The Advocate 01-17-2026

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BREC laying off 10% of employees

Commission also eyeing privatization and restructuring PROVIDED PHOTO

Posters bearing the Ten Commandments that can be hung up in classrooms have been donated to nearly every public school in Louisiana.

Commandments posters donated to public schools Louisiana Family Forum arranged printing, delivery

BY PATRICK WALL

Staff writer

people’s pay.”

He did not respond to a request for comment via email Friday. When reached by phone, interim Superintendent Janet Simmons said she couldn’t answer any questions. In the news release, she said the decisions “are not taken lightly.”

“BREC is composed of people who care deeply about this organization and the community we serve. This initiative is about being thoughtful, responsible stewards of public resources while positioning BREC for long-term success,” she stated. “By working smarter and more intentionally today, we are ensuring we can continue delivering the parks,

Nearly every public school system in Louisiana has received donated posters bearing the Ten Commandments that can be hung up in classrooms if a federal appeals court gives the goahead.

The Louisiana Family Forum, a conservative advocacy group that promotes “biblical principles,” raised about $40,000 to have the posters printed and delivered to all but about five of the state’s 69 school districts, said Gene Mills, “It is the the group’s president. The posters were designed by Louisiana foundation Attorney General Liz Murrill’s of Western office and feature the biblical civilization precepts alongside informational and much of text and photos, including one of natural law.”

House Speaker Mike Johnson.

“It is the foundation of Western GENE MILLS, civilization and much of natural Louisiana Family law,” Mills said about the Ten Commandments, and a “histori- Forum president cal document that needs to be brought before young eyes.”

A 2024 state law requiring public K-12 schools and colleges to display the Ten Commandments in every classroom was declared unconstitutional by a U.S. district court and a three-judge panel on the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. On Tuesday, the full 5th Circuit will rehear the case, which has been combined with a legal challenge to a similar law in Texas.

The law does not require school systems to pay for Ten Commandments posters, but says they must accept donated displays.

Officials in six Louisiana school districts

ä See BREC, page 5A

ä See POSTERS, page 5A

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

A golfer casts a long shadow while walking the ninth hole at BREC’s Historic City Park golf course on Thursday.

BY CHRISTOPHER CARTWRIGHT Staff writer

Layoffs. Privatization. Restructuring.

These changes and more are coming to BREC, which announced Friday it is immediately laying off 10% of its workforce, saying the move will make it “a leaner, more efficient organization.”

According to a news release, the Recreation and Park Commission for the Parish of East Baton Rouge evaluated its workforce and is eliminating “roles deemed least necessary.” The agency has roughly 850 full-time and part-time employees.

The organization will restructure roles and assignments based on its

workforce review, institute a temporary hiring freeze on “all noncritical positions,” and evaluate retirement benefits for future hires. BREC also aims to privatize aspects of the organization. According to the release, BREC has hired Contingency Group for security and SELA Aquatics to manage its aquatic facilities, including Liberty Lagoon Water Park.

The announcement follows a December BREC Commission workshop, during which Chair Michael Polito said he would like to see the 10% reduction and the privatization of capital projects.

“Take that money and increase people’s pay,” he said about the reduction in force. “You know, or a portion of that money and increase

Ex-LSU star key figure in point-shaving investigation

Hormone therapy ban lawsuit in La. continues

py for minors addressed a legitiCase set for trial after mate public health concern, didn’t against transgender two years of litigation discriminate youth and the law wasn’t based on

BY MATT BRUCE Staff writer

BY JOSEPH CRANNEY Staff writer

In early 2023, former LSU guard Antonio Blakeney — then playing in the Chinese Basketball Association — went on a five-game tear.

He averaged 28 points on about 22 shot attempts a game, capped by a 44 point, 10 rebound performance. His prolific scoring abilities had helped him get named a McDonald’s All American in high school, and he later was named a member of the AllSEC Freshman Team. After his sophomore year at LSU, he declared for the NBA draft.

But after his flash of scoring prowess in China, his next game there on March 6, 2023 was different.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By TED JACKSON

Antonio Blakeney played basketball at LSU from ä See FIGURE, page 4A 2015 to 2017.

WEATHER HIGH 55 LOW 30 PAGE 8A

A lawsuit intent on gutting a statewide ban on hormone therapy and operations for transgender children in Louisiana is poised to proceed to trial soon after two years of litigation.

An East Baton Rouge judge dismissed a bid by the Louisiana Attorney General’s Office to get the challenge to Louisiana’s law tossed out of court. Attorney General’s Office attorneys relied on a U.S. Supreme Court ruling last June that upheld a Tennessee ban on trans youth treatments.

In that case, known as U.S. v Skrmetti, SCOTUS judges determined the Volunteer State’s restrictions on sex-transition thera-

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sex.

But 19th Judicial District Judge Ron Johnson said the equal rights protections in Louisiana’s Constitution are broader than the U.S. Constitution’s protections at play in Tennessee. He determined there were too many material facts in question to toss the Baton Rouge case out and denied the state’s motion for a summary judgment after listening to about an hour’s worth of arguments from attorneys on both sides.

“The state’s reliance upon Skrmetti … is misplaced,” Johnson said. “The court is not of the opinion that Skrmetti resolves all of the issues associated with the claims that are asserted under the

ä See LAWSUIT, page 5A

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2A ■ Saturday, January 17, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

BRIEFS

FROM WIRE REPORTS

Ex-husband indicted in slaying of couple

COLUMBUS, Ohio — An Ohio grand jury has indicted a man in the double homicide of his ex-wife and her husband who were killed in their Columbus home.

Court records show a Franklin County grand jury charged Michael David McKee on Friday with aggravated murder and aggravated burglary while using a firearm suppressor.

McKee, 39, a vascular surgeon who was living in Chicago, is charged in the shooting deaths of 39-year-old Monique Tepe, from whom he was divorced in 2017, and dentist Dr. Spencer Tepe, 37, in their home on Dec. 30.

Authorities apprehended McKee in Rockford, Illinois, last weekend. He is currently being held after he waived his right to an extradition hearing Monday.

No obvious signs of forced entry were found at the Tepes’ home. Police also said no weapon was found there, and murdersuicide was not suspected. Nothing was stolen, and the couple’s two young children and their dog were left unharmed in the home.

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Timeline will challenge Congress

week.

Johnson said Thursday he still But the setback on the other bills Weeklong break puts lastThune acknowledged Thursday highlighted the tension between intends to pass a Homeland Securithe Homeland Security measure leadership’s agenda and their ty funding bill as well as the three crunch on budget bills would be the most difficult, add- razor-thin majority. Johnson, for remaining, more controversial

BY VALERIE YURK and SAVANNAH BEHRMANN CQ-Roll Call (TNS)

WASHINGTON — Lawmakers left Washington Thursday with a few more government funding bills under their belts but face a rush after the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday to avert another partial government shutdown and respond to developments abroad.

Particularly challenging for Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Benton, and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., will be to push through the fiscal 2026 Homeland Security spending bill, which hit a snag following the fatal shooting by an immigration officer of an unarmed woman in Minneapolis

ing they may have to tackle the department’s funding through a continuing resolution.

The week started off with an easy Republican victory in the House: passage of two bills to relaunch African and Haitian trade programs. But things went downhill for GOP leaders. Johnson saw an embarrassing defeat Tuesday night as six GOP lawmakers sunk a worker education bill and indicated they would oppose other labor measures scheduled for votes.

Johnson pulled the other bills minutes before their votes, which left the House to consider a measure to codify the Trump administration’s efforts to roll back energy efficiency requirements for showerheads. It passed 226-197.

his part, brushed off the snafu as a whip count issue.

“We’re totally in control of the House,” he said after the Tuesday night votes. “This is a team that is very united right now, and everyone has different preferences and issues on bills, that’s nothing new.

But when you have a one-vote margin, it’s dicey some days.”

The balance of the week was easier on leadership.

The House passed on Wednesday a $76.6 billion package of two more fiscal 2026 government funding bills — Financial Services and National Security-State — in a 34179 vote. It marked the second time this month the chamber passed a slate of spending bills as Congress nears the Jan. 30 funding deadline.

Claudette Colvin, who refused to give up her seat on bus in 1955, dies

Sinema accused of breaking up marriage PHOENIX — Former U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema had a romantic relationship with a member of her security detail that led to the breakup of the man’s marriage, his ex-wife alleges in a lawsuit seeking at least $75,000 from Sinema.

Matthew and Heather Ammel had “a good and loving marriage” with “genuine love and affection” before Sinema interfered, pursuing Matthew Ammel despite knowing he was married, Heather Ammel alleges in her lawsuit.

The Arizona lawmaker’s head of security hired Matthew Ammel after he retired from the Army in 2022, according to the lawsuit, which says he accompanied her on travels.

In early 2024, Ammel’s wife discovered “romantic and lascivious” messages he’d exchanged with Sinema over the Signal messaging app. That summer, he stopped wearing his wedding ring and Sinema gave him a job as a national security fellow in her Senate office while he continued to work for her campaign as a bodyguard, the lawsuit alleges.

The lawsuit was quietly filed late last year in Moore County, North Carolina. It captured attention this week when it was moved to federal court.

North Carolina is one of a handful of states that allow jilted spouses to sue for “alienation of affection” to seek damages from a third party responsible for the breakup of their marriage.

Trump-class warship may be among costliest WASHINGTON — The first of the Navy’s proposed “Trumpclass” battleships could cost up to $22 billion, a price tag that would make it one of the most expensive U.S. military vessels in U.S. history, according to an early analysis.

The initial cost estimate for the ship was released Thursday

by Congressional Budget Office naval forces analyst Eric Labs at a Navy surface warfare conference in Virginia. He acknowledged that the final price for the first vessel will depend on decisions that still haven’t been made around tonnage, crew size and weapons. His lowest-cost scenario was $15.1 billion.

The guided-missile battleship would be twice as large as any cruiser or destroyer the Navy has built since World War II, but about one-third the size of the Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier that’s now the most expensive U.S. warship. The Ford was delivered in 2017 at a cost of about $13 billion.

Labs said weaknesses in the U.S. shipbuilding industrial base, including skilled labor shortages and supply chain challenges, could make the eventual cost even higher. The average cost of follow-on ships could range from $10 billion to $15 billion, depending on a variety of factors, he said.

President Donald Trump announced plans for the new vessel in December, saying the ship would be part of his “Golden Fleet” plan to revive U.S. shipbuilding and overhaul the Navy.

appropriations measures — Defense, Labor-HHS-Education and Transportation-HUD. The House is under increased pressure next week to deal with remaining spending bills, as they are scheduled to be out the last week of January, when the funding deadline expires.

The Senate has passed six of 12 funding bills after successfully pushing through a package containing the Commerce-JusticeScience, Interior-Environment, Energy-Water bill in an 82-15 vote on Thursday. Senate leaders anticipate taking up the House-passed package that consists of the Financial Services and National Security-State spending bills when they return.

BY KIMBERLY CHANDLER Associated Press

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By RAMON ESPINOSA

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel, fourth from right, holds up a Cuban flag during a rally Friday outside the U.S. Embassy in Havana to protest the killing of Cuban officers during the U.S. operation that captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

Demonstration in Cuba demands Maduro’s release

BY ANDREA RODRÍGUEZ Associated Press

HAVANA — Tens of thousands of Cubans demonstrated Friday outside the U.S. Embassy in Havana to decry the killing of 32 Cuban officers in Venezuela and demand that the U.S. government release former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

They crowded into the open-air “José Martí Anti-Imperialist” plaza across from the embassy in a rally organized by the Cuban government as tensions between Cuba and the U.S. spike following the U.S. attack Jan. 3 on Venezuela.

The 32 Cuban officers were part of Maduro’s security detail killed during the raid on his residence in Caracas to seize the former leader and bring him to the U.S. to face drug trafficking charges.

“Humanity is experiencing something very complex, and (the U.S.) is governed by a president who considers himself an emperor,” said René González, 64, one of the protesters.

“We must show him that ideas are worth more than weapons,” he said.

“This march is a message of our unity.

Independence is sacred, and we will defend it tooth and nail if necessary.”

Cuba’s national anthem rang out at Friday’s demonstration as large Cuban flags waved in the chilly wind and big waves broke nearby along Havana’s famed sea wall. Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel shook hands with members of the crowd clad in jackets and scarves before speaking to them.

“The current U.S. administration has opened the door to an era of barbarism, plunder and neo-fascism,” he said.

The demonstration was a show of popular strength after U.S. President Donald Trump recently demanded that Cuba make a deal with him before it is “too late.” He did not explain what kind of deal.

Trump also has said that Cuba will no longer live off Venezuela’s oil and money.

Experts say the move could have catastrophic consequences since Cuba is already struggling with severe blackouts.

“No one here surrenders,” Díaz-Canel said. “The current emperor of the White House and his infamous secretary of state haven’t stopped threatening me.”

Washington has maintained a policy of sanctions against Cuba since the 1960s to pressure the island’s government to improve its human rights record, end its one-party communist system and allow democracy. The sanctions have been further tightened during Trump’s presidency, suffocating the island’s economy.

“Cuba does not have to make any political concessions, and that will never be on the table for negotiations aimed at reaching an understanding between Cuba and the United States,” Díaz-Canel said.

After the president’s speech, the demonstration transitioned into a parade that Cubans call a “combatant march,” a custom that originated during the time of Fidel Castro. The crowd was led by a line of people holding pictures of the 32 officers killed. “Down with imperialism!” the crowd yelled. “Cuba will prevail!”

Texas A&M cancels course under ‘race and gender ideology’ policy

BY SAMUEL O’NEAL

Fort Worth Star-Telegram (TNS) FORT WORTH, Texas — A Texas A&M graduate professor was told that his Ethics in Public Policy class was canceled three days into the spring 2026 semester.

The university alleges professor Leonard Bright refused to submit information needed to be exempt from a new rule on teaching course content that is considered to include “gender and race ideology,” according to an email sent to faculty.

In an email to employees at A&M’s Bush School of Government and Public Service, Dean John Sherman wrote that Bright was not asked to change course content, but was asked to supply the school information on his course and planned instruction on topics related to race and gender ideology. Because the administration says he didn’t supply the information, his class has been canceled.

“I take no pleasure in making the decision to cancel this course and it is not one that I took lightly,” Sherman wrote.

Bright said in a statement on X that the university’s claim that he declined to clarify the fact that his class addressed race and gender is false.

Bright said on X that his colleagues and students found out about the school’s decision to cancel his class before he did.

“This disrespect my Dean showed towards me was unwarranted,” Bright wrote. “The message was clear: Be very afraid no one can save you from being censored at Texas A&M.” Texas A&M’s Office of the Provost issued the new guidance in December, prohibiting faculty from “requiring or encouraging students to hold certain beliefs, particularly regarding gender or race ideology or sexual orientation, or to feel shame for belonging to certain racial or ethnic groups.”

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Claudette Colvin, whose 1955 arrest for refusing to give up her seat on a segregated Montgomery bus helped spark the modern civil rights movement, has died.

She was 86.

Ashley D. Roseboro of the Claudette Colvin Legacy Foundation confirmed she died of natural causes in Texas.

Colvin, at age 15, was arrested nine months before Rosa Parks gained international fame for also refusing to give up her seat on Colvin a segregated bus.

Colvin had boarded the bus on March 2, 1955, on her way home from high school. The first rows were reserved for White passengers. Colvin sat in the rear with other Black passengers. When the White section became full, the bus driver ordered Black passengers to relinquish their seats to White passengers.

Colvin refused.

“My mindset was on freedom,” Colvin said in 2021 of her refusal to give

up her seat.

“So I was not going to move that day,” she said. “I told them that history had me glued to the seat.”

At the time of Colvin’s arrest, frustration was mounting over how Black people were treated on the city bus system.

It was the arrest of Parks, a local NAACP activist, on Dec. 1, 1955, that became the final catalyst for the yearlong Montgomery Bus Boycott, which is considered the start of the modern civil rights movement.

Colvin was one of the four plaintiffs in the landmark lawsuit that outlawed racial segregation on Montgomery’s buses.

Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed said Colvin’s action “helped lay the legal and moral foundation for the movement that would change America.”

Colvin was never as wellknown as Parks, and Reed said her bravery “was too often overlooked.”

Colvin in 2021 filed a petition to have her court record expunged. A judge granted the request.

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Republicans vouch for Federal Reserve chair

BY JOEY CAPPELLETTI and CHRISTOPHER RUGABER Associated Press

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has spent his second term bulldozing elected and appointed officials who resist him or refuse to bend to his demands. But he may have met his match in Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell.

As the Trump administration ramps up its pressure campaign against the central bank — now including Justice Department subpoenas and the threat of criminal charges — Senate Republicans have closed ranks around Powell, defending an independent Fed chair under attack from a president of their own party.

“I know Chairman Powell very well. I will be stunned — I will be shocked — if he has done anything wrong,” said GOP Sen. John Kennedy of Madisonville, one of Trump’s most reliable allies in the Senate.

Soon after the Justice Department served subpoenas on the Fed, Powell went on the offensive, releasing a video statement accusing the administration of using “pretexts” to pressure the central bank into sharply cutting interest rates, as Trump has demanded.

The 72-year-old Fed chair also leaned on Capitol Hill relationships he has cultivated since his 2018 appointment, holding multiple calls with Republican senators in the days following the video’s release.

Powell “He knows his way around Congress,” said Robert Tetlow, a former senior policy adviser at the Fed. “He gets in there, pets the dog, shoots the breeze, and has a way of getting people to like him, and he’s really good at it.”

Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski put her support behind North Carolina Republican Sen. Thom Tillis’ plan to block nominees. She was among the multiple Republican senators

who said they spoke with Powell after his video statement.

“I look at the situation with Jay Powell and this supposed investigation of the overhaul of their offices going over there as grounds to do nothing but intimidate, threaten and coerce,” Murkowski told reporters. Powell goes by “Jay” informally.

“I believe strongly in an independent Federal Reserve,” said Pennsylvania Sen. Dave McCormick, who also sits on the Senate Banking Committee. The first-term senator added that he agrees “with President Trump that Chairman Powell has been slow to cut interest rates” but said he doesn’t “think Chairman Powell is guilty of criminal activity.”

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said that the investigation “better be real” and “better be serious.”

Powell, a Republican, has been

a fixture in the nation’s capital for decades, where he developed a reputation as a centrist. He worked at the Bipartisan Policy Center, a think tank, from 2010 to 2012 and pushed congressional Republicans toward compromise during their budget battles with President Barack Obama.

Obama, in turn, appointed Powell to the Fed’s governing board in 2012. Trump then elevated him to the Chair position in 2018. He was reappointed by President Joe Biden in 2022.

Powell also built up credibility among Republicans in the House and Senate by largely ignoring Trump’s personal attacks during the president’s first term in office, when he complained about rate hikes by Powell in 2018. In general, Powell has tried to keep his head down and avoid a back-andforth with the White House. A solid economy — at least until the COVID pandemic struck — also helped protect the Fed during Trump’s

first term.

The subpoenas served to the Fed relate to Powell’s comments about the $2.5 billion renovation of two office buildings, which Trump has criticized as excessive.

“The threat of criminal charges is a consequence of the Federal Reserve setting interest rates based on our best assessment of what will serve the public, rather than following the preferences of the President,” Powell said in a video.

Trump has insisted he was unaware of the investigation into Powell. When asked by CBS News whether the subpoenas were a form of retribution, Trump said Tuesday, “I can’t help what it looks like.”

Trump has gone after several officials he sees as having done him wrong, including an attempted firing of another Fed board member, Lisa Cook. The Supreme Court has allowed Cook to keep her job and will hold a hearing on her case on Wednesday.

Trump threatens tariffs as part of Greenland strategy

BY DANIEL NIEMANN and DARLENE SUPERVILLE Associated Press

COPENHAGEN, Denmark — U.S. President Donald Trump suggested Friday that he may punish countries with tariffs if they don’t back the U.S. controlling Greenland, a message that came as a bipartisan Congressional delegation sought to lower tensions in the Danish capital.

Trump for months has insisted that the U.S. should control Greenland, a semiautonomous territory of NATO ally Denmark, and said earlier this week that anything less than the Arctic island being in U.S. hands would be “unacceptable.”

During an unrelated event at the White House about rural health care, he recounted Friday how he had threatened European allies with tariffs on pharmaceuticals.

“I may do that for Greenland too,” Trump said. “I may put a tariff on coun-

tries if they don’t go along with Greenland, because we need Greenland for national security. So I may do that,” he said.

He had not previously mentioned using tariffs to try to force the issue.

European leaders have insisted that is only for Denmark and Greenland to decide on matters concerning the territory, and Denmark said this week that it was increasing its military presence in Greenland in cooperation with allies.

In Copenhagen, a group of senators and members of the House of Representatives met Friday with Danish and Greenlandic lawmakers, and with leaders including Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen.

Delegation leader Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., thanked the group’s hosts for “225 years of being a good and trusted ally and partner” and said that “we had a strong and robust dialogue

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ALEX BRANDON

President Donald Trump speaks during an event to promote investment in rural health care Friday in the East Room of the White House in Washington. about how we extend that into the future.”

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, RAlaska, said after meeting lawmakers that the visit reflected a strong relationship over decades and “it is one that we need to nurture.” She told reporters

that “Greenland needs to be viewed as our ally, not as an asset, and I think that’s what you’re hearing with this delegation.”

The tone contrasted with that emanating from the White House. Trump has sought to justify his calls

for a U.S. takeover by repeatedly claiming that China and Russia have their own designs on Greenland, which holds vast untapped reserves of critical minerals. The White House hasn’t ruled out taking the territory by force.

“We have heard so many lies, to be honest and so much exaggeration on the threats towards Greenland,” said Aaja Chemnitz, a Greenlandic politician and member of the Danish parliament who took part in Friday’s meetings. “And mostly, I would say the threats that we’re seeing right now is from the U.S. side.”

Murkowski emphasized the role of Congress in spending and in conveying messages from constituents.

“I think it is important to underscore that when you ask the American people whether or not they think it is a good idea for the United States to acquire Greenland, the vast majority, some 75%,

will say, we do not think that that is a good idea,” she said.

The dispute is looming large in the lives of Greenlanders. Greenland’s prime minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, said on Tuesday that “if we have to choose between the United States and Denmark here and now, we choose Denmark. We choose NATO. We choose the Kingdom of Denmark.

We choose the EU.” The chair of the Nuuk, Greenland-based Inuit Circumpolar Council, which represents around 180,000 Inuit from Alaska, Canada, Greenland, and Russia’s Chukotka region on international issues, said persistent statements from the White House that the U.S. must own Greenland offer “a clear picture of how the U.S. administration views the people of Greenland, how the U.S. administration views Indigenous peoples, and peoples that are few in numbers.”

Defendant in Kirk’s killing asks judge to disqualify prosecutors

BY HANNAH SCHOENBAUM and MATTHEW BROWN Associated Press

PROVO, Utah — The Utah man charged with killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk returned to court Friday, as his attorneys sought to disqualify prosecutors because the daughter of a deputy county attorney involved in the case attended the rally where Kirk was shot.

Defense attorneys say the relationship represents a conflict of interest after prosecutors said they intend to seek the death penalty for Tyler Robinson.

Robinson, 22, is charged with aggravated murder in the Sept. 10 shooting of Kirk on the Utah Valley University campus in Orem, just a few miles north of the Provo courthouse. He has not yet

entered a plea.

The director of a state council that trains prosecutors said he doubted the disqualification attempt would succeed.

“I would bet against the defense winning this motion,” Utah Prosecution Robinson Council Director Robert Church told The Associated Press. “They’ve got to a show a substantial amount of prejudice and bias.”

The prosecutor’s 18-yearold daughter, who attended the event where Kirk was shot, later texted her father in the Utah County Attorney’s Office to describe the chaotic aftermath, according to court filings and tes-

timony. She did not see the shooting but heard a loud pop, according to an affidavit submitted by prosecutors.

Robinson’s attorneys say the close connection between the prosecution team and a person present for Kirk’s killing “raises serious concerns about past and future prosecutorial decisionmaking,” according to court documents.

Prosecutors have said DNA evidence connects Robinson to the killing. Robinson also reportedly texted his romantic partner that he targeted Kirk because he “had enough of his hatred.”

At the school where the shooting took place, university president Astrid Tuminez announced Wednesday that she will be stepping down from her role in May.

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Watchdogs urge probe of Meta’s financing

BY JOSIE ABUGOV

raised concerns over the environmental risks of the new fossil fuelpowered gas plants and the water demands of the facility.

On the day Louisiana regulators approved Meta’s power plan, the tech company “fundamentally altered” the financial setup of the Richland Parish data center, the nonprofits allege.

Under the complex financial model, Meta teamed up with a top private equity firm in a deal that helps the tech company offset financial risk and guarantees a profit for the private equity company, according to The Wall Street Journal. The restructuring essentially gives the private

equity company majority ownership of the data center and makes Meta a tenant, able to exit the lease every four years for up to 20 years.

The term is a fraction of the 15year contract that the Louisiana regulators approved, though that length also worried opponents.

The three gas plants that Entergy is building have a life span of up to 40 years, the nonprofits argued over a monthslong approval process, potentially leaving ratepayers on the hook for some costs of the new infrastructure if the tech company leaves.

The nonprofit groups want the commission to investigate whether

Meta or Entergy misled the state regulators, determine the effect of the new financial structure on ratepayers and review the timing of the financial rearrangement.

A spokesperson for Meta could not be reached for comment.

Brandon Scardigli, a spokesperson for Entergy, said the company strongly disagrees with the allegation that changes to the data center financing puts Entergy or its customers at risk.

“That is simply false,” Scardigli said.

The deal between Meta and Entergy is supported and backstopped by robust credit protections, Scardigli said, including a

guarantee from the tech company that remains “in full force” regardless of changes to project financing. The company also maintains that the “suggestion that Entergy Louisiana somehow misled the commission is utterly without merit and false.”

Entergy has previously stressed that the tech company will cover all costs for the new plants throughout the 15-year deal, though all customers will pay for other related infrastructure costs.

The plants will be able to serve everyone if Meta leaves after the 15-year deal as the utility retires older, less-efficient plants.

Part of the nonprofits’ concern is related to the creation of a new entity majority-owned by the private equity firm, Blue Owl, and partly owned by Meta. That new entity will now serve as the parent company of the subsidiary that entered into the electricity deal with Entergy. Meta itself had previously been the parent company of the subsidiary, which is called Laidley.

“There is no longer an enforceable parent guaranty since Meta is no longer the parent,” the nonprofits’ motion states.

Public Service Commissioner Foster Campbell, whose district includes Richland Parish, said his staff is looking into the request.

“We’re concerned about it, but we feel good that we have a financial backer in Entergy,” Campbell said.

Commissioner Davante Lewis, the sole regulator to vote against the original plan, said he’s been deeply concerned “since day one” over transparency issues impacting both the public and the state regulators. He said he planned to review the motion “and ensure that it has a public discussion.”

ized sports gambling in 2021; however, most of the bets on the fixed games were placed by actors in other states, according to the indictment.

“It is fair to say that (Blakeney’s) closer to the center than he is the periphery,” said David Foster, a New York attorney and former deputy general counsel for the National Basketball Players Association. He added that Blakeney’s reputation from his time at LSU likely garnered him “instant credibility” with other college players.

Federal prosecutors have focused on Blakeney’s time playing in China and have not charged him with rigging games while he played for LSU. But they say that for his role in the scheme involving Louisiana players, Blakeney was well compensated in bribes, plus his share of winning bets placed on games that players helped rig.

At one point, according to the indictment, a co-conspirator placed a package inside a storage unit owned by Blakeney in Florida. Its contents? Nearly $200,000 in cash.

Reached by The Times-Picayune on Friday, a lawyer for Blakeney said his client had no comment on the allegations.

The case is another turn in the once-promising career for Blakeney, an Orlando, Florida, native who ESPN ranked as the No. 3 shooting guard in the nation when he committed to LSU in 2015.

After two standout years with the Tigers, Blakeney tried moving on to the NBA but didn’t get draft-

ed. He signed a minor-league contract with the Chicago Bulls, winning the NBA G League Rookie of the Year award, but was released by the team in 2019.

In 2021, when Blakeney was 24 years old, he was arrested at his home in Kissimmee, Florida, and accused of arranging an armed robbery of two men who Blakeney invited to play cards at his house. It’s unclear how the case was resolved: A lawyer for Blakeney at the time didn’t return messages.

As the scheme’s ringleaders, federal prosecutors identified Marves Fairley, of Mississippi, and Shane Hennen, of Philadelphia. Both were professional gamblers and social media influencers who sold betting advice to their followers.

Prosecutors haven’t said exactly why, but at some point during Blakeney’s 2022-2023 season in China, the pair offered Blakeney bribes in exchange for his participation in the scheme, according to the indictment. There’s no indication that Blakeney had a prior relationship with Fairley or Hennen.

Harry Rosenberg, a former U.S. Attorney in New Orleans, said the pair may have learned of Blakeney’s prior arrest, which was reported on by news outlets.

“If he was caught structuring a card game for other individuals to use as a stickup point, it would seem to me that it tends to indicate that he would be open to other criminal activity,” Rosenberg said.

“If somebody’s willing to put their foot in the pool, they’re likely to jump into the pool.”

Either way, the scheme began with the March 2023 game in China. Bettors made at least $198,000 in illegal wagers on it, according to the indictment. The group placed another $100,000 in winning bets on a game that Blakeney sat out nine days later, prosecutors allege.

There’s nothing guaranteed in this world, one co-conspirator later texted, but “death, taxes, and Chinese basketball.”

The group soon recruited more than a dozen other athletes into the fold, this time targeting college basketball games in the U.S. beginning in 2024.

According to the indictment, Blakeney and four others, “in person and through social media, text message communications, and cellular telephone calls,” contacted college athletes and offered them bribes ranging from $10,000 to $30,000.

Other defendants accused of helping rig outcomes of games involving Louisiana teams include: Kevin Cross, former Tulane University forward from 2020-2024; Carlos Hart, former University of New Orleans guard from 20232024; Cedouavious “Dae Dae” Hunter, former UNO guard from 2024-2025; Oumar Koureissi, former Nicholls State forward from 2023-2024; Dyouavion “Jah” Short, former UNO guard from 20232025; Diante Smith, former Nicholls forward from 2023-2024.

None have entered pleas yet.

For bettors looking to illegally fix the outcome of sports contests, college basketball games, particularly involving teams without a

large following, make for sensible targets, Foster said.

“It’s a lot easier for a basketball player to have a bigger impact on a game consistently than other sports,” Foster said, because the game involves a relatively small number of players who receive consistent playing time, among other factors.

The scheme also targeted small schools in games that weren’t nationally televised and unlikely to garner much attention, Foster added.

“If something strange is happening in a Duke/North Carolina game, there’s just more people watching,” Foster said.

And even in the era where college athletes can earn money through endorsements, or through direct payments from their universities, the athletes targeted in the scheme likely weren’t making much, said Noah Henderson, director of the Sport Management Program at Loyola University Chicago.

They also played for low-performing teams that weren’t competing for a championship, meaning the outcomes of a regular season game weren’t as critical, Henderson said.

“They were targeting teams that don’t have a whole lot of high hopes for their season, and they were targeting role players who were more than likely earning pretty nominal sums of (endorsement) and other athletic compensation,” Henderson said.

“The bribes go longer and it’s not putting the season in jeopardy.”

Staff writer

Environmental and consumer groups want Louisiana officials to investigate how a new financing structure for Meta’s $27 billion artificial intelligence data center in the state’s northeast could impact electricity bills for residents.

Meta can leave the data center after only four years, far shorter than the 15-year term approved in August by state regulators, the nonprofits say. The altered financing “significantly increases ratepayer risk,” according to a motion filed Wednesday with the Louisiana Public Service Commission on behalf of two nonprofit groups.

“Meta is acknowledging tacitly, I suppose, that the buildout of this facility is risky,” said Logan Burke, who runs the Louisiana-based Alliance for Affordable Energy.

Entergy, which is building the electricity plants for the data center, disputes the nonprofits’ claims.

The Public Service Commission, which regulates utilities, approved in August the plan to power Meta’s biggest-ever data center, a project that will need roughly three times the amount of electricity annually that New Orleans uses in a year.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has separately spoken of further expanding the data center to a size that would rival the footprint of Manhattan, though some analysts have expressed doubt over whether that is possible.

The controversial approval cleared the way for Entergy, the state’s largest utility, to begin constructing three gas-fired electricity plants and other infrastructure worth billions of dollars. Advocates and academics have also

FIGURE

Continued from page 1A Blakeney scored just 11 points in 31 minutes and took only 11 shots.

His Jiangsu Dragons lost by 31 points.

Federal prosecutors now say Blakeney’s performance was no fluke. In an indictment handed up this week in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Blakeney was named as a central figure in an 11-state scheme to fix the outcomes of basketball games in the U.S. and China, mostly at the college level.

Blakeney and more than a dozen other players, including eight men who played basketball for Louisiana colleges, are accused of attempting to influence the final scores of at least eight games involving Louisiana teams in 2024 and 2025.

Blakeney is accused of pointshaving in two games in China, before using his influence as a former LSU star to recruit other college athletes in Louisiana into the scheme.

Ultimately, two former forwards from Nicholls State, three former guards from the University of New Orleans and a former Tulane University forward were charged with bribery, fraud and aiding and abetting.

That a significant share of the compromised games involved Louisiana teams appeared to mostly be the result of Blakeney’s connections here. Louisiana legal-

Workers prepare the site for the future Meta AI data center in Holly Ridge.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER

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lll

BREC

Continued from page 1A programs, and services our community depends on tomorrow.”

Central Mayor Wade Evans, who serves as vice chairman of the commission, said he thought the commission owed it “to the citizens and the taxpayers.”

“It’s a holistic approach to creating a system where the BREC organization as a whole becomes more sustainable and resilient,” he said.

BREC Communications Director Robyn Lott said via email that the organization was withholding information about specific affected programs to protect the privacy of staff and added that critical positions were those necessary to support BREC’s core operations and public service responsibilities.

In response to a question about the number of people who are being laid off, she reiterated the 10% estimate and said the review “process is focused on organizational structure — not on a fixed headcount.”

Polito, Evans and St. George Mayor Dustin Yates all suggested BREC leadership cut costs and privatize areas of the organization at the commission workshop last month.

While Polito brought up layoffs and privatization, Yates recommended leadership look at removing retirement plans for new employees, saying many in the current workforce don’t stay at their careers for a lifetime like in the past.

Several of the commissioners — including Evans and Yates — were appointed last year after a 2025 state law shifted the commission’s political power from the Baton Rouge metro to the parish’s outlying communities.

Before the law took effect in June, BREC’s nine-member board

POSTERS

Continued from page 1A confirmed that they received the donated posters last year but said they are waiting for a final ruling before distributing them to schools. However, Mills said he has seen photos of the posters already on display in some public school classrooms.

“Some of them were eager to do it the day (the law) passed,” he said.

The Times-Picayune | The Advocate was not able to independently verify that some posters already have gone up.

For now, thousands of donated posters are stacked in school district offices across the state.

They feature four different layouts designed by Murrill’s office, which can be downloaded from her website. One is titled “The House of Representatives and the Lawgivers” and features Johnson’s

LAWSUIT

Continued from page 1A Louisiana Constitution.”

At issue is a bill state lawmakers passed into law in July 2023: The House and Senate overrode thenGov. John Bel Edwards’ veto to enact the Stop Harming Our Kids Act, which banned all genderaffirming medical treatments for transgender people younger than 18. The restrictions went into effect Jan. 1, 2024, and apply only to trans youth, many of who grapple with gender dysphoria.

Doctors can no longer perform voice surgery, do facial reconstruction, insert implants or do any other trans-related procedures on minors.

Medical professionals are also prohibited from prescribing synthetic drugs, hormone analogues or puberty blockers to minors.

BREC has hired SELA Aquatics to manage its aquatic facilities, including Liberty Lagoon Water Park.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

included the parish mayor-president or a designee, a School Board designee, a Planning Commission member and six members appointed by the Metro Council.

Under the law brought by Rep. Lauren Ventrella, R-Greenwell Springs, the commission now includes the mayors or their appointees for Baker, Central, St. George and Zachary and Baton Rouge. The four remaining seats are appointed

by the Metro Council, with at least one required to be a resident of an unincorporated area of the parish and two to be city residents.

The commission’s demographics changed with the law, shifting from six Black commissioners and three White ones to two Black commissioners and seven White ones.

The organization has been beset by controversy at various levels over the past year.

In 2024, several critics — including Evans — accused BREC of mismanagement before a tax renewal vote, pointing to state audits that found misappropriated money and some weak financial safeguards.

Last year, former Superintendent Corey Wilson departed the organization, and Simmons replaced him. In the summer, Liberty Lagoon Water Park didn’t open until

July, with Simmons blaming it on general maintenance and work on the filtration system.

And last fall, residents pushed back against a proposed partnership for outside groups to fund and guide the design of a master plan for Baton Rouge’s lakes region and City Park. After that proposal failed, the commission created a committee to oversee the master plan creation.

photo and an image of Moses next to the Ten Commandments, while another cites relevant Supreme Court cases.

School districts also received a copy of legal guidance that Murrill issued in January 2025 saying her office would defend in court any school that is sued for displaying the posters.

In a statement Friday, Murrill said her office was not involved in sending schools the posters, which she noted were donated by private groups. She also argued that the law is constitutional — despite two court rulings saying otherwise.

“If schools want to post them, they can,” she said.

A multifaith group of parents with children in Louisiana public schools filed a lawsuit in June 2024, just days after Gov. Jeff Landry signed the Ten Commandments law, arguing that it violated their families’ religious freedom.

Last year, the three-judge panel on the 5th Circuit upheld a lower court’s ruling that barred the state

from enforcing the law, which the panel called “plainly unconstitutional.”

Proponents say the Ten Commandments have historical and educational value. Murrill’s team also argued the lawsuit was premature, writing in a November court filing that the plaintiffs are challenging Ten Commandments displays “that do not exist and whose contents and contexts have not been determined.”

But now thousands of posters do exist and have been delivered to most school systems — including Vernon Parish Schools, which is named in the lawsuit. A Louisiana Family Forum document shows that the posters have not been sent to the other school systems where the plaintiffs’ children attend public school — East Baton Rouge, Livingston, Orleans and St. Tammany — or to public colleges and universities.

Murrill has argued that only the five named districts are barred from the enforcing the law. But the

ACLU of Louisiana and other legal groups have warned that other schools could be sued if they enact the law, which the groups say violates students’ First Amendment right to religious freedom.

“Public-school officials are legally required to protect and uphold the constitutional rights of students and families,” the groups wrote in a December 2024 letter to school superintendents.

In Texas, which passed a similar Ten Commandments law last year, public schools also have received posters donated by conservative groups — including one tied to right-wing political commentator Glenn Beck, according to Houston Public Media. Parents in that state sued to block the law, and in November a federal judge ordered several school districts to remove the displays.

Beck has promoted a joint effort

by Christian churches and conservative advocacy groups to raise money for Ten Commandments posters for schools in Texas and

Arkansas, which passed its own law last year.

A website for the campaign, called “Restore American Schools,” says posters have been donated to about 4,600 schools in those two states.

One group participating in that effort is Patriot Mobile, which describes itself as “America’s only Christian conservative wireless provider.” The cellphone carrier also contributed to the Louisiana Family Forum’s fundraising drive to send posters to Louisiana schools, according to Mills and a news release.

First Liberty Institute, a legal advocacy group that supports Louisiana’s law, also joined the campaign. Matt Krause, an attorney at First Liberty, said groups like his wanted to ensure that Louisiana’s law is put into action.

“We have the ability to put the Ten Commandments up, which is great,” he said, “but if nobody actually does it, then it doesn’t do us much good.”

Doctors who don’t follow the mandates face a minimum two-year suspension if they are caught treating underage transgender individuals.

The law also gives people up to the age of 30 to file malpractice lawsuits against doctors who perform sterilizing sex-change surgeries — such as castration, hysterectomy, penectomy or vasectomy — on them when they are underage.

It is not clear if the state intends to appeal Thursday’s ruling, but Attorney General Liz Murrill defended lawmakers’ stance.

“My job is to enforce Louisiana law and protect children from mutilation,” she said in a statement.

“Members of the State Legislature and I fully agree that these dangerous, irreversible medical procedures are barbaric and should never be performed on children.

This is common sense, which is why we are vigorously defending

the law in court.”

Five transgender youth sued the state in January 2024, just days after the law became enforceable in Louisiana. They allege it impacts hundreds of transgender youths across the state.

“Entire families, now because of this ban, are forced to travel out of state and pay exorbitant amounts out-of-pocket to get the kind of care that medical professionals all agree is safe, effective and necessary for these young people,” Nicholas Hite said outside the courthouse Thursday.

Hite is part of the legal team that is led by Lambda Legal, a New York City law firm that is the nation’s oldest and largest legal advocacy group for LGBTQ and HIV/ AIDS communities.

The plaintiffs are vying for an injunction that would stop the Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners from levying suspensions on health care professionals,

essentially taking the teeth out of the law.

“What the judge decided today is that the case is not open and closed,” he said. “The stories of our plaintiffs, the testimony of our experts, the record from the Legislature are all really important and need to be heard. So what the judge decided today is that he wants to hear from those experts. He wants to hear from our plaintiffs and he wants to hear the legislative record to decide whether this law is actually appropriate or not.”

In arguing for the case to be dismissed Thursday, Hunter Farrar cited last year’s ruling in Skrmetti and told Judge Johnson that SCOTUS justices admonished lower courts to mind the Skrmetti decision when deciding how to handle challenges to state laws restricting sex-transitions for youth “These statutes were recently enacted by the Louisiana Legisla-

ture to achieve a legitimate, compelling state purpose, which is the protection of minors from irrevocable harm,” he argued. “The Louisiana government needs to protect minors. It has an interest in doing so and these laws are narrowly tailored to achieve that.”

But the plaintiffs argued the law amounts to “broad government overreach” and deprives parents of their right to decide their children’s medical care. “(Judge Johnson) made it very clear that the federal ruling from Skrmetti doesn’t determine what happens here,” Hite said after Thursday’s hearing. “This is a case in Louisiana, under Louisiana’s laws, and it needs to be determined

by Louisiana courts.”

The judge set a Feb. 10 hearing where the attorneys are expected to agree on a trial date.

STAY WHERE THE

ACTION IS

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

103 FRANCE STREET • BATON ROUGE, LA 70802 Belle of Baton Rouge Casino is changing its name to Bally’s Baton Rouge. As a result, effective December 6, 2025, Belle of Baton Rouge is discontinuing the use of Belle of Baton Rouge Table Chips. You may redeem any outstanding Belle of Baton Rouge Table Chips 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, through April 5, 2026, at Bally’s Baton Rouge located at 102 France St., Baton Rouge, LA 70802. 21+ Gambling Problem? Call 1-877-770-7867.

6A ■ Saturday, January 17, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

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classifieds.theadvocate.com Search Search& &Place PlaceAds AdsOnline Onlineatatclassifieds.theadvocate.com classifieds.theadvocate.com* Call * Call -Friday Us Monday-Friday 8AM-5PM at 225-383-0111 8AM-5PM at 225-383-0111 Anyone knowing the whereabouts of Johnny Gibson please contact attorney Larry McAlpine at 225-3171956.

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In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., The Advocate’s ClassifiedAdvertising Departmentwill be closed on Monday, January 19th.

RUN DATE

DEADLINE

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

Employment

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ADMINISTRATIVE Clerk of City Court/ Judicial Administrator The City-Parish Government has an opening for Clerk of City Court/Judicial Administrator. This is a full time, un‐ classified professional court adminis‐ trative, supervisory and record keeping / management position in the Baton Rouge City Court. The full job descrip‐ tion can be found at: https://city.brla.gov/dept/hr/ occdesc.asp?GetTitle=7930 Desirable Qualifications: Juris Doctorate Degree and at least six years of progressively responsible ex‐ perience in an administrative/profes‐ sional capacity; or an advanced degree and ten years of progressively respon‐ sible court administration experience, including seven years of supervisory experience in a court system. A certi‐ fied court management certificate may be substituted in lieu of minimum ex‐ perience and training. Louisiana Li‐ censed Attorney preferred.

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PUBLIC NOTICE --NOTICE TO BIDDERS Sealed bids for the fol‐ lowing will be received by the Louisiana Depart‐ ment of Transportation and Development, Pro‐ curement Section, 1201 Capitol Access Road, 4th Floor, East Wing Room S447, Headquarters Ad‐ ministration Building, Baton Rouge, LA 70802, Telephone number (225/379-1444) on date(s) shown below, until 10:00 A.M. No bids will be ac‐ cepted after this hour. At 10:00 A.M. of the same day and date, they will be publicly opened and read in Headquarters Ad‐ ministration Building, 4th Floor, East Wing S-447.

Evidence of authority to submit the bid shall be required in accordance with R.S. 38:2212 (A)(1)(c) and/or R.S. 39:1594 (C)(2) (D).

BID TO BE OPENED February 3, 2026 DOTD Mast Arm Poles RFx 3000025846 Full information may be obtained upon request from the above address.

The Department reserves the right to reject any and all bids and to waive any informalities.

GLENN P. LEDET, JR. SECRETARY, LADOTD JULIE KENNISON, CPPB, NIGP-CPP DOTD PROCUREMENT DIRECTOR 174178-jan 17-1t $15.77 PUBLIC NOTICE --NOTICE TO BIDDERS Sealed bids for the fol‐ lowing will be received by the Louisiana Depart‐ ment of Transportation and Development, Pro‐ curement Section, 1201 Capitol Access Road, 4th Floor, East Wing Room S447, Headquarters Ad‐ ministration Building, Baton Rouge, LA 70802, Telephone number (225/379-1444) on date(s) shown below, until 10:00 A.M. No bids will be ac‐ cepted after this hour. At 10:00 A.M. of the same day and date, they will be publicly opened and read in Headquarters Ad‐ ministration Building, 4th Floor, East Wing S-447.

Evidence of authority to submit the bid shall be required in accordance with R.S. 38:2212 (A)(1)(c) and/or R.S. 39:1594 (C)(2) (D).

BID TO BE OPENED February 4, 2026 DOTD 15 Year 12in LED Modules RFx 3000025834 Full information may be obtained upon request from the above address.

The Department reserves the right to reject any and all bids and to waive any informalities.

GLENN P. LEDET, JR. SECRETARY, LADOTD JULIE KENNISON, CPPB, NIGP-CPP DOTD PROCUREMENT DIRECTOR 174248 Jan. 17, 1t $15.77

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PUBLIC NOTICE (NOTICE OF INTENTION TO INTRODUCE LOCAL BILL – HLS 26RS-116) Public notice is hereby given, as provided by Section 13, Article III of the Constitution of Louisiana, that there will be introduced at the forthcoming session of the Legislature of Louisiana, to be con‐ vened on March 9, 2026, a bill relative to East Baton Rouge Parish; to provide relative to the Melrose East Crime Prevention District and the Old Goodwood Crime Preven‐ tion and Neighborhood Improvement District; to provide relative to the boundaries of the dis‐ tricts; and to provide for related matters.

173849 Jan. 15, 16, 17, 3t $50.02 PUBLIC NOTICE --NOTICE OF LIQUIDATION OF MITCHELL-JOHNSON LLC TO: Creditors of MitchellJohnson LLC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that an out-ofcourt voluntary dissolu‐ tion proceeding has taken effect for MitchellJohnson LLC, a Louisiana limited liability company.

Any person or entity having claims against Mitchell-Johnson LLC, are notified to present their claims in writing and in detail to the appointed Liquidator, Kenneth J. Johnson, at 29 Mid‐ dleridge Lane South, Rolling Hills, California 90274, within six (6) months of the date of this notice. /s/ Kenneth J. Johnson KENNETH J. JOHNSON, Liquidator Date: 1-3-26 173206-jan 10-17-2t $219.78 PUBLIC NOTICE --PUBLIC NOTICE (NOTICE OF INTENTION TO INTRODUCE RETIREMENT BILL – HLS 26RS-405) Public notice is hereby given, as provided by Section 29(C), Article X of the Constitution of Louisiana, that there will be introduced at the forthcoming session of the Legislature of Louisiana, to be con‐ vened on March 9, 2026, a bill relative to the Munic‐ ipal Employees' Retire‐ ment System of Louisiana; to provide for employer participation; to provide relative to cer‐ tain exemptions; to pro‐ vide relative to accumu‐ lated contributions; to provide relative to mem‐ bership in the system; to provide relative to the computation of normal retirement allowances; to provide for definitions; to provide relative to benefits of part-time reemployed retirees; to provide relative to ser‐ vice credit; and to pro‐ vide for related matters.

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(Applicant: Morgan Bar‐ back, LandSource, Inc., on behalf of John Knox and Johden Properties, LLC)

p Bueche Road, Erwinville, LA 70729

S-25-0108 Combination of Lots at 8687 Elliot Rd & 18031, 18041, 18071 Vi‐ gnes Rd: This 21.7-acre combined property is comprised of Lots A, B, A6-1 & Eugene Wilson Tract being a portion of the Lee Denham Estate, in Section 2 & 11, T8S, R2E, GLD, EBR, LA . The applicant requests to combine four lots into three in the R Rural Zon‐ ing District. (Applicant: Michael Davis, Land‐ Source, Inc., on behalf of Michael Wilson) S -25-0109 Exchange of Property at 17717 and 17727 Jefferson Highway: This 2.18-acres combined property is comprised of Lot C-1-A and Lot C-1-B of the L.K. Mayfield Subdivi‐ sion in Section 39, T8SR2E, GLD, EBR, LA. The applicant requests an ex‐ change or property be‐ tween two lots in the R Rural zoning district.

(Applicant: Edward Brad‐ ford, Bradford Engineer‐ ing, on behalf of Dorian Robert) Zoning Commission T-26-0001 & Z-26-0001 Zoning Districts: Amend Title 7 Unified Develop‐ ment Code to establish new base zoning dis‐ tricts, update allowed uses and dimensional standards, and reorga‐ nize some sections; Re‐ zone all property in the city to the new base zon‐ ing districts; and provide for related matters.

174202-jan 17-24-31-3t $112.09

PUBLIC NOTICE --The Louisiana Depart‐ ment of Environmental Quality announces the following date for the meeting of the Louisiana Motor Fuels Underground Storage Tank Trust Fund Advisory Board: Thursday, February 26, 2026 1:00 P.M. The meeting will be con‐ ducted in the Galvez Building, 602 North Fifth Street, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70802, in the Oliver Pollock (Room # C111).

Questions regarding the meeting can be directed to Ms. Danielle McCarty, Environmental Project Coordinator, at (225) 2193541 or via email at Danielle.McCarty@la.gov.

174207-jan 17-1t $34.19 PUBLIC NOTICE --THIS NOTICE BY PUBLICA‐ TION IS NOTIFICATION THAT YOUR RIGHTS OR INTEREST IN THE FOL‐ LOWING DESCRIBED PROPERTY LOCATED IN THE PARISH OF WEST BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA MAY BE TER‐ MINATED BY OPERATION OF LAW IF YOU DO NOT TAKE FURTHER ACTION IN ACCORDANCE WITH LAW: Tax Bill 061200001201 Occupant/Tenant; Heirs and Estate of Ronald Har‐ vey Watkins & Edna Guil‐ lard Watkins; -- LOT V-2 CONT 3.991 AC HEWES SURVEY 12-12A Improvements thereon bear Municipal No. 8330 h d i ill

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Public Notices Bids/Proposals

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PETS • SUPPLIES • SERVICES • OBITUARIES • LOST & FOUND

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AREA 3 3Br 2Ba cnt a/h, w/d conn $1050 2Br 1Ba utils pd $950. 3Br/1Ba Duplex $750. ALL + Dep 225-810-0775

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Baton Rouge Real Estate For Sale

Baton Rouge Rental

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DOGS AKC reg'd Rottweiler puppies. Just in time for Valentine's. 8wks on 2/11. 1st shots & de-wormed 225-577-3982

225-383-0111 • 504-636-7435 337-234-0174

AREA 5 2 FAMILY MOVING - DOWNSIZING SALE. TODAY ONLY 7a-2p. Kenilworth Sub. 1324 Louray Dr. Crafts, clothes, kitchenware, hardware, outdoor, gardening, tv, tools, chairs, piano, foosball. 30+ Years of Accumulation.

MISC FOR SALE LADIES SMALL BLACK LEATHER COAT LIKE NEW $40 225-752-7273

Salary: $73,836 - $123,392 Excellent Benefits Package Application Information: Applications accepted through 5:00 p.m. January 2 - February 27, 2026. Sub‐ mit cover letter with resume showing education and judicial / court adminis‐ tration experience, including 3 refer‐ ences to: Dept of Human Resources Recruiting Division 1755 Florida Street Baton Rouge, LA 70802 Off f ice: (225) 389-3132 Fax: (225) 389-4962

AREA 4 We are Closing our Doors & Selling everything from the Office & many items from Home. 6416 Guinn Dr. Fri/Sat 7a-3p. Items will include: desks, chairs, filing cabinets, several tvs, tv stand, kitchenware & dishes, crawfish pot & burner, wheelchairs & medical equip, exercise & safety equip, ladders, lots of yard & work tools, work boots, artwork, large office printer, vinyl albums & more.

TAX SALE TITLE TO THE ABOVE-DESCRIBED PROP‐ ERTY HAS BEEN SOLD FOR FAILURE TO PAY TAXES. YOU HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED AS A PERSON WHO MAY HAVE AN IN‐ TEREST IN THIS PROP‐ ERTY. YOUR INTEREST IN THE PROPERTY WILL BE TER‐ MINATED IF YOU DO NOT REDEEM THE PROPERTY

BY MAKING ALL RE‐ QUIRED PAYMENTS TO THE TAX COLLECTOR LISTED BELOW OR FILE A LAWSUIT IN ACCOR‐ DANCE WITH LAW WITHIN 60 DAYS OF THE DATE OF THE FIRST PUB‐ LICATION OF THIS NO‐ TICE, OR THE RECORDING OF AN ACT TRANSFER‐ RING OWNERSHIP, IF LATER. WEST BATON ROUGE SHERIFF’S OFFICE 850 8TH ST PORT ALLEN, LA 70767 (225) 343-9234

CLASSIFIEDS.THEADVOCATE.COM Legal Notices

ABOVE-DESCRIBED PROP‐ ERTY HAS BEEN SOLD FOR FAILURE TO PAY TAXES. YOU HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED AS A PERSON WHO MAY HAVE AN IN‐ TEREST IN THIS PROP‐ ERTY. YOUR INTEREST IN THE PROPERTY WILL BE TER‐ MINATED IF YOU DO NOT REDEEM THE PROPERTY

BY MAKING ALL RE‐ QUIRED PAYMENTS TO THE TAX COLLECTOR LISTED BELOW OR FILE A LAWSUIT IN ACCOR‐ DANCE WITH LAW WITHIN 60 DAYS OF THE DATE OF THE FIRST PUB‐ LICATION OF THIS NO‐ TICE, OR THE RECORDING OF AN ACT TRANSFER‐ RING OWNERSHIP, IF LATER. WEST BATON ROUGE SHERIFF’S OFFICE 850 8TH ST PORT ALLEN, LA 70767 173177 Jan. 10, 17, 2t $337.18

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DOGS CKC YORKIES or SHORKIES - (yorkies arewith papers) all are vet checked with shot and worming will meet in Gulfport $400 (334) 467-3416

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SUBSCRIBE TODAY WBR Public Notices Sex Offenders

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WBR Public Notices Sex Offenders

10/7/1987 Height: 5' 11 Weight: 240 Hair Color: BROWN Eye Color: BROWN Scars/Tattoos:

Race: WHITE Sex: MALE Date of Birth: 1/12/1993 Height: 5'7" Weight: 160 Hair Color: BROWN Eye Color: HAZEL Scars/Tattoos:

Louisiana 174033, Jan 16-17 $250

Louisiana 174035, Jan 16-17 $250

I, Dexter Joseph Stelly, have been convicted of 14:81.1 - Pornography Involving Juveniles (attempted). Date Convicted: 08/05/2015.

My Address is: 3758B KAHNS RD PORT

I, Paul Briley Venable, have been convicted of 14:81 - Indecent Behavior with Juveniles. Date Convicted: 12/08/2025.

SUBSCRIBE TODAY

My Address is: 8342 LOIS ST ADDIS, LA 70710 Race: WHITE Sex: MALE Date of Birth:

STAY INFORMED

SUBSCRIBE TODAY

173223-jan 10-17-2t $342.28

PUBLIC NOTICE --THIS NOTICE BY PUBLICA‐ TION IS NOTIFICATION THAT YOUR RIGHTS OR INTEREST IN THE FOL‐ LOWING DESCRIBED PROPERTY LOCATED IN THE PARISH OF WEST BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA MAY BE TER‐ MINATED BY OPERATION OF LAW IF YOU DO NOT TAKE FURTHER ACTION IN ACCORDANCE WITH LAW:

When you need the news.

Wherever you read the news.

Tax Bill 061200001200 Occupant/Tenant; Heirs and Estate of Ronald Har‐ vey Watkins & Edna Guil‐ lard Watkins; -- LOT V-1 CONT 5.962 AC HEWES SURVEY 12-12 Improvements thereon bear Municipal No. 8241 Bueche Road, Erwinville, LA 70729 TAX SALE TITLE TO THE ABOVE-DESCRIBED PROP‐ ERTY HAS BEEN SOLD FOR FAILURE TO PAY TAXES. YOU HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED AS A PERSON WHO MAY HAVE AN IN‐ TEREST IN THIS PROP‐ ERTY. YOUR INTEREST IN THE PROPERTY WILL BE TER‐ MINATED IF YOU DO NOT REDEEM THE PROPERTY

BY MAKING ALL RE‐ QUIRED PAYMENTS TO THE TAX COLLECTOR LISTED BELOW OR FILE A LAWSUIT IN ACCOR‐ DANCE WITH LAW WITHIN 60 DAYS OF THE DATE OF THE FIRST PUB‐ LICATION OF THIS NO‐ TICE, OR THE RECORDING OF AN ACT TRANSFER‐ RING OWNERSHIP, IF LATER. WEST BATON ROUGE SHERIFF’S OFFICE 850 8TH ST PORT ALLEN, LA 70767 (225) 343-9234 173176 Jan. 10, 17, 2t $342.28 PUBLIC NOTICE --THIS NOTICE BY PUBLICA‐ TION IS NOTIFICATION THAT YOUR RIGHTS OR INTEREST IN THE FOL‐ LOWING DESCRIBED PROPERTY LOCATED IN THE PARISH OF WEST BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA MAY BE TER‐ MINATED BY OPERATION OF LAW IF YOU DO NOT TAKE FURTHER ACTION IN ACCORDANCE WITH LAW: Tax Bill 061200001201 Occupant/Tenant; Heirs and Estate of Ronald Har‐ vey Watkins & Edna Guil‐ lard Watkins; -- LOT V-2 CONT 3.991 AC HEWES SURVEY 12-12A Improvements thereon bear Municipal No. 8330 Bueche Road, Erwinville, LA 70729 TAX SALE TITLE TO THE

The newspaper of record for Baton Rouge

The Advocate ■ theadvocate.com ■ Saturday, January 17, 2026 ■ 7A

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8A ■ Saturday, January 17, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

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Baton Rouge Weather TODAY

SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

Mainly cloudy, chilly

Cold start!

Sun, crisp

Partly sunny

Isolated showers - 30%

Isolated showers - 40%

HIGH

HIGH

HIGH

LOW

HIGH

55° 30°

LOW

50° 31°

HIGH

LOW

HIGH

59° 32°

LOW

56° 39°

ALMANAC

LOW

61° 49°

LOW

64° 44°

TEMPERATURE

High/low Normal high/low Record high Record low

69°/32° 62°/41° 81° in 2017 19° in 2024

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

0.00” 2.79” (3.38”) 2.79” (3.38”)

PRECIPITATION

THE NATION

TODAY

MODERATE

GOOD

READING 60 MAIN POLLUTANT Ozone

MAIN POLLUTANT Ozone

SOURCE: LOUISIANA DEQ AND AIRNOW.GOV

RIVER STAGES FLOOD STAGE 24-HOUR STAGE CHANGE Memphis 34 -1.60 +0.51 Vidalia-Natchez 48 13.90 -0.34 Red River Landing 48 17.80 -0.40 Baton Rouge 35 6.40 -0.60 Donaldsonville 27 3.60 -0.10 Reserve 22 2.23 -0.67 New Orleans 17 1.70 +0.07 MISSISSIPPI

OHIO 40

15.51

+0.37

19

-1.09

-0.11

18 29 8

0.22 14.24 1.35

-0.40 -6.00 -1.72

13 15

3.84 4.70

-1.14 -6.10

47 34 29 20 12 6

5.87 3.57 3.34 2.53 2.30 1.92

-0.22 -0.33 -0.34 -0.44 -0.10 -0.69

COMITE AMITE

Near Darlington Denham Springs Port Vincent TICKFAW

Montpelier Holden ATCHAFALAYA

Simmesport Melville Krotz Springs Butte La Rose Bayou Sorrel Morgan City

-10

Monroe 53/26

Shreveport 52/24 Longview 49/22

-0s

0s

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

Jackson 53/27

Baton Rouge 55/30

Lafayette 54/32

Beaumont 57/31 Port Arthur 57/33

Hattiesburg 56/32

Alexandria 54/25

Many 52/22

AIR QUALITY YESTERDAY

Near Olive

Saturday will begin in the upper 40s, but thanks to cloud cover and chilly north winds, temperatures will not rebound much further than the mid-50s. As temperatures tumble Saturday night, there is a very brief window where some sprinkles or possibly a few snowflakes could fall, particularly for locations north of I-12 and east of I-55.

Know that the overall precipitation coverage or chance will be very low, at about 10%. On Sunday, if you are heading out early for services or breakfast, you will definitely need the heavy coat. While full sun will be around through the day, it won’t do much to raise temperatures. Expect the coldest afternoon of the forecast with highs barely hitting the low 50s.

AROUND THE REGION

BATON ROUGE THROUGH 5 P.M. FRIDAy

Cairo

Weather News by Chief Meteorologist Dr. Josh Eachus

New Orleans 55/39

Lake Charles 57/29

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

Houma 54/35

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

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

TIDES HIGH

FT.

Lake Pontchartrain (Tchefuncte River) 6:23a 0.5 Shell Beach 12:25a 1.1 South Point, Marsh Island ----Cypremort Point 8:49p 1.2 Grand Isle (Barataria Pass) 8:50p 0.9 Mississippi River (Southwest Pass) 8:06p 1.1 Wine Island 9:58p 1.1

LOW

SUN AND MOON Sunrise today Sunset tonight Moonrise today Moonset today

FT.

6:15p -0.3 11:57a -0.6 7:08a -1.0 11:02a -0.8 7:32a -0.6 5:41a -0.8 8:34a -0.8

HIGH

FT.

LOW

FT.

---------------

---------------

---------------

---------------

TODAY City

SUNDAY

Austin Boston Dallas Fairbanks Honolulu Houston Las Vegas Louisville Miami Minneapolis

Hi

Lo W

Hi

Lo W

55 43 47 14 80 56 67 36 75 11

25 pc 31 c 26 pc 9 c 70 pc 33 pc 42 s 20 c 64 pc -3 sf

61 37 62 20 79 58 64 31 79 18

30 s 26 sn 38 s 18 sn 66 pc 38 s 44 pc 21 pc 51 pc -8 sn

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

50 92 56 40 52 68 47 40 79 78 54

36 c 76 pc 50 r 30 c 36 c 54 pc 38 pc 34 c 65 pc 63 pc 42 pc

43 93 56 40 47 69 48 43 79 77 49

SOLUNAR TABLE

7:02 a.m.

5:28 p.m.

6:24 a.m.

4:26 p.m.

NEW

FIRST

FULL

LAST

JAN 18

JAN 25

FEB 1

FEB 9

MAJOR

9:53a 10:43a 11:05a 11:57a 12:52a 1:43a 2:33a

MINOR

MAJOR

3:40a 10:19p 4:30a 11:09p 5:21a ---6:12a 12:24p 7:03a 1:15p 7:54a 2:05p 8:44a 2:55p

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

SUNDAY

Hi

Lo W

Hi

Lo W

45 55 73 40 77 37 54 26 78 72

20 c 39 c 54 pc 32 c 50 s 18 sn 39 pc 15 c 47 pc 56 pc

35 51 66 37 76 25 43 36 76 63

25 s 38 s 37 sh 21 sf 49 c 17 c 22 sn 8 pc 48 pc 38 sh

62 50 43 66 28 11 70 52 60 37 57

41 pc 42 c 31 sh 48 pc 25 sn 2 c 50 pc 41 c 44 s 33 c 43 s

64 50 50 64 31 17 70 51 60 35 52

51 pc 41 c 29 pc 42 pc 19 c 14 pc 51 pc 36 pc 48 c 29 c 43 s

THE WORLD

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

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

TODAY City

MINOR

4:06p 4:56p 5:46p 6:36p 7:26p 8:16p 9:06p

32 pc 75 pc 46 r 27 s 34 pc 51 pc 37 pc 30 pc 64 pc 63 s 45 r

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

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

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BATON ROUGE • ASCENSION • LIVINGSTON • FELICIANAS WEST BATON ROUGE • TANGIPAHOA • IBERVILLE

METRO

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

|

S at u r d ay, J a n u a ry 17, 2026

1Bn

ASCENSION PARISH

Residents object to new subdivision Harvest Fields would be built near Galvez

BY CHRISTOPHER CARTWRIGHT Staff writer

One of the first new major subdivisions proposed in Ascension Parish in years received major pushback Wednesday night, as more than 100 people turned out

at a planning commission meeting to oppose the plans.

Dantin Bruce Development is seeking to build the 112-lot Harvest Fields subdivision, a 37-acre neighborhood off La. 44 just south of Bertville Road.

Before the public hearing began,

Chad Stevens, vice president of engineering for MR Engineering, said Dantin Bruce Development would like to defer the proposal until Feb. 11. At the end of the meeting, he explained the deferral was due to technical issues with the application.

The commission took no action because the item was pushed back.

After Stevens announced the delay, many in the audience audibly groaned, and some residents later gave public comments specifically objecting to the deferral.

Neighbors near the proposed site are concerned the subdivision will lead to increased traffic, increased flooding and changes to the community. Dina LeJeune, who

has lived in the area for 40 years, said flooding has worsened over the years.

“I currently carry homeowners insurance, and I’m not in a flood zone, and it’s currently over $1,500 a year for me to carry this,” she said. “ ... All these subdivisions have been built up and up and up around me. ... We are getting

ä See SUBDIVISION, page 2B

QUAD SQUAD

STAFF PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK

A group of students uses scooters to navigate through the quad on the LSU campus in Baton Rouge on Wednesday.

N.O. attorney named to ICE leadership Veteran official set for deputy director post

BY JAMES FINN Staff writer

An attorney from New Orleans was named deputy director of federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement, deepening Louisiana’s ties to the agency President Donald Trump’s administration is using to drive its deportation agenda.

The veteran ICE official, Charles Wall, previously worked as the agency’s principal legal adviser, a role in which he oversaw attorneys representing Wall the federal government across the nation in immigration removal proceedings.

Wall attended Jesuit High School, received an undergraduate degree from the University of New Orleans and studied law at Loyola University.

U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced his appointment as ICE deputy director on Thursday, calling Wall a “forward leaning,

ä See WALL, page 2B

Nexus Louisiana gets $200K grant JPMorganChase donation to go toward strategic planning

clude programming that assists entrepreneurs in bringing their startups to scale, and Zanders says private donations help Nexus act as “good stewards” and return the public investment.

“We are capable of bringing dollars out of Louisiana, out of Baton Rouge, into LouBY IANNE SALVOSA isiana,” he said.

Staff writer The state has attracted major economic Nexus Louisiana received a $200,000 development successes in the past few grant from JPMorganChase to create the years, drawing well-known companies like Meta to build large-scale developments, business incubator’s next strategic plan.

The donation is the organization’s first but Zanders said in the next five years, philanthropic grant, which Nexus CEO Nexus will advocate for micro-economic Tony Zanders said will widen its funding development. Growth tends to be slower base. Nexus primarily relies on govern- with micro-economic development projment funding for its operations, which in- ects, creating only a handful of jobs at

the start, he said, but the enterprises later mature into large companies, pointing to Meta’s start as Facebook.

“We have a lot of bright people in the state going the 9-to-5 route or leaving the state,” he said. “We’re going to work on programming to retain them.”

Nexus went through organizational changes in 2025, expanding its team to five after hiring a director of founder and ecosystem development and a marketing manager. Zanders joined Nexus early last year, after the organization operated without a permanent president and CEO for three years.

ä See GRANT, page 2B

Third suspect in Christmas Day homicide arrested When the victim, Tyler Sensley, walked A third suspect accused of fatally shooting a 23-year-old on Christmas Day as the through the parking lot at about 8 a.m., victim walked to pick up a present from crossing in front of the sedan, “three … suspects get out of the sedan, proa nearby apartment has been arduce firearms and begin shooting rested, according to an East Baton CRIME at the victim,” the arrest warrant Rouge Sheriff’s Office affidavit.

Trevion Green, 23, of Zachary, BLOTTER said.

Sensley was transported to a hoswas booked into East Baton Rouge staff Parish Prison on a count of second- reports pital with multiple gunshot wounds degree murder, the affidavit said. and died of his injuries on Dec. 30.

Two others were arrested earlier The driver of the vehicle, Dorien this week in connection with the shooting. Johnson, 24, turned himself in to authoriVideo surveillance footage showed a gray ties on Monday and was booked into prison sedan with four men inside sat for hours in on a count of second-degree murder. Anthe parking lot of the Coventry Apartments other suspect, Derick Johnson, 22, was in Greenwell Springs on Christmas Day. arrested Tuesday on counts of second-

degree murder, possession of a firearm by a felon and possession of marijuana, the Sheriff’s Office said.

Man killed in shooting on Shada Avenue in Baton Rouge A 26-year-old man died Thursday after a shooting in the 2500 block of Shada Avenue.

Terrance London, 26, was found by police just before 4 p.m. He was transported to a hospital where he died of a gunshot wound, according to release from Baton Rouge police.

The investigation is ongoing.

2B ■ Saturday, January 17, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

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NEW ORLEANS

Council passes new restrictions on Bourbon strip clubs Measure approved quietly in final meeting of term

BY BEN MYERS Staff writer

Opening a new Bourbon Street strip club will require special approval from the New Orleans City Council after the council quietly passed temporary club restrictions earlier this month, to the dismay of some nightlife industry workers.

District C council member Freddie King, who sponsored the measure, gave no explanation other than to say it was meant “to mitigate the negative secondary effects” associated with strip clubs.

It passed unanimously with no discussion on Jan. 8, the final meeting of the previous council’s term.

The restrictions, which could be in effect for up to two years, blindsided the local community of dancers, club staff and their advocates,

said Mark Schettler, executive director of Shift Change, a nonprofit that advocates for the nightlife industry.

“This was a late addition to the very end of the agenda for the final council meeting before new members were sworn in,” he said. “The sponsoring council member has refused to answer questions about it during the meeting or since.”

King did not respond to messages. Attempts to reach representatives of three well-known clubs on Bourbon Street — Larry Flynt’s Hustler Club, Penthouse Club and Rick’s Cabaret — were unsuccessful on Friday.

“Adult live entertainment venues,” as strip clubs are known in the city’s zoning code, must now pass additional council scrutiny and meet individually tailored requirements to open on Bourbon Street under the measure. Before, they could operate by right so long as they had building permits and business licenses.

The new requirements are part of a new temporary zoning

district that could last up to two years while city planners consider recommendations for permanent action. The council will ultimately decide on any permanent changes.

The measure comes while a new club, Peppermint Hippo, is promoting its upcoming opening at 226 Bourbon Street on social media. It’s not clear if Peppermint Hippo has already obtained its building permit and business license, or if it will need to go through the council’s new process.

Calls and messages to Peppermint Hippo representatives were not returned.

The council imposed similar temporary restrictions from 2016 to 2018, as members and Mayor Mitch Landrieu’s administration sought more permanent restrictions on strip clubs and state authorities cracked down on code violations within the clubs.

Dancers and some club owners organized in vocal opposition to those efforts, and the zoning proposals failed. But the state raids forced some clubs to close while

others saw their licenses suspended. That had a chilling effect on the local industry, forcing some dancers into illegal and more dangerous sex work, said Devin Ladner, a former Bourbon Street dancer who quit last year and now teaches at Loyola University.

“It is scary to hear that there is another zoning ordinance affecting the strip clubs, because this is exactly what they tried to do last time,” Ladner said.

The remaining clubs have more exclusive standards for dancers, and restricting competition will only further limit their options, Ladner said.

“I know girls that are having issues with the amount of clubs that are on Bourbon Street and the limitations of where they can work at,” Ladner said. “They feel forced into certain environments and have no room to really go outside of it.”

The council’s previous failed attempt at new zoning regulations included a proposal to limit the number of strip clubs per block, and the law enforcement raids

were meant to stem human trafficking and crime. That came after this newspaper reported a link between trafficking and some French Quarter clubs, and a 19-year-old dancer, Jasilas Wright, died after she jumped out of a car on Interstate 10 trying to escape someone police said was her pimp.

But a City Planning Commission report in 2018 found no link between the number of clubs and crime incidents, and the raids did not result in any trafficking arrests.

Before 2018, the Bourbon Street strip club ecosystem included a range of establishments that catered to different types of audiences and dancers, and “that variety created opportunity and it literally fed families,” said a veteran Bourbon Street dancer who did not want to be identified because she owns an unrelated business.

She said she had no concerns about trafficking in strip clubs, then or now.

“I feel safer in a nightclub than I do on the street,” she said.

SUBDIVISION Continued from page 1B

everybody’s water coming in on us.”

Traffic, flooding concerns Ascension Parish has long faced pushback from residents about new subdivisions as it has evolved from a largely rural region to a highly populated, trafficprone parish with multiple flood zones.

In 2021, the Parish Council passed a moratorium on new land divisions that lasted into 2022, and no new subdivisions were proposed until one in late 2024.

Harvest Fields is the second submitted subdivision since the moratorium was lifted.

According to an Ascension Parish staff analysis attached to the agenda, the Harvest Fields plat “meets all guidelines for a major subdivision per current ordinance.” However, it added that the drainage and off-site drainage will be studied more and will be approved should the refined plan conform to parish code requirements.

An attached analysis by

GRANT

Continued from page 1B Zanders said the number of Nexus staff should remain the same through 2026, but the strategic planning process will identify new programming that may require additional hires in 2027.

He said he hopes to address the changing landscape for technological innovation, which was largely focused on developing tech

WALL

Continued from page 1B strategic thinker” in a news release that said he has helped in “arresting and removing the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens from American neighborhoods.”

Wall replaces former ICE Deputy Director Madison Sheahan, a South Dakota politico and Noem ally who previously served as Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry’s Department of Wildlife and Fisheries secretary.

Sheahan is leaving ICE to run for Congress in her native Ohio.

Wall’s promotion adds to an already substantial roster of officials with Louisiana ties serving atop ICE at a time when the agency is in the national spotlight, as the Trump administration uses it as the fulcrum of its effort to aggressively ramp up deportations.

Besides Sheahan’s stint as deputy director, Melissa Harper, the longtime head of ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations for the New Orleans Field Office,

STAFF PHOTOS By JAVIER GALLEGOS

Kenneth Wilks shares his concern about the risk of flooding that would result from urban development during an Ascension Parish Planning Commission meeting at Ascension Parish Courthouse on Wednesday. engineers with CSRS, which is hired by the Ascension Parish government, said the plan met drainage requirements but that design needed “to be revised to ensure zero increase of water surface levels for all design storms.”

The Traffic Impact Study also recommended improvements to the turn lane at the subdivision’s entrance.

Yet residents who live near the site said the subdivision would be unmanageable. A 10-year-old boy said he could bike around the neighborhood, but feared it would

become too dangerous if the development were built.

Mark Taylor said, “There’s more things wrong with this preliminary plat than there are right.”

He reiterated many similar criticisms others mentioned, including traffic and flooding.

“It feels as though we haven’t learned enough from the flooding we’ve had and learned enough from the massive growth that we’ve had in this parish that we want to build a plat that’s 25% in the flood zone,” he added.

parks in the 1990s when Nexus Louisiana got its start, but is more flexible in location thanks to the popularization of remote work and cloud storage.

This summer, Nexus will move its headquarters from the Louisiana Technology Park off Florida Boulevard to 440 on Third downtown.

The new office is just down the street from Louisiana Innovation, Louisiana Economic Development’s innovation arm, and Zanders said he hopes the area can form an innovation district

downtown.

“The strategic planning process won’t change the why, but the how,” he said.

The grant will cover all of the costs of developing the strategic plan, Zanders said.

Nexus will host listening sessions with stakeholders and community members to form its 2030 strategic plan, with the first slated for Jan. 22 at Melara Enterprises’ StudioE.us, the company’s marketing division. Nexus aims to release the 2030 strategic plan at the end of 2026.

was promoted in May of last year to a position with Enforcement and Removal Operations in the Washington, D.C., headquarters, according to a news release.

Harper was later tapped to lead the federal Office of Refugee Resettlement, ProPublica reported.

Two Republican Louisiana congressmen — U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise, of Jefferson, and House Speaker Mike Johnson, of Benton — also hold senior legislative branch positions in which they shepherded a massive DHS funding increase as part of Trump’s signature federal funding package.

Wall enters ICE’s secondranking leadership slot as the agency faces intense scrutiny over an agent’s fatal shooting last week of a Minneapolis resident and U.S. citizen, Renee Good. The agency is seeking to grow its ranks and detention capacity with the recent surge of funding.

Wall will help oversee an agency whose operations often flow through Louisiana.

There were more than 7,000 people in the agency’s custody in Louisiana late last year, according to data compiled

by researchers at Syracuse University. Only Texas has more people in ICE custody.

An ICE spokesperson did not respond to a request to make Wall available for an interview.

Wall previously supervised undercover teams in Louisiana probing worksite enforcement violations, according to an official biography. He often worked with Homeland Security Investigations, DHS’ criminal investigative arm, and prosecuted removal cases with national security implications.

Wall was a prosecutor with the Orleans Parish District Attorney’s Office from 2009 to 2012.

Planning Commission members Max Nassar, from left, Wade Schexnaydre and Nicholas Miller react to the public comment made by Joe Rozier opposing the Harvest Fields subdivision during an Ascension Parish Planning Commission meeting on Wednesday.

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Funerals Today Blakes, Jahmal

Hall Davis & Sons Funeral Service, 9348 Scenic Highway, at 11 a.m.

Bongiovanni, Allison

Most Blessed Sacrament Church, 5615 LA-73, Baton Rouge, LA at 12:30pm.

Charbonnet III, Paul

St. Patrick Catholic Church, 12424 Brogdon Lane, at 11 a.m.

Collier, Jonathan

Louque, III and Joel T. Louque; and his beloved wife, Judy Louque, affectionately known as "Tukey." Funeral arrangements can be found on Seale Funeral Home's website. Holt was a proud father, grandfather, and great-grandfather who will be deeply missed by his loved ones.

Heckman, David Henry

W. K. Gordon Prayer Center, 8930 Plank Road, at 10:30 a.m.

Duncan, Glenda

Poplar Springs Baptist Church, 1692 Highway 68 in Jackson, at 10 a.m.

Gordon, Jacqueline

St. Joseph Catholic Church, 2130 Rectory St., Paulina, LA at 10am.

Green, Mary

St. Catherine of Sienna Catholic Church, 421 St. Patrick Street in Donaldsonville, at 11 a.m.

Guitreau, Percy

St. Joseph Catholic Church in French Settlement at 11 a.m.

Haney, Ethel

Winnfield Funeral Home, 7221 Plank Road, at noon.

Hardy, Dorothy

Martin & Castille's La Fleur de Lis Chapel, 600 E. Farrel Road in Lafayette, at 1:30 p.m.

Heckman, David

Trinity Lutheran Church, 15160 South Harrell’s Ferry Road, Baton Rouge, LA at 10am.

Jackson, Charlie

Camphor Memorial United Methodist Church, 8742 Scenic Hwy, Baton Rouge, LA at 11am.

Johnson, Joe

Saintsville C.O.G.I.C, at 11am.

Jolla, Gladys

Greater Allen Chapel A.M.E. Church, 6175 Scenic Highway, at 11 a.m.

Jones, Hazel

Winnfield Funeral Home at 11am.

Kelly, Dawson

Ourso Funeral Home, 13533 Airline Highway, Gonzales, LA at 2pm.

Lasseigne, Judy

Resthaven Gardens of Memory and Funeral Home, 11817 Jefferson Highway, at 10:30 a.m.

Martin, Geneva

Sweet Home Baptist Church, 343 W. Buchanan Street, at 10 a.m.

Richardson, Jeanette

Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Catholic Church in St. Amant at 11 a.m.

Richard Sr., Joseph

St. Gerard Majella Catholic Church, 5354 Plank Rd., Baton Rouge, LA at 12pm.

Serf, Annie

Rosedale Cemetery, 76535 Center Street in Rosedale, at 10 a.m.

Smith, Marlon

Sacred Heart Church Activities Building, 1000 Eliot Street in Detroit, MI, at 5 p.m.

Ventress Jr., Vernon

Greenoaks Memorial Park, 9595 Florida Blvd., Baton Rouge, LA at 12pm.

Obituaries Haney, Ethel

Viewing 1/17/26 10:00 am - 12:00 pm Services begin 12:00 pm Interment Winnfield Memorial Garden

David H. Heckman,born March 19, 1937, passed away peacefully on Saturday, January 10, 2026,at the age of 88. He was preceded in death by his first wife, Alice Avers Heckman, and by his parents, Clarence and Selma Heckman. David graduated from The Ohio State University with a degree in Chemical Engineering and enjoyed a long career which concluded at Exxon, retiring as Manager of Maintenance. A dedicated member of Trinity Lutheran Church, he took pleasure in serving and leading within the congregation. Outside of work and church, David loved golfing. He served for many years as a marshal at Webb Golf Course, loved playing bridge,and was an avid reader. He is survived by his wife, Mary Heckman; his children Drew Heckman (Cathy), John Heckman (Tammy), Tim Heckman (Mary), Heather Hollis (Jeff), and Dinah Orr (Clint); grandchildren Blake Hollis (Natalie) and Grant Hollis (Kelsey) of Louisiana, 8 additional grandchildren across the United States, and 11 great_grandchildren. He is also survived by his siblings Don Heckman (Rena) of Atalissa, IA; C. Luther Heckman (Ruth) of Columbus, Ohio; and June Smedley (Bob) of Odessa, FL. Family and friends are invited to attend a funeral service to be held at Trinity Lutheran Church, 15160 South Harrell's Ferry Road, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70816 on Saturday, January 17, 2026 at 10:00 AM. Visitation will be held from 9:00 AM until service time. Light refreshments will be served following the funeral service. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to Trinity Lutheran Church, 15160 South Harrell's Ferry Road, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70816.

Mearns, William Ernest

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son Mearns and Iva Thomas Mearns. Bill graduated from Nicholas County High School and West Virginia University and served in the U.S. Army Reserve. In June 1961, Bill married the love of his life, Veda "Mickie" Avonelle White in Charleston, West Virginia. They later moved to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and Ringgold, Georgia, where they raised their children.

During his four-decade career in the chemical industry, Bill and two friends formed their own company, Discovery Aluminas, located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Bill was proud of the company's success and the dedicated employees who worked alongside him. Upon his retirement, Bill and Mickie returned to their beloved home state of West Virginia, in the mountains of Charleston.

They were together for 57 years until Mickie's passing in 2018.

Bill had many hobbies, talents, and interests throughout his life. He was a dedicated painter and musician and a talented woodworker, as well as a diehard fan of the WVU Mountaineers and generous supporter of the West Virginia Symphony. He created a college scholarship in his parents' names, the Ernest and Iva Mearns Scholarship at Nicholas County High School, to benefit graduates of the high school he attended and where his parents taught.

Everyone who knew Bill was struck by his generosity and kindness, his optimism, and his positive, gentle demeanor. He will be greatly missed.

Bill was preceded in death by his parents, Ernest and Iva Mearns of Summersville, WV; his wife, Veda "Mickie" (White) Mearns; his brother Thomas "Tom" Jefferson Mearns, MD of Beckley WV and his beloved son, Michael Shawn Mearns who died of leukemia as a child. He is survived by his children Karen (Mearns) Banks and William Patrick Mearns and two grandchildren, James and Colin Banks who adored him and have a collection of amazing toys and furniture he made for them in his workshop to remember him by.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, February 7 at 10:00 am at the Clay Center, 1 Clay Square, Charleston, WV in the Founders Lounge. For friends and colleagues in Baton Rouge, a Celebration of Life will be held at Oak Lodge, 2905 Westfork Dr, Baton Rouge, LA on January 24th at 1:30 pm. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in memory of Bill to the West Virginia Symphony or the Mountaineer Food Bank, 484 Enterprise Drive, Gassaway, WV 26624.

NE WSL E TTER S The biggest stories customized to your interests – delivered direct to your inbox

Louque, Holt Roy

Holt Roy Louque, age 78, of Denham Springs, Louisiana, passed away peacefully just after midnight on January 13, 2026.

Born on November 13, 1947, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Holt was a proud graduate of Istrouma High School, Class of 1965 and retired from Exxon Chemical. He was a proud marine veteran who served his country with honor and pride during the Vietnam War, being awarded the Navy Commendation Medal with Combat "V". He is survived by his children, Tamela (Tammy) Louque Williams, from his first marriage to Cindy; Paul Ryan Louque and his wife, Kelly and Lauren Louque Fenstermann and her husband, Andy, from his second marriage to Billie. He leaves behind his beloved grandchildren Allie Williams Fincher, Jamie E. Williams, Katherine Ballard, Stephanie J. Louque, Wilson P. Louque, Kenadi Watts, Fiona Fenstermann, and Ferris Fenstermann; along with six cherished great-grandchildren: Levi Benton; Declan and Jordan (Benji) Fincher; Kayden, Karsen, and Klaire Ballard. He was preceded in death by his parents, Wilson V. Louque, Jr. and Margerite S. Louque; his brothers, Wilson V.

William "Bill" Ernest Mearns, 91, of Atlanta, Georgia passed away on Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025, one day before his 92nd birthday. Born in 1933 in Richwood, West Virginia, he was the son of Ernest Car-

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Supreme Court to hear appeal on Roundup

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court agreed on Friday to hear an appeal from global agrochemical manufacturer Bayer to block thousands of state lawsuits alleging it failed to warn people that its popular weedkiller could cause cancer.

The justices will consider whether the Environmental Protection Agency’s approval of the Roundup weedkiller without a cancer warning should rule out the state court claims.

The Trump administration has weighed in on Bayer’s behalf, reversing the Biden administration’s position.

Some studies associate Roundup’s key ingredient, glyphosate, with cancer, although the EPA has said it is not likely to be carcinogenic to humans when used as directed.

Bayer disputes the cancer claims but has set aside $16 billion to settle cases. At the same time, it has tried to persuade states to pass laws barring the lawsuits.

The high court will take up a case from Missouri, in which a jury awarded $1.25 million to a man who developed non-Hodgkin lymphoma after spraying Roundup on a community garden in St. Louis.

Bayer faces about 181,000 Roundup claims, mostly from residential users.

YouTube relaxes policy on controversial content YouTube is updating its guidelines for videos containing content that advertisers define as controversial, allowing more creators to earn full ad revenue when they tackle sensitive issues in a nongraphic way.

With the update that went into effect Tuesday, YouTube videos that dramatize or cover issues including domestic abuse, selfharm, suicide, adult sexual abuse, abortion and sexual harassment without graphic descriptions or imagery are now eligible for full monetization.

Ads will remain restricted on videos that include content on child abuse, child sex trafficking and eating disorders.

The changes were outlined in a video posted to the Creator Insider YouTube channel on Tuesday, and the advertiser-friendly content guidelines were also updated with specific definitions and examples.

The update also makes personal accounts of these sensitive issues, as well as preventative content and journalistic coverage on these subjects, eligible for full monetization.

The Google-owned company said the degree of graphic or descriptive detail in videos wasn’t previously considered when determining advertiser friendliness.

Some creators would attempt to bypass these policies on YouTube and other platforms by using workaround language or substituting symbols and numbers for letters in written text — the most prevalent example across social platforms has been the use of the term “unalive.”

OpenAI plans for advertising on ChatGPT SAN FRANCISCO — OpenAI says it will soon start showing advertisements to ChatGPT users who aren’t paying for a premium version of the chatbot.

The artificial intelligence company said Friday it hasn’t yet rolled out ads but will start testing them in the coming weeks.

It’s the latest effort by the San Francisco-based company to make money from ChatGPT’s more than 800 million users.

Though valued at $500 billion, the startup loses more money than it makes and has been looking for ways to turn a profit.

“Most importantly: ads will not influence the answers ChatGPT gives you,” said Fidji Simo, the company’s CEO of applications, in a social media post Friday.

The ads “will be clearly labeled and separated from the organic answer,” the company said.

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Officials aim to solve AI-driven problems White House, governors hope to fix power shortages, price spikes

BY BEN FINLEY and MARC LEVY Associated Press

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration and a bipartisan group of governors on Friday tried to step up pressure on the operator of the nation’s largest electric grid to take urgent steps to boost power supplies and keep electricity bills from rising even higher.

Administration officials said doing so is essential to win the artificial intelligence race against

China, even as voters raise concerns about the enormous amount of power data centers use and analysts warn of the growing possibility of blackouts in the mid-Atlantic grid in the coming years.

“We know that with the demands of AI and the power and the productivity that comes with that, it’s going to transform every job and every company and every industry,” Interior Secretary Doug Burgum told reporters at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, next to the White House. “But we need to be able to power that in the race that we are in against China.”

The White House and governors want the mid-Atlantic grid operator to hold a power auction for tech companies to bid on contracts to build new power plants,

so that data center operators, not regular consumers, pay for their power needs.

They also want the operator, PJM Interconnection, to contain consumer costs by extending a cap that it imposed last year, under pressure from governors, that limited the increase of wholesale electricity payments to power plant owners. The cap applied to payments through mid-2028.

PJM wasn’t invited to the event.

However, PJM’s board is nearing the release of its own plan after months of work and will review recommendations from the White House and governors to assess how they align with its decision, a spokesperson said Friday.

PJM has searched for ways to meet rising electricity demand,

including trying to fast-track new power plants and suggesting that utilities should bump data centers off the grid during power emergencies. The tech industry opposed the idea.

The White House and governors don’t have direct authority over PJM, but grid operators are regulated by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which is chaired by an appointee of President Donald Trump.

Trump and governors are under pressure to insulate consumers and businesses alike from the costs of feeding Big Tech’s data centers. Meanwhile, more Americans are falling behind on their electricity bills as rates rise faster than inflation in many parts of the U.S.

Boost production Lawmakers want to produce more rare earths and the other critical minerals

BY DIDI TANG and JOSH FUNK Associated Press

WASHINGTON — A bipartisan group of lawmakers have proposed creating a new agency with $2.5 billion to spur production of rare earths and the other critical minerals, while the Trump administration has already taken aggressive actions to break China’s grip on the market for these materials that are crucial to high-tech products, including cellphones, electric vehicles, jet fighters and missiles.

It’s too early to tell how the bill, if passed, could align with the White House’s policy, but whatever the approach, the U.S. is in a crunch to drastically reduce its reliance on China, after Beijing used its dominance of the critical minerals market to gain leverage in the trade war with Washington. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to a one-year truce in October, by which Beijing would continue to export critical minerals while the U.S. would ease its export controls of U.S. technology on China.

The Pentagon has shelled out nearly $5 billion over the past year to help ensure its access to the materials after the trade war laid bare just how beholden the U.S. is to China, which processes more than 90% of the world’s critical minerals. To break Beijing’s chokehold, the U.S. government is taking equity stakes in a handful of critical mineral companies and in some cases guaranteeing the price of some commodities using an approach that seems more likely to come out of China’s playbook instead of a Republican administration.

The bill that Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., and Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., introduced Thursday would favor a more market-based approach by setting up the independent body charged with building a stockpile of critical minerals and related products, stabilizing prices, and encouraging domestic and allied production to help ensure stable supply not only for the military but also the broader economy and manufacturers.

Shaheen called the legislation “a historic investment” to make the U.S. economy more resilient against China’s dominance that she said has left the U.S. vulnerable to economic coercion. Young said creating the new re-

STAFF FILE PHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said this week that the Pentagon has ‘deployed over $4.5 billion in capital commitments’ to close six critical minerals deals that will ‘help free the United States from market manipulation.’ One of the deals involves $150 million of preferred equity by the Pentagon in Atlantic Alumina Co. to save the country’s last alumina refinery and build its first large-scale gallium production facility in Louisiana. serve is “a much-needed, aggressive step to protect our national and economic security.”

Rep. Rob Wittman, R.-Va., introduced the House version of the bill.

When Trump imposed widespread tariffs last spring, Beijing fought back not only with tit-for-tat tariffs but severe restrictions on the export of critical minerals, forcing Washington to back down and eventually agree to the truce when the leaders met in South Korea.

On Monday, in his speech at SpaceX, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth revealed that the Pentagon has in the past five months alone “deployed over $4.5 billion in capital commitments” to close six critical minerals deals that will “help free the United States from market manipulation.”

One of the deals involves $150 million of preferred equity by the Pentagon in Atlantic Alumina Co. to save the country’s last alumina refinery and build its first large-scale gallium production facility in Louisiana.

Last year, the Pentagon announced it would buy $400 million of preferred stock in MP Materials, which owns the country’s only operational rare earths mine at Mountain Pass, California, and entered into a $1.4 billion joint partnership with ReElement Technologies Corp. to build up a domestic supply chain for rare earth magnets.

The drastic move by the U.S. government to take equity stakes has prompted some analysts to observe that Washington is pivoting to some form of state capitalism to compete with Beijing.

“Despite the dangers of political interference, the strategic logic is compelling,” wrote Elly Rostoum, a senior fellow at the Washington-based research institute Center for European Policy Analysis. She suggested that the new model could be “a prudent way for the U.S. to ensure strategic autonomy and industrial sovereignty.”

In addition to trying to boost domestic production, the Trump administration has sought to secure some of these crucial elements through allies. In October, Trump signed an $8.5 billion agreement with Australia to invest in mining there, and the president is now aggressively trying to take over Greenland in the hope of being able to one day extract rare earths from there.

Congress in the past several years has pushed for legislation to protect the U.S. military and civilian industry from Beijing’s chokehold. The issue became a pressing concern every time China turned to its proven tactics of either restricting the supply or turned to dumping extra critical minerals on the market to depress prices and drive any potential competitors out of business.

Canada agrees to cut tariff on Chinese EVs China to lower tariffs on Canadian farm products

BY KEN MORITSUGU and ROB GILLIES Associated Press

BEIJING — Breaking with the United States, Canada has agreed to cut its 100% tariff on Chinese electric cars in return for lower tariffs on Canadian farm products, Prime Minister Mark Carney said Friday.

Carney made the announcement after two days of meetings with Chinese leaders. He said there would be an initial annual cap of 49,000 vehi-

cles on Chinese EV exports coming into Canada at a tariff rate of 6.1%, growing to about 70,000 over five years. China will reduce its total tariff on canola seeds, a major Canadian export, from 84% to about 15%, he told reporters.

“Our relationship has progressed in recent months with China. It is more predictable and you see results coming from that,” Carney said.

Carney hasn’t been able to reach a deal with U.S. President Donald Trump to reduce some tariffs that are punishing some key sectors of the Canadian economy and Trump has previously talked about making Canada the 51st state.

Trump commended Carney for

making a deal with Beijing. “Well, it’s OK. That’s what he should be doing and it’s a good thing for him to sign a trade deal. If you can get a deal with China, you should do that,” Trump said.

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer earlier told CNBC Canada’s decision to allow Chinese EV imports at a low tariff is “problematic” and said that Canada may regret that in the long term.

Earlier Friday, Carney and Chinese leader Xi Jinping pledged to improve relations between their two nations after years of acrimony.

Xi told Carney in a meeting at the Great Hall of the People that he is willing to continue working to improve ties, noting that talks have

been underway on restoring and restarting cooperation since the two held an initial meeting in October on the sidelines of a regional economic conference in South Korea.

Carney, the first Canadian prime minister to visit China in eight years, told Xi that better relations would help improve a global governance system that he described as “under great strain.” The tariffs Trump has imposed have hit both the Canadian and Chinese economies. Carney, who has met with several leading Chinese companies in Beijing, said ahead of his trip that his government is focused on building an economy less reliant on the U.S. at what he called “a time of global trade disruption.”

OPINION

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

ANOTHER VIEW

Americans are wary of military intervention Nobody likes Nicolás Maduro. Or better put, nobody should. Before the U.S. effectively removed him from power on Jan. 3, he proved to be a disaster for his own country and a destabilizing force beyond its borders.

Venezuela’s living standards plummeted under Maduro. Protests erupted.

His authoritarian rule mixed corruption, censorship, human rights violations and election fraud. Thousands of Venezuelans were killed without due process, and roughly seven million fled Ron the economy imploded.

Faucheux asAnd yet U.S. voters are skeptical of the efficiently executed military action President Donald Trump took against Maduro. Why? When Americans hear “military intervention,” they think “quagmire.” They view foreign involvement through the stained lens of Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan — brutal, costly wars with shifting rationales and murky endings. They want to know if each situation poses a direct threat to them.

A nationwide Economist/YouGov poll conducted Jan. 2-5 found that only 6% of U.S. voters favor using military force to advance foreign policy goals “often,” and another 31% favor using it only “sometimes.” The latest Economist/YouGov polling, conducted Jan. 9-12, found that Americans — by a wide 19-point margin — believe U.S. military interventions are more likely to make situations worse than better.

On Venezuela, the latest polling shows that only 37% of the electorate believes U.S. military intervention was justified. Worse, fewer than a third believe the military action will improve conditions inside Venezuela. A big majority also believes Trump should have sought congressional authorization first — a view shared by most independents and a sizable chunk of Republicans.

A new Quinnipiac University poll finds that 41% of U.S. voters approve and 52% disapprove of Trump’s handling of Venezuela policy. Partisan division is razor-sharp: 83% of Republicans approve, compared to 4% of Democrats and 38% of independents.

A key reason why Trump’s numbers have been so lackluster is because his messaging on Venezuela has been muddled. Is the action we took in Venezuela about drugs, terrorism, democracy or oil? Most Americans think it’s about oil, since that’s what the president has communicated. But other reasons may have been more persuasive in justifying what’s been done.

Like George W. Bush with Iraq and Joe Biden with Afghanistan, Trump has failed to make clear his course of action. A recent CBS News poll shows 70% of Americans believe Trump hasn’t adequately explained his Venezuela policy. That makes it harder for voters, including Trump supporters, to embrace and defend it.

Economist/YouGov polling also finds that voters don’t want the U.S. to “run” Venezuela, as Trump has suggested. Only 17% of voters think we should.

While presidents should not disclose every detail of global wheeling and dealing, they do need to explain enough to earn public trust. Free advice for the White House: Let Secretary of State Marco Rubio do the explaining; he’s better at it than the rest of the administration.

Venezuela isn’t the only international flashpoint creating political trouble for the president. There’s Greenland, too. Even after the administration has floated threats, only 10% of U.S. voters in the latest Economist/YouGov poll support using “military force to take control of that country.” Also, only 15% support giving Greenland residents individual payments to “encourage them to secede from Denmark and join the United States.”

In other hot spots, U.S. voters disapprove of Trump’s handling of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by 48% to 37%, and disapprove of his handling of the Russia-Ukraine conflict by 50% to 35%. Barely a third of the electorate says “America’s standing in the world” has improved since Trump became president last year, while 62% say it has worsened.

At press time, it was still too early to know how the situation in Iran will unfold. But the Quinnipiac poll shows that only 18% of voters think the U.S. should take military action against Iran if protesters are killed while demonstrating against their government.

Seven in 10 voters don’t want the U.S. to get involved.

Trump won two elections with less than 50% of the vote. But war and diplomacy demand something bigger: a durable public majority to back up his policies.

Right now, he doesn’t have it.

YOUR VIEWS

Trump voters can’t feel good about Greenland

Views on immigration reveal much about a person How one feels about our country’s immigration crisis is in many ways a litmus test of the human heart. For some, undocumented immigrants must forever be treated as inferior human beings because they entered our country without permission, often decades ago.

No matter how hard they have worked, how loving and responsible they have been as parents, how much they have contributed to their churches and paid in taxes, their “sin” of entering without permission means they deserve to be treated like their lives don’t matter. For most Americans, however, it is not such a simple equation, nor so cruel a one.

We understand that most immigrants who entered the U.S. without permission did so to escape poverty so pervasive they could never get ahead and live lives of dignity.

But why not come legally?

A quick Google search sheds light: It’s almost impossible to obtain an immigrant visa unless one has a parent, spouse or adult child who is a U.S. citizen or Legal Permanent Res-

ident who can sponsor the applicant, or one is a highly skilled professional with a college degree and has identified a U.S. employer sponsor.

About 80% of immigrant visas a year are granted in these two categories.

Historically, the remainder of immigrant visas allocated yearly are reserved largely for people granted asylum based on persecution by one’s government.

After entering the U.S. without permission, the same limited categories apply to gain legal status.

Clearly, our country’s immigration system needs major reform, which became painfully evident during the terror campaign waged recently by Customs and Border Protection on many of the same immigrants who rebuilt our region after Katrina.

Until reform happens, can we remember the teachings of a famous immigrant whose birth we just celebrated, including: “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.”

The most recent example of the folly of electing a chief executive so totally ignorant of history and international law is his suggestion that he will either purchase, or seize by force, Denmark’s island of Greenland. Sadly, such is the result when voters fail to appreciate the folly of turning government over to a real estate developer and reality show blowhard.

But it will be interesting to see how long it now takes France to reclaim the vast interior portion of the continental United States, arguing that in 1803 Thomas Jefferson had acted unlawfully, or exerted too much pressure on their country, to realize the Louisiana Purchase. Thanks to CODOFIL, many here will be well prepared for the language change. President Donald Trump’s recently named “envoy” to Greenland also may be advised to save the airfare and avoid a well-earned frosty visit.

JACK BELSOM New Orleans

SUE WEISHAR New Orleans

We are the villains in Venezuela

Immigrants face hardships we don’t recognize Jessie LeBlanc, in a letter complaining about illegal immigrants, says they are not paying FICA taxes, resulting in them not contributing to Social Security. They may not be contributing, but they also aren’t receiving Social Security, Medicaid or Medicare.

He also states they don’t pay income tax. While that’s possible, they do pay taxes. Let’s not forget sales tax, property tax and all the other taxes built into cellphone, cable bills, etc.

Lastly, LeBlanc states “a large part” of their income returns to

their country of origin. It’s their money; they can use it as they see fit.

Yes, illegal immigration is a problem. The solution is not to arrest and deport everyone because they may not have proper documentation.

They left their families, their home countries, to come to the United States for a better life.

They aren’t afraid of hard work and do jobs most Americans don’t or won’t do. We, as Americans, should welcome them rather than condemn them.

More than 50 years ago, as a Latin American Studies major at Tulane, I learned about the history of our interventions into Latin American politics — from Cuba (Remember the Maine!), to Haiti, to Nicaragua, to all the Central American republics, to Grenada, to CIA support of murderers like Chile’s Augusto Pinochet.

Our attempts to shape the history of Latin America for the benefit of American business interests is almost uniformly shameful. (Yes, capitalism was the engine driving our Latin American policies.) We intervened to protect or generate profits for U.S. corporations. That’s it. We are not democratizing; we are not reforming. We are the bullies of the region and capitalism, not idealism, propels us. We are, in short, the bad guys. Our invasion of Venezuela fits neatly with that history. I find that sickening.

SHELBY ROTOLO Metairie

Handelsman kept news from being depressing It is all I can do, most days, to make it past the first section of the paper with my sanity intact.

Thank you, so very much, Walt Handelsman, for giving me the prize for doing so in the Metro section for

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

these many years.

Enjoy your retirement. You have so earned it, and we are very grateful to you.

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S at u r d ay, J a n u a ry 17, 2026

B I L L S A T B R O N C O S • 3 : 3 0 P. M . S A T U R D A y • C B S

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1Cn

LSU fails to shake SEC road opener troubles

Tigers have lost four straight conference openers away

BY SCOTT RABALAIS Staff writer

After soaring to a first-place tie in a meet with three other top five-ranked teams in last week’s Sprouts Collegiate Quad, the No. 2 LSU gymnastics team came back to earth with several thuds Friday in its Southeastern Conference opener at Georgia.

LSU gymnasts returned from their trip to Athens, Georgia, with four individual wins, including a pair for 2025 SEC freshman of the year Kailin Chio. But the Tigers also had five scores of 9.65 or lower and counted two of them, major culprits in LSU’s 197.200196.850 loss to the No. 8 Bulldogs.

“We had really one clean event where we hit all six routines,” a frustrated LSU coach Jay Clark said afterward. “That was it.

“We were not sharp at all. I’m not going to make excuses. You have to go into other people’s places and adjust to the equipment.

We didn’t like the floor. But you have to execute.”

It’s LSU’s first dual-meet loss to Georgia in a decade, and the Tigers’ fourth straight loss in an SEC road opener. The last time LSU won in its first SEC road meet of the season was in 2022 at Georgia.

The past three years, the Tigers were able to recover from their early SEC road stumbles and go on to have stellar seasons. In 2023, LSU lost at Kentucky and reached the

ä See SEC, page 3C ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By MATT ROURKE

Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton watches a play during the first half of a game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Oct. 5 in Philadelphia. Payton and the Broncos are playing a divisional round playoff game Saturday.

Former Saints coach chases one-of-a-kind NFL feat Jeff Duncan

S

ean Payton begins his quest for history this weekend.

The Denver Broncos head coach is trying to become the first coach in NFL history to lead two different teams to Super Bowl championships. He needs three wins to get it done, starting with Saturday’s AFC divisional playoff

game against the Buffalo Bills in Denver.

History tells us the task ahead is daunting.

Only seven coaches have managed to lead two different teams to the Super Bowl: John Fox (Panthers, Broncos); Mike Holmgren (Packers, Seahawks); Bill Parcells (Giants, Patriots); Dan Reeves (Broncos, Falcons); Andy Reid (Eagles, Chiefs); Don Shula (Colts, Dolphins); and Dick Vermeil (Eagles, Rams). None has managed to pull off the Super Bowl daily double, underscoring the difficulty of Payton’s challenge. ä See DUNCAN, page 5C

Hurricanes’ turbulent times come to an end

LSU lands anotther haul of transfers

BY REED DARCEY and WILSON ALEXANDER

Miami has made remarkable turnaround in college football

BY TIM REYNOLDS AP sportswriter

CORAL GABLES, Fla. — Miami safety Jakobe Thomas enjoyed seeing the Hurricanes at their worst.

He was with Middle Tenä Indiana vs: nessee State in 2022 when Miami 6:30 P.M. the Blue Raiders — fourtouchdown underdogs that MONDAy, ESPN day — came into Hard Rock Stadium and used big play after big play to beat Miami 45-31, part of the Hurricanes’ spiral to a 5-7 season in Mario Cristobal’s first year back at his alma mater.

And it wasn’t like that MTSU team was some juggernaut, either. It went 0-3 in its next three games, losing by a combined 60 points. But it had no trouble with Miami.

ä See HURRICANES, page 4C

STAFF FILE PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU gymnast Kailin Chio performs her routine on floor exercise on Feb. 28 at the Raising Cane’s River Center. Chio won vault and beam Friday night at Georgia, giving her four individual titles in 2026.

Offensive lineman Sean Thompkins AP FILE PHOTO

native, was once committed to LSU before he signed with the Rebels in 2025. He played Staff writers six games as a freshman this past season.

Bah is the most experienced offensive LSU added potential starters to its offen- lineman that the Tigers have added from the sive line and a promising young defensive transfer portal so far. He started 23 straight games at Maryland over the past two seaback Friday through the transfer portal.

Former Baylor offensive lineman Sean sons at right guard. A fifth-year senior next Thompkins, a redshirt sophomore, kicked season, he has one more year of eligibility. off the flurry of activity when he committed LSU’s transfer class last year was the to the Tigers. LSU later picked up pledges largest that the program had signed in the from Ole Miss freshman offensive lineman portal era, but Kiffin and his staff have far Devin Harper, Ohio State freshman safety exceeded that number as they overhaul the Faheem Delane and Maryland redshirt offense and add potentially more starters on junior offensive lineman Aliou Bah. defense.

Coach Lane Kiffin and his staff now The Tigers needed to find several starthave added 36 transfers, twice as many ers on their offensive line. They brought as LSU signed last offseason. back center Braelin Moore and right tackle Delane is a former top-100 recruit, Weston Davis, who both started double-digaccording to the 247Sports composite it games this past season, but most of the rankings, and the younger brother of unit transferred to other schools during the Mansoor Delane, an All-America corner- coaching change.

Including Thompkins, Harper and Bah, back for LSU this past season.

Thompkins played in 10 games and LSU has landed eight offensive linemen made five starts for Baylor this past sea- through the transfer portal. That group also son. He initially committed to North includes Ja’Mard Jones, a Nicholls State Carolina after he entered the transfer freshman who committed to the Tigers late portal, but he did not sign paperwork. Thursday night.

Thompkins is a former three-star recruit Harper also was a top-100 national recruit, and now he’s ranked as the with two more years of eligibility. Bah, who’s third-best interior lineman in the porä See LSU, page 4C tal by 247Sports. Harper, a Shreveport

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MLB NOTEBOOK

Bichette, Mets agree to $126M deal time Gold Glove winner, Realmuto made his decision a month after designated hitter Kyle Schwarber also chose to remain with the Phillies, agreeing to a $150 million, five-year deal.

Realmuto, who turns 35 in March, hit .257 with 12 homers and 52 RBIs in 134 games last year, when he tied for the major league lead with 132 games at catcher. He was in the final season of a $115.5 million, five-year contract.

By The Associated Press NEW YORK — Bo Bichette and the New York Mets agreed Friday to a $126 million, three-year contract, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press.

A two-time All-Star shortstop with the Toronto Blue Jays, Bichette will move to third base with the Mets, who have Francisco Lindor at shortstop. Bichette has never played a professional game at the hot corner.

Bichette can opt out of the deal after the first or second season to become a free agent again.

He would receive $47 million for one year and $89 million for two years, the person said.

The deal does not contain any deferred money and Bichette gets a full no-trade provision. His $42 million average annual value ties for the sixth-highest in baseball history.

It was the latest big development in an eventful offseason for the Mets, who angered fans by letting popular slugger Pete Alonso and star closer Edwin Díaz leave in free agency. President of baseball operations David Stearns also traded two other stalwarts, outfielder Brandon Nimmo and versatile veteran Jeff McNeil — both homegrown players.

Bichette batted .311 with 18 home runs, 94 RBIs and an .840 OPS in 139 games for the Blue Jays last year. He homered off Shohei Ohtani in Game 7 of the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Late last season, Bichette sprained his left knee in a Sept. 6 collision with New York Yankees catcher Austin Wells, keeping the infielder out of the lineup until the World Series. He returned for Game 1 against the Dodgers and played second base for the first time in six years.

Angels, Rays, Reds make trade

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By BRyNN ANDERSON

Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette celebrates his home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers during Game 7 of the World Series on Nov. 1 in Toronto. Bichette and the New york Mets have agreed to a $126 million, three-year contract.

chance for a third consecutive World Series championship.

Tucker can opt out of the deal after years two and three, according to the person who spoke to The Associated Press on Thursday night.

Tucker’s $60 million average annual value would be the secondhighest in baseball history, without factoring in deferred money, behind Shohei Ohtani’s $70 million in his 10-year deal with the Dodgers that runs through 2033.

Tucker becomes the latest accomplished veteran scooped up by the deep-pocketed Dodgers, who will have seven of the majors’ 29 biggest contracts by average annual value in 2026.

Los Angeles’ previous big move of the offseason was signing former New York Mets closer Edwin Díaz, widely considered to be the best reliever on the free agent market, to bolster their subpar bullpen.

When healthy, Tucker is among the best all-around players in the majors. But he played in just 214 Tucker, Dodgers agree to deal regular-season games over the Kyle Tucker has agreed to a past two years.

He batted .266 with 22 homers $240 million, four-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers, ac- and 73 RBIs with the Chicago cording to a person familiar with Cubs last season. He was acquired the deal, bolstering the team’s in a blockbuster trade with Hous-

ton in December 2024 that moved prospect Cam Smith to the Astros.

Caratini heading to Minnesota Catcher Victor Caratini and the Minnesota Twins agreed Friday to a $14 million, two-year contract, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press.

Caratini, 32, hit .259 last year in his second season with the Houston Astros and set career bests with 12 homers, 46 RBIs and 386 plate appearances. He caught in 49 games, played first base in 15 and was a designated hitter for 30.

A switch-hitter, Caratini batted .268 versus right-handers and .208 against lefties. He could wind up in a platoon with Ryan Jeffers, a right-handed hitter who batted .313 versus left-handers and .248 against righties.

Realmuto to stay with Phillies Veteran catcher J.T. Realmuto agreed to a $45 million, three-year contract to stay with the Philadelphia Phillies, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press on Friday.

Realmuto can earn an additional $5 million annually in bonuses, the person said.

A three-time All-Star and two-

The Tampa Bay Rays sent outfielder Josh Lowe to the Angels on Friday as part of a three-team trade in which left-handed reliever Brock Burke went from Los Angeles to Cincinnati.

Infielder Gavin Lux moved from the Reds to Tampa Bay and minor league right-hander Chris Clark from the Angels to the Rays.

Lowe, who turns 28 on Feb. 2, batted a career-worst .220 with 11 homers and 40 RBIs last year. He injured his right oblique for the third time in 13 months and didn’t play between the March 28 opener and May 15.

Lowe has a $2.6 million, oneyear contract and is on track to be eligible for free agency after the 2028 World Series. He has a .250 average with 43 homers and 170 RBIs in five big league seasons, all with the Rays.

Lux, 28, hit .269 with five homers and 53 RBIs in his only season with the Reds. He agreed last week to a $5,525,000, one-year contract and can become a free agent after this year’s World Series.

He has a .256 average with 33 homers and 208 RBIs in six seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers (2019-24) and the Reds, who acquired him last January for minor league outfielder Mike Sirota and a draft pick. Lux missed the 2023 season after tearing his right ACL in a spring training game.

Burke, 29, was 7-1 with a 3.36 ERA in 68 relief appearances and one start for the Angels. He has a $2,325,000 salary and can become a free agent after this year’s World Series.

Keys returns to Australian Open as champion

BY JOHN PYE

Associated Press MELBOURNE, Australia — Madison Keys planned to walk into the player tunnel at Rod Laver Arena in a quiet moment when nobody was watching, and take a photo of her name listed with the other champions at the Australian Open.

After beating top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka in last year’s final at Melbourne Park to win her first Grand Slam title, Keys pictured the moment she’d return to the stadium for the first Keys time as reigning champion.

“I’ve always kind of remembered walking through that tunnel and seeing all the names,” she said Friday, two days before the first major of the year starts. “It was a little bit of a pinch-me moment where I was like, ‘Wow, I’m

going to be up there.’

“I have not seen my name in the tunnel yet. I hope I can go in there when there’s no one else so I can take a picture and send it to my mom.”

Before facing the media in Melbourne, she couldn’t help but notice other evidence at the venue of her breakthrough triumph.

“There’s a really cool photo of me holding the trophy,” Keys said. “Getting to see those, it’s something you dream of in your career.”

The 30-year-old American said it was easy to look back almost 12 months and think everything worked to perfection, but “also you think about, ‘Wow, I almost lost.’

“I was match point down. So many three-set matches. There were some ugly matches. I think it kind of just makes everything a little bit better just because it wasn’t issue-free.”

Keys won a tune-up tournament in Adelaide in 2025 before ending Sabalenka’s 20-match winning

streak at the Australian Open.

At 29, she was the tournament’s oldest first-time women’s champion. She also set a record as the player with the longest gap between their first two Grand Slam finals — her first was the 2017 U.S. Open.

The Australian Open victory launched her into a Top 5 ranking the following month. After the breakthrough, though, she was ousted in the French Open quarterfinals, the third round at Wimbledon and had a nervy firstround exit at the U.S. Open. At the season-ending WTA Finals, she lost two group-stage matches.

Sabalenka, meanwhile, admitted Friday that the loss here to Keys last year was tough.

“She played incredible and overplayed me. Took me a little time to recover,” she said. “We had matches after that. I worked on my mistakes on those matches.

“Going to this AO, I’m not really focusing on that last year result, but of course I would like to do just a little bit better than I did

last year.”

Sabalenka, who beat Keys in the quarterfinals last week en route to the Brisbane International title, plays her first-round match Sunday night against Tiantsoa Rakotomanga Rajaonah, a wild-card entry from France.

Keys also lost in the quarterfinals in her title defense in Adelaide earlier this week. But she’s taking it in her stride as she prepares for another career first: defending a major title.

“Even though I’ve been on tour for a long time, this is also still my first experience as that,” she said.

“I’m really just trying to soak in all of the really cool fun parts.”

Seeded ninth and on the other side of the draw from Sabalenka, Keys is scheduled to open against Oleksandra Oliynykova of Ukraine.

“Yes, I’m sure going on court I’m going to be very nervous,” she said, “but I don’t think I’ve ever walked on court first round of a Grand Slam and not been nervous.”

Chambliss sues NCAA for extra year of eligibility

Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss sued the NCAA in state court on Friday for an additional year of eligibility so he can play for the Rebels next season.

The suit filed in Lafayette County came a week after the NCAA denied Ole Miss’ request for an extra year, saying the university and Chambliss’ previous school — Ferris State — failed to provide adequate medical documentation to back up the request.

The lawsuit filed Friday called the NCAA’s denial in “bad-faith, unreasonable and arbitrary,” and detailed his history of illness and included letters from physicians.

Ole Miss’ arguments revolve around the fact that although he has been in college for five years, he has only played three years of football because of that history.

Lavelle, Reale honored as best soccer players of year

National team midfielder Rose Lavelle has been named the 2025 U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year.

Lavelle, who also plays for Gotham FC in the National Women’s Soccer League, returned to the national team in June after recovering from ankle surgery and appeared in six matches with three goals and three assists.

Lavelle, 30, also scored six goals with two assists during the regular season with Gotham. She scored in a 1-0 victory over the Washington Spirit for the NWSL championship, winning the game’s Most Valuable Player award.

U.S. Soccer also announced Friday that Gotham defender Lilly Reale was named the Young Female Player of the Year.

Schonbaum in lead at Latin American Amateur

LIMA, Peru — Andy Schonbaum of Argentina steadied himself for a 2-under 68 on Friday to build a two-shot lead going into the weekend at the Latin America Amateur Championship.

Schonbaum, 34, has played in all but one of the 11 editions of the championship. He has yet to finish in the top 10 — his best was a tie for 11th in 2020 at Mayakoba in Mexico.

He was at 6-under 134, two shots clear of Andres Martinez Benedetti of Venezuela, who had to settle for a 70 at Lima Golf Club.

Eric Fortlage of Paraguay (66) and Mateo Pulcini of Argentina (68) were three shots behind.

The winner earns a spot in the Masters, U.S. Open and British Open this year.

Franzoni’s super-G win makes him a contender

WENGEN, Switzerland — Host Italy has a new contender in Alpine skiing with the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics three weeks away.

Giovanni Franzoni claimed his first World Cup victory on the famed Lauberhorn course in a super-G Friday, four months after his close friend and former roommate, Matteo Franzoso, died in a crash during preseason training in Chile.

The 24-year-old Franzoni — a former world junior champion in super-G, downhill and Alpine combined — took advantage of the No. 1 bib to deliver a near-perfect run.

Reaching a top speed of 87 mph, Franzoni finished 0.35 seconds ahead of Stefan Babinsky of Austria and 0.37 ahead of downhill world champion Franjo von Allmen of Switzerland.

Petrokina wins European skating title in stunner

SHEFFIELD, England — Niina Petrokina completed one of figure skating’s great comeback performances to retain her European championship title on Friday, three months after Achilles tendon surgery.

Petrokina landed seven triple jumps in a clean, personal-best free skate to music from “Dune” to score 216.14 points, a score which ranks the Estonian among some of the world’s best ahead of next month’s Winter Olympics.

“I don’t know how I do it,” Petrokina said when asked about her recovery. “I needed everything that happened for this moment.”

Petrokina had competed only in second-tier events and her national championships since surgery in October. She’d struggled with pain for much of 2025.

The Advocate ■ theadvocate.com ■ Saturday, January 17, 2026 ■ 3C

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Southern hits road for key SWAC game vs. Grambling

BY CHARLES SALZER Contributing writer

STAFF PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK

LSU guard Rashad King looks to the basket as he tries to get past Kentucky guard Kam Williams on Wednesday night at the PMAC. Kentucky defeated LSU 75-74.

LSU hosts Missouri, aims to end SEC slide

BY TOYLOY BROWN III Staff writer

LSU basketball understands the unforgiving nature of the Southeastern Conference.

LSU is the only team without a conference win, and coach Matt McMahon and his players admitted that an “emotional toll” was unavoidable after Kentucky’s game-winning, buzzer-beating shot Wednesday.

LSU (12-5, 0-4 SEC) dropped its first four games in league play for the first time since the 2012-13 season.

After the 75-74 loss to Kentucky, players and coaches said that moving on quickly will help their chances of winning an SEC game against Missouri (13-4, 3-1) at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.

“We’ve got to start our preparation here for Missouri and build on all the good things that we did (against Kentucky),” McMahon said.

LSU needs to rekindle its defensive effort from the first half against Kentucky.

The Tigers didn’t allow the Wildcats to make its first field goal until the 15:32 mark, and Kentucky opened the game 1 of 12 from the field.

The Tigers brought an intensity early that had been lacking in conference

SEC

Continued from page 1C NCAA final. In 2024, LSU lost at Missouri and won the SEC and NCAA championships.

Last year, the Tigers started with a 196.875-196.600 loss at Arkansas and went on to win the SEC regular-season and championship meet titles and were the No. 1 seed in the NCAAs for the first time.

“Everything we want is still ahead of us,” Clark said. “You can see the stuff is there. But we’ve all got to be dialed in.

You can’t have half the lineup do great and the other half checked out. You can see we have what we need. But this team has to adopt an attitude that this is unacceptable.”

LSU opened the meet on uneven bars with a string of solid performances, starting with 9.90 from Lexi Zeiss.

Then Chio, who won the allaround and beam titles in the Sprouts meet, couldn’t complete a pass on the low bar and got only a 9.30. But Courtney Blackson and Konnor McClain saved the team score with marks of 9.85 and 9.95, respectively. After one rotation, LSU led 49.37549.250 over the Bulldogs, who started on vault.

While Blackson, who won the bars title in the Sprouts meet, was able to go in that event, she scratched from LSU’s vault lineup because of a leg injury in pre-meet vault warmups. Clark said he did not know what type of injury it was but that it

ä Missouri at LSU.

2:30 P.M. SATURDAy, SEC NETWORK matchups.

Robert Miller’s presence was the most pronounced as he had seven rebounds, two steals and two blocks. The 6-foot-10 center also had six points and two assists.

“Rob Miller continues to come along,” McMahon said.

“He’s our best defender.

He’s fantastic on that end of the floor.

“We saw (Wednesday) he’s really good in those little short rolls in the middle of the floor as not only a scorer but a passer.”

McMahon will demand similar attention to detail from Miller and the defense against Missouri, which leads the SEC in field goal percentage (51.6%). LSU’s top rim protector will be tasked with deterring Mark Mitchell, a 6-8 forward who is averaging 17.5 points and has the third-most freethrow attempts (127) in the SEC. Sound point guard play will remain a top priority for LSU with top playmaker Dedan Thomas nursing a lower-leg injury he suffered on Jan. 2. McMahon said he doesn’t have a timeline for Thomas’ return.

“He’s gone from clearly being out to doubtful, making great progress (but) still day-to-day,” McMahon

Meet scores 1. #8 Georgia 197.200 (Vault — 49.250, Bars — 49.275, Beam — 49.200, Floor — 49.475) 2. #2 LSU 196.850 (Vault — 49.075, Bars — 49.375, Beam — 49.450, Floor — 48.950)

Individual (includes first place and all LSU competitors)

All-around — 1. Madison Ulrich, LSU, 39.275; 2. Kailin Chio, LSU, 39.025.

Vault — 1. Kailin Chio, LSU, 9.925; T4.

Lexi Zeiss, Amari Drayton, LSU, 9.85; 8. Madison Ulrich, LSU, 9.80; 11. Victoria Roberts, LSU, 9.65; 12. Kathryn Weilbacher, LSU, 9.525.

Bars — T1. Konnor McClain, LSU, Lily Smith, Georgia, 9.95; T3. Lexi Zeiss, LSU, 9.90; T6. Ashley Cowan, Courtney Blackson, LSU, 9.85.; 8.

Madison Ulrich, LSU, 9.825; 11. Kailin Chio, LSU, 9.30.

Beam — 1. Kailin Chio, LSU, 9.95; T2.

Amari Drayton, LSU, 9.925; T4. Lexi Zeiss, LSU, 9.875; T6. Madison Ulrich, Kylie Coen, LSU, 9.85; 10. Konnor McClain, LSU, 9.80.

Floor — 1. Lily Smith, Georgia, 9.95; T2. Kaliya Lincoln, LSU, 9.925; T5.

Kailin Chio, LSU, 9.85; T9. Madison Ulrich, Emily Innes, LSU, 9.80; 11.

Amari Drayton, LSU, 9.575; 12. Konnor McClain, LSU, 8.975.

Attendance: 10,224

did not appear to be serious.

Without Blackson, the Tigers fared poorly on vault other than a 9.925 from Chio in the anchor spot.

With former Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin in the stands watching his daughter Harley and the other Georgia gymnasts, LSU managed only a 49.075 on vault while UGA surged to the lead with a 49.250 on bars. The Tigers had to count a 9.65 from Victoria Roberts in the third spot when senior Kathryn Weilbacher, making her first appearance of the season as Blackson’s replacement, landed long and scored a 9.525. Midway through the meet, LSU trailed 98.52598.450.

It got worse for the Tigers on what traditionally is one of their best events: floor ex-

said. “Started back running and jumping. He’d give anything to be on the floor. Just can’t cut and jump and do everything at full speed that would allow him to get back out there.”

LSU made a change in the starting lineup against Kentucky for the first time since Thomas’ injury. Instead of freshman Jalen Reece, the coaching staff placed senior Rashad King in the starting lineup.

The move worked early as both played confidently and each had his second-highest point total of the season.

King, a 6-6 transfer from Northeastern, used his size to block two shots and grab a steal. He also had 12 points, with eight coming in the second half as LSU tried to fend off Kentucky.

Reece hesitated less on his 3-point shot, attacked more often and was active as a rebounder. He scored 11 points while making 2 of 5 from beyond the arc. He also had five rebounds, four assists and one turnover.

“Jalen Reece and Rashad King were fantastic at the point position,” McMahon said. “I thought they did a lot of good things.”

The duo will have to be sharp against Missouri, which has a defense-first point guard in Anthony Robinson. The 6-3 junior averages 2.1 steals, good for fourth in the SEC.

ercise. McClain, making her season debut in the event, seated her second pass and got an 8.975. After a 9.85 from Chio, Amari Drayton stumbled forward trying to land her final pass and got a 9.575 that LSU had to count.

Sophomore Kaliya Lincoln anchored the Tigers with a strong 9.925, but LSU managed only a 48.950 team score.

Trailing 147.725-147.400 going to the final routine, LSU needed a big score on balance beam and for Georgia to collapse to have a chance. The Tigers did their part with a 49.450, but Georgia was rock solid and did slightly better on floor with a 49.475.

Chio finished first on vault and beam, giving the sophomore All-American four individual titles in 2026 and 27 for her collegiate career.

McClain tied for first on bars with Georgia’s Lily Smith, who also won the floor title with a 9.95.

Madison Ulrich, a junior transfer from Denver, won the all-around for LSU with a 39.275 to Chio’s 39.025.

Georgia did not have anyone compete in all four events.

The Tigers return to the Pete Maravich Assembly Center next week for their home opener against Kentucky. First vault is set for 6:30 p.m., and the meet will be televised on ESPN2.

“We’ll get back into our regular week training routine for the first time and hopefully settle into a groove,” Clark said.

The Southern men’s basketball team only has one game this week, but it will be an important one when the Jaguars play at Grambling.

If anything, the extra time surrounding the game will add to the spotlight as both teams come into the game with aspirations of challenging for the regular season Southwestern Athletic Conference championship. Southern and Grambling are both 2-2 in league play, but are one game behind five teams in the loss column.

Saturday’s game will be the second half of a doubleheader at the Fredrick C. Hobdy Assembly Center. The Southern and Grambling women’s teams will play at 2 p.m., and the men’s contest will follow at about 4:30 p.m.

“It’s going to be a typical GramblingSouthern war, a north Louisiana version of the Bayou Classic,” said Southern men’s coach Kevin Johnson, whose team improved to 6-11 overall after Monday night’s 77-73 win at Bethune-Cookman.

“This Grambling team is a good team.

Even though there was a coaching change, I’m sure there will be no change as far as the hype for the rivalry.”

The coaching change was part of an offseason shuffle that included Grambling hiring Patrick Crarey away from Florida A&M. That move was prompted when former Grambling coach Donte Jackson took the head job at Alabama A&M. Regardless of who is on the sideline, Johnson said he thinks Grambling is one of a handful of teams capable of winning the SWAC. “I’ve told everybody this,” he said. “We have about six or seven teams that could possibly win (the SWAC). Even the teams that were typically at the bottom have gotten better. The league is more competitive this year than it was last year or the year before.”

With that much parity, road wins are valuable, which is why Southern’s comefrom-behind victory at Bethune-Cookman was so important. Its importance for Southern increased after the Jaguars lost 67-59 at Florida A&M in the first game of the Florida road swing.

Southern is still looking for consistency when the game is on the line, but the end of the Bethune-Cookman game showed what it is capable of.

The game featured five ties and three lead changes in the final nine minutes. The last tie was at 71-71 with three minutes

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

Southern forward Malek Abdelgowad goes in for a dunk against Prairie View on Jan. 5 at the F.G. Clark Activity Center.

left, and Southern post player Malek Abdelgowad put the Jaguars ahead for good with four free throws.

The win gave Southern something to build on as it prepares for Grambling. The Tigers opened their SWAC season with two wins, but lost their two games in Florida last week.

“Every road game is big,” Johnson said.

“In a league our size, it’s a race to win road games because they’re so hard to get. The first couple of teams to get to five road wins, those are probably your favorites to win the regular-season championship.”

Against Bethune-Cookman, Abdelgowad came off the bench to lead Southern with 21 points and 18 rebounds, his second double-double of the season. Michael Jacobs scored 20 and Joe Manning added 14 for the Jaguars, who helped themselves by making 22 of 30 free throws.

Grambling trailed the entire second half in each of last week’s losses to BethuneCookman and Florida A&M. Jamil Muttilib led the Tigers with 22 points against Florida A&M.

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Indiana among transfer portal winners Hoosiers land star-studded group that includes QB Hoover

BY STEVE MEGARGEE Associated Press

Indiana and Ole Miss had rather busy schedules the past couple of weeks as they competed in the College Football Playoff while the transfer portal window was open.

But it apparently didn’t bother their 2026 roster construction efforts too much.

As the program gets ready to face Miami in the national championship game, Indiana has put together arguably the nation’s best collection of transfers for its 2026 roster. Ole Miss’ transfer class isn’t that far behind heading into Friday’s closing of the portal window.

Texas Tech and Texas A&M also put together impressive transfer classes, though their playoff runs ended before the portal window opened.

A look at the AP’s top 10 transfer classes in order:

ing and 13 touchdowns at Auburn over the last two seasons. Raleek Brown (Arizona State) rushed for 1,141 yards and Hollywood Smothers (N.C. State) ran for 939 yards this season. Rasheem Biles produced 101 tackles — 17 for loss — at Pittsburgh this season. Smothers was a first-team pick and Biles was a second-team selection on the Associated Press all-Atlantic Coast Conference team. The Longhorns also brought in Melvin Siani, who was Wake Forest’s starting left tackle this season. The secondary adds cornerback Bo Mascoe (Rutgers), an honorable mention allBig Ten selection from the league’s coaches and media.

Texas Tech

Texas Tech’s new quarterback is Brendan Sorsby, who threw for at least 2,800 yards each of the last two seasons at Cincinnati. Texas Tech stockpiled its defensive front seven by adding lineman Mateen Ibirogba from Wake Forest, edge Indiana rusher Adam Trick from Miami Josh Hoover, who threw for 71 (Ohio) and linebacker Austin touchdowns and more than 9,600 Romaine from Kansas State. Royards at TCU from 2022-25, is the maine had more than 160 tackles heir apparent to Heisman Tro- over the last two seasons. Trick dephy winner Fernando Mendoza at livered 81/ 2 sacks and forced three quarterback. He will pass to Nick fumbles this season.

Marsh (59 catches, 662 yards, 6 TDs at Michigan State last season) Oklahoma State and Shazz Preston (43-723-4 at TuOklahoma State is hoping it can lane). Turbo Richard rushed for bounce back from a 1-11 season by 749 yards and nine touchdowns at bringing in plenty of guys from a Boston College. Indiana also add- North Texas team that went 12-2. ed offensive lineman Joe Brunner More than a dozen players fol(formerly at Wisconsin) and de- lowed new Cowboys coach Eric fensive linemen Tobi Osunsanmi Morris from North Texas. Drew (Kansas State), Chiddi Obiazor Mestemaker threw for an FBS(Kansas State) and Josh Burnham leading 4,379 yards this season.

(Notre Dame). Preston Zachman Other arrivals from North Texas (Wisconsin) and A.J. Harris (Penn include Caleb Hawkins and Wyatt Young. Hawkins rushed for 1,434 State) boost the secondary. yards and 25 touchdowns this Texas season. Young had 70 catches for Arch Manning has a prime new 1,264 yards and 10 scores. target now that Texas has added Cam Coleman, a former five-star Louisville recruit who had 1,306 yards receivOffensive linemen Cason Henry

(South Carolina), Johnnie Brown (Georgia Southern), Anwar O’Neal (Delaware) and Eryx Daugherty (Boston College) were all starters at their former schools. Edge rusher Tyler Thompson (North Carolina) had seven sacks and safety Koen Entringer (Iowa) recorded 73 tackles this season.

Wide receiver Tre Richardson (Vanderbilt) and tight end Brody Foley (Tulsa) each caught seven touchdown passes. The Cardinals also added two quarterbacks in former Ohio State backup Lincoln Kienholz and West Georgia starter Davin Wydner.

TCU quarterback Josh Hoover, shown during a game at Houston on Nov. The Aggies rebuilt an offensive 22, is transferring to Indiana for next season.

line that loses four starters by landing Tyree Adams (LSU), Trovon Baugh (South Carolina), Coen Echols (LSU) and Wilkin Formby (Alabama). All were starters at their former schools. C.J. Mims (North Carolina), Brandon DavisSwain (Colorado) and Anto Saka (Northwestern) should help the defensive front. Isaiah Horton (Alabama) caught eight touchdown passes this season. The Aggies boosted one of their major weaknesses by adding David Olano, who went 37 of 43 on field-goal attempts at Illinois the last two seasons.

(Baylor) had more than 100 tackles each of the last two seasons.

Thomas was a second-team AP allBig 12 pick this season. Defensive lineman Michai Boireau (Florida) and defensive backs Joenel Aguero (Georgia), Jay Crawford (Auburn), Sharif Denson (Florida) and Edwin Joseph (Florida State) all were starters at their former schools. Darrell Gill (Syracuse) had five touchdown catches and Jonathan Maldonado (Nevada) had five sacks this season. Offensive linemen Carius Curne (LSU) and Troy Everett (Oklahoma) Wisconsin bring more Power Four experiWisconsin found its new quarter- ence. Quarterback Deuce Knight back in Sun Belt offensive player (Auburn) is unproven, but he’s a of the year Colton Joseph, who former five-star recruit. threw for 2,624 yards and rushed for 1,007 at Old Dominion. Abu LSU Sama rushed for 1,933 yards the Incoming LSU coach Lane Kiflast three seasons at Iowa State. fin rebuilt the Tigers’ quarterSafety Marvin Burks (Missouri) back room by signing Sam Leavitt and cornerbacks Javan Robinson (Arizona State) for the present (Arizona State) and Bryce West and Husan Longstreet (Southern (Ohio State) should provide im- California) for the future. Leavitt mediate help. Burks and Robinson got Arizona State to a CFP berth both started multiple seasons at last season. Longstreet was a five-star prospect coming out of their former schools. high school. Kiffin also upgraded Ole Miss LSU’s passing game by bringing Linebacker Keaton Thomas Winston Watkins with him from

Duke QB Mensah says he’ll enter portal, reversing plan to return

BY AARON BEARD Associated Press

Duke quarterback Darian Mensah says he’s entering his name into the transfer portal, reversing an original announcement that he would return after leading the Blue Devils to the Atlantic Coast Conference title.

Mensah announced his plan in a social media post Friday afternoon, hours before the transfer portal window was set to close.

“I’m forever grateful for Duke and the coaching staff,” Mensah said. “Thank you Duke family for everything. This wasn’t an easy decision, but after talking with my family, I believe it’s in my best interest to enter the transfer portal.”

Mensah and Duke announced his return in December, coming between the Blue Devils’ overtime win against Virginia for the ACC title and their Sun Bowl win against Arizona State.

Mensah, who transferred from Tulane, is second in the Bowl Subdivision ranks with 3,937 yards

HURRICANES Continued from page 1C

That was then.

Miami’s resurrection from that bad day and a lot of others over the last 20 years — a period during which the Hurricanes have had six coaches, three other interim coaches, 17 seasons that didn’t include a bowl win, countless headaches and zero ACC championships — is just about complete.

The Hurricanes (13-2, No. 10 College Football Playoff) play for the national championship on Monday night against Indiana (15-0, No. 1 CFP) at that same Hard Rock Stadium that was practically empty at the end of MTSU’s win four years ago.

“It’s completely different,” said Thomas, who transferred to Tennessee for 2024 before coming to Miami for his final college season.

“The Miami team we played back in ’22 was not this team now. I think coach Cristobal changed the culture around this place.”

Make no mistake, swagger is still a thing at Miami. These Hurricanes are brash and aggressive and tackle hard and play harder.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By JACOB KUPFERMAN

Duke quarterback Darian Mensah looks to pass the ball against Virginia in Charlotte, N.C., on Dec. 6. Mensah said Friday he is going to enter the transfer portal. passing and tied for second with 34 touchdown passes against six interceptions.

College football changed its calendar this year to have only one transfer portal window, with the

Cristobal’s intensity is constant.

Same goes for his staff.

But there’s a balance now as well, a demand for accountability and carrying yourself the right way at all times.

Some examples include wide receiver Malachi Toney, the best freshman in America this season, giving away turkeys at Thanksgiving; star defensive lineman Rueben Bain organizing a toy drive at Christmas and making a $5,000 donation to the elementary school he attended years ago; and receiver CJ Daniels hosting an event to raise awareness of epilepsy, something that has touched his family.

Ever since Cristobal came back to Miami, the team has broken two records each year: one for fall semester GPA, then one for spring semester GPA. “We have good people,” Cristobal said. “No, we have great people.

It starts there. Surround yourself with great people, like-minded people and see what happens.”

Cristobal didn’t use some unheard-of, wacky formula to bring Miami back to the national title picture. It was really quite simple: outwork everyone, make honesty and transparency fundamental

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By ERIC CHRISTIAN SMITH

Texas A&M

15-day period running from Jan. 2 through Friday as the final day for most players to enter their names.

In previous years, there was one transfer portal window in December and a second one in April.

AP PHOTO By RICK SCUTERI

Miami wide receiver Malachi Toney leaves the field after winning the Fiesta Bowl against Ole Miss on Jan. 8 in Glendale, Ariz.

principles of the program, hire the best people and fight like hell to win recruiting battles.

Landing Bain — a Miami guy who stayed home for college and should be a first-round NFL draft pick — in 2022 was a huge get.

Cristobal was on a plane when Bain called him to commit. He

Ole Miss and signing several other wideouts, including Eugene Wilson (Florida), Jayce Brown (Kansas State), Tre Brown (Old Dominion) and Jackson Harris (Hawaii). Harris had 49 catches for 963 yards and 12 touchdowns this season. Tre Brown had 762 receiving yards and Jayce Brown had 712.

Virginia Tech/Penn State These two schools are a package deal because of their coaching connection. New Virginia Tech coach James Franklin has added about a dozen of his former Penn State players. That list includes quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer, who took over for the injured Drew Allar as Penn State’s starter the second half of this season. Wide receiver Que’Sean Brown caught 10 passes for 178 yards and two touchdowns in Duke’s Sun Bowl win over Arizona State. New Penn State coach Matt Campbell brought nearly two dozen players with him from Iowa State. Rocco Becht headed to Penn State after throwing for 64 touchdowns and more than 9,200 yards for Campbell’s Iowa State teams over the last three seasons.

LSU

Continued from page 1C listed at 6-foot-6 and 327 pounds, began his career at Georgia.

Harper is the second former Ole Miss player to follow Kiffin to LSU. The first, wide receiver Winston Watkins, committed to the Tigers on Sunday.

On the other side of the ball, LSU has added eight transfers — five linemen and three defensive backs. LSU also is in the market for a linebacker, and sources said the Tigers are a team to watch for in the recruitment of Ole Miss transfer TJ Dottery.

While the Tigers did not have as many needs on defense as offense, they still wanted to sign several players.

The Tigers recruited Delane, a Maryland native, when he was a four-star recruit and the No. 55 overall player in the 2025 class, according to the 247Sports composite. He finished his lone season as a Buckeye with 12 tackles and one tackle for loss while playing in 13 games. He has three more years of eligibility.

Delane visited LSU on Thursday after a three-day NCAA recruiting dead period ended.

He became the second safety to

transfer to LSU this offseason, joining former Boise State safety Ty Benefield. Delane was ranked as the No. 10 safety in the transfer portal by 247Sports.

At safety, LSU already has brought back redshirt sophomore starter Tamarcus Cooley and sophomore Dashawn Spears, a top backup who could become a full-time starter next season. It persuaded Spears to return after he said he would enter the transfer portal. The Tigers need new starters at one safety spot and Star, a hybrid linebacker/safety position usually played by a defensive back.

threw his phone across the plane when he heard the words. Luckily, it was a private plane. The phone didn’t hit anyone.

“We’re used to winning and that’s what we’re going to bring back to Miami,” Bain said in 2022 when he announced his college choice.

“They need help bad, they need help right now, and I’m willing to come in right now and make a change.”

Changes were made.

After that 5-7 first season, Miami went 7-6 in 2023. Better, but nowhere near good enough. In 2024, the Hurricanes started 9-0 before losing three of their last four games. Better again, but still not good enough.

So, Cristobal hired defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman away from Minnesota to shore up that side of the ball. Carson Beck signed and took over for No. 1 draft pick Cam Ward at quarterback.

Miami kept landing key pieces in the transfer portal — Thomas, Keionte Scott and Mohamed Toure are some who’ll play big roles on defense Monday night, while Keelan Marion, James Brockermeyer, Marty Brown, Daniels and Beck are just a few of the names who’ll be on the offensive side.

“It was just getting the brotherhood right,” said linebacker Wesley Bissainthe, who played for Miami in that loss to MTSU. “I feel like we’re all in there. Every person in that locker room is playing for each other. That’s what it looks like when we’re out there. No one is just playing for themselves.

The brotherhood, I feel like it’s one of the most important things in a team’s culture. You’ve got to play for the person beside of you.”

Miami has put together back-toback seasons of double-digit wins — it had four consecutive 10-ormore-win seasons from 2000-03, then exactly one such season from 2004-23. It will have back-to-back, season-ending appearances in the AP Top 25 for just the second time since 2005. Win or lose on Monday, Cristobal inevitably will say more work needs to be done.

But the dark days at Miami seem to be over.

“A care factor that’s through the roof and a die-hard belief in the University of Miami, bleeding orange and green through all of us, I think that’s what has really forged our progress forward as we continue to try to get better,” Cristobal said. “And we certainly have a long ways to go.”

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU football coach Lane Kiffin greets fans before an LSU women’s basketball game on Jan. 1.

The Advocate ■ theadvocate.com ■ Saturday, January 17, 2026 ■ 5C

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Rams hope to wrap arms around Bears quarterback Williams

BY GREG BEACHAM AP sportswriter

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By SCOTT STRAZZANTE

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy throws an incomplete pass on fourth down against the Seattle Seahawks during the first half of a game on Jan. 3 in Santa Clara, Calif.

Seahawks don’t expect surprises against 49ers

BY ANDREW DESTIN AP sportswriter

RENTON, Wash. — For the Seattle Seahawks to host another playoff game and move closer to the fourth Super Bowl appearance in franchise history, they will have to dispose of a familiar foe.

Very familiar.

The top-seeded Seahawks (14-3) host the San Francisco 49ers (13-5) in the NFC’s divisional round on Saturday night. It’ll be the second meeting in three weeks between the NFC West rivals and the third time they have squared off in the playoffs.

Seattle won the division and secured the No. 1 seed with a dominant 13-3 win over Brock Purdy and the host 49ers on Jan. 3. That was the lowest-scoring output for the Niners since they lost 23-3 to Carolina in coach Kyle Shanahan’s debut in 2017.

Purdy said San Francisco will have to make adjustments against the NFL’s top-ranked scoring defense.

“We just played them two weeks ago, so looking back at the other game plan as well and having it sort of fresh in your mind,” Purdy said, “picking it up where you left off and obviously making some changes where you need to. But yeah, it feels like we just played them.”

ä 49ers at Seahawks.

7 P.M. SATURDAy, FOX

Seahawks defensive lineman Leonard Williams recognizes it will be a challenge to slow down San Francisco’s 10th-ranked scoring offense, even with Seattle’s recent success against the Niners.

“They’ve clearly shown that they have a good offense,” Williams said. “But at the same time, I trust our team.”

Seattle finished the season with seven straight wins to finish with a franchise-record 14 victories, but one of its losses came at home against San Francisco in Week 1.

The Seahawks had some fresh concerns Thursday when quarterback Sam Darnold injured his left oblique in practice. He was listed as questionable but said he’s confident he’ll play.

Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald doesn’t expect to see much that’s different about the 49ers, given that they’ve played only once since the last meeting.

“You’re really going off how you felt like you played the game, things you did well, maybe where you think they might take things,” Macdonald said.

The 49ers played their final two games of the regular season with one fewer day of rest than normal,

DUNCAN

Continued from page 1C Before the season, Payton told me and others he had a team talented enough to reach the Super Bowl and win it. I took his words with a grain of salt, assigning his enthusiasm to the normal preseason optimism. Turns out, he wasn’t just talking out the side of his neck. The Broncos went 14-3 and wrested AFC West supremacy away from the Kansas City Chiefs, the division’s longtime kingpin.

A year ago, Payton surprised the league by steering his second Broncos team to the playoffs.

That bunch was not ready for prime time, and it showed in a 31-7 blowout loss to the Bills at Highmark Stadium in Buffalo, New York.

This year is different. The Broncos are the top seed in the AFC. Expectations are high in Denver, where the Broncos will play their first home playoff game in a decade. If you’ve ever been to Invesco Field, you know the atmosphere will be electric for four quarters.

Broncos fans have endured years of frustration, embarrassment and heartache before reaching this point. They’ll be ready.

“After last season, the expectations rose internally as well as externally,” Payton said. “After free agency, I told some (reporters) that I thought this team had a chance to be unique, and I feel the same way now.”

Rest assured, Payton knows what’s at stake. He’s a student of history and aware of what a second Super Bowl title would mean for his legacy.

He also understands the impor-

AP PHOTO By ERIC LUTZENS

Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton looks over a playbook with quarterback Bo Nix on Jan. 4 in Denver.

tance of opportunity. The Broncos are rested, relatively healthy and blessed with the home-field advantage in the AFC thanks to their No. 1 seed, a luxury Payton enjoyed just twice in 16 seasons with the Saints. He knows how rare these opportunities can be and the importance of taking advantage of them.

“No. 1 seeds are not like carwash coupons; they’re hard to get,” Payton said this week. “I told the team (this week), we only have four weeks left together as a team. Let’s make the most of it.”

His team is good enough to garner a fourth Lombardi Trophy for the Mile High City. The Broncos are talented along both lines and boast the more fearsome pass rush in the league. But they are far from dominant. While they posted a league-best 14-3 mark, they outscored opponents by only 5.3 points a game, seventh-best in the league. Eleven of their wins came by eight points or fewer.

The Bills game has all of the ingredients for compelling theater.

including the Week 18 loss to Seattle. They’re in the same situation this week against well-rested Seattle after playing their wild-card game Sunday.

Coach Kyle Shanahan had lobbied for a Sunday game this week to no avail, leading to the team limiting practices and changing meeting times to give players as much rest as possible.

“We can’t control that kind of stuff,” linebacker Eric Kendricks said. “At the end of the day, we’re playing meaningful football. We want to play meaningful football. These games mean a lot. We know what’s at stake, so we better get ready for it.”

Niners wide receiver Ricky Pearsall has not played since Dec. 28 because of a knee injury, but he returned to practice this week in a limited capacity. A return by Pearsalll would be a boost for San Francisco, especially after All-Pro tight end George Kittle tore his right Achilles tendon in the 49ers’ 23-19 win at Philadelphia last week.

Macdonald and the Seahawks expect to see Pearsall in the lineup.

“They have a lot of talented receivers, but he’s definitely one of them,” Macdonald said. “He definitely complements the rest of the guys well in terms of what he does in his skill set and how they use him.”

Reigning MVP Josh Allen is trying to lead the Bills to their first Super Bowl in more than three decades. The Bills began the year as favorites to represent the AFC in Super Bowl LX. In beating Jacksonville last week, Allen ended a four-game losing streak in playoff road games. He won’t be intimidated by the environment and will be at home in the frigid conditions Saturday.

The game features another interesting subplot. The Buffalo coaching staff is filled with former members of Payton’s old Saints staffs, including offensive coordinator Joe Brady, offensive line coach Aaron Kromer, quarterbacks coach Ronald Curry and defensive assistant Ryan Nielsen.

Combine that with a Broncos staff featuring seven coaches with Saints ties and you have two teams that are intimately familiar with each other.

As Saints fans know, Payton’s closing run in New Orleans was hugely disappointing. For all the success he had, the second run of the Drew Brees era left fans feeling empty and unfulfilled.

His teams lost home playoff games they were favored to win in each of the 2018, 2019 and 2020 seasons. The infamous NOLA No-Call derailed the 2018 team, but there was no officiating gaffe to blame in 2019 and 2020. The Saints were just outplayed and out-coached by the Vikings and Buccaneers.

Now, Payton gets a chance at a second run at coaching immortality.

Win it all, and he books his ticket to Canton.

Fall short, and he’ll provide more fodder for his critics, who cite his 9-9 playoff record among the shortcomings on his résumé.

History awaits.

LOS ANGELES — When Jared Verse begins to elaborate on the methodology of sacking Caleb Williams, it’s quickly obvious the Los Angeles Rams star edge rusher has been thinking about this monumental task quite a bit.

“You just have to keep rushing,” Verse said. “You have to keep running. Honestly, once you get your hands around him, if you can’t fully grab him, aim for his arm. He’s a throwing quarterback. Obviously, that’s all quarterbacks, but you have to aim for his arm. Just try to mess his throw up a little bit.

“It can’t just be like you’re getting him off the spot. He’s one of those quarterbacks ... even if they’re off the spot, they’re still liable to make any type of play.”

Williams’ clutch playmaking has driven the Bears (12-6) to the NFC North title and home-field advantage in their divisional round visit from the Rams (135) on Sunday night. The Rams’ success in containing the former Southern California star will be a determining factor in this matchup — particularly in the fourth quarter, when two quarterbacks known for late comebacks seem likely to be trading big plays in the Chicago cold.

Limiting Williams is an 11-man job, but a big chunk of that responsibility falls on Verse and his fellow Pro Bowl edge rusher Byron Young. The duo combined for 191/2 of the Rams’ 47 sacks during the regular season, but both will be challenged at Soldier Field by a profoundly elusive quarterback and his much-improved offensive line.

Verse has plenty of ideas about how to do it, but he also knows the smartest plans against Williams sometimes don’t work.

“When you get to him, you have to wrap him up,” Verse said. “It’s not like (you can) lunge or jump at him. He’s very athletic and he’s very nimble. He’s able to get away from anything you bring to him. You have to keep (moving) your feet under you when you wrap him up. You can’t lunge at him.

“We’ve watched all the tape, watched games from their last playoff game to the first game of their season. He’s been doing it all season long. It’s impossible to say he won’t get away from one of us, but we all have to keep

ä Rams at Bears.

5:30 P.M. SUNDAy, NBC

pursuing it and be able to make that tackle.”

Verse still remembers his frustration when the Rams visited the Bears in Week 4 of last season. Verse managed to sack Williams twice in a three-play span of the second quarter, only for both to be nullified by defensive penalties.

The Rams sacked Williams three times that day, but he still led the Bears to a victory. Williams was sacked 68 times as a rookie, but that number plummeted to just 24 this season, and the Packers got him down only once last week while he led Chicago’s dramatic comeback victory in the wild-card round.

Rams coach Sean McVay has been struck by Williams’ growth while watching film this week.

“It’s one thing where you see him play in time and in rhythm with good accuracy and anticipation,” McVay said. “But then some of those second-reaction plays where he’s getting flushed to his right or getting flushed to his left and guys understand how to work with him, those are the ones that are really scary.

He’s playing at a high clip.”

This challenge is particularly significant for the Rams because their pass rush is the main strength of their defense, which has faded down the stretch this season. Los Angeles has allowed at least 27 points to every opponent other than the woebegone Arizona Cardinals since Thanksgiving, with the unit’s effectiveness declining in most defensive metrics.

The Rams blitz less than nearly every team in the NFL, just 18.1% of the time in the regular season. They rely on their edge rushers and interior rushers to get home often enough to help their secondary, which has been largely unimpressive all season long.

Williams’ skill set is a potential nightmare for the Rams, and they know it. Verse and his teammates are still confident they can contain him enough to keep the Rams competitive.

“He’s a Heisman winner for a reason,” said Verse, who was drafted 18 picks after Williams in 2024. “He was the No. 1 pick, and I have a lot of respect for him.”

Texans’ fearsome four in rush to get to QBs

BY KRISTIE RIEKEN

ä Texans at Patriots.

HOUSTON — Asked how he’d describe Houston’s pass rush to someone who hasn’t seen the Texans play before, coach DeMeco Ryans took a few seconds before landing on an answer.

“It’s like four Tasmanian devils just wrecking everything that’s in front of them. That’s how I look at our guys,” Ryans said. “They are fast. They are physical. The way they get off the ball, the way they collapse the pocket, they’re a terror.”

After a stellar performance in a win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in the wild-card round, the Texans are looking for this fearsome foursome to lead them again when they visit the New England Patriots on Sunday, when a win will put them in the AFC championship game for the first time in franchise history.

The starting defensive line consists of first-team AP All-Pro defensive end Will Anderson, and second-teamer and fellow end and LSU star Danielle Hunter along with tackles Sheldon Rankins and Tommy Togiai.

The Texans led the NFL in yards allowed in the regular season and were second to the Seahawks in points. They continued that success in their first playoff game, allowing just 175 yards in the 30-6 win over Pittsburgh.

Houston sacked Aaron Rodgers four times and hit him 12 other times on Monday night while forcing him to fumble twice. They scored two defensive touchdowns against the Steelers, with one coming on Anderson’s strip-sack of Rodgers that Rankins scooped

up and returned 33 yards for the score. It was the fourth touchdown this season for the Houston defensive line, another example of just how good this group has been.

Anderson and Hunter are the undisputed stars of the group after combining for 27 sacks in the regular season. But defensive line coach Rod Wright said what the Texans do doesn’t work unless everyone does their job.

“We say four equals one,” Wright said. “Everything we do, we do together. That’s a tribute to our guys.

We know we’ll sack a quarterback if we rush as one. But if one guy wins, but the other guy doesn’t complement him, the quarterback’s gonna get out, especially a quarterback like we’re playing on Sunday.”

Hunter said playing with that mindset makes the game a lot of fun.

“The guys go out there and the biggest thing is just feeling free,” he said. “You don’t have to worry about somebody else’s job, just doing your part. When you’re out there, there’s no feeling that’s better than you doing your part and everybody else is doing their part. It just flows.”

Houston’s pass rush hurried and harassed the 42-year-old Rodgers throughout Monday’s win.

The Texans know they’ll have a different challenge against the Patriots with the much more mobile 23-year-old Drake Maye, who has 450 yards rushing this season.

But regardless of who they’re facing, Wright’s message this week is that you don’t win at this level by changing things up, but rather by continuing to do what got you here.

AP sportswriter

2 P.M. SUNDAy,ABC

6C ■ Saturday, January 17, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

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Pelicans succumb in battle of NBA’s worst teams

BY ROD WALKER

Staff writer

The New Orleans Pelicans and Indiana Pacers entered Friday night’s game as the worst two teams in the NBA. The Pelicans sit at the bottom of the Western Conference standings while the Pacers are doing the same thing in the Eastern Conference.

But somebody had to win Friday, and it was the Pacers who came away with a 127-119 victory at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

Not even a splendid night from Zion Williamson and a balanced attack was enough for the Pelicans (10-34) to carry over momentum from Wednesday’s win against the Brooklyn Nets.

Indiana came into the game as the third-worst scoring team in the league, averaging 110.6 points per game. It was hard to tell after watching the Pacers torch the Pelicans for 73 points in the first half.

half was great offensively. But we just didn’t get enough stops.”

Williamson finished with 27 points and missed just two shots all game. He made 10 of 12 from the floor to go with his six rebounds and seven assists. Williamson didn’t miss his first shot until the 7:07 mark of the third quarter.

Five other Pelicans scored in double figures. Trey Murphy scored 22 points, including 5 of 14 on 3-pointers to go with five assists and four rebounds. It’s the seventh straight game Murphy has scored at least 20 points. Saddiq Bey finished with 20, and Jordan Poole ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOT0 By MICHAEL CONROy came off the bench to chip in 11.

Rookie center Derik Queen reNew Orleans Pelicans guard Saddiq Bey reacts as he’s hit by Indiana corded his ninth double-double of Pacers guard Aaron Nesmith during the first half of a game on Friday in the season, finishing with 14 points Indianapolis. and 12 rebounds.

The Pacers (10-32), who lost to The 127 points were the third-most more shots on goal,” Pelicans in- the Oklahoma City Thunder in points the Pacers have scored all terim coach James Borrego said. last season’s NBA Finals, finally “We did enough offensively, even reached double-digit wins this season.

“The biggest thing is they had 20 though I don’t think the second season. Their win total ties the

Pelicans (10-34), who were hoping to sweep the Pacers after beating them 128-109 in New Orleans in December. But the Pacers flipped the script this time around.

The Pels trailed 33-31 at the end of the first quarter, but the Pacers went on an 18-4 run in the second quarter to build a 63-48 lead. The Pelicans responded with a 15-3 run to trim the deficit to 66-63.

The Pacers led 73-66 at halftime.

Williamson shot a 8 for 8 from the floor in the half for 21 points.

Indiana center Jay Huff scored a career-high 29 points to lead the Pacers.

His previous high was 22 points. Huff was just as impressive as Williamson, shooting 13 for 17 from the floor.

“He made some big shots,” Borrego said of Huff. “They moved it, they shared it, they trusted it, and they played with great pace.”

Pascal Siakam scored 27 points for the Pacers.

The Pelicans play on the road against the Houston Rockets on Sunday.

SCOREBOARD High schools Boys basketball Thursday’s scores

Destrehan 73, Lutcher 53 Denham Springs 76, Belaire 29 Dunham 74, Catholic 62

Dunham 74, Catholic High 62 Dunham 17 24 13 20 — 74 Catholic High 17 8 23 14 — 62 SCORING: DUNHAM: AJ Olivier 21, Gavin Blanton 18, Elijah Haven 14, Jarvis Washington 13, Khris Thomas 5, Charlie Myers 3; CATHOLIC HIGH: Charlie Mosley 14, Tyler Brazier 12, Dee Abbott 12, Jude Chamberlin 7, Channing Briggs 6, Luke Morreau 5, Ethan Emonet 4 3-POINT GOALS: DUNHAM 4 (Olivier 2, Washington, Myers); CATHOLIC HIGH 7 (Abbott 3, Brazier 2, Moreau, Mosley) Team records — Dunham 11-0; Catholic 8-7

Friday’s games

Istrouma 59, Glen Oaks 36 East Ascension 59, East Iberville 47 Port Allen 68, University 60 Northwest 59, Tara 51 Albany 60, Belaire 59 Central 57, White Castle 45 St. Amant 85, Dutchtown 67 Rummel 73, Dunham 68 Donaldsonville 69, Episcopal 63 Collegiate Baton Rouge at North Iberville, ccd.

Madison Prep 66, Scotlandville 34 Mount Pointe (Ariz.) 64, Woodlawn 60 Covington 85, Walker 70

Girls basketball

Thursday’s scores

Prairieville 60, French Settlement 59 Scotlandville 56, East Feliciana 31 Destrehan 55, Dutchtown 35 Baker 53, Helix Mentorship Academy 37 East Ascension 71, Capitol 7

Friday’s games

Brusly 44, St. Michael 43 St. Amant 62, Warren Easton 37 Hammond 65, East Ascension 57 Plaquemine 48, Istrouma 26 Lutcher 43, East St. John 37 Slaughter Charter 41, Central 39 Baker at Broadmoor, cancelled

Plaquemine 48, Istrouma 26 Istrouma 8 7 7 4 — 26 Plaquemine 15 14 10 9 —48 SCORING: IHS: R. Brown 9, A. Moore 7, E. Brown 6, D. Jackson 4; PHS: C. Davis 17, B. Stewart 11, L. Molden 8, J. Andrus 6, L. Christmas 5, Jaz Butler 1 3-POINT GOALS: Istrouma: 1 (Brown); Plaquemine: 6 (Davis 4, Andrus 2) RECORDS: Plaquemine 12-10, Istrouma 11-11

Saturday’s game

Capitol at Ascension Catholic, 2 p.m.

Odds Sports Betting Line NFL Saturday

FAVORITE OPEN at DENVER 1½ at SEATTLE 6½

Sunday

FAVORITE at NE LA Rams

OPEN 2½ 4½

TODAY O-U UNDERDOG 1½ (46½) Buffalo 7 (45) San Fran TODAY O-U UNDERDOG 3 (40½) Houston 3½ (48½) at CHICAGO

College Football Monday

CFP National Championship FAVORITE OPEN TODAY O-U UNDERDOG

Indiana

NBA

Saturday

FAVORITE at DALLAS at DETROIT at NEW YORK Boston at SAN ANT at MIAMI at GOLDEN ST at DENVER at PORTLAND

7½

8½

LINE 3½ 13 OFF 4 OFF OFF OFF 12 OFF

(47½) Miami (FL)

O-U UNDERDOG (241½) Utah (227½) Indiana (OFF) Phoenix (229½) at ATLANTA (OFF) Minnesota (OFF) Okc (OFF) Charlotte (229½) Washington (OFF) LA Lakers

COLLEGE BASKETBALL Saturday

FAVORITE LINE UNDERDOG at VIRGINIA TECH 4½ Notre Dame UConn 12½ at GEORGETOWN at TENNESSEE 6½ Kentucky at SETON HALL 6½ Butler at ILLINOIS 15½ Minnesota Virginia 1½ at SMU at NC STATE 15½ Georgia Tech at OHIO STATE 3½ UCLA Alabama 5½ at OKLAHOMA at VANDERBILT 3½ Florida at INDIANA 1½ Iowa Syracuse 6½ at BOSTON COL Iowa State 6½ at CINCINNATI at WISCONSIN 14½ Rutgers TCU 4½ at UTAH at CLEMSON 4½ Miami (FL) Utah State 5½ at GRAND CANYON at LSU 4½ Missouri at GEORGIA 1½ Arkansas Michigan 16½ at OREGON Nebraska 5½ at NORTHWSTRN North Carolina 3½ at CAL Arizona 9½ at UCF Purdue 7½ at USC at TEXAS 4½ Texas A&M at WEST VIRGINIA 5½ Colorado Wake Forest 2½ at FLORIDA ST Duke 8½ at STANFORD Michigan State 3½ at WASHINGTON at AUBURN 10½ South Carolina at TEXAS TECH 2½ BYU Louisville 6½ at PITTSBURGH at VILLANOVA 1½ St. John’s at MISSISSIPPI STATE 2½ Ole Miss at OKLAHOMA STATE 4½ Kansas State

NHL

Saturday

FAVORITE LINE UNDERDOG at BUFFALO -130 Minnesota at PHILA -139 N.Y Rangers New York OFF at CALGARY at UTAH -178 Seattle Carolina -114 at NEW JERSEY at WASH -136 Florida at WINNIPEG -125 Toronto at PITTSBURGH -135 Columbus at OTTAWA -126 Montreal Boston -119 at CHICAGO Edmonton -175 at VANCOUVER Los Angeles OFF at ANAHEIM at VEGAS -245 Nashville

LINE +109 +117 OFF +148 -105 +115 +105 +114 +105 -101 +147 OFF +199

Pro basketball NBA EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division Boston New York Toronto Philadelphia Brooklyn

W 25 25 25 22 11

L 15 16 17 17 27

Pct .625 .610 .595 .564 .289

GB — ½ 1 2½ 13

Orlando

W 23

L 18

Pct .561

GB —

Southeast Division

Miami Atlanta Charlotte Washington

21 20 15 10

Detroit Cleveland Chicago Milwaukee Indiana

W 29 23 19 17 9

Central Division

20 23 26 29 L 10 19 21 24 32

.512 .465 .366 .256 Pct .744 .548 .475 .415 .220

WESTERN CONFERENCE Southwest Division W 28 23 17 16 10

2 4 8 12 GB — 7½ 10½ 13 21

L 13 15 23 26 33

Pct .683 .605 .425 .381 .233

GB — 3½ 10½ 12½ 19

Oklahoma City Denver Minnesota Portland Utah

W 35 28 27 20 14

L 7 13 14 22 27

Pct .833 .683 .659 .476 .341

GB — 6½ 7½ 15 20½

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

W 24 24 23 17 11

L 15 17 19 23 30

Pct .615 .585 .548 .425 .268

GB — 1 2½ 7½ 14

San Antonio Houston Memphis Dallas New Orleans

Northwest Division

Pacific Division

Thursday’s Games

Orlando , Memphis 111 Detroit 108, Phoenix 105 Oklahoma City 111, Houston 91 Boston, Miami 114 San Antonio, Milwaukee 101 Dallas 144, Utah Portland 117, Atlanta 101 Golden State 126, New York 113 Charlotte 135, L.A. Lakers 117

Friday’s Games

Indiana 127, New Orleans 119 Cleveland 117, Philadelphia 115 Brooklyn 112, Chicago 109 L.A. Clippers 121, Toronto 117, OT Minnesota at Houston, n Washington at Sacramento, n

Saturday’s Games

Utah at Dallas, 4 p.m.

Boston at Atlanta, 6:30 p.m.

Indiana at Detroit, 6:30 p.m.

Phoenix at New York, 6:30 p.m.

Minnesota at San Antonio, 7 p.m.

Oklahoma City at Miami, 7 p.m.

Charlotte at Golden State, 7:30 p.m.

Washington at Denver, 8 p.m.

L.A. Lakers at Portland, 9 p.m.

Indiana 127, New Orleans 119

NOLA

FG

FT

Reb

Min M-A M-A O-T A PF PTS

Bey 31:41 6-10 6-8 0-4 1 3 20 Willmsn 33:12 10-12 7-10 0-6 7 3 27 Queen 28:06 5-11 4-4 4-12 3 1 14 Fears 31:18 5-9 4-4 0-6 5 2 16 Murphy 37:37 7-21 3-4 1-4 5 3 22 Missi 19:54 1-3 0-0 3-3 0 1 2 Poole 16:36 4-7 0-0 0-2 1 1 11 McGwns 16:25 2-3 0-0 0-1 0 1 4 Matkvic 14:48 1-4 0-0 0-2 0 1 3 Hawkins 10:23 0-2 0-0 0-2 0 0 0 Totals 240 41-8224-30 8-42 22 16 119 Percentages: FG .500, FT .800.

3-Point Goals: 13-31, .419 (Murphy III 5-14, Poole 3-4, Bey 2-3, Fears 2-4, Matkovic 1-2, McGowens 0-1, Missi 0-1, Hawkins 0-2).

Team Rebounds: 7. Team Turnovers: 1.

Blocked Shots: 4 (Missi 3, Murphy III).

Turnovers: 8 (Williamson 3, Missi 2, Murphy III, Poole, Queen).

Steals: 4 (Fears 2, Murphy III, Williamson).

Technical Fouls: None.

IND

FG

FT

Reb

Min M-A M-A O-T A PF PTS

Furphy 28:38 3-8 0-0 1-4 2 2 7 Siakam 33:52 11-22 1-2 0-6 5 2 27 Huff 29:15 13-17 0-0 3-9 1 3 29 Nmbhrd 33:18 7-13 3-3 0-3 10 2 19 Nesmith 33:00 5-13 0-1 1-4 1 4 12 Walker 21:20 2-5 0-0 0-1 3 4 6 Bradley 18:45 1-4 1-2 5-9 3 1 3 McCnnll 15:37 4-8 0-0 0-2 9 1 8 Shepprd 14:47 1-4 1-2 2-3 2 1 4 Q.Jcksn 11:28 5-7 2-2 1-2 1 2 12 Totals 240 52-1018-12 13-43 37 22 127 Percentages: FG .515, FT .667.

3-Point Goals: 15-43, .349 (Siakam 4-8, Huff 3-6, Walker 2-5, Nembhard 2-6, Nesmith 2-8, Furphy 1-4, Sheppard 1-4, McConnell 0-1, Q.Jackson 0-1).

Team Rebounds: 8. Team Turnovers: None.

Blocked Shots: 7 (Bradley 2, Huff 2, Furphy, Siakam, Walker).

Turnovers: 7 (Nembhard 3, Furphy, McConnell, Q.Jackson, Siakam).

Steals: 5 (Huff 2, Furphy, Nesmith, Q.Jackson).

Technical Fouls: None.

New Orleans 33 33 27 26 — 119 Indiana 31 42 29 25 — 127 A_16,753 (20,000). T_2:07.

Pro football Wild-card Playoffs Saturday, Jan. 10

L.A. Rams 34, Carolina 31 Chicago 31, Green Bay 27

Sunday, Jan. 11

Buffalo 27, Jacksonville 24 San Francisco 23, Philadelphia 19 New England 16, L.A. Chargers 3

Monday, Jan. 12

Houston 30, Pittsburgh 6

Divsional Playoffs Saturday, Jan. 17

Buffalo at Denver, 3:30 p.m.

San Francisco at Seattle, 7:00 p.m.

Sunday, Jan. 18

Houston at New England, 2:00 p.m.

L.A. Rams at Chicago, 5:30 p.m

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 National championship Monday

At Miami Gardens, Fla. No. 1 Indiana vs. No. 10 Miami, 6:30 p.m.

(ESPN)

College basketball Men’s state schedule Saturday’s games

Missouri at LSU, 2:30 p.m.

Georgia State at UL-Monroe, 2:30 p.m.

UL at South Alabama, 3 p.m.

Lamar at Nicholls, 3 p.m.

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

Louisiana Tech at Jacksonville State, 4 p.m.

Southern at Grambling, 4 p.m.

NW State at Incarnate Word, 4 p.m.

McNeese at Texas-Rio Grande Valley, 4:30 p.m.

Stephen F. Austin at UNO, 5 p.m.

Sunday’s games

North Texas at Tulane, 3 p.m.

Men’s national scores Friday’s games EAST

Carnegie Mellon 64, Washington (MO) 61 Lehman 62, Hunter 54 SUNY-Cobleskill 73, Maine Maritime Academy 53 SUNY-Delhi 92, Maine-Farmington 91, OT SUNY-Oneonta 74, Buffalo State 53

FAR WEST

Chaminade 88, Menlo 85 Dominican (CA) 65, Hawaii Hilo 59

Women’s state schedule Tuesday’s game

Tulane 71, Temple 58

Wednesday’s game Troy 86, UL-Monroe 80

Thursday’s games

NW State 67, Houston Christian 57 Lamar 72, UNO 56 UTRGV 78, Southeastern 65 Stephen F. Austin 86, Nicholls 78 Louisiana Tech 61, Middle Tenn. 48 McNeese 59, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 42 Arkansas State 75, UL 34

Saturday’s games

UL at UL-Monroe, noon Southeastern at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, 1 p.m.

Lamar at Nicholls, 1 p.m.

Northwestern at UIW, 1 p.m.

Western Kentucky at Louisiana Tech, 2 p.m.

McNeese at UTRGV, 2 p.m.

UAB at Tulane, 2 p.m.

Stephen F. Austin at UNO, 2 p.m.

Southern at Grambling, 2 p.m.

Sunday’s games

LSU at Oklahoma, 2 p.m.

Wednesday, Jan. 21 Coastal Carolina at UL – Lafayette, 6 p.m.

Women’s national scores Friday’s games EAST

Stony Brook 61, Hofstra 44

FAR WEST

Hawai’i 86, Cal Poly 46 St. Louis at Edmonton, 7 p.m.

Transactions Major League Baseball

American League DETROIT TIGERS — Agreed to terms with OF Diego Orro on a minor league contract.

TAMPA BAY RAYS — Acquired INF Gavin Lux and RHP Chris Clark in a three-team trade with the Cincinnati Reds and Los Angeles Angels. The Rays traded OF Josh Lowe to the Angels, while the Angels traded LHP Brock Burke to the Reds.

National League MIAMI MARLINS — Claimed RHP Osvaldo Bido off waivers from the Houston Astros.

NEW YORK METS — Agreed to terms with INF Wandy Asigen, RHP Oscar Montero, INF Sebastian Toro, OF Cleiner Ramirez, INF Cristopher Jaquez, INF Oscar Pena, RHP Gensil Rosario, OF Ryan Rudas, C Frank Moreno, INF Michalle Mercedes, INF Johnderis Sanchez, OF Yeremy Reyes, OF Emerson Estevez, OF Royner Bravo, INF Dayron Oramas, LHP Eduardo Pina, OF Henry Manrique, RHP Yunior Canario, OF Elvis Teran, C Adrian La Rosa, RHP Cristian Dudamel, RHP Edgardo Rodriguez, LHP Mauricio Nunez, RHP Sebastian Gomez, RHP Jhoangel Marquez.

SATURDAY’S FAIR GROUNDS ENTRIES Post Time: 12:00PM First Race, Purse $35,000, Starters allowance $30,000, 4 yo’s & up One And One Sixteenth Miles-Turf 01 National Eclipse (J Loveberry) 12-1 02 Now and Later (P Lopez) 20-1 03 Sabi (J Mudd) 115 5-1 04 Calibrate (H Hernandez) 7-2 05 Next Level (B Hernandez, Jr.) 5-1 06 Protonic Power (I Castillo) 9-2 07 Solid Left (M Pedroza, Jr.) 12-1 08 Liar’s Poker (J Graham) 8-1 09 Write Off Jerry (J Ortiz) 4-1 10 Devil’s Harvest (C McMahon) 12-1 11 Curahee (J Ortiz) 6-1 Second Race, Purse $60,000, Maiden special weight, 3 yo, F (fillies) Six Furlongs-Dirt 01 Paradise Ridge (S Vives) 8-1 02 Seamus’s Girl (E Murray) 12-1 03 Miss Shane (D Magnon) 12-1 04 Tied the Knot (J Loveberry) 5-1 05 Miss Super Mo (A Concepcion) 7-2 06 Running Faith (C McMahon) 6-1 07 Wicked Emily (P Lopez) 8-1 08 Love Getaway (M Pedroza, Jr.) 6-1 09 Mighty Hankerin (L Saez) 3-1 Third Race, Purse $60,000, AOC $125,000, 3 yo One And One Sixteenth Miles-Dirt 01 Jackson Hole (F Prat) 7-2 02 Vamos Ya (D Cannon) 15-1 03 Thunder Buck (L Saez) 9-5 04 Colt Forty Seven (J Graham) 12-1 05 Herbs Bolt (J Ortiz) 7-2

06 Arabia Wild (I Ortiz, Jr.) 7-2 07 Different Gravy (B Curtis) 6-1 Fourth Race, Purse $60,000, AOC $20,000, 4 yo’s & up Six Furlongs-Dirt 01 Louisiana Jess (A Concepcion) 8-1 02 Dapper Moon (B Hernandez, Jr.) 7-2 03 House Bourbon (E Nieves) 20-1 04 Classic Time (J Ortiz) 4-1 05 Clear as a Bele (P Lopez) 3-1 06 Craken Jax (M Pedroza, Jr.) 12-1 07 Max Got Excited (T Bacon) 8-1 08 Majority Opinion (C Hernandez) 12-1 09 F T W Slam (J Loveberry) 9-2 Fifth Race, Purse $60,000, Maiden special weight, 3 yo, F (fillies) Six Furlongs-Dirt 01 Thesewallshaveears (B Hernandez, Jr.) 8-1 02 Tap to Open (I Ortiz, Jr.) 5-1 03 Isabelle’s Music (B Curtis) 15-1 04 Funny Bunny (P Lopez) 20-1 05 Winning Matters (L Saez) 8-1 06 Zsa Zsa (R Hernandez) 15-1 07 Feeling Groovy (F Prat) 9-2 08 Constructively (M Pedroza, Jr.) 30-1 09 Callmeyourmajesty (J Loveberry) 15-1 10 Just Bluffing (D Cannon) 6-1 11 Kayla’s Komet (A Concepcion) 8-1 12 Love and Trust (J Ortiz) 7-2 13 Goodall (P Lopez) 5-1 Sixth Race, Purse $60,000, Maiden special weight, 3 yo Six Furlongs-Dirt 01 Cowboy Roy (M Pedroza, Jr.) 8-1 02 Guns Allowed (I Ortiz, Jr.) 5-1

03 Get Them Roses (B Curtis) 15-1 04 Bearister (J Graham) 15-1 05 Mojacar (F Prat) 7-2 06 Knock It Off (P Lopez) 5-1 07 Classic Tap (H Rea) 115 10-1 08 Special Ops (F Geroux) 15-1 09 Hot Days Ahead (B Hernandez, Jr.) 20-1 10 Double Entendre (J Ortiz) 6-1 11 McBridge (C Hernandez) 15-1 12 Trouble Calling (L Saez) 8-1 13 Tapit’s Gunner (B Hernandez, Jr.) 20-1 Seventh Race, Purse $100,000, Stakes, 4 yo’s & up Five And A Half Furlongs-Turf 01 Wendelssohn (M Pedroza, Jr.) 6-1 02 Heart Headed (J Ortiz) 7-2 03 Bear River (J Graham) 8-1 04 Usually Wrong (I Castillo) 3-1 05 Petcoff (B Curtis) 8-1 06 Schwarzmeier (F Prat) 20-1 07 Step Forward (R Santana, Jr.) 12-1 08 Mondogetsbuckets (I Ortiz, Jr.) 12-1 09 Can’t Deny It (J Loveberry) 8-1 10 Monsieur Candy (C Lanerie) 20-1 11 Frost Free (T Bacon) 20-1 12 High Front (F Geroux) 10-1 13 Tough Catch (L Saez) 12-1 Eighth Race, Purse $60,000, Maiden special weight, 3 yo One And One Sixteenth MilesDirt 01 El Capo (R Hernandez) 15-1 02 Gethsemane (I Ortiz, Jr.) 10-1 03 Liberty Valance (L Saez) 7-2 04 La Norme de Jour (A Concepcion) 20-1

05 Silver Shot (P Lopez) 10-1 06 Roguishness (J Ortiz) 5-1 07 Reagan’s Honor (F Prat) 8-1 08 Sunset Skip (O Chavez) 50-1 09 Kelz (C Hernandez) 20-1 10 He’s a Charmer (C McMahon) 12-1 11 Market Runner (B Hernandez, Jr.) 5-1 12 Ocelli (B Curtis) 4-1 Ninth Race, Purse $100,000, Stakes, 4 yo’s & up, F & M (fillies and mares) One And One Sixteenth Miles-Turf 01 Cupids Crush (M Pedroza, Jr.) 20-1 02 Epic Style (A Concepcion) 12-1 03 Wild Bout Hilary (F Geroux) 20-1 04 Lucky Speech (J Graham) 15-1 05 Medoro (J Ortiz) 2-1 06 Sweet Treasure (I Ortiz, Jr.) 3-1 07 Strikingly Spun (P Lopez) 12-1 08 Nanda Dea (ARG) (F Prat) 9-2 09 Stylish Sue (L Saez) 8-1 10 Lakota Spirit (I Castillo) 50-1 11 Triumphant Spirit (D Cannon) 12-1 Tenth Race, Purse $150,000, Stakes, 3 yo, F (fillies) One Mile Seventy Yards-Dirt 01 Atropa (J Ortiz) 2-1 02 Dancin in Old Town (J Graham) 10-1 03 White Smoke (F Prat) 9-2 04 Taken by the Wind (B Hernandez, Jr.) 5-2 05 Luv Your Neighbor (A Concepcion) 4-1 06 Pashmina (B Curtis) 5-1 Eleventh Race, Purse $100,000, Stakes, 4 yo’s & up One And One Sixteenth Miles-Turf 01 Kupuna (L Saez) 3-1

02 Sand Pipes (R Hernandez) 12-1 03 Idratherbeblessed (M Pedroza, Jr.) 6-1 04 Lagynos (J Ortiz) 7-2 05 Cameo Performance (I Ortiz, Jr.) 6-1 06 Vote No (P Lopez) 12-1 07 Theismann (B Curtis) 10-1 08 Point Proven (C Hernandez) 12-1 09 Reagan’s Wit (F Prat) 10-1 10 Gigante (J Graham) 10-1 11 Otago (A Concepcion) 20-1 Twelfth Race, Purse $175,000, Stakes, 4 yo’s & up One And One Sixteenth Miles-Dirt 01 Moonlight (J Ortiz) 9-2 02 Henro (M Pedroza, Jr.) 20-1 03 Cadet Corps (P Lopez) 8-1 04 Accelerize (F Prat) 8-1 05 Sir Greylind (B Hernandez, Jr.) 5-1 06 Tarantino (B Curtis) 12-1 07 Willy D’s (R Santana, Jr.) 4-1 08 Just a Touch (I Ortiz, Jr.) 8-5 Thirteenth Race, Purse $250,000, Stakes, 3 yo One And One Sixteenth Miles-Dirt 01 Quality Mischief (M Pedroza, Jr.) 10-1 02 Carson Street (A Concepcion) 8-1 03 Crown the Buckeye (R Santana, Jr.) 4-1 04 Exosome (J Loveberry) 20-1 05 Golden Tempo (J Ortiz) 8-1 06 Thunder Buck (L Saez) 6-1 07 Mesquite (F Prat) 8-1 08 White Tiger (I Ortiz, Jr.) 8-1 09 Ocelli (J Ramos) 12-1 10 Stop the Car (B Curtis) 8-1 11 Chip Honcho (P Lopez) 9-2

FRIDAY’S FAIR GROUNDS RESULTS First Race - $14,000, Claiming $5,000, 3 yo’s & up, Six Furlongs Menty B (B. Curtis) $4.80 $3.00 $2.20 Safecracker Sue (H. Hernandez) $8.20 $3.60 Spirit to Inspire (I. Castillo) $2.60 Finish Time: 1:13.52 Exacta (4-1) $17.70; Superfecta (4-1-6-2) $18.16; Trifecta (4-1-6) $28.85 Second Race - $15,000, Maiden Claiming $12,500, 4 yo’s & up, Six Furlongs Illy Simz (H. Hernandez) $28.00 $10.00 $5.40 Y City (A. Concepcion) $5.00 $2.80 Pauline’s Angel (M. Murrill) $4.00 Finish Time: 1:14.29 Daily Double (4-7) $23.00; Exacta (7-8) $57.50;

Superfecta (7-8-3-4) $114.36; Trifecta (7-8-3) $235.00 Third Race - $22,000, Maiden Claiming $30,000, 3 yo, One Mile Bst Knwn Scrt (Hrndz) $88.80 $36.80 $14.40 Brockton (H. Rea) $24.40 $9.60 Moral Man (M. Pedroza, Jr.) $4.00 Finish Time: 1:37.29 Daily Double (7-4) $277.00; Exacta (4-9) $710.10; Superfecta (4-9-6-1) $8,007.46; Trifecta (4-9-6) $2,880.80; Pic 3 (4-7-4) $432.70 Late Scratches: Heavenly Beliefs Fourth Race - $17,000, Claiming $7,500, 4 yo’s & up, Six Furlongs Briterdayzahead (S. Vives) $4.60 $3.00 $2.40

Runnin Munnin (H. Hernandez) $3.80 $2.60 Twirling Roses (J. Ortiz) $2.60 Finish Time: 1:11.45 Daily Double (4-3) $213.80; Exacta (3-4) $6.90; Superfecta (3-4-2-6) $5.41; Trifecta (3-4-2) $9.95; Pic 3 (7-4-3) $727.60 Fifth Race - $22,000, Maiden Claiming $30,000, 3 yo, One Mile Easy Munnings (P. Lopez) $10.60 $4.40 $2.80 Ramblin (J. Graham) $2.60 $2.10 Lucky N Lawless (B. Curtis) $3.20 Finish Time: 1:37.25 Daily Double (3-8) $22.80; Exacta (8-9) $12.90; Superfecta (8-9-4-5) $107.83; Trifecta (8-9-4) $28.35; Pic 3 (4-3-8) $366.35; Pic 4 (7-4-3-8)

$4,750.95; Pic 5 (4-7-7-4-3-8) $14,453.35 Sixth Race - $20,000, Claiming $20,000, 4 yo’s & up, Six Furlongs Starry Eyed (E. Murray) $19.00 $9.20 $5.00 Starport (P. Lopez) $14.00 $8.40 Yockey’s Drivethru (M. Pedroza, Jr.) $4.20 Finish Time: 1:11.29 Daily Double (8-7) $42.60; Exacta (7-2) $102.30; Superfecta (7-2-3-1) $203.86; Trifecta (7-2-3) $356.55; Pic 3 (3-8-7) $78.25 Seventh Race - $23,000, Claiming $30,000, 4 yo’s & up, One And One Sixteenth Miles Lucky Mischief (Cncpcin) $10.80 $5.60 $3.80 (dq)Maki Monarchy (P. Lopez) $7.80 $4.40 E Lion (I. Castillo) $3.20

Finish Time: 1:42.33 Daily Double (7-3) $44.30; Exacta (3-10) $41.20; Superfecta (3-10-1-4) $13.36; Superfecta (3-10-1-5) $120.95; Trifecta (3-10-1) $79.75; Pic 3 (8-7-3) $157.85 Eighth Race - $17,000, Claiming $7,500, 4 yo’s & up, One Mile Seventy Yards Daryl’s Bolt (P. Lopez) $13.80 $7.40 $4.00 Bigfoot Sighting (M. Murrill) $11.40 $6.00 I’m Your Man (B. Hernandez, Jr.) $3.40 Finish Time: 1:43.60 Daily Double (3-1) $39.30; Exacta (1-9) $84.10; Superfecta (1-9-7-8) $107.50; Trifecta (1-9-7) $223.70; Pic 3 (7-3-1) $195.10; Pic 4 (8-7-3-1) $1,599.90; Pic 5 (3-8-7-3-1) $2,826.15

LIVING

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

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S at u r d ay, J a n u a ry 17, 2026

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“It just dawned on me one day that I wanted to be a special effects makeup artist. Everybody thought I was crazy.” LEE ROMAIRE

STAFF PHOTO By MADDIE SCOTT

Chiller Coffee from Crave Lab

Sweet spot on the block

STUFFING FOR SHOW

New BR coffee and dessert spot to serve up bubble waffles, more

BY MADDIE SCOTT Staff writer

Just after the start of the new year, a coffee and dessert spot, Crave Lab, opened its doors on Jan. 6 in the Drusilla Shopping Center in Baton Rouge.

“We offer dessert waffles, crêpes, ice cream,” said manager Sam Zee. “We have ice cream bubble waffles, and we have coffee drinks too, milkshakes and smoothies.”

At 3490 Drusilla Lane, the spot got its lease in September and is located behind Mary Lee Donuts. This is the first location for Crave Lab, and Zee said the owners plan on expanding.

The building also has a drivethru, so it’s convenient for those wanting to grab a coffee on their way to work without stepping outside of the car.

Inside, the brightly lit space has a dining area with a TV and additional two-seater tables along the wall. There’s also a neon sign on a floral and greenery-covered backdrop that says the business’ name.

The menu offers a variety of Belgian waffles, ice cream bubble waffles, waffle bites, pancakes, stick waffles, a banana split and a Dubai chocolate cup. The waffle bites are Zee’s favorite, and they come with a variety of toppings like Nutella, Oreos and Biscoff, he said.

For beverages, there are milkshakes in classic flavors, but also Dubai, pistachio, lotus, pecan and more. The coffee options include variations like lattes and mochas, and they come hot or iced, including frozen, blended coffees called Chiller Coffee. Smoothie flavors include banana, mango, pineapple, avocado and more.

Crave Lab, 3490 Drusilla Lane, Baton Rouge. Open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 7 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.

Fridays, noon to 10:30 p.m.

Saturdays and noon to 9 p.m.

Sundays.

Lee Romaire created the ‘Reingators’ for the 2018 Cajun Christmas display in Morgan City.

PROVIDED PHOTOS

From taxidermy in Morgan City to creating lifelike animals for Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein

BY JOY HOLDEN Staff writer

At 8 years old, Lee Romaire started stuffing animals.

His introduction into special effects makeup and creature building started in Morgan City, his hometown, where he learned the art of taxidermy. Now his work is featured in theme parks and on screen, most recently in Guillermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein.”

Romaire, the owner and chief executive officer of Romaire Studios, says he was always interested in realistic effects in movies and rides like Pirates of the Caribbean and Haunted ManRomaire sion in Disney World.

“The thing that was really around me a lot when I was a kid was taxidermy,” Romaire said. “Everybody had a fish or a duck on their wall.”

A friend of Romaire’s dad practiced taxidermy as a hobby and had a mail-order course with books.

Romaire began learning from him, and then taught himself using the course books.

A mauled sled dog created by Romaire is featured in Guillermo Del Toro’s ‘Frankenstein’ movie.

football, he was mounting animals.

Although he graduated from LSU in advertising and worked in marketing in New Orleans, Romaire still had a burning desire to create.

“It just wasn’t fulfilling for me,” Romaire said about his advertising and marketing jobs. “It just dawned on me one day that I wanted to be a special effects makeup A special effects journey artist. Everybody thought I was He began his own taxidermy crazy.”

He started working at Mardi business in high school in the 1980s.

While other kids were out playing Gras companies to sculpt Mardi

Gras props while he was learning special effects makeup. In a New Orleans bookstore, he found MakeUp Artist magazine and an advertisement for a trade show in Hollywood. He bought tickets and went.

That trade show changed everything. He met Dick Smith, an Academy Award-winning makeup artist famous for “The Exorcist” and “The Godfather,” who showed belief in Romaire’s talent. Romaire

ä See TAXIDERMY, page 3D

For the 30th year, LPB accepting nominations for Young Heroes Staff report Louisiana Public Broadcasting is accepting applications from all over the state for its 2026 Louisiana Young Heroes program.

The network describes a Young Hero as “an exceptional individual who has excelled in academics, given significantly of themselves through public service, overcome

adversity, exhibited extraordinary heroism, or inspired others through their deeds and strength of character to become better students, persons and citizens.

Parents, principals, teachers, guidance counselors, family members and friends are encouraged to nominate these students, LPB said.

“Over the past three decades, 236 students have been recognized for

serving as role models within their communities, and it’s our privilege to share the stories of these young people,” said LPB President & CEO C.C. Copeland.

Nominees must be Louisiana students in grades 9-12, enrolled in an academic institution or homeschool program, and cannot be older than 18 years of age. Nominations and supporting materials

should be submitted through the online form at lpb.org/heroes. The deadline for entries is March 1.

Note that previous Young Heroes are not eligible for consideration again.

The 2026 honorees will be announced on LPB’s weekly news and public affairs program “Louisiana: The State We’re In,” on the Louisiana Young Heroes Facebook

page, and at lpb.org/heroes in the spring. The Louisiana Young Heroes will receive awards and recognition for their achievements.

The 2026 Louisiana Young Heroes Program’s financial supporters include the East Baton Rouge Parish Library, Community Coffee, DEMCO and McDonald’s. A Louisiana Young Heroes Advisory Committee oversees the project.

2D ■ Saturday, January 17, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

lll

After moving in, son Using up holiday leftovers becomes dismissive has been through a lot and Dear Harriette: I recently you are doing your best to welcomed my adult son into my home. I didn’t know be there for him, but you him as he was growing up; I do not appreciate his curlearned about him when he rent behavior. Probe to see was already 18, and since what is going on in his life then we’ve stayed in touch that has triggered this new through visits, calls negativity. Suggest and texts. When his that he go to therapy mother passed away, to address some of he asked to move in his issues. with me. My wife If he refuses to and daughters supmake an effort, you may need to encourported the decision, Harriette age him to find his and he’s been living Cole with us for about a own place. It is not SENSE AND year now. He’s 25, OK for him to be SENSITIVITy has a steady job and disrespectful in your is even considering home. He needs to school, which I’m proud of. understand boundaries. You At home, however, he’s have to draw the line. become demanding and Dear Harriette: My daughter dismissive. He was much always wants me to babykinder before he moved in. sit her children. I love my Now it feels like he resents grandchildren dearly, but I me and wants to punish me am in my 80s and they are for not being there when he rambunctious and active, was younger. I tried talking so it’s hard for me to keep to him — and even apoloup with them. I hate to tell gized for my absence — but my daughter no because she and her husband both he snapped at me and said I think too highly of myself work and are busy, so the extra help is necessary. She and my impact on him. I don’t know what to do. I feel often phrases it as, “Mom, you’re the only one I trust,” like I am walking on eggwhich makes me feel even shells now, with no sound resolution on how to change more pressured to say yes.

On the rare occasion when the dynamic in my own I gently hint that it’s getting home. Any input? — Walking hard for me, she becomes on Eggshells defensive and reminds me Dear Walking on Eggshells: of how much she helped me Sit down and talk to your in the past, which makes son. Ask what’s bothering me feel guilty. him. Remind him that he

I don’t want to cause tension or seem ungrateful, selfish or like I don’t love my family. At the same time, I want to enjoy what time I have left with some peace. I have my own health issues, doctor appointments and days when I simply don’t feel strong enough to chase after young children. I wish my daughter would understand that I’m not the same woman I was 20 years ago. I want to be part of my grandchildren’s lives, but I don’t want to feel obligated, overwhelmed or like I’m being taken advantage of. How do I set boundaries without hurting my daughter’s feelings or damaging our relationship? — Tired Grandma Dear Tired Grandma: In very direct terms, let your daughter know that you cannot do as much as you could in the past. You have physical limitations. Decide how often you believe you can watch her children — maybe once a week for a set amount of time. Be firm for your own health and for the safety of her children.

Send questions to askharriette@ harriettecole.com or c/o Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.

Many ways to thank colleagues compress on my neck and Dear Miss Manners: I had forehead. a choking incident at the I want to thank office today when them, but don’t quite I inhaled a cherry know the right thing tomato. to do. Any suggesOne of my direct reports did the tions?

Heimlich maneuver Gentle reader: and helped loosen it, Ummm … Thank Judith and then one of the them?

Martin guys from another Whether you do it MISS department joined in person or in a letMANNERS in to keep the tomato ter is up to you. But moving. As I reconstantly bringing it up in meetings and office covered, a secretary from parties, telling everyone down the hall put a cold

that these people are national heroes who saved your life, Miss Manners thinks, would be the best way of all.

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.

Dear Heloise: In the South, Handy paper towels a holiday dinner staple is broccoli rice casserole.

Dear Heloise: I always have After this year’s Thanksa roll of paper towels in my car since I go to a lot giving feast, I had more of outdoor sport leftover broccoli events. My towels casserole than I roll around in the expected. So, the back seat and onto day after, rather the floor. To fix the than reheating and problem, I raised eating the same the headrest on the old stuff, I made a Hints from passenger side of delicious cream of Heloise the car (as I am the broccoli soup by principal driver). pureeing the reI threaded one end of a mains in my food processmall bungee cord into the sor and transferring the roll of paper towels, faspuree to a saucepan.

I added some chicken tened the hook around the broth, black pepper, heavy headrest post, hooked the cream and milk while stirother end to the headrest, and put the headrest back ring on a low heat to make in place. Now I always the soup, which was a lighter menu option for the have towels on hand, and they don’t roll around in next day. I was so pleased the car. — Betty G., via email with the result that I did this again after our Christmas feast. — DeeDee, in Austin, Using less detergent Texas Dear Heloise: I have obDeeDee, this is a great served that detergent caps idea! I would have added are getting larger, and for just a pinch of garlic. With large containers with a a side salad and some dinspigot, the detergent often comes out much faster. ner rolls, this would be an This seems to encourage excellent meal after the heavy feast of the previous consumers to use more detergent than necessary. day. — Heloise

However, most standard laundry loads only require 1-2 tablespoons of detergent, and high-efficiency machines often need even less — sometimes as little as 1 teaspoon. Rarely would one need more detergent than what reaches the lowest fill line on the cap.

I use a permanent marker to highlight the lowest line on the cap as a visual reminder. This simple trick can help readers save money by significantly reducing how frequently they need to purchase laundry detergent. — Ann W., in Mount Pleasant,Wisconsin Email heloise@heloise.com.

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Places of Worship Directory Places of Worship Baha'i Faith Baton Rouge Baha'i Faith Public Informational Meeting 2nd Sunday of Each month @ 2:30-3:30 pm Goodwood Library Room B Visit bahai.org, bahai.us and bahai-br.us

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Sunday School: 8:30 am Sun. Service: 9:30am Wednesday Bible Study: 12 noon & 7:15 pm Communion Service First Sunday: 6pm Broadcast: 11am 106.5 FM www.mtzionfirstbaptist.com

TRUE LIGHT CHURCH Rev.BAPTIST Dennis R. Hebert, Pastor 3836 North Street Phone 383-3912 Sunday School – Sunday Worship – 9:00 10:00A.M. Wed. Prayer Service &A.M. Bible Study – 6:00 P.M. Communion Service 2nd Sunday 10:00 A.M.– NEWS 24/7 ON

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Broadcast live stream of Sunday Worship on Youtube and Facebook.

Wednesday Prayer meeting and Bible Study 5:30 pm www.fbcbr.com

Sunday School (for all ages) - 9:40 AM Services Broadcast Sunday 9:30 AM WBXH (Cox Channel 16, Digital Channel 39, Dish TV Ch. 39) 10:30 AM WAFB Channel 9 Radio Broadcast 5:30 AM- WYNK 101.5 FM 8:00 AM- THE RIVER 96.1 FM

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The Advocate ■ theadvocate.com ■ Saturday, January 17, 2026 ■ 3D

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RELIGION BRIEFS FROM STAFF REPORTS

‘The Miracle Hunter’ eventbrite.com. to lead retreat St. James Baptist The public is invited to a to hold celebration day of faith, discovery and inspiration with speaker Michael O’Neill, “The Miracle Hunter,” from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 31.

The event will take place at Cypress Springs Mercedarian Prayer Center, 17560 George O’Neal Road, Baton Rouge.

Tickets are $70 per person. Register online on

St. James Baptist Church, 1105 N. 44th St., Baton Rouge, will celebrate the second-year appreciation of the Rev. J.L. Franklin, pastor, and first lady Lisa Franklin at 8 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 1.

The public is invited. A meal will be served following the service.

TODAY IN HISTORY

By The Associated Press

PROVIDED PHOTOS

Lee Romaire’s Cajun Christmas display in Morgan City in 2018

TAXIDERMY

Continued from page 1D moved to Hollywood thereafter. Smith mentored Romaire for 18 months, and his special effects career took off from there.

Throughout the 2000s Romaire worked in television and won an Emmy for Outstanding Makeup for a Series (Prosthetic) for “Six Feet Under” in 2002.

He worked in makeup and special effects for movies like “White Chicks,” “Van Helsing,” “War of the Worlds,” “Scooby Doo” and “The Country Bears.” While working at the Jim Henson Creature Shop, he fell in love with animatronics.

In 2000, Romaire opened his own studio in Los Angeles. He and his team built commissions for movies and television, but he saw a need in the theme park market for quality realism. Theme park animatronics are now the studio’s main business.

Lee Romaire with a werewolf puppet he created in 2005

working on “Frankenstein,” developing the Creature’s design and makeup application for actor Jacob Elordi.

He asked if Romaire would Frankenstein animals want to help out and be a Mike Hill, a friend of Ro- part of the movie.

The film required a lot of maire’s who is a special effects makeup artist and bodies, body parts and dead creature designer, contacted animals that had to be crehim with a request. Hill was ated. Romaire and his team created dead sheep and dead sled dogs with traumatic injuries from the Creature.

Romaire and his team of about 10 to 15 people built the dead animals in four months and delivered them to set in Toronto.

Romaire says watching the film was gratifying, and he considered it an honor to be a part of a del Toro film with extensive, detailed practical work. Since its release, “Frankenstein” has won 44 awards, including the 2026 Critics Choice Award for Best Production Design, and has been nominated for 203 ‘Henry’ Country Bear mock- other awards as of Jan. 14.

The film is expected to up, Walt Disney World, 2011

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be nominated for Academy Awards in many categories, including production design, which is what Romaire’s dead animals would fall under.

But Romaire says he doesn’t watch the award shows. The joy of the work and being a part of a work of art is what matters to him.

‘Reingators’ for Morgan City

with blue crabs as antlers and changed Santa Claus’s look to that of a trapper. He modified the elves and turned them into shrimpers, complete with white shrimp boots.

The Cajun Christmas display has gained international attention, and tourists even make their way to Morgan City to take pictures of the decorations.

Despite all he has accomplished, Romaire still has his sights set on future goals for his studio, like perfecting what they’re known for but also creating their own intellectual property. He credits his hometown and his early fascinations with stuffing dead animals as the beginning of his career in the special effects business.

“I’m always inspired by what I learned and what I was exposed to as a kid,” he said. “That’s where it all came from.”

Now, Romaire Studios focuses on lifelike animal builds and high-end animatronic engineering for theme parks. His studio has done builds for Disneyland’s Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln, Walt Disney World’s Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser, Disney Imagineering, Universal’s Secret Life of Pets: Off the Leash ride and Epic Universe.

Romaire brought his gifts back home when he renovated Morgan City’s Christmas shrimp boat display in 2018.

Instead of reindeer, Romaire Email Joy Holden at joy. built three albino alligators holden@theadvocate.com.

Land for Sale

Today is Saturday, Jan. 17, the 17th day of 2026. There are 348 days left in the year.

Today in history: On Jan. 17, 1920, prohibition of alcohol began in the United States as the Volstead Act went into effect in support of the 18th Amendment.

Also on this date: In 1950, the Great Brink’s Robbery took place as seven masked men held up the Brink’s Building in Boston, stealing $1.2 million in cash and $1.5 million in checks and money orders.

In 1961, President Dwight D. Eisenhower delivered his farewell address in which he warned against “the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the militaryindustrial complex.”

In 1977, convicted murderer Gary Gilmore, 36, was shot by a firing squad at Utah State Prison in the first U.S. execution in a decade. He was put to death after the Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty the previous year.

In 1994, the Northridge earthquake rattled the Los Angeles area; the magnitude 6.7 quake was responsible for 57 deaths, 9,000 injuries and an estimated $25 billion in damages.

In 1995, more than 6,000 people were killed when a magnitude 7.2 earthquake

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struck the city of Kobe, Japan.

In 2017, President Barack Obama granted clemency to Chelsea Manning, allowing the transgender Army intelligence officer convicted of leaking more than 700,000 U.S. documents to go free nearly three decades early. Manning was one of 209 people whose sentences were commuted by Obama days before leaving office.

In 2022, as Russian troops stationed near Ukraine’s border launched drills, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov angrily rejected U.S. allegations that Moscow was preparing a pretext to invade Ukraine. (Russia would launch a full-scale invasion of the neighboring country on Feb. 24.)

Today’s birthdays: Rock musician Mick Taylor is 77. U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is 72. Singer-songwriter Steve Earle is 71. Singer Paul Young is 70. TV hostcomedian Steve Harvey is 69. Singer Susanna Hoffs (The Bangles) is 67. Actor-comedian Jim Carrey is 64. Former first lady Michelle Obama is 62.

Musician Kid Rock is 55.

Rapper Lil Jon is 54. Actorsinger Zooey Deschanel is 46. Basketball Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade is 44.

DJ-musician Calvin Harris is 42. Boxer Oleksandr Usyk is 39. Actor Kelly Marie Tran is 37. Boxeractor Jake Paul is 29.

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4D ■ Saturday, January 17, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

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zodIAC CAPRICoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Share your intentions, see who's on board and be willing to proceed alone. Take the initiative and show everyone what you can do. Set a strict budget and find ways to include what's most important to you.

AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) An energetic day will pump you up and get you moving in a positive direction. Start by taking care of all your unfinished projects.

Romance is favored.

PIsCEs (Feb. 20-March 20) Don't secondguess yourself; you're on target, and if you are willing to put in the time and work, you'll make headway. Initiate positive change and start a trend that encourages others to follow your lead.

ARIEs (March 21-April 19) Consider every possibility. Research, think matters through from beginning to end and do as much as you can yourself. Relying on others or expecting something from them will leave you at a loss.

TAuRus (April 20-May 20) Invite change into your life. Keep an open mind. Look for opportunities that offer greater freedom. Making home improvements or hosting an event are favored.

GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Spend time working out or making lifestyle changes to improve your health and well-being.

Updating your appearance, attending a social event or spending time with someone interesting is encouraged.

CAnCER (June 21-July 22) Join forces with like-minded individuals and you'll find a way to bring about positive change.

Discipline and hard work will lead to

unexpected prospects that can alter your direction and give you hope for a better future.

LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) Participation will lead to opportunities, newfound friends and the chance to use your skills, knowledge and experience in unique ways.

Listen, engage in bringing about changes and lend a helping hand.

VIRGo (Aug. 23-sept. 22) Visit a place you love to frequent or go somewhere you've never been before but feel drawn to.

Time spent doing something fulfilling will lead to greater purpose and meaning.

LIBRA (sept. 23-oct. 23) Patience will be necessary when dealing with domestic issues. Bide your time. Consider what's best for you and make positive changes within your budget that help you grow stronger mentally and physically. sCoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) Talk to the people you encounter, and see who shares your likes, dislikes and concerns. An opportunity to explore new places, people and possibilities will give you new insight. Now's a good time for romance. sAGITTARIus (nov. 23-Dec. 21) If something doesn't feel right, it probably isn't. Move forward carefully and be mindful of how much personal information you share.

Focus on how you earn and spend your money.

The horoscope, an entertainment feature, is not based on scientific fact. © 2026 by NEA, Inc., dist. By Andrews McMeel Syndication

For better or For WorSe WonderWord

peAnUtS

SALLY Forth

beetLe bAILeY CeLebrItY CIpher Celebrity Cipher cryptograms are created from quotations by famous people, past and present. Each letter in the cipher stands for another.

ToDAy's CLuE: T EQuALs F

Mother GooSe And GrIMM

SherMAn’S LAGoon FAMILY CIrCUS

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The Advocate ■ theadvocate.com ■ Saturday, January 17, 2026 ■ 5D

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Sudoku InstructIons: Sudoku is a number-placing puzzle based on a 9x9 grid with several given numbers.

The object is to place the numbers 1 to 9 in the empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. The difficulty level of the Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

BaBY BLueS

BLondie

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6D ■ Saturday, January 17, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

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Bridge

By PHILLIP ALDER George Bernard Shaw said, “A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable but more useful than a life spent doing nothing.”

At the bridge table, we make a lot of mistakes. But with luck, as we gain experience, we make fewer of them. This week, we have been handling the trump suit. Here is one last example — let’s get it right!

West leads the diamond king against six spades. How should declarer plan the play?

The South hand is very honorable, with, in Chicago and rubber-bridge scoring, 150 in aces and 150 in spades. It also has 11 winners. Can partner produce an extra trick or two?

In this auction, South’s jump to three spades showed a solid suit, set that suit as trumps, and asked partner if he had anything. North’s raise to four spades denied an ace or a king. South’s leap to six spades was understandable, although risky with those two losing diamonds.

South must discard one diamond from the dummy on his third top heart and ruff his last diamond in the dummy. He wins with his diamond ace, cashes the three top hearts, and exits with a diamond. He takes the next trick and ruffs his last diamond with dummy’s spade eight, so

garfield

Pearls Before swiNe

hagar the horriBle

there’s no risk of an overruff. Then he draws trumps and claims.

Finally, note that this is one deal in which the very bad trump split was lucky. If West had been able to lead a trump, and the defender who took the diamond trick could have led another trump, the slam would have failed. © 2026 by NEA, Inc., dist. By Andrews McMeel Syndication

wuzzles Each Wuzzle is a word riddle which creates a disguised word, phrase, name, place, saying, etc. For example: NOON GOOD = GOOD AFTERNOON

PiCKles

Previous answers:

mallard fillmore

word game InsTRuCTIons: 1. Words must be of four or more letters. 2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed. 3.

Additional words made by adding a “d” or an “s” may not be used. 4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed.

ToDAy’s WoRD — ARTIFACTs: AHR-tih-fakts: Objects remaining from a

Bizarro

marmaduKe

particular period.

Average mark 31 words Time limit 55 minutes Can you find 49 or more words in ARTIFACTS? yEsTERDAy’s WoRD — XyLoPHonE yelp lone loon loony loop loopy lope lynx oleo only onyx

open openly oxen peon peony phlox phone phony phooey ploy pole

polo pone pony pooh pool pylon help hole holy hone honey

hoop hope hype noel nope epoxy expo

loCKhorNs hidato Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

today’s thought “Rejoice ever more. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 These are great ways to look at life. The Lord looks out for His own. — G.E. Dean