The Acadiana Advocate 01-10-2026

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LAFAYETTE PARISH SCHOOL BOARD

Superintendent gets $65K raise

health insurance for be labeled effective, emerging or approved literacy screener: $2,000.

Touchet also given contract extension includes The past year has had ups and Touchet and his dependents. He higher: $2,000

BY ASHLEY WHITE

Staff writer

Lafayette Parish school system Superintendent Francis Touchet Jr. received a $65,000 pay raise and a contract extension, bringing his annual salary to $300,000.

The Lafayette Parish School Board unanimously voted at its Thursday meeting to amend his contract. The change comes the

month after Touchet received a glowing annual evaluation from the board.

The nine board members gave Touchet a combined score of 3.8 out of 4 at its December meeting. It’s a slight increase from last year’s evaluation, which had a combined score of 3.5.

His new contract will last until Dec. 31, 2029, with an annual salary of $300,000. The new contract

also has the opportunity to receive certain performance stipends if he meets the following objectives: n Maintain a district student graduation rate of at least 80%: $2,000 n Increase the district’s overall student progress/growth: $2,000 n Increase or maintain student attendance rate at 90% present for the district: $2,000 n A minimum of 90% of the VAM teachers in the district will

n Achieve a district performance score of an A or B: $5,000 stipend n Increase third grade numeracy growth as determined by the state-approved numeracy screener: Touchet $2,000 n Increase third grade literacy growth as determined by the state-

‘Something that we can promote around the world’

downs for LPSS. Touchet was able to budget for across-the-board teacher raises and incentives for some teachers. That move also brought the starting pay for new teachers to $50,000. The district also maintained its B (87.5 points) performance score.

The district also has seen a steady decline in enrollment, closed S.J. Montgomery Elementary and

ä See RAISE, page 4A

Alito recused from coastal lawsuit case Supreme Court arguments begin Monday

BY ALEX LUBBEN Staff writer

fayette, the Louisiana Music Museum will undoubtedly be one of their first stops, and plans are being made with that in mind.

The Louisiana Music Museum is a program of the Acadiana Center for the Arts, which is next door. On Friday, ACA executive director Sam Oliver and museum director Jane Vidrine

On the eve of oral arguments in a landmark U.S. Supreme Court case that could determine the fate of dozens of lawsuits that seek billions in damages to repair Louisiana’s eroding coastline, Justice Samuel Alito has recused himself, citing a financial conflict of interest.

The Chevron U.S.A., Inc. v. Plaquemines Parish case will determine whether the lawsuits, brought by Louisiana parishes against oil companies, belong in state or federal court. The high court’s ruling could determine whether a jury’s $745 million verdict in Plaquemines Parish stands. Oral arguments in the case are scheduled for Monday.

Alito has frequently recused himself from cases involving companies in which he owns stock.

In a letter to the parties involved in the case, the Supreme Court clerk, Scott Harris, wrote that “Justice Alito has determined that he will not continue to participate in this case because of a financial interest in ConocoPhillips, the parent corporation for Burlington Resources Oil and Gas Company.”

Burlington Resources and ConocoPhillips had previously told the court that the companies were no longer parties to the case, but Harris noted that in further briefings, it was determined the companies were still parties in the underlying state court proceedings.

The case will be argued before the remaining eight justices. If they tie 4-4, the

ä See MUSEUM, page 4A

ä See ALITO, page 4A

STAFF PHOTO By BRAD BOWIE

Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser, left, tours the site of the Louisiana Music Museum in Lafayette with Sam Oliver, center, and museum Director Jane Vidrine on Friday.

Nungesser tours Louisiana Music Museum as funding campaign progresses

BY JOANNA BROWN

old renovation, with the historic building home to exhibits and experiential spaces, and a modern, light-filled adAccording to the architectural ren- dition at the back of the building that derings, the new Louisiana Music will house museum events and rooms.

The second story of the old hardware Museum is slated to be an impressive store already feels like the perfect site destination for downtown Lafayette.

The former Lafayette Hardware for a stage and dance floor, and that’s Store, an 1895 building at the corner in the plans for the space, with its soarof West Vermilion and South Buchanan ing ceilings and huge, warped-glass streets, is set to undergo a new-meets- windows. When visitors come to La-

Staff writer

Trump promises oil executives ‘total safety’ in Venezuela

BY JOSH BOAK and AAMER MADHANI Associated Press

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Friday called on oil executives to rush back into Venezuela as the White House looks to quickly secure $100 billion in investments to revive the country’s ability to fully tap into its expansive reserves of petroleum.

Since the U.S. military raid to capture former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro on Saturday, Trump has quickly pivoted to portraying the move as a newfound economic opportunity for the U.S., seizing tankers carrying Venezuelan oil, and saying the U.S. is

WEATHER HIGH 67 LOW 65 PAGE 6A

taking over the sales of 30 million to 50 million barrels of previously sanctioned Venezuelan oil and will be controlling sales worldwide indefinitely.

Trump used the meeting with oil industry executives to publicly assure them that they need not be skeptical of quickly investing in and, in some cases, returning to the South American country with a history of state asset seizures as well as ongoing U.S. sanctions and decades of political uncertainty.

“You have total safety,” Trump told the executives. “You’re dealing with us directly and not dealing with Venezuela at all. We don’t want you to deal with Venezuela.”

Trump added: “Our giant oil com-

ä U.S. intercepts fifth

sanctioned tanker. PAGE 2A

panies will be spending at least $100 billion of their money, not the government’s money. They don’t need government money. But they need government protection.”

The president said the security guarantee would come from working with Venezuelan leaders and their people, instead of deploying U.S. forces. He also said the companies would “bring over some security.”

Trump played up the potential for major oil companies to strike

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ALEX BRANDON

President Donald Trump listens to Secretary of State Marco Rubio during ä See TRUMP, page 4A a meeting with oil executives on Friday at the White House.

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

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U.S. intercepts 5th sanctioned tanker at sea

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FROM WIRE REPORTS

First Superman comic book sells for $15M

A rare copy of the comic book that introduced the world to Superman and also was once stolen from the home of actor Nicolas Cage has been sold for a record $15 million.

The private deal for “Action Comics No. 1” was announced Friday. It eclipses the previous record price for a comic book, set last November when a copy of “Superman No. 1” was at sold at auction for $9.12 million.

The Action Comics sale was negotiated by Manhattan-based Metropolis Collectibles/Comic Connect, which said the comic book’s owner and the buyer wished to remain anonymous.

The comic — which sold for 10 cents when it came out in 1938 — was an anthology of tales about mostly now little-known characters. But over a few panels, it told the origin story of Superman’s birth on a dying planet, his journey to Earth and his decision as an adult to “turn his titanic strength into channels that would benefit mankind.”

Its publication marked the beginning of the superhero genre.

About 100 copies of Action Comics No. 1 are known to exist, according to Metropolis Collectibles/Comic Connect President Vincent Zurzolo.

“This is among the Holy Grail of comic books. Without Superman and his popularity, there would be no Batman or other superhero comic book legends,” Zurzolo said. “It’s importance in the comic book community shows with his deal, as it obliterates the previous record,” Zurzolo said.

Skulls, body parts found in grave robbery case

Bones and skulls visible in the back seat of a car near an abandoned cemetery on Philadelphia’s outskirts led police to a basement filled with body parts, which authorities say were hoarded by a man now accused of stealing about 100 sets of human remains.

Officers say a Tuesday night arrest culminated a monthslong investigation into break-ins at Mount Moriah Cemetery, where at least 26 mausoleums and vaults had been forced open since early November.

Investigators later searched the Ephrata home and storage unit of Jonathan Christ Gerlach, 34, and reported finding more than 100 human skulls, long bones, mummified hands and feet, two decomposing torsos and other skeletal items.

“They were in various states.

Some of them were hanging, as it were. Some of them were pieced together, some were just skulls on a shelf,” Delaware County District Attorney Tanner Rouse said.

Most were in the basement, authorities said, and they also recovered jewelry believed to be linked to the graves. In one case, a pacemaker was still attached.

Police say Gerlach targeted mausoleums and underground vaults at the 1855 cemetery. It’s considered the country’s largest abandoned burial ground, according to Friends of Mount Moriah Cemetery, which helps maintain the 160-acre landmark in Yeadon that’s home to an estimated 150,000 grave sites.

Shark kills woman in U.S. Virgin Islands

PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad — A shark attacked and killed an American woman along a beach in St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands, officials said Friday.

Police identified the victim as 56-year-old Arlene Lillis of Minnesota. A hometown wasn’t immediately available.

Authorities said the attack occurred close to shore on western St. Croix on Thursday afternoon.

Police and other emergency crews responded to the beach, where crews worked “swiftly and professionally under very extreme and difficult circumstances” to treat Lillis, said Daryl Jaschen, director of the Virgin Islands’ emergency management agency.

Lillis, who was a frequent visitor to the U.S. territory, was taken to a hospital for further treatment but died from her injuries, according to Lt. Gov. Tregenza A. Roach.

PROVIDED IMAGE FROM VIDEO VIA AP

An image from video taken by an individual not employed by The Associated Press and obtained by the AP outside Iran shows people blocking an intersection Thursday during a protest in Tehran, Iran.

Iran’s leader signals protest crackdown

ers chanting against Iran’s government Khamenei says around bonfires as debris littered the demonstrators ‘ruining their streets in the capital, Tehran, and other areas into Friday morning. own streets’ for Trump Iranian state media alleged “terrorist

BY JON GAMBRELL Associated Press

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — European leaders urged Iran late Friday to allow its citizens to demonstrate without reprisal after Tehran signaled security forces would crack down on the protesters whom U.S. President Donald Trump has pledged to support.

At least 62 people have been killed in the protests that began in late December over Iran’s ailing economy and have morphed into the most significant challenge to the government in years.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei dismissed Trump as having hands “stained with the blood of Iranians” as his supporters shouted “Death to America!” in footage aired by Iranian state television. State media later referred to the demonstrators as “terrorists,” setting the stage for a violent crackdown as in other protests in recent years.

Protesters are “ruining their own streets ... in order to please the president of the United States,” the 86-year-old Khamenei said to a crowd at his compound in Tehran.

“Because he said that he would come to their aid. He should pay attention to the state of his own country instead.”

Iran’s judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei separately vowed that punishment for protesters “will be decisive, maximum and without any legal leniency.”

Late Friday, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron issued a joint statement condemning reported deadly violence against the protesters, and urged Iran to allow its citizens to express themselves without fear of reprisal. The Associated Press could not independently confirm local media reports that state forces had opened fire on protesters in Tehran on Friday.

There was no immediate response from Washington, though Trump has repeatedly pledged to strike Iran if protesters are killed, a threat that has taken on greater significance after the U.S. military raid that seized Venezuela’s former President Nicolás Maduro.

Despite Iran’s theocracy cutting off the nation from the internet and international telephone calls, short online videos shared by activists purported to show protest-

agents” of the U.S. and Israel set fires and sparked violence. It also said there were “casualties,” without elaborating.

The full scope of the demonstrations that began Dec. 28 couldn’t be immediately determined due to the communications blackout.

The protests also 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. Pahlavi, who called for the protests Thursday night, similarly has called for demonstrations at 8 p.m. Friday.

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.

So far, violence around the demonstrations has killed at least 62 people while more than 2,300 others have been detained, said the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency.

“What turned the tide of the protests was former Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi’s calls for Iranians to take to the streets at 8 p.m. on Thursday and Friday,” said Holly Dagres, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. “Per social media posts, it became clear that Iranians had delivered and were taking the call seriously to protest in order to oust the Islamic Republic.”

“This is exactly why the internet was shut down: to prevent the world from seeing the protests. Unfortunately, it also likely provided cover for security forces to kill protesters.”

When the clock struck 8 p.m. Thursday, 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 before all communication to Iran cut out.

On Friday, Pahlavi called on Trump to help the protesters, saying Khamenei “wants to use this blackout to murder these young heroes.”

“You have proven and I know you are a man of peace and a man of your word,” he said in a statement. “Please be prepared to intervene to help the people of Iran.”

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Pahlavi’s appeal to Trump.

Israeli strikes kill at least 13 in Gaza

The process has moved slowly since a Trump expected to ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took nearly three months ago. announce Board of Peace effect The U.S. official and another official

BY WAFAA SHURAFA Associated Press

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Israeli strikes across Gaza have killed at least 13 people, according to health officials, as President Donald Trump was expected to announce his Board of Peace to oversee the fragile ceasefire.

Health officials and family members said at least one child was among the dead in northern Gaza following several strikes there as well as east of Gaza City.

All 13 people were killed on Thursday.

Israel’s army said Friday that it struck Hamas infrastructure and fighters in southern and northern Gaza in response to a failed projectile launched by militants from the Gaza City area.

The phased ceasefire between Israel and Hamas remains in its initial stage as efforts continue to recover the remains of the final Israeli hostage in Gaza.

Officials say that Trump is expected to announce next week his appointments to his Board of Peace, which he has said he will head, marking an important step forward for his Middle East peace plan.

spoke on condition of anonymity pending a formal announcement.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that Bulgarian diplomat Nickolay Mladenov would be the board’s “designated” director-general. Mladenov is a former Bulgarian defense and foreign minister who served as the U.N. envoy to Iraq before being appointed as the U.N. Mideast peace envoy from 2015-2020. During that time, he had good working relations with Israel and frequently worked to ease Israel-Hamas tensions.

Under Trump’s plan, the board would supervise a new technocratic Palestinian government, the disarmament of Hamas, the deployment of an international security force, additional pullbacks of Israeli troops and reconstruction. The U.S. has reported little progress on any of these fronts so far.

On Thursday, Egyptian and European Union leaders met in Cairo and urged the deployment of the international stabilization force. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said that Hamas still refused to disarm and called the situation “extremely severe.”

Washington exerts control over Venezuelan oil distribution

BY KONSTANTIN TOROPIN, AAMER MADHANI, and MICHAEL BIESECKER Associated Press

WASHINGTON — U.S. forces boarded another oil tanker in the Caribbean Sea on Friday, the U.S. military said, as the Trump administration targets sanctioned tankers traveling to and from Venezuela as part of a broader effort to take control of the South American country’s oil.

The predawn raid was carried out by Marines and Navy sailors launched from the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, part of the extensive force the U.S. has built up in the Caribbean in recent months, according to U.S. Southern Command, which declared “there is no safe haven for criminals” as it announced the seizure of the tanker called the Olina. The Coast Guard then took control of the vessel, officials said.

Southern Command and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem both posted unclassified footage on social media on Friday morning of a U.S. helicopter landing on the vessel and U.S. personnel conducting a search of the deck and tossing what appeared to be an explosive device in front of a door leading to inside the ship.

In her post, Noem said the ship was “another ‘ghost fleet’ tanker ship suspected of carrying embargoed oil” and it had departed Venezuela “attempting to evade U.S. forces.”

The Olina is the fifth tanker that has been seized by U.S. forces as part of the effort by President Donald Trump’s administration to control the production, refining and global distri-

bution of Venezuela’s oil products following the U.S. ouster of President Nicolás Maduro in a surprise nighttime raid.

In a post on his social media network later in the day, Trump said the seizure was conducted “in coordination with the Interim Authorities of Venezuela” but offered no elaboration.

Both the White House and the government of Venezuela didn’t immediately respond to questions for more details.

Samir Madani, co-founder of TankerTrackers. com, said his organization used satellite imagery and surface-level photos to document that at least 16 tankers left the Venezuelan coast in contravention of the quarantine U.S. forces have set up to block sanctioned ships from conducting trade. The Olina was among that flotilla.

U.S. government records show that the Olina was sanctioned for moving Russian oil under its prior name, Minerva M, and flagged in Panama.

While records show the Olina is now flying the flag of Timor-Leste, it is listed in the international shipping registry as having a false flag, meaning the registration it is claiming is not valid. In July, the owner and manager of the ship on its registration was changed to a company in Hong Kong.

According to ship tracking databases, the Olina last transmitted its location in November in the Caribbean, north of the Venezuelan coast. Since then, however, the ship has been running dark with its location beacon turned off.

While Noem and the military framed the seizure as part of an effort to enforce the law, other officials in the Trump administration have made clear they see it as a way to generate cash as they seek to rebuild Venezuela’s battered oil industry and restore its economy.

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The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Saturday, January 10, 2026 ● 3A

Prosecutor seeks evidence in Renee Good shooting Minnesota official produce.

The prosecutor’s announcement came on a third calls on public day of Minneapolis protests over Good’s killing and a day to share info after federal immigration ofwith her office ficers shot and wounded two

BY REBECCA SANTANA, TIM SULLIVAN and GIOVANNA DELL’ORTO Associated Press

MINNEAPOLIS — A Minnesota prosecutor on Friday called on members of the public to send any video or other evidence in the fatal shooting of Renee Good directly to local investigators, challenging the Trump administration’s decision to leave the investigation solely to the FBI. Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said that although her office has collaborated effectively with the FBI in past cases, she is concerned by the Trump administration’s decision to bar state and local agencies from playing any role in the investigation into Wednesday’s killing of Good by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in Minneapolis.

She also said the officer who shot Good in the head does not have complete legal immunity, as Vice President JD Vance declared.

“We do have jurisdiction to make this decision with what happened in this case,” Moriarty said at a news conference. “It does not matter that it was a federal law enforcement agent.”

Moriarty said her office would post a link for the public to submit footage of the shooting, even though she acknowledged that she wasn’t sure what legal outcome submissions might

people in Portland, Oregon.

Good’s wife, Becca Good, released a statement to Minnesota Public Radio on Friday saying, “kindness radiated out of her.”

“On Wednesday, Jan. 7, we stopped to support our neighbors. We had whistles. They had guns,” Becca Good said.

“I am now left to raise our son and to continue teaching him, as Renee believed, that there are people building a better world for him,” she wrote. “That the people who did this had fear and anger in their hearts, and we need to show them a better way.”

The reaction to the Good’s shooting was immediate in the city where police killed George Floyd in 2020, with hundreds of protesters converging on the shooting scene and the school district canceling classes for the rest of the week as a precaution and offering an online option through Feb. 12.

On Thursday night, hundreds marched in freezing rain down one of Minneapolis’ major thoroughfares, chanting “ICE out now!” and holding signs saying, “Killer ice off our streets.” And on Friday, protesters were outside a federal facility that is serving as a hub for the immigration crackdown that began Tuesday in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. Authorities erected barricades outside the facility, and a small group of counterdemonstrators also showed up.

City workers, meanwhile,

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ADAM BETTCHER

A supporter of Immigration and Customs Enforcement argues with a counterprotester on Friday outside the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis. removed makeshift barricades made of Christmas trees and other debris that had been blocking the streets near the scene of Good’s shooting. Officials said they would leave up a shrine to the 37-year-old mother of three.

The Portland shootings happened outside a hospital Thursday afternoon. Federal immigration officers shot and wounded a man and woman, identified by the Department of Homeland Security as Venezuela nationals Luis David Nico Moncada and Yorlenys Betzabeth Zambrano-Contreras, who were inside a vehicle, and their conditions weren’t immediately known. The FBI and the Oregon Department of Justice were investigating.

Portland Mayor Keith Wilson and the city council called on ICE to end all oper-

ations in the city until a full investigation is completed.

Hundreds protested Thursday night at a local ICE building. Early Friday, Portland police reported that officers had arrested several protesters after asking the to get out of a street to allow traffic to flow.

Just as it did following Good’s shooting, DHS defended the actions of the officers in Portland, saying it occurred after a Venezuelan man with alleged gang ties and who was involved in a recent shooting tried to “weaponize” his vehicle to hit the officers. It wasn’t immediately clear if the shootings were captured on video, as Good’s was.

The Minneapolis shooting happened on the second day of the immigration crackdown in the Twin Cities, which Homeland Security said is the biggest immigra-

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

Good’s death — at least the fifth tied to immigration sweeps since Trump took office — has resonated far beyond Minneapolis, with protests happening in Texas, California, Detroit and elsewhere and hundreds of others planned for this weekend, according to Indivisible, a group formed to resist the Trump administration.

“This is hitting people who previously were not engaged,” said co-executive director Ezra Levin, adding that he’s seen a rise in veterans, rural Americans and some Republican voters speaking critically about the shooting.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, President Donald Trump and others in

his administration have repeatedly characterized the Minneapolis shooting as an act of self-defense and cast Good as a villain, suggesting she used her vehicle as a weapon to attack the officer who shot her.

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

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said videos show that any self-defense argument is “garbage.”

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

The federal agent who fatally shot Good is an Iraq War veteran who has served for nearly two decades in the Border Patrol and ICE, according to records obtained

by AP. Noem has not publicly named him, but a Homeland Security spokesperson said her description of his injuries last summer refers to an incident in Bloomington, Minnesota, in which court documents identify him as Jonathan Ross.

Documents: Immigration officers leaving La. for Minn. crackdown

BY JACK BROOK

Associated Press/ Report for America

Federal immigration officers are pulling out of a Louisiana crackdown and heading to Minneapolis in an abrupt pivot from an operation that drew protests around New Orleans and aimed to make thousands of arrests, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press.

The shift appeared to signal a wind-down of the Louisiana deployment that was dubbed “Catahoula Crunch” and began in December with the arrival of more than 200 officers. The operation had been expected to last into February and swiftly raised fears in immigrant communities.

The Trump administration has been surging thousands of federal officers to Minnesota under a sweeping new crackdown tied in part to allegations of fraud involving Somali residents. More

than 2,000 officers are taking part in what the Department of Homeland Security has called the biggest immigration enforcement operation ever.

The officers in Minneapolis have been met with demonstrations and anger after an ICE officer fatally shot a woman on Wednesday.

Documents obtained by the AP indicated that federal officers stationed in Louisiana were continuing to depart for Minneapolis late this week.

“For the safety of our law enforcement, we do not disclose operational details while they are underway,” DHS said Friday in response to questions about whether the Louisiana deployment was ending in order to send officers to Minnesota.

In December, DHS deployed more than 200 federal officers to New Orleans to carry out a monthslong sweep in and around the city under Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino, who was also the face of aggressive operations

in Chicago, Los Angeles and coming of a National Guard after Landry asked for help Year’s Day anniversary of Charlotte, North Carolina. deployment that President fighting crime. The troops a truck attack on Bourbon Bovino has been seen in Min- Donald Trump authorized arrived just before the New Street that killed 14 people. neapolis this past week.

“Catahoula Crunch” began with a target of 5,000 arrests, the AP first reported. The operation had resulted in about 370 arrests as of Dec. 18, according to DHS. Documents previously reviewed by AP showed the Visit us today and take the first step toward finding your perfect address. majority of people arrested in the Louisiana crackdown’s first days lacked criminal records and that authorities tracked online criticism and protests against the deployment.

Republican Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry welcomed the crackdown. But New Orleans’ Democratic leaders called the 5,000-arrest target unrealistic and criticized videos that showed agents arresting or trying to detain residents, including a clip of a U.S. citizen being chased down the street by masked men near her house.

New Orleans’ Democratic leaders have been more wel-

Dream Address Awaits

Lawmakers push DOJ to comply with Epstein disclosure law

BY RYAN TARINELLI CQ-Roll Call (TNS)

WASHINGTON — Lawmakers sought to ensure the release of more information about Jeffrey Epstein this week, after the Justice Department last month blew through a statutory deadline for the production of documents about the deceased sex offender.

Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Ro Khanna, DCalif., main backers of the Epstein Files Transparency Act, asked a judge to appoint a “Special Master and/or Independent Monitor” to compel the further release of Epstein-related files, pointing to the department’s public noncompliance with the law.

“Put simply, the DOJ cannot be trusted with making mandatory disclosures under the Act,” the lawmakers wrote.

Democrats on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee called for Attorney General Pamela Bondi to testify on the topic.

And the same panel secured a subpoena for Les Wexner, a billionaire businessman who Democrats say was a longtime benefactor of Epstein.

Rep. Robert Garcia, of California, the top Democrat on the Oversight panel, said Friday that the Justice Department’s handling of the rollout has been illegal, sloppy and disgraceful. Blowing past the December release deadline has been a failure of the DOJ and the Trump administration, he added.

“Why the cover-up? Who are we covering for? We want to know who the co-conspirators are,” Garcia said.

In November, Congress overwhelmingly passed legislation ordering the release of documents by a mid-December deadline. The department released a trove of investigative documents on the deadline date and published further documents afterward but hasn’t met the statute’s demands that all the records be released by the December deadline.

The rolling document re-

lease has been plagued with issues that have exacerbated questions about the department’s efforts. In particular, Massie and Khanna wrote in their letter that the department has missed the deadline, overly redacted documents and is asserting privileges that the law doesn’t allow for.

Department officials told a judge earlier this week that they have released approximately 12,285 of the potentially 2 million documents that could potentially be covered by the statute Congress passed last year. Massie and Khanna wrote to the judge to ensure the documents are released under the terms of the statute.

“The conduct by the DOJ is not only a flagrant violation of the mandatory disclosure obligations under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, but as this Court has recognized in its previous rulings, the behavior by the DOJ has caused serious trauma to survivors,” the lawmakers wrote.

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MUSEUM

Continued from page 1A welcomed Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser for the tour of the future facility in its bare-bones state.

“I’m really excited about this museum,” said Nungesser, who spearheaded the formation of the Louisiana Music Commission in 2024 to support musicians statewide and promote Louisiana music in tourism and cultural development.

“This surely is going to be something that we can promote around the world. I always tell people, there’s something in the crawfish juice here that grows so much talent. And this will give us a home.

It’ll give us a home to have some events, to raise money, to educate

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and highlight all the great music in Louisiana.”

Nungesser said that projects like this are crucial for attracting tourists, who come because they love the food, people and music on offer in Louisiana — but require a steady rotation of new events and attractions in order to keep coming back.

“We’ve really been working on the international travel,” he said.

“They stay longer, and spend more money, and these are the kind of places they love to come to. We’re just excited about getting this thing funded and to build incredible opportunity for this region and the state.”

Sam Oliver said that they hope to begin construction by late spring, and the ACA’s capital campaign has raised about 70% of the funding needed to proceed. With Nun-

gesser’s visit, they hope to have a champion to push for more funding through the Legislature, which Nungesser said he is eager to support.

“Coming here today and seeing it, it sells itself,” Nungesser said.

“The history of it, the look of it — it’s something we can all be proud of.

“This is a project that’s worthy of the investment. Especially when you’ve got private people investing, it’s not a bad thing to match it with state dollars,” he said. “Lafayette is a great example of that, because they have always been able to raise the community to support great projects in this region. And when you can partner that with capital outlay money, you can make these things happen. That’s what I hope we can do.”

STAFF PHOTO By BRAD BOWIE

Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser, right, and ACA marketing director Elijah List look at evidence of the building’s prior use as a hardware store during a tour of the site of the Louisiana Music Museum on Friday.

TRUMP

Continued from page 1A big, while acknowledging that the oil executives were sharp people who were in the business of taking risk, a quiet nod to the reality that he’s asking for big investment in Venezuela at a moment when the country is teetering and economic collapse is not out of the question.

Trump welcomed the oil executives to the White House after U.S. forces earlier Friday seized their fifth tanker over the past month that has been linked to Venezuelan oil. The action reflected the determination of the U.S. to fully control the exporting, refining and production of Venezuelan petroleum.

It’s all part of a broader push by Trump to keep gasoline prices low.

At a time when many Americans are concerned about affordability, the incursion in Venezuela melds Trump’s assertive use of presidential powers with an optical spectacle meant to convince Americans that he can bring down energy prices.

The White House said it invited oil executives from 17 companies, including Chevron, which still operates in Venezuela, as well as ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips, which both had oil projects in the country that were lost as part of a 2007 nationalization of private businesses under Maduro’s predecessor, Hugo Chávez.

While some wildcatters and other companies expressed enthusiasm for going into Venezuela, others spoke with a degree of carefulness about the legal and political barriers that still exist.

“If we look at the commercial constructs and frameworks in place today in Venezuela, today it’s un-investable,” said Darren Woods, the ExxonMobil CEO. “And so significant changes have to be made to those commercial frameworks, the legal system, there has to be durable investment protections and there has to be change to the hydrocarbon laws in the country.”

Other companies invited included Halliburton, Valero, Marathon, Shell, Singapore-based Trafigura, Italy-based Eni and Spain-based Repsol as well as a vast swath of domestic and international companies with interests ranging from construction to the commodity markets.

ALITO

Continued from page 1A

lower court’s ruling will be upheld and the case will remain in state court.

Chevron and ExxonMobil have asked the Supreme Court to overturn a lower court’s ruling that the cases belong in state court. The companies have long argued that their actions on the coast were related to the production of aviation fuel during World War II. Because

RAISE

Continued from page 1A Lafayette Middle, and is dealing with the fallout of an investigation into possibly forged construction bid contracts that allegedly involve the former construction and maintenance director.

Lafayette Parish Association of Educators Julia Reed said some members of the organization “have a little bit of a hard time with this contract,” but that it wasn’t a personal criticism of the superintendent.

“We appreciate the raising of several categories of pay and extending stipends to student teachers so that no teacher ever again

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ALEX BRANDON

President Donald Trump talks with Valero Chief Executive Officer and President Lane Riggs, second from right, while Tallgrass Energy President and Chief Executive Officer Matt Sheehy, far left, Repsol Chief Executive Officer Josu Jon Imaz, second from left, and Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Continental Resources Harold Hamm, far right, look on during a meeting in the White House on Friday.

Large U.S. oil companies have so far largely refrained from affirming investments in Venezuela as contracts and guarantees need to be in place. Trump has suggested that the U.S. would help to backstop any investments.

Venezuela’s oil production has slumped below one million barrels a day. At the heart of Trump’s challenge to turning that around is convincing oil companies that his administration has a stable relationship with Venezuela’s interim President Delcy Rodríguez, and can provide protections for companies entering the market.

Trump, however, is confident that Big Oil is ready to take the plunge, but allowed that it’s not without risk.

“You know, these are not babies,” Trump said of the oil industry executives. “These are people that drill oil in some pretty rough places. I can say a couple of those places make Venezuela look like a picnic.”

The president also offered a new

rationale for ousting Maduro and demanding the U.S. maintain oversight of its Venezuelan oil industry, saying, “One thing I think everyone has to know is that if we didn’t do this, China or Russia would have done it.”

While Rodriguez has publicly denounced Trump and the ouster of Maduro, the U.S. president has said that to date Venezuela’s interim leader has been cooperating behind the scenes with his administration.

Tyson Slocum, director of the consumer advocacy group Public Citizen’s energy program, criticized the gathering and called the U.S. military’s removal of Maduro “violent imperialism.” Slocum added that Trump’s goal appears to be to “hand billionaires control over Venezuela’s oil.”

Meanwhile, the United States and Venezuelan governments said Friday they were exploring the possibility of restoring diplomatic relations between the two countries, and a delegation from the

Trump administration arrived in the South American nation Friday.

The small team of U.S. diplomats and diplomatic security officials traveled to Venezuela to make a preliminary assessment about the potential reopening of the U.S. Embassy in Caracas, the State Department said in a statement.

Trump also announced Friday he’d meet next week, either Tuesday or Wednesday, with Maria Corina Machado, the leader of Venezuela’s opposition party, as well as with Colombian President Gustavo Petro in early February.

Trump has declined to back Machado, even as the U.S. and most observers determined her opposition movement defeated Maduro in Venezuela’s last election. Trump said following Maduro’s ouster that Machado “doesn’t have the support within, or the respect within, the country” to lead.

Trump called on the Colombian leader to make quick progress on stemming flow of cocaine into the U.S.

Trump, following the ouster of Maduro, had made vague threats to take similar action against Petro, describing the Colombia leader as a “sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States.”

Trump abruptly changed his tone Wednesday about his Colombian counterpart after a friendly phone call in which he invited Petro to visit the White House.

The seeming detente between Petro, a leftist, and Trump, a conservative, appears to reflect that their shared interests override their deep differences.

For Colombia, the U.S. remains key to the military’s fight against leftist guerrillas and drug traffickers. Washington has provided Bogotá with roughly $14 billion in the last two decades.

For the U.S., Colombia, the world’s biggest cocaine producer, remains the cornerstone of its counternarcotics strategy abroad, providing crucial intelligence used to interdict drugs in the Caribbean.

the production of aviation fuel was part of a federal war effort, the companies argue the cases belong in federal court.

But a 2024 U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that the cases belong in state court cleared the way for last year’s jury trial in Plaquemines Parish that resulted in a verdict ordering Chevron to pay $745 million in damages to repair a section of the coast.

If the high court rules that the case belongs in federal court, a federal judge could vacate the state court’s ruling.

The Supreme Court’s decision in this case could affect dozens of others. Since 2013, coastal parishes, represented by Baton Rouge law firm Talbot, Carmouche & Marcello, have filed more than 40 lawsuits alleging that oil and gas companies polluted areas of the coast and contributed to Louisiana’s land loss crisis. The Supreme Court’s ruling will likely determine whether these cases belong in state or federal court, a venue seen as friendlier to the oil companies.

Together, those cases allege bil-

lions in damages to the coast.

The ruling would likely have ripple effects for other cases nationwide, too, determining whether local juries can hold large corporations accountable for environmental damage, or whether those cases belong in federal court.

The companies argue that some of the operations in question occurred before a law they are accused of violating took effect in 1980. They also say the lawsuits will unnecessarily hurt employment and energy production.

The cases have pitted Louisiana

Republicans against the Trump administration, which has sided with the oil companies.

In a statement Friday, Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill reemphasized her position.

“These cases belong in state court,” she said. “Evidence in one case alone showed that 4 billion gallons of toxic production wastewater was continually dumped into our marsh and that it caused longterm damage.”

has to experience the poverty that I did as a student teacher,” she said. “However, a school-based educator would have to work decades to achieve a 27% increase.”

School Board members argued Touchet deserved the raise because of the work he’s done for the district, the number of students and employees he oversaw, and the size of the budget he managed.

“The work he’s done, the value he’s put in, ACE programming, new construction, the list goes on and on,” said board member Roddy Bergeron. “We have to support that and we have to make sure that we look towards the future of how we attract the person to that seat (of superintendent).”

Several also argued that the pay

was comparable to what other superintendents of large districts in the state are making. However, the pay raise puts him well above the national average for superintendents of similarly sized districts of 25,000 to 49,999 students.

A survey of 34 superintendents who oversee similar districts found the median base salary for the 2024-25 school year was $202,500. Of those surveyed, the highest base pay for a superintendent of a similarly sized district was paid $275,000.

The School Board selected its new president and vice president.

Hannah Smith Mason was the only member of the nine-person board to be nominated for president and she accepted the position.

Roddy Bergeron, Jeremy Hi-

dalgo and David LeJeune were nominated for vice president.

With five votes from Mason, Chad Desormeaux, Kate Labue, Britt Latiolais and himself, LeJeune won the nomination.

Both will serve in their positions for the next year.

The board also voted to change its auditing firm to EisnerAmper.

It has had an auditor for more than 30 years. It had used Kolder, Slaven and Co. for at least five years and paid the firm about $2.1 million in that time.

The district asked interested firms to place a bid and all three were scored out of 100 points. EisnerAmper received an average of 92 from four panelists.

The change comes after the district disagreed with the find-

ings Kolder, Slaven and Co. presented in its audit last year. The firm found some deficiencies in the district’s systems for keeping in compliance federally, including claiming the district failed to properly bid on an elevator upgrade project. But the district disagreed with those findings.

Hidalgo argued in Thursday’s meeting that the district hires an auditor to help them fix issues, not “come in and create a (public document) just to have some headlines and sabotage whoever it is that they’re auditing.”

“These are the people we hire to help us, not to sabotage us,” Hidalgo said.

Email Alex Lubben at alex. lubben@theadvocate.com.

Email Ashley White at ashley. white@theadvocate.com.

The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Saturday, January 10, 2026 ● 5A

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Russia uses new ballistic missile in attack on Ukraine

BY SAMYA KULLAB and ILLIA NOVIKOV Associated Press

KYIV, Ukraine — Russia bombarded Ukraine with hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles in a large-scale overnight attack, officials said Friday, killing at least four people in the capital. For only the second time in the nearly 4-year-old war, it used a powerful, new hypersonic missile that struck western Ukraine in a clear warning to Kyiv’s NATO allies.

The intense barrage and the launch of the nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile came days after Ukraine and its allies reported major progress toward agreeing on how to defend the country from further Moscow aggression if a U.S.-led peace deal is struck.

Europe’s leaders condemned the attack as “escalatory and unacceptable,” and the European Union’s top foreign policy envoy said Russian President Vladimir Putin’s reply to diplomacy was “more missiles and destruction.”

The attack also coincides with a new chill in relations between Moscow and Washington after Russia condemned the U.S. seizure of an oil tanker in the North Atlantic. It comes as President Donald Trump signaled he is on board with a hard-hitting

sanctions package meant to economically cripple Moscow, which has given no public signal it is willing to budge from its maximalist demands on Ukraine.

Ukrainian officials said four people were killed and at least 25 wounded in Kyiv as apartment buildings were struck overnight.

Those killed included an emergency medical aid worker, according to Kyiv City Military Administration head Tymur Tkachenko.

Four doctors and one police officer were injured while responding to the attacks, authorities said.

About half of snowy Kyiv’s apartment buildings — nearly 6,000 — were left without heat amid daytime temperatures of about 17.6 degrees, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.

Water supplies also were disrupted.

Municipal services restored power and heat to public facilities, including hospitals and maternity wards, using portable boiler units, he said The attack damaged the Qatari Embassy in Kyiv, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who noted that Qatar has played a key role in mediating the exchange of prisoners of war.

He called for a “clear response” from the international community, particu-

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By EFREM LUKATSKy

A residential building burns Friday after a Russian strike in Kyiv, Ukraine. larly from the U.S., which he said Russia takes seriously.

Ukraine’s Security Service said it identified debris from the Oreshnik missile in the Lviv region in the country’s west. It was fired from Russia’s Kapustin Yar test range near the Caspian Sea in southwestern Russia and targeted civilian infrastructure, investigators said.

“I heard a loud, shocking explosion, and it’s normal at this time of the war to hear these things here,” said Lviv

resident Kristofer Chokhovich, who said he was an American. “I just want everyone in the world to know that Ukraine is strong and we don’t care how many missiles you send.”

Another resident, Ulyana Fedun, described the attack as “very unpleasant” but not scary because “we’ve been living in this state for four years.”

Russia’s Defense Ministry said the attack was a retaliation to what Moscow claimed

was a Ukrainian drone strike on one of Putin’s residences last month. Both Trump and Ukraine rejected the Russian claim.

Moscow didn’t say where the Oreshnik hit, but Russian media and military bloggers said it targeted an underground natural gas storage facility in the Lviv region.

Western military aid flows to Ukraine from a supply hub in Poland just across the border.

Putin has previously said

the Oreshnik streaks to its target at Mach 10, “like a meteorite,” and is immune to any missile defense system. Several of them used in a conventional strike could be as devastating as a nuclear attack, according to Putin, who has warned the West that Russia could use it against allies of Kyiv that allow it to strike inside Russia with longer-range missiles.

Ukrainian intelligence says the missile has six warheads, each carrying six submunitions.

Russia first used the Oreshnik missile on the Ukrainian city of Dnipro in November 2024. Analysts say it gives Russia a new element of psychological warfare, unnerving Ukrainians and intimidating Western countries that aid Ukraine.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Ukraine would be initiating international action in response to the use of the missile, including an urgent meeting of the U.N. Security Council and a meeting of the Ukraine-NATO Council.

“Such a strike close to EU and NATO border is a grave threat to the security on the European continent and a test for the transatlantic community. We demand strong responses to Russia’s reckless actions,” he said in a post on X.

Mangione’s trial could start before end of year

BY MICHAEL R. SISAK and LARRY NEUMEISTER

she expects jury selection to begin around Sept. 8. No trial date has been scheduled in Mangione’s parallel state murder case. Prosecutors previously said they anticipated the state trial to be first.

Garnett said she would issue a written schedule after looking at her calendar and reviewing notes of conversations she’s had with the court’s jury coordinator.

The judge said she would rule at a later date on the defense’s requests to prevent prosecutors from seeking the death penalty, throw out some charges and exclude certain evidence. Another pretrial conference is scheduled for Jan. 30.

Mangione’s lawyers con-

tend that authorities prejudiced his case by turning his December 2024 arrest into a “Marvel movie” spectacle and by publicly declaring their desire to see him executed even before he was formally indicted.

At the same time, they are asking Garnett to throw out two of the four charges against him, including the murder by firearm charge that has enabled the government to seek the death penalty. They argue that it is legally flawed.

Federal prosecutors say Mangione’s lawyers are wrong on both fronts, countering that the murder charge is legally sufficient and that “pretrial publicity, even when intense” is hardly a constitutional crisis.

Any concerns about public perceptions can be alleviated by carefully questioning prospective jurors about their knowledge of the case, prosecutors wrote in a court filing.

Mangione has pleaded not guilty to federal and state murder charges, which carry the possibility of life in prison.

Friday’s hearing was Mangione’s first trip to Manhattan federal court since his April 25 arraignment.

A cause célèbre for people upset with the health insurance industry, Mangione again drew supporters to the courthouse. Some wore green clothing and carried signs such as “Free Luigi” and “No Death For Luigi Mangione.”

seize tankers carrying Venezuelan oil.

The Chinese-led drills CAPE TOWN, South Africa — Chinese, Russian and Iranian were organized last year warships launched a week of under the BRICS bloc of denaval drills with host South veloping nations and South Africa off the Cape Town Africa’s armed forces said coast Friday as geopolitical the maneuvers will practice tensions run high over the maritime safety and anti-piUnited States’ intervention racy operations and “deepen in Venezuela and its move to cooperation.”

China, Russia and South Africa are longtime members of BRICS, while Iran joined the group in 2024.

The Iranian navy was taking part in the drills while protests grow back home against the Islamic Republic’s leadership.

It was not immediately clear if other countries from

the BRICS group — which also includes Brazil, India and the United Arab Emirates among others — would take part in the drills. A spokesperson for the South African armed forces said he wasn’t yet able to confirm all the countries participating in the drills, which are due to run until next Friday.

Associated Press

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By LAURENT GILLIERON

A victim with burned hands and relatives attend the official commemorative ceremony Friday for the victims of the deadly fire at the Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana, in Martigny, Switzerland.

NEW YORK — Luigi Mangione’s federal death penalty trial in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson could begin before the end of the year, a judge said Friday while weighing a defense bid to bar the government from making it a capital case.

U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett said she expects Mangione’s trial to begin in December — or possibly January 2027, as federal prosecutors suggested — if the death penalty is still on the table. If not, she said, Mangione could stand trial in October.

Either way, Garnett said,

Swiss bar owner put in pretrial detention China, Russia, Iran join South Africa for naval drills over deadly blaze

By The Associated Press MARTIGNY, Switzerland — Switzerland held a national day of mourning on Friday for the 40 people who died in an Alpine bar fire during a New Year’s Eve celebration, as prosecutors requested one of the managers to be placed in pretrial detention.

Valais region’s chief prosecutor Beatrice Pilloud said in a statement the detention of the man was needed to avoid a “risk of flight.” The man’s wife and co-manager will remain free under judicial supervision, the statement said.

A Swiss business register lists French couple Jacques and Jessica Moretti as the owners of Le Constellation bar, in the Alpine resort of Crans-Montana, where a fire broke out less than two hours after midnight on Jan. 1. As well as the fatalities, 116 people were injured, many of them seriously.

Local media reported that Moretti was being held in custody pending the court’s decision after the couple were questioned by prosecutors in Sion on Friday morning.

Swiss authorities have opened a criminal investigation into the owners, who are suspected of involuntary homicide, involuntary bodily harm and involuntarily causing a fire.

A memorial service and a minute’s silence marked Friday’s national homage, while church bells across Switzerland rang out for five minutes, beginning at 2 p.m.. Across the country, people gathered to light candles, put down flowers for the victims and followed the national ceremony that was livestreamed on public

television.

Speaking at the memorial ceremony in Martigny, Swiss President Guy Parmelin said that “the memory of that terrible night illuminates the faces of the 156 victims, their happy days, their carefree spirit.”

He added: “Our country is appalled by this tragedy. It bows before the memory of those who are no longer with us. It stands by the bedside of those who are about to embark on a long road to recovery.”

Investigators have said they believe sparkling candles atop Champagne bottles ignited the fire when they came too close to the ceiling. Authorities are looking into whether soundproofing material on the ceiling conformed with regulations and whether the candles were permitted for use in the bar. Fire safety inspections hadn’t been carried out since 2019.

The severity of burns made it difficult to identify some victims, requiring families to supply authorities with DNA samples. Police have said many of the victims were in their teens to mid-20s.

An autopsy has been ordered for five of the six Italian victims and has been delegated to the prosecutors’ offices in Milan, Bologna, and Genoa, where the bodies of the victims have been returned.

“What happened is not a disaster: It’s the result of too many people who didn’t do their job or who thought they were making easy money,” Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni said during a news conference on Friday.

“Those responsible must be identified and prosecuted.”

By The Associated Press

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ALMANAC

AIR QUALITY

LAFAyETTE THROUGH 5 P.M. FRIDAy

YESTERDAY

TEMPERATURE

High/low Normal high/low Record high Record low

GOOD

77°/69° 62°/43° 81° in 2022 13° in 2009

MAIN POLLUTANT Particulates

READING 25

TODAY

PRECIPITATION

24 hours through 5 p.m. Fri. Month to date (normal) year to date (normal)

GOOD

1.80” 1.81” (1.76”) 1.81” (1.76”)

MAIN POLLUTANT Particulates

SUN AND MOON Sunrise today Sunset tonight Moonrise today Moonset today

SOURCE: AIRNOW.GOV

LAST

7:05 a.m.

5:26 p.m.

12:02 a.m.

11:33 a.m.

JAN 10

NEW

FIRST

FULL

JAN 18

JAN 25

FEB 1

THE NATION AND WORLD Today City

LOUISIANA FORECAST

RIVER STAGES MISSISSIPPI

Monroe 63/40

Shreveport 61/40

Jackson 67/40

Longview 58/34

Many 61/37

Hattiesburg 75/42

Alexandria 65/39

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

Cairo COMITE

Near Olive

Baton Rouge 71/44 Beaumont 65/42

Port Arthur 66/45

Lafayette

AMITE

Near Darlington Denham Springs Port Vincent

New Orleans 73/49

Lake Charles 67/43

TICKFAW

Montpelier Holden

Houma 75/48

ATCHAFALAYA

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

TIDES HIGH

First FT. LOW

Lake Pontchartrain (Tchefuncte River) 2:34a 0.2 Shell Beach 7:58p 0.7 South Point, Marsh Island 12:02p 0.8 Cypremort Point 3:00p 0.5 Grand Isle (Barataria Pass) 4:12p 0.5 Mississippi River (Southwest Pass) 3:20p 0.6 Wine Island 5:20p 0.6

3:07p 6:37a 2:53a 6:21a 3:42a 2:33a 4:44a

Second FT. LOW

FT.

HIGH

0.0 0.0 0.0 -0.2 -0.1 -0.1 -0.1

--------8:55p 0.9 10:26p 0.6 -------------

FT.

--------2:47p 0.8 5:30p 0.4 -------------

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

Simmesport Melville Krotz Springs Butte La Rose Bayou Sorrel Morgan City

FLOOD STAGE 24-HOUR STAGE CHANGE

34 48 48 35 27 22 17

-4.00 15.10 18.30 6.80 3.70 2.75 2.20

-0.83 +0.04 +0.20 +0.50 +0.20 +0.34 +0.03

40

9.88

-1.34

19

-1.43

none

18 29 8

-1.00 10.07 1.59

-0.01 -0.02 +0.02

13 15

1.59 0.77

none none

47 34 29 20 12 6

6.26 4.19 3.79 2.91 2.60 1.77

+0.16 +0.14 +0.15 +0.11 -0.10 +0.13

Austin Boston Dallas Fairbanks Honolulu Las Vegas Louisville Miami Nashville

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

Sunday

Hi

Lo

W

Hi

Lo

W

City

58 45 56 -2 81 56 59 82 64

38 38 37 -9 68 37 30 69 35

pc r s sn sh s sh s sh

62 44 59 -5 81 60 36 83 43

37 27 39 -37 71 40 27 66 27

pc r s sn sh s c pc s

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

29 84 58 27 31 69 42 36 85 70 53

21 66 40 17 25 54 39 19 62 58 44

sn pc s pc sn pc c c pc s sh

32 84 55 26 34 70 55 30 83 71 59

29 68 40 10 31 54 47 23 66 59 44

c pc pc s c pc r pc pc s s

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

Hi

Today

Sunday

Lo

W

Hi

Lo

W

73 83 44 65 51 75 47 69 80

49 61 40 43 28 47 25 43 64

r pc r s r sh sh s s

60 78 44 71 32 52 40 72 76

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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 Sun. Mon. Tue. Wed. Thu. Fri.

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

Winter storm slams U.K., France Cold snap spreads across Europe

BY DANICA KIRKA and SYLVIE CORBET Associated Press

LONDON — Thousands of homes and businesses across northern France and southern England were without power Friday morning and residents faced widespread travel delays after a storm swept in off the Atlantic, bringing high winds, rain and snow to the region.

The low-pressure system, named Storm Goretti, pummeled the Isles of Scilly overnight, with wind gusts up to 99 mph recorded in the archipelago off the southwestern tip of England. Local government officials reported blocked roads, unstable buildings and power outages that left some people without water.

More than 57,000 were without power across southwestern England, the Midlands and Wales, according to National Grid, which runs the country’s electricity transmission network.

As the storm moved across the United Kingdom, it collided with an existing mass of Arctic air, bringing snow to northern areas and heavy rain to the south.

That extended the misery in northern Scotland, where snowplows have been working overtime to keep roads open after more than about 20 inches of snow fell earlier in the week. More than 250 schools across Scotland were closed on Friday, with some remaining shut for a fifth straight day.

National Rail warned people across the U.K. to check before traveling, because the storm had disrupted services across England, Scotland and Wales. Birmingham Airport, which closed briefly because of snow, said that it had re-

opened with “reduced runway operations.”

The disruptions came after the Met Office, Britain’s national weather service, issued a rare red weather warning — its highest — in southwestern England for Thursday evening.

Red warnings are issued when the forecaster considers it “very likely” that there will be life-threatening conditions.

High wind gust in France Strong winds from Storm Goretti also battered northwestern France on Friday.

No major damage was reported, but some 320,000 homes were still without power at midday, down from 380,000 earlier, national power grid operator Enedis said.

Most of the outages were concentrated in the Normandy region.

France’s national weather service, Météo-France, had issued weather warnings before the storm, urging

residents to remain home.

An overnight wind gust of up to 132 mph was recorded in Gatteville-le-Phare in Normandy.

Regional train services were suspended across northwestern France, with disruptions expected to last at least until Friday afternoon. High-speed rail services were operating, and authorities said they anticipated minimal impact on flights at Paris airports.

Central, Eastern Europe A cold spell was still gripping the broader continent on Friday, particularly in Central and Eastern Europe, where temperatures in some places dropped to doubledigit negatives at night.

Heavy snowfall on Friday morning that hit Prague and western parts of the Czech Republic caused traffic disruptions in the capital and elsewhere. Some flights have been delayed, and others were canceled, at Prague

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By PETR DAVID JOSEK

People cross the medieval Charles Bridge on Friday after a heavy snowfall in Prague, Czech Republic.

Vaclav Havel Airport.

The major D5 highway that leads from Prague to Germany was blocked by trucks at two places near the German border for hours while public transportation in the Czech capital came to a standstill in some parts of the city.

In neighboring Germany, rail operator Deutsche Bahn halted its long-distance rail service for the north of the country stranding thousands of travelers. Many roads and rail connections elsewhere

in the country were also affected by high winds and heavy snowfall. Public bus transportation was canceled in many regions and schools stayed shut in some areas.

Two people died in a headon collision between two cars in Bavaria, when one of the cars skidded, presumably because of the winter weather. In the Upper Palatinate region, a driver was killed when his car veered off the road and crashed into a tree, news agency dpa reported.

Judge to block effort to end protections Trial begins for Stanford students for relatives of citizens, green card holders for occupying offices during protest

BY MICHAEL CASEY Associated Press

BOSTON — A federal judge said Friday that she expects to temporarily block efforts by the Trump administration to end a program that offered temporary legal protections for more than 10,000 family members of citizens and green card holders.

U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani said at a hearing that she planned to issue a temporary restraining order but did not say when it would be issued. This case is part of a broader effort by the administration to end temporary legal protection for numerous groups and comes just over a week since another judge ruled that hundreds of people from South Sudan may live and work in the United States legally.

“The government, having invited people to apply, is

now laying traps between those people and getting the green card,” Justin Cox, an attorney who works with Justice Action Center and who argued the case for the plaintiffs, said. “That is incredibly inequitable.”

This case involved a program called Family Reunification Parole, or FRP, and impacts people from Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti and Honduras. Most of them are set to lose their legal protections, which were put in place during the Biden administration,

by Jan. 14. The Department of Homeland Security terminated protections late last year.

The case involves five plaintiffs but lawyers are seeking to have any ruling cover everyone that is part of the program.

“Although in a temporary status, these parolees did

not come temporarily; they came to get a jump-start on their new lives in the United States, typically bringing immediate family members with them,” plaintiffs wrote in their motion. “Since they arrived, FRP parolees have gotten employment authorization documents, jobs, and enrolled their kids in school.”

The government, in its brief and in court, argued Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has the authority to terminate any parole program and gave adequate notice by publishing the termination in the federal registry. It also argued that the program’s termination was necessary on national security grounds because the people had not been property vetted. It also said resources to maintain this program would be better used in other immigration programs.

BY OLGA R. RODRIGUEZ Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO — A trial began Friday for five current and former Stanford University students who occupied the university president’s offices during a pro-Palestinian protest in 2024 — in a rare instance of demonstrators facing trial for actions from the wave of campus protests that year.

Authorities initially arrested and charged 12 people after demonstrators barricaded themselves inside the president and provost’s offices for several hours on June 5, 2024, the last day of spring classes at the university in California’s Silicon Valley.

One defendant, a 21-yearold man, pleaded no contest under an agreement that

allows eligible youth to have their cases dismissed and records sealed if they successfully complete probation. He testified for the prosecution that led to the grand jury indictment in October of the 11 others on felony vandalism and felony conspiracy to trespass charges.

Six of the 11 accepted pretrial plea deals or diversion programs, while the five on trial pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Prosecutors accused the demonstrators of spraypainting on the building, breaking windows and furniture, disabling security cameras and splattering a red liquid described as fake blood on items throughout the offices. The university is seeking $329,000 in restitution.

Avi Singh, an attorney

representing Stanford student Germán González, said González decided to exercise his right to a jury trial.

“Germán González and the other four defendants are exercising their constitutional right to have a jury trial, and demand the district attorney prove everything that is required for a conviction,” including whether they planned to trespass and what their intent was, he said.

Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen said last year when announcing his decision to charge the group that the protesters went too far when they damaged the building.

“Speech is protected by the First Amendment. Vandalism is prosecuted under the penal code,” he said.

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‘Our hearts are broken’ Tributes pour in for 3 killed in Johnston Street crash

BY ASHLEY WHITE Staff writer

Tributes have poured in for the three people who died in a multicar crash early Tuesday morning on Johnston Street in Lafayette.

Cherita Washington, 36, her daughter Chase Washington, 17, both of Duson, and Joseph Prejean, 21, of Lafayette, died in the crash, according to the Lafayette Police

Department.

Wa s h i n g t o n ’s car was stopped at 5:15 a.m. at a red light on East Broussard Road, waiting to turn right onto JohnCherita ston Street, when Washington Prejean’s car hit the back of Washington’s car, according to the police department.

Prejean’s car continued traveling through the intersection and hit a wooden electrical pole.

Washington’s car was pushed into a Chase third car that was Washington stopped on Johnston Street, waiting to turn left onto East Broussard Road. The

driver of the third vehicle suffered minor to moderate injuries.

Chase Washington was a student at Lafayette High School and previously attended Comeaux High, Superintendent Francis Touchet Jr. said during Thursday night’s School Board meeting. She also attended classes at the W.D. and Mary Barker Career Center.

He asked that people remember her and her family during the meeting’s moment of silence.

Touchet said the school system was doing everything it could to

help her siblings.

Officials at South Louisiana Community College issued a statement Thursday about the death of Cherita Washington, “who spent part of her academic journey with us at South Louisiana Community College before continuing her education elsewhere. She is part of the SoLAcc alumni family, and her loss is felt within our community.

“Our hearts are with Cherita’s family, friends, classmates, and

ä See TRIBUTES, page 2B

RAIN TOLERANCE

STAFF PHOTO By BRAD KEMP

Randel Bird runs in the rain at Girard Park in Lafayette on Friday. Going into the weekend, cooler and drier air will settle into Acadiana through early next week.

Breaux Bridge man faces more sex abuse counts A Breaux Bridge man facing multiple child and animal sex abuse charges was rearrested Wednesday on two new felony counts, according to Louisiana AtCRIME torney General Liz BLOTTER Murrill.

Kerwin Paul Advocate Theriot, 56, is bestaff ing held at the St. reports Martin Parish jail on one count of production of child sex abuse materials under age 13 and one count of indecent behavior with juveniles.

He was arrested after Louisiana Bureau of Investigation agents received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, according to a release from Murrill’s office.

LBI first arrested Theriot in March on 26 felony counts related to child and animal sex abuse crimes, Murrill said. The new arrest comes after new evidence surfaced, Murrill said in a release.

Theriot’s arrest was a result of a joint investigation between the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation Cyber Crime Unit, the St. Martin Parish Sheriff’s Office and

ä See BLOTTER, page 2B

LSU to break ground on new library $154M project aims for 2027 start

BY HALEY MILLER Staff writer

Utility work is kicking off for the construction of a long-awaited, $154 million library on the LSU campus, but students still have a few years to go before they’ll be able to hit the books in the new space.

According to Paul Favaloro, executive director of planning, design and construction, the plan is to break ground in spring 2027, with doors opening in fall RENDERING PROVIDED By LSU PLANNING/DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION 2029. The new building will sit at the corner of Field House Drive A mock-up displays the new LSU Library. The project to build a new and South Stadium Drive and library on the LSU campus is moving steadily along, but students still replace the LSU Main Library, have a few years to go before they can hit the books in the new space. formerly known as Middleton

Library.

The project aligns with LSU’s increasingly southward orientation and will create a “hub for student engagement,” Favaloro said.

“The library location was in a place that was considered more centric to the university, but now with our master plan, things are moving toward the south,” Favaloro said. “This repositions that library to a better location.”

The new library will be 198,000 square feet and contain three levels. It will be able to hold between 1.6 million and 2 million books and media.

In addition to publications, the library will house a cafe and numerous student support services. LSU is striving to build the

ä See LIBRARY, page 2B

FMOL Health, Orion Lab enter joint venture Providers to expand lab services

BY IANNE SALVOSA Staff writer

Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health and Orion Laboratories are launching a partnership this year to expand access to lab services for patients and providers statewide.

The joint venture will bring Orion’s Baton Rouge-based services, like test ordering and re-

sults delivery, to FMOL Health’s system, which serves Acadiana, the Baton Rouge area, the northshore and northeast Louisiana, making testing more convenient for the hospitals. FMOL Health also serves Jackson, Mississippi, but the partnership will not extend to non-Louisiana facilities.

The system will hire about 50 employees to meet the needs of the partnership. A FMOL spokesperson said the system cannot release details on what the partnership will look like because it is in its early stages.

FMOL Health currently provides lab testing services through Labcorp and the joint venture with Orion will expand options for patients and providers. The partnership will start this year and will gradually take effect throughout FMOL Health locations in the state.

“At FMOL Health, we believe that investing in partnerships with other innovative local healthcare leaders like Orion Laboratories strengthens our ability to serve patients across the region,” said E.J. Kuiper,

the president and CEO of FMOL Health, in a release. “Together, we are privileged to offer additional options that will ultimately make it easier for our patients and providers to access high-quality lab services, right here at home.”

Orion Laboratories provides testing from cardiology to women’s health for hospitals, government agencies, health systems and physicians. It is headquartered in Baton Rouge, with an

ä See SERVICES, page 2B

2B ● Saturday, January 10, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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Human remains found near Bogalusa

is in custody at the pened Dec. 29.

Later, Provost’s son told Could be missing who Washington Parish jail after Online jail records show family that his father was acbeing booked Dec. 30 in con- Provost Jr., 47, was booked tually in a nursing home on man, Washington nection with an unrelated with second-degree murder the Mississippi Gulf Coast, Parish Sheriff’s homicide. and two counts of contempt but didn’t know where the The Sheriff’s Office re- of court. His bail has been nursing home was. That apOffice says ported earlier this week that set at $2 million, the jail re- pears not to have been true,

BY WILLIE SWETT Staff writer

The Washington Parish Sheriff’s Office said human remains were found near Bogalusa late Thursday night, and although investigators believe they know the identity of the person, the level of decomposition means it will take longer to make a positive ID. The Sheriff’s Office said in a news release Friday that the remains are thought to be those of Carley Donald Provost Sr., based on information from Provost’s son,

Provost Sr., 78, was missing and had last been seen in public in June 2025. The Sheriff’s Office was seeking the public’s help to find Provost Sr. The Sheriff’s Office says it is working with the Washington Parish Coroner’s Office and the Louisiana State Police Crime Lab to identify the remains and determine a cause and manner of death.

Carley Provost Sr.’s son, Carley Provost Jr., has been in custody in the Washington Parish Jail since the end of last month after being arrested in a fatal shooting near Bogalusa that hap-

cords show.

The investigation is ongoing, but as of right now, the Sheriff’s Office does not believe the fatal shooting and the human remains to be connected, Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Lindsay Miller said.

The man killed in the December shooting has been identified as Reno Miley, 27, Miller said.

Darryl Smith, the nephew of Provost Sr., said that approximately 18 months ago Provost’s son decided to take his father out of a nursing home and take care of him himself.

Smith said.

After Provost Jr.’s arrest, the family urgently tried to locate his father, Smith said.

The son was originally not cooperating at all, but has since shared some information with investigators, Miller said. She said the remains were found on a property off North Jones Road.

“I feel blessed that they found his body so quickly so the family can start with the closure process,” said Smith.

Email Willie Swett at willie.swett@theadvocate. com.

Amtrak adds new car for Gulf Coast line More riders expected for Carnival season

BY POET WOLFE Staff writer

Amtrak is adding a train car to its route between New Orleans and Mobile, Alabama, for the 2026 Mardi Gras season, an expansion reflecting sustained demand across the Gulf Coast.

The coach car, which includes about 72 more seats, was added to trains 23 and 26 on Friday, and the increased capacity will remain in place through Feb. 23, six days after Fat Tuesday marks the end of Car-

LIBRARY

Continued from page 1B “modern library,” Favaloro said.

“Libraries are evolving in how they’re being used,” Favaloro said. “The library will also have more centralized student services.”

The project will be funded through a mix of state and donor funds. The LSU Foundation has set a $35 million fundraising goal, with nearly $12 million contributed to date, according to a foundation spokesperson.

What’s next?

The former Middleton Library, built in 1958, will continue to be operational until the new building opens, Favaloro said. He

BLOTTER

Continued from page 1B Homeland Security Investigations.

He is awaiting a bond hearing.

Victim ID’d in Ville Platte shooting A shooting that occurred Wednesday afternoon involving an Evangeline Parish Sheriff’s deputy led to the death of 24-year-old Dylan Savoie.

The preliminary investigation revealed a deputy observed Savoie riding a four-wheeler on the roadway and attempted to conduct a traffic stop, but Savoie failed to stop, leading to a brief pursuit.

While in the 2500 block of Ivy Road, the four-wheeler entered a ditch and Savoie then fled on foot into a nearby field as deputies pursued him on foot, police said.

During the foot pursuit,

SERVICES

Continued from page 1B office on Corporate Boulevard, and is the largest independent lab in Louisiana.

“For the past eight years,

nival, according to the tourism group Visit Mobile. The seat count was confirmed

by Knox Ross, chairman of the Southern Rail Commission.

Train 23 departs Mobile from New Orleans daily at 6:30 a.m., while train 26 travels from New Orleans to Mobile at 5:31 p.m. The route includes Mississippi stops in Bay St. Louis, Gulfport, Biloxi and Pascagoula.

The expansion underscores the popularity of a revived route that sold out on its first day in August last year. Since then, the Gulf Coast route — christened the Mardi Gras service — has carried passengers more than 46,000

times, a turnout the Southern Rail Commission has called “one of the most successful service launches in Amtrak’s history.”

Between opening day and December 2025, the service carried an average of more than 420 people per day between the two cities.

Demand surged in the fall, when the service added a third car to accommodate football fans traveling to New Orleans for Saints home games, increasing capacity by 60 seats that sold out on multiple weekends. By October, the line had already surpassed its projections, carrying nearly 30,000 passengers by the end of the month.

Beyond ridership figures,

described the building as too costly to justify renovating, with air conditioning, electrical, utility and moisture issues.

“It’s had modernizations here and there, but couple that with today’s library needs and deferred maintenance needs, it would take really a gut renovation to make it meet today’s standards,” Favaloro said.

“It’s more feasible to build a new one.”

The old library will be demolished, opening up the LSU Quad. Favaloro said the arrangement will be more true to the original quad design.

The new space will require a handful of buildings already on the site to be razed, but plans are in place to relocate those departments, Favaloro said.

Electrical engineering, for

example, will be moved to Jesse Coates Hall.

“There’s some relocation and some modern renovations being performed to relocate some of the other buildings that are on the site as well,” Favaloro said. “Those are underway, are getting started this month.”

Project leaders also met this week to kick off utility work. Utility lines will need to be rerouted to prepare the site for construction, Favaloro said.

Mock-ups of the exterior design have been released, though some decisions are still being made.

“The library itself is still in design,” Favaloro said.

“We’re somewhere roughly in the middle of that, getting ready to start the final phase of design in the next week or so.”

deputies deployed their taser in attempt to end the foot pursuit, but it was ineffective. Savoie then produced a firearm and fired toward the deputies, police said. As a result, deputies discharged their service weapons and hit Savoie.

Savoie was taken into custody and immediately received medical aid before being transported by Acadian Ambulance Air Med to Rapides Regional Medical Center with life-threatening injuries, where he succumbed to his injuries.

The two deputies involved in the incident were not injured. This investigation remains ongoing.

Two men were arrested Thursday for their alleged involvement in a robbery that took place in Youngsville early Thursday morning.

Immanuel Bagola, 21, and Cash Bagola, 17, both

of Crowley, were apprehended in a motel in Lafayette and charged with armed robbery, according to the Youngsville Police Department. Both individuals are currently being held in Lafayette Correctional Center. Police anticipate additional arrests, as the initial investigation identified three suspects.

According to Youngsville Police, three individuals entered the Circle K near the traffic circle at Fortune Road and Youngsville Highway with a handgun and demanded money from the register before fleeing the scene in a white passenger vehicle.

Investigations are currently ongoing and being conducted by YPD in conjunction with the Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office, the Lafayette Police Department and the Real Time Crime Center.

Anyone with information relating to the case is encouraged to contact the Youngsville Police Department.

our team has built a reputation for diagnostic accuracy and responsiveness to the clinicians we serve,” David Slaughter, the CEO and co-founder of Orion Laboratories, said in the release. “Partnering with FMOL Health allows us

to scale those capabilities across a broader network — expanding access to coordinated testing, supporting reliable operations and continuing to invest in Louisiana’s laboratory workforce and healthcare infrastructure.”

Two arrested in Youngsville robbery

the route has also received strong feedback from customers, according to David Clark, president and CEO of Visit Mobile. Amtrak data appears to reflect that sentiment, with 96% of customers reporting they were “extremely satisfied” with the service.

“This route is currently earning the highest ratings in customer satisfaction of any of Amtrak’s lines in the entire United States,” Clark said in a statement, “And we are thrilled to share the Mardi Gras spirit with even more people.”

Amtrak had projected about 71,000 passengers in the line’s first year. The company now expects roughly twice that number.

TRIBUTES

Continued from page 1B all who loved her during this incredibly difficult time,” officials wrote. We extend our deepest condolences and hold them in our thoughts.”

Yolanda Washington, a family member of Cherita and Chase Washington, told KATC that “our hearts are broken and our minds are overwhelmed.”

Funeral services have been set for Cherita and Chase Washington on Jan. 12 at Williams Funeral Home in Opelousas.

Prejean was a “deeply passionate individual whose interests brought him genuine joy and connection to others,” family wrote in his obituary. He liked video games, watching anime and immersing himself in the worlds and stories he cherished.

“Though often quiet, Joseph had a quick-witted sense of humor that surfaced at just the right moments, leaving a lasting impression on those around him,” his family wrote.

Funeral services will be held Jan. 17 at Martin and Castille’s southside location.

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Funerals Today Carter, LaRhonda

Zion Travelers Baptist Church in New Roads, Louisiana at 11am.

Cline, Robert

La Chapelle de Martin & Castille, 330 St. Landry Street in Lafayette, at 2 p.m.

Judice, Shirley

Fountain Memorial Funeral Home at 11am.

Zehnder, James

Holy Cross Catholic Church in Lafayette at 1 p.m.

Obituaries Cline, Robert 'Roddy'

Funeral services will be held on Saturday, January 10, 2026, at 2:00 pm in La Chapelle de Martin & Castille in Lafayette for Robert "Roddy" Thomas Cline, age 83, who passed away on Tuesday, January 6, 2026, at his residence in Scott.

The family requests that visitation be observed in Martin & Castille's DOWNTOWN location on Saturday, January 10, 2026, from 10:00 am until time of services.

Pastor Todd Menard will conduct the funeral.

Interment will be held in St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery #2 in Rayne.

Survivors include his beloved wife of eighteen years, Lisa Stelly Cline; two daughters, Paige Cline Faust and her husband, Louis Bill, and Christian Cline and her husband, Yousef; his grandchildren, Cline Carmichael Faust, Rowan Keller Cline, and Adriana Michel Cline; his stepsons, Neil Gonzales and his wife, Jada, and their children and grandchildren, Dylan Gonzales, Mayci Gonzales Higginbotham, Caleb Gonzales, Gunner Gonzales, and Lucy Higginbotham, and Dwayne Gonzales and his wife, Cherelle, and their children, Andrew Gonzales and Layne Gonzales; and his daughter-in-law, Courtney Keller Cline.

He was preceded in death by his first wife of 41 years and the mother of his children, Sherran Ann LeBlanc Cline; his sons, Shane Scott Cline, Todd Thomas Cline, and Parrish Ladd Cline; his mother, Martha Lee Carmichael; his father, Edgar Lassar Cline; his siblings, Madge Cline Sharkey, Edgar Cline, Jr., Raymond LeBlanc, and Randolf LeBlanc.

Roddy was a native of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and a longtime resident of Rayne. Throughout his life, he also lived in Marble Falls, Texas, and most recently in Scott, Louisiana.

He was a man of confidence and distinction, known for his refined manner, steady presence, and

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strong sense of purpose.

Self-employed throughout his career, Roddy was an accomplished attorney and served as a prosecutor for the 15th Judicial District. Beyond the practice of law, he was a successful businessman in manufacturing and the founder, owner, and CEO of Body Masters Sports Industries, Inc. His professional life reflected discipline, leadership, and a commitment to excellence.

Outside of work, Roddy was a true outdoorsman.

He enjoyed hunting and fishing, planting trees, and spending time in nature.

He had a special heart for animals, often rescuing pups and giving them loving homes. He also enjoyed music and valued the simple pleasures found in a well-lived, purposeful life.

A man of faith, Roddy was a member of The Family Life Church in Lafayette. He will be remembered as a devoted professional, a gentleman with a strong yet compassionate spirit, and a man who lived with integrity and intention.

Roddy's legacy is one of leadership, kindness, generosity, and a life well lived.

Pallbearers will be Dylan Gonzales, Alex Higginbotham, Andrew Gonzales, Layne Gonzales, Rowan Cline, and Caleb Gonzales.

The family of Mr. Cline extends their heartfelt appreciation to the team of NSI Hospice, especially Jessica Koski and Tammy Wales, where the family requests memorial contributions be made in memory of Roddy Cline - 337-3478826 - 1009 Camellia Blvd., Lafayette, LA 70508 View the obituary, slideshow, Roddy's song "Behind the Curtain," and guestbook online at www.mourning.com Martin & Castille Funeral Home DOWNTOWN, 330 St. Landry Street, Lafayette, Louisiana 70506, 337-2342311

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Ride-share drivers protest Waymo cars

SAN FRANCISCO — Drivers for Lyft and Uber protested selfdriving Waymo taxis in San Francisco on Friday, urging state regulators to exercise greater oversight of autonomous vehicles, given recent events in which the cars killed pets and blocked traffic.

About two dozen drivers and supporters spoke or held up signs calling for safer streets and greater accountability outside the offices of the California Public Utilities Commission, which met Friday to consider further regulations on autonomous vehicles.

A steady stream of Waymo cars drove past the protest, a testament to the growing ubiquity of the white cars in San Francisco.

Elon Musk’s xAI to build $20 billion data center JACKSON, Miss. — Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company xAI is set to spend $20 billion to build a data center in Southaven, Mississippi, Gov. Tate Reeves announced Thursday, calling it the largest private investment in the state’s history.

The data center, called MACROHARDRR, is being built in Mississippi’s DeSoto County near Memphis, Tennessee. It will be the company’s third data center in the greater Memphis area. xAI CFO Anthony Armstrong said the cluster of data centers will house “the world’s largest supercomputer” with 2 gigawatts of computing power.

The announcement comes as xAI faces scrutiny over its data center projects in the Memphis area. The NAACP and the Southern Environmental Law Center have raised concerns over air pollution generated by xAI’s supercomputer facility located near predominantly Black communities in Memphis.

A petition by the Safe and Sound Coalition, a Southaven group opposing xAI’s developments, calls for shutting down xAI’s operations in the area and has received more than 900 signatures as of Thursday afternoon. xAI did not immediately respond when asked for comment about environmental concerns.

A fact sheet released by the Mississippi governor’s office said environmental responsibility is a “core commitment” for xAI.

GM hit with charges as EV incentives cut General Motors will be hit with charges of about $6 billion as sales of electric vehicles sputter after the U.S. cut tax incentives to buy them and also eased auto emissions standards.

Shares slid almost 3% Friday.

The charges that will be recorded in the fourth quarter follow an announcement in October that the Detroit automaker would take a $1.6 billion charge for the same reason in the previous quarter, with automakers forced to reconsider ambitious plans to convert their fleets to electric power.

The EV tax credit ended in September. The clean vehicle tax credit was worth $7,500 for new EVs and up to $4,000 for used ones.

GM, which had been the most ambitious among all U.S. automakers with plans to replace internal combustion engines, said in its filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission late Thursday that the $6 billion in charges includes noncash impairments and other noncash charges of about $1.8 billion as well as supplier commercial settlements, contract cancellation fees, and other charges of approximately $4.2 billion.

EVs have been considered to be the future of the US automotive industry. GM announced in 2020 that it was going to invest $27 billion in electric and autonomous vehicles over the next five years, a 35% increase over plans made before the pandemic.

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Wall Street rises to records Unemployment rate improves

BY STAN CHOE Associated Press

NEW YORK — U.S. stocks hit records Friday following a mixed report on the U.S. job market, one that may delay another cut to interest rates by the Federal Reserve but does not slam the door on it.

The S&P 500 climbed 0.6% and topped its prior all-time high set earlier in the week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 237 points, or 0.5%, and likewise set a record, while

the Nasdaq composite led the market with a 0.8% gain.

The moves came after the U.S. Labor Department said employers hired fewer workers during December than economists expected, though the unemployment rate improved and was better than expected. It reinforced how the U.S. job market may be in a “low-hire, lowfire” state and may hopefully avoid a recession.

On Wall Street, power company Vistra soared 10.5% to help lead the market after signing a 20-year deal to provide electricity from three of its nuclear plants to Meta Platforms.

Big Tech companies have been sign-

ing a string of such deals to electrify the data centers powering their moves into artificial-intelligence technology.

Oklo jumped 7.9% after saying it also signed a deal with Meta Platforms that will help it secure nuclear fuel and advance its project to build a facility in Pike County, Ohio.

Homebuilders and other companies involved in the housing market were strong in their first trading after President Donald Trump announced a plan to lower mortgage rates. Trump on late Thursday called for the purchase of $200 billion in mortgage bonds, similar to how the Fed in the past has bought bonds

backed by mortgages to bring down mortgage rates.

Builders FirstSource, a supplier of building products, jumped 12% for one of the biggest gains in the S&P 500 along with Vistra. Among homebuilders, Lennar rallied 8.9%, D.R. Horton climbed 7.8% and PulteGroup rose 7.3%.

WD-40 tumbled 6.6% after reporting a weaker profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected.

Chief Financial Officer Sara Hyzer said the soft numbers were primarily because of timing issues, not weaker demand from end customers, and the company stood by its financial forecasts for the upcoming year.

Unemployment slips to 4.4% Sluggish hiring closes out a frustrating year for job seekers

BY CHRISTOPHER RUGABER

AP economics writer

WASHINGTON — Sluggish December hiring concluded a year of weak employment gains that have frustrated job seekers even though layoffs and unemployment remained low.

Employers added just 50,000 jobs last month, nearly unchanged from a downwardly revised figure of 56,000 in November, the Labor Department said Friday. The unemployment rate slipped to 4.4%, its first decline since June, from 4.5% in November, a figure also revised lower.

The data suggests a reluctance by businesses to add workers even as economic growth has picked up. Many companies hired aggressively after the pandemic and no longer need to fill more jobs. Others have held back due to widespread uncertainty caused by President Donald Trump’s shifting tariff policies, elevated inflation, and the spread of artificial intelligence, which could alter or even replace some jobs.

Still, economists were encouraged by the lower unemployment rate, which had risen in the previous four straight reports. Weakening employment raised alarms at the Federal Reserve, which cut its key interest rate three times last year.

“The labor market looks to have stabilized, but at a slower pace of employment growth,” Blerina Uruci, chief economist at T. Rowe Price, said. “There is no urgency for the Fed to cut rates further, for now.”

Some Federal Reserve officials are concerned that inflation hasn’t improved since 2024 and remains above their target of 2% annual growth. They support keeping rates where they are to combat inflation. Others, however, have grown worried that hiring has nearly ground to a halt and have supported lowering borrowing costs to spur spending and growth.

November’s job gain was revised slightly lower, from 64,000 to 56,000, while October’s now shows a much steeper drop, with a loss of 173,000 positions, down from previous estimates of a 105,000 decline. The government revises the jobs figures as it receives more survey responses from businesses.

Nearly all the jobs added in December were in the health care and restaurant and hotel industries. Health care added 38,500 jobs, while restaurants and hotels gained 47,000. Governments — mostly at the state and local level — added 13,000.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By CHARLIE RIEDEL

Maintenance technician Liz Cardenas replaces a conveyor belt roller at a training area in a Walmart distribution center in Bentonville, Ark. Manufacturing, construction and retail companies all shed jobs. Retailers cut 25,000 positions, a sign that holiday hiring has been weaker than previous years. Manufacturers have shed jobs every month since April, when Trump announced sweeping tariffs intended to boost manufacturing.

Wall Street and Washington are looking closely at Friday’s report as it’s the first clean reading on the labor market in three months.

The government didn’t issue a report in October because of the six-week government shutdown, and November’s data was distorted by the closure, which lasted until Nov. 12.

Job gains have been subdued all year, particularly after April’s “liberation day” tariff announcement by Trump. The economy gained just 584,000 jobs in 2025, sharply lower than that more than 2 million added in 2024. It’s the smallest annual gain since the COVID-19 pandemic decimated the job market in 2020.

Outside of recessions, it’s the smallest annual increase since 2003.

Still, Trump boasted on social media late Thursday that since January, all the new jobs have been in the private sector, while government jobs have declined. Yet his figures included December’s jobs numbers as well as revisions to previous months, which the White House receives Thursday afternoon, before the figures are publicly released.

Trump’s post on Truth Social said that 654,000 jobs were added by businesses since January, while government jobs declined 181,000, so it wouldn’t have been immediately clear that the post had new information from December. But

new jobs data are generally closely guarded since they can move financial markets.

The hiring slowdown reflects more than just a reluctance by companies to add jobs. With an aging population and a sharp drop in immigration, the economy doesn’t need to create as many jobs as it has in the past to keep the unemployment rate steady. As a result, a gain of 50,000 jobs is not as clear a sign of weakness as it would have been in previous years.

And layoffs are still low, a sign firms aren’t rapidly cutting jobs, as typically happens in a recession. The “low-hire, low-fire” job market does mean workers have some job security, though it’s become harder to find new work.

Ernesto Castro, 44, has applied for hundreds of jobs since leaving his last in May. Yet the Los Angeles resident has had just three initial interviews, and only one follow-up, after which he heard nothing.

With nearly a decade of experience providing customer support for software companies, Castro expected to find a new job pretty quickly as in the past.

“It’s been awful,” he said.

He worries that more companies are turning to artificial intelligence to help clients learn to use new software. He hears ads from tech companies that urge companies to slash workers like him in favor of AI. His contacts in the industry say that employees are increasingly reluctant to switch jobs amid all the uncertainty, which means fewer open jobs for others.

He is now looking into starting his own software company, and is also exploring project management roles.

Chatbot restricts image generation after global backlash Elon Musk’s Grok created sexualized deepfakes

BY KELVIN CHAN AP business writer

LONDON — Elon Musk’s AI chatbot Grok is preventing nonpaying users from generating or editing images after a global backlash erupted over sexualized deepfakes of people, but the change has not satisfied authorities in Europe.

The chatbot, which is accessed through Musk’s social media platform X, has in the past few weeks been granting a wave of what researchers say are malicious user requests to modify images, including putting women in bikinis or in

sexually explicit positions.

Researchers have warned that in a few cases, some images appeared to depict children. Governments around the world have condemned the platform and opened investigations.

On Friday, Grok responded to image altering requests with the message: “Image generation and editing are currently limited to paying subscribers. You can subscribe to unlock these features.”

While subscriber numbers for Grok aren’t publicly available, there was a noticeable decline Friday in the number of explicit deepfakes that Grok is now generating compared with just days earlier.

Grok was still granting image requests but only from X users with blue checkmarks given to premium subscriber who pay $8 a month for

features including higher usage limits for the chatbot.

The Associated Press on Friday confirmed Friday afternoon that the image editing tool was still available to free users on the standalone Grok website and app.

An X spokesperson didn’t respond immediately to a request for comment.

The restrictions for users save for paying subscribers did not appear to change the opinions of leaders or regulators in Europe.

“This doesn’t change our fundamental issue. Paid subscription or nonpaid subscription, we don’t want to see such images. It’s as simple as that,” said Thomas Regnier, a spokesman for the European Union’s executive Commission. The Commission had earlier slammed Grok for “illegal” and “appalling”

behavior.

The British government was also unsatisfied.

Grok’s changes are “not a solution,” said Geraint Ellis, a spokesman for British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who on Thursday had threatened unspecified action against X. “In fact, it is insulting to the victims of misogyny and sexual violence,” he said, noting that it shows that X “can move swiftly when it wants to do so.”

“We expect rapid action,” he said, adding that “all options are on the table.”

Starmer, speaking to Greatest Hits radio, had said that X needs to “get their act together and get this material down. We will take action on this because it’s simply not tolerable.”

OPINION

4B ● Saturday, January 10, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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

ANOTHER VIEW

Measuring the country’s populist mood Populism — at least on the campaign trail and across the podcast universe — is on the rise, loud enough to rattle the windows of American politics. But it isn’t new. Versions of it have been around since Andrew Jackson, the Hero of New Orleans, and later Huey Long, Louisiana’s Depressionera firebrand who made “Every Man a King” a rallying cry.

Populism runs on outrage. It sets “the people” against “the elites.” It’s less an ideology than a political style, and it can flourish on both ends of the spectrum.

Today, President Donald Trump has shaped his own brand of populism on the right. It targets the cultural and political establishment as the enemy, including media gateRon keepers, academics, bureaucrats, Hollywood Faucheux moguls, nonprofits, think tanks and politically correct corporations.

Trump casts it in highly personal terms: “They’re not coming after me, they’re coming after you. I’m just standing in their way.”

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani represent populism on the left; they call it “democratic socialism.” They see the concentration of wealth and economic inequality as the central problem.

Their villain is “the oligarchy” — a small class of billionaires and heartless corporations they believe control government.

Sanders puts it this way: “We are moving rapidly away from our democratic heritage into an oligarchic form of society … [with] government of the billionaires, by the billionaires, and for the billionaires.”

Ideology and partisanship aside, how populist are Americans, really? An Economist/YouGov poll offers an answer, and it may surprise you.

Overwhelming majorities of U.S. voters nationwide — 86% and 88% — agree with two core populist beliefs: that “political institutions have been captured by the rich and powerful” and that “elites are out of touch with everyday life.” While these ideas are widely held across demographic groups, Americans 45 and older endorse them to a greater degree than do those 44 and younger.

More than 8 in 10 voters also agree that the “most important decisions in politics happen behind closed doors, without public accountability” — a classic expression of populist distrust — and that “graduating from a top university doesn’t automatically make someone better qualified to govern.” Again, older Americans are more likely to agree.

Another mark of populism is suspicion of expertise: 65% of voters say “the people, not experts or elites, should make most political decisions,” and 64% say “common sense is more important than expert analysis for deciding what the government should do.” Conservatives are much more likely to distrust experts than liberals.

But populism has its limits and internal contradictions.

For example, 60% of voters agree that “complex societal problems need professional, organized government institutions to address them effectively.” Likewise, 59% say that “for many policies, ordinary people lack the information necessary to make good decisions.” In other words: yes, experts can be arrogant and wrong — but no, you don’t necessarily want your neighbor running monetary or foreign policy.

Here’s a populist belief with broad support that’s often thrown out the window: 78% of voters say “leaders who come from ordinary backgrounds better represent people like me.” More than three-fourths of Trump voters agree with this statement, even though Trump’s background is anything but ordinary — an Ivy League education, inherited wealth, hobnobbing with the rich and famous.

That gap is telling. A deep emotional connection with voters can sometimes overshadow a politician’s upper-crust background. Trump, John Kennedy and Franklin Roosevelt — all elite by upbringing — have had that connection. Between them, they won seven presidential elections and lost one. Other politicians with privileged backgrounds, such as Mitt Romney and George H.W. Bush, haven’t had the connection; between them, they won one presidential election and lost four.

Interestingly, a 55% majority of voters believes “bipartisan agreement usually signals that a policy is reasonable and well thought out.” Populism may reject backroom dealing, but voters nevertheless want politicians to work together and find common ground.

Americans are largely populists who are skeptical of concentrated power in the hands of a sheltered few. They want politicians to listen and understand their needs. They want what Lincoln promised: a government of, by and for the people.

But when it comes to governing, even voters with populist instincts still want results and competence. That’s the winning combination for today’s politics.

Ron Faucheux is a nonpartisan political analyst, pollster and writer based in Louisiana.

YOUR VIEWS

AI can’t compare to Santa

Don’t fall for lie that illegal immigrants don’t pay taxes I am writing in response to recent claims suggesting that undocumented immigrants “do not pay taxes.” This is a common misconception. In fact, undocumented immigrants contribute significantly to our federal, state and local tax base. Many pay payroll taxes using Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers or borrowed Social Security numbers. They also pay sales taxes on everyday purchases and property taxes, either directly as homeowners or indirectly through rent. According to the nonpartisan Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, undocumented immigrants pay billions of dollars every year in state and local taxes.

Some argue that undocumented immigrants avoid paying payroll taxes because some work for cash. While this does occur, it is far from the whole story. Millions work regular jobs where taxes are withheld just like anyone else.

And even those paid in cash still pay sales, gas and property taxes through rent. Importantly, many natural-born American citizens also work for cash in fields like

We just returned from a brief Christmas visit with our sons in Shreveport and got around to reading our Christmas newspaper. I quickly spotted the editorial cartoon. It shows a child on Santa’s lap, tugging on his beard and saying, “Just checking to make sure that you’re not an AI scam.”

I can identify.

For over 20 years, I’ve posed as Santa for dozens of schools, hospitals, nursing homes, scout troops and others. I’ve helped raise money for a variety of causes. I’ve proudly been a Santa for the newspaper’s own Doll and Toy Fund giveaway, and I’ve appeared for about a dozen years on Christmas Eve on WWL Radio, answering kids’ last-minute requests.

And I’ve had my (real) beard tugged by curious and challenging kids.

Artificial intelligence is here.

And it’s challenging much of our world. But so far at least, it’s never come up with a way to replace Santa’s lap.

construction, child care, lawn care, food service and home repair. Yet we do not question their value or accuse them of “not contributing.”

Singling out undocumented immigrants for criticism, while ignoring the same practice among citizens, reflects bias rather than fact.

Others ask how children of undocumented immigrants can attend public schools if their parents do not pay taxes. Public education is funded by local property taxes, state income and sales taxes and federal dollars. Undocumented immigrants contribute to all those revenue streams.

It is also worth noting that undocumented immigrants pay into Social Security and Medicare through payroll taxes, yet are not eligible to receive benefits. They help support programs and services that benefit citizens without being allowed to draw from them.

Public debate should be based on accurate information, not assumptions. Undocumented immigrants are part of our tax base.

RUSS WISE LaPlace

KYLE WATERS II Baton Rouge

Central political tension is rights vs. responsibility

Humor is window to our leaders’ souls “Trump does not like satire, obviously.”

This off-the-cuff remark by great cartoonist Walt Handelsman (see Commentary page, “People in Louisiana have a great sense of humor,” published Dec. 19) tells us all we need to know about President Donald Trump.

But do his die-hard supporters get it? Probably not. So let me explain.

Every great leader this country ever had could take a joke. And cartoons making fun of our leaders are as old as the republic. Trump stands alone in being unable to tolerate criticism, much less laugh when the joke is on him. He can

dish it out, but he can’t take it.

At some point, even the dullest people will get bored with Trump’s self-centered blather and constant flow of lies. Reality will sink in when a six-pack of beer costs $15 and a pound of chop meat is $12. Folks will switch the channel and flip the page when it’s about him. They’ll throw away their red MAGA hats and overpriced Trump novelty items. Our wonderful cartoonists, like Walt Handelsman, will be able to make fun of POTUS in the finest tradition of our country. We can all just relax and have fun.

The main difference between Democrats and Republicans is that Democrats enjoy pretty much unrestricted rights free of any individual responsibility, whereas Republicans are saddled with massive responsibility devoid of hardly any rights.

WILLIAM M. FAULKNER Slidell

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SPORTS

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S at u r d ay, J a n u a ry 10, 2026

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Vandy will be tough test for Tigers looking to regroup LSU men tackling SEC matchup with urgency

BY TOYLOY BROWN III

Staff writer

The practice court isn’t the first focus for LSU basketball after games. That would be the film room.

Preparation for coach Matt McMahon’s team usually starts with a rewatch of parts of its last game and clips of the upcoming opponent. Not many playä LSU at ers truly know the value Vanderbilt of film study better than NOON SATURDAy, Pablo Tamba. The graduate student’s journey involves ESPN+ him representing his native Spain in international competition and three other college stops, including junior college, before coming to Baton Rouge.

Following Tuesday’s 78-68 loss to South Carolina, where LSU trailed by as many as 28 points, the 22-year-old starting forward was clear about one of the things he was most looking forward to.

“I can’t wait to go back and watch the film, see kind of what went wrong,” said Tamba, who had 10 points and five rebounds.

Fixing the problems it faced will be essential for LSU (12-3, 0-2 SEC) before a noon

ä See LSU, page 3C

LSU gymnastics team using last season’s success and disappointment as fuel for the pursuit of glory as 2026 season opens on Saturday

LIGHTING A FIRE

BY SCOTT RABALAISB Sports columnist

PHOTO By ROBIN MAy

UL’s Joshua Lewis drives to the basket for two of his 26 points in the Cajuns’ win over UL-Monroe on Thursday at the Cajundome.

UL freshman Lewis shines in victory over Warhawks

BY KEVIN FOOTE Staff writer

For most of the season, the talent of true freshman forward Joshua Lewis was there to see here and there.

In Thursday’s 85-79 victory over UL-Monroe at the Cajundome, it was on full display.

Lewis exploded for a career-high 26 points on 10-of-13 shooting from ä Troy at UL the field in 31 minutes.

NOON SATURDAy, “I just felt great because I know what I can do, obviESPN+ ously,” Lewis said. “I do it every day in practice. My brothers are always around me. They’re always boosting me up and always just telling me to keep going.

“So to finally see it show in the real game on the court is just a blessing, man.”

In addition to his expert shooting, Lewis also added nine rebounds, including four offensive boards.

“A lot of people will get carried away with the 26 points,” UL coach Quannas White said.

“I’m more impressed with the four offensive

ä See CAJUNS, page 3C

The 2026 LSU gymnasts are ready to embody the ancient Greek quote — they’re ready to be a fire to be kindled.

The Tigers’ 2025 season was filled to the brim with accomplishments: Southeastern Conference regular season and championship meet titles, the program’s first-ever No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA championships, plus an individual NCAA vault title for freshman sensation Kailin Chio.

But it was all made somewhat hollow by the fact that LSU, the 2024 NCAA team champion, came up just short of the final, not with a bad performance but with an average one by the program’s lofty standards. ä See GYMNASTICS, page 3C

Saints QB Shough has room to grow in offseason Rookie quarterback looking to improve sack percentage rate

BY MATTHEW PARAS Staff writer

Tyler Shough plans on staying in New Orleans for most of the offseason. The Saints quarterback and his wife are expecting the birth of their son next month. And as a “makeshift New Orleanian,” the 26-year-old is looking forward to his first Mardi Gras.

He even wants to ride on a float, baby permitting.

Shough will take some deserved time off.

But after wrapping up a whirlwind first season, the signal-caller already knows what he wants to work on for Year 2.

“It’s just continual reps of the offense, mastering it, making sure my footwork is AP PHOTO By DANNy KARNIK dialed (in),” Shough said.

Even though he didn’t start for his first Saints quarterback Tyler Shough runs eight games, Shough progressed faster than the ball during the second half of a the Saints expected. The rate of improvegame against the Atlanta Falcons on ment, as well as his overall play, is why the Saints can’t wait to see how the quarterback Sunday in Atlanta.

grows ahead of his second season.

As promising as Shough looked, there are areas he needs to improve. Notably, Shough took 31 sacks — 29 of which came in his nine starts. That rate would have put him on pace to finish with 55 sacks, tying him with Las Vegas’ Geno Smith and Tennessee’s Cam Ward for most in the league.

There’s context behind the volume of Shough’s sacks, of course. The interior of his offensive line was affected by injuries and a trade, and tackles Taliese Fuaga and Kelvin Banks were banged up for smaller stretches. The Saints also found themselves trailing for a good chunk of Shough’s starts, putting them in more obvious passing situations that allowed defensive lines to tee off.

Even Shough’s aggressive play style arguably opens him up for a higher sack rate, which the quarterback is willing to risk because he hit on a number of big plays.

But the quarterback can also do a better job. According to charting from Pro Football Focus, eight of Shough’s 31 sacks were his fault. That’s 25.8%.

ä See SAINTS, page 4C

2C ● Saturday, January 10, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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BROADCAST HIGHLIGHTS On TV MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL 11 a.m. NC State at Florida St. ACCN 11 a.m. Nebraska at Indiana BTN 11 a.m. Boston College at Louisville CW 11 a.m. Tennessee at Florida ESPN 11 a.m. Georgia Tech at Miami ESPN2 11 a.m. VCU at George Mason ESPNU 11 a.m. Kansas at West Virginia FOX 11 a.m. Fordham at St. Bonaventure USA 11:30 a.m.DePaul at UConn TNT noon Wisconsin at Michigan CBS noon Houston at Baylor PEACOCK noon LSU at Vanderbilt SECN 1 p.m.

Syracuse at Pittsburgh ACCN 1 p.m.

Penn St. at Purdue BTN 1 p.m.

SMU at Duke ESPN 1 p.m.

Georgia at South Carolina ESPN2 1 p.m.

Ga. Southern at S.Alabama ESPNU 1 p.m.

St. John’s at Creighton FS1 1 p.m.

Rhode Island at Davidson USA 1:15 p.m. Stanford at Virginia CW 1:30 p.m. Villanova at Marquette TNT 2 p.m.

Loyola of Chicago at GWU CBSSN

2 p.m.

Kansas St. at Arizona St. PEACOCK 2:30 p.m. Oklahoma at Texas A&M SECN 3 p.m.

California at Virginia Tech ACCN 3 p.m.

Arizona at TCU ESPN 3 p.m.

Oklahoma St. at Iowa St. ESPN2 3 p.m.

Jackson St. at Alabama St. ESPNU 3 p.m.

Providence at Xavier FS1 3 p.m.

Saint Louis at La Salle USA 5 p.m.

Wake Forest at North Carolina ACCN 5 p.m.

Arkansas at Auburn ESPN 5 p.m.

Clemson at Notre Dame ESPN2 5 p.m.

N. Iowa at Bradley ESPNU 5 p.m.

Seton Hall at Georgetown FS1 5 p.m.

Missouri at Mississippi SECN 6 p.m.

Texas Tech at Colorado CBSSN 7 p.m.

Texas at Alabama ESPN 7 p.m.

MTSU at New Mexico St. ESPNU 7 p.m.

Maryland at UCLA FOX 7:30 p.m. Mississippi St. at Kentucky SECN 8 p.m.

Utah St. at Boise St. CBSSN 9 p.m.

ByU at Utah ESPN 10 p.m. Fresno St. at San Diego St. CBSSN MEN’S COLLEGE HOCKEY 5 p.m.

Minnesota at Penn St. BTN

IN BRIEF

FROM STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS

WOMEN’S COLLEGE HOCKEY 7:30 p.m. Minnesota St. at Minnesota BTN COLLEGE WRESTLING 3 p.m.

Rutgers at Penn St. BTN CROSS COUNTRY 9 a.m.

World Athletics ChampionshipsCNBC FIGURE SKATING 7 p.m.

Winter Olympic Trials NBC GOLF 9 a.m.

LIV GOLF Promotions FS1 HORSE RACING 2 p.m.

America’s Day at the Races FS2 NBA noon Minnesota at Cleveland PRIME NFL 3:30 p.m. L.A. Rams at Carolina FOX 7 p.m.

Green Bay at Chicago PRIME NHL noon N.y. Rangers at Boston ABC 6 p.m.

Florida at Ottawa NHLN MEN’S SOCCER 9 a.m.

Cardiff City at Leyton Orient CBSSN TENNIS 10 p.m. Auckland-WTA Singles Final TENNIS

Johnson’s grit helped LSU rally Star assures ‘sky is not falling’ for Tigers

BY REED DARCEY Staff writer

Once the fourth quarter rolled around on Thursday, the LSU women’s basketball team found itself in that familiar situation. It held an eight-point lead over Georgia.

The Tigers had similar edges in their first two SEC games. Kentucky trailed by seven at the start of the fourth last Thursday. So did Vanderbilt on Sunday. LSU had gotten control of both contests at those critical junctures, but it wound up losing each time.

“I had kind of put in my head,” Flau’jae Johnson said. “I was like, ‘I’m not letting us lose another lead.’”

Ten minutes later, Johnson had a season-high 25 points, and the No. 12 Tigers (15-2, 1-2 SEC) had their first win over a conference foe this season — a 21-point road victory over the Bulldogs that they can use to lend credence to their belief that the “sky’s not falling” after their first 0-2 start to SEC play under coach Kim Mulkey.

“The sky would be falling if I looked out there,” Mulkey said, “and I didn’t have talent. Then I would be like, ‘Uh oh.’ But no, we’re very talented. We’re just so young and new, and that’s why so much is required of (Johnson) and Mikaylah (Williams). They’re your older players that have been in this system.”

The problem, in the first two games of SEC play, was that Johnson wasn’t giving LSU what it requires of her. Mulkey made a point to note after the loss to the Wildcats that her star senior had grabbed only one rebound. Then she said after the loss to the Commodores that she wished she could’ve used Johnson’s ankle injury as an excuse for why she went scoreless.

Mulkey could not. Johnson just wasn’t herself.

But she was on Thursday, when

BY WILSON ALEXANDER AND KOKI RILEY Staff writers

LSU has signed Tennessee edge rusher Jordan Ross, a former fivestar recruit, as the Tigers continued to address one of their biggest positions of need in the transfer portal, sources confirmed Friday with The Advocate.

Ross, who’s from Birmingham, Alabama, was ranked as the No. 22 overall prospect the third-best Notebook and edge rusher in the 2024 class, according to the 247Sports composite. He played in 22 games over the past two seasons, and he has two more years of eligibility.

Ross earned freshman All-SEC honors after recording three tackles and 1 1/ 2 tackles for loss. He also blocked a punt that he returned for a touchdown. As his playing time increased this past season, he had 23 tackles, 31/ 2 tackles for loss

NEWYORK — NBC’s return to broadcasting Major League Baseball games will start with an openingday doubleheader on March 26.

Reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes of LSU and the Pittsburgh Pirates will face Juan Soto and the New York Mets at noon on NBC and Peacock. At 7 p.m., the two-time defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers will host the Arizona Diamondbacks in the scheduled primetime game for that day.

NBC announced its “Sunday Night Baseball” and “MLB Sunday Leadoff” games on Friday.

The Dodgers, Boston and San Diego will each make four primetime appearances. The Yankees, Philadelphia, Detroit and Seattle will have three appearances apiece.

Chiefs WR Rice accused of domestic violence

DALLAS — The NFL said Thursday it is looking into allegations of domestic violence made on social media by the ex-girlfriend of Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice.

A spokesperson for the league told The Dallas Morning News it will review the matter under its personal conduct policy. In a statement, the Chiefs said they are aware of the allegations and have spoken with the league.

Last year, Rice was sentenced to 30 days in jail and five years of probation following a highspeed crash that injured several people.

The NFL has shown before a willingness to take action on players without formal charges being filed.

PGA drops Mississippi, Napa from schedule

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU guard Flau’jae Johnson drives past Kentucky guard Jordan Obi on Jan. 1 at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. In a win over Georgia, Johnson had a season-high 25 points.

LSU bounced back and beat Georgia. Johnson looked more like the player who first ascended to stardom late in her sophomore season.

The one who cemented her status as one of the top players in the country with an impressive junior year.

Johnson shot 9 of 13 from the field and pulled down four rebounds while assisting two field goals and blocking two others.

She used her footwork to set up mid-range jumpers. Finished difficult layups through contact.

Capped her transition chances and drained her open 3-pointers.

Through three quarters, Johnson had 10 points. Then she converted all five shots she took in the fourth quarter, adding another 15 points to her scoring tally and making sure LSU wouldn’t blow another lead. The senior hasn’t notched that many points since she finished with 28 last year in

an Elite Eight loss to UCLA — the night she nearly willed the Tigers back into the Final Four.

“She needs to continue to lead,” Mulkey said. “She’s not going to score 25 every night. “(Johnson and Williams) just gotta lead us. They can only do so much on that bench over there, but when it gets to game time, you’re the one on that floor, and you’ve got to be the one that takes us over that hump when it’s a tight game.”

LSU isn’t finished playing tight games. It’s still in the thick of the toughest stretch it has encountered across the past five seasons, and it won’t reach the end of the gauntlet until after it faces No. 5 Oklahoma on the road Jan. 18.

Before they can think about the Sooners, the Tigers must first tussle with No. 2 Texas at home on Sunday. The undefeated Longhorns have already beaten No. 3

South Carolina and No. 4 UCLA. They’ll enter their game in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center as the only Division I team with multiple wins over top-five opponents.

LSU still hasn’t beaten an AP top-five SEC team under Mulkey.

Now — because Johnson shook off a slow start, rediscovered her scoring touch and closed out a tight game — it has a chance to use its win over a Georgia as a springboard into its first such victory.

“The sky is not falling,” Johnson said. “We’re going to be OK. It is January. It’s the beginning of January. We got a lot of basketball to play.”

Email Reed Darcey at reed. darcey@theadvocate.com.

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

LSU lands former Vols edge rusher Ross Tigers add two more receivers and a safety

NBC’s return to MLB starts with a doubleheader

and 11/ 2 sacks. On3 ranked him as the No. 41 overall player available in the transfer portal.

LSU needed to find several defensive linemen in the transfer portal without many returning starters or proven depth. It has added Clemson defensive tackle Stephiylan Green, Auburn defensive lineman Malik Blocton and South Carolina edge rusher Jaylen Brown.

Defensive coordinator Blake Baker and his staff may continue to add new players upfront.

Last year, LSU signed three transfer edge rushers all with one more year of eligibility. They played critical roles on an improved defense, but with them gone, LSU has to replace a lot of snaps and production at defensive end.

LSU can bring back promising sophomore Gabriel Reliford, who was part of the rotation until he underwent surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff in September. It has three other defensive ends who have not entered the transfer portal, and it signed four-star edge rusher Trenton Henderson in the 2026 recruiting class.

Tigers add two receivers

Illinois junior wide receiver Malik Elzy and McNeese State wideout Josh Jackson are transferring to LSU, both receivers announced on social media Friday.

Elzy had 16 catches for 213 yards and two touchdowns across three seasons at Illinois. He entered the portal after grabbing seven receptions for 84 yards this past season.

He was a four-star recruit and the No. 4 player in Illinois in the Class of 2023, according to the 247Sports Composite. His lead recruiter at the time was George McDonald, who is now LSU’s wide receivers coach.

Jackson had 20 catches for 258 yards as a redshirt freshman at McNeese this past fall. He attended St. Augustine High and was a three-star recruit and the No. 18 overall player in Louisiana’s 2024 class.

He spent his freshman season redshirting at UAB before transferring to McNeese this season.

The Tigers have added six wideouts from the portal, including Hawaii transfer Jackson Harris, Florida transfer Eugene Wilson, Old Dominion transfer Tre Brown and Kansas State transfer Jayce Brown. LSU has

also received a visit from West Florida wideout Tyree Holloway.

Southern safety lands at LSU Southern starting safety Treylan James is transferring to LSU, he announced on social media on Friday.

The 6-foot-3, 190-pound redshirt sophomore from Baton Rouge will have two years of eligibility remaining.

He entered the transfer portal on Dec. 3, two days after Southern welcomed its new coach, Marshall Faulk. James, who has also played cornerback, spent a season with the Jaguars after starting his career at Prairie View.

Coach Lane Kiffin’s newest addition had 39 total tackles (23 solo), six pass breakups and three tackles for loss in 12 games playing mostly Southwestern Athletic Conference opponents. His six pass deflections were tied for the second most on Southern (2-10, 1-7 SWAC).

James, a former Madison Prep standout, is the 20th player LSU has added out of the transfer portal since the portal opened on Jan. 2, continuing to surpass the Tigers’ total number of transfers from a year ago.

The PGA Tour released its FedEx Cup fall schedule of eight tournaments — one that moves from the spring — but loses two events, including one in Mississippi that began the year before the modern tour began.

The fall will include new tournaments in Asheville, North Carolina, and Austin, Texas.

They replace the Sanderson Farms Championship in Mississippi that had been played every year since 1968, and the Procore Championship in Napa, California, a tournament that dates to the start of the FedEx Cup era in 2007.

The title sponsorship in Mississippi was not renewed, and Sanderson Farms extended its support an additional year for 2025.

Michigan RB Haynes enters the transfer portal

Michigan running back Justice Haynes is returning for another year of college football but not with the Wolverines.

Haynes, in an Instagram post on Friday, announced he is entering his name in the NCAA transfer portal.

His decision comes after Jordan Marshall, who led the Wolverines in rushing last season after Haynes suffered a season-ending foot injury, announced his return.

Five-star running back Savion Hiter is joining Michigan’s running back room, along with Oklahoma transfer Taylor Tatum, who was added this week.

Haynes’ decision comes after several Michigan defensive backs entered their names in the transfer portal in the last two days.

OF Kepler suspended following positive drug test

NEW YORK — Free agent outfielder Max Kepler was suspended for 80 games on Friday following a positive test for a banned performance-enhancing substance in violation of Major League Baseball’s drug program.

Kepler tested positive for Epitrenbolone, a substance that led to a suspension in 2018 for boxer Manuel Charr.

Epitrenbolone is a metabolite of Trenbolone, which is contained in some products used in body-building stores and had been used in products to promote cattle growth.

Kepler is the first player suspended by MLB for the substance since public announcements of the penalty details began in 2005.

There was no immediate comment from the players’ association or his agency.

The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Saturday, January 10, 2026 ● 3C

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LSU

CAJUNS

contest on Saturday against No. 11 Vanderbilt (15-0, 2-0) at Memorial Gymnasium in Nashville, Tennessee. The Commodores are the highest-ranked Southeastern Conference team in the AP Poll and one of six undefeated teams left in the country before Friday’s games.

Before film studying occurred, Tamba and McMahon had a sense of what led to the team’s abysmal start most recently.

Part of why LSU trailed 24-5 after about 6 minutes was because South Carolina’s center made four 3-pointers. Tamba said that South Carolina’s 9-of-9 shooting start was due to an unaggressive mentality. McMahon’s way of saying the same thing was a lack of “urgency.”

“For whatever reason, I didn’t have us ready to go with the activity and urgency you got to play with on the defensive side of the ball,” the fourth-year coach said.

More important than figuring out what caused its SEC home opener disappointment is preventing that issue from recurring on a team that only has one returning player in the rotation, following Jalen Reed’s season-ending Achilles injury.

Luck hasn’t been on LSU’s side when it comes to injuries, as each conference game gains importance by the day.

The Tigers will play arguably their toughest matchup for the rest of the regular season without star point guard Dedan Thomas, who is day-to-day with a lower leg injury he suffered in practice on Jan. 2, the day before the SEC opener, McMahon said.

“He’s made tremendous progress since he suffered the noncontact injury on Friday,” McMahon said. “Really, couldn’t walk the first couple of days.

rebounds that he had.

“I’ve been on him about getting off his rebounds — not just tipping it up, but getting it. I got to give him a lot of credit. I’ve been holding him accountable from Day 1. He’s been going to the offensive glass but not being able to come down with the offensive rebounds, but he got four of them tonight.”

Lewis also made two of UL’s 11 3-pointers.

“I’ve definitely felt like I’ve caught up with the speed of the game and the physicality,” Lewis said. “I feel like that was the two biggest things that I need to catch up with. And just my mindset, going into the game, like knowing when to attack and when to get off the ball … it’s kind of slowing down for me a little bit.”

By no means was Lewis a oneman show in the win, however.

Also playing a huge role was Dariyus Woodson with 17 points on 6-of-6 shooting from the field, along with four rebounds.

“I feel like my coaches and my teammates have really been pushing me,” Woodson said. “I know I’ve been supposed to be doing this for my team, and I haven’t, so I think they’re just pushing me, pushing me, pushing me — never giving up on me.

God just helped me to perform tonight.”

Down 27-23 with 5:18 left in the first half, Woodson delivered a personal six-point run to give UL a 29-28 lead with 3:58 left until halftime.

The senior transfer from North Dakota then nailed a 3-pointer for a 37-34 lead in the first half and it was Woodson’s alley-oop layup off a Jaxon Olvera feed that gave UL its largest lead of the night at Email Kevin Foote at kfoote@ 73-60 with 5:27 left to play. theadvocate.com.

Continued from page 1C

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GYMNASTICS Continued from page 1C

The Tigers have dealt with that hurt and disappointment, storing it until it could serve them this season.

“At the end of the day,” junior Konnor McClain said, “we were SEC champions. We were such an amazing team, but we know we were capable of so much more.”

Starting No. 2 in the preseason coaches’ poll, the Tigers know what more means for them this season, a season that begins Saturday with the Sprouts Farmers Market Collegiate Quad (3 p.m., ABC). LSU will take on No. 1 Oklahoma, No. 4 UCLA and No. 5 Utah, a Daytona 500-like meet at the beginning of the season that could well be a preview of this season’s NCAA final in April.

“We think we have a team that can be in that position again,” LSU coach Jay Clark said. “I’m encouraged by the way they’ve conducted themselves.”

As all college teams do, the Tigers lost some key pieces from 2025, namely two-time NCAA champion and former national gymnast of the year Haleigh Bryant, now an LSU assistant coach, and 2024 Olympian Aleah Finnegan.

For the returning Tigers and the newcomers, the flame still burns.

“The fire dimmed for a little bit,” McClain said. “But over the summer, we came together as a team and we’ve been building this fire.

“We’re ready to light it now.”

Meet four key returning Tigers expected to play key roles in LSU’s quest for more championships in 2026:

Kailin Chio The numbers still boggle the mind. As a freshman, the Henderson, Nevada, native won 23 individual titles, including that NCAA vault crown, earned seven All-American honors and was SEC freshman of the year. By comparison, Bryant, arguably LSU’s best gymnast ever, won 14 individual events as a freshman in 2021 (also including the NCAA vault crown) and six All-American honors.

“She’s just mature beyond her years,” Clark said of Chio, “as a competitor and the way she can speak and articulate her points.

“She seems to have a good head on her shoulders about it. If she does what she’s doing in the gym, it’s going to be amazing.”

Clark has cautioned Chio against trying to outdo herself as a sophomore. She appears to be listening.

“Freshman year,” Chio said, “was very unexpected. Honestly, this year it all stays the same.

Nothing more, nothing less.

“That (2025) is in the past now. I want to keep building off of it, but each year starts fresh.”

Chio competed as an all-arounder in every meet except the NCAA re-

STAFF PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK

LSU forward Robert Miller pressures South Carolina forward Hayden Assemian in the first half of their game on Tuesday at the PMAC. Now, he’s out of the boot, moving around. Just being transparent, I still think he has a little ways to go before he’s able to play basketball again. But he’s anxious to get back. He’s living in the training room 24/7, doing everything in his power to get back to the team.

I wish I could give you a better timeline.”

Thomas’ teammates understand the challenge of missing the SEC assist leader (7.1) and their leading scorer (16.2) for a potential third straight game. However, they are confident in his replacement in the starting lineup: freshman point guard Jalen Reece.

“Huge impact on our team,” Tamba said on Thomas’ absence.

“I think we’re a versatile team as well, and we should be able to deal with that way better than that, you know. We obviously miss DJ and

it would be a different result if we had him. But we work. I mean, Reese, he’s a great point guard for us.”

Reece has 6 points on 3 of 13 shooting, 13 assists and six turnovers in his last two games combined. His next test will be his toughest so far, as he’ll face Vanderbilt point guard Tyler Tanner. The sophomore is averaging 17.1 points on 52.8% shooting overall, 5.6 assists and 2.6 steals per game.

Slowing the Commodores’ star will be a team effort. More important than any scheme or an electric scoring game by an LSU player will be the team’s mindset.

A failure in urgency is how the Tigers guarantee not only a 0-3 start in SEC play but a blowout loss that hurts their analytical case for the NCAA Tournament.

“You can control two things … your attitude and your effort,” White said of Woodson. “That’s the absolute truth. So what happens is when you give great effort and you play hard, good things happen for you. That’s a recipe, not just for a basketball, but for life.

“When you work and you put forth the best, do the best you can and give the best effort that you can, good things happen, and that’s what happened to Dariyus tonight. He played hard, he competed and he got rewarded.”

All told, the Cajuns finished with four double-figure scorers with Dorian Finister turning in another solid game with 16 points, six rebounds and four assists and Olvera scoring 10 points with three assists.

As a team, UL shot 48.5% from the field, got outscored 16-8 at the line and committed 15 turnovers.

Defensively, the Warhawks shot 53.8% from the field for the game, but the Cajuns outrebounded ULM 40-23 and therefore won the second-chance battle 19-6 and the bench points 34-16.

The Cajuns improved to 4-13 overall and 2-3 in Sun Belt play, while UL-Monroe dropped to 3-14 and 0-5. UL will now play at noon Saturday against Troy in the Cajundome.

“I’m proud of our guys,” White said. “We talked about finishing. The last couple of games we haven’t been able to finish down the stretch. We had costly turnovers again tonight, so I’m not proud of that, but we found a way to finish.

“Guys were being more aggressive. They handled the pressure even after turning the ball over in a couple of possessions, so that was good to see. That’ll give guys confidence in going into the next game.”

cally demanding sports, and the first two years of McClain’s LSU career were hampered by injuries.

That included an Achilles tendon tear in May 2024 at a pre-Olympic meet that scuttled her dreams of making the U.S. team.

“I feel like I haven’t reached the level I’m capable of yet in college,” the Las Vegas native said.

“It would be so nice this year to put it all out there and do what I want to do.”

After offseason wrist surgery, McClain said she feels better physically than she has in at least five years. Perhaps even more importantly, she’s happier doing gymnastics than she’s been in years as well.

“This year I really have found the joy in gymnastics,” McClain said. “That was my goal in college.

I’ve got the happy part down. This is the first time I’ve walked into the gym and I feel at peace. These are my best friends, my sisters.

“It’s not, ‘Ugh, I have to go into the gym.’ It’s always like, ‘Finally, I’m at practice.’ ” Clark has noticed the upward STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON trend in McClain’s physical and LSU gymnastics members from left, Kylie Coen, Kailin Chio, Kaliya Lincoln and Konnor McClain pose for a mental well-being. photo on Dec. 15. LSU gymnastics will kick off its season on Saturday at the Sprouts Collegiate Squad.

“Her body is in the best place it’s been,” he said. “If we can keep her healthy, that’s always the ungional final at Penn State when she 2026 LSU gymnastics schedule known. did three events. Arriving as she Saturday Sprouts Collegiate Quad* 3 p.m.

ABC at Georgia 6 p.m.

SEC Network “But she has the potential to be did in a year when collegiate scor- Jan. 16 Kentucky 6:30 p.m.

ESPN2 as impactful a four-eventer as ing was more unpredictable than in Jan. 23 Jan. 30 at Missouri 6 p.m.

ESPN2 we’ve seen.” the past, 41 of Chio’s 59 scores were Feb. 6 Penn State 7:30 p.m.

SECNetwork+ 9.90 or better, including 16 of 9.95 Feb. 13 Auburn 7:45 p.m.

SEC Network Other gymnasts Feb. 20 at Oklahoma 8 p.m.

ESPN2 or better (with one perfect 10).

Alabama 8:30 p.m.

SEC Network “She doesn’t just wow you with Feb. 27 Junior Amari Drayton is expectMarch 1 Podium Challenge# 4 p.m. one thing,” Clark said, “that you’re March 8 ed to be a major contributor to the at Florida 5 p.m.

SEC Network waiting for that one skill. It’s just March 13 Tigers after competing on vault Arkansas 7:30 p.m.

SECNetwork+ March 21 SEC Championships% TBA SEC Network everything she does is so right.” and floor in every meet this past April 3-5 NCAA Regional (PMAC) TBA ESPN+ season. The Tigers also have a big April 16-18 NCAA Championships TBA ESPN/ABC Kylie Coen crop of newcomers, led by junior *-at West Valley City, Utah #-at Raising Cane’s River Center %-at Tulsa, Oklahoma transfer Maddie Ulrich, a threeFrom the time she was a little All times Central time All-American at Denver. girl doing gymnastics back home their routines than Lincoln.

“Maddie will be an all-arounder,” in Bedford, Texas, Coen wanted to to get,” Clark said.

Coen said the Tigers have a close “Of all the athletes I’ve ever Clark said. “Really clean gymnasbe a Tiger.

“My (team) didn’t go for LSU,” bond, something that cuts through coached,” Clark said, “she’s the tics. Hyper competitive. You can Coen said, “They were for Okla- the weekly competition for those most physically explosive and tell when the lights come on, she’ll homa. I was like the turning point precious few 24 routines on vault, quick. Everything she does is just show up.” bars, beam and floor. … bigger. She’s so small and comWashington transfer Emin my gym.”

“Everyone is putting in the work pact, but she’s so powerful. ily Innes, a senior, will likely be She remembers going to watch “Again, health will be the key. So a beam and floor specialist, Clark the Tigers compete in the Metro- every single day,” she said. “When plex Challenge at Texas Woman’s it comes down to it everyone is go- it’s cross your fingers, take your said. Courtney Blackson has come to LSU after sitting out the 2025 University in Denton, pulling for ing to be supportive because we’re vitamins and say your prayers.”

Lincoln said she’s altered her season in “retirement” after four LSU gymnasts like Ashleigh Gnat sisters.” floor and vault routines for this years at Boise State, where she and Jessie Jordan. season and has been working on competed on vault, uneven bars “I was so excited, hoping I would Kaliya Lincoln be here,” Coen said.

After earning alternate status on adding beam to her repertoire, and floor.

Of LSU’s freshman class, Nina After performing three exhibi- the uber-competitive U.S. gymnas- something she didn’t do at all as a tion routines as a freshman, Coen tics team for the 2024 Olympics, freshman because of her shoulder. Ballou is expected to make the big“I’m excited to be showing my gest impact. competed in 13 meets this past Lincoln came to LSU for her 2025 “She has great showmanship on season on balance beam and floor. freshman season as only a shadow dynamic side, getting to compete more than last year,” Lincoln said. three events,” Clark said. “She’ll Now, as a junior, Clark figures the of herself physically.

Though Lincoln was reduced to a be a fan favorite. And (freshman) team will count on Coen to lead on Limited by a shoulder injury, the and off the mat.

Frisco, Texas, native performed spectator’s role by the 2025 NCAA Haley Mustari overcame a pretty “She’s very mature,” he said, just 11 routines on vault and floor championships, like her team- significant knee injury but worked “a caretaker for the team. She’s in nine meets before being shut mates, she’s using this past year’s into the bar lineup and may be on balance beam.” looked to by a lot of her teammates down in early March. Surgery NCAA semifinals as motivation.

“We want to show everyone it was After the Sprouts meet on Satas that person they can rely on. A repaired Lincoln’s shoulder and urday in West Valley City, Utah, pillar of stability.” gave her an entirely new outlook a one-time thing,” Lincoln said.

LSU opens SEC competition FriLSU needs someone who can for 2026. day at Georgia before the Tigers replace former Tiger Sierra Bal“It was definitely hard to decide to Konnor McClain lard in the lead-off spot on beam, cut my season short,” Lincoln said.

Perhaps no gymnast ever came have their home opener Jan. 23 a crucial table-setting position in “But I knew it would give me a bet- to LSU with more impressive cre- against Kentucky. LSU will wrap a tension-invoking event. Clark ter chance to be ready for this year.” dentials than McClain, who won up the home schedule by hosting figures Coen can be that gymnast.

Though just 5-foot-1, few if any the 2022 all-around title at the U.S. an NCAA regional — April 3-5 at the Pete Maravich Assembly Cen“Her level of consistency is so gymnasts on the LSU roster pack Gymnastics Championships. high you know what you’re going so much energy and potential into But hers is one of the most physi- ter — for the first time since 2019.

4C ● Saturday, January 10, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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The NCAA has denies Chambliss’ eligibility waiver

By The Associated Press The NCAA denied Mississippi’s request to extend the eligibility of Trinidad Chambliss on Friday.

The Rebels star quarterback just finished his fifth year of college football in a 31-27 loss to Miami in the College Football Playoff semifinals on Thursday night.

He had planned to return to Ole Miss for one more year if the waiver was approved.

The NCAA said Ole Miss and Ferris State failed to provide adequate medical documentation to back up the request.

Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter said his school will appeal the ruling.

“We are disappointed with today’s announcement by the NCAA and plan to appeal the decision to the Committee level,” Carter said in a social media post, in which he included the flag of Trinidad and Tobago. “Additionally, we will continue to work in conjunction with Trinidad’s representatives in other avenues of support.”

Tom Mars, who is an attorney for Chambliss, said he was disappointed but not surprised by the NCAA’s decision.

“The last time I checked, however, the only score that matters is the one at the end of the fourth quarter,” Mars said.

“I understand that Ole Miss will file an appeal with the NCAA. However, there’s now an opportunity to move this case to a level playing

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By RICK SCUTERI

Mississippi quarterback Trinidad Chambliss throws during the first half of the Fiesta Bowl playoff semifinal game against Miami on Thursday in Glendale, Ariz. field where Trinidad’s rights will be determined by the Mississippi judiciary instead of some bureaucrats in Indianapolis who couldn’t care less about the law or doing the right thing,” Mars said. “Whether to pursue that course of action is a decision only Trinidad and his parents can make.”

After taking a redshirt his first season at Ferris State in 2021-22, Chambliss was held out in his second season for medical reasons.

He played two more seasons at the Division II school, leading the Bulldogs to a national championship before transferring to Ole Miss before the start of this sea-

son. Ole Miss filed the waiver request with the NCAA in November.

Chambliss completed 294 of 445 passes (66.1%) for 3,937 yards with 22 touchdowns and three interceptions for Ole Miss (13-2), which set a school record for wins, including two after making the College Football Playoff for the first time. He

ran for 527 yards and eight more TDs. The NCAA said in its denial statement that approval of such waivers requires schools to submit medical documentation from a treating physician at the time of a student’s incapacitating injury or illness.

“The documents provided by Ole Miss and the student’s prior school include a physician’s note from a December 2022 visit, which stated the student-athlete was ‘doing very well’ since he was seen in August 2022,” the NCAA said. “Additionally, the studentathlete’s prior school indicated it had no documentation on medical treatment, injury reports or medical conditions involving the student-athlete during that time frame and cited ‘developmental needs and our team’s competitive circumstances’ as its reason the student-athlete did not play in the 2022-23 season.”

The NCAA noted that it initially provided a verbal denial on Dec. 8, which was 12 days before Ole Miss beat Tulane at home in the program’s first CFP game.

“To receive a clock extension, a student-athlete must have been denied two seasons of competition for reasons beyond the student’s or school’s control, and a ‘redshirt’ year can be used only once,” the statement reads. “One of the rules being cited publicly (Bylaw 12.6.4.2.2) is not the correct rule for the type of waiver requested by the school.”

SCOREBOARD Odds Sports Betting Line NFL Saturday

FAVORITE LA Rams Green Bay

Sunday

FAVORITE Houston

NBA

Saturday

OPEN TODAY O/U UNDERDOG 10½ 10½ (46) at CAROLINA 1½ 1½ (44½) at CHICAGO

OPEN TODAY O/U UNDERDOG 3 3 (38) at PIT

FAVORITE at CLEVELAND at INDIANA at DETROIT at BOSTON at CHICAGO at UTAH

LINE OFF OFF OFF OFF OFF OFF

O/U (OFF) (OFF) (OFF) (OFF) (OFF) (OFF)

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

Saturday

FAVORITE at MIAMI (FL) at LOUISVILLE VCU at INDIANA Kansas at FLORIDA at UCONN at MICHIGAN at VANDERBILT Houston Georgia at DUKE at PURDUE St. John’s Syracuse at VIRGINIA Villanova at ARIZONA ST at TEXAS A&M at IOWA STATE at VIRGINIA TECH Providence Arizona Clemson Arkansas Missouri at UNC Seton Hall Texas Tech at UCLA at ALABAMA at KENTUCKY BYU

UNDERDOG Minnesota Miami LA Clippers San Antonio Dallas Charlotte

LINE UNDERDOG 12½ Georgia Tech 22½ Boston College 1½ at G. MASON 3½ Nebraska 4½ at W. VIRGINIA 5 Tennessee 19½ DePaul 19 Wisconsin 13½ LSU 4½ at BAYLOR 3½ at S. CAROLINA 12 SMU 22 Penn State 1½ at CREIGHTON 1½ at PITTSBURGH 11½ Stanford 5½ at MARQUETTE 1½ Kansas State 4½ Oklahoma 19 Oklahoma St. 5½ Cal 2½ at XAVIER 7 at TCU 2½ at NOTRE DAME 1½ at AUBURN 1½ at OLE MISS 10 Wake Forest 2½ at GEORGETOWN 5½ at COLORADO 11½ Maryland 13½ Texas 12½ Mississippi St. 14½ at UTAH

NHL

Saturday

Pro basketball

.639 .605 .571 .324

½ 1½ 3 11½

Orlando Miami Atlanta Charlotte Washington

W 21 20 18 13 10

L 17 17 21 25 26

Pct .553 .541 .462 .342 .278

GB — ½ 3½ 8 10

Detroit Cleveland Chicago Milwaukee Indiana

W 28 21 17 16 7

L 9 18 20 21 31

Pct .757 .538 .459 .432 .184

GB — 8 11 12 21½

Central Division

WESTERN CONFERENCE Southwest Division San Antonio Houston Memphis Dallas New Orleans

W 26 22 16 14 8

Northwest Division Oklahoma City Denver Minnesota Portland Utah

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

W 31 25 25 18 13

W 23 22 20 13 8

Thursday’s Games

L 11 12 21 24 31

Pct .703 .647 .432 .368 .205

GB — 2½ 10 12½ 19

L 7 12 13 20 24

Pct .816 .676 .658 .474 .351

GB — 5½ 6 13 17½

L 12 15 18 23 29

Pct .657 .595 .526 .361 .216

GB — 2 4½ 10½ 16

Indiana 114, Charlotte 112 Minnesota 131, Cleveland 122 Utah 116, Dallas 114 Miami at Chicago, ppd

Friday’s Games

New Orleans at Washington, n Philadelphia at Orlando, n Toronto at Boston, n L.A. Clippers at Brooklyn, n Oklahoma City at Memphis, n Atlanta at Denver, n New York at Phoenix, n Houston at Portland, n Sacramento at Golden State, n Milwaukee at L.A. Lakers, n

Saturday’s Games

Minnesota at Cleveland, noon Miami at Indiana, 6 p.m.

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

Dallas at Chicago, 7 p.m.

San Antonio at Boston, 7 p.m.

Charlotte at Utah, 8:30 p.m.

W 24

L 13

Pct .649

Wild-card Playoffs Saturday, Jan. 10

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

Sunday, Jan. 11

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)

Monday, Jan. 12

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

Divisional Playoffs Saturday, Jan. 17 and Sunday, Jan. 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

NBA EASTERN CONFERENCE New York

13 15 15 23

Pro football

FAVORITE LINE UNDERDOG LINE at BOSTON -132 N.Y Rangers +110 at PITTSBURGH -152 Calgary +127 at COLORADO -287 Columbus +231 Dallas -185 at SAN JOSE +153 at MONTREAL -140 Detroit +118 at OTTAWA -112 Florida -107 at BUFFALO -148 Anaheim +124 at TORONTO -169 Vancouver +141 Tampa Bay -149at PHILADELPHIA +124 at CAROLINA -295 Seattle +238 at MINNESOTA -181 N.Y Islanders +151 at NASHVILLE -198 Chicago +164 at EDMONTON -179 Los Angeles +149 at VEGAS -258 St. Louis +210

Atlantic Division

23 23 20 11

Southeast Division

FAVORITE OPEN TODAY O/U UNDERDOG Buffalo 1½ 1 (51½) at JAX at PHILA 3½ 5½ (44½) San Fran at NEW ENG 3½ 3½ (45½) LA Chargers

Monday

Boston Toronto Philadelphia Brooklyn

GB —

SAINTS

Continued from page 1C “I think it’s just a collective thing,” coach Kellen Moore said.

“Does Tyler want to get better?

Absolutely. Can we get better from a protection standpoint, play-calling standpoint? Obviously, there’s plenty of statistical things we can look at, and say, ‘Hey, let’s get better here.’ ” Shough was sacked on 8.7% of his dropbacks, the eighth-highest rate in the league. And while that doesn’t necessarily indicate the quality of a quarterback — New England’s

Conference Championships Sunday, Jan. 25

Drake Maye is an MVP candidate while carrying an 8.7% sack percentage — Shough’s percentage was surprising in part because he did an excellent job in college at avoiding sacks. And in his first year in the NFL, he also showed creativity in making plays outside the pocket and control when stepping up in the pocket when the edges collapsed around him.

Shough’s navigation of the pocket, even with the heavy amount of sacks taken in Year 1, is perhaps a big reason why those numbers could improve next fall. Moore and his staff saw rapid growth from Shough as he navigated the scout team in the lead-up to him becom-

AFC

Louisiana Tech at Liberty, noon Texas at LSU, 2 p.m.

NFC

Hockey

AFC lowest remaining seed at AFC highest remaining seed NFC lowest remaining seed at NFC highest remaining seed

Super Bowl LIX Sunday, Feb. 8 At Santa Clara.

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

College football College Football Playoff Semifinals

Thursday Fiesta Bowl, Glendale, Ariz.

No. 10 Miami 31, No. 6 Ole Miss 27 Friday Peach Bowl, Atlanta No. 1 Indiana vs. No. 5 Oregon, 6:30 p.m. (ESPN)

National Championship

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

FCS glance

National Championship

Monday Frisco, Texas Montana State 35, Illinois State 34

College basketball Men’s state schedule, scores Thursday’s games

Liberty 72, Louisiana Tech 56 UL 85, UL-Monroe 79

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.

Sunday’s games

No games scheduled.

Monday’s games

Grambling at Florida A&M, TBA Southern at Bethune-Cookman, 6 p.m.

UNO at Southeastern, 6 p.m.

Nicholls at McNeese, 6:30 p.m.

Texas-Rio Grande Valley at Northwestern State, 6:30 p.m.

Men’s national scores EAST

St. John Fisher 77, SUNY-Brockport 63

MIDWEST

Miami (OH) 87, Toledo 73 Youngstown State 99, Bryant and Stratton Bobcats (OH) 61

Women’s state schedule Thursday’s games

UL-Monroe 61, UL 51 LSU 80, Georgia 59 Louisiana Tech 65, Delaware 50 UNO 64, Southeastern 63 Southern 61, Bethune-Cookman 50 McNeese 62, Nicholls 51 Northwestern 79, UTRGV 47 Florida A&M 59, Grambling 55

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.

Sunday’s games

ing a starter. Another full offseason, combined with his experience from his rookie year, should help Shough grow even more comfortable.

Coincidentally, the Saints would likely be thrilled if Shough made similar strides to the ones taken by Spencer Rattler last summer.

Rattler initially won the starting job over Shough because of an improved feel for oncoming pressure from his rookie season. When the season began, Rattler dramatically cut down on his sack rate and often made smart decisions with the ball until a string of turnovers in back-to-back games sent him to the bench. Still, Rattler finished

NHL EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division GP 44 45 42 42 43 44 43 43

W 25 26 26 23 21 23 22 20

L OT Pts GF GA 13 6 56 151 144 15 4 56 141 142 13 3 55 146 112 15 4 50 135 131 15 7 49 143 140 19 2 48 141 144 18 3 47 132 140 18 5 45 139 145

GP Carolina 44 N.Y. Islanders 44 Philadelphia 42 Pittsburgh 42 Washington 44 New Jersey 44 N.Y. Rangers 45 Columbus 43

W 27 24 22 21 22 22 20 18

L OT Pts GF GA 14 3 57 152 133 15 5 53 130 122 12 8 52 130 120 12 9 51 139 132 16 6 50 143 129 20 2 46 115 137 19 6 46 118 125 18 7 43 132 147

Montreal Detroit Tampa Bay Buffalo Toronto Boston Florida Ottawa

Metropolitan Division

WESTERN CONFERENCE Central Division

Colorado Dallas Minnesota Utah Nashville Chicago St. Louis Winnipeg

GP 43 44 45 44 43 43 44 42

Pacific Division

W 32 26 26 21 20 18 17 15

L OT Pts GF GA 4 7 71 175 99 10 8 60 153 124 11 8 60 143 121 20 3 45 133 125 19 4 44 122 143 18 7 43 125 137 19 8 42 110 153 22 5 35 121 134

GP W L OT Pts GF GA Vegas 42 19 11 12 50 133 132 Edmonton 44 22 16 6 50 149 148 Seattle 42 20 14 8 48 117 123 San Jose 43 22 18 3 47 136 151 Los Angeles 42 18 14 10 46 114 117 Anaheim 44 21 20 3 45 147 163 Calgary 44 18 22 4 40 114 134 Vancouver 43 16 22 5 37 121 153 NOTE: Two points for a win, one point for overtime loss. Top three teams in each division and two wild cards per conference advance to playoffs.

Thursday’s Games

Detroit 5, Vancouver 1 Boston 4, Calgary 1 Carolina 5, Anaheim 2 Toronto 2, Philadelphia 1, OT Pittsburgh 4, New Jersey 1 Montreal 6, Florida 2 Buffalo 5, N.Y. Rangers 2 Edmonton 4, Winnipeg 3 Nashville 2, N.Y. Islanders 1, SO Colorado 8, Ottawa 2 Minnesota 3, Seattle 2, OT Vegas 5, Columbus 3

Friday’s Games

Los Angeles at Winnipeg, n Washington at Chicago, n St. Louis at Utah, n

Saturday’s Games

N.Y. Rangers at Boston, noon Calgary at Pittsburgh, 2:30 p.m.

Columbus at Colorado, 3 p.m.

Dallas at San Jose, 3 p.m.

Anaheim at Buffalo, 6 p.m.

Detroit at Montreal, 6 p.m.

Florida at Ottawa, 6 p.m.

Seattle at Carolina, 6 p.m.

Tampa Bay at Philadelphia, 6 p.m.

Vancouver at Toronto, 6 p.m.

Chicago at Nashville, 7 p.m.

N.Y. Islanders at Minnesota, 7 p.m.

Los Angeles at Edmonton, 9 p.m.

St. Louis at Vegas, 9 p.m.

Transactions Major League Baseball

MLB — Suspended OF Max Kepler 80 games

the year with a sack rate of 6.5% — much improved over his 8.8% as a rookie.

The Saints, too, could help Shough out by how they go about filling out the roster. A better rushing attack would help Shough avoid as many obvious passing situations as possible. General manager Mickey Loomis acknowledged the interior of the offensive line would be an area the Saints would pay “a lot of attention” to this offseason.

“The number one thing there is we’ve got to stay healthy,” Loomis said. “Erik McCoy is a really good player, but he’s been injured the last few years, so we have to examine that. … How can we correct

for testing positive for a performance enhancing substance.

American League BALTIMORE ORIOLES — Sent OF Will Robertson outright to Norfolk (IL).

NEW YORK YANKEES — Claimed RHP Kaleb Ort off waivers from the Houston Astros.

TEXAS RANGERS — Claimed RHP Zak Kent off waivers from the St. Louis Cardinals.

National League ATLANTA BRAVES — Claimed RHP George Soriano from the Baltimore Orioles.

LOS ANGELES DODGERS — Claimed 3B Ryan Fitzgerald off waivers from the Minnesota Twins.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS — Waived RHP Sauryn Lao. Claimed RHP Paxton Schultz off waivers from the Toronto Blue Jays.

BASKETBALL

National Basketball Association WASHINGTON WIZARDS — Acquired G Trae Young from the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for G CJ McCollum and F Corey Kispert.

FOOTBALL

National Football League CAROLINA PANTHERS — Activated G Robert Hunt from injured reserve.

CLEVELAND BROWNS — Signed P Nik Constantinou and WR Isaiah Wooden to reserve/futures contracts.

MIAMI DOLPHINS — Hired Jon-Eric Sullivan as general manager. Signed DT Keith Cooper Jr., OL Braeden Daniels, TE Cole Turner and OL Carter Warren to reserve/futures contracts. Released DT Simeon Barrow, DB Jack Henderson, TE Chris Myarick, and OT Kadeem Telfort.

PITTSBURGH STEELERS — Designated DT Isaiahh Loudermilk to return from injured reserve.

HOCKEY

National Hockey League CAROLINA HURRICANES — Assigned D Joel Nystrom to Chicago (AHL).

CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS — Recalled D Kevin Korchinski and G Drew Commesso from Rockford (AHL).

DETROIT RED WINGS — Assigned F John Leonard to Grand Rapids (AHL).

NEW JERSEY DEVILS — Waived D Dennis Cholowski.

PHILADELPHIA FLYERS — Placed D Jamie Drysdale on injured reserve. Recalled D Adam Ginning from Lehigh Valley (AHL).

SAN JOSE SHARKS — Assigned F Patrick Giles to San Jose (AHL) TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS — Assigned F Jacob Quillan to Toronto (AHL).

VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS — Recalled G Carl Lindbom from Henderson (AHL).

WASHINGTON CAPITALS — Placed F Tom Wilson on injured reserve. Activated F Aliaksei Protas from injured reserve.

SOCCER

Major League Soccer AUSTIN FC — Signed MF Dani Pereira to a contract extension through the 2027-28 season with an option for 2028-29.

COLUMBUS CREW — Signed G Luke Pruter and MF Zach Zengue to first team contracts.

NASHVILLE SC — Loaned MF Isaiah Jones to Chattanooga FC (MLS NEXT Pro). Signed MF Cristian Espinoza through 2028 with options through June 2029 and the 2029-30 season.

NEW YORK CITY FC — Signed G Mac Learned to a first team contract for the 2026 season, with options for June 2027 and the 2027–2028 and 2028–2029 seasons.

PORTLAND TIMBERS — Acquired $2 million from Inter Miami CF in exchange for MF David Ayala.

SAN DIEGO FC — Signed D Osvald Søe guaranteed through the 2027-28 season with Club options for the 2028-29 and 2029-30 seasons.

SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES — Signed F Cristian Arango to a new contract through December 2027 with club options through June 2028 and the 2028-29 season.

National Women’s Soccer League ORLANDO PRIDE — Acquired $650,000 in intraleague transfer funds from Angel City.

that and not let that happen? Cesar (Ruiz) is a really good player, and yet, we’ve got to get more out of him as well.”

But Shough will focus on his own growth, independent of what moves the Saints make.

“I feel like we’re barely scratching the surface, and there’s so much room to (grow),” Shough said. “That’s the biggest thing — I’m only 26 and I feel like the best, at least at my position, comes into your late 30s. I feel like there’s so much room to grow.

“That’s my job and my focus.”

Email Matthew Paras at matt. paras@theadvocate.com

LIVING

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

|

S at u r d ay, J a n u a ry 10, 2026

5Cn

Terry Robinson FAITH MATTERS

Start the year by watching your words, showing compassion One of my greatest hopes for the new year and beyond is that the church — the true believers and followers of Jesus Christ — will recommit to showing the grace, love and compassion that are true to his teachings.

Sadly, too many believers are increasingly joining the world in clashes over partisan loyalties, ideology, identity and culture. Instead of hiding God’s word in our hearts, many are hiding behind keyboards to spew hatred and division and call names on social media.

Instead of being disciples of Christ, we have become devoted to TV and radio news talk shows, social media influencers and algorithms that cater to our anger, biases and prejudices. Instead of seeing others as our neighbors, brothers or sisters, we see them as outsiders, opponents or “the left” or “the right.”

Few things are as disheartening as seeing fellow believers joining in the harsh Gregory chorus of the world in the name of their gospel truth. What has happened to the gospel of Christ?

Those thoughts profoundly touched my heart after I recently listened to an old sermon

by Joel Gregory, one of the greatest preachers of our time.

To hear Gregory preach is like hearing the voice of God. The baritone orator is a longtime professor at Baylor University and former pastor of First Baptist Church in Dallas.

He has preached to churches and conferences — large or small, Black or White — for more than 50 years.

I first heard him while visiting The Church Without Walls in Houston about five years ago, and I’ve followed him since.

At the 1988 Southern Baptist Convention in San Antonio, Gregory preached a powerful message titled “The Castle and the Wall.” In it, Gregory warned those who were defending orthodoxy with hatred instead of love.

Gregory opened with a story

Brandi Catoire and her uncle John Canatella are co-owners of Coffee Call.

TRADITION LIVES ON

Baton Rouge’s premiere beignet spot turns 50 this year — and they’re ready to celebrate

M

BY MADDIE SCOTT Staff writer

ary “Beignet” Mikell has been a regular at Baton Rouge’s Coffee Call for over 20 years.

“In fact, it’s been dubbed my office,” Mikell said.

“People know I’m there and like to come by. I might get a couple of emails written or a letter written.”

Mikell is one of the many locals who visit the coffee-and-beignet spot routinely. She’s there at least three times a week ordering a café au lait and sometimes a lunch special.

It’s a comfortable place to gather with friends and family, she said.

It’s been a community hub for almost 50 years since first opening its doors in Baton Rouge in 1976 at the now-demolished Village Square Shopping Center, roughly where the College Drive Walmart is.

“The people who come to Coffee Call are nice,” Mikell said.

“Nobody’s in a hurry. Everybody comes to have a good time with their friends, with their family, with folks from out of town.”

On any given day, the College Drive community institution sees couples hover over a plate of beignet fingers, children swing on the front counter’s brass railing and employees survey powdered sug-

ä See MATTERS, page 6C

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.

STAFF PHOTOS By JOHN BALLANCE

Clarence Barber, a 15-year employee of Coffee Call, dusts beignets with powdered sugar. ar-blanketed tables with a rag in hand. Sometimes, somebody will celebrate a birthday and the whole room bursts into song.

And there’s Mikell, sitting at one of the ice cream parlor-style tables, laptop open, sipping coffee and wearing a white paint-splattered jacket resembling powdered sugar. It’s her volunteer jacket when

working at Habitat for Humanity.

After wearing it enough, staff nicknamed her Beignet.

At the heart of the Coffee Call community is founder Vincent Cannatella, who passed away in June, and he remains the most important influence on the business.

ä See CALL, page 6C

Council for a Better Louisiana names 2026 class Staff report Since 1989, Council for a Better Louisiana’s Leadership Louisiana program has equipped community leaders from all job sectors and parishes with knowledge of the state’s top issues, industries and officials. There have been more than 1,600 professionals who have completed the program since its inception.

The goal of Leadership Louisiana is to create more informed and engaged citizens. Past participants include past mayor-president Sharon Weston Broome, senator Bill Cassidy, attorney Mary Terrell Joseph and Monroe mayor Friday Ellis.

This year, the 38th cohort for the 2026 class of Leadership Louisiana includes 52 emerging and established leaders from across

the state, representing sectors such as public service, business, healthcare, education, civic engagement and nonprofit leadership.

Participants will engage in a year-long curriculum, beginning in January and concluding in November. The 2026 class includes: n Thad Angelloz, director of grants and communications, Greater Lafourche Port Commission,

Thibodaux/Cut Off n Lance Armentor, MHA, president and CEO, Opelousas General Health System, Sunset/Opelousas n Abbey Bain, M.Ed., Ph.D., vice chancellor for student engagement, LSUAlexandria, Bunkie/ Alexandria n Elizabeth Bentley-Smith, MS, MA, deputy commissioner for finance

ä See CLASS, page 6C

6C ● Saturday, January 10, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

lll

TODAY IN HISTORY

By The Associated Press

STAFF PHOTO By JOHN BALLANCE

Michelle Miles, an employee of Coffee Call for over 44 years, prepares food for the lunch crowd. Coffee Call sells soups, salads and po-boys.

CALL

Continued from page 5C Vincent Cannatella was known for his acts of community support, whether by feeding hungry families after Hurricane Katrina or hiring formerly incarcerated individuals. Those who work there still speak to the influence his spirit has on the business.

Down memory lane Vincent Cannatella’s wife, Marie Cannatella, is the woman who was there for it all. She describes Coffee Call as a place for tradition, just like the slogan her husband crafted: Start a tradition.

Tradition manifests as babies’ first beignets, wedding celebrations, club meetings and birthdays. “(Vincent Cannatella) wouldn’t have told you this,” she said. “Underneath, he always helped people. We don’t even know who he helped. It was amazing.”

Debbie Cannatella, Vincent and Marie Cannatella’s daughter, currently lives in Kentucky, but she loves her visits back home. She describes Coffee Call as her home base. It’s where she saw her children grow up.

“Watching them learn how to maneuver a beignet for the first time. That’s my favorite,” Debbie Cannatella said.

These days, John Cannatella, the Cannatellas’ son, works with Brandi Catoire, Debbie Cannatella’s daughter, to manage the business.

John Cannatella was just 6 years old when Coffee Call opened. He started helping out at 12, bussing tables for pocket money.

The business provided many first jobs for the family. Hourly wages paid for first cars and other milestones, like John Cannatella’s first bass guitar when he was 16.

Catoire remembers cleaning tables for the first time to make a quick buck (literally, a buck) so she could watch dollar movies at the theater. The 1989-released

MATTERS

Continued from page 5C about Castlereagh, a stunning Irish estate that fell into disrepair. The castle’s sole surviving heir, Lord Londonderry, ordered an agent to build a protective 6-foot stone wall around it to stop the local peasants from scavenging the stones.

A few years later, Lord Londonderry returned to find the wall standing strong but no castle. The agent told Lord Londonderry that the stones for the wall were taken from the castle. As the parable spoke to the convention dealing with internal strife back then, it also speaks to the body of believers and our nation in 2026.

In trying to defend our truth, we can lose our witness and tear down the church.

“There have been, for years, many of us who felt that a wall of orthodoxy had to be built around the Southern Baptist Convention castle,” Gregory said.

“We watched with concern lest the predatory peasants strip our castle of its stone with a theological liberalism, so we built a wall

“Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” was the poster that caught her eye.

John Cannatella and Catoire come in just about every day. They spend a lot of time in the coffee room roasting beans, managing staff and catching up with regulars.

Debbie Cannatella said she’s proud that her daughter co-runs the place, adding that her brother has the same energy her dad had.

She said that if he doesn’t see an elderly customer for a while, he makes some calls to check in on them, just like their dad used to do.

“My brother, John, has definitely inherited that spirit that my dad had,” Debbie said. “He’s certainly continuing on that legacy.”

Secret recipe Coffee Call’s beignet recipe has never changed since Vincent Cannatella developed it when the business opened. The recipe’s continuity was most vulnerable after Hurricane Katrina hit, and the New Orleans facility that pre-mixed the beignet dry mix was flooded, unable to ship the mix for months.

So, the Cannatellas took matters into their own hands.

“We had to literally go into my dad’s safe, where there was a letter that he sent himself back in the ’80s or ’70s,” John said. “It was a handwritten letter of the recipe so he could prove that it was his recipe.”

They grabbed the recipe from the safe, located the ingredients (one of which was a “secret ingredient”) and mixed it themselves — and that’s how Coffee Call survived the aftermath of Katrina.

In addition to serving beignets and coffee, the menu also includes weekday lunch specials from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., including po-boys with house-made bread, hearty chili soup and chicken and sausage gumbo.

has worked there for 45 years, since she was 17 years old in 1982. Her friends worked at Coffee Call at the time, and when she came in for a job interview, she was hired on the spot and started working that same day.

She’s been there ever since.

Miles does a little bit of everything in the business and is half-jokingly described as the staff therapist and recognizes customers’ names and faces even if they haven’t visited in decades.

It’s the family atmosphere that’s made her stay, whether that’s customers celebrating birthdays or children eating their first beignet. These are memories that they come and share at Coffee Call, she said.

“I’m a family person, so I enjoy the family atmosphere, the memories I get the chance to see,” Miles said.

Her favorite memories from the past 45 years all had one thing in common: Vincent Cannatella and how he ran the place. Today, she enjoys working for the new generation of Cannatellas.

“They help you in any kind of way,” Miles said. “They have compassion, patience.”

With a laugh, Catoire said some days are full of more compassion and patience than others, but the time the three have spent together indicates that, by blood or not, they share a family bond.

Mark the calendar

On May 20, Coffee Call is planning an all-day 50th birthday celebration. Once details are fleshed out, they’ll be posted on the Coffee Call Facebook page.

Until then, John Cannatella, Brandi Catoire and the rest of the staff continue to work side by side behind the counter, roasting beans, managing staff and greeting regulars by name. Some mornings are louder than others. Some days require more patience.

The doors still open early.

Powdered sugar still drifts across the tables. And Coffee Longtime staff Call keeps doing what it has Michelle Miles, 61, is re- done for nearly 50 years — ofsponsible for managing the fering a place where people soups and sandwiches. She come back, again and again.

around the castle.”

It’s possible to build the wall and have a castle “if we turn from personal animosity and imitate the kindness and forgiveness of God,” Gregory stressed.

He admits that churches can survive disagreement but not sustained hostility.

Neither can our nation.

Today, in our zeal to defend our rights or politics, we often forget about love, grace, compassion and the word of God. A takeaway from Gregory’s message and what should be our goal, especially as believers, comes from his focus scripture in Ephesians 4:29-32: “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”

Building a wall and keeping a castle begins with consecrating our conversa-

tion, he said, noting that Ephesians 4:29 contains both a prohibition and an admonition.

“The prohibition in the authorized version is very clear: let no, no, no corrupt communication come out of your mouth,” he said.

“The admonition is to speak only those things that build up and edify and minister grace. … Our very words are supposed to be vehicles for the grace of Almighty God. They are supposed to be adorned with grace.”

What a word for all of us to start the year. Watch our words and speech. Watch our tone. Be kind. Forgive.

Have some compassion.

And, most importantly, imitate God. “To imitate God is to be kind,” Gregory said. “We must return to kindness to one another, along with that tenderheartedness, a sweetness that desires not to hurt.”

In 2026, it’s high time that believers imitate God in all that we say and do — in person and online. We can only hope.

For more information, gregoryministries.org.

Contact Terry Robinson at terryrobinson622@gmail. com.

Today is Saturday, Jan. 10, the 10th day of 2026. There are 355 days left in the year.

Today in history: On Jan. 10, 1982, San Francisco 49ers receiver Dwight Clark caught a touchdown pass from Joe Montana with 58 seconds left in the NFC Championship Game; one of the most famous plays in NFL history, “The Catch” led the 49ers to a 28-27 victory over the Dallas Cowboys and a berth in Super Bowl XVI, where they defeated the Cincinnati Bengals for their first Super Bowl victory.

Also on this date: In 1776, Thomas Paine anonymously published his influential pamphlet, “Common Sense,” which argued for American independence from British rule.

In 1860, the Pemberton Mill in Lawrence, Massachusetts, collapsed and caught fire, killing as many

CLASS

Continued from page 5C and administration, Louisiana Board of Regents, Baton Rouge n Pilar Blanco-Eble, Ed.D, MA, vice chancellor for advancement and executive director of the BRCC Foundation, Baton Rouge Community College, Lafayette/ Baton Rouge n Dani Borel, JD, partner, Breazeale Sachse Wilson, Baton Rouge n Brett Brown, senior financial analyst, BRF, Shreveport n Eddie Buttross, MBA, Vice President, Commercial Relationship Manager, First Horizon Bank, Lafayette n David Carter, MBA, MA, principal, Emergent Method, Baton Rouge n Justin Centanni, assessor, Lafayette Parish Assessor’s Office, Lafayette n Steven Ceulemans, D.Sc., MS, president and CEO, Baton Rouge Health District, Baton Rouge n Kalli Christ, CEO, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Acadiana, Lafayette n Hardeman Cordell, president, Central Oil & Supply, Monroe n Lyla Corkern, MA, owner/ CEO, Finding Solace, Cahoun/West Monroe n Martha Crenshaw, JD, general counsel, Roy O Martin, Alexandria n Shannan Cvitanovic, executive director, Friends of New Orleans Public Library, New Orleans n Anna deTiege, MBA, MS, director of innovation capital, LA.IO/Louisiana Innovation, a Division of LED, Metairie/Baton Rouge n Megan Duhon, MBA, director of economic development, One Acadiana, Crowley/Lafayette n Karla Edwards, HR business partner, Sasol, Lake Charles/Westlake n Bobby Fruge, MBA, owner/ founder, Radix, Lafayette

as 145 people.

In 1861, Florida became the third state to secede from the Union prior to the Civil War. In 1863, the London Underground was born when the Metropolitan Railway, the world’s first underground passenger railway, opened to the public with service between Paddington and Farringdon Street.

In 1920, the League of Nations was established as the Treaty of Versailles went into effect.

In 1946, the United Nations convened its first General Assembly session in London with 51 nations represented. The proceedings defined the scope and purpose of the world body.

In 1973, at least 40 workers were killed in an explosion and collapse of a large liquefied natural gas tank that was undergoing routine cleaning and maintenance in the New York City borough of Staten Island.

In 2013, a series of bomb blasts in Pakistan killed

more than 100 people, including dozens who died in a sectarian attack in the southwest city of Quetta.

Hundreds of others were injured.

In 2017, President Barack Obama delivered his farewell address in Chicago, in which the two-term Democrat urged national unity and highlighted achievements of his presidency including the Affordable Care Act. Republican Donald Trump took office days later after a 2016 election in which Trump defeated Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Today’s birthdays: Olympic decathlon gold medalist Bill Toomey is 87. Singer Rod Stewart is 81. Rock singer-musician Donald Fagen (Steely Dan) is 78.

Singer Pat Benatar is 73.

Hall of Fame racing driver and team owner Bobby Rahal is 73. Actor-comedian Jemaine Clement is 52. Actor Sarah Shahi is 46. Business owner Jared Kushner is 45. Actor and singer Reneé Rapp is 26.

n Jill Galmarini, MPA, director of civic initiatives, Community Foundation of Southwest Louisiana, Lake Charles n Kate Griener, Ph.D., senior community affairs advisor, Woodside Energy, Folsom/ Sulphur n Judd Jeansonne, executive director, Volunteer Louisiana — Office of the Lt. Governor, Baton Rouge n Viveca Johnson, MS, owner/ clinical administrator, Forward Moving Counseling Services, Baton Rouge n Chris Joseph, Jr., JD, associate, Adams and Reese, LLP, Prairieville/Baton Rouge n Heather Kleinpeter, director of strategic projects, Corporate Mobile Housing, Baton Rouge/Monroe n Deanna Lafont, MS, parish administrator, Lafourche Parish Government, Thibodaux n Ryan LaGrange, MBA, director of workforce development, LEDA, Broussard/ Lafayette n Matthew Lee, JD, member, Bradley Murchison, Shreveport n Christina Lord, MD, regional medical director for the Office of Public Health, Louisiana Department of Health, Leesville/Alexandria n Justin Marocco, JD, partner, Jones Walker, Baton Rouge n Pamela Matassa, deputy chief administrative officer and communications director, Ascension Parish Government, Baton Rouge/ Gonzales n Samantha McKee, assistant treasurer, Cleco, Pineville n Ethan Melancon, MPA, government affairs director, Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana, Baton Rouge/ New Orleans n Jennifer Messina, vice president of development, Habitat for Humanity St. Tammany West, Mandeville n Kim Montie, executive director, Port of Cameron, Bell City/Cameron n Bailey Morse, JD, chief legal officer, Louisiana Organ Procurement Agency, Man-

deville/Covington n Ana Nanney, D.Ed., MA, vice chancellor for enrollment and student development, Fletcher Technical Community College, Destrehan/ Schriever n James O’Quinn, II, executive director, Louisiana Troopers Association, Mandeville/Baton Rouge n Ryan Page, CMO, Coastal Conservation Association of Louisiana, Houma n Emily Fenet Parker, director of marketing, L’Auberge, Lake Charles n Nga Quinlan, M.Ed., MHA, partner and chief experience officer, Hippo Technologies, Baton Rouge n Paula Shepherd, JD, MBA, executive vice president, Health Plan Operations & Technology, Louisiana Blue, Slaughter/Baton Rouge n Ronald Simpson, director, community engagement and public affairs, Ochsner Health, Mandeville/Covington n Blake Stanfill, MBA, MF, executive vice president and COO, Finance New Orleans, New Orleans n Shannon Warren, MA, campus president, Unitech Training Academy — West Monroe Campus, West Monroe n Jesse Watson, Ph.D, M.Ed, MPA, director of community engagement and partnerships, Discovery Schools, Kenner n Liz Webb Hebert, senior director of business development/city council member, Surgery Partners/Lafayette Consolidated Government, Lafayette n Tifferney White, MBA, CEO, Louisiana Children’s Museum, New Orleans n Matthew Woodard, CPA, CFO, Hunt, Guillot and Associates, Ruston n Tony Zanders, president/ CEO, Nexus Louisiana, founder/CEO, SkillType, Baton Rouge n Kristin Zatta, customer service manager, Entergy, Greenwell Springs/Denham Springs

YEARS

ALL-NEW DRAMAS BEGIN ON LPB SUNDAY SEASON 6 PREMIERE Sunday, January 11 at 7PM

SEASON 6 PREMIERE Sunday, January 11 at 8PM

SERIES PREMIERE Sunday, January 11 at 9PM LPB PASSPORT members can binge all of these programs beginning on premiere night.

This extended streaming benefit is our way of saying “thank you” for supporting LPB.

KLPB 24

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The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Saturday, January 10, 2026 ● 7C

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FrAnK And erneSt

bIG nAte

zItS

zodIAC CAPRICoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Listen carefully. Someone will exaggerate or inflate information or the cost of something to throw you off guard. Be the one to take control and protect your reputation, assets and possessions.

AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Keep a close watch. Focus on domestic improvements and making sure you are on the same page as those you live with or are in proximity to before you move forward with your plans.

PIsCEs (Feb. 20-March 20) Stay away from organizations determined to part you from your money, and avoid entertainment that has hidden costs. Protect your interests, meaningful relationships and long-term plans.

ARIEs (March 21-April 19) Neglecting your domestic duties will cause friction. Stay focused on what's necessary and refuse to let anyone goad you into committing to something you cannot deliver. tAuRus (April 20-May 20) Explore the possibilities. Get in touch with your inner self and consider what you want to pursue. Common sense is necessary if you intend to come out on top.

GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Put some thought into how you want to use your attributes, skills and experience. Focus your energy on motivating others to trust and believe in you.

CAnCER (June 21-July 22) Address emotional issues before someone backs you into a corner. You'll have more leverage

if you are straightforward and relay your concerns to those influenced by your choices.

LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) Live up to your personal commitments and abide by rules and regulations. You'll be subject to scammers and people trying to take advantage of you and your generosity.

VIRGo (Aug. 23-sept. 22) Look for new ways to use your skills. Social events will turn into a platform to test your plans.

Don't overspend on entertainment or let excess and indulgence tempt you.

LIBRA (sept. 23-oct. 23) Take a breather; relax, reflect and give your thoughts a chance to settle. Making the wrong choice can be costly. Use common sense and take it easy until you feel comfortable. sCoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) Draw on your experience to get you moving in the right direction. You have plenty to gain if you take the initiative, start talks and organize plans to bring about positive change. sAGIttARIus (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Be aware of what's happening at home. Question expenses, do your homework and hire only those who offer good references.

Your best alternative is to rely on yourself to do what you can.

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 y

Mother GooSe And GrIMM

SherMAn’S LAGoon FAMILY CIrCUS

dooneSbUrY

8C ● Saturday, January 10, 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 ● Saturday, January 10, 2026 ● 9C

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Bridge

By PHILLIP ALDER In yesterday’s deal, declarer had to take three club finesses with Q-9-3 opposite A-J-10-2. This required running the nine, the lower “high” card, first, so that he could repeat the finesse two more times without needing an extra entry.

I thought that was standard technique — until I saw this deal. South gets to five clubs. West leads the spade king. How should South approach the play?

North might have bid one no-trump, but two clubs was preferable. If South had interest in three no-trump, he could have cue-bid in spades. Also, if South had something like queen-doubleton of spades, he ought to have been the notrump declarer, not North.

South has two losers in the black suits.

So he must find East with both red-suit kings, unlikely as that might seem. And being in the dummy for the last time, declarer has to take three finesses, two in diamonds and one in hearts. How? If South runs the diamond nine, what does he do next? If he leads dummy’s diamond 10, he will be stuck in his hand with the jack. And if he plays the queen, East can cover with the king to put South into his hand.

Instead, declarer must start with dummy’s diamond queen. If East covers, South wins, plays a diamond to dummy’s

garfield

Pearls Before swiNe

hagar the horriBle

nine, and takes the heart finesse. Or, if East plays low, South unblocks his jack, then continues with the diamond nine.

He can take all three finesses and make his contract.

Bridge retains its appeal primarily because you can rarely use the words “always” and “never.” © 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 — soPHoMoRIC: sof-MOR-ik: Immature.

Bizarro

marmaduKe

Average mark 27 words Time limit 55 minutes Can you find 47 or more words in SOPHOMORIC? yEstERDAy’s WoRD — tRAnsIt taint tarn tart tint titan train trait trans tsar rain rani

rant riant anti artist astir saint sari sarin satin sitar snit

stain stair star start stat statin stint stir strain strait stria

loCKhorNs hidato Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

today’s thought “Chasten your son while there is hope, and let not your soul spare for his crying.” Proverbs 19:18

Consistent loving discipline is what every child needs. — G.E. Dean

10C ● Saturday, January 10, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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