, or maybe it’s just trying to keep it classy.

It could also be a matter of mutual respect.

Whatever is behind it, Teurlings Catholic coach Kent Masson and St. Thomas More coach Kerry Boumans identified their biggest rival as the favorites to win the 49th Annual Ken Cole Wrestling Invitational on Saturday at Comeaux High.

“I would consider St. Thomas More as probably the favorite in the tournament,” Masson said. “I don’t know what all the teams are bringing, or how many injuries and illnesses all of these teams have.”

Because of Teurlings’ depth, Boumans puts the favorite’s label on the Rebels.

“They’re the team to beat to be honest with you,” Boumans said.

“They’re probably saying that about us, but they have 14 scorers.

We don’t quite have that yet.”

Teurlings and St. Thomas More are among 43 teams scheduled to participate in the event that begins at 3 p.m. Friday with the semifinals slated for 11 a.m. Saturday and the championship round tentatively set for 5 p.m. Saturday.

In all, there’s 453 boys wrestlers among the 43 teams scheduled to participate, as well as 18 girls teams (69 wrestlers).

The girls finals are slated for 2:30 p.m. Saturday in the girls gym.

STM sports four No. 1 seeds to one for Teurlings.

Masson is hoping his team’s

STAFF FILE PHOTO By BRAD KEMP

St. Thomas More’s Jonas Rebstock tries to pin Lafayette High’s Johnatha Johnlouis during the 48th Ken Cole Invitational on Jan. 26 at Comeaux High School. Rebstock is hoping to repeat as Ken Cole champion this weekend. depth can be realized this weekend. It’s been a challenge to maintain the Rebels’ roster this season as Teurlings canceled a dual match against Holy Cross because of illnesses.

“We would have only been able to fill seven weight classes,” said Masson, who is also battling an illness. “That’s how bad it is right now for us.”

The Rebels finished second at St. Paul’s earlier this season. This past weekend, Teurlings reached the consolation quarterfinals at the state duals.

“We finished pretty high in a lot of tournaments, but it’s been a rough year,” Masson said. “This has been one of the toughest chal-

lenges we’ve had. We’ve been dealing with a lot of people who left the program and have just had to find a way to persevere and get through it. In today’s society, if you don’t get immediate gratification, you just give up on it. There are very few willing to work through it.”

The Rebels are led by three-time state champion Alex Rozas (35-3) at 126 pounds. Rozas hasn’t been beaten in the state. He’s trying to become the first wrestler in state history to win the Ken Cole, Louisiana Classic and state championship four times in a career.

“That would be pretty incredible,” Masson said.

Carter Macha is the only other high seed — No. 2 at 190 — but Mas-

shot. It’s going to be fun to see if he has an opportunity to win it.”

Deshotels will be joined by Foster Peterson (34-1; No. 1 at 132), Jonas Rebstock (38-4; No. 1 at 144), Enzo Lopez (35-3; No. 2 at 157) and Zach Cestia (35-5; No. 1 at 175).

Rebstock won at Ken Cole last year, while Peterson was second, Cestia third and Lopez fourth. Peterson hasn’t lost in the state this season.

“We’ve got about five guys in the hunt (for titles),” Boumans said.

“Those have been our main five guys all season.

“We also have other guys who are still working on their technique and trying to figure it out. ... If they can come into this weekend and score some points, our likelihood of finishing high goes way up.”

Acadiana High sports two No. 1 seeds in Ozias Gray (39-2) at 138 and Landon Olds (28-4) at 215.

Southside’s Zane Blanchard (28-1) is the top seed at 120 and Dylan Talbot (24-6) is No. 2 at 175.

Carencro’s Cody Hypolite (33-3) is No. 2 at 113 and Comeaux’s Parker Richard (29-7) is No. 2 at 138.

This weekend is followed by the Louisiana Classic next weekend, which both Teurlings and St. Thomas More are hoping to figure prominently in. The Rebels won that event for the first time last season.

“These next two weekends are going to be rough,” Masson said.

“They’re going to be a struggle, but I know that the personality of this team is one that they’re close-knit.

They support each other more than I’ve seen in a long time. It’s just a great feeling to see when a team actually does that, that they believe in themselves, they believe in each other.”

son said he likes Blaise Watson at 132 to surprise.

“Blaise has been really consistent for us,” Masson said. “He just does not give up in a match. I’m really pleased with his wrestling and the kid that he is. He’s just awesome to have on this team.”

Boumans would love to see Macha and STM’s No. 1 seed Jules Deshotels (37-2) in the 190 final.

Macha defeated Deshotels 10-9 at Jacob McMillan tournament, before Deshotels pinned Macha a week later at Trey Culotta.

“That’s going to be a great match if they match up in the final,” said Boumans, a three-time state champion at Comeaux from 1987-89. Email Kevin Foote at kfoote@ “It’ll be awesome. Jules has a good theadvocate.com.

KEN COLE INVITATIONAL SEEDS Friday-Saturday at Comeaux High 106 pounds — 1. Hollis Zander, Slidell (41-1); 2. Hunter Coleman, Sam Houston (29-2); 3. Landon Blackwell, Zachary (19-8); 4. Jake McDaniel, Byrd (22-5); 5. Matthew Arguello, Rosepine (21-6); 6. Gavin Schexneider, Rayne (25-8).

113 — 1. Sy Stoute, North DeSoto (11-0); 2. Cody Hypolite, Carencro (33-3); 3. Jase Seguin, Sam Houston (28-8); 4.

John Thiele, Rummel (8-4); 5. Jhase St Amant, Slidell (3315); 6. Russell Maturin, Teurlings (26-8).

120 — 1. Zane Blanchard, Southside (28-1); 2. Michael Barnett, Jesuit (20-1); 3. Landen Modica, Rummel (19-4); 4. Vincent Morvant, Lafayette (21-2); 5. Logan Bergeron, Basile (19-2); 6. Michael Cook, Milton, Fla. (13-3).

126 — 1. Alex Rozas, Teurlings (35-3); 2. Max Belsome,

Jesuit (24-5); 3. Kale Muscarello, Shaw (18-1); 4. Aidan Herbert, Milton (8-1); 5. Christian Gentry, Parkway (19-4); 6. Evan Shepherd, Belle Chasse (25-13).

132 — 1. Foster Peterson, St. Thomas More (34-1); 2. Will Haun, Haughton (27-5); 3. Dominic Schopfer, Rummel (134); 4. Karson Rozas, Rayne (21-10); 5. Bennett Lewis, Byrd (27-7); 6. Hunner Glaze, Rosepine (23-7).

138 — 1. Ozias Gray, Acadiana (39-2); 2. Parker Richard, Comeaux (29-7); 3. Cayden Myers, Covington (26-8); 4. Eli Roberts, Zachary (20-7); 5. James Treadway, St. Thomas More (22-8); 6. Caleb Walker, Sulphur (26-11).

144 — 1. Jonas Rebstock, St. Thomas More (38-4); 2. Benjamin Ebling, Brusly (32-5); 3. Cooper Berzas, St. Edmund (13-4); 4. Gavin Stevens, Sam Houston (34-10); 5. Bryn Richard, Rayne (14-11); 6. Jaden Hooper, Rosepine (15-6).

150 — 1. Jacob Kershaw, North DeSoto (30-2); 2. Dylan Ricks, Brusly (39-3); 3. Gage Ahysen, Rummel (28-3); 4.

Gage Robinson, Lafayette (21-6); 5. Dominic Ruggieri, Southside (26-3); 6. Ian David, Acadiana (34-7).

157 — 1. Dominick Durham, Rummel (25-2); 2. Enzo Lopez, St. Thomas More (35-3); 3. Jose Argenal, Comeaux (23-7); 4. Hunter Reeves, Haughton (29-6); 5. Easton Hudson, Sam Houston (20-9); 6. Matthew Pierce, Slidell (24-8).

165 — 1. Zayden Normandin, Parkway (21-4); 2. William O’Neal, Lafayette (24-9); 3. Gannon Sheffield, St. Thomas More (15-6); 4. Harrison Hudson, Sam Houston (36-10); 5. Jamyrick Chaisson, Carencro (20-10); 6. Benjamin Ezernack, Byrd (15-8).

175 — 1. Zach Cestia, St. Thomas More (35-5); 2. Dylan Talbot, Southside (24-6); 3. Greyson Bernard, Lafayette

(26-8); 4. Avery Price, Parkway (15-3); 5. Evan Poole, Brusly (10-3); 6. Elliot Talley, Teurlings (18-8).

190 — 1. Jules Deshotels, St. Thomas More (37-2); 2. Carter Macha, Teurlings (19-2); 3. Matthew Robin, CatholicBR (13-6); 4. Mason Kinley, Byrd (23-1); 5. Ja’Michael Treadwell, Covington (21-6); 6. Cruz LeBlanc, Belle Chasse (5-2).

215 — 1. Landon Olds, Acadiana (28-4); 2. Brennen McGill, St. Thomas More (16-9); 3. Caleb Preece, Rosepine (25-3); 4. Always Hebert, Rayne (25-7); 5. Kemar Macon, Slidell (15-10); 6. Hayden Bell, North DeSoto (5-2).

285 — 1. Romyn Cortez, Basile (14-1); 2. Jayvier Hollis, Slidell (38-8); 3. Dylan Mesloh, Parkway (12-3); 4. Jeshua Lugo, Bossier (11-2); 5. Michael Mouch, Catholic-BR (13-4); 5. Peyton Quatrevingt, Brusly (15-6).

PREP REPORT Boys basketball Rebel Roundball Classic Wednesday’s games St. Louis 48, Carencro 44 Alexandria 68, Rayne 43 Lake Charles Prep 53, Menard 20 Teurlings 61, Central Catholic 38 St. Thomas More 70, Westminster 35 Westgate 61, Lafayette Christian 51

St. Thomas More 70, Westminster 35 WESTMINSTER (35) Damien Thomas 2, Garrett Noel 5, Titus Alexander 14, Cayden Brown 2, Omar Guillory 5, Parker Deville 7. Totals: 8 (5) 4-12.

ST. THOMAS MORE (70) LG Carbo 9, Mack Tasman 5, Kyle Guillot 6, John Michael Charbonnet 4, Matthew Cook 10, Ryan Robertson 12, Tucker Arceneaux 2, Michael Lacour 10 , Xarian Babineaux 4, Landon Ortte 4, Grayson Jenkins 2, Mariano Alesi 2. Totals: 23 (3) 15-21.

Westminster 9 12 9 5 — 35 STM 16 15 23 16 — 70 3-pointers — WCA: Alexander 2, Noel 1, Deville 2; STM: Carbo 1, Cook 2. Total Fouls: WCA 21, STM 10.

Westgate 61, Lafayette Christian 51

WESTGATE (61) Brock Mitchell 5, Cayden Lancelin 17, Shadon Lee 10, Dakylon Joseph 11, Antonio Quetel 15, Zyier Stokes 2, Rhylom Collins 1. Totals: 17 (3) 18-31.

LAFAYETTE CHRISTIAN (51) Christian Glenn 15, Josh Wilson 9, Tyler Cook 8, Hudson Mire 6, Graham Comeaux 6, Cullen Francis 2, Kerrance Vallot 3, Hayden Comeaux 2. Totals: 11 (() 5-10.

LCA 16 13 8 12 — 51 Westgate 16 11 19 15 — 61 3-pointers — LCA: Glenn 2, Wilson 2, Cook 2, Mire 2, Comeaux 1; WEST: Lancelin 1, Joseph 1, Quetel 1. Total Fouls: WEST 18, LCA 22.

Teurlings 61, Central Catholic 38 CENTRAL CATHOLIC (38) Khyler Willis 4, Parker Jennings 4, Dillon Ebbecke 4, Tylon Mingo 7, Dominic Lipari 8, Keven Johnson 11.

Totals: 15 (1) 3-5.

TEURLINGS (61) Brower Cain 3, Teryence Alfred 4, Jordan Sinegal 14, AJ Price 14, Trae Olivier 8, Riley Stout 5, De’Von Warren 8, Matthew Rhodes 3. Totals: 21 (4) 7-12.

Central Catholic 6 13 6 13 — 38 Teurlings 20 14 17 10 — 61 3-pointers — CCMC: Mingo 1; TEUR: Olivier 2, Cain 1, Rhodes 1. Total Fouls: CCMC 14, TEUR 8.

Alexandria 68, Rayne 43 ALEXANDRIA (68) Tyshawn Duncan 10, Kory Wright 10, Marcus Bolden 14, Trey Dorsy 7,

Amari Armstrong 5, Jarvall Bordelon 15, Eddie Wiliams 5, Jemiah McKinney 2.

RAYNE (43) Daeon Richard 5, Keland Gabriel 3, Samuel Whalen 1, Lesean Leday 9, Jaylan Alleman 5, Gabriel Joyner 10, Tyreke Gordon 2, Lionel Francis 2, Kristian Delco 4.

Alexandria 15 9 19 25 — 68 Rayne 11 11 5 16 — 43 3-pointers – ALEX: Wright 1, Armstrong 1, Bordelon 1; Rayne: Richard 1, Gabriel 1, Whalen 1, Alleman 1, Leday 2. Total Fouls: ALEX 7, Rayne 5.

St. Louis 48, Carencro 44 ST. LOUIS (48) Brayden Francis 10, Micah Turner 9, Dreynon D’Key 15, Joe Devall 10, Bo Hardy 1, Ram Durrousseau 2, . Totals: .

CARENCRO (44) BJ Jones 5, Dontrell Morrison 2, Chantz Babineaux 2, Hayden Monroe 11, Wilson Landry 2, KB Bernard 16, JB Batiste 4.

St. Louis 11 9 13 15 — 48 Carencro 6 12 13 13 — 44 3-pointers – CAR: Jones 1, Bernard 4; STL: Turner 2, Devall 1. Total Fouls: STL 14, CAR 17.

Friday’s games Losers bracket semifinals, 2:35 p.m.

Losers bracket semifinals, 3:45 p.m.

Fifth-place semifinals, 5 p.m.

Fifth-place semifinals, 6:15 p.m.

Winners bracket semifinals, 7:30 p.m.

Winners bracket semifinals, 7:30 p.m.

Other Friday’s games Avoyelles Public at Acadiana, Lafayette at Breaux Bridge, Cecilia at Washington-Marion, Morgan City at Comeaux, Opelousas Catholic at David Thibodaux, Grand Lake at North Vermilion, Northside at Catholic-NI, Opelousas at North Central, Acadiana Renaissance at West St. Mary, Erath at Iota, Gueydan at Delcambre, Loreauville at French Settlement, Jeanerette at Ascension Episcopal, Westminster-LAF at Sacred Heart, Midland at Episcopal of Acadiana, Northside Christian at Singer.

Girls basketball

Westminster 8, Bolton 0 South Beauregard 6, Carencro 2 Lafayette 3, David Thibodaux 2 St. Thomas More 7, New Iberia 0

Friday’s games Westminster at Lafayette Renaissance, Rapides at Acadiana Renaissance, Kaplan at Opelousas, Westgate at Comeaux, St. Thomas More at Teurlings, Acadiana at Southside, Barbe at Lafayette, Cecilia at Catholic-NI, Washington-Marion at Episcopal of Acadiana.

Girls soccer

Friday’s games Avoyelles Public at Acadiana, Lafayette at Beau Chene, Southside at Westgate, Morgan City at Comeaux, Grand Lake at North Vermilion, Opelousas at North Central, Abbeville at Rayne, Crowley at Westminster-LAF, Erath at Iota, Northwest at Avoyelles, Highland Baptist at Catholic-NI, Gueydan at Delcambre, Jeanerette at Ascension Episcopal, Northside Christian at David Thibodaux.

Boys soccer Wednesday’s scores Episcopal 8, Lafayette Renaissance 0 Vermilion Catholic 6, ESA 1

Wednesday’s scores Ascension Episcopal 4, Acadiana 4 ESA 8, Vermilion Catholic 0 Westminster 7, Bolton 0 South Beauregard 13, Carencro 0 St. Thomas More 6, New Iberia 0 Southside 4, Lafayette 0

Friday’s games Episcopal of Acadiana at Westminster, Lafayette Christian at Opelousas Catholic, Comeaux at Lafayette Renaissance, Opelousas at Erath, Westgate at Comeaux, St. Thomas More at Hannan, Ascension Episcopal at Catholic-NI.

SCOREBOARD Hole-in-one

1 (52) 4½ (44½) 3½ (46)

at JAX San Fran.

LA Chargers

National Championship

FAVORITE OPEN TODAY O/U Houston 3 3 (39½)

UNDERDOG at PITT

FCS glance

Buffalo at PHILA at NE

Johnny Setton Course: Beaver Creek Hole, yardage: No. 3, 110 yards Club selection: 9-iron Witnesses: Lawrence Barbier, Lyle Jarreau, Brian Bergeron

Monday

1½ 3½ 3½

Pro football

Odds

Wild-card playoffs

NBA

L.A Rams at Carolina, 3:30 p.m. (FOX) Green Bay at Chicago, 7 p.m. (PRIME)

Friday

FAVORITE LINE at BOSTON 8½ at WASHINGTON OFF Philadelphia 1½ LA Clippers 2½ at MEMPHIS OFF at DENVER OFF New York 1½ Houston 6 at GOLDEN ST. 13½ at LA LAKERS 3

Saturday

O/U UNDERDOG (224½) Toronto (OFF) New Orleans (227) at ORLANDO (212½) at BROOKLYN (OFF) Oklahoma City (OFF) Atlanta (230½) at PHOENIX (219½) at PORTLAND (229½) Sacramento (231½) Milwaukee

COLLEGE BASKETBALL Friday

FAVORITE LINE UNDERDOG Miami (OH) 1½ at TOLEDO at MANHATTAN 6½ Canisius at FAIRFIELD 8½ Rider Wright State 4½ at DETROIT MERCY at IONA 12½ Niagara at GREEN BAY 7½ IU Indianapolis at MOUNT ST. MARY’S 1½ Saint Peter’s at SIENA 5½ Merrimack at OAKLAND 14½ Cleveland State Marist 6½ at SACRED HEART Akron 3½ at BOWLING GREEN at MILWAUKEE 2½ Northern Kentucky at MINNESOTA 2½ USC at COLORADO STATE 6½ UNLV

College Football

NFL

O/U UNDERDOG (48½) Oregon

Saturday

FAVORITE OPEN TODAY

Monday

Houston at Pittsburgh, 7 p.m. (ESPN/ABC)

Divisional playoffs Jan. 17-18

AFC lowest remaining seed at Denver, TBD NFC lowest remaining seed at Seattle, TBD AFC two remaining seeds at higher seed, TBD NFC two remaining seeds at higher seed, TBD

Conference championships Jan. 25 AFC

AFC lowest remaining seed at AFC highest remaining seed

NFC

NFC lowest remaining seed at NFC highest remaining seed

Super Bowl LIX Feb. 8

College football College Football Playoff Semifinals

FAVORITE OPEN TODAY O/U UNDERDOG LA Rams 10½ 10½ (46½) at CAROLINA Green Bay 1½ 1½ (45½) at CHICAGO

Sunday

Buffalo at Jacksonville, noon (CBS) San Francisco at Philadelphia, 3:30 p.m.

(FOX) L.A Chargers at New England, 7 p.m. (NBC/ Peacock)

At Santa Clara, Calif.

Conference championships winners, 5:30 p.m. (NBC/Peacock)

Friday

Peach Bowl Atlanta FAVORITE OPEN TODAY Indiana 4 3½

Sunday

O/U

UNDERDOG

Thursday Fiesta Bowl, Glendale, Ariz.

No. 6 Ole Miss vs. No. 10 Miami, n Friday Peach Bowl, Atlanta No. 1 Indiana vs. No. 5 Oregon, 6:30 p.m. (ESPN)

Miami Jan. 19 Semifinal winners, 6:30 p.m. (ESPN)

National Championship

Monday Frisco, Texas Montana State 35, Illinois State 34

College basketball Men’s state schedule, scores Liberty at Louisiana Tech, n UL-Monroe at UL, n

Saturday’s games

Troy at UL, noon LSU at Vanderbilt, noon UL-Monroe at Southern Miss, 2 p.m.

Delaware at Louisiana Tech, 2 p.m.

Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, 3:30 p.m.

Southeastern at McNeese, 4 p.m.

Tulane at Texas-San Antonio, 4 p.m.

Grambling at Bethune-Cookman, 4:30 p.m.

Southern at Florida A&M, 5 p.m.

Nicholls at UNO, 5 p.m.

Women’s state schedule, scores

Thursday’s games

UL-Monroe 61, UL 51 LSU 80, Georgia 59 Louisiana Tech at Delaware, n UNO at Southeastern, n Southern at Bethune-Cookman, n Nicholls at McNeese, n UTRGV at Northwestern, n Grambling at Florida A&M, n

Saturday’s games

Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at Northwestern State, 1 p.m.

Southeastern at McNeese, 1 p.m.

North Texas at Tulane, 2 p.m.

Nicholls at UNO, 2 p.m.

UL-Monroe at South Alabama, 2 p.m.

Grambling at Bethune-Cookman, 3 p.m.

Texas State at UL, 3 p.m.

Southern at Florida A&M, 3 p.m.

Pro basketball NBA Conference glance EASTERN CONFERENCE W 28 24

L 9 13

Pct .757 .649

23 23 20 21 21 20 18 17 16 13 11 10 6

13 15 15 17 17 17 21 20 21 24 23 26 31

.639 .605 .571 .553 .553 .541 .462 .459 .432 .351 .324 .278 .162

4½ 5½ 7 7½ 7½ 8 11 11 12 15 15½ 17½ 22

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

W 31 26 25 23 24 22 22 20 18 16 14 13 12 8 8

L 7 11 12 12 13 12 15 18 20 21 23 23 24 29 31

Pct .816 .703 .676 .657 .649 .647 .595 .526 .474 .432 .378 .361 .333 .216 .205

GB — 4½ 5½ 6½ 6½ 7 8½ 11 13 14½ 16½ 17 18 22½ 23½

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Thursday’s games

Detroit New York

Boston Toronto Philadelphia Orlando Cleveland Miami Atlanta Chicago Milwaukee Charlotte Brooklyn Washington Indiana

GB — 4

Wednesday’s games

Detroit 108, Chicago 93 Philadelphia 131, Washington 110 Toronto 97, Charlotte 96 Denver 114, Boston 110 New York 123, L.A. Clippers 111 Atlanta 117, New Orleans 100 Orlando 104, Brooklyn 103, OT Phoenix 117, Memphis 98 Oklahoma City 129, Utah 125, OT San Antonio 107, L.A. Lakers 91 Golden State 120, Milwaukee 113 Portland 103, Houston 102

Thursday’s games

Indiana at Charlotte, n Cleveland at Minnesota, n Miami at Chicago, n Dallas at Utah, n

Friday’s games

New Orleans at Washington, 6 p.m.

Philadelphia at Orlando, 6 p.m.

Toronto at Boston, 6 p.m.

L.A. Clippers at Brooklyn, 6:30 p.m.

Oklahoma City at Memphis, 7 p.m.

Atlanta at Denver, 8 p.m.

New York at Phoenix, 8 p.m.

Houston at Portland, 9 p.m.

Sacramento at Golden State, 9 p.m.

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

Late Wednesday

Atlanta 117, New Orleans 100 NEW ORLEANS (100)

Matkovic 1-3 0-0 2, Williamson 10-15 2-7 22, Queen 3-9 0-0 6, Fears 3-11 5-6 11, Poole 7-18 1-1 21, Looney 0-0 2-2 2, Peavy 5-12 0-0 11, Missi 1-1 3-4 5, Hawkins 0-2 0-0 0, McGowens 8-15 3-5 20. Totals 38-86 16-25 100.

ATLANTA (117)

Johnson 9-18 1-3 19, Risacher 8-13 2-4 25, Gueye 3-10 3-3 10, Alexander-Walker 6-18 3-3 17, Daniels 6-11 1-1 13, Newell 1-3 0-1 2, Porzingis 4-11 1-2 13, Kennard 5-6 0-0 13, Krejci 2-5 0-0 5, Wallace 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 4495 11-17 117.

New Orleans 26 27 13 34 — 100 Atlanta 37 28 24 28 — 117 3-Point Goals—New Orleans 8-28 (Poole 6-13, McGowens 1-3, Peavy 1-5, Hawkins 0-1, Matkovic 0-1, Queen 0-1, Fears 0-4), Atlanta 18-47 (Risacher 7-9, Porzingis 4-8, Kennard 3-4, Alexander-Walker 2-12, Krejci 1-3, Gueye 1-4, Daniels 0-1, Newell 0-1, Johnson 0-5).

Fouled Out—None. Rebounds—New Orleans 40 (Queen 10), Atlanta 49 (Gueye 11). Assists—New Orleans 26 (Peavy, Williamson 6), Atlanta 30 (Daniels 8). Total Fouls—New Orleans 15, Atlanta 19. A—15,993 (18,118)

Transactions BASEBALL

Major League Baseball American League ATHLETICS — Agreed to terms with C Shea Langeliers on a one-year contract.

CHICAGO WHITE SOX — Claimed C Drew Romo off waivers from the N.Y. Mets. Designated 3B Ben Cowles for assignment.

TAMPA BAY RAYS — Claimed INF TsungChe Cheng off waivers from the Pittsburgh Pirates. Agreed to terms with RHP Bryan Baker, LHP Garrett Cleavinger, C Nick Fortes, RHP Griffin Jax, RHP Kevin Kelly, OF Josh Lowe, UTL Richie Palacios, RHP Ryan Pepiot and RHP Steven Wilson.

National League ATLANTA BRAVES — Claimed LHP Ken Waldichuk off waivers from the Athletics.

Designated INF Vidal Bruján for assignment.

COLORADO ROCKIES — Agreed to terms with 2B Jack O’Dowd on a minor league contract.

MILWAUKEE BREWERS — Agreed to terms with OF Garrett Mitchell, 2B Brice Turang, 1B Andrew Vaughn, RHP Trevor Megill and LHP Angel Zerpa on one-year contracts.

Let freedom ring In honor of M ar t in Luther King Jr. a nd Justice S unday, t he Bake r B rranc h L ibrar y will host a viewing of the “I Have a D r eam ” s pe e c h at 3 p . m. Saturday. Dialog ue with Dr. Char les V inc ent , Ph.D. , Bake r Cit y C o unc il member and president of t he M walim u I ns t i t ut e , will f ollow. ebr pl.c om.

LIVING

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

|

F r i d ay, J a n u a ry 9, 2026

5Cn

BATON ROUGE JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL WHEN: Wednesday-Sunday, Jan. 14-18 l WHERE: Manship Theatre, Shaw Center for the Arts, 100 Lafayette St. l TICKETS: $14.50 individual screenings, $25.50 festival pass l INFO: manshiptheatre.org and brjff.com

Roll credits 20th BR Jewish Film Festival to be the last

BY JOHN WIRT

Contributing writer For its 20th anniversary event, the Baton Rouge Jewish Film Festival is presenting four feature films at the Manship Theatre, its home since the festival began.

Running Wednesday, Jan. 14, through Sunday, Jan. 18, the festival’s 20th year also will be its final one. The rise of streaming services that bring movies directly to homes and mobile devices and corresponding decline in movie theater attendance led Jewish Film Festival organizers to bring down the curtain.

“To everything there is a season,” said Ara Rubyan, a co-founder and co-chair of the festival. “People don’t go to the

ä See FILM FEST, page 6C

STAFF FILE PHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS

An aircraft carrier veterans float rides past the Capitol as Le Krewe Mystique de la Capitale rolls through downtown Baton Rouge last year.

Throw time

Ready for Mardi Gras 2026 in south Louisiana?

Here’s a preview of the parades, with dates

BY JUDY BERGERON Staff writer

PROVIDED PHOTO By BATON ROUGE JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL

‘Holding Liat’ chronicles the sorrow, uncertainty and conflicting viewpoints a couple’s families experienced during their loved ones’ captivity in Gaza in 2023.

Yes, it will be a shorter Carnival season, with Fat Tuesday falling on Feb. 17. But never fear, there are 16 parades rolling in the Baton Rouge area before Ash Wednesday.

And that usually dull weekend after the official holiday is going to the dogs, with the Krewe of Mutts in Baton Rouge on Feb. 22 and the City of Walker’s Kroux of Barkus on Feb. 21.

Have fun and be safe out there!

Here we go!

Krewe of Oshun

n Noon Saturday, Jan. 31, from 3200

Harding Blvd., Baton Rouge

Mardi Gras is coming!

Send us your ball stories and photos

The Advocate will publish Mardi Gras ball stories from Carnival krewes in and around the Baton Rouge area. Stories and photos should be emailed at least two weeks before the ball to mardigras@theadvocate.com.

Stories should include the names of the ball captain, court and the ball’s theme. No costume descriptions will be included.

Provide one photograph of the king, queen and ball captain, and photos of the court in groups of three or more. We will do our best but cannot guarantee date of publishing.

Photos should be jpg attachments with a resolution of 300 dpi or more. Those in photo(s) should be identified from left to right. Do not send more than three photos in a single email.

Also, please include contact name and phone number.

town’s newest Mardi Gras tradition.

Expect lighted floats, local performances and a festive atmosphere at FOR this family-friendly parade.

MORE, But don’t wait until dark to get to New Roads on parade day. The THEADVOCATE.COM Chemin Neuf Mardi Gras Festival, celebrating culture and communiaround for the festival and its food, ty, runs all day, with family actividrinks and live music. oshunba- ties, the Sweet Pecan Challenge, live music from local bands, and tonrouge.mailchimpsites.com/. food vendors.

The krewe supports the Pointe n 3 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 31, from Coupee and West Feliciana Health Denham Springs High School along Services Foundation. For more, Range Avenue to Veterans Boulevard visit kreweofcheminneuf.com.

It’s the 46th anniversary for this Livingston Parish Parade, known for its elaborate floats, many n 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 6, starting and marching bands and dance groups, ending on River Road near Raising Cane’s River Center, Baton Rouge and family atmosphere.

For more info, email kreweof There’s nothing like the Mardi Gras magic of an evening parade. dsparadecaptain@gmail.com.

Founded in 2001, the first and only all-female parading krewe n 6 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 31, from New emphasizes a family-style Mardi Roads Street, ending on Parent Gras event for all ages. Featuring

MARDI GRAS 2026

Krewe of Denham Springs

Krewe of Artemis

It’s the sixth annual parade and festival in this North Baton Rouge neighborhood, and is a celebration of African American culture and heritage. Presented by North Baton Rouge Now Blue Ribbon Commission, the parade will offer floats, Street, New Roads marching bands and dancers. Stick It’s the small Pointe Coupee Parish

Krewe of Chemin Neuf

ä See PARADES, page 6C

Applications open for Pride Fest’s Rainbow Exchange Performer Sa Riyah Roxx takes the stage during Pride Fest 2025 at the Raising Cane’s River Center in Baton Rouge.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

Staff report Community organizations, artists, makers and local vendors — now’s the time to apply for a spot in this year’s Rainbow Exchange at Baton Rouge Pride Fest.

“The Rainbow Exchange is the heart of Baton Rouge Pride Fest — bringing together queer artists, small businesses, nonprofits and community resources in one vibrant, welcoming space. It’s where

connection happens, stories are shared, and Pride truly comes to life,” a news release states.

This year’s festival, taking place June 27, will take the theme, “This Is What Pride Feels Like.”

Apply by Jan. 31 for early bird vendor pricing. Spaces are limited and fill up quickly, according to organizers. To apply for the Rainbow Exchange, visit eventeny.com.

6C ● Friday, January 9, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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SHOWS TO WATCH — ACADIANA FRIDAY

LIVE MUSIC: Cane River Pecan Company Pie Bar, New Iberia, 5 p.m.

THE GOOD DUDES: Adopted Dog Brewing, Lafayette, 6 p.m.

LIVE MUSIC: Charley G’s Seafood Grill, Lafayette, 6 p.m.

LIVE MUSIC: Jim Deggy’s Brick Oven Pizza & Brewery, Lafayette, 6 p.m.

LIVE MUSIC: Naq’s-nDuson, Duson, 6 p.m.

LIVE MUSIC: Prejean’s, Broussard, 6 p.m.

CHARLES & WENDY TRICHE: Whiskey and Vine, Lafayette, 7 p.m.

ZACH EDWARDS: Blue Moon Saloon, Lafayette, 8 p.m.

LIVE MUSIC: The Barrel of Broussard, Broussard, 8 p.m.

THE ROUGE KREWE: Rock ‘n’ Bowl, Lafayette, 9 p.m.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By BRAD BOWIE

Zach Edwards will perform at 8 p.m. Friday at Blue Moon Saloon in Lafayette.

SATURDAY

DONNY BROUSSARD BAND: Fred’s, Mamou, 8 a.m.

CAJUN JAM: Moncus

Park, Lafayette, 9 a.m.

SATURDAY MORNING

JAM SESSIONS: The Savoy Music Center,

TODAY IN HISTORY

By The Associated Press Today is Friday, Jan. 9, the ninth day of 2026. There are 356 days left in the year.

Today in history: On Jan. 9, 2007, Apple CEO Steve Jobs introduced the iPhone at the Macworld conference in San Francisco.

Also on this date: In 1861, Mississippi became the second state to secede from the Union, the same day the Star of the West, a merchant vessel bringing reinforcements and supplies to Federal troops at Fort Sumter, South Carolina, retreated because of artillery fire.

In 1945, during World War II, American forces began landing on the shores of Lingayen Gulf in the Philippines as the Battle of Luzon got underway, resulting in

FILM FEST

Continued from page 5C theater like they used to. It’s not our festival, it’s not Baton Rouge.

It’s happening everywhere.”

The late Harvey Hoffman, his wife, Paula, their daughter, Julie, and son-in-law, Rubyan, founded the Baton Rouge Jewish Film Festival. After Harvey Hoffman’s death in 2011, his survivors and fellow festival co-chairs continued producing the event.

“We started the festival 20 years ago, when the iPhone had just been released,” Rubyan said. “How different a world we live in now than then. The last few times Julie and I have gone to a movie theater, we were the only people there. People stay home and stream movies.

That’s affected us. We’ve seen a decline in the audience that comes out to the festival.”

Although their annual festival is ending, Rubyan and Julie Hoffman, in cooperation with the Manship Theatre, plan to present some films with Jewish subjects and themes throughout the year.

“That’s how we’ll handle it going forward, but I can’t be more specific,” Rubyan said. “We don’t have any dates at this point, but there’s probably an appetite for that.”

This year’s Jewish Film Festival offerings, including a major documentary about the late Nobel Peace Prize winner Elie Wiesel, are listed below with showtimes and descriptions.

‘Fantasy Life’

n 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 14

Matthew Shear, writer-director of “Fantasy Life,” co-stars in the film as Sam, a suddenly unemployed New Yorker in his 30s.

After he accepts the job of babysitting his psychiatrist’s three granddaughters, Sam’s initially one-night-only job becomes an ongoing position. He consequently develops a rapport with the girls’ mother, Dianne, a woman who, like Sam, is struggling.

Judd Hirsch co-stars as the psychiatrist and Amanda Peet plays the shrink’s daughter. Shot in Manhattan and Martha’s Vineyard, the film’s supporting players include Bob Balaban and Andrea Martin.

an Allied victory over Imperial Japanese forces.

In 2018, downpours sent mud and boulders roaring down Southern California hillsides that had been stripped of vegetation by a wildfire; more than 20 people died and hundreds of homes were damaged or destroyed.

Today’s birthdays: Musician-activist Joan Baez is 85. Rock musician Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin) is 82.

Singer Crystal Gayle is 75. Actor J.K. Simmons is 71. Actor Imelda Staunton is 70. Nobel Peace Prize laureate Rigoberta Menchú is 67. Actor Joely Richardson is 61. Musician Dave Matthews is 59. Rapper and singer Sean Paul is 53. Actor Angela Bettis is 53.

Singer AJ McLean (Backstreet Boys) is 48. Golfer Sergio Garcia is 46. Catherine, Princess of Wales, is 44.

Featuring recordings of Wiesel as narration, “Soul on Fire” shapes an intimate account of the late writer, educator and Holocaust survivor. Wiesel’s memoir, “Night,” and its story of imprisonment in Auschwitz and Buchenwald, made international impact.

Standing against “the sin of indifference,” he wrote 57 more books, taught at Boston University for more than 30 years and won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986.

“Why do I write?” Wiesel asked.

“What else can I do? I write to bear witness.”

“Soul on Fire” writer, director and producer Oren Rudavsky has a personal connection to the documentary’s subject.

“My mother studied with Elie Wiesel in Boston and his books were in our home,” the filmmaker said.

“The opportunity to make this film, for me, was personal, because of his beautiful stories of Jewish mystical leaders and because of my families’ experience, which, in some ways, mirrored his. In a world which is so profoundly divided, where people have forgotten how to speak civilly to each other, Wiesel is a role model and a healer which we need today more than ever.”

‘Holding Liat’

n 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 17

Israeli-American Liat Atzili and her husband, Aviv, were among the hostages taken by Hamas to Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023. “Holding Liat” chronicles the sorrow, uncertainty and conflicting viewpoints the couple’s families experienced during their loved ones’ captivity.

‘Swedishkayt: Yidlife Crisis in Stockholm’

n 3 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 18

The Canadian comedy duo of Jamie Elman and Eli Batalion travels to Sweden for a show in Stockholm. While they prepare for the show, they investigate the Nordic nation’s little-known Jewish culture.

Production notes for “Swedishkayt: YidLife Crisis in Stockholm” describe the film as a warm, funny story about a community that thrives on resilience and reinvention.

Elman and Batalion bring 25 years of theater, music, television and film experience to “Swedish‘Eli Wiesel: Soul on Fire’ kayt.” They’ve acted in television’s n 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 15 “Mad Men,” “House MD” and Before the nationwide PBS tele- “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and writvision debut of “Elie Wiesel: Soul ten, directed and produced films on Fire” on Tuesday, Jan. 27, Ho- shown at the Sundance, Toronto, locaust Remembrance Day, the Berlin and SXSW film festivals.

Baton Rouge Jewish Film Festival is showing the film on the Manship Email John Wirt at j_wirt@msn.

Theatre’s big screen. com.

Eunice, 9 a.m.

CAJUN JAM: Tante Marie, Breaux Bridge, 11 a.m.

ZYDECO CAPITAL JAM: St. Landry Parish Visitor Center, Opelousas, 1 p.m.

CAJUN FRENCH MUSIC JAM: Vermilionville, Lafayette, 1 p.m.

LIVE MUSIC: Charley G’s Seafood Grill, Lafayette, 6 p.m.

LIVE MUSIC: Jim Deggy’s Brick Oven Pizza & Brewery, Lafayette, 6 p.m.

LIVE MUSIC: Prejean’s, Broussard, 6 p.m.

LIVE MUSIC: Tap Room, Youngsville, 6:30 p.m.

THE CAST: Buck & Johnny’s, Breaux Bridge, 6:30 p.m.

LIVE MUSIC: Pat’s Atchafalaya Club, Henderson, 7 p.m.

MATT GARY TRIO: Whiskey and Vine, Lafayette, 7 p.m.

AMIS DU TECHE: Blue Moon Saloon, Lafayette, 8 p.m.

KEVIN NAQUIN & THE OSSUN PLAYBOYS: La Poussiere Cajun Dancehall, Breaux Bridge, 8 p.m.

LIVE MUSIC: The Barrel of Broussard, Broussard, 8 p.m.

WAPLIA, ZETROC, AVERY COHEN GROUP: The Loose Caboose, Lafayette, 8 p.m.

LOUISIANA RED: Rock ‘n’ Bowl, Lafayette, 9 p.m.

SUNDAY

GLENN ZERINGUE: Whiskey & Vine, Lafayette, 11 a.m.

LIVE MUSIC: Tante Marie, Breaux Bridge, 11 a.m.

CAJUN JAM: Bayou Teche Brewing, Arnaudville, 2 p.m.

LIVE MUSIC: Charley G’s Seafood Grill, Lafayette, 6 p.m.

STOP THE CLOCK COUNTRY JAZZ: Feed N Seed, Lafayette, 6 p.m.

MONDAY

PATRICIO LATINO SOLO: Cafe Habana City, Lafayette, 11 a.m.

LIVE MUSIC: Charley G’s Seafood Grill, Lafayette, 6 p.m.

BLUEGRASS JAM: Cité

des Arts, Lafayette, 6:30 p.m.

TUESDAY

LIVE MUSIC: Charley G’s Seafood Grill, Lafayette, 6 p.m.

TERRY HUVAL & FRIENDS: Prejean’s Restaurant, Lafayette, 6 p.m.

ACADIANA TALENT SONGWRITERS’ NIGHT: Blue Moon Saloon, Lafayette, 8 p.m.

WEDNESDAY

DULCIMER JAM: St. Landry Visitor Center, Opelousas, 10 a.m.

LIVE MUSIC: Charley G’s Seafood Grill, Lafayette, 6 p.m.

LIVE MUSIC: Park Bistro, Lafayette, 6 p.m.

WANTED WEDNESDAY KARAOKE NIGHT: The Barrel of Broussard, Broussard, 6 p.m.

LIVE MUSIC: Tap Room, Youngsville, 6:30 p.m.

CAJUN JAM: Blue Moon Saloon, Lafayette, 8 p.m.

DAVE BRUCE MUSIC: Tap Room, Youngsville, 8 p.m.

THURSDAY

LIVE MUSIC: Charley G’s Seafood Grill, Lafayette, 6 p.m.

LIVE MUSIC: Naq’s-nDuson, Duson, 6 p.m.

LADIES NIGHT WITH DJ DONOVAN IN THE MIX: Cowboys Nightclub, Scott, 6 p.m.

MAJOR AND PAUL DUHON: Whiskey and Vine, Lafayette, 6 p.m.

ACADIANA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA: “RHAPSODY ON A THEME OF PAGANINI”: Heymann Performing Arts Center, Lafayette, 7 p.m.

KARAOKE PARTY — PANDA ENTERTAINMENT: Black Bull, Youngsville, 8 p.m.

Compiled by Marchaund Jones.

Want your venue’s music listed?

Email info/photos to showstowatch@ theadvocate.com.

The deadline is noon FRIDAY for the following Friday’s paper.

PARADES

Continued from page 5C New Orleans-style floats; themed throws, including the Krewe of Artemis’ signature high-heeled shoe, footballs, light-up tambourines, stuffed animals, float beads and lighted throws. In addition to River Road, the route includes blocks of Convention, Laurel, Sixth, Ninth, Main, Fourth and Third streets. kreweofartemis.net.

Le Krewe Mystique de la Capitale

n 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 7, same

route as Artemis

One of the longest-running parades in the city, the “mystique” aspect means that the krewe does not reveal the identities of its royalty until the opening of a parade or a ball. Another element of the afternoon parade features veterans riding on floats, with their ride fee and throws for nonkrewe members provided by Le Krewe Mystique. https://krewemystique.com/.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS

Paraders cheer alongside Iron Man as the Krewe of Artemis parade rolls through downtown Baton Rouge last year.

Krewe of Spanish Town

n Noon Saturday, Feb. 14, from

Spanish Town Road, along a downtown route ending on River Road

its website.

The mascot, Dimples the golf ball, is a nod to the neighborhood’s roots, as Shenandoah was developed as a golf course in its early years.

James and Julie Crow are this year’s parade grand marshals.

Julie Crow led efforts to establish a Mardi Gras parade for Shenandoah. This year’s parade king is Todd Terrell, who helped establish the United Cajun Navy after Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

If you know, you know. If not, head to the eclectic Spanish Town neighborhood on the Saturday before Mardi Gras and see how a parade can take over the entire downtown with its raucous revelry. It’s by far the largest parade for miles.

The parade, in all its hot pink glory, is organized by the Mystic Krewe for the Preservation of Lagniappe in Louisiana, dba SPLL, and takes the pink flamingo as its n 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 7, from Irma mascot.

Boulevard, Gonzales All this fun has a philanthropic Gonzales Police Chief Sherman lining as SPLL has donated more Jackson will lead the parish’s pa- than $1.4 million to local charities rade as grand marshal. With the from ball, parade and golf tourna- n 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., respectively, Tuesday, Feb. 17, downtown New theme of “Coming to Ascension,” ment proceeds.

Roads the parade ends at the corner of La. 44 and La. 30. In its fifth year, The Community Center Parade Mambo will celebrate its annual includes motorized floats only; Mardi Gras ball on Saturday, Jan. there will be no bands/dance n 1 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 15, starting 31. Parade entry applications will groups for 2026. This parade foland ending on Oaks Avenue be accepted up until two weeks lows a unique tradition of commubefore the parade date. To sign Residents of The Oaks subdivi- nity-built floats. up, visit https://www.facebook. sion in Port Allen established this Meanwhile, the Lions Club Pacom/p/Krewe-of-Ascension-Mam- krewe in 1985. rade takes the theme “Parade of Krewe members must live be- Nations” for its 82nd anniversary. bo-100075701844497/. tween the boundaries of Avenue The family-oriented celebration A to Oaks Ave and La. 1 to River has entries from schools, churchRoad. es and businesses. n 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 7 (same Since 1985, the krewe has grown Note that the two parades typiroute as Artemis) from eight members to more than cally merge at some point downOrion takes the theme “Famous 100. Each year, the decorations town, and start times often move Hollywood Faces” for its 27th an- committee hangs Mardi Gras up to avoid inclement weather. nual parade. Expect colorfully- flags along the parade route, judglighted and tractor-pulled floats, es select the top three floats, and masked and costumed riders, a block party with music follows themed parade medallions, Krewe after the parade. n 11 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 21, Sidney of Orion signature footballs, lightHutchinson Park, Walker ed throws, beads, marching bands, dance groups and marching units. n It’s a parade of canines plus a 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 15, Church https://kreweoforion.com/parade/. Street to Main Street, Zachary whole lot more. Awards will be given for best original wagon/ The inaugural run of this com- stroller/float, best costume, best munity parade takes the theme owner & pet look alike, and peon 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 8, along North “Celebrating Everyday Heroes.” ple’s choice. After the parade, Boulevard, Baton Rouge Parade float entries are now be- stick around for “Bark in the How can you not like a Mardi Gras ing accepted at zmardigras.com. Park,” with activities until 2 p.m., “This will be a safe, family- including art and pet vendors, pet krewe with a squirrel for a mascot?

The Mid City Gras parade has friendly celebration filled with adoptions, food trucks, and music been rolling for just a few years unity, culture and Louisiana by the Capital City Cajuns.

Visitors are encouraged to bring by a not-for-profit organization pride,” a Facebook post by Zachlawn chairs. “committed to showcasing our ary Mardi Gras states.

Parking will be available at Ball vibrant and diverse community,” Park Road, the fishing pond on according to its website.

Corbin Avenue and the CommuThe krewe is run entirely by n 7 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 15, from St. volunteers. If you want to get in- John the Evangelist Church and nity Center.

Proceeds will benefit the Walker volved, visit https://www.midcity- ending at Carl F. Grant Civic Center, Animal Shelter. gras.org/contact or email hello@ Plaquemine midcitygras.org.

A family-friendly parade, the Comogo krewe was established in memory of Plaquemine resident n 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 22, along n 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 13, through the Brenda Comeaux. It’s the only North Boulevard, Baton Rouge Southdowns neighborhood, Baton night parade in Iberville Parish.

Rouge Get a sneak peek of what’s in The Baton Rouge community’s With a “Vacation” theme, the store for parade night at an open canines are the stars of the entire city’s first night Carnival parade is house from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Sat- day, with several events happening rolling for the 39th time. It’s a rain- urday, Jan. 17. It’s at the Comogo well before parade time. There’s or-shine, family-friendly event. Float Den, 58755 Belleview Road, Bark in the Park from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.(includes local pet vendors), Paradegoers are asked not to park Plaquemine. the Baton Rouge Police Departon the parade route itself, as offroute parking will be available. ment K-9 demonstration at 11 a.m., Get in the “Vacation” mood at n 6:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 16, starting and the dog costume contest at the krewe’s annual ball at 7 p.m. on Jones Creek Road, through the noon, all at Galvez Plaza. An After Saturday, Jan. 24 at De La Ronde Shenandoah neighborhood and end- Pawty from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. caps Hall. The Remnants will offer live ing near Woodlawn Baptist Church off the afternoon. Spectators are music. For tickets, go to bontempThis nonprofit organization is in for a treat as dog owners dress “dedicated to bringing goodwill their pets as everything from a hot stix.com.

This year’s king and queen are to Shenandoah with the celebra- dog to Harry Potter. caaws.org/ Austin Staples and Kate Gladney. tion of Mardi Gras,” according to special_events/krewe-of-mutts.

Krewe of Ascension Mambo

Community Center of Pointe Coupee and New Roads Lions Club

Krewe of Good Friends of the Oaks

Krewe of Orion

City of Walker Kroux of Barkus

Krewe of Zachary

Krewe of Mid City Gras

Krewe of Comogo

Mystic Krewe of Mutts

Krewe of Southdowns

Krewe of Shenandoah

The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Friday, January 9, 2026 ● 7C

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FrAnK And erneSt

bIG nAte

zItS

zodIAC CAPRICoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Be direct if you want to get your message across.

Using your skills to your advantage will also lead to extra cash. Be careful not to take on more than you can handle.

AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Take time to reflect on and reform how you want to deal with finances, health and domestic matters moving forward. Initiate change instead of waiting for it to come to you.

PIsCEs (Feb. 20-March 20) Change begins with you. Take the initiative and use your connections and skills to deal with matters that concern you. Be part of the solution, and personal growth and satisfaction will be yours.

ARIEs (March 21-April 19) Put your energy where it counts. Lend a helping hand, and volunteer your time and skills, but don't go overboard. You'll tend to overspend, overreact and promise more than you can deliver. tAuRus (April 20-May 20) Embrace change instead of running from it. You stand to gain insight and opportunities that you won't want to miss. Hands-on help will impress someone who can assist you in making your dreams come true.

GEMInI (May 21-June 20) A shift in mindset will lead to an unexpected opportunity. Look at the big picture and adjust your habits to adopt a routine that helps you reach your goal. Keep an open mind and a closed wallet.

CAnCER (June 21-July 22) Join forces with like-minded people, and you'll expand

your interests and friendships. Holding on to something you no longer need or use will hold you back.

LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) Laziness and emotional manipulation will lead to trouble.

Learn something new, apply your skills and make a difference. Less talk and more action will be your ticket forward.

VIRGo (Aug. 23-sept. 22) Explore new interests, and you'll discover people who can offer insight into how you can use your skills to make a difference.

Don't be afraid to step into the limelight.

LIBRA (sept. 23-oct. 23) Question your motives before you proceed. Your emotional attachment to someone or something will cost you if you aren't honest with yourself and others. Too much of anything will exhaust you. sCoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) Participate, ask questions and solve problems. The more you immerse yourself in the heart of the matter, the better the outcome.

Change is within reach and will help you establish opportunities. sAGIttARIus (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Tie up loose ends and relax. Spend time at home or with someone you love, and rejuvenate.

Living a lie or taking on responsibilities that don't belong to you requires some self-reflection.

The horoscope, an entertainment feature, is not based on scientific fact. © 2026 by NEA, Inc., dist. By Andrews McMeel Syndication

For better or For WorSe WonderWord

peAnUtS

SALLY Forth

beetLe bAILeY CeLebrItY CIpher Celebrity Cipher cryptograms are created from quotations by famous people, past and present. Each letter in the cipher stands for another.

toDAy's CLuE: o EQuALs X

Mother GooSe And GrIMM

SherMAn’S LAGoon FAMILY CIrCUS

dooneSbUrY

8C ● Friday, January 9, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

CurTiS

Hi and LoiS

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Sudoku InstructIons: Sudoku is a number-placing puzzle based on a 9x9 grid with several given numbers.

The object is to place the numbers 1 to 9 in the empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. The difficulty level of the Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

BaBY BLueS

BLondie

THe wiZard oF id

nea CroSSwordS

La TimeS CroSSword

The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Friday, January 9, 2026 ● 9C

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B.C.

Bridge

By PHILLIP ALDER Rex Stout, an author of detective fiction whose most famous character is Nero Wolfe, said, “To read of a detective’s daring finesse or ingenious stratagem is a rare joy.”

Bridge players sometimes take a daring finesse that involves an ingenious stratagem. The finesse in today’s deal isn’t daring, though. The key point is how to take that finesse.

South is in three no-trump. West leads the spade queen. How should South plan the play?

If you and your partner use two notrump as a transfer response, responder must start with two clubs and rebid two no-trump to invite game.

South starts with six top tricks: four hearts, one diamond and one club. The spade lead is annoying, but South must cover with dummy’s king and hope for the best. Here, East wins with his ace and returns a spade, and the defenders collect the first four tricks. Declarer discards two diamonds from the board, but what does he throw from his hand?

South must realize that if the club finesse is losing, he is going down. But if it is winning, he can take four hearts, one diamond and four clubs. So, although it risks several undertricks, declarer must ditch his diamond queen.

Let’s assume West shifts to the diamond jack. South wins with his ace and plays a heart to the ace. He is in the dum-

garfield

Pearls Before swiNe

hagar the horriBle

my for the only time and might need to take the club finesse three times. The normal strategy is first to lead the lowest card that can hold the trick, assuming the finesse is winning.

Declarer must run the club nine. Then he finesses the club queen, plays a club to his jack, and claims. © 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 — tRAnsIt: TRAN-sit: The conveyance of persons or things

Bizarro

marmaduKe

from one place to another.

Average mark 23 words Time limit 40 minutes Can you find 33 or more words in TRANSIT? yEstERDAy’s WoRD — WEAKEns wake waken wane weak wean week ease anew askew keen knee

knew news sake sane sank sawn seek seen sewn skew snake

sneak swan swank

loCKhorNs hidato Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

today’s thought “But God commends his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.” Romans 5:8-9 Don’t doubt that God loves you. He loved us when we were very unlovable. — G.E. Dean

10C ● Friday, January 9, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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.theacadianaadvocate.com Acadiana Real Estate For Sale

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PROCEEDINGS OF THE LAFAYETTE CITY COUNCIL MEETING OF THE CITY OF LAFAYETTE, STATE OF LOUISIANA, TAKEN AT A REGULAR MEETING OF JANUARY 6, 2026 HELD AT 705 W. UNIVERSITY AVENUE, LAFAYETTE, LA. ATTENDANCE COUNCIL: Kenneth Boudreaux (Chair, District 5), Liz Hebert (Vice-Chair, District 3) Elroy Broussard (District 1), Andy Naquin (District 2) and Thomas Hooks (District 4) ABSENT: None COUNCIL STAFF: Joseph Gordon-Wiltz (Clerk of the Council), Jeremy J. Swiney (Associate Clerk for Legislative Affairs) and Cindy M. Semien (Assistant Clerk for Legislative Affairs) ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF: Monique B. Boulet (Mayor-President), Rachel Godeaux (Chief Administrative Officer), Karen Fontenot (Chief Financial Officer), Patrick S. Ottinger (City-Parish Attorney) and Paul Escott (Assistant City-Parish Attorney) (5:30:00) COMMENCEMENT Call to order Chair Boudreaux called the Regular City Council Meeting of January 6, 2026 to order.

AGENDA ITEM NO. 1: Invocation and Pledge of Allegiance The Chair called upon Councilmember Naquin to cite an invocation and upon Councilmember Broussard to lead the Pledge of Allegiance.

WELCOME AND CHAIR ANNOUNCEMENTS Chair Boudreaux made the following announcements: • Due to the Mardi Gras holiday the Council Meetings in February and March will be on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of the month. The meetings will return to the typical 1st and 3rd Tuesdays in April; • Item #7, final adoption of CO-143-2025, Legal has requested an amendment to Section 3 by changing the first paragraph to read City-Parish Council instead of City Council and Subsection 16 by keeping “from $20.00 to $30.00,” and adding, “and for violations of this subsection occurring in the City of Lafayette,”; • Item #11, final adoption of JO-073-2025, Community Development and Planning has requested an amendment to include the final plat, recording number, recording date, abandonment check list and updated agenda item submittal form; • Item #20, introduction of CO-004-2026, will be pulled from the in globo vote for separate vote and discussion. A technical amendment will be needed to change the author from CD&P to Legal.

• Wished Jeff Stewart, Utilities Director a happy birthday which he celebrated on January 10th.

AGENDA ITEM NO. 2: ELECTION OF OFFICERS Election of Chair and Vice-Chair in accordance with Section 2-07F of the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government Home Rule Charter.

Notice is hereby given that at its meeting to be held on Tuesday, January 20, 2026, at 5:30 p.m. at the Council Auditorium, 705 West University, Lafayette, Louisiana, the Lafayette City Council plans to hold a public hearing to consider d i l i

Public Notices Meet/Hear/Min g adopting a resolution to approve the application (#20250533-RTA) for restoration tax abate‐ ment submitted by Hub City Plaza LLC for partici‐ pation in the State of Louisiana Restoration Tax Abatement Program (1800 Northeast Evange‐ line Thruway).

Publication Dates: Janu‐ ary 9 & 16, 2026 /s/ Joseph Gordon-Wiltz JOSEPH GORDON-WILTZ LAFAYETTE CLERK OF THE COUNCIL 173209-jan 9-16-2t $15.94

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PUBLIC NOTICE --NOTICE The Lafayette City Coun‐ cil and the Lafayette Parish Council each met in Regular Session on January 6, 2026 and adopted the following or‐ dinances: ORDINANCE NO. JO-0722025 A JOINT ORDINANCE OF THE LAFAYETTE CITY COUNCIL AND THE LAFAYETTE PARISH COUNCIL AMENDING OR‐ DINANCE NO. JO-061-2025 TO CORRECT THE NAME

Committee of Lafayette, motion to adopt by Broussard, seconded by Naquin, and the vote was as follows: YEAS: Broussard, Naquin, Hebert, Hooks, Boudreaux NAYS: None ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None Motion to adopt was approved.

AGENDA ITEM NO. 6: CR-002-2026 A resolution of the Lafayette City Council authorizing the Lafayette Mayor-President to enter into the Master Equipment Lease Purchase Agreement No. MLA42072 and schedule of equipment No. 20000042072 by and between Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government and the Huntington National Bank, motion to adopt by Naquin, seconded by Hebert, and the vote was as follows: YEAS: Broussard, Naquin, Hebert, Hooks, Boudreaux NAYS: None ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None Motion to adopt was approved.

Naquin questioned the equipment this is in relation to.

Godeaux reported that it is to replace the aging mowers and greens maintenance equipment at the golf course. She explained that the plan is to rent equipment over a certain number of years and then buy it for $1.00.

ORDINANCES FOR FINAL ADOPTION AGENDA ITEM NO. 7: CO-143-2025 An ordinance of the Lafayette City Council amending Chapter 86, Article IX, Division 1, Section 86-138 “Parking of Large Vehicles and Trailer” and Division 6, Section 86-174 “Schedule of Fines for Parking Violators” of the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government Code of Ordinances related to the parking of large vehicles and trailers in the Louisiana Avenue Zoning & Development Overlay District in the City of Lafayette, if necessary, motion to adopt by Hebert, seconded by Naquin.

A motion to amend Section 3 by changing the first paragraph to read City-Parish Council instead of City Council and Subsection 16 by keeping “from $20.00 to $30.00,” and adding, “and for violations of this subsection occurring in the City of Lafayette,” by Hebert, seconded by Broussard, and the vote was as follows: YEAS: Broussard, Naquin, Hebert, Hooks, Boudreaux NAYS: Hebert ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None Motion to amend was approved.

The Chair then called for a vote to adopt, as amended, and the vote was as follows: YEAS: Broussard, Naquin, Hebert, Hooks, Boudreaux NAYS: None ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None Motion to adopt, as amended, was approved.

Broussard questioned how widespread can this be used to eliminate parking in other areas of the City.

COUNCIL CHAIR Boudreaux opened the floor for nominations for 2026 City Council Chair.

Broussard nominated Boudreaux, and the vote was as follows: BOUDREAUX: Broussard, Naquin, Hebert, Hooks, Boudreaux NAYS: None ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None Kenneth Boudreaux was elected as Chair.

Escott explained that the amendment would match the geographical boundaries in the overlay district that is referenced in the ordinance. He clarified that to expand beyond the area, an additional amendment would be needed.

COUNCIL VICE-CHAIR Chair Boudreaux opened the floor for nominations for 2026 City Council Vice-Chair. Broussard nominated Hebert, and the vote was as follows: HEBERT: Broussard, Naquin, Hebert, Hooks, Boudreaux NAYS: None ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None Liz Hebert was elected as Vice-Chair.

AGENDA ITEM NO. 8: CO-144-2025 An ordinance of the Lafayette City Council authorizing the Lafayette Mayor-President to enter into a Cooperative Endeavor Agreement between the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government, the Louisiana Department of Treasury and the State of Louisiana concerning ACT 461 of the 2025 Regular Legislative Session of the Louisiana Legislature and amending the FY 25/26 capital budget of the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government by increasing revenues in the amount of $250,000 received from the State of Louisiana Department of Treasury and appropriating within the Public Works Department for North Lafayette Redevelopment Initiatives, motion to adopt by Broussard, seconded by Hebert, and the vote was as follows: YEAS: Broussard, Naquin, Hebert, Hooks, Boudreaux NAYS: None ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None Motion to adopt was approved.

Boudreaux thanked the Council and announced that he looks forward to serving as the 2026 Vice-Chair.

Gordon-Wiltz and the Council presented a plaque to Boudreaux in appreciation of his leadership and service as the 2025 City Council Chair.

AGENDA ITEM NO. 3: COUNCIL ANNOUNCEMENTS Boudreaux offered his condolences for the families of the victims of the fatal multi-vehicle crash at the corner of Johnston Street and 100 block of E. Broussard.

Boudreaux noted that he looks forward to a productive new year.

Boudreaux announced that this year marks 40 years of Martin Luther King, Jr. celebrations. He stated that there is much work offered from volunteers and LCG that sustains the celebration. Boudreaux reported that the MLK celebration in Lafayette will have plate lunches available for purchase from Reggie’s Soul Food and that Rev. Frederick Haynes will be serving as the keynote speaker.

Boudreaux welcomed former Councilman Kevin Naquin who is now the Constituent Services Advisor within the Mayor-President’s Office.

AGENDA ITEM NO. 4: EXECUTIVE/MAYOR-PRESIDENT’S REPORT a. Budget-to-Actual Comparison of Major City Funds – November 2025 Preliminary Boulet noted that the monthly Budget-to-Actual Comparisons are to comply with statewide auditing procedures. b. Audit Findings Update – December 2025 Boulet noted that they are required monthly to give an update to the Louisiana Legislative Auditor on the report findings.

Boulet’s announcements: • Offered her prayers for the families of the victims of the fatal multivehicle crash at the corner of Johnston Street and 100 block of E. Broussard. She noted that two (2) of the victims are the wife and daughter of an LCG employee.

• The Mardi Gras flag was raised. She noted that the Office of Homeland Security has begun the process of preparations for heightened security during Mardi Gras parades.

• Groundbreaking of Prejean Road will be January 9th at 11:30 AM at 659 Prejean Road in Carencro.

• America250 flag raising will be January 12th at 10 AM at City Hall.

• Introduced former Councilman Kevin Naquin as the Constituent Services Advisor within the Mayor-President’s Office.

• LCG was awarded a nearly $8 million ($7,986,192) in federal funding through the Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grant program. Boulet stated that the project will be focused on improving safety along Johnston Street between Bertrand Drive and Churchill Drive. She noted that this particular segment has had a very high level of serious injuries and eight (8) fatalities since 2018.

RESOLUTIONS AGENDA ITEM NO. 5: CR-001-2026 A resolution of the Lafayette City Council commending all organizations of the area planning celebrations in recognition of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday and commemorating 40 years of holiday events organized by the Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday

Naquin questioned why this is specific to Louisiana Avenue and not throughout the City. Boudreaux responded that it is because the specifications addressed is the overlay district noted in the ordinance.

AGENDA ITEM NO. 9: CO-145-2025 An ordinance of the Lafayette City Council authorizing the Lafayette Mayor-President to accept a donation of certain improvements hereinafter described for the purpose of operating and maintaining sewer facilities, motion to adopt by Hebert, seconded by Naquin, and the vote was as follows: YEAS: Broussard, Naquin, Hebert, Hooks, Boudreaux NAYS: None ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None Motion to adopt was approved.

JOINT ORDINANCE FOR FINAL ADOPTION AGENDA ITEM NO.10: JO-072-2025 A joint ordinance of the Lafayette City Council and the Lafayette Parish Council amending Ordinance No. JO-061-2025 to correct the name of the Lafayette Public Trust Finance Authority to Lafayette Public Trust Financing Authority and to correct the description of the Lafayette Public Trust Financing Authority as a Louisiana public trust, motion to adopt by Hebert, seconded by Naquin, and the vote was as follows: YEAS: Broussard, Naquin, Hebert, Hooks, Boudreaux NAYS: None ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None Motion to adopt was approved.

AGENDA ITEM NO. 11: JO-073-2025 A joint ordinance of the Lafayette City Council and the Lafayette Parish Council, acting in their capacity as the governing authority of the City of Lafayette and the Parish of Lafayette, respectively, providing for the abandonment of a certain portion of public right-of-way at the intersection of West Willow Street (formerly known as G.L. Landry Road) and North Ambassador Caffery Parkway, and authorizing the Lafayette Mayor-President to execute an act of abandonment in order to effectuate the abandonment on behalf of the City of Lafayette and Parish of Lafayette, motion to adopt by Hebert, seconded by Broussard.

A motion to amend to include the final plat, recording number, recording date, abandonment check list and updated agenda item submittal form by Broussard, seconded by Hebert, and the vote was as follows: YEAS: Broussard, Naquin, Hebert, Hooks, Boudreaux NAYS: Hebert ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None Motion to amend was approved.

The Chair then called for a vote to adopt, as amended, and the vote was as follows: YEAS: Broussard, Naquin, Hebert, Hooks, Boudreaux NAYS: None ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None

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OF THE LAFAYETTE PUB‐ LIC TRUST FINANCE AU‐ THORITY TO LAFAYETTE PUBLIC TRUST FINANC‐ ING AUTHORITY AND TO CORRECT THE DESCRIP‐ TION OF THE LAFAYETTE PUBLIC TRUST FINANC‐ ING AUTHORITY AS A LOUISIANA PUBLIC TRUST

SECTION 4: All ordi‐ nances and resolutions, or parts thereof, in con‐ flict herewith are hereby repealed.

SECTION 5: After first having been adopted by a majority of the autho‐ rized membership of both the Lafayette Parish Council and the Lafayette City Council, this joint ordinance shall become effective upon signature of this joint or‐ dinance by the Lafayette Mayor-President, the elapse of ten (10) days after receipt by the Lafayette Mayor-Presi‐ dent without signature or veto, or upon override of a veto, whichever oc‐ curs first. *****

TION OF PUBLIC RIGHTOF-WAY AT THE INTER‐ SECTION OF WEST WIL‐ LOW STREET (FORMERLY KNOWN AS G.L. LANDRY ROAD) AND NORTH AM‐ BASSADOR CAFFERY PARKWAY, AND AUTHO‐ RIZING THE LAFAYETTE MAYOR-PRESIDENT TO EXECUTE AN ACT OF ABANDONMENT IN ORDER TO EFFECTUATE THE ABANDONMENT ON BEHALF OF THE CITY OF LAFAYETTE AND PARISH OF LAFAYETTE

BE IT ORDAINED by the Lafayette City Council and the Lafayette Parish Council, that: SECTION 1: Ordinance No. JO-061-2025 is hereby amended to correct the name “Lafayette Public Trust Finance Authority” to the proper legal name “Lafayette Public Trust Financing Authority” it appears wherever within the ordinance.

SECTION 2: Section 1 of Ordinance No. JO-0612025 is further amended by replacing the refer‐ ence to the Lafayette Public Trust Financing Authority as “a Louisiana non-profit corporation” with the correct descrip‐ tion: “a Louisiana public trust.”

SECTION 3: Except as specifically amended herein, all other provi‐ sions of Ordinance No. JO-061-2025 shall remain in full force and effect.

ORDINANCE NO. JO-0732025 A JOINT ORDINANCE OF THE LAFAYETTE CITY COUNCIL AND THE LAFAYETTE PARISH COUNCIL, ACTING IN THEIR CAPACITY AS THE GOVERNING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF LAFAYETTE AND THE PARISH OF LAFAYETTE, RESPECTIVELY, PROVID‐ ING FOR THE ABANDON‐ MENT OF A CERTAIN POR‐

BE IT ORDAINED by the Lafayette City Council and Lafayette Parish Council, acting in their capacity as the govern‐ ing authority of the City of Lafayette and the Parish of Lafayette, re‐ spectively, that: WHEREAS, there exists that certain public rightof-way and its associ‐ ated utility easements in favor of the City of Lafayette, the Parish of Lafayette, and the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Govern‐ (collectively ment “Lafayette”) located at the intersection of West Willow Street (formerly known as G.L. Landry Road) and N. Ambas‐

Motion to adopt, as amended, was approved.

AGENDA ITEM NO. 12: JO-074-2025 A joint ordinance of the Lafayette City Council and the Lafayette Parish Council authorizing the Lafayette Mayor-President to enter into a Cooperative Endeavor Agreement between the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government, the Louisiana Department of the Treasury and the State of Louisiana concerning ACT 461 of the 2025 Regular Legislative Session of the Louisiana Legislature and amending the FY 25/26 capital budget of the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government by increasing revenues in the amount of $125,000 received from the State of Louisiana Department of the Treasury and appropriating within the Community Development and Planning Department for a community assessment for a mental health crisis center, motion to adopt by Naquin, seconded by Hebert, and the vote was as follows: YEAS: Broussard, Naquin, Hooks, Boudreaux NAYS: None ABSENT: Hebert ABSTAIN: None Motion to adopt was approved.

One (1) citizen emailed in support.

ANNOUNCEMENTS OF VACANCIES ON BOARDS/COMMISSIONS AGENDA ITEM NO. 13: Five (5) vacancies exist on the Transportation Policy Committee (the governing board for the Metropolitan Planning Organization) effective immediately. Applicants must be either 1) local elected officials, 2) officials of public agencies that administer or operate major modes of transportation in the metropolitan area, including representation by providers of public transportation.

AGENDA ITEM NO. 14: A vacancy exists on the Lafayette Parish Waterworks District South Board for the remainder of an unexpired fiveyear term thru December 31, 2028. Applicants must reside within the Waterworks District South boundaries.

AGENDA ITEM NO. 15: A vacancy exists on the Board of Zoning Adjustment for the remainder of an unexpired three-year term thru January 30, 2028. This is an alternate appointment. Applicants must own property in the Parish of Lafayette and reside within the City of Lafayette.

Individuals wishing to submit a resume for the above volunteer vacancies must be a registered voter and a resident of Lafayette Parish. Yearly ethics training for all appointees is required as is financial disclosure under certain circumstances. Resumes are to be forwarded to Joseph Gordon-Wiltz, Clerk of the Council, P.O. Box 4017-C, Lafayette, LA 70502 or emailed to BCLafayette@LafayetteLA.gov no later than noon, Tuesday, January 27, 2026 with appointment(s) to be made at the Tuesday, February 10, 2026 Regular Meeting of the Lafayette City Council.

CONSIDER APPOINTMENT(S) BY THE COUNCIL, AS A WHOLE, TO BOARDS/COMMISSIONS AGENDA ITEM NO. 16: Appointment of City Councilmember Andy Naquin to the Professional Services Review Committee for the 2026 calendar year. Boudreaux nominated Naquin, and the vote was as follows: NAQUIN: Broussard, Naquin, Hebert, Hooks, Boudreaux NAYS: None ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None Motion to appoint Andy Naquin was approved.

INTRODUCTORY ORDINANCES The Chair announced that Item #20 was pulled from the in globo list for separate vote and discussion.

A motion to introduce agenda items 17 thru 19, in globo, was offered by Hebert, seconded by Broussard.

17. CO-001-2026 An ordinance of the Lafayette City Council amending the Lafayette Development Code so as to reclassify the property of Case No. 2025-27-REZ 500 Acadian Hills Lane rezoning, located generally north of I-10 West, west of Acadian Hills Lane, and south of West Pont des Mouton Road; being rezoned from RS-1 (Residential Single-Family) to MN-1 (Mixed-Use Neighborhood).

18. CO-002-2026 An ordinance of the Lafayette City Council amending the Lafayette Development Code and the Official Map of the City of Lafayette, providing for the annexation of additional land into the corporate limits of the City of Lafayette, Louisiana, Case No. 2025-28REZ 233 E. Broussard Road #1 Annexation, located generally north of E. Broussard Road, east of Johnston Street, and south of Dunvegan Court; and assigning a zoning classification of CM-1 (Commercial Mixed) (District 3).

19. CO-003-2026 An ordinance of the Lafayette City Council approving a Conditional Use Permit to allow townhouses in a RS-1 (Residential Single-Family) zoning district, Case No. 2025-29-REZ 101 Halcott Drive CUP (Conditional Use Permit), located generally north of Dafney Drive, east of Halcott Drive, and south of Mount Vernon Drive.

The Chair then called for a vote to introduce the ordinances (items 17 thru 19), in globo, and the vote was as follows: YEAS: Broussard, Naquin, Hebert, Hooks, Boudreaux NAYS: None ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None Motion to introduce, in globo, was approved.

AGENDA ITEM NO. 20: CO-004-2026 An ordinance of the Lafayette City Council to amend the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government Code of Ordinances Subsection (12) of Section 82-111 “Generally,” of Article III “City of Lafayette Sales and Use Tax,” Division 3 “Exemptions and Exclusions” of Chapter 82 “Taxation” to exempt from local sales and use taxes imposed by the City the furnishing of repairs to tangible personal property at Lafayette Regional Airport, motion to introduce by Hebert, seconded by Naquin.

A motion to amend to change the author from Community Development and Planning to Legal by Naquin, seconded by Hebert, and the vote was as follows: YEAS: Broussard, Naquin, Hebert, Hooks, Boudreaux NAYS: Hebert ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None Motion to amend was approved.

The Chair then called for a vote to introduce, as amended, and the vote was as follows: YEAS: Broussard, Naquin, Hebert, Hooks, Boudreaux NAYS: None ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None Motion to introduce, as amended, was approved.

(6:08:00) ADJOURN There being no further business to come before the Council, Chair Boudreaux declared the Regular Meeting adjourned. /s/ Joseph Gordon-Wiltz JOSEPH GORDON-WILTZ, LAFAYETTE CLERK OF THE COUNCIL 173280-604390-JAN 9-1T $ 429.98

The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Friday, January 9, 2026 ● 11C

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sador Caffery Parkway; and WHEREAS, as part of the Willow Street Extension, Phase III project, Lafayette acquired addi‐ tional public right of way along West Willow Street (formerly known as G.L. Landry Road); and WHEREAS, a certain por‐ tion of the right-of-way for West Willow Street (formerly known as G.L. Landry Road) is pro‐ posed for abandonment, in the specific location clearly shown on a plat of survey prepared by Kerry M. Simon, PLS with Belaire, Latiolais & Asso‐ ciates, LLC, dated July 27, 2025, attached hereto and made a part hereof as Exhibit A; and WHEREAS, it has been determined by the Lafayette City Council and the Lafayette Parish Council, acting in their capacity as the govern‐ ing authority of the City of Lafayette and the Parish of Lafayette, re‐ spectively, that a certain portion of the right-ofway for West Willow Street (formerly known as G.L. Landry Road) is no longer needed for public use and, accord‐ ingly, it is appropriate that a certain portion of the said right-of-way be abandoned.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER ORDAINED by the Lafayette City Coun‐ cil and the Lafayette Parish Council, acting in their capacity as the gov‐ erning authority of the City of Lafayette and the Parish of Lafayette, re‐ spectively, that: SECTION 1: All of the aforedescribed “Whereas” clauses are adopted as part of this ordinance.

SECTION 2: The Lafayette City Council and the Lafayette Parish Council, acting in their capacity as the governing author‐ ity of the City of Lafayette and the Parish of Lafayette, respec‐ tively, hereby abandon a certain portion of a rightof-way, as shown on a plat of survey prepared

by Kerry M. Simon, PLS with Belaire, Latiolais & Associates, LLC, dated July 27, 2025, attached hereto and made a part hereof in Exhibit A; said abandonment herein, pursuant to Louisiana law, shall be subject to those certain servitudes, and the terms and condi‐ tions related thereto, as established in that cer‐ tain Declaration of Servi‐ tudes by Destination of d d

Public Notices Meet/Hear/Min y Owner dated January 06, 2026, and recorded under Entry No. 2025-202600000281 of the Con‐ veyance Records of Lafayette Parish, Louisiana.

SECTION 3: The Lafayette Mayor-President is hereby authorized and empowered to execute an Act of Abandonment on behalf of the City of Lafayette, the Parish of Lafayette, and the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Govern‐ ment in order to effectu‐ ate the abandonment of a certain portion of the right-of-way for West Willow Street (formerly known as G.L. Landry Road), as shown on Ex‐ hibit A. SECTION 4: The Act of Abandonment authorized in Section 3 shall be sub‐ stantially in the form at‐ tached hereto, but may be revised, and may con‐ tain such additional pro‐ visions, as the Lafayette Mayor-President, in con‐ sultation with the Lafayette City-Parish At‐ torney, may deem neces‐ sary, convenient, or de‐ sirable to carry out the intent and provisions of this joint ordinance.

SECTION 5: All ordi‐ nances or resolutions, or parts thereof, in conflict herewith are hereby re‐ pealed.

SECTION 6: After first having been adopted by a majority of the autho‐ rized membership of both the Lafayette Parish Council and the Lafayette City Council, this joint ordinance shall become effective upon signature of this joint or‐ dinance by the Lafayette Mayor-President, the elapse of ten (10) days after receipt by the Lafayette Mayor-Presi‐ dent without signature or veto, or upon override of a veto, whichever oc‐ curs first. ***** Exhibits for JO-073-2025 are available for inspec‐ tion at the Lafayette Council Office.

ORDINANCE NO. JO-0742025 A JOINT ORDINANCE OF THE LAFAYETTE CITY COUNCIL AND THE LAFAYETTE PARISH COUNCIL AUTHORIZING THE LAFAYETTE MAYORPRESIDENT TO ENTER INTO A COOPERATIVE EN‐ DEAVOR AGREEMENT BE‐ TWEEN THE LAFAYETTE CITY-PARISH CONSOLI‐ DATED GOVERNMENT, THE LOUISIANA DEPART‐

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MENT OF THE TREASURY AND THE STATE OF LOUISIANA CONCERNING ACT 461 OF THE 2025 REG‐ ULAR LEGISLATIVE SES‐ SION OF THE LOUISIANA LEGISLATURE AND AMENDING THE FY 25/26 CAPITAL BUDGET OF THE LAFAYETTE CITY-PARISH CONSOLIDATED GOVERN‐ MENT BY INCREASING REVENUES IN THE AMOUNT OF $125,000 RE‐ CEIVED FROM THE STATE OF LOUISIANA DEPART‐ MENT OF THE TREASURY AND APPROPRIATING WITHIN THE COMMUNITY AND DEVELOPMENT PLANNING DEPARTMENT FOR A COMMUNITY AS‐ SESSMENT FOR A MEN‐ TAL HEALTH CRISIS CEN‐ TER BE IT ORDAINED by the Lafayette City Council and the Lafayette Parish Council, that; WHEREAS, Act 461 of the 2025 Regular Session of the Louisiana Legisla‐ ture, which was adopted in accordance with Arti‐ cle VII, Section 10, of the Constitution of the State of Louisiana, is the ap‐ propriation for the ex‐ penditure of State funds and said Act 461 contains a line-item appropriation within the State’s budget for the benefit of Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Govern‐ ment (LCG) of which the sum of $125,000 has been allocated for this project; and WHEREAS, LCG desires to use these funds for a community assessment for a mental health crisis center; and WHEREAS, Article VII, Section 14(C) of the 1974 Constitution of the State of Louisiana and La. R.S. 33:1324, et seq. provide that, for a public pur‐ pose, public entities, parishes, municipalities, and political subdivi‐ sions may engage in and make cooperative en‐ deavor agreements/in‐ tergovernmental agree‐ ments between them‐ selves for specific pur‐ poses.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER ORDAINED by the Lafayette City Coun‐ cil and the Lafayette Parish Council, that: SECTION 1: All of the above “Whereas” clauses are adopted as part of this joint ordinance.

SECTION 2: The Lafayette City Council and the Lafayette Parish Council hereby authorize the Lafayette Mayor-Presi‐ dent to enter a Coopera‐ tive Endeavor Agreement i h h i i

PROCEEDINGS OF THE LAFAYETTE PARISH COUNCIL MEETING OF THE PARISH OF LAFAYETTE, STATE OF LOUISIANA, TAKEN AT A REGULAR MEETING OF JANUARY 6, 2026 HELD AT 705 W. UNIVERSITY AVENUE, LAFAYETTE, LA. ATTENDANCE COUNCIL: Donald Richard (Chair, District 2), Ken Stansbury (Vice-Chair, District 3), Bryan Tabor (District 1), John Guilbeau (District 4) and AB Rubin (District 5)

Public Notices Meet/Hear/Min g with the Louisiana De‐ partment of Treasury and the State of Louisiana.

SECTION 3: The FY 25/26 capital budget of the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Govern‐ ment is hereby amended by increasing revenues in the amount of $125,000 received from the State of Louisiana Department of Treasury and appropri‐ ating within the Commu‐ nity Development and Planning Department for a community assess‐ ment for a mental health crisis center.

SECTION 4: The Lafayette City Council and the Lafayette Parish Council hereby authorize the Lafayette Mayor-Presi‐ dent, or her designee, to conduct all negotiations, execute and submit all documents, including but not limited to applica‐ tions, agreements, amendments, payment requests, memoranda of understanding, and so on, which may be neces‐ sary for the completion of the aforementioned project.

SECTION 5: This transfer of funds shall be as re‐ flected in any pertinent documents which are at‐ tached hereto and made a part hereof and filed in the Office of the Clerk of the Council.

The Lafayette Mayor-Presi‐ dent, or her designee, is hereby authorized to amend the capital bud‐ get prior to project com‐ pletion by de-obligating any unused funds deemed unnecessary for the completion of the project, as approved by the Louisiana Depart‐ ment of Treasury.

SECTION 6: All ordi‐ nances and resolutions, or parts thereof, in con‐ flict herewith are hereby repealed.

SECTION 7: After first having been adopted by a majority of the autho‐ rized membership of both the Lafayette Parish Council and the Lafayette City Council, this joint ordinance shall become effective upon signature of this joint or‐ dinance by the Lafayette Mayor-President, the elapse of ten (10) days after receipt by the Lafayette Mayor-Presi‐ dent without signature or veto, or upon override of a veto, whichever oc‐ curs first. *****

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/s/ Joseph Gordon-Wiltz JOSEPH GORDON-WILTZ LAFAYETTE CLERK OF THE COUNCIL

Chapter 82 “Taxation” to exempt from local sales and use taxes imposed by the City the furnishing of repairs to tangible personal property at Lafayette Regional Air‐ port.

173261-JAN 9-1T $107 PUBLIC NOTICE --NOTICE The Lafayette City Coun‐ cil met in Regular Ses‐ sion on January 6, 2026 and introduced the fol‐ lowing ordinances.

The ordinances will ap‐ pear before the Lafayette City Council for public hearing and final adop‐ tion in the Ted A. Ardoin City-Parish Council Audi‐ torium located at 705 W. University Avenue, Lafayette, LA on January 20, 2026.

CO-001-2026 An ordi‐ nance of the Lafayette City Council amending the Lafayette Develop‐ ment Code so as to re‐ classify the property of Case No. 2025-27-REZ 500 Acadian Hills Lane rezon‐ ing, located generally north of I-10 West, west of Acadian Hills Lane, and south of West Pont des Mouton Road; being rezoned from RS-1 (Resi‐ dential Single-Family) to MN-1 (Mixed-Use Neigh‐ borhood).

/s/ Joseph Gordon-Wiltz JOSEPH GORDON-WILTZ LAFAYETTE CLERK OF THE COUNCIL 173272-JAN 9-1T

CO-002-2026 An ordi‐ nance of the Lafayette City Council amending the Lafayette Develop‐ ment Code and the Offi‐ cial Map of the City of Lafayette, providing for the annexation of addi‐ tional land into the cor‐ porate limits of the City of Lafayette, Louisiana, Case No. 2025-28-REZ 233 E. Broussard Road #1 An‐ nexation, located gener‐ ally north of E. Broussard Road, east of Johnston Street, and south of Dun‐ vegan Court; and assign‐ ing a zoning classifica‐ tion of CM-1 (Commercial Mixed) (District 3).

CITY ORDINANCE NO. CO143-2025

CO-003-2026 An ordi‐ nance of the Lafayette City Council approving a Conditional Use Permit to allow townhouses in a RS-1 (Residential SingleFamily) zoning district, Case No. 2025-29-REZ 101 Halcott Drive CUP (Condi‐ tional Use Permit), lo‐ cated generally north of Dafney Drive, east of Hal‐ cott Drive, and south of Mount Vernon Drive.

CO-004-2026 An ordi‐ nance of the Lafayette City Council to amend the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Govern‐ ment Code of Ordinances Subsection (12) of Sec‐ tion 82-111 “Generally,” of Article III “City of Lafayette Sales and Use Tax,” Division 3 “Exemp‐ tions and Exclusions” of

PUBLIC NOTICE --NOTICE The Lafayette City Coun‐ cil met in Regular Ses‐ sion on January 6, 2026 and adopted the follow‐ ing ordinances:

AN ORDINANCE OF THE LAFAYETTE CITY COUNCIL AMENDING CHAPTER 86, ARTICLE IX, DIVISION 1, SECTION 86-138 “PARK‐ ING OF LARGE VEHICLES AND TRAILER” AND DIVI‐ SION 6, SECTION 86-174 “SCHEDULE OF FINES FOR PARKING VIOLATORS” OF THE LAFAYETTE CITYPARISH CONSOLIDATED GOVERNMENT CODE OF ORDINANCES RELATED TO THE PARKING OF LARGE VEHICLES AND TRAILERS IN THE LOUISIANA AV‐ ENUE ZONING & DEVEL‐ OPMENT OVERLAY DIS‐ TRICT IN THE CITY OF LAFAYETTE BE IT ORDAINED by the Lafayette City Council, that: WHEREAS, the Lafayette City Council desires to amend Chapter 86, Arti‐ cle IX, Division 1, Section 86-138 “Parking of Large Vehicles And Trailer” and Division 6, Section 86-174 “Schedule of Fines for Parking Violators” of the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Govern‐ ment Code of Ordinances (the “Code”) related to the parking of large vehi‐ cles and trailers in the Louisiana Avenue Zoning & Development Overlay District in the City of Lafayette, the same being necessary to fur‐ ther the health, safety d lf f h i i

seconded by Guilbeau, and the vote was as follows: YEAS: Tabor, Richard, Stansbury, Guilbeau, Rubin NAYS: None ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None Motion to adopt was approved.

(4:30:00) COMMENCEMENT

AGENDA ITEM NO. 6: PO-059-2025 An ordinance of the Lafayette Parish Council authorizing the Lafayette Mayor-President to enter into a Cooperative Endeavor Agreement between the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government, the Louisiana Department of Treasury and the State of Louisiana concerning ACT 461 of the 2025 Regular Legislative Session of the Louisiana Legislature and amending the FY 25/26 capital budget of the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government by increasing revenues in the amount of $250,000 received from the State of Louisiana Department of Treasury and appropriating within the Public Works Department for road projects involving Cormier Road, motion to adopt by Tabor, seconded by Rubin, and the vote was as follows: YEAS: Tabor, Richard, Stansbury, Guilbeau, Rubin NAYS: None ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None Motion to adopt was approved.

Call to order

JOINT ORDINANCES FOR FINAL ADOPTION

Chair Rubin called the Regular Parish Council Meeting of January 6, 2026 to order.

AGENDA ITEM NO. 7: JO-072-2025 A joint ordinance of the Lafayette City Council and the Lafayette Parish Council amending Ordinance No. JO-061-2025 to correct the name of the Lafayette Public Trust Finance Authority to Lafayette Public Trust Financing Authority and to correct the description of the Lafayette Public Trust Financing Authority as a Louisiana public trust, motion to adopt by Stansbury, seconded by Rubin, and the vote was as follows: YEAS: Tabor, Richard, Stansbury, Guilbeau, Rubin NAYS: None ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None Motion to adopt was approved.

ABSENT: None COUNCIL STAFF: Joseph Gordon-Wiltz (Clerk of the Council), Jeremy J. Swiney (Associate Clerk for Legislative Affairs) and Cindy M. Semien (Assistant Clerk for Legislative Affairs) ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF: Monique B. Boulet (Mayor-President), Rachel Godeaux (Chief Administrative Officer), Karen Fontenot (Chief Financial Officer), Patrick S. Ottinger (City-Parish Attorney) and Paul Escott (Assistant City-Parish Attorney)

AGENDA ITEM NO. 1: Invocation and Pledge of Allegiance The Chair called upon Councilmember Tabor to cite the invocation and called upon Councilmember Stansbury, to lead the Pledge of Allegiance.

WELCOME AND CHAIR ANNOUNCEMENTS Chair Rubin made the following announcements: • Due to the Mardi Gras holiday the Council Meetings in February and March will be on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of the month. The meetings will return to the typical 1st and 3rd Tuesdays in April; • Item #8, final adoption of JO-073-2025, Community Development and Planning has requested an amendment to include the final plat, recording number, recording date, abandonment check list and updated agenda item submittal form; • Wished Jeff Stewart, Utilities Director a happy birthday which he will celebrate on January 10th.

AGENDA ITEM NO. 2: ELECTION OF OFFICERS Election of Chair and Vice-Chair in accordance with Section 2-07F of the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government Home Rule Charter.

COUNCIL CHAIR Rubin opened the floor for nominations for 2026 Parish Council Chair.

Tabor nominated Richard, and the vote was as follows: RICHARD: Tabor, Richard, Stansbury, Guilbeau, Rubin NAYS: None ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None Donald E. Richard was elected as Chair.

COUNCIL VICE-CHAIR Richard opened the floor for nominations for 2026 Parish Council ViceChair. Guilbeau nominated Stansbury, and the vote was as follows: STANSBURY: Tabor, Richard, Stansbury, Guilbeau, Rubin NAYS: None ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None Ken Stansbury was elected as Vice-Chair.

Richard presented a plaque to Rubin in appreciation of his leadership and service as the 2025 Council Chair. He also personally presented Rubin with a cowboy belt buckle in gratitude of his role and support.

AGENDA ITEM NO. 3: COUNCIL ANNOUNCEMENTS Richard announced the the 73rd Annual Mid-Winter Fair and ProRodeo will be at the Blackham Coliseum on January 9th.

Rubin thanked Boulet for looking out for the homeless.

AGENDA ITEM NO. 4: EXECUTIVE/MAYOR-PRESIDENT’S REPORT a. Budget-to-Actual Comparison of Major Parish Funds – November 2025 Preliminary Boulet noted that the monthly Budget-to-Actual Comparisons are to comply with statewide auditing procedures. b. Audit Findings Update – December 2025 Boulet noted that they are required monthly to give an update to the Louisiana Legislative Auditor on the report findings.

Boulet’s announcements: • The Mardi Gras flag was raised. She noted that the Office of Homeland Security has begun the process of preparations for heightened security during Mardi Gras parades.

• 73rd Annual Mid-Winter Fair and ProRodeo will be January 9th.

• Groundbreaking of Prejean Road will be January 9th at 11:30 AM at 659 Prejean Road in Carencro.

• America250 flag raising will be January 12th at 10 AM at City Hall.

• Introduced former Councilman Kevin Naquin as the Constituent Services Advisor within the Mayor-President’s Office.

ORDINANCES FOR FINAL ADOPTION AGENDA ITEM NO. 5: PO-058-2025 An ordinance of the Lafayette Parish Council authorizing the Lafayette Mayor-President to enter into a Cooperative Endeavor Agreement and Act of Donation by and between Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government and the Fire Protection District No. 7 of the Parish of Acadia, State of Louisiana concerning the donation of a surplus 2003 tanker fire truck, motion to adopt by Stansbury,

AGENDA ITEM NO. 8: JO-073-2025 A joint ordinance of the Lafayette City Council and the Lafayette Parish Council, acting in their capacity as the governing authority of the City of Lafayette and the Parish of Lafayette, respectively, providing for the abandonment of a certain portion of public right-of-way at the intersection of West Willow Street (formerly known as G.L. Landry Road) and North Ambassador Caffery Parkway, and authorizing the Lafayette Mayor-President to execute an act of abandonment in order to effectuate the abandonment on behalf of the City of Lafayette and Parish of Lafayette, motion to adopt by Rubin, seconded by Stansbury.

A motion to amend to include the final plat, recording number, recording date, abandonment check list and updated agenda item submittal form by Rubin, seconded by Tabor, and the vote was as follows: YEAS: Tabor, Richard, Stansbury, Guilbeau, Rubin NAYS: Hebert ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None Motion to amend was approved.

The Chair then called for a vote to adopt, as amended, and the vote was as follows: YEAS: Tabor, Richard, Stansbury, Guilbeau, Rubin NAYS: None ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None Motion to adopt, as amended, was approved.

AGENDA ITEM NO. 9: JO-074-2025 A joint ordinance of the Lafayette City Council and the Lafayette Parish Council authorizing the Lafayette MayorPresident to enter into a Cooperative Endeavor Agreement between the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government, the Louisiana Department of the Treasury and the State of Louisiana concerning ACT 461 of the 2025 Regular Legislative Session of the Louisiana Legislature and amending the FY 25/26 capital budget of the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government by increasing revenues in the amount of $125,000 received from the State of Louisiana Department of the Treasury and appropriating within the Community Development and Planning Department for a community assessment for a mental health crisis center, motion to adopt by Stansbury, seconded by Rubin, and the vote was as follows: YEAS: Tabor, Richard, Stansbury, Guilbeau, Rubin NAYS: None ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None Motion to adopt was approved.

ANNOUNCEMENT OF VACANCY ON BOARDS/COMMISSIONS AGENDA ITEM NO.10: A vacancy will exist on the Lafayette Parish Waterworks District North Board for a five-year term effective March 1, 2026. Applicants must reside within the Waterworks District North boundaries.

AGENDA ITEM NO. 11: A vacancy will exist on the Lafayette Animal Care Center Advisory Board for a four-year term effective March 1, 2026.

AGENDA ITEM NO. 12: A vacancy exists on the Parish Planning and Zoning Commission for the remainder of an unexpired five-year term thru January 6, 2028.

Individuals wishing to submit a resume for the above volunteer vacancies must be a registered voter and a resident of Lafayette Parish. Yearly ethics training for all appointees is required as is financial disclosure under certain circumstances. Resumes are to be forwarded to Joseph Gordon-Wiltz, Clerk of the Council, P.O. Box 4017-C, Lafayette, LA 70502 or emailed to BCLafayette@LafayetteLA.gov no later than noon, Tuesday, January 27, 2026 with appointment(s) to be made at the Tuesday, February 10, 2026 Regular Meeting of the Lafayette Parish Council.

Public Notices Meet/Hear/Min y and welfare of the citi‐ zens of the City of Lafayette.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER ORDAINED by the Lafayette City Coun‐ cil, that: SECTION 1: The afore‐ described “Whereas” clause is adopted as part of this ordinance.

SECTION 2: Chapter 86, Article IX, Division 1, Sec‐ tion 86-138 “Parking of Large Vehicles and Trailer” of the Code is hereby amended in the following particulars, with words in strikethrough being dele‐ tions from existing law, and words underscored and boldfaced being ad‐ ditions: Sec. 86-138. - Parking of large vehicles and trailer.

No person shall park the following types of vehi‐ cles on a street in an area zoned residential (as designated in the zoning ordinance of the City of Lafayette) or on a street in front of a lot which contains a build‐ ing which is used primar‐ ily as a residence, or in the Louisiana Avenue Zoning & Development Overlay District upon any lot where the base zon‐ ing district is residential, other than for the con‐ temporaneous and expe‐ ditious loading or un‐ loading of such vehicle, as follows: (1) A vehicle having a length which exceeds 22 feet.; (2) A motor vehicle hav‐ ing dual rear wheels dis‐ playing a commercial li‐ cense plate on said vehi‐ cle.; (3) A wrecker of any size; or (4) A trailer of any size.

SECTION 3: Chapter 86, Article IX, Division 6, Sec‐ tion 86-174 “Schedule of Fines for Parking Viola‐ tors” of the Code is hereby amended in the following particulars, with words in strikethrough being dele‐ tions from existing law, and words underscored and boldfaced being ad‐ ditions: Sec. 86-174. - Schedule of fines for parking viola‐ tors.

The following range of fines for violations for each section noted under Part B of this chapter is hereby adopted. Specific fines shall be adopted by separate resolution of the city-parish council.

(1) Section 86-125—from $20.00 to $30.00.

(2) Section 86-126—from $20.00 to $30.00.

(3) Section 86-127—from

Public Notices Meet/Hear/Min

$20.00 to $30.00.

(4) Subsection 86-128(b) —$100.00. Each day of non-compliance shall be deemed a separate of‐ fense.

(5) Subsection 86-128(c) —$300.00 for the first of‐ fense by an individual. A subsequent violation(s) shall result in a fine of $500.00. In addition to such fines, the owner may be required to pay a towing fee and storage costs. No fine issued pur‐ suant to this chapter shall be reduced or sus‐ pended.

(6) Subsection 86-128(e) —from $10.00 to $30.00.

(7) Section 86-129—from $20.00 to $30.00.

(8) Section 86-131—from $25.00 to $35.00.

(9) Section 86-132—from $25.00 to $35.00.

(10) Section 86-133—from $25.00 to $35.00.

(11) Section 86-134—from $50.00 to $100.00.

(12) Section 86-135—from $25.00 to $35.00.

(13) Subsections 86136(a)(1)—(4)—from $20.00 to $30.00.

(14) Subsection 86-136(a) (5)—from $100.00 to $150.00.

(15) Section 86-137—from $20.00 to $30.00.

(16) Section 86-138—from $20.00 to $30.00, and for violations of this subsec‐ tion occurring in the City of Lafayette, $50.00 for the first offense by an in‐ dividual. Subsequent vio‐ lation(s) shall result in a fine of not less than $100 but not to exceed $500.00 per violation. In addition to such fines for subse‐ quent violations, the owner may be required to pay a towing fee and storage costs.

(17) Section 86-139—from $50.00 to $100.00.

(18) Section 86-140—from $100.00 to $200.00.

(19) Section 86-141—from $100.00 to $200.00.

(20) Section 86-145—from $10.00 to $20.00.

(21) Section 86-151—from $15.00 to $25.00.

(22) Section 86-152—from $20.00 to $30.00.

(23) Section 86-153—from $35.00 to $45.00.

(24) Section 86-166—from $15.00 to $25.00.

(2425) Section 86-172— from $50.00 to $60.00.

(26) Other sections of Part B of this chapter— $15.00 to $25.00.

SECTION 4: All ordi‐ nances or resolutions, or parts thereof, in conflict herewith, are hereby re‐ pealed.

SECTION 5: This ordi‐ nance shall become ef‐ fective upon signature of the Lafayette Mayorid h l f

Public Notices Meet/Hear/Min y y President, the elapse of ten (10) days after re‐ ceipt by the Lafayette Mayor-President without signature or veto, or upon an override of a veto, whichever occurs first. ***** CITY ORDINANCE NO. CO144-2025 AN ORDINANCE OF THE LAFAYETTE CITY COUNCIL AUTHORIZING THE LAFAYETTE MAYOR-PRES‐ IDENT TO ENTER INTO A COOPERATIVE ENDEAVOR AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE LAFAYETTE CITYPARISH CONSOLIDATED GOVERNMENT, THE LOUISIANA DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY AND THE STATE OF LOUISIANA CONCERNING ACT 461 OF THE 2025 REGULAR LEG‐ ISLATIVE SESSION OF THE LOUISIANA LEGISLATURE AND AMENDING THE FY 25/26 CAPITAL BUDGET OF THE LAFAYETTE CITYPARISH CONSOLIDATED GOVERNMENT BY IN‐ CREASING REVENUES IN THE AMOUNT OF $250,000 RECEIVED FROM THE STATE OF LOUISIANA DE‐ PARTMENT OF TREASURY AND APPROPRIATING WITHIN THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT FOR NORTH LAFAYETTE REDEVELOPMENT INITIA‐ TIVES BE IT ORDAINED by the Lafayette City Council, that: WHEREAS, Act 461 of the 2025 Regular Session of the Louisiana Legisla‐ ture, which was adopted in accordance with Arti‐ cle VII, Section 10, of the Constitution of the State of Louisiana, is the ap‐ propriation for the ex‐ penditure of State funds and said Act 461 contains a line item appropriation within the State’s budget for the benefit of Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Govern‐ ment (LCG) of which the sum of $250,000 has been allocated for this project; and WHEREAS, LCG desires to use these funds for North Lafayette Redevelop‐ ment Initiatives; and WHEREAS, Article VII, Section 14(C) of the 1974 Constitution of the State of Louisiana and La. R.S. 33:1324, et seq. provide that, for a public pur‐ pose, public entities, parishes, municipalities and political subdivi‐ sions may engage in and make cooperative en‐ deavor agreements/in‐ tergovernmental agree‐ b h

CONSIDER APPOINTMENT(S) BY THE COUNCIL, AS A WHOLE, TO BOARDS/COMMISSIONS AGENDA ITEM NO. 13: Appointment of Parish Councilmember Bryan Tabor to the Professional Services Review Committee for the 2026 calendar year. Guilbeau nominated Tabor, and the vote was as follows: TABOR: Tabor, Richard, Stansbury, Guilbeau, Rubin NAYS: None ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None Motion to appoint Bryan Tabor was approved.

AGENDA ITEM NO. 14: Appointment of Robbin Dufour to the Parish Planning and Zoning Commission for the remainder of an unexpired fiveyear term thru January 6, 2030. Stansbury nominated Dufour, and the vote was as follows: DUFOUR: Tabor, Richard, Stansbury, Guilbeau, Rubin NAYS: None ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None Robbin Dufour was appointed.

AGENDA ITEM NO. 15: Appointment of Jennifer C. Cardon to the Keep Lafayette Beautiful Committee for the remainder of an unexpired two-year term thru February 28, 2026 and the following two-year term effective March 1, 2026. Stansbury nominated Cardon, and the vote was as follows: CARDON: Tabor, Richard, Stansbury, Guilbeau, Rubin NAYS: None ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None Jennifer C. Cardon was appointed.

INTRODUCTORY ORDINANCES A motion to introduce, in globo, items 16 thru 20 was offered by Stansbury, seconded by Tabor.

16. PO-001-2026 An ordinance of the Lafayette Parish Council amending the FY 25/26 operating budget of the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government by decreasing the use of Parish General Fund’s Prior Year Fund Balance in the amount of $1217 to adjust Court Reporters’ salaries for Lafayette Parish’s share in accordance with LA R.S. 13:961.

17. PO-002-2026 An ordinance of the Lafayette Parish Council authorizing the Lafayette Mayor-President to execute a lease agreement with the 15th Judicial District Public Defenders Office regarding office space in the building located at 1010 Lafayette Street, Lafayette, Louisiana 70501.

18. PO-003-2026 An ordinance of the Lafayette Parish Council declaring the Cormier Road Project a public necessity and authorizing the acquisition of the necessary rights-of-way, immovable property and other property rights requisite to the construction of said project, either on an amicable basis or through the proper use of the expropriation process, if necessary.

19. PO-004-2026 An ordinance of the Lafayette Parish Council amending the FY 25/26 operating budget of the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government by adjusting the manning tables within the Library Department by deleting one (1) Library Associate I regular less than full-time position and adding one (1) Library Associate I regular full-time position.

20. PO-005-2026 An ordinance of the Lafayette Parish Council amending the FY 25/26 operating budget of the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government by adjusting the manning tables within the Library Department by adding one (1) Electrical, Mechanical, Refrigeration Technician regular full-time position.

The Chair then called for a vote to introduce the ordinances (items 16 thru 20), in globo, and the vote was as follows: YEAS: Tabor, Richard, Stansbury, Guilbeau, Rubin NAYS: None ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None Motion to introduce, in globo, was approved.

Item #17 –Godeaux introduced Maggie Leblanc, Public Defender of the Lafayette District Defenders Office. Leblanc thanked Boulet for offering office space and requested the Council to vote in favor of the item.

Boulet noted her excitement to welcome Leblanc to Lafayette on a permanent basis.

COMMENT(S) FROM THE PUBLIC AGENDA ITEM NO. 21: Comments from the public on any other matter(s) not on an agenda Dr. Joseph Abraham presented the Council with a flyer and business card promoting ReadingwithKids.org. He explained that it is a project of the Acadiana Educational Endowment. Dr. Abraham reported that 60% of 1st graders who are not ready to read will end up in jail or on welfare.

(5:00:00) ADJOURN There being no further business to come before the Council, Chair Richard declared the Regular Meeting adjourned. /s/ Joseph Gordon-Wiltz JOSEPH GORDON-WILTZ, LAFAYETTE CLERK OF THE COUNCIL

173276-604387-JAN 9-1T $ 343.98

12C ● Friday, January 9, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

Acadiana Forecast TODAY

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

lll

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

ALMANAC

AIR QUALITY

LAFAyETTE THROUGH 5 P.M. THURSDAy

YESTERDAY

TEMPERATURE

High/low Normal high/low Record high Record low

GOOD

78°/64° 62°/43° 81° in 1907 21° in 1942

MAIN POLLUTANT Ozone

READING 31

TODAY

PRECIPITATION

A shower and t-storm

Cloudy and breezy

77° 65°

70° 44°

HIGH

LOW

HIGH

Local Summary

LOW

Cooler HIGH

Partial sunshine

LOW

HIGH

58° 34°

LOW

53° 38°

Sun and some clouds

Rain and drizzle

60° 45°

66° 42°

HIGH

LOW

HIGH

LOW

Cloudy today with a shower and thunderstorm; the temperature near the record of 81. Winds south 6-12 mph. A couple of showers and a thunderstorm tonight. Winds southwest 6-12 mph. Cloudy tomorrow.

National Summary

RIVER STAGES MISSISSIPPI

Monroe 74/57

Shreveport 74/50

Jackson 76/62

Longview 71/45

Many 74/52

Hattiesburg 76/69

Alexandria 77/58

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

Cairo COMITE

Near Olive

Baton Rouge 80/66 Beaumont 79/58

Port Arthur 77/60

Lafayette

AMITE

Near Darlington Denham Springs Port Vincent

New Orleans 77/68

Lake Charles 79/61

TICKFAW

Montpelier Holden

Houma 79/68

ATCHAFALAYA

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

TIDES HIGH

First FT. LOW

Lake Pontchartrain (Tchefuncte River) 6:42a 0.1 Shell Beach 5:46a 0.3 South Point, Marsh Island 9:15a 0.7 Cypremort Point 12:01p 0.3 Grand Isle (Barataria Pass) 4:37p 0.3 Mississippi River (Southwest Pass) 3:33p 0.4 Wine Island 5:45p 0.4

6:22p 2:36a 2:04a 5:37a 7:27a 5:48a 8:29a

Second FT. LOW

FT.

HIGH

0.0 0.3 0.3 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.1

----8:19p 0.6 8:50p 0.9 10:39p 0.6 -------------

FT.

----1:14p 0.1 12:39p 0.4 4:19p 0.2 -------------

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

Public Notices Meet/Hear/Min

g g ments between them‐ selves for specific pur‐ poses.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER ORDAINED by the Lafayette City Coun‐ cil, that: SECTION 1: All of the aforedescribed “Whereas” clauses are adopted as part of this ordinance.

SECTION 2: The Lafayette City Council hereby au‐ thorizes the Lafayette Mayor-President to enter a Cooperative Endeavor with the Agreement Louisiana Department of Treasury and the State of Louisiana.

SECTION 3: The FY 25/26 capital budget of the City-Parish Lafayette Govern‐ Consolidated ment is hereby amended by increasing revenues in the amount of $250,000 received from the State of Louisiana Department of Treasury and appropri‐ ating within the Depart‐ ment of Public Works for North Lafayette Redevel‐ opment Initiatives.

SECTION 4: The Lafayette City Council hereby au‐ thorizes the Lafayette Mayor-President, or her designee, to conduct all execute negotiations, and submit all docu‐ ments, including but not limited to applications, amend‐ agreements, payment re‐ ments, quests, memoranda of understanding and so on, which may be necessary for the completion of the aforementioned project.

SECTION 5: This transfer of funds shall be as re‐ flected in any pertinent documents which are at‐ tached hereto and made a part hereof and filed in the Office of the Clerk of Council.

The the Mayor-Presi‐ Lafayette dent, or her designee, is hereby authorized to amend the capital bud‐ get prior to project com‐ pletion by de-obligating unused funds any deemed unnecessary for the completion of the project, as approved by the Louisiana Depart‐ ment of Treasury.

SECTION 6: All ordi‐ nances or resolutions, or parts thereof, in conflict herewith are hereby re‐ pealed.

SECTION 7: This ordi‐ nance shall become ef‐ fective upon signature of the Lafayette MayorPresident, the elapse of ten (10) days after re‐ ceipt by the Lafayette Mayor-President without signature or veto, or upon an override of a veto, whichever occurs first. ***** CITY ORDINANCE NO. CO145-2025 AN ORDINANCE OF THE LAFAYETTE CITY COUNCIL THE AUTHORIZING LAFAYETTE MAYOR-PRES‐ IDENT TO ACCEPT A DO‐ NATION OF CERTAIN IM‐ HERE‐ PROVEMENTS INAFTER DESCRIBED FOR THE PURPOSE OF OPER‐ ATING AND MAINTAINING SEWER FACILITIES BE IT ORDAINED by the Lafayette City Council, that: SECTION 1: The Lafayette City Council hereby de‐ sires to accept a dona‐ tion of the improvements hereinafter described for the purpose of operating and maintaining sewer facilities.

SECTION 2: The purpose served by accepting the donation of said im‐ provements will be to allow the Utilities Depart‐ ment dba Lafayette Utili‐ ties System (“LUS”) to own, operate, and main‐ tain the sewer infrastruc‐ ture located at 2600 W Pinhook Road and along Aymar Road. h i

Public Notices Meet/Hear/Min

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y SECTION 3: The improve‐ ments to be donated are described as follows: That certain lift station, gravity sewer line, and force main sewer line in‐ within the stalled premises as shown on the plat entitled “Lift Sta‐ tion, Gravity Sewer and Force Main Donation and Utilities Servitudes to be Dedicated to City of Lafayette” being shown and more fully described on the Map of Survey prepared by Travis P. Laurent, P.L.S., dated Oc‐ tober 27, 2025, attached hereto.

SECTION 4: The Lafayette is Mayor-President hereby authorized and empowered to execute a Donation and Servitude and such Agreement other documents and in‐ struments as may be ap‐ propriate to conclude the acquisition of the im‐ provements by the City of Lafayette, for the ben‐ efit of LUS. SECTION 5: All ordi‐ nances or resolutions, or parts thereof, in conflict herewith are hereby re‐ pealed.

SECTION 6: This ordi‐ nance shall become ef‐ fective upon signature of the Lafayette MayorPresident, the elapse of ten (10) days after re‐ ceipt by the Lafayette Mayor-President without signature or veto, or upon an override of a veto, whichever occurs first. *****

y regular less than fulltime position and adding one (1) Library Associate I regular full-time posi‐ tion.

/s/ Joseph Gordon-Wiltz JOSEPH GORDON-WILTZ LAFAYETTE CLERK OF THE COUNCIL 173264-jan 9-1t PUBLIC NOTICE --NOTICE The Lafayette Parish Council met in Regular Session on January 6, 2026 and introduced the following ordinances.

PO-001-2026 An ordi‐ nance of the Lafayette Parish Council amending the FY 25/26 operating budget of the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government by decreas‐ ing the use of Parish General Fund’s Prior Year Fund Balance in the amount of $1217 to ad‐ Court Reporters’ just salaries for Lafayette Parish’s share in accor‐ dance with LA R.S. 13:961.

An ordi‐ PO-002-2026 nance of the Lafayette Parish Council authoriz‐ ing the Lafayette MayorPresident to execute a lease agreement with the 15th Judicial District Pub‐ lic Defenders Office re‐ garding office space in the building located at 1010 Lafayette Street, Louisiana Lafayette, 70501.

PO-003-2026 An ordi‐ nance of the Lafayette Parish Council declaring the Cormier Road Project a public necessity and authorizing the acquisi‐ tion of the necessary immov‐ rights-of-way, able property and other property rights requisite to the construction of said project, either on an basis or amicable through the proper use the expropriation of process, if necessary.

PO-004-2026 An ordi‐ nance of the Lafayette Parish Council amending the FY 25/26 operating budget of the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government by adjusting manning tables the within the Library De‐ partment by deleting one (1) Library Associate I l l h f ll

FLOOD STAGE 24-HOUR STAGE CHANGE

PO-005-2026 An ordi‐ nance of the Lafayette Parish Council amending the FY 25/26 operating budget of the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government by adjusting manning tables the within the Library De‐ partment by adding one (1) Electrical, Mechani‐ cal, Refrigeration Techni‐ cian regular full-time po‐ sition.

The ordinances will ap‐ pear before the Lafayette Parish Council for public hearing and final adop‐ tion in the Ted A. Ardoin City-Parish Council Audi‐ torium located at 705 W. Avenue, University Lafayette, LA on January 20, 2026. /s/ Joseph Gordon-Wiltz JOSEPH GORDON-WILTZ LAFAYETTE CLERK OF THE COUNCIL 173259-JAN 9-1T $22.97 PUBLIC NOTICE --NOTICE The Lafayette Parish Council met in Regular Session on January 6, 2026 and adopted the fol‐ lowing ordinances: PARISH ORDINANCE NO. PO-058-2025 AN ORDINANCE OF THE PARISH LAFAYETTE COUNCIL AUTHORIZING THE LAFAYETTE MAYORPRESIDENT TO ENTER INTO A COOPERATIVE EN‐ AGREEMENT DEAVOR AND ACT OF DONATION AND BETWEEN BY LAFAYETTE CITY-PARISH CONSOLIDATED GOVERN‐ MENT AND THE FIRE PRO‐ TECTION DISTRICT NO. 7 OF THE PARISH OF ACA‐ DIA, STATE OF LOUISIANA CONCERNING THE DONA‐ TION OF A SURPLUS 2003 TANKER FIRE TRUCK BE IT ORDAINED by the Lafayette Parish Council, that: WHEREAS, the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government (hereinafter referred to as “LCG”) is the owner of a red, 2003 tanker fire truck, bearing VIN 1NKDL00X23J394801 (hereinafter referred to as the “Fire Truck”); and WHEREAS, the Fire Truck is no longer needed by the Lafayette Fire De‐ partment due to normal wear and tear, mileage, and hours operated and, therefore, is considered surplus property; and WHEREAS, the Fire Pro‐ tection District No. 7 of the Parish of Acadia, State of Louisiana (here‐ inafter sometimes re‐ ferred to as the “Fire Dis‐ trict”) needs the Fire Truck for use by its de‐ for public partment safety and providing fire‐ fighting services in parts of the Parish of Acadia; and WHEREAS, LCG desires to donate, convey, transfer and deliver to the Fire District the Fire Truck; and WHEREAS, Article VII, Section 14(C) of the Constitution Louisiana states, “for a public pur‐ pose, the state and its political subdivisions or corporations political may engage in coopera‐ tive endeavors with each other, with the United States or its agencies, or with any public or pri‐ vate association, corpo‐ ration, or individual;” and WHEREAS, Article VII, Section 14(E) of the

Simmesport Melville Krotz Springs Butte La Rose Bayou Sorrel Morgan City

34 48 48 35 27 22 17

-3.20 15.10 18.10 6.30 3.50 2.41 2.20

-0.65 +0.19 +0.30 none -0.30 +0.20 -0.38

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11.22

-0.32

19

-1.43

none

18 29 8

-0.99 10.09 1.57

none +0.01 -0.09

13 15

1.59 0.77

-0.01 -0.01

47 34 29 20 12 6

6.10 4.05 3.64 2.80 2.70 1.64

+0.02 +0.10 -0.07 -0.01 +0.20 -0.07

MAIN POLLUTANT Particulates

SUN AND MOON Sunrise today Sunset tonight Moonrise today Moonset today

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7:05 a.m.

5:25 p.m. none 11:06 a.m.

JAN 10

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THE NATION AND WORLD

A storm moving through the Midwest will spread rain and thunderstorms from Maine to Texas today. Any thunderstorm from Tennessee to Texas may contain gusty winds, downpours and perhaps a tornado. Meanwhile, snow will shift from Colorado and New Mexico City Austin onto the Plains. It will be dry with some sunshine in the Southwest and much of Florida.

LOUISIANA FORECAST

GOOD

24 hours through 5 p.m. Thu. 0.01” Month to date (normal) 0.01” (1.55”) year to date (normal) 0.01” (1.55”)

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Boston Dallas Fairbanks Honolulu Las Vegas Louisville Miami Nashville

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

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

39 83 61 24 42 67 40 44 85 65 52

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

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pc r pc pc r sn pc r c c s

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

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

Today Sat. Sun. Mon. Tue. Wed. Thu.

Public Notices Meet/Hear/Min

Louisiana Constitution provides that nothing shall prevent the dona‐ tion or exchange of mov‐ able surplus property be‐ tween or among political subdivisions whose func‐ include public tions safety; and WHEREAS, La. R.S. 33:4711 provides that the parish may sell, lease, or exchange with private persons or other political corporations of this state any property when such property is not needed for a public purpose; and WHEREAS, while La. R.S. 33:4711 does not man‐ date any special proce‐ dure or process to which a parish must adhere in the disposition of its sur‐ property, the plus Louisiana Attorney Gen‐ eral suggests that the procedures set forth in La. R.S. 33:4712 may be followed for disposition of parish property; see La. Atty. Gen. Ops. 140162, 07-0096 and 92-606; and WHEREAS, La. R.S. 33:4712 provides that be‐ fore disposition of the property an ordinance must be introduced giv‐ ing the reasons for the action, and fixing the terms of the contract; and WHEREAS, Section 211(11) of the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government Home Rule requires the Charter adoption of an ordinance for the conveyance of property owned by LCG; and WHEREAS, for the rea‐ sons noted herein, it is opinion of the the Lafayette Parish Council that the Fire Truck is no longer needed for public purposes and thus, sur‐ plus property; and WHEREAS, the Lafayette Parish Council desires to donate the Fire Truck to the Fire District and deems the donation of the Fire Truck to be in the best interest of the citi‐ zens of LCG. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER ORDAINED by Lafayette Parish the Council, that: SECTION 1: All of the aforedescribed “Whereas” clauses are herein adopted as part of this ordinance.

SECTION 2: The Lafayette is Mayor-President hereby authorized and directed to donate the Fire Truck, which is mov‐ able surplus property no longer needed for a pub‐ lic purpose, to the Fire Protection District No. 7 of the Parish of Acadia, State of Louisiana, and to execute all documents needed to effectuate the donation of the Fire Truck to the Fire Protec‐ tion District No. 7 of the Parish of Acadia, State of Louisiana, including, but not limited to, the Coop‐ erative Endeavor Agree‐ ment and Act of Dona‐ tion, in substantially the same form as attached herewith.

SECTION 3: LCG shall ad‐ here to all requirements of State law pertaining to the disposal of surplus no longer property needed for public pur‐ poses, including, notice of this ordinance to the public, shall be adhered to.

SECTION 4: Any opposi‐ tion to this ordinance shall be made in writing and filed with the Office of the Clerk of the Coun‐ cil within 15 days after its first publication.

SECTION 5: All ordi‐ nances and resolutions, or parts thereof, in con‐ flict herewith (particu‐ larly including Parish Or‐ dinance No. PO-044-2025) are hereby repealed.

SECTION 6: This ordi‐ nance shall become ef‐ fective upon the signa‐ f h f

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Public Notices Meet/Hear/Min p g ture of the Lafayette the Mayor-President, elapse of ten (10) days after receipt by the Mayor-Presi‐ Lafayette dent without signature or veto, or upon override of a veto, whichever oc‐ curs first. ***** PARISH ORDINANCE NO. PO-059-2025 AN ORDINANCE OF THE PARISH LAFAYETTE COUNCIL AUTHORIZING THE LAFAYETTE MAYORPRESIDENT TO ENTER INTO A COOPERATIVE EN‐ DEAVOR AGREEMENT BE‐ TWEEN THE LAFAYETTE CONSOLI‐ CITY-PARISH GOVERNMENT, DATED THE LOUISIANA DEPART‐ MENT OF TREASURY AND THE STATE OF LOUISIANA CONCERNING ACT 461 OF THE 2025 REGULAR LEG‐ ISLATIVE SESSION OF THE LOUISIANA LEGISLATURE AND AMENDING THE FY 25/26 CAPITAL BUDGET OF THE LAFAYETTE CITYCONSOLIDATED PARISH BY IN‐ GOVERNMENT CREASING REVENUES IN THE AMOUNT OF $250,000 FROM THE RECEIVED STATE OF LOUISIANA DE‐ PARTMENT OF TREASURY APPROPRIATING AND THE PUBLIC WITHIN DEPARTMENT WORKS FOR ROAD PROJECTS IN‐ VOLVING CORMIER ROAD BE IT ORDAINED by the Lafayette Parish Council, that; WHEREAS, Act 461 of the

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

Public Notices Meet/Hear/Min

Public Notices Meet/Hear/Min

Public Notices Meet/Hear/Min

2025 Regular Session of the Louisiana Legisla‐ ture, which was adopted in accordance with Arti‐ cle VII, Section 10, of the Constitution of the State of Louisiana, is the ap‐ propriation for the ex‐ penditure of State funds and said Act 461 contains a line item appropriation within the State’s budget the benefit of for City-Parish Lafayette Govern‐ Consolidated ment (LCG) of which the sum of $250,000 has been allocated for this project; and WHEREAS, LCG desires to use these funds for road construction projects in‐ volving Cormier Road near the City of Caren‐ cro; and WHEREAS, Article VII, Section 14(C) of the 1974 Constitution of the State of Louisiana and La. R.S. 33:1324, et seq. provide that, for a public pur‐ public entities, pose, parishes, municipalities and political subdivi‐ sions may engage in and make cooperative en‐ agreements/in‐ deavor tergovernmental agree‐ ments between them‐ selves for specific pur‐ poses.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER ORDAINED by Lafayette Parish the Council, that: SECTION 1: All of the aforedescribed “Whereas” clauses are adopted as part of this ordinance.

SECTION 2: The Lafayette i h il h b

y Parish Council hereby authorizes the Lafayette Mayor-President to enter a Cooperative Endeavor with the Agreement Louisiana Department of Treasury and the State of Louisiana.

SECTION 3: The FY 25/26 capital budget of the City-Parish Lafayette Govern‐ Consolidated ment is hereby amended by increasing revenues in the amount of $250,000 received from the State of Louisiana Department of Treasury and appropri‐ ating within the Depart‐ ment of Public Works for road projects involving Cormier Road near the City of Carencro.

SECTION 4: The Lafayette Parish Council hereby authorizes the Lafayette Mayor-President, or her designee, to conduct all execute negotiations, and submit all docu‐ ments, including but not limited to applications, amend‐ agreements, payment re‐ ments, quests, memoranda of understanding and so on, which may be necessary for the completion of the aforementioned project.

SECTION 5: This transfer of funds shall be as re‐ flected in any pertinent documents which are at‐ tached hereto and made a part hereof and filed in the Office of the Clerk of Council.

The the Mayor-Presi‐ Lafayette dent, or her designee, is hereby authorized to amend the capital bud‐ i j

p get prior to project com‐ pletion by de-obligating unused funds any deemed unnecessary for the completion of the project, as approved by the Louisiana Depart‐ ment of Treasury.

SECTION 6: All ordi‐ nances or resolutions, or parts thereof, in conflict herewith are hereby re‐ pealed.

SECTION 7: This ordi‐ nance shall become ef‐ fective upon signature of the Lafayette MayorPresident, the elapse of ten (10) days after re‐ ceipt by the Lafayette Mayor-President without signature or veto, or upon an override of a veto, whichever occurs first. ***** /s/ Joseph Gordon-Wiltz JOSEPH GORDON-WILTZ LAFAYETTE CLERK OF THE COUNCIL 173258-jan 9-1t $86.00

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