The Advocate 01-22-2026 by The Advocate

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BUDDING OPPORTUNITY

BETTER THAN 2019 LSU? 1C

Napoleonville farmers market aims to restore community with fresh food

BY CHRISTOPHER CARTWRIGHT

Staff writer

In downtown Napoleonville, a decaying three-story building stands across Franklin Avenue from a former bank.

Most windows are covered with plywood. Below the leaning awning, the sidewalk and stairs have cracks and chunks missing

But one New Orleans couple imagine it as the future home for a farmers market they have been running weekly for several years now in the town, which hugs Bayou Lafourche and is the seat of Assumption Parish government.

Ashley Webb and her husband, Andres Barcelo, also own Barcelo Gardens, a farmers market in the Upper 9th Ward of New Orleans. They started the Napoleonville market in 2020 when they saw the property was for sale.

“We decided to buy it. Our goal was to renovate it so we could use it, but it ended up being more expensive than we planned,” she said “I still wanted to do something

AG probes firm linked to BR council member

BY PATRICK SLOAN-TURNER Staff writer

Trump backs off Greenland threats

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.

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.

“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?”

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

BY PATRICK SLOAN-TURNER Staff writer

former Baton Rouge bus system

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 Capital Area Transit System that has implicated

STAFF PHOTOS By JAVIER GALLEGOS

Barcelo Gardens owner Ashley Webb stands in front of her booth of fresh vegetables during the Barcelo Gardens farmer’s market in Napoleonville on Jan. 9.

The old brick building recently purchased by Ashley Webb and her husband will undergo renovations to become a farmers market in Napoleonville.

STAFF FILE PHOTO

Baton Rouge Parish Metro Council member Cleve Dunn Jr

BRIEFS FROM WIRE REPORTS

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.

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.

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

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.

More Kennedy Center cancellations

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

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.”

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.

FCC: ‘View,’ ‘Kimmel’ may not be exempt from ‘equal time’ rules

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.

A story Wednesday misstated who declined to bring criminal charges against LSU football player Javien Toviano. The East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney’s Ofﬁce declined to bring charges

The Advocate regrets the error CORRECTION

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

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.

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.

La.again sued over permit forLNG project

BY JOSIE ABUGOV Staff writer

Environmental advocacy groups allege in anew lawsuit that regulators violated acourt ruling by reissuing akey permitfor aliqueﬁed natural gas export terminal in southwest Louisiana, acase that could impact the state’srapid development of its LNG industry

The lawsuit marks the latest in astring of litigation over the potential environmental harms that the project,Commonwealth LNG, couldwreak on communitiesof color and low-income communities in apart of the state at theepicenter of the LNG build-out.

The suit ﬁled in the 38th Judicial DistrictCourt in Cameron Parish last month claims that Louisiana’s energy department failed to truly assess the environmental impacts of the LNG project, afterthe state court struck downthe previous permit. The new permit “does not correctthe errors found by this court in any respect,” thesuit states.

Theagency also failed to offeran opportunity for public comment,

according to the environmental organizations Louisiana Bucket Brigade, Sierra Club and the Turtle IslandRestoration Network.

“They didn’treally do any analysis themselves,” said Clay Garside, an attorney for theenvironmental groups.

TheDepartment of Conservation and Energy does notcomment on pending litigation, aspokesperson said. Commonwealth LNG, based in Houston, could not be reached for comment.

What ledtothe lawsuit?

Last October, JudgePenelope Richardinvalidated Commonwealth’scoastal usepermit on the grounds that Louisiana officials failed to consider theproject’s impactsofclimate change and environmentaljustice. It was the ﬁrst timeacourt hadinvalidated an LNG permit based on those concerns, advocates noted, and the rulingeffectively halted constructionfor themultibillion-dollar project Richard wroteinher ruling that the state energy agency must prove that thebenefitsof

the project outweigh the costs to the community.She mentioned potential harms to “those living in poverty,and those who fish notonly for recreation but for their livelihood, which has always been adeﬁning characteristic of Cameron Parish.”

Environmental and community groups applauded the decision as an incremental win in an ongoing ﬁght against theLNG export expansion in Southwest Louisiana, which they stress will damage the coastand emit polluting fossil fuels.

Louisiana has positioned itself as theepicenter of the global LNG export market, where technology at the massive facilities transforms natural gas intoliquid form, allowing the fuel to be exported worldwide. In 2023, the state produced more than 60% of the nation’s LNG exports. Richard noted in her judgment that Commonwealth would be the third LNG facility on the Calcasieu Ship Channel, located near Lake Charlesand the Texas line.

State officials,meanwhile, denounced the ruling and vowed

to appeal. AttorneyGeneralLiz

Murrillpreviouslysaidthe ruling “ignores theactual facts in the record.”

Proponents of LNG tout job creation, revenue and the importance of supplying U.S. allieswithfuel longseen as burning cleaner than coal.

‘Copyand pasted’

Fiveweeks after the ruling, Louisiana’senergy agency issued a new coastal permit forthe project.

Louisianaofﬁcials relied on analysis from other agencies —the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and thestate’sDepartment of Environmental Quality —intheir 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 andit’sour opinion that there are no environmental justice impacts.’”

Garside said that the FERC analysis thestate agency used had itself been voided in 2024 in aseparatefederal lawsuit.

The state agency also “ignored cleardisparate impactsonenvironmental justice communities” and didnot account forthe climate change impacts Commonwealth would haveinconjunctionwith the other LNG projects online and expected in Cameron Parish, according to the lawsuit.

Anne Rolfes, wholeads the Louisiana Bucket Brigade, said the state government is “doing everything it can to please this company” while the ﬁshing industry in theareaisstrugglingdue to the export industry As the legalsagawith the environmental groups has unfolded, Commonwealth LNGhas separately secured along-term deal with Saudi Aramco, the national oil company of Saudi Arabia, Reuters has reported. Commonwealthhas a20-year authorization from the federal government to export LNG to nonfree tradeagreementcountriesand approvaltoexport to free trade agreement countries for 25 years.

Email Josie Abugov at josie abugov@theadvocate.com.

BY SAMY MAGDY Associated Press

CAIRO— Israeli forces on Wednesday killed at least 11 Palestinians in Gaza, includingtwo 13-year-old boys, three journalists and awoman, hospitals said, on one of the deadliest days since the ceaseﬁre between Hamas and Israel took effect in October

The United Statesistrying to push the deal forward and implement its challenging second phase.

Among the dead were three Palestinian journalists who were killed while ﬁlming neara displacement camp in central Gaza, a camp official said. Israel’s military saidithad spotted suspects who were operating adrone that posed a threat to its troops

Israel’smilitary as belonging to the committee. Video footageshowed thecharred and smoking vehicle by the roadside.

Onejournalist killed,Abdul Raouf Shaat,was aregularcontributortoAgence France-Presse but he was not on assignment for it at the time, the news agency said.

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, more than 200 Palestinian journalistsand media workers have been killed in Gaza since thewar began in 2023, including visual journalist Mariam Dagga, who worked for the AP and other news organizations.

tours, Israel hasbarred international journalists from entering to cover the war News organizationsrely largely on Palestinianjournalists in Gaza —aswellas residents —toshow what is happening.

More than 470 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since the ceasefire took effect on Oct. 10, according to Gaza’shealth ministry.At least 77 have been killed by Israeli gunfire near aceasefire line that splits the territory between Israeli-held areas andmostofGaza’s Palestinianpopulation, the ministry says.

and come back.”

Theboy’smother,Safaa al-Sharafy,toldThe Associated Press that hehad left to gather ﬁrewoodsoshe could cook

“He went out in the morning, hungry,” she said, tears running down her cheeks. “He toldmehe’d go quickly

The two boys were killed in separateincidents. In one, a13-year-old, his father and a22-year-old man were hit by Israeli drones on the eastern side of theBureij refugee camp, according to ofﬁcials from Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the central town of Deir al-Balah, which received the bodies. It wasn’timmediately clear whetherthe three had crossed into Israeli-controlled areas. The other 13-year-old was shotbytroopsinthe eastern town of Bani Suheila,Nasser Hospital saidafter receiving thebody.Ina video circulated online,the father of Moatsem al-Sharafy is seen weeping over it.

LaterWednesday, an Israelistrike hita vehicle carrying the three Palestinian journalists whowere ﬁlming anew displacement camp managed by an Egyp tian in the Moham committee’ Mansour ists committee’ thes 3m controlled the

Spacestation’s ultrasound wascriticaltomedical em

BY MARCIA DUNN AP aerospace writer

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. The astronauts evacuated last week from the International Space Station say aportable ultrasound machine came in “super handy” during the medical crisis.

During their first public appearance since returning to Earth, the four astronauts refused Wednesday to say which one of them needed medical attention andfor what reason. It was NASA’s ﬁrst medical evacuation.

NASA’s Mike Fincke said thecrew used the onboard ultrasound machine once the medical problem arose Jan. 7, the day before a planned spacewalkthatwas abruptly canceled. The astronauts had already used thedevice alot for routine checksoftheirbody changes while living in weightlessness, “so when we had this emer ma handy It saidt all NA wh ear SpaceX, allt canceling which first, crew’

Nearlyﬁve months after thestrikes on ahospital that killedDagga andfourother journalists,the Israelimilitarysays it is continuing to investigate.

Aside from rare guided

The ministry,which is part of the Hamas-led government, maintains detailed casualty records that are seen as generally reliable by U.N. agencies and independent experts.

Israel’sair forcecarried

outmultiple strikesWednesday against sites in southern Lebanon that it said the militant Hezbollahgroup usedto store weapons,and at sites along Lebanon’sborder with Syria where it said weapons were being smuggled. The military said it struck four border crossingsin Lebanon’snortheastern region of Hermel. Earlier,strikes in three villagesinsouthern Lebanon targeted weapons storage facilities. Israel’smilitary said it had issued warnings to evacuate. Lebanon’shealth ministry said 19 people, including journalists,were wounded in the southern village of Qennarit, south of the port city of Sidon. Lebaneseofficials condemned the strikes in southern Lebanon, which President JosephAouncalled “systematic aggression.”

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.

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 Im-

migration 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 Protection 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,

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.

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.

Equal Employment OpportunityStatement

Landmark of BatonRouge is an EqualOpportunity Employer andprohibitsdiscrimination andharassmentofany kind

Theorganization is committedtothe principleofequal employment opportunity for all employees.

They arededicated to providingaworkenvironment that is free of discrimination andharassment. Allapplicantswillbeconsidered foremploymentwithout regard to:Raceorcolor;Religion;Sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity;National origin; Veteranordisability status

Court freezes restrictions on tactics in Minn.

BY JACK BROOK and PATRICK WHITTLE Associated Press

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.

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.

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. 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

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

“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.

Polar vortex, lack of sea ice blamed for winter blast

BY SETH BORENSTEIN AP science writer

WASHINGTON — Warm Arctic waters and cold continental land are combining to stretch the dreaded polar vortex in a way that will send much of the United States a devastating 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 threatened with a winter storm that could rival the damage of a major 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 the rest of January and into early February meaning the snow and ice that accumulates will take a long time to melt.

Forecasts have the 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 people are underestimating just how bad it’s going to be,” said former National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration chief scientist Ryan Maue, now a private meteorologist.

The polar vortex, a patch of bitterly cold air that often stays penned up in northern Canada and Alaska, is being elongated by a wave in the upper atmosphere that goes back to a relatively ice-free part of the Arctic and snowburied Siberia. As the bonechilling temperatures sweep through the U.S., they’ll meet with moisture from off California and the Gulf of Mexico to set up crippling ice and snow in many areas.

Origins in a warming Arctic

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

“The atmosphere is aligned perfectly that the pattern is locked into this warm Arctic, cold continent,” Maue said “And it’s

not just here for us in North America, but the landmass of Eastern Europe to Siberia is also exceptionally cold.

The whole hemisphere has gone into the deep freeze.”

As far back as October 2025, changes in the Arctic and low sea ice were setting up conditions for the kind of stretched polar vortex that brings severe winter weather to the U.S., said winter

weather expert Judah Co-

hen, an MIT research scientist. Heavy Siberian snowfall added to the push-andpull of weather that warps the shape of the normally mostly circular air pattern.

Those conditions “kind of loaded the dice a bit” for a stretching of the polar vortex, he said.

Cohen co-authored a July 2025 study that found

more stretched polar vortex events linked to severe winter weather bursts in the central and eastern U.S. over the past decade. Cohen said part of the reason is that dramatically low sea ice in the Barents and Kara seas in the Arctic helps set up a pattern of waves that end up causing U.S. cold bursts. A warmer Arctic is causing sea ice in that region to shrink faster than other places, studies have found.

Where winter blast will hit

The center of the stretched polar vortex will be somewhere above Duluth, Minnesota, by Friday morning, ushering in “longlasting brutal cold,” Maue said. Temperatures in the North and Midwest will get about 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 Sunday and Monday, Maue said.

Two Great Lakes — Erie and Ontario — may freeze up, which would at least reduce the famed lake-effect snow a bit, Maue said.

National Weather Service meteorologist Zack Taylor of the national Weather Prediction Center said most areas east of the Rockies will be impacted by the bitter cold snow or ice. Treacherous freezing rain could stretch from the southern Plains through the mid-South and into the Carolinas, he said.

“We’re looking at the potential for impactful ice accumulation. So the kind of ice accumulation that could cause significant or widespread power outages or potentially signiﬁcant tree damage,” he said. And if you don’t get ice, you could get “another significant swath of heavy snow,” Taylor said. He said it was too early to predict how many inches will fall, but “signiﬁcant snowfall accumulations” could hit “the Ozarks region, Tennessee and Ohio valleys, the central Appalachians, and then into the mid-Atlantic, and perhaps into the portions of the Northeast.”

Maue said in the mid-Atlantic around the nation’s capital, there’s a possibility that “you can get two blizzards on top of each other in the next 14 days.”

Trump to meet with Zelenskyy as Ukraine endures bitter winter

BY KAMILA HRABCHUK Associated Press

KYIV, Ukraine About 4,000 buildings in Kyiv lacked heat Wednesday and nearly 60% of the Ukrainian capital was without power, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, after days of Russian bombardment of Ukraine’s power grid and as U.S. President Donald Trump prepared to hold talks with the Ukrainian leader Trump’s delegates also were expected in Moscow later this week for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

With temperatures falling as low as minus 4 in Kyiv, Ukraine is seeing one of the coldest winters in years, deepening the hardship

of Ukrainians almost four years after Russia launched a full-scale invasion.

A yearlong push by the Trump administration to stop the ﬁghting hasn’t yielded any breakthrough, despite the American president issuing a series of deadlines, though efforts were set to continue.

Trump said at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, that he would meet Thursday with Zelenskyy.

“I want to stop it,” Trump said of the ﬁghting. “It’s a horrible war.”

U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff told The Associated Press on Wednesday that he plans to discuss peace proposals with Putin as well as hold talks with a Ukrainian delegation. “We need a peace,” Witkoff

said at Davos. Putin confirmed late on Wednesday that Witkoff and Trump’s sonin-law Jared Kushner are expected in Moscow on Thursday for talks. The Russian leader said that Moscow and Washington, among other things, are discussing the possibility of using Russian assets frozen in the U.S. for rebuilding “territories damaged by the hostilities” after a peace agreement is reached. But with a dispute over Greenland’s future largely eclipsing other trans-Atlantic issues at Davos, discussions about Ukraine’s defense looked likely to be sidelined. Zelenskyy said last week his envoys would try to finalize with U.S. officials documents for a proposed peace settlement that relate to

postwar security guarantees and economic recovery

He added that the U.S. and Ukraine could sign the documents in Davos this week, but on Tuesday he said he wouldn’t be traveling to Switzerland and would focus on restoring power in Ukraine. Ukraine’s Cabinet of Ministers is allocating almost $60 million from a reserve fund to purchase generators, Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko said Wednesday NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte on Wednesday urged the 32-nation alliance’s military chiefs to press their national governments to supply desperately needed air defense systems to Ukraine, helping it fend off Russia’s aerial attacks.

“Please use your influence to help your political masters to do even more,” Rutte said in a video message to top brass as they met at NATO’s Brussels headquarters. “Look deep into your stockpiles to see what more 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 a 77-year-old man and a 72-year-old woman, according to Oleksandr Hanzha, head of the regional military administration. Russia’s Defense Ministry said that air defenses downed 75 Ukrainian drones over several regions.

Everyone wantstoavoidtax.Whenpeoplethink about avoiding taxes, they usually thinkabout avoiding income tax. But, Louisiana residentshavetobe concernedwithseveraltypesoftaxeswhentheyareplanningtheirestates

FederalEstateTax–DidYouKnow?

Everyone wantstoavoid tax. When people thinkabout avoidingtaxes,theyusually thinkabout avoidingincometax. But, Louisianaresidents have to be concerned with severaltypes of taxeswhentheyare planningtheir estates. FederalEstateTax –Did YouKnow?

Thefederal estate taxappliestoestates of peoplewho areresidents in anyof the50states. When it applies, it is significant. Essentially, when apersondies, wehavetoadd up thefairmarketvalueofeverythingthe deceased owned–theirhouse, cars, bank accounts, IRA’s, 401(k)’s,lifeinsurance, stock, businessestheyown,real estate andmore. Since2013, newfederal estate tax lawswerepassed.Theexemptionamountis$13,610,000fordeathsoccurringin 2024,andtheestatetaxrateis40%

Thefederalestatetax applies to estatesofpeoplewho areresidents in anyofthe 50 states. When it applies, it is significant.Essentially, when apersondies,wehaveto add up thefairmarketvalue of everythingthe deceased owned–theirhouse,cars, bank accounts, IRA’s, 401(k)’s, lifeinsurance, stock,businessestheyown,realestate andmore. Effective January1,2026, thefederalestatetax exemptionamount is $15,000,000 perperson($30,000,000 formarried couples)for deaths occurring in 2026. Theestatetax rate remainsat 40%

WhatAboutTheSurvivingSpouse?

What About TheSurviving Spouse?

Before 2010, each spouse hadanestatetax exemption. If theestateofthe first spousetodie didnot usetheir exemption, it wouldbelostand thesurviving spousecouldnotuseanyoftheexemptionofthefirstspousetodie.Howeverin 2013,“portability”was kept in place –the survivingspousecan now increase theirexemptionbytheamountoftheunusedexemptionamount ofthedeceased spousewhodiedafter2010.Butportabilitymustbeexercisedtimely

Before 2010, each spouse hadanestatetax exemption. If theestateofthe first spouse to die did notuse their exemption, it wouldbelostand thesurviving spouse couldnot useany of theexemption of the firstspousetodie.However in 2013, “portability”was kept in place –the survivingspousecan nowincrease their exemptionbythe amount of theunusedexemption amount of thedeceased spouse whodiedafter 2010. Butportability must be exercisedtimely.

HowToAvoid CapitalGains Tax

HowToAvoidCapitalGainsTax

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Thetaxthatoftencreepsuponpeoplepeopleiscapitalgainstax.Capitalgains is paid when you sell an assetthathas appreciated in value. Example: you buy astockfor$20,000andlatersellthestockfor$100,000.Youwillhave$80,000 ofcapitalgain,andyoumustpaytaxonthis.Howyoustructureyourbequests to your spouseand your family can have a significantimpact on how much capitalgainstaxyourheirswillhavetopay.Whenyoudie,yourassetswillbe “stepped-up”andyourheirswillgetanewvalue

Thetax that often creeps up on people people is capital gainstax.Capital gainsis paidwhenyousellanassetthathasappreciatedinvalue.Example:youbuyastock for$20,000 andlater sell thestock for$100,000. Youwill have $80,000 of capital gain,and youmustpay taxonthis. Howyou structureyourbequests to your spouse andyourfamilycan have asignificant impact on howmuchcapital gains taxyourheirs will have to pay. When youdie,yourassets will be “stepped-up” and your heirswill getanew value.

Giftsof$20,000 PerYearPer Person (UsedTo Be $10,000 PerYearPer Person)

Giftsof$18,000PerYearPerPerson (UsedToBe$10,000PerYearPerPerson)

Youmay have heardyou candonateorgive$20,000 each year perpersonwithout gift taxconsequences. Typically, no onepaysgift taxonagift regardlessofthe value of thegift.Asizeable gift will have estate andgift taxconsequences.

Youmayhaveheardyoucandonateorgive$18,000eachyearperpersonwithout gifttaxconsequences.Typically,noonepaysincometaxonagiftregardlessof thevalueofthegift.Asizeablegiftwillhaveestateandgifttaxconsequences

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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

Donald

plans

Trump also reiterated that he wants to

investors from buying single-family 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.

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. But his change of heart this time came only after he used his speech at the World Economic Forum in the Swiss Alps to focus on Greenland and threatened to upend NATO, an alliance that has been among the globe’s most unshakable since the early days of the Cold War.

In his address, Trump said he was asking for territory that was “cold and poorly located” and that the U.S. had effectively saved Europe during World War II while declaring of NATO: “It’s a very small ask compared to what we have given them for many, many decades.”

“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?” Trump said.

But Trump has also said repeatedly that, while the U.S will defend NATO, he wasn’t convinced the alliance will backup Washington, if needed, and suggested that was at least part of the reason for his aggressive stance toward Greenland. That prompted NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, in a post-speech event with Trump, to say that the alliance would stand with the U.S. if it is attacked.

“You can be assured, absolutely,” Rutte said. A short time later came Trump’s post canceling the tariffs.

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said he welcomed Trump ruling out taking “Greenland by force” and pausing

PROBES

Continued from page 1A

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

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 trade war with Europe.”

“Now, let’s sit down and ﬁnd out how we can address the American security concerns in the Arctic while respecting the red lines of the Kingdom of Denmark,” he said in a statement.

Trump argues that the U.S. needs Greenland for national security and to counter threats from Russia and China in the Arctic region, despite America already having a large military base there. He threatened to impose steep U.S. import taxes on Denmark and seven other allies unless they negotiate a transfer of the semi-autonomous territory

The tariffs were to have started at 10% next month and climb to 25% in June.

Trump often tries to increase pressure on the other side when he believes it can lead to a favorable agreement. His threats at Davos appeared on the verge of rupturing NATO, which was founded by lead-

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 Mayor-President’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 after his CATS contract with the company began. FBI records turned over

ing European nations, the U.S. and Canada to counter the Soviet Union.

The alliance’s other members were steadfast in saying Greenland is not for sale and cannot be wrested from Denmark, while angrily rejecting Trump’s promised tariffs.

A Danish government official told The Associated Press after Trump’s speech that Copenhagen was ready to discuss U.S. security concerns. But the ofﬁcial, who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, underscored the government’s position that “red lines”— namely Denmark’s sovereignty must be respected. It was not immediately clear how Trump’s canceling of tariffs might change such calculations.

In the meantime, Greenland’s government responded by telling its citizens to be prepared. It has published a handbook in English and Greenlandic on what to do

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 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 immediately 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

in a crisis that urges residents to ensure they have sufﬁcient food, water, fuel and supplies at home to survive for ﬁve days.

“We just went to the grocery store and bought the supplies,” said Tony Jakobsen in Greenland’s capital Nuuk said, showing off the contents of bags that included candles, snacks and toilet paper

Jakobsen said he thought Trump’s rhetoric towards Greenland was “just threats... but it’s better to be ready than not ready.”

Before backing down, Trump had urged Denmark and the rest of NATO to stand aside, adding an ominous warning.

“We want a piece of ice for world protection, and they won’t give it,” Trump said. “You can say yes, and we will be very appreciative. Or you can say no, and we will remember.”

He also called for opening “immediate negotiations” for the U.S. to acquire Greenland. In

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.

subsequent comments to reporters, he declined to name a price that might be paid, saying only, “There’s a bigger price, and that’s the price of safety and security and national security and international security.”

His arrival in Davos was delayed after a minor electrical problem on Air Force One forced a return to Washington to switch aircraft. As Trump’s motorcade headed down a narrow road to the speech site, onlookers — including some skiers lined the route, some making obscene gestures.

Trump’s Davos speech was originally supposed to focus on how to lower U.S. housing prices — part of a larger effort to bring down the cost of living. Greenland instead carried the day, though Trump mistakenly referred to it as Iceland four times during his speech.

“This enormous unsecured island is actually part of North America,” Trump said. “That’s our territory.”

When he finally did mention housing, Trump suggested he did not support a measure to encourage affordability He said bringing down rising home prices hurts property values and makes homeowners who once felt wealthy because of the equity in their houses feel poorer

Before Trump announced that he was abandoning the tariffs and potentially easing international pressure, his speech left people in Nuuk preparing for the worst.

Resident Johnny Hedemann said it was “insulting” that Trump “talks about the Greenlandic people and the Greenlandic nation as just an ice cube.” He spoke while heading out to buy a camping stove and instant mashed potatoes.

“Living in this nature, you have to be prepared for almost anything. And now there’s another threat — and that’s Trump,” Hedemann said.

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.

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.

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.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By GIAN EHRENZELLER

President Donald Trump speaks during the meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Wednesday.

cabbage, sweet potatoes and mushrooms.

“I think, overall, it’s been pretty good for a small town,” she said. “You know it’s not booming, but it’s steady.”

The New Orleans and Napoleonville operations both focus on bringing fresh food to areas with food insecurity

They founded their New Orleans market in 2020 in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, which Webb said turned out to be beneﬁcial.

“June or July, we decided to just do it,” she said. “Because there wasn’t much else to do, it was actually really good.”

The couple purchased the building in Napoleonville around the same time with the same goal.

Like much of the region, the village has fallen into hard times in recent decades. Decay is evident in abandoned buildings scattered across the community While it has a couple of convenience stores and a meat market, the village lacks a grocery store Residents must travel 5 miles to a Rouses Market or around 9 miles down the bayou for a local grocer Raymond LeBlanc, 74, has lived his entire life in the community and remembers when the town had multiple grocery options.

“When I was growing up, we had everything. We could walk around the streets here; go to any store you wanted to,” he said. “We had two shoemakers in town They had bars. We had at least four or ﬁve grocery stores right in this vicinity, too, that you could walk to.”

CATS

Continued from page 1A

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 CATS contract for around $50,000 to Broad In-

The building used to host a few different businesses. According to LeBlanc, it was home to Woodmen of the World insurance. He also remembered attending Boy Scouts of America meetings on the third floor and said a barbershop made its home on part of the first floor

novation 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 un-

The couple face a long road ahead to moving the market into the building. Total renovations could cost more than $1 million, although Webb said they want to renovate it in stages, beginning with the roof. That is expected to cost around $45,000.

They set up a GoFundMe to help raise funds, and Webb said she had accumulated around $7,000 so far “I feel like we’re in the very be-

named 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 been awarded to

ginning, really I only just started deciding to do it over the summer,” she said about the fundraising and renovation “We kind of let it go for a little while because it was just too expensive, but we decided to focus back on it.” Until then, the market continues weekly outside. LeBlanc sells homemade meals and alternates between pastalaya and jambalaya except during Lent, when he sells seafood. Around noon on Jan. 9, as a thunderstorm approached on the

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 assist-

“I love it. I wish we’d have more vendors that would participate with us,” he said. “It’s a good thing for

ing 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 that 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.

STAFF PHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS

Vendor Raymond LeBlanc handles cash after receiving payment for a plate of jambalaya during the Barcelo

La.healthsecretary outlines priorities

Agency to focusonnutrition,improvement goals

BY EMILYWOODRUFF

Staff writer

Louisiana Health Secretary

Bruce Greenstein laid out hisplans and priorities for the state’slargest agency on Wednesday, vowing to streamline how the department servesresidents and putting anew focus on nutrition and other elements of healthy living.

In what was billed as theLouisiana Department of Health’sﬁrst

“annual shareholder meeting,” Greenstein, who took over the department in April, announced planstoforma newOfficeof Health and Nutrition, which will “bring togetherchronic condition management andfood policy.”

He alsosaidheplans to create an inspector general within the de-

partmenttoroot out waste,and thathe’sfocused on programsto reducecancer deaths, overdoses and infant mortality

“If you’re comfortable withhow we do things right now, be ready to get uncomfortableover thenext year,” Greenstein said.

The roughly four-hour presentation,streamed online and attended by safety-nethealth providers, dis-

ability service operatorsand patient advocates, offered the mostdetailed road mapyet for how the $21.4 billionagencywhich oversees Medicaid, public health, state hospitals and social services, may change under its new secretary and anewly appointed surgeon general. It included some elements of

federalhealthpolicy, whichhas 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’sfocusonoversight and what Greenstein called “radical transparency” appeared to take note of Gov. Jeff Landry’srecent emphasis on ensuring that government agencieswere improving

andKeisha Gallien

Princeton

Tuesday

BREC official announceslayoffs

Investigation ongoing into home conditions

BY QUINN COFFMAN Staff writer

The Geismar home where

5-year-old MarleyPerilloux was living before his death has been described as “somethingfroman episode of ‘Hoarders’ ”withold food and trash piled throughout the residence. It appeared the child had been spending most of his time living on asmall section of acouch,according to aspokesperson forthe Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office. His parents,Marlon Perilloux, 33, and Raynisa Young, 27, are accused of keeping the boyinneglectful conditionsthat ledto his death. At the time of his death on Jan. 1, Marley weighed just 19 pounds. His body was small enough to be carried in an infant body bag, Sheriff’s Office officials said. Other children were taken into protective custody,although it is unclear how many were living in

BY CHRISTOPHER CARTWRIGHT Staff writer

An estimated 90 to 100employeesare being laid off across BREC as the organization undergoes restructuring,interim SuperintendentJanet Simmons said this week. Thelayoffs, announced Friday, are part of alargerplantore-

vamp the organization, privatize certainareas of BREC andpossibly adjust theretirement plans offered to newhires.Simmons said the changes are intended to make the parish parks commission moreefﬁcient.

“We’re wanting to be able to provide services to thecommunity in an efﬁcient and effective way that’susing taxpayer dollars to thebest,” she said. “So doing a reduction in force is just amatter of having thedepartmentslookat their team and seeing, ‘Do Ineed thesepositions or do Ineed to consolidate?’”

Thereductionsare happening acrossall departments, withthe layoffsincluding both part-and full-time employees, she said.

“Across the board, every department head was tasked with doing areduction,” she said. The goals weremade clear at a BRECcommissioners workshop in earlyDecember,although Simmons said she was tasked with this as part of her hiring in May

“Part of my directive being hired was to look at this,”she said. “So, it’s been ongoing,and really the directive cameinthe December meeting.”

The layoffs weren’tpresented to the commission foravote because thestate lawthatcreated BREC allows the superintendent to createand abolish positions, she said. Private contracts over $75,000 have to go through abid process and be voted on by the commission. She also said that the changes, including layoffs, willbeanongoing process, as certain seasons of the year require morestaff than others.

“Wehave to look at BREC as a

Edwardsseeks to fill SupremeCourt seat

Judgeannounces run forDistrict1spot

Edwards, aveteran judge, announced Wednesdayshe is running for an open seatonthe Louisiana Supreme Court. Edwards has been ajurist on theLouisiana1st Circuit Court of

for about ayear.

sociate justice seat on the Louisiana SupremeCourt.Former JusticeWilliam Crain vacated the seat lastmonthwhenhewas appointedtoserve as afederal judge based in New Orleans. Gov.Jeff Landry announced aspecial election to ﬁll Crain’s seat on Dec. 30,eight daysafter Crain took his oath of ofﬁce for

the federal bench. Qualifying for the special election to supplant him ends Feb. 13, and the ﬁrst of twopossible party primaries will be held May 16. If necessary,the second primary will be held on June 27, leading up to the Nov.3 general election. Edwards, from Independence, is running as aRepublican candidate on aplatform of therule of lawand “backbone,” according to

forthe District1as-

STAFF PHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS

Hamilton

chat together in front of the ‘Sing The River’ sculpture downtown along thelevee on

Greenstein

Bywater arson suspect arrested

Nine vehicles torched in one night

BY MARCO CARTOLANO Staff writer

New Orleans police arrested the man accused of setting nine cars on fire in the Bywater neighborhood Monday, New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno announced Wednesday Kyle Thomsen, a 35-year-old Bywater resident, was booked into the Orleans Parish jail late Tuesday on four counts of aggravated arson of an inhabited dwelling and nine counts of simple arson. Officials said at a news conference that Thomsen was seen on nearby crime cameras and caught within 48 hours of the fires.

Moreno praised the work of the New Orleans Police Department and ﬁreﬁghters in quickly arresting Thomsen. She said the city is working to support the residents whose belongings were destroyed.

“This was a way of really creating chaos, fear and really terrorizing the neighborhood, and we’re really not going to stand for that in the city of New Orleans,” Moreno said.

The New Orleans Fire Department responded to a series of arson ﬁres early Monday morning, spanning Montegut, Dauphine and Desire streets. Ofﬁcials initially said three cars were torched on Dauphine, four on Desire and one on Montegut.

However, crime camera footage revealed a ninth vehicle burned in the area, said Michael Harrison, the city’s new deputy mayor of public safety

“We responded to this the very same way as we would have responded to nine people being shot in a single neighborhood in the same night,” Harrison said.

A house was also damaged in the string of ﬁres. All four residents of the two-story duplex at 313840 Dauphine St. escaped safely, NOFD ofﬁcials said.

NOFD Superintendent Roman Nelson said early reports suggest accelerants were used in the house ﬁre. The vehicles were still being processed Wednesday, he said, though much of the evidence was burned.

While no injuries were reported, the arson shocked the neighborhood. Bywater Bakery’s delivery van was among the vehicles destroyed. The business, a beloved stop for pastries and king cakes, had just hosted its 10th annual King Cake Festival. On Wednesday it became a James Beard semifinalist for “Outstanding Bakery.”

New Orleans police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said investigators searched Thomsen’s home at 938 Mazant St. and found clothes tied to the crimes. A motive wasn’t immediately clear, she said.

Thomsen was initially apprehended on a prior warrant for domestic battery, Kirkpatrick said.

New Orleans Fire Department Superintendent

next to Deputy Mayor

and New Orleans Police Superintendent Anne

about the suspect who started the string of fires in the Bywater neighborhood of New Orleans. City officials announced the arrest at City Hall on Wednesday.

A burned car is seen in the Bywater neighborhood of New Orleans early on Monday.

Visa delays cause cancellation of Tango After Dark

Economic impact felt from performance loss

BY DOUG MacCASH Staff writer

Sometimes the show just can’t go on. The Tango After Dark dance performance scheduled for Saturday at the Mahalia Jackson Theater has been scratched due to the Argentine group’s trouble entering the country, according

JUDGE

Continued from page 1B

her campaign announcement.

“My parents and grandparents raised me to be a strong conservative, even while surrounded by folks with opposing views even family — and I’ve never lost my bearings,” Edwards said in Wednesday’s release. “Some call it stubborn; I call it backbone. I stand my ground, aim straight,

LAYOFFS

Continued from page 1B

company,” she said. “You’re going to have a reduction in force, for any company, based on the season.”

Asked about what aspects work well at BREC, Simmons highlighted the golf operations under Director Mike Raby In late December, he was named the 2025

PRIORITIES

Continued from page 1B

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’s leadership would be expected to identify where performance has lagged, explain what will change in 2026 and be accountable for results.

In her ﬁrst public remarks as the state’s new surgeon general, Dr Evelyn Grifﬁn outlined an agenda looking at “root causes” of health issues and a push for stronger data systems to identify gaps in care.

“We need to return the focus back to foundational elements of health, such as nutrition with whole foods, daily movement, quality sleep and stress management,” Griffin said, adding that they should be integrated with

to Jenny Hamilton, director of the New Orleans Ballet Association. The show was an “unfortunate casualty” of ongoing visa processing delays, she said Hamilton said she has no further knowledge of the situation that resulted in the loss of the group’s performances in eight cities across three states. She noted that the dance company has performed in New Orleans twice before, in 2018 and 2022. The cancellation of the large production will certainly have an economic impact on the local

and keep a sense of humor about it if you want a Supreme Court Justice who has convictions and won’t budge, heck that’s been the story of my whole life.” Edwards earned an accounting degree from Nicholls State University and spent years as an accountant at Texaco and Entergy before beginning her legal career She graduated from the Loyola University School of Law in New Orleans and became a public defender in the 21st Judicial District Court, handling child

Gulf States PGA Golf Professional of the Year

“Golf is, I want to say, probably 85% to 90% self-generated revenue, and the goal is to get to 100%,” she said “They deliver their programs very effectively, very efﬁciently.”

Outsourcing to private companies

Simmons said the plan to outsource aspects of BREC operations remains ongoing.

“I don’t have any speciﬁcs yet

conventional medicine and evidence-based practices.

Other priorities for the surgeon general include further reducing opioid-related deaths among pregnant women through Project MOM, a statewide program aimed at preventing pregnancy-associated overdoses, and increasing breastfeeding rates through existing maternal health programs According to her presentation, her ofﬁce will emphasize “family, faith and fearlessness.”

While Louisiana has been ranked third-highest for opioid deaths, Health Department ofﬁcials said there is progress. Deaths went down by 31%, from 1,130 deaths in 2023 to 770 deaths in 2024.

Louisiana mothers had the highest state death rate in 2023, according to a report from The Commonwealth Fund. The state had a maternal mortality rate of about 42 per 100,000 live births, compared with the national average of 18.6.

Grifﬁn, who was appointed surgeon general by Landry in December after Dr Ralph Abraham

economy, Hamilton said. The 109 people who would have worked that night — the stagehands, parking attendants, bartenders and others — will miss a payday The New Orleans Ballet Association will also suffer The organization, which was the presenter of the performance, relies on such events for part of its income. Tickets sales had gone well, Hamilton said Tango After Dark was expected to ﬁll 2,000 of the 2,200 seats at the theater in Armstrong Park. Ticket holders have been offered

safety cases. She was ﬁrst elected to that district’s bench in 2008 and presided over the ﬁrst juvenile section in the 21st JDC. Before long, Edwards was managing the state’s largest juvenile caseload. Edwards is married to retired Tangipahoa Sheriff Daniel Edwards, and former Gov John Bel Edwards is her brother-inlaw The judge said she remains steadfast in her “independent conservative voice” while working across the political spectrum and pointed to her record, which

because we’re doing a deep dive in each one of the departments and identifying what are the areas that we can outsource,” Simmons said. “I would say in all the departments, we’re looking at that as a possibility.”

She said the organization already contracts with some private companies, such as video production for the communications team, and pointed to the recent shifting of BREC’s aquatic operations to a private company

resigned to become the principal deputy director at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, drew national attention in recent weeks over her views on vaccines as a newly appointed member of the federal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. Griffin was appointed to that role by Kennedy and voted against continuing the committee’s recommendation for routine hepatitis B vaccination for newborns. Vaccination policy was not discussed during the Louisiana Department of Health meeting. In a subsequent interview, Greenstein said the department’s approach to vaccine promotion — revised under the previous surgeon general to discontinue mass vaccination efforts such as ﬂu fairs and to advise department employees against recommending specific vaccines is unlikely to change.

During the presentations, other department officials detailed initiatives already underway or launching in 2026, including a $200-plus million rural health transformation effort with feder-

BR man faces child pornography counts

Police claim over 120 images found on phone

BY QUINN COFFMAN Staff writer

A Baton Rouge man has been arrested for allegedly owning and sharing more than 120 child pornography images on his phone.

Baton Rouge police ofﬁcers were able to find the man, 35-year-old Timothy Dykes, after a tip from a predator-catching private company, according to the afﬁdavit for Dykes’ arrest.

Police first received a report about Dykes in August 2025, submitted by an employee of a company that “identiﬁes and engages with possible online sexual predators,” according to the warrant for his arrest.

The employee had seen Dykes like a post that depicted child sexual assault, and began to communicate with him. During the conversation, Dykes admitted to possessing and sharing a large amount of child pornography

The employee later made contact with Dykes at his home because Dykes had used his real name in his social account. After speaking with him in person and verifying his identity, the company called the police.

the option of receiving refunds or credits. Under the circumstances, they may also choose to donate the price of the tickets which sold for $35 to $199 — to the association. A fundraising party associated with the event also was nixed. Hamilton said that in her 35 years with the association, visa delays have never impacted a show The organization will be looking for a way to bring the renowned company back.

Email Doug MacCash at dmaccash@theadvocate.com.

she said shows a “consistent commitment to limited government, judicial restraint, and public safety “I am running for the Louisiana Supreme Court because our state deserves justices who are independent, rooted in conservative principles, and strong enough to stand their ground when it matters most,” Edwards said. “I have never wavered in my belief that the Constitution and the law not politics or pressure — must guide every decision.”

as an example.

“We were a month and a half late opening,” she said of Liberty Lagoon’s delayed start last summer “We just decided to outsource all of that, so all of the people that are working now in our aquatics are coming through a third party.”

SELA Aquatics won the contract to manage BREC’s aquatic facilities, and BREC has also separately hired Contingency Group for security

al funds, expanded crisis response infrastructure for people considering suicide, tighter Medicaid oversight that includes work requirements, rooting out Medicaid and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program fraud and waste, and new limits on SNAP purchases of candy and soft drinks.

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

Greenstein said the meeting was the ﬁrst in a recurring series, pledging that the department will hold annual “shareholder” meetings to open its books to public comment and share progress and goals. “It’s better and easier to be open, transparent and collaborative than it is to scheme away in our ofﬁce and have a whiteboard we don’t show anyone,” Greenstein said. “We are constantly being improved by the input from stakeholders from around the country.”

In conversations with police, Dykes admitted to having child porn in the form of photos and videos on his phone, but said he planned to delete it from his device that day

Police obtained a warrant to search his residence and seize his devices. When police looked through Dykes’ phone, he was found to have at least 120 videos and images of child sexual abuse material.

This material depicted juveniles ranging from infants to early teenagers.

Dykes admitted to police that the images were procured by sharing and receiving images with “individuals online who regularly sought to exchange such imagery,” according to the arrest documents. Dykes was booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison on Tuesday evening on 120 counts of pornography involving a juvenile. Email Quinn Coffman at quinn. coffman@theadvocate.com.

INVESTIGATION

Continued from page 1B

the home or what their ages are.

The children are now under the custody of the Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services.

Ascension deputies were originally called to a Geismar gas station around 9 p.m. Jan. 1 for a report of a child’s medical emergency

There, they found Perilloux with his son, who was unresponsive. Deputies performed CPR on the child until Emergency Medical Services arrived Marley later died at a hospital.

An investigation into Perilloux and Young began after concerns were raised with authorities about severe malnutrition and injuries on the boy

Detectives discovered the couple had failed to ensure proper feeding, hygiene and medical care for Marley

The two have been held without bail at the Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Ofﬁce on counts of negligent homicide, second-degree cruelty to juveniles, possession with intent to distribute marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and illegal carrying of weapons.

While no other adults have been charged, the investigation is “very active,” a Sheriff’s Ofﬁce spokesperson said.

Email Quinn Coffman at quinn. coffman@theadvocate.com.

LOTTERY

TUESDAY, JAN. 20, 2026

PICK 3: 0-2-5

PICK 4: 5-7-7-0

STAFF PHOTOS By CHRIS GRANGER

Roman Nelson, center, stands

Michael Harrison, Mayor Helena Moreno

Kirkpatrick, as he talks

AlonzoJr.,Mack

Hendersonville FirstBaptistChurch in Hendersonville,NC, at noon.

Browning, Ronald ResthavenFuneralHome, 11817

JeffersonHighway,at2:30p.m

Cancienne,Catherine

Rabalais,Ned

Church,865 Hatchell Lane,Denham Springs,LAat12pm

Roy, Katherine

Funerals Today very end. Pallbearers willbeSkipperRawls,Billy Hymel, Sammy Muffoleto, Kenny Landry, Bert Tugwell, Ryan Richard, KevinLastrapes and BradLindley.Honorary Pallbearersare Jerril Musso, RJ D'Agostino and Dr. Abelardo "Jay" Arizpe. Both visitation and funeral services willbeheldat Greenoaks Funeral Home, 9595 Florida Blvd.,Baton Rouge,LA. Visitation will be on Thursday, January 22, 2026from4:00pmto 7:30pmand Friday, January 23, 2026 from 10:00am to 11:00am. Funeral services willbeonJanuary 23, 2026, beginning at 11:00am with graveside servicestofollow

Faith A.M.E. Zion Church,3919 Groom Rd.Baker,LAat11am.

Obituaries

Cooper, Patrick Brooks Due to the threat of dangerous travel conditions, the family of Dr. Patrick BrooksCooper has decided to postpone hisservices. Afuneral service will now be held from 11:00 AM to 12:00PMonFebruary 21, 2026 at St. Paul's Catholic Church, 410 Fincher Road in Minden LA. Areception willfollow in the Parish Hall at the church. Walker,EMyrei Living Faith ChristianCenter, 6375 WinbourneAve.,B.R,LAat11am.

Bruney, Mark Allen

Mark Allen Bruney,a resident of Baton Rouge, Louisiana went to be with his Lord and Savior on Wednesday, January 7, 2026 at the age of 62. He was born on February 23, 1962 to John H. Bruney and Patricia S. Bruney.

Since February of 2023, Mark proudly and faithfully served with the Cajun Guard, accumulating over 300 hours of selfless service to his community and those inneed.

He is proceeded in death by his parents, John Bruney and Patricia Bruney. He is survived by his daughter, Sara Bruney two sons, Zachary Bruney and Timothy Bruney, brother John F. Bruney and two sisters Patty Bruney Rahl and DebbieBruney Relatives and friends are invited to attend a memorial service at 1:00pm on Saturday, January 24, 2026 at Luke 10:27 Church, 536 Centerville St. NE, Denham Springs, Louisiana.

Joseph "Jay" Canella, a native of Baton Rouge,LA and prominent business man, passed away on January 15, 2026 at the age of 85. Jay was born on August 31, 1940asa grandson of Sicilian Italian immigrants. At ayoung age, he sold hot tamales on the streets of downtown Baton Rouge for his family's business, "Muffoletto's Hot Tamales", founded by his maternal grandmother. He was aproudgraduateof Baton Rouge High School and later served with honor in the Army Reserves. He also served as areservedeputy sheriff for the East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office. As ateenager, Jay began laying floors and turned that into alifelong career, eventually starting his own flooring company "Jay's Commercial Carpets", which deliveredtop quality flooring and service to customers throughout the BatonRouge area for 25 years. After retiring, he got involved in the Louisiana Institutional Boxing Association (LIBA) where he served as areferee,judge, and eventually becamethe commissioner fora number of years. Later in life, Jay enjoyed traveling all over the world, which included visiting all 7continents, 48 states and specialVIP trips to the Pro Football Hall of Fame with his good friend, Jim Taylor. He had apassion for giving to children's charities, including St Jude's Children's Hospital and the Shriner's Hospital. He also helped many children in Mexico gain their smiles by donating to the Cleft Lip and Palate Clinic (CLAYPA) and sponsoring children for surgeries performed by his lifelong friend, Dr. Abelardo "Jay" Arizpe. Jay is survivedbyhis daughters, KellyLastrapes (Kevin)and Melissa Canella, son, Joey Canella,and granddaughter, Kirby Lastrapes. He is also survived by his sisters,Mary Williams, JoAnnFalgoust and Donna Canella. He is preceded in death by his mother, Mary Muffoleto Canella, and father, Joseph J.Canella, Sr. The family would like to thank the staff at the Claiborne of Baton Rougeand Hospice of Baton Rouge for the loving care they gave Jay at the end of his life. Special thanks to his loving sitter, Cleuza Helena de Abreu "CiCy" who cared for him with much love and compassion all the way to the

leyHolmes (Benjamin), Ryan Hartley, Jackson Hartley (Kelsey), and Jacob Hartley; his grandchildren Noah Holmes and Caroline Holmes; his siblings Sandra Hartley, Valerie Hartley Touchet,and Kevin Hartley (Julie); and many moreloving family members. Preceding Ray in death arehis parents Jack Hartley and Valerie Brewster Hartley, and his brother-in-law Terry Touchet.Relatives and friends are invited to join thefamily forvisitation at First Presbyterian Church, 763 NorthBoulevard, on Friday, January 23, 2026, from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM and Saturday, January 24, 2026, from11:00 AM until funeral services at 12:00 PM.A reception willimmediatelyfollow. The family kindly requeststhatattendees wearLSU attire (purpleand gold)

Henry, Isaiah C.

Afuneral service willbe held from 11:00AMto12:00 PM on 2026-01-24 at New Rising Sun Baptist Church, 5715River Road.

Entered into eternalrest at Baton Rouge General Medical Center-Bluebonnet on January7,2026. He was a79-year old nativeand resident of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Viewing at Miller& Daughter Mortuary on Friday,January 23, 2026at9:00 am until Celebration of LifeService at 11:00amconducted by Rev. John C. Miller,Jr.;interment at Louisiana NationalCemetery. Survivors include his devoted wife, Geraldine B. Fields; children, Shandrika Fields, Tracy Brooks, NicoleByrd(Dwayne) and Cedric Harris, Sr.; siblings, IolaEnnis, Ella Nelson, Paulette Campbell, Mattie Wilkerson, Shirley F. Miller(John, Sr.),and DouglasChaney(Brenda); Norwood Witherspoon whom he considered abrother; 10 grandchildren;nieces nephews, other relatives and friends.

Raymond Gary Hartley, 71, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, passed away peacefully on Sunday, January18, 2026, with hiswife, Darla,byhis side. Ray was born on September10, 1954, in New Orleans, Louisiana. Ray graduated from De La Salle High School in 1972,and went on to attend LSU, earning a bachelor's degree in civil engineering in 1978.During his time at LSU,hewas a proud memberofthe Acacia fraternity, where he servedonthe House Board formany years. Ray enjoyeda very successful career spanning nearly 50 years as acivil engineer. He was alicensed professional engineer in multiple states. He workedasa Project and Client Manager for Meyer Engineers beginning 2016. Ray especially loved playing golfwithhis friends, travellingthe world with his wife, and cheering on LSUfootball while tailgating with his family and friends. Adevoted Christian, he loved the Lord and hisfamily more than anything. Ray had adeeplove for life, never met astranger, and touchedcountless livesin ways that willnever be forgotten. Remaining to cherish Ray'smemoryare his wife,Darla Tipton Hartley; his children, Lauren Hart-

Isaiah C. Henry, anative of Brittany, LA and aresident of Gonzales, LA, passed away on Jan. 17 2026 at theage of 91. Services to be held on Fri.Jan 23, 2026 at St.PaulB.C 10438 Boudreaux Rd Gonzales, LA.Viewing at 9AM followedbyfuneral service at 11AM.

Barbara Vastine Hughes passed away peacefully on January11, 2026, surrounded by family and friends. Barbara was lovedbya largecircle of friendsand family attracted by her warmth,wit, and interest in their lives. BornAugust 31, 1935, in Baton Rouge, Barbara attended University HighSchool and graduated LSUwith aBSinBusiness. ActivewithChi Omega and several other campus groups, Barbara was elected LSUFreshman of theYear. Barbara'slifelong interest in people, organizing gatherings, and servingothersnever ceased. She wasa beacon of light and joytomany. After college,Barbara worked in budget and finance rolesinseveral industries, most notably at a historicand activesugar cane plantationand the LSUAGCenter. Barbara met theloveofher life, William J. HughesJr.,ona blind date and they married in 1980. Barbara's love forpeople,eventsand history coupled withher husband's witand enthusiasm for design, engineering, and flying were aperfect match that ledtomany adventures. They traveled extensively, ofteninher husband's plane forleisure and business, and developed many friendships abroad.Barbara was also a greatpartner in her husband's architect and engineering projects. Barbara is preceded in death by her husband, William J. Hughes Jr; parents, Etheland MarvinVastine;and sister, Sandra Dennis andhusband, Jack.Barbaraissurvivedbyher brother, Boone Vastine and wife, Carolyn; daughter, Cheryl Jones and husband, Rowley, and their children, ShelbyNeuman and husband, Nick, and Grayson Jones; son, Richard Wood and wife, Dr. Rebecca Adcock;step-daughter, Nancy Readinger and her children,AlexaAlexanderand AndrewReadinger;stepson, Jeff Hughes and wife, Tammy, and his children, Jessica Stewart and husband, Chad,Campbell Hughes and wife, Amy Paige. In addition, Barbara is survivedbyfivegreatgranddaughters, afuture great-grandson, and several nieces and nephews. Family and friends are invitedtoattend afuneral servicetobeheldatUniversityUnited Methodist Church, 3350 Dalrymple Drive, Baton Rouge, Louisiana on Friday, January 23, 2026, at 11:00 AM. Visitation willbeheldfrom 10:00 AM until service time. Graveside burial willtake place afterward at Resthaven Gardens of Memory, 11817 Jefferson Highway in Baton Rouge. In lieu of flowers,donations can be madetoUniversity United Methodist Church,

BatonRouge,Louisiana Family and friendsmay sign theonline guestbook or leave apersonal note to thefamily at www.resthav enbatonrouge.com.

LeBeouf, Elouise Harris

"To everything there is a season, and atime to everypurpose under the heaven.

Ecclesiastes3:1

On Tuesday, January 13, 2026 Elouise HarrisLeBeouf entered intoeternal rest at ClarityHospice of Baton Rouge, LA. She was a91year oldnativeand resident of St James, LA.She was born on August 27, 1934 to thelateAllen Sr. and EthelDot Harris. The viewing willbeheldfrom 9:00 am-11:00 am and the CelebrationofLife Service willbeheldatthe Mt Calvary Baptist Church in St. James, Louisiana on SaturdayJanuary 24, 2026 at 11:00 am. Interment is at Mt Calvary Baptist Church Cemetery. She leavesto cherish her loving memories four sons, Charles LeBeouf, Shedrick(Margie) LeBeouf, Calvin(Debbie) LeBeouf, and Edward (Brandy) LeBeouf; and two daughters, Laura(James) Pearleyand Angela (Joseph) Goodlow

OurMotherwillbesorely missed. But we know that 2Corinthians 5:1 states that "Forweknow that if our earthlyhouse of thistabernaclewere dissolved, we havea building of God,anhouse notmade with hands, eternal in the heavens.

Robert Delaine Pechman, Jr., DVM, age 81, passed away on January 19, 2026, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, following abrief illness. BornonNovember 9, 1944, in SanFrancisco,California,Dr. Pechmandevoted hislife to veterinary medicine,education, and lifelong learning. Over the course of his 50+ year career as agiftedteacher and internationally respected specialist in veterinary radiology, he held facultyappointmentsat The OhioStateUniversity, Auburn University, Louisiana StateUniversity, and Oklahoma StateUniversity, where he played a significant roleinadvancing diagnosticimaging educationand mentoring youngclinicians. He retired 2005 as ProfessorEmeritus after 20 years at Louisiana StateUniversity, where he was aperennial student favoritefor his humor, breadthofknowledge, and deep commitment to his students' success.

An inveteratetraveler, he held temporaryteaching and clinical appointmentsatthe University of Pretoria, the Universityof Dublin, and theUniversity of Sydney to name afew, experiences that enriched both his professional work and hispersonal life.These international engagements underscored hisbeliefthat education and collaboration transcend borders. Aleader in his field, Dr. Pechman was deeply involved with professional organizations, including theAmerican Collegeof Veterinary Radiology (ACVR) and theInternational Veterinary Radiology Association(IVRA).He served in leadershiproles contributed to theadvancement of thespecialty, and was afrequent and sought-after speaker at national and international meetings. His lectures were known fortheir insight,rigor,and accessibility, and he took particular pride in helping colleagues and traineesgrowinconfidence and skill Outside of his professionallife, Dr. Pechman was an avid reader witha special fondness for spy novels, always eager to recommend afavoritetitle. He also adored hiscats

andloved them like family, often speakingofthem with thesame affection andpride he reserved for the people he loved.

Dr.Pechman was precededindeathbyhis parents, Robert andPatricia, andbyhis beloved youngerson andnamesake, Robert D. Pechman III.Heissurvived by his wife, AndreaSmith Pechman; hisson,Scott(Nici); hisbrother Chris, sister-inlaw Patty, andnephew Sean;his grandsons, Thomas and Aiden;his stepdaughters, Chalin Smith (Jeff Carlson)and HillaryPolito (Adam); and hisstep-grandchildren Macy andMaggie Carlson, andHelen Rose andAaron Polito.

Dr.Pechman's legacy enduresthrough his family, hisstudents, and the countless veterinarians around theworld whobenefitedfromhis mentorship, leadership,and generosity of spirit.Hewill be rememberedfor hisintellect, warmth,curiosity, love of learning, andthe profound andlastingimpact he made on veterinary medicine.

Information abouta memorial service will followata later date. Any memorial donationsmay be made in hisname to TheLouisiana School of VeterinaryMedicine or Companion Animal AllianceofBaton Rouge

Frank

Frank Pitts, age 82, enteredeternal rest on January 16, 2026. He was born on November 12, 1943 and wasunited in marriageto Diane Guidry Pitts. He leaves to cherish hismemoryhis loving wife; three children, Marva Bolden, Maurice Pitts, andMonika Pitts; six grandchildren; andfourgreat-grandchildren,along with ahostof otherrelativesand friends. Visitation will be held on Friday, January23, 2026 at Greater King David Baptist Church,222 BlountRd., Baton Rouge,LAfrom9:00 a.m. followed by funeral servicesat11:00 a.m. Servicesare entrustedtoHall Davis &Son.Inlieuofflowers, donations may be made to Alzheimer's Servicesofthe Capital Area

Susan Shuey (née Harmon), age 77 of Kaplan, Louisiana, passed away peacefully on January 15, 2026. Susan Elizabeth Harmon wasbornonApril 24, 1948, to Derwin Kay Harmonand MadelinePeaceHarmon Shegraduatedfrom OpelousasHigh School in 1966, LSUin1970 and LSU's PaulM.HebertSchool of Law in 1980. Prior to law school, Susan was aguidance counselor andEnglish teacher at Baton Rouge High School. Afterward,she lived in NewOrleans,Lincolnton, Georgia, andmost recently Baton Rouge.She is survivedbydaughters Rachel Ferguson Shueyand Kate HarmonShuey, to whom she wasendlesslydevoted.Asa mothershe provided constant care and support spicedwith sharp wit. Therewas no getting anythingpast her.

Susan wasa valuedeldersister to Doug Harmon, RachalMurphy, andLisa George,cousin to Kathy Hoggard, Myra Ortego, Steve Mead,Linda Bitter Palma Jorgensen,Bobby Going,Cindy King,Debbie Balicki, andMolly White, anda close friendofMary Grace, Catherine McKenzie, andKay Humphries, and former husband James Shuey, all of whom will miss herdearly Sheloved reading mystery books, watchinghome improvement shows,sharingher considerable knowledge of European history, and teaching everyoneshe could howto properly make aroux. She hadimpeccable tasteand

wantedeveryonetoknow that herdaughters received theirbest traits from her.

Aservice in celebration of Susan's life will be held on Friday, March6th,2026 at the University United Methodist ChurchinBaton Rouge,LA. Visitation at 1pm, Memorial Service at 2pm. In lieu of flowers, donationsmay be made in her memory to the Retina ResearchFoundation, which supports researchonretinaldisease.

Turnipseed, DonnaMarie Age 88, of Baton Rouge went to heaven on January 17, 2026. She nevermet a stranger and loved children.She wasthe best Mom& MawMaw achild couldever want. They always broughta smileto herface. She had 12 grandchildren, 20 great grandchildrenand 1great great grandchild.Survivedby son, Brent Turnipseed, daughterand son-in-law, Brenda Carlson andKurt Carlson. Brother and sister -in-law,Dwight andPhyllis Morrison.Precededbyson Brad Turnipseed,parents, Elwoodand Leola Morrison, and Sister andbrother -in-law,Harold andDelores Arnold.Interment at GardenviewMausoleum Greenoaks Memorial Park.

Peter"Bird"Joseph Vitalepassed away peacefully on Monday, January 19, 2026, at the age of 69. He wasbornonAugust 24, 1956, and has been alifelong residentofPlaquemine, LA. Peterwas retired from GeorgiaGulf as an operator andfromthe Iberville Parish Council. He wasa 1975 graduate of PlaquemineHigh School. Hishobbieswerefishing, goingtothe casino, and cooking, especially his crawfish bisque. Peter is survived by hissiblings, Betty Bouchereauand husband Lloyd, Susan Dean, AnthonyVitale, Jr.and wife Stacey, andMichael Vitale; numerousnieces and nephews. He waspreceded in death by parents, Anthony, Sr.and Margie CouvillionVitale.Visitationwill be held at St.Johnthe Evangelist Catholic Church, PlaquemineonFriday, January23, 2026, from 9am untilmass of Christian Burial at 11am, celebrated by Father Jason Palermo Intermentwill follow at GraceMemorialPark, Plaquemine. Pallbearers will be Arthur"Tiger"Pitre, JoeLandry, TerryHebert, Blake Canella, Ryan Dean, andRobert"Gimp" Gourgues. Honorary pallbearers will be PerryFrancise,PeterMigliacio,StanJackson Josh Hall, David "Munoz" Pearce, andBlaneMarino. Please share memories online at www.wilbertservices.com

Dixon, Jerrel

Vitale, Peter Joseph 'Bird'

Pitts,

Hughes, Barbara Vastine

Fields, Rozelle

Canella, Joseph 'Jay'

Pechman, Robert Delaine 'Bob'

Shuey, Susan

Hartley, Raymond Gary

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

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 howmany barriers 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 take time 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

Joggerscan’t be oblivioustovehicle traffic

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 yearsI have read aboutthe Congressionalstalemate on immigrationreform. The most recent comprehensive immigration reform bill was passed by 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 be an issue?

Rep. Julia Letlow of BatonRouge has entered this year’sU.S. Senate race 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 questionsarise. First, by the time of the May 16 primary,will Trump’sendorsement be as much of aboon as most people assume? Second, will any of her three mostprominent likely opponents —incumbent Sen. Bill Cassidy,state Treasurer John Flemingorstate Sen. Blake Miguez attack her,and how strongly,for her long-standing failure to comply withan importantﬁnancial disclosure law?

Let’stake the latter question first.On Jan. 13, Letlow disclosed that shepreviously had failed to report morethan 200 stock 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 grossnegligence or 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 drawing congressional lawmaking attention.

Digging deeper,Letlow’sexplanation looks plausible and alot more innocent: Her investment portfolioismanaged by an investment adviser, which shifted funds in the account into individual stocks and bonds without realizingit would trigger new reporting requirements. Anyone who outsources direct management of investmentaccounts to ﬁnancial advisers can understandhow thatcan happen.

On the other hand, the STOCK Act is unambiguous that lawmakers are individually responsible for thelaw’s disclosure requirements,evenifthe 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 reminiscent of what was treated like amajor congressional scandalinthe early 1990s, namely the widespread practice amongrepresentatives 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-

Where therearen’t fathers, birthrates collapse

Where arethe babies? Social conservatives keep asking what’shappened as the U.S. fertility rate crashestoits lowest levelever.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.

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 overdraftswere the result of sloppybookkeeping: just one or two instances for some members, rather than apattern of self-dealing. Still, thestench was so bad that even some lawmakers with only one or two overdrafts ended up losing their jobs. Likewise, Letlow’sopponentssurely will be tempted to turn her STOCK Act violations into attack-ad fodder.In theﬁrst primary,Cassidy himself isn’t likely to weigh in: He almost certainly will get into arunoff anyway,sowhy waste time and money trashing just one of several major opponents? He will need to hoard aton of cash for the runoff, as he must negotiate major hurdles: He angered the MAGA hordes by votingtoconvict Trumpinthe Capitol-riot impeachment proceedings and heangeredanti-MAGA Republicansbycasting key,inexcusable votes to approve ahost of horrid choices for TrumpCabinet and sub-Cabinet posts. On theother hand, Miguez and Fleming know that now that Trumphas spoken, they may have trouble getting past Letlowfor the second runoff spot withoutsubstantially bloodying her up (ﬁguratively speaking). Butitcould be agame of chicken: Often thecandidate

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 to be as weak 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 endorsementisnohelp 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

On thelaw,itdepends on whereyou stand

”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

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 whosought to create anarrative would receive gold medals

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

Cal Thomas Quin Hillyer

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 areimpatientand 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 the targets of organized demonstrators, manyofwhom are breaking thelaw

Email Cal Thomas at tcaeditors@ tribpub.com.HeisonX,@CalThomas.

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, New York. 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-wage job.

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 stories of impoverishedfamilieskeptaﬂoat 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 theygive 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 women Imeet 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 heratfharrop@gmail.com.

Froma Harrop

STAFF FILEPHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

Baton Rouge Weather

SPORTS

GREATDEBATE

A lot has changed about college footballinthe past 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? Who has 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 Miamiinthe 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. Indiana Mendoza andthe Raiders of the CFP Ark. It was an impressive season for the Hoosiers, but was it thebest? We canall

debate whopassed theeye test as the best team ever untilnextyear’s national champion is crowned —thatwill be Jan. 25inLas Vegas, for all youdreamingLSU fansout there —withnothing to show for it. WasitIndiana? LSUin 2019? Alabamain2020? Miami in 2001? Nebraskain1995? 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’s take alook:

BY REED DARCEY Staff writer

corrected course to pick up resume-building wins over No. 4Texas andNo. 16 Oklahoma, and they’re now back on track to achievetheir annual goal of hosting NCAA Tournament games. LSUisﬁfth in theNCAA’s NET ä LSU at Texas A&M, 8P.M.THURSDAy,SECN

BY TOYLOY BROWNIII 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 andnippedMiami in the CFP final. Both were theNo. 1CFP seeds in their respective seasons. Despite playing onemoregame, Indiana beat six ranked teams, all in the top 10 at thetime:No. 9Illinois,No. 3Oregon (regularseason), No. 1Ohio State (Big Tenchampionship game), No. 9 Bama, No. 5Oregon again and finally No. 10 Miami. LSU defeatedseven top-10 teams in 15 games —No. 9 Texas, No. 7Florida, No. 9Auburn, No. 3Alabama, No. 4Georgia (SEC

ä See RABALAIS, page 3C

The return of LSU basketball’s best playerdidn’tchange itsfate against No. 16 Florida. In Dedan Thomas’first game back from alower left leg injury, theTigers lost 79-61 on Tuesday at Exactech Arena in Gainesville, Florida. The Gators,which lead the country in rebound margin, had50 boards to LSU’s30, including 17 more on theoffensive glass. Whilethe Florida(14-5, 5-1SEC) loss will sting for LSU(13-6, 1-5) as it falls deeper into alast-place hole in theSoutheastern Conference, the Tigers were glad to see their 6-foot-1point guard on thefloor for the first time since Dec. 29. Thomas came off thebench for the first time in his collegecareer andhad two points on 1-of-8 shooting, three assists and zero turnoversin17minutes. Beforethe point guard was injured, he was averaging

Tigers addressedge rusher with 4thOle Miss transfer

BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer

Ole Miss junior edge rusher Princewill Umanmielenhas signed with LSU outofthe transfer portal,asourceconfirmed to The Advocate on Wednesday Umanmielen had51quarterback pressures thispast season,according to Pro FootballFocus, andfinished tied for third in the Southeastern Conferencein sackswith nine.Heled the Rebels in sacksand wasanAll-SEC third-team selection.Against Miami in theCollege Football Playoff semifinals, Umanmielen hadfourquarterback pressures and asack He transferredtoOle Miss this past season afterbeginning his career at Nebraska.Intwo seasons with the Cornhuskers,hehad 35 tacklesand 11/2 sacks. Umanmielen’s path to LSUwas anything but straightforward. OleMissannounced Jan. 5that Umanmielen would return to the Rebels, but 10 days later, On3reportedheintended to enterthe transfer portal. That decisionbecame official Wednesdaywhenhis name entered theportal Umanmielen immediately upgrades an LSUpassrush thatstruggledto generatepressure offthe edge.Heaccumulated more than twice as many sacks as any Tiger last season, and his 51 pressures were 17 more than LSU’s leader seniorJack Pyburn. The Tigers’ lack of production offthe edge meant theironly reliable path to pressuring quarterbackswas blitzing. Thedefensedidn’thave many weaknesses, finishing fifthinthe conference in pointsallowedper game. But its inability to bother quarterbacks with four pass rushers became aproblem. Regardless of production,LSU needed edge rushers after Pyburnand fifthyear seniors Patrick Payton andJimari Butler ran outofeligibility. Pyburn led the room with34pressures. Paytonhad 27 pressures andButlerhad 17. The only major pieces of theLSU rotation settoreturn in 2026 are sophomoreGabriel Reliford and redshirt sophomoreDylan Carpenter. Reliford, aformer four-star recruit,appeared in just four games this year because of a tornrotator cuff. Filling his place was Carpenter,who played in 119 snaps across 10 games LSUnow hasadded41players out of the portal this month. Umanmielen is thethird edge rusher, following TennesseetransferJordanRossand

ä See TRANSFER, page 3C

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By REBECCA BLACKWELL

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

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU guard Flau’JaeJohnson celebrates withguard Mikaylah Williams after afoulcallagainst Texasin the firstperiodonJan. 11 at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center

STAFF FILEPHOTO By BILL FEIG

LSU coach Ed Orgeron hoists the CFP trophyasquarterback JoeBurrowcelebrates winningthe CollegeFootball Playoff national championship game against Clemsonatthe Caesars Superdome on Jan. 13, 2020

Scott Rabalais

STAFF PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK LSU guard Dedan Thomas is fouled by SouthernMissguard Brewer Carruth on alayup attempt in the first half on Dec.29atthe Pete Maravich AssemblyCenter

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

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 ballot. 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 Open

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

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

Saints to keep prices for season tickets the same

The

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

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

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

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.

7-6

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

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.

Posey

Opelka 6-3,

(3), 5-7, 4-6, 6-4.

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.

Giants.

Best QBs in portal emerge with big checks

BY ERIC OLSON AP college football writer

About 200 FBS quarterbacks entered the transfer portal by last week’s deadline, but that doesn’t mean it’s a buyer’s market. The top programs in the power conferences are paying a premium for players at the most important position on the ﬁeld. Experienced starters commanded ﬁnancial packages worth north of $3 million, according to media reports.

Among the 68 quarterbacks who were starters in 2025 at power-conference schools and Notre Dame, 24 are out of eligibility, 16 entered the portal and 28 indicated they would return to their teams. On paper, that would leave 40 open starter’s jobs in the Power Four in 2026. In reality, many of those have been spoken for by starters moving from one school to another Here’s a rundown of the top quarterback transfers, based on 247Sports rankings:

Sam Leavitt, LSU

Lane Kifﬁn was able to swoop in, get Leavitt and fend off multiple suitors to sign the topranked player in the portal. A foot injury limited Leavitt to seven games for Arizona State last season. In 2024, he led the Sun Devils to an 11-2 record, Big 12 championship and the College Football Playoff He threw for 4,513 yards and 34 TDs with nine interceptions in 20 games at Arizona State.

Brendan Sorsby, Texas Tech

At a reported $5 million, Sorsby received the most lucrative ﬁnancial deal of the portal period to move from Cincinnati to his home state for his ﬁnal season. In 35 career games at Indiana and Cincinnati, including 31 starts, he’s thrown for 7,208 yards and 60 touchdowns, and rushed for 1,295 yards and 22 TDs

Drew Mestemaker, Okla. St. Mestemaker is following coach Eric Morris from North Texas to Oklahoma State after one of the most productive seasons in history for a freshman He led the nation with 4,379 yards passing and 34 touchdowns through the air and will have three years of eligibility Also following Morris to Stillwater is North Texas offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach

Sean Brophy

RABALAIS

Continued from page 1C

and

No.

Mets add Robert in White Sox trade

BY JAY COHEN AP baseball writer

CHICAGO The busy New York

Mets acquired Luis Robert in a trade with the Chicago White Sox late Tuesday night, ﬁlling a hole in center ﬁeld.

New York sent speedy inﬁelder Luisangel Acuña and minor league pitcher Truman Pauley to Chicago for Robert, who has struggled with injuries and inconsistency since a stellar 2023 season.

“I think step one is, we’ve got to do everything we can to help Luis stay on the ﬁeld,” Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns said Wednesday in New York.

“This is an enormously talented player All of the underlying skills and tools are there The same skills and tools that were there when he had his monster season a couple years ago. So that is really encouraging and that’s what attracted us to him.”

The Mets had been looking for outfield help since they traded Brandon Nimmo to the Texas Rangers for second baseman Marcus Semien. They were in the mix for Kyle Tucker before he agreed to sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The trade was announced after New York ﬁnalized a $126 million, three-year contract with Bo Bichette, a two-time All-Star shortstop who is moving to third base with the Mets.

or we had hoped,” White Sox general manager Chris Getz said. “Injuries have really held him back.”

Robert’s contract also has a $20 million club option for 2027 with a $2 million buyout.

“We’re going to be very active,” Getz said. “An opportunity to be really creative with the ﬂexibility that we have.”

lanco.

The 23-year-old Acuña hit .234 with eight RBIs and 16 steals in 95 games with New York last season. Acuña who can play second base, third base, shortstop and center ﬁeld — was acquired by the Mets in a July 2023 trade with the Rangers for pitcher Max Scherzer.

DJ Lagway, Baylor

A change of scenery could do wonders for Lagway after two seasons at Florida, where he won his last four starts in 2024 but was 4-8 in 2025. Injuries hampered him and fans turned on him after he threw ﬁve interceptions in a loss to LSU and three in a loss to Kentucky The 6-foot-3, 247-pound Lagway’s raw talent is unquestioned.

Dylan Raiola, Oregon

Raiola was the highest-rated recruit in Nebraska history but was just 13-9 as the starter the last two years, and he took 54 sacks. His 2025 season ended with a broken leg against Southern California on Nov 1. With Dante Moore returning to Oregon instead of entering the NFL draft, Raiola will be the backup before taking over in 2027.

Husan Longstreet, LSU

Longstreet will be a backup to Leavitt after appearing in four games as a freshman at Southern California. He was a fivestar prospect, the No. 1 player in California and the nation’s No. 3 quarterback when he came out of high school in Corona, California.

Deuce Knight, Ole Miss Knight, who appeared in two games at Auburn as a freshman, jumped at the opportunity to return to his home state when the NCAA denied Trinidad Chambliss’ petition for a sixth season of eligibility Chambliss is taking the NCAA to court but regardless, the Rebels had to get a QB when Chambliss’ backup, Austin Simmons, transferred to Missouri.

Byrum Brown, Auburn Brown followed coach Alex Golesh from South Florida and will enter his fourth season running his head coach’s offense. Brown led FBS quarterbacks with 42 total touchdowns and averaged 347.2 yards of offense per game in 2025. Brown will be joined by six receivers who also transferred from South Florida

Rocco Becht, Penn State

Becht won 26 of 39 starts for Iowa State and went with head coach Matt Campbell and offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser to Happy Valley for his final season. He led the Cyclones to the Big 12 title game in 2024 and had a nation-leading streak of 22 games over two seasons with at least one touchdown pass.

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 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.

Robert hit a career-low 223 with 14 homers, 53 RBIs and a careerbest 33 steals in 110 games last year Despite the shaky performance, the White Sox exercised his $20 million option for 2026.

“Unfortunately he hasn’t had the consistency that he had hoped

New York is looking to return to the playoffs after it faded to 83-79 last year Popular slugger Pete Alonso and star closer Edwin Díaz departed in free agency, but the Mets signed closer Devin Williams, reliever Luke Weaver and infielder Jorge Po-

“One of the younger, exciting players in our game. Hasn’t really gotten a runway at the major league level,” Getz said. “We have opportunity here and we can provide that runway to show off his talent and

Miss.

TRANSFER

Continued from page 1C

South Carolina edge rusher Jaylen 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

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

Umanmielen is the fourth 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

seconds left. 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 astounding 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

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

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. 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

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

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By CHARLIE RIEDEL

Chicago White Sox center fielder Luis Robert catches a fly ball during a game on Aug. 15 in Kansas City, Mo.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By TyLER TATE

Cincinnati quarterback Brendan Sorsby throws the football during the first half against Utah on Nov 1 in Salt Lake City.

Southern women look to stay atop the SWAC

BY CHARLES SALZER

Contributing writer

Winning on the road against a team’s biggest conference rival is always a good thing. Doing so without an “A” game makes it even sweeter

The winning formula for the Southern women’s basketball team usually involves superior ballhandling, but it didn’t have that Saturday at Grambling. But Southern shot the ball so well in the ﬁrst half that it didn’t matter as the Jaguars rolled to a 60-43 win over their Southwestern Athletic Conference rival.

The win kept Southern (8-8, 4-1 SWAC) atop the league standings, where it is tied with Alabama State and Alcorn State. The Jaguars will look to maintain that spot this week with a pair of home games. Southern hosts Mississippi Valley State (4-13, 3-3) at 4 p.m. Thursday and ArkansasPine Bluff (6-10, 3-3) at 2:30 p.m. Saturday “They’re both playing good ball. We’ll have to play well to beat them,” said Southern coach Carlos Funchess, who pointed to similarities between MVSU and UAPB. “They both can shoot the ball well, and they can push it up and press a little bit. We’ve got to be ready to go.”

Against Grambling, the Jaguars took control early thanks to hot shooting. The Jaguars made seven 3-pointers in the ﬁrst half and held a double-digit lead the entire second half. It was more than enough for Southern to overcome 20 turnovers.

“We got a good lead, but we turned the ball over too much, and we were 5 for 11 from the free-throw line,” Funchess said. “I thought we played hard, but

ä Miss. Valley St. at Southern, 4 P.M.THURSDAy

we’ve got a lot of room to grow I guess that’s the good thing we can say about the game.”

As she has for much of the season, sophomore forward DeMya Porter led Southern. She scored 16 points and pulled down seven rebounds, and she was one of seven Jaguars to play 20 or more minutes.

Jestiny Dixon and Olivian Delancy came off the bench to contribute 11 points apiece and combined to make ﬁve 3-pointers In MVSU, Southern will face a team that is coming off a 64-55 home win over Bethune-Cookman, but its other two SWAC wins have come on the road. Against the Wildcats, Valley broke open a close game with a 23-point fourth quarter Ariel Jefferson led the Devilettes with 17 points.

UAPB will bring in two players recognized for their play last week in the Golden Lions’ wins over Florida A&M and BethuneCookman. Jailah Pelly scored a combined 35 points and was named the SWAC player of the week Khaniah Gardner was named newcomer of the week after scoring 27 points and grabbing 17 rebounds combined.

Southern will counter with a deep bench that allows Funchess to use 10 players with little to no drop-off.

“One thing that is fortunate for us is we’ve got numbers,” Funchess said. “Coming down the stretch you need to have a lot of players that you can go to. People get tired, sometimes there are injuries, but we’re healthy right now We’re ready to go”

LSU WOMEN

Continued from page 1C

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

LSU MEN

Continued from page 1C

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 arguably wasn’t his assists or his only made shot, which was a ﬂoater in the middle of the paint over two defend-

Balanced Pistons handle Pelicans without their star

BY LES EAST Contributing writer

The Detroit Pistons didn’t have All-Star point guard Cade Cunningham, and they didn’t need him. Cunningham, who leads the Pistons (32-10) in scoring (25.7 points per game) and is second in the NBA in assists (9.8) did not play because of a left hip contusion, but the Eastern Conference leaders found a balanced offense without him to defeat the New Orleans Pelicans 112-104 on Wednesday night in the Smoothie King Center.

Jalen Duren had 20 points and 15 rebounds; Daniss Jenkins scored 17; Duncan Robinson had 15; Ausar Thompson chipped in 12; and Tobias Harris scored 10 for Detroit, which never trailed.

Saddiq Bey scored 20 points; rookie Micah Peavy scored a season-high 17; Trey Murphy scored 17; Jeremiah Fears had 12; and Jordan Poole added 11 for the Pelicans (10-36), who start a threegame road trip when they visit Memphis at 7 p.m Friday These teams meet again March 26 in Detroit.

Zion Williamson played despite an illness that had his availability in question until 30 minutes before tipoff. He showed the effects, finishing with just four points and four rebounds in less than 15 minutes before going to the locker room for good less than four minutes into the third quarter

Detroit extended its six-point halftime lead to 12 points midway

through the quarter Five Pelicans made one ﬁeld goal each, and they climbed within 89-84 at the end of the third quarter

The Pistons pushed the lead to 11 points early in the fourth quarter before Peavy scored five points and Bey had four to help New Orleans get within 101-96. Detroit scored the next six points for an 11-point lead with 2:58 remaining and wasn’t threatened again.

The Pistons made ﬁve of their ﬁrst six shots, including three of four 3-pointers, to race to a 13-0 lead while the Pelicans were

missing four shots and committing four turnovers. New Orleans scored the next nine points, but Detroit rebuilt the lead to 12. Peavy made two 3-pointers and Karlo Matkovic and Murphy added one each to help the Pelicans creep within 34-30 at the end of the ﬁrst quarter

The Pistons started the second quarter with a 9-2 run to take an 11-point lead They led by 11 a second time before eight Pelicans scored during a ﬁnishing push to close within 68-62 at halftime.

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% 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

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

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.”

“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.”

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU forward Amiya Joyner slaps the hand of coach Kim Mulkey while celebrating the win over Texas on Jan. 11 at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

Southern guard Jestiny Dixon looks to pass under the hoop against Prairie View on Jan. 1 at the F.G. Clark Activity Center Dixon had 11 points in Southern’s most recent outing

STAFF PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD

Pelicans forward Zion Williamson drives the lane against Detroit Pistons forward Tobias Harris, left, and center Jalen Duren during the first half at the Smoothie King Center on Wednesday.

STAFF PHOTO By ENAN CHEDIAK Pelicans guard Jordan Poole makes a pass against Detroit Pistons guard Jaden Ivey during the first half of the game at the Smoothie King Center on Wednesday.

Late run pushes DSHS by Parkview Baptist

Da’Jean Golmond sparks yellow Jackets to nondistrict victory

BY WILLIAM WEATHERS Contributing writer

With Parkview Baptist’s defense clamping down on Denham Springs center Hayden Ray in the fourth quarter, the Yellow Jackets had to ﬁnd other sources of offense down the stretch.

Senior guard Da’Jean Golmond played a pivotal role in a key run midway through the ﬁnal quarter that gave Denham Springs the lead for good in a 70-64 nondistrict victory Wednesday over Parkview Baptist at DSHS’ Grady Hornsby Gymnasium.

Golmond fueled a 10-0 run with five of his team-high 21 points, and Devin Houston a transfer from Liberty — added five of his 14 in the last five minutes, enabling the Yellow Jackets to grab the lead good and eventually knock off the Eagles.

“They were taking away the middle,” said Golmond, who scored 12 points in the second half and had ﬁve of his team’s six 3-pointers. “Taking away Hayden and my brother (Da’Sean) driving the ball, it opened up everything else for me.

If teams leave me open, I’m going to shoot it.”

Parkview Baptist (18-5) twice rallied from a pair of 14-point deﬁcits, the last in the first minute of the third quarter, to take its ﬁrst lead in more than 18 minutes in highlightreel fashion. Guard Ahmir Howard’s alley-oop pass to Sam Irwin, off a turnover gave the Eagles a 5452 lead with 5:32 left to play

“We got in a hole, and our kids had tremendous ﬁght,” Parkview coach Brad Voight said. “When we got up, I saw a whole bunch of white jerseys (Denham Springs) ﬁghting for offensive rebounds to get extra possessions because they didn’t want to lose.”

Denham Springs (17-5) got a free throw from Ray and a putback from Golmond for a 55-54 lead at the 4:40 mark.

The Jackets’ pivotal 10-0 run over a two-minute stretch featured Houston’s 3-pointer and Golmond converting a steal into a layup and 60-54 edge with 3:09 left.

“You’re trying to ﬁnd your way, and I thought we played together down the stretch,” Denham Springs

coach Kevin Caballero, who replaced three starters from last year’s Division I nonselect state semifinalist “It helps to make a shot every now and then. Devin hit a big (3-pointer). I didn’t want him to shoot it, but he put it up and he made it. Sometimes that’s how it goes in basketball.”

Parkview got within four points (66-62) with 33 seconds left when Irwin, who forced a turnover, knocked down a 3-pointer He led the Eagles with 22 points and Colby Evans added 14.

DSHS, which had struggled from the free-throw line with 5-of-27 shooting, successfully made its last four attempts with Golmond and Houston at the line.

Ray scored 15 of his 19 points in the ﬁrst half and Golmond added nine for a 40-28 halftime lead. The Jackets shot 70% (16 of 23) in the second half including 3 of 4 from 3-point range — until cooling off to 25% (3 of 12) with seven turnovers in the third quarter

“That was a tough game, and I thought both teams competed really hard,” Caballero said.

Bills owner: Team hit a ‘playoff wall’

Pegula said he made up mind quickly to fire McDermott after OT loss

BY JOHN WAWROW AP sportswriter

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y Buffalo Bills

owner Terry Pegula felt his team hit what he called “the proverbial playoff wall” in leading to his decision to ﬁre coach Sean McDermott this week.

Speaking at a season-ending news conference Wednesday, Pegula said he made up his mind immediately after a 33-30 overtime loss at Denver in a divisional playoff on Saturday He based his decision in part on seeing how distraught many Bills players, including quarterback Josh Allen, appeared in the locker room in the aftermath of the loss.

“I saw the pain in Josh’s face at his (news conference). And I felt his pain,” Pegula said. “I know we can do better. And I know we will get better.”

Pegula then listed many of Buffalo’s more memorable playoff defeats over the nine seasons under McDermott.

“It was where does the leadership of the team on the ﬁeld and in the locker room, where do we go from that moment another playoff failure,” Pegula said. “That’s why I decided Sean had to leave.” Pegula spoke alongside general manager Brandon Beane, who was promoted in adding the title of president of football operations.

And it’s now on Beane to lead Buffalo’s ﬁrst coaching search since McDermott took over in 2017.

The coaching search process already has started, with the Bills set to interview several candidates including former Giants coach and former Buffalo offensive coor-

dinator Brian Daboll; Commanders running backs coach Anthony Lynn, who ﬁnished the 2016 season as Buffalo’s interim coach; and Bills current offensive coordinator Joe Brady.

Pegula said Allen had no input in McDermott’s ﬁring, but he added the quarterback will play a role in the coaching search.

Pegula credited McDermott for transforming a franchise that had endured a 17-season playoff drought into a perennial winner

“We all remember the playoff drought before Sean got here,” Pegula said. “Sean has deﬁnitely left the Buffalo Bills in a better place than when he arrived in 2017. He gave his heart and soul trying to win a championship.”

Ultimately, it was the lack of a Super Bowl appearance that wore on Pegula.

“It was one year after another I just couldn’t see us doing that with Sean,” he said. “It’s not an easy decision with that success. But what is success? Is it being in the playoffs seven years in a row with no Super Bowl?”

Despite a 98-50 regular-season record and seven straight doubledigit-win seasons, McDermott was 8-8 in the playoffs. Buffalo’s last three postseason losses were decided by three points each.

Buffalo ended the playoff drought in 2017 and reached the playoffs in eight of nine seasons, but only advanced to the AFC title game twice, losing both times to Kansas City

The Bills became the NFL’s ﬁrst team to win a playoff round in six straight years but not reach the Super Bowl.

Pegula’s appearance was rare as he’s not taken questions from Bills reporters since at least 2019. He said one major reason he’s taken a more behind-the-scenes role is because of dedicating time to his wife, Kim, who continues her lengthy recovery from a debilitating cardiac arrest in June 2022.

Pegula otherwise backed Beane and disputed there being any sort of a rift that grew between the coach and GM.

“Our roster is a direct reﬂection of the hard work that Brandon and our scouting staff has done through the years,” Pegula said, particularly noting it was Beane’s decision to draft Allen in 2018. “One may complain over a deal, over a player, over a result. But the bottom line is, success over a long period of time means we’re doing something right.”

Beane said Allen is considering having a procedure to repair an injury to his right foot, but said it shouldn’t prevent the quarterback from practicing this spring.

Beane is conducting his first coaching search. He took over in Buffalo in May 2017, ﬁve months after McDermott was hired. The two were connected in having spent the previous six seasons in Carolina — McDermott as defensive coordinator and Beane in a front ofﬁce role.

“Obviously, this is the start of a new chapter, but Sean’s a heck of a football coach, and we’ll always root for him and his family,” Beane said. “I bear guilt, blame, responsibility There’s no ﬁngerpointing.

“I understand there’s things I could have done better.”

Rams WR Adams hopes ﬁfth NFC title game is the charm

BY GREG BEACHAM AP sportswriter

LOS ANGELES Davante Adams reached the NFC championship game four times during his eight seasons with Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers. Every time, they came up just short of the Super Bowl and Adams still feels the pain.

“It just feels almost like a mythical thing to me at this point,” Adams said Wednesday “You do everything you can to get there, and it’s been so hard. Been working so hard at it.”

After an ensuing three years spent nowhere near a Super Bowl with the Raiders, Adams is back for his ﬁfth shot when his Los Angeles Rams (14-5) visit the Seattle Seahawks (16-3) on Sunday for another NFC title game.

The 33-year-old Adams is still going strong as the league leader in touchdown receptions and a key component of the NFL’s top offense. But when he says he craves that ﬁnal, ultimate team success far more than individual accolades, it’s clear he’s among the rare athletes who absolutely mean it.

“Forgive me if I’m not smiling ear-to-ear after the first win or the second (playoff) win, having been here so many times and understanding what it takes to get where we’re ultimately trying to go,” Adams said. “We’re close, and we’ve just got to ﬁnish it off.”

Although Adams has been waiting the longest, he’s far from the only Rams player with a chance at a Super Bowl debut when they face the top-seeded Seahawks for the third time this season.

Sean McVay led the Rams to a championship four seasons ago, but only a handful of players are

left from that team — just two on defense.

Quarterback Matthew Stafford, tight end Tyler Higbee and cornerback Darious Williams are the only players left who made major contributions to that Super Bowl title run and also played extensively for the current team. Williams left and returned to the Rams, as did linebacker Troy Reeder and center Coleman Shelton.

Reeder now plays mostly special teams, while Shelton and starting left tackle Alaric Jackson were backups in 2021 Receiver Tutu Atwell was injured as a rookie and right tackle Rob Havenstein is injured now

But nobody has been waiting longer than Adams for his first shot at a championship ring. He is one of the most consistent receivers of his generation, posting eight seasons with at least 997 yards while moving up to 26th in NFL history with 12,633 yards receiving.

He almost certainly would have recorded another 1,000-yard season with Los Angeles, but Adams injured his hamstring in December The Rams fell out of the No. 1 overall seed in the NFC during his three-game absence to close the regular season, most notably blowing a 16-point lead in the fourth quarter in Seattle. Adams has been vocal about the rejuvenating effect of working with Stafford and McVay, but he also knows his career is closer to its end than beginning. After struggling along with his entire offense during an overtime victory last week at Chicago, he’s hoping to play a major role in what’s likely to be a career-deﬁning game in Seattle.

Injury puts Texans RB Mixon’s future in doubt

By The Associated Press

HOUSTON Joe Mixon’s status for next season remains uncertain after the Houston Texans running back missed all season with what general manager Nick Caserio on Wednesday called a “freak” foot injury

“We haven’t seen Joe in a little bit, so I think at some point we’ll see him and then we’ll be able to evaluate kind of where he is and then based on information, we’ll see where his status is,” Caserio said. The Texans provided few details on the 29-year-old Mixon’s recovery throughout the season after announcing in training camp that he suffered a foot injury away from the facility in the offseason. The Texans reached the divisional round of the playoffs for a third straight season, but their

offense took a major hit with Mixon out all season. It came after he ran for 1,016 yards and 11 touchdowns in his ﬁrst season with the team in 2024. He has one year remaining on a three-year, $27 million contract extension he signed after joining the Texans after seven years with the Bengals.

Caserio said they weren’t sure of his status throughout the season but held out hope that he could return at some point.

“It was a very unique situation,” he said. “I don’t think anybody really had any clarity, honestly, from the start of the year until now I’d say Joe worked very very hard to try to get himself ready to play football, it just never manifested itself, came to fruition. So probably have an opportunity to kind of see where he is in the offseason relative to next year.”

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JEFFREy T. BARNES

Buffalo Bills owner Terry Pegula, left, and general manager Brandon Beane speak at a news conference on Wednesday in Orchard Park, N.y

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 beef broth such as Swanson or College Inn.

Salisbury Steak with Potatoes and Green Beans

Yields 2servings. Recipe is by Linda Gassenheimer

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

4cups frozen cut green beans

¾pound95%

2teaspoons Worcestershire 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.

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 2D

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.

6cups of cleaned broccoli, cut into florets

6cloves of

and peppertotaste

¾cups gratedParmesan

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

STAFFPHOTOS By CHRIS GRANGER

Italianbeansoupisaquick,heartyvegetarianmeal

BY LINDAGASSENHEIMER

Tribune News Service (TNS)

Enjoy alittle taste of Italy to warm up achilly January evening

This hearty soup comes together in just 15 minutes in asingle saucepan. I added orecchiette. These are small, concave, disk-shaped pasta that beautifully capture the rich ﬂavors ofthe broth.

The result is acomforting,satisfying vegetarian dinner

HELPFUL HINTS:

n For quick preparation,buy diced fresh onion, carrot and celery in the produce section of the market.

n Any type of short cut pastasuchas penne can be used insteadof orecchiette.

n Northern white beanscan beused instead of cannellini beans.

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 page1D

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

Yields 2servings. Recipe is by Linda Gassenheimer

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.

Italian Bean Soup

1. Heat olive oilina large saucepan over mediumhigh heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery and garlic. Sauteuntil vegetablesare soft,about 5minutes,stirring often.

2. Add broth,beansand tomatoes. Break up tomatoes with the edge of a spoon. Bring to asimmer, lower heattomedium and cover pan with alid. Simmer 5minutes.

3. While soup cooks, bring alarge pot ¾ full of water to aboil and add the pasta. Boil8 minutes or

according to package instructions. Drain. 4. Whensoupisready, add the pasta and simmer 3minutes.Ladle warm soup into two soup bowls. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir to combine ingredients in bowl. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top.

NUTRITION INFO PER SERVING: 574 calories (16 percent from fat), 10.1 gfat (2.2 g saturated, 3.8 gmonounsaturated), 4mgcholesterol, 28.4 gprotein,97.4 g carbohydrates, 18.6 gﬁber, 243 mg sodium

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.

sheen), while daytimesuits are expected formen (in gray,black or navy fabrics with no sheen).

The point is for clothes 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.

Gentlereader: Perhaps dress lengthfeels irrelevant in terms of fashion (although Miss Manners will still quibble with your moreextremeexamples), but it is certainly relevant in terms of function —especially for amusician. Skimpy dresses do not play well withharps, cellos and basses. Knees should be well-covered, no matter what time of day,unless theperformer is planning asecondary show

For an afternoon event, tea-length (something that falls around midcalf) is expected for women in dressy day fabrics (silk, organza, cotton with some

By The Associated Press

Today is Thursday, Jan. 22, the 22nd day of 2026. There are 343 days left in the year Todayinhistory: On Jan.22, 1973, theU.S. Supreme Court, in its Roe v. Wade decision, declared anationwide constitutional right to abortion. (Thecourt would overturn Roev.Wade in 2022, in thedecision Dobbs v. JacksonWomen’s Health Organization.)

Also on this date: In 1944, during World WarII, Allied forces began landing at Anzio, Italy In 1947, America’sﬁrst commercially licensed television station west of

Dear Miss Manners: On occasion, my husband and Ivisit local restaurants. When I go to wash my hands in the ladies’ room,I often find that the sinks and floors need attention. Ileave, hands unwashed, and tell the nearest employee that the ladies’ room needs attention. I usually also find the manager.Onoccasion, nothing happens, and Ihave to rely on the prepackaged “wet naps” that Icarry in my purse to sanitize my hands. Even if the room is clean, Iavoid using the door handle when exiting. Iwait foranother lady to leave, and follow her closely,using my elbows to manage the door What, oh dear,ifI needed that facility formore than

TODAYINHISTORY

the Mississippi, KTLA-TV in Los Angeles, madeits ofﬁcial debut.

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.

washing my hands or powdering my nose? Ihave quickly leftrestaurants with my husband when no one attends the facility.What might Isay to the manager,other than “I need to use your ladies’ room,NOW,and it is too dirty to use”? What should Ido? Even in perfectly lovely restaurants, this happens. What is happening to the world? Yes, Ihave dined in D.C. and have found the same issue.

Gentle reader: That was not Miss Manners’ next question, actually,but OK Far be it forher to be in the position of defending adirty bathroom,but she cannot help noticing that your standards are quite high. And that the ladies you are “following closely,” with your elbows all akimbo, might have something to say about your solution. If none of the bathrooms —bethe restaurants lovely,local and/or in D.C. are up to your standards, you may wanttoeat at home. Although the industry can always take note and do better

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

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. (Wilt Chamberlain set the record with 100 points in 1962 for the Philadelphia Warriors in a169-147 win against the 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 GrahamKerr (TV: “The Galloping Gourmet”) is 92. Singer Steve Perry is 77. Film director Jim Jarmuschis73. Actor Linda Blair is 67. Actor Diane Lane is 61. DJ Jazzy Jeff is 61. Celebrity

TNS PHOTO By LINDAGASSENHEIMER

Italian Bean Soup

STAFF PHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER

Judith Martin MISS MANNERS

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 SherMAn’S 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

By PHILLIP ALDER Bridge

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

McMeel 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

loCKhorNs

marmaduKe

Bizarro

hagar the horriBle

Pearls Before swiNe

garfield

B.C.

PiCKles

hidato

mallard fillmore

Preparefor poweroutages with Briggs &Stratton® PowerProtect (TM) standbygenerators- themost powerful home standbygenerators available. Industry-leading comprehensivewarranty- 7years ($849 value.) Proudlymade in the U.S.A. Call Briggs &Stratton1-844512-5930. Preparefor poweroutages today with aGenerac Home Standby Generator. Actnow to receivea FREE 5-Year warranty with qualifying purchase.Call1-844-3352962 today to schedule afreequote It’s notjusta generator. It’s apower move Home Services PEST CONTROL: PROTECTYOUR HOME from pestssafely and affordably.Roaches Bed Bugs Rodent, Termite, Spidersand other pests. Locallyownedand affordable. Call forservice or an inspection today! Have zip code of property ready whencalling! 1-877728-0264 DIRECTV- Allyourentertainment Nothingonyourroof!Signupfor

CARLEY MURPHETTE JARREAU,please contactAtty.VernonW.Thomasat (225) 388-5265. 174580-Jan21-23, 3t $121

Anyone knowingthe whereabouts of DEBRAFISHERODKINS, please contactAttorney Donald W. Northat (225) 505-6714. 174585-Jan21-23, 3t $85

Anyone knowingthe whereabouts of DelonD.Beauchamp,please contactAttorney Harry Landry at (225) 283-4529. 174508-Jan20-22, 3t $85

Anyone knowingthe whereabouts of Devetta PriceWilson,please contactB.KyleKershaw,Attorney at Law, 212 Laurel Street,Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 70801,telephone number (225) 336-9600. 174558-Jan20-22, 3t $109

Anyone knowingthe whereabouts of EDWARD CHARLESMCCRAY JR Please contactAttorney Derrick McCoreyat(225) 678-4667 174803-1/22-23-24-3t $85.00 Anyone knowingthe whereabouts of KevinJohnson please contact attorney

Anyone knowingthe whereabouts of Carver A. Price, please contactB Kyle Kershaw, Attorney at Law, 212 Laurel Street,Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 70801,telephone number (225) 336-9600. 174559-Jan20-22, 3t $109

Anyone knowingthe whereabouts of CODY CULLENLANDRY, please contactAtty Emily Lindig (225) 9991100 or email: emily@brockpalmintierlaw.com 174717-1/22-23-24-3t $97.00

Anyone knowingthe whereabouts of LEROYJAMES ANDCONNIEMARIE MORRISBROWN please contactAtty Vernon W. Thomas at (225) 388-5265. 174731-Jan22-24, 3t $85

KOBE 8INC dbaWINBOURNE GROCERY, We areapplying to The Ofﬁce of Alcohol andTobacco ControlOfThe StateofLouisiana for APermittosellbeverages of high andlow Alcohol content at retail in theparishofEastBaton Rougeat thefollowing address: 4325 WINBOURNEAVE BATONROUGE LA 70805 OWNERABUBAKR ALI 174697-1/22-1t $93.86

Anyone knowingthe whereabouts of acertain Promissory Note payabletoMOVEMENTMORTGAGE, LLC, executed by MICHEALSCOTT BROOKS, anddated October26, 2020, from dateduntil paid,and providingreasonableattorney fees andall chargesassociated with the collectionofsame. Please contact Herschel C. Adcock,Jr.,Attorney at Law, at P.O. Box87379, BatonRouge LA 70879-8379, (225) 756-0373. 174475-Jan20-22, 3t $181 Willie Baunchand,Bulls Sports Bar& Grill Incisapplying to the Ofﬁce of Alcoholand Tobacco Controlofthe StateofLouisiana fora permit to sell beveragesof( high,low,light wine,highand low, or lowand light wine)alcohol contentatretailinthe Parish of East BatonRouge at the following address2742 South Sherwood Forest Blvd,Baton Rouge, La 70816. Willie Baunchand Bulls Sports Bar& Grill 174709-1/22-1t $112.64

y g Guideshall not besub‐ject to the$500,000 limi‐tation,providedthatthe contract amount does notexceed tenpercent of policyholders’ surplus as showninthe latest A.M. Best’s KeyRatingGuide nor fifteen percentof policyholder’s surplusas shownbysurety’smost recent financialstate‐ments filedwiththe LouisianaDepartmentof Insurance. TheBond shallbesignedbythe surety’s agentorattor‐ney-in-fact. APRE-BID CONFERENCE WILL BE HELD 10:00 AM,Friday, January23, 2026 LSUStudent Union, (meet in main lobby) BatonRouge,LA70803 Bids shallbeaccepted from Contractorswho arelicensedunder LA R.S. 37:2150-2163 forthe classification of ME‐CHANICAL.Bidderisre‐quired to comply with provisions andrequire‐mentsofLAR.S.38:2212 (A)(1)(c).Nobid maybe withdrawnfor aperiodof thirty (30) days after re‐ceiptofbids, except under theprovisionsof LA.R.S.38:2214. TheOwner reserves the righttorejectany andall bids forjustcause.Inac‐cordance with La.R.S 38:2212 (A)(1)(b), thepro‐visionsand requirements of this Section, those stated in theadvertise‐ment forbids, andthose required on thebid form shallnot be considered as informalitiesand shall notbewaivedbyany public entity When this projectis fi‐nanced either partially or entirely with StateBonds or federalfunds, the awardofthisContractis contingent upon the granting of linesof credit,the sale of bonds by theBondCommission or thecommitmentof federalfunds. TheUni‐versity shallincur no bli i h g Bond maynot exceed ten percentofpolicyholders surplusasshown in the latest A.M. Best’s Key Rating Guide. TheBid Bond shallbeinfavor of theLouisiana StateUni‐versityand Agricultural andMechanicalCollege andshall be accompa‐nied by appropriate powerofattorney.NoBid Bond indicating an oblig‐ationoflessthan five percent(5%)byany method

sury Financialmanage‐ment ServiceList(Trea‐sury List)asapproved foranamount equalto or greaterthanthe con‐tractamount,ormustbe an insurancecompany domiciledinLouisiana or ownedbyLouisiana resi‐dents. If surety is

PROCES VERBAL

PROCES VERBAL OF THE CANVASS OF THE VOTES CAST AT THE ELECTIONHELD BY THE CITY OF PORTALLEN, STATEOFLOUISIANA ON SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2025:

BE IT KNOWN AND REMEMBERED that on Thursday,the 10th day of December,2025, at five thirty (5:30) o’clock p.m., in theCouncil ChambersatCity Hall, 375 Court Street,3rd floor,PortAllen, Louisiana theCity Council of theCity of PortAllen, StateofLouisiana (the “Governing Authority”),acting as thegoverning authority of theCity of Port Allen, StateofLouisiana (the City”),and being theauthority ordering theelection held therein on Saturday,November 15, 2025, did examine and canvass thereturns of theelection, there having been submitted at theelection the following proposition to-wit:

PROPOSITION (POLICE DEPARTMENT TAXRENEWAL) (Citywide)

Shall theCity of PortAllen, StateofLouisiana (the “City”) be authorizedtorenew thelevy and collection of atax of 5.020 mills on all property subject to taxationinthe City (an estimated $285,000.00 reasonablyexpected at this timetobecollected from thelevy of thetax foranentireyear)(the“Tax”), fora period of ten(10) years, beginning with theyear 2026 and ending with theyear 2035, with theproceeds of theTax (afterpaying the reasonableand necessary costs and expenses of collection and administering the tax), to be dedicated and used forthe purpose of paying themaintenance and operating expenses of theCity PoliceDepartment?

The said election was held at thefollowing polling places situated within theCity,which polls opened at seven o’clock (7:00) a.m. and closed at eight o’clock (8:00) p.m. in accordance with theprovisions of La. R.S. 18:541. Therewas found by said count and canvass that thefollowing votes had been cast at thesaidspecial election IN FAVOR