The Acadiana Advocate 01-22-2026 by The Advocate

Sheriff’s deal with ICE raises concerns

Residents pack meeting to speak against agreement

BY STEPHEN MARCANTEL Staff writer

Lafayette residents, activists and faith leaders packed the council chamber and the City Hall lobby Tuesday to voice their concerns about an agreement the Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Ofﬁce signed with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The 287(g) program, signed by the Sheriff’s Office in December, has raised concerns among some residents about community safety and whether such agreements enable racial proﬁling.

Nearly 30 residents spoke to express the impact that immigration enforcement can have on local communities in and around Lafayette and the worry that those legally in the country might be inadvertently caught up in the process.

“My people are scared,” said Katherine Lopez, a Lafayette High School senior

Three months ago, her mother’s boyfriend was deported while coming home from a football game, Lopez said. Since then, Lopez has had to work extra hours to help ﬁnancially support her household

“Not a day goes by where I am not worried that my mother will be taken, too,” Lopez said

“Do something about Sheriff (Mark) Garber working alongside immigration Do something to protect children like me from becoming orphans and hear your citizens.

This is not a matter of politics; it is a matter of human rights and morality,” Lopez said to Mayor-President Monique Boulet.

Consuela Gaines, a Voice of the Experienced organizer in Lafayette, pushed for transparency before the council, adding that law enforcement should not be allowed to wear

Ex-school official indicted in construction bid probe

BY ASHLEY WHITE Staff writer

Former Lafayette Parish school system construction and maintenance director Robert Gautreaux has been indicted on 11 charges in an investigation into the possibility of forged construction bid documents. The indictment was handed up by a Lafayette Parish grand jury on Wednesday An indictment in-

dicates a grand jury agrees that prosecutors have enough evidence to bring charges against a person. Gautreaux who has since been removed from his position as director but is working as a teacher at the district’s career center, was indicted on seven counts of ﬁling a false public records, two counts of first-degree injuring public records and two counts of

ä See PROBE, page 4A

masks during immigration enforcement.

“Local government has a responsibility to ensure that authority is exercised openly, lawfully and with accountability Transparency builds trust; trust builds safety,” she said. Before the Tuesday meeting, the Louisiana Advocates for Immigrants in Detention, along with several local organizations and churches, wrote a Jan. 15 letter to Boulet requesting

ä See CONCERNS, page 5A

Louisiana Health Secretary Bruce Greenstein vows to streamline how the department serves residents.

Trump backs off on Greenland

Tariff threat canceled after NATO agrees to future deal

BY JOSH BOAK, WILL WEISSERT and AAMER MADHANI Associated Press

DAVOS, Switzerland President Donald Trump on Wednesday scrapped the tariffs that he threatened to impose on eight European nations to press for U.S. control over Greenland, pulling a dramatic reversal shortly after insisting he wanted to get the island “including right, title and ownership.” In a post on his social media site, Trump said he had agreed with the head of NATO on a “framework of a future deal” on Arctic security, potentially defusing tension that had far-reaching geopolitical implications.

“We probably won’t get anything unless I decide to use excessive strength and force, where we would be frankly unstoppable. But I won’t do that, OK?” PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP

He said “additional discussions” on Greenland were being held concerning the Golden Dome missile defense program, a multilayered, $175 billion system that for the ﬁrst time will put U.S. weapons in space. Trump offered few details, saying they were still being worked out. But one idea NATO members have discussed as part of a compromise with Trump was that Denmark and the alliance would work with the U.S. to build more U.S. military bases on Greenland.

That’s according to a European ofﬁcial familiar with the matter but not authorized to comment publicly The ofﬁcial, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said it was not immediately clear if that idea was included in the framework Trump announced.

The president has threatened tariffs before only to back away In April, after ﬁrst saying he would slap massive import levies on nations from around the world, which prompted a sharp negative market reaction, Trump eased off.

ä See TRUMP, page

Focus on nutrition, improvement goals

BY EMILY WOODRUFF Staff writer

Louisiana Health Secretary Bruce Greenstein laid out his plans and priorities for the state’s largest agency on Wednesday vowing to streamline how the department serves residents and putting a new focus on nutrition and other elements of healthy living. In what was billed as the Louisiana Department of Health’s ﬁrst “annual shareholder meeting,” Greenstein, who took over the department in April, announced plans to form a new Office of Health and Nutrition, which will

ä See PRIORITIES, page 5A

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By GIAN EHRENZELLER President Donald Trump speaks during the meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Wednesday.

Residents pack the council chamber for Tuesday’s meeting.

STAFF PHOTOS By BRAD BOWIE

Pastor Richard Andrus speaks against an agreement between Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office during the public comment portion of a meeting of the Lafayette City Council on Tuesday.

LAFAYETTE CITY COUNCIL

STAFF FILE PHOTO

Mexico sends dozens of cartel members to U.S.

MEXICO CITY Mexico sent 37 cartel members to the United States at the request of the U.S. Justice Department, with President Claudia Sheinbaum saying Wednesday that it was a “sovereign decision” by her government.

Sheinbaum responded to criticism from analysts and opponents who said that the transfers on Tuesday were the result of mounting pressure from Washington. U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to take military action on cartels.

Sheinbaum said that although the transfers were made at the request of the U.S. government, the decision was taken by the National Security Council after analyzing what was “convenient for Mexico” and in terms of its “national security.”

Observers say that the Mexican government has used the transfers as a sort of pressure valve to offset demands by Trump and show authorities are cracking down on criminal groups Tension has only mounted since the U.S carried out a military operation in Venezuela to capture then President Nicolás Maduro to face charges in the United States in an extraordinary use of force that set leaders across Latin America on edge.

Those sent to the U.S. on Tuesday were alleged members of the powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel, known by its Spanish acronym CJNG, and the Sinaloa Cartel, which Washington has designated as terrorist organizations, and a number of other groups. It’s the third such transfer of capos over the past year. Mexico’s government said it has sent 92 people in total to the U.S. in total.

U.S. transfers 150 IS detainees from Syria

AL-HOL, Syria The U.S. military said Wednesday it has started transferring detainees from the Islamic State group being held in northeastern Syria to secure facilities in Iraq.

The move came after Syrian government forces took control of a sprawling camp, housing thousands of mostly women and children, from the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF, which withdrew as part of a ceaseﬁre. Troops on Monday seized a prison in the northeastern town of Shaddadeh, where some IS detainees escaped and many were recaptured, state media reported.

The Kurdish-led SDF still controls more than a dozen detention facilities holding around 9,000 IS members, but is slated to hand the prisons over to government control under a peace process that also is supposed to eventually merge the SDF with government forces.

U.S. Central Command said the ﬁrst transfer involved 150 IS members, who were taken from Syria’s northeastern province of Hassakeh to “secure locations” in Iraq. The statement said that up to to 7,000 detainees could be transferred to Iraqi-controlled facilities.

The Iraqi army confirmed that the first batch of prisoners had arrived and said others would arrive in numbers to be determined later “with the aim of containing the threat posed by these individuals, who are considered first-tier leaders within terrorist organizations.”

An Iraqi intelligence general told The Associated Press that an agreement was reached with the U.S. to transfer 7,000 detainees from Syria to Iraq. He said that Iraqi authorities received the ﬁrst batch of 144 detainees Wednesday night, after which they will be transferred in stages by aircraft to Iraqi prisons.

The general, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the IS members who will be transferred to Iraq are of various nationalities. He said they include around 240 Tunisians, in addition to others from countries including Tajikistan and Kazakhstan and some Syrians.

“They will be interrogated and then put on trial. All of them are commanders in ISIS and are considered highly dangerous,” the general said. He added that in previous years, 3,194 Iraqi detainees and 47 French citizens have been transferred to Iraq

Court wary of bid to fire Fed official

BY DAVID G. SAVAGE Los Angeles Times (TNS)

WASHINGTON The Supreme Court gave a skeptical hearing Wednesday to President Donald Trump’s claim that he has the power acting alone, to ﬁre Federal Reserve board governor Lisa Cook for a past mistake on a mortgage application

Most of the justices said they were not convinced that what Chief Justice John G Roberts Jr described as Cook’s “inadvertent mistake” was grounds for removing her from the central bank board.

They also questioned Trump’s failure to give her hearing.

Justice Brett Kavanaugh said it “would weaken if not shatter the independence of the Federal Reserve” if the court were to uphold Trump’s claim of absolute power

“Is there anything to fear from a hearing?” Justice Amy Coney Barrett asked Trump’s Solicitor General D. John Sauer “Why not give her a chance to defend herself?” Trump has sought to take control of the independent bank board because it has not lowered interest rates as far and as fast as he prefers.

He has clashed with Federal Reserve Board Chairman Jerome H. Powell and threatened to ﬁre him. More recently, Trump’s prosecutors said they were investigating Powell for possible criminal false statements in a congressional hearing.

In August, Trump posted on social media that he had “cause” to ﬁre Cook after he was told she may have committed mortgage fraud.

In 2021, the year before President Biden appointed her, she bought homes in Michigan and

Georgia and said each would be her “principal residence.”

In response to the allegation, Cook’s attorney said she had told the mortgage lender that the Georgia property was a “vacation home,” not her primary residence. Cook sued to retain her seat. A federal judge blocked her removal on the grounds that her alleged wrongdoing came before her appointment. The D.C. Circuit Court agreed in a 2-1 decision.

In September, Trump’s lawyers sent an emergency appeal to the Supreme Court and said this was “yet another case of improper judicial interference with the president’s removal authority.” They said the court should set aside the lower court ruling and uphold Cook’s ﬁring.

But in October, the justices agreed to keep Cook’s firing on hold and scheduled arguments on

Train crashes, one now with death toll of 43, shock Spain

BY HERNÁN MUÑOZ and SUMAN NAISHADHAM Associated Press

GELIDA, Spain Commuter rail service in Spain’s northeastern Catalonia region was suspended Wednesday after a Barcelona commuter train crashed the night before, killing one person and injuring 37 others, authorities said.

The crash came two days after Spain’s worst railway disaster since 2013, which left many Spaniards in disbelief. The death toll in that crash, in southern Spain, rose to 43.

The commuter train on Tuesday night hit a retaining wall that fell onto the tracks near the Catalan town of Gelida, about 23 miles outside Barcelona, ofﬁcials said.

“It’s very strange, all of this. It doesn’t make sense,” said Antonella Miranda, a barista in Madrid. “Let’s see what explanations they provide after the second one.”

The man who died from Tuesday’s crash was a conductor in training, regional authorities said. Most of the injured rode in the ﬁrst train carriage.

Rail disruptions on Wednesday caused significant traffic jams on roads leading into Barcelona Catalonia’s regional authorities asked people to reduce unnecessary travel and companies to allow remote work until service was resumed.

This is very bad. If (the infrastructure) was already faulty and there were complaints, they should have done something earlier,” Dolores Sogas said in a commuter town where hundreds of people were delayed or stranded on

BY HILLEL ITALIE AP national writer

NEW YORK

The producers of a stage play inspired by the life of Bruce Lee and the musical presenters Vocal Arts

DC are the latest members of the arts community to call off shows at the Kennedy Center

Lin-Manuel Miranda, Issa Rae, Bela

Fleck are among the numerous artists who have withdrawn in protest of President Donald Trump’s ousting of the leadership at the center and at the announcement last month by his hand-picked board that the Kennedy Center had been renamed the Trump-Kennedy Center, a change scholars say can only be implemented by Congress. Trump has placed the Kennedy Center a Washington institution that for decades enjoyed bipartisan support, at the heart of his battle against what he calls “woke” culture. Neither of the most recent announcements directly criticized Trump. The Seattle Children’s Theatre had

Wednesday While Spain’s high-speed rail network generally runs smoothly and at least until Sunday had been a source of confidence, commuter rail networks are plagued by reliability issues However, crashes causing injury or death aren’t common.

Spain’s railway operator Adif said the containment wall likely collapsed because of heavy rainfall that swept across the northeastern Spanish region this week.

Sunday evening’s crash happened when the tail end of a train carrying 289 passengers on the route from Malaga to the capital, Madrid, derailed and crashed into an incoming train traveling from Madrid to Huelva, another southern city, according to Adif. The collision took place near Adamuz, a town roughly 230 miles from Madrid.

The front of the second train, which was carrying 184 people, took the brunt of the impact, which knocked its ﬁrst two carriages off the track and down a 13foot slope. Bodies were found hundreds of yards from the crash site, according to Andalusia regional President Juanma Moreno.

Authorities on Wednesday said they had identiﬁed almost all the victims from Sunday’s high-speed crash, but said they could still ﬁnd more bodies.

Ofﬁcials are investigating what caused both train crashes Transport Minister Óscar Puente called Sunday’s collision “truly strange” since it occurred on a straight section of track and neither train was speeding.

been scheduled to oversee “Young Dragon: A Bruce Lee Story” for a two-week run in April. The theater announced this week on Instagram that it had made the “difﬁcult decision” to cancel after “deep listening and extensive dialogue with the artists, community partners, and the Bruce Lee family and foundation.”

The Instagram post included a statement from managing director Kevin Malgesini, who wrote that the “landscape in which the production was originally created has changed to an extent” that going forward as planned was no longer possible.

Vocal Arts DC, which has held concerts for years at the Kennedy Center, issued an Instagram statement this week that cited “lower ticket sales, frequent refund requests, and a decline of donations” in making the “heartbreaking decision” to cancel upcoming appearances scheduled for February, March and May

A Kennedy Center spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

how to proceed. While the justices were skeptical of Trump’s arguments on Wednesday, it was not clear how they will rule.

They could rule that Trump has to give Cook a hearing and an opportunity to defend herself. Or they could rule more directly and say that an alleged misstatement on a past mortgage application did not rise to the level of “cause” for ﬁring a Federal Reserve board governor

Representing Cook, Washington attorney Paul Clement, a former U.S. solicitor general under President George W. Bush, told the court said there is an “unbroken history” of treating the Federal Reserve board as independent. “No president has ever tried to remove a governor for cause,” he said. And the court should not start by upholding Trump’s bid to ﬁre with no hearing, he said.

BY MEG JAMES Los Angeles Times (TNS)

LOSANGELES The Federal Communications Commission is taking aim at broadcast networks’ late-night and daytime talk shows, including ABC’s “The View,” which often feature politicians as guests.

On Wednesday, the FCC’s Media Bureau issued a public notice saying broadcast TV stations would be obligated to provide equal time to an opposing political candidate if an appearance by a politician falls short of a “bona ﬁde news” event. For years, hosts of “The View,” ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” and CBS’ “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” have freely parried with high-proﬁle politicians without worrying about being subjected to the so-called “equal time” rule, which requires broadcasters to bring on a politician’s rival to provide balanced coverage and multiple viewpoints.

With the new guidance, FCC appears to take a dim view of whether late-night and daytime talk shows deserve an exemption from the “equal time” rules for stations that transmit pro-

gramming over the public airwaves. There’s a difference between a “bona ﬁde” news interview and partisan politics, the FCC said. “A program that is motivated by partisan purposes, for example, would not be entitled to an exemption under longstanding FCC precedent,” the Media Bureau said in its unsigned four-page document. The bureau encouraged broadcasters to seek an opinion from the FCC to make sure their shows were in compliance — an advisory that will likely raise anxiety and potentially prompt some TV station groups to scrutinize shows that delve deeply into politics.

Since President Donald Trump returned to the White House a year ago, the FCC has stepped up its involvement in overseeing content. The move comes ﬁve months after Trumpappointed FCC Chairman Brendan Carr suggested television stations pull Kimmel’s late-night show over controversial remarks the comedian made in the aftermath of the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

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ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JOAN MATEU PARRA Police officers and firefighters inspect the damage after a commuter train derailed and a retaining wall collapsed onto the tracks near Barcelona, Spain, on Wednesday.

ICE activity increases in Maine

BY PATRICK WHITTLE and RODRIQUE NGOWI Associated Press

PORTLAND, Maine The Trump administration is now targeting its mass deportation campaign on Maine, a state with relatively few residents in the United States illegally but a notable presence of African refugees in its largest cities.

The Department of Homeland Security named the operation “Catch of the Day,” an apparent play on Maine’s seafood industry, just as it has done for other enforcement surges, like “Metro Surge” in Minnesota and “Midway Blitz” in Chicago.

Reports of a surge in immigration arrests have struck fear in immigrant communities of Portland and Lewiston and prompted backlash from Gov Janet Mills and other Democrats, including a refusal to help ICE agents obscure the identity of their v ehicles by issuing undercover license plates.

Mills

Citiz ens have formed networks to alert neighborhoods to the presence of ICE agents and bring food to immigrants in their homes Portland’s superintendent said the school district is developing an online learning plan for its students — more than half of whom aren’t white. Many businesses have posted signs saying ICE agents aren’t welcome.

“While we respect the law, we challenge the need for a paramilitary approach,” Portland Mayor Mark Dion said at a news conference Wednesday where he was joined by other local officials. “This council doesn’t stand apart from our immigrant communities, we stand with them.”

Portland and Lewiston have thousands of residents of African descent. Somali immigration accelerated in the early 2000s, leaving Maine with one of the nation’s highest Somali populations.

Now the presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents is causing great anxiety in Portland, said city council member Pious Ali, a native of Ghana.

“Our schools have seen about a quarter of immigrants not showing up,” Ali

said, and many fear going to work as well: “There are immigrants who live here who work in our hospitals, they work in our schools, they work in our hotels, they are part of the economic engine of our community.”

ICE agents don’t need to spread trauma by smashing doors and windows, he said: “The federal government has the ability to contact these people without unleashing fear into our communities.”

ICE didn’t respond to a request for comment Wednesday on the agency’s plans for Maine, where the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that increased enforcement began on Tuesday “We have approximately 1,400 targets here in Maine,” Patricia Hyde, the ICE deputy assistant director, told Fox News, adding that agents had made 50 arrests by Tuesday “We have launched Operation Catch of the Day to target the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens in the state. On the ﬁrst day of operations, we arrested illegal aliens convicted of aggravated assault, false imprisonment, and endangering the welfare of a child,” said Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin in a statement.

Undercover license plates

Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, a longtime opponent of President Donald Trump, said state officials received a request from U.S. Customs and Border Protec-

tion for conﬁdential, undercover Maine license plates and decided against issuing them. The license plates are used on unmarked vehicles, and Bellows said she wants more assurance they will be used appropriately

“These requests in light of rumors of ICE deployment to Maine and abuses of power in Minnesota and elsewhere raise concerns. We have not revoked existing plates but have paused issuance of new plates. We want to be assured that Maine plates will not be used for lawless purposes,” Bellows said.

Bellows who has repeatedly clashed with the Trump administration, cited accountability concerns.

Customs and Border Protection did not respond to a request seeking comment, but a top Maine Republican said withholding the undercover plates would jeopardize public safety

“That really, one, puts us at odds as a state. Puts us at one end of an extreme that we really shouldn’t be on,” Senate Leader Trey Stewart said. Mills has pushed back, saying aggressive enforcement actions that undermine civil rights are “not welcome.” Lewiston Mayor Carl Sheline said ICE enforcement has been causing “anxiety, fear or uncertainty” for many “There is no evidence of unchecked criminal activity in our community requiring a disproportionate presence of federal agents,” Dion said.

Republicans and some Democrats back contempt charges for Clintons

BY STEPHEN GROVES and MATT BROWN Associated Press

WASHINGTON A House committee advanced resolutions Wednesday to hold former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in contempt of Congress over the Jeffrey Epstein investigation, opening the prospect of the House using one of its most powerful punishments against a former president for the ﬁrst time. In bipartisan votes, the Republican-controlled House Oversight Committee approved the contempt of Congress charges, setting up potential votes in the House early next month. In a rare departure from party lines, some Democrats supported the contempt measures against the Clintons, with several progressive lawmakers emphasizing the need for full transparency in the Epstein investigation.

The votes were the latest turn in the Epstein saga as Congress investigates how the late ﬁnancier was able to sexually abuse dozens of teenage girls for years

“No witness, not a former president or a private citizen, may willfully defy a congressional subpoena without consequence. But that is what the Clintons did and that is why we are here,” Rep. James Comer, the chairman, said at the session on Wednesday The repercussions of contempt charges loomed large, given the possibility of a

substantial ﬁne and even incarceration. Still, there were signs of a potential thaw as the Clintons appeared to be searching for an off-ramp to testify In addition, passage of contempt charges through the full House was far from guaranteed, requiring a majority vote — something Republicans increasingly struggle to achieve.

The Clintons have said they had nothing to do with Epstein for decades and are seeking a resolution to the dispute. This week, they offered to have the committee leadership and staff interview Bill Clinton in New York. Comer rejected that offer Tuesday, insisting that any interview also have an ofﬁcial transcript. Epstein killed himself in 2019 in a New York jail cell while awaiting trial.

Bill Clinton, President Donald Trump and many others connected to Epstein have not been accused of wrongdoing. Yet lawmakers are wrestling over who receives the most scrutiny

The Clintons, who contend the subpoenas are invalid because they do not serve any legislative purpose, have offered the committee written declarations about their interactions with Epstein. Democrats have largely been focused on advancing the investigation into Epstein rather than mounting a defense of the Clintons. They agreed that Bill Clinton should inform the committee if he has any pertinent information about Epstein’s abuses.

A wealthy financier Epstein donated to Bill Clinton’s 1992 presidential campaign and Hillary Clinton’s joint fundraising committee ahead of her 2000 Senate campaign in New York.

On Wednesday, Democrats tried to advance several changes to the contempt of Congress charges. Several argued that Hillary Clinton should be exempted because she has said she had very little personal interaction with Epstein. Democratic lawmakers also tried to downgrade the contempt of Congress resolution to a civil rather than criminal offense.

Democrats spent the hearing criticizing Comer for focusing on the Clintons when the Justice Department is running a month late on a congressionally-mandated deadline to publicly release its case files on Epstein Comer has also allowed several former attorneys general to provide the committee with written statements attesting to their limited knowledge of the case.

The committee had also subpoenaed Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s longtime confidant, who is serving a lengthy prison sentence for a conviction on sex trafﬁcking charges. But Comer declined to press for the interview after Maxwell’s attorney indicated she would invoke Fifth Amendment rights in any deposition.

Comer has indicated that

Court freezes restrictions on tactics in Minn.

BY JACK BROOK and PATRICK WHITTLE Associated Press

Calls for caution

Portland Public Schools, the largest and most diverse school district in the state, said Wednesday that it conducted a “lockout” at two schools to prevent anyone from entering the building during the school day Tuesday because of concerns about ICE activity nearby

“It was quickly determined that there was no threat to our school communities and the lockouts were lifted within minutes. This is an understandably tense time in our community, as reports and rumors of immigration enforcement actions grow,” the district’s statement said.

Maine Democrats have condemned the ICE activity

“The Trump administration has deployed ICE agents to Portland, Lewiston, and possibly other Maine communities. This is not about public safety It is about fear, control, and political theater,” Devon Murphy-Anderson, executive director of the Maine Democratic Party, said in a statement Wednesday

MINNEAPOLIS A federal appeals court on Wednesday suspended a decision that prohibited federal ofﬁcers from using tear gas or pepper spray against peaceful protesters in Minnesota. The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals was persuaded to freeze a judge’s ruling that bars retaliation against the public in Minnesota, including detaining people who follow agents in cars, while the government pursues an appeal Operation Metro Surge, an immigration enforcement operation in the Twin Cities, has been underway for weeks.

Attorney General Pam Bondi praised the appeals court on X, saying the Justice Department “will protect federal law enforcement agents from criminals in the streets AND activist judges in the courtroom.”

After the stay was issued, Greg Bovino of U.S. Border Patrol, who has commanded the administration’s big-city immigration campaign, was seen on video repeatedly warning protesters on a snowy Minneapolis street “Gas is coming!” before tossing a canister into the crowd that released green smoke. Minnesota is a major focus of immigration sweeps by agencies under the Department of Homeland Security and is where Renee Good was fatally shot by an ICE ofﬁcer on Jan. 7. State and local ofﬁcials who oppose the campaign were served with federal grand jury subpoenas Tuesday for records that might suggest they were trying to

stiﬂe enforcement. A political action committee founded by former Vice President Kamala Harris urged donors to contribute to a defense fund in aid of Gov Tim Walz, her 2024 running mate. “The Justice Department is going after Trump’s enemies,” Harris’ email said, referring to President Donald Trump.

Bovino said more than 10,000 people in the U.S. illegally have been arrested in Minnesota in the past year, including 3,000 “of some of the most dangerous offenders” in the last six weeks during Operation Metro Surge. Julia Decker, policy director at the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota, said advocates have no way of knowing whether the government’s arrest numbers and descriptions of the people in custody are accurate.

Separately, a federal judge said he’s prepared to grant bond and release two men after hearing conflicting testimony about an alleged assault on an immigration officer Prosecutors are appealing. One of the men was shot in the thigh by the officer during the encounter last week. The officer said he was repeatedly struck with a broom and with snow shovels while trying to subdue and arrest Alfredo Alejandro Aljorna following a car crash and foot chase. Aljorna and Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis denied assaulting the officer Neither video evidence nor three eyewitnesses supported the officer’s account about the broom and shovels or that there had been a third person involved.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ROBERT F BUKATy

Rosie Grutze protests the presence of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Wednesday in Portland, Maine.

CONCERNS

theadministration to take “immediate and proactive steps to protect families in Lafayettefrom inhumane and escalatingimmigration enforcement activity.”

The letter asks for greater transparency from ICEand the U.S. Border Patrolregarding any activity in the parish, allowing for swift due process, prohibiting racialprofiling and the wearing of masks by agents or task-force deputies and that theLafayette Police Department not cooperate with the federal agency

“The safety of our immigrant communities are more at risk than ever,” the organization wrote.

LSPO signed an agreementDec. 11,allowing sheriff’s deputies to question, detain and arrest people suspected of entering thecountry illegally under the ICE’s287(g) program. The program delegates certain immigration-enforcement functions to trained state and local ofﬁcers under federal supervision.

“It enhances our situational awareness here in Lafayette Parish,” Sheriff Mark Garber said in aprerecorded interview provided to the Acadiana Advocate.

Garber said the agreement will allow his agency to access federal databases that were previously unavailable, thereby improving efﬁciency and safety in law enforcement activities.

Neither ICE nor the Department of Homeland Security will dictate how immigration enforcement is

Continued from page1A

“bring together chronic condition management and foodpolicy.”

He also said he plans to create an inspector general within thedepartment to root out waste, and that he’sfocused on programs to reduce cancer deaths, overdoses and infant mortality.

“If you’re comfortable withhow we do things right now,beready to get uncomfortable over the next year,” Greenstein said.

The roughly four-hour presentation, streamed onlineand attended by safety-net health providers, disability service operators and patient advocates, offered the most detailed road map yet for howthe $21.4 billion agency which oversees Medicaid,publichealth,state hospitals and social services, may change under its new secretaryand anewly appointed surgeon general.

It included some elementsof federal health policy,which has shifted under U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.toward wellness and nutrition under the banner of Make America Healthy Again. And the Health Department’sfocus on oversight and what Greenstein called “radical transparency” appearedtotake note of Gov.JeffLandry’srecent emphasis on ensuring that government agencies wereimproving their efﬁciency Greenstein said the department’s major goals include improving health outcomes, tightening oversight of public spending and modernizing how it operates, from aging data systems to how programs work across agency lines.

He said the agency’sleadership wouldbeexpectedtoidentify where performance has lagged, explain whatwill change in 2026 and be accountable for results.

In her ﬁrst public remarks asthe

Residentsattend aregular meetingofthe Lafayette City Council on Tuesday at CityHall.

done in the parish, Garber said. He also reiterated that his agency does notintend to conduct immigration sweeps, introduce checkpoints or randomly question people.

“The Sheriff’s Ofﬁcedetermines …inhow and when and the manner in which we conduct enforcement activities.Thatincludes any activitiesthatwewould be conducting

under the 287(g) program,” Garber said. In aprepareddocument, Garber wrotethat his agency remains committed to constitutionalpolic-

ing and community trust.

Email StephenMarcantel at stephen.marcantel@ theadvocate.com.

state’snew surgeongeneral,Dr.

Evelyn Grifﬁn outlined an agenda looking at “root causes” of health issues anda push forstronger data systems to identifygaps in care.

“Weneed to return the focus back to foundational elements of health, such as nutritionwith whole foods, daily movement, quality sleep and stress management,” Grifﬁn said, adding that they should be integrated with conventional medicine andevidence-based practices.

Other priorities for the surgeon general include further reducingopioid-relateddeathsamong pregnant womenthrough Project

MOM, astatewideprogram aimed at preventing pregnancy-associated overdoses,and increasing breastfeeding rates through existingmaternal health programs. According to her presentation, her ofﬁcewill emphasize “family,faith and fearlessness.”

While Louisiana has been ranked third-highest for opioid deaths, Health Department ofﬁcials said thereisprogress. Deaths went down by 31%,from1,130deaths in 2023 to 770 deaths in 2024.

Louisianamothershad the highest state death rate in 2023, according to areport from The Common-

wealth Fund. The state had amaternal mortality rate of about 42 per100,000live births, compared with thenational average of 18.6.

Grifﬁn,who wasappointed surgeon general by Landry in December afterDr. Ralph Abraham resignedtobecomethe principal deputydirector at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, drewnational attention in recent weeks overher viewsonvaccines as anewly appointedmemberof thefederal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.

Griffin wasappointed to that role by Kennedy and voted against

continuing the committee’srecommendation for routine hepatitis B vaccination fornewborns.

Vaccination policy was not discussedduring the Louisiana Department of Health meeting. In a subsequent interview,Greenstein saidthe department’s approach to vaccinepromotion —revised under the previous surgeon general to discontinue mass vaccination efforts such as ﬂu fairs and to advise department employees against recommending specific vaccines —isunlikely to change.

During the presentations, other departmentofficials detailed initiatives already underway or launching in 2026, including a $200-plus million rural health transformationeffort with federal funds, expanded crisis response infrastructure for people considering suicide, tighter Medicaid oversight thatincludesworkrequirements, rooting out Medicaid and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program fraud and waste, andnew limitsonSNAPpurchases of candy and softdrinks.

Several speakers underscored efforts to modernize data systems, reduce administrative overhead, renegotiate vendor contracts and redirect savings towarddirect care, workforce capacity and quality outcomes.

Greenstein said the meeting was the ﬁrst in arecurring series, pledging that thedepartmentwill hold annual “shareholder” meetings to open its books to public comment and share progress and goals.

“It’sbetter and easier to be open, transparent and collaborative thanitistoschemeawayin ourofﬁce andhavea whiteboard we don’tshow anyone,” Greenstein said. “Weare constantly being improvedbythe input from stakeholders from around the country.”

Email Emily Woodruff at ewoodruff@theadvocate.com.

STAFF PHOTO By BRAD BOWIE

PROVIDED PHOTO

Louisiana Surgeon General Dr.Evelyn Griffinlaysout priorities at aLouisiana Department of Health meeting on Wednesday.

Polarvortex,

BY SETH BORENSTEIN

AP science writer

WASHINGTON Warm Arctic waters and cold continental land are combining to stretch the dreaded polar vortex in away that will send much of the United States adevastating dose of winter weather later this week with swaths of painful subzero temperatures, heavy snow and power-linetoppling ice.

Meteorologists said the eastern two-thirds of the nation is threatenedwitha winter storm that could rival the damage of amajor hurricane and has some origins in an Arctic that is warming from climate change. They warn that the frigid weather is likely to stick around through therest of January and into early February, meaning the snow andice that accumulates will take a long time to melt.

Forecasts havethe storm, expected to hit starting Friday,stretching from New Mexico to New England and across the Deep South. About 230 million people face temperatures of 20 degrees or colder and around 150 million are likely to be hit by snow and ice, with many Americans getting both, according to the National Weather Service.

“I think peopleare underestimating just how bad it’s going to be,” said former National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration chief scientist Ryan Maue, nowaprivate meteorologist.

Thepolar vortex, apatch of bitterly cold air that often stays penned up in northern Canadaand Alaska, is being elongated by awave in the upper atmospherethatgoes back to arelatively ice-free part of the Arctic and snowburied Siberia. As the bonechilling temperatures sweep through theU.S., they’ll meet with moisture from offCaliforniaand the Gulf of Mexico toset up crippling ice andsnow inmany areas.

Originsina warmingArctic

The origins of the system begininthe Arctic,where relatively warmer temperatures add energy tothe polar vortex and help push its cold air south

“The atmosphere is aligned perfectlythat the pattern is locked into this warm Arctic, cold continent,”Maue said. “And it’s notjust here for us inNorth America, butthe landmass of EasternEurope to Siberia is also exceptionally cold. Thewhole hemisphere has gone into the deep freeze.”

As far back as October 2025,changes in theArctic

lack of seaice blamed forwinterblast

andlow sea ice were setting up conditionsfor the kind of stretched polar vortex that brings severe winterweather to theU.S saidwinter weather expert JudahCohen, an MIT research scientist. Heavy Siberian snowfall added to thepush-and-pull of weather that warps the shape of thenormally mostlycircular air pattern. Those conditions “kind of loaded the dice abit” for astretching of the polar vortex, he said.

Cohen co-authored a July 2025 study that found more stretched polarvortex events linkedtosevere winter weather bursts in the centraland eastern U.S. over the past decade. Cohen said partofthe reason is that dramatically low sea ice in the Barents andKara seas in the Arctic helps set up apattern of waves that endupcausing U.S.coldbursts. Awarmer Arctic is causing sea ice in that region to shrink faster

than other places, studies have found.

Wherewinterblast will hit

Thecenter of thestretched polar vortex will be somewhereabove Duluth,Minnesota,byFridaymorning, usheringin“long-lastingbrutal cold,” Maue said. Temperaturesinthe North andMidwest will getabout as cold as possible, even down to minus 25 or 30 degrees Fahrenheit, Maue said. The average low

temperature for the Lower 48 states will dance around 11 or 12 degrees on Saturday, Sundayand Monday, Maue said.

TwoGreat Lakes —Erie and Ontario —may freeze up, which would at least reducethe famed lake-effect snow abit, Maue said. National Weather Service meteorologist Zack Taylor of thenational Weather Prediction Center said most areas eastofthe Rockieswillbe impacted by thebitter cold, snoworice. Treacherous freezing raincould stretch from the southern Plains through the mid-South and into the Carolinas, he said. “We’re looking at the potential for impactfulice accumulation. So the kindof ice accumulation that could cause significantorwidespread power outages or potentially signiﬁcant tree damage,” he said. And if you don’tget ice, you could get “another significant swath of heavy snow,”Taylorsaid. He said it was too early to predict how many inches will fall, but “signiﬁcantsnowfall accumulations” could hit “the Ozarks region, Tennessee and Ohiovalleys, thecentral Appalachians,and then into the mid-Atlantic, and perhaps into theportions of the Northeast.”

TrumptomeetwithZelenskyy as Ukraineendures bitter winter

BY KAMILA HRABCHUK Associated Press

KYIV,Ukraine About 4,000 buildings in Kyiv lacked heatWednesday andnearly60% of theUkrainian capital was without power, Ukraine’sPresident Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, after daysofRussian bombardment of Ukraine’s power grid and as U.S. President Donald Trump preparedtohold talks with the Ukrainian leader Trump’sdelegatesalso were expected in Moscow later this week for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

With temperatures falling as low as minus 4inKyiv, Ukraineis seeing one of the coldest winters in years, deepening the hardship

of Ukrainiansalmost four years afterRussialaunched afull-scale invasion.

Ayearlong push by theTrump administration to stop the ﬁghting hasn’tyielded any breakthrough, despite theAmerican president issuing aseries of deadlines, though efforts were set to continue. Trumpsaid at theWorld Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland that he wouldmeet Thursday with Zelenskyy “I want to stop it,” Trumpsaid of theﬁghting. “It’s ahorrible war.”

U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff toldThe Associated Press on Wednesday that he plans to discuss peaceproposals with Putin as well as holdtalkswith aUkrainiandelegation.“We need apeace,” Witkoff

said at Davos. Putin conﬁrmed lateonWednesday that Witkoff and Trump’ssonin-law Jared Kushner areexpected in Moscow on Thursday for talks. The Russian leader said that Moscow and Washington, among other things,are discussing thepossibility of usingRussian assets frozen in theU.S. for rebuilding “territories damaged by thehostilities” after a peace agreement is reached.

But withadispute over Greenland’sfuture largely eclipsing other trans-Atlantic issues at Davos, discussions aboutUkraine’s defense looked likely to be sidelined. Zelenskyy saidlast week his envoys would try to ﬁnalize withU.S. ofﬁcials documents for aproposed peace settlementthat relate to

postwarsecurity guarantees and economic recovery

He added that the U.S. and Ukraine could sign the documents in Davos thisweek,but on Tuesday he said he wouldn’tbetraveling to Switzerland andwould focusonrestoring power in Ukraine. Ukraine’sCabinetofMinisters is allocating almost $60 million froma reserve fund to purchase generators,Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko said Wednesday NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte on Wednesday urged the 32-nation alliance’smilitary chiefs to press their nationalgovernments to supply desperately needed air defense systems to Ukraine, helping it fend off Russia’saerial attacks.

“Please use yourinfluence to help your political masters to do even more,” Rutte said in avideo message to top brass as they met at NATO’sBrussels headquarters.

“Look deep into your stockpiles to see whatmore you can give to Ukraine,particularly air defense interceptors. The time really is now,” he said. Russia launched 97 drones and a ballistic missile at Ukraine overnight, the Ukrainian air force said. In the Dnipropetrovsk region, attacks killed a77-year-old man and a72-year-old woman, according to Oleksandr Hanzha, head of the regional military administration. Russia’sDefense Ministry said that airdefenses downed 75 Ukrainian drones over several regions.

Book shines a light on school’s troubling past

Former students reflect on T.M. Landry Prep history

BY KAYLA WOODS CRANE

Contributing writer

In the years since the allegations of abuse of falsifying records surfaced about T.M. Landry Prep school in Breaux Bridge, no one has been prosecuted.

Founders Michael and Tracy Landry, who received national plaudits for placing underprivileged minority students in elite universities across the United States before allegations were uncovered, are now offering tutoring services in Georgia, according to New York Times reporters Katie Benner and Erica Green, who recently released a book, Miracle Children: Race, Education, and a True Story of False Promises, after years of researching the school.

Benner and Green spoke at Cavalier Book House in Lafayette on Tuesday about the book and their ﬁndings.

“This is a system that’s so great, the

only way to have a shot at it is to play the hand you have as hard as you have it,” Benner said of the colleges admissions process. “And if that’s because you’re very wealthy, if that’s because you’re very connected, or if that’s be-

PHOTO PROVIDED By U.S AIRMAN FIRST CLASS KIMBERLy LEFFRING

While residents of Lafayette and nearby communities noticed the low-altitude flight paths of an AC-130, officials from the local airport reassured the public, stating it was all part of routine training

Military aircraft conducts training over Lafayette

BY KRISTIN ASKELSON Staff writer

The Lafayette Regional Airport addressed concerns Tuesday after a large military aircraft was seen circling the area for much of the day Airport ofﬁcials said the aircraft, an AC-130, was conducting routine training exercises known as “touch-and-go” operations. The maneuver involves landing on a runway and immediately taking off again, then circling until cleared by air trafﬁc control to repeat the process. The aircraft flew over Lafayette and surrounding com-

munities, including Broussard, Breaux Bridge and Scott, at a low altitude, sometimes as low as 400 feet, prompting questions from residents. Airport officials said there was no cause for concern, noting the airport’s runway is long enough to accommodate the training exercises. The AC-130 is a heavily armed military aircraft used to provide air support to ground forces. It has also been deployed in humanitarian missions, including disaster relief operations. Developed during the Vietnam War, the aircraft is often flown at night due to its size and operating profile.

cause you’re a Michael Landry and they’re conning these admissions ofﬁcers — whatever it is, everyone is playing the same game.”

Benner and Green first broke the story in 2018 about how the Landrys were abusing students, falsifying transcripts and coercing students to write false or exaggerated college essays. Benner noted there were no consequences for the admissions officers at the elite schools who admitted students from T.M. Landry Also, students who were admitted weren’t penalized by their respective colleges, since adults were ultimately responsible for the fraud.

Their book follows students highlighted in the 2018 report and “tells you the breadth of their journey,” they said, while also providing historical context for the social, political and economic conditions that allowed the

La. again sued over permit for LNG project

State has embraced fast-growing industry

BY JOSIE ABUGOV Staff writer

Environmental advocacy groups allege in a new lawsuit that regulators violated a court ruling by reissuing a key permit for a liqueﬁed natural gas export terminal in southwest Louisiana, a case that could impact the state’s rapid development of its LNG industry.

The lawsuit marks the latest in a string of litigation over the potential environmental harms that the project, Commonwealth LNG, could wreak on communities of color and low-income communities in a part of the state at the epicenter of the LNG build-out.

The suit filed in the 38th Judicial District Court in Cameron Parish last month claims that Louisiana’s energy department failed to truly assess the environmental impacts of the LNG project, after the state court struck down the previous permit. The new permit “does not correct the errors found by this court in any respect,” the suit states. The agency also failed to offer an opportunity for public comment, according to the environmental organizations Louisiana Bucket Brigade, Sierra Club and the Turtle Island Restoration Network.

“They didn’t really do any analysis themselves,” said Clay Garside, an attorney for the environmental groups.

The Department of Conservation and Energy does not comment on pending litigation, a spokesperson said. Commonwealth LNG, based in Houston, could not be reached for comment.

Last October, Judge Penelope Richard invalidated Commonwealth’s

See BOOK, page 4B ä See PROJECT, page 4B

Cold front brings winter weather risks

Advisories issued for freezing rain, ice

BY ASHLEY WHITE Staff writer

The National Weather Service in Lake Charles has issued winter weather advisories ahead of a strong cold front that’s forecast to move across Louisiana this weekend. The cold front is expected to bring freezing rain and possible ice accumulation. A winter storm watch and a cold weather advisory are in effect from noon Saturday to 6 p.m Sunday The weather service advises that people should delay travel if possible and warns of wind chills as low as 12 degrees.

“We’re looking at the potential for some freezing rain and ice this weekend with what is going to be probably the coldest air mass that we’ve seen across the area so far this year,” National Weather Service Lake Charles meteorologist Donald Jones said in a Facebook Live on Wednesday morning.

While central Louisiana is expected to receive the brunt

of the winter weather conditions, the area below the Interstate 10 corridor will likely experience minor to moderate impacts, including roadway closures due to ice. Rain is expected throughout the weekend in Lafayette and southwest Louisiana starting Wednesday evening. That rain could turn into freezing rain Saturday and Sunday as the cold front moves through. Even without freezing rain, there’s still a possibility of icy conditions because the water won’t have the chance to evaporate before temperatures drop below freezing, according to the weather service. There is 60% to 70% chance of ice accumulation greater than a tenth of an inch along and north of the U.S. 190 corridor, Jones said. There is a 15% to 40% chance for that much ice accumulation between the U.S. 190 and I-10 corridors and a 0% to 20% chance south of I-10 to the coast. The probability of a small amount of ice accumulation is greater, with about a 40% chance for those along the I-10 corridor If ice accumulation reaches

BY ADAM DAIGLE

Station announces new midday news program Montgomery

Longtime KLFY news anchor Darla Montgomery has been hired by KADN to serve as news anchor for a midday news program, the station announced Tuesday morning. Montgomery, who left in March after 33 years in the Lafayette television news market, will head up the program, “News15 Midday with Darla,” that will air at noon weekdays on both KADN and KALF, said Jim Parker, station general manager Montgomery left KLFY due to “differences over news philosophy,” according to KADN. She joins other longtime local anchors and reporters recently hired at KADN, including Marcelle Fontenot, Jim Hummel and Scott Brazda.

“News 15 believes experience matters and Darla joining the team further cements News 15 as ‘Your Local News Authority,’” Parker said. “News 15 is now home to all of Acadiana’s top-tier anchor talent, amassing an on-air dream team.” Montgomery, a native of Opelousas, was ﬁrst hired by KLFY in 1992. She

The book ‘Miracle Children’ is seen at Cavalier House Bookstore on Tuesday.

PHOTOS By ROBIN MAy

New york Times reporters Erica Green, left, and Katie Benner lead a discussion on their book, ‘Miracle Children,’ about the T.M. Landry School in Breaux Bridge in 2018 at Cavalier House Bookstore on Tuesday.

OUR VIEWS

Shooting at DookyChase’s goes to theheart of what violence costsour state everyday

The shots that rang out over the weekend in New Orleans’ Treme neighborhood affected so many so deeply not only because of the location or the victims or the seeming senselessness of the brazencrime. No, thatmuch we are used to.

Though we have seen declines in violent crime in Louisiana’smajor cities over the past twoyears, every resident knows that the eruption of violence can occur at any moment, in any place. That it occurred Friday night at the landmark Dooky Chase’srestaurant, where a gunman chased down 19-year-old Kareem Harris, is certainly shocking. Harris, who had ﬂed into the building to escape his attacker, died from his wounds, and three women from out of town who were in the restaurant entryway also suffered injuries. One of the women remains in the ICU. Police are still searching for the assailant.

Yetaslearn more of the story,what gives us pause is how intractable these cycles of violence in our cities and among our youths seem to be —and what they costusevery day

After millions and years spent on interventions to curb crime, still we are left with this stark reality: another Friday night,another beef settled with agun, another Black youth dead.

Family members say Harris was the proverbial good kid. He had once worked at Dooky Chase, had an interest in photography and helped out his relatives. Perhaps his biggest misfortune was growing up in astate where young Black lives are often at risk. According to the nonproﬁt Violence Policy Center, Louisiana had the third highest Black homicide victimization rate of any state in the country in 2023, with 46.2 deaths per100,000. The national average was 26.6 deathsper 100,000.

In addition to thelives and potential lost, violence hurts us in other ways. In astate reliant on its tourism and hospitalityindustries, it’s no secret that high rates of violent crime are a stain on our reputation. We pray for those visitors who were injured in this shooting and hope for their full recovery

Then there is the injury toour culture and history.Wecan’thelp butnotethat the shootingoccurred as the nation was preparing to celebrate the Martin Luther King Jr.holiday King’swork is inextricablytiedtoNew Orleans spaceslike Dooky Chase, where he often met with other civil rights leaders.

We stand with New Orleans leaders in supporting this place that holds so much history We are certain that its lateco-founder Leah Chase would be heartbroken that after so many decades of beinganeighborhood bulwark, her restaurant has seen such tragedy arrive at its doorstep.

We must not let this act,though, discourage efforts to address the violence that scars our communities. The legacy she and others left for us demands we do the work.

LETTERSTOTHE EDITOR ARE WELCOME. HERE AREOUR

GUIDELINES: Letters are published identifying name, occupation and/or title and the writer’scity of residence

TheAdvocate |The Times-Picayune require astreet address andphone number for verification purposes, but that information is not published. Letters are not to exceed 300 words. Letters to the Editor,The Advocate, P.O. Box 588, Baton Rouge, LA 70821-0588, or email letters@ theadvocate.com. TO SEND US A

OPINION

Congresscan help make organdonationeasier

As someonewho received akidney transplant ayear ago, in February 2025, Iknow ﬁrsthand how life-changing living donation can be. Ilive with polycystic kidney disease, agenetic condition often passed down through families, which can make ﬁnding aliving donor especially hard. Thankfully,myhusband stepped up to becomemydonor,and his gift gave me thechance to moveforward with my life. Butthrough this experience, Ialso saw how manybarriers potential living donors face. That is why Iurge policymakers to support thefederal Living Donor Protection Act andthe LivingOrganDonor TaxCredit Act, so morefamilies can have thesame chance mine had. Livingdonors save lives, yet many encounter insurance discrimination or cannot afford to taketime off work to recover from surgery.Upto25% of living donors report facing insurance discrimination, including being denied coverage or charged higher premiums for life, disability,orlong-term care insurance.

No one who steps forward to give

someoneelse afuture should be penalized for their generosity.The Living Donor Protection Actwould prohibit these discriminatory insurance practices and guarantee donors medical leave under theFamily and Medical Leave Act, protectingtheir ﬁnancial stability and job security. Additionally,living donation often involves signiﬁcant out-of-pocket costs, including travel, lodging, medical care, and lost wages. The Living Organ Donor TaxCredit Act would establish arefundable tax credit up to $5,000 to help donors cover these expenses. Iamgratefulevery day formyhusband’sdonation, but not every patient has someone who can donate or afford thestrain. With nearly100,000 people waiting for akidney transplant and 13 dying each day on thewaitlist, action is long overdue.

Supporting these bipartisan bills will save lives and bring hope to countless families.

DANYELLE TOVAL Baton Rouge

List of outrages by Trumpcontinues to grow

In thelast few weeks:

n President DonaldTrump ordered the invasion of aforeign, sovereign country andremoved its leader

n Trump threatened to annexGreenland “the easy way or the hard way ”

n The Trumpadministration, speciﬁcally Marco Rubio,threatened Cuba, Mexico and Colombia with “you could be next” comments.

n Trump threatened Iran for its crackdown on Iranian citizens protesting

n Vice President JD Vancehas saidICE has “absoluteimmunity.”

n Our DepartmentofDefense announced a“censure” of senator,former U.S. Navy Commander Mark Kelly and a process to reduce him in rank andreduce his militaryretirement pay over his participation in avideo reminding military membersthat they arenot required to obey unlawful orders.

n The Department of Justice hasstarted an investigation into the chairman of theFederal Reserve Jerome Powell over hisrefusaltobendtothe demands of President Trumptolower interest rates.

n In an interview,Trumpsaid the civil rightsmovement was “reverse discrimination” and was “bad for alot of White people.”

n Trump has threatened aU.S. state Minnesota—with aday of “reckoning and retribution” forits protests against ICE. In normal times, anysingle one of these events or statements would be an outrage on its own merits. But we are not in anormal time. Democrats are powerlessatthis moment.Atwhat point will aman of courage among Republicans stand up?

RICHARD WESTMORELAND NewOrleans

If you run thestreets for exercise, you must run defensively

Youknow you are there, but you are not readily apparent toadriver headed for an appointment, hurrying to get to the store for groceries for dinner or listeningtothe radio. This is especially so in residential areas and at times of low

light. Itrained for and ran six marathons in a10-year period, and Iknow through experience what Iamtalking about. Run as if you are not seen by the person behind thewheel. Pleaserun defensively

ROBERT BOLAND Baton Rouge

We could solvethe immigration crisis if we wanted to

Iamanalmost 80-year old retiredteacher.For years I have read aboutthe Congressionalstalemate on immigrationreform. The most recent comprehensive immigration reform bill was passedby Congress in 1996, anditwas meant to stemthe ﬂow of increased immigration that continued afterthe 1986 bill. The earlierbill provided, amongotherthings, sanctions on businesseshiring immigrants without work permits or valid social security numbers. The 1996 bill provided for increased bordersecurity andfewer grounds for asylum applications. It wassupposed to provide forincreased detentionand deportation.

Yet, here we are30years laterunable to take responsibility for afull-blown humanitarian crisis. As asociety, we beneﬁtedfromthe labor of hardworking immigrants, legalornot.American businesseshavebeen eager to hire immigrants, and by law, these businessesmust deduct income, Social Security and Medicaretaxes.Ifanyone tells youthatimmigrants don’t paytaxes,itisbecause their employers arefailing to follow the law.

Clearly,the 1996 lawwas ineffective.Either it was underfundedorAmerican farmers, building contractors, meat processors, health care facilities andotheremployers benefited fromhardworking employees andwanted the brakesput on enforcement. Let’sacknowledge that. It is time for Congress to start talking across the aisle to address immigration, acknowledging its many benefits, establishing realistic population benchmarks for housing, schools, employment andstopplay-acting with masked enforcement officers. We as acountry aredamaging ournationalhonor by treating people desperate forwork as criminals.

MARCIA COOKE NewOrleans

As Letlow runs forSenate, will finances

Rep. JuliaLetlowofBaton Rouge has entered this year’sU.S. Senaterace with the momentum of an endorsement from President Donald Trump, but only after copping to aﬁnancial anomaly that her opponents are sure to exploit. Twointeresting questions arise. First, by the time of the May 16 primary,will Trump’sendorsement be as much of aboon as most people assume? Second, will anyofher three most prominent likely opponents —incumbent Sen.Bill Cassidy,state Treasurer John Fleming or state Sen. Blake Miguez attack her,and how strongly,for her long-standing failure to complywithan importantﬁnancial disclosure law?

Let’stake the latter question first.On Jan. 13, Letlow disclosed that shepreviously had failed to report more than 200stock and bond trades as required by alaw called the STOCKAct.She had to amend all five of her annualfinancial disclosuresgoingback to 2020. On the surface, the failure to report looks either like grossnegligenceor like dishonest obfuscation,especially since the trades involve so much money (somewhere between $225,000 and $3.3 million) and because they involve companies, such as Alphabet,Amazon, Chevron and key health care companies, which are clearly drawingcongressional lawmaking attention

Digging deeper,Letlow’sexplanation looks plausible and alot more innocent: Herinvestment portfolio is managed by an investment adviser,which shifted funds in the account into individual stocks and bonds without realizing it would trigger new reporting requirements. Anyone who outsources direct management of investmentaccounts to financial advisers can understandhow that can happen. On the other hand, the STOCK Act is unambiguous that lawmakers are individually responsiblefor thelaw’s disclosure requirements, even if the trading is conducted by athirdparty Even if Letlow is cleared of intentional wrongdoing, asseems likely,she almost certainly will face aseries of financial fines for her violations.

In away,this is reminiscentofwhat was treated like amajor congressional scandal in the early 1990s, namely the widespread practice among representatives of overdrawing their personal accounts at the House bank,essentially using the bank as apermanent, rolling, no-interest loan fund. While only afew of the members of Congress actually broke any law,the impression of self-

”For what you see and hear depends agood deal on where you are standing: it also depends on what sort of person you are.” —C.S. Lewis, TheMagician’s Nephew Let’sstart with the shooting of Renee Good, aMinneapoliswoman killed by an ICE agent while attemptingtodrive away from the scene of an ICE operation. Moments after the ﬁrst videos were available the mayor of Minneapolis, Jacob Frey and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz blamed ICE and called the shootingunnecessary

Congresswoman Julia Letlowspeaks at a2024 event at the City ClubofBaton Rouge. Letlowannounced this week that she will enter this year’sU.S.Senate race afterreceiving an endorsementfrom PresidentDonald Trump

indulgence was so great that it contributed to reelection losses by dozens of incumbents. In reality,alot of the fee-less overdrafts were the result of sloppy bookkeeping:just one or two instances for some members, rather than apattern of self-dealing. Still, thestench was so badthat even somelawmakers with only one or two overdrafts ended up losing their jobs. Likewise, Letlow’sopponentssurely will betempted to turn her STOCK Act violations into attack-ad fodder.Inthe ﬁrst primary,Cassidy himself isn’tlikely to weigh in: He almost certainly will getintoarunoff anyway,sowhy waste time andmoney trashing just one of severalmajor opponents?Hewill need to hoardaton of cash for the runoff, as he must negotiate major hurdles: He angered theMAGA hordes by voting to convict Trump in the Capitol-riot impeachment proceedings and he angeredanti-MAGA Republicans by castingkey,inexcusable votes toapprove a host of horrid choices for TrumpCabinetand sub-Cabinet posts.

On theother hand, Miguez and Flemingknow that now that Trumphas spoken,they may have trouble getting past Letlow for the second runoff spot without substantially bloodying her up (ﬁguratively speaking). Butitcould be agame of chicken:Often thecandidate

members of the Venezuelan gangster group Tren deAragua. ADHS statement saidthey had “weaponized” their car ﬂeeinga trafﬁc stop.

If jumping to conclusions were an Olympic sport, these premature commentators who sought to create anarrative would receive gold medals

who levels the attacks takes himself down, too, in thecrossﬁre, leaving another candidate looking good by staying above the fray

To have any chance, those two know that Letlow must be taken down, but how long can each wait while hoping theother is the one to start slinging the mud? The tactical maneuvering will be fascinating to watch

All of which may be moot if Trump’s endorsement turns out tobeasweak as it was in primaries in 2022 in Indiana, Alabama, Utah, South Carolina and Colorado. Aslew of recent polls have shown Trump’sapproval ratings dropping signiﬁcantly bothamongthe public at large and even among Republicans —and thedrop is even more pronounced when people are asked their support for Trumponkey individual issues.

Worse for Trump, his administration’s recent moves on ICE enforcementand especially on Greenland are massively unpopular.Itcould be that by May his endorsement is no help at all, and maybe (although not likely) an absolute hindrance. Either way,with Letlow in the race, themulticandidatebattle is truly joined. It could be adoozy

Email QuinHillyer at quin.hillyer@ theadvocate.com

Martin Luther KingJr. where riots and looting destroyed manyBlack neighborhoods and forced acall-out of the National Guard to maintain order

The leftist activist group that Good was reportedly part of is dedicated to trackingand “resisting” immigration enforcement operations through apps and arapidresponse hotline, according to the New York Post. Frey andWalz also claimed Good was tryingto drive away.Frey added that the agent who shot Good “hopped” down the street. Perhaps he was limping afterGood’s car hit him? Standing on the other sideofthe argument were Vice PresidentJDVance, Department of HomelandSecurity Secretary Kristi Noem, currentand former Border Patrol agents andother conservative commentators on Fox News. In Portland, Oregon, aCBP agent opened ﬁre on acoupleidentiﬁed as

Themedia and Democrats have driven much of this. For the media it makes forgood pictures. For Democrats and liberal groups who may provide them support money,it’sa strategythey hope will bring President Trumpand hisadministration down. There are two ways to break thelaw One is by breaking it and the other is by ignoring it. The latter is mostly what the Biden administration did, letting in violent criminals who committed newcrimes, including themurder of American citizens. Investigations taketime to sort out thetruth,but in the instant communication age many are impatient and produce their own “truth” to further personal political objectives. DHS claims that ICE and other law enforcementagents are in more danger than at any time in recent memory. They are cursed in vile ways, bottles andbricks are thrown at them and demonstratorsdemand they remove face maskssothey can be identiﬁed and doxxed

This disrespect for legitimate authority goes backatleast in modern times to race riots and theassassinations of

Growing up in theWashington, D.C., area Iwas taught to respect and obey police officers because they were there to keep order and apply the law.Then there was only one officer on the steps of the House and Senate. There were no metal detectors (those were for the beach to find loose coins) and no identification required.

If you seek to enter the Capitol Building today,there are stone-and-metal barricades blocking vehicles from gettingclose and X-ray machines to examine what’sinyour pocket as you enter on foot. Security cameras are everywhere. This modern, anti-law enforcement attitude, Ibelieve, comes from too manyuniversityprofessors and social media that teach adifferent American history and promoteanAmerica that resembles thecountries from which these migrants come.

In Minneapolis, Portland, Oregon, and Seattle we have seen ICE trying to arrest and deport people with serious charges and convictions. Andnow those who are to “protect and serve” are thetargetsoforganized demonstrators, manyofwhom are breaking thelaw

Email Cal Thomas at tcaeditors@ tribpub.com. He is on X, @CalThomas.

Where arethe babies? Social conservatives keep asking what’shappened as the U.S. fertility rate crashestoits lowest level ever.But the answershould be another question: Where arethe fathers? And by fathers, we do notmean men who merely spread their seed andthentakeoff, but men who hang around andprovide moral andﬁnancialsupport to their children. The common but wrong answeristhatithas simply become tooexpensive to raise children: If youjust bring down the prices of things thenfamily life will become more attractive to young couples. This is the affordability copout.

Sure,lowering the cost of living would make children seem more “affordable.” But parents with amodestincome need apartnertomaintain amodestmiddle-class existence.

About 40% of births in the U.S. aretounmarriedwomen.Some of the fathers do paychild support, but 33% of this group send nothing. Meanwhile, 29% of divorced parents received no suchpayments.

“Earning More but in Worse Shape: Hardship Overwhelms Many American Families,” readsthe headline of arecentWall Street Journalarticle It centers on Lisa Meazler,a mother of three girls outside Binghamton, NewYork. Lisa laments thatshe hasn’tbeen able to take the girls on a“real vacation” for years. And we learnthather credit cards are maxed outand hermortgage payments late. We know that she works at alow-wagejob

Whatwedon’t know is the name of the father or fathers of the children. We don’t knowwhere theyare. We don’tknowwhether they’ve been sending checks —though the assumption is theyhaven’t.

This is the approach to storiesofimpoverishedfamilieskeptaﬂoat by desperate single women.

The NewYorkTimes reports on Wanda LavenderofMilwaukee. She’s raising six children andone grandchild while working long hours at aPopeyes.Where are the fathers? No one asks.

Social conservativesmay largely agree with me on the abovepoints. Theyblame the culture.But Iask why they give leaderswho virtually mocktheir valuesa pass. It wasn’t always thus. In 1964, Sen. Prescott Bush (R-Conn.) condemnedNelson Rockefeller over his divorce andquickremarriage. “Have we come to the point in ourlife as anation,” he asks, “where the governor of agreat state —one who perhaps aspirestothe nomination for president of the United States—can desert agood wife, mother of his grown children, divorceher thenpersuade ayoung mother of four youngsters to abandonher husband and their four childrenand marry the governor?”

Phyllis Schlaﬂy,the conservative activist best known for helping block the EqualRights Amendment, said back then, “I’ve been taking aprivate poll of Republican womenImeet alloverthe state (Illinois), and their reaction nearly unanimous was they’re disgusted with Rockefeller.”

Now look at today. President Donald Trump recently crownedhimself the “fertilization president.”

He dumpedtwo wives, mothers of four of his children, thenwentontomarry wife No. 3and cheat on her. Trump hasthe money to keep his ﬁve kids dressed and fed, but so did Rockefeller.

Trump gets away with playing the libertine while Rockefellerdid not. Even now he stocks his administrationwith “hot” young women, stamped outofthe same thin, surgery-enhanced mold.

Young womenlooking at the lives of Lisa Meazlerand Wanda Lavender and the sadsisterhood of impoverished single mothers might understandably choosetoforgo having childrenwithout fathers onboard.

In earlierdays, men in leadership were expected to model basic propriety —especially where childrenwere concerned. Fathers belong back in the story today

Froma Harrop is on X, @FromaHarrop. Email her at fharrop@gmail.com.

STAFF FILEPHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

Froma Harrop

Cal Thomas

Quin Hillyer

AG investigates company linked to official

Former CATS chief, contractor indicted in theft case

BY PATRICK SLOAN-TURNER

Staff writer

The company at the center of Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill’s investigation into an alleged scheme to steal public money was originally founded and owned by East Baton Rouge Parish Metro Council member Cleve Dunn Jr., according to state records

Last week, a special grand jury indicted former Capital Area Transit System Chief Administrative

Ofﬁcer Pearlina Thomas and contractor Jarian “Jay” Colar on multiple counts of theft, conspiracy and misuse of public funds.

Prosecutors allege Thomas conspired with an unindicted coconspirator named in the indictment only as “C.D.” identified by a source with direct knowledge of the investigation as Dunn — to steer a $50,000 contract to Colar’s company, Supreme Solutions, for work never performed.

Louisiana Secretary of State’s

Ofﬁce ﬁlings show Dunn originally founded Supreme Solutions in 2017

and made his wife a primary agent days later

When Colar signed the CATS contract in 2021, he was not listed in the state’s business ﬁlings, records show, and was not made primary agent for Supreme Solutions until weeks later.

Dunn’s role in the alleged scheme is unclear, and he has not been charged with any crime. But as an unindicted co-conspirator, he is accused by Murrill’s ofﬁce of conspiring to commit theft in excess of $25,000.

Dunn and his wife did not respond to requests for comment Tuesday Supreme Solutions’ records

On Feb. 1, 2017, Dunn filed paperwork with the state to form Supreme Solutions and was the primary agent.

Less than three weeks later he ﬁled paperwork to make his wife, Stacy Posey Dunn, the company’s primary agent.

On June 13, 2017, Cleve Dunn’s wife asked the state to change the business ﬁlings so her maiden name was listed instead of “Dunn.”

The company remained listed under the Dunns’ name for the next four years Between 2018 and 2019,

city-parish financial statements show payments were made to the company, twice by the Baton Rouge Airport and once by the MayorPresident’s Office during Sharon Weston Broome’s administration. Cleve Dunn sits on the commission that oversees the airport and was a member at the time of the payments. Funds from the airport were for travel to Washington, D.C., for networking, city-parish ﬁnancial records show The payment from the Mayor-President’s Office was for “economic development.”

But the transactions that caught the eye of investigators were those made from CATS to Supreme Solutions, as part of the company’s contract.

According to arresting documents for Colar and Thomas, Supreme Solutions was awarded its contract on July 12, 2021, without following proper approval requirements.

At the time, Colar had yet to be listed to the company with the secretary of state, according to state documents Colar did not sign forms to become a member or manager of Supreme Solutions until Aug. 17, 2021, more than a month

More charges filed in BR bus system probe

Metro Council member implicated

BY PATRICK SLOAN-TURNER Staff writer

A former Baton Rouge bus system administrator paid a husband and wife to illegally campaign for a tax renewal and concealed it with a fake contract, state prosecutors say On Wednesday, Terral “TJ” Jackson and Erica Jackson were indicted by a special grand jury on a count each of theft over $25,000 and conspiracy to commit theft over $25,000. Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill’s office is prosecuting the case. They are the third and fourth people charged in the past week as part of an investigation into alleged corruption at CATS that has implicated an East Baton Rouge Metro Council member On Jan. 14, former CATS Chief Administrative Ofﬁcer Pearlina Thomas and contractor Jay Colar were also indicted on multiple charges of corruption and bribery Thomas, Colar and the Jacksons have all been charged with conspiracy to commit theft alongside an unindicted co-conspirator, whom a source with direct knowledge of the investigation identiﬁed as council member Cleve Dunn Jr In August 2021, investigators say Thomas awarded a

ANCHOR

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later spent three years with KATC before switching back in 2006.

Her past work has earned her multiple Associated

PROJECT

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coastal use permit on the grounds that Louisiana ofﬁcials failed to consider the project’s impacts of climate change and environmental justice. It was the ﬁrst time a court had invalidated an LNG permit based on those concerns, advocates noted, and the ruling effectively halted construction for the multibillion-dollar project.

Richard wrote in her ruling that the state energy agency must prove that the beneﬁts of the project outweigh the costs to the community She mentioned potential harms to “those living in poverty,

CATS contract for around $50,000 to Broad Innovation Marketing Firm LLC, a company operated by TJ Jackson and listed to Erica Jackson.

The contract was supposed to “address a COVID-19 Mitigation Research Grant” and to work on a “Contactless Payment Project.” But investigators say they actually were assisting CATS to campaign for an upcoming property tax renewal that was on ballots in November 2021.

Investigators say the Jacksons and Thomas colluded with an unnamed individual to “fraudulently enter into the contract” and “performed legally prohibited acts with public funds” to stump for the tax renewal.

Investigators wrote that the unnamed individual “was discovered to be close friends” with the couple, and helped them get the CATS contract and introduced them to Thomas in February 2021.

Murrill’s office began investigating after the FBI sought help “regarding allegations of public officials who allegedly accepted bribes and misused their positions” to influence CATS contracts.

In 2021, the Jacksons were issued multiple checks totaling more than $49,000, prosecutors wrote in court ﬁlings.

“Bank records, emails, text messages and iMessages conﬁrm the conspiracy to obtain funding would not

Press awards, including a half-hour documentary chronicling the life of an Acadiana priest and his mission in Haiti.

“I’m proud to join the professionals here at News 15 and help this team continue their broadcasting excellence in Acadiana,” she said.

and those who ﬁsh not only for recreation but for their livelihood, which has always been a deﬁning characteristic of Cameron Parish.” Environmental and community groups applauded the decision as an incremental win in an ongoing fight against the LNG export expansion in Southwest Louisiana, which they stress will damage the coast and emit polluting fossil fuels.

Louisiana has positioned itself as the epicenter of the global LNG export market, where technology at the massive facilities transforms natural gas into liquid form, allowing the fuel to be exported worldwide In 2023, the state produced more than 60% of the na-

been awarded to BROAD, had it not been orchestrated by the Jacksons and the unnamed individual,” agents said.

The Attorney General’s Ofﬁce’s allegations against the Jacksons are similar to those ﬁled against Colar last week, in that both accuse Thomas of helping orchestrate fraudulent contracts. In both cases, a third, unnamed party was involved.

According to arresting documents for Colar, the contractor told FBI agents he fabricated evidence for proof of work for his contract, which was supposed to be for ﬁnding new sources of revenue for CATS.

Thomas admitted to investigators that Colar was instead assisting CATS in getting voters to approve the upcoming millage.

Like the Jacksons, Colar’s contract was for $50,000, the highest amount that does not require a board to vote and approve it.

State business records show that Dunn originally founded Colar’s company who received the contract, Supreme Solutions.

According to investigators, at least $33,000 of the $50,000 CATS paid to Supreme Solutions was converted to checks written out to a company identiﬁed in Colar’s arrest warrant as “C.G.”

A source with direct knowledge of the investigation identiﬁed “C.G.” as Core Group, a company Dunn owns.

“I look forward to once again doing what I love. Broadcasting has always been about connection and community, and I am grateful for this exciting opportunity to work in this new role.”

Email Adam Daigle at adaigle@theadvocate.com.

tion’s LNG exports. Richard noted in her judgment that Commonwealth would be the third LNG facility on the Calcasieu Ship Channel, located near Lake Charles and the Texas line.

State ofﬁcials, meanwhile, denounced the ruling and vowed to appeal. Attorney General Liz Murrill previously said the ruling “ignores the actual facts in the record.”

Proponents of LNG tout job creation, revenue and the importance of supplying U.S. allies with fuel long seen as burning cleaner than coal.

‘Copy and pasted’

Five weeks after the ruling, Louisiana’s energy agency issued a new coast-

after his CATS contract with the company began. FBI records turned over to the Attorney General’s Office say Thomas and Colar met at a Baton Rouge restaurant on Aug. 5, 2021, along with a third, unnamed person. Agents believe it was the ﬁrst time Colar and Thomas had met, “even though Supreme’s contract indicates it was signed on or about July 12, 2021,” prosecutors wrote.

On Jan. 14, 2025, Cleve Dunn ﬁled paperwork as the organizing member of Supreme Solutions to dissolve the company Payments to ‘C.G.’

Investigators claim three payments totaling $50,000 were made to Supreme Solutions from CATS between September 2021 and February 2022.

FBI ﬁnancial records show that CATS’ ﬁrst check to Supreme Solutions, which was for $25,000, was immediately deposited into the company’s bank account and then converted into two checks — one for $2,500 made out to Colar

The second check, which was written for $22,500, was made payable to a company identiﬁed by investigators as “C.G.”

The second payment, made by CATS for $12,500 was also imme-

diately deposited into Supreme’s accounts and converted to two checks — one for $1,250 to Colar and the other for $11,250 to “C.G.”, agents wrote in arresting documents.

Cleve Dunn owns a company named Core Group LLC, according to Louisiana business ﬁlings. That is the company named in the documents, according to a source with knowledge of the investigation. The third payment for $12,500 was immediately deposited and withdrawn as cash.

Core Group has done campaign strategy, consulting and canvassing work for candidates in the Baton Rouge area.

The company was paid more than $110,000 for work on Broome’s 2024 mayoral reelection campaign, according to campaign ﬁnance reports.

Other clients include state Rep Edmond Jordan, an attorney for Cleve Dunn, state Rep. Vanessa LaFleur and Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education member Preston Castille, according to ﬁnance reports. In 2018, Cleve Dunn’s company was paid more than $84,000 to campaign for MoveEBR, the parish infrastructure millage initiative led by the Broome administration.

BOOK

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school to ﬂourish. The authors provided a three-dimensional account of their experience that could not fit in the news story and redeﬁnes the students outside of the trauma they endured at the school.

“You can give people their fuller selves back, not their full selves,” Benner said. “But we can give them some semblance of (themselves) back, because

WEATHER

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a quarter to a half inch, it not only causes dangerous driving conditions but could cause power outages as the ice weighs down power lines, Jones said. Ice accumulation is not only creates dangerous driving conditions but could also cause power outages, Jones said.

Temperatures are expected to drop below freezing (32 degrees) in Lafayette at about midnight Sunday and brieﬂy rise above freezing, reaching 34 degrees, at

al permit for the project. Louisiana ofﬁcials relied on analysis from other agencies — the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the state’s Department of Environmental Quality — in their determination.

“They copy and pasted prior analysis that was later invalidated,” Garside said of the state agency “And then they say, ‘We agree with this and we’ve studied it independently and it’s our opinion that there are no environmental justice impacts.’”

Garside said that the FERC analysis the state agency used had itself been voided in 2024 in a separate federal lawsuit.

The state agency also “ignored clear disparate im-

that trauma porn, that pity stuff, again, is something that takes away people’s dignity.”

Nyjal Mitchell, a former T.M. Landry student who appeared in the 2018 article and is featured in the book, said his initial experience at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette was challenging, especially being one of the ﬁrst in his family attend college.

Yet Mitchell said he wouldn’t change what happened. Now enrolled at Southern University, he studies mental health coun-

noon Monday before dropping below freezing again. That means Lafayette could experience below-freezing temperatures for about 24 hours between Sunday and Monday There is also a chance temperatures fall below 20 degrees on Monday and Tuesday

On top of the freezing temperatures, the weather service expects the wind chill, which is how the temperature feels to exposed skin, to dip into the teens and even single digits Sunday through Tuesday The lowest wind chill in Lafayette is expected to reach 9 degrees at 6 a.m. on Monday

seling and wants to be the advocate he wishes he had.

“It was really really really tough, honestly,” Mitchell said. “It took a lot of introspection, even getting past a lot of the trauma that I had, dealing with the stuff that happened.”

Green said that what made the section of the book that follows the students after the story so great is that it showed how former students were able to move on despite the abuse and deception.

“The kids are all right,” she said.

The forecast is expected to change and become clearer as the week continues, Jones said. At this point, the weather service encourages people to prepare for winter weather by checking their emergency supplies, checking smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and replenishing fuel for cars and heating sources. Anyone who loses power and has a generator should use that generator in a wellventilated area to prevent carbon monoxide sickness or poisoning.

pacts on environmental justice communities” and did not account for the climate change impacts Commonwealth would have in conjunction with the other LNG projects online and expected in Cameron Parish, according to the lawsuit.

Anne Rolfes, who leads the Louisiana Bucket Brigade, said the state government is “doing everything it can to please this company” while the fishing industry in the area is struggling due to the export industry

As the legal saga with the environmental groups has unfolded, Commonwealth LNG has separately secured a long-term deal with Saudi Aramco, the national oil company of Saudi Arabia,

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

Reuters has reported. Commonwealth has a 20-year authorization from the federal government to export LNG to nonfree trade agreement countries and approval to export to free trade agreement countries for 25 years.

PHOTO By ROBIN MAy

Treston Eggy, a former student at T.M. Landry School, asks questions of New york Times reporters Erica L Green and Katie Benner, who wrote the book ‘Miracle Children’ about the T.M. Landry School in Breaux Bridge during 2018 at Cavalier House Bookstore on Tuesday.

SPORTS

GREATDEBATE

Alot haschangedabout college football in thepast few years. Toomuch, really One thing that has not changed: the endless debates.Who belongs in the College FootballPlayoff and who doesn’t? Whoisthe best player? Whohas the worst alternate uniforms?

Which is the best team?

Indiana stoked that debate Monday night as Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza led the Hoosiers to a27-21 victory over Miami in the CFP national championship game—on the Hurricanes’ home ﬁeld, no less.Indiana, the program with the most losses in the history of major college football (715), ﬁnished 16-0 and tied the 1894Yale team for the mostwinsever in aseason. Some reversal of fortune, all right. IndianaMendoza andthe Raiders of the CFP Ark.

It was an impressive season for the Hoosiers, but was it thebest? We canall

debate whopassed the eyetest as the best team ever untilnextyear’snational champion is crowned —thatwill be Jan. 25inLas Vegas, for all youdreamingLSU fans outthere —withnothing to show for it. WasitIndiana? LSUin 2019? Alabama in 2020? Miami in 2001? Nebraska in 1995? Theargument is endless. Who hadthe best season,now that’s something quantiﬁable. By that standard,the 2019 Tigers still hold off the 2025 Hoosiers. Not by awhole lot,but they deﬁnitely hold them off. Let’stakealook:

BY REED DARCEY Staff writer

ä LSU at Texas A&M, 8P.M.THURSDAy,SECN

BY KEVIN FOOTE Staff writer

Record against ranked teams:Indiana’s16-0 mark bettered LSU’s15-0 mark because theCFP is 12 teams nowinstead of four LSU playedinonlythe CFP semis in thePeach Bowl against Oklahoma and then in the championshipgame against Clemson. Indiana gotabye in the the first round, then trounced Alabama in the Rose Bowl, Oregon in the Peach and nippedMiami in the CFP final. Both were theNo. 1CFP seeds in their respective seasons. Despite playing onemore game, Indiana beat six ranked teams, all in the top 10 at thetime:No. 9Illinois,No. 3Oregon(regular season), No. 1Ohio State (Big Tenchampionship game), No. 9 Bama, No. 5Oregonagain andfinally No.10Miami. LSUdefeated seven top-10 teams in 15 games —No. 9 Texas, No. 7Florida, No. 9Auburn, No. 3Alabama, No. 4Georgia (SEC

The UL Ragin’ Cajuns hope to carry the momentum from Saturday’s59-56 road win over South Alabama into this week’smoreextensive road trip. That venture begins at 11 a.m Thursday againstAppalachian State in Boone, North Carolina.

“I’m proudofour guys for competing on the road and being able to pull out awin over awell-coached SouthAlabama team,” UL coach Quannas White said. “I thought we were moreconnected, and I thought we fought hard for 40 minutes.

“Anytime you wina game, especially on theroad,itgives you enormous conﬁdence. Credit to our guys, they’ve always believed, but to getthe victory was huge.”

The Cajuns enter the game 5-15 overalland 3-5inleague play,comparedtothe Mountaineers being in the middle of the pack at 11-9 and 4-4.

“They’re huge,” White said of App State, which recently defeated James Madison 80-65 before falling to Old Dominion 75-73 during atwo-game home stand.

BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer

Ole Miss junior edge rusher Princewill Umanmielen has signed with LSU out of the transfer portal, asource confirmed to The Advocate on Wednesday Umanmielen had 51 quarterback pressures thispast season,according to Pro FootballFocus, andfinished tied for third in the Southeastern Conference in sacks with nine. He ledthe Rebels in sacksand wasanAll-SEC third-team selection. Against Miamiinthe College Football Playoffsemifinals, Umanmielen had four quarterback pressures and asack.

He transferred to Ole Miss this past season after beginning his career at Nebraska. In two seasons with the Cornhuskers, he had 35 tackles and 11/2 sacks. Umanmielen’spath to LSU wasanything but straightforward. Ole Miss announced Jan. 5that Umanmielen would return to the Rebels, but 10 days later, On3 reported he intended to enter the transferportal.Thatdecisionbecame officialWednesdaywhenhis name entered the portal. Umanmielen immediatelyupgrades an LSU pass rush that struggled to generate pressure off the edge.Heaccumulated morethan twice as manysacks as any Tiger last season, and his 51 pressures were17more than LSU’sleader senior Jack Pyburn. The Tigers’ lack of production off the edge meanttheir only reliable path to pressuringquarterbackswas blitzing. The defense didn’thavemanyweaknesses, finishing fifth in the conference in points allowed per game. But its inability to bother quarterbacks with four pass rushers becameaproblem Regardless of production,LSU needed edge rushers after Pyburn and fifthyear seniors Patrick Payton and Jimari Butler ran out of eligibility.Pyburn led the room with 34 pressures. Payton had 27 pressures and Butler had 17. The only major pieces of the LSU rotation set to return in 2026 are sophomoreGabriel Reliford and redshirt sophomore Dylan Carpenter.Reliford, aformer four-star recruit, appeared in just four games this year because of a torn rotator cuff. Filling his place was Carpenter,who played in 119 snaps across 10 games. LSU now has added 41 players out of the portal this month. Umanmielenis thethird edge rusher,following Tennesseetransfer Jordan Ross and SouthCarolina edge rusher Jaylen

ä UL at Appalachian State, 11 A.M.THURSDAy,ESPN+

The Mountaineers average 72.9 points agame while giving up 67.1 App State typically takes care of the ball with just 9.8 turnovers a game. Of the top three scorers, only 6-foot-9Luke Wilson(10.6 pts, 7.3 rebs) is part of that size Whitementioned. The two leading scorers are guards Kasen Jennings (14.8 pts, 3.8 rebs) and Alonzo Dodd (13.6 pts, 5.0 rebs). The size comes from 6-9 Michael

Marcus (7.7 pts, 5.9 rebs) and reservessuchas6-7 Grant Clayton (4.0 pts, 6.0 rebs) and6-8 Chad Moodie (3.0 pts, 2.9 rebs).

“They’re physical,” White said. “Oncethe ball is shot, you’ve got to be committedtodefensive rebounding, so we’ll be working on that like we have all year.Wehave to ﬁgure out away to keep them off the glass.” That’safamiliarissue forthe

PHOTO By ROBIN MAy

UL’s Jeremiah Evans mayneed to playmore minutes for the Cajuns against abigger Appalachian State team on Thursday

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By REBECCA BLACKWELL

Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza smiles after beating Miami in theCollegeFootball Playoff national championship game on MondayinMiami Gardens, Fla.The Hoosiers won 27-21 to finish the season at 16-0.

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAELJOHNSON

LSU guardFlau’JaeJohnson celebrateswith guard Mikaylah Williams after afoul call against Texasinthe first period on Jan. 11 at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.

STAFF FILEPHOTO By BILL FEIG LSU coach Ed Orgeron hoists the CFP trophyasquarterback

winningthe CollegeFootball Playoff

championship game against Clemsonatthe Caesars Superdome on Jan. 13, 2020

MEN’S

6 p.m. South Florida at UAB ESPN2

6 p.m Wisconsin at Penn State FS1

5 p.m.

Posey may be in line for 2027 induction

BY NOAH TRISTER AP baseball writer

These days, Buster Posey’s focus is on trying to build a winner as president of baseball operations for the San Francisco Giants. Eleven months from now, however writers will be evaluating an earlier part of his career Posey is expected to be the top newcomer on the 2027 Hall of Fame bal-

lot. There are no ﬁrst-ballot inductees this year after the results were announced on Tuesday night. Holdover candidates Carlos Beltrán and Andruw Jones were the only ones voted in.

Beltrán and Jones were the top returning vote-getters from 2025, so it wasn’t a shock when they received the necessary 75% approval from members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. It helped that the newcomers to the ballot didn’t draw too much attention Of that group, only Cole Hamels even cleared the 5% threshold to avoid being dropped from future votes.

Next year Posey has a chance to make the Hall on his ﬁrst try A seven-time All-Star who led the Giants to three World Series titles, the star catcher was the National League batting champion and MVP in 2012.

Catcher can be a tough position to predict when it comes to Hall voting, but Joe Mauer made it two years ago on his ﬁrst opportunity.

“I remember doing like a poll before that ballot came out, just gauging what people thought would happen with Mauer, and the results were all over the place,” said Ryan Thibodaux, who runs an online ballot tracker before the announcement of each year’s results.

“Some people thought he’d get like 20% and some people thought he’d get elected. I think the sense with Posey, maybe because of Mauer a little bit, is that he could very well get in on the ﬁrst ballot.”

Surging starters

Andy Pettitte’s vote jumped from 27.9% to 48.5% this year, and Félix Hernández’s increased from 20.6% to 46.1%. That does not mean their chances of being inducted are that similar. Pettitte only has two more years on the ballot before exhausting the 10-year limit. Hernández, on the other hand, has only been on it twice and has plenty of time.

Lately, voters have been quite open to considering the top starting pitchers on the ballot. CC Sabathia was a ﬁrst-ballot inductee last year, and now Pettitte and Hernández have had big jumps in approval And Hamels earned 23.8% support in his ﬁrst time on the ballot.

A concern for Hamels is the fact that eventually, the likes of Clayton Kershaw, Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer — each of whom has three Cy Young Awards will be on the ballot. It’ll be harder for other starters if they’re being compared directly to those three.

But Hernández might get in before that becomes an issue

Top returner

The highest vote-getter who didn’t reach 75% this year is Chase Utley, who moved from 39.8% to 59.1%. This was only his third time on the ballot.

“It looks like Utley got himself into a position where he might be elected as soon as next year, although a 16% gain is not easy,” Thibodaux said. “He’ll probably get close if he doesn’t actually get all the way.

‘Insane’ atmosphere

Record crowds witness Sabalenka, Alcaraz, Gauff and Zverev advance at Australian

By The Associated Press

MELBOURNE, Australia Another day, another record crowd

Top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka and Carlos Alcaraz advanced in straight sets Wednesday and the No. 3 seeds — Coco Gauff and Alexander Zverev also progressed to the third round of the Australian Open.

The combined numbers for day and night sessions, 103,720 fans, set a full-day record for the third time in four days of the main draw at the season-opening major, which has become a festival of tennis.

Two-time Australian Open champion Sabalenka opened Day 4 with a 6-3, 6-1 win over Bai Zhuoxuan on Rod Laver Arena, and Gauff beat left-hander Olga Danilovic 6-2, 6-2 at Margaret Court Arena.

Alcaraz fended off Yannick Hanfmann 7-6 (4), 6-3, 6-2 in an afternoon encounter on the center court, and then reﬂected on his own performance and on his golf outing with Roger Federer

“I didn’t see myself playing that good but then talking to my team, I realized that I played better than I thought,” he said of his tough outing against the freehitting Hanfmann.

“I’m still getting used to the conditions, getting used to playing better.”

Alcaraz, 22, is trying to win his ﬁrst title at Melbourne Park to become the youngest man to complete a career Grand Slam.

Zverev, who lost last year’s ﬁnal here to Jannik Sinner, had to wait through a half-hour rain delay and concern over a sore left ankle before beating Alexandre Muller 6-3, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.

He was leading the fourth set 2-1 and serving at 15-0 when he had to halt the match and sit in a courtside chair for treatment.

“I took a painkiller It was ﬁne after that,” he said. “I was a bit scared because it was toward the Achilles tendon.

“I just wanted the (doctor) to check it out. After the medical timeout I was moving ﬁne, playing ﬁne.”

He was playing a night match on John Cain Arena, the third of Melbourne Park’s arenas with a retractable roof, where only ground pass tickets are needed for entry So on a day with a massive crowd, it was still full late.

“The atmosphere is insane. The crowd is wild,” he said. “I love playing here.”

Local hope Alex de Minaur beat Hamad Medjedovic 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-2, 6-1 on Rod Laver Arena around the same time.

“I weathered the storm. He

Saints to keep prices for season tickets the same

The Saints won’t raise seasonticket prices for the 2026 season, the team announced Wednesday The Saints notiﬁed ticket-holders that the price of their seats will remain unchanged next season, though they will have new payment options.

Rather than having them pay two lump sums, the team said it will now allow fans to split the cost into four invoice payments.

The team said the change was made after receiving feedback from season-ticket holders who indicated they wanted a chance to spread out the payments into smaller amounts.

The Saints are scheduled to have nine home games in 2026, barring the possibility that one of those contests could be held overseas — possibly in Paris.

Judge grants Duke’s bid to block Mensah’s transfer

A judge granted Duke’s request for a temporary restraining order blocking quarterback Darian Mensah from enrolling to play football at another school until a court hearing set for early February

The school ﬁled a lawsuit Monday in Durham County Superior Court against the former Tulane quarterback seeking to block his efforts to transfer and reach a contract with another school to play elsewhere next season. The complaint came three days after Mensah reversed his previously announced plan to return to the Blue Devils after leading them to the Atlantic Coast Conference title.

The order, formalizing a verbal ruling from Tuesday’s hearing, didn’t grant Duke’s additional request seeking to block Mensah from entering his name into the transfer portal entirely

Open

was hitting the ball really big and deep,” said de Minaur who is aiming to end a long drought for Aussie men at the home Grand Slam event.

“I’m super happy to battle my way through.”

He next faces No. 29 Frances Tiafoe, who beat Francisco Comesana 6-4, 6-3, 4-6, 6-2.

Women’s draw

Sabalenka won the Australian Open in 2023 and 2024 and was the runner-up a year ago against Madison Keys. She is after her fifth Grand Slam title and has two trophies at the U.S. Open.

She raced to a 5-0 lead but then needed seven set points to take the ﬁrst set against the defensive-minded Bai, who used clever drop shots to help her stay in the match. Sabalenka will next face Anastasia Potapova, who ousted former U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu 7-6 (3), 6-2.

Teenagers Mirra Andreeva (No. 8), Victoria Mboko (17) and Iva Jovic (29) advanced to the third round.

The 12th-seeded Elina Svitolina defeated Linda Klimovicova

7-5, 6-1 a day after her husband, Gael Monfils, said goodbye at Melbourne Park in his retirement year

Zeynep Sönmez of Turkey, who was highly praised during her ﬁrst-round match Sunday for assisting an ill ballkid, advanced 6-2, 6-4 over Anna Bondar

“I really appreciated there were many Turkish people, and I felt like I was at home,” she said.

“At ﬁrst I couldn’t even hear my own thoughts. It was very, very loud.”

Men’s draw

Former U.S. Open winner and 11th-seeded Daniil Medvedev beat Quentin Halys 6-7 (9), 6-3, 6-4, 6-2, 13th-seeded Andrey Rublev beat Jaime Faria 6-4, 6-3, 4-6, 7-5 and 19th-seeded Tommy Paul defeated Thiago Agustin Tirante 6-3, 6-4, 6-2. No. 10 Alexander Bublik, No. 25 Learner Tien and No. 26 Cameron Norrie progressed along with No. 14 Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, who won the ﬁrst two sets but then had to struggle to beat big-serving American Reilly Opelka 6-3, 7-6 (3), 5-7, 4-6, 6-4.

Bediako granted restraining order to return to Alabama TUSCALOOSA,Ala. Former Alabama player Charles Bediako, who has spent the past 21/2 years competing in the NBA Summer League and G League, had his college eligibility temporarily reinstated Wednesday by a judge who blocked the NCAA from retaliating for his return to the 17th-ranked Tide.

Bediako had signed several NBA developmental contracts since going undrafted in 2023. He played two seasons (2021-23) at Alabama, averaging 6.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.7 blocks a game, and helped the Crimson Tide make the NCAA Tournament twice.

The temporary order is valid for 10 days. A full hearing is scheduled for Tuesday

Ex-catcher Molina returns to Cardinals as assistant

ST LOUIS Yadier Molina is rejoining the St. Louis Cardinals as a special assistant to the front ofﬁce, where the longtime catcher will provide his thoughts on the club’s catching program, game strategy and day-to-day operations.

The Cardinals announced Molina’s role working under new president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom on Wednesday The 43-year-old Molina anchored World Series championship teams in 2006 and 2011 while helping the Cardinals win the NL pennant on two other occasions. The 10-time All-Star is the only player in baseball history to catch 2,000 or more games with one club, and his nine Gold Gloves are second only to Ivan Rodriguez and Johnny Bench for the most at his position.

Bellinger, Yankees agree to $162.5M, 5-year contract

Cody Bellinger became the last of the top free-agent hitters to reach a deal, agreeing Wednesday to stay with the New York Yankees for a $162.5 million, ﬁve-year contract, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press.

Bellinger gets a $20 million signing bonus payable on April 1, $32.5 million in the first two seasons, $25.8 million in the next two and $25.9 million in 2030. He also has a full no-trade provision. Bellinger has the right to opt out after the 2027 or 2028 seasons to become a free agent again, but if there is a work stoppage that leads to no games being played in 2027, the agreement specifies the opt outs will shift to after the 2027 and 2028 seasons.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By DITA ALANGKARA

Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus celebrates after defeating Bai Zhuoxuan of China 6-3, 6-1 in their secondround match at the Australian Open on Wednesday in Melbourne, Australia.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ASANKA BRENDON RATNAyAKE

Coco Gauff of the U.S. falls during her second-round match against Olga Danilovic of Serbia. The third-seeded Gauff won 6-2, 6-2.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By DITA ALANGKARA

Carlos Alcaraz of Spain celebrates after defeating yannick Hanfmann of Germany 7-6 (4), 6-3, 6-2 in their second-round match.

Despite results, LSU happy floor general is back

BY TOYLOY BROWN III Staff writer

The return of LSU basketball’s best player didn’t change its fate against No. 16 Florida.

In Dedan Thomas’ first game back from a lower left leg injury, the Tigers lost 79-61 on Tuesday at Exactech Arena in Gainesville, Florida. The Gators, which lead the country in rebound margin, had 50 boards to LSU’s 30 including 17 more on the offensive glass.

While the Florida (14-5, 5-1 SEC) loss will sting for LSU (13-6, 1-5) as it falls deeper into a last-place hole in the Southeastern Conference, the Tigers were glad to see their 6-foot-1 point guard on the ﬂoor for the ﬁrst time since Dec. 29.

Thomas came off the bench for the ﬁrst time in his college career and had two points on 1-of-8 shooting, three assists and zero turnovers in 17 minutes.

Before the point guard was injured, he was averaging a teamhigh 16.2 points on 49.3% shooting, an SEC-high 7.1 assists and only 1.8 turnovers per game.

“Tough setting to bring him back after missing so much time,” LSU coach Matt McMahon said after the game “He hadn’t had much practice time, but we need to get him back in the ﬂow, and he felt good today at shoot-around. He’s disappointed he didn’t make some of those ﬂoaters in the lane.”

Thomas was comfortable moving with and without the ball. At no point did he seem to be favoring his lower leg. He moved with a bounce and was able to stop and start quickly

Thomas’ best moment argu-

ably wasn’t his assists or his only made shot, which was a floater in the middle of the paint over two defenders In the first half, his threat as a playmaker forced

Florida to trap him with a double team after using a screen by Mike Nwoko. Thomas instantly passed it to Nwoko at the free-throw line as LSU had a 4-on-3 advantage, and

Nwoko swung the ball to the right corner for Rashad King’s successful 3-pointer Chances for easy offense like that were not as common with

Miss.

Continued from page 1C

Brown, whom the Tigers have brought in from the portal Ross is a former five-star recruit and the No. 22 player overall in the 2024 class, per the 247Sports composite. Brown played under new LSU defensive line coach Sterling Lucas when they were together at South Carolina and is a former four-star recruit.

Umanmielen is the fourth

RABALAIS

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player from Ole Miss to join LSU out of the portal, joining wide receiver Winston Watkins, offensive lineman Devin Harper and linebacker TJ Dottery All four are expected to be major contributors for Kiffin in his first year at LSU. Watkins had 26 catches for 373 yards this past season as a freshman. Dottery had 65 tackles as a starter this year, including nine against Miami in the CFP semifinals. Harper was a former LSU commitment and appeared in six games off the bench as a freshman He’ll be a contender for a

but significant. Amazingly, LSU did not trail in the fourth quarter of any of its 15 games, nor did any of the Tigers’ opponents possess the ball at the end of the game with the chance to take the lead Indiana trailed twice in the fourth quarter: 13-10 at Iowa before tying it with a field goal with 9:47 left in a 20-13 victory; and 24-20 at Penn State before a 7-yard Mendoza to Omar Cooper touchdown pass with 36 seconds left, one of the season’s most dramatic plays, to win 27-24. Miami definitely possessed the ball with a chance to win Monday night. If Carson Beck had made the right read on a deep throw for Keelan Marion and/or put more air under his throw, this might not be a conversation at all. But safety Jamari Sharpe made the interception to seal the Indiana win with 44 seconds left.

starting spot at left or right tackle. Besides the Tigers’ edge rush additions in the portal, they’ve also signed five-star recruit Lamar Brown and four-star prospect Trenton Henderson from the high school ranks. Brown was the No 2 overall player in the nation, and Henderson was a top-70 recruit. Staff writer Wilson Alexander contributed to this report.

Email Koki Riley at koki.riley@ theadvocate.com. For more LSU sports updates, sign up for our newsletter at theadvocate.com/ lsunewsletter

ing 5,671 yards, 60 touchdowns and six interceptions in 2019. Mendoza threw for 3,535 yards (again, in one more game) with 41 TDs and six picks. Mendoza did rush more 448 yards and seven touchdowns to Burrow’s 368 and five TDs For what it’s worth, the LSU players and coaches also won more postseason awards: 10 player awards for Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase and Grant Delpit and five coach of the year awards for Ed Orgeron. Mendoza won five postseason awards and coach Curt Cignetti won four. So LSU comes out ahead in the “Anything you can do I can do better” game. Of course, we now live in a world where Indiana has won a football championship since the Tigers won their last.

ä LSU at Arkansas, 7:30 P.M. SATURDAy, ESPN

King and freshman Jalen Reece ﬁlling in as lead ball distributors.

“Obviously, you know the importance of (Thomas) to our team with his ability to make everyone around him better, his creativity in the open ﬂoor and off the ball screens,” McMahon said on the LSU sports radio network. McMahon said Thomas was frustrated with his missed shots. He attempted mostly one-foot ﬂoaters around or in the paint against the physical Florida defense. Those were the type of looks that he made more often earlier in the season.

While Thomas didn’t commit a turnover, he did have some near giveaways. He threw passes where he underestimated the proximity of defenders in the passing lanes A couple of passes were deﬂected, such as when he was advancing the ball to the frontcourt and 6-foot-3 Florida guard Boogie Fland leaped to bat a pass back to Thomas.

LSU didn’t give Thomas as many minutes since he likely has to regain his conditioning. One thing that McMahon made clear is that the best version of his team exists with Thomas on the court as LSU looks to face No. 20 Arkansas at 7:30 p.m Saturday on the road.

“He’ll start getting more comfortable after all the time missed,” McMahon said. “He’s a huge part of what we’ve been able to do this year, so we need to get him back and get him rolling here.”

UL MEN

Cajuns, who were outrebounded 42-19 by Troy in a 90-70 loss two weeks ago.

As it turned out, that was the last game played by promising true freshman forward Joshua Lewis, who is now lost for the season with a torn patella tendon. In addition to getting more production from different sources, the Cajuns need to keep improving on defense to play more games where 59 points can result in a win.

“I get calls all the time from different coaches and they say, ‘Man, your team really competes,’ ” White said. “I always

LSU WOMEN

Continued from page 1C

Continued from page 1C championship game), No. 4 Oklahoma and finally No. 3 Clemson What’s more, two of LSU’s wins were true road games — at Texas and Alabama — while only one of Indiana’s was the Hoosiers’ first meeting with Oregon. Indiana had a higher margin of victory in those games — 23.5 to LSU’s 15.4 — but the Tigers played a higher average ranking (5.6 to 6.2). What’s more, LSU’s final strength of schedule was No 3 in 2019, while Indiana’s was No. 17 this season, according to ESPN Points and margin of victory overall: LSU clearly had the better offense and Indiana definitely had the better defense. The Tigers scored 726 points, an average of 48.4 points per game, and allowed 21.9 ppg — a margin of plus-26.5. Indiana scored 666 points (41.6 per game) and allowed 11.7, a margin of 29.3. Game control: Again, this is close

Burrow vs. Mendoza: Mendoza had a great season and proved himself a tough competitor, but LSU quarterback Joe Burrow was better He threw for an astound-

That’s fuel for Lane Kifﬁn’s ﬁre heading into the upcoming season. Meanwhile, let the debate continue.

Email Scott Rabalais at srabalais@theadvocate.com

top-15 teams. But they quickly corrected course to pick up resume-building wins over No. 4 Texas and No. 16 Oklahoma, and they’re now back on track to achieve their annual goal of hosting NCAA Tournament games. LSU is ﬁfth in the NCAA’s NET rankings. It’s also either a No. 2 or No. 3 tournament seed in the latest versions of every major bracket projection. The top-four seeds host NCAA games. Now, things should get easier The Tigers’ next three opponents — Texas A&M, Florida and Arkansas are a combined 2-14 in SEC play The Aggies, who will host LSU at 8 p.m. Thursday on the SEC Network, have lost their last two games by a combined 85 points. LSU is a heavy favorite. Just don’t tell coach Kim Mulkey

“Every game in my world is big,” she said Jan. 11 after the win over the Longhorns. “It is. All of them. I respect every opponent. I take the same approach, in conference especially, of preparation. If we’re gonna get beat, they’re gonna have to make plays to beat us, and those two in the first two losses did. But it wasn’t for lack of preparation.”

The losses were because of poor rebounding, shaky defense and careless ballhandling instead. No Mulkey-era LSU opponent has pulled more boards off the offensive glass than No. 11 Kentucky did on Jan. 1 (17). Only ﬁve have forced the Tigers into more turnovers than No 5 Vanderbilt did on Jan. 4 (22).

LSU has addressed those concerns. It let Georgia shoot only 31% from the ﬁeld on Jan. 8, then corralled 19 offensive rebounds against Texas three days later Oklahoma has the third-best scoring average among Division I teams, but it couldn’t string together nearly enough buckets against the Tigers on Sunday The Sooners converted only 37%

think we can play harder So I’m constantly preaching about giving great effort every second that you’re on the floor You know, guys ask about more minutes and that’s earned at practice.” The Cajuns also would like to get Jaxon Olvera back on track after a recent slump. A good sign is that he hit two 3-pointers in the final 23 seconds against South Alabama to help secure that win. “I think it just helps his confidence,” White said. “He’s getting more comfortable with me. He understands that I have complete confidence in him. You talk about the slump that he went through I’ve never told Jaxon not to shoot even when he wasn’t making shots. So he understands the head coach and the staff have great confidence in him.”

of their shots. The loss to Kentucky showed Mulkey that she had to reemphasize the importance of crashing the glass. The Wildcats grabbed 18 more boards than LSU. In the four games they’ve played since, the Tigers have pulled down an average of 11.3 rebounds more than their opponents.

“We’re just really emphasizing the heck out of it,” said Bob Starkey, the LSU associate head coach. “And I think what’s really changed is our guards have done a good job of picking up extra rebounds every game.” Five LSU players grabbed at least five rebounds in the win over Oklahoma, and four of them were guards. Flau’jae Johnson had 10, Mikaylah Williams and MiLaysia Fulwiley each had six, and Jada Richard had ﬁve.

The Tigers could use more production on the glass from their top two post players: 6-foot-5 sophomore Kate Koval and 6-2 senior Amiya Joyner Through ﬁve league matchups, they’re grabbing a combined 11.4 boards per game — a lower average than the one Aneesah Morrow posted herself last season in SEC play (13.7).

The good news for LSU is that there’s time to clean up lingering issues. The Tigers won’t play a ranked team again until Feb. 1, when they’re scheduled to host a No. 23 Alabama team that’s dropped back-to-back games to Auburn and No. 17 Tennessee. The second half of LSU’s homeand-home series with Texas tips off Feb 5, and its annual showdown with No. 2 South Carolina is set for Feb. 14. Because the Tigers won three of those challenging first five games, and because their schedule is now easing up, they’ll likely ﬁnd themselves with a similarly rosy NCAA Tournament outlook when the next batch of tough battles rolls around.

“I know perfection is not there,” Starkey said, “but we still got work to do, and I think that’s a good thing.”

AP PHOTO By ROGELIO V. SOLIS

Ole Miss linebacker Princewill Umanmielen looks for a South Carolina ball carrier during a game on Nov. 1 in Oxford,

STAFF PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK

LSU guard Dedan Thomas is fouled by Southern Miss guard Brewer Carruth on a layup attempt in the first half on Dec 29 at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center

Northside rolls past Carencro as 4-4A play nears

BY ERIC NARCISSE Staff writer

With the start of the district play

getting underway later this week Northside girls basketball coach Erin Rogers said it was vital for her Vikings to conclude nondistrict play with a win.

While it wasn’t a typical performance from the Vikings, Rogers will take it.

Behind big performances by Alaya Harris and Jamaria Senegal,

the Vikings (13-6) claimed a 54-40 win over Carencro on Tuesday

“I don’t think that we played our best game,” said Rogers, whose team has beaten the Bears twice this season. “But that means that we are getting better. To not play our best and still come out with a win, that shows we’re getting better.” Harris, who finished with 14 points and 14 rebounds, established herself immediately in the post. Harris added two steals and an assist.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

“Alaya means a whole lot to our team,” Rogers said. “She has really worked hard to get where she is right now Once she gained her conﬁdence, she has really become unstoppable.”

Senegal was equally as unstoppable, but more on the defensive end. In a game the Bears committed 19 turnovers, Senegal had seven steals. Senegal also ﬁnished as

Southside inches closer to district soccer crown

BY MIKE COPPAGE

Contributing writer

Only two games separate the Southside High School boys soccer team from the ﬁrst district title in program history

The Sharks spotted visiting Lafayette High a 1-0 lead less than two minutes into the District 3-I matchup in Youngsville on Tuesday but blanked the Mighty Lions the rest of the way in a 3-1 win.

“The boys really wanted it,” coach Zak Elagamy said. “They really want to succeed. We talk all the time about great teams getting results. We go down early, and it’s all about reaction time. I think we showed that tenfold tonight.”

Two minutes in, the Lions (9-9-2, 1-2) scored their only goal. Evan Trahan, who was a threat throughout the match, regained his feet out wide to the right of the goal after slipping down and riﬂed a pass that Jacob Osland nudged past goalkeeper Brodie Walsh as the two nearly collided.

“Early-game jitters. We had a little lapse in concentration,” said Elagamy, whose team hasn’t allowed more than two goals in a contest Trevor Miller who leads the Sharks in goals, got the equalizer early in the ﬁrst half by taking the ball away from a Lion near the 15-yard line and drilling his ﬁrst of two goals.

“That’s something we expect from him week in and week out,” Elagamy said of Miller who won possession midway through the second half about 12 yards to the right of the goal before getting off a quick shot over the keeper’s left shoulder.

“Trevor’s great with the ball at his feet. He’s fantastic going against defenders and loves to get at people and score goals.”

Noah Leger’s free kick in stoppage time sent the Sharks (7-5-4 1-0-1) to a 2-1 halftime lead.

“That was one of those dangerous balls that got ﬂoated into a dangerous zone,” Elagamy said. “It’s that distance where the keeper kind of assumes it’s served into the box for someone else, and he takes a step out too early.”

Trevor Miller of Southside, center, celebrates scoring in the Sharks’ 3-1 win over Lafayette High on Tuesday night in youngsville.

Southside, which is No. 12 in the Division I power ratings, was playing its ﬁrst district game in the school’s new stadium. The Sharks have league games remaining against No. 11 Acadiana (8-6-4, 1-1) and No 25 Sulphur (8-10-2, 1-2).

“It always feels great to get a district win,” said Elagamy, whose team controls its destiny in the race as the only program without a league loss.

Walsh is the keeper for a defense that has allowed only 12 goals all year In the second half, he twice turned away potential goals with back-to-back saves off a corner kick.

“That’s a game-winning save,” Elagamy said. “(Brodie) is a monster Credit to our senior-heavy backline (that includes Kali Malloum, Hayden Guidry, Rees Faul and Leger). “They know these situations and know what to do to get the job done.”

the Vikings’ second-leading scorer with 13 points, eight rebounds and ﬁve assists.

“(Jamaria) is one of our better defensive players,” Rogers said. “She does a great job of reading, staying low and moving her feet.”

Delaila Goodbier chipped in 12 points and ﬁve rebounds off the bench.

Cassidy Jones headlined the top offensive performers for the Bears (9-6) with a game-high 21 points to go along with three re-

bounds and two steals. Maycie Broussard added seven points, seven assists, ﬁve rebounds and two steals for Carencro.

“This is a big win for us going into district,” said Rogers, whose team will host Teurlings Catholic at 6 p.m. Friday in the District 4-4A opener “This win is going to give us some much-needed momentum going into district.”

Email Eric Narcisse at enarcisse@theadvocate.com.

PREP REPORT

Boys basketball Tuesday’s scores Acadiana 67,

SCOREBOARD

Percentages: FG .429, FT .667. 3-Point Goals: 3-11, .273 (King 2-3, Mackinnon 1-1, Thomas 0-1, Sutton 0-6). Team Rebounds: 4. Team Turnovers: None. Blocked Shots: 2 (Mackinnon, Miller). Turnovers: 11 (Mackinnon 4, Nwoko 3, Miller 2, Reece 2). Steals: 7 (King 2, Miller 2, Nwoko, Reece, Tamba). Technical Fouls: None. FG FT Reb

FLORIDA Min M-A M-A O-T A PF PTS Haugh 35 2-11 2-4 1-3 1 1 7 Condon 31 3-9 4-8 1-4 3 1 10

Chinyelu 23 5-8 5-10 11-210 2 15 Fland 32 4-11 2-2 0-1 4 3 10 Lee 21 3-7 0-0 0-1 3 0 7 Klavzar 24 6-11 1-3 0-3 2 2 18 Handlgtn 15 2-5 0-0 5-8 1 3 4 I.Brown 14 3-4 0-0 4-5 1 2 8 Ingram 2 0-2 0-0 0-2 0 0 0 Lloyd 2 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 Kovatchev 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 Totals 200 28-68 14-27 22-4815 14 79

Percentages: FG .412, FT .519.

3-Point Goals: 9-27, .333 (Klavzar 5-9, I.Brown

2-2, Lee 1-4, Haugh 1-6, Ingram 0-1, Fland 0-2, Condon 0-3). Team Rebounds: 2. Team Turnovers: 1. Blocked Shots: 1 (Haugh). Turnovers: 9 (Lee 3, Fland 2, I.Brown 2, Chinyelu, Handlogten). Steals: 9 (Haugh 3, Fland 2, Lee 2, Chinyelu, Handlogten). Technical Fouls: None. LSU

def. Yannick Hanfmann, Germany, 7-6 (4), 6-3, 6-2. Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (14), Spain, def. Reilly Opelka, United States, 6-3, 7-6 (3), 5-7, 4-6, 6-4. Corentin Moutet (32), France, def. Michael Zheng, United States, 3-6, 6-1, 6-3, 2-0, ret. Learner Tien (25), United States, def. Alexander Shevchenko, Russia, 6-2, 5-7, 6-1, 6-0. Nuno Borges, Portugal, def. Jordan Thompson, Australia, 6-7 (9), 6-3, 6-2, 6-4. Alexander Bublik (10), Kazakhstan, def. Marton Fucsovics, Hungary, 7-5, 6-4, 7-5. Cameron Norrie (26), Britain, def. Emilio Nava, United States, 6-1, 7-6 (3), 4-6, 7-6 (5). Alex de Minaur (6), Australia, def. Hamad Medjedovic, Serbia, 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-2, 6-1. Alexander Zverev (3), Germany, def. Alexandre Muller, France, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4. Frances Tiafoe (29), United States, def. Francisco Comesana, Argentina, 6-4, 6-3, 4-6, 6-2. Women’s singles Second round Elina Svitolina (12), Ukraine, def. Linda Klimovicova, Poland, 7-5, 6-1. Zeynep Sonmez, Turkiye, def. Anna Bondar, Hungary, 6-2, 6-4. Aryna Sabalenka (1), Belarus, def. Zhuoxuan Bai, China, 6-3, 6-1. Diana Shnaider (23), Russia, def. Talia Gibson, Australia, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3. Yulia Putintseva, Kazakhstan, def. Elsa Jacquemot, France, 6-1, 6-2. Hailey Baptiste, United States, def. Storm Hunter, Australia, 6-2, 6-1. Victoria Mboko (17), Canada, def. Caty McNally, United States, 6-4, 6-3. Clara Tauson (14), Denmark, def. Polina Kudermetova, Russia, 6-3, 3-6, 7-5. Anastasia Potapova, Russia, def. Emma Raducanu (28), Britain, 7-6 (3), 6-2. Coco Gauff (3), United States, def. Olga Danilovic, Serbia, 6-2, 6-2. Elena-Gabriela Ruse, Romania, def. Ajla Tomljanovic, Australia, 6-4, 6-4. Mirra Andreeva

PHOTO By LEE BALL

Salisbury steakisa comfort classicfor thecold

BY LINDAGASSENHEIMER

Tribune News Service (TNS)

It’sthe time of year for a warm, comforting meal, and one classic favoritecameto mind, Salisbury Steak.

This dish features seasoned ground beef shaped like a steak andsmothered in a richmushroom sauce. It was named after Dr.James Henry Salisbury,aCivil Warphysician who served it to soldiers as ahearty,nourishing meal. Salisbury steak remains afamily favorite today

To round out the dinner, Imade asimple potato and greenbean side dish. Iwas happy to ﬁnd small,prewashed potatoes ready to use, and for atime-saving shortcut, Iadded frozencut green beans. They stayed crisp and paired perfectly withthe tenderpotatoes. It’saquick, satisfying complement to the beef.

HELPFUL HINTS:

n Fresh green beans can be used instead of frozen n If small potatoes aren’t available, cut large red or yellow potatoes into 2-inch pieces n Look for unsalted

Salisbury Steak with Potatoes and Green Beans

Yields 2servings. Recipe is by Linda Gassenheimer

¾pound small/babypotatoes, about 2cups 2tablespoons water

1tablespoon plus 2teaspoons

sauce

4ounces sliced mushrooms (about 12 3 cups) Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2tablespoons chopped chives (optional garnish)

1. Place potatoes in amicrowave-safe bowl with the 2tablespoons water.Cover the bowl with aplate or plastic wrap and microwaveon highfor 3minutes.

2. Add green beans to the bowl, cover again and microwave on high for 2minutes. Potatoesshould be soft. Add anotherminute, if needed.Remove and set aside covered.

3. While potatoes are in the microwave, mixbeef, eggand ketchup together and be sure to combine allingredients.

4. Shape beef into twopatties about ¾-inch thick. Heat amedium-size skillet over mediumhigh heat and spray with olive oil spray.Add the meat patties and cook 3minutes. Using 2 large spatulas carefully turn the patties over and cook another 3 minutes. Ameatthermometer should read 150Ffor medium Remove them to aplate.

5. Add 1tablespoon oil and ﬂour to the skillet and mix well. Add beef stock, Worcestershire andmushrooms. Stir all together and simmer until thick,about 3to4minutes. Add saltand peppertotaste.

6. Serve the patties on two dinner plates and spoon sauce on top. Sprinkle chives, if using, over the meat.

7. Toss the potatoes and beans with the remaining 2teaspoons olive oil and divide in half. Serve on theplates with the meat.

NUTRITION INFO PER SERVING: 618 calories (37 percent from fat), 25.2 gfat (6.4g saturated,11.1 gmonounsaturated), 201 mg cholesterol, 49.7 gprotein,50.5 gcarbohydrates, 9.1 gﬁber, 280 mg sodium.

It’sabout time for parade parties for those of us who live on or near aparade route. And considering how manyparades there are all over themetro area, that’sa lot of potential parties.

Party-throwers have to maintain the city’shigh standards for delicious food, but you want it to be easy to prepare and served at theright temperature for guests. At mostofthese events, not everyone leaves for the parade at thesame time. And people return to the partytograze whenever they are so inclined. So that meansthat you need to keep thingswarm with crockpots and serve food that is tasty even at room temperature. But you want all of this to be manageable, because you wanttohave fun too.

Williams TIP OF THE TONGUE Steamed Broccoli with Grated Parmesan Serves 6.

PuffPastry Breadsticks

Makes about 2dozen breadsticks. Preheat oven to the temperature suggested on your puffpastrypackage 1packagefrozen puffpastry Flour for dusting 1stick butter,melted 3tablespoon sesameseeds

1. Allow the puff pastry to thaw according to package directions. Remove 1 square of dough from the package and place on a ﬂat,dusted surface. Dust therolling pin and roll the dough intoalarge rectangle, about 15 by 10 inches. Place thelong sideofthe rectangleparallel with the edge of the counter where youare standing. With a pastry cutter or apizza cutter,cut the pastry into about 12 strips that are 10 inches long.

6cups of cleaned broccoli, cut into florets

6cloves of garlic, chopped

Salt and peppertotaste

¾cups gratedParmesan

Ihave selected recipes that are easy to make and sit out well. And there is theadded beneﬁt of being able tomake some food ahead of time, especially thekind of food that tastes even better thenext day One dish that can anchor the table is Beef Bourguignon. My recipe is not thetraditional French version where everythingiscooked separately,soit HostingaMardi Gras parade social?

ä See PARTY, page 6C

2. Twist the ends of the strips in oppositedirectionssothatyou create a twisted stick.Place it on a

cookie sheet covered with a piece of parchment paper. Continue twisting each of the sticks and placing them on the paper. They can be crowded on the cookie sheet,but shouldn’ttouch. Pain them withthe butter andsprinkle themwith the sesame seeds. Cook until they are golden, about 10 minutes. Repeat with the second square of pastry Allowthem to cool on the cookiesheetandservefrom alarge glass or celery vase.

1. Steam the broccoli in a steamer over boiling water Cook forabout 7to10minutes depending on the size of the pieces.

2. While the broccoli is steaming, heat the olive oil. Add the garlic and allow to cook for1minute. Remove it from the heat.

3. Place thesteamed broccoliinalarge bowl. Add the olive oiland garlic. Toss. Add the lemon juice and toss. Taste a small piece of broccoli and addsaltand freshly ground pepper.Add the Parmesan and toss again. Serve.

Steamed Broccoli with Grated Parmesan

TNS PHOTO By LINDAGASSENHEIMER

BeefBourguignon

Makes 8servings.

2tablespoons olive oil

8slices of thick cut bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces (I use reduced salt bacon)

½cup flour Salt and pepper to taste

3pounds boneless chuck, cut in 2-inch chunks

4tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons more for sauteing the leeks

2bay leaves

5thyme sprigs

1whole clove

½bunch of parsley,chopped

2onions, finely chopped

2stalks celery, chopped

2tablespoons tomato paste

½cup brandy

4carrots, cut into rounds about ½inch thick

1pound frozen pearlonions, defrosted

1bottle burgundy or other heavy red wine

1pound quartered mushrooms

2leeks, washed and sliced into 1-inch slices. Discard the green parts.

2cups beef stock or broth

PARTY

Continued from page5C

is not as time consuming as the classic recipe is.

Ihave lots of shortcuts that do not compromiseﬂavor Ialso use more vegetables than would be considered traditional. If you make it ahead of time —the day before —the ﬂavors will have achance to mellow together And you will have something spectacular for guests to serve themselves from the crockpot on the buffet table. Accompany the beef dish with Steamed Broccoli with Parmesan. This dishisa high contrast to the beef, so people will remember it

1. Place theoliveoil in a largepot (about8 quarts) andheat on medium.When theoil begins to shimmer, addthe bacon pieces.Use a wooden spoon toseparatethe pieces.Continuecooking until the baron is crisp. Remove the bacon from the pot.

2. Place the ﬂour in apaper bagoraplastic bag with salt and pepper.Shake to distributethe saltand pepper. Add the beef up to3or4pieces at atime. Shake thebag to coat the meat with the ﬂour.Remove the pieces and place them on aplate. Repeat this step until all of the pieces are coated.Add the butter to the oiland bacon drippings in the pot. When the butter is melted, add thepieces of beef. Brown the beefpieces afew at atime. (Ifthe pot becomestoo crowded the meat will steam.) Youwant to brown the pieces on all sides. Remove them, when done, and add moreuntil all of thepieces of beef have beenbrowned.Place all the

It can beserved hot or at room temperature. Steam lots of fresh broccoli and keep thebowl replenished as people will bewelcoming somethinggreen. Andalsofor making ahead are the Puff Pastry Breadsticks. Use frozen puff pastry,and you can make as many as you think you’ll need. Ilike garnishingthem with sesame seeds, but you can use poppy seeds or even dried herbs. When you brush themwith butter, no butter needs to be on the table. And you could roundout thetable with deviled eggs, raw vegetables withhummusoraioli, pickledshrimp and an assortment of cookies, browniesand cupcakes. Andofcourse,there

beef intothe pot

3. Placethe bayleaves, thymeand clove intoa teaball and set aside. Addthe parsley, chopped onions to the pot and cook for7minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook for another 5minutes to caramelize the tomato paste.

4. Addthe teaball, the brandy,carrots, burgundy andpearlonions. Stir well and scrapethe bottom of thepan to get all the sticky bits from the bottom.Add the wine. Allowtosimmer for 2hours.

5. While the beef is simmering, add the last2 tablespoons of butter to asaute pan. Saute the mushrooms and cleaned leeks until they aretender,about 20 minutes.

6. Addthe mushroomsand leekstothe beef pot. Stir andsimmer for10minutes If thesauce is too thick, add thebeefstock andstir.Add the bacon back into thepot and remove the tea ball. Serve over potatoes or wide pasta, like atagliatelle.

must be king cake. Party guestscan grab cookies or cupcakes or even apiece of king cake for nibbling on theway to the parade.

Andifyou want mothers to appreciate you, sliced apples and other fruit with apeanut butter dip for the children can also adorn the table. Youwon’thave many leftovers, but you can enjoy any that may exist when people go home.

Liz Williamsisfounder of the Southern Food & Beverage Museum in New Orleans.Listen to “Tip of the Tongue,” Liz’spodcast about food, drink and culture, wherever you hear podcasts. EmailLiz at lizwillia@gmail.com.

Musicians’ daytimedress code

Dear Miss Manners: What degree of formalityisproper for amusician at an afternoon concert? As aperformer of acertain age, Ihave seen everything from tailored dresses to gowns glittering with beads and spangles —and for men,anything from themost casual outﬁtstoformal wear Lengthofskirt no longer seems to matter,as theskimpiest dresses go to formal affairs and fulllength granny dresses are seen at the grocery store at 9a.m. Gentlereader: Perhaps

By The Associated Press

Judith Martin MISS MANNERS

dress length feels irrelevant in termsoffashion (although Miss Manners will still quibble with your more extreme examples), but it is certainly relevant in terms of function —especially foramusician. Skimpy dresses do not play well with harps, cellos and basses. Knees should be well-covered, no matter what time of day,unless the performer is planning asecondary show For an afternoon event, tea-length (something that

falls around midcalf)is expected forwomen in dressy day fabrics (silk, organza, cotton with some sheen), while daytimesuits are expected formen (in gray,black or navy fabrics with no sheen).

The point is forclothes to be polished, neutral, functional and free from distraction. The music should be the focal point, not glittery things that catch the light and blind the conductor —and certainly not the exposed undergarments of the performers.

Sendquestions to Miss Manners at herwebsite, www.missmanners.com.

died at his Texas ranch at the age of 64.

Today is Thursday, Jan. 22, the 22nd day of 2026. There are 343 days left in the year

Todayinhistory:

On Jan. 22, 1973, the U.S. Supreme Court, in its Roe v. Wade decision, declared anationwide constitutional right to abortion. (The court would overturn Roev.Wade in 2022, in the decision Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.)

Also on this date:

In 1901, Britain’s Queen Victoria died at age 81 after areign of more than 63 years; she was succeeded by her eldest son, Edward VII.

In 1944, during World WarII, Allied forces began landing at Anzio, Italy

In 1947, America’sﬁrst commercially licensed television station west of theMississippi, KTLA-TV in Los Angeles, madeits ofﬁcial debut.

In 1953, theArthur Miller drama “The Crucible” opened at the Martin Beck Theatre in New York.

In 1973, former President Lyndon B. Johnson

In 1998, Theodore Kaczynski pleaded guilty in Sacramento, California, to being the “Unabomber” responsible forthree deaths and 23 injuries in a mail-bombing campaign. In return forthe pleas in federal court, he received asentence of lifeinprison without parole.

In 2006, Kobe Bryant scored 81 points, the second-highest single-game point total in NBA history in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 122-104 victory over the Toronto Raptors.

Chamberlain

with 100

the

in 1962

the Philadelphia Warriors in a169-147 win against the

(Wilt

set

record

points

for

New York Knicks. In 2017, an outbreak of tornadoes in the U.S. Southeast killed at least 16 people in Georgia after claiming four lives in Mississippi. Today’sbirthdays: Celebrity chef Graham Kerr(TV: “The Galloping

STAFF PHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER

AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Keep the momentum flowing if you want things to go your way. Turn your attention to how you handle your money and invest your time and skills. Don't be reluctant to apply positive pressure

PIsCEs (Feb. 20-March 20) Go out, socialize and gather information that can help you put your plans in motion. A kind and generous attitude will make others feel comfortable.

ARIEs (March 21-April 19) Place more emphasis on how you handle domestic issues,personaldocumentsandlatefees. Running an efficient household will help you achieve peace of mind and allow you to spend more time on your hobbies.

tAuRus (April 20-May 20) Leavenothingto chance. Catch up, finish what you start and clear the way to greater freedom. It's difficult to chase your dreams when unfinished business impedes your liberty to do so. Reach out for help.

GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Overthinking and considering too many choices will causeconfusion.Refusetoletanyoneuse emotional blackmail to distract you from your dreams. Make new discoveries and put the things you learn to use

CAnCER (June 21-July 22) Make changes when no one's looking. The less attention you draw, the easier it will be to achieve your objective. Sign contracts and make commitments that put your mind at ease and secure your future.

LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) Hold your ground, negotiate on your own behalf and use your skills, experience and knowledge

to push your way forward. Guard your resources and keep people guessing.

VIRGo (Aug. 23-sept. 22) A serious attitude and honesty can help turn a negative in your life into a positive. It's best to take your time, consider all possibilities and choose whatever supports your best interests.

LIBRA (sept 23-oct 23) Progress is attainable by taking moderate steps and simplifying your agenda Consider home improvements that help reduce your overhead or contribute to your income. Implement a lifestyle change.

sCoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) Go over details and be on the lookout for preventable mistakes and avoidable costs Be open to suggestions, investigate possibilities and trust your instincts and ability to deliver what you promise.

sAGIttARIus (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Take care of finances, deal with debt head-on and look for sound investments. Refuse to let anyone take advantage of your kindness or desire to please. Someone will exaggerate or mislead you; proceed with caution.

CAPRICoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Chase what makes you feel alive. Set a budget and live within your means. Speak on your behalf, and you'll have a more substantial impact. If you do the work yourself, you'll make a good impression.

FAMILY CIrCUS

CeLebrItY CIpher

SALLY Forth

beetLe bAILeY

Mother GooSe And GrIMM

LAGoon

bIG nAte

Sudoku

InstructIons: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 grid with several given numbers. The object is to place the numbers 1to9inthe 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.

Puzzle Answer

BLondie

BaBY BLueS

Bridge

By PHILLIP ALDER

Henry Labouchere, an English member of Parliament whodied in 1912, said, “I don’t object to Gladstone alwayshaving the ace of trumps up his sleeve, but merelytohisbeliefthattheAlmightyput it there.”

This week, we are lookingatslam bidding. Yesterday, Ipointed outthatthere are deals in which Blackwood will not help. However, if you wish to find outif partner has the trump ace, youwill need Blackwood.

In today’s deal,South opensone spade and North respondstwo no-trump, the JacobyForcingRaise, showing four or more spadesand at leastgame-going values First, Southcannot use Blackwood, becausehehas two immediate diamond losers. And since South does nothavea singleton, he announces hispoint-count. Fourspades would be aminimum, three no-trump amiddling hand, and three spades amaximum. (South hasonly high-card 16 points, but his hand contains so fewlosers.) NowNorth might raise to four spades becausehehas a minimum.But it is reasonable to controlbid(cue-bid) four diamonds. Then South employs Blackwood before signing off in six spades. West leads thediamond king. If declarer plays atrumpattricktwo, he will go down, thedefenders getting thespade ace and diamond queen. South has to eliminate hisdiamondloser immediately.Todothat, declarer hastotakethree hearttricks. He playsa hearttohis ace, leadsa hearttodummy’sjack,discards hislastdiamondonthe heartking, plays atrump andclaims

Syndication

Each Wuzzle is aword riddle which creates adisguised word, phrase, name, place, saying, etc. For example: NOONGOOD =GOOD AFTERNOON

Previous answers:

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 nICotInE: NIK-uh-teen: Ahighly toxic liquid substance found in tobacco.

Average mark 19 words Time limit 25 minutes

Can you find25ormore wordsinNICOTINE?

yEstERDAy’s WoRD— outRIGHt

ought thou thru thug tight tort tough tour tout trig trio trot troth trough trout truth tutor right riot roti rough rout ruth girth gout grit grout hour hurt

wuzzles

marmaduKe

Bizarro

hagar the horriBle

Pearls Before swiNe

garfield

B.C.

PiCKles

hidato

mallard

Nathan’s Famous is sold for $450 million

Nathan’s Famous, which opened as a 5-cent hot dog stand in Coney Island more than a century ago, has been sold to packaged meat giant Smithﬁeld Foods in an all-cash $450 million deal, the companies announced Wednesday Smithfield, which has held rights to produce and sell Nathan’s products in the U.S. and Canada and at Sam’s Clubs in Mexico since 2014, will acquire all of Nathan’s outstanding shares for $102 each.

Like almost every food company Nathan’s has been under significant inflationary pressure. Nathan’s sales costs of branded products rose 27% compared with last year in its most recent quarter the company said in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. There was a 20% increase in the average cost per pound of hot dogs, it said. Nathan Handwerker opened the ﬁrst Nathan’s hot dog stand on Coney Island in 1916 with a $300 loan, according to the company After opening a handful of other locations around New York over the years, the Handwerker family sold the Nathan’s Famous business to investors in 1987. The franchise has continued to expand Nathan’s has an outsized cultural presence in the U.S. both because of its history and the famous, or infamous, hot dogeating contest held at its ﬂagship Coney Island shop, where contestants from around the world gather every July 4 to see who can down the most hot dogs in 10 minutes.

Trump looks to Congress to cap credit card rates

President Donald Trump said he would ask Congress to implement his proposal to cap credit card interest rates at 10% for one year, a policy that’s drawn pushback from some of the biggest banks and card issuers. Before Trump’s speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Wednesday, JPMorgan Chase & Co. Chief Executive Ofﬁcer Jamie Dimon said the move would spell “economic disaster” for the U.S., causing many lenders to pull credit lines for consumers.

Trump’s comments on Wednesday “felt like a dialing down of the substance even if the style was pure Trump,” said Brian Jacobsen, chief economic strategist at Annex Wealth Management. “He didn’t say he’d cap credit card rates, instead asking Congress to do it.” Such a measure would require widespread congressional support. Last week, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said capping the rates “would probably deprive an awful lot of people of access to credit around the country.”

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Benton, said it would take work to resolve differences over the proposal

Calif. crypto startup moves to South Dakota

California cryptocurrency startup BitGo has moved to South Dakota ahead of its initial public offering and amid a heated debate about a proposed ballot measure to tax billionaires. The company that had been based in Palo Alto is now based in Sioux Falls, S.D., according to a December ﬁling to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

BitGo, which is targeting a valuation of $1.96 billion, offers tools to businesses that help them manage their digital assets and keep them secure. As of September, the digital asset infrastructure company said it had ofﬁce space in San Francisco, Palo Alto, New York, Canada, India, Germany, Singapore, South Korea and Dubai. It had 566 full-time employees.

An initiative to tax some of California’s wealthiest residents still needs enough signatures to make it on the November ballot, but it’s already sparking a lot of backlash

Stocks recover from plunge

Rebound comes after Trump calls off Greenland tariffs

BY STAN CHOE Associated Press

NEW YORK The U.S. stock market bounced back from its worst day since October on Wednesday after President Donald Trump said he reached the framework for a deal about Greenland, an island he’s long coveted, and won’t impose tariffs he had threatened on several European countries.

The announcement triggered an immediate move higher in the stock market, which found solace earlier in the day after Trump ratcheted down his rhetoric and told business and government leaders in Europe that he would not use force to take “the piece of ice.”

Treasury yields also eased in the bond market in another signal of reduced worries among investors. Besides the progress on Greenland, they also got help from a calming of yields in Japan’s jumpy bond market.

Trump himself acknowledged how the U.S. stock market sold

off on Tuesday because of his desire for Greenland, but he called it “peanuts compared to what it’s gone up” in the ﬁrst year of his second term and said it would go up further in the future.

Trump has a history of making big threats that send financial markets sliding, only to pull back later and reach deals that are seen as less bad for the economy or for inﬂation than his initial suggestion.

On one hand, the pattern has given rise to the “TACO” acronym suggesting “Trump Always Chickens Out” if ﬁnancial markets react strongly enough. On the other, Trump has ultimately struck deals

that outsiders may have earlier considered unlikely, ones that he’s crowed about later The most obvious example is Trump’s announcement of high tariffs on “Liberation Day,” which eventually led to trade deals with many of the world’s major economies.

Helping to lead the U.S. stock market Wednesday was Halliburton. The oil ﬁeld services company rose 4.1% after reporting a stronger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected.

United Airlines climbed 2.2% after likewise reporting a better proﬁt for the ﬁnal three months of 2025 than analysts expected.

AI therapy chatbots draw new oversight as suicides raise alarm

BY SHALINA CHATLANI Stateline.org (TNS)

States are passing laws to prevent artiﬁcially intelligent chatbots, such as ChatGPT, from being able to offer mental health advice to young users, following a trend of people harming themselves after seeking therapy from the AI programs.

Chatbots might be able to offer resources, direct users to mental health practitioners or suggest coping strategies. But many mental health experts say that’s a ﬁne line to walk, as vulnerable users in dire situations require care from a professional, someone who must adhere to laws and regulations around their practice.

“I have met some of the families who have really tragically lost their children following interactions that their kids had with chatbots that were designed, in some cases, to be extremely deceptive, if not manipulative, in encouraging kids to end their lives,” said Mitch Prinstein, senior science adviser at the American Psychological Association and an expert on technology and children’s mental health

“So in such egregious situations, it’s clear that something’s not working right, and we need at least some guardrails to help in situations like that,” he said.

While chatbots have been around for decades, AI technology has become so sophisticated that users may feel like they’re talking to a human. The chatbots don’t have the capacity to offer true empathy or mental health advice like a licensed psychologist would, and they are by design agreeable — a potentially dangerous model for someone with suicidal ideations Several young people have died by suicide following interactions with chatbots.

States have enacted a variety of laws to regulate the types of interactions chatbots can have with users.

Illinois and Nevada have completely banned the use of AI for behavioral health. New York and Utah passed laws requiring chatbots to explicitly tell users that they are not human. New York’s law also directs chatbots to detect instances of potential selfharm and refer the user to crisis hotlines and other interventions.

More laws may be coming. California

and Pennsylvania are among the states that might consider legislation to regulate AI therapy President Donald Trump has criticized state-by-state regulation of AI, saying it stymies innovation. In December, he signed an executive order that aims to support the United States’ “global AI dominance” by overriding state artiﬁcial intelligence laws and establishing a national framework.

Still, states are moving ahead. Before Trump’s executive order, Florida Republican Gov Ron DeSantis last month proposed a “Citizen Bill of Rights For Artiﬁcial Intelligence” that, among many other things, would prohibit AI from being used for “licensed” therapy or mental health counseling and provide parental controls for minors who may be exposed to it.

“The rise of AI is the most signiﬁcant economic and cultural shift occurring at the moment; denying the people the ability to channel these technologies in a productive way via self-government constitutes federal government overreach and lets technology companies run wild,” DeSantis wrote on social media platform X in November

Trump pushes for lower rates, investor home purchase ban

BY ALEX VEIGA Associated Press

President Donald Trump’s plans for bringing homeownership within reach of more Americans involve pushing for lower interest rates on home loans and credit cards, and banning large institutional investors from buying single-family homes. In his address Wednesday at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Trump outlined four policies his administration is pursuing in a bid to make homeownership more affordable. Each had been previously mentioned by him or his administration in recent

weeks, part of a broader push to address affordability generally, a hot-button issue with voters heading into the midterms. The U.S. housing market has been in a sales slump dating back to 2022, when mortgage

ily homes, so that Americans don’t have to compete with such wellfunded rivals when they shop for a home.

“Homes are built for people, not for corporations, and America will not become a nation of renters,” he said.

TNS PHOTO By SHALINA CHATLANI

A young woman asks AI companion ChatGPT for help this month in New york City States are pushing to prevent the use of artificially intelligent chatbots in mental health to try to protect vulnerable users.