The Acadiana Advocate 01-11-2026

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Legal battle will decide desegregation orders’ future Louisiana says decades-old school cases are relics of past

BY PATRICK WALL

Staff writer

STAFF PHOTOS By BRAD BOWIE

Teacher Brittany Bonnet-Taylor, center, stands with her students at Acadian Middle in Lafayette as the 2026 Education All-Stars honorees are surprised at their schools on Thursday.

‘It’s about gratitude’ 15 Lafayette educators named as Education All-Stars finalists 2025-26 EDUCATION ALL-STAR FINALISTS

BY ASHLEY WHITE

Staff writer

The shock and excitement were palpable each time one of the Education All-Stars finalists was surprised on their school’s campus Thursday and Friday.

The 15 finalists from Lafayette Parish public schools were selected for their extraordinary impact on students, campuses and the school system. More than 1,200 nominations were submitted to Love Our Schools, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting the Lafayette Parish School System that’s overseeing the awards.

“Education All-Stars is about more than awards, it’s about gratitude,” said Love Our Schools Executive Director Millicent Nugent. “We are incredibly proud to celebrate these finalists and to recognize the thousands of educators and support staff who fuel our public schools in Lafayette Parish every single day. Their work shapes lives, strengthens our community, and builds our future.”

The finalists will be announced on Feb. 7 during halftime of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette basketball game, which tips off at 3 p.m. Tickets can be purchased online at gofevo.com/ event/Loveourschoolsallstars.

Each finalist was told they were

ä See ALL-STARS, page 5A

HALL OF FAME: ELEMENTARY

n Amy Word, Westside Elementary

n Annette Bodin, Milton Elementary

n Latoya Rideau, Cpl. Michael

Middlebrook Elementary

Teacher Mireille Mouton, right, reacts to her nomination from Tyler Sumerlin at Carencro Middle School.

HALL OF FAME: MIDDLE SCHOOL n Britney Bonnet-Taylor, Acadian Middle School n Steven Poulan, Carencro Middle School n Mireille Mouton, Carencro Middle School HALL OF FAME: HIGH SCHOOL

n Emily Benoit, Ovey Comeaux

High School

n Mason Denux, Ovey

Comeaux High School

Jenny Baudoin, left, presents finalist Mark Mouton with his nomination at Carencro Middle School.

n Sara Mulligan, Southside

High School

BREAKOUT ALL-STAR (teacher with one to three years of experience in the classroom) n Mark Mouton, Carencro Middle School n Harley Dupre, Southside High School n Emily Weber, Edgar Martin Middle School ALL HEART (recognizing support staff)

n Kathryn Twiner, Carencro

Finalist Steven Poulan’s class is interrupted as the 2026 Education All-Stars honoree is surprised.

Bob Lily Elementary

n Wilton Allen, Southside High School

n Ali Cantrell, Milton

Elementary/Middle

The public schools in St. Mary Parish have been under a federal order to desegregate longer than Tia Paul has been alive.

The oversight began in 1965, barring the School Board from sending Black students like Paul’s mother to different schools than White students and requiring it to eliminate the effects of segregation. It continued through Paul’s graduation from Patterson High School in 1995 and remains in place now as her daughter completes her junior year there.

The orders gave Black students access to schools where they had been shut out, including formerly all-White Patterson High, which became 35% Black within several years and is still racially mixed today. They also spurred the board to take other steps, like recruiting more diverse teachers, and empowered families to call in the U.S. Department of Justice, as they did in 2016 when the district sought to close a majority-Black school.

Yet by many measures, the district has become more racially imbalanced, with a larger share of schools that are disproportionately White or Black today than in 1975. Black students are suspended more often than their White peers and are less often referred for gifted and talented screening. Schools with more Black students have fewer certified teachers and more building defects, including moldy ceiling tiles, broken toilets and

ä See FUTURE, page 5A

Project to study crevasses at end of Mississippi River Efforts will test methods of managing breaks

BY MIKE SMITH Staff writer

The Mississippi River runs wilder near its mouth, breaking its banks in locations that provide reminders of its power while posing problems for the country’s management of the mighty waterway.

How best to deal with those problems — spanning shipping, coastal land loss and drinking water — is a growing concern that a new initiative is now set to tackle, with a focus on practical solutions.

A grant from the National Science Foundation will support the effort that will include experts in

ä See CREVASSES, page 9A

King cake’s distinctive style depends on bakery Traditional, filled or donut — flavors abound

tinct from the traditional French “galette des rois” (with a flaky puff pastry and sweet almond filling) thrive on creativity. Dough, icing and some kind of filling are standard — but what you do with that equation is up to you.

BY JOANNA BROWN Some bakeries are known for a Staff writer classic presentation, with a braidWhen it comes to king cake, ed, cinnamon-threaded brioche there are few hard and fast rules. ä See KING CAKE, page 11A Louisiana-style king cakes, dis-

WEATHER HIGH 59 LOW 35 PAGE 6B

Business ......................1E Deaths .........................3B Nation-World ................2A Classified ..................10A Living............................1D Opinion ........................4B Commentary ................5B Metro ...........................1B Sports ..........................1C

ä Acadiana chef offers new twist on king cake tasting. PAGE 1B

From traditional classic French brioche dough to donut-style with innovative flavors, bakeries celebrate cultural fusion with unique variations of king cakes across the state. One thing is certain — the king cake unites Louisiana.

STAFF FILE PHOTO

By DAVID GRUNFELD

101ST yEAR, NO. 195

2A ● Sunday, January 11, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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6 people killed in Miss. rampage

BRIEFS

FROM WIRE REPORTS

Ukrainian drones set fire to Russian oil depot

KYIV, Ukraine — A Ukrainian drone strike sparked a fire at an oil depot in Russia’s southern Volgograd region, officials said Saturday, after Russia launched a powerful hypersonic missile along with drones and other weapons that disrupted Kyiv’s power supply and heating.

There were no immediate reports of casualties, Volgograd Gov. Andrei Bocharov was quoted as saying in a Telegram post published on the channel of the local administration. The post did not specify the damage, but said that people living near the depot may have to be evacuated.

Ukraine’s General Staff said Saturday it had struck the Zhutovskaya oil depot overnight.

In a statement on Telegram, it said the depot is supplying fuel to Russian forces, adding that damage was being assessed.

Ukraine’s long-range drone strikes on Russian energy sites aim to deprive Moscow of the oil export revenue it needs to pursue its full-scale invasion.

Russia wants to cripple the Ukrainian power grid, seeking to deny civilians access to heat, light and running water in what Kyiv officials say is an attempt to “weaponize winter.”

Saturday’s attack came the day after Russia bombarded Ukraine with hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles overnight into Friday, according to Ukrainian officials, 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.

Greenland’s party heads reject U.S. takeover

NUUK, Greenland — Greenland’s party leaders have rejected President Donald Trump’s repeated calls for the U.S. to take control of the island, saying that Greenland’s future must be decided by its people.

“We don’t want to be Americans, we don’t want to be Danes, we want to be Greenlanders,” Greenland Prime Minister JensFrederik Nielsen and four party leaders said in a statement Friday night.

Trump said again on Friday that he would like to make a deal to acquire Greenland, a semiautonomous region that’s part of NATO ally Denmark, “the easy way.” He said that if the U.S. doesn’t own it, then Russia or China will take it over, and the U.S. does not want them as neighbors.

“If we don’t do it the easy way, we’re going to do it the hard way,” Trump said, without explaining what that entailed. The White House said it is considering a range of options, including using military force, to acquire the island.

Greenland’s party leaders reiterated that “Greenland’s future must be decided by the Greenlandic people.”

Va. man pleads not guilty in pipe bomb case

WASHINGTON — A Virginia man has pleaded not guilty to charges accusing him of planting two pipe bombs outside the headquarters of the Democratic and Republican national parties on the eve of the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021.

Brian J. Cole Jr., of Woodbridge, Virginia, entered the plea at a brief hearing on Friday.

He is facing two counts of transporting and attempting to use explosives.

Justice Department prosecutors have said that Cole confessed to placing pipe bombs outside the Republican National Committee and the Democratic National Committee headquarters only hours before a mob of President Donald Trump’s supporters stormed the Capitol.

Cole said he hoped the explosives would detonate and “hoped there would be news about it,” prosecutors wrote in court documents.

After his arrest last month, Cole told investigators that he believed someone needed to “speak up” for people who believed the 2020 election, which Democrat Joe Biden won, was stolen and that he wanted to target the country’s political parties because they were “in charge,” according to prosecutors.

Suspect detained, faces murder counts

By The Associated Press

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JOSE LUIS MAGANA

Demonstrators march Saturday outside the White House in Washington protesting the death of Renee Good, who was fatally shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in Minneapolis.

Anti-ICE protesters assemble across U.S. Demonstrators march after shootings in Minneapolis and Portland, Oregon

BY REBECCA SANTANA Associated Press

MINNEAPOLIS — Thousands of people marched in Minneapolis Saturday to protest the fatal shooting of a woman by a federal immigration officer there and the shooting of two people in Portland, Oregon, as Minnesota leaders urged demonstrators to remain peaceful.

The Minneapolis gathering was one of hundreds of protests planned in towns and cities across the country over the weekend. It came in a city on edge since the killing of Renee Good on Wednesday by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer.

“We’re all living in fear right now,” said Meghan Moore, a mother of two from Minneapolis who joined the protest Saturday. “ICE is creating an environment where nobody feels safe and that’s unacceptable.”

On Friday night, a protest outside a Minneapolis hotel that attracted about 1,000 people turned violent as demonstrators threw ice, snow and rocks at officers, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said Saturday. One officer suffered minor injuries after being struck with a piece of ice, O’Hara said. Twenty-nine people were cited and released, he said.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey stressed that while most protests have been peaceful, those who cause damage to property or put others in danger will be arrested.

He faulted “agitators that are trying to rile up large crowds.”

“This is what Donald Trump wants,” Frey said of the president who has demanded massive immigration enforcement efforts in several U.S. cities. “He wants us to take the bait.”

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz echoed the call for peace.

“Trump sent thousands of armed federal officers into our state, and it took just one day for them to kill someone,” Walz posted on social media. “Now he wants nothing more than to see chaos distract from that horrific action. Don’t give him what he wants.”

Communities unite in frustration The U.S. Department of Homeland Security says its deployment of immigration officers in the Twin Cities is its biggest ever immigration enforcement operation. Trump’s administration has said both shootings were acts of self-defense

against drivers who “weaponized” their vehicles to attack officers.

Connor Maloney said he was attending the Minneapolis protest to support his community and because he’s frustrated with the immigration crackdown.

“Almost daily I see them harassing people,” he said. “It’s just sickening that it’s happening in our community around us.”

He was among thousands of protesters, including children, who braved subfreezing temperatures and a light dusting of snow, carrying handmade signs saying declaring, “De-ICE Minnesota!” and “ICE melts in Minnesota.”

They marched down a street that is home to restaurants and stores where various nationalities and cultures are celebrated in colorful murals.

Steven Eubanks, 51, said he felt compelled to attend a protest in Durham, North Carolina, on Saturday because of the “horrifying” killing in Minneapolis.

“We can’t allow it,” Eubanks said. “We have to stand up.”

Indivisible, a social movement organization that formed to resist the Trump administration, said hundreds of protests were scheduled in Texas, Kansas, New Mexico, Ohio, Florida and other states.

ICE activity across Minneapolis In Minneapolis, a coalition of migrant rights groups organized the demonstration that began in a park about half a mile from the residential neighborhood where the 37-year-old Good was shot on Wednesday.

But the large protest apparently did not deter federal officers from operating in the city.

A couple of miles away, just as the demonstration began, an Associated Press photographer witnessed heavily armed officers — at least one in Border Patrol uniform — approach a person who had been following them. Two of the agents had long guns out when they ordered the person to stop following them, telling him it was his “first and final warning.”

The agents eventually drove onto the interstate without detaining the driver.

Protests held in the neighborhood have been largely peaceful, and in general there has been minimal law enforcement presence, in contrast to the violence that hit Minneapolis in the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd in 2020. Near the airport, some confrontations erupted on Thursday and Friday between smaller groups of protesters and officers guarding the federal building used as a base for the Twin Cities crackdown.

O’Hara said city police officers have responded to calls about cars abandoned because their drivers have been apprehended by immigration enforcement. In one case, a car was left in park and a dog was left inside another.

U.S. launches new retaliatory strikes against IS in Syria

By The Associated Press WASHINGTON — The U.S. has launched another round of retaliatory strikes against the Islamic State in Syria following last month’s ambush that killed two U.S. soldiers and one American civilian interpreter in the country.

The large-scale strikes, conducted by the U.S. alongside partner forces, occurred about 11:30 a.m., according to U.S. Central Command. The strikes hit multiple Islamic State targets across Syria.

Saturday’s strikes are part of a broader operation that is part of President Donald Trump’s response to the deadly IS attack that killed Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar, Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard, and Ayad Mansoor Sakat, the civilian interpreter, in Palmyra last month.

“Our message remains strong: if you harm our warfighters, we will find you and kill you anywhere in the world, no matter how hard you try to evade justice,” U.S. Central Command said in a

statement Saturday.

A day earlier, Syrian officials said their security forces had arrested the military leader of IS’s operations in the Levant.

The U.S. military said Saturday’s strikes were carried out alongside partner forces without specifying which forces had taken part.

The Trump administration is calling the response to the Palmyra attacks Operation Hawkeye Strike. Both Torres-Tovar and Howard were members of the Iowa National Guard.

It launched Dec. 19 with another largescale strike that hit 70 targets across central Syria that had IS infrastructure and weapons.

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces has for years been the U.S.’s main partner in the fight against IS in Syria, but since the ouster of former Syrian President Bashar Assad in December 2024, Washington has increasingly been coordinating with the central government in Damascus.

WEST POINT, Miss. — A 24-yearold Mississippi man killed six people — his father, brother, uncle, 7-year-old cousin, a church pastor and the pastor’s brother — at three locations during a Friday night rampage in a rural area, authorities said.

Daricka M. Moore was arrested at a police roadblock in Cedarbluff just before midnight after dozens of local, state and federal officers flooded the northeast Mississippi area.

Moore was being held without bail Saturday at the Clay County jail in West Point on murder counts and ahead of an expected initial appearance Monday before a judge.

Clay County District Attorney Scott Colom, who said he expects to pursue the death penalty, told The Associated Press that Moore would likely be appointed a public defender at that time.

If charges are upgraded to capital murder before then, Moore will be ineligible for bail under state law.

Clay County Sheriff Eddie Scott said at a Saturday news conference that evidence and witnesses indicate that Moore was the only shooter and no other injuries have been reported.

Investigators were continuing to interview Moore but do not currently know what may have motivated him, he added.

“A situation like this, you’ve got a family member attacking their own family,” Scott said. “Whatever the reason is, we’re hoping that we’ll find out.”

The shootings unfolded in an area of fields, woods and mostly modest homes about 125 miles northeast of Jackson.

Investigators believe Moore first killed his father, 67-year-old Glenn Moore, his brother, 33-yearold Quinton Moore; and his uncle, 55-year-old Willie Ed Guines, at the family’s mo-

THE COMMERCIAL DISPATCH PHOTO By BRADEN SIMMONS

Clay County Sheriff Eddie Scott speaks Saturday during a news conference in West Point, Miss., after fatal Friday night shootings at three locations.

bile home on a dirt road in western Clay County.

The sheriff said Moore then stole his brother’s truck and drove a few miles to a cousin’s house, where he forced his way in and attempted to commit sexual battery. Scott said Moore than put a gun to the head of a 7-year-old girl, whom he declined to identify, and fatally shot her.

“I don’t know what kind of motive you could have to kill a 7-year-old,” he said.

Scott said that according to witnesses, Moore then placed a gun against a younger child’s head, but she was not shot. It was not clear whether he did not pull the trigger or the gun misfired.

“That’s how violent it was,” Scott said.

The mother and a third child were also present, the sheriff said.

Moore then allegedly drove to a small white frame church, the Apostolic Church of The Lord Jesus.

There, Scott said, he broke into a residence, killed the pastor and his brother and stole one of their vehicles.

Scott said the last two victims, the Rev. Barry Bradley and Samuel Bradley, lived most of the time in nearby Columbus but spent weekends on church grounds. Some Moore family members attend the church, Scott said.

Moore was caught at a roadblock at 11:24 p.m. near where the second shooting occurred, Scott said, four and a half hours after the first call came in.

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4A ● Sunday, January 11, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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Mass protests in Iran reach 2-week mark Authorities intensify crackdown

BY JON GAMBRELL Associated Press

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Protests sweeping across Iran reached the two-week mark early Sunday, with the country’s government acknowledging the ongoing demonstrations despite an intensifying crackdown and as the Islamic Republic remains cut off from the rest of the world.

With the internet down in Iran and phone lines cut off, gauging the demonstrations from abroad has grown more difficult. But the death toll in the protests has grown to at least 72 people killed and over 2,300 others detained, according to the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists

IMAGE FROM IRAN STATE TV VIDEO

A man holds a device Friday to document burning vehicles during a night of mass protests in Zanjan, Iran.

News Agency. Iranian state TV is reporting on security force casualties while portraying control over the nation.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has signaled a coming clampdown, despite U.S. warnings. Tehran escalated its threats Saturday, with the Iran’s attorney general, Mohammad Movahedi

Azad, warning that anyone taking part in protests will be considered an “enemy of God,” a death-penalty charge. The statement carried by Iranian state television said even those who “helped rioters” would face the charge.

“Prosecutors must carefully and without delay, by issuing indictments, prepare the

grounds for the trial and decisive confrontation with those who, by betraying the nation and creating insecurity, seek foreign domination over the country,” the statement read. “Proceedings must be conducted without leniency, compassion or indulgence.”

President Donald Trump offered support for the protesters, saying on social media that “Iran is looking at FREEDOM, perhaps like never before. The USA stands ready to help!!!”

The State Department separately warned: “Do not play games with President Trump. When he says he’ll do something, he means it.”

Saturday marked the start of the work week in Iran, but many schools and universities reportedly held online classes, Iranian state TV reported. Internal Iranian government websites are believed to be functioning.

State TV repeatedly played a driving, martial orchestral arrangement from the “Epic of Khorramshahr”

by Iranian composer Majid Entezami, while showing pro-government demonstrations. The song, aired repeatedly during the 12-day war launched by Israel, honors Iran’s 1982 liberation of the city of Khorramshahr during the Iran-Iraq war. It has been used in videos of protesting women cutting away their hair to protest the 2022 death of Mahsa Amini as well.

It also repeatedly aired video of purported protesters shooting at security forces with firearms.

“Field reports indicate that peace prevailed in most cities of the country at night,” a state TV anchor reported Saturday morning. “After a number of armed terrorists attacked public places and set fire to people’s private

property last night, there was no news of any gathering or chaos in Tehran and most provinces last night.”

That was directly contradicted by an online video verified by The Associated Press that showed demonstrations in northern Tehran’s Saadat Abad area, with what appeared to be thousands on the street.

“Death to Khamenei!” a man chanted.

The semiofficial Fars news agency, believed to be close to Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard and one of the few media outlets able to publish to the outside world, released surveillance camera footage of what it said came from demonstrations in Isfahan. In it, a protester appeared to fire a long gun, while others set fires and threw gasoline bombs at what appeared to be a government compound.

Trump pushes 1-year, 10% cap More than Mardi Gras on credit card interest rates throws: LARC’s Beadsn-More creates purpose and opportunity

BY KEN SWEET and SEUNG MIN KIM Associated Press

NEW YORK — Reviving a campaign pledge, President Donald Trump wants a one-year, 10% cap on credit card interest rates, a move that could save Americans tens of billions of dollars but drew immediate opposition from an industry that has been in his corner.

Trump was not clear in his social media post Friday night whether a cap might take effect through executive action or legislation, though one Republican senator said he had spoken with the president and would work on a bill with his “full support.” Trump said he hoped it would be in place Jan. 20, one year after

he took office.

Strong opposition is certain from Wall Street in addition to the credit card companies, which donated heavily to his 2024 campaign and have supported Trump’s secondterm agenda. Banks are making the argument that such a plan would most hurt poor people, at a time of economic concern, by curtailing or eliminating credit lines, driving them to high-cost alternatives like payday loans or pawnshops.

“We will no longer let the American Public be ripped off by Credit Card Companies that are charging Interest Rates of 20 to 30%,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.

Researchers who studied Trump’s campaign pledge

after it was first announced found that Americans would save roughly $100 billion in interest a year if credit card rates were capped at 10%.

The same researchers found that while the credit card industry would take a major hit, it would still be profitable, although credit card rewards and other perks might be scaled back.

About 195 million people in the United States had credit cards in 2024 and were assessed $160 billion in interest charges, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau says. Americans are now carrying more credit card debt than ever, to the tune of about $1.23 trillion, according to figures from the New York Federal Reserve for the third quarter last year.

This article is brought to you by LARC.

The American Red Cross of Louisiana is here all year.

Local support. Local impact.

The American Red Cross in Louisiana

serves 4.65 million residents across all 64 parishes and extends hope to communities across the nation and around the world. When you support your local Red Cross, you make a direct impact in your community.

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The Red Cross is not a government agency. We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that relies on the power of volunteers and the generosity of donors to carry out our humanitarian mission.

Red Cross supporters provide a beacon of hope. From helping during disasters, to providing lifesaving training and supporting military communities, the Red Cross is there when help can’t wait.

Be the help Louisiana needs. redcross.org/louisiana

As Carnival season ramps up across Acadiana, one local bead store is doing much more than supplying parade throws.

Mardi Gras Beads-n-More operates as a LARC Enterprise, creating meaningful jobs and skill-building opportunities for individuals with developmental disabilities while also keeping thousands of donated beads in circulation.

LARC leaders shared more details about the store’soperationsandhowpeopleacrosstheregion can support its work this Mardi Gras.

How does Mardi Gras Beads-n-More benefit individuals with disabilities?

Gainfulemploymentprovidesthemwithmany skills that improve their everyday lives, but most importantly, it gives them a greater purpose in theirlivesandhelpsbuildself-efficacy.Completing work tasks and getting paid to do so helps them build confidence not only in the workplace, but in their personal lives as well. Many individuals on LARC work crews have gone on to move into their own apartments and manage their own finances since gaining employment.

What are some of the main skills that employees learn?

They learn both hard and softskills. Some hard skillsincludecyclecounting,stockreplenishment, order fulfillment and quality control. They also learn soft skills like problem solving, communication, teamwork and time management.

What does a typical work day look like in the store?

Employees begin their work day when the store opens at 9 a.m. The supervisor and individuals have a quick huddle to discuss what needs to be done that day. Their next task is almost just as important – turning on the speakers and taking turns choosing the music that will be played while they work! Then, everyone splits up into their assigned task. Those include measuring and sorting beads, counting and banding beads orseparatingotherparadethrows,suchasstuffed animals, rings, doubloons and other novelty toys.

The current crew has been employed at the store for many years, so each person has their own specialties and duty preferences.

The only days that are slightly different are sanitizing days, where everyone is responsible for individually sanitizing each bead before they are sorted and packaged.

Of course, all of these tasks are put on pause when customers come in so they can assist them.

What are the best ways for customers to purchase beads from the store?

Preordering beads is always encouraged, but

especially preferred during the peak Mardi Gras season of January through March to ensure we can fulfill your order. Anyone who wishes to purchase specialty orders or very large orders is asked to call us at least two weeks in advance with the following information: • Name • Date of event or pickup • Amount of beads needed • Specific color of beads, or if they would like mixed colors • Size of beads Whilepreorderingisrecommended,wealways encourage customers to come in person to the store to meet the individuals who make it such a special place. The store is open 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays.

Our bead sizes range in length from 33 inches to 72 inches. Depending on donations, we carry stuffed animals, specialty beads, trinkets and the ever-popular grab bags.

All proceeds from the store benefit LARC’s Vocational Services Department.

How can people donate beads or other throws to LARC? Donations can be dropped off during LARC’s businesshours:8a.m.to4:30p.m.Mondaythrough Friday. Our offices are at 303 New Hope Road, Building B, Lafayette. Donations can also be made outside of those hours at the same location, in front of the Building B office.

If donors have too many beads to bring themselves,theycancallusandwecanarrangeforthem to be picked up if they live in the Acadiana area.

Beads can be donated in any condition. We are grateful to receive wonderful donations each year from local individuals as well as schools who participate in Operation Bead Collection.

Formoreinformation,visithttps://lafayettelarc. org/mardi-gras-beads-n-more/orcall337-981-8484.

The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Sunday, January 11, 2026 ● 5A

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FUTURE

Continued from page 1A pest infestations, according to the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, the legal nonprofit arguing in federal court that the orders should remain in place.

“I see the same things going on now from when I was in school,” Paul said.

St. Mary Parish is on the front lines of a legal battle to end the remaining school desegregation cases, which date back to the Civil Rights Movement era and are ongoing in about a dozen parishes.

The state’s Republican leaders, who believe it is time to end the decadesold cases, have notched two recent victories: The Plaquemines Parish school district had its orders lifted last year, and a federal judge did the same for DeSoto Parish on Monday.

Lawyers for the St. Mary Parish School Board say all “direct effects” of past segregation have been eliminated, and interim schools Superintendent Rachael Sanders said in a statement that the board is committed to supporting every student.

Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill’s office, which is leading the charge to dissolve the orders, argued Wednesday in the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans that St. Mary’s case should be dismissed.

To Murrill, Gov. Jeff Landry and other critics of the ongoing desegregation orders, they are relics of the past that handcuff local school boards and incorrectly attribute current conditions to past practices.

“The problems of today are different than the problems of 60 years ago,” Murrill said in an interview this week.

“They do not necessarily tether back to the vestiges of prior discrimination.”

Under President Donald Trump, the Justice Department has joined Louisiana in seeking to dismiss several of the cases, including one in Concordia Parish now headed to the 5th Circuit. It is a sharp reversal for the agency, which brought many of the original desegregation lawsuits and for decades enforced the orders, and the latest example of the Trump administration pulling back from education and civil rights oversight.

In court, attorneys for the Legal Defense Fund are trying to force St. Mary Parish and other school boards to prove they have complied with the orders before they are lifted, which is customary in desegregation cases.

At least two U.S. District Court judges have rejected Louisiana’s bid to skip that process and dismiss the cases on procedural grounds, and 5th Circuit judges reviewing the St. Mary case asked skeptical questions Wednesday about that approach.

Some civil rights groups and Black parents like Paul say it is irrelevant how old the desegregation orders are if racial disparities persist. More can be done to ensure Black students receive

STAFF PHOTOS By BRAD KEMP

Reginald Weary, president of the St. Mary Parish NAACP chapter, said it’s possible for Black students to get an excellent education in the parish, but schools with more Black students often seem to have fewer resources.

Tia Paul graduated from Patterson High School in St. Mary Parish, where her daughter now goes to school. Since before Paul was born, the district has been under federal desegregation orders. an education that is equal in quality to that of their White peers, they argue, but they fear school boards will be less inclined to take those steps without court oversight.

“Litigation hanging over their heads — that’s what they need,” Paul said. “It gives them a motivation and incentive to keep improving things because they’re being watched and held accountable.”

Department was actively enforcing some of the same desegregation orders it’s now helping to terminate.

In St. Martin Parish, where the department is now seeking to withdraw from the case, it helped develop plans in 2023 for a new magnet school. In DeSoto and Plaquemines parishes, the agency’s staff was visiting schools and requesting compliance data as recently as 2024.

That same year, the JusOutdated or necessary? tice Department proposed Until last year, the Justice a settlement in Concordia

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Parish’s long-running case that included moving some students between majorityWhite and majority-Black schools. Some parents railed against the deal at a December 2024 forum, where an attorney in Murrill’s office advised holding out for the incoming Trump administration.

The board rejected the deal. Just months later, Trump’s Justice Department joined Murrill’s office in asking a federal judge to dismiss the case without a settlement or trial. U.S. District Court Judge Dee Drell declined, writing that “long established legal precedent” required a careful review of evidence before closing such cases. The parties appealed to the 5th Circuit.

The U.S. Supreme Court has said that school districts seeking to end desegregation orders must show that all traces of racial discrimination have been erased in six areas, including building quality and student assignment to schools. Derek Black, a professor at the University of South Carolina School of Law, said it is “nonsensical” to argue that a district can bypass that process.

“It’s a fundamental rejection of the rule of law,” he said.

Critics of the order say they have outlived their use, draining school resources in a futile attempt to fix problems, such as racial imbalances, that today are caused by housing patterns, not discrimination. In a legal brief last year, Murrill’s office said the St. Mary School Board’s policies are “colorblind,” while the plaintiffs want “racial engineering.”

Ruth Powers, a retired educator in Concordia Parish, said she believes in the importance of diversity but doesn’t think forcing schools to shift students around is the right way to go about it.

“The answer is not dismantling the schools in a community in order to achieve some sort of forced racial balance,” she said.

“All you’re going to do is create resentment.”

Civil rights groups say the orders still are needed because some districts never fully uprooted the remnants of segregation. In the St. Martin Parish case, the judge found that the School Board’s failure to integrate a majority-White school had partly caused present-day housing patterns, not the other way around.

Reginald Weary, president of the St. Mary Parish NAACP chapter, said it’s possible for Black students there to get an excellent education — as his daughters did at racially mixed Morgan City High School.

But schools with more Black students often seem to have fewer resources, he said.

Majority-Black Franklin Senior High School did not offer calculus one school year, while majority-White Berwick High School had two calculus classes, according to court filings.

To Weary, the battle is no longer about putting Black and White students in the same schools.

“Now we’re fighting for equality and quality education,” he said. “From that perspective, there’s still work to be done.”

ALL-STARS

Continued from page 1A a finalist while their peers and students cheered and cameras snapped captured the moment.

“Recognizing these educators and support staff over the last two days has been an absolute joy,” said Jenny Baudoin, of Love Our Schools. “They give so much of themselves to their schools and students, and Love Our Schools is honored to create moments that publicly uplift and value their profession.”

Brittney Bonnet-Taylor, the Acadiana Middle School English-language arts teacher, said she was stunned when her principal, administrators and Love Our Schools representatives burst into her classroom Thursday morning with pompoms, noise makers and balloons.

She said she was honored to be recognized as a finalist.

“Teaching is something that I love to do,” she said. “I feel like my passion and my purpose are aligned.”

At Carencro Middle, where three teachers were selected as finalists, Principal Kris Leger said it meant a lot to him to have that many staff recognized. He said it reflected the hard work the school has put in for its students.

“It’s a collective effort from administration to teachers to be about the kids,” he said. “Everyone is 100% on the same page, which is why it works.”

The Acadiana Advocate will profile each finalist and publish their stories online and in the newspaper in the weeks leading up to the celebration of the winners on Feb. 7.

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

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6A ● Sunday, January 11, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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LOUISIANA POLITICS

Speaker Johnson’s tiny majority just got even smaller WASHINGTON — Prospects for the LSU alumni who run the U.S. House were shaken Tuesday, the first day of the 2026 session of the 119th Congress.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Benton, and his chief lieutenant, Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-Jefferson, knew that rabblerouser Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., was quitting. Then they learned Rep. Doug LaMalfa, R-Calif., had died.

LaMalfa’s death brings the Republican majority down to 218 — the bare minimum needed to control committees, set legislative agendas and administer House affairs.

That raises the possibility, though unlikely, that RepubMark licans could lose the House Ballard majority through more deaths and resignations before November’s midterm congressional elections. That hasn’t happened since 1930.

Democrats have 213 members. Four seats are vacant, with elections being held between the end of January and possibly June. Democrats will likely win two and Republicans should win two.

The more immediate impact will be on Johnson’s ability to pass Republican versions of bills with primarily GOP votes.

That’s a math question that needs to be calculated each day, he said.

“We’ve been working with a razor-thin majority since I became speaker and at many points in the last year, we had a one- or two-vote majority at any given moment,” Johnson said, adding that the Republican majority “has demonstrated over and over and over that we defy expectations and make history.”

Johnson rallied just enough GOP support to pass the sweeping One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which included tax cuts, eased regulation, increased border security, and a revamp of Medicaid and food stamps.

“The margin is going to be as slim as it ever has been,” Scalise added. “You had a lot of the same stories, ‘Gee whiz, there’s no way they’ll be able to pass the reconcili-

Former state Rep. Romero gets USDA job

The U.S. Department of Agriculture last week announced former state Rep. Troy Romero’s appointment as Louisiana’s state director for rural development, where he’ll lead efforts to secure resources for rural communities.

The main task of the job is to connect people and businesses in rural areas with financial resources like grants and low-interest and guaranteed loans, Romero said.

He gave as an example the $27 billion Meta data center project in Richland Parish Romero in northeast Louisiana.

“All of the communities that surround it are going to need to be built up,” Romero said.

“They’re going to need, you know, extra hospital space and rural clinics and restaurants.”

USDA’s rural development section supports economic development, job creation and services like housing, health care, firstresponder services and utility infrastructure, according to its website.

Romero resigned from his seat in the Louisiana Legislature on Dec. 14 and began his new job with the federal government the

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ROD LAMKEy

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-Benton, is joined by House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-Jefferson, during a news conference at the Capitol on Wednesday. ation bill,’ until it passed because we came together as Republicans.”

Johnson and Scalise can afford to lose only two Republican votes — provided every GOP rep shows up when the ballots are cast. On any given day, a handful of representatives from both parties may not be in Washington, which changes the math.

For instance, this week, leadership had to work around the absence of Rep. Jim Baird, R-Ind. He is convalescing at home after a severe car wreck Monday night.

Johnson and Scalise hustled Wednesday to overcome opposition from a dozen rightwing Republicans who had threatened

to vote against a procedural motion that could have derailed appropriations bills.

Leadership negotiated a deal and the bills passed Thursday.

By any measure, Johnson and Scalise — as well as Senate GOP leadership — are headed into a rocky 2026.

The aggressive rhetoric President Donald Trump’s top aides use about acquiring Greenland has worried a number of Republicans. The killing of a Minneapolis woman protesting immigration agents and the shooting of a couple in Portland, Oregon, has focused some Republicans and nearly every Democrat to question

next day, he said. to preventable illness and death.

He’s replacing acting DirecCassidy was responding to questor MaryAnn Pistilli and will tions about changes Health Secrebe based in Alexandria, tary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. though he’ll regularly issued Monday through the travel the state and meet Centers for Disease Conwith local leaders and oftrol and Prevention, which no longer recommend ficials, he said. routine vaccination of all The former state lawchildren for hepatitis A, maker said Gov. Jeff Capitol hepatitis B, RSV, rotavirus, Landry helped put his Buzz influenza, COVID-19 and name forward for the apSTAFF meningococcal, instead pointment.

REPORTS shifting some vaccines to Romero was first electhigh-risk or shared decied to the Legislature in 2019 and ran again in 2023 unopsion-making categories.

“I think it’s the wrong move for posed. He chaired the agriculall the reasons I’ve publicly said ture committee in the Louisiana before,” Cassidy said.

House.

Speaking as a doctor who In 2008, he founded and ran the specialized in liver disease, he company Sports Turf Specialists, described treating patients who which constructs athletic turf suffered or died from hepatitis A fields, though he sold the comand hepatitis B, diseases he empany a few years back. Before that, he worked in the sugar cane phasized can quietly cause damindustry. age for decades before symptoms He grew up in a farming family appear. in Welsh. Romero and his wife “It happens often enough that live in Lacassine between Welsh you don’t want it to happen to and Lake Charles. your child,” Cassidy said. “If we’re going to make America healthy again, you start off by using the safe vaccines that are out there.”

Cassidy also warned that the U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy criticized decision risks undermining trust new federal vaccine guidance in vaccination at a time when during a press call Tuesday, callpreventable diseases are resurging the decision to scale back recommendations for several ing, citing two recent deaths in childhood vaccines “the wrong Louisiana children of pertussis, or move” and warning it could lead whooping cough.

Cassidy criticizes change in vaccine guidance

Trump’s controversial immigration policy.

Five Republican senators Thursday joined Democrats to limit Trump’s war powers in the wake of his unilateral decision to not only capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to stand trial on drug trafficking charges but essentially to, in Trump’s words, “run” the oil-rich nation for an indeterminate time.

Trump demanded on social media that the five Republicans “never be elected to office again.”

The Venezuela bill could upset Senate efforts to work on the House-passed appropriations bills that need to be on the president’s desk by Jan. 30.

Some House members are pressing a similar instrument, threatening another “discharge resolution” to force a vote. The once-rare maneuver to circumvent House leadership has become more frequent lately.

There was the vote to release the Epstein files. And on Thursday, 17 House Republicans joined Democrats, against Johnson’s wishes, to extend the enhanced Obamacare tax credits that 22 million working Americans and small businesses use to pay for skyrocketing health insurance premiums on the Affordable Care Act marketplace.

Johnson also has been the target of criticism from within the Republican Conference.

Rep. Elise Stefanik, a New York Republican who had been in House leadership but won’t stand for reelection, called Johnson a liar and ineffective, though she walked back some of her comments. GOP Rep. Nancy Mace, who is running for South Carolina governor, has made similar disparaging remarks.

“The Bible says you don’t worry about tomorrow. Today has enough troubles of its own,” Johnson said. “I’m not worried about the numbers. I don’t get up in apprehension or anxiety on any day. I get up every day with hope and anticipation to see what God is going to do for our great country.”

Email Mark Ballard at mballard@ theadvocate.com.

Cassidy, who was the swing vote in confirming Kennedy, said that he has had conversations with the administration at times when they have made changes to vaccination recommendations in the past, though he declined to give details of those conversations.

“Now, obviously, they don’t always agree with me,” Cassidy said. “There are some times when I can tell you, the decision is made differently because of me registering my concern.”

Gov. Landry calls for Maduro’s execution Gov. Jeff Landry has said that captured Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro should be executed — but if that can’t happen, the Louisiana leader is happy to hold him at Camp 57, an immigration detention facility on the grounds of the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola.

The federal government has accused Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, of working with drug cartels to smuggle thousands of tons of cocaine to the United States.

In an opinion piece published

by Breitbart, Landry last week blamed Maduro for contributing to the opioid-related deaths of hundreds of thousands of Americans.

“Personally, I’d like to see Maduro executed for the crimes he

has committed against the people of the United States and the families left to mourn,” Landry wrote.

“However, I would be well satisfied to see him and his wife spend the rest of their days at Camp 57 in Angola.”

Critics of military action against Venezuela have questioned using overdoses as a justification, since fentanyl — the powerful synthetic opioid that has driven the spike in overdoses — mostly comes through Mexico, and many of the materials used to make it come from China. Venezuela plays a role in the transit of cocaine, which is responsible for far fewer overdoses.

President Donald Trump’s administration carried out a military operation in Caracas on Jan. 3, taking Maduro into custody and flying him to New York, where he and his wife face narco-terrorism charges.

On Monday, Maduro pleaded not guilty to federal drug trafficking charges at a courthouse in Manhattan.

In a Fox News interview on Tuesday, Landry, a longtime ally of Trump, said the war on drugs has been discussed for decades and that millions of Americans have died because of illegal drugs.

“And yet this is the first time a president really took the fight to them and said, ‘no more,’” Landry said.

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8A ● Sunday, January 11, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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EDUCATION A S K T H E E X P E RT S

Early childhood advocates ready for big year After losing funds, efforts are ramped up

Q&A WITH LIBBIE SONNIER

BY ELYSE CARMOSINO Staff writer

With a new legislative session right around the corner, Louisiana’s early childhood education advocates are gearing up to fight for more funding to increase options for the roughly 100,000 young children from low-income families who aren’t enrolled in any program.

The effort comes after state lawmakers axed millions for early childhood education two years ago and as federal dollars for other programs like Head Start hang in the balance.

Libbie Sonnier is CEO of the Louisiana Policy Institute for Children, a research and policy organization focused on children ages 0-4. In her seven years in the role, she’s worked to raise awareness about the importance of early childhood education for children and communities, and has advocated for more funding for programs.

That’s proved difficult in recent years, particularly after the state Senate cut $24 million from such programs in 2024. While $15 million was eventually reinstated following outcry from advocates who said the reduction would result in 2,000 infants and toddlers losing care access, the loss of the remaining $9 million meant that about 720 seats were still pulled and have not been restored.

Access to early childhood education, such as day care and preschool, is crucial to improving student outcomes down the road, advocates say. One recent study from Tulane University found that low-income children who attended preschool programs were twice as likely to enter kinder-

PROVIDED PHOTO

Libbie Sonnier, chief executive officer of Louisiana Policy Institute for Children

garten with foundational reading skills compared to 4-year-olds who didn’t.

One of the biggest challenges in the coming year will be making sure the state’s early childhood education programs maintain their current level of funding, Sonnier said, even as one program is projected to run out of money in the next few years. She added that another obstacle will be the need to continue to educate lawmakers and the public about the importance of early child care.

“We wouldn’t think about not funding third or fourth grade, but we do think about not funding our birth to 4-year-olds,” Sonnier said.

“If there’s not enough money, they’re the first ones to get cut.”

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

What early education issues will you be focused on this year?

We at minimum want to maintain the level of state funding

provide for their families, but we also know from longitudinal CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF LOUISIANA POLICy INSTITUTE FOR CHILDREN research that the benefits of children having access to quality early childhood education in those first five years of life pay divia social security number. What that we have in early childhood would that look like if we were dends. It’s at least a 15% return education in Louisiana, as well able to do that for children who on investment for every dollar as also think about how to codify enter the early childhood system? that we spend on children during the Early Childhood Education Then we would have more longithat time period.

Fund, where we have five differAccess to early childhood edutudinal data to show the effectiveent sources of state revenue that offer a dollar-for-dollar match for ness of early childhood education. cation ensures that children are (local businesses that invest in The State Superintendent of Ed- less likely to end up in special early child care). ucation has intimated, with all the education, less likely to need Right now, the need for the gains in K-12, particularly around social services later, more likely fund is set to outpace what will that they’re going to graduate third and fourth grade reading be in the fund over the next year. from high school, more likely that levels, that early childhood has We’d like to start a discussion they’re going to read on grade been part of that success story, about how to ensure that the state and we need to be able to measure level. They’re going to have betmakes sure those funds are in the that in different ways and be able ter educational and economic outpot. Let’s say that the Early Child- to show that the cumulative effect comes for themselves and their of a quality education starting family, and they also have better hood Fund is short by $5 or $6 health as they age. million. How will the state ensure at a very young age can produce results that make us a stronger The benefits are long-lasting for that $5 or $6 million is in there?

Louisiana. the child themselves, but it also Additionally, how do we ensure What roadblocks are you anticipating? benefits the family that they’re that families and providers of all It’s a continual effort for us to able to ensure their children are types for young children, birth educate our elected officials and safe, healthy and being educated through age 4, have the ability policy leaders around early child- so that they enter kindergarten to take part in public meetings under public meeting law, even hood education, so our roadblocks ready to learn.

What else is happening in early educaif they can’t make it to Baton are people not understanding that Rouge? access to quality early childhood tion this year that people should be aware We learned a lot during COVID education is an economic and of? when we had public meetings workforce issue.

Just the continued push to show virtually, and there was a law If parents aren’t able to go to the importance of it. At the end of put in place a few years ago perwork and school to provide for the day, early childhood education their children then that’s less is all parent choice. If a parent taining to increasing access to money in our economy. We know doesn’t want to put their child in public meetings, particularly for early education, they don’t have individuals with disabilities. How that we lose $1.3 billion annually due to child care breakdowns in to. But if they want to do that, do we expand that for families they should have access to quality and providers so that they can be the Louisiana economy.

We keep having to make that early childhood education. involved in decision-making bodeconomic case. But we’ve got Access without quality isn’t acies without having to drive long people like our secretary of distances? cess because we know that high Are there any bills you’re working to pass Workforce (Susie Schowen) who quality has all those benefits, and really understands child care is this legislative session? poor quality can be harmful. And absolutely crucial to get parents Again, there’s this conversaso if a family chooses to put their in the workforce. It’s an economic child in an early childhood education around codifying the Early development issue.

Childhood Education Fund, and tion setting, we need to ensure What are some of the benefits of early another thing we’re looking at is, they have access to quality setwe already have a system in place childhood education? tings.

It’s really a two-generation apfor K-12 where every child who comes into the K-12 system has a proach. It’s about getting parents Email Elyse Carmosino at unique identifier that is used like into the workforce so they can ecarmosino@theadvocate.com.

WE’RE ASKING EXPERTS ACROSS THE STATE HOW TO TACKLE THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES FACING LOUISIANA SCHOOLS. HAVE AN IDEA? EMAIL PATRICK.WALL@THEADVOCATE.COM

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CREVASSES

A new initiative aims to address the challenges posed by crevasses along the Mississippi River, like with Mardi Gras Pass in Plaquemines Parish, through innovative solutions and practical approaches.

Continued from page 1A Louisiana and beyond. The Baton Rouge-based Water Institute, the University of New Orleans, Nunez Community College and the California Institute of Technology will collaborate on the project now getting off the ground.

The idea is to develop and test methods of managing the man-made and natural breaks in the river after the main levee system that keeps it in place ends in Plaquemines Parish. While it may not be readily apparent to Louisianans, managing those breaks, or crevasses, is of high importance, affecting issues ranging from saltwater intrusion to global grain exports.

The crevasses can also build land the way the river used to when it created south Louisiana thousands of years ago — a naturebased solution that could help deal with the state’s land loss crisis.

Finding solutions to what scientists refer to as “flow loss” through the crevasses could provide the state and the nation with wide-ranging benefits, particularly as rising seas inundate more coastal areas.

“It’s pretty well understood and sort of acknowledged by a lot of people that flow loss from the river in many different ways is going to be a large portion of how we deal with management of the Mississippi River going on into the future,” said Christopher Esposito, a research geoscientist with the Water Institute helping lead the project.

“And so what we’re really looking at in this is developing creative ways of improving outcomes where there is flow loss.”

An initial phase of the project has been awarded $500,000, with the potential for grants of up to $15 million over five years in the future. It has been given a convoluted name with a recognizable acronym: Coastal

STAFF FILE PHOTO

By SOPHIA GERMER

Resilience through Effective Versatile Adaptation and Sediment Strategies for Sea-Level Rise Engagement, or CREVASSE. Much of it will involve evaluating ideas already out there to determine their effectiveness and the best methods of using them.

“Do you keep this particular cut open? Do you close it?” said Madeline FosterMartinez, an engineering and environmental science expert at UNO leading the project’s management.

“But bringing this together so that nature-based solutions can actually be implemented, rather than these one-off type of things, to get something surprisingly innovative, even if it is very low-tech stuff that we’re talking about.”

Finding its level A prominent example of a crevasse is the huge break in the river bank across from Buras, now known as Neptune Pass. Previously, a small channel about 150 feet wide, it broke open dramatically with the extraordinarily high river of 2019.

Until recently, it had been regularly diverting up to 18% of the river’s flow.

There are benefits to that

since the pass is building land where it empties in Quarantine Bay by transporting sediment there — a naturally occurring river diversion project, research by scientist Alex Kolker and his colleagues has found.

But there are also serious downsides. Because the river slows there, sediment drops to the bottom and accumulates, causing what the shipping industry calls “shoaling,” creating a hazard for large vessels and requiring additional dredging. The pull on the river’s current in that area is also a danger.

In addition, modeling is showing that the combination of breaks in the lower river, particularly Neptune Pass, have contributed to the growing problem of saltwater intrusion up the Mississippi. When the river is low, saltwater travels up the channel from the Gulf, creating risks for drinking water supplies.

The crevasses slow the river’s flow, aiding the salt water’s advance. The deepening of the river for shipping is also a major contributor to the problem.

The Army Corps of Engineers completed work on a rock sill at Neptune Pass in

October, reducing its flow to what recent measurements showed to be about 8% of the river, the Corps says, though that number will fluctuate across seasons. The sill includes a notch in the middle to allow recreational boats, water and sediment to pass through.

In response to calls from coastal advocates, the Corps may also carry out later phases of the project that would involve placing terrace-like structures in Quarantine Bay to trap sediment making it through the sill for land-building.

The Corps notes that it has long studied the crevasses, including with UNO and the Water Institute, and will continue to do so given their importance.

“The crevasses and their development have influence on navigation, dredging operations and salinity intrusion, all of which are vital USACE missions,” it said in response to questions on the new project, using the abbreviation for the Corps.

“The USACE has also investigated the role the crevasses play in land building and environmental restoration and have been actively involved in investigations of these phenomena in partner-

ship with various entities, including those listed in the CREVASSE initiative.”

While Neptune Pass has received much of the attention when it comes to crevasses on the lower river, there are a list of others, both naturally occurring and man-made. And there will almost surely be more in the future.

They include Mardi Gras Pass downriver from Pointe a la Hache, Fort St. Philip downriver from Neptune, and West Bay, a man-made crevasse built for coastal restoration near the Mississippi’s mouth.

Just closing them all off is not considered a viable option by many scientists, both due to coastal restoration and practical implications, though some in the shipping industry disagree.

The river finds its level, so shutting it off in one location means it may create another crevasse elsewhere.

‘Will cause problems’

ideas.

Another example involves what are known as sand dams, which would be built at the entrance to a crevasse when flow is low, then erode naturally when the river is high, with the washed-away sediment potentially building land.

The project will focus on practical, applied science approaches.

Nunez’s role, for example, will be developing a workforce to implement the ideas, led by Jaqueline Richard, chair of the school’s coastal studies. It is the first National Science Foundation award for the Chalmette-based community college.

Caltech geologist Michael Lamb will be involved in data synthesis and translation of it into practical recommendations.

The study joins several others looking at management of the lower river.

They come at a key moment, nearly a century since the construction of the vast levee protection system built after the epochal Mississippi flood of 1927.

One of those studies, known as MissDelta and led by scientists from Tulane and LSU, is funded by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Another sweeping study by the Corps is however paused due to lack of funding.

Some in the shipping and navigation industry have regularly called for the crevasses to be shut, highlighting the effects on vessels as well as drinking water.

Sean Duffy, head of the Big River Coalition representing those interests, said he hopes those issues are prominently considered.

“It’s always great to study things, but in reality, the crevasses will cause problems for both navigation and civilization,” Duffy said. “We depend on the water from the river.”

The project will look at a wide range of options for how to manage them, both individually and as a system. That could include using more terraces, such as Email Mike Smith at those planned for Neptune msmith@theadvocate.

Pass, or other innovative com.

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Public Notices Bids/Proposals

PUBLIC NOTICE --NOTICE TO BIDDERS

EDUCATION Lafayette Parish School System Full-time High School Spanish Immersion Teacher Acadiana High School Lafayette Parish, Louisiana 7:05 a.m. – 2:35 p.m., Monday – Friday.

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Tuesday, Jan. 20........Thursday, Jan. 15 - 2pm Wednesday, Jan. 21...Thursday, Jan. 15 - 2pm

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List of jurors randomly drawn and to serve for the term beginning on January 20, 2026: ABSHIRE, PAMELA GLASGOW AGEE, NATHANIEL LEE ANDERSON, KIARA ADAWN ANDERSON, DEVIN DAVON AUCOIN, CHRISTINE S AUTER, MARIE ANN BACA, ASHLEY ANN DOISE BACQUE, FRANK RAPHAEL BARBER, KENTESSA DENISE BARILLEAUX, MIA AIDA BARKER, HENRY D BARRETT, STEPHEN W BAUDOIN, NICHOLAS BEARB, BRITTANY ANN BEATMANN, REYNE A BELLARD, DEVENEY GREGORY BELLARD, BRIAN KEITH BENEZECH, NICOLE BRUBAKER BERNHARD, SETH ALLEN BESSARD, REVIS J BIJEAUX, SCOTT ANTHONY BILLEDEAUX, BRITTANY CORINNE BLACKSTONE, MADISON BABERS BLANCHARD, QUENTIN MICHAEL BLANCHARD, VALERIE A BLANCO, ROBERT JOSEPH BODE, ROBERT B BORDELON, ELIZABETH WEBSTER BOUDREAUX, LAUREN MICKENZIE BOULANGER, JOSHUA PAUL BOURQUE, JEROME BOURQUE, RYAN EDWIN BREAUX, AL JORDAN BREAUX, PAUL S BROUSSARD, RODERICK JAMES BROUSSARD, KEVIN WADE BROWN, BRANDON MICHAEL BRUNO, GABRIEL JAMES BRUNO, PAULINE MARIE BRYANT, TREY DANTEE BRYANT, BEN ALAN BYLER, THOMAS J CALAIS, HAICHA SHANTA CANTU, GARRET MATTHEW CARR, JASANDRA PARFAIT CASTAGNOS, MELINDA S CASTRO, CARLOS ALFONSO CAVALIER, GRANT STEVEN CELESTINE, JAVEN CHRISTOPHER CHAISSON, LOUIS JUNIOR CHAMPAGNE, CASEY M CHAVIS, TWILA FAY CHOPIN, CAREY ARMAND CLEMONS, ANTHONY JAMES COLLEY, CHRISTOPHER J COOK, JAIME LAGNEAUX CORMIER, JOHN ROY CORMIER, KENNETH COURVILLE, TIFFANI MARIE COX, JONIANN ELIZABETH CROCHET, DELMAR ROMAN DAIGLE, RONALD JAMES DANIEL, SARAH SHANNON DAUGHERTY, KYLER PETER DECOUX, ALFRED J DEJEAN, JEREMY KYLE DELAHOUSSAYE, LOIS P DEROCHE, CADE LACHLAN DIAZ, MICHAEL PAUL DORSEY, JAVILEN ELIZABETH DOUET, SHERYL ANN DOUET, KIMBERLY MARIE EASON, BILLY CHARLES EDMOND, ALEXIS JADE EDWARDS, SUZANNE WENDLAND EDWARDS, ANGELINE EL, SALEH MOUNIR AMINE EUBANKS, CRYSTAL LEIGH FAUST, JON THOMAS FILER, BEECHA ALEXANDER GERARD

Public Notices Bids/Proposals

Public Notices

Notice is hereby given that sealed bids will be received either electroni‐ cally at https://lafayet tecsdgovla.tylerportico. com/va/vendor-access/ registration or in the of‐ fice of the Purchasing Di‐ vision at the Lafayette Consolidated Govern‐ ment Building, located at 705 West University Av‐ enue, Lafayette, Louisiana, until 10:00 am Central Time on the 5th day of February, 2026 for the following: 2026 Water Stock Mater‐ ial and will, shortly there‐ after, be opened and read aloud in the Office of Purchasing located at 705 West University Av‐ enue, Lafayette, LA. Bids received after the above specified time for open‐ ing shall not be consid‐ ered and shall be re‐ turned unopened to the sender. Bidders may at‐ tend the bid opening in person, but are highly encouraged to virtually join the bid openings via Zoom using the following link: https://us02web. zoom.us/j/83972405817? pwd=K4h6sDIiJQANsAF NIaLJUhGXrtmgTI.1.

In accordance with Louisiana RS 38:2212 electronic Bids may be submitted on Vendor Ac‐ cess (https://lafayettecs dgovla.tylerportico.com/ va/vendor-access/ registration).Official Bid Documents are available on Vendor Access (https://lafayettecsdgov la.tylerportico.com/va/ vendor-access/ registration). For ques‐ tions related to the elec‐ tronic bidding process, please call Morgan Broussard at 337-2918263. Bidders may re‐ quest the electronic bid package from Morgan Broussard at mcbrous‐ sard@lafayettela.gov.

Vendors submitting bids electronically are re‐ quired to provide the same documents as bid‐ ders submitting through the mail as soon as avail‐ able. Only a bid bond, certified check or cashier’s check shall be submitted as the bid se‐ curity. Electronic copies of both the front and back of the check or bid bond shall be included with the electronic bid.

Bids must be signed in accordance with LRS Title 38:2212(B)5. A Cor‐ porate Resolution or Cer‐ tificate of Authority au‐ thorizing the person signing the bid is re‐ quired to be submitted with bid. Failure to sub‐ mit a Corporate Resolu‐ tion or Certificate of Au‐ thority with the bid shall be cause for rejection of bid

bid.

j

Copies of the bidding documents are available at the Purchasing Office located at 705 West Uni‐ versity Avenue, Lafayette, LA 70506. Tele‐ phone number (337) 2918263 (Attn: Morgan Broussard). Bidding doc‐ uments shall be available until twenty-four (24) hours before the bid opening date.

Each bid shall be accom‐ panied by a certified check, cashier’s check or bid bond payable to the Lafayette Consolidated Government, the amount of which shall be five percent (5%) of the base bid plus additive alter‐ nates. If a bid bond is used, it shall be written by a surety or insurance company currently on the U.S. Department of the Treasury Financial Management Service list of approved bonding companies which is pub‐ lished annually in the Federal Register, or by a Louisiana domiciled in‐ surance company with at least an A-Rating in the latest printing of the A.M. Best’s Key Rating Guide to write individual bonds up to ten percent (10%) of policyholders’ surplus as shown in the A.M. Best’s Key Rating Guide, or by an insurance com‐ pany in good standing li‐ censed to write bid bonds which is either domiciled in Louisiana or owned by Louisiana resi‐ dents. The bid bond shall be issued by a company licensed to do business in Louisiana and counter‐ signed by a person who is under contract with re‐ siding in this state. The certified check, cashier’s check, or bid bond shall be given as a guarantee that the bidder shall exe‐ cute the contract, should it be awarded to him, in conformity with the con‐ tract documents within ten (10) days.

No bidder may withdraw his bid for at least fortyfive (45) days after the time scheduled for the opening of bids. Each bid shall be submitted only on the quotation form provided with the speci‐ fications.

Bids will be evaluated by the Purchaser based on the lowest responsible and responsive bid sub‐ mitted which is also in compliance with the bid documents.

The Lafayette Consolidated Government reserves the right to reject any and all bids for just cause in ac‐ cordance with LA R.S. 38§2214.B. The Lafayette Consoli‐ dated Government strongly encourages the participation of DBEs (Disadvantaged Business Enterprise) in all con‐ tracts or procurements let by the Lafayette Con‐ solidated Government for goods and services and labor and material.

To that end, all contrac‐ tors and suppliers are encouraged to utilize DBEs business enter‐ prises in the purchase or b i f

FISHER, SCOTT ROGERS FLEMING, SCOTT ERIC FONTENOT, JESSICA ANN FOREMAN, TY GABRIEL FORTSON, ANDREW RENE FREY, CONRAD F FUSELIER, IAN MICHAEL MCFAUL GARDNER, KIMBERLY NICOLE GARHART, NICHOLAS ANDREW GAUTREAUX, NATALIE NIKKOLE GOAN, ALEXIS BILLEAUD GOFF, MASON DANIEL GOMEZHICKS, ASHA NGAYLE GOTHE, MARCHELLO M GRANGER, ABBAGAIL LYNN GREEN, JAYMILYN M GRENEAUX, KELLY URBAN GRIGG, MCKENZIE ELIZABETH GRIMSLEY, BONNIE LYNN GUIDRY, ANDREW JOSEPH GUIDRY, TREVOR JAMES GUIDRY, SHARON K HANNA, HEIDI FARID HARMON, MICHEAL ANGELO HARRINGTON, KARA MICHELE HARRIS, TAVARIOUS J HEBERT, FAITH MARIE HEDGES, RONALD ERNEST HERNANDEZ, ZACHARY JOHN HIGGINBOTHAM, MADELINE R HIMEL, ALYSSAH ANNETTE HOLMES, BRANDI LASSEIGNE HOLT, KAMARIA NNEKA SANFORD HOWARD, KATHERINE VIRGINIA HULIN, TROY ANTHONY HUNT, MARIE NAZEL ISTRE, RYLIE RENEE JENKINS, MAMIE EMMA JOHNSON, BRIAN ANTHONY JONES, CAMILLE VINCENT JONES, WALTER P JOSEPH, ALVINO SANTANA JOSEPH, JOHN SANDIES JOURNET, DAWN MARIE KOLB, JEREMY PAUL LAFLEUR, AMANDA KD LAMB, EDWARD RUSSELL LANDRY, RONALD ANTHONY LANGLEY, JANET L LAQUE, MELINDA COKER LEBLANC, PEARL ALICE LEBLANC, ROBERT E LEBLANC, CATHERINE LEIGH BERGERON LEBOEUF, APRIL NICOLE LEE, ANGELA FRANCOIS LEMKE, ADAM COLE LESLEY, JORDAN LUKE LOCKETTE, CHRISTINE L LOGAN, DAVID M LOPEZ, KAYLA JAKIMAH MALVO, VICTORIA LEE MANNING, JENNIFER J MARADIAGAGARCIA, YVONNE OCHOA MARTIE, WENDY M MAYEUX, KRISTIN MELANCON METREJEAN, ELEONORE F MICKAL, BONNIE O MIKOLAJCZYK, JAKE MITCHELL MILLER, LAGWEN MARIE MILLER, JUSTIN DOUGLAS MILSON, CRYSTAL CHERELLE MINCHEW, THURMAN KENNETH PEARCE MITCHELL, COURTNEY AMBER MOLBERT, CHARLES MARK MORAN, ALICIA MARIE MORGAN, MARJORIE HOUGH MORVANT, JORDAN ALLEN MOTEN, DONJA JAMAL MUSUMECHE, KELLY L NARCISSE, TAMALICHIA SHARAY NARCISSE, CASSANDRA MARIE NELSON, TALYN RESWEBER NICHOLSON, NANCY ANNE

Public Notices Bids/Proposals p p sub-contracting of mate‐ rials, supplies, services and labor and material in which disadvantaged business are available.

Assistance in identifying said businesses may be obtained by calling (337) 291-8410.

PURCHASING DIVISION Lafayette Consolidated Government PUBLISH DATES: 01-07-26, 01-11-26 DPR 1003523 172650-JAN 7-11-2T $98.26 PUBLIC NOTICE --NOTICE TO BIDDERS Notice is hereby given that sealed bids will be received either electroni‐ cally at https://lafayet tecsdgovla.tylerportico. com/va/vendor-access/ registration or in the of‐ fice of the Purchasing Di‐ vision at the Lafayette Consolidated Govern‐ ment Building, located at 705 West University Av‐ enue, Lafayette, Louisiana, until 11:00 am Central Time on the 3rd day of February, 2026 for the following: 2026 Electric Stock Mate‐ rial and will, shortly there‐ after, be opened and read aloud in the Office of Purchasing located at 705 West University Av‐ enue, Lafayette, LA. Bids received after the above specified time for open‐ ing shall not be consid‐ ered and shall be re‐ turned unopened to the sender. Bidders may at‐ tend the bid opening in person, but are highly encouraged to virtually join the bid openings via Zoom using the following link: https://us02web. zoom.us/j/84609035561? pwd=e75LihqevQeFf5d 3gUeGFLebzN2v8B.1.

In accordance with Louisiana RS 38:2212 electronic Bids may be submitted on Vendor Ac‐ cess (https://lafayettecs dgovla.tylerportico.com/ va/vendor-access/ registration).Official Bid Documents are available on Vendor Access (https://lafayettecsdgov la.tylerportico.com/va/ vendor-access/ registration). For ques‐ tions related to the elec‐ tronic bidding process, please call Morgan Broussard at 337-2918263. Bidders may re‐ quest the electronic bid package from Morgan Broussard at mcbrous‐ sard@lafayettela.gov.

Vendors submitting bids electronically are re‐ quired to provide the same documents as bid‐ ders submitting through the mail as soon as avail‐ able. Only a bid bond, certified check or cashier’s check shall be submitted as the bid se‐ curity. Electronic copies of both the front and back of the check or bid bond shall be included with the electronic bid.

Public Notices Bids/Proposals

Public Notices Bids/Proposals

Public Notices Bids/Proposals

Bids must be signed in accordance with LRS Title 38:2212(B)5. A Cor‐ porate Resolution or Cer‐ tificate of Authority au‐ thorizing the person signing the bid is re‐ quired to be submitted with bid. Failure to sub‐ mit a Corporate Resolu‐ tion or Certificate of Au‐ thority with the bid shall be cause for rejection of bid.

Assistance in identifying said businesses may be obtained by calling (337) 291-8410.

g Broussard). Bidding doc‐ uments shall be available until twenty-four (24) hours before the bid opening date.

Copies of the bidding documents are available at the Purchasing Office located at 705 West Uni‐ versity Avenue, Lafayette, LA 70506. Tele‐ phone number (337) 2918263 (Attn: Morgan Broussard). Bidding doc‐ uments shall be available until twenty-four (24) hours before the bid opening date.

Each bid shall be accom‐ panied by a certified check, cashier’s check or bid bond payable to the Lafayette Consolidated Government, the amount of which shall be five percent (5%) of the base bid plus additive alter‐ nates. If a bid bond is used, it shall be written by a surety or insurance company currently on the U.S. Department of the Treasury Financial Management Service list of approved bonding companies which is pub‐ lished annually in the Federal Register, or by a Louisiana domiciled in‐ surance company with at least an A-Rating in the latest printing of the A.M. Best’s Key Rating Guide to write individual bonds up to ten percent (10%) of policyholders’ surplus as shown in the A.M. Best’s Key Rating Guide, or by an insurance com‐ pany in good standing li‐ censed to write bid bonds which is either domiciled in Louisiana or owned by Louisiana resi‐ dents. The bid bond shall be issued by a company licensed to do business in Louisiana and counter‐ signed by a person who is under contract with re‐ siding in this state. The certified check, cashier’s check, or bid bond shall be given as a guarantee that the bidder shall exe‐ cute the contract, should it be awarded to him, in conformity with the con‐ tract documents within ten (10) days.

No bidder may withdraw his bid for at least fortyfive (45) days after the time scheduled for the opening of bids. Each bid shall be submitted only on the quotation form provided with the speci‐ fications.

Bids will be evaluated by the Purchaser based on the lowest responsible and responsive bid sub‐ mitted which is also in compliance with the bid documents.

The Lafayette Consolidated Government reserves the right to reject any and all bids for just cause in ac‐ cordance with LA R.S. 38§2214.B. The Lafayette Consoli‐ dated Government strongly encourages the participation of DBEs (Disadvantaged Business Enterprise) in all con‐ tracts or procurements let by the Lafayette Con‐ solidated Government for goods and services and labor and material.

To that end, all contrac‐ tors and suppliers are encouraged to utilize DBEs business enter‐ prises in the purchase or sub-contracting of mate‐ rials, supplies, services and labor and material in which disadvantaged business are available.

PURCHASING DIVISION Lafayette Consolidated Government PUBLISH DATES: 01-08-26, 1-11-26 DPR 1003525 172890-JAN 8-11-2T $98.26

PUBLIC NOTICE --NOTICE TO BIDDERS Notice is hereby given that sealed bids will be received either electroni‐ cally at https://lafayet tecsdgovla.tylerportico. com/va/vendor-access/ registration or in the of‐ fice of the Purchasing Di‐ vision at the Lafayette Consolidated Govern‐ ment Building, located at 705 West University Av‐ enue, Lafayette, Louisiana, until 9:00 am Central Time on the 29th day of January, 2026 for the following: 2026 Distribution Trans‐ formers Stock Material and will, shortly there‐ after, be opened and read aloud in the Office of Purchasing located at 705 West University Av‐ enue, Lafayette, LA. Bids received after the above specified time for open‐ ing shall not be consid‐ ered and shall be re‐ turned unopened to the sender. Bidders may at‐ tend the bid opening in person, but are highly encouraged to virtually join the bid openings via Zoom using the following link: https://us02web. zoom.us/j/87086780970? pwd=9Tubl08GoRBP9v6 CpW6J6lOVdcEkyH.1.

In accordance with Louisiana RS 38:2212 electronic Bids may be submitted on Vendor Ac‐ cess (https://lafayettecs dgovla.tylerportico.com/ va/vendor-access/ registration).Official Bid Documents are available on Vendor Access (https://lafayettecsdgov la.tylerportico.com/va/ vendor-access/ registration). For ques‐ tions related to the elec‐ tronic bidding process, please call Morgan Broussard at 337-2918263. Bidders may re‐ quest the electronic bid package from Morgan Broussard at mcbrous‐ sard@lafayettela.gov.

Vendors submitting bids electronically are re‐ quired to provide the same documents as bid‐ ders submitting through the mail as soon as avail‐ able. Only a bid bond, certified check or cashier’s check shall be submitted as the bid se‐ curity. Electronic copies of both the front and back of the check or bid bond shall be included with the electronic bid.

Bids must be signed in accordance with LRS Title 38:2212(B)5. A Cor‐ porate Resolution or Cer‐ tificate of Authority au‐ thorizing the person signing the bid is re‐ quired to be submitted with bid. Failure to sub‐ mit a Corporate Resolu‐ tion or Certificate of Au‐ thority with the bid shall be cause for rejection of bid.

Copies of the bidding documents are available at the Purchasing Office located at 705 West Uni‐ versity Avenue, Lafayette, LA 70506. Tele‐ phone number (337) 2918263 (Attn: Morgan d) iddi d

Each bid shall be accom‐ panied by a certified check, cashier’s check or bid bond payable to the Lafayette Consolidated Government, the amount of which shall be five percent (5%) of the base bid plus additive alter‐ nates. If a bid bond is used, it shall be written by a surety or insurance company currently on the U.S. Department of the Treasury Financial Management Service list of approved bonding companies which is pub‐ lished annually in the Federal Register, or by a Louisiana domiciled in‐ surance company with at least an A-Rating in the latest printing of the A.M. Best’s Key Rating Guide to write individual bonds up to ten percent (10%) of policyholders’ surplus as shown in the A.M. Best’s Key Rating Guide, or by an insurance com‐ pany in good standing li‐ censed to write bid bonds which is either domiciled in Louisiana or owned by Louisiana resi‐ dents. The bid bond shall be issued by a company licensed to do business in Louisiana and counter‐ signed by a person who is under contract with re‐ siding in this state. The certified check, cashier’s check, or bid bond shall be given as a guarantee that the bidder shall exe‐ cute the contract, should it be awarded to him, in conformity with the con‐ tract documents within ten (10) days.

No bidder may withdraw his bid for at least fortyfive (45) days after the time scheduled for the opening of bids. Each bid shall be submitted only on the quotation form provided with the speci‐ fications.

Bids will be evaluated by the Purchaser based on the lowest responsible and responsive bid sub‐ mitted which is also in compliance with the bid documents.

The Lafayette Consolidated Government reserves the right to reject any and all bids for just cause in ac‐ cordance with LA R.S. 38§2214.B. The Lafayette Consoli‐ dated Government strongly encourages the participation of DBEs (Disadvantaged Business Enterprise) in all con‐ tracts or procurements let by the Lafayette Con‐ solidated Government for goods and services and labor and material.

To that end, all contrac‐ tors and suppliers are encouraged to utilize DBEs business enter‐ prises in the purchase or sub-contracting of mate‐ rials, supplies, services and labor and material in which disadvantaged business are available.

Assistance in identifying said businesses may be obtained by calling (337) 291-8410.

PURCHASING DIVISION Lafayette Consolidated Government PUBLISH DATES: 01-07-26, 01-11-26 DPR 1003522 172556-jan 7-11-2t $98.26 PUBLIC NOTICE --NOTICE TO BIDDERS Notice is hereby given that sealed bids will be

ORGERON, DONNA ANN PARKER, ALICIA FRANCIS PARRA, ALLYSON BEDUZE PAYTON, NATHAN SEBASTIAN PEEBLES, ROBERT JOHN PERKINS, KENNETH DWAYNE PICCIONE, MICHAEL CHARLES PLUMBAR, DEONTRE MICHAEL POLIDORE, EMMA SAMON PORTIER, LOGAN CHRISTOPHER POTHIER, BRANDON JOSEPH PRICE, RANDALL Q PROVITT, RASHEED SARAN RAXSDALE, ASHTYN ELIZABETH READO, JONATHON DWAYNE REDMOND, CARL JOSEPH REENA, ISMATARA RENDALL, JAMIE RENEE RHINEHART, LANA E RICHARD, CATHRYN ELIZABETH RICHARDSON, CAMI RENEE ROBINSON, ERIS ALPHONSE ROCHON, LLOYD C RODRIGUEZ, CARLEY BLANCHE ROJAS, ASHLEY NILIBETH ROMERO, TRISTAN JAMES RONGEY, MARY S ROTH, AMY RENEE ROY, BRANDY MILLIMAN RUDESILL, THERESA MARIE RUONA, JULIE ELIZABETH SALLINGER, AUSTEN CHARLES SAVOIE, DANIEL JAY SCHEXNIDER, JULIE MONTGOMERY SELLITTO, MICHAEL EUGENE SHEPPARD, KAREN CLARK SHORT, PAUL C SIEDELHOFER, BRIAN S SIMON, RORY JAMES SIMON, CODY JUDE SIMON, MATHEW LEE SINEGAL, AMY L SMITH, ALANNIA SPOON, KIM UZZELL STELLY, ROY ANTHONY STEPHENS, COURTNY BROUSSARD STEWART, DWIGHT STROTHER, HILARY NICOLE SUTTON, NANCY BEAN SWICEGOOD, JOHN WILLIS TAQUINO, ANNE B TAYLOR, MARY E TAYLOR, RONALD WAYNE THEUNISSEN, DEBRA LYNN THOMAS, STEPHEN THOMAS, NICHOLAS D TOUPS, SABLE CHANISE TULLIVER, ANTHONY CHARLES TURNER, CHAD DAVID UNDERWOOD, LAKISHE S VINCENT, LORI ANN VINCENT, TRISTON KIRK WALKER, THOMAS J WATKINS, CARLTON DEREK WELLS, HOWARD LEWIS WEST, LAWRENCE PAUL WILKINS, RANSOME WILLIAMS, TAYLOR NICOLE WILLIAMS, ACQUITA DANAE WILLIAMS, KATHERINE DALY WILLIAMS, VALENCIA JOY SENEGAL WILLIAMS, BONITA WASHINGTON WILLIAMS, TAKARA ROSE WOOD, VICTORIA ANNE WOODS, TRAVONTE DAVIUS YOCHAM, MATTHEW LYNN YOUNG, THOMAS MURRAY

171490-598605-jan 11-1t $ 264.60

11A ● Sunday, January 11, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

KING CAKE

Continued from page 1A dough, a sweet glaze icing and sprinkles of Mardi Gras color on top. Poupart Bakery in Lafayette, as well as Joe Gambino’s in New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Lafayette, sell king cakes that epitomize this style, with popular fillings like pecan praline, cream cheese or Bavarian cream.

From there, the world of king cakes branches off into various categories and subtypes — such as the popular doughnut-style king cakes found at shops like Meche’s and other purveyors across Acadiana. Another Acadiana bakery, Keller’s in Lafayette

Public Notices Bids/Proposals

received either electroni‐ cally at https://lafayet tecsdgovla.tylerportico. com/va/vendor-access/ registration or in the of‐ fice of the Purchasing Di‐ vision at the Lafayette Govern‐ Consolidated ment Building, located at 705 West University Av‐ Lafayette, enue, Louisiana, until 11:00 am Central Time on the 5th day of February, 2026 for the following: 2026 Wastewater Stock Material and will, shortly there‐ after, be opened and read aloud in the Office of Purchasing located at 705 West University Av‐ enue, Lafayette, LA. Bids received after the above specified time for open‐ ing shall not be consid‐ ered and shall be re‐ turned unopened to the sender. Bidders may at‐ tend the bid opening in person, but are highly encouraged to virtually join the bid openings via Zoom using the following https://us02web. link: zoom.us/j/84229404207? pwd=LC2J1pf8yinpRwq TpsGUBTPxgIboP0.1.

In accordance with RS 38:2212 Louisiana electronic Bids may be submitted on Vendor Ac‐ cess (https://lafayettecs dgovla.tylerportico.com/ va/vendor-access/ registration).Official Bid Documents are available Vendor Access on (https://lafayettecsdgov la.tylerportico.com/va/ vendor-access/ registration). For ques‐ tions related to the elec‐ tronic bidding process, call Morgan please Broussard at 337-2918263. Bidders may re‐ quest the electronic bid package from Morgan Broussard at mcbrous‐ sard@lafayettela.gov.

Vendors submitting bids are re‐ electronically quired to provide the same documents as bid‐ ders submitting through the mail as soon as avail‐ able. Only a bid bond, check or certified cashier’s check shall be submitted as the bid se‐ curity. Electronic copies of both the front and back of the check or bid bond shall be included with the electronic bid.

Bids must be signed in accordance with LRS Title 38:2212(B)5. A Cor‐ porate Resolution or Cer‐ tificate of Authority au‐ thorizing the person signing the bid is re‐ quired to be submitted with bid. Failure to sub‐ mit a Corporate Resolu‐ tion or Certificate of Au‐ thority with the bid shall be cause for rejection of bid.

Copies of the bidding documents are available at the Purchasing Office located at 705 West Uni‐ Avenue, versity Lafayette, LA 70506. Tele‐ phone number (337) 291(Attn: Morgan 8263 Broussard). Bidding doc‐ uments shall be available until twenty-four (24) hours before the bid opening date.

Each bid shall be accom‐ panied by a certified check, cashier’s check or bid bond payable to the Lafayette Consolidated Government, the amount of which shall be five percent (5%) of the base bid plus additive alter‐ nates. If a bid bond is used, it shall be written by a surety or insurance company currently on the U.S. Department of the Treasury Financial Management Service list approved bonding of companies which is pub‐ lished annually in the Federal Register, or by a Louisiana domiciled in‐ surance company with at least an A-Rating in the latest printing of the A.M. Best’s Key Rating Guide to write individual bonds up to ten percent (10%) of policyholders’ surplus as shown in the A.M. Best’s Key Rating Guide, or by an insurance com‐ pany in good standing li‐ censed to write bid bonds which is either domiciled in Louisiana or owned by Louisiana resi‐ dents. The bid bond shall be issued by a company licensed to do business in Louisiana and counter‐ signed by a person who is under contract with re‐ siding in this state. The certified check, cashier’s check, or bid bond shall be given as a guarantee that the bidder shall exe‐ cute the contract, should it be awarded to him, in conformity with the con‐ tract documents within ten (10) days.

No bidder may withdraw his bid for at least fortyfive (45) days after the time scheduled for the opening of bids. Each bid shall be submitted only on the quotation form provided with the speci‐ fications.

Bids will be evaluated by the Purchaser based on the lowest responsible and responsive bid sub‐ mitted which is also in compliance with the bid The documents.

Lafayette Consolidated Government reserves the right to reject any and all bids for just cause in ac‐ cordance with LA R.S. 38§2214.B. The Lafayette Consoli‐ Government dated strongly encourages the participation of DBEs (Disadvantaged Business Enterprise) in all con‐ tracts or procurements let by the Lafayette Con‐ Government solidated for goods and services and labor and material.

To that end, all contrac‐ tors and suppliers are encouraged to utilize DBEs business enter‐ prises in the purchase or sub-contracting of mate‐ rials, supplies, services and labor and material in disadvantaged which business are available.

Assistance in identifying id b i b

lll

and Youngsville, has long been known for a Danishstyle dough that produces a rich, buttery and more delicate texture.

Poupart Bakery, started

by French baker Francois Poupart in 1967, sells both “Mardi Gras king cakes” (the traditional Louisiana style described above) and traditional French king cakes, or galette des rois.

Patrick Poupart, Francois’s STAFF FILE PHOTO By BRAD BOWIE son, has been slinging king cakes in Louisiana for his Owner Eli Tate sprinkles colored sugar on a king cake at entire life — and according Gambino’s Bakery on Johnston Street in Lafayette. Tate’s to him, the pastry is less king cakes are prepared at the bakery’s Baton Rouge bound by tradition or geoglocation as it is more suited to produce the high volume of raphy than people think.

“Most New Orleans king the beloved cakes needed for the Mardi Gras season. cakes are made using a brioche dough, but a lot here New Orleans-area baker- dough with an icing glaze, are also. So are mine,” he ies like Haydel’s and Manny although Randazzo’s has said.

Randazzo’s use a brioche a distinctly thicker, more

Public Notices Bids/Proposals

Public Notices Bids/Proposals

Public Notices Bids/Proposals

y g said businesses may be obtained by calling (337) 291-8410.

y dated Government strongly encourages the participation of DBEs (Disadvantaged Business Enterprise) in all con‐ tracts or procurements let by the Lafayette Con‐ solidated Government for goods and services and labor and material.

To that end, all contrac‐ tors and suppliers are encouraged to utilize DBEs business enter‐ prises in the purchase or sub-contracting of mate‐ rials, supplies, services and labor and material in which disadvantaged business are available.

Assistance in identifying said businesses may be obtained by calling (337) 291-8410.

y time scheduled for the opening of bids. Each bid shall be submitted only on the quotation form provided with the speci‐ fications.

PURCHASING DIVISION Lafayette Consolidated Government PUBLISH DATES: 01-07-26, 01-11-26 DPR 1003524 172710-jan 7-11-2t PUBLIC NOTICE --NOTICE TO BIDDERS Notice is hereby given that sealed bids will be received either electroni‐ cally at https://lafayet tecsdgovla.tylerportico. com/va/vendor-access/ registration or in the of‐ fice of the Purchasing Di‐ vision at the Lafayette Consolidated Govern‐ ment Building, located at 705 West University Av‐ enue, Lafayette, Louisiana, until 11:00 am Central Time on the 27th day of January, 2026 for the following: 2026 Fiber to the Home Stock Material and will, shortly there‐ after, be opened and read aloud in the Office of Purchasing located at 705 West University Av‐ enue, Lafayette, LA. Bids received after the above specified time for open‐ ing shall not be consid‐ ered and shall be re‐ turned unopened to the sender. Bidders may at‐ tend the bid opening in person, but are highly encouraged to virtually join the bid openings via Zoom using the following https://us02web. link: zoom.us/j/85601667161? pwd=PQW6CGdk61Zz0i9 IrmnhAPB2kRfMcx.1.

In accordance with Louisiana RS 38:2212 electronic Bids may be submitted on Vendor Ac‐ cess (https://lafayettecs dgovla.tylerportico.com/ va/vendor-access/ registration).Official Bid Documents are available on Vendor Access (https://lafayettecsdgov la.tylerportico.com/va/ vendor-access/ registration). For ques‐ tions related to the elec‐ tronic bidding process, please call Morgan Broussard at 337-2918263. Bidders may re‐ quest the electronic bid package from Morgan Broussard at mcbrous‐ sard@lafayettela.gov.

Vendors submitting bids electronically are re‐ quired to provide the same documents as bid‐ ders submitting through the mail as soon as avail‐ able. Only a bid bond, certified check or cashier’s check shall be submitted as the bid se‐ curity. Electronic copies of both the front and back of the check or bid bond shall be included with the electronic bid.

Bids must be signed in accordance with LRS Title 38:2212(B)5. A Cor‐ porate Resolution or Cer‐ tificate of Authority au‐ thorizing the person signing the bid is re‐ quired to be submitted with bid. Failure to sub‐ mit a Corporate Resolu‐ tion or Certificate of Au‐ thority with the bid shall be cause for rejection of bid.

Copies of the bidding documents are available at the Purchasing Office located at 705 West Uni‐ versity Avenue, Lafayette, LA 70506. Tele‐ phone number (337) 2918263 (Attn: Morgan Broussard). Bidding doc‐ uments shall be available until twenty-four (24) hours before the bid opening date.

Each bid shall be accom‐ panied by a certified check, cashier’s check or bid bond payable to the Lafayette Consolidated Government, the amount of which shall be five percent (5%) of the base bid plus additive alter‐ nates. If a bid bond is used, it shall be written by a surety or insurance company currently on the U.S. Department of the Treasury Financial Management Service list of approved bonding companies which is pub‐ lished annually in the Federal Register, or by a Louisiana domiciled in‐ surance company with at least an A-Rating in the latest printing of the A.M. Best’s Key Rating Guide to write individual bonds up to ten percent (10%) of policyholders’ surplus as shown in the A.M. Best’s Key Rating Guide, or by an insurance com‐ pany in good standing li‐ censed to write bid bonds which is either domiciled in Louisiana or owned by Louisiana resi‐ dents. The bid bond shall be issued by a company licensed to do business in Louisiana and counter‐ signed by a person who is under contract with re‐ siding in this state. The certified check, cashier’s check, or bid bond shall be given as a guarantee that the bidder shall exe‐ cute the contract, should it be awarded to him, in conformity with the con‐ tract documents within ten (10) days.

No bidder may withdraw his bid for at least fortyfive (45) days after the time scheduled for the opening of bids. Each bid shall be submitted only on the quotation form provided with the speci‐ fications.

Bids will be evaluated by the Purchaser based on the lowest responsible and responsive bid sub‐ mitted which is also in compliance with the bid documents.

The Lafayette Consolidated Government reserves the right to reject any and all bids for just cause in ac‐ cordance with LA R.S. 38§2214.B. The Lafayette d d

Consoli‐

PURCHASING DIVISION Lafayette Consolidated Government PUBLISH DATES: 1-7-26, 1-11-26 DPR 1001677 172069-jan 7-11-2t $97.82

PUBLIC NOTICE --NOTICE TO BIDDERS Notice is hereby given that sealed bids will be received either electroni‐ cally at https://lafayet tecsdgovla.tylerportico. com/va/vendor-access/ registration or in the of‐ fice of the Purchasing Di‐ vision at the Lafayette Govern‐ Consolidated ment Building, located at 705 West University Av‐ Lafayette, enue, Louisiana, until 9:00 am Central Time on the 27th day of January, 2026 for the following: 2026 Distribution Pole Stock Material and will, shortly there‐ after, be opened and read aloud in the Office of Purchasing located at 705 West University Av‐ enue, Lafayette, LA. Bids received after the above specified time for open‐ ing shall not be consid‐ ered and shall be re‐ turned unopened to the sender. Bidders may at‐ tend the bid opening in person, but are highly encouraged to virtually join the bid openings via Zoom using the following https://us02web. link: zoom.us/j/84763646361? pwd=KpEmzLxP16llwtw H9Ud5E8OjgkZX3L.1.

In accordance with RS 38:2212 Louisiana electronic Bids may be submitted on Vendor Ac‐ cess (https://lafayettecs dgovla.tylerportico.com/ va/vendor-access/ registration).Official Bid Documents are available Vendor Access on (https://lafayettecsdgov la.tylerportico.com/va/ vendor-access/ registration). For ques‐ tions related to the elec‐ tronic bidding process, call Morgan please Broussard at 337-2918263. Bidders may re‐ quest the electronic bid package from Morgan Broussard at mcbrous‐ sard@lafayettela.gov.

Vendors submitting bids are re‐ electronically quired to provide the same documents as bid‐ ders submitting through the mail as soon as avail‐ able. Only a bid bond, check or certified cashier’s check shall be submitted as the bid se‐ curity. Electronic copies of both the front and back of the check or bid bond shall be included with the electronic bid.

Bids must be signed in accordance with LRS Title 38:2212(B)5. A Cor‐ porate Resolution or Cer‐ tificate of Authority au‐ thorizing the person signing the bid is re‐ quired to be submitted with bid. Failure to sub‐ mit a Corporate Resolu‐ tion or Certificate of Au‐ thority with the bid shall be cause for rejection of bid.

Copies of the bidding documents are available at the Purchasing Office located at 705 West Uni‐ Avenue, versity Lafayette, LA 70506. Tele‐ phone number (337) 291(Attn: Morgan 8263 Broussard). Bidding doc‐ uments shall be available until twenty-four (24) hours before the bid opening date.

Each bid shall be accom‐ panied by a certified check, cashier’s check or bid bond payable to the Lafayette Consolidated Government, the amount of which shall be five percent (5%) of the base bid plus additive alter‐ nates. If a bid bond is used, it shall be written by a surety or insurance company currently on the U.S. Department of the Treasury Financial Management Service list approved bonding of companies which is pub‐ lished annually in the Federal Register, or by a Louisiana domiciled in‐ surance company with at least an A-Rating in the latest printing of the A.M. Best’s Key Rating Guide to write individual bonds up to ten percent (10%) of policyholders’ surplus as shown in the A.M. Best’s Key Rating Guide, or by an insurance com‐ pany in good standing li‐ censed to write bid bonds which is either domiciled in Louisiana or owned by Louisiana resi‐ dents. The bid bond shall be issued by a company licensed to do business in Louisiana and counter‐ signed by a person who is under contract with re‐ siding in this state. The certified check, cashier’s check, or bid bond shall be given as a guarantee that the bidder shall exe‐ cute the contract, should it be awarded to him, in conformity with the con‐ tract documents within ten (10) days.

No bidder may withdraw his bid for at least fortyfive (45) days after the i h d l d f h

Bids will be evaluated by the Purchaser based on the lowest responsible and responsive bid sub‐ mitted which is also in compliance with the bid The documents.

Lafayette Consolidated Government reserves the right to reject any and all bids for just cause in ac‐ cordance with LA R.S. 38§2214.B. The Lafayette Consoli‐ Government dated strongly encourages the participation of DBEs (Disadvantaged Business Enterprise) in all con‐ tracts or procurements let by the Lafayette Con‐ Government solidated for goods and services and labor and material.

To that end, all contrac‐ tors and suppliers are encouraged to utilize DBEs business enter‐ prises in the purchase or sub-contracting of mate‐ rials, supplies, services and labor and material in disadvantaged which business are available.

Assistance in identifying said businesses may be obtained by calling (337) 291-8410.

PURCHASING DIVISION Lafayette Consolidated Government PUBLISH DATES: 01-07-26, 01-11-26 DPR 1003521 172185-jan 7-11-2t $130.44

PUBLIC NOTICE --NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS Notice is hereby given that sealed bids will be received either electroni‐ cally at https://lafayet tecsdgovla.tylerportico. com/va/vendor-access/ registration or in the of‐ fice of the Purchasing Di‐ vision at the Lafayette Consolidated Govern‐ ment Building, located at 705 West University Av‐ enue, Lafayette, Louisiana, until 10:30AM Central Time on the 5th day of Feburary, 2026 for the following: MAIN LIBRARY ELEVATOR MODERNIZATION and will, shortly there‐ after, be opened and read aloud in the Office of Purchasing located at 705 West University Av‐ enue, Lafayette, LA. Bids received after the above specified time for open‐ ing shall not be consid‐ ered and shall be re‐ turned unopened to the sender. Sealed bids may be hand carried or mailed to the address listed above.

The bid opening will be available to attend via zoom. Attendance is not mandatory. The pass‐ code is 781992, and the invite link is https:// us02web.zoom.us/j/ 88095273613?pwd=18T 6sZD5YYkSQp8pP8PsO5D DJgYebv.1 .

The meeting will be at the time of the bid open‐ ing.

Scope of Services Scope of work includes, but is not limited to, modern‐ ization of 3 existing Ele‐ vators and Controls, re‐ placement of wall fin‐ ishes in Elevator Lobbies, Installation of new spray foam insulation at exist‐ ing Penthouse roof deck interior perimeter. All work to be completed within 420 days from is‐ suance of Notice to Pro‐ ceed.

In accordance with LA R.S. 38§2212, vendors may submit their bid electronically at the web‐ site listed above. Bidding Documents are available to view only at the web‐ site. Contractors wishing to submit their bid elec‐ tronically must first be registered online with Lafayette Consolidated Government as a poten‐ tial supplier at the web‐ site listed above. Vendor may obtain an electronic copy of the bid docu‐ ments from Keirston St. Amant at kstamant@ lafayettela.egov 337-2918034.

Bidders submitting bids electronically are re‐ quested to provide the same documents as bid‐ ders submitting through the mail as soon as avail‐ able. Only a bid bond, certified check or cashier’s check shall be submitted as the bid se‐ curity. Electronic copies of both the front and back of the check or bid bond shall be included with the electronic bid.

Bids must be signed in accordance with LA R.S. 38§2212(B)5. A Corporate Resolution or Certificate of Authority authorizing the person signing the bid is required to be sub‐ mitted with bid. Failure to submit a Corporate Resolution or Certificate of Authority with the bid shall be cause for rejec‐ tion of bid.

Copies of the bidding documents are available at the ZILER ARCHITECTS, 101 CALCO BLVD., LAFAYETTE, LOUISIANA 70503, 337-269-6326 upon payment of $ 79.90 per set, non-refundable.

NOTE: NO CASH WILL BE ACCEPTED ONLY CHECKS OR MONEY OR‐ DERS MADE PAYABLE TO LAFAYETTE CONSOLI‐ DATED GOVERNMENT. Bid Documents shall be available until twentyfour hours before the bid opening date. Questions relative to the bidding documents shall be ad‐ dressed to Keirston St. Amant at kstamant@ lafayettela.egov 337-2918034.

Contractors

are

re‐

Public Notices Bids/Proposals

quested to attend a prebid meeting which will be held on January 21, 2026 at 10:00AM Central Time at the Main Library - 301 W. Congress Street, Lafayette, LA 70501 in the 3rd Floor Directors Con‐ ference Room.

Each bid shall be accom‐ panied by a certified check, cashier’s check, or bid bond payable to the Lafayette Consoli‐ dated Government, the amount of which shall be five percent (5%) of the base bid plus additive al‐ ternates. If a bid bond is used, it shall be written by a surety or insurance company currently on the U.S. Department of the Treasury Financial Management Service list of approved bonding companies which is pub‐ lished annually in the Federal Register, or by a Louisiana domiciled in‐ surance company with at least an A-Rating in the latest printing of the A.M. Best’s Key Rating Guide to write individual bonds up to ten percent (10%) of policyholders’ surplus as shown in the A.M. Best’s Key Rating Guide, or by an insurance com‐ pany in good standing li‐ censed to write bid bonds which is either domiciled in Louisiana or owned by Louisiana resi‐ dents. The bid bond shall be issued by a company licensed to do business in Louisiana. The certi‐ fied check, cashier’s check, or bid bond shall be given as a guarantee that the bidder shall exe‐ cute the contract, should it be awarded to him, in conformity with the con‐ tract documents within ten (10) days.

No contractor may with‐ draw its bid prior to the deadline for submission of bids. Withdrawal of bids thereafter shall be allowed only pursuant to LA R.S. 38§2214.C. Other‐ wise, no bidder may withdraw his bid for at least forty-five (45) days after the time scheduled for the bid opening of bids. Each bid shall be submitted only on the bid form provided within the specifications. The successful bidder will be required to execute per‐ formance and labor and material payment bonds in the full amount of the contract as more fully defined in the bid docu‐ ments. No contractors may withdraw his bid for at least forty-five (45) days after the time scheduled for the open‐ ing of bids. Each bid shall be submitted only on the bid form provided with the specifications. The successful contractor will be required to exe‐ cute performance and labor and material pay‐ ment bonds in the full amount of the contract as more fully defined in the bid documents.

Bids will be evaluated by the Purchaser based on the lowest responsible and responsive bid sub‐ mitted which is also in compliance with the bid documents.

The Lafayette Consolidated Government reserves the right to reject any and all bids for just cause in ac‐ cordance with LA R.S. 38§2214.B. Contractors or contract‐ ing firms submitting bids in the amount of $50,000.00 or more shall certify that they are li‐ censed contractors under Chapter 24 of Title 37 of the Louisiana Re‐ vised Statutes of 1950 and show their license number on the front of the sealed envelope in which their bid is en‐ closed. Contractors shall be licensed for the clas‐ sification of “BUILDING CONSTRUCTION”. Bids in the amounts specified above which have not bid in accordance with the requirements, shall be rejected and shall not be read. Additional informa‐ tion relative to licensing may be obtained from the Louisiana State Li‐ censing Board for Con‐ tractors, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

The Lafayette Consoli‐ dated Government strongly encourages the participation of DBEs (Disadvantaged Business Enterprises) in all con‐ tracts or procurements let by the Lafayette Con‐ solidated Government for goods and services and labor and material.

To that end, all contrac‐ tors and suppliers are encouraged to utilize DBEs business enter‐ prises in the purchase or sub-contracting of mate‐ rials, supplies, services and labor and material in which disadvantaged businesses are available.

Assistance in identifying said businesses may be obtained by calling 2918410.

PURCHASING DIVISION Lafayette Consolidated Government PUBLISH DATES: 1/7, 1/11, 1/18 DPR 1000480 Affidavit of Publication 172892-JAN 7-11-18-3t $228.63 PUBLIC NOTICE --NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS Notice is hereby given that sealed bids will be received either electroni‐ cally at https://lafayet tecsdgovla.tylerportico. com/va/vendor-access/ registration or in the of‐ fice of the Purchasing Di‐ vision at the Lafayette Govern‐ Consolidated ment Building, located at 705 West University Av‐ Lafayette, enue, Louisiana, until 10:00 AM Central Time on the 29th day of January, 2026 for the following: FREM BOUSTANY DRIVE EXTENSION PHASE 2

Public Notices Bids/Proposals

(VINEYARD TO VINCENT ROAD) BRIDGE CROSSING (ISAAC VEROT COULEE) and will, shortly there‐ after, be opened and read aloud in the Council Briefing Room located at 705 West University Av‐ enue, Lafayette, LA. Bids received after the above specified time for open‐ ing shall not be consid‐ ered and shall be re‐ turned unopened to the sender. Bidders are en‐ couraged to attend the bid opening virtually by using the following link https://us02web.zoom. us/j/84024208563? pwd=PIGOpVZFYQyMIEg zKc9bJf3K2rgkfW.1 Meet‐ ing ID: 840 2420 8563 Passcode: 573774 Scope of Services: This work shall consist of, but not be limited to, con‐ struction of a 5 span (125’) cast-in-place con‐ crete bridge with precast piles, with concrete road‐ approaches, way drainage channel regrad‐ ing and flexible revet‐ ment installation, clear‐ ing and grubbing, grad‐ ing, earthwork, and sub‐ drainage.

All surface work to be completed within 250 days from is‐ suance of Notice to Pro‐ ceed.

In accordance with Louisiana RS 38:2212., may submit vendors their bid electronically at the website listed above.

Bidding Documents are available to view only at the website. Bidders may request the electronic package from bid Kestler at Heather hkestler@lafayettela.gov Bidders wishing to sub‐ mit their bid electroni‐ cally must first be regis‐ online with tered Lafayette Consolidated Government as a poten‐ tial supplier at the web‐ site listed above. Bidders submitting bids electron‐ ically are required to pro‐ vide the same docu‐ ments as bidders sub‐ mitting through the mail as soon as available.

Only a bid bond, certified check or cashier’s check shall be submitted as the bid security. Electronic copies of both the front and back of the check or bid bond shall be in‐ cluded with the elec‐ tronic bid.

Bids must be signed in accordance with LRS Title 38:2212(B)5. A Cor‐ porate Resolution or Cer‐ tificate of Authority au‐ thorizing the person signing the bid is re‐ quired to be submitted with bid. Failure to sub‐ mit a Corporate Resolu‐ tion or Certificate of Au‐ thority with the bid shall be cause for rejection of bid.

Copies of the bidding documents except for Section C – “Standard Specifications for Roads, Drainage, Bridges and Other Infrastructure 2023 Edition” are available at the Office of Purchasing upon request located at 705 West University Av‐ enue, Lafayette, LA 70502 upon payment of $295 per set, non-refundable.

NOTE: NO CASH WILL BE ONLY ACCEPTED CHECKS OR MONEY OR‐ DERS MADE PAYABLE TO CONSOLI‐ LAFAYETTE GOVERNMENT. DATED Copies of Section “C” Standard Specifications Roads, Drainage, for Bridges and Other Infra‐ structure” 2023 Edition are available from the Public Works Department at 1515 E University Av‐ Building A, enue, Lafayette LA 70501. Bid shall be Documents available until twentyfour hours before the bid opening date. Questions relative to the bidding documents shall be ad‐ to Heather dressed hkestler@ at Kestler lafayettela.gov.

Contractors are re‐ quested to attend a prebid meeting, which will be held on January 14, 2026 at 10:00 AM in the small conference room, Lafayette Consolidated Government, Public Works Administration Building located at 1515 East University Avenue, Lafayette, LA. Each bid shall be accom‐ panied by a certified check, cashier’s check, or bid bond payable to the Lafayette Consoli‐ dated Government, the amount of which shall be five percent (5%) of the base bid plus additive al‐ ternates. If a bid bond is used, it shall be written by a surety or insurance company currently on the U.S. Department of the Treasury Financial Management Service list approved bonding of companies which is pub‐ lished annually in the Federal Register, or by a Louisiana domiciled in‐ surance company with at least an A-Rating in the latest printing of the A.M. Best’s Key Rating Guide to write individual bonds up to ten percent (10%) of policyholders’ surplus as shown in the A.M. Best’s Key Rating Guide, or by an insurance com‐ pany in good standing li‐ censed to write bid bonds which is either domiciled in Louisiana or owned by Louisiana resi‐ dents. The bid bond shall be issued by a company licensed to do business in Louisiana. The certi‐ check, cashier’s fied check, or bid bond shall be given as a guarantee that the bidder shall exe‐ cute the contract, should it be awarded to him, in conformity with the con‐ tract documents within ten (10) days.

No contractor may with‐ draw its bid prior to the deadline for submission of bids. Withdrawal of bids thereafter shall be allowed only pursuant to LA R.S. 38§2214.C. Other‐ wise, no bidder may withdraw his bid for at least forty-five (45) days f h i h d l d

creamy icing. King cakes from the Vietnamese Dong Phuong Bakery, in New Orleans East, also utilize a brioche dough that’s layered and flaky instead of braided, with a lighter, whipped icing that has dedicated fans.

According to Poupart, these details amount to bakery owners creating a distinctive style, but there is a lot of overlap between cakes that are popular in both New Orleans and Lafayette. Dong Phuong and Manny Randazzo’s cakes are not available in Acadiana, but they have fervent followings, with enterprising customers often purchasing large orders to distribute in Lafayette during the Mardi Gras season.

He said, “Everyone does their own tweaks.”

Public Notices Bids/Proposals y y after the time scheduled for the bid opening of bids. Each bid shall be submitted only on the bid form provided within the specifications. The successful bidder will be required to execute per‐ formance and labor and material payment bonds in the full amount of the contract as more fully defined in the bid docu‐ ments. No contractors may withdraw his bid for at least forty-five (45) days after the time scheduled for the open‐ ing of bids. Each bid shall be submitted only on the bid form provided with the specifications. The contractor successful will be required to exe‐ cute performance and labor and material pay‐ ment bonds in the full amount of the contract as more fully defined in the bid documents.

Bids will be evaluated by the Purchaser based on the lowest responsible and responsive bid sub‐ mitted which is also in compliance with the bid The documents.

Lafayette Consolidated Government reserves the right to reject any and all bids for just cause in ac‐ cordance with LA R.S. 38§2214.B. Contractors or contract‐ ing firms submitting bids the amount of in $50,000.00 or more shall certify that they are li‐ contractors censed under Chapter 24 of Title 37 of the Louisiana Re‐ vised Statutes of 1950 and show their license number on the front of the sealed envelope in which their bid is en‐ closed. Contractors shall be licensed for the clas‐ sification of “HIGHWAY, STREET AND BRIDGE CONSTRUCTION”. Bids in the amounts specified above which have not bid in accordance with the requirements, shall be rejected and shall not be read. Additional informa‐ tion relative to licensing may be obtained from the Louisiana State Li‐ censing Board for Con‐ tractors, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

The Lafayette Consoli‐ Government dated strongly encourages the participation of DBEs (Disadvantaged Business Enterprises) in all con‐ tracts or procurements let by the Lafayette Con‐ Government solidated for goods and services and labor and material.

To that end, all contrac‐ tors and suppliers are encouraged to utilize DBEs business enter‐ prises in the purchase or sub-contracting of mate‐ rials, supplies, services and labor and material in disadvantaged which businesses are available.

Assistance in identifying said businesses may be obtained by calling 2918410.

PURCHASING DIVISION Lafayette Consolidated Government PUBLISH DATES: 12/31,1/4, 1/11 DPR 1000484 170241-dec 31-jan 4-11-3t $222.00

PUBLIC NOTICE --REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS Notice is hereby given that sealed proposals will be received in the of‐ fice of the Purchasing Di‐ vision at the Lafayette Consolidated Govern‐ ment Building, located at 705 West University Av‐ enue, Lafayette, Louisiana, until 4:00 p.m.

Central Time on the 30th day of January, 2026 for the following: RFP EMERGENCY STANDBY MATERIALS AND SERVICES and will, shortly there‐ after, be opened and the NAMES ONLY read aloud in the Office of Purchas‐ ing located at 705 West University Avenue, Lafayette, LA. Proposals received after the above specified time for open‐ ing shall not be consid‐ ered and shall be re‐ turned unopened to the sender. Sealed proposals must be hand carried or mailed to the address listed above.

This contract is intended to be used in preparation for and/or in response to, emergencies or disas‐ ters. The intent of the warded contract is for vendors to provide addi‐ tional products, services, and personnel resources on an as needed basis for disaster response. It is critical that these sup‐ port operations are up and operating as soon as possible once a need has been identified. Vendor interested in submitting a proposal must comply with all terms and condi‐ tions described in this solicitation and support attachments. Proposers shall submit one (1) marked original, three (3) exact copies marked copy, and one (1) elec‐ tronic copy (USB or CD) of the proposal which meets the specific tech‐ nical criteria set forth herein. In addition, pro‐ poser shall submit one (1) redacted copy of the proposal shall be submit‐ ted in a sealed envelope and shall be clearly marked Redacted Copy bearing the name of the project, firm submitting the redacted copy and the date.

Proposals should be sent to 705 West University Avenue, Lafayette, LA 70506 at‐ tention Heather Kestler.

Copies of the RFP specifi‐ cations are available upon request at the Pur‐ chasing Office located at 705 West University Av‐ enue, Lafayette, LA 70506. Telephone number (337) 291-8071(Attn: Heather Kestler)

Poupart singled out Acadiana’s love affair with doughnut king cakes, saying they are one of the more specialized king cake styles for the area. With so many bakeries experimenting with their own craft flavors, you don’t have to drive far to find a unique king cake — from sourdoughs to savory fillings like boudin and more.

King cakes are a delicious palette for regional tastes, with innovative offerings available across the state.

This time of year, the real struggle is finding enough time to try them all — or securing your favorites before they sell out.

Email Joanna Brown at joanna.brown@ theadvocate.com.

Public Notices Bids/Proposals

hkestler@lafayettela.gov.

RFP specifications shall be available until twentyfour (24) hours before the proposal opening date.

No Vendor may withdraw his proposal for at least sixty (60) days after the time scheduled for the opening of proposals.

Each proposal shall fol‐ low the instructions listed in the RFP regard‐ ing submittal of their proposal.

Proposals will be evalu‐ ated by the Purchaser based on the evaluation criteria outlined in the Request for Proposals.

The Lafayette Consoli‐ dated Government re‐ serves the right to reject any and all proposals or any portions thereof, to waive informalities and to select the material that best suits its needs.

The Lafayette Consoli‐ dated Government strongly encourages the participation of DBEs (Disadvantaged Business Enterprise) in all con‐ tracts or procurements let by the Lafayette Con‐ solidated Government for goods and services and labor and material.

To that end, all contrac‐ tors and suppliers are encouraged to utilize DBEs business enter‐ prises in the purchase or sub-contracting of mate‐ rials, supplies, services and labor and material in which disadvantaged business are available.

Assistance in identifying said businesses may be obtained by calling 2918410.

PURCHASING DIVISION Lafayette Consolidated Government PUBLISH DATES: 12/31, 1/4, 1/11 DPR # 928605 171493-dec 31-jan 4-11-3t $104.28

Legal Notices

PUBLIC NOTICE --NOTICE A petition has been filed the City-Parish with Council of the Parish of Lafayette and the CityParish President of the City of Lafayette in ac‐ cordance with the provi‐ sions of LSA-R.S.33:172, et seq., seeking to have the corporate limits of the City of Lafayette, Louisiana, extended so as to include therein the described following property, to-wit: Beginning at a point on the existing City of Lafayette corporate lim‐ its, said point is the northwesterly property corner of LAF BROU TRACT LLC, and the property northeasterly corner of JUDY ANN BROUSSARD, thence S58º18’02”E, a of approxi‐ distance mately 510.00’, along the northerly property line of LAF BROU TRACT LLC, and the southerly prop‐ erty line of REDDOCH DE‐ COMPANY VELOPMENT LLC which is also the ex‐ isting City of Lafayette corporate limits to a cor‐ ner point, thence S31º38’25”W, a of approxi‐ distance mately 397.46’, along the easterly property line of LAF BROU TRACT LLC, and the westerly prop‐ erty line of ANGELA DAWN BROUSSARD to a corner point, thence N58º24’34”W, a of approxi‐ distance mately 332.75’, along the southerly property line of LAF BROU TRACT LLC to a corner point, thence S31º23’24”W, a of approxi‐ distance mately 167.40’, along the easterly property line of LAF BROU TRACT LLC, and the westerly prop‐ erty line of RICHARD LEE RIPBERGER SR & LISA JAGNEAUX RIPBERGER to a corner point, thence N58º24’34”W, a of approxi‐ distance mately 170.00’, along the southerly property line of LAF BROU TRACT LLC, and the northerly rightof-way of E Broussard Rd which is also the existing City of Lafayette corpo‐ rate limits to a corner point, thence N31º23’24”E, a of approxi‐ distance mately 167.40’, along the westerly property line of LAF BROU TRACT LLC, and the easterly property line of JEFFREY ALAN REDDOCH II to a corner point, thence N58º24’34”W, a of approxi‐ distance mately 7.25’, along the southwesterly property corner of LAF BROU TRACT LLC, and the property northeasterly corner of JEFFREY ALAN REDDOCH II to a corner point, thence N31º38’26”E, a of approxi‐ distance mately 398.43’, along the westerly property line of LAF BROU TRACT LLC, and the easterly property line of JUDY ANN BROUS‐ SARD to a corner point, which is also the existing City of Lafayette corpo‐ rate limits and the point of beginning, all as shown on the attached incorporation map pre‐ pared by Lafayette City Parish Consolidated Gov‐ ernment - Lafayette Utili‐ ties System, dated Sep‐ tember 19, 2025 entitled, MAP OF PROPOSED EX‐ TENSION FOR CITY OF LAFAYETTE, LOUISIANA, CORPORATE LIMITS, LO‐ CATED IN SECTION 76, T10S-R4E, 233 E BROUS‐ SARD RD ANNEXATION -

Legal Notices

APPROX. 5.31 ACRES. Anyone desiring to be heard with reference to the proposed ordinance annexing said area shall notify the Lafayette CityCouncil Clerk.

Parish Anyone requesting such a hearing shall do so on the date at the time the ordinance is considered for final adoption in ac‐ cordance with the regu‐ lar agenda published by the Lafayette City-Parish Council or in accordance with the notice of emer‐ gency meeting to con‐ sider such passage.

LAFAYETTE CONSOLI‐ DATED GOVERNMENT By : /s/ Tim Patro Tim Patro Planner II 173821-jan 11-1t $34.76

PUBLIC NOTICE --Please be advised we are now accepting Federal Form SF-330 for the 2026 calendar year. Any firm interested in providing professional services to the Lafayette Consoli‐ dated Government (LCG) during this year should submit Federal Form SF330 by January 31, 2026, however, forms will also be accepted at any time thereafter. Professional services shall include, but not be limited to, ar‐ chitectural, engineering, appraisal, abstracting, advertising, geotechni‐ cal, environmental, labo‐ ratory testing or con‐ struction inspection. The Federal Form SF-330 questionnaire can be ac‐ cessed on LCG’s website https://lafayettela. at gov/docs/default-source/ pw-documents/cid/sf330.pdf?sfvrsn=f42f23f2_ 2. The completed ques‐ tionnaire should be for‐ warded to the attention of: Professional Services Review Committee Lafayette Consolidated Government – Public Works Attention: Leigh Ann Vallot PO Box 4017-C Lafayette, LA 70502 Firms are encouraged to identify if they are quali‐ fied as a Small and Emerging Business. Only firms engaged in the law‐ ful practice of their pro‐ fession and are willing to provide proof of insur‐ ance as required by LCG need apply. These ques‐ tionnaires shall remain on file for the 2026 calen‐ dar year indicating inter‐ est of firms in handling projects for the Lafayette Govern‐ Consolidated ment.

New Federal Form SF-330 should be submitted each calendar year.

171568 Jan. 7, 11, 18, 3t $58.44

Public Notices Meet/Hear/Min

PUBLIC NOTICE --Agenda City Zoning Commission Public Meeting 5:30 P.M., or immediately following the conclusion of the Lafayette City Planning Commission, whichever occurs later Monday, January 26, 2026 Community Development and Planning Depart‐ ment 220 West Willow Street, Building C Town Hall Auditorium I. Call to Order II. Election of Chair III. Election of Vice-Chair IV. Oath of Office V. Chair’s Opening Re‐ marks VI. Approval of the Min‐ utes December 15, 2025 VII. New Business With respect to the fol‐ lowing items, the Zoning Commission will hold a public hearing and vote on a recommendation.

1. Case No. 2025-2-CUP 522 Jefferson Street CUP A request for a Condi‐ tional Use Permit for a Bar/Lounge in a D (Down‐ town) zoning district lo‐ cated generally north of West Vermilion Street, west of Jefferson Street, and south of West Con‐ gress Street.

2. Case No. 2025-30-REZ 323 Rue De Commerce Rezoning A request to rezone prop‐ erty from CH (Commer‐ to CM-1 cial-Heavy) (Commercial Mixed) lo‐ cated generally north of Industrial Parkway, east of Rue Beauregard, and south of Rue De Com‐ merce.

VIII. Other Business 1. Briefing: Hobson & N. Buchanan Street Admin‐ istrative rezoning 2. Director’s Report and review of Lafayette City Council action on mat‐ ters previously consid‐ ered by the Zoning Com‐ mission.

IX. Adjournment 173055-jan 11-21-25-3t $65.28

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12A ● Sunday, January 11, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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1Bn

Chef offers new twist on king cake

Flights mix savory, sweet, traditional, novel

BY JA’KORI MADISON Staff writer

In Louisiana, king cake is more than dessert. It’s a tradition. This Carnival season, an Acadiana culinary creator is offering a new twist on sampling the flavors.

Instead of committing to a single cake, customers can experience a variety of flavors at once, said Javashia Guy, the creator of King

Cake Flights. From praline pecan and banana pudding king cakes to jalapeno cream cheese and other savory options, the flight allows customers to sample multiple flavors in one sitting.

Guy’s king cake flavors also include Oreo cheesecake, Gentilly, crawfish boudin and apple crisp, all of which can be ordered whole, as part of a flight or as a single piece.

“I didn’t want to be like everyone else,” Guy said. “I love traditional, but I wanted to give people a variety experience with king cake.”

Her most popular flavors include the praline pecan and banana pudding king cakes, while the crawfish boudin king cake remains a standout for those willing to try something savory.

Last Carnival season, she debuted the crawfish boudin king

cake, made with croissant-style dough, stuffed with boudin and cheese, and topped with a spicy crawfish queso. The cake went viral across social media platforms, introducing her to a much wider audience and reinforcing her belief that king cake can be more than one thing.

“The crawfish king cake is always a hit,” Guy said. “That creation showed me people were ready for something different.”

Her praline pecan king cake also stands out, topped with a hardened,

crunchy crust that pairs perfectly with the soft dough beneath.

“That crunch is what makes it Southern,” Guy said. “It’s hardened on top but easy to break apart, so you can share it.”

The Gentilly and apple crisp king cakes lean fully into familiarity.

The Gentilly flavor is iced in vanilla and topped with fresh strawberries and blueberries, while the apple crisp king cake channels comfort food, with cooked-down

ä See KING CAKE, page 2B

PROVIDED PHOTO By LSU

LSU System President Wade Rousse, left, and Chief Financial Officer Brandi Bush Roberts

LSU president names new CFO Brandi Bush Roberts will oversee statewide finances

BY MATTHEW ALBRIGHT Staff writer

A top LSU financial administrator is moving up to a new role as chief financial officer of the LSU system, President Wade Rousse announced Friday.

Brandi Bush Roberts is a longtime LSU official who has been serving as chief of staff to the executive vice president for finance and administration. She will report directly to Rousse and oversee financial operations across all the universities in the system, according to a news release.

“Dr. Roberts is a proven, mission-driven leader with the technical expertise and steady judgment required to help guide the LSU System’s financial future,” Rousse said in the release. “Her record of service and her commitment to transparency and accountability will strengthen our ability to invest strategically in our campuses, our people, and our statewide impact.”

The LSU Board of Supervisors recently separated the job of system president and chancellor of the flagship campus in

STAFF PHOTOS By BRAD BOWIE

RISING VOICES ABOVE: Demonstrators wave signs during a protest Saturday at the Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office downtown as officials move to sign an agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

RIGHT: Richard Wheat speaks during the protest.

ä See LSU, page 2B

Educator Pat Cooper dies at 76 Man accused of biting

ICE officer faces 20 years

Former superintendent won fight over firing in Lafayette

served as Lafayette public schools superintendent from January 2012 to November 2014.

“We extend our sincere condolences to Dr. Cooper’s family and loved ones during this difficult time,” school system spokesperson Tracy Wirtz said.

Cooper was from Springhill,

BY ASHLEY WHITE according to his social media acStaff writer counts. He received his bachelor’s Former Lafayette Parish School and master’s degrees at LSU. He System Superintendent Pat Coo- received his doctorate of educaper has died, according to reports. tion in administration from the University of Northern Colorado.

He was 76.

He began his career as an eduCooper’s death was reported by the McComb, Mississippi, Enterä See COOPER, page 2B prise-Journal on Thursday. He

BY KRISTIN ASKELSON

Staff writer

STAFF FILE PHOTO By BRyAN TUCK

Former Lafayette Parish School System Superintendent Pat Cooper

In December, a federal grand jury in Lafayette indicted a Mexican citizen with assaulting a federal officer and causing bodily injury.

Maximiliano Perez-Perez, who the U.S. Attorney’s Office said is illegally in the United States, faces up to 20 years in federal prison on the assault charge.

According to court records, 22-year-old Perez-Perez was

stopped by federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers on Nov. 21 after they received a tip about a van carrying people into the country illegally.

When officers tried to detain him, Perez-Perez refused to get out of the van and held onto the steering wheel. After ICE officers pulled him out, he ran away on foot. Officers caught him, but he continued to resist by biting an officer’s hand hard enough to draw blood.

ä See ICE, page 2B

2B ● Sunday, January 11, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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Charge downgraded for mom in toddler’s death State no longer believes she inflicted deadly injuries, it said

BY MATT BRUCE Staff writer

About four years ago, Lanaya Cardwell was indicted for second-degree murder in the death of her 2-yearold daughter Nevaeh Allen.

At that time, authorities believed Cardwell’s attack on her daughter led to the toddler’s death.

But now state prosecutors are convinced it was actually Cardwell’s live-in boyfriend who struck the fatal blows that killed Nevaeh. The state reduced Cardwell’s murder indictment to a charge of second-degree cruelty to a juvenile this week.

During a Tuesday afternoon hearing inside the 19th Judicial District Courthouse, Cardwell pleaded not guilty to the amended charge, according to court records. District Judge Fred Crifasi set a Jan. 27 hearing and set Cardwell’s trial to begin Feb. 2.

The amended indictment erases the prospect of a mandatory life sentence for Cardwell. She still faces up to 20 years in prison if a jury finds her guilty of juvenile cruelty. She’s remained behind bars awaiting trial since September 2021.

Cardwell was arrested days after Nevaeh’s death.

According to court records, Cardwell was in the bathroom preparing to go to work that morning when Nevaeh picked up her contact lenses and ripped one.

Cardwell became enraged and struck her daughter in the torso with a closed fist.

Nevaeh fell backward and hit her head on a cabinet before her mother “forcefully grabbed” her and took

her to another room. Neveah was crying and had a large bruise on her forehead when she came out of the room.

Phillip Kegan Gardner, Cardwell’s then-fiancé, told Baton Rouge police that from the next room, it sounded like “two adults fighting.”

Gardner said he returned to the family’s Belaire apartment along West La Belle Avenue after dropping Cardwell off at work that morning. He had Nevaeh, her 3-year-old sister and 11-month-old brother with him. According to Gardner’s story to investigators, Neveah complained of a stomachache and refused to eat when he tried to feed the young children later that morning. He told her to lay down on the couch, and she fell asleep.

When he tried to wake her up hours later, Nevaeh was unresponsive even when he gently slapped her face. He said she had bubbles in her mouth, her face had begun to turn blue, and she had no pulse. He lifted her arm, and she was so limp that her limb fell back onto the couch.

Gardner said he performed CPR in an attempt to resuscitate Nevaeh, but she remained unconscious.

He told officers he stuffed Nevaeh’s lifeless body into a suitcase, then drove to Mississippi, where he buried the child’s remains in a shallow grave deep in the woods along the Pearl River.

When he returned home, Gardner reported Nevaeh missing and told authorities she’d possibly been kidnapped from the family’s apartment. Dozens of law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, spent four days searching for Nevaeh across two states.

Hundreds of first responders frantically scoured until Gardner confessed that he

dumped Nevaeh’s remains and made up the story of her disappearance to conceal Cardwell’s attack on the child.

Gardner was tried for his role in the child’s death last May and a jury found him guilty of second-degree murder and obstruction of justice at the end of the two-week trial. Crifasi sentenced him to life in prison.

Prosecutors believed for years it was Cardwell’s beating that killed Nevaeh.

But during Gardner’s trial, East Baton Rouge Deputy Coroner Yen Van Vo testified that the girl suffered at least 12 distinct blows to the head. Vo is the forensic pathologist who conducted Nevaeh’s autopsy, and she attributed the toddler’s death to her head wounds.

Vo testified that the effects of those blows would’ve been immediately apparent.

Vi d e o s u r v e i l l a n c e showed Nevaeh leaving home with the family after Cardwell allegedly struck her in the stomach and returning home with Gardner later that morning. She was walking upright and showed no effects of any injury in the videos.

During an Oct. 16 hearing, Assistant District Attorney Kathleen Barrios Heap said that convinced prosecutors it was Gardner who inflicted the fatal head injuries while he was alone in the apartment with Nevaeh and the two other toddlers. State prosecutors also recovered evidence that Gardner never clued Cardwell in on the kidnapping hoax, and she believed her daughter was missing for days, along with law enforcement.

Cardwell rejected a plea deal during that October hearing that would have capped her sentence at 10 years.

Email Matt Bruce at matt. bruce@theadvocate.com.

KING CAKE

Continued from page 1B apples and caramel layered into the filling and finished with a crisp topping made from broken pieces that mimic a traditional apple crisp.

The most challenging flavor to perfect was the jalapeno cream cheese king cake topped with bacon.

Guy knew savory belonged in the flight, but achieving balance took time.

“That one kept me up,” she said. “I needed something savory that wouldn’t overpower everything else.” Despite its ingredients, it is intentionally mild and even if your spice tolerance is low, it still works, Guy said.

Social media has played a central role in Guy’s growth. With more than 200,000 followers on TikTok, she has turned online engagement into realworld success. During the pandemic, she leaned into TikTok, YouTube, and Facebook not just for content, but as business tools.

That led her to extend her business beyond des-

serts. Guy also sells seasonings, runs a catering business and has written multiple cookbooks, including a Louisiana-focused 337 cookbook and a date-night themed book complete with playlists. She has also published an illustrated children’s book focused on kitchen safety, all with the goal of creating generational legacy.

“I really love what I do,” Guy said. “Being able to create, share and see people enjoy something I

made means everything to me.”

For those looking to place an order for King Cake Flights, single pieces or whole cakes, pickup is available at 1 p.m. on Saturdays only. King Cake Flights are $25, regular whole king cakes are $25, specialty king cakes are $35, and crawfish king cakes are $55.

Orders must be prepaid at the time of ordering and can be placed by calling (337) 967-8762.

administration from LSU, spent more than a decade Continued from page 1B overseeing financial operations for LSU Auxiliary Services. Then, as chief Baton Rouge, with Rousse of staff to LSU’s execuin the former role and tive vice president for fiJames Dalton in the lat- nance and administration, ter. Former president Wil- she played a major role in liam Tate was responsible handling LSU $3.6 billion budget. for both.

The release points to Roberts, who has a doctorate in higher education Roberts’ role in reducing

the university’s property insurance premiums by $1.5 million.

Rousse and Dalton are replacing many top positions at LSU after top leaders left around the same time as Tate — including Kimberly Lewis, the former vice president for finance and administration, who followed Tate to Rutgers University.

LSU

COOPER

Continued from page 1B cational supervisor at Blundon Home in Baton Rouge. He also worked as a supervisor of student teachers at Southern University and LSU before returning to the classroom as a teacher at Valley Park Junior High in Baton Rouge.

He worked with the state Department of Education as a principal and as an adjunct professor.

He served as superintendent for West Feliciana Parish schools and the McComb School District in McComb.

Cooper also served as CEO of the Early Childhood and Family Learning Foundation in New Orleans.

In a Facebook post,

ICE

Continued from page 1B

STAFF FILE PHOTO By BRETT DUKE

Customs and Border Patrol agents question occupants of a vehicle they pulled over in Kenner. U.S. Border Patrol has made more than 560 arrests of undocumented immigrants in south Louisiana just over five weeks after launching operations here, a spokesperson for the agency said Friday.

PROVIDED PHOTO

The flights at King Cake Flights allow customers to sample a variety of sweet and savory flavors in one sitting.

Blood from the injury was visible on Perez-Perez’s face.

“If you injure a federal agent doing his or her job, then you’re going to jail — simple as that,” said U.S. Attorney Zachary Keller.

“Law enforcement officers place themselves in harm’s way every day to make our community safe, and our

Monique Livers-Gilmore, who worked with Cooper in Mississippi, said Cooper was a “transformational visionary.”

“He believed in wholechild and whole-family wellness long before it became a national conversation,” she wrote. “Dr. Cooper touched countless lives. He lifted people, opened doors and believed in the power of community.”

Cooper was hired in January 2012 by a split vote of the Lafayette Parish School Board. It was a rocky two years for Cooper as a majority of the sitting School Board fought him on many of his recommendations and decisions. The board fired him in November 2014, alleging he violated state law and board policy in certain personnel and budget deci-

sions, prompting Cooper to sue the district.

“I have no regrets,” Cooper said after the vote to fire him in 2014. “I feel like we’ve done a great job in the past three years.

Cooper argued that Act 1, passed by the state Legislature in 2012, shifted power from school boards to superintendents and that his actions followed that law.

The yearslong legal battle was decided in May 2017, when the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeal sided with the superintendent, ruling that the board “acted arbitrarily and capriciously”; the Louisiana Supreme Court later refused to hear the board’s appeal.

office stands ready to take swift action to punish and deter those who put them in danger.”

ICE, Enforcement and Removal Operations and Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case, which is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig Bordelon II. Reports of violence involving ICE officers has escalated in recent weeks.

More than 20 people were arrested and four officers

were injured last month in Illinois when protesters clashed with police outside a Broadview U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility. Last week, a woman was shot and killed by an ICE officer in Minneapolis. Officials said she attempted to ram them with her vehicle. She was a U.S. citizen born in Colorado and appears to never have been charged with anything involving law enforcement beyond a traffic ticket.

Email Ashley White at ashley.white@ theadvocate.com

Border Patrol reports 560 , s a r G i d r a M south Louisiana arrests The Taste of y l i a D h s e r F d Bake ost the next party, h

BY LARA NICHOLSON Staff writer

U.S. Border Patrol has made more than 560 arrests of undocumented immigrants in south Louisiana just over five weeks after launching operations here, a spokesperson for the agency said Friday.

The updated count comes as the status of Border Patrol’s local operation falls into uncertainty. The Associated Press reported Friday that federal agents were being pulled out of Louisiana to move to Minneapolis, where thousands of federal agents arrived this week to target Somali immigrants and an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer fatally shot a woman with U.S. citizenship last Wednesday.

“The Department of Homeland Security continues to arrest the worst of the

worst criminal illegal aliens across the New Orleans, Louisiana area during Operation Catahoula Crunch,” Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin said.

DHS did not provide any additional details about the 560 arrests. When asked if Border Patrol would be withdrawing completely, McLaughlin said the agency does “not disclose operational details while they are underway.”

Cmdr. Gregory Bovino had been spotted in Kenner and Metairie on Tuesday, according to reports from immigration advocacy group Union Migrante but was seen in Minneapolis on the day of the fatal shooting.

Border Patrol launched its Louisiana operation on Dec. 3, with more than 200 officers arriving in the New Orleans area with the goal of

making 5,000 arrests across the region.

In the first eight days of the operation, Border Patrol arrested 250 people, with fewer than 10% having criminal backgrounds.

The last count released by DHS was on Dec. 18 at 370 arrests.

y, Find the bab good times roll! and let the

Email Lara Nicholson at lnicholson@theadvocate. com.

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The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Sunday, January 11, 2026 ● 3B

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THE GULF COAST

Obituaries Corbett, James 'Jim'

Residents, officials question $84M Destin waterfront park 4-acre Fla. site expected to open in 2027

BY POET WOLFE Staff writer

Residents and city officials in Destin opposed plans last Tuesday for a new $84 million waterfront park on Holiday Isle, citing concerns that the 4-acre lot could become a commercial hub that increases traffic from tourists and disrupts life for locals.

Florida recently purchased the site to build a public park with trails, pavilions and approximately 100 parking spaces. It is scheduled to open in March 2027.

Once slated for an eightstory condominium, the project is part of an effort to expand access to the Gulf Coast city’s beaches amid ongoing local tensions over limited shoreline, as privately owned beaches and vendor operations have contributed to overcrowding.

The plan also comes as more vacationers, drawn by less crowded beaches, turn to the Mississippi and Alabama Gulf Coast.

Neighboring the touristheavy Norreigo Point, the waterfront park would bring far less traffic, noise and marina congestion than the original development concept, officials said in the project management plan. But several council members pushed back in the meeting held by the Okaloosa Board of County Commissioners, raising concerns with county staff members, including parks director Jeff Peters, commissioner Drew Palmer and deputy county administrator Craig Coffey.

Destin council member

PROVIDED PHOTO By FACEBOOK

Florida purchased land on Holiday Isle in an effort to expand access to Destin’s beaches, city officials said.

Torey Geile argued that the board overseeing the project has “limited knowledge on the zoning guidelines and the land development regulations,” adding that a residential dock would create less traffic.

Destin council member Terésa Hebert emphasized the impact on nearby residents, saying that anything beyond a beach with limited parking spaces would be “a detriment to those who live there who have enjoyed their peace and quiet and don’t want to have anything extra to create more havoc and noise and disruption.”

County officials said in the project management plan that the waterfront park would complement Norriego Point by offering amenities not suitable for a beach, including concession stands and food trucks.

A one or two-story building would also house a small tourism office, food services and an event space.

Altogether, the site could generate between $500,000 to $1 million in revenue during Destin’s busiest tourism season, from March to October, according to the plan.

Earlier this year, officials announced plans for another project, Tarpon

Beach Gulf Front Park, which will feature 340 feet of public beach access, restrooms and nearly 50 free parking spaces. At the groundbreaking ceremony for the $16.75 million project, Mayor Bobby Wagner said the park was about “reclaiming the beaches for our residents, for our tourists.”

Wagner has also said Destin aims to “buy and build more public beaches over the next two years. But at Tuesday’s meeting, he said residents appeared to be forced to accept a project they did not support.

“The current plan seems to be getting shoved down our throats through possible pretenses that the state is requiring you guys to do,” Wagner said. “So, either you’re getting arm barred or we are feeling arm barred through the state.”

He added that the project “shouldn’t be about profit margins. It should be about quality of life.”

Peters, Palmer and Coffey did not respond to the concerns of residents, council members and Wagner at the meeting, but Okaloosa County created a form where people can submit questions or comments about the park.

Popular restaurant expanding to third Mississippi location

guestbook online at www.mourning.com Martin & Castille SOUTHSIDE, 600 E. Farrel Road, Lafayette, Louisiana 70508, 337-984-2811

Hardy, Dorothy Amman

A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, January 17, 2026, at an 11:00 AM Service in Our Savior's Church - Lafayette Campus, 1201 E Broussard Rd, Lafayette, LA 70508, for James "Jim" Corbett, age 73, who passed away on January 8, 2026, in Lafayette, Louisiana.

Pastor Jacob Aranza will officiate at the services.

Jim was born September 16, 1952, in Florence, AL. He was a longtime resident of Berwick and then Lafayette, Louisiana. He graduated from Nicholls State University. He had an exceptional and distinguished 38-year long career in banking, eventually retiring as the Regional President of Hancock Whitney. His life was the embodiment of vibrancy and inquisitiveness. He had a wide breadth of knowledge and interests and was always eager to learn something new. He leaves a legacy of truly undying support for his family and friends. He was a man who was always genuinely interested in everyone he met. His greatest passion was his family, and he was rarely spotted without his best friend and bride, Tammie. Their loving relationship was an inspiration to everyone they encountered and will continue to be one deserving of emulation.

Jim is survived by his beloved wife of 50 years and soul mate, Tammie Guidry Corbett of Berwick, LA; his son, James Sellers Corbett, Jr. of Lafayette, LA; and his daughter, Catherine Corbett Landrum and her husband, Dr. Matthew Ray Landrum of Little Rock, AR; three grandchildren, EllaGrace Noel Corbett of Lafayette, LA, and Zachary Thomas Landrum and Drew Alexander Landrum of Little Rock, AR. He was preceded in death by his parents, James C.A. Corbett and Melba Bailey Corbett.

The family requests that visitation be observed on Saturday, January 17, 2026, at Our Savior's Church Lafayette Campus,1201 E Broussard Rd, Lafayette, LA 70508, from 9:00 AM until time of services.

Jim's family wishes to thank all who have helped with their kindness, love, and prayers.

View the obituary and

Memorial Services will be held on Saturday, January 17, 2026, at 1:30 PM in Martin & Castille's La Fleur de Lis Chapel for Dorothy Amman Hardy, age 81, who passed away on Sunday, January 4, 2026, in Lafayette, Louisiana.

Deacon Robert Klingman will officiate at the services.

Dorothy Amman Hardy of Lafayette died on January 4, 2026.

Born on June 5, 1944, in Monroe, Louisiana, Dottie was the daughter of Frederic Charles Amman, Jr. and Dorothy Turpin Amman. She graduated from Neville High School in 1962 and earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Hollins College in 1966. While at Hollins, Dottie spent a year abroad in France, which sparked a lifelong love of travel. She was one of a few women who entered LSU Law School in 1966 and received her Juris Doctor in 1969.

Following law school, Dottie served as a law clerk for Judge Herbert W. Christenberry of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana in New Orleans.

After taking time away from her profession to raise her children, Dottie resumed her career as a judicial clerk to Judge George Bradford "Bumpy" Ware, Sr. and Judge John D. Trahan of the Fifteenth Judicial District Court of Louisiana.

She was preceded in death by her parents and by her first husband, George Washington Hardy, III. She is survived by her husband, William Francis Bailey of Lafayette, Louisiana; her three children, Donna J. Hartley of Dallas, Texas, Melissa Amman Hardy of Lafayette, Louisiana, and George Washington Hardy, IV of Baton Rouge, Louisiana; her stepchildren, John Holbrook Hardy, David Hill Hardy, Allison Elizabeth Hardy, Jennifer

Bailey Frederick, William Francis Bailey, Jr., Christopher Burns Bailey, and Kate Bailey Labue; her beloved grandchildren, great grandchildren, and great-great grandchildren; her sister, Evelyn Amman Hahn of Atlanta, Georgia and her brothers, Frederic Charles Amman III (Martha) of Monroe, Louisiana and Corbin Turpin Amman of Houston, Texas.

Dottie was an active community volunteer who greatly enjoyed traveling, cooking, and entertaining.

Above all, she was a loving daughter, wife, mother, and grandmother who treasured her family deeply. She found joy in art, music, travel, and bringing people together, and she especially cherished the time she spent with her grandchildren.

The family requests that visitation be observed on Saturday, January 17, 2026, from 11:00 AM until time of services. A Rosary will be recited at 1:00 PM at Martin & Castille's Southside location.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Mrs. Dorothy Amman Hardy's name to The Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation (5526 West 13400 South, #510 Herriman, Utah 84096) or to Moncus Park: Lafayette Central Park, Inc. (2901 Johnston Street, Suite 304, Lafayette, LA 70503).

View the obituary and guestbook online at www.mourning.com Martin & Castille SOUTHSIDE, 600 E. Farrel Road, Lafayette, Louisiana 70508, 337-984-2811

How to place an Obituary Notice EMAIL:

obits@theadvocate.com OR CALL FOR MORE INFORMATION:

225-388-0289

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

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

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

TO PLACE A MEMORIAL AD GO TO:

obituaries.theacadianaadvocate.com, click submit an obituary and select create a memoriam.

BY JUSTIN MITCHELL Staff writer

The owner of a popular Mississippi restaurant with locations in Pass Christian and Ocean Springs is taking a chance on a waterfront building in Gulfport, Mississippi, that once housed an eatery from a New Orleans dining group.

Jourdan Nicaud is opening Bacchus on the Bluff at 8813 Lorraine Road, an area that has become more popular in recent years as a slew of development brings new housing, dining and shopping to the Cowan-Lorraine Road corridor.

The restaurant will replace Flamingo Landing, which closed in August after two years in business.

It was the first Mississippi venture for Creole Cuisine Restaurant Concepts, a group that owns more than a few well-known spots in New Orleans including Cafe Mesparo, Boulevard American Bistro, Flamingo A-Go-Go and The Bombay Club.

‘Tis the Season for SUN HERALD PHOTO By SCOTT WATKINS

The back porch of Flamingo Landing in Gulfport, Miss., features a turfed patio with seating.

Nicaud, who has ties to New Orleans and owns several restaurants on the Mississippi Coast, with his brother, Field Nicaud, said the goal is to open Bacchus on the Bluff in March. It is situated along Bayou Bernard and will have the same menu as Bacchus on the Beach in Pass Christian and Bacchus on the Bayou in Ocean Springs.

The Bacchus restaurants

are known for casual coastal fare, the Monday night pork chop special, a variety of oysters and more on the seafood-forward menu.

Nicaud said there will also be a downstairs bar and a boat launch for water access.

The new Lorraine Road location is situated between U.S. 90 and Interstate 10 and is about a 90-minute drive from New Orleans.

4401 NW Evangeline Thrwy, Carencro, LA

337-886-7944

metalmart35@mcelroymetal.com

OPINION

4B ● Sunday, January 11, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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

OUR VIEWS

2025 brought more encouraging news on crime across La. The new year brought something to celebrate across Louisiana: Key indicators of violent crime continue to decline in cities across the state.

There were 121 murders in New Orleans in 2025, a 3% drop from the 125 in 2024. More significantly, the total represents an impressive 55% decline compared to just three years earlier, when the city’s homicide rate led the nation.

In Shreveport, the number of criminal homicides dropped 19% year over year, from 52 in 2024 to 42 in 2025, the lowest number since before the COVID pandemic struck.

In Lafayette, police say they investigated 10 homicides in 2025, down from 18 a year earlier and a record of 29 in 2023.

Murders in Baton Rouge also dropped to prepandemic levels. There were 94 homicides in the city in 2025, down from 113 the prior year, marking a bright spot in an otherwise difficult first year in office for Mayor-President Sid Edwards.

It’s true that violent crime is down nationally over that period, but the picture still varies by jurisdiction.

The progress is admittedly slower in Baton Rouge than it is elsewhere. And in a discouraging sign for public safety, the city continues to have trouble attracting and retaining police officers. It recently had to cancel a police academy due to lack of interest.

“I think we’re actually trending in a good direction, although the numbers are still unacceptable,” District Attorney Hillar Moore said.

But we are particularly encouraged by the news out of New Orleans, where the year-overyear drop in murders looks more pronounced if you factor out the terrorist truck attack on Bourbon Street in the year’s first hours, a tragedy that left 14 dead. The homicide total fell for the third straight year to a 50-year low, and the progress has outpaced national improvements.

The number of nonfatal shootings in the city dropped a modest 3%, but carjackings and armed robberies fell substantially, by 35% and 28%, respectively.

The figures reflect good, smart work across multiple agencies and in coordination with community groups, all of which predates the recent arrival of federally funded Louisiana National Guard troops to New Orleans’ tourist core.

Among the contributing factors are the New Orleans Police Department’s more sophisticated use of technology, forensics and ballistics, at a time when the agency continues to face a staffing shortage.

Conviction rates have also improved, something District Attorney Jason Williams attributes in part to his attorneys working more closely with police investigators to build cases.

Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick highlighted the department’s fruitful collaborations with the Louisiana State Police’s Troop Nola as well as with National Guard troops deployed by the state for the Bayou Classic during Thanksgiving weekend.

We’d add in proactive efforts to address the roots of crime by everyone from the city health department to the district attorney’s office to outside groups such as the NOLA Coalition, which was formed in the dark days of 2022 and now includes more than 600 civic and community organizations.

We’re also glad that incoming Mayor Helena Moreno is promising to stay the course, and that Gov. Jeff Landry is vowing to continue supporting her efforts and those of leaders across the state.

It makes sense not to upend what’s working, and what could turn our state into something it’s rarely been when it comes to fighting crime: a model for how do it right.

‘Goth heron’ is dead, but questions remain In the waning days of 2025, an ominous portent appeared in Slidell.

It came in the form of a big, black bird, stalking purposefully through the spaces near Davis Landing Road, sometimes affixing an unnerving gaze at those who stopped to take a look.

No one was sure where it had come from Faimon or how it had gotten Roberts there. They just knew that they couldn’t take their eyes off it.

As such, the bird quickly became kind of a quasi-celebrity. Birders flocked to get a sighting of it or to take pictures, begging through their lenses for one of its beady glares. The bird often obliged.

Debate raged in online birding communities about what kind of bird it was. After some debate, amateur ornithologists decided it was a great blue heron.

But it wasn’t blue or gray. If it was a heron, it would have to be melanistic, an extremely rare, though not completely unknown, condition in herons.

Spotting a melanistic heron is a sort of holy grail for many birders.

The possibility of such a specimen patrolling ditches on the northshore only amped up the bird’s popularity.

Social media users dubbed it the “Goth

PROVIDED PHOTO

A bird spotted near Slidell prompted debate among birders about what kind it is.

Heron” and chattered excitedly about its presence.

Those who got pictures posted them along with exultant messages. “A once in a lifetime sighting,” one exclaimed.

“Had to check it out for myself …. how beautiful!” said another.

Alas, it was not to last.

Some who had seen the bird observed it vomiting. Other strange behaviors were reported.

Earlier this week, a birder named Greg Capranica went to see the bird and found it dead in a ditch near the road. He immediately contacted the Audubon Society and other ornithologists to make sure it was responsibly collected and studied.

Capranica told me that the bird smelled of creosote and appeared to

be stained rather than melanistic. Its downfeathers appeared white, he said.

That, as well as the bird’s size — small for a great blue heron — have led some to surmise that it wasn’t a heron at all, but a great white egret.

Both that species and this particular member’s fate are well known to Louisianans.

Egrets are a regular feature of waterways, and we’ve all seen the pictures of birds covered in oil from environmental disasters.

The goth heron’s (or egret’s) death has only raised more questions: What was the substance and where did it come from? And how did it get on the bird?

We may never know. And fortunately for us, Americans aren’t like the ancient Romans, who believed the behaviors of birds were omens for the future. Those who interpreted those signs were called “augurs.”

What the goth heron augurs us is impossible to say. Investigators will pore over how the bird got stained and whether they can trace the source of the contamination. They will also use DNA and other tests to establish exactly what kind of bird it was.

As for whether it’s an omen, maybe we just hope for the best.

Email Faimon A. Roberts III at froberts@theadvocate.com.

How to boost letter’s chances of getting published At the start of the year, I like to reparency with our readers. All letters mind readers of our guidelines for let- we publish must come from real peoter submissions. We do receive ple, and we favor letters from a large volume of letters, and writers in our coverage areas. we can’t print them all, unfortuOccasionally, we will publish a letter from someone outside of nately. our region, but there has to be a But readers who follow a compelling reason. We want to few simple guidelines have a foster discussion among local greater chance of seeing their Arnessa people on issues that matter to opinion in print.

Garrett them.

First, we do not allow profanLastly, we ask that letter ity or personal attacks. While writers limit their submissions to one public officials are fair game for critievery three months. That ensures we cism, we generally reject letters that have a variety of letters from readers, use denigrating nicknames or vulgar rather than the same ones featured references. We are trying to create a over and over. If you are a frequent forum for civil debate, and that starts writer, please know that we will read by requiring all to use civil language. your submission, but we will reject it Next, we do have a 300-word limit if we have published a letter from you for letters. recently.

Any letter longer than 300 words That’s about it. Please note that we will be cut or rejected. We need a word limit in order to get in as many of your do edit letters for accuracy and clarity.

We fact-check all letters, and letters letters as we can.

We also require letter writers to give with dubious or unverifiable facts will be rejected. their full name and city of residence.

We appreciate all those who take the We do not allow pen names or anonymous letters. This is so we have trans- time to write to us. We spend a great

deal of time making sure our letters reflect your views. We look forward to hearing from you in the new year. We are always looking for new ways to make our letters section more engaging.

Turning to our letters inbox, we received 63 letters for the period Jan. 1-8. Though the attack on Venezuela may have been a surprise, it was no surprise that many of you wanted to weigh in. We received 13 letters on the topic, making it the hottest topic of conversation that week. Next in popularity was the ongoing immigration crisis, which prompted six letters from readers. And rounding out the top three, there were four letters on the fifth anniversary of the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol.

With Congress back in session, we are sure there will be lots of hot topics to come. We’ll be waiting to hear from you.

Arnessa Garrett is Deputy Editor | Opinion Page Editor. Email her at arnessa.garrett@theadvocate.com.

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ARNESSA GARRETT STEPHANIE GRACE WILL SUTTON QUIN HILLYER FAIMON ROBERTS

The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Sunday, January 11, 2026 ● 5B

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COMMENTARY I support ICE — but it needs a reset A 37 year-old woman in Minnesota is dead at the hands of ICE agents, while Louisianans can think that “there but the grace of God went we.”

The only proper response by the Trump administration — necessary for public safety and the public good — would be to announce at least a temporary suspension of its aggressively, quite literally extra-ordinary use of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Before exploring those two interrelated points, this columnist should note that Quin my own predilections usuHillyer ally run well in favor of law enforcement in general and specifically against widespread leniency for illegal immigrants.

On multiple occasions, I have opined in defense of police when national or local media was portraying them as villains, and in years past, I’ve even gone so far as to donate several times to the Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund, which supports officers who defended themselves in the line of duty.

Yet even as I strongly support ICE’s legal mission and am predisposed to give law officers the benefit of the doubt, I should — we all should — bow to prudential considerations.

No matter how one interprets the multiple videos of the killing of Renee Good, there can be absolutely no doubt of two conclusions.

First, no matter whether the shooting officer had legally defensible excuses for fir-

AP PHOTO By BEN HOVLAND

The scene of a deadly ICE shooting from Wednesday in Minneapolis.

ing his weapon, it is abundantly clear that both he and the officer at Good’s window did not come close to properly safe, deescalatory procedures while handling the situation. This is not even debatable.

This sort of tragically incompetent enforcement was not just predictable, but already had been predicted repeatedly, when the Trump administration so rapidly doubled ICE’s size while dropping its recruitment standards and cutting training time in half.

The result, all over the country, in videotaped incidents too numerous to count, has been the presence of amped up agents acting in egregiously belligerent ways: forcibly throwing women to the ground even if they aren’t resisting, repeatedly threatening or even detaining people for exercising constitutional rights to video activity on public streets and the like.

Of course, nobody has the right to ob-

struct agents in the course of their duties, but bystanders have every right to video them, protest them and even annoy them.

Indeed, the bystanders have more of an incontrovertible right to do that than the agent had in firing his gun at Good.

Yet not once has Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, much less President Donald Trump, asked officers to be more careful, to respect constitutional rights, to tone down their bellicosity. Contrarily, all Noem and Trump have done for a full year is ratchet up the rhetoric.

The second conclusion stems from the evidence of that undue pugnaciousness.

Namely, if the administration’s goal is public safety and the greater good (a big “if”), the current tactics are clearly counterproductive.

If the administration really wants to target the worst of the criminal element among the illegal population, it need not use such extravagant shows of force while scaring local communities and citizens. It should partner with local law enforcement, which has every reason to want to apprehend those same criminals regardless of whether they are “undocumented.”

If ICE develops information that locates and identifies a dangerous illegal immigrant, give the info to the local police and let police, who have superior training, make the arrest while ICE just provides backup.

Meanwhile, let ICE concentrate mainly on the border, while, in the interior, apprehending less dangerous illegal immigrants for deportation proceedings only upon probable cause.

The massive sweeps by hyped-up, poorly trained agents are fomenting fear and civil unrest. Yet there is in no way anything so urgent about rounding up peaceful immigrants that it justifies the massive use of force. Having made its point and inspired significant “self-deportation,” the administration now should step back and use quieter, less combustible tactics.

This, essentially, is what Mayor-elect Helena Moreno was requesting in December when border patrol officials targeted New Orleans. She was 100% wise to do so. Unless agents are dealing with a deliberately obstructive “sanctuary city,” the point should be to engender trust and cooperative public safety.

Louisiana was lucky nothing awful happened. It is a simple fact that ICE has made numerous mistakes by detaining actual citizens and by deporting people who are protected by court order. Its frequent unreasonableness struck home here in Louisiana with the nationally publicized detainment of Mandonna “Donna” Kashanian, who literally had cooperated with immigration authorities for 47 years. It took the intervention of House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-Jefferson, to free Kashanian, but most detainees don’t have access to a majority leader.

For the sake of public unity and calm, the Trump administration must learn that, despite rallying cries to the contrary, moderation in pursuit of justice is indeed a virtue — and it’s usually essential.

Email Quin Hillyer at quin.hillyer@ theadvocate.com

Cantrell governed with an attitude, and showed us its limits of making restaurants and bars Eight years ago, LaToya smoke-free. And it cast her as the Cantrell stormed into the New Orleans mayor’s office with an at- fresh face running against a pair titude. This week she’ll leave with of politically pedigreed opponents seeking to replace an outgoing one, too. mayor who hailed from That the voting public a legendary family and views her brash personalgoverned very much as an ity quite differently now insider. compared to when she was Her elevation made first elected says much sense at the time. Under about her roller coaster of Mitch Landrieu, New a public life.

Stephanie Orleans largely emerged As the Cantrell era from its long post-K doldraws to a close, it’s worth Grace stepping back in time to drums, but after eight remember what made her years, fatigue always popular in the first place. sets in. Unlike the technocratic, She was scrappy and self-made, practiced outgoing mayor, the a onetime neighborhood activblunt-spoken Californian, nickist who rejected the supposedly named “Teedy,” was unpolished expert theory that her beloved, and often profane. She drew votes low-lying Broadmoor should be across traditional political, geosacrificed to the flood plain after graphic and racial lines, one more Hurricane Katrina. Instead, she way she seemed like a new type led in a well-organized, inspirof mayor for a new New Orleans.

And in her best moments during ing revival, the type that other her first term, she was. Cantrell flooded neighborhoods sought to took on the powers in Baton emulate.

Rouge and landed the Fair Share The reputation she made as agreement to claw back tourism head of the Broadmoor Improvetaxes for infrastructure improvement Association propelled her to the City Council, where she ments. When it became clear that took on the difficult challenge Carnival 2020 had been a super-

spreader event, she brushed off complaints and imposed strict COVID protocols that brought the numbers down, and many of her constituents cheered her heartfelt pleas to keep others safe.

But her defiance too easily and too often crossed over into defensiveness. From the beginning, she resisted advice and stood by appointees who were ill-suited for their jobs for too long. She survived a clownish recall attempt but instead of rising above it, she lashed out angrily at its supporters. Particularly in her second term, she met the City Council’s newfound aggressiveness with behavior that very much justified the restraints they sought to put on her.

She made a mess of trash contracts, traveled too much and too luxuriously on the city dime, took up with her bodyguard and allegedly lied about it, leading to an August federal indictment that still hangs over her head. She irresponsibly spent the COVID relief money that flowed in, leaving her successor Helena Moreno, the council vice president, with a massive financial shortfall.

She did get some things right, including the choice of Anne Kirkpatrick as police superintendent and health director Jen Avegno’s work on public health-based crime prevention initiatives. That Moreno is not changing course on public safety is notable.

She also focused needed attention on getting unhoused people into shelter and addressing the city’s vulnerability to climate change. Some important landmarks happened on her watch, from exiting the federal police consent decree to the completion of a new power station for the Sewerage & Water Board.

In hindsight, a more complete picture of the hits and misses will emerge, as it always does.

In the moment, though, there is the attitude, expressed not as candor but as petulance that borders on self-pity. The mayor rarely takes questions these days, or does much to effectively highlight her accomplishments.

Among her last moves in office were pointless vetoes of the council-passed budget and of council members’ attempt to stop

her from spending city money recklessly in her administration’s waning days. On both, she was easily overridden.

I’ve observed multiple mayor transitions, and this period reminds me most of the final days of Ray Nagin, the last outsider to follow an insider — Marc Morial — and fall precipitously from public grace. Morial, like Landrieu, was the son of a strong mayor who possessed an encyclopedic understanding of how city government works. Moreno shows signs of being far more like them than Cantrell, even though she too served on the council after moving to the city as a young adult.

If there’s a lesson to this pretty predictable cycle, it’s that the mayor of New Orleans can be tremendously powerful — but only if the person in that position understands how to work the job’s various levers.

Because as both the city’s voters and the candidates they elect keep learning, attitude only gets you so far.

Email Stephanie Grace at sgrace@theadvocate.com.

No Ruby Bridges? Then give me Frederick Douglass.

Anybody who spent enough a pocket. That was traditional. time in elementary school has But that didn’t mean I was stuck heard of the Mayflower, the U.S. in the 1700s or the 1800s when it Constitution, the Declaration of came to history.

Independence, the Revolutionary I favor sneaks, soft-sole shoes; War and the Gettysburg Address. pullover, collared and T-shirts; Anybody who spent enough time jeans and casual slacks. But that in elementary school has doesn’t mean I bow to and heard of Frederick Douexpect others to lift Beyonglass, even if that lesson cé to Ruby Bridges level was during Black History and push Denzel WashingMonth in February. And ton to Frederick Douglass nearly everybody who heights. spent enough time in eleBut c’mon. Why would we Will celebrate our nation’s 250th mentary school has heard Sutton anniversary this year and the name of and seen the identify only “traditional” famous painting of Ruby moments in our rich history? Why Bridges. wouldn’t we include Ruby Bridges But apparently President Donald Trump’s administration wants and Frederick Douglass?

Way back in 1996, the U.S. to stop history at a certain point Congress formed the Citizens in time and exclude more incluCommemorative Coin Advisory sive parts of our history in favor Committee. This expert group of, gulp, “traditional” history. of coin people focused on comTraditional.

Wow. memorative coins. In 2003, the I once wore button-down, ironed U.S. Congress abolished that and starched dress shirts, somegroup, creating the Citizens times with French cuff links, with Coinage Advisory Committee pleated dress pants, wingtip shoes (CCAC). They’ve operated each year since, meeting regularly, and often with a Mont Blanc pen discussing history, numismatics with the white tip peeking from

and even sculpture. They’ve done the same work under Presidents George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Donald Trump and Joe Biden. The group includes people appointed by the U.S. secretary of the treasury. The secretary was Steven Mnuchin in Trump’s first term.

Trump’s second-term Treasury secretary is Scott Bessent.

Mnuchin made news during his tenure, but not involving coins.

Not many know it was Bessent who axed the Bridges and Douglass coins.

Now you know.

The stingy, specific and all-socareful CCAC proudly endorsed some special coin designs, including coins recognizing women’s suffrage, the abolition of slavery and the civil rights movement.

Specific recommendations were sent to Bessent and the U.S. Mint leadership, which reports to the treasury secretary. Perhaps they might’ve approved a coin recognizing women cooking in kitchens and doing laundry, the creation of the Ku Klux Klan and White supremacist movements. They rejected the experts’ recommen-

dations.

Coins recognizing the Mayflower, the Gettysburg Address and the Revolutionary War were added to the list. I have quibbles and qualms about each of those, but I’d be OK with keeping those — along with the others.

Ruby Bridges is a history maker. At 6 years old, she was one of the first Black children to integrate a White school, attending William Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans. Her parents made the decision to enforce the U.S. Supreme Court’s Brown vs. Board of Education ruling, which prohibited segregation. She was one of four New Orleans girls to integrate White schools on Nov. 14, 1960, and the one whose defiance and struggle was memorialized by artist Norman Rockwell in one of his most famous paintings, “The Problem We All Live With.”

Bridges is about my age, so maybe that’s part of the problem.

On the table but not approved by the CCAC is a special 2026 coin recognizing Trump. I’m sure he’d love that. But might that require a change in U.S. law?

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

“No head and shoulders portrait or bust of any person, living or dead, and no portrait of a living person may be included in the design on the reverse of specified coins,” reads one part of the 2020 H.R. 1923 law passed by the 116th Congress (2019-2020) and signed by then-President Donald Trump.

Bridges and Trump are alive and well as of this writing.

Though I’d love a Bridges coin and I’d give away a Trump coin, I’ll call that a draw and let it go.

But why not my man Fred?

I’ve got Douglass on my desk.

He’s in books I can reach. I was recognized by a Black journalists group with a Douglass sketch because they knew how much I love Fred and what he was all about.

Please take Trump off the table.

I’ll give you Bridges. I’ll take the Mayflower, the Revolutionary War and the Gettysburg Address.

But give me women’s suffrage, the abolition of slavery and the Civil Rights Movement. And Frederick Douglass.

Email Will Sutton at wsutton@ theadvocate.com.

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

TO SEND US A LETTER, SCAN HERE

6B ● Sunday, January 11, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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ALMANAC

AIR QUALITY

LAFAyETTE THROUGH 5 P.M. SATURDAy

YESTERDAY

TEMPERATURE

High/low Normal high/low Record high Record low

GOOD

74°/64° 62°/43° 79° in 2009 14° in 1962

MAIN POLLUTANT Ozone

READING 29

TODAY

PRECIPITATION

GOOD

24 hours through 5 p.m. Sat. 0.61” Month to date (normal) 2.42” (1.96”) year to date (normal) 2.42” (1.96”)

MAIN POLLUTANT Ozone

SUN AND MOON Sunrise today Sunset tonight Moonrise today Moonset today

7:05 a.m.

5:27 p.m.

12:58 a.m.

12:02 p.m.

SOURCE: AIRNOW.GOV

NEW

FIRST

FULL

LAST

JAN 18

JAN 25

FEB 1

FEB 9

THE NATION AND WORLD Today City

LOUISIANA FORECAST

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Monroe 56/32

Shreveport 59/34

Jackson 54/30

Longview 58/31

Many 57/31

Hattiesburg 60/32

Alexandria 58/33

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

Cairo COMITE

Near Olive

Baton Rouge 61/34 Beaumont 63/40

Port Arthur 62/44

Lafayette

AMITE

Near Darlington Denham Springs Port Vincent

New Orleans 61/41

Lake Charles 62/37

TICKFAW

Montpelier Holden

Houma 62/36

ATCHAFALAYA

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

TIDES HIGH

Lake Pontchartrain (Tchefuncte River) 2:21a Shell Beach 8:12p South Point, Marsh Island 2:21p Cypremort Point 4:44p Grand Isle (Barataria Pass) 4:27p Mississippi River (Southwest Pass) 3:41p Wine Island 5:35p

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2:48p 7:11a 3:32a 7:03a 3:41a 2:14a 4:43a

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FT.

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

Simmesport Melville Krotz Springs Butte La Rose Bayou Sorrel Morgan City

FLOOD STAGE 24-HOUR STAGE CHANGE

34 48 48 35 27 22 17

-4.80 15.30 18.30 7.00 3.60 3.11 1.90

-0.78 +0.16 none +0.20 -0.10 +0.36 -0.26

40

11.25

+1.37

19

3.87

+5.30

18 29 8

1.68 18.63 2.31

+2.68 +8.56 +0.72

13 15

5.11 1.21

+3.52 +0.44

47 34 29 20 12 6

6.26 4.33 3.96 3.16 2.40 2.01

none +0.14 +0.17 +0.25 -0.20 +0.24

Austin Boston Dallas Fairbanks Honolulu Las Vegas Louisville Miami Nashville

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

Monday

Hi

Lo

W

Hi

Lo

W

City

63 44 60 -4 81 59 38 83 44

34 27 38 -38 71 39 27 70 24

pc r s sn sh s sf pc s

64 39 64 -32 79 62 47 76 52

42 32 42 -43 62 43 34 67 33

pc pc s c sh s s c s

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

34 84 55 25 35 71 54 31 82 70 58

31 67 39 8 32 54 46 26 65 60 43

c pc s s c pc r s pc pc s

46 86 58 31 50 68 51 38 81 66 54

43 68 44 28 45 51 39 35 63 59 41

r pc pc c r s pc i sh pc pc

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

Hi

Today

Monday

Lo

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Hi

Lo

W

61 80 44 71 33 59 39 71 74

41 50 31 47 26 26 30 43 48

pc pc pc s sf pc s s c

54 69 44 71 38 50 53 73 69

44 54 32 45 29 30 42 46 54

pc pc s s pc s s s pc

67 49 51 63 38 19 62 41 54 25 61

42 45 35 40 12 14 39 38 33 17 36

s r s pc sn sn pc c s c pc

70 53 52 67 29 24 63 52 52 23 49

55 47 36 43 24 7 43 46 42 16 38

pc pc c s sn sn pc r pc c s

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

-10

-0s

0s

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

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

Today Mon. Tue. Wed. Thu. Fri. Sat.

Major

Minor

Major

Minor

5:31a 11:42a 5:53p 6:12a 12:23p 6:35p 6:54a 12:42a 7:17p 7:37a 1:24a 8:01p 8:22a 2:09a 8:47p 9:09a 2:55a 9:35p 9:57a 3:44a 10:23p

WEIGHT SCOOTER Featherweight Scooter

------1:06p 1:49p 2:34p 3:22p 4:10p

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|

S u n d ay, J a n u a ry 11, 2026

1Cn

LSU gym ties for first in opener, loses to OU on tiebreaker Chio wins all-around, Blackson shines in debut

BY SCOTT RABALAIS Staff writer

The first result of the gymnastics season is in for LSU, and the No. 2-ranked Tigers wound up in a scoring tie with No. 1 Oklahoma on Saturday in the Sprouts Farmers Market Collegiate Quad at the Maverik Center in West Valley City, Utah.

Both teams finished at 197.500. However, Oklahoma was awarded the team trophy based on a comparison of the teams’ sixthplace scores in each event. UCLA was third at 197.000, while Utah struggled to a distant fourth with a 195.900.

LSU sophomore Kailin Chio won the allaround title with a 39.600, edging out U.S. Olympian Jordan Chiles of UCLA (39.575).

Chio’s performance was even more impressive considering she was coming off a preseason ankle injury and only performed on uneven bars in the Tigers’ exhibition meet on Jan. 2.

Chio also tied for first on balance beam with a 9.95. LSU newcomer Courtney Blackson, a transfer from Boise State, also shared

ä See GYM, page 2C ASSOCIATE PRESS PHOTO By GEORGE WALKER IV

LSU guard Jalen Reece shoots the ball past Vanderbilt forward Ak Okereke during the first half on Saturday in Nashville, Tenn. The Tigers lost 84-73 to remain winless in SEC play.

JUST SHORT

LSU puts up a fight in loss to Vandy; falls to 0-3 in SEC play

BY TOYLOY BROWN III

Staff writer

Without Dedan Thomas, LSU basketball looked out of sorts and unequipped at times against No. 11 Vanderbilt, the top-ranked team in the Southeastern Conference.

LSU trailed by as many as 20 points in the first half.

Regardless, the team fought especially hard on defense in the second half. LSU even brought an edge when Robert Miller and Mazi Mosley were talking to Vanderbilt’s Devin McGlockton and the players had to be separated.

No technical fouls were handed, but that was the first time this season that a moment like that occurred.

That fearlessness against Vanderbilt helped the Tigers trail by as few as seven points with 8:55 left in the game.

However, that wasn’t enough to overcome LSU’s talent disadvantage as it fell 84-73 to Vanderbilt on Saturday at Memorial Gymnasium in Nashville, Tennessee. LSU (124, 0-3 SEC) entered as a 141/ 2 -point underdog to Vander-

bilt (16-0, 3-0), which has tied its best start to a season in program history.

“I thought once we settled into the game, we did a better job executing,” Matt McMahon said on the LSU sports radio network. “We guarded well enough, certainly from the floor in the second half.

“We had two possessions where we’ve got it down to seven, and those were two of our few turnovers we had in the second half … and never could get any closer.”

Max Mackinnon had a season-high 27 points, four rebounds and four assists. Marquel Sutton had 13 points and six rebounds. LSU outscored Vanderbilt 35-32 in the second half.

Thomas missed his third consecutive game for LSU due to a lower leg injury. The junior runs LSU’s offense, averaging a team-high 16.2 points on 49.3% shooting, an SEC-high 7.1 assists and only 1.8 turnovers per game.

ä See LSU, page 2C

Dominant Troy too much for Cajuns

PROVIDED PHOTO By LSU ATHLETICS

LSU gymnast Kailin Chio performs a beam routine during the Sprouts Collegiate Quad meet on Saturday at Maverik Center in West Valley City, Utah.

UL women falter in fourth quarter again, lose to Texas State Cajuns drop to 0-6 in Sun Belt Conference play

BY KEVIN FOOTE

BY KEVIN FOOTE

Some games can be difficult to explain.

Troy’s 90-70 victory over UL on Saturday in the Cajundome was not one of them.

In the first two minutes of the game, the visiting Trojans already drained a trio of 3-pointers for a quick 9-0 lead and the Ragin’ Cajuns never threatened again.

“The thing I noticed was that they played harder than we were playing,” UL coach Quannas White said. “Every time the ball was shot, we didn’t keep them off the glass.

You can’t give an experienced team like that that’s been to the tournament and has veteran players, second and third chance opportunities, because they’ll hurt you, and that’s what they did.”

The loss dropped UL to 4-14 and 2-4 in Sun Belt play, while defending Sun Belt champion Troy improved to 11-6 and 4-1.

For the game, the Trojans 17 3-pointers at a 58.6% shooting clip. Perhaps even more impressively, Troy dominated the boards, outrebounding UL 19-6 in the first half and 42-19 for the game.

For the second straight game, an encouraging first half gave way to a second-half collapse for UL’s women’s squad and the Ragin’ Cajuns suffered a 55-43 home loss to Texas State on Saturday in the Cajundome.

“We’re doing a lot of the things that lead to losing in losing ways,” Brodhead said.

“We’ve got to try to change some of that, you know. I thought they played hard, but we didn’t play very smart.”

The Cajuns are now 1-15 overall and 0-6 in league play, while Texas State improved to 7-8 and 3-2. Next up for UL is a road trip to Arkansas State on Thursday.

“This is hard,” Brodhead said. “It really is hard. It’s hard on everybody. As I’ve gotten older, I can control my emotions a little bit more. So when I go into the locker room, I try to be, ‘How are we going to fix this?’”

Kahlen Norris hit a 3-pointer with 8:19 left in the third to keep UL close at 31-26.

Moments later, Mikaylah Manley’s 3 got the Cajuns within 33-29 with 4:51 left.

The problem was Texas State quickly

Staff writer

Staff writer

STAFF PHOTO By BRAD KEMP

UL guard Dorian Finister shoots between Troy guards Cobi Campbell, left, and Austin ä See CAJUNS, page 2C Cross during his 25-point performance Saturday at the Cajundome.

ä See UL, page 2C

2C ● Sunday, January 11, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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BROADCAST HIGHLIGHTS On TV MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL 11 a.m. Illinois at Iowa Fox 11 a.m. St. Joseph’s at Richmond USA Noon Memphis at FAU ESPN2 2 p.m.

Wright St. at Oakland ESPN2 2 p.m.

North Texas at Wichita St. ESPNU 4 p.m.

Cincinnati at UCF ESPN2 4 p.m.

Northwestern at Rutgers Peacock 5 p.m.

Ohio St. at Washington Peacock WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL 11 a.m. Boston College at Virginia Tech ACCN 11 a.m. G. Mason at G.Washington CBSSN 11 a.m. Villanova at Providence TRUTV Noon North Carolina at Notre Dame ESPN Noon Louisiana Tech at Liberty ESPNU 1 p.m.

Florida St. at Miami ACCN 1 p.m.

Duquesne at VCU CBSSN 1 p.m.

Pittsburgh at Louisville CW 1 p.m.

UConn at Creighton TRUTV 1 p.m.

Georgia at South Carolina SECN 1 p.m.

St. Louis at Loyola of Chicago USA 2 p.m.

Illinois at Penn St. BTN 2 p.m.

Texas at LSU ESPN

LSU

Continued from page 1C McMahon said after the game that his point guard remains dayto-day and has been “in treatment 15, 16 hours a day.”

LSU needed a heightened level of urgency from the opening tip after its most recent 10-point home loss to South Carolina, when the Tigers trailed 24-5 after about 6 minutes.

They got off to a better start against Vanderbilt, but still were down 13-7 by the first media timeout at the 15:54 mark. The Commodores’ Tyler Tanner showed early why he entered the game averaging 17.1 points on 52.8% shooting overall, 5.6 assists and 2.6 steals. At halftime, the sophomore point guard had 11 points and three steals.

Tanner’s speed demanded

3 p.m.

3 p.m.

3 p.m.

4 p.m.

4 p.m.

5 p.m.

5 p.m.

6 p.m.

Clemson at Georgia Tech ACCN Ohio St. at Maryland Peacock Oklahoma at Kentucky SECN Iowa at Indiana BTN Duke at Stanford ESPN SMU at NC State ACCN Mississippi St. at Ole Miss SECN UCLA at Nebraska BTN COLLEGE WRESTLING Noon Maryland at Wisconsin BTN FIGURE SKATING 1 p.m.

U.S. Championships NBC GOLF 9 a.m.

LIV GOLF Promotions 2026 FS1 1 p.m.

Bahamas Golf Classic Golf HORSE RACING 1 p.m.

America’s Day at the Races FS2 2 p.m.

America’s Day at the Races FS1 IIHF GIRLS HOCKEY 4 p.m.

U.S. vs. Czechia NHLN NBA 2 p.m.

New Orleans at Orlando KNGC NBA G-LEAGUE 3:30 p.m. Cleveland at Texas NBATV

switches on screens. LSU’s Mike Nwoko was forced to guard Tanner in space, which was challenging for the 6-foot-10, 260-pound center.

The 6-9 Sutton, who had nine points on 1-of-9 shooting in the previous two games combined, was not able to take advantage of smaller defenders in the first half.

The Commodores’ energetic defense forced seven first-half steals and breakout chances that led to scoring runs.

The top scorer for Vanderbilt early was Tyler Nickel. The 3-point specialist had 15 points and 4 of 7 3-pointers in the first half. Mackinnon did his best to match the scoring burst as he had 14 at halftime and two 3s.

LSU had some moments in the first half that were beneficial to keeping the game within striking distance.

Freshman point guard Jalen Reece was a part of LSU’s fight back

IN BRIEF

FROM STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS

NFL Noon Buffalo at Jacksonville CBS 3:30 p.m. San Francisco at Philadelphia FOX 7:20 p.m. L.A. Chargers at New England NBC NHL 1 p.m.

New Jersey at Winnipeg NHLN 7 p.m.

Vegas at San Jose NHLN SKIING 2 p.m.

Freestyle World Cup CNBC SKIING/SNOWBOARDING 3 p.m.

Freestyle World Cup NBC MEN’S SOCCER 7:30 a.m. Arsenal at Portsmouth ESPN2 7:55 a.m. H. of Midlothian at Dundee CBSSN 10:50 a.m. Nice at Nantes FS2 12:30 p.m. Barcelona vs. Real Madrid ABC TENNIS 5 a.m.

United Cup Tennis 4:30 p.m. ATP and WTA Tennis UNRIVALED BASKETBALL 6:30 p.m. Breeze vs. Rose TRUTV 7:45 p.m. Vinyl vs. Hive TRUTV WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL 3 p.m.

Grand Rapids at Atlanta CBSSN 6:30 p.m. Atlanta at Austin ESPN2

when it went on a 9-0 run after back-to-back 3-pointers from Reece, who entered shooting, and a 3-pointer from Mackinnon to cut the deficit to 39-28 with 4:51 left in the first half. At halftime, it trailed 52-38.

The true comeback run came when sophomore forward Miller and freshman guard Mosley entered the game with 17:21 left in the second half.

McMahon said their “energy” and “athleticism” played a major factor in helping LSU get back into the game.

The duo provided the aggressiveness that the Tigers needed on defense. Miller, the only active returner, displayed good touch around the hoop and was a deterrent around the rim on defense with his 6-10 height and 7-5 wingspan. Miller had nine points on 3-of-3 shooting, two rebounds and a block in 17 minutes. He fouled

out with 20 seconds remaining.

The 6-foot-5, 169-pound Mosley helped shift the intensity on the court, despite going 1 of 6 from the field.

He checked in at the 11:20 minute mark of the first half, which is as early as he played this season.

Mosley was active as an on-ball defender and was also a reason for LSU drawing non-shooting fouls that helped it enter the oneand-one bonus after about seven minutes in the second half.

He played a season-high 27 minutes and had three points, six rebounds and two assists.

Mackinnon’s second half was one of his most impressive of the season. The 6-6 senior used his shooting prowess to attack closeout defenders and score around the mid-range and painted area.

LSU’s next game is against Kentucky at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.

Continued from page 1C

PROVIDED PHOTO By LSU ATHLETICS

LSU gymnast Courtney Blackson scored a 9.825 in her debut with the Tigers at the Sprouts Collegiate Quad meet on Saturday at Maverik Center in West Valley City, Utah.

Sprouts Farmers Market Collegiate Quad at West Valley City, Utah T1. #1 Oklahoma 197.500 (Vault — 49.350, Bars — 49.475, Beam — 49.500, Floor — 49.175) T1. #2 LSU 197.500 (Vault — 49.325, Bars — 49.550, Beam — 49.350, Floor — 49.275) 3. #4 UCLA 197.000 (Vault — 49.275, Bars — 49.425, Beam — 49.125, Floor — 49.175) #5 Utah 195.900 (Vault — 49.600, Bars — 49.375, Beam — 47.875, Floor — 49.050) Oklahoma awarded team trophy based on sixth-place scores in each event.

Individual (includes first place and

CAJUNS

Dorian Finister said. “They were kind of whooping us on the offenContinued from page 1C sive glass. I believe it wasn’t the first shot, but it was the second shot that always went in. I feel like “This is a really good three-point we just did a poor job of defensive shooting team,” White said. “Ev- rebounding.”

Dariyus Woodson led UL with ery guy on that floor can shoot the ball at a high level. You can’t give only three rebounds, while Thomthose guys that many chances at as Dowd led the Trojans with eight the rim. I thought the thing that boards.

“I don’t think we came out ready hurt us right out the gate was the to play,” Woodson said. “ I don’t offensive rebounding.”

Consequently, Troy collected 30 think we came out ready for the second-chance points to only two physicality. We knew they were a physical team. Troy plays hard. for the Cajuns.

“It’s hard to get back into the We taught about the offensive regame when you’re down 20,” bounding, but I mean, they just

UL

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — The good news: There are tickets out there for the Indiana-Miami matchup in the College Football Playoff national championship game.

The bad news: They’ll cost you.

In the moments after Indiana finished rolling past Oregon on Friday to win the Peach Bowl 56-22, clinching a spot in the CFP title game on Jan. 19 against Miami — on Miami’s home field, no less — ticket prices for the matchup soared.

As of Saturday afternoon, TicketData — which tracks activity across a number of sites — said the lowest get-in price to Hard Rock Stadium was just under $3,600 per ticket, including fees.

Some seats available on sites like StubHub, TickPick and Ticketmaster were offered for more than $10,000 on Saturday.

Falcons begin interviews for head coach position

ATLANTA — The Atlanta Falcons interviewed Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak and Miami Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver on Saturday as they began their search for a coach.

The interviews came immediately after the team named Matt Ryan president of football. In the newly created position, Ryan will lead the searches for coach and general manager.

The Falcons fired coach Raheem Morris and general manager Terry Fontenot after the completion of an 8-9 season. It was the team’s eighth consecutive losing season.

The Falcons filled the president of football position before launching interviews for the new coach.

Organizers confident NHL will play in Milan arena

MILAN — Olympic organizers are “100%” confident the NHL won’t pull out of the Milan Cortina Games with the new ice hockey arena finally ready. Or almost.

Construction delays and other concerns about the Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena have drawn headlines ahead of the NHL returning to the Winter Olympics and the women’s tournament opening on Feb. 5.

The NHL has expressed concern about the construction and quality of the ice surface. NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said last month in Winnipeg that the league would not send its players if there were any safety concerns.

When Andrea Francisi, chief games operations officer for Milan Cortina, was asked Friday how confident he was NHL players would participate, he said, “100%, 100%.”

GYM

individual honors on bars with a 9.95 in her debut for the Tigers.

“I couldn’t have done it without my teammates and coaches,” Blackson said in a TV interview.

“They supported me through this whole entire journey. It was just practice, practice, practice, rely on your numbers, have confidence and have fun.”

Madison Ulrich, an LSU transfer from Denver, tied for fourth in the all-around competition with a 39.450.

The Tigers’ lineups were sprinkled throughout with first-timers, expected after LSU lost senior all-arounders Haleigh Bryant and Aleah Finnegan from last year’s team. Nine of the Tigers’ 24 routines were by first-year LSU gymnasts or first-time performers.

The meet came down to the final routine for LSU and OU. The Tigers had veteran Konnor McClain anchoring on beam, but she had a couple of balance checks that led to a 9.650 that LSU discarded as its lowest score.

The Tigers stay on the road next week for their Southeastern Conference opener at No. 12 Georgia.

First vault is set for 6 p.m. on the SEC Network. LSU’s home opener is Jan. 23 against Kentucky.

Ticket prices soar for CFP national championship

made three of their nine tries at the free throw line.

Continued from page 1C “A lot of times at the end of a game like that, though,” Brodhead said. “They’re getting tired and responded with a 10-0 run and UL stuff, you miss a lot of shots, esdidn’t score again until a Norris pecially over the front of the rim.”

The lone bright spot was making 3-pointer with 20 seconds left in 40% of the 3-pointers — two each the third.

The Cajuns then only scored from Manley and Norris.

“We shot less — 26 from the field 11 points and never threatened a and 33% from the free throw line comeback in the fourth quarter.

Offensively, the Cajuns only — than we did from 3,” Brodhead shot 26.2% from the field and only said. “That doesn’t make sense to

All-around — 1. Kailin Chio, LSU, 39.600; 2.

Jordan Chiles, UCLA, 39.575; 3. Avery Neff, Utah, 39.500; T4. Madison Ulrich, LSU, Addison Fatta, Oklahoma, 39.450.

Vault — 1. Avery Neff, Utah, 10.0; T5. Madison Ulrich, Kailin Chio, LSU, 9.90; T12. Lexi Zeiss, Victoria Roberts, LSU, 9.85; T15. Courtney Blackson, LSU, 9.825; 24. Amari Drayton, LSU, 9.25.

Bars — T1. Courtney Blackson, LSU, Ella Zirbes, Utah, 9.95; T3. Konnor McClain, LSU, 9.925; T6. Ashley Cowan, Madison Ulrich,

all LSU competitors)

LSU, 9.90; T13. Lexi Zeiss, LSU, 9.875; T17.

Kailin Chio, LSU, 9.85.

Beam — T1. Kailin Chio, LSU, Hannah Scheible, Faith Torrez, Oklahoma, 9.95; 6.

Kylie Coen, LSU, 9.90; T8. Lexi Zeiss, LSU, 9.85; T11. Kaliya Lincoln, Madison Ulrich, LSU, 9.825; 20. Konnor McClain, LSU, 9.65.

Floor — 1. Jordan Chiles, UCLA, Mackenzie Estep, Oklahoma, 9.925; 3. Kailin Chio, LSU, 9.90; T4. Emily Innes, LSU, 9.875; T11. Nina Ballou, Madison Ulrich, LSU, 9.825; 24. Amari Drayton, LSU, 9.025.

Attendance: N/A

crashed and just moving out the way, and we were not responding.”

Troy posted six double-figure scorers, led by Dowd with 15 points. After him, the five other double-digit scorers finished with 12 or 11 points.

The Cajuns played an offensive game that could win in other Sun Belt matchups — shooting 46.3% from the field even after a late slump and draining 10 more 3-pointers. That’s now doubledigit 3-pointers in five of the last six games.

Like he has most of the season, Dorian Finister led the way for the Cajuns with 25 points on 8-of-12

shooting. Woodson had his second straight productive game with 13 points on 4-of-6 shooting as UL’s only other double-figure scorer.

“There were some guys that didn’t give their all out there, so they sat on a bench, and that’s the way this thing goes,” White said.

“So now you got guys out there playing with no break, like Finister for 34 minutes. You’re playing Milan Mejia, who got cut in the eye, and then he comes right back and goes right into the game.

“Normally, we get production out of some other guys that we didn’t get tonight and all that plays apart.”

me.”

Imani Daniel was UL’s only double-figure scorer with 16 points and seven rebounds. Daniel was the only Cajun player to make more than two baskets in the game.

The Cajuns only shot 25% in the first, second and fourth quarters.

Defensively, the Cajuns had no answer for Texas State in the paint. The Bobcats outscored UL 32-18 and the Cajuns were outscored 14-9 off the bench.

Kyra Anderson led that charge in the post for Texas State with 20 points, 11 rebounds and two steals.

Texas State finished 41.3% from the field and made all 16 of its free throws.

“She (Anderson) hurt us, especially the second half,” Brodhead said. “I thought the paint points the first half were pretty close.

“Honestly, I thought the little guards did a good job of getting by us in the second half, where they created that drop the post.”

Fischnaller, Greiner close in on U.S. luge berths

WINTERBERG, Germany — USA Luge is likely sending three women and two men to the singles races at next month’s Milan Cortina Olympics, after Emily Fischnaller and Matthew Greiner appeared to clinch spots with their World Cup finishes on Saturday.

The International Luge Federation has not officially told national teams yet how many spots they have earned in the Milan Cortina fields, but the expectation — after Saturday’s fifth and final singles Olympic qualifier of the season — is that it’ll be Summer Britcher, Ashley Farquharson and Fischnaller on the U.S. women’s team, with Jonny Gustafson and Greiner on the U.S. men’s team.

USA Luge plans to announce its Olympic nominations on Monday.

Poland beats U.S. in mixed doubles decider

SYDNEY — Poland reached the United Cup final after Katarzyna Kawa and Jan Zielinski beat Coco Gauff and Christian Harrison 7-6 (5), 7-6 (3) in a mixed doubles decider.

Poland will face Switzerland in Sunday’s final.

Kawa and Zielinski were decisive once again, having won the mixed doubles decider in the quarterfinals against Australia. Sixtime Grand Slam singles champion Iga Swiatek rushed over to join the celebrations.

Earlier, Gauff beat the No. 2-ranked Swiatek 6-4, 6-2 to force a mixed doubles decider.

Fourth-ranked Gauff, the French Open champion, evened the matchup at 1-1 at the team event after Hubert Hurkacz beat Taylor Fritz 7-6 (1), 7-6 (2) in the singles opener at Ken Rosewall Arena.

The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Sunday, January 11, 2026 ● 3C

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ALL-METRO FOOTBALL

SMALL SCHOOLS OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF YEAR

FILE PHOTO By ROBIN MAy

SMALL SCHOOLS DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF YEAR

STAFF FILE PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

Lafayette Christian quarterback Braylon Walker leaps between a pair of Catholic High of New Iberia defenders for a touchdown during a 49-14 win on Nov. 28 at Lafayette Christian. The 5-foot-11, 170-pound Walker led the Knights to the Division III select semifinals while accounting for 3,183 yards and 42 touchdowns.

Lafayette Christian defensive end Jayden Arceneaux tries to get a hold of Central quarterback Max Gassiott on Oct. 3 at Central. Arceneaux proved to be a terror in the backfield with 361/2 tackles for loss and 10 sacks last season. He also added three blocked kicks as the Knights advanced to the Division III select semifinals.

BRAYLON WALKER LAFAYETTE CHRISTIAN, SENIOR • QB

JAYDEN ARCENEAUX LAFAYETTE CHRISTIAN, SENIOR • DE

When Braylon Walker took the field in 2025, many were eager to see how the electrifying Lafayette Christian quarterback would fare.

Walker didn’t disappoint in leading the Knights to the Division III select semifinals.

“It doesn’t matter where they are on the field, (Walker) can pull it down and score from anywhere,” Notre Dame coach Lewis Cook said before facing Walker in the regular season.

“That’s scary.”

The dual-threat Walker completed 140 of 218 passes for 2,037 yards, 29 touchdowns and eight interceptions, while adding 1,146 yards rushing and 13 TDs in nearly leading

the Knights to the state final. LCA was edged 49-48 by Dunham in the semifinals.

“He really puts pressure on the defense because he’s not a kid that is looking to run with the football all of the time,” said Knights coach Matt Standiford, of Walker, a UL defensive back signee.“But when he creates things in the pocket, he can hit guys downfield and that really opens up our playbook.”

For his efforts,Walker, who led the Knights to a 11-2 record and the District 6-2A title, was named the Acadiana Advocate’s All-Metro small school offensive player of the year.

Eric Narcisse

Many people who didn’t know Lafayette Christian’s Jayden Arceneaux before last season know him now.

Arceneaux, who bounced around between offense and defense as a running back and then linebacker before settling in as an edge rusher, became a household name in opposing teams’ backfield in 2025.

The 5-foot-10, 220-pound senior recorded 72 tackles, 361/2 tackles for loss, 10 sacks and three blocked punts en route to helping LCA reached the Division III select semifinals.

Arceneaux set a school record for tackles for loss in a season and career (551/2).

“Our defensive line coach calls him ‘Toolshed’ because he is a jack-of-all-trades,” coach Matt Standiford said.“Jayden is smart; he really understands things schematically. He also does a great job of using his quickness to his advantage.”

For his efforts,Arceneaux was named the Acadiana Advocate’s All-Metro small school defensive player of the year.

The honor adds to Arceneaux’s accolades that include All-District 6-2A co-defensive MVP, an honor he shared with teammate Luke Green, and LSWA first-team Class 2A All-State.

Eric Narcisse

SMALL SCHOOLS ALL-METRO OFFENSE

SMALL SCHOOLS ALL-METRO DEFENSE

QB BRAYLON WALKER Lafayette Christian 5-11, 170, Sr.

WR JA’COUREY DUHON Lafayette Renaissance 5-8, 155, Sr.

OL BLAIR LEWIS Jeanerette 6-6, 305, Fr.

DL JAYDEN ARCENEAUX Lafayette Christian 5-10, 220, Sr.

LB KALEB SIMON Lafayette Christian 5-8, 190, Jr.

DB DAMIEN THOMAS Westminster-Opelousas 5-9, 185, Sr.

RB OWEN MORRIS Catholic-New Iberia 5-8, 160, Sr.

TE PRESTON PEEBLES Ascension Episcopal 6-0,165, Sr.

OL JAYDEN BAGLEY Erath 5-10, 250, Sr.

DL JEI’VONNE OWENS Northwest 6-1, 210, Sr.

LB JAHLIL CHARLES Erath 5-11, 165, Sr.

DB ZAVIER LEDET Catholic-New Iberia 5-10, 150, Sr.

RB JOACHIM BOURGEOIS Notre Dame 5-8, 165, Sr.

OL BRODY LEJEUNE Notre Dame 6-3, 250, Jr.

K CARLOS ARELLANO Erath 5-10, 150, Sr.

DL TYLER YOKUM Lafayette Renaissance 5-10, 240, Jr.

LB RAYMOND JACK Jeanerette 6-2, 210, Sr.

P MAC PROFFITT Westminster-Opelousas 6-2, 180, Sr.

RB CAIDEN BELLARD Lafayette Christian 5-10, 190, Jr.

OL TORREY LANDRY Lafayette Christian 6-3, 245, Sr.

ATH JARRISON REESE Church Point 5-8, 155, Sr.

DL GREGORY GREEN Jeanerette 6-2, 265, Jr.

DB LUKE GREEN Lafayette Christian 6-1, 180, Sr.

ATH KYLE HORDE Westminster-Opelousas, 6-2, 220, Jr.

WR BRAYDEN ALLEN Lafayette Christian 6-2, 180, Sr.

OL JAKE POIRIER Catholic-New Iberia 6-2, 225, Sr.

KR BLAKE DELCAMBRE Loreauville 5-6, 175, Sr.

LB WYATT DUBOIS St. Edmund 5-11, 180, Sr.

DB WES DUPLECHIN Notre Dame 5-10, 175, Jr.

SMALL SCHOOLS SECOND-TEAM OFFENSE QB — Keenan Brown, Lafayette Renaissance; RB — Nathan Diggs, St. Edmund; Hugo Morales, Delcambre; Ke’von Johnson, Northwest; WR — Cameron Samuels,Abbeville; Roderick Tezeno, Opelousas Catholic; Jamion James, St. Martinville; OL — Connor Payne,Westminster — Opelousas; Hayes Beaullieu,Ascension Episcopal; Michael Landry,Westminster-Lafayette; Brandon Cormier, Lafayette Renaissance; Jonah Blake, Notre Dame; K — Jude Fairchild, LCA; ATH — Stephen George,Westminster Christian — Opelousas; KR — Kobe Gage, Jeanerette.

SMALL SCHOOLS SECOND-TEAM DEFENSE DL — Landen Chevis, Church Point; Hayden Bergeaux, Notre Dame; Nyjil Nora, Loreauville; Joseph Adams, Lafayette Christian; LB — Braxton Woodring,Ascension Episcopal; Jaimason Marzell, Lafayette Christian; Eli Landry, Loreauville; Kayce Sellers, Lafayette Renaissance; DB — Layton Mitchell, Catholic-N.I.; Jaidon Ward, Jeanerette; Gannon Smith, Kaplan; Devin Lejeune, Church Point; P — Brayden Romero, Crowley; ATH — Pierce Gable,WestminsterLafayette.

SMALL SCHOOLS COACH OF THE YEAR BYRON PORTER WESTMINSTER CHRISTIAN When Byron Porter took over the Westminster Christian program in 2023, he did so with a vision of taking the Opelousas school to heights never achieved.

This past season, Porter did just that when he led the Crusaders to an undefeated regular season, a District 5-1A championship and a No. 1 seed in Division IV select playoffs.

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It was only the second time in school history the Crusaders were undefeated in the regular season — the first being 2011 — and the program’s first district title since 2016.

Porter and the Crusaders (12-1) went on to reach the Division IV select semifinals — the deepest playoff run in school history — before falling to Ascension Catholic. Before that the

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Crusaders beat Opelousas Catholic 48-35 in overtime in the regionals and St. Edmund 52-22 in the quarterfinals.

For his efforts and the success of his Crusaders, Porter was named the Acadiana Advocate’s All-Metro small school football coach of the year.

Eric Narcisse

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STAFF FILE PHOTO By BRAD KEMP

Westminster Christian coach Byron Porter

ONE great state FOUR great apps

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ALL-METRO FOOTBALL LARGE SCHOOLS OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF YEAR

STAFF FILE PHOTO By BRAD KEMP

LARGE SCHOOLS DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF YEAR

FILE PHOTO By ROBIN MAy

Teurlings Catholic quarterback Alex Munoz takes off against John Curtis during a Division II quarterfinal playoff game on Nov. 28 in Lafayette. Munoz passed for 2,256 yards and rushed for 879 yards with 45 total TDs in leading the Rebels to a perfect regular season.

Acadiana defensive lineman Darryus McKinley, left, was a dominant force for the Wreckin’ Rams defense. The Ohio State signee recorded 48 tackles, 27 tackles for loss, 10 sacks, 18 quarterback hurries, four forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.

ALEX MUNOZ TEURLINGS CATHOLIC, SENIOR • QB

DARRYUS McKINLEY ACADIANA, SENIOR • DL

Teurlings Catholic’s quarterback Alex Munoz was the engine that made the Rebels go this past season.

The dual-threat signal-caller, who terrorized opposing defenses with his arm and legs, played the game with a reckless abandon that not only endeared him to the Rebels faithful but helped Teurlings enjoy one of its best seasons in school history.

“Both are great,” Munoz said when comparing passing to running.“Of course, touchdown passes are great because you get to share it with your receiver. But running over someone, there’s nothing like it. Nothing else in sports matches that feeling.”

It’s something Munoz did often this past year.

Munoz rushed for 879 yards and 19 touchdowns, while completing 126 of 190 passes for 2,256 yards for 26 touchdowns with four interceptions in leading the Rebels to the Division I select quarterfinals.

An unblockable force.

Those were words often used to describe Acadiana High’s Darryus McKinley this past season.

McKinley, one of the nation’s top recruits, established himself as one of the premier defensive players in the state.

“Darryus has an elite skill set,” coach Doug Dotson said about McKinley during the early signing period.“To have someone his size that can move as well as he does, it is rare. I still believe there is a lot more in him, and I think they’ll be able to develop him even more.”

McKinley, a 6-foot-3, 275-pound defensive lineman, originally committed to LSU before flipping and signing with Ohio State.

This past season, McKinley helped lead the Wreckin’ Rams to an 8-4 record, the District 3-5A championship and the second round of the Division I select playoffs where they were defeated 55-42 by St.Augustine.

“He was unbelievably tough and physical for a quarterback,” coach Michael Courville said.“He’s a football player.Alex is a football player who just happened to be really good at quarterback. He did whatever was required for us to win.”

The Rebels were undefeated in the regular season for only the third time in school history and their lone loss of the season came against John Curtis in the quarterfinals. “(He’s) what you are looking for as a coach in a quarterback; he is prototypical,” Courville said.

“He is all about football. He’s a film junkie and just really mature beyond his age. He understands progressions and he was just really smart with the football.”

For his efforts, Munoz was named the Acadiana Advocate’s All-Metro large schools player of the year.

Eric Narcisse

In 11 games, McKinley recorded 48 tackles, 27 tackles for loss, 10 sacks, 18 quarterback hurries, four forced fumbles and one fumble recovery en route to being named the District 3-5A defensive player of the year and being named first team all-state in Class 5A by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association.

“He’s a force on the D-line, and throughout the offseason we talked about during his reps constantly being unblockable, and I think he has kind of taken that approach this year,” Dotson said.“When he wants to be unblockable, he really is. He’s hard to deal with.When he is at defensive end, he controls that whole side, and when he’s at the threetech, he’s pretty much unblockable inside.

He’s just a force.”

For his efforts this past season, McKinley was named the Acadiana Advocate’s All-Metro large schools player of the year.

Eric Narcisse

LARGE SCHOOLS ALL-METRO OFFENSE

LARGE SCHOOLS ALL-METRO DEFENSE

QB ALEX MUNOZ Teurlings Catholic 5-10, 190, Sr.

WR ANDREW VIATOR Teurlings Catholic 5-10, 155, Sr.

OL MISTER FINNEY Carencro 6-5, 295, So.

DL DARRYUS McKINLEY Acadiana 6-3, 275, Sr.

LB GAVIN COLEMAN Acadiana 5-9, 180, Sr.

DB LANDON ORTTE St.Thomas More 6-1, 200, Jr.

RB JUSTIN WILLIAMS Southside 5-9, 195, Jr.

TE A.J. PRICE Teurlings Catholic 6-3, 205, Sr.

OL JAYDEN BROWN St.Thomas More 6-4, 270, Jr.

DL LENORD HOWARD Westgate 6-2, 275, Sr.

LB CHANCE ARCHANGEL Westgate 6-3, 230, So.

DB TRANDIN BENJAMIN Westgate 5-10, 185, Sr.

RB JADEN CELESTINE Comeaux 5-11, 185, Jr.

OL DAMIRE MOUTON Southside 5-11, 235, Sr.

K JOSH MARQUEZ Acadiana 6-1, 235, Jr.

DL CONNOR McATEE St.Thomas More 5-11, 270, Sr.

LB BRAYLON JONES Cecilia 6-0, 205, Sr.

P CADEN REESER Comeaux 5-9, 145, Sr.

RB BRAYLON CALAIS Cecilia 6-2, 195, Jr.

OL ISAIAS AVALOS Acadiana 6-2, 270, Jr.

ATH COLLIN DiBETTA Acadiana 5-11, 170, Jr.

DL ETHAN ROQUE Southside 6-2, 210, Jr.

DB CAMERON ALLEN Southside 6-1, 175, Sr.

ATH CHANTZ BABINEAUX Carencro 6-0, 195, Sr.

WR CHRISTIAN BREAUX St.Thomas More 6-3, 185, Sr.

OL DRAKE PERRY Teurlings Catholic 6-1, 305, Sr.

KR KOLLEN FRANCOIS Southside 5-8, 145, Jr.

LB ANDRE FRUGE Teurlings 6-0, 210, Sr.

DB GAVIN HISAW Acadiana 5-9, 175, Sr.

LARGE SCHOOLS SECOND-TEAM OFFENSE

LARGE SCHOOLS SECOND-TEAM DEFENSE

QB — Carson Gurzi, Carencro; RB — Xzaban Williams, Lafayette High; Caemon Crockem, Westgate; Troy Kennerson,Acadiana; WR — Jamieon Brown, Lafayette High; Travis Gallien, Acadiana; TE — Brock Mitchell,Westgate; OL — Ja Alexander, Northside; Jabarik Sebille, Cecilia; Thomas Cramer,Teurlings; John Jackson, Southside; James Deluna, Cecilia; K — Logan Boudreaux,Teurlings; ATH — Parker Dies, Southside; KR — Brandon Duffy, Carencro.

DL — Jack Snyder,Teurlings Catholic; Claude Alexander, Lafayette High; Conner Helaire, Cecilia; Shane Broussard, Opelousas; LB — Hayes Guidry, St.Thomas More; Shamar Broussard, Southside; Walker Pugh, St.Thomas More; Jaxon Broussard,Teurlings; DB — Emanual Collins, Southside; Kaden Chavis,Teurlings Catholic; Mario Alexander, Northside; Kendrick Cahee, Lafayette High; P — Cayson Woods, Beau Chene; ATH — Isaiah Lavalais,Acadiana.

LARGE SCHOOLS COACH OF THE YEAR MICHAEL COURVILLE TEURLINGS CATHOLIC

STAFF FILE PHOTO By BRAD KEMP

Teurlings Catholic coach Michael Courville

In his first season at the helm, coach Michael Courville led the Teurlings Catholic Rebels’ football program to one of the best seasons in school history.

Behind an explosive offense and a stifling defense, the Rebels (11-1) were a perfect 10-0 in the regular season before advancing

to the Division I select quarterfinals where they were defeated 21-7 by perennial power John Curtis.

It was the Rebels’ third undefeated regular season in school history.

For his efforts and the success of the Rebels, Courville was named the Acadiana Advocate’s

All-Metro Large School Coach of the year.

Eric Narcisse

NEWS 24/7 ON

6C ● Sunday, January 11, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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STM stays hot with win Westgate outlasts St. Thomas More to against rival Teurlings reach tourney final Cougars end winless streak against Rebels

Tigers’ aggressive approach fends off taller Cougars

BY ERIC NARCISSE Staff writer

St. Thomas More boys soccer coach Dane Adams has had a lot to be happy about this season — especially lately.

On Friday, the Cougars continued their hot run by defeating crosstown rival Teurlings Catholic 2-1 to extend their winning streak to five.

“Any victory for the Cougars is a huge win,” Adams said, “especially when it comes down to a (game against Teurlings). We knew it was going to be a war, but we kept fighting. It’s a big win and it is really nice when it comes against your crosstown rival.”

The win is the Cougars’ first over the Rebels in their past six meetings. Teurlings had won each of the past four meetings and the two teams tied in 2022.

The Cougars (12-2-3) opened the scoring in the first half with a penalty kick by Luke Finley. The goal was Finley’s 31st of the year.

“Connor Baer received the ball, took a touch right in front of one of the defenders, and the defender clipped him in the box,” Adams said. “So, we got the PK and Luke put it away like he’s done all year.”

Later in the first half, the Cougars extended their lead to 2-0 on a goal by Connor Baer.

“The second goal came from strictly working hard,” Adams said. “I mean, we worked hard.

We put a good press. The ball went back to the keeper. Connor went for a run, put enough pressure on him and the keeper went to clear it. Connor was there, hit his body and it bounced right into the goal.

“I’m just so proud of the guys.

The goals were not pretty, but gosh, they worked so hard for them.”

In the second half, the Rebels

BY MATTHEW LOURIERE Contributing writer

The final score will say Westgate 65, St. Thomas More 60, but anyone inside the Teurlings Catholic gym Friday night knew the Tigers survived something far bigger than a typical semifinal.

In a matchup that felt like a championship game, Westgate leaned on toughness, rebounding and timely execution to edge STM in the semifinals of the Rebel Roundball Classic.

STM raced to an 8-0 lead behind a barrage of perimeter shooting.

“We gave up probably four (3-pointers) in the first quarter,” Westgate coach Oliver Winston said. “We were playing a little bit too off, so we had to get closer and contest those shots.”

Westgate steadied itself and trimmed the deficit to 18-14 by the end of the first quarter. The Tigers led 30-27 at halftime.

The third quarter turned into the heavyweight bout most expected.

STM used its size to battle inside while Westgate countered with physicality and energy on the glass. Neither team could create separation, and the quarter ended tied at 47.

“Finish,” was the message from the Westgate coaching staff to the young team with one final period left to play.

That message showed early.

Westgate opened the fourth with aggressive dribble penetration, collapsing STM’s defense and creating open looks. The Tigers built a late cushion by attacking downhill rather than settling.

“I thought once we put them on their heels, it helped us,” Winston said. “We were getting penetra-

STAFF PHOTO By BRAD KEMP

St. Thomas More’s Connor Baer brings the ball up field against Teurlings Catholic’s Crew Hebert on Friday.

(13-3-1) got on the board with a goal by Luke Viator that cut the deficit to 2-1.

But that’s as close as the Rebels got.

“We’ve played physical games,” Adams said. “We’ve fought to the last tooth and nails, so we were not in uncharted territory. Our boys rose to the occasion.”

Viator’s goal was the first allowed

by STM in its past nine matches.

During that stretch, the Cougars

outscored their opponents 43-0.

The Cougars, 9-0-2 in their last 11 matches, had outscored opponents 43-0 in their previous eight games.

“I think we played OK,” Rebels coach Stephen Devine said. “I think we could have played a little bit better in certain situations. I was really proud of the way we responded.”

Email Eric Narcisse at enarcisse@theadvocate.com.

tion, getting kick-outs, and hitting some open shots.”

A major factor in that surge came on the glass, where sophomore forward Brock Mitchell delivered one of his most impactful performances of the season.

Mitchell consistently battled STM’s size advantage and created second-chance opportunities.

“That’s something coach tasked me with,” Mitchell said. “Crash hard, give a lot of effort.”

Facing an STM roster loaded with length, Mitchell said physicality was non-negotiable.

“They’ve got size, so we had to try to get more physical,” he said. “We’re not the biggest team, but we try to outwork people.”

STM refused to go quietly.

The Cougars ramped up pressure late, jumping into a fullcourt press that briefly rattled Westgate. A pair of turnovers allowed STM to claw back within two points in the final minute.

Still, Westgate made enough plays down the stretch to close the door, converting at the right moments and protecting the lead just long enough to secure the victory.

For Mitchell and the Tigers, the early deficit never altered the mindset.

“It didn’t change the game plan,” Mitchell said. “We were just trying to go get it. We knew we had to come back.”

Sophomore guard Antonio Quetel led the Tigers in scoring with 13 points and one assist.

Cayden Lancelin, Louisiana’s top recruiting prospect of the 2028 class, had 12 points, six assists and five rebounds.

Sophomores Shadon Lee (10 points, four rebounds) and Dakylon Joseph (seven points, two assists) added to the team’s offensive performance, while junior Jackilion Roberson led the team in rebounds with seven. Freshman Zyier Stokes contributed four points.

PREP REPORT Boys basketball

Westgate 45, St. Michael 37 Teurlings 60, New Iberia 36

Friday’s games

Rebels Roundball Classic at Teurlings Catholic

Thursday’s games

Carencro 60, Rayne 43 Lafayette Christian 58, Menard 40 Alexandria 54, St. Louis 31 St. Thomas More 43, Lake Charles Prep 42

Carencro 43, Central Catholic 42 Westminster 49, Lafayette Christian 29 Lake Charles Prep 31, St. Michael 30 St. Louis 50, New Iberia 31 Westgate 65, St. Thomas More 60 Alexandria 62, Teurlings 40

Saturday’s games

Boys soccer

Carencro 52, Westminster 46 New Iberia 44, St. Michael 40 Also David Thibodaux 54, Booker T. Washington 36

St. Charles 6, Lafayette Christian 1 Houma Christian 3, Westgate 2

Girls basketball

Girls soccer

North Vermilion 50, Ponchatoula 45 Woodlawn-BR 56, Northside 46 Teurlings 48, Mt. Carmel 32 JS Clark 42, Dutchtown 26

Erath 8, Opelousas Catholic 0 St. Thomas More 1, Newman 0 West Feliciana 3, St. Martinville 0

SCOREBOARD Odds Sports Betting Line NFL Sunday

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

FAVORITE Houston

NBA

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

Sunday

FAVORITE LINE at ORLANDO 6 at MEMPHIS 4½ at TORONTO OFF New York 4½ at MINNESOTA OFF at OKLAH. CITY OFF at PHOENIX 13½ at DENVER OFF at GOLDEN ST. 7 Houston 12½

O/U UNDERDOG (234½) New Orleans (224½) Brooklyn (OFF) Philadelphia (231) at PORTLAND (OFF) San Antonio (OFF) Miami (229½) Washington (OFF) Milwaukee (236½) Atlanta (222½) at SAC

COLLEGE BASKETBALL Sunday

FAVORITE LINE UNDERDOG at RICHMOND 8½ Saint Joseph’s (PA) at IOWA 1½ Illinois at DETROIT MERCY 7 Cleveland State at FLORIDA ATL. 1½ Memphis at IONA 11½ Canisius Quinnipiac 5½ at SACRED HEART at ROBERT MORRIS 5 Purdue Fort Wayne Northern Kentucky 2½ at GREEN BAY UAB 8 at E. CAROLINA at RICE 1½ Charlotte at SAINT PETER’S 1½ Merrimack Marist 11½ at RIDER Siena 3½ at M. ST. MARY’S at MANHATTAN 6½ Niagara at OAKLAND 4½ Wright State at MILWAUKEE 11½ IU Indianapolis at WICHITA STATE 6½ North Texas Northwestern 4½ at RUTGERS at UCF 3½ Cincinnati at WASHINGTON 1½ Ohio State

Pro basketball EASTERN CONFERENCE W 28 24 24 23 21 22 20 21 19 17 17 13 11 10 7

L 9 13 14 16 15 18 17 18 21 20 21 25 24 27 31

Pct .757 .649 .632 .590 .583 .550 .541 .538 .475 .459 .447 .342 .314 .270 .184

GB — 4 4½ 6 6½ 7½ 8 8 10½ 11 11½ 15½ 16 18 21½

W Oklahoma City 32 San Antonio 26

L 7 11

Pct .821 .703

GB — 5

WESTERN CONFERENCE

25 25 23 22 23 21 19 16 14 14 13 9 8

Friday’s games

13 14 13 13 15 18 20 22 23 24 24 31 30

.658 .641 .639 .629 .605 .538 .487 .421 .378 .368 .351 .225 .211

6½ 7 7½ 8 8½ 11 13 15½ 17 17½ 18 23½ 23½

Boston 125, Toronto 117 New Orleans 128, Washington 107 Philadelphia 103, Orlando 91 L.A. Clippers 121, Brooklyn 105 Oklahoma City 117, Memphis 116 Atlanta 110, Denver 87 Phoenix 112, New York 107 Golden State 137, Sacramento 103 Portland 111, Houston 105 Milwaukee 105, L.A. Lakers 101

Saturday’s games

Cleveland 146, Minnesota 134 Miami at Indiana, n L.A. Clippers at Detroit, n Dallas at Chicago, n San Antonio at Boston, n Charlotte at Utah, n

Sunday’s games

New Orleans at Orlando, 2 p.m.

Brooklyn at Memphis, 2:30 p.m.

New York at Portland, 5 p.m.

Philadelphia at Toronto, 5 p.m.

Miami at Oklahoma City, 6 p.m.

San Antonio at Minnesota, 6 p.m.

Milwaukee at Denver, 7 p.m.

Washington at Phoenix, 7 p.m.

Atlanta at Golden State, 7:30 p.m.

Houston at Sacramento, 8 p.m.

Late Friday New Orleans 128, Washington 107 NEW ORLEANS (128)

Murphy III 13-24 2-3 35, Williamson 12-14 7-13 31, Queen 7-13 0-0 14, Fears 9-15 1-1 21, McGowens 2-6 1-2 6, Matkovic 1-2 0-0 2, Peavy 4-9 0-0 9, Missi 1-5 1-2 3, Alexander 0-0 0-0 0, Hawkins 2-5 3-3 7, Poole 0-2 0-0 0.

Totals 51-95 15-24 128.

WASHINGTON (107)

NBA Conference glance Detroit Boston New York Toronto Philadelphia Cleveland Miami Orlando Atlanta Chicago Milwaukee Charlotte Brooklyn Washington Indiana

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

George 6-13 0-0 15, Middleton 2-5 0-1 4, Sarr 5-11 4-8 14, Coulibaly 2-6 3-6 8, T.Johnson 3-7 4-4 12, Branham 2-3 4-4 10, Gill 0-0 0-0 0, Vukcevic 4-14 7-10 15, Champagnie 6-12 0-0 12, A.Johnson 3-6 0-0 6, Carrington 4-10 0-0 11. Totals 37-87 22-33 107.

New Orleans 28 32 40 28 — 128 Washington 26 24 34 23 — 107 3-Point Goals—New Orleans 11-34 (Murphy III 7-16, Fears 2-4, Peavy 1-4, McGowens 1-5, Hawkins 0-1, Matkovic 0-1, Poole 0-1, Queen 0-2), Washington 11-35 (George 3-6, Carrington 3-8, Branham 2-3, T.Johnson 2-5, Coulibaly 1-2, A.Johnson 0-1, Champagnie 0-2, Middleton 0-2, Sarr 0-2, Vukcevic 0-4). Fouled Out—New Orleans 1 (Peavy), Washington None. Rebounds—New Orleans 51 (Queen 16), Washington 40 (Champagnie 9). Assists—New Orleans 30 (Queen 12), Washington 24 (Carrington, Champagnie, Coulibaly 4). Total Fouls—New Orleans 22, Washington 23. A—16,563 (20,356)

Pro football Wild-card Playoffs Saturday, Jan. 10

L.A Rams 34 Carolina 31 Green Bay at Chicago, n

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

Conference Championships Sunday, Jan. 25 AFC

AFC lowest remaining seed at AFC highest remaining seed

NFC

NFC lowest remaining seed at NFC highest remaining seed

Super Bowl LIX 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 56, No. 5 Oregon 22

National Championship

Miami Jan. 19 No. 10 Miami vs. No. 1 Indiana, 6:30 p.m.

(ESPN)

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

Troy 90, UL 70 Vanderbilt 84, LSU 73 Southern Miss 70, UL-Monroe 60 Louisiana Tech 70, Delaware 68 NW State 79, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 78 McNeese 73, Southeastern 61 Tulane 85, Texas-San Antonio 42 Bethune-Cookman 74, Grambling 65 Nicholls State 90, UNO 77 Southern at Florida A&M, n

Sunday’s games

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

Troy 90, UL 70 TROY (11-6)

Dowd 6-12 0-2 15, Kiel 4-7 1-1 11, Seng 4-8 1-2 9, Coo.Campbell 4-5 0-0 12, Cob.Campbell 4-8 0-0 12, Valdes 4-5 2-2 12, Bellamy 5-9 1-2 11, Cross 2-3 0-0 6, Clarton 0-0 0-2 0, Colbert 0-1 0-0 0, Griffin 1-2 0-0 2, Awata 0-3 0-0 0, Mitchell 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 34-63 5-11 90.

UL (4-14)

Jones 1-1 0-0 2, Lewis 2-6 0-0 5, Finister 8-12 6-7 25, Lavergne 3-11 0-0 7, Mejia 3-4 0-1 8, Woodson 4-6 2-2 13, Collins 2-4 0-0 4, Evans 0-1 1-2 1, Bilal 2-3 1-1 5, Olvera 0-4 0-0 0, Mouton 0-2 0-0 0, Myers 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 25-54 10-13 70.

Halftime—Troy 53-35. 3-Point Goals—Troy 17-29 (Coo.Campbell 4-4, Cob.Campbell 4-7, Dowd 3-6, Cross 2-3, Kiel 2-3, Valdes 2-3, Seng 0-1, Awata 0-2), UL 10-25 (Finister 3-5, Woodson 3-5, Mejia 2-3, Lavergne 1-4, Lewis 1-4, Bilal 0-1, Collins 0-1, Olvera 0-2). Rebounds—Troy 37 (Dowd 8), UL 16 (Woodson 3). Assists—Troy 25 (Valdes 7), UL 11 (Lavergne 3). Total Fouls—Troy 11, UL 13.

A—2,318 (11,550).

No. 11 Vanderbilt 84, LSU 73 LSU (12-4)

Nwoko 3-5 0-2 6, Sutton 5-11 2-2 13, Tamba 3-5 0-2 6, Mackinnon 9-16 6-6 27, Reece 2-9 0-0 6, Mosley 1-6 0-0 3, Miller 3-3 3-4 9, King 1-3 1-1 3, Carter 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 27-59 12-17 73.

VANDERBILT (16-0)

McGlockton 2-5 0-0 4, Nickel 6-12 3-3 19, Okereke 5-7 1-2 12, Miles 4-10 8-8 17, Tanner 7-18 6-7 20, Washington 3-5 4-5 11, James 0-4 0-0 0, Bing 0-2 1-2 1, Harris 0-0 0-2 0. Totals 27-63 23-29 84.

Halftime—Vanderbilt 52-38. 3-Point Goals— LSU 7-20 (Mackinnon 3-6, Reece 2-5, Sutton 1-3, Mosley 1-4, Carter 0-1, King 0-1), Vanderbilt 7-30 (Nickel 4-10, Okereke 1-2, Washington 1-2, Miles 1-5, Bing 0-1, McGlockton 0-2, James 0-3, Tanner 0-5). Fouled Out—Miller.

Rebounds—LSU 34 (Nwoko 7), Vanderbilt 34 (Nickel 10). Assists—LSU 14 (Mackinnon 4), Vanderbilt 13 (Miles 5). Total Fouls—LSU 17, Vanderbilt 17. A—9,399 (14,316).

Women’s state schedule

Northwestern State 65, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 49 McNeese 77, Southeastern 55 North Texas 59, Tulane 53 Nicholls 79, UNO 64 South Alabama 73, UL-Monroe 67 Grambling 67, Bethune-Cookman 60 Texas State 55, UL 43 Florida A&M 60, Southern 57

Sunday’s games

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

Pro hockey NHL Conference glance EASTERN CONFERENCE

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.

Carolina Montreal Detroit Tampa Bay

Monday’s games

GP 44 44 45 42

W 27 25 26 26

L OT Pts 14 3 57 13 6 56 15 4 56 13 3 55

44 42 45 43 42 45 43 43 44 46 43 44

24 22 23 21 23 24 21 22 22 20 20 18

15 12 16 13 15 19 15 18 20 20 18 19

WESTERN CONFERENCE

5 8 6 9 4 2 7 3 2 6 5 7

53 52 52 51 50 50 49 47 46 46 45 43

130 130 148 140 135 151 143 132 115 120 139 132

122 120 130 134 131 146 140 140 137 135 145 151

GP W L OT Pts GF GA Colorado 44 33 4 7 73 179 99 Dallas 45 26 10 9 61 157 129 Minnesota 45 26 11 8 60 143 121 Vegas 42 19 11 12 50 133 132 Edmonton 44 22 16 6 50 149 148 San Jose 44 23 18 3 49 141 155 Seattle 42 20 14 8 48 117 123 Utah 45 22 20 3 47 137 127 Los Angeles 43 18 15 10 46 115 122 Anaheim 44 21 20 3 45 147 163 Nashville 43 20 19 4 44 122 143 Chicago 44 18 19 7 43 126 142 St. Louis 45 17 20 8 42 112 157 Calgary 45 19 22 4 42 116 135 Winnipeg 43 16 22 5 37 126 135 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.

Friday’s games

Washington 5, Chicago 1 Winnipeg 5, Los Angeles 1 Utah 4, St. Louis 2

Saturday’s games

Boston 10, N.Y. Rangers 2 Calgary 2, Pittsburgh 1 Colorado 4, Columbus 0 San Jose 5, Dallas 4, OT Anaheim at Buffalo, n Detroit at Montreal, n Florida at Ottawa, n Seattle at Carolina, n Tampa Bay at Philadelphia, n Vancouver at Toronto, n Chicago at Nashville, n N.Y. Islanders at Minnesota, n Los Angeles at Edmonton, n St. Louis at Vegas, n

Sunday’s games

Saturday’s games

No games scheduled.

N.Y. Islanders Philadelphia Washington Pittsburgh Buffalo Boston Toronto Florida New Jersey N.Y. Rangers Ottawa Columbus

GF 152 151 141 146

GA 133 144 142 112

New Jersey at Winnipeg, 1 p.m.

Pittsburgh at Boston, 4 p.m.

Columbus at Utah, 6 p.m.

Washington at Nashville, 6 p.m.

Vegas at San Jose, 7 p.m.

Transactions FOOTBALL

National Football League ATLANTA FALCONS — Hired Matt Ryan as president of football.

BUFFALO BILLS — Signed LB Baylon Spector to the active roster. Placed WR Joshua Palmer on injured reserve.

CHICAGO BEARS — Activated CB Kyler Gordon from injured reserve.

WASHINGTON COMMANDERS — Hired David Blough as offensive coordinator.

HOCKEY

National Hockey League BUFFALO SABRES — Recalled D Zac Jones from Rochester Americans (AHL).

LIVING

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

Ms. Rachel is a modern-day Mister Rogers.

This was my first encounter with her.

I’ve started 2026 with a song loved by millions. It’s new to me, but it’s now chiseled into my brain.

One verse goes like this: “Icky sticky sticky sticky sticky bubble gum, bubble Herman gum, bubble Fuselier gum Icky sticky sticky sticky sticky bubble gum, bubble gum, bubble gum Makes your hands stick to your head And you pull ’em, and you pull ’em, and you pull ’em away!”

It turns out that bubble gum also sticks to your elbows, tummy, ears, knees, mouth and other body parts. Who knew?

Apparently 68 million people — that’s how many times the video has been viewed in its five years on YouTube. This same singer’s YouTube channel has amassed 13.5 billion views.

Yes, that’s billion with a B.

PROVIDED PHOTO By AMAZON

‘100 First Words’ is researched and written by the youTube phenomenon and educator Ms. Rachel.

Folks who keep track of such things estimate the creator’s net worth is between $10 million and $50 million. Perhaps it’s time to dust off my accordion and come up with some icky sticky zydeco.

The bubble gum song was my introduction to Ms. Rachel, a beloved educator and entertainer for babies, toddlers and their parents. Credit for the revelation goes to Tatum, my grandson who just turned 1.

Tatum’s vocabulary is limited to “yah” and “dah” right now.

But I bet he’ll be saying “icky sticky” right after he starts walking.

Tatum’s world stops when Ms. Rachel is on TV. There’s no

ä See MS. RACHEL, page 4D

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.

|

S u n d ay, J a n u a ry 11, 2026

1dn

“We try to help people learn how to do their own research using library resources or online websites, figure out how to resolve errors or to solve what we call brick walls in their research.”

JULIE HERNANDEZ, Lafayette Genealogical Society president

STAFF PHOTOS By CLAIRE TAyLOR

Lafayette Genealogical Society members, from left, Julie Hernandez, Henry Peterson, Joan Boudreaux and Mark Andrepont are among those who volunteer to help others with their family research.

MAKING CONNECTIONS Lafayette Genealogical Society wants to help younger generations learn about family history

A

BY CLAIRE TAYLOR Staff writer

group of die-hard genealogists in the Lafayette Genealogical Society hope to stir the curiosity of younger generations to dig into their family history and learn the stories of their ancestors.

They also eagerly help others start their research and those already digging into their family trees who’ve hit brick walls.

“All we want to do is help people,” Henry Peterson, a group member and volunteer, said.

The genealogical society started around 1985 with three women, Joan Boudreaux, former president, said, and took root in the 1990s. The group grew in membership, but the COVID-19 pandemic and the aging of members have taken their toll.

Society leadership and members

Lafayette Genealogical Society officers Julie Hernandez, left, and Joan Boudreaux discuss the research books and online sites available for free at the main Lafayette Public Library. would like to grow the membership, especially adding younger people, so the society doesn’t vanish.

Genealogy is not just about collecting a bunch of names and dates of ancestors. It’s about the stories behind those names, the journeys and struggles of ancestors, putting real people who share your DNA

into historical times and events.

A Louisiana researcher, for instance, might find out that his family came to Louisiana after the British, between 1755 and 1764, expelled the Acadiens from Nova Scotia because they refused to pledge

ä See SOCIETY, page 4D

Were German POWs imprisoned in La.?

Buildings in the Prisoner-of-War SubCamp No. 7 in Port Allen were surrounded by wire fences and monitored by guard towers during World War II. PROVIDED PHOTO By WEST BATON ROUGE MUSEUM

BY ROBIN MILLER Staff writer

Ernest Gueymard spent Dec. 15, 1943, at Prisonerof-War Sub-Camp No. 7 in Port Allen for a feature story for the State-Times, The Advocate’s then-afternoon sister newspaper.

“The swish-swish of the cane knife is resounding over West Baton Rouge’s broad sugar fields as wielded by sturdy young German prisoners of war,” Guey-

mard wrote.

There were approximately 300 “broad-shouldered young men” who were living in the Port Allen prison of war sub-camp in 1943.

“The prisoners, who appear to be in their early twenties, are grappling with an industry new to them and are doing fairly well,” Gueymard reported.

ä See CURIOUS, page 4D

2D ● Sunday, January 11, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

AT THE TABLE lll

A saucy shrimp and spaghetti, with good bread for dipping Shrimp and spaghetti (a saucy seafood aglio e olio)

BY MICHAEL DIRESTO Contributing writer

The story of how this meal became a DiResto family tradition begins around 1950 and with an unlikely family member establishing it — my grandfather, Pete DiResto, or Pop Pop. Unlikely, because Pop Pop, as far as anyone in the family can recall, did not cook any other dish, since his wife, Agnes, my grandmother, was quite the cook.

This recipe didn’t technically originate with Pop Pop, but rather, he picked it up while eating at a restaurant blocks away from his home in Rockaway Beach, New York. A neighborhood place called Mangone’s (pronounced mahn-GOHN-eez) was a lunchtime spot, serving food primarily for a hungry blue-collar crowd of laborers.

There were mostly men in the crowd, but some women, all of whom worked with their hands.

In other words, Mangone’s was the type of place where workers of modest means could get a hearty meal for a modest price — the same considerations, then or today, for anyone trying to put food on the table for a family on a budget.

With a predominantly Catholic clientele, Fridays were the day when workers from the fish market would deliver fresh seafood to Mangone’s cook Patsy (a man) whose specialty, and crowd favorite, was shrimp and spaghetti. The recipe was not particularly fancy or innovative — it used the same ingredients of a traditional pasta aglio e olio (garlic and olive oil) — except Patsy prepared it by making about double the amount of sauce, served with bread for sopping it up, making the meal go further.

A small but historical footnote for this family tradition is that around this same time, when my father was 10 years old, he and his friends would catch pigeons and sell them to Mangone’s, receiving anywhere between 10

TODAY IN HISTORY

By The Associated Press Today is Sunday, Jan. 11, the 11th day of 2026. There are 354 days left in the year.

Today in history: On Jan. 11, 1908, the Grand Canyon was established as a national monument by President Theodore Roosevelt. The move protected it from mining and other activities until it became a national park in 1919.

Also on this date: In 1861, Alabama became the fourth state to declare its secession from the Union.

In 1935, aviator Amelia Earhart began what would be the first solo flight from Hawaii to California, completing the 2,400-mile flight across the Pacific to Oakland in just under 19 hours.

In 1964, U.S. Surgeon General Luther Terry issued “Smoking and Health,” a report that concluded that “cigarette smoking contributes substantially to mortality from certain specific diseases and to the overall death rate.”

In 2002, the first al-Qaida prisoners from Afghanistan arrived at the U.S. military’s Guantanamo Bay detention camp in Cuba.

In 2010, Mark McGwire admitted to The Associated Press that he’d used steroids and human growth hormone when he broke baseball’s home run record in 1998.

In 2021, House Democrats introduced an article of impeachment against President Donald Trump, charging him with “incitement of insurrection” after the attack on the U.S. Capitol building five days earlier.

In 2024, U.S. and British forces bombed more than dozen sites used by the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen, in a massive retaliatory strike for the militant group’s attacks on international cargo ships and other targets in the Red Sea. Today’s birthdays: Filmmaker Alfonso Arau is 94. Golf Hall of Famer Ben Crenshaw is 74. Jazz guitarist Lee Ritenour is 74. Olympic swimming gold medalist Tracy Caulkins is 63. Filmmaker Malcolm D. Lee is 56. Singer Mary J. Blige is 55. Actor Amanda Peet is 54. Actor Devin Ratray is 49. Actor Aja Naomi King is 41. Singer and former competitive swimmer Cody Simpson is 29.

Serves 4-5 people; Recipe by the DiResto family, by way of Patsy 1 pound large headless, shell-on shrimp 1 cup extra virgin olive oil 6 large garlic cloves, two of them peeled and cut in half; the rest sliced into thin slivers 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes 2 ⁄3 cup finely minced flat-leaf (Italian) parsley Freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano (Parmesan) or Pecorino (Romano) cheese for serving 1 pound spaghetti, plus 1 tablespoon sea salt 3 cups of pasta water

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

A finished bowl of Michael DiResto’s shrimp and spaghetti with bread to 25 cents each, depending on their size, which Patsy would use to prepare squab, whether roasted or braised.

Payment for the boys was also sometimes supplemented with a serving of shrimp and spaghetti.

Ten years later, that same pigeon-catching boy was a man of 20 bringing his girlfriend home for dinner for the first time.

Nervousness probably prevailed because not only would she be meeting my father’s parents, brother and sisters, but all eyes would be fixed on this young Scandinavian woman for her reaction to tasting a meal prepared by the Italian family patriarch.

Would she appreciate the simple, inauspicious-looking dish of shrimp and spaghetti? My father wasn’t so sure.

Turns out, she loved it, especially the part about sopping up

the sauce with bread. (My father had to warn her to lean forward and keep her napkin at hand to guard against drips ruining her best blouse.)

From that day forward and in the years after they were married, shrimp and spaghetti was my mom’s favorite dish. As kids, we also came to appreciate it as the meal for special occasions, with my dad preparing it without fail on Mother’s Day and my mom’s birthday.

Even as recently as two years ago, when I flew my wife and kids from Baton Rouge to New York to celebrate my mother’s 80th birthday, there was my dad boiling three different pots of pasta to feed a house filled with extended family and my mother’s childhood friends.

Just as for Patsy, this is a recipe that, with just a little math, you can easily double or

triple the ingredients depending on the size of the crowd you are serving. There are also other variations — like adding broccoli for a greener version.

My dad will tell you that his father took Pasty’s recipe and improved it; he took his father’s recipe and made improvements; then my brother did likewise, as did I, with my secret weapon of using Louisiana shrimp since I moved to Baton Rouge 30 years ago. We all say our own version is the best, and we’re all correct.

Marilyn Theresa Tveter DiResto passed away almost two years ago. Almost two weeks ago, on Dec. 31, her birthday, I began working on this article and collecting what I needed to prepare the recipe, to honor her memory. She would have been 82, and had she been here, she would have asked you to pass the bread.

1. Peel and devein shrimp and transfer to bowl. Drizzle with a splash of olive oil, add salt, pepper and red pepper flakes, mix well and let marinate for 5 minutes. (Do not discard the shrimp shells but place them in zipper bag and freeze for future use.)

2. In a Dutch oven, add 1/4 cup of olive oil and the halved garlic cloves.

Set heat to medium-high and cook, turning garlic occasionally until it turns brown on all sides (be careful not to burn), then discard.

3. When oil is shimmering, add shrimp in a single layer and cook for two minutes, until bottoms are pink/ orange and crisp, then turn over, cook for another two minutes, then transfer to plate. Reduce heat, add the remaining 3/4 cup olive oil, and scrape up any shrimp bits with wooden spatula.

4. In the meantime, bring large pot of water to boil and add 1 tablespoon salt. Cook pasta to al dente, reserving 3 cups of salty, starchy pasta water.

Strain pasta and add it to a saucepan.

5. Add slivered garlic to the Dutch oven and cook over medium-low heat for one minute, being careful not to burn it. Pour in the pasta water and bring pot to simmer, whisking to keep mixture from separating. When fully mixed, scoop out one cup of sauce, add it to the pasta, and toss to combine.

6. Return the shrimp to the Dutch oven, add the parsley, stir, and cover, returning for a simmer for 4 minutes.

7. Serve pasta in large bowls and evenly distribute the shrimp and extra sauce on top of each bowl. Serve with freshly grated cheese and good bread for dipping.

Host pulls out leftovers at holiday dinner mother still does not think she Dear Miss Manners: My parents was wrong in this; I feel that it invited my family over for New Year’s Day to celebrate. As I like was rude.

Gentle Reader: Perhaps this is to cook, I prepared two entrees how she defines “family to be reheated when we style”? got there.

Yes, this was inconI put in time and effort to prepare a meal they siderate, but if it was a would enjoy. My parents dinner for just the famwere going to make some ily, formal rules are a bit pasta and also picked up more relaxed. At least Judith bread. she offered samples. And Martin if that was all the rest of Upon our arrival at their MISS house, my mother took out the group was getting of MANNERS some leftovers to heat up. her dinner, they still had The leftovers were from room for yours. a restaurant where they’d eaten Rather than harbor anger, Miss the night before, on New Year’s Manners suggests that you might Eve. Not only that, she offered take this as gentle teasing. The her leftovers for everyone to next time you invite your mother sample. over, tell her, “I will be making I was slightly offended, as I duck a l’orange — unless, of had just prepared all of this food course, you want to bring over for them. My mother’s argument any leftover fries you have lying was that her leftovers would around.” not hold till the next day. My Dear Miss Manners: I gave Christ-

mas dinner to two separate neighbors on Christmas Day. It’s been a week, and they have not returned the plates. I’m very annoyed at their lack of concern.

Do I have a right to be upset?

Gentle Reader: Did you ask for them back? Of course your neighbors should have thought to return them on their own, but if ye do not ask, ye may not receive.

Miss Manners suggests that instead of silently seething, you send them a note asking when would be a convenient time for you to pick up your plates. This is neither impolite nor terribly difficult. You do, after all, know where they live.

Dear Miss Manners: I would like some advice on who should handle an anniversary gift return.

My husband and I received a gift that had been ordered online by our relatives (who live blocks

from us). Unfortunately, the item was damaged and needed to be returned. We repackaged the item into the box and planned on giving it back to the family so they could print the return label and drop off the package at a post office or shipping store. But instead, they asked us to do it.

When asked why, they said they “didn’t know how to return an item.” We took care of it, but shouldn’t it have been their responsibility?

Gentle Reader: Was it gracious of them? No. But you were already out and about.

Send questions to Miss Manners at her website, www. missmanners.com; to her email, dearmissmanners@gmail.com; or through postal mail to Miss Manners, Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.

Keep outdoor flag hems free from fraying Dear Heloise: People spend their hard-earned money on outdoor flags only to have the hems fray in a short time from weather. If you turn the hem over and restitch on a sewing machine, Hints from the edges will not Heloise become ragged from the elements. I especially like to see the American flag flying fray-free in the wind. — Brenda Richardson, in Shelbyville, Kentucky

Revisiting the check engine light Dear Heloise: Regarding Jim and his check engine light fix, after 40+ years in the automotive industry, I have seen my share. Be advised that the check engine light monitors numerous items.

Some are a simple fix like Jim’s; others are far more complex and expensive to repair, especially, if neglected or not diagnosed properly or promptly. Many autopart chain stores provide a complimentary scan of exactly what the issue is. Once determined, then the plan to repair can begin.

That is my first stop, as soon as

the check engine icon lights up on any of my cars, particularly if traveling. — Dan “The Car Man” Centerville, in Ohio

Clocks and more Dear Heloise: Alice from Virginia’s comment about digital clocks and cursive handwriting reminded me of a quip I heard that tickled my septuagenarian funny bone.

How to mess with the mind of a millennial: Lock the millennial in a room with: an analog clock; a rotary telephone; a cash register that does not tell you how much change to give a customer; a manual typewriter; a necktie; and a road atlas. Write the instructions on how to use these in cursive. — Dan Klein, via email Dan, quips aside, all these skills (using a road atlas, reading an analog clock, etc.) seem like lost arts! It sounds like a great opportunity for a funny septuagenarian to teach the younger kids a thing or two. — Heloise

your columns until recently. I’m 81 years old, and when I recently started asking the butcher questions, he looks at me like, “Have you been in the convent or prison that a woman your age doesn’t know these things?” So, finding your column has indeed been “a “find.” — Patricia, via email

Cookie lovers Dear Heloise: We are cookie lovers and have several favorites that we buy regularly. I have three containers for them that are not see-through. I clip the picture of each one from the package and tape it to the lid. No more opening every container to find the cookie you want! — Sharon Smith, in Fairfield Township, Ohio

Scaring away snakes Dear Heloise: To scare away smaller snakes, get some heavy black yarn, braid it into large “scare snakes,” and scatter them around your yard. Smaller snakes will avoid them. — Bennye, via email

Thanks from a latecomer

Two sprays only

Dear Heloise: Since I am not the least bit domestic, I hadn’t paid much attention to your mom’s or

Dear Heloise: Gentlemen of all ages — years ago, while I was at a department store, I overheard

a lady explain to her teenage son, who was about to sample a cologne, that all he needed to do was to give two light sprays into the space in front of him and then to walk into the mist. Sound advice! — D.G., in Chino Hills, California

Dressing cleans drain Dear Heloise: My brass drains get discolored. I accidentally spilled some Thousand Island dressing in the sink, and when it came into contact with the brass drain, it lightened it. So, I promptly used more to polish both drains! — Judy P., in Boerne,Texas

Factory-trained technicians Dear Heloise: I am a retired appliance technician who was factorytrained with all appliances but LG. One thing to request when your appliance is down is that you only want factory-trained technicians. After 45 years in the business, I know that most companies send anyone. So, please ask this question first, or when the technician comes or calls, ask them if they are factory-trained on this appliance. — Joe W., via email Email heloise@heloise.com.

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BOOKS

The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Sunday, January 11, 2026 ● 3D

Retired professor explores history as a reader, writer

UNSHAKEABLE

TIES

Although he retired from a long career as a law professor at LSU in 2011, Patrick H. Martin continues to lead a busy life. Martin, who turns 81 this month, has served as an adjunct professor at LSU in his specialty, oil and gas law.

He and his AATT R RANDOM ANDOM wife, Ann, who teaches in the English department at LSU, live in Clinton.

“We built a house in 1998 on 130 acres just at the edge of town and have been here ever since,” Martin told me.

He added a brief inventory of what guests can expect: “Horses, chickens, cats, dogs, random raccoons, opossums, skunks, many deer.”

Visitors to the Martins’ home can also expect to see lots of books. He mentioned Erik Larson’s “Demon of Unrest,” which chronicles the start of the Civil War, and Joad Raymond Wren’s “The Great Exchange,” a look at the early days of journalism, as recent finds. Martin is partial to historical fiction, even taking a stab at writing a few novels himself.

His “In a Foreign Country — Journeys of a Southerner” series follows the adventures of a New Orleans lawyer in the 19th century.

“The books are self-published,” Martin told me. “At my age, no agent is likely to take me on, and agents are indispensable in getting a publisher.”

National surveys consistently show declines in reading for pleasure. Martin is an outlier, so I met him for coffee to discuss why he finds reading important.

“It’s who I am,” he said. “Our very identity is based on words. If I were not doing what I’m doing, I’d probably be in linguistics.”

How did his reading bug start?

“My father was an engineer,” Martin said.

“My mother was well-read, and her mother read Shakespeare. I still have my grandmother’s notes from her reading of Shakespeare.”

He’s revisited Shakespeare recently for another book project.

Martin encourages law students to read history because it helps cultivate “an understanding of the legal system and how history gives rise to practice.” His appreciation for history deepened when he took classes at LSU from T. Harry Williams, the celebrated historian known for his biography of Huey Long.

Classic literature can yield insights about the law, too. Martin has used “Antigone,” an ancient Greek play that contemplates the conflict between divine law and human law, to illustrate key points of legal philosophy. Excerpts from Aristotle, Shakespeare and Charles Dickens have also figured into his classes.

“Melville has a wonderful passage in ‘Moby Dick’” that can be used to better understand legal theories related to oil and gas, Martin pointed out.

A former midshipman in the U.S. Navy, Martin also enjoys building ship models. He sees similarities in his ship-building and his writing.

“Each is a learning experience requiring research and craftsmanship,” he told me. “In neither building a model nor writing a book do I feel a need to seek anything but excellence.”

Tayari Jones’ new novel explores bonds of sisterhood in the Deep South’s Civil Rights Era

D Danny anny H Heitman eiitm tmaann

BY JOY HOLDEN Staff writer

“Kin” by Tayari Jones,Alfred A. Knopf, 348 pages The novel “Kin” by Tayarii Jones is a journey of sisterhood in the Deep South during segregation and the Civil Rights Movement. Two o motherless girls, Vernice and Annie, bond throughoutt their childhood over the absence of their biological mothers.

Jones, a graduate of Spelman College, University of Iowa and Arizona State University who lives in Atlanta, is a New York Times best-selling author of four novels, most notably her Oprah’s Book Club selection, “An American Marriage.” Published in 2018, “An American Marriage” was awarded the Women’s Prize for Fiction, the Aspen n Words Prize and an NAACP P Image Award. It has been published in two dozen countries.

More like sisters than friends, the two girls in “Kin” choose divergent paths as teenagers that shape their adult lives.

Vernice, orphaned after the violent death of her parents, grows up under the strict guidance of her aunt. Vernice is able to pursue her dreams of social acceptance and family through attending Spelman College in Atlanta, where she encounters Black sisterhood, affluence, inequality and power.

Annie, left in the care of her grandmother after being abandoned as an infant, is haunted by her mother’s absence and runs away to chase down her mother. Her spontaneous travel takes her from Mississippi to Memphis, Tennessee. Along the way, she finds unexpected trials, love and friendship.

Vernice and Annie are desperate for family, and their first person perspectives alternate chapter by chapter, which provides insight into their strained lives. Fated to walk different paths from childhood and driven apart by distance and time, the two women are connected through letters and an unshakeable tie.

“Kin” is set in the fictional small town of Honeysuckle in south Louisiana from 1941 to the 1950s and then in Memphis and Atlanta in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It’s more than a book on friendship. It’s an intergenerational exploration of Black women’s varying lives and choices.

Jones scavenges the depths of girlhood and womanhood in a critical time in America. The brutal

inequality of the South paired with the rich culture of Black women and their relationships with each other portrays a nuanced experience of femininity.

A recurring theme Jones uses in “Kin” is a hoodoo belief that if someone puts dirt in the pocketbook of someone they love, they’ll return. Her prose and characterization are like those pinches of soil.

Her words remain long after the book ends, and her phrases and sentences demand to be read aloud.

Although the novel contains much heartbreak and tragedy, it’s one that can be read again and again.

In “Kin,” the protagonists’ search for love and family guide them to unforeseen circumstances that haunt each of them in different ways. The people they encounter throughout their lives become their PROVIDED PHOTO found families, for better or for worse, yet they consider each other Tayari Jones, New york Times besttheir only kin. selling author and author of ‘An The novel will be published and American Marriage’ and new novel, available at local bookstores on ‘Kin.’ Feb. 24.

Email Danny Heitman at danny@ dannyheitman.com.

PHOTO By DANNy HEITMAN.

Patrick H. Martin holds a copy of ‘Fire on the Mississippi,’ one of the novels in his ‘In a Foreign Country — Journeys of a Southerner’ series.

THIS WEEK’S BESTSELLERS FROM PUBLISHERS WEEKLY HARDCOVER FICTION

1. “The Correspondent” by Virginia Evans 2. “Alchemised” by SenLinYu 3. “The Widow” by John Grisham 4. “The Secret of Secrets” by Dan Brown 5. “The Intruder” by Freida Mcfadden 6. “Brimstone (deluxe ed.)” by Callie Hart 7. “We Who Will Die (deluxe ed.)” by Stacia Stark 8. “Mona’s Eyes” by Thomas Schlesser 9. “Always Remember” by Charlie Mackesy 10. “Quicksilver (deluxe ed.)” by Callie Hart

HARDCOVER NONFICTION

1. “1929” by Andrew Ross Sorkin 2. “Stop, in the Name of God” by Charlie Kirk 3. “Nobody’s Girl” by Virginia Roberts Giuffre 4. “Good Things” by Samin Nosrat 5. “How to Test Negative for Stupid” by John Kennedy 6. “The Look” by Michelle Obama 7. “The Miracles Among Us” by Marc Siegel 8. “The Pioneer Woman Cooks: The Essential Recipes” by Ree Drummond 9. “Puzzle Mania!” by Joel Fagliano 10. “The Overthinker’s Guide to Making Decisions” by Joseph Nguyen

TRADE PAPERBACK

1. “Theo of Golden” by Allen Levi 2. “In Your Dreams” by Sarah Adams 3. “Dungeon Crawler Carl” by Matt Dinniman 4. “The Housemaid” by Freida McFadden 5. “The God of the Woods” by Liz Moore 6. “Solo Leveling, Vol. 14” by Chugong.

Ize 7. “The Atomic Habits Workbook” by James Clear 8. “Caught Up” by Liz Tomforde 9. The Surrogate Mother” by Freida McFadden 10. The Tenant” by Freida McFadden

4D ● Sunday, January 11, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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After six tries, Lucy the cat finds her perfect home

BY JANE HONEYCUTT Contributing writer

After my fourth rescue cat died in his sleep at age 16, I was determined not to adopt another.

However, I missed having a pet and went to Companion Animal Alliance, CAAWS and Cat Haven Human once again. Lucy, Condition who was originally brought to Cat Haven after she and her siblings were found in a car engine eight years ago, had been adopted as a kitten but returned. Returned not once, but five times.

This time, she’d been at the shelter eight months, watching probably 100 other residents leave with their new families. A staff member told me it seemed she’d lost all confidence and had with-

SOCIETY

Continued from page 1D

PROVIDED PHOTO

Lucy was returned to the shelter five times before Jane Honeycutt got a look at her, and Lucy’s a loser no more. drawn to avoid another rejection.

Cats do not like change, and she’d been stuffed in a carrier and taken out and returned repeatedly.

records, the history and genealogy of the Canary Islands or the Louisiana German Coast families or other ethnic groups in Louisiana.”

At 9:30 a.m. on the first Saturday of each month the group hosts a Genealogy 101 session at the main library downtown, she said, focusing on research and helping attendees with their genealogy projects.

“Our Genealogy Tuesdays, also at the downtown library, are also for genealogy research,” Hernandez said. “We try to help people learn how to do their own research using library resources or online websites, figure out how to resolve errors or to solve what we call brick walls in their research.”

Genealogy Tuesdays are at 9:30 a.m. every Tuesday at the main library downtown.

Anyone researching their family history has access at the main library to numerous free resources, including Ancestry.com, a site where one can search census and voters lists; birth, marriage and death records; military records; immigration records; and more from the United States and other countries around the world.

The cost to join Ancestry.com at home runs hundreds of dollars a year. The library offers access for free.

Visitors have access at the main library to about 4,400 genealogy books, Ancestry, Heritage Quest, historical Louisiana newspapers and historical fire insurance maps of Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas and Mississippi, Library Director Danny Gillane said.

The Rev. Donald Hebert’s historic collection of books with thousands of southwest Louisiana birth, marriage and death records are vital for many Louisiana genealogical searches. The books are available to search on the third floor as well as on a computer in the genealogy section.

Membership is $20 a year and should be mailed to the Lafayette Genealogical Society, 110 Weco Lane, Broussard, Louisiana, 70518.

allegiance to the monarchy.

Another might find out that one line of their family ended up in south Louisiana when the enlistment of an ancestor in the French merchant marines expired while his ship was in port near New Orleans.

Yet another researcher might learn that an ancestor owned a farm and built a cottage near Thibodaux in Lafourche Parish that he sold to E.D. White, who would become governor of Louisiana and whose son would become a U.S. Supreme Court justice.

“That’s all part of genealogy,” Peterson said. “The stories behind it. The music. The culture.”

The sad thing, he said, is that young people today don’t have an interest or the time for such endeavors. When people usually become interested, Peterson said, is after they’ve lost both their parents and realize they don’t know anything about their family’s past.

Young people might be interested in researching for ancestral ties to famous people. Boudreaux, for example, learned that she’s related to musical icon Beyoncé through the Broussard line of their families.

Sometimes family history passed orally from one generation to the next contains a hint of the truth, Peterson said.

Peterson said his mother always said his family descended from royalty. His research revealed they came from Port Royal, an early settlement in Nova Scotia, Canada, with no connection to royalty.

The Genealogical Society meets at 6 p.m. on the third Thursday of each month at the Southside Regional Library, 6101 Johnston St., Lafayette.

“We try to have a speaker each month where the subject is generally related to genealogy,” President Julie Hernandez said. “It may be on the history of a nearby city or how we research land re- Email Claire Taylor at ctaylor@ cords, what you can find in census theadvocate.com.

PROVIDED PHOTO By AMAZON

A page from Ms. Rachel’s ‘100 First Words’ book.

MS. RACHEL

Continued from page 1D crying. His bottle can wait.

All eyes are Ms. Rachel, who is Rachel Griffin Accurso, a modern-day “Mister Rogers.” She and her husband Aron created nursery rhymes, puppets and skits that have earned them 18.5 million YouTube subscribers and a Netflix series.

Her songs and movements aren’t random. Based on child development research, her presentations are designed to teach children letters, numbers, colors, shapes, animals and more.

Ms. Rachel and her husband were inspired by their son, Thomas, who did not speak until he was 2 years old. With little helpful media available, they created a YouTube channel to fill in the gap.

I admit I’ve totally missed the Ms. Rachel train. My chil-

dren, now grown, came up with “Blue’s Clues,” SpongeBob SquarePants and Barney, the “I love you, you love me” dinosaur.

Even Barney generated $500 million in retail sales back in the 1990s.

The field remains lucrative and crowded. Tatum’s eyes were also glued to Lenny Pearce, who uses electronic dance music to teach toddlers about fingers, shoulders, knees, toes and “Row Row Row Your Boat.” He’s got 161,000 YouTube subscribers and an upcoming Toddler Techno Tour of Australia and New Zealand.

Wait. Where’s my accordion?

Herman Fuselier is executive director of the St. Landry Parish Tourist Commission. A longtime journalist covering Louisiana music and culture, he lives in Opelousas. His “Zydeco Stomp” show airs at noon Saturdays on KRVS 88.7 FM.

A favorite of the staff because of her long stay with them, she would occasionally show affection for them but mostly hid in her bed. The first time I went into her room, she eventually came out and sat on my lap a few minutes. The next time I went, she refused to show even a whisker. The cave-like bed was her safe place.

Lucy’s a calico with unusual markings, even for her type. Her face is half black and half orange — sort of like the Phantom of the Opera. One leg is tan, another is black and two are multicolored.

Her green eyes are her most striking feature.

After reading a heartfelt plea in the Cat Haven newsletter for someone to adopt her, I decided to return there and bring Lucy home. If she didn’t like a quiet

house where there were no animals or children to treat her unkindly, she was truly unadoptable.

To facilitate the adoption, the staff said she could stay with me for a month instead of the usual two-week trial period.

I picked her up on a Wednesday and settled her upstairs. For the first few days, she hid under the coffee table and rarely came out, even to eat. When I decided to leave the door to her room open a few nights later, she spent part of the night at the end of my bed.

Progress!

In the meantime, I notified Cat Haven to finalize the adoption.

Even if she wasn’t behaving like I wished she would, she had not misbehaved in any way and certainly deserved a home.

Weeks later, she seeks me out to make biscuits (a rhythmic knead-

ing motion made with the front paws on a human) and spends time with me while I read or work on the computer. She still likes time alone, but, when I look for her upstairs, she’s lying out in the open, not hiding.

Each day she becomes more comfortable and playful. Lucy’s no longer a loser, but a winner who’s found the perfect home.

— Honeycutt lives in Baton Rouge.

Advocate readers may submit stories of about 500 words to The Human Condition at features@theadvocate.com or The Advocate, Features, 10705 Rieger Road, Baton Rouge, LA 70809. There is no payment, and stories will be edited. Authors should include their city of residence.

PROVIDED PHOTO By WEST BATON ROUGE MUSEUM

This building, left over from the German Prisoner-of-War Sub-Camp No. 7, now serves as the West Baton Rouge Parish’s juke joint.

CURIOUS

Continued from page 1D The story goes on, describing the continuing day in the life of these prisoners, but the opening paragraphs, alone, are enough to answer Craig Bridges’ question.

“I’ve heard that there was a POW camp in Port Allen during World War II, but where was it?” the Baker resident asked. “And how many prisoners did it house?”

The camp was located behind where the West Baton Rouge Museum is now, according to Lauren Davis, West Baton Rouge Museum’s curator.

“A state historic marker stands at the spot where a reconstructed concrete water fountain from the camp still stands,” Davis said.

The marker was erected in 2011 by the West Baton Rouge Historical Society at 849 6th St. in Port Allen, pointing out that the water fountain is the only remaining structure of the POW sub-camp, which was a satellite facility of the larger Camp Plauche downriver in Harahan.

Then again, there is one other surviving structure from the camp, which now serves as the museum’s juke joint.

The sub-camp operated from 1943 to 1946, housing between 500 and 774 German prisoners-ofwar captured in North Africa and throughout Europe. Modern-day markers of its boundaries are Louisiana Avenue on the north, Michigan Avenue on the south, 8th Street on the west and 6th Street on the east.

Gueymard, in his 1943 article, added that the the camp was situated on the old West Baton Rouge Parish fairgrounds near Port Allen’s community center. U.S. Army Capt. C.W. Weltzin was the commander. He said the prisoners’ living facilities were minimal, and their needs were met.

“The camp consisted of tents with wooden floors, each housing several prisoners,” the historic marker reads. “There were separate buildings for the kitchen, mess hall and showers. Due to wartime labor shortages on the home front, prisoners were used on local sugar plantations, Cinclare, Poplar Grove, Westover, Smithfield, Devall and Alma.

Ranging in age from 19 to 52, the prisoners were paid 80 cents a day for an 8 to 10 hour workday, six days a week.”

Meanwhile, Davis points to the West Baton Rouge Museum’s website, westbatonrougemuseum.com, which dedicates a page to the parish’s World War II experience.

“The state of Louisiana had the third largest number of Prisoner of War camps in the U.S., behind California and Texas,” the museum’s page said. “There were five

their POW neighbors.

Gueymard details an instance when the prisoners arrived on a Sunday afternoon, and residents from Port Allen lined up at the Community Center pool benches to see the prisoners. On the other side of the fence, the prisoners lined up to look at the Americans.

“It was all very funny, and everybody began laughing, the STAFF PHOTO By ROBIN MILLER prisoners and the Americans,” A Louisiana state historic marker Gueymard wrote.

And what, exactly, did the Port stands at the location of the Allen residents see? Gueymard German Prisoner-of-War SubCamp No. 7 in Port Allen. The white described the prisoners as husky, broad-shouldered but not overly structure next to it was a water tall. He said they often engaged in fountain used in the camp. horseplay while in the field.

“The boys seem to take their main camps for Axis prisoners in plight good-naturedly and are a jovial lot — not sullen — while at Louisiana and a number of satelwork in the fields,” the reporter lite camps.”

The five camps were Camp Rus- wrote.

On the outside, the museum’s ton in Lincoln Parish, Camp Claipage states, Port Allen residents borne in Rapides Parish, Camp collected musical instruments Livingston in Rapides and Grant for the Germans at the camp and parishes, Camp Polk in Vernon hosted dances for them at the Parish and Camp Plauche in Orleans Parish. Sub-Camp No. 7 was Community Center.

“People from West and East Baamong the satellites.

“German prisoners were ton Rouge recall how the young brought here on November 19, German men would often whistle 1943,” the museum’s page contin- at local girls as their work conues. “The U.S. War Department voys passed,” the museum’s web had standard requirements for page continued. “On the weekthe construction of POW camps, ends, girls would try to talk to and this camp was built according the young men through the fence to these conditions for approxifrom houses that backed up to one side of the camp on Michigan mately 350 prisoners. The camp consisted of tar-papered buildings Avenue. Friendships developed within a barbed wire enclosure of between some farmers and POW laborers as well.” two separate 10- to 12-foot-high In 1945, two German prisoners fences. Guard towers were placed escaped, determined to celebrate at strategic points within the entheir third Christmas post captivclosure.”

The museum points out that ity outside the camp. The Statenot everything went smoothly Times reported on Dec. 26, 1945, in the beginning. There was one that local law enforcement arrestincident between the prisoners ed the duo, Heinrich Knuepe and and the locals, when “a strike ocGoenter Lessner, both 25, at the Star Night Club on Plank Road. curred at the camp after the 240 “Just how far they got with prisoners there refused to work in order to show solidarity for one their celebration was not learned, but they had apparently done punished detail of prisoners.” little drinking when they were In retaliation, the prisoners nabbed,” the article stated. were only allowed bread and waAfter Sub-Camp No. 7’s 1946 ter until the strike was over. They closure, German POWs were sent lasted about three days. to various locations, primarily But that seems to be the only within the allied occupying zones documented outward show of in Germany for processing, labor contention during the camp’s or repatriation. operation. Gueymard’s article But Port Allen made a good imtraces the prisoners’ assimilation into their new surroundings, bepression on some.

“Several prisoners correspondginning with their learning how to chop sugar cane stalks. ed with residents,” the museum’s “When the men got into the page states. “After leaving, one field, the planters soon found even stated that he wished he that the prisoners had no trainwere back in Louisiana because of the difficulties of getting food ing whatsoever in cutting cane, in war-torn France, where he had and the recruits had to learn been transferred.” from the beginning,” Gueymard wrote. “Few speak English, so the problem was made more acute Do you have a question about ... the work of the prisoners has something in Louisiana that’s been fairly good but not excellent. got you curious? Email your However, planters are glad to get question to curiouslouisiana@ what they can.” theadvocate.com. Include your Meanwhile, Port Allen residents name, phone number and the naturally were curious about city where you live.

The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Sunday, January 11, 2026 ● 5D

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TRAVEL Soak in views above the clouds at Lookout Mountain Georgia’s Cloudland at McLemore Resort a cozy stay

BY CHERE COEN Contributing writer

Lookout Mountain’s name sometimes belies the reality.

The peak that straddles Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee, containing Southern landmarks such as Rock City and Ruby Falls with its pinnacle overlooking Chattanooga, reaches about 2,400 feet above sea level to provide a remarkable view of Southern landscapes.

When it’s sunny, that is.

This is why one of its natural highlights, a gorge with dramatic waterfalls under the Georgia government umbrella, was labeled Cloudland Canyon State Park.

And the newest resort to grace the mountain named Cloudland at McLemore Resort. This golf club and resort destination includes a 245-room hotel situated so high that it’s literally above the clouds when weather rolls in.

Such was the case when I visited this Curio Collection hotel by Hilton in the northwest corner of Georgia. At first my guest room offered a breathtaking sunny view stretching for miles into Alabama, then rain clouds rolled in and suddenly I was looking down upon the water vapor. It hardly mattered, for both experiences added to the charm of the weekend, one a chance to explore the southern tip of the Appalachian Mountains and the other to relax and savor this gorgeous new hotel.

taurant with a nod to the alliance between Scotland and France in 1295, serves up both Scottish and French cuisine, in addition to exquisite cocktails, wine selection and, of course, a variety of scotch.

Visitors may hike the multiacre property through mountain terrain, lounge by the cliff-edge infinity pool or dip into waters that slip over the mountain’s edge (don’t worry, you won’t) or enjoy a meal at Skyside, where the horizon seems to stretch forever (that is, on noncloudy days). Other restaurants include Croft, perfect for casual meals and cocktails, and The Pocket Café for quick bites and craft coffees.

If you’re like me and enjoy a nice rainy day, especially this time of year, head to the resort’s cozy library with its walls of books (many local and Southern authors), roaring fireplace and comfy chairs. On the day the clouds rolled in I retreated to this oasis, found a good book and sipped a glass of wine by the fire.

The expansive wall of windows that allowed me to enjoy the clouds made the experience doubly wonderful.

PHOTOS By CHERÉ COEN The main lobby offers a masVisitors to Cloudland can lounge by the cliff-edge infinity pool or dip into waters that slip over the mountain’s sive fireplace as well, along with original artwork and numerous edge (don’t worry, you won’t). ways to exhale and relax.

Hikes down into the canyon at Cloudland Canyon State Park provide visitors with some of the finest waterfalls in the South.

The resort Cloudland at McLemore Resort sits on a property that includes the award-winning McLemore Highlands Course reimagined

by Bill Bergin and Rees Jones and featuring dramatic elevation changes and a top finishing hole as the 18th runs along the cliff edge from tee to green. It’s been named the 22nd best hole in America by Golf Digest and a top 10 finishing hole in the world according to LINKS Magazine.

The resort’s latest course, The Keep, boasts over a mile of cliff-

Be sure to enjoy a meal at Skyside, where the horizon seems to stretch forever on noncloudy days. edge play.

In addition to the hotel’s 2,000-feet-up dramatic views from guest rooms and several dining options is a 20,000-squarefoot conference center, spa and fitness center. Auld Alliance, the resort’s signature fine-dining res-

The mountain Chattanooga is a 30-minute drive away and Atlanta, Huntsville and Nashville approximately two hours each. Even closer to Cloudland are Lookout Mountain’s many attractions at the Tennessee end.

For those who love a combination of escape with city life, the resort is situated to satisfy.

Not far into Alabama lies the quaint town of Mentone with its unique restaurants, art and the natural beauty of DeSoto State Park. Cloudland Canyon State Park lies about 15 minutes from the resort on the Georgia side and hikes down into the canyon provide visitors with some of the finest waterfalls in the South. For those who prefer only an escape into nature, the resort makes for an ideal getaway.

For more information about the resort and its special offers, including golf packages, visit www. mclemoreresort.com.

TRAVEL TROUBLESHOOTER

By Christopher Elliott

Travel insurance won’t reimburse for flight delay to India Last August, my dream trip to India imploded before takeoff.A delayed flight from Orlando to Atlanta caused me to miss my connection to Paris. Delta Air Lines rebooked me 25 hours later through London, costing me for hotels, meals Christopher $270 and taxis. I’d wisely Elliott bought Trawick International travel insurance, which covers a trip disruption.

But SureGo Claims, their administrator, became a nightmare.They demanded endless documents, assured me everything was received, then denied my claim with a lie: “Your delay was only 3 hours.”

SureGo falsely claimed my Atlanta-to-Paris flight was delayed (it wasn’t — I’d missed

it entirely!).The Delta documentation I provided clearly showed a 25-hour disruption.

When I appealed, SureGo demanded another 40 to 60 days, after already torturing me for five months.

I know $270 is a small amount, but that’s how they trap you: too little to sue, enough to make you quit.This feels like a scam where they bank on the customer’s exhaustion. I’ve spent hours on calls, resending paperwork, and being ghosted. How can a company fabricate facts to avoid paying such a modest, valid claim? — Christine Porter,Apopka, Fla. Trawick International should have honored your claim immediately. Your policy’s trip delay coverage, which is standard in most travel insurance plans, typically kicks in after 6 to 12 hours. Your

25-hour disruption wasn’t borderline — it was excessive.

I’m not sure how SureGo Claims investigated your case, but it certainly seems to have misread the basic facts of your claim. In doing so, it violated fundamental insurance principles of good faith and fair dealing. Florida statutes explicitly prohibit insurers from failing to adopt and implement standards for the proper investigation of claims or misrepresenting pertinent facts.

You did right by keeping records of your calls, but you might have fixed this faster with a more thorough paper trail. If you have to call an insurance company, always ask for an email confirma-

tion. Otherwise, it’s your word against theirs.

The escalations were problematic and not at all what we’re accustomed to seeing with Trawick, which has an otherwise good reputation for fast claims. You could have appealed your case to one of Trawick’s executives. I publish their names, numbers and emails on my consumer advocacy site, Elliott.org.

I’m puzzled by this case. Most claims like this are automatic and processed quickly. If you give your travel insurance company your flight itinerary — you can usually do that online — it will track your flight and pay your claim within hours if something goes wrong.

I contacted Starr Companies, Trawick’s underwriter. A few weeks after our inquiry, Trawick approved a claim for $300 per person, which is more than you claimed, calling it trip delay coverage. I should note that you also continued fighting for Trawick to honor the claim, and it was likely pressure from all sides that finally led to this successful resolution.

Christopher Elliott is the founder of Elliott Advocacy, a nonprofit organization that helps consumers solve their problems.

Email him at chris@elliott.org or get help by contacting at elliottadvocacy.org.

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UnitedHealthcare’s La.-Miss. CEO shares ways to lower insurance costs 4E

How Bollinger Shipyards is building 4 polar icebreakers in Houma 7E

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

|

S u n d ay, J a n u a ry 11, 2026

1En

Gulf Coast facilities equipped to process Venezuela oil

MATIAS DELACROIX/AP

Vehicles drive past the El Palito refinery in Puerto Cabello, Venezuela, on Dec. 21. The supply of Venezuelan oil to the U.S. has declined since the ’90s and Gulf Coast refineries started sourcing most of their heavy crude from other countries, namely Canada.

As U.S. mulls rebuilding South American country’s diminished infrastructure, experts point to La.’s ‘baked-in’ capacity

BY STEPHANIE RIEGEL Staff writer

Shortly after the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by U.S. special forces, President Donald Trump made clear that his rationale for ordering the raid included gaining access to Venezuela’s abundant crude oil reserves.

The move drew condemnation from Latin American nations and cheers from opponents of Maduro’s socialist regime. And while experts say it’s too soon to say what exactly it that might mean for the South American country’s ailing oil industry, if new supplies of Venezuelan crude start flowing, refineries along the Gulf Coast, including a dozen or so in Louisiana, will likely be the beneficiaries.

The state’s third-largest refinery, CIT-

GO in Lake Charles, was owned by the Venezuelan government until recently.

And most of Louisiana’s refineries were built during a period when Venezuela’s oil industry was closely tied to the U.S., and are designed to process the type of heavy, sour crude that is plentiful in Venezuela.

“The jury is still out on whether this will all work out in Venezuela,” said Eric Smith, associate director of the Tulane EnerSmith gy Institute. “But for the Gulf Coast, I think it will be good. We have a long-term, baked-in demand for heavy crude to make our refineries run right.”

PROVIDED PHOTO

The Lake Charles CITGO Refinery, the state’s third-largest refinery, was ä See OIL, page 2E owned by the Venezuelan government until recently.

La. companies taking bite out of $1.7B dog day care industry

BY RICH COLLINS

Staff writer

A couple of decades ago, if you were headed out of town and didn’t have anyone to look after your dog, you’d drop it off at the vet for a couple of days. And when you were at work, your pup waited until you got home, chewing your slippers and eyeing the carpets with questionable intent.

Today, pet owners can send their dogs for daytime visits or overnight stays to facilities that feel like four-legged sleepaway

IDEAS &

INNOVATION

which generates about $1.7 billion annually in the United States, according to industry reports, and is expected to grow by nearly 9% a year through this decade. As U.S. pet ownership has reached record levels, and more pet owners treat their four-legged friends like family members, the range of products and services available to them has grown dramatically. Pet day care, with its evolving menu of upgrades and experiences, is one of the fastest-growing sectors.

In Louisiana, both franchisees STAFF PHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER of national chains and locally Camp Bow Wow owners Jason and Scarlett Dalton watch over some of owned doggie day cares are vying for a piece of the action, with the dogs under their care at their Metairie location. dozens of businesses operating in camps or amusement parks, com- and more. the state and several more openplete with luxury suites, live video Welcome to the modern — and ing each year. streams, ball pits, splash pools booming — pet day care industry, Husband-and-wife business

partners Scarlett and Jason Dalton, who live in downtown New Orleans, have been major contributors to the category’s growth as the largest franchisees of Camp Bow Wow, a national chain that has grown to more than 200 locations since it was founded in the early 2000s. The Daltons’ 14 locations, including five in Louisiana, gross roughly $16 million annually and employ 300 people.

From their unique vantage point, they’ve witnessed the birth of an industry while capitalizing on its growth.

“There really wasn’t day care two decades ago, just traditional veterinarian boarding,” Scarlett Dalton said. “Now the sky’s the limit.”

ä See INDUSTRY, page 2E

2E ● Sunday, January 11, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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What’s in, what’s out for INDUSTRY 2026 financial health From local dog groomers Continued from page 1E

If last year was about holding our financial breath, 2026 will be about playing defense.

Amid many Americans’ concerns about afMichelle fordability, Singletary the end of THE COLOR remote-work OF MONEy flexibility for large swaths of employees and the expiration of subsidies that kept health insurance premiums manageable, many rules have shifted.

Here is what’s “in” and “out” for your money this year:

fordable.

Algorithmic price gouging

Out: Unchecked dramatic pricing increases.

We’ve become accustomed to ride-hailing companies increasing prices in response to demand and to airlines hiking airfares during peak holiday travel days. But should we tolerate this trend for everyday consumer goods?

Using technology — notably, artificial intelligence — companies can change their prices frequently. You have to be an attentive consumer if you want to avoid being gouged by price increases.

I purchased two electric buffet servers just before Health insurance Christmas because I was Out: The subsidy safety net. hosting our large family gathering. I decided to add a The nation’s uninsured third one for my next party. rate is projected to climb But the online price had for the first time in years jumped by 46% ahead of as premiums rise in the New Year’s Eve. Affordable Care Act marInstacart ended a priceketplace, leaving an untold testing program “that renumber of Americans one medical emergency away sulted in different prices for from bankruptcy. the same item at the same The federal governstore,” the company said in a blog post. ment was shut down for In: Setting a breaking 43 days last year because point.

Democrats were demandInstacart quickly learned ing that Republicans extend that consumers weren’t pandemic-era health law happy with its experiment. subsidies. The premium “At a time when families tax credits used to lower are working exceptionconsumers’ monthly health insurance bill expired at the ally hard to stretch every end of 2025. grocery dollar, those tests Average marketplace raised concerns, leaving premiums are projected to some people questioning increase by 26%, and some the prices they see on Inenrollees will see their costs stacart,” the company said. double or triple if the en“That’s not OK.” While you may accept hanced tax credits expire.

As a result, 1 in 4 enrollees surge pricing to hail a ride on a rainy day, you don’t in the federal marketplace will “very likely” go without have to tolerate it for many other discretionary purinsurance, according to a poll by KFF, a nonpartisan chases. If an algorithm is health policy organization. pushing a pricing premium, “Without the subsidies, wait or walk away. my monthly premiums will Remote work increase by nearly $750 a month,” said a 63-year-old Out: Working from home California man quoted in the full-time.

KFF report. “My budget is In 2025, many major tight as it is, and there’s no companies announced they way I can afford that addiwanted employees back in the office. Executives tional hit.” pitched the policy change as But the cost increases a way to improve workplace aren’t limited to the federal collaboration and communimarketplace; if you get insurance through your job, cation, but some employees you probably experienced suspect it was more about sticker shock during open filling office space. Managenrollment. A survey from ers want us to be “innovathe consultancy Mercer also tive” when it benefits them, forecast higher costs: Based but they’re stuck in the past on projections from more when it comes to remote than 1,700 employers, health work flexibility. benefit costs per employee In: Commuter budgeting. are projected to increase Like it or not, the commutby 6.5% — the highest since er tax is back, so you’ll have 2010. to adjust your budget acIn: Dropped coverage. cordingly. Resist defaulting For millions of families, back to old habits of buying health insurance will move lunch at work or justifying from a “must-have” to “can- a higher clothing allowance because you have to go back not afford.” into the office.

Ad-free streaming

Out: Commercial-free streaming without an added charge.

After luring cable cutters with promises of no commercial breaks, streaming services now offer you a choice: pay a premium for ad-free viewing or accept constant advertising interruptions.

In: Binge and bail.

Are you using these services enough to justify the cost? Tired of your streaming expenses feeling like a utility bill?

A Deloitte survey published in March found that 47% of consumers say they pay too much for the streaming services they use. The average streaming subscriber has four paid streaming services totaling $69 per month, a 13% increase from 2024.

Here are ways to save on streaming in 2026: n Watch what you want, then cancel. Many of your favorite shows can take a year or more to return with new episodes, so get a price break while you wait. n Subscribe to fewer streaming services and use the savings to upgrade to adfree content. n There’s also the option of sharing costs: Netflix now allows account holders to share their subscription with someone outside their household for a reduced monthly fee.

Actively managing your subscriptions can make these services more af-

Jokes about moving home Out: “Failure to launch” humor.

With housing inventory low, rents high and the cost of buying a home out of reach for many, living with your parents should no longer be a punch line.

In: Multigenerational living.

Done right, it’s a strategic wealth-building move. If you can, moving back in with your parents or rooming with relatives to pay down debt or save for a down payment on a home is smart math.

Hosting etiquette Out: Guest invoice.

For many people, hosting the celebration they want is financially out of reach. As a result, some believe it’s acceptable to charge guests.

But as more people struggle, there may be greater pushback against this trend.

(Oh, how I hope so!)

If you have to collect money for your celebration, you’re not hosting a party — you’re selling tickets.

In: Living within your means.

This means potlucks, scaled-down events and the return of the “house party” instead of renting a venue or hosting a large restaurant celebration.

In 2026, live and celebrate the life you can truly afford.

Email Michelle Singletary at michelle.singletary@ washpost.com.

Scarlett Dalton began her pet care career by launching a mobile dog grooming business in a converted postal van in 2004 in Covington. She had dreams of eventually opening a boarding facility that would be a “posh pet hotel.” She and Jason Dalton learned about Camp Bow Wow a few years later when they saw an ad in an airline magazine.

They opened their first camp in 2009 in Covington. Five years later, they doubled the northshore facility’s size from 6,000 to 12,000 square feet. In 2017, they opened a second outpost in Mobile, Alabama, setting the stage for a dozen more openings or acquisitions over the next decade.

Now the Daltons’ business footprint stretches from Albuquerque, New Mexico, to Boca Raton, Florida, and as far north as Indianapolis. At least four more camps are in development.

At their facilities, customers spend about $30 a day for day care and about $50 per night for overnight stays, although both prices can climb depending on location and services requested. Grooming provides 10% of overall revenue, but the option is limited by the number of trained groomers the Daltons can employ, and it’s a tough job to fill.

“People are very particular about their dogs’ haircuts,” Jason Dalton said.

Boarding and day care contribute almost equally to the company’s bottom line, but the ratio varies by area.

“In Covington, there are more single-income households, so people don’t need day camp as much, but they use our boarding services because they travel frequently,” Jason Dalton said.

“In Mid-City, where many people work in hospitality, it’s the opposite.”

Like all pet care businesses, the Daltons face headwinds that include staffing challenges, inflation, regulation compliance, rising insurance costs and potential oversaturation as more competitors enter the market.

Franchise fees are in the $50,000 range for new franchisees and $35,000 for existing operators looking to expand, but the cost to open a new location is likely to hit $1 million for renovations, equipment, inventory, permits and other expenses, the Daltons say. They own eight of their buildings and

OIL

Continued from page 1E

‘Built for heavy sour’

Louisiana’s 15 crude oil refineries account for about one-sixth of U.S. refining capacity and can process nearly 3 million barrels of oil per day. The two largest, Marathon Petroleum near LaPlace and ExxonMobil in Baton Rouge, together produce more than 1 million barrels a day.

Most were built in the 1960s and 1970s and later modified so they could process heavy sour crude — which is dense with a highsulfur content and, therefore, more difficult to break down into gasoline, jet fuel and other usable products.

At the time, the U.S. was importing more oil than it was producing domestically and exporting, as it does now, and Venezuela was a key trading partner.

That all changed in the late 1990s, when Hugo Chavez came to power. In the years that followed, Venezuela nationalized its oil industry and expelled most of the U.S. companies doing business there. The supply of Venezuelan oil to the U.S. declined and Gulf Coast refineries started sourcing most of their heavy crude from other countries, namely Canada.

While the refineries have adjusted, a new source of heavy sour crude would allow them to maximize capacity that is currently not being used. According to the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers, an

PROVIDED PHOTO

Dogs play at The Dog House bar in New Orleans’ Mid-City neighborhood. As U.S. pet ownership has reached record levels, and more pet owners treat their four-legged friends like family members, the range of products and services available to them has grown dramatically. lease the other six. Monthly overhead costs range from $50,000 to $70,000.

To boost gross revenues above that threshold, the Daltons have created systems to increase efficiency, including hiring regional leadership teams and a nationwide facilities manager to keep their network of buildings and equipment in working order. In 2018, they rolled out digital tools, created by New Orleans-based custom software company LookFar, to manage dayto-day operations. It was a far cry from the early days, when employees would keep track of details on a dry-erase board behind the check-in counter.

“If a dog comes in with a blanket, toys and a full bag of food, we have to make sure everything makes it home,” Jason Dalton said.

“When we built that software, the business really took off.”

The Daltons aren’t the only franchisees with multiple locations in Louisiana.

Lafayette native Trey Boone pivoted from real estate development to dog day care in 2015, opening the first franchise Boone location of The Dog Stop outside of the company’s home state of Pennsylvania. Today, he’s the company’s area rep, overseeing five Louisiana franchises, and he owns and operates one in Lafayette and another in Baton Rouge.

Like the Daltons, Boone hosts special events at his center, including an upcoming “Stranger Things”themed party and photo opportunity.

industry trade group, nearly 70% of U.S. refining capacity runs more efficiently with heavier crude.

“Louisiana refineries were built for heavy sour,” said Tyler Gray, director of Energy Innovation at the LSU Energy Institute. “If you have the capacity — equipment on site — to proGray duce things you’re not producing, then you’re not operating as efficiently as you could be.”

That could also help refineries generate higher profits, though Smith said profitability is not a problem for most of the refineries operating in the state.

“The refineries were profitable before Venezuela expropriated their oil fields and they were profitable after,” he said. “They have gone father afield to obtain heavy crude, but they are still profitable.”

Challenges Venezuela has the largest oil reserves in the world, roughly 300 billion barrels, which is more than Saudi Arabia, Iran and Canada combined.

But in a global oil market that produces around 109 million barrels a day, Venezuela is only a small player.

The country produces some 1.1 million barrels a day.

After nationalization, the industry deteriorated and lacks the infrastructure and expertise to get it out of the ground.

STAFF PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER

Michelle Cheramie is the founder of Zeus’ Place, which provides pet boarding, day care and grooming services in New Orleans.

Dog-eat-dog competition?

the celebrity dog from a Terrebonne Parish animal shelter. A few miles away, Courtney McWilliams operates MaryMac’s Doggie Retreat.

There are dozens more ventures like these statewide, concentrated in urban areas, which also are home to a few businesses that serve people as well as their pets, such as The Dog House bar in New Orleans’ Mid-City neighborhood.

The nearly 2-year-old operation is an Astroturfcovered play area and a bar where owners can get a drink, a slice of pizza or other snacks. Owners sign their pets up for memberships and show proof of vaccinations so the four-legged patrons can access the play area.

Still more competition for dog owners’ dollars come from smartphone apps like Wag! and Rover, which connect pet owners with gig workers who will provide walks, babysitting and other services. The apps offer GPS tracking and other digital services designed to provide peace of mind.

All of these businesses, whether digital or brickand-mortar, have one thing in common: They are built on America’s love affair with pets — dogs in particular — and show that people are willing to open their pocketbooks to care for their four-legged loved ones.

“The industry was definitely more transactional 25 years ago,” Scarlett Dalton said. “Now, the dogs aren’t just family members of our customers; they become family members for our staff.”

While franchise owners have the advantage of national sales and marketing muscle behind their operations, locally owned facilities are competing by leaning into personal service.

Just outside the LSU gates in Baton Rouge, Amanda Floyd, founder of Royal Treatment Pet Manor & Grooming Spa, has been in the pet care business since 2011, moving to Floyd a bigger building in 2018 that allowed her to focus on boutique day care and boarding services.

“People don’t want to put their dogs somewhere; they want them to have experiences,” she said, listing movie nights and “Shark Week”-inspired activities as some of her 30-person team’s innovations.

Floyd said her thousands of customers choose to support a locally owned business and come to her for smaller caregiver-to-dog ratios and more intimate settings.

“We make sure the dogs aren’t overwhelmed,” she said. “They have their friend groups, and we add to them appropriately.” Her business, which cares for up to 40 dogs at night and up to about 80 during the day, has grown to exceed $1 million in annual revenue.

In New Orleans, Michelle Cheramie launched Zeus’ Place pet boarding and grooming business in 2005 and has become a familiar name in the New Orleans animal rescue community, Email Rich Collins at rich. famously rescuing Scrim collins@theadvocate.com.

The Venezuelan government has prevented most foreign oil companies from operating there for the past two decades. Today, only Chevron operates in Venezuela, through a joint venture with the government, producing about 250,000 barrels a day, about half of which makes it to the Gulf Coast for refining.

None of those challenges are expected to be quickly resolved, even if big oil companies were suddenly given access to Venezuela’s oil fields.

Trump said he thinks Venezuela’s decimated oil industry could be rebuilt in less than 18 months with U.S. support. He envisions major oil companies returning to Venezuela to make those investments and profit from its oil industry.

But given the unrest and decades of badly damaged infrastructure, it’s unlikely to top the list of places oil companies would choose to invest, experts said.

Rystad Energy, a consulting firm, estimates it would take $54 billion of oil and gas investment over the next 15 years to keep Venezuela’s oil production flat at around 1.1 million barrels per day, and that with additional investment over two to three years an additional 300,000 barrels per day could be added. Going beyond 1.4 million barrels per day would require an additional $8 billion to $9 billion per year, the group said.

Still, Smith said that the U.S. could get its hands on the small amount of oil that is currently exported from

Venezuela and going to refineries in China.

“Technically they are repaying a loan,” Smith said.

“But we have claims against that oil and could get it fairly quickly and it would come to the Gulf Coast for refining.”

‘Interesting to watch’ In the wake of the U.S. invasion on Venezuela last week, Gov. Jeff Landry predicted that oil and gas service companies would “have an opportunity to go and do business there.” He also said the state’s port system stood to benefit.

Those opportunities could came later, energy experts say. What is more likely in the short term is that the major international companies will aim for more production off the coast of Venezuela, which also has proven reserves, and move the crude to nearby countries like Trinidad and Tobago or St. Croix.

“They have refineries and experience running it,” Smith said.

Down the line, he believes, Gulf Coast refineries will get a piece of the action.

“The first thing that will see U.S. investment is upstream offshore oil fields,” he said. “Once there is a functioning government, banking system, and the like, then you’ll see onshore migration.

“Eventually, refineries here will benefit. It’s going to be interesting to watch.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Email Stephanie Riegel at stephanie.riegel@ theadvocate.com.

The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Sunday, January 11, 2026 ● 3E

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4E ● Sunday, January 11, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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TALKING BUSINESS A S K T H E E X P E RT S

Insurer: Options are key to lowering health costs

BY STEPHANIE RIEGEL Staff writer

At a time when health insurers are under fire for raising premiums and rejecting claims while health care costs continue to rise, Christine O’Brien is trying to grow UnitedHealthcare’s book of commercial business in Louisiana and Mississippi — two of the poorest and sickest states in the country.

She has her work cut out for her.

Though UnitedHealthcare is the largest health insurer in the U.S., with nearly 27 million “covered lives” through its individual and employer-sponsored group plans, the company has less than onefourth of the commercial market share in Louisiana and Mississippi, which are dominated by Blue Cross and Blue Shield.

O’Brien sees opportunities amid the challenges.

A New Orleans native, O’Brien didn’t get her start in the health insurance industry. Rather, her first job was at Hibernia Bank in the benefits department, where she learned about group health plans from the inside. She went on to become Hibernia’s senior vice president for human resources before being named chief human resources officer at First Bank and Trust.

In 2010, she moved to UnitedHealthcare, where she says her experience working with employees gave her a unique perspective on the real needs of employers and their employees. In November, she was named CEO of UnitedHealthcare’s Louisiana and Mississippi markets, where she oversees sales and account management for the company’s commercial customers and their 440,000 covered lives.

Q&A WITH CHRISTINE O’BRIEN

PROVIDED PHOTO By JEFF STROUT

Christine O’Brien was named CEO of UnitedHealthcare for the Louisiana Mississippi region in November 2025.

In this week’s Talking Business, O’Brien discusses rising health care costs, what insurers can do about it and the unique health challenges present in Louisiana and Mississippi.

The interview has been edited for clarity and length.

Health insurance rates went up this year for employers by more than 6%. What was behind the increase?

We saw an average increase of about 6.5%, the highest we have seen in about 15 years and that really was because of higher utilization patterns — people are going to the doctor more and getting care more.

The specialty drugs, like the GLP-1 drugs (for obesity), and general inflation also factored in.

The rates really do vary depending on company, the plans they have and the claims volumes.

Presumably, Louisiana and Mississippi would have high utilization rates because we have some of the worst health outcomes in the country.

Yes, in newly released rankings from the United Health Foundation foundation, Louisiana ranks 50th and Mississippi is 48th. It is based on 37 different metrics — everything from obesity, chronic illness, mental health access to mental health specialists.

But our cost of care is not significantly higher. It’s very average, per member, per month for Louisiana and Mississippi compared to other states.

Outcomes are an overall health indicator, but there is no strong correlation between outcomes and health costs per se.

How is UnitedHealthcare trying to make health care more affordable? What do you tell your teams to say when they are selling

these plans to companies?

One way is through plan design.

It’s important when a client or broker selects a plan that they select one that is affordable for their members. What has happened over time, as premiums have continued to increase, clients opt to increase the deductibles because it makes the plans more affordable.

We try to give them several different options, a plan with a $1,000 deductible and another with a $2,500 deductible. Obviously, the premiums for the plan with the $2,500 deductible will be lower.

We try to design plans that can provide access but at an affordable price point.

For example?

We have a new plan that completely removes the deductible and only has co-pays. It is an appdriven plan, so when you need to seek care, you go to the app, type in the care you need and get a Zillow-style map that shows the prices in your area for whatever the procedure you need, like an MRI or a knee scope.

Then, you choose the provider you want based on the price and you only pay that price.

Higher cost does not always equate higher value. What we have been able to do with the data we have through the algorithm behind the app is price the providers by the highest value.

We also have two other plans in partnership with hospital systems. We have value-based contracts with them and are able to tier the benefits so that members are incentivized to go to the higher quality providers.

How do you define value?

Providers that are on a valuebased contract with us are encouraged to meet certain value-based guidelines when providing care.

For example, they have a lower readmission rate to the hospital.

They have higher preventative utilization rates. Their diabetic or high-blood-pressure patients get

regular screenings and follow-up care.

So let’s say my company wants one of these plans. What does that look like as a practical matter for me, the employee?

You still have the option of going to any provider. I have gone to the same OB-GYN for my entire adult life and I don’t want to change.

But if I hurt my back, the app will show me which orthopedist is the highest-value orthopedist and I can make a choice based on that kind of data.

A growing number of companies are choosing to go the self-insured route. What percentage of your clients are self-funded and what does that mean?

About 60% are self-funded, which means we administer the plan. But we do more than just pay the claims.

We provide the network and the savings that go along with that.

Just as important, we provide care management and advocacy programs. For a self-funded client, it is more of a member-based opportunity and there are certain items that a client can choose to offer or not offer I’ve written about rising health care costs and all the strategies insurers use, and things are only getting worse, not better.

It is something that keeps me up at night and something I focus on — figuring out how we can make health care accessible and affordable for our clients and our members.

What should employers be thinking about in 2026?

It’s important that clients look beyond the premium numbers and focus on things that can actually help their claims trends.

That means making sure that their members are getting preventative care and making sure when members choose care, they choose the right site of care and go to a higher value and higher quality provider.

Email Stephanie Riegel at stephanie.riegel@theadvocate. com.

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AROUND THE REGION

N.O. returns to the drawing board on affordable housing

BY ANTHONY MCAULEY Staff writer

New Orleans’ signature affordable housing policy has failed to produce what it promised — and now the city’s incoming mayor faces a harder, more fundamental question: how to encourage developers to build housing at all.

A city-commissioned report released late last year concluded that a law requiring developers in parts of the city to set aside units at below-market rents should be scrapped. The City Planning Commission endorsed that recommendation shortly afterward, marking a quiet but decisive retreat from a policy once seen as a cornerstone of the city’s affordability strategy.

The conclusion puts the issue squarely before Mayor-elect Helena Moreno as she prepares to take office: whether New Orleans should continue trying to mandate affordability in a weak housing market or rethink its approach to development more broadly in a city struggling with population loss, high construction costs and a STAFF FILE PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER chronic shortage of feasible proj- HRI Communities is planning to turn the former Touro-Shakspeare Home in New Orleans into 52 apartments ects.

The stakes are high for Moreno, for low-income seniors. As the city struggles to reset its policies aimed at encouraging developers to build who has said the city needs 55,000 affordable housing, some experts like Mike Sherman, a veteran development adviser, point to untapped new affordable housing units and potential in rehabilitating blighted or abandoned properties. that she would streamline processes to make it easier for developers market reality. of homes already sit abandoned. an approach that shifts from manto build them. Her team did not “I never understood why we New Orleans, he said, does not have dates to incentives, while streamrespond to a request seeking com- thought we were part of some a supply problem so much as a de- lining bureaucracy, and using city boom town that could just say, ‘Oh, mand problem. assets strategically to stimulate ment. you’re building, well, we’re also goThe result, developers say, was construction.

Sticks and carrots “You need clear rules, efficient ing to require that you do these oth- a policy that acted as a deterrent The policy at issue in the plan- er things,’ ” said Josh Collen, presi- rather than a catalyst — a “stick” permitting, and ways to reduce ning commission report was ad- dent of HRI Communities. “The approach in a market that needed costs,” said Mike Sherman, a vetcarrots. eran development adviser who opted in 2019 during a brief period policy never really made sense.”

Zach Kupperman, a developer worked under former Mayor Mitch Brian Gibbs, a longtime New when New Orleans’ real estate market appeared to be gaining mo- Orleans developer who in recent active in both hotels and housing, Landrieu. “Otherwise, projects mentum. The law, called Manda- years has shifted heavily into af- said the law added another layer of stall or never start.”

Sherman highlighted the untory Inclusionary Zoning, required fordable housing, said the core complexity and risk in an already developers in the Central Business problem was simple math. Even difficult environment. New hous- tapped potential in existing strucDistrict and French Quarter to market-rate projects, he said, now ing in New Orleans is expensive to tures, pointing to blighted or abanmake at least 10% of new units af- often require subsidies to pencil build, he said, while local incomes doned properties that could be often cannot support the rents re- rehabilitated for moderate-income fordable, with a 5% requirement in out.

In that context, Gibbs said, it quired to make projects viable. residents. Adaptive reuse, he said, surrounding areas, or pay a fee in made little sense to mandate belowallows the city to expand affordlieu of building the units.

But developers say the policy re- market rents in a city where popu- Clear rules, efficient permitting ability while keeping costs lower lied on assumptions that no longer lation has fallen by roughly 10% Developers and some housing ex- than new construction.

The “soft-second” program of— and perhaps never — matched over the past decade and thousands perts say that the city should adopt

fers a model for what can work.

Introduced under the Landrieu administration, the program provided forgivable loans of up to $65,000 to moderate-income first-time buyers in storm-damaged areas, with lower-income families qualifying for larger amounts. Borrowers worked directly with banks while the city managed administrative underwriting, allowing families just below the area median income to purchase homes.

Sherman said the program “nailed people right at that threshold who had just missed the ability to buy a home,” but funding ran out and was never replenished, illustrating the challenge of sustaining targeted affordability programs.

Aligning incentives, public assets Clear, predictable processes are also critical for developers to take risks, Collen said. HRI Communities recently navigated complex financing and regulatory hurdles to complete projects on Esplanade Avenue and Touro-Shakspeare in Algiers.

“If you structure the financial picture properly and the city makes it predictable, you can deliver units without cost-prohibitive mandates,” he said.

Gibbs, whose NSA East Apartments project will convert a derelict former Navy complex in the Bywater into nearly 300 affordable units, said city-owned land is another key lever.

Moreno has indicated that reforming how the city manages its property portfolio will be a priority, and Gibbs sees it as essential for expanding housing quickly in areas near jobs and services.

Kupperman noted that beyond land, New Orleans must address high construction costs relative to local incomes. Streamlining permitting, reducing fees and providing incentives, he said, can make the difference between a viable project and one that never reaches the drawing board.

Email Anthony McAuley tmcauley@theadvocate.com.

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6E ● Sunday, January 11, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

Fool’s Take: Ask the Fool: Your Microsoft long term mortgage lives on Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) is a ubiquitous brand in computing, and that works to its advantage in the age of artiMotley ficial intelFool ligence.

Hundreds of millions of people use Microsoft Office and Windows-based software products, providing a large installed base of users to help pay back its AI investments.

Microsoft’s cloud infrastructure powers not only its enterprise cloud services but also its consumer-facing services.

It has over 900 million monthly active users using AI features across its products.

Microsoft 365, which includes Office, has over 400 million paid subscribers. New AI features help drive healthy demand for these software products.

Across the business, Microsoft enjoys strong momentum. Its recent quarterly revenue of $77.7 billion was an increase of 18% year over year.

The company’s remaining performance obligation (expected earnings based on long-term business contracts) reached $392 billion in the recent quarter, for a year-overyear growth rate of 51%.

Microsoft’s stock recently traded at a forward-looking priceto-earnings ratio near 30.

Analysts have projected annualized earnings growth of nearly 14% over the next several years. This should fuel solid returns for Microsoft investors through at least 2030. (The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Microsoft stock and options.)

What happens to my mortgage if I die before paying it off? — W.P., Fort Myers, Florida Mortgage payments will still need to be made, and that responsibility will fall to the cosigner or co-borrower on the loan, if there is one.

Failing that, whoever inherits the home will likely be responsible for continuing to make payments.

If you had mortgage protection insurance, it should cover the principal and interest payments for your loan, with the money going directly to your lender. (Note that MPI is different from private mortgage insurance, which is insurance for the lender; many borrowers are required to get PMI if they’re buying a home with a down payment of less than 20%.)

Because a mortgage is a “secured” loan, the lender may foreclose on the property in the case of discontinued payments. But often, a home is sold when its owners have passed away — to pay off debts or because no one wants to or can keep the home.

Make your wishes clear in a will regarding who should inherit your home when you die. An estate lawyer can help you not only with your home, but also with how to minimize taxes and best pass on your assets.

What are the best books about Warren Buffett? — C.S., Watertown, Wisconsin There are many. Roger Lowenstein’s “Buffett: The Making of an American Capitalist” provides a solid review of his personal and business history, as well as his investment philosophy. Learn from Buffett himself in Carol J. Loomis’ “Tap Dancing to Work: Warren Buffett on Practically Everything, 1966-2013.”

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ACADIANA INBOX One Acadiana named 62 business and community leaders as its 2026 ambassadors.

The program allows people to get involved with the regional business community.

Participants are selected through a competitive application process.

Ambassadors are: Amber Carter, LoudMouth Marketing; Amanda Gary, American Heart Association; Andrew Taylor, Acadiana Taylored Tech; Anna Bourgeois, Vaulted Security; Annie Boudreaux, Andrea Kinnear; Austin Hebert, 4th Quarter Wealth Management; Brad Gaubert, Keaty Real Estate; Brandon Foster, Pelican Credit Union; Brian Wyble, Rader Solutions; and Bruce Leininger, Accelerated Performance Resources.

Also, Carol Trosclair, Ciara Leblanc, Fidelity Bank; David Breerwood, Ross & Yerger; Derrion Clavelle, Moncus Park; Diogo Tavares, Northwestern Mutual; Donnie Ardoin, PostNet; Elizabeth “Liz” Rozas, Synergy ITG LLC; Elizabeth Romar-Chavis, Connect Chiropractic, LLC; Genevieve LeBlanc, Stiel Insurance of Acadiana; and Grayson Stepanek, Goodwill Acadiana.

Also, Gregory White, Waste Management; Jacob Muffoletto, Burning Stick Creative; Jalen Shelvin, Bayou Shadows — A

Wampold Co.; Janet Courville, The Lofton Corp.; Jena Thompson, Stuller; Jenny Cardon, Courtyard by Marriott Lafayette South; Jessica Ritchey, NFP; Jillian Rivers, Edward Jones; John Nugent, BeLocal Acadiana; Justin Trosclair, Scoliosis Center of LA; and Katelyn Richard, Moore Consulting Investment Group.

Also, Kayla Patel; Kaylynn Lundy, LBA Hospitality; Kristy Suire, Hope Healthcare & Hospice; Landon Boudreaux, SLEMCO; Laura Hanes, News15; Madeline Territo, Moore Consulting Investment Group; Madison Domingues, The First National Bank of Jeanerette; Mandi Pooler, Lafayette Town Planner; Marilyn McDonald, McDonald & Kilchrist; and Mary Desormeaux, Community First Bank.

Also, Mary Hays, Geaux Run

by Fleet Feet; Mary Pham, Acadian Ambulance; Maurisha LeJeune, Ameriprise Financial; Mia Granger; Michele Veillon, Senior Helpers; Rachel Martin, She Builds Roofing/Rise Construction; Reenae Guillory, Community First Bank; Richie Guillory, RPG Construction; Rick Watkins, Trust Acadiana; Russ Gunter, Edward Jones; and Sam Stonecipher, Rayne State Bank.

Also, Samantha Meyer, Sunray Cos.; Shelly Fontenot, St. Landry Bank & Trust; Stephen Morella, Morella & Morella LLC/Apex

Capital Management; Suzanne D’Ambrosio; Thad Gautreaux, Pearce Bespoke; Thomas Falgout, South Louisiana Community College Foundation; Timothy Miguez; Tom Bongarzone, Acadian Cos.; Tommy Dauphin, Paylocity; and Tyrone Bufkin, Foster The Love Louisiana.

Aaron Higginbotham was named associate vice president office manager for JD Bank.

Higginbotham will oversee branch operations for Kirby Street Higginbotham branch in Lake Charles and serve as a consumer lender.

JD Bank has 21 full-service branch offices located along the Interstate 10 corridor from Lafayette to Lake Charles.

Schwinn

Sharisee Schwinn was named senior vice president/ chief operations officer at First National Bank

of Louisiana.

Schwinn will oversee the

bank’s operational strategy and performance.

Schwinn has been a key member of the First National Bank of Louisiana team for 18 years, most recently serving as vice president of digital banking.

Rose Miller was named executive board chair of First National Bank of Louisiana.

She has over 40 years in the banking inMiller dustry and began as a loan processor.

She is also a past board member of the Louisiana Bankers Association.

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The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Sunday, January 11, 2026 ● 7E

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MADE IN LOUISIANA

How Bollinger will build 4 new polar icebreakers

BY JONAH MEADOWS Staff writer

Bollinger Shipyards has finalized a $2.1 billion contract with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security — first announced last fall — to produce four new Arctic Security Cutters for the U.S. Coast Guard.

The vessels, which will be built at Bollinger’s Houma shipyard, will be capable of breaking through 4 feet of ice, traveling more than halfway around the globe and remaining at sea for two months at a time.

The deal is part of a partnership between the U.S., Canada and Finland to accelerate the production of a new generation of icebreakers at a time when President Donald Trump is focused on “restoring America’s maritime dominance” and catching up to competitors in shipbuilding.

With a price tag of more than $500 million each, construction of the vessels will support more than 1,000 jobs at peak production, company officials said.

“The Arctic Security Cutter is one of the most consequential and time-sensitive shipbuilding programs in U.S. Coast Guard history,” Ben Bordelon, president and CEO of Bollinger Shipyards, said in a Dec. 29 statement after the contract was finalized.

Lockport-based Bollinger is no newcomer to defense contracting.

The company has built 187 cutters for the Coast Guard over the past 40 years and has a separate deal with the Coast Guard to build the next generation of heavy polar icebreakers, known as the Polar Security Cutters, at its shipyard in Pascagoula, Mississippi.

The company is leveraging that experience to build the Arctic cutters, which are being produced on an expedited schedule, company officials said.

The vessels will be roughly the length of a football field, weigh 9,000 tons and be powered by 7,200-kilowatt diesel engines.

They’re being designed and engineered mostly by a Canadian com-

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Bollinger Shipyards in Houma was awarded a contract in December to build four Arctic Security Cutters, which are designed to have interoperability with the Canadian Coast Guard’s fleet of Multi-Purpose Icebreakers being used in the Arctic. Two others are being built in Finland. pany, Seaspan Shipyards, and will be a variant on an existing model of icebreaker being built for the Canadian Coast Guard.

From shipyard to sea trial It’ll take more than 3,000 tons of steel to make the vessels — and not just any steel. The new class of icebreakers will be built out of a thick, high-strength steel that allows it to cut through a meter of ice at 4 knots, or about 4.5 mph.

Huge plates of steel will arrive at the shipyard by truck. The plates will be heated using specialized equipment, then bent and molded around a frame and welded into place. The work will take place both inside the massive warehouse at the shipyard and outside.

In some respects, the vessels will

be much like the dozens of other naval vessels Bollinger has built over the years. But they’ll have special features that include rotating thrusters, ice-strengthened propellers and advanced sonar and radar arrays, according to procurement documents.

Unlike most military vehicle programs, development of the cutters is proceeding relatively rapidly. Experts say that’s because the project relies on an existing, proven design.

Bollinger’s first cutter is expected to take just over two years from its first welds to its final tests.

Once assembly of the first vessel is underway, Bollinger will be able to have multiple boats under construction at the same time at the same shipyard, company spokes-

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person TJ Tatum said.

The first vessel is scheduled to roll off the production line in 2028.

But it will spend the next year in the water — first at the dock, where subcontractors will bring the vessels up to U.S. government specifications by adding specialized communication equipment, any weaponry and other technology.

Then, the freshly minted cutters will head to sea trials, with a specialized team from the shipyard teaching its Coast Guard customers how to use the vessel. Its new crew will then put it through its paces on the water before its eventual delivery, scheduled for 2029.

Coast Guard plays catch-up

model of U.S. icebreakers in more than a quarter-century, ensuring the Coast Guard’s ability to control and defend the U.S.’s northern border and marine routes “against adversaries’ aggressive economic and military actions in the Arctic,” according to acting Commandant Adm. Kevin Lunday.

The U.S. has just three vessels capable of polar operations, two medium and one heavy. That’s less than half of the eight to nine polar icebreakers Coast Guard representatives say it requires to meet its operational needs in polar regions.

“In Alaska, the exclusive economic zone is huge,” said Peter Rybski, a retired U.S. Navy commander who lives in Finland and writes a newsletter about icebreakers. “And even though we stopped exploring oil in there, we’re now claiming the extended continental shelf, and we have almost no ability to patrol it outside of summertime.”

The trilateral partnership between the U.S., Finland and Canada — dubbed the Icebreaker Collaboration Effort, or ICE Pact — was first announced in July 2024 after years of delays and cost overruns in past domestic icebreaking.

In addition to the four vessels set to be built by Bollinger in Houma, two others will be built in Finland.

In order to build some of the new ships abroad, Trump signed a memorandum of understanding with Finland to build four Arctic Security Cutters in Finland and “up to seven” more at U.S. shipyards at a total cost of more than $6.1 billion.

Senior Bollinger officials have traveled to Finland and Canada multiple times since the pact was finalized, Tatum said.

“This close working relationship will continue through the life of the program as it transitions to a full U.S.-built program,” Tatum said.

Email Jonah Meadows at jonah.

The vessels will be the first new meadows@theadvocate.com.

8E ● Sunday, January 11, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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Gallagher: Lessons in Resilience An article from Gallagher

On the recent 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, the Gallagher team has been looking back at the experience and how it shaped today’s insurance industry.

Nancy Sylvester is an area executive vice president at Gallagher, based in Baton Rouge. She recently shared her story of Hurricane Katrina, the challenges the insurance industry faced and how resilience shaped the path forward.

With damages exceeding USD200 billion, Katrina not only altered

Blackhawk helicopters were constantly flying overhead,

the city’s physical landscape but also reshaped global

transporting the injured from New Orleans to Louisiana State

perspectives on disaster preparedness and response. Today,

University (LSU), where the athletics department became a

20 years after Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans, its impact

makeshift emergency hospital. The LSU student body even

remains deeply felt across the affected communities as the

donated clothing to those in need, and you could see people

costliest and one of the five deadliest hurricanes in US history.

wearing purple and gold, the colors of the university. It was a touching display of humanity after Hurricane Katrina, with

Q: Take us back to August of 2005. How did you experience the

everyone welcomed and cared for as best as possible.

landfall of the hurricane?

I live in Baton Rouge, 70 miles from New Orleans. That weekend, my oldest son was fishing in the Gulf of Mexico and when we

Q: How have your clients’ perspectives on extreme weather risks evolved since Hurricane Katrina?

urged him to come back inland, what should have been an hour’s

Before Katrina, redundancies were often viewed as unnecessary

drive took about 12 hours due to the worsening conditions. The

expenses. Today, having backups is understood as essential.

news reports initially said things were under control, but by

Clients now prioritize strengthening buildings to ensure their

lunchtime on Monday, the levees began breaking and things

facilities can endure severe weather, addressing all potential

quickly spiraled out of control.

exposures on supply chains or backup power, for example.

Everyone is focused on preventing business interruption claims

Q: What were the first days like when family and friends sought shelter at your home, far from the most affected areas?

and avoiding closing their doors because, once they do, they may never open again. We know that FEMA [Federal Emergency

I welcomed my family from New Orleans, expecting it to be

Management Agency] has stated 40% of companies don’t reopen

manageable, but soon found myself hosting 26 people. I slept

after a disaster, and another 25% fail within one year.

under my dining room table, the only private space left.

Wandering into the kitchen at night, I’d meet strangers saying,

As a community, we’re also massively investing in roof resilience

“I work for your cousin. He said it would be OK.” I reassured

to withstand strong winds and prevent piercings. When damage

everyone, “Yeah, everything’s fine.”

or loss occurs, my clients aren’t interested in just rebuilding what was there before; they’re focused on constructing to newer codes

Q: How was daily life impacted in the aftermath of

and following the highest building standards

Hurricane Katrina?

My usual 15-minute drive to the office would take hours due to the crowds seeking refuge in Baton Rouge and just trying to get somewhere else. Schools also faced a sudden surge in students, and the school offices would announce where people could

CHECK OUT THE VIDEO OF NANCY’S FULL INTERVIEW

find food.

AJG.com | The Gallagher Way. Since 1927.

© 2025 Arthur J. Gallagher & Co., and affiliates & subsidiaries | GGBUS103204

Mindful eating in world of multitasking PAGE 3

DISCOVERy | INNOVATION | LIVING WELL

HEALTH

LOUISIANA

N O L A.C O M & T H E A D V O C AT E.C O M

|

S U N D AY, J A N U A rY 11, 2026

Molly Kimball 1N

Trouble catching ZZZZ’s?

Try these strategies when sleep becomes elusive

BY SHANTELL GOMEZ Contributing writer

ASSOCIATED PRESS ILLUSTRATION By PETER HAMLIN

LAUGH M IT OFF

BY ALBERT STUMM | Associated Press

Doctor’s orders? ‘Belly laugh at least two to five days a week’

elanin Bee curves her spine like a stretching cat as she lets out a maniacal, forced laugh.

The quick-fire pattern of manufactured giggles —“oh, hoo hoo hoo, eeh, ha ha ha”— soon ripples into genuine laughter, and she giddily kicks her feet.

She’s practicing what she calls Laughasté, a hilarious yoga routine she created that is a descendant of “laughter clubs” that emerged in India in the 1990s. It feels awkward at first, but you fake it till you make it, she said.

“It’s about allowing yourself to be OK with being awkward,” said Bee, a Los Angeles comedian and speaker.

“Then you’re going to find some form of silliness within that is going to allow you to laugh involuntarily.”

The laughter clubs were based on the common-sense notion that laughter relieves stress. But a good laugh is also good for your heart, immune system and many other health benefits, said Dr. Michael Miller, a cardiologist and medical professor at the University of Pennsylvania.

“Like we say, exercise at least three to five days a week,” Miller said. “Belly laugh at least two to five days a week.”

The study of laughter

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By ASSGAUTAM SINGH

Members of laughter clubs participate in a laughter competition for the elderly to celebrate the 2007 World Laughter Day in Mumbai, India.

Although luminaries from the ancient Greeks to Freud have opined on the roots and implications of laughter, the modern study of laughter — gelotology — began emerging in the 1960s.

Stanford University psychologist William F. Fry, one of gelotology’s founders, drew blood samples from himself while watching Laurel and Hardy. He discovered that laughter increased the number of immuneboosting blood cells.

ä See LAUGH, page 2X

Getting a good night’s sleep can be tricky. When life gets busy and stress piles up, falling and staying asleep can become a challenge.

Many notice this shift in their 40s, when sleep that used to come easily now takes more effort.

Things like a partner tossing and turning can be disruptive. Even the temperature of a bedroom can make a difference.

Experts generally recommend keeping the bedroom cool — around 68 degrees — to support deeper sleep. But temperature is only one piece of a much larger puzzle.

Good sleep isn’t just about collapsing into bed after a long day.

Bedtime routines such as going to sleep at the same time each night, white noise and sipping chamomile tea, signal that it’s time to relax.

Blackout curtains, weighted blankets and the right pillow can all promise some sweet relief.

There is no shortage of supplements and devices that claim to support a restful night.

Despite the modern packaging, many of these solutions have been around for some time. What has changed is the level of stimulation filling everyone’s waking hours — and often follows them straight into bed.

Overstimulation is a major obstacle to sleep. The never ending tasks, constant notifications and racing thoughts can push the nervous system into overdrive.

According to Dr. Kevin Hargrave, a board-certified neurologist specializing in adult neurology, sleep medicine and neuroimaging in Lafayette, sleep deprivation shows up in far more ways than one.

Mood changes and irritability are often the first sign. Focus and decision-making become more difficult. Appetite becomes dysregulated, leading to cravings and overeating. Immune function weakens, making it easier to get sick.

“Insufficient sleep increases the risk of car crashes, workrelated accidents and medical issues, including increased risk of hypertension and diabetes, and the downstream consequences of these, including heart attack and stroke,” Hargrave said.

For adults, most research points to at least seven hours of sleep per night for optimal functioning.

Teens and children require even more, as sleep supports brain development, emotional regulation and physical growth.

Still, many people insist they feel fine on five or six hours. Some are genuinely wired to need less sleep, known as “short sleepers.” But they are the exception.

ä See SLEEP, page 2X

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April S. | Tobacco Cessation Specialist

2X ● Sunday, January 11, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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HEALTH MAKER Mammograms may indicate heart disease risks

ized system for documenting BAC gence tool, the team measured the tion or cost, Nudy pointed out. ings.

Breast arterial Instead, the data already exist on in radiology reports, although CanBreast arterial calcification, or severity and progression of calcifiBAC, is relatively common, ap- cation in breast arteries over time. routine mammograms performed ada has proposed a grading framecalcification linked to pearing They found that nearly 1 in 5 for breast cancer screening. work. in an estimated 15%-25% cardiovascular health of screening mammograms. Yet it women had detectable vascular If breast arterial calcification In this study, researchers used

BY ROBERTA BURKHART

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (TNS) Routine mammograms are best known as a front-line tool for detecting breast cancer. But new research suggests the same X-ray images may also offer an early warning sign for cardiovascular disease — the leading cause of death among women.

A study presented at a Dec. 3 Radiological Society of North America meeting found that calcium deposits visible in the arteries of the breast can help predict a woman’s future risk of heart attack, heart failure, stroke and death. The findings add to growing evidence that mammograms may hold untapped value beyond cancer screening.

The condition that mammograms can detect — and act as an early warning of heart problems down the road — is called breast arterial calcification, said Matthew Nudy, an assistant professor of medicine and public health sciences at Penn State College of Medicine, who presented the find-

is not routinely reported.

Despite often being discernible on routine mammograms, radiologists do not typically report the presence of these calcifications “because there’s no known association between this breast arterial calcification and breast cancer,” Nudy said.

That omission may represent a missed opportunity — particularly for women, who often face delays in cardiovascular diagnosis.

More than 60 million U.S. women — about 44% — have some form of heart disease, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Heart disease can affect any age and is the leading cause of death for women across the country. In 2023, it was responsible for about 1 in 5 deaths, nearly 305,000 women, per the CDC. In the new Penn State study, researchers analyzed data from 10,348 women who had undergone at least two mammograms at a U.S. academic medical center, with an average of 4.1 years between scans. Using an artificial intelli-

calcification at baseline. More importantly, the severity and progression of that calcification mattered. Women with worsening calcium buildup faced significantly higher risks of major cardiovascular events — up to double the risk for those with the most severe scores, Nudy explained.

One of the most striking findings was how quickly changes could occur.

“We saw progression of this BAC, or breast arterial calcification, in as little as one year,” Nudy said. “So I think it just goes to show that cardiovascular risk is something that changes all the time.”

Women who initially showed no calcification but developed it later had a 41% higher risk of cardiovascular events and death over an average 5.6 years of follow-up. Risk climbed even higher for women whose calcification advanced from mild to moderate or severe levels.

Unlike coronary artery calcium scoring — a CT scan is sometimes ordered to assess heart disease risk — identifying BAC does not require additional testing, radia-

were routinely reported, Nudy said, the next step would not be panic — but evaluation.

“At the very least, these patients should have a cardiovascular disease risk assessment,” he said, noting that this typically includes blood pressure and cholesterol checks, use of risk calculators and, when appropriate, preventive therapies such as statins, blood pressure medications and lifestyle changes.

The research may be especially relevant given long-standing disparities in women’s heart health.

“We know that women face a lot of disparities when it comes to cardiovascular care, compared to men,” Nudy said. “They’re more likely to be diagnosed at later stages of cardiovascular disease … and we also know that women are less likely to get” treatment for the condition.

Breast arterial calcification, he said, “could be something that we use to improve that.”

One major hurdle remains: inconsistent reporting.

Currently, there is no standard-

AI to quantify calcification efficiently across thousands of images.

“If we were to run a research study where we had to have multiple radiologists analyze multiple mammogram images from over 10,000 participants, that would take a lot of time and a lot of money,” Nudy said. AI, he added, made the process scalable and standardized.

Still, important questions remain unanswered — including whether identifying BAC leads to meaningful changes in patient care and outcomes.

Further answers may be on the horizon. Nudy is leading additional research using mammograms from the federally funded Women’s Health Initiative, one of the largest and longest-running studies of chronic disease in menopausal women.

For now, the findings highlight a new way clinicians may one day use an already familiar test — not just to detect cancer, but to help prevent heart disease before symptoms ever appear.

SLEEP

Continued from page 1X “If people sleep less than seven hours during the workweek but then need to ‘catch up’ during the weekends, that is a sign that they would benefit from sleeping a little more each weeknight,” Hargrave said.

Screens are among the most significant disruptors of sleep. Blue light delays melatonin production, while social media and late-night scrolling keep the brain alert when it should be winding down.

“Electronic screens and social media are an enemy of proper sleep schedules to some,” Hargrave said. “Putting away electronic screens and social media a few hours before bedtime would be a good strategy.”

Other immediate improvements include early morning sunlight exposure and regular exercise, both of which help regulate circadian rhythms.

For those who cannot realistically extend sleep time due to work or life demands, quality becomes critical.

“Avoiding late caffeine and abstaining from alcohol might help one’s limited sleep be of better quality,” Hargrave said. “Late night caffeine may decrease slowwave sleep, also known as deep sleep. Alcohol can induce sleep; however, it may produce increased awakenings during the night and worsen conditions like sleep apnea or restless legs syndrome.”

Sleep environment also matters.

Supportive mattresses can help prevent discomfort that leads to nighttime waking. Even small details — wearing socks to keep body temperature regulated — can make a noticeable difference.

At its core, sleep is not just a biological function but a daily practice. It requires consistency and cues that signal calm and rest to the nervous system. The tools may vary, but the core principles remain the same: darkness, quiet, routine and time.

Sleep tips: n Keep bedrooms cool, dark, and quiet (around 68°F). n Stick to a consistent bedtime and wake time. n Limit screens and social media one to two hours before bed. n Try white noise, blackout curtains, or weighted blankets to reduce disturbances. n Sip chamomile tea before bed. n Avoid late caffeine or alcohol, which disrupt deep sleep. n Get morning sunlight exposure and exercise regularly. n Comfortable mattress and pillows can make a difference.

Tip: Check with your doctor about any sleep supplements that could help.

A lack of sleep can make or break a day. Too many restless nights in a row can quietly erode physical health, emotional resilience and overall quality of life.

Rest restores far more than energy. It restores balance.

In a world that celebrates productivity and constant motion, sleep remains one of the most powerful — and underrated — forms of self-care.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By CHRIS CARLSON

Class members participate in a laughter yoga class on Main Beach in Laguna Beach, Calif.

LAUGH

Continued from page 1X In 1995, Dr. Madan Kataria, a physician in Mumbai, got wind of the emerging research as editor of a health magazine while researching an article on stress management. To combat his own stress, he started the first daily laughter club in a park. It ballooned from a handful of participants to more than 150 within a month, he said.

After the group quickly ran out of jokes, Kataria created exercises that activated the diaphragm, and he incorporated yogic breathing exercises, light stretches and deliberately silly sounds and movements.

“We were faking in the beginning and within seconds, everybody was in stitches,” Kataria said.

Why is laughter good for you?

Miller began studying laughter in the 1990s. Showing funny movies to study participants, he found that laughter produces endorphins in the brain that promote beneficial chemicals in the blood vessels. Nitric oxide, for example, causes blood vessels to dilate, which lowers blood pressure, inflammation and cholesterol.

The combination reduces the risk for a heart attack, he said, and the endorphins are natural pain killers.

“When you’ve had a really good laugh, you feel very relaxed and light,” said Miller, who is also chief of medicine at the Philadelphia Veterans Administration, where he is implementing a

“Really, it’s not about forcing yourself to laugh. It’s like activating your laughter muscles, getting rid of your mental inhibitions and shyness. Then the real laughing is childlike laughing, unconditional laughing.”

DR. MADAN KATARIA laughter therapy program. “It’s like you’ve taken pain medication.”

Forced laughter — or simulated mirth, in academia — may even be more beneficial than spontaneous laughter, said Jenny Rosendhal, a senior researcher of medical psychology at Jena University in Germany.

Rosendhal completed a metaanalysis of 45 laughter studies, among other research, and found that laughter-inducing therapies decreased glucose levels, the stress hormone cortisol and chronic pain. They also improved mobility and overall mood, especially in older populations.

Because humor is subjective, it is hard to measure. That’s why much of the more recent research has focused on laughter yoga and similar programs that provoke sustained bouts of laughter during 30- to 45-minute sessions, Rosendhal said.

Laughter yoga is particularly effective for people who might not feel like laughing, such as those struggling with depression or cancer patients, she said. With simulated laughter, the physiological mechanisms are the

same, such as additional inhaling, exhaling and muscle activity that also improves mood.

“The well-being comes through the back door,” she said. “You start with an exercise, and then the spontaneous laughter comes later because it’s funny to see people laughing.”

How to laugh more During a recent video call, Kataria said the trick is to learn to laugh for no reason. He and others in laughing yoga classes around the world have created hundreds of exercises that help.

The simplest: Get together with another person, look in each other’s eyes and repeat the sound “ha” for a full minute. Or try the “breathe in and laugh.”

Bring your hands to your chest on a deep inhale, hold your breath for three seconds, and burst out laughing on the exhale while extending your hands forward.

In laughing yoga classes, people may pretend to greet each other like aliens, crawl around like their favorite animals, or tap their temple as if a light bulb went off, exclaiming, “Aha! ha ha ha!”

Kataria suggested bringing laughter into your daily life, even at things that might not seem funny. Demonstrating “credit card bill laughter,” he held out his hand as if looking at a statement, and burst into a roiling, infectious laughter. For inspiration, you could log into one of the three dozen free online American laughter clubs recognized by Laughter Yoga International.

“Really, it’s not about forcing yourself to laugh,” he said. “It’s like activating your laughter muscles, getting rid of your mental inhibitions and shyness. Then the real laughing is childlike laughing, unconditional laughing.”

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU The Louisiana Health Health editions will also section is focused on profile people who are providing in-depth, personal advancing health for the accounts of health in the state of Louisiana. state. This section looks Do you have a health at medical innovations, story? We want to hear from health discoveries, state and you. national health statistics Email margaret.delaney@ and re-examining tried and theadvocate.com to submit true methods on ways to live health questions, stories well. and more.

The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Sunday, January 11, 2026 ● 3X

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Eat Fit Live Fit

Molly Kimball RD, CSSD

B R O U G H T TO YO U BY

Mindful eating in a world of multitasking This week’s column is written by Brittany Craft, RDN, LDN, who leads the Eat Fit nonprofit initiative at Ochsner Health

making things fresh, embrace that too. A colleague once told me, “You are worth the extra 30 seconds it takes to slice a tomato for your sandwich.” That stuck with me.

Put Down the Screen(s) and Savor

It’s tempting to work through lunch, I know. But with so much of the day already spent looking at a screen, could you spare 30 minutes to reflect on your day or talk with a friend instead? Taking a mental break helps you taste your food, notice fullness cues and return to work more focused than if you’d powered through.

While you eat, be mindful about what you are consuming: • What does it taste like?

• What’s the texture?

• What colors are on your plate?

• Are you getting full?

These small moments of awareness are the heart of mindful eating.

Embrace a Dirty Plate

Actually plate up your food. Sure, it’s easier to eat snacks out of the package, but plating gives you a clearer sense of portions and adds a bit of legitimacy and enjoyment to your meal. It’s a meal, not a grazing board, and it’s something you can slow down to enjoy.

T

he start of a new year gives us a rare moment to reflect, a natural pause to notice what’s supporting us and what’s quietly wearing us down.

For me, working from home has been one of those double-edged realities. I love the calm of my home office, the absence of traffic and the comfort of yoga pants. But remote work also means constant access to the kitchen, meetings that spill into one another, and more days than I’d like to admit when “lunch” is eaten with one hand, while I’m typing with the other. Even with the best intentions, meals can become rushed, distracted or forgotten entirely.

Our culture celebrates multitasking and efficiency. But when it comes to fueling ourselves well, that pace can work against us.

In our Eat Fit world, we talk often about nourishment — and nourishment is about more than what’s on the plate.

It also requires being present enough to notice how we eat.

Rather than seeing nutrition as another task, I like to view it as an act of care: supporting your energy, focus and well-being so you can show up fully

for everything you want to accomplish.

Here’s how to approach mindful eating, even in a world built for multitasking.

Plan Ahead with Food You’ll Actually Look Forward To

Planning ahead helps. The key is choosing foods you’re genuinely excited to eat. When something delicious and nutritious is waiting in the refrigerator, it becomes the easy choice.

Planning can also include prepping. Ask yourself honestly: “Will I really chop an apple midday, or do I need it pre-sliced?”

“Do I prefer doing everything on Sunday, with one cutting board and one knife, prepping veggies and fruit for the week?”

And if you’re someone who enjoys

Try to include the two P’s — produce and protein — at every meal, along with a complex carbohydrate and/or a healthy fat. It’s a simple structure with big benefits: carbs give you energy, and protein or fat provides staying power.

This could look like: • Apple slices with almond butter • Sliced bell peppers or whole-grain crackers with hummus • Berries and Greek yogurt • Small piece of fruit and a hard-boiled egg • Whole-grain toast with mashed avocado

Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate

Most of us walk around at least mildly dehydrated. Dehydration can mimic hunger, sap energy and make it harder to stay focused. Keep water nearby and schedule water breaks if you have to. If plain water feels boring, try herbal teas, sparkling water or fruit-infused water.

Hydration supports digestion, helps regulate appetite and keeps energy steadier throughout the day.

What Mindful Eating Means to Me Mindful eating is a way to slow down amid the constant hum of work and to-do lists. These small, intentional moments don’t just fuel my body, they remind me to care for myself, to pause and to show up fully for the people and work I love. To me, mindful eating isn’t about perfection.

It’s about noticing, appreciating and honoring ourselves in a busy world. When we do that, even in tiny ways, it makes all the difference.

Molly Kimball, RD, CSSD, is a registered dietitian with Ochsner Health and founder of Ochsner’s Eat Fit nonprofit initiative. For more wellness content, tune in to Molly’s podcast, FUELED Wellness + Nutrition, and follow @MollykimballRD and @EatFitOchsner on social media.

Email nutrition@ochsner.org to connect with Molly or schedule a consult with her team.

BY THE NUMBERS

Obesity in America In 2024, at least 1 in 4 adults in all U.S. states and territories had obesity.

1 IN 4 ADULTS IN ALL U.S. STATES HAVE OBESITy In 2024, at least 1 in 4 adults in all U.S. states and territories had obesity.

These states had the highest percentage of adults with obesity in 2024, in descending order: n West Virginia with 41.4%, n Mississippi with 40.4%, n Louisiana with 39.2%, n Alabama and Arkansas with 38.9%, n Indiana with 38.4%, n Kansas and Nebraska with 37.6%, n Wisconsin with 37.4%

Focus on the Two “P’s”

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WA S H .

WASH. MON T. MONT.

n and Kentucky with 37.2%.

These states had the lowest percentage of adults with obesity in 2024, in ascending order: n Colorado with 25%, n Hawaii and Massachusetts with 27%, n New Jersey with 27.7%, n Vermont with 29%, n California with 29.1%, n New york with 29.5%, n Florida with 29.6% n and Montana and Utah with 31%.

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Louisiana: 39.2% Staff graphic

Source: CDC

Many products contain hidden added sugars Some healthy food labels may be misleading

BY ALBERT STUMM Associated Press

Many consumers feel pride in avoiding the glazed pastries in the supermarket and instead opting for “all natural” granola that comes packed with extra protein.

Same goes for low-fat yogurts “made with real fruit,” organic plant-based milks and bottled “superfood” smoothies.

Buyer beware: Healthy grocery buzzwords like those often cover up an unhealthy amount of sugar.

Added sugars are difficult to spot quickly because many companies use clever marketing to distract consumers, said Nicole Avena, a professor of neuroscience and psychiatry at Mount

Sinai Medical School and Princeton University who has studied added sugars.

Avena said while some healthforward brands know people are starting to become aware of the hazards of added sugars, “a lot of the bigger brands don’t worry so much about people’s health.”

Here’s how to spot hidden sugars and what to do about it.

What to look for Along with saturated fat and salt, eating excess sugar is linked to heart disease, obesity, diabetes and other health risks.

The average American consumes 17 teaspoons of added sugar a day, which adds up to 57 pounds per year, according to the American Heart Association.

About half of that comes from beverages, but much of the rest is sneaked into cereal, salsa, prepared sandwiches, dairy products, bottled sauces and baked goods, including many brands of

whole-grain bread.

To help control sugar intake, start by checking the nutrition label. Since 2021, food companies have been required to list the quantity of added sugars separately from total sugar content.

But the plan backfired, Avena said.

Companies reduced common sweeteners like refined beet sugar and high-fructose corn syrup but added alternatives, such as monk fruit and the sugar alcohol erythritol, which aren’t considered “added sugars” under FDA regulations.

“Now our foods are even more sweet than they were back in 2020,” Avena said.

What should you do?

Collin Popp, a dietitian and professor at NYU Langone Health, said the current FDA recommendation allows for some flexibility.

People should get no more than 10% of their calories from added

sugar, which amounts to about 50 grams per day if eating 2,000 calories, or a bit more than what’s in a typical can of soda.

But that might be too flexible, Popp said.

“I would actually like to see that be less than 5%, and closer to zero for some, if they have diabetes or prediabetes,” he said.

The key is to be mindful of what you’re eating, even if the product seems healthy or if the package is labeled organic, Popp said. Roasted nuts, plant-based milks and wasabi peas, for example, can include a surprising amount of added sugars.

So can English muffins and Greek yogurt.

One Chobani black cherry yogurt, for example, has zero grams of fat but 9 grams of added sugar, or more than 2 teaspoons. Silk brand almond milk has 7 grams per cup.

Popp recommends taking control of how much sugar goes

into your food. That could mean buying plain yogurt and adding honey or berries, or asking the barista if you can put your own oat milk into your coffee.

Taking from one column Although they lower the calorie content of foods, artificial sweeteners like stevia and sugar alcohols may not be better because they can encourage people to overeat, Avena said. She said research shows that sweet flavors are what activate the reward center of the brain, not the sugar itself.

That’s not to write off sugar alternatives, including allulose for people with Type 1 diabetes since it doesn’t affect blood sugar.

But for the general public, minimizing dependence on the overall sweetness of food is key to improving health, she said.

“Don’t let the food companies decide how much sugar you’re eating,” Avena said.

4X ● Sunday, January 11, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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Tips to get in shape for

2 26

Vows to exercise consistently and lose weight are among the most common New Year’s resolutions. Fitness centers are typically busy in early January, but the crowds tend to thin out as the year progresses.

Beating the odds involves finding ways to keep these resolutions from losing steam within a few weeks. A structured approach can help you overcome these challenges.

5 tips to make your fitness resolutions stick A common mistake is trying to change too much too quickly. To set yourself up for success, create goals that are SMART:

1

2

Specific

Measurable

Clearly define what you want to accomplish.

Instead of a vague goal like “get in shape,” aim for something specific, such as “run a 5K” or “gain 2 pounds of muscle.”

Track your progress. This could mean logging your workouts, noting the weights you lift or timing your runs.

4

3 Achievable

Set realistic goals. If you are new to exercise, don’t commit to working out seven days a week. Start with two or three days, and build from there.

5

Realistic

Your goals should align with your lifestyle. Instead of completely avoiding your favorite foods, try limiting them to once a week. Small, sustainable changes are more effective than drastic ones.

Time-bound

Give yourself a deadline.

For example, “I want to gain 2 pounds of muscle

by May 2026.” A target date creates a sense of urgency and helps you stay focused.

Big victories are motivating, but so are small ones. Frame your main fitness goal as a series of smaller challenges and celebrate your progress along the way.

8 morning habits that may help you lose weight 1

Drink electrolytes before coffee.

2

Get sunlight in the morning to boost weight loss results.

6

Hydration in the morning is one of the simplest and most effective daily habits for weight management.

Within 15 minutes of waking, drink 12 to 16 ounces of water with an electrolyte solution or a pinch of sea salt and lemon. Wait 30 minutes before your first cup of coffee.

5

Morning sunlight signals your body’s circadian rhythm that it’s time to wake up, energize and metabolize.

Getting sunlight before noon improves sleep quality at night and helps regulate hunger hormones during the day.

Eating 30 grams of protein before 10 a.m.

3

Set daily eating goals.

4

Read food labels.

Get quality sleep.

7

Practice morning mindfulness.

8

Be consistent.

Eating protein early in the day stabilizes your metabolism and hormones for the next 24 hours.

Include 30 grams of protein in your first meal each day. Try Greek yogurt with chia seeds and nuts, a veggie omelet with avocado, or a smoothie with protein powder, spinach and berries.

Consistent sleep is the backbone of every healthy morning routine. When you sleep well, your metabolism functions more efficiently, your hunger hormones stay balanced, and your morning energy levels remain steady.

Morning planning creates structure and prevents impulsive eating later in the day. When you decide what to eat before noon, you eliminate guesswork and are more likely to stay aligned with your nutrition goals.

Mindfulness each morning strengthens the mental focus required for consistency.

When you begin your day with awareness and calm, you are less reactive to stress and more likely to follow through with healthy choices.

Checking food labels each morning, whether for your breakfast choices or prepped meals, reinforces awareness and accountability. It helps you identify hidden sugars, refined oils and artificial ingredients that can slow your progress.

Consistency matters more than intensity.

Sustainable progress isn’t about willpower or restriction; it’s about repetition.

What are the benefits of strength training after age 40?

Our bodies begin to lose muscle mass in a process called sarcopenia, which can start as early as our 30s. This leads to declines in strength, balance and mobility.

Strength training is one of the best ways to combat sarcopenia. Experts recommend incorporating resistance training two to three times per week. Pair this with a protein-rich diet to support muscle repair and growth. Balance and flexibility exercises can further reduce fall risk and promote overall fitness.

Whether lifting weights, using resistance bands or performing bodyweight exercises, strength training stimulates muscle growth and improves overall fitness.

The key to maintaining a New Year’s health and fitness routine is to be stronger than your excuses.

Ochsner Health is the leading nonprofit healthcare provider in Louisiana, Mississippi and across the Gulf South, delivering expert care at its 47 hospitals and more than 370 health and urgent care centers. Ochsner is nationally recognized for inspiring healthier lives and stronger communities through unmatched expertise, quality and digital connectivity. In 2024, Ochsner’s more than 40,000 dedicated team members and 4,900 employed and affiliated physicians cared for 1.6 million people from every state in the nation and 63 countries. To learn more about how Ochsner empowers people to get well and stay well, visit www.ochsner.org.

GOODNESS | HOPE | SOLUTIONS

INSPIRED

LOUISIANA

N O L A.C O M & T H E A D V O C AT E.C O M

|

S U N D AY, J A N U A rY 11, 2026

Q&A: La. 4-H program creates young leaders PAGE 2

1N

Jan Risher LONG STORy SHORT

A little cringe can go a long way PHOTO PROVIDED By MEAGEN MORELAND

New Orleans Women and Children’s Shelter employees celebrate in the Keesler Federal Credit Union suite at the Nov. 23 Saints game against the Falcons.

‘Hope lives here’ New Orleans homeless shelter changes lives with help from credit union, Saints

BY JOY HOLDEN Staff writer

In the Keesler Federal Credit Union suite at the Superdome, sparkly black and gold revelry paraded through the door. Dawn BradleyFletcher, CEO of the New Orleans Women and Children’s Shelter, led her crew into the suite for the Nov. 23 Saints vs.

Falcons game, complete with pompoms, sequins and lots of laughter.

The gameday fun was the result of a partnership between Keesler Credit Union, the New Orleans Saints and the New Orleans Women and Children’s Shelter. Keesler Credit Union chose the shelter as their Kicks for Kids beneficiary. Every time the New Orleans Saints made a field goal, the credit union donated $1,000 to the shelter.

The Saints kickers have raised $30,000 for the 2025 season.

Keesler chose the New Orleans Women and Children’s Shelter as the beneficiary of the 2025 Kicks for Kids campaign. Last year was the Covenant House, for which they raised $27,000.

“We want to help the community get stronger,” said Michele Rabalais, the director of corporate sponsorships at Keesler. “The Saints came up with Kicks for Kids for our community giveback.

The New Orleans Women and Children’s Shelter was a perfect fit for us.”

Bradley-Fletcher has been with the shelter since 2008, shortly after it opened, when Jackie and Dan Silverman, the founders of New Orleans Women’s and Children’s Shelter, interviewed her to be their first employee.

Bradley-Fletcher has been there since, through several moves and expansions of the shelter.

“I told them that everything that they were doing I wanted to be a part of,” BradleyFletcher said.

She says that she loves showing up to the shelter every day to make sure that the families have an opportunity to do better and to grow.

PROVIDED PHOTO

New Orleans Women and Children’s Shelter participants put their hands together during Thanksgiving festivities.

The New Orleans Women and Children’s Shelter staff poses with Saints cheerleaders and Keesler Federal Credit Union employees during the Nov. 23 Saints game.

PHOTO PROVIDED

By MEAGEN MORELAND

In 2025, the shelter moved into a new facility in MidCity, the converted and renovated Lucky Inn, and doubled its capacity. They have now assisted over 4,700 parents and children recovering from homelessness, with less than 2% returning to the streets.

Bradley-Fletcher and her team achieve this success through holistic care, empathy and wraparound care.

As the leading homeless shelter for intact families — including fathers and sons — in the region, the New Orleans Women and Children’s Shelter is commit-

ted to breaking the cycle of homelessness while keeping families together through coordinated, family-centered, holistic support and services.

“At the shelter, our goal is to make sure that our families understand and know that there is another opportunity to be successful in life,” Bradley-Fletcher said.

“When they cross the sill of our doors, they do not have to think about being homeless.

This is an opportunity to get on your feet and to become stable forever.”

The shelter provides a safe environment where parents

don’t have to think about where their next meal is coming from or how they’re going to pay bills — all are covered until they are able to transition to housing, and then services continue for 18 more months.

The shelter promotes stability and consistency with meals at designated times and rooms for each family with new sheets, towels and toiletries. Anything they are given while at the shelter, they take with them to their new residences. Daily chore

ä See SHELTER, page 2Y

We are living in the golden age of polish.

Carefully worded emails, often crafted with the help of AI. Beautiful kitchens. Perfect beds.

Tables set just so. Meals plated to impress. Outfits assembled with intention. Families styled and camera-ready.

The list of idealized vignettes goes on and on.

We are surrounded by smoothness — curated feeds, practiced answers, personal branding — to the point that awkwardness now sticks out like the cranberry juice stain on my grandmother’s white tablecloth.

I make this observation after decades of experience. Awkwardness has been my specialty.

The flip side of the cringe is that awkwardness can open us up to others. It has a way of unlocking doors that polish never does.

Awkward moments have also provided the genesis for some of my closest friendships.

Like that time I unknowingly dropped my panties in the aisle of a plane and left them there for 10 minutes as the group of strangers I was traveling with for the next week sat behind me and debated on what to do. David D’Aquin ultimately tapped me on the shoulder and told me I had dropped something. It was a horrible, mortifying moment. That said, more than 17 years later, he remains one of my best friends.

Or that time long ago, when I way overpacked for a yearlong trip to teach English in Slovakia, and the girl in line behind me at the ticket counter watched in horror as I opened my giant suitcases and rearranged my melange of peculiarities, including a one-pound canned ham. My goal: to finagle getting all of my bits and bags across the sea without costing the small fortune I didn’t have. I finally made the packing Tetris work — and 33 years later, that girl is another of my closest friends.

Much of my experience has been living proof of what Lindsay Godwin wrote in Psychology Today: while awkwardness feels isolating, it often has the opposite effect.

I could fill pages with plenty of other, nontravel related and less memorable awkward moments.

Those occasions have filled my days to the point that I realize that my awkward meter may be somewhat broken — maybe that’s because I’ve come out on the good side of awkward so many times.

I like when we ask questions at the table, and everyone gets a chance to share. Yes, doing so can feel a little funny, but it can also lead to magic and connection.

ä See RISHER, page 2Y

STAFF PHOTO By JAN RISHER

David D’Aquin, of Atlanta, and Jan Risher canoe at Lake Martin in St. Martin Parish.

2Y ● Sunday, January 11, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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INSPIRED DISCUSSIONS A S K T H E E X P E RT S

La. 4-H program creates young leaders in agriculture

BY LAUREN CHERAMIE Staff writer

Q&A WITH LANETTE G. HEBERT

Lanette G. Hebert, based in Rayne, serves as the southwest 4-H regional coordinator for the LSU AgCenter, bringing over 35 years of service to Louisiana’s 4-H youth development programs. Throughout her tenure, she has worked to empower youth, strengthen volunteer networks and build programs that foster leaderHebert ship, citizenship and essential life skills.

Last year, Hebert had a hand in hosting the Growing Careers … Beyond the Rice Field pilot program — an effort to introduce high school youth to the science and business of rice production, sponsored by the Louisiana Rice Promotion Board.

Hebert’s passion for community and education reflects her belief that investing in young people creates a stronger, brighter future for Louisiana.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

What does your role with the AgCenter look like, beyond the rice field program?

We develop educational programs, and one that we’ve focused on is ag awareness. Out of our advisory process, someone suggested that we focus on the rice industry, since the LSU AgCenter H. Rouse Caffey Rice Research Sta-

tion is within the southwest region.

Do you plan to host another Beyond the Rice Field program in the future?

We’re going to propose that we do it every other year. We highlight all careers available in the ag industry, whereas this one was targeted just on the rice industry, so we plan to alternate them — one general ag awareness program and then the rice program.

What activities and curriculum did the students participate in for the rice field program?

We really called upon the professors at the rice research station. They went out with entomologists into the rice fields, looked for bugs and then evaluated the bugs and discussed how they would impact the rice crop.

In our agronomy lab, they took home seed plots and did different treatments on them. They learned about drones and got to fly drones. Every one of the six sessions highlighted the careers, but then also did some type of hands-on activity.

How are young people integral to the future of Louisiana agriculture?

That’s the driving force behind our ag awareness program, especially with this rice field day, is a con-

SHELTER

Continued from page 1y assignments and parenting classes help reinforce positive habits and create routines for successful living once they leave.

Each family works with case managers to build a life plan — education, workforce development, financial literacy and affordable housing needs — tailored to their unique situations. The wraparound services approach includes programs both in the shelter and after the families move out, including transportation, workplace uniforms and soft skill developments.

“Hope lives here,” Brad-

RISHER

Continued from page 1y Granted, I now realize that I don’t always register some conversations as awkward and eventually realize that what I appreciated as an exchange in getting to know someone better, in fact, pushed someone else’s

cern for young people who are entering careers that are agriculture-based. We cooperate with the College of Ag at LSU to highlight those careers, from fashion merchandising to food science to agronomy.

We’re trying to expose them to a vast array of career opportunities in agriculture and what educational opportunities are available to them. With our rice field day, we emphasized internships and high school job opportunities that would expose them to see if they’d like this career choice.

One of the key things we’re trying to do is develop their awareness of the careers but also give them hands-on opportunities.

How does 4-H develop leadership skills and teach students the soft skills needed in the workforce?

The ag awareness program is just one of the things we offer. Our statewide forage program offers opportunities in three core areas besides agriculture: STEM, healthy living and citizenship and leadership.

We start the 4-H program in fourth grade, and a lot of that is where they are exploring and learning about the different subject matters. As they stay with us in the 4-H program, we transition that into leadership. If a fourth grader starts off interested in the nutrition

PROVIDED PHOTO

Participants in LSU AgCenter’s Growing Careers … Beyond the Rice Field program participate in hands-on activities that simulated daily work of scientists and professors in the rice industry. project and cooking, they’re learning how to measure ingredients, but we’re hoping, by 10th grade, they’re conducting the workshop for the fourth grader.

Louisiana 4-H is pretty unique. We have seven statewide leadership boards where we focus on subject matter and developing leaders in those areas. Every parish also has a team leadership program. That club focuses very heavily on leadership development.

How does 4-H work with external partners in the state — farmers, researchers, etc. — to bolster the

program?

We’re always looking for community collaborators who are aligned with the missions of our 4-H program. The rice field day was a great example. It was awesome to see the passion that our researchers, research associates, extension faculty and farmers have for their career paths.

That’s always something, when we find a partner that has the same goal and passion of reaching young people and sustaining an industry.

Our STEM program is

ley-Fletcher said over the hired her.

“We all have within our cheers and music of the Suhearts to do this mission,” perdome suite.

Coleman said. “We’re taking More than a shelter families from homelessness For 63-year-old Sydney and poverty to one of stabilColeman, a 13-year employee ity and self sufficiency, and of New Orleans Women and we do it every day — one Children’s Shelter and the ex- family at a time, meeting ecutive assistant, the shelter them where they are at.”

Coleman says she goes is more than a shelter. It’s a family place where families to sleep thinking about the have their own private rooms shelter and wakes up thinkand private bathrooms. ing about the shelter beHaving been homeless cause her prayer is to see with her own children ear- homelessness end in her lier in her life, Coleman lifetime.

Bradley-Fletcher says her has a unique perspective and heart for the families entire staff is full of hard at the shelter. Another workers who genuinely care program, House of Ruth, about the mission, which helped her get on her feet, speaks to the quality of their and she continued to work work.

Donna Perkins, director there until it closed, which was when Bradley-Fletcher of shelter operations, has

worked with the organization for 16 years. Her favorite aspect of the job is getting the families into shelter and knowing they are off the streets. She loves fixing up the rooms and stocking them with what each family needs — and then seeing their faces when they walk into the rooms.

On Dec. 1, the New Orleans Women and Children’s Shelter was selected as one of 32 grant recipients of the Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez Bezos Day 1 Families Fund, meaning another $1.25 million pledged to the shelter.

Bradley-Fletcher says this additional gift is truly transformational for the

shelter and means more families will come into safety, to work toward ensuring no child in the community sleeps outside.

Over the next five years, the organization will use the grant to strengthen and expand programming and support for the families they serve.

As for the New Orleans Saints, the team continues to be involved with the shelter, coming through for holidays, special occasions and the Kick for Kids initiative.

When the season ends, the Saints and Keesler Federal Credit Union will present the check to Bradley-Fletcher and her team, helping ensure more families in New Orleans have a safe place to call home.

from a deep-seated human need to belong — and that awkward moments feel like they threaten social standing, even if only temporarily.

From my experience, I believe the trick is working through the awkward and embracing the cringe.

Being brave enough to put it out there and laugh at it goes a long way toward tak-

ing away the sting. Because the truth is that awkwardness can bruise.

The awkward moment unpaired with a demonstration of one’s ability to laugh at oneself can become something else entirely, a verboden moment to ignore and never mention again.

Those moments can close doors, not open them. They are the times that make so

many of us avoid awkward at all costs. Not every awkward moment is redeemable.

And yet, they are still worth the risk.

I admit that in the moment when D’Aquin tapped me on the shoulder, and I realized what had fallen from the overhead compartment — and that 20 people had been looking at

buttons.

“At its core, awkwardness is rooted in a fear of judgment,” Godwin wrote.

“When we make a mistake, do something embarrassing, or find ourselves in an uncomfortable situation, we worry that others will see us as incompetent, unprofessional, or socially inept.”

She says the fear comes

Another big gift

really growing right now, so robotics gives us a lot of opportunity to partner with local people as well. We have things like job interview contests, and we work with HR departments to do mock interviews.

We’re always trying to connect with people throughout the site to highlight their careers and passions for different subject matters that pertain to our young people.

Email Lauren Cheramie at lauren.cheramie @theadvocate.com.

PROVIDED PHOTO

By MEAGEN MORELAND

Dawn Bradley-Fletcher, CEO of the New Orleans Women and Children’s Shelter, stands at the suites at the Superdome during the Nov. 23 Saints game.

my unmentionables for 10 minutes, I wanted to crawl under the seat in front of me.

These days, though, I’m happy to be living proof that experiencing, growing from and reframing awkward moments does have its upsides.

Email Jan Risher at jan. risher@theadvocate.com.

Healthcare with us, FMOLHealth.org

LOCAL PRIDE, SYSTEM STRENGTH FMOL Health | Our Lady of Lourdes is part of one of the leading health systems in the Gulf South. Our connected team is committed to delivering exceptional care, and we do it with great love. We believe that the best possible care is not just a job for us — it’s our calling.

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The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Sunday, January 11, 2026 ● 3Y

lll

‘Building connections’

Baton Rouge zine scene promotes accessible self-expression

BY HALEY MILLER Staff writer

Folded, sometimes stapled and small enough to slip into a pocket, the tiny booklets distributed by the Baton Rouge Zine Club are the opposite of going viral.

It’s a portable medium. It’s DIY. In a digitally saturated world, where content simultaneously lives forever and is forgotten with a swipe of the thumb, the zine encourages a tactile engagement with art and ideas.

“Everything just sort of goes by on a scroll on the phone,” said Sophie Ziegler, a member of the Baton Rouge Zine Club. “It’s nice to have small analog things that we can hold on to, that you can use and then re-find and rediscover.”

Though New Orleans might be considered the state’s cultural and artistic center for activities like zine making, the Baton Rouge Zine Club and Louisiana Zine Fest offer spaces outside of the Crescent City for people to explore self-publication and bond with others in the community over an accessible and inclusive medium.

“A lot of the events that are like this happen in New Orleans, so the first motivation was to do something for those of us not in New Orleans and for those of us in different parts of the state to be able to participate,” Ziegler said.

“Inexpensive self-publication” is the standard definition of the zine, Ziegler said. The medium is low budget and welcoming to anyone interested in exploring ideas artistically, they said.

“There’s not a large editing process that a lot of these go through,” Ziegler said. “What that means is you get to communicate very directly to the people you share zines with.”

The Baton Rouge zine scene held the first Louisiana Zine Fest in August 2025. The event, hosted at the East Baton Rouge Parish Library, brought zine-related workshops and vendors to the Main Branch on Goodwood Avenue, covering topics from zine construction to content. Several hundred people attended the event.

Gabriella Lindsay, who started the south Louisiana, queer identity-focused zine “Cher,” said the small-batch nature of zines and their ability to speak directly to readers makes them uniquely positioned as an art form to build community.

They also provide a publishing platform with a low barrier to entry for local artists and writers to share their work, she said.

“They are not meant to go viral,” Lindsay said. “They are meant to start conversations with each other and bring connection, and I think that’s really valuable right now.”

Zines are often tied to countercultural and niche movements, both historically and practically because they are inexpensive to produce, Ziegler said. Science fiction fans in the 1930s helped popularize the format in American culture, but even religious pamphlets share many elements of the zine, they said.

“A zine is particularly adept at communicating thoughts that might not have more mainstream ways of circulating,” Ziegler said.

With queer stories specifically, zines can articulate people’s experiences with sexuality and gender in a way that leads to understanding, according to Lindsay.

“I read somebody’s zine about their gender fluidity,” Lindsay said. “If they told me, ‘I’m gender fluid,’ that would be a way of un-

PHOTOS PROVIDED By BATON ROUGE ZINE CLUB

ABOVE: Baton Rouge Zine Club members make zines together during a meeting in October.

RIGHT: An informational zine for the Baton Rouge Zine Club is displayed. derstanding them. But because I was able to read their zine, read their experience, read their definition of gender fluidity for them, I was able to understand them so much better than just the label of it could.”

The Baton Rouge Zine Club currently meets at the Wonderground creative space off Myrtle Walk in Baton Rouge. Ziegler emphasized that everyone is welcome to join the zine-making and sharing time.

“They’re fun ways to work out ideas,” Ziegler said. “A lot of people have told me they’re really important ways to get back to creative endeavors in general.

The stakes are really low. If you don’t like your zine, you can throw it away.”

Plans are in the works for Louisiana Zine Fest in 2026.

“We want to keep it as Louisiana focused as possible to make sure those of us in Louisiana have a venue, have a chance to meet,” Ziegler said. “The large part of this is about building connections in communities.”

Helping Small Businesses Thrive

Rewriting the Rules: R LaQueda Ricks Turns HR Expertise into a Growing Business

A

fter more than two decades in human resources, LaQueda Ricks understood the complexities of people and policy, and had become a trusted leader in her field. She spent years helping organizations structure HR departments, guide leadership development, and champion workplace equity. Now she was ready to do it on her own terms.

As a result, 4D HR Consulting was born; a firm named for the four pillars that guide its work: Discover, Design, Develop, and Deliver.

“The tips the Shell LiveWire program gave me were game changers. It helped me connect with my audience and build my platform.”

L AQUEDA RICKS | 4D HR CONSULTING

Introduced to the Shell LiveWire program through Louisiana Economic Development (LED), LaQueda saw it as a chance to take 4D HR to the next level. “You have to learn everything, from accounting to branding,” she explained. Through Shell LiveWire, LaQueda dug into profit and loss statements, budgeting, and branding. She refined her messaging, began leveraging social media, and even had posts go viral; something she attributes directly to what she learned in the program.

Since completing Shell LiveWire, LaQueda is positioning 4D HR for national partnerships, all while staying rooted in her mission: Aligning people, policy, and performance.

Ready to grow your business?

Applications for the 2026 Shell LiveWire Louisiana program are open through January 26, 2026 for businesses from Ascension, Assumption, East Baton Rouge, West Baton Rouge, Iberville, Jefferson, Lafourche, Livingston, St. Charles, St. James, St. John the Baptist, St. Mary, and Terrebonne Parishes. All industries welcome.

Apply now at www.shell.us/livewire.

shell.us/louisiana | #PoweringProgress

4Y ● Sunday, January 11, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

FAITH & VALUES lll

Buddhist nun supports Denver’s homeless

BY FIONA MURPHY Contributing writer

On a cool morning in Denver, a 70-year-old Buddhist nun pedaled their electric tricycle beneath highway overpasses and along cracked bike paths, slowing as they approached tents tucked against concrete embankments or someone sleeping under a bridge.

The small trailer fastened to the trike carried bottled water, bagged lunches, socks, gloves, Narcan, tents and hand warmers. The cyclist, Kelsang Virya, who uses they/them pronouns, has become a familiar presence to many people living on Denver’s streets over the past five years. The nun — who helped found Mutual Aid Monday, which now feeds more than 400 vulnerable and unhoused people a week — scans the grittiest parts of the city for familiar faces.

“I think I know most people here,” Virya said after handing out supplies at a homeless encampment on the outskirts of Lakewood, where about 30 people who were gathered around tents and wearing winter jackets approached them for water and food, saying “ma’am” and thanking the nun profusely.

Just before Virya arrived at the camp, the nun had stopped under a bridge to check on a man who appeared to have passed out, likely after using fentanyl, an extremely powerful opioid that has become Colorado’s leading cause of drugrelated deaths in the past five years.

“He wouldn’t show me his face,” Virya said. “When I saw him under the bridge, it’s like whatever pops into my head is the mantra that’s needed.”

As Virya engages in what they call “street outreach,” the work of Mutual Aid Monday, or MAM, they feel most drawn to, the nun keeps a rotation of Tibetan Buddhist mantras running quietly in their mind.

Emerging from the dark shade of an overpass, Virya

will often whisper their primary mantra, Om Mani Padme Hum, associated with the Buddha of compassion and believed to relieve suffering.

Virya turns to it instinctively whenever they encounter someone in distress.

Virya grew up Lutheran in Wisconsin but as an adult, while raising children and working in hospice care, they began reading Thich Nhat Hanh and Pema Chödrön before eventually finding their way to Tibetan Buddhism.

“What really drew me to Buddhism was the compassion,” they said. Virya was ordained more than 15 years ago and follows a tradition in which daily vows, prayers and study shape monastic life. “I retake my vows every day,” they said.

“I haven’t missed in 15 and a half years.”

After checking that the man under the bridge did not need Narcan, Virya murmured the Om Tara Tuttare Ture Soha mantra under their breath, saying it was the one that surfaced first because Tara is “the rescue Buddha.”

“I would be so depressed,” Virya said. “I could not do this work. I have to have my faith that grounds me every day and is a refuge.”

This work began for Virya in 2019, when they and their granddaughter started taking bagged lunches to large encampments across Denver. They had moved to the city 12 years earlier to be closer to their son, after having spent the three previous years living at a monastery in New Mexico.

In 2020, amid the pandemic and as homelessness surged in the city, the nun began showing up at encampment sweeps several times a week to protest, as police were often reportedly poking holes in people’s tents, damaging personal property and handing out tickets.

Denver has long enforced an unauthorized-camping ordinance, commonly known as the urban camping ban, which prohibits sleeping in public spaces and has shaped how homelessness is

PHOTO PROVIDED By FIONA MURPHy

Buddhist nun Kelsang Virya uses a tricycle and buggy to distribute items during street outreach to unhoused populations on Nov. 18 in Denver. managed in the city for more than a decade. The policy has made encampment sweeps a regular feature of life for people living on the streets, often forcing them to move with little notice and limited access to shelter.

But after an unhoused person told Virya the police came down harder after protestors left, Virya changed tactics. The next day, the nun showed up with coffee and doughnuts in a small red wagon instead.

“Just be there for them and listen to them,” they said.

As they spent more time at camps, Virya began to recognize another gap. Unhoused people were losing not only their belongings during sweeps, but also any opportunity to tell city leaders what was happening to them. So Virya and a small group of activists brought their idea to the steps of the City and County Building. Monday nights at City Hall, when public comment is held, have historically drawn unhoused residents and advocates seeking to be heard. And it was there the group established Mutual Aid Mondays.

“We decided that maybe we’d have a place where they could come and get food and gear, and the other half was to try to encourage folks to go into City Council,” Virya said. “That’s why it’s on Monday … so they could let them

know what’s going on on the streets.”

The idea was simple: offer food, gear and a safe place to gather so people could step out of the encampments, get what they needed and, if they chose, go inside and speak during public comment.

“Virya cooked up a lot of food and was in their kitchen on Sunday, all day, preparing for Monday,” said Jess Wiederholt, a Denver activist, mother of seven, practicing Presbyterian and one of the founding members of MAM. “And then the rest of us all brought something, you know. So like, I was the pasta person.”

What began with about 50 people and a handful of volunteers serving food has expanded into a weekly scene outside City Hall that unfolds into a temporary village, where up to 50 volunteers unload tents, sleeping bags and hygiene kits, lay out Narcan supplies on folding tables and even set up a barber’s chair.

In the early days, Virya cooked with whatever they could source from local food banks, mostly oatmeal and fish casserole. Today, the organization relies largely on donations through platforms such as Patreon, and Virya recently received a $2,000 transportation grant from the city that paid for the electric tricycle.

“Haircuts come almost every week,” Virya said. “It just gives people so much self-esteem, you know, to get their hair done.”

Virya has also come to be known for driving a white van across Denver on the coldest winter nights, circling encampments with blankets, heaters and food, calling out for anyone who might need a ride to a hotel room where they could safely spend the night. Many unhoused Denverites still recall those late-night searches as the difference between danger and survival.

“During cold nights, for 24 hours straight, Virya would be going to every nook and cranny in Denver to find people,” said Raymond, who has been unhoused in Denver for six years. “When it was life and death, she was there.”

In 2025, about 10,774 people in the Denver metro area were experiencing homelessness, including those staying in shelters and transitional housing. A 2025 Metro Denver Homeless Initiative study puts the average number of people on the streets any given night at 785 to 2,149 in the larger Denver metro area, which Virya confirms.

Jerry Burton, a Marine veteran and former unhoused activist who now works with the Housekeys Action Network, has been involved

with Mutual Aid Monday since its earliest days. Now, he moves through the weekly gathering passing out flyers about low-income housing resources.

This as Virya’s dream, Burton said.

“MAM started out of protest. Now, we are trying to help people here, the unhoused neighbors, to become a better member of society by providing the necessity that I think that every man, woman and child should have, and that’s a place of their own.”

On a chilly Monday evening in late November, Wiederholt and Virya stood near a clothing distribution station staffed by several volunteers who, Virya noted, probably didn’t know them.

The two reflected on how the organization has grown, and what that growth says about the city they have devoted so much of their lives to.

“Something has to drive you to do this work,” Wiederholt said. “And for Virya and me, that was our faith. No matter what that faith is, we believe in the dignity of human beings. That’s a big part of who we are and what we believe. And so we were out here because of that.”

In the past year, Virya has begun to step away from MAM’s expanding daily operations, hoping to return to the rhythm of monastic life that first grounded their work.

“I felt like my spiritual practice was suffering a little bit,” Virya said. “It wasn’t that my faith had dwindled or anything. I just wasn’t having enough time, and I felt like I was not the person I wanted to be.”

Each day, Virya recites their vows, prays, meditates and studies Buddhist texts. Still, they spend several days a week visiting encampments on their tricycle, offering supplies, conversation and whispering ancient mantras under their breath.

They say that connecting one-on-one with people on the street can feel a bit like spreading the calming practice of meditation.

Inside a closing Minn. prison, a radical shift in how inmates live

BY EMMY MARTIN and NATHANIEL MINOR Contributing writers

Editor’s note: This story, created by Emmy Martin and Nathaniel Minor for The Minnesota Star Tribune is part of the Solutions Story Tracker from the Solutions Journalism Network, a nonprofit organization dedicated to rigorous reporting about responses to social problems.

Louisiana Inspired features solutions journalism stories that provide tangible evidence that positive change is happening in other places and in our own communities — solutions that can be adopted around the world.

The B-East cell hall at Stillwater prison was once a place of echoing lockdowns and razor-edged tension.

“Some things that’ll never leave,” said Lt. Sam Marks, recalling the stabbings, selfharm and overdoses that reverberated through the four tiers of steel and concrete.

But since the Department of Corrections began the process of closing the prison this fall, an experiment has taken root in the newly opened space.

Inside, incarcerated people tend herb gardens, line up for “shape-ups” in a resident-run barbershop, debate books in a discussion group, and help run a prison tattoo shop.

The transformed space is an “earned living unit,” or ELU, that trades privileges for accountability. Since the unit opened about two months ago, multiple staff and residents said, the unit has not faced a lockdown.

“The interaction between inmates and the staff has changed, a complete 180,” Marks said. “We’re building something together.”

DOC Commissioner Paul

PHOTO PROVIDED By ALEX KORMAN

Inside Cell Hall A-East at Stillwater prison in Bayport, inmates move freely and also are allowed to pursue more interests. Staff said there are fewer disciplinary actions.

Inmates say the rhythm is different and there is more opportunity.

Schnell said the department will use Stillwater’s remaining years to refine the ELU model here and expand it to other facilities. A parallel unit at Faribault prison launched around the same time.

The ELU sits inside Stillwater’s historic cellblocks, but the daily rhythm is different. Men move freely between units, work, the gym and other spaces during the day, residents said. The old black line in the middle of the main corridor — which incarcerated people were once forbidden to cross — is gone.

The unit offers “more freedom, more movement, more opportunity and access to other commissary options,” Schnell said. Eligibility is based on an application and past behavior.

Most cells are single-occupancy; some residents receive a second cell for study or projects. The block now includes air fryers, pizza ovens, weight equipment, video games and hobby spaces.

Damon DiMartino, 50, convicted of promoting prostitution, said he spends much of his time in that spare cell, where he grows peppers

and four types of basil under lights. He used to sneak dandelions and other weeds from the yard back to his cell to grow and was punished for it.

“I can’t believe they’re letting us do this,” he said as he tended to plants. DiMartino and other inmates use the herbs in homemade lasagna and pizza.

“When there’s nothing to do, I just kind of sit in here for a moment,” DiMartino said. “This is about as free as I’m going to get for a while — a few more years anyway.”

Incarcerated people can also decorate their cells as they wish. Brandon Cox, 39, who is serving a life sentence for a conviction of first-degree murder, asked tattoo artist Daniel Gonzalez to paint murals on his walls, including one of his son.

Inmates described town halls, unit mission statements and shared standards that, staff said, are sometimes “more robust” than DOC rules.

The climate shift has been immediate.

“Being here for almost two months and never seeing a fight,” Cox said. “You can’t be in prison and experience

that. It shows that the guys are really here for the program, and the guys are really here to better themselves and uplift everybody.”

Keith Grube, 59, serving a life sentence for first-degree murder, has cycled through Rush City, Moose Lake and Lino Lakes. He called Stillwater’s ELU “hands down” the best.

“This is a prison only if you want to act like a prisoner,” he said. “If you want to act like this is a community, then this is a community.”

Staff and residents acknowledged the human side of Stillwater’s transition — friends transferred statewide, programs paused, longtime officers reassigned.

And also a recurring concern: whether concentrating highly motivated residents in the Stillwater ELU and transferring out “heavy hitters,” as Marks described it, pushes troubled dynamics elsewhere in the state. The Stillwater units before the changes shifted prisoners averaged a lockdown a quarter, the DOC said.

The DOC transferred 262 people from Stillwater to Rush City, now operating at about 94% capacity, according to DOC data. Overcrowding can increase violence, Schnell said, citing the recent death of Stephen Washington after an alleged altercation with his cellmate and the August assault of four correctional officers at Rush City.

Schnell said the department is tracking incidents closely but emphasized that the ELU is built around riskbased placement, not displacement.

Inmates must apply to the unit. In the two months since they opened, three inmates at Stillwater and

three in Faribault have been removed from the units, according to the DOC. So far, he said, DOC has found no evidence that Stillwater’s phased closure has caused new violence at other prisons.

“The reality is, anytime you have higher populations, higher numbers of people, you’re going to have an increase in problems,” Schnell said.

He said he remains confident prisons are adequately staffed. Staffing levels across the entire system are higher now than in 2019, when the prison population was more than 1,000 people larger.

The self-governance ethos extends to programs that inmates built themselves, which are now part of the ELU. Stillwater’s two-year-old tattoo program operates like an outside apprenticeship, overseen by a full-time DOC administrator. Apprentices practice on synthetic skin, complete sanitation courses and test for licensure through the Minnesota Department of Health.

Two early apprentices paroled this year and were hired as tattoo artists right away, staff member Justin Jiminez said. One placed second at a tattoo convention.

Licenses for the two artists, Daniel Gonzalez, 28, and Courtney Ocegueda, 29, hang on the wall. Practice skins show crisp linework and color studies. Staff say DOC-permitted tattooing reduces hepatitis transmission behind bars.

In a chair, Gonzalez — serving time for seconddegree murder and assault — layered color into a multisession dragon tattoo across Matthew Fahey’s back. Fahey, 40, imprisoned for first-

degree criminal sexual conduct, criminal sexual predatory conduct and kidnapping, sat patiently through his fifth session.

“I’ve always wanted to be a tattoo artist, but I never thought it was possible,” Gonzalez said. “Sometimes it can be expensive.”

Residents also built a barbershop they named Street Cuts. Joe Soltis, 69, serving a life sentence for first-degree murder, had pushed for a shop for decades. After the ELU launched, residents converted part of a recreation room into a full-service barbershop, complete with graffiti lettering and paintsplatter floors.

Soltis hopes the unit will eventually start an accredited barber school.

Earlier this year, the Legislature ordered Stillwater to close by June 2029. Already, 60% of Stillwater’s population has been transferred, and the remaining inmates are in the ELU, substance abuse or restrictive housing units.

Schnell said the Stillwater closing so far has met budget targets, with total cuts reaching $48 million by 2029. The 111-year-old facility has an estimated $180 million in deferred maintenance.

Schnell said the prison population statewide is about 8,300, down from about 10,000 in 2019, allowing the DOC to absorb Stillwater’s residents.

Planned capacity at Stillwater during the wind-down is about 550, down from roughly 1,180 before the closure decision.

Long-term, DOC is considering expansions at other prisons and may seek bonding for improvements at St. Cloud, which has significant infrastructure needs.

SUNDAY, JANUArY 11, 2026

CURTIS / by Ray Billingsley

SLYLOCK FOX / by Bob Weber Jr.

GET FUZZY / by Darby Conley

HAGAR THE HORRIBLE / by Chris Browne

MOTHER GOOSE AND GRIMM / by Mike Peters

ZIGGY / by Tom Wilson

SALLY FORTH / by Francesco Marciuliano & Jim Keefe

ZITS / by Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman

PEARLS BEFORE SWINE / by Stephan Pastis

wonderword

scrabble grams

word game

directions: Make a 2- to 7-letter word from the letters in each row. Add points of each word, using scoring directions at right. Finally, 7-letter words get 50-point bonus.

“Blanks” used as any letter have no point value.

All the words are in the Official SCRABBLE® Players Dictionary, 5th Edition.

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.

For more information on tournaments and clubs, email NASPA – North American SCRABBLE Players Association: info@scrabbleplayers.org. Visit our website: www.scrabbleplayers.org. For puzzle inquiries contact scrgrams@gmail.com.

Hasbro and its logo SCRABBLE associated logo, the design of the distinctive SCRABBLE brand game card, and the distinctive letter tile designs are trademarks of Hasbro in the United States and Canada. ©2026 Hasbro. All rights reserved. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

cryptoquote AxyDLBAAxR iS LONgFELLOW One letter stands for another. in this sample, A is used for the three L’s, x for the two O’s, etc. Single letters, apostrophes, the length and formation of the words are all hints. Each day the code letters are different.

AnsWers to ALL PuZZLes Are on inside BAcK PAGe

todAY's Word — LiGneous: LIG-neeus: Of or resembling wood.

Average mark 49 words Time limit 60 minutes Can you find 66 or more words in LIGNEOUS?

Sudoku

ken ken instructions: 1 - Each row and each column must contain the numbers 1 through 4 (easy) or 1 through 6 (challenging) without repeating.

2 - The numbers within the heavily outlined boxes, called cages, must combine using the given operation (in any order) to produce the target numbers in the top-left corners.

3 - Freebies: Fill in the single-box cages with the number in the top-left corner.

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 Conceptis Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.

hidato directions: Complete the grid so that numbers 1–132 connect horizontally, vertically or diagonally.

AnsWers to ALL PuZZLes Are on inside BAcK PAGe

Los angeLes Times sunday Crossword puzzLe — Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis “repair worK”

By JiLL singer aCross 1 Bottom of a platter?

6 Singer Guthrie 10 Actress Mireille 14 Beta preceder 19 Solo 20 Shakespearean king 21 Catholic leader 22 Prepare for a long drive 23 Santa Ana __ 24 Miami-__ County 25 Risks a “TMI” response 27 Irresistibly cute river animal?

30 Video game thief Sandiego 31 Learning ctr.

32 Pastoral people of Kenya 33 Actor Sean 36 Equivalent 38 Update a cartographer’s work 42 “Get that pool float out of my way!”?

47 Fury 49 Obey, with “by” 50 Early show since 1975, briefly 51 Aspiring atty.’s hurdle 53 Freelancer’s job 54 __ a one 55 Question about a new romantic partner?

61 Ostrich kin 62 Sausages served with sauerkraut, for short 63 Sonoma product 64 Swimmer’s unit 65 “Have a bite” 67 Juniper-flavored liquor 68 Huge favors

72 Zoo doc 73 Prayer ender 75 Astonish 77 “__ Maria” 78 Photo taken as milk spreads over a table?

83 Figure skating gold medalist Nathan 84 Email signature info 85 Catches 86 Apple variety 87 Bars under cars 88 Gulf of Mexico structures 91 Goo or ga, for a baby?

96 Show off in the mirror 97 Give a hoot 98 Davenport citizen 99 G-Shock watchmaker 102 Some British sports cars 104 Superficially attractive 108 Working the barbecue at the corn festival?

114 Unit in Chagall’s “Four Seasons” 115 “Another thing ... “ 116 Pay stub data 118 K.T. of country music 119 Airline figs.

120 Narrow inlets 121 Basketball great Shaquille 122 Ignominy 123 Hall of Fame safety Ronnie 124 Chooses, as a replacement 125 Square down 1 Glimpsed 2 __ crest: pelvis part 3 Disco legend

Summer 4 “Return of the Jedi” forest moon 5 Brit’s close pal 6 Like some pasta 7 __ admiral 8 British title 9 Cookies similar to Trader Joe’s Joe-Joe’s 10 Momentous 11 Bossa __ 12 Enticing words on a gift box 13 Sealy rival 14 Fundamentally 15 Less raked 16 Home of the Spectacled Bear Conservation Society 17 Shades 18 Church recess 26 Soon-to-be grads 28 Musician and radio host John 29 The Tritons of the NCAA 34 Gold block 35 Spanish “Stop!”

37 Honeydew, e.g.

39 Crèche figures 40 Opposin’ 41 Simon of “The Boys” 42 Impressionist Édouard 43 “The Light We Carry” writer Michelle 44 Self-replicating malware 45 Ice cream maker Joseph 46 Paddle kin 47 Shipbuilding wood 48 Employ 52 Take to court 55 Cuneiform, e.g.

56 Panama, for one 57 “Dallas” surname 58 __ and yang 59 Wise one 60 Massage locale

62 Page 66 Den sets 67 X, Y, or Z intro 68 Purse 69 Hindi title 70 Rejoice with pride 71 Get a feeling about 73 Clerical robe 74 “Supernatural” actor Collins 75 Rare Italian violin

goren Bridge

76 “__ Man”: Village People hit 78 Mustang roof option 79 Successor 80 French pronoun 81 __ Vegas Raiders 82 Global finance org.

83 Hired ride 87 Was almost out of 89 Win back 90 Waiting, perhaps

wuzzLes

92 Coveted territory in the air?

93 Brickmaker 94 “That’s disgusting!”

95 Angler’s supply 97 “__, ergo sum” 100 “I know this is wrong,” from an editor 101 Spy collection 103 Like some watches

105 Silas of the Continental Congress 106 Enthusiastic 107 Anticipate with fear 108 Engineered foods, for short 109 __ Hashana 110 Cuba, por ejemplo 111 Like an open can of soda, eventually

112 Director Kazan 113 “Right now!”

117 Underhanded

super Quiz

Obvious shift?

Take this Super Quiz to a Ph.D. Score 1 point for each correct answer on the Freshman Level, 2 points on the graduate Level and 3 points on the Ph.D. Level.

North’s jump to four spades showed a spade fit with a terrible hand, usually 0-3 points.

North would have bid only three spades if he thought he had anything useful. West started with the ace and king of diamonds, then continued with the queen of diamonds. South ruffed with the 10 of spades and cashed the ace and king of spades to draw trumps. He cashed the ace and king of hearts before leading the eight of spades to dummy’s nine.

In dummy for the only time, South had to decide what to do.

He made the winning decision when he led the 10 of diamonds.

He was delighted to see East discard a heart. South discarded his low club, conceding the trick to West. West was not at all happy about this as he had to either lead a club away from his king or give up a ruff-sluff. 10 tricks either way and South made his contract.

West could have done better.

Surely his partner would have high-lowed in diamonds on the first two tricks if he had a doubleton. There was no chance that the queen of diamonds would win the third trick. He could have shifted to a trump at trick three. Declarer can still arrange

SUBJECT: ABBREVIATED

7. 8 L on a S.

FORMS

Answer________

Provide the long form

8. 12 N on a C.

of the shortening. (e.g., 24 H in a D. Answer: Twenty-four hours in

Answer________ 9. 4 L on a T. Answer________

a day.)

10. 18 H on a G C. Answer________

FRESHMAN LEVEL 1. 60 S in a M. Answer________

PH.D. LEVEL

2. 4 S in a D of C.

11. 7 W of the W.

Answer________

Answer________

for the nine of spades to be a dummy entry, but he will have no better choice than to take the club finesse for his contract and the defense would have prevailed. Was this an obvious shift? What do you think?

3. 6 Z in a M.

12. 12 S of the Z.

Answer________

Answer________

4. 90 D in a R A.

13. 15 M on a D M C.

Answer________

Answer________

5. 12 M in a Y.

14. 9 L of a C.

Tannah Hirsch welcomes readers’ responses sent in care of this newspaper or to Tribune Content Agency inc., 2225 Kenmore Ave., Suite 114, Buffalo, Ny. 14207. E-mail responses may be sent to gorenbridge@ aol.com. © 2026 Tribune Content Agency

Answer________

Answer________ 15. 12 D of J. Answer________

GRADUATE LEVEL 6. 365 D in a Y. Answer________

ANSWERS TO ALL PUZZLES ARE ON NEXT PAGE

zodiaC CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Gather information, verify facts and refuse to let anger infiltrate your conversations. Be a good listener and a genuine friend, and you’ll build strong relationships with people you can count on.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Mull over facts, figures and formalities that need your attention. When something is dragging you down, it’s time to implement changes that reflect how you feel and what you want.

PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) An opportunity will grab your attention if you socialize or participate in an event that excites you. Being part

of a movement that improves your community or serves a purpose will be gratifying.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) Balance, gratitude and integrity are necessary. Don’t expect favors, and beware of people trying to scam you or tempt you. Question everything and say no with certainty.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) Focus your time and energy on what matters most to you, and you will create exactly what you desire and achieve the comfort you deserve. Apply for something you want.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) Bide your time and do your research before

you make a move that can affect you emotionally or financially. A change may be your desire, but how you move forward and what motivates you must be worthwhile.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) Exercise your rights. Participate in something that matters to you. A partnership with someone special will grow into something more substantial if you share your feelings and intentions.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Emotional matters will escalate if you don’t address issues head-on. If you are willing to communicate and compromise, problems will be much easier

to fix. Be a leader; seek a position of influence.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Getting back to basics, such as nature or an activity you enjoy, will be uplifting and make you reconsider your lifestyle.

Visit a friend or participate in an event that broadens your awareness.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) The time you spend contemplating what’s meaningful to you and who you want to be around will encourage more nurturing and motivate you to plan your next move.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) Share your thoughts, socialize and participate

in the changes you endorse. The opportunity to do something meaningful will align you with people who can bring your suggestions to life.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) Be observant, and you’ll ward off conflicts. You can’t please everyone, but you can make your life easier by minimizing your involvement in other people’s dilemmas.

The horoscope, an entertainment feature, is not based on scientific fact. © 2026 by NEA, inc., dist. By Andrews McMeel Syndication

dustin / by Steve Kelley & Jeff Parker

Answers to puzzles super quiz 1. Sixty seconds in a minute. 2. Four suits in a deck of cards. 3. Six zeros in a million. 4. Ninety degrees in a right angle. 5. Twelve months in a year. 6. 365 days in a year. 7. Eight legs on a spider. 8. Twelve numbers on a clock. 9. Four legs on a table. 10. Eighteen holes on a golf course. 11. Seven Wonders of the World.

12. Twelve signs of the zodiac. 13. Fifteen men on a dead man's chest. 14. Nine lives of a cat.

15. Twelve disciples of Jesus.

SCORING: 24 to 30 points — congratulations, doctor; 18 to 23 points — honors graduate; 13 to 17 points — you’re plenty smart, but no grind; 5 to 12 points — you really should hit the books harder; 1 point to 4 points — enroll in remedial courses immediately; 0 points — who reads the questions to you?

Cryptoquote Answer Saturday's Cryptoquote: There's a thin line between to laugh with and to laugh at. — Richard Pryor

word GAme Answer legion lenis lens lesion lien lieu line ling lingo lion loge login loin lone long lose losing

lounge louse lues luge lune lung lunge ingle insole isle genius genus glen glue goes gone guile

guise noel noes noise nose egis elusion ogle onus using sign silo sine sing singe single sling

sloe slog slue slug slung snug soigne soil sole soling sone song soul suing sung

sudoKu Answer jumble Answer

Crossword Answers

jeFF mACnelly’s shoe / by Gary Brookins & Susie MacNelly

sCrAbble Answers

FoXtrot / by Bill Amend

wuzzles Answers

Ken Ken Answers

hidAto Answers