as arctic blasttakes aimatNew orleans, extremecold warning in effect
BY EMILYWOODRUFF Staffwriter
Apowerfularctic storm sweeping across the United States reached south Louisiana on Sunday,bringingrainand storms to the NewOrleans area ahead of adramatic plunge in temperatures that forecasters saywill usher in dangerouslycold conditions throughMonday morning.
Rain movedinto themetro area around 9a.m. Sunday, creatinga gloomy starttothe day as thesystem pushed east. South Louisiananarrowly avoided the wintry conditions battering northern parts of the state,where freezing rain, sleet and snow prompted astatewide emergency declaration and widespread travel warnings.
But the cold that follows will be severe along the Gulf Coast, according to forecasters. Temperatures in New Orleans were rapidly fallingfrom about 70 degrees Sunday morningand heading to the 40s by lateevening.
Wind gusts were expected to reach 40 mph as thefront moves through, lowering wind chills and sending “feels like” temperatures to about20 degrees by midnight
The forecasts have promptedschool closures in some districts, treatments of roads for icy conditions and warnings by stateand local officials about how residents canprepare. Gov.Jeff Landry declared astate of emergency on Friday and President Donald Trump on Saturday approvedfederal disaster assistance.
The New Orleans Health Department warned residentstoprotect people,pets, plantsand pipes. The city noted that its homeless shelters would be opening Sunday afternoon and said 100 cots are available at an overnight warming center at Rosenwald RecreationCenter through Tuesday morning.
“In New Orleans, we often don’thave
‘A strong bond’
Inside theLSU vetstudent job responsible forlivetiger mascot Mike VII
BY HALEY MILLER Staff writer
The tiger stalked his caretaker,fixing hisgazeonher while her back was turned. Then he froze. Wiggled his hindquarters.Waited abreath
And bounded forward, stoppingjust short of the towering metal fence surrounding his enclosure
“Sweetie, Ilove you, Ilove you,” the caretaker cooed as
she touched his muzzle through thefence. Mike VII chuffed, a happy snortingsound to show, despitehis predatorstance amoment ago, they were all friends.
The relationshipbetween human and tiger developed with time,care and sacrifice necessary for oneofthe most demanding jobs on the LSU campus. Baylee Weemsand Madison Vicknair, students at
ä See BOND, page 5A
Cassidy callsfor Minn. shooting probe
BY MATTHEW ALBRIGHT and ALYSE PFEIL Staff writers
Afterfederalimmigration enforcementagents fatally shot asecond person in Minneapolis, stirring mass protests, U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy called the events “incredibly disturbing” and said there should be “a full joint federal and state investigation.”
Cassidy
“The credibility of ICE andDHS areatstake,” the Louisiana Republican wrote on X, referring to Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security.“We can trust the American people with the truth.” On Saturday,a U.S. Border Patrol agent shot and killed Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old U.S. citizen andintensivecareunit nurse. Federal officials said officersshotPretti defensivelyasheapproached them witha gun. But videos from the scene contradict that account: They show him holding aphone, not agun, and appear to show the officer shooting him after he had already been wrestled to the ground. The shooting, which is the second since
to think toomuch about cold, like our northern neighbors,” said Dr.Jennifer Avegno, deputymayor for health and humanservices. “But this time we do.”
According to the National Weather Service, “light icing will be possible” forareas northand westofthe Baton Rouge and New Orleans metro areas. Some area school districts begancan-
ä See CHILL, page 5A
Stateaudit says school improperly spentmoney
BY MARIE FAZIO Staff writer
The Louisiana Department of Education hasordereda former New Orleans charter school to return more than $270,000 in public funds thata recentaudit suggested might have been improperlyspentafter the school wasset to close, according to a letter sent to the school last week. But the CEO of Noble Minds Institute which later reopened as aprivate school, maintains thatthe spending was aboveboard and said she will fight the repaymentdemand.
“We’re not in agreement that we had any expenses that werenot allowable,”
StaFFPhoto By MIChaeLJohNSoN
MikeVII lounges in the grass at LSU’stiger habitat in Baton rouge recently.Daily care for the only livetiger mascot in the U.S. is entrusted to twoLSU veterinaryschool students.
Dogs are walked in the cold rain in Neworleans on Sunday.anextreme cold warning is in effect across south Louisiana as Neworleans braces for freezing temperatures.
StaFF PhotoSByDaVID GrUNFeLD
harold Daigle covers his sensitiveplantsahead of the impending freezing weather in Neworleans.
BRIEFS FROM WIRE REPORTS
Israel starts operation to find last hostage in Gaza
NAHARIYA,Israel Israel said Sunday its military was conducting a “large-scale operation” to locate the last hostage in Gaza, as Washington and other mediators pressure Israel and Hamas to move into the next phase of their ceasefire.
The statement came as Israel’s Cabinet met to discuss the possibility of opening Gaza’s key Rafah border crossing with Egypt, and a day after top U.S. envoys met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about next steps.
The return of the remaining hostage, Ran Gvili, has been widely seen as removing the remaining obstacle to moving ahead with opening the Rafah crossing, which would signal the ceasefire’s second phase.
The return of all remaining hostages, alive or dead, has been a central part of the first phase of the ceasefire that took effect on Oct. 10. Before Sunday, the previous hostage was recovered in early December
While Israel has carried out search efforts before for Gvili, more detail than usual was released about this one. Israel’s military said it was searching a cemetery in northern Gaza near the Yellow Line, which marks off Israeli-controlled parts of the territory
Separately an Israeli military official said Gvili may have been buried in the Shujaiyya-Daraj Tuffah area, and that rabbis and dental experts were on the ground with specialized search teams. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were discussing an operation still under way
Climber scales Taipei
101 without ropes
TAIPEI, Taiwan American rock climber Alex Honnold ascended the Taipei 101 skyscraper on Sunday without any ropes or protective equipment.
Cheers erupted from a streetlevel crowd as he reached the top of the spire of the 1,667-foot tower about 90 minutes after he started. Wearing a red shortsleeve shirt, Honnold waved his arms back and forth over his head.
“It was like what a view, it’s incredible, what a beautiful day,” he said afterward. “It was very windy, so I was like, don’t fall off the spire. I was trying to balance nicely But it was, what an incredible position, what a beautiful way to see Taipei.”
Honnold, known for his ropeless ascent up Yosemite National Park’s El Capitan, climbed up one corner of Taipei 101 using small L-shaped outcroppings as footholds. Periodically, he had to maneuver around and clamber up the sides of large ornamental structures that jut out from the tower pulling himself up with his bare hands.
The building has 101 floors, with the hardest part being the 64 floors of the middle section the “bamboo boxes” that give the building its signature look. Divided into eight, each segment has eight floors of steep overhanging climbing followed by balconies, where he took short rests as he made his way upward.
More bodies recovered in Indonesia landslide
BANDUNG, Indonesia Improved weather on Sunday helped rescuers on Indonesia’s main island of Java recover more bodies as they dug through mud and debris in search of scores of missing in a landslide that killed more than two dozen villagers The predawn landslide on the slopes of Mount Burangrang in West Java province on Saturday buried some 34 houses in Pasir Langu village. On Sunday, 72 people remained missing, many feared buried under tons of mud, rocks and uprooted trees. About 230 residents living near the site were evacuated to government shelters.
A 250-member search team on Sunday collected victims’ remains, including body parts, in 14 body bags, bringing the total recovered to 25, said Ade Dian Permana, who heads the local search and rescue office. They will be released to relatives once they are identified by forensic experts.
Winter storm slams swaths of U.S.
a million customers left without power across the
South
BY KATE BRUMBACK and JULIE WALKER associated Press
A massive winter storm dumped sleet, freezing rain and snow across much of the U.S. on Sunday, bringing subzero temperatures and paralyzing air and road traffic. Tree branches and power lines snapped under the weight of ice, and about a million homes and businesses in the Southeast were left without electricity
The ice and snowfall were expected to continue into Monday in much of the country, followed by very low temperatures, which could cause “dangerous travel and infrastructure impacts” to linger for several days, the National Weather Service said.
Heavy snow was forecast from the Ohio Valley to the Northeast, while “catastrophic ice accumulation” threatened from the Lower Mississippi Valley to the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast.
“It is a unique storm in the sense that it is so widespread,” weather service meteorologist Allison Santorelli said in a phone interview “It was affecting areas all the way from New Mexico, Texas, all the way into New England, so we’re talking like a 2,000-mile spread.”
President Donald Trump
had approved emergency declarations for at least a dozen states by Saturday
The Federal Emergency Management Agency prepositioned commodities, staff and search and rescue teams in numerous states, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said.
New York Gov Kathy Hochul said the state was bracing for the longest cold stretch and highest snow totals it has seen in years.
Communities near the Canadian border have already seen record-breaking subzero temperatures, with Watertown registering minus 34 degrees and Copenhagen minus 49, she said.
“An Arctic siege has taken over our state,” Hochul said. “It is brutal, it is bone chilling and it is dangerous.”
In Corinth, Mississippi, where power outages were
FILe Photo By CharLeS DharaPaK
PreSS
aSSoCIateD
President Barack obama awards the Medal of Freedom to Dr. William Foege, former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, who helped lead the effort to eradicate smallpox, on May 29, 2012, at the White house in Washington. Foege died Saturday at age 89.
William Foege, leader in smallpox eradication, dies
BY MIKE STOBBE associated Press
ATLANTA Dr. William Foege, a leader of one of humanity’s greatest public health victories — the global eradication of smallpox — has died.
Foege died Saturday in Atlanta at the age of 89, according to the Task Force for Global Health, which he co-founded.
The 6-foot-7 inch Foege literally stood out in the field of public health. A whip-smart medical doctor with a calm demeanor, he had a canny knack for beating back infectious diseases.
He was director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and later held other key leadership roles in campaigns against international health problems.
But his greatest achievement came before all that, with his work on smallpox, one of the most lethal diseases in human history For centuries, it killed about one-third of the people it infected and left most survivors with deep scars on their faces from the pus-filled lesions.
Smallpox vaccination campaigns were well established by the time Foege was a young doctor. Indeed, it was no longer seen in the United States. But infections were still occurring elsewhere, and efforts to stamp them out were stalling.
Working as a medical missionary in Nigeria in the 1960s, Foege and his colleagues developed a “ring containment” strategy, in which a smallpox outbreak was contained by identifying each smallpox case and vaccinating everyone who the patients might come into contact with.
The method relied heavily on quick detective work and was born out of necessity There simply wasn’t enough vaccine available to immunize everyone, Foege wrote in “House on Fire,” his 2011 book about the smallpox eradication effort.
It worked, and became pivotal in helping rid the world of smallpox for good. The last naturally occurring case was seen in Somalia in 1977. In 1980, the World Health Organization declared smallpox eradicated from the Earth.
widespread, Caterpillar told employees at its remanufacturing site to stay home Monday and Tuesday
“May God have mercy on Corinth, MS! The sound of the trees snapping, exploding & falling through the night have been unnerving to say the least,” resident Kathy Ragan wrote on Facebook.
On the east side of Nashville, Jami Joe, 41, had power Sunday afternoon but she feared the juice might not last long as ice-heavy limbs from mature oak and pecan trees continued to crash around her house. “It’s only a matter of time if a limb strikes a power line,” she predicted.
In Little Rock, Arkansas, officials say the weight of accumulated snow and sleet likely caused the collapse of an awning onto several houseboats. Six people
were rescued and 22 were evacuated, Pulaski County officials said.
As of Sunday morning, about 213 million people were under some sort of winter weather warning, Santorelli said. The number of customers without power stood at about 1 million, according to poweroutage.us.
Tennessee was hardest hit with about 337,000 customers out by midday Sunday, and Louisiana and Mississippi all had more than 100,000 customers in the dark. Tens of thousands of homes and businesses were without power in Kentucky, Georgia, Alabama and West Virginia.
At Philadelphia International Airport, inside displays registered scores of canceled flights and few vehicles could be seen arriving Sunday morning. At Reagan National in Washington, virtually all flights were canceled.
Even once the ice and snow stop falling, the danger will continue, Santorelli warned.
“Behind the storm it’s just going to get bitterly cold across basically the entirety of the eastern twothirds of the nation, east of the Rockies,” she said. That means the ice and snow won’t melt as fast, which could hinder some efforts to restore power and other infrastructure.
Along the Gulf Coast, temperatures were balmy Sunday hitting the high 60s and low 70s, but thermometers were expected to drop into the high 20s and low 30s there by Monday morning. The National Weather Service warned of damaging winds and a slight risk of severe storms and possibly even a brief tornado. In New York City, Mayor Zohran Mamdani said at least five people who died were found outside as temperatures plunged Saturday before the snows arrived in earnest, though the cause of their deaths remained under investigation. The Democrat pleaded with New Yorkers to stay inside and off roads: “We want every single New Yorker to make it through this storm.”
Some 11,000 flights were canceled Sunday and more than 14,000 delayed, according to the flight tracker flightaware.com Airports in Philadelphia, Washington, Baltimore, North Carolina, New York and New Jersey were hit especially hard.
Zelenskyy: U.S. security deal for Ukraine ready to be signed
By the associated Press
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Sunday that a U.S security guarantees document for Ukraine is “100% ready” after two days of talks involving representatives from Ukraine, the U.S. and Russia.
Speaking to journalists in Vilnius during a visit to Lithuania, Zelenskyy said Ukraine is waiting for its partners to set a signing date, after which the document would go to the U.S. Congress and Ukrainian parliament for ratification.
Zelenskyy also emphasized Ukraine’s push for European Union membership by 2027, calling it an “economic security guarantee.”
The Ukrainian leader described the talks in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, as likely the first trilateral format in “quite a long while” that included not only diplomats but military representatives from all three sides. The talks, which began on Friday and continued Saturday, were the latest aiming to end Russia’s nearly fouryear full-scale invasion.
Zelenskyy acknowledged fundamental differences between Ukrainian and Russian positions, reaffirming territorial issues as a major sticking point.
“Our position regarding our territory — Ukraine’s territorial integrity — must be respected,” he said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed a Ukraine settlement with President Donald Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner during marathon talks late Thursday The Kremlin insisted that to reach a peace deal, Kyiv must withdraw its troops from the areas in the east that Russia illegally annexed but has not fully captured.
Zelenskyy said the U.S. is trying to find a compromise, but that “all sides must be ready for compromise.”
Negotiators will return to the UAE on Feb. 1 for the next round of talks, ac-
cording to a U.S. official. The recent talks covered a broad range of military and economic matters and included the possibility of a ceasefire before a deal, the official said There was not yet an agreement on a final framework for oversight and operation of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, which is occupied by Russia and is the largest in Europe.
Zelenskyy
aSSoCIateD PreSS Photo By KrIStIN haLL
Icicles form on power lines Sunday during a winter storm in Nashville, tenn.
Iran unveils mural warning of retaliation if U.S. attacks
BY ELENA BECATOROS associated Press
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates
Iranian authorities unveiled
a new mural on a giant billboard in a central Tehran square on Sunday with a direct warning to the United States to not attempt a military strike on the country, as U.S warships head to the region.
The image shows a bird’seye view of an aircraft carrier with damaged and exploding fighter planes on its flight deck. The deck is strewn with bodies and streaked with blood that trails into the water behind the ship to form a pattern reminiscent of the stripes of the American flag. A slogan is emblazoned across one corner: “If you sow the wind, you will reap the whirlwind.”
planned execution of about 800 arrested protesters — a claim Iran’s top prosecutor called “completely false.”
But Trump has indicated he is keeping his options open, saying on Thursday that any military action would make last June’s U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear sites “look like peanuts.”
U.S. Central Command said on social media that its Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle now has a presence in the Middle East, noting the fighter jet “enhances combat readiness and promotes regional security and stability.”
“just in case” he decides to take action.
“We have a massive fleet heading in that direction and maybe we won’t have to use it,” Trump said Thursday Enghelab Square is used for gatherings called by the state and authorities change its mural based on national
The unveiling of the mural in Enghelab Square comes as the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier and accompanying warships move toward the region. U.S. President Donald Trump has said the ships are being moved
occasions. On Saturday, the commander of Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard warned that his force is “more ready than ever, finger on the trigger.”
Tension between the U.S. and Iran has spiked in the wake of a brutal crackdown on nationwide protests that saw thousands of people killed and tens of thousands arrested. Trump had threatened military action if Iran continued to kill peaceful protesters or carried out mass executions of those detained.
Similarly, the U.K. Ministry of Defense said Thursday that it deployed its Typhoon fighter jets to Qatar “in a defensive capacity.”
The protests in Iran began on Dec. 28, sparked by the fall of the Iranian currency, the rial, and quickly spread across the country
There have been no further protests for days and Trump claimed recently that Tehran had halted the
They were met by a violent crackdown by Iran’s theocracy which does not tolerate dissent.
The death toll reported by activists has continued to rise since the end of the demonstrations, as information trickles out despite a more than two-week internet blackout the most comprehensive in Iran’s history The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency on Sunday put the death toll at 5,529, with the number expected to increase. It says more than 41,200 people have been arrested. The group’s figures have been accurate in previous unrest and rely on a network of activists in Iran to verify deaths. That death toll exceeds that of any other round of protest or unrest there in decades, and recalls the chaos surrounding Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution. The Associated Press has not been able to independently verify the toll. Iran’s government has put the death toll at a far lower 3,117, saying 2,427 were civilians and security forces and labeled the rest “terrorists.”
Canadian PM: No plans to pursue free trade deal with China
BY ROB GILLIES associated Press
TORONTO Canadian Prime
Minister Mark Carney said Sunday his country has no intention of pursuing a free trade deal with China. He was responding to President Donald Trump’s threat to impose a 100% tariff on goods imported from Canada if America’s northern neighbor went ahead with a trade deal with Beijing.
Carney said his recent agreement with China merely cuts tariffs on a few sectors that were recently hit with tariffs.
Trump claims otherwise, posting that “China is successfully and completely taking over the once Great Country of Canada. So sad to see it happen. I only hope they leave Ice Hockey alone!
President DJT”
The prime minister said under the free trade agreement with the U.S. and Mexico there are commitments not to pursue free trade agreements with nonmarket economies without prior notification.
“We have no intention of doing that with China or any other nonmarket economy,” Carney said. “What we have done with China is to rectify some issues that developed in the last couple of years.”
In 2024, Canada mirrored the United States by putting a 100% tariff on electric vehicles from Beijing and a 25% tariff on steel and aluminum. China had responded by imposing 100% import taxes on Canadian canola oil and meal and 25% on pork and seafood.
Breaking with the United
U.S. finishes withdrawal from WHO
By the associated Press
NEW YORK The U.S. has finalized its withdrawal from the World Health Organization, one year after President Donald Trump announced America was ending its 78-year-old commitment, federal officials said Thursday But it’s hardly a clean break. The U.S. owes about $280 million to the global health agency, according to WHO And Trump administration officials acknowledge that they haven’t finished working out some issues, such as lost access to data from other countries that could give America an early warning of a new pandemic. The withdrawal will hurt the global response to new outbreaks and will hobble the ability of U.S. scientists and pharmaceutical companies to develop vaccines and medicines against new threats, said Lawrence Gostin, a public health law expert at Georgetown University
States this month during a visit to China, Carney cut its 100% tariff on Chinese electric cars in return for lower tariffs on those Canadian products
Carney has said there would be an initial annual cap of 49,000 vehicles on Chinese EV exports coming into Can-
ada at a tariff rate of 6.1%, growing to about 70,000 over five years. He noted there was no cap before 2024. He also has said the initial cap on Chinese EV imports was about 3% of the 1.8 million vehicles sold in Canada annually and that in exchange, China is expected to begin in-
vesting in the Canadian auto industry within three years. Trump posted a video Sunday in which the chief executive of the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers’ Association warns there will be no Canadian auto industry without U.S. access, while noting the Canadian market alone is too
small to justify large scale manufacturing from China. “A MUST WATCH. Canada is systematically destroying itself. The China deal is a disaster for them Will go down as one of the worst deals, of any kind, in history All their businesses are moving to the USA. I want to see Canada
SURVIVE AND THRIVE! President DJT,” Trump posted on social media. Trump’s post on Saturday said that if Carney “thinks he is going to make Canada a ‘Drop Off Port’ for China to send goods and products into the United States, he is sorely mistaken.”
andStrategyfor SpaOwner
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That oneexperience didn’t just sparkher love forwellness, it plantedavision. Frances knew then that shedidn’t just want to receive that levelofcare. Shealsowantedtoprovide it forothers. That sparkstayedwithher as she movedthrough collegeand into thehospitality industry,where sheworkedher wayuptoVP ofOperationsata majorhotel group. In 2016 shefinallytookthe leap.She left hercorporate role,became alicensedmassage therapist, and opened thefirstiteration of PeaceofSerenity Massage& Wellness
Thebiggest shift, however, came notfroma newbuilding, butratheranew mindset. During theCOVID-19pandemic, Frances noticeda growingdemandfor wellness in theworkplace Companieswerestrugglingwithburnout and lowmorale, andshe sawanopportunity to bring massagetherapy into corporatespaces. Theshift from servingindividualclients to partnering with businesses wasalready underway when shejoinedthe ShellLiveWireprogram,but the programgaveher theclarity,confidence,and strategy to go allin.
Oneofthe most pivotalmoments came during aLiveWiresession focusedonmarketing and branding.Together, they restructured her website:Clear messagingatthe top, simplified offerings,and arefineduserjourney.Theyalso used AI toolstostreamlineback-office tasks; somethingFrances hadnever exploredbefore. That claritypaidoff.Soonafter revampingher website, Frances finalized apartnership with a prominentdowntownNew Orleanshotel.“We’ll be theirexclusive wellness partner,”she says
proudly. Francesthenmadethe bold decision to closeher physical location andoperate fully onsite at client properties.“It wasn’t easy,” she admits.But it worked out.
Heradvicetofutureentrepreneurs entering theprogram?“Be open.Trust theprocess. ShellLiveWireLouisiana concentrates on 13 parishes in SouthLouisiana.Applicantsare accepted from Ascension, Assumption,East BatonRouge,WestBaton Rouge, Iberville Jefferson, Lafourche, Livingston,St. Charles, St.James,St. John theBaptist,St. Mary,and Terrebonne Parishes andwelcomesbusinesses from allsectors.Participants in theprogram areselectedbyapplication andaninterview by apanel of judgesfromShell leaders, industry andbusinessrepresentatives,who areexperts in industry andmarketrequirements.
Federal, stateofficials hold duelingnewsconferences
Both
deliver differentmessages aftershooting
BY SARAH RAZA, JACK BROOK and STEVE KARNOWSKI associated Press
MINNEAPOLIS In dueling news conferences, federal and state officials offered starkly different messages Sunday about the immigrationcrackdown that hasswept acrossMinneapolis and surrounding cities, with both claiming the moral high ground in the wake of another shooting deathbyfederal agents.
“Which side do you want to be on?” Gov.Tim Walz asked the public. “The side of an all-powerful federalgovernment that could kill, injure, menace and kidnap its citizens off the streets,oronthe side of anurse at the VA hospital who died bearing witness to such government,” areference to the shooting of Alex Pretti on Saturday in Minneapolis.
At the same time, in afederal office building about 20 milesaway, Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino, the public face of the crackdown, again turned blame for the shooting to Pretti.
“When someone makes the choice to come into an active law enforcement scene, interfere obstruct, delay or assault law enforcement officer and —and they bring aweapon to do that. That is a choice that that individualmade,” he told reporters.
The competing comments emerged as local leaders and Democrats acrossthe country demanded federal immigrationofficers leave Minnesota after Pretti’s shooting, whichset offclashes with protesters in acity already shaken by another shooting death weeks earlier Video shot by bystanders and reviewed by The Associated Press appears to contradict statements by President Donald Trump’s administration, which said agents fired “defensively” against Pretti, a37-year-oldintensive care nurse, as he approachedthem.
Pretti can be seen with only a phone in his hand as he stepsbetween an immigration agent and awoman on the street. No footage appearstoshow him with a weapon. During the scuffle, agents appear to disarm him after discovering that he was carryinga 9mm semi-automatic handgun,and then opened fire several times. Pretti
PROBE
President Donald Trump’s administration launched asweeping immigration crackdown in Minnesota, led to more protests by residents demanding that immigrationagentsleave Cassidy’scall for ajoint investigation comesamid deep tensions between state and federal officials in Minnesota.State officials have accused immigration agents of recklesstactics that needlessly stokefear and confrontation; Trump administration leaders have said state officials are refusing to work with them and are inflaming anger at law enforcement. Federal officials have so far refused to cooperate with local law enforcement investigating the shootings.
After Pretti’sdeath Saturday,the Minnesota attorney generalfiled alawsuit, anda federal judge issued an orderblockingfederalagencies from “destroying or altering evidence” related to the shooting.
OtherLa. leadersreact
On the Sunday morning CBS news program “Face the Nation,” House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-Jefferson, was asked about Cassidy’sstatement on the events Saturday in Minneapolis. “I don’tquestion the credibility of ICE,” Scalise said. The unrest in Minneapolis is due to “failedlocal leadership,” he said. “(Federal agents) didn’tget resistance in cities like New Orleans.” U.S. Rep. Clay Higgins,
People
was licensed to carry aconcealed weapon In the hours after the shooting, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Pretti attacked officers, and Bovino said he wanted to “massacre law enforcement.”
Bovino was more restrained Sunday, saying he would not speculate about the shooting and that he plannedtowait for theinvestigation.
Pretti’sfamily said they were “heartbroken but also veryangry” at authorities. Relativeswerefurious at federal officials’ description of the shooting.
“The sickening lies told about ourson bythe administrationare reprehensible and disgusting. Alex is clearlynot holding agun when attacked by Trump’smurdering and cowardly ICE thugs. He has his phone in his right hand, and his emptylefthand is raised above his headwhile trying to protect the woman ICE just pushed down all while being pepper sprayed,” the family statement said. “Please get the truth out about our son.”
Pretti was shot just over amile from where an ICEofficer killed 37-year-oldRenee Good on Jan. 7, sparking widespreadprotests
Afederal judge has already issued an order blocking the Trump administration from “destroying or alteringevidence” related tothe shooting, after stateand county of-
ficials sued.
Minnesota Attorney General KeithEllison said the lawsuit filed Saturday is meanttopreserveevidence collected by federal officials that state authorities have notyet been able to inspect. Acourt hearing is scheduled for Monday in federal courtinSt. Paul.
“A full, impartial, and transparent investigation intohis fatal shooting at the hands of DHS agents is nonnegotiable,”Ellisonsaid in astatement Drew Evans, superintendent of thestate’sBureau of Criminal Apprehension, which investigatespolice shootings,told reportersSaturdaythatfederal officers blocked his agency from thesceneofthe shooting even after it obtained a signed judicial warrant.OnSunday morning, bureau officers were working at the scene.
AssistantHomeland Security SecretaryTricia McLaughlin dismissedthe lawsuit,saying claims that the federal government would destroy evidence are “a ridiculous attempt to divide theAmerican people and distract from thefact that our lawenforcementofficers were attacked —and theirlives were threatened.”
The Minnesota National Guard temporarily assisted local policeat Walz’s direction,officials said, with troops sent to theshooting siteand afederal building where officers
Protesters chant andbang on trash cans as theystand behindamakeshift barricadeduring aprotest in response to the death of37-year-old alex Pretti, whowas fatally shot by aU.S.Border Patrol officer earlier in the dayin Minneapolis on Saturday.
R-Lafayette, in asocial media post on Saturday night, said “sanctuary city” policies,which placelimitson state andlocal cooperation with federal immigration authorities, are to blamefor the escalation of tension in Minneapolis “Thissanctuary city BS raises stress levels in ways that it’sdifficult to explain, but Ican tell you that pulling the triggerwill happen more frequently,” Higgins wrote Trump’sDepartment ofJustice lists Minnesotaasa “sanctuary state,” but Minnesota Attorney General KeithEllisoninan interview with PBS earlier this month said it is notand has neverclaimed to be asanctuarystate U.S. Rep. CleoFields, DBaton Rouge, condemned Pretti’skilling.
“This gentleman was executed. Period,” he said. Fields also called for the resignation of Kristi Noem, thetop official at the DHS, which oversees federal immigration enforcement acrossthe country
“She’sout of her league,” he said.
“The people of Minnesota and everywhere elsehave a right to be angry,” he added. “Federal law enforcement agencies have to be held accountable.”
U.S.Rep.TroyCarter,DNew Orleans, saidonsocial mediathat“anotherU.S citizen was murdered” by federal law enforcement.
“This violence we’reseeing is sanctioned by the dangerousrhetoric andreckless policiesofDonald Trump andKristi Noem,” Carter said. He saidthat lastweek, he voted againstfunding ICE’s budget.
have squaredoff daily with demonstrators.
ButMinneapolis Police Chief Brian O’HarasaidSundaymorning on CBS’ “Face the Nation” that “it’sback to just the Minneapolis police responding to calls.”
O’Hara said he had seen no evidence that Pretti brandished the pistol, and that thecrackdown was exhausting his department.
“This is taking an enormous toll, trying to manage allthis chaoson topofhaving to be the policedepartment foramajor city.It’stoo much,” he said.
Rep.Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York was among several Democratic lawmakers demanding that federal immigration authorities leave Minnesota.
In astatement, former President Barack Obama called Pretti’s death a“heartbreaking tragedy” and warned that “many of our core valuesasanation are increasingly under assault.”
He urged the White House to workwith city and state officials.
“This has to stop,” Obama said. Federal officials have repeatedly questioned why Pretti was armed during the confrontation. But gun rights groups noted that it’slegal to carry firearms during protests.
“Everypeaceable Minnesotan hasthe right to keep andbear arms —including while attending protests,acting as observers,or
“I refuse to support it unless it contains major reforms and strong guardrails that prevent further assault on the civil rightsofmyconstituents,”Carter said Budget battle
Saturday’sshooting could complicateCongress’ attempts to pass budget bills, with adeadlinelooming at the end of the week to prevent another partial governmentshutdown.
Under the direction of House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Benton, the U.S. House has passed all of the 12 individual spending bills
exercising their First Amendment rights,” theMinnesota GunOwners Caucus said in astatement. “These rightsdonot disappear when someone is lawfully armed.”
When the Saturday confrontation began, bystander video shows protesters blowing whistles and shouting profanitiesatfederal officers on acommercial street in south Minneapolis.
The videos show Pretti stepping in after an immigration officer shovesa woman. Pretti appearsto be holding his phone toward the officer,but there’snosign he’sholding aweapon. The officer shovesPretti in his chest andpeppersprays him and the woman.
Soon, at least seven officers force Pretti to the ground. Several officers try to bring his arms behind his back as he appears to resist. An officer holding acanister strikes him near his head several times.
Afirst shot is firedbya Border Patrolofficer.There’sa slight pause, andthenthe same officer fires several moretimes intoPretti’sback. Multiple officers back off. Within seconds, Pretti is motionless on the street.
Protests continue
Demonstrations broke out in several cities across the country after the shooting, including New York, Washington and Los Angeles.
In Minneapolis,protesters converged in theneighborhood where Pretti hadbeen shot despitedangerously coldweatherwith temperatures around minus 6degrees
An angry crowd screamed profanities at federalofficersafter theshooting, calling them “cowards” and telling them to go home. Protesters dragged large garbage bins from alleyways to block streets, lightingatleast oneonfire.
As darkness fell, hundreds of people mourned quietly by agrowing memorial at the site of the shooting. Adoughnut shop and a clothing store nearby stayed open, offering protesters awarm place. By morning, the scene wascalm Brett Williams, 37, came from thecity’ssuburbs to amorning vigil at thescene.
“I standinsolidaritywitha brother whose lifewas taken too soon,” he said. “He’sstanding up forimmigrants. We’re all immigrants.”
Associated Press writers Giovanna Dell’Orto and Tim Sullivan in Minnesota, Rebecca Santana in Washington and Jim Mustian in NewYorkcontributed this story.
that fund the federalgovernment— thefirsttimein years that Congress hasn’t relied on stopgap measures. Those bills passed with support from both Democrats and Republicans.
But the bills still must pass the Senate. And, after the shooting, many Democrats said they would not give their votes to abudget that kept funding for the Department of Homeland Security andits immigration enforcement agencies without changes.
“What’shappening in Minnesota is appalling —and unacceptable in any American city,” wrote ChuckSchumer, D-N.Y.and the Senate minority leader.“Democrats sought commonsense reforms in the Department of Homeland Security spending bill, but because of Republicans’ refusal to stand up to President Trump, the DHSbill is woefully inadequate to rein in the abuses of ICE.I will vote no.”
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
aSSoCIateD PreSS
PhotoByaDaMGray
gatherSundaynear the scene where alex Pretti wasfatally shot by
aU.S.Border Patrol officer in Minneapolis.
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aSSoCIateDPreSS Photo By aDaM Gray
Scalise
Johnson
CHARTER
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said Vera Triplett, who opened the charter school in 2017 and now runs the private school. “We look forward to defending our position vigorously.”
Noble Minds Institute’s board agreed to close the school at the end of the 202425 school year after it failed to meet the state’s academic standards for renewal. In August, Noble Minds reopened as a nonprofit private school, serving about
a third of its previous 150 students. Last week, the state Legislative Auditor’s Office released a report that flagged more than $600,000 of potentially improper expenses from December 2024 — when the board voted to close the school to May 2025, its last month in operation
The expenses included $100,000 paid to Triplett on top of her normal salary and $238,000 paid to three consultants last year, which the auditor said either benefited the private school or were “unnecessary.” The
auditor also alleged that the school paid $174,000 in advance rent for its space from Central St. Matthew United Church of Christ on Carrollton Avenue, where it continues to operate as a private school.
Triplett disputed that the sum went toward advance rent, saying that the church has allowed the school to remain in the building for free until a new occupant is found. She said the $174,000 payment to Central St. Matthew was a fee for breaking the school’s lease, which ran through 2027. She said that was an allowable expense
because public dollars can be used to settle debts. She said the $100,000 she received was severance pay and the other expenditures were for Noble Minds operations during its last few months as a charter school, money that she said did not benefit the private school.
Triplett also said it’s possible that some of the money the state wants to reclaim is not public, as about a third of the school’s budget came from private dollars or grants.
The Department of Education’s Jan. 22 letter cites
the audit report’s findings and says the school owes the state $274,500 that must be paid within 15 days. The requested funds cover the money the school paid to the church and Triplett, but the letter said the department could ask for other money in the future.
Though it’s unusual for the state Department of Education to request that a shuttered charter school return money it previously received, the Orleans Parish School Board has made similar requests of schools that closed.
The district in 2021 sued
the Better Choice Foundation, the nonprofit organization that ran Mary D. Coghill Charter School until its charter was canceled, claiming the organization’s board misappropriated public funds and owed the school district nearly $1 million. The group denied the allegations and the case was dismissed last year In 2022, the board sued the Dryades YMCA, which operated the James A. Singleton Charter School until 2021, alleging the school withheld $381,578 from the board. The matter is still pending in court.
Continued from page 1a
celing classes for Monday, including St. Tammany Parish and St. Charles Parish Mayor Helena Moreno said midday Sunday that city officials were monitoring whether rain that fell earlier in the day would be expected to freeze overnight, which could factor into whether to close schools or delay the opening of City Hall.
“All the meteorologists are saying that there’s a very, very low chance for icy conditions tomorrow during the morning commute,” Morena said in a social media post, noting that conditions would continue to be monitored Snow, power outages
The storm impacting Louisiana is part of a massive winter system spanning nearly 2,000 miles, from the southwest to New England
About 213 million people were under some form of winter weather warning as of Sunday morning, according to the weather service.
Across the country, more than one million customers were without power as of Sunday afternoon, including more than 147,000 in northern and central Louisiana, according to poweroutage us.
In Evangeline and St. Landry parishes, the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development spread 25,000 pounds of salt
BOND
Continued from page 1a
the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine, will pass the torch this spring to the next duo responsible for the well-being of the only live tiger mascot in the U.S. “We formed such a strong bond,” Weems said. “I can’t really say he’s my pet but I love him as if he were my pet.”
Though many veterinary students express interest in the tiger keeper role, the realities of the job tend to narrow down the candidate pool, LSU Veterinary Medicine spokesperson Ginger Guttner said. One student must always be within 30 minutes of Baton Rouge in case of an emergency In addition to feeding and socializing with Mike, the caretakers pick up trash in his enclosure, manage his
and rain both fell in New orleans on Sunday.
along the elevated sections of Interstate 49, as well as elevated sections of the U.S 190 from Opelousas heading east.
On Sunday afternoon, DOTD began pretreating overpasses and bridges in New Orleans and on the northshore.
Crews continued 24-hour operations along Interstate 20 in Bossier Parish to clear roads impacted by the winter storm, urging motorists to avoid unnecessary travel and check for updates.
Two winter weather-related deaths in Caddo Parish were confirmed Sunday morning by the Louisiana Department of Health. Two
food and supplies inventory and provide enrichment activities.
The students juggle those tasks while fulfilling the obligations of the last two years of veterinary school, including daily rounds and rotations through different specialties. They coordinate their schedules, so Mike is never without a caretaker
The keepers also need to get along as co-workers, Guttner said. They apply as a team and serve for two years “It’s probably the coolest student worker job on campus but also the one with most responsibility,” Guttner said.
Get ready with Mike
Steps away from Tiger Stadium, Mike begins his day with a caretaker arriving early to the habitat to put out his breakfast and socialize. While Mike is
men, ages unknown, died from hypothermia.
The weather service has issued an extreme cold warning for much of south Louisiana through Tuesday morning.
Meteorologist Damon Singleton said the warning was issued largely because of dangerous wind chills that are expected as strong winds follow the front.
“Wind chills could fall anywhere between 0 and 15 degrees,” Singleton said.
Actual temperatures early Monday are expected to fall into the low 20s in parts of Washington and Tangipahoa parishes, with lows near 21 degrees possible in
locked in an interior area, the student cleans his habitat and plates his food.
Weems or Vicknair will also stop by in the evening to serve Mike dinner and observe the tiger’s mood and health.
“That is Christmas, New Year’s, Thanksgiving, when their little sister gets married, when their brother graduates from high school, all of those things,” Guttner said. “Mike does not have a calendar.”
Weems and Vicknair attend to Mike’s daily needs, supervised by veterinarian and professor Dr Rhett Stout, but they are also a “custodian and a pool boy,” Guttner said.
One recent morning sent Weems walking across the bouncy cable roof of the enclosure to retrieve a stray beer can that appeared overnight. Foreign objects inside the habitat can endanger Mike, she said.
some northern areas. On the south shore, temperatures are forecast to drop to the mid-20s, with lows around 27 degrees in New Orleans. Wind chills could drop to around 9 degrees in parts of Washington and Tangipahoa parishes near 12 degrees in Slidell, and into the low to mid teens across the south shore, including in New Orleans and Houma.
“If you’re outdoors for any extended period of time and your skin is not protected, there is a real risk of frostbite and possibly even hypothermia,” Singleton said.
On Monday in New Orleans, skies are expected to
“If you lose a grip, you will go rolling,” Weems said. “It’s very dangerous. We have to make sure it’s safe for him to come out.”
‘A typical cat’ A desire to work in zoos or with big cats is not a requirement to apply for the tiger keeper role. Weems, for example, plans to practice small animal veterinary medicine after graduation.
The position rewards those who can handle the pressure. Mike does not forget his people, Weems said.
“I find that Mike VI was more playful with everybody,” Weems said, “whereas he’s more just like, I have my people, I know my people, that’s it.”
turn mostly sunny after a partly cloudy start, but temperatures will remain cold, with a high near 43 degrees and wind chills dropping as low as 17.
Officials urged residents to prepare for prolonged cold by wrapping or draining pipes, dripping faucets on exterior walls, bringing pets indoors and checking on vulnerable neighbors. Outdoor plants should be covered, and people venturing outside are advised to dress in layers and cover exposed skin. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The tiger’s behavior can appear similar to a house cat. He rubs his face against the fence and plays with toys in the yard He even has weather preferences — snow and rain make him “frisky,” Weems said.
His “goofy” nature does not mean the caretakers can stop treating him like a predator, Weems said. Protocol and the construction of the habitat prevent the keepers from coming into direct contact with Mike.
“He definitely is still an apex predator,” Weems said. “He knows how to stalk, he knows how to pounce, real quietly sneak up on you. He knows how to do all those things. But at the end of the day, he’s still a typical cat.”
She said she will visit Mike regularly after graduating, but the interactions will feel bittersweet. The next caretakers will start shadowing the current pair in February
“If he spots me in a crowd and he comes running, it’ll be very difficult not to be able to come in here, play with him, pet him,” Weems said. As golden hour light streamed into Mike’s yard, Weems traveled around the back of the enclosure, preparing to serve the tiger his special ground meat carnivore diet.
Mike followed her along his side of the fence. He watched from a window as she began the evening routine, and then he padded inside, ready for dinner
StaFF Photo By MIChaeL JohNSoN
LSU student Baylee Weems, one of two caretakers, takes a moment with Mike VII at the tiger habitat recently
StaFF PhotoS By DaVID GrUNFeLD temperatures
a Panola street cafe patron heads to a car as the cold weather and rain move in around
a.m. in New orleans on Sunday.
Ben Kozlowski and his dog Milo leave Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop after having a quick look in New orleans on Sunday.
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Library board picks new director
St. tammany selection process took months
and will begin on Feb. 23.
BY WILLIE SWETT Staff writer
The next director of the St. Tammany Parish Library system is coming from a few parishes to the west.
Louisiana private recreational anglers caught an estimated 947,103 pounds of red snapper in 2025
Anglers reel in red snapper over quota
BY MIKE SMITH
Staff writer
Louisiana sport anglers reeled in nearly 950,000 pounds of red snapper during the 2025 season, newly released estimates show, as the state works with federal authorities to restore population numbers for the sought-after offshore fish.
Gulf states are granted an annual red snapper quota by federal fisheries officials, and recreational anglers are allowed to fish until that quota is met. Louisiana tracks its data through its LA Creel program, which includes dockside, phone and email surveys.
The 2025 red snapper season quota for private recreational anglers was 894,955 pounds, the state Department of Wildlife and Fisheries says. An estimated 947,103 pounds were caught during the season, which means 52,148 pounds will have to be subtracted from this year’s quota.
Last year’s season allowed anglers to fish for 200 days, from May 1 through Nov 16, the department says. A limit of four fish per day, per angler, at a minimum size of 16 inches, was in effect.
“We could not be happier about how this year’s red snapper season turned out,” state Wildlife and Fisheries Secretary Tyler Bosworth said in a statement. “We would like to thank all offshore anglers in Louisiana who have actively contributed to conservation and a very successful red snapper season by participating in the LA Creel process.”
The yearly red snapper quotas are divided up between commercial and recreational fisheries. Commercial fisheries are granted 51% and recreational the remainder The recreational quota is further divided among private anglers and charter boats.
The Gulf’s red snapper population declined rapidly in previous decades and hit a low point in 1990, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Population numbers have since gradually improved, but remain below a target number for rebuilding the stock. Louisiana anglers target red snapper offshore, including around oil and gas rigs that act as artificial reefs.
Email Mike Smith at msmith@ theadvocate.com.
Collings is director of the Audubon Regional library system in St. Helena and East Feliciana parishes, where he recently oversaw the conversion of a Presbyterian church into a library branch in Clinton.
The library board voted on Wednesday to offer Collings a salary of $120,000. Collings accepted
The St. Tammany Parish Library Board of Control unanimously selected Trevor Collings to lead St. Tammany’s 12-branch library system, which employs over 100 people and has an annual budget of more than $13 million.
Collings will replace former St. Tammany Library Director Kelly LaRocca, who left the position in September to take a job with the state. In a news release from the library system later Thursday, Collings said he was grateful for the board’s confidence and excited to begin the job.
Collings was one of four finalists the library board interviewed
Wednesday Collings chose to have his interview with the board conducted in private, which was an option given to all four finalists, but in a statement to the public after the interview, he said, “I applied for this position because I’ve always respected this library system and the community it serves.” Collings and another candidate,
Washington Parish library director Sonnet Ireland, were both from Louisiana, while one candidate drove in from Texas, and another from Tennessee. The selection of Collings capped a long day for the library board. The interviews began shortly after 8:30 a.m. Wednesday When the board reconvened after the last of its interviews at 6:35 p.m. to discuss and make a decision, there were fewer than 10
SharING Joy
ABOVE: B’nai B’rith of Greater New Orleans Unit #182 brings Mardi Gras to the halls of Touro
Infirmary with its 45th annual parade. About 30 costumed members and a band moved floor to floor, sharing doubloons, king cake and smiles, capped off with a small party for patients on Sunday
RIGHT: Elle Ibrahim, of Columbus, Ohio, passes out beads. ä See more on 2B.
Grocer buys sites at Slidell mall
acquistapace reluctant to give time frame for development
BY BOB WARREN Staff writer
For years, Slidell officials have grappled with calls from constituents to revitalize the largely empty North Shore Square Mall.
On Thursday, news broke that a well-known St. Tammany Parish grocery operator, Acquistapace’s, has purchased two of the former anchor sites in the mall.
Adam Acquistapace, a member of the family that owns and operates the company declined to release details, but he said one of the stores would operate under Acquistapace’s banner He declined to say how much the company paid for the mall spots, which formerly housed Conn’s Home Plus and JCPenney stores. The mall is owned by Morguard, a company based in Canada that manages billions of dollars in real estate across North America.
“We’ve been working on this project for about two years,” he said. “We were eyeing up the Northshore (Boulevard) corridor for a while.”
Acquistapace was on stage with Slidell Mayor
Randy Fandal, who broke the news during his “State of Slidell” speech before the East St. Tammany Business Association.
“Slidell is open for business,” Fandal said, later adding that the Acquistapace development might come on line by year’s end.
Later Acquistapace was reluctant to give a time frame but said the company is working as quickly as it can.
Acquistapace’s currently operates a grocery store in downtown Covington, and smaller, specialty stores in Mandeville and Slidell. The stores are popular for their large selection of cheeses, wines and liquor, in addition to run-of-the-mill groceries. Once a regional shopping hub and economic force in eastern St. Tammany, the mall has faced an exodus of stores over the past decade and a half. It has only two open stores: the popular Dillard’s clearance center and At Home, a chain that filed for bankruptcy last year City officials had tried to find ways to revitalize the mall site, hearing from constituents who wanted something done with the
BY BOB WARREN Staff writer
StaFF FILe Photo
StaFF PhotoS By eNaN CheDIaK
Collings
Musicmakers
Kiffin to co-reign over parade
3grand marshals to ride in endymion
BY JUSTIN MITCHELL Staff writer
Gwen Stefani, Arthur Hardy and now Lane Kiffin.
LSU’snew headfootball coachwill join the popstar and New Orleans historian as aco-grandmarshal of 2026 Endymion, Captain Dan Kelly announced at Saturday’scoronation ball,according to Hardy and other media reports.
“Riding as co-grand marshal in the2026Endymion parade is the highest honor of my professional career,” Hardy said Sunday.“What
DebbieKerr-Leathem and Les Leathem, center, smile whilethe Mitzvah Makers’ band plays for them as they parade through the hallwaysof theTouro Infirmary in New Orleans on Sunday.
StaFF Photo By eNaN CheDIaK
Retiredlieutenant arrested on theftcounts
BY EMILYWOODRUFF Staff writer
LIBRARY
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peopleinthe audienceatthe Madisonville Parish Library’smeeting room, including some regular attendees who have at times criticized the selection process. The library boardhas seen significant turnover since 2022, when the parish’slibrary systembecame embroiledincontroversy over minors’ accesstobookswith LGBTQ+ topics,following anational trend.
In the past,Collings hasworked as abranch manager in Denham Springs in Livingston Parish and directed children’s collection development at the East Baton Rouge Parish library’smain branch, according to his resume.
“He’sgot abroad breadth of experience,” said library board Chair Chuck Branton, who also noted that Collings has both amaster’s degreeinlibrary scienceand a master’sinEnglish. The board had opened the position up to people without master’sdegrees in library science.
Larry Rolling, who sat in on the decision Wednesday on behalf of Parish President Mike Cooper,said Collings was “primed to lead,” while boardmember Dinah Thanars praised him for indicating he wanted to workasateam.
GROCER
Continued from page1B
away to end 50 yearsinthe Mardi Grasbusiness.” Hardy is retiring this yearafter publishing a Mardi Gras guide for decades. Endymion is the largestparade krewe in New Orleans and rolls from Mid-Citythrough Uptown and downtown on the Saturdaybefore Mardi Gras.
Celebrities often make appearances as grandmarshals, including in the past, BritneySpears,Luke Bryan, Kelly Clarkson, Flo Ridaand Ian Somerhalder
Aformer employee of the St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office has beenarrested followinganinternal investigation into missing money from the evidence room, authorities said.
Kevin Hollingsworth, 54, of St. Rose, wasarrested Friday on counts of theft between $5,000 and $25,000, injuring public records, malfeasance in office and tampering with evidence, according to the Sheriff’s Office. Hollingsworthretired from the agency in March.
Sheriff Greg Champagne ordered an audit and investigation after concerns were raised in November that money seized as evidence hadbeen removed without authorization from theSheriff’s Office evidence room. At the time, the evidence room was
under Hollingsworth’ssupervision while he served as alieutenant.
Investigators determined that Hollingsworth monitored older cases involving seized money, including cases that had resultedinconvictions or remained unsolved, and later removed funds from evidence for “his own personal gain,” according to the Sheriff’s Office. Officials said there does not appear to be any connection to active or unresolved criminal cases. The Sheriff’s Office has added new security measures to prevent such theftin the future, officials said. The investigation remainsongoing. Anyone with information is asked to contact Capt.Jeremy Pitchford at (985) 783-6237.
Email Emily Woodruff at ewoodruff@theadvocate.com.
Murrillmakes stance on cockfighting clear
Some in St.Landry eyebringing back sport
BY JOEL THOMPSON Staff writer
“Cockfighting remains illegal in Louisiana.” Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill didn’t mince words in a social media postfrom herofficial government Xaccount on Thursday.After St. Landry Parish Council members on Wednesday voted unanimously todraft arequest for Murrill’soffice to issue an opiniononthe constitutionality of the state’scockfighting ban, Murrill preempted any formal request by issuing the brief statement in which she made clear her intentiontodeny any formal request issued by
BY JUSTIN MITCHELL Staff writer
621,000-square-foot space in a high-profile location off Interstate 12 at Northshore Boulevard. The Northshore Square Economic Development Districtlast year partnered with the St. Tammany Economic Development Corporation on astudy to tryand determine thebest way to redevelopthe mall. Fandal said the top two best uses, according to the study,are an event space or adistribution facility Towardthe end of last summer it appearedthatthe city was actually moving toward apurchase of themall, withthe CityCouncil adopting anew sales tax for someofthe area surrounding the mall on Northshore Boulevard to providerevenuetocover thepurchase and also authorizing interim Mayor Bill Borchert to sign aletter of intent exploring amall purchase by the city Borchert at the timesaidMorguard initially sought morethan $50 million for the roughly 50-acre site but the sides had come down to around $13 million.
parish officials. “It’sthe longstanding policy of the Louisiana Department of Justice not to issueopinions on the constitutionality of State laws,” Murrill posted on X. Attached to the post wasanimage of the statuteLouisiana legislators passed in 2007 banning cockfighting.
Council members hadalso discussed petitioning state Rep. DustinMiller,who represents portions of St.Landry Parish, to introduce legislation to change the statute to which Murrill alludedtoin herpost.The vote failed, however, with seven members of the 13-member chamber voting against it.
The council instead elected to send awritten request to Mur-
Aman trying to steal ayachtdocked at a New Orleansmarina earlySaturday morning hit other boats and docks while trying to flee, New Orleans police said Sunday. New Orleans Police Department officers were called to 200 S. Roadway St. in the West End areajust after 2a.m. and found Aaron Matthew,43, operatingthe yacht worth about $500,000, police said Whenhesaw law enforcement, Matthew tried to flee, striking multiple vessels and docks before getting off the yacht and trying to escape on foot, NOPDspokesperson Jonathan Morris said. Police caught Matthew and arrested him. Matthew was booked into the Orleans Parish jail on two felony counts,theftin the amount of $500,000 and criminaldamage to property in the amount of $70,000, and simple burglary,according to online jail records.
The state Department of Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries is investigating the boat collisions. StaffwriterMissy Wilkinson contributedtothisreport
rill’soffice to assess theconstitutionalityofthe statute, which was to be written by council member Timmy LeJeune, who first put forwardthe cockfighting discussion, and theparish’slegal adviserGarrett Duplechain.
LeJeune declined to comment on Murrill’spost.
LeJeune, who first placed the cockfighting discussiononthe Wednesday agenda following a request by famed cockfighter JamesDemoruelleataDecember council meeting, reiterated previous claims that legal cockfighting would bring needed revenue to the parish.
“Weknowthatweneed the revenue. Nobodyinthis parish can saythat we don’t. This is an opportunity to generate revenue,” LeJeune said. “This is going to be the same thing as the racing industry.It’snot going to be acockfight in the backyard
of somebody’shouse or in the neighborhood. It’sgoing to be monitored by the state.” Cockfighting hasa long history in Louisiana, which was the last state to ban the practicein2008. Recently,cockfighting enthusiastsinSt. Landry Parish have renewed arguments that the practice is constitutionally protected and that itscontinued prevalence across parts of rural Acadiana is proof of its important cultural connectiontoCajun heritage.
Arrestsfor cockfighting have continued to be an issueinrecent yearsinSt. Landry Parish, with multiple ongoing investigations and arrestsinArnaudville and Opelousas.
Before the ban, the Sunset Recreation GameClub in Sunset wasknown as the “cockfighting capitalofthe world” and hosted prestigious fighting events.
2026 property taxbills arehere
BY EMILYWOODRUFF Staff writer
Property tax billsfor 2026 arenow available to Orleans Parish homeowners, the city of New Orleans announced Saturday Residents can view and pay their billsonline at nola.gov, and mailed bills areexpected to arrive by the end of January.Payments are due by Feb. 28. After that date, interestwill begin accruing at 1% permonth
Taxpayers can pay online, by mail or in person.Online payments made by checking account do not includea convenience fee, while credit anddebit cardpayments carry a2.49% processing fee Partial payments arenot accepted online. The city will alsooffer drop-off payment locations at thefollowing publiclibraries: n East NewOrleansRegional Library,5641 Read Blvd.
n Norman Mayer Library 3001 Gentilly Blvd.
n Mid-CityLibrary, 4140 Canal St
n Algiers RegionalLibrary, 3014 Holiday Dr City of New Orleans employees will be available at each library from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. for assistance. Curbside drop-off will also be available at City Hall, 1300 Perdido St.,during the same dates and hours. Payments must be submitted in asealed envelopeand mayinclude no morethan threeproperty tax bills and
payments perenvelope
Accepted forms of payment arecheck,money order or cashier’scheck only.Cash will not be accepted, and receipts will not be provided. Residentsshouldinclude the bill stub and clearly notethe property address andtax bill number
More information on payment options is available at nola.gov/property-tax. Email Emily Woodruff at ewoodruff@theadvocate. com.
But Borchert and the city reversed course last September whennews came out that Morguard had already agreed to sell twoofthe vacantanchor stores to another company,which at the time city officials would only describe as aSt. Tammany Parish companyseeking to expand its footprint.
LOVING
Continued from page1B LOTTERY SATURDAY,JAN.24, 2026
PICK 3: 4-6-0
PICK 4:
recognitionofher volunteer service to numerous charitable organizations, educational institutions and civicgroups over several decades.
Past Loving Cup recipients include Darryl Berger, Boysie Bollinger,Gayle Benson, Leah Chase, Archbishop Phillip Hannan,Tommy Cvitanovich, Michael Smith and Anne Milling. Anyone maybenominated, and anyone maynominate. Nominations should include abriefdescription of the nominee’scivic, social, culturalorreligious activities that have contributed to improving life in the NewOrleans area. Posthumousnominationsare not accepted. The deadlinefor nominations is Feb. 14. The recipient will be honored by The Times-Picayune at aceremony Nominations canbeemailed to lovingcup@theadvocate.com or mailedtoThe Times-Picayune Loving Cup Committee, 840 St Charles Ave., New Orleans, LA 70130.
Murrill
NewOrleans Area Deaths
Roccaforte,Sandra
Obituaries
Roccaforte, Sandra Flattmann
Sandra FlattmannRoc‐cafortepassedaway peacefullyather home in Baton Rouge, Louisianaon
Thursday,January 22, 2026
She wasbornonOctober 14, 1943, in NewOrleans to Elwood A. Flattmannand Cleon ReutherFlattmann. She attended St.Christo‐pherSchooland wasa 1961graduateofSt. Mary's Dominican High School She is preceded in death by herparents andher
brother, Bob Flattmann. Sandraissurvivedbyher lovinghusband of 64 years, Joseph"Jay" Roccaforte, Jr.;their daughters, Kim Roccaforteand Beth Me‐trailer andhusband Charles;and herbeloved grandchildren,LaurenMe‐trailer Miller,Katie Me‐trailer Matus, EmilyMe‐trailer,ClaireWigleyand TaylorWigley, who affec‐tionately called her Honey";aswellnumerous other familyand friends. She wasanaccomplished artistand amemberofthe Baton RougeArt League She wasanactivemember and past presidentofthe Baton RougeSymphony League. In 1989, Sandra was namedone of Baton Rouge's Best Dressed. She was acompetitive tennis playeratThe CountryClub ofLouisiana.Her team won cityand statechampi‐onships,advancing to re‐gionaltournaments on several occasions. Sandra was theconsummatehost‐ess. Shefound joyindeco‐ratingand creating ahome rooted in love,happiness and lastingmemories. She willbemissedand forever cherished.Relatives and friends areinvited to at‐tendthe FuneralMassat 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, January28, 2026, at St
George Catholic Church, 7808 St.GeorgeDrive in Baton Rouge. AVisitation willbeheldatthe church beginning at 8:30 a.m. A celebration of Sandra's life willfollowatThe Country ClubofLouisiana.Family and friendsmay sign the onlineguestbook or leave a personal note to thefam‐ily at www.resthavenba tonrouge.com
Families leaving becauseLa. lettingthem down
Louisianahas become one of the nation’sprimary exit states. I’m not surprised. Ireturned home a decade ago to teach, determined to invest in my community. Today,many of the people Iworked with left for other states.Sodid my childhood friends. So did my mother Sure it’seasier to leave when you’re up against skyrocketing insurance costs and limited economic opportunity. But the ones who feel it most: our children Staffing shortages mean fewer teachers in classrooms, fewer caseworkers responding to abuse reports and fewerprofessionals able to intervene before harm occurs. Years ago, as aclassroom teacher,Iwitnessed how turnover hollowed out schools —not just classrooms, but institutional memory.Each departure meant teachers stretched thinner,fewer mentors, fewer advocates, fewer resources and fewer adults who knew the students and thecontext well enough to provide equitable, transformative educationalexperiences. During my years in the classroom, Imade anumber of reports and claims to the Department of Childand Family Services. One child was so afraid to return home, she urinatedonherself as she walked to the bus during dismissal. The DCFS caseworker andsocial worker assigned to her case provided stabilization resourceswithin the hour Knowing that today,that same systemmay notrespondatall or in time —chills me. We’re in the middle of acrisis and choosing to emigrateisadecision with consequences. Istayed because Ibelieved staying mattered. Istill do. But belief alone cannot sustain a system stripped of the people who serveits children. If Louisiana wants families like mine to remain rooted here —and if we want ourchildrentobesafe, supported and seen —we must choose to invest in those who serve them.The cost of doing nothing is one our children will pay.
JULIENNE LOUIS-ANDERSON Neworleans
YOUR VIEWS
Changesinvaccine schedule notinbestinterestofkids
Iamquaking in my bootsasa pediatrician because ofthe recent overhaul of our country’schildhoodvaccine schedule, eliminating recommendations for six important vaccines. In fact it should alarm all of us, left or right, because vaccines arethe mostimportant public health measure we have.
Rotavirus, COVID-19, influenza, meningococcal disease and hepatitis Aand Bare all serious diseases that can be deadly,and fortunately are all either preventable or made less dangerous by vaccines.And yet each of them has been eliminated as requirements on our updatedvaccine schedule. This doesn’thave anybasis in safety or good medicine. Vaccines have alwayshad to meet strict standards for safety and effectiveness, including the six that have been eliminated. Andweknow theydo not cause autism; however much it may tug at thefears of good parents, that idea has been thoroughlydebunked.
It’sunlikely to be thelast blow to our health
in the next few years —itcertainly hasn’tbeen thefirst.Measles had once been eradicated in the U.S., but this year has seen over 2,000 cases of it, some of which killed, all thanks to Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’sfearmongering about vaccines in an official capacity
This may not be deliberate— Kennedy seems to believe in what he preaches. But regardless of intent,these actions have already led to terrible consequences, and continuing to weaken our greatest bastion against disease is sure to bring moredisaster
Let’sbebetter than this. Call your elected officials to tell them how important vaccines are and urge them to do everything in their power to protect them. Make sure youand yoursare fully vaccinated. And have those difficult conversations with your loved ones who are on the fence about vaccines. The stakes are high.
MICHAELCAFFERY,M.D Kenner
Scalise, Johnsonfailedtoput Social Security on agenda
Well, anotheryear has passed and the two most powerfulRepublicansinCongress, Majority Leader Steve Scalise andHouse Speaker Mike Johnson, have done nothing to address the upcoming crisis in Social Security benefits. For years, the trustees of theSocial Security Trust Fund have warnedthat without action from Congressthe fund would run out of money to pay the full benefit to which recipientsare entitled. The newdatetosee a23% reductionin benefits is 2033, justseven yearsfrom now. Roughly onehalf of people over the age of 65 rely on SocialSecurityfor 50% of their income andaquarterofall Americans rely on it for 90% percentoftheir income. There are many optionstofixthe system,byraising the ceiling on wages subject to the tax, or boosting taxes
that both employers and employees pay,but in spite of being in power Scalise and Johnson have not authored asingle bill to fix the system. Why? Because they don’tcare. They have cushy pensions and lifetime health care. They are too busy increasing thenational debt and denying healthcare to millions of Americans.
If you are receiving Social Security benefits that you earned or hope to receive those benefits when you retire, then you must vote Scalise and Johnson out of office in 2026 and elect people who do care and who will fight to fix theSocial Security problem which is getting worse every year nothing is done. The clock is ticking and the time to fix theproblem is now ROBERT W. BECKER Neworleans
Back in college in the 1970s, my contemporary English literature class taught me aword: juxtaposition. Ididn’tquite understand it then. Lifehas since provided avery clear example. Juxtaposition is Rep. Steve Scalise cowering behind thenSpeaker Nancy Pelosi’sdress in an undisclosed room in the United States Capitol during the riot on Jan. 6, 2021 —and then, five years later,standing quietly behind Donald Trump, as he insisted with a straight face that it was apeaceful demonstration. LISA SINGERSANDERS Covington
aSSoCIateDPreSS FILePhoto Minneapolis Public Schools families,educators and students holdsignsonJan 9during anews conferenceatLakehiawatha Park in Minneapolis,demanding Immigration and Customs enforcement be kept out of schoolsafter the shooting of renee Good by afederal agent.
argument in Minn.shooting doesn’tadd up
The Justice Department, Homeland Security and the White House all seem to agree that the actions of the agent in Minneapolis who killed the driver of an SUV wasjustified because it was a“clear case of selfdefense.”
Will someone please explain to me how firing agun into avehicle that you are standing mere feet in front of can be considered selfdefense? Even if, as in Minneapolis, the driver is killed, the vehicle continues to cover that few feet in the same direction and at the same speed whetherthe driver is dead or alive. It will either hit you or miss you, period. The bullet’sonly effect was to take alife; it had no chance of stopping amoving vehicle.
OUR GUIDELINES: Letters are published identifying name and the writer’scity of residence.the advocate |the times-Picayune require astreet address and phone number for verification purposes, but that information is not published. Letters are not to exceed 300 words. Letters to the editor,the advocate, P.o. Box 588, Baton rouge, La 70821-0588, or email letters@theadvocate.com. to SeND US aLetter SCaN here
Lawyer’s contribution overlooked in McGincheyStaffordstories
Regarding several stories authored by Stephanie Riegel andother writers about the dissolution of the McGlinchey Stafford law firm,it seems they really missed the impact of Donald Mintz’scontribution. As afounding partner he was very instrumental in growing the firm In fact, hewas theclassic “rainmaker” for business development andthe go-toguy for
making things happen. He wasatake-charge person who earned thenickname “Nails” by being atough litigator.Mintz’scontributions to thefirm and tothe greater NewOrleans community are immeasurable. Regretfully,he passed away at 53.
MARK BONNER Mandeville
Amajor fact is being overlooked in the recentmilitary action in Venezuela.
Thedrug smugglers were addicting millions of potential military-age men.This would greatly compromiseour abilitytodefend against an enemy.The government of Venezuela did absolutely nothing to stop the smug-
glers. Itsfailure to act makes it complicit in what can be considered an act of war.Thus, our military response was necessary.Itshould be noted that they went there to capture, not kill, theenemy.
TOBY J. RUSSO Chalmette
As they say,hindsight is 20/20, but standing in front of avehicle containing someone you want to interrogate is at best apoor choice and at worst, adeath wish. Ialso have to question when using acellphone to capture police actions on video replaced hands-free bodycams? Wielding acellphone and ahandgun at the same time seems pretty unsafe and extremely unprofessional to me.Whenever your handgun is drawn, it should have your full attention and both of your hands. Unlike asuspect with afirearm who is still athreat if their first shot misses, if the weaponisavehicle that misses, it is no longer athreat and should not be fired upon. Rememberthat the agent who shot the womanhad already videoed her license plate so, she could have easily been found and booked with fleeing afederal officer.Instead, she’sdead. SAL RAGUSA old Jefferson Self-defense
StaFF FILe Photo By BILL FeIG
rolling up his shirtsleeve,a fourth grader in east Baton rougeParish takes the flushot in stride as registered nurse Nurse Gail Lamb,left, administers the vaccine.
AMERICA250
this sceneofthe Second Continental Congress working on the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphiais fromanupcoming exhibition about the americanrevolution at the historicNew orleans Collection. the augmented reality experience is produced and designed by histovery,a French technology firm.the image was created in collaboration with arthistorians, period experts and developers.
We stillholdthese truths to mark country’s250th birthday,let’s look to ourroots
By Walter Isaacson
ABOUTTHE IMAGE
We’ve got abig birthday coming up this year.Our 250th. Here’s my birthday wish: Let’suse this anniversary to unite our nationaround our shared values.
We have becomesopolarized and poisonousinour politicsthat we are not in the best moodfor aparty.Everything seems to divide us, includingour viewsofour history.
Butperhaps wecan use this opportunity,the way a fractious family might use an important birthday party to come togetherlike we did for our bicentennial after the fraughtyears ofVietnam, Watergate, urbanriots and assassinations
second sentenceofthe Declaration of Independence, our Foundersbalancing therole of divine providence andthat of reason in determining our rights.
each group blended withthe others while retaining some of itsown texture and flavor
One way is by reflecting on our fundamental principles, the ones proclaimed in the Declaration of Independence’sgreat secondsentencethatserves as our nation’smissionstatement: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these arelife, liberty,and the pursuit of happiness.”
Many of us knowthatsentencealmost by heart, but rarely do we stop to savor and appreciate whateach word means tous.
In June 1776, the Continental Congress appointed acommittee to draft the declaration. Back then, Congress knew how to creategreat committees. It had Thomas Jefferson, BenjaminFranklin and John Adams onit. I’ve just written alittle book, “The Greatest SentenceEverWritten,” that looks at howthatcommittee went through four drafts of this great sentence.
“Wehold these truths to be sacred …” Jeffersonwroteinthe first ofthe drafts.
Franklincrossedout “sacred,” using the heavy backslash marks he had often usedasaprinter, and wrote in “self-evident.” The declaration they werewritingwas intended to herald anew type of nation, one in which our rights are based onreason, not the dictates or dogma ofreligion But then thesentence invokes the “Creator.” In Jefferson’sfirst draft, he wrote thatmen arecreated equaland “from that equalcreation they derive rights.” That phrase is crossed out, this time with adifferent pen, and replaced with “endowed by their Creator” with rights. That was probably the editofAdams, whose views on religionwere abit more conventionalthanthose of Jefferson.
Thus we see, in the editing of the
These truths becamethe creed that bounda diverse group of pilgrims and immigrantsintoone nation. For apeople with many different beliefs and backgrounds, it defined our common ground and aspirations. The concept of “common ground” has always been part of humanity’sstruggle to createagood society.Its simplest manifestation was aphysical space: the land thatwas designated as “the commons.” In England, thatwas the land wherethe commoners—yes, that’swherethe word“commoners” comes from —could all grazetheir herds. When thefirst English settlerscametoAmerica, this space was set aside in their towns, suchasBoston Common and the Cambridge Common.
The idea of thecommons was not just about land. Societies have alwaysput certain basic goods intothe commons:schools,libraries, parks, some healthcare, police, national defense and fire protection. These are calledthe communiter bona, the goods in common.
Both freedom and economic growth require that we allow individuals to reap the benefits that comes from theirlabor.Our system does, and should, give ample rewards to builders and entrepreneurs and those who work hard, takerisks and even just have goodluck.
Butindoing so,weshould keep in mind the moral and practical value of thecommons.Having arobust commonground can help stabilize asociety with disparities of wealth by giving people astakeinthe social order. The benefitsand services and ritualsthat we share help temper resentmentsand political polarization.
In New Orleans,werecently celebrated our tricentennial. So perhaps we have some wisdom to impart to ournation on its mere 250th. Bred into our town’s DNA is the creative culture thatarisesfromits racial and ethnicdiversity.Ever since Bienville setupaFrenchoutpost among the Chitimacha Indians, New Orleans hasbeen enriched by waves of new arrivals:Americans and Creoles of varying hues, slaves and freed slaves andgens de couleur libres,Spaniards andHispanics, Irish and Italians andJews,Haitians and Vietnamese. At its best,New Orleans was not so much amelting pot as agumbo pot:
Across Louisiana, hurricanes remind us of abasic fact,which is that we areall in the same boat. At our best, we know how to share what we love and to nurture commonrituals: catching go-cups at parades, celebrating or suffering withour Saints, sucking theheads and eating king cake after Twelfth Night.
This makes our politics and civic discourse (usually) alittle less poisonous and divisive thanexists in Washingtonand therestofthe nationthese days. We can disagree, but we know how to share theneutral ground, literally and figuratively
At the official signing of the Declaration, John Hancock wrote his name withhis famous flourish. “There mustbenopulling different ways,” he insisted. “Wemustall hang together.” Franklin replied, alluding to what would happentothemiftheir revolutionfailed, “Yes,wemust, indeed, all hang together,ormost assuredlyweshall all hang separately.”
As Franklin pointed out,our life-ordeath challenge as anation, whether it be in 1776 or 2026, is this: When there aresomany forces dedicated to dividing us, how can we best hang together? What policies can we adopt,what balances can we strike, thatwill strengthen our common ground?
In an era without universal military service, what institutions can instill asenseofshared patriotic service across class lines? What policies can help give everykid an equal opportunity? And when it comes to our media and our daily discourse, how can we create news outlets,social media platforms, public discussions, personal conversations, algorithms and chatbots that seek to connect us rather than inflaming our resentments, engaging us through enraging us and harvesting clicks through sensationalism?
One way to do it is by reflecting on our fundamental principles,the ones thatdefine our common aspirations to life, liberty and thepursuit if happiness. That restoration of our common ground is not,alas, going to begin in Washington or at the national level. It will have to arisefrom people who love their communities. Louisiana in 2026 can be among those thatlead the way
WalterIsaacson is abest-selling biographer and aprofessor at Tulane University.From1976 to 1979, he was areporterfor this newspaper
the imageabove features ascene from “american revolution,”which makesits United Statesdebutat the historic Neworleans Collection on March 20.thisfree, interactive experience utilizes360-degree augmentedreality to immersevisitors in 20 defining moments of thenation’s founding,from the sparks of theBoston teaParty to the victoryatyorktown
Developedbyleading historians and scholars, this exhibition celebrates the figures whoshapedthe United States and sharesthe revolution in afresh waythat speaks to the hearts and minds of the american people today. the exhibition will serveasa focal point of the Louisiana america 250 commemorations and coincideswith hNoC’s60thanniversary.
ABOUTTHE HNOC
over the last six decades, hNoC has become avital communityinstitution, preserving the world’slargest collection of materials relatedtoNew orleans and the Gulf South. Locatedinthe heartof the French Quarter, its campus spans 14 historic buildings which serveas acatalyst fordialogue and historical understanding “american revolution” is producedand designed by histovery with promotional support from Neworleans& Company and Louisiana america 250.the exhibitionoffers afresh, technologically driven waytoexplore the americanstory. Planyour visitathnoc.org
For more information on events near youcommemorating america’s 250th birthday, visit america250la.org.
BY JA’KORI MADISON Staff writer
From transforming used skateboards into handcrafted furniture to building amobile workshop inside ashipping container, Daniel Barousselives by asimple principle: You can be aconsumerora creator Through his business, Barousse Works, the Lafayette native turns discarded skateboards into functional art —chairs,tables, bowls and heirloom piecesmade entirely from skateboards, often preservedfor their sentimental or historical value.
In January 2025, Barousse completed aworkshop builtinside ashipping container.The mobile workspace has traveled as far as Costa Rica and is now back in Lafayette, allowing him to work almost anywhere.
“It’snot where Iwork every day,but it reminds me that creativity isn’tabout the location,” Barousse said, “it’sabout the intention you bring to it.” Before crafting furniture for clients that include actor Jason Momoa, New Orleans rapper Juvenile and professional skateboarders, Baroussewasn’tsure where his own path was headed. At one point, he lived out of avan, traveling the country and debating whether to stay in the skateboarding industry or walk away.That uncertainty ledhim to a1,000-mile solo bike ride from DenvertoAustin —ajourney he describesasphysically demanding and mentally clarifying.
“I used that time to plan my life,” he said.
“I asked myself whatI would do if moneywasn’ta concern.”
Not long before the ride, Barousse converted aSprinter van into atiny home,anexperience that introduced himtowoodworking and the patienceit demands. The answerbecame clear during thetrip: He would combineskateboardingand woodworking —the two forces that had shaped him.
Barousse grew up in a family of carpenters and is afifth-generation woodworker, though woodworkingwas never the plan. Skateboarding was. He began skating at 11 and structured much of hislife around the sport, eventually landing whatheconsidered adream job in action sports after college. Whenthe company was sold and he waslaid off, he chose to buildsomething new “That ride changedeverything,” he said.“It showed me Icould design my life instead of reacting to it.”
Barousse Worksgrew out of that realization. Each piece is handcrafted and cantake dozens to hundredsofhourstocomplete Barousse works closely with longtime collaborator LeoNavio, shaping sevenplymaple skateboardsinto rawlumberand finished designs
About60% of hisbusiness comes from custom orders, with mostofthe remainder split between pre-made product lines andcreative exploration. Because of the labor-intensive process, custom projects are typically booked three to eight months out.
“Every boardalreadyhas astory,”Baroussesaid
Beyond the shop, Barousse continues tosupport the skateboarding community, donating thousandsofdollars’ worth of boardsto children across the Gulf
Coast.
“Giving back isn’tjust about handing someonea board,” he said. “It’sabout showing them that what youcreate can last —and mean something.”
Email Ja’koriMadison at jakori.madison@ theadvocate.com.
ProVIDeD PhotoS
LEFT: BarousseWorks’ first preorder dining table designismadefrom 100%
RIGHT: Designer and artist Daniel Barousse, whoownsBarousse
ABOVE: aknife and cutting board designed by Barousse LEFT: Chair designed by Barousse
TO OURREADERS: Winter weatheraffectedthis edition’sdeadline. Forcomplete coverage,visit nola.com
Davis, Olavetop PFFgradeslist
BY JEFF DUNCAN Staff writer
The seemingly ageless Demario Davis was the New Orleans Saints’ highest-gradeddefensive player for the 2025season, according to Pro Football Focus, aCincinnati-based analytics company used byNFL teams
And Chris Olave was theSaints’highestgraded offensive playerfor the 2025season, according to Pro Football Focus.
Davis’ grade of 80.3 ledthe Saintsdefense and ranked fifth among NFL linebackers who played 50% of their team’s snaps.
In his 14th NFL season, Davis recorded a career-high 143tackles, whichled theSaints
andranked 12thinthe NFL. Davis, who turned 37 last week, also ranked among the Saints’ team leaders in tackles for loss (six) andforced fumbles (two), all while playing ateam-high 1,079 defensive snaps.
APFF gradeof80.3 is considered very good. It typically reflects aplayer in the upper tier of starters during agivenseason, just below aPro Bowl level.
ThePFF grading scaleconsiders players at 90-or-aboveaselite, 85-89.9 as ProBowl level, 70-84.9asstarter level, 60-69.9asaverage or backuplevel, and below 60 as below average or replacement level.
ers with grades of 78.0 and 76.0, respectively.Jordan (10.5) andYoung (10.0) le dt he Saints in sacksthis season.
Second-year cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry was the highest-graded defender in the secondaryat69.5. He led the Saints with three interceptions.
Linebacker DannyStutsman was the highest-graded rookie at 71.5, but he played only 205 snaps. Rookie classmates, safety Jonas
ä See SAINTS, page 5C
LSUguard MiLaysia Fulwileyraces up courtwiththe ball during agameagainst texasinthe
thePeteMaravichassembly Center
THEX-FACTOR
BY REEDDARCEY Staffwriter
Youmay have penciledMiLaysiaFulwileyintothe LSU women’sbasketballteam’sstarting lineupbefore the season, but coach Kim Mulkeydid not. She doesn’t make promises.
So Fulwiley’srunning with the reserves —like she did at South Carolina. She’salsochanging thecomplexion of games. Like she did at South Carolina. Thejunior guard did so as recently asThursday, whenshe was asked after ablowout win over Texas A&M how she thinks her first year with the Tigers has gone so far.
“I feel like it’sbeen going good,” Fulwiley said. “I mean, not perfect. Not the way Iprobably would want it to.But I’m gettingbetter.”
The No. 6Tigers (18-2, 4-2 SEC) can win afifthstraight game at 6p.m. Mondaywhentheyhost Florida (SECNetwork), and Fulwiley is alarge reason why.She struggled in LSU’sfirst two SECcontests —both losses. But she’s since rebounded and strung together afew productive outings,which suggeststhatthe prized SouthCarolina transfer is starting to settle into arole withthe Tigers.
Fulwiley’sjob is to come off the bench and jolt LSU’s transition offense.She’s the X-Factor.She won’tscore more than20pointsevery night moving forward, but when she does, theTigers will be tough to beat.
The challenge now —for Mulkey and her staff —isto figure out how to put Fulwiley in aposition to deliverthat kind of scoring punch as frequently as possible.
ä See FULWILEY, page 4C
LSU‘disappointed’following loss to Arkansas
tigersare 1-6inSeC play as NCaa tournament nears
BY TOYLOYBROWN III Staff writer
ä Mississippi State at LSU
With each passing loss,LSU’s chances of making the NCAA Tournament shrink. The Tigers’85-81 road defeat toNo. 20 Arkansas on Saturday didn’thelp, which is why the team’sreactioniswhat many would expect. “Obviously,we’re incrediblydisappointed by the result, coachMatt McMahonsaidonthe LSUsportsradio network, “but we’ll build on alot of the thingsthat took place here today.” Thefourth-year coachwants histeam to reclaim its team identitynow thatpoint guard Dedan Thomas returned to the startinglineup. With itsdynamic passer, LSU (13-7, 1-6 SEC) wants to return to a team that gets high-qualitylooksinthe paint,crashes the glass, and has theversatility to play fast-paced and methodically
The program demonstrated its vision against atalented foe. It led most of the first half, nevertrailed by double digits and forced 13 lead changes versus Arkansas, which beat five ranked teams. Despiteoutrebounding Arkansas by eight for11more second-chancepoints andhittingits target of at least40paint points, LSU’sinept 3-point shooting led to its demise.
“I loved our effortonthe glass,” McMahon said. “But at the end of theday, theyhit 10 3s, and we only made three.
ä See LSU, page 4C
LSU football’smassive transfer portal haul —and the key players retained from the 2025 team —has led to amassive question about the Tigers’ first team under Lane Kiffin. Aquestion that is the proverbial 800-pound gorilla in your Tiger Stadium suite, scarfing up all the sliders. It’s impossible to avoid, so let’sask it: Has LSU bought itself a national championship team forthe 2026 season? Hyperbole? Probably.But so is this transfer portal class. Aclass that is 42 players strong, the No.1-rated portal class according to On3.com by the width of the Mississippi River over wouldn’tyou know it? —Mississippi. We think Kiffinand LSU are done, but with the self-styled “Portal King,” you can never be certain. Here’ssomething else you can’tbecertain of: that money will buy success. Just ask Brian Kelly (if he takes your call) about that after LSU spent $18 million to sign last year’stop-rated transfer portal class. Or ask Jimbo Fisher what the bestever recruiting class in 2022 at Texas A&M got him besides apink slip. Eighteen million. How quaint. No one at LSU is saying yet, but conventional wisdom suggests the program spent north of $25-30 million on luring transfers and on roster retention. Making sure it hung onto core players like tight end Trey’Dez Green, running back Harlem Berry,center Braelin Moore, cornerbacks DJ Pickett and PJ Woodland, and of course linebacker WhitWeeks. The gameisno longer about signing afistful of high school five stars —though LSU got its share of those too with players like U-High’sLamar Brownand Edna Karr’sRichard Anderson. It is about filling the needs of your roster with proven and/or promising college players to try to ignite immediate success. On second thought, there’snoneed to query BK or Jimbo about past recruiting classes and their potential pitfalls. Better
Saints
Demario
Scott
Rabalais
StaFF Photo By MIChaeL JohNSoN
thirdquarter on Jan. 11 at
aP FILePhoto By rICK SCUterI arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt walks off the field in the second halfofagame against texas tech on oct. 18 in tempe, ariz. Leavitt transferred to LSUtobethe team’s likely starting quarterback.
Sabalenka beats Mboko
top-ranked
Sabalenka raises her game, rolls into quarterfinals
BY JOHN PYE
sportswriter
aP
MELBOURNE, Australia TikTok influencer and top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka is having to work her way through some rising teenage stars in her bid for a third Australian Open title in four years. Sabalenka, who has drawn praise from fans and other players for her posts on the social media platform about matters on and off the court, held off 19-year-old Vicky Mboko 6-1, 7-6 (1) at Rod Laver Arena on Sunday. She’ll play 18-year-old Iva Jovic in the quarterfinals.
The 29-seeded Jovic overwhelmed Yulia Putintseva 6-0, 6-1 in 53 minutes at John Cain Arena — with six service breaks and winning the first 10 games — to secure a spot in the last eight of a Grand Slam for the first time.
“Obviously, she’s No. 1 for a reason and had so much success at this tournament,” Jovic said of Sabalenka “But that’s what I want — I said it last year, I hope to be
able to play her this year, because you definitely want to play the best and see how it goes.”
Coco Gauff, who was still a teenager when she won her first major title in 2023, is back into the quarterfinals in Australia for the third consecutive year after a 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 win over No. 19 Karolina Muchova. She’ll next face No. 12 Elina Svitolina, who closed play on Day 8 with a 6-2, 6-4 win over 18-year-old, eighth-seeded Mirra Andreeva.
No. 1-ranked Carlos Alcaraz is also in the last 8 for the third straight year, continuing his bid for a career Grand Slam at age 22 with a 7-6 (6), 6-4, 7-5 win over No. 19-seeded Tommy Paul.
He’s never gone past the last eight at Melbourne Park, the only one of the four Grand Slam venues where he hasn’t won the title. That’s a statistic he’s determined to rectify, to the point where he’s reworking his serve to a look a little bit more in style with 10-time Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic.
He’s unlikely to have the crowd behind him in the quarterfinals, where he’ll meet local hope and sixth-seeded Alex de Minaur, a 6-4, 6-1, 6-1 winner over No. 10 Alexander Bublik No. 3 Alexander Zverev, the runner-up in Melbourne last year,
beat Francisco Cerundolo 6-2, 6-4, 6-4 and will next meet 20-year-old Learner Tien, the youngest men’s quarterfinalist in Australia since Nick Kyrgios in 2015. Tien, who needed treatment for a bloody nose after the third game, beat three-time Australian Open runner-up Daniil Medvedev 6-4, 6-0, 6-3.
Djokovic’s Walkover
The 38-year-old Djokovic got a walkover into the quarterfinals after Jakub Mensik withdrew 24 hours ahead of their scheduled fourth-round match with an abdominal injury
Djokovic’s influence
Jovic has been getting some good advice from Djokovic, a 24time major winner, during the tournament. He said he’s been happy to help an up-and-coming star with Serbian heritage.
Jovic made it clear last year that she wanted a chance to play the World No. 1 Now she’ll get that chance.
Sabalenka, who has joked about waiting for a formal invitation to partner Djokovic in mixed doubles at a major, breezed through the first set in 31 minutes against Mboko but had some difficulty in the second.
Mboko saved match points and played well enough to beat many
players, but not the two-time Australian Open champion.
“What an incredible player for such a young age,” Sabalenka said of Mboko. “It’s incredible to see these kids coming up on Tour I can’t believe I say that. I feel like I’m a kid!
“She pushed me so much, and I’m happy to be through,” Sabalenka added in her on-court TV interview
Sabalenka led the second set 4-1, and then failed to convert three match points while leading 5-4. Mboko slowly took momentum and forced a tiebreaker only for Sabalenka to dominate.
It was the 20th straight tiebreaker victory a record for Sabalenka.
“I try to — not to think this is a tiebreak and play point by point,” said Sabalenka, who won back-toback titles in Australia in 2023 and ‘24 before losing last year’s final to Madison Keys. “I guess that’s the key to consistency.”
Doubling up
Jovic and Mboko combined later Sunday in the doubles and had match points before the No. 4-seeded Elise Mertens and Zhang Shuai duo clung on in the super tiebreaker to win 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (10).
“They’re both very young, very talented,” Mertens said. “It was a really tough match.”
Reed wins in Dubai Desert Classic
the associated Press
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates Patrick Reed kept everyone at bay and closed with an even-par 72 on Sunday for a four-shot victory in the Dubai Desert Classic, his first European tour title that moves him back into the top 30 in the world for the first time since he joined LIV Golf.
Reed also made enough money from the Rolex Series event that it should cover his European tour fines for playing in the Saudibacked rival league, assuming he can sort out a new LIV contract.
“Win early and that will take care of it,” Reed jokingly said Saturday on the topic of European tour fines that LIV Golf no longer pays on the players’ behalf. Reed revealed he is still negotiating a new contract to play on LIV, which starts on Feb. 4 in Saudi Arabia. The 35-year-old American, who is playing the European tour next week in Bahrain, said he fully expects to be with LIV and a contract may already have been
sorted out. His focus was only on golf this week, and he took care of business.
Any drama at Emirates Golf Club didn’t last long.
Reed seized control with middle rounds of 66 and 67 to build a fourshot lead over David Puig of Spain going into the last day. Reed said he found himself getting too conservative no birdies, one bogey over the front nine — and the lead was cut in half when the Spaniard made birdie on Nos. 8 and 9.
“Instead of just keeping the foot on the gas early, I tried to protect that lead,” Reed said.
He said his caddie told him it was a dogfight and Reed responded. The lead remained at two shots after Reed and Puig each started birdie-bogey on the back nine, and then it turned quickly — a birdie for Reed on the par-5 13th and a bogey for Puig.
The lead was back to four and Reed coasted from there, finishing on 14-under 274 for his 12th title worldwide nine on the PGA Tour, one each on the European
tour, Asian Tour and LIV Reed has won two World Golf Championships and the Masters that count toward his European tour tally
Puig, meanwhile, tumbled to a tie for seventh when he was penalized two shots when it was determined he grounded his club in a bunker on the 18th. He closed with a 75, the penalty costing him about 15 spots in the world ranking. Andy Sullivan of England had a 71 to finish alone in second, with Julien Guerrier of France (69) another shot behind.
Rory McIlroy was never in the mix from his opening 73. He finished with another 73 to tie for 33rd his first time to finish out of the top 30 since he missed the cut in the Canadian Open last June.
The victory was worth more than just $1.5 million (E1.3 million) to Reed His move into the world ranking all but assures he will remain high enough to be exempt for all four majors this year
“It’s always nice to lock up the majors,” said Reed who was not at the U.S. Open or British Open
PGA Champions POY Cink opens 2026 with victory KA’UPULEHU-KONA, Hawaii Stewart Cink won the PGA Tour Champions’ season-opening Mitsubishi Electric Championship on Saturday, closing with an 8-under 63 for a three-stroke victory
The 52-year-old Cink finished at 23-under 193 at Hualalai. He won his second straight event after closing last season with a victory in Phoenix in the Charles Schwab Cup Championship. He has five senior titles.
Ángel Cabrera was second after a 66. Retief Goosen shot a 64 to finish third at 18 under and Ernie Els (67), Thomas Bjorn (66) and Freddie Jacobson (70) were 17 under Sixty-six-year-old Fred Couples was 15 under after a 70. The win is Cink’s fifth in 37 starts on PGA Tour Champions and his first in this event.
Ramírez, Guardians agree to 7-year, $175M deal
All-star third baseman and American League MVP finalist José Ramírez has agreed to a seven-year, $175 million deal to remain with the Cleveland Guardians, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press on Saturday
The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the deal was pending a physical and had not been announced. The 33-year-old native of the Dominican Republic has played his entire 13-year, big league career in Cleveland He was signed through the 2028 season. He had three years and $69 million remaining on the contract he signed in 2022, but will now average $25 million over the next seven years.
Injured defender Foyth set to miss World Cup
MADRID — Argentina defender
Juan Foyth has ruptured his left Achilles tendon while playing for Villarreal in the Spanish league and is set to miss the World Cup. Foyth was injured in the 23rd minute of Villarreal’s 2-0 loss to Real Madrid on Saturday Villarreal said Sunday that tests confirmed the injury
The club said it will “provide further information in due course regarding the surgical procedure he will have to undergo.”
Recovery time for such injuries can be up to a year, meaning the 28-year-old central defender likely won’t be able to play in the World Cup that begins in June.
Foyth has had long-term knee and shoulder injuries in the past. He recently had his contract with Villarreal extended until 2029.
James wows crowd, wins fifth straight Winter X title
Snowboarder Scotty James parlayed a never-before-landed trick combination into his fifth straight X Games title on the halfpipe on Saturday and tied Shaun White with eight overall gold medals at the biggest event this side of the Olympics
In the final major contest before next month’s Milan Cortina Games, the 31-year-old Australian capped off his winning run with two straight backside 1440-degree jumps. That’s two tricks spinning with his back facing down the hill to start, one while riding forward, the other riding backward — or “switch.” They are among the toughest on the halfpipe.
James is looking like the favorite heading into the Milan Cortina Olympics. James has Olympic silver and bronze medals.
last year “Any time you go ahead and get a win, it’s special. To sit there and have as little amount of events that I’ve played to be in the top 30 is something that shows that my golf game is still where I want it to be.”
Reed has been banned from the PGA Tour since joining LIV in 2022. The U.S. tour recently offered a pathway back to LIV players provided they won a major or The Players Championship since 2022. Reed won the Masters in 2018 and would not be eligible.
He is an honorary lifetime member of the European tour with his Masters title, and he can stake his claim as perhaps the most global player in golf, willing to travel without the guarantee of big appearance money But he faces fines when he plays LIV events held the same week as European tour events.
“I’d rather just tee it up and play,” Reed said Saturday “And if it costs me this (or) that, whatever, I’ll go play.”
Skippylongstocking rallies to win Pegasus World Cup HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. White Abarrio’s bid to become the first back-toback winner of the $3 million Pegasus World Cup was thwarted Trainer Saffie Joseph’s bid was not. And finally, jockey Tyler Gaffalione is a Pegasus winner, too. Skippylongstocking is finally the winner of Gulfstream Park’s richest race, rallying in the stretch to beat White Abarrio in the Grade 1 Pegasus on Saturday Skippylongstocking had been in the Pegasus three other times, finishing seventh in 2023, not finishing
aSSoCIateD PreSS Photo By DIta aLaNGKara
aryna Sabalenka of Belarus plays a forehand return to Victoria Mboko of Canada during their fourth-round match on Sunday at the australian open in Melbourne, australia. Sabalenka advanced to the quarterfinals.
WINTER OLYMPICS
For NHL stars, competing in Cortina Games is ‘cherry on top’
BY STEPHEN WHYNO aP hockey writer
Jack Eichel in the fall of 2021 still did not believe he and the rest of the world’s best hockey players would be going to the Olympics in Beijing a few months later, even after the NHL reached an agreement to do so.
“Don’t hold your breath,” Eichel said at the time. His skepticism proved to be prescient, as pandemic scheduling issues led the league to withdraw Eichel is part of a generation of NHL stars who have never gotten the chance to play in the Olympics Unlike players of the past before the league allowed its stars to take part — Eichel, fellow American Auston Matthews, Canadians Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon and many others of their vintage grew up expecting to go to the Games. The NHL, after all, played in five consecutive Olympics from 1998 2014
Owners opted against sending players in 2018, and missing out in 2022becameasadresultofcircumstances largely out of stakeholders’ control. The 12-team tournament in Milan is a moment many have been waiting their entire careers for “It’s awesome,” Eichel said before this season, perhaps willing to exhale. “It’s something that we’ve wanted for a while.” Delays bring more questions Not so fast, Jack.
Outofhiscontrolareconstruction delays at the main hockey arena, a longstanding worry NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman began raising concerns all the way back in 2023, beforethedealwasreachedtosend players in 2026 and ‘30 “We have been given assurances that the building will be ready,” Bettman said in February 2024. “We’re relying on those assurances. There’s a lot of construction that remains to be done on that building. I think they only recently started. But we’re being told by everybody not to worry But I like to worry, so we’ll see.”
Those worries have persisted, and work continues on locker rooms and other facilities at Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena, which is set to host the majority of the
men’s games beginning Feb. 11.
The women’s tournament begins there Feb. 5.
Test games in January left league and players’ union officials pleased about the condition of the ice, though even that has been a matter of consternation after rinks were made more than 3 feet shorter than NHL players are used to That will change aspects of play but won’t keep the NHL out of the Olympics as long as everyone involved agrees the surface is safe.
What players missed out on Connor Bedard, the 2023 No. 1 pick who just missed out on making Canada’s roster for Milan, is so young at 20 that he does not even have a favorite Olympic memory He was 4 when idol and fellow countryman Sidney Crosby scored the “golden goal” to win on home ice in Vancouver in 2010 and 9 when T.J. Oshie gave the U.S. a shootout victory over host Russia in Sochi in 2014.
Canada’s Macklin Celebrini, drafted first in 2024 and at 19 the second-youngest men’s hockey player at the Olympics, has only gotten to dream about the possibility of representing his country on this stage.
“That’s the pinnacle, just the best onbest,allthespecialmomentsthat havehappenedattheOlympics,the history,” Celebrini said. “There’s just a little bit more energy around it. It’s bigger than yourself.”
In all, 12 NHL players are back at the Olympics after participating in the 2014 Games, the last time the league went and it was a true best-vs.-best tournament.
The group includes Crosby and Drew Doughty for Canada; Gabriel Landeskog, Erik Karlsson and Oliver Ekman-Larsson for Sweden; Mikael Granlund and Olli Maatta for Finland; Radko Gudas and Ondrej Palat for Czechia. There are no Americans on that list.
“It’s a cherry on top of athletic life,” Gudas said. “Twelve years ago when we went to Sochi was such a great experience that I wish I can do that again. I was that much more sad that we couldn’t go the last two times, so for me I think it’s a great feeling to be able to do that.”
A league of her own
Kim’s journey to a third olympic gold is facing unexpected challenges
BY EDDIE PELLS aP national writer
COPPER MOUNTAIN, Colo. — Chloe Kim’s third run to the Olympics started with the usual questions: How will she handle the pressure? Can she enjoy the journey? How does being famous elevate or diminish the experience? And, of course, will she win her third straight gold medal?
Now, comes one that nobody saw coming: Will America’s best snowboarder, one of the major attractions of next month’s Milan Cortina Games, even make it to the halfpipe? If she does, will she be anywhere near 100%?
A shoulder injury during training has turned the buildup to the Olympics into a scramble for the 25-year-old Kim, whose catalog of tricks outclasses everything else in this high-risk, high-reward sport
“Obviously, I’m really disappointed that I can’t snowboard until right before the Olympics, which is going to be hard,” Kim said in a recent update on Jan. 13, four weeks before the start of the women’s halfpipe contest “I haven’t gotten nearly the amount of reps that I would have liked, but that’s OK.”
The question of Kim’s health will hover over the one of the marquee contests of the Olymipcs and over the result itself.
If she wins, it will mark another stunning accomplishment for the California kid who took over the halfpipe 10 years ago — a smiling 15-year old who loved the mall, her dog Reese and the first day of any month because that’s when her mom paid out her allowance.
If she doesn’t — and someone like Gaon Choi of Korea or Sena Tomita of Japan wins well, that might be chalked up to the best snowboarder not being at full strength.
“To some level, I think (the shoulder) is something that will be in her mind if she does decide to com-
pete,” said Shaun White, the threetime gold medalist who dealt with big injuries in the lead-up to his last two Games. “But, also, she’s in a league of her own trick-wise.”
The gold standard
For everything she has accomplished — the record eight Winter X Games golds, the three world championship titles and the tricks she does that nobody else even attempts the Olympic gold medal is the benchmark in this sport. For Kim, gearing up to take her game up another notch every four years makes the mental gymnastics almost as difficult as the physical ones.
It’s a reality that a few years ago forced her to restart her search for joy in a sport that, over time, has turned into something different than fun and games.
“When you have the level of fame that she has reached, it gets to be a lot more like a job,” said her longtime coach, Rick Bower “Some of that love you had when you were younger gets lost a little bit. One of the biggest things she’s worked on over the last few years is just finding that spark of why she actually does this.”
Scattered among her dozens of social-media posts that show her peddling products, heading to the gym, talking about her driving acumen and making matcha was a revealing take on why she keeps going out there.
“I feel like I love the adrenaline and the pressure I feel when I am snowboarding,” she said. “I find it very rewarding, too. There’s nothing that can compete with the feeling of accomplishing something you once thought was impossible, and pushing yourself and being able to see the result of all your hard work.”
Her career is full of those moments.
Last January, Kim became the first woman to land a double-cork 1080 in a competition (that’s two head-over-heels flips while spinning 360 degrees).
She is approaching the 10th anniversary of the date when she became the first woman to do backto-back 1080s, three spins in one jump above the pipe.
In 2024, during a victory lap at the Winter X Games, she added a half spin to her 1080 and became the first woman to pull off a 1260. She had tried, and failed, to pull off a 1260 at the 2022 Olympics in China. In a world that only Kim and a few others can understand, that had no impact on her winning the gold medal she did that easily with her second-best run — but made all the difference in how she viewed the day
“It’s unfair to be expected to be perfect,” she said that day, “and I’m not perfect in every way.”
More than the gold medal, Kim said, she found her joy in the quest for progression, the favorite word of any great snowboarder Nobody has progressed women’s snowboarding more than she has over the past decade.
“You’re going to see someone designing a whole new run that’s never been done before,” said Kelly Clark, the 2002 Olympic gold medalist who befriended Kim when she was starting out. “There’s a creativity and individual expression that makes it so cool.” Mental and physical risks
Creativity and progression come with risks. The best, after all, are supposed to win. By not playing it safe, Kim puts that in jeopardy Clark, who has Olympic gold and two bronze, is among the rare few who can relate to what the current Olympic champion is feeling.
“I didn’t find it very sustainable when you did things for external purposes,” she said. “If you did things just because it was an Olympic year, I usually found that involved a lot more pressure.”
If these musings sound familiar about Kim struggling with fame, struggling to rekindle her love of snowboarding, struggling with it all — they are. In 2018, about a month after winning her first gold, she conceded fame was different from what she imagined. It included everything from paparazzi following her to fans watching her eat in restaurants to an ugly spate of anti-Asian trolling that has been a steady, disturbing through-line over the career of a California native whose parents are Korean.
Figure skating became a comfort zone for LGBTQ+ community
BY DAVE SKRETTA aP sportswriter
The moment Amber Glenn stepped onto the ice at figure skating’s world championships, fans began to wave American flags, from the lowest rows inside TD Garden to the highest rafters, where the jerseys of Boston’s sporting greats hang in honor It seemed a fitting backdrop to her program: Glenn is the three-time reigning U.S. champion, one of the current faces of figure skating, and as the daughter of a police officer and a proud native Texan, patriotism flows through her as thick as oil. Yet the stars-and-stripes weren’t the only flags flying high that night Scattered throughout the sellout crowd at the last worlds before the Milan Cortina Olympics were the equally conspicuous rainbow flags
that for nearly 50 years have signified pride within the LGBTQ+ community They started popping up at Glenn’s competitions a year earlier when she carried one across her shoulders in celebration of her national championship.
“I saw them,” Glenn acknowledged later, long after her performance, “and I was proud to see both of those flags flying.” Glenn, who identifies as pansexual, never sought to be an icon within the queer community In fact, she didn’t come to grips with her own sexuality until she had been through the wringer, including a stint in a mental health facility spent working through depression, anxiety and an eating disorder Glenn didn’t come out publicly until letting it slip during an interview a half-dozen years ago, and then thought with horror,
“I haven’t even told my Catholic grandma yet!”
Yet as the 26-year-old Glenn reflected on her journey in an interview with The Associated Press, she expressed a profound sense of gratitude for having experienced it within the tight-knit figure skating world For decades, the sport has provided a progressive sort of safe space for those within the LGTBQ+ community, some of whom still may be trying to realize their authentic selves.
The long and winding road
It hasn’t always been that way in figureskating,asportwheresuccess and failure is quite literally a judgment call, and looks, attitude and mannerisms all matter in the scores. Throughout the 1900s, and even into the ‘80s and ’90s, women often were encouraged to be more effeminate,
and male counterparts were told to embrace their masculinity It wasn’t until Rudy Galindo came out in a book released shortly before he was crowned U.S. champion in 1996 that walls began to crumble. Three-time U.S. champion Johnny Weir, now a lead analyst for NBC’s coverage of the Olympics, said later that Galindo gave him the confidence to come out in 2011, and ultimately embrace who he was both on the ice and off. Eventually, other prominent skaters came forward, some of whom had never publicly acknowledged their sexuality Each had their reasons, whether personal, political or simply the desire to give back to the community
As the U.S team was preparing for the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, former Olympic champion Brian Boitano was picked to be a part of
the delegation At the time, the Russian government was under fire for an anti-gay “propaganda” law passed in June 2013, and Boitano told the AP that he never considered coming out until he was chosen to represent his country again. Success on big stages
While LGBTQ+ athletes compete in just about every sport, what might set figure skating apart at least, presently has been their success on the biggest stages, whether they be international competitions, the world championships or even the Olympics.
In 2018, former U.S. champion
Adam Rippon not only became the first openly gay man to make the Olympic team but the first to capture a medal at the Winter Games, earning bronze as part of the team event.
aP FILe Photo By ChrIStINNe MUSChI
United States’ Jack eichel skates in to celebrate the empty net goal over Canada by teammate Jake Guentzel during the third period of a 4 Nations Face-off game on Feb 15 in Montreal.
aSSoCIateD PreSS Photo By GreGory BULL
Chloe Kim jumps during the women’s halfpipe finals on Feb 13, 2018, at the 2018 Winter olympics in Pyeongchang South Korea.
aSSoCIateD PreSS Photo By ChrISWatKINS
Auburn coachPearl gets signaturewin
BY MARK LONG aP sportswriter
GAINESVILLE,Fla. Steven Pearl’s signature win came at an unlikely venue and against one of hisclosest friends.
Pearl and Auburn stunned No. 16 Florida 76-67 on Saturday to notch the program’sfirst victoryin Gainesville since 1996.Pearlhad lost all four trips to the O’Connell Centersince joining hisfather’s staff in 2017, and Bruce Pearl was winless in six visits over 11 seasons on the Plains.
“If you look back at Auburn basketball history,that mightbethe best road win we’ve ever had as a program,” said Steven Pearl, who beat longtime buddy Todd Golden to get it done.
It surely will resonate with the NCAA Tournament selection committee in March. The Tigers ended a15-game skid in the series, snapped Florida’s16-game home winning streak, took ahuge step forward in their rebuild and provided ablueprint on how tohandle the defending national champions.
Auburn packed the paint, forcing the Gators to settle for jump shots and preventing them getting offensive rebounds. It helped that 6-foot-7 forward Keyshawn Hall, atransfer from UCF,was close to unstoppable in thefirst half. He scored 22 points in the first 20 minutes thanks mostly to three 3-pointers and five free throws.
“When he makes acouple shots, the basket just gets really big for
LSU
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We couldn’t make up that21-point difference behind the 3-point line.” After makingseven or more 3-pointers in five SEC games, the Tigers finished 3of15compared to Arkansas’ 10 of 22. What madethe perimeter shooting insurmountable was the brilliance of Razorbacks star freshman DariusAcuff.
The 6-foot-3 projected NBA draft pick had acareer-high 31 points and six assists. He had 24 points on 10-of-11 shooting in the second half alone for Arkansas (15-5, 5-2) The disappointment does have a silver lining: Thomas. McMahon was pleased with how the lead guard performed in his return to the starting lineup in the second game backfrom the lower leginjuryhesuffered on Jan. 2. LSU’sbestplayerhad 18 points on 7-of-20 shooting, five assists, four rebounds and three turnovers in 31 minutes. The threeself-created scores he had with under four minutes were what LSUlackedin other close losses. Thiswas progress from his two points on 1-of-8 shooting and three assists in 17 minutes against No.16Florida on Tuesday
him,”Pearl said. “Hekind of carriedour offense and gave us the confidence we needed to obviously hang in there.”
Hall andAuburn built a15-point lead at halftime thatthe Tigers stretched to 18 early in the second half. It providedenough cushion that theywereablewithstand Florida’ssecond-half rally.The Gators tied the game twice in thesecond half, but Auburn tightened up on the defensiveend andpulled away down the stretch Florida missed11consecutive shots —most of them contested aftertying thegameat56with 8:09 to play.
“Ourguys just responded and didagreat job of taking that team’s punch,”Pearl said.“Threeweeks ago, our team would have folded andlet all that pressure get to us.”
The Tigers (13-7, 4-3 Southeastern Conference) have won three in arow and four of five. Seven losses might look bad on paper, but fourofthemcameinnonconference play against top-10 teams Houston,Michigan, Arizona and Purdue, and the other threecame against teams in thetop half of the SECstandings.
Still, Auburntraveled to Gainesville as an 11 1/2-pointunderdog, according to BetMGM Sportsbook.
TheTigers left having opened eyes by holdinga thirdconsecutive opponent under 70points
“In my opinion, it’sbeen the effort on defense,” said forward KeyShawn Murphy,who finished with 16 points, ninerebounds, two
blocksand two steals. “Like our coaches say,nothing we do works without it. Lately we’vebeenputting more effort intoeverything we do, showing up in practice, just thesmall details.”
Pearlinherited aretooled roster from his retiring father in late September. Auburnhad to replaceall five starters from last year’steam, including SEC playerofthe year JohniBroome, that lost toFlorida in the regular season and in the Final Four.
But the NCAA transferportal offered theTigers the ability for aquick rebuild. Hall led theBig 12 in scoring last season, and Murphy camefrom Mississippi State with years of SEC experience. Throw in returning guard Tahaad Pettiford, former Texas Tech forward Kevin Overtonand Division II transfer ElyjahFreeman, andPearl had thepieces.
Getting them to play together has been partofthe process, one that appears to be finally coming together
“It just speaks toour growth as ateam, ourgrowthasastaff and our kids’ willingness to stick together and really lock intothe details and the things thatwe’ve been harping on every single day in practice,” Pearl said. “We’ve just continuously gotten better as agroup. Forus, it’s aboutwhat we do from here If we letthis thingaffect us in away that can distract us from the next one, thenitreally doesn’tmean anything.”
LSUforwardMikeNwoko,left, and arkansas guard
Knox,right, fight for arebound during the second half of agameSaturday in Fayetteville, ark
“Overall, you know,pleased with our energy, our effort, our competitive spirit.Wegot to getbetter, and wegot to be prepared to win on Wednesday, when we comeback home to play Mississippi State.”
UConnbeats Seton Hall for43rdstraight winoverthe Pirates
BY EVERETT MERRILL associated Press
SOUTHORANGE,N.J.— Sarah Strong scored 17 points, reserve Blanca Quinonez added16pointsand Azzi Fudd broke out of abrief shooting slumpwith 14 points as No. 1UConn beat Seton Hall9252 on Saturday UConn ran its winning streak againstSeton Hall to 43 games. The Pirates last beat the Huskies January 5, 1994.
Quinonez was 7for 9from the field and had five rebounds and four assists forUConn (21-0, 11-0 Big East). Allie Ziebell scored 11 points forthe Huskies, whoreceived 45 bench points.
Mariana Valenzuelaled Seton Hall (14-6, 8-3 Big East) with 18 points and eight rebounds.Savannah Catalon added 11 points for the Pirates, whohad theirfour-game win streak halted Fudd, whoshot 5for 23 from
3-point distanceinUConn’s three previous games, started the game 4for 4from the field. She didn’tmiss her first shot until there was 5:54 left in the first half.She was3of4from beyond the arc.
Huskiescoach Geno Auriemma restedFudd andStrong in the fourth quarter with UConn ahead 73-41.
The Huskies’ pressure forced 27 turnoversleadingto37points. UConn recorded 25 assists, markingthe 20th straight game with at least 20 assists.
The Pirates’ last lead was 15-13 with4:55left in the first quarter after aValenzuela 3-pointer
The Huskies closed the first half on a13-4 run and led 50-28 at the half. UConn shot 61% (20 of 33) from the field in the opening quarters.
The gamewas moved to Saturday from Sunday due to the forecast of awinter storm expected to hit the Northeast.
FULWILEY
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Against Kentucky on Jan. 1, Fulwileymissedfive of the six shots shetook and needlessly put herself intofoultrouble Then —when she started for the firstand only time this season against Vanderbilt three days later— shetallied 13 points, seven rebounds and six assists.But she also turnedthe ball over fivetimesand missed akey defensive assignment late in the fourth quarter,giving up an open 3-pointer that the Commodores usedtoretake the lead LSU droppedthose games primarily because it grabbed too few rebounds and committed toomanyturnovers.Fulwiley though, hada hand in the losing efforts. She chippedinonly 15 points on 7-of-19 shooting across thetwo contests Now,Fulwiley’scontributing about that much offense, on average, every night. In LSU’s last fourgames, she scored 15.8 ppg on 44% shooting. She also averaged 3.3 steals and broke out of a3-point shooting slump. Fulwiley missed all 11 longrange shots she took in the eight contests the Tigers played from Dec. 16 to Jan. 18. Then, on Thursday,she drained three of those looks just in the first quarter of a44-point win over
theAggies—a matchup that turnedinLSU’sfavor themoment she checked in.
“She’sgonna always give you aspark,” Mulkey said. “God blessed herwithunbelievable speed and quickness, and if you’re gonna be on the floor with her, youbetter be ready to get up and go.”
That trait —Fulwiley’saffinityfor attacking in transition —iswhat makes her such agame-breaking force. Anda natural fit forLSU’s preferred play style. Mulkey cuts her ballhandlers loose, letting them push thepace, butshe holds them to ahigh standard as well. They have to minimize their turnovers, take smart shots, play sound defense and avoid silly fouls—toname afew key responsibilities. Fulwiley didn’tcheck enough of those boxes against Kentucky and Vanderbilt. She hasn’tbeen perfect, as she said Thursday Butshe thinks she’smade strides since then. They’ve just happened to coincide with LSU’s four-gamewinning streak.
“I see my growth in areas that don’tshow up on the stat sheet,” Fulwiley said, “so I’m just proud of myself and how far Icame and how Ijust continue to try to get better each and every day.”
Email Reed Darcey at reed. darcey@theadvocate.com. For more LSUsports updates, signupfor ournewsletter at theadvocate.com/lsunewsletter
“My number one takeaway from Tuesday was he was abletoget to his spots on the court,” McMahon said. “He was moving pretty well. Ithought he was even better today Had his first two practices in three weeks, and Ithought he looked a lot more comfortable. He’ll shoot a better percentage moving forward. Some of the timing on acouple of those lobs wasn’tthere like it had been, but Ithink his recovery has been phenomenal, and agreat credit to hishard work and our medicalteam.” Ahealthy Thomas means LSU is complete, not including redshirt juniorJalen Reed, who hada second straight season-ending injury in the sixth game of the season.
Matt McMahoN, LSU coach
Before McMahon’steam can wonder how Selection Sunday will panout, LSU’s immediate goal is to rackupwins with Thomas back,
starting with Mississippi State at 6p.m. Wednesdayatthe Pete MaravichAssemblyCenter “Overall, you know,pleased with our energy,our effort,our competitive spirit,” McMahonsaid. “Wegot to getbetter,and we gotto be prepared to win on Wednesday, when we comeback home to play Mississippi State.”
aSSoCIateD PreSS Photo By MIChaeL WooDS
Karter
auburncoach StevenPearl watches from the sideline during the second half of agameagainst Floridaon SaturdayinGainesville, Fla.
PhotoByNoahK.MUrray
UConn guard allie Ziebell shoots against Seton hallforward Savanna Jones during the first halfofagame on Saturday in South orange, N.J.
Patriots punch ticket to Super Bowl LX
Maye lifts New england past Denver in snowy aFC title game
the associated Press
DENVER Drake Maye ran for 68 yards and threw for 86 in sloppy, snowy conditions and scored New England’s only touchdown on a 6-yard keeper, propelling the Patriots to their 12th Super Bowl with a 10-7 win over the Denver Broncos on Sunday Christian Gonzalez intercepted Jarrett Stidham, starting in place of an injured Bo Nix, at New England’s 36 with 2:11 remaining and the Patriots (17-3) iced their first playoff win in Denver when Maye ran for 7 yards on third-and-5 from his 41.
The Broncos (15-4) finished one step shy of fulfilling former Saints coach Sean Payton’s preseason prediction of a trip to Su-
per Bowl LX.
Both kickers missed two field goals in the frigid conditions, with Denver’s Wil Lutz and New England’s Andy Borregales wide on long tries just before the snow came in at halftime.
The Patriots now have a chance to win their seventh Super Bowl in franchise history, which would surpass the Pittsburgh Steelers for most in the NFL. It’s the 10th appearance for New England in the Super Bowl in the last 25 years — and first berth since the end of the Belichick-Brady dynasty
What started as a sunny, cold morning gave way to overcast skies and windier conditions. A swirling wintry mix that began at halftime and grew stronger throughout the third quarter clouded conditions. Visibility was minimal throughout the second half and both special teams units, particularly both placekickers, suffered.
McCarthy will offer more of the same for Steelers, and that’s disappointing
BY PAUL ZEISE Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (tNS)
PITTSBURGH Mike McCarthy is a really good football coach, and we have established that already He is also a Pittsburgh guy grew up in Greenfield and went to Bishop Boyle, coached at Pitt. We have all heard and read the story over and over, so I don’t need to continue down that path.
I like McCarthy’s resume, which includes a Super Bowl title, 11 playoff wins, eight division titles and four appearances in the NFC championship game. He was impressive getting the dysfunctional Dallas Cowboys to three consecutive 12-win seasons. The man can coach, which is why all of the immediate reaction and backlash from Steelers fans is silly because it is all based on expectations. They all convinced themselves they were getting a young, energetic whiz kid, and instead they ended up with a twice-fired retread who is 62.
McCarthy will work fine, I am sure, and the Steelers will continue down the path of winning seasons and competing for the playoffs He will get them to the nine- or 10-win mark more often than not, and they will play meaningful games in December and early January
The thing I don’t understand is why the Steelers went this route, other than Art Rooney II is more interested in playing it safe than making an inspired hire that might have upside.
Mike McCarthy’s resume reads like this: 18 seasons, 174-112-2, 12 playoff seasons, eight division titles and one Super Bowl.
You know who that resume is almost identical to?
Mike Tomlin. And it is actually uncanny — 19 seasons 193-114-2, 13 play-
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Sanker and cornerback Quincy Riley, received grades of 62.4 and 61.1, respectively Defensive tackle Bryan Bresee was the lowest-graded defensive player at 52.9. Veteran defensive tackles Davon Godchaux and Jonah Williams were also ranked near the bottom of the roster with grades of 50.5 and 41.6, respectively although neither played more than half of the unit’s snaps. On offense, Olave’s grade of 78.0 led the Saints and ranked 20th among NFL receivers that played 50% of their team’s snaps. Olave enjoyed the best season of his four-year NFL career, leading the Saints with 100 catches for 1,163 yards and nine touchdowns Rookie quarterback Tyler Shough was the second-highest-graded player at 74.6. His grade ranked 15th among quarterbacks with 50% of their team’s snaps but was best among rookie quarterbacks. Jaxson Dart of the New York Giants (68.4) and Cam Ward of the Tennessee Titans (58.5) were next Shough’s 2025 draft classmate, left tackle Kelvin Banks, had a grade of 73.3, making him the only other Saints offensive player to play half or more of the team’s 1,075 snaps and record a grade of 70.0 or higher
COMMENTARY
off seasons, eight division titles and one Super Bowl In other words, they replaced Tomlin with basically the same coach who just left, and that tells me they aren’t interested in getting back to the next level of championship football.
Rooney played it safe. He opted for the coach who has a track record of some success because he wants to keep this string of “nonlosing seasons” intact and knows that is what he has in McCarthy This should have been a place where the Steelers were able to do a total reset of the organization. Instead it is going to be more of the same. The reason Tomlin was kept around was because he kept the Steelers at a level of “just good enough,” and that’s the new standard, apparently
I don’t know if any of those young guys would have worked out better but I will say that there is an upside with those hires that doesn’t exist with McCarthy McCarthy will keep the Steelers in a pro-style offense and despite being an offensive-minded coach
— will allow the team to continue to be led by the defense because he is old school. He will run a good offense. He is a good developer of quarterbacks And the Steelers will be structured, organized and schematically sound. There is actually a good chance he will convince Aaron Rodgers to dust himself off and squeeze one more season out of his aging body, too. That would be ridiculous because, again, the goal should be to move forward, and all that would do is push the actual rebuild and reset one more season down the road. But is there anybody out there who thinks McCarthy has a ceiling higher than where Tomlin had the
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against the tennessee titans on Dec. 28 in Nashville,
this season. Banks led the offense with 1,066 snaps played. Devaughn Vele (72.7) and Spencer Rattler (70.0) had starter-level grades while falling just short of the 50% snap minimum. Running backs Audric Estime and Kendre Miller had grades of 75.8 and 74.0 but played just 181 and 113 snaps, respectively Guard Dillon Radunz was the lowest-graded offensive player at 48.5. Alvin Kamara and Cesar Ruiz were next at 51.7 and 55.1, respectively Overall, the Saints offense ranked 27th in the league with a grade of 67.8. The Los Angeles Rams offense graded the highest at 96.1 while the Cleveland Browns were the lowest at 55.6.
Steelers the last decade? Is there anybody who thinks McCarthy will become the first coach in NFL history to win a Super Bowl for two different franchises?
I am not saying Chris Shula and Co. would definitely get the Steelers to the Super Bowl, but they are untested, young and hungry, and that is the profile of the coach the Steelers have hired in the past
A guy like Shula is high-risk but also potentially high-reward, and the Steelers should be bold, reaching for the sky They should be taking that risk on a Shula-like coach to see if they can strike gold in a coaching hire for the fourth time in a row
What they said in hiring McCarthy is that the status quo is now good enough. It is now acceptable to play it safe and make sure you can win just enough to convince yourself that you are close to being a contender every year
That is probably the difference between Dan Rooney and Art Rooney II, as the former is one of the best football executives in the NFL because he was willing to take risks and be cutting edge in his thinking.
He hired Tomlin when nobody outside of Tomlin’s family and maybe a few Vikings fans knew who the heck he was. He took a chance and it paid off with two Super Bowl trips in four years and 19 seasons of winning football.
It was clear, though, the last few years it became stale under Tomlin and it was time for a change. The team had reached its ceiling and wasn’t ever going to take the next step no matter how many chances they gave Tomlin to get it right.
Now, instead of hitting the reset button and really making a change, Rooney opted for more of the same barely above .500 seasons, oldschool football philosophy and lack of advancing in the playoffs.
RABALAIS
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to ask Indiana’s Curt Cignetti, who judiciously used the portal to build a national champion led by Heisman Trophy-winning transfer quarterback Fernando Mendoza. Whether or not something similar to what Indiana did this past season will be accomplished at LSU this coming season is, of course, an unanswerable riddle. What is knowable is that it can be done. Exhibit A: Indiana. Exhibit B: Kiffin’s old Ole Miss team. The Rebels rode their own star transfer quarterback, Mr.-straight-out-of-themiddle-of-nowhere Trinidad Chambliss, and came within a breath of beating Miami in the Fiesta Bowl to earn the right to play the Hoosiers for the College Football Playoff championship.
While LSU’s 2025 transfer portal class was stocked with a lot of talent — players like Moore, unanimous All-American cornerback Mansoor Delane and wide receiver Barion Brown — in hindsight, there were holes. LSU’s offensive line, Moore aside, was woeful Well, the Tigers have signed nine linemen out of the portal,
Rose has number retired with Bulls
BY ANDREW SELIGMAN aP sportswriter
CHICAGO Derrick Rose figured he would experience all sorts of emotions when he saw his banner hang from the rafters. They started flowing long before the moment arrived.
The Chicago Bulls retired his No. 1 following their win over the Boston Celtics on Saturday night. And the kid who went from growing up in a rough South Side neighborhood to starring for his hometown team was ready for the moment.
“I had someone or a journalist ask me, ‘Man, did you cry?’ I told him I cry every day,” Rose said.
“And he asked about what. Being joyful, knowing where I grew up, knowing my coming back here, my being practical with knowing the economy with me being there, and the neighborhoods. And you just know
“That’s one of the reasons why I came back, is to curate things and to employ people.” Rose joined Michael Jordan (23), Scottie Pippen (33), Jerry
led by the most recent acquisition, Colorado’s Jordan Seaton, seemingly a plug-and-play starter at left tackle. LSU needed quarterbacks — plural — because the room emptied out of scholarship signal callers after the Texas Bowl. Kiffin not only signed Arizona State’s Sam Leavitt, the No. 1 or 2-rated QB in this year’s portal cycle, but also former five-star Husan Longstreet of USC (On3.com’s No. 7 transfer quarterback) and Landen Clark of Elon.
Retaining Blake Baker as defensive coordinator was another Kiffin coup, but Baker’s defense was not very good at generating a pass rush without blitzing. So Kiffin got him edge rusher Princewill Umanmielen from Ole Miss — a consensus top-five portal prospect along with Leavitt and Seaton and former five-star edge rusher Jordan Ross of Tennessee.
In all, LSU signed nine players from the On3.com top 100 list of portal prospects. With LSU baseball season rapidly approaching, it is appropriate to say that Kiffin and his staff have covered every base.
The issues facing LSU now change, from literally not having enough players in meeting rooms, like quarterback and offensive line, to making this
Sloan (4) and Bob Love (10) as the only players whose numbers have been retired by the team. He shed tears during emotional speeches by former teammates Taj Gibson, Luol Deng and Joakim Noah and by coach Tom Thibodeau. He got choked up when he addressed his mother and older brothers as well as his wife, two sons and daughter There were hugs and smiles, too, when the banner was unveiled. Rose had already gotten a glimpse at it. On Friday, the Bulls posted video on social media of him seeing it for the first time. Rose said seeing the banner was “unreal.” But it hadn’t really sunk in.
“All this, the moment, I’m still trying to take in, I’m still trying to process in real time,” he said. “And yeah, and just feeling grateful, you know what I mean? Like knowing the weather conditions out there, knowing that it’s a Chicago thing to even show up here, to fight through that and still go to an event. It’s huge, so it’s something that I’m grateful for.”
team a team. By the subjective standards of recruiting sites and services, Kiffin has pooled a superb collection of talent. Championship conversationworthy. Certainly, CFP berthworthy But collections of talent don’t win titles. Teams win. Something Indiana also proved. Between transfers and high school players, there will be at least 56 newcomers on LSU’s roster that come running out beneath Tiger Stadium’s north goalposts Sept. 5 to face Clemson. That’s a lot of guys to get on the same page. To build chemistry with. To foster trust in each other Oh, and is that a raised hand in the back of the room? No, it’s Leavitt’s right foot. The one that required season-ending Lisfranc surgery The one that will almost certainly keep him out of spring practice. LSU’s depth is still not deep at a lot of positions, and health will go a long way to determining how much the Tigers win in 2026. All that said, the prospects are tantalizing for LSU, without question. The Wright Brothers, aka Kiffin and Krewe, have assembled the pieces of one sleeklooking airplane.
Just how far can it fly?
Email Scott Rabalais at srabalais@theadvocate.com
FILe Photo By GeorGe WaLKer IV Saints wide receiver Chris olave catches a touchdown pass in a game
tenn.
aSSoCIateD PreSS Photo By Matt MartoN Former Chicago Bulls player Derrick rose, left, fist bumps fans before a game against the Boston Celtics on Saturday in Chicago. rose’s jersey was retired after the Bulls’ win Saturday.
aSSoCIateD PreSS Photo By DaVID ZaLUBoWSKI
New england Patriots quarterback Drake Maye hands off the ball against the Denver Broncos during the second half of the aFC Championship on Sunday in Denver. the Patriots won 10-7.
SCOREBOARD
de Minaur (6), Australia, def. Alexander Bublik (10), Kazakhstan, 6-4, 6-1, 6-1. Women’s Singles Fourth Round Aryna Sabalenka (1), Belarus, def. Victoria Mboko (17), Canada, 6-1, 7-6 (1). Iva Jovic (29), United States, def. Yulia Putintseva, Kazakhstan, 6-0, 6-1. Coco Gauff (3), United States, def. Karolina Muchova (19), Czechia, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3. Elina Svitolina (12), Ukraine, def. Mirra Andreeva (8), Russia, 6-2, 6-4. Men’s Doubles Third Round Marcel Granollers, Spain, and Horacio Zeballos (3), Argentina, def. Robert Cash and James Tracy (14), United States, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3. Fabien Reboul and Sadio Doumbia (12), France, def. Tomas Martin Etcheverry and Camilo Ugo Carabelli, Argentina, 7-6 (7), 6-7 (6), 6-1. Christian Harrison, United States, and Neal Skupski (6), Britain, def. Botic Van de Zandschulp and Tallon Griekspoor, Netherlands, 5-0, ret. Luke Johnson, Britain, and Jan Zielinski, Poland, def. John-Patrick Smith, Australia, and Adam Pavlasek, Czechia, 6-3, 6-4.
Women’s Doubles
Second Round Zhang Shuai, China, and Elise Mertens (4), Belgium, def. Victoria Mboko, Canada, and Iva Jovic, United States, 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (10).
Women’s Doubles
Third Round
Taylor Townsend, United States, and Katerina Siniakova (1), Czechia, def. Miyu (1994) Kato, Japan, and Fanny Stollar (15), Hungary walkover. Eri Hozumi, Japan, and Fang-Hsien Wu, Taiwan, def. Demi Schuurs, Netherlands, and Ellen Perez (8), Australia, 6-2, 6-2. Gabriela Dabrowski, Canada, and Luisa Stefani (5), Brazil, def. Nicole MelicharMartinez, United States, and Cristina Bucsa (9), Spain,
AS SCREENSBLURTHE LINE BETWEENWORK ANDHOME, SOME PEOPLE ARESLOWING DOWN ANDDISCONNECTING BY LOOKINGTO COMMUNICATION DEVICES FROM THEPAST
work and home, somepeople are slowing down and disconnecting bylooking to communication devices from the past
Tactile activities rangingfrom writing letters andtypewriter clubs to TikTok communities showcasingcalligraphy skills and wax seals are giving retro writing instruments aresurgence.
Morethan quaint throwbacks,the pursuits provide their enthusiastswith opportunities to reduce their technologyuse, be moreintentionalwith time and build meaningful connections with others.
“I feel as though my penpalsare my friends. Idon’t think of them much differently than if Iwerechatting with afriend on the phone, in a coffee shop or at another person’s house,” said Melissa Bobbitt, 42, adevoted letter-writerwho corresponds with about adozen peoplefrom her home in Claremont, California,and has had up to 40 pen pals at one time “Focusing on one personand really reading what they are saying, and sharing what’sonyourheart is almost like atherapy session.”
HarryStylesannounces 2026 global tour
BY MARIA SHERMAN
aP music writer
NEW YORK Harry Styles is getting back out on the road. The English musician announced his “Together,Together” tour on Thursday.It’sa50-date run made up of residencies in Europe, the U.K., Brazil, Mexico, the U.S. and Australia.
Styles’ tour launches May16 with six nights in Amsterdam,followed by six nights inLondon, two in São Paulo,two in MexicoCity,30atNew York City’s Madison Square Garden,two in Melbourne and two in Sydney,where it will conclude in December Openers include Robyn, Shania Twain, Jorja Smith, Jamie xx, Fousheé and more. There are afew pre-sale opportunities. The general sale for São Paulobegins Wednesdayand the Mexico Citysale begins Jan. 29. The general sale for Amsterdam, London, Melbourne,Sydney, and many New York dates begins Jan. 30. The last New York dates, Oct. 10 to 31, will go on sale Feb. 4. Styles is no stranger to residencies. During his “Love on Tour”
in 2022, he dida15-night stint at Madison Square Garden, which Ticketmaster labeled “the highest-grossing single engagement in the venue’shistory.” The “Together,Together” tour news arrivesaweek after Styles revealed his long-awaited, fourth studio album will arrive March 6. Titled “Kiss All the Time. Disco,
Is there nowultrasound technology that can clear the brain of abnormal amyloid plaquesinAlzheimer’sdisease?
The formation of amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles are thought to contribute to the degradation of the nerve cells, or neurons, in the brain and the subsequent symptomsofAlzheimer’sdisease. One of the biggest markers of Alzheimer’sdisease is the accumulation of amyloid plaques between these nerve cells in the brain. Amyloid is ageneral term forthe protein fragments that the body produces normally.Abeta-amyloid is asticky protein fragmentthat has been cut from an amyloid precursor protein (APP). In the brain of ahealthy individual, these protein fragments are broken downand eliminated, but in Alzheimer’s disease, the fragments accumulate to form hard, insoluble plaques.
Researchers at the Queensland Brain Institute in Australia have been studying ultrasound technology to clear the amyloid plaques. The technique usesa particular type of ultrasound called a “focusedtherapeutic ultrasound,” which noninvasively beams sound waves into the brain tissue.The fast oscillations of sound waves gently open up the blood brain barrier, the layerofthe brain that protectsitagainst bacteria andstimulates the brain’s microglial cells to activate. These microglial cells are basically waste-removal cells, so theyare able to remove the beta-amyloid clumps thatare responsible for the hallmark symptoms of Alzheimer’sdisease.
The study found that by using this ultrasound technology on test mice, a75% memory function was fully restored, with zero damage to the surrounding brain tissue. Researchers found that the treated mice displayed improved performance in three memory tasks: amaze, new object recognition, and atest to get the mice to remember the places they should avoid.
Researchers were pleased with early outcomes to the new innovative, non-drug therapeutic approach to finding prevention or cure forthe disease. While using the term “breakthrough” is cautionary,the researchers did feel that the outcome of the study fundamentally changes the understanding of how to treat the disease.
While the use of ultrasound technology is avery promising method to treat the disease, moreresearch and study need to be performed.
Dana Territo is an Alzheimer’sadvocate andauthorof“What My Grandchildren Taught Me About Alzheimer’sDisease.” Shehosts “The Memory
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Thedifferencebetween acoldand the flu
Dr.Elizabeth Ko
Dr.Eve Glazier aSK the DoCtorS
Dear Doctors: My wife started getting sick afew days before Halloween. We wereworried that it was goingtoturn into abad respiratory illness, but it stayed in her nose and throat.That’sacommon cold, right?Why is having acold so different from when you get the flu? Dear reader: Both of the illnesses you mention in your letter —the flu and acold —fall into thebroad category of upper respiratory infections. Because differenttypes of viruses cause each one, the body’sresponse can vary alot The flu can cause seriousillness and can lead to hospitalization and even death. The common cold,by comparison, is shorter in duration, with symptoms that arenot as bad. Having acoldisn’t funby anymeans, butit’snot aserious threat to health. To understand why, we need to take acloser look at the microbes involved. Influenza, commonly known as theflu, is caused by specific subtypes of the influenza virus. Most often this is influenza A andinfluenzaB.The flu hitshard andfast duetothe nature of the influenzavirus. People shed the
influenza virus through droplets primarily spread by coughing or sneezing. When others inhale the flu virus, it absorbs through their mucous membranes. Then the flu virus penetrates deep intothe tissues that line theairways. The virus can evade early immune detection by shielding itself from thesentinel cells of the immune system.Bythe time theimmune system finds this invader,the viral infection has grown, so the body triggers apowerful inflammatoryresponsetofight it
The common cold, by contrast, is amilder infection. Symptoms usually start gradually over a day or two. Colds are mostoften caused by rhinoviruses. These viruses tendtostay in theupper airways and trigger fewer and
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Ink, paper and other tools that once were the onlyway to send amessage from afar are continuing to bring people together from around the world. Below,some of them explain the appeal of snail mail and giverecommendations for getting started.
Writingcan be an escape In asociety shaped by constant availability,hands-on hobbies like writing letters and scrapbooking require focus and patience. The act of picking up apen, sealing an envelope with wax and laying out pages may yield aesthetically pleasing results, but it also createsa space for reflection.
Stephania Kontopanos, a 21-year-old student in Chicago, said it can be hard to put her phone and computer away,especiallywhenit seems all of her friends and peers are on social media and her classes and personal life revolve around being online
“There are times when I’m with my friends and at dinner,I’ll realize we are all on our phones,” Kontopanos said, adding that shetries to put her phone downatthose moments.
Kontopanos alsounplugs consciously by sending postcards to her family and friends, scrapbooking, and junk journaling, which involves repurposing everyday materials like tickets and receipts to document memories or ideas. She says going to the post office has become an activity she does with her mother back home in Kansas and includes sharing stories with the postal workers, people she would not have routinely encountered.
Fosteringcommunity
Writing and sending letters is nostalgic for KiKi Klassen, who lives in Ontario, Canada.The 28-year-old says it helps her feelmore connected to her late mother,who was amember of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers, which represents mail carriers and other postal employees.
In October 2024, Klassen launched the Lucky Duck Mail Club, asubscription-
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Flo young,originally
based monthly mail service that sends participants a piece of herart,aninspiring quote and message. Shesays her membership includes more than 1,000 people across,atmost, 36countries.
“When Isit down, I’m forced to reflect and choose my words carefully,” Klassen said. “It also lends itself to vulnerability because it is easier to write down how you are feeling. I’ve had people writemeback and I’ve cried hearing so many touching stories. Ithink for alot of people paper creates asafe space. Youwrite it down, senditoff and don’t really think aboutitafter.”
ForBobbitt, who has corresponded by mail for years, there is a“grand excitement” when she opens her mailbox and finds something that is not abill or advertisement.
“Ifweall filled eachother’s mailboxes with letters, we would all be kinder and, at the very least,won’tdreadchecking ourmailboxes,”she said.
Bobbitt saysshe first joined apen palclubinsecondor third grade and later was connected to more writers through Postcrossing,anonline project that partnerspeople around theworldtosend and receive postcards. She says some of the postcards turnedintoletters as friendships grew between her and some other regular writers.
It’sasimilar feelingof connection that inspired DJ Robert Owoyele, 34, to create CAYA,amonthly “analog gathering” in Dallas. Owoyele launched the event less than ayear ago and has since organized evenings with letter writing,coloring, vinyl listening sessions and other activities.
“Welive in adigitalage that fosters afalse senseofcon-
nection, but Ithink true connectionhappens in person,” he said. “Whenweare able to touch or see something, we are more connected to it naturally.These analog activities are arepresentation of that.”
Howtoget started
Whilewritingletters and engaging in other vintage pursuitsmight seem accessible, it is not alwayseasy to get involved. For many people, carving outtimeto slow down can feel like another obligation in aschedule filled withto-dos.
Kontopanos says she decideditwas importantfor hertoreprioritize her time.
“The older Iget, themore I realize how much time had been wasted on my phone,” shesaid. Creating spaceto explore allowed her to discover thehobbiesshe loved doing enough to make them apriority, she said.
Thereare many hobbies to consider,someofwhich don’t require expensive tools or hours of free time.Frequenting spaces where communities centered around these hobbies gather can be away to learnabout thedifferent activities. For example,participating in typewriter clubs suchasTypePals, attending events like the LosAngeles Printers Fairhosted by the International Printing Museum in California, and engagingwith social media communities like the WaxSeal Guild on Instagram and The Calligraphy Hub on Facebook.
Klassen says thatbased on postsshe’sseeing on her social media feeds, reviving vintage writing instruments and small tactile pleasures might be on the verge of becoming trendy “The girls aregoinganalog in 2026,” she said.
less intense immune responses. The immune system also recognizes theinfection earlier,sothe body has aslower and moremeasured inflammatory response.
An interesting fact: There are several types of rhinovirus that can cause the common cold. That’swhy it’spossible to have two colds in arow.You aren’t catching the samecold twice, but respondingtotwo separate rhinoviruses.
Medical care for acold and the flu also differ.Treatment for acold focuses on managing your symptoms.Usually,over-the-counter meds help ease pain and relieve sinus and nasal congestion. Getting plentyofrest helps, as does drinking lots of fluids to replace what the body uses to produce mucus.
For amild case of the flu, asimilar treatment, along with cough medicine, can be enough. But for serious flu symptoms, you want to check with your doctor.They mayrecommend aprescription of antiviral medications. Starting these medications in the first two days of an influenza infection can shorten the illness. If someone with the flu has worsening symptoms, including chest pain or high fever,they should seek immediate medical care.
Sendyour questions to askthedoctors@mednet.ucla. edu, or write: Ask theDoctors c/oUCLA HealthSciences Media Relations, 10880 Wilshire Blvd.,Suite1450, Los Angeles, CA, 90024.
Reader sounds off on cursive
Dear Heloise: Ijust have to comment about the lack of needing to teach cursive writing in the letter as described by theretired educator from Montana. No wonder our country is in such sad shape with this kind of thinking. When you can’tread cursive writing, you cannot read important papers that were written by our Founding Fathers, as well as manyother past important papers. All family histories are written in cursive by thegenerations of the past. Iunderstand that Ken Burns is producing adocumentaryseries on the Revolutionary War. How in the world would he have been able to get all this information without being able to read cursive? Adumbanswer tothis question is to “Google it ”Someone who could read cursive might have put this info into Google, but you don’tknow if they got it right An additional benefit to cursive writing is the development of fine-motor skills —not like driving acar but being able to use your hands/fingers to hold small itemsand perform tasks like using ascrewdriver,using nail clippers, etc. …The list can go on and on.
By the associated Press
Todayinhistory:
It’s hard to stop my indignation regarding the lack of needing to learn cursive writing. —Brenda R., in Fremont, Nebraska Brenda, Ifind it avery lazy approach to teaching, and judging from the letters we get here in our offices, so do most schoolteachers, parents and students. It’s asimple skill, and if teachers can’t teach it or aren’t allowed to teach it, then parents need to step in and teach their children how to write cursive. —Heloise
No signature
Dear Heloise: Regarding cursive writing in arecent letter,the writer dismisses it, but Ihave another angle. Twoyears ago, my teen grandson stated that he didn’thave asignature. He prints his namebecause he doesn’tknow how to write in cursive. Ibelieve that this is agood reason for students to be taught, at the very least, how to write their names in cursive. Roxanne M., in Neligh, Nebraska Roxanne, printing is for young children, but every adult should know how to write in cursive. We cheat our children of yet another worthwhile skill if we neglect to teach them cursive
TODAYINHISTORY
Today is Monday,Jan. 26, the 26thday of 2026. There are 339 days left in the year
On Jan. 26, 2020, NBA legend Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others were killed when their helicopter plunged intoa steep hillside in dense fog in Southern California; the former Lakers star was 41. Also on this date: In 1887, groundbreaking began for theconstruction of the Eiffel Tower; the tower would becompleted just over two years later In 1905, theCullinan
Diamond, at 3,106 carats the largest diamond ever found, wasdiscovered in South Africa. In 1950, the Constitution of India took effect, making thecountry theworld’slargest democraticrepublic In 1998, President Bill Clintonforcefully denied having an affair with a former White House intern, telling reporters, “I did nothavesexualrelations with thatwoman, Miss Lewinsky.” In 2023, Israeli forces killed at least nine Palestinians and wounded several others in alarge-scale raid on the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West
writing. —Heloise
Heatingpad warmsfood
Dear Heloise: Last week, I madebiscuits and muffins to take to asenior morning group. Iwanted them to stay warm, but Ididn’t have aheating tray,soI took along aheating pad. I set the pad on high, and the muffins stayed warmbeautifully! Ilove reading your hints here in Connecticut. —Mary, via email Mary,this is aclever idea. We all must have a number of itemsathome that serve double duty Readers, write to me and let me know what you use that does morethan it was designed to do. —Heloise Forwhomthe bell tolls
Dear Heloise: Ienjoy reading your column daily Regarding the letter about “recognizing friends versus foes,” Ionly have asmartphone now.I attach aname to each of my friends’, family members’ or favorite business’ phone number.When my phone rings, Ijust have to look at whothe caller is. Having a specific ring tone is probably handy if you don’t have the phone beside you often. —Terry,inGore,Virginia Sendahinttoheloise@ heloise.com.
Bank, the deadliest single operation in the territory in twodecades. Today’sbirthdays: Actor David Strathairn is 77. Football Hall of Famer Jack Youngblood is 76. Singersongwriter Lucinda Williamsis73. Singer Anita Baker is 68. Hockey Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky is 65. Musician Andrew Ridgeley (Wham!) is 63. Gospel singer Kirk Franklin is 56. Actor Gilles Marini is 50. Basketball Hall of Famer Vince Carter is 49. Actor Sara Rue is 47. Race car driver Sergio Pérez is 36. Pro wrestler Mercedes Moné is 34. Actor Joseph Quinn is 32.
aSSoCIateD PreSS FILe
PhotoSByCharLeS KrUPa
Penpal letters are displayedoutside the SullivanCounty health Care nursing home in Unity N.h., in 2020
Hints from Heloise
AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Rearrange and move things around to better accommodate your plans. Put some thought into money management and how you use your skills for your personal benefit.
PIscEs (Feb. 20-March 20) Change that you make for the right reasons will benefityou.Don't let ego or emotions drive your decisions. Take care of business firsthand forbest results
ARIEs(March 21-April 19) Emotional situations will ariseifyou set unreasonable expectations or try to help someone whoisn't willing to helpthemselves. Others will be tooeager to take advantageofyou if youlet them.
TAuRus (April 20-May20) Taking on too much will tax you mentally and physically. Rearrange your space to make lifeeasier, andadjustyour routine to ensure you have enough time to rest andrejuvenate.
GEMInI(May21-June 20) Study and plan, and executeyour next move. If possible, asecretive approach is favored. Follow your heart. Don't be in ahurry to announce yourself or your intentions.
cAncER (June 21-July 22) Put alittle elbow grease intothe mix, and you'll reach your goal. Disciplineand hard work will lead to results you can be proud of. Avoid emotional spending or paying forsomeone else's mistake.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Keep your eyes fixated on what'smeaningful.Put relationshipsfirst andrefuse to let outsid-
ersinterfere with your personal life. Whenindoubt, observe.Time is on your side.
VIRGO(Aug. 23-sept. 22) Learning is your pathtopositive change. Consider what makes you happy and head in that direction. Gravitatetoward people who share your beliefs
LIBRA(sept.23-Oct.23) Putinextra hours, work from home and promote a productive week. Make plans to incorporate ahealthy schedule, including time forexercise and to address your dietary needs.
scORPIO(Oct. 24-nov. 22) Reserve judgment.Take thetime to observe andconsidersituations fully.Your perspective about what's right for you may not sit well with those facing similar situations
sAGITTARIus (nov. 23-Dec.21) Walk away from disruptive situations. Put your time,energy andthought into work-related matters, investments and pursuitsthat offer thehighest returns.
cAPRIcORn (Dec.22-Jan. 19) Pay attention to detail, use your skills creatively and focus on domestic issues to maintain acalmand productive environment. How you nurture your mind, body andsoul will determine howyour day unfolds.
Celebrity Cipher cryptograms are created from quotationsbyfamous people, past and present. Each letter in thecipher stands for another.
TODAy's cLuE: nEQuALss
CeLebrItY CIpher
beetLe bAILeY
Mother GooSe And GrIMM
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.
Saturday’s Puzzle Answer
THewiZard oF id
BLondie
BaBY BLueS
Hi and LoiS CurTiS
By PHILLIPALDER
In 2013, this deal waschosen by the International Bridge Press Association panel for its Keri Klinger Memorial Declarer Play of the Year award. Appropriately, it wasplayed by the top-ranked player in the world, Fulvio Fantoni. He wasborn in Italy, but now represents Monaco. The journalist prize went to Toine vanHoof from the Netherlands.
How did Fantoni make six heartsafter West led theclub queen to declarer’s ace?
Fantunes(as Fantoni and hispartner ClaudioNunes,areknown)playanunusualsysteminwhichone-levelopeningbids are natural and unlimited. North’s threeheart raise was pre-emptive. East then producedarevealingtakeoutdouble South madetwo control-bids (cue-bids), and Northjumped to the slam. Fantoni feltthat East had 4-0-5-4or4-04-5distributionwith thefour honors he actually held. Trusting his reading of the position, at tricktwo,Fantoni played a lowheart to dummy’s seven!
Each Wuzzle is aword riddle which creates adisguised word, phrase, name,place, saying, etc. For example: nOOn gOOD =gOOD aFTErnOOn
Previous answers:
word game
InsTRucTIOns: 1. Words mustbeoffour or moreletters. 2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,”such as “bats” or “dies,”are not allowed.3 additional wordsmade by adding a“d” or an “s” may not be used. 4. proper
or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed TODAy’s WORD ITALIcs: eye-TAL-iks: Atype style with slanted characters.
Average mark 13 words
Time
loCKhorNs
Whata testimony. Be
marmaduKe
Bizarro
hagar the horriBle
Pearls Before swiNe
garfield
B.C.
PiCKles
dIrectIons: makea 2- to 7-letter word from theletters in each row. add points of each word, usingscoring directionsat right. Finally 7-letter words get 50-point bonus “Blanks”used as any letter havenopoint value. all the words arein theOfficial sCraBBlE® players Dictionary, 5th Edition.
Saturday’s Puzzle Answer
Formoreinformationontournaments and clubs, email naspa –north american sCraBBlE playersassociation: info@scrabbleplayers.org.Visit ourwebsite:www.scrabbleplayers.org. For puzzle inquiries contact scrgrams@gmail.com Hasbro andits logo sCraBBlE associated logo,the design of thedistinctivesCraBBlEbrand gamecard, and thedistinctive letter tile designsare trademarks of Hasbro in
ken ken
InstructIons: 1 -Eachrow and each column must contain the numbers 1thorugh 4(easy) or 1through6 (challenging) without repeating. 2 -The numbers within theheavily outlined boxes, called cages, must combine using thegiven operation (in any order) to producethe target numbers in thetop-left corners. 3 -Freebies: Fill in the single-box cages with the numberinthe top-left corner.
WiShinG Well
HErEisaplEasanT liTTlE gamEthatwill give you amessage every day. it’s a numerical puzzle designed to spell outyourfortune. Count theletters in yourfirst
if the number of letters is 6ormore, subtract4.ifthe number is lessthan 6, add 3. Theresult is your key number. start at theupperleft-hand corner andcheck each of yourkey numbers, left to right. Then read themessage thechecked figures give you
Scrabble GramS
Get fuzzy
jump Start
roSe iS roSe
Announcements
datedOctober 2, 1976, and accordingthereto,saidlot forms thecornerofChartes Street and Congress Street,measuresthirtyonefeet, seveninches, threelines (31' 7” 3”“) frontonCongressStreet (thirty-onefeet,seven inches,nine lines,title)has thesamewidth in therear, by adepth between equal andparallellines of ninety-eight feet,nineinches, four lines (98' 9” 4”)(ninety-eight feet,nineinches, nine lines, title) Whichhas theaddressof601-03 Congress Street,New Orleans, LA 70117
Anyone knowingthe whereabouts of thepersons or heirsofthe personslistedabove andanyone claiming an interest in theproperty should contactthe office of Graham Arceneaux& Allen, LLC, 3850 N. Causeway Blvd., Suite1695, Metairie,LA70002, 504-522-8256. 175236-1/26 &2/2-2t $696.00
right to reject anyand all bidsfor just cause. In ac‐cordancewithLa. R.S. 38:2212(B)(1),the provi‐sions andrequirements ofthisSection;and those statedinthe bidding documents shallnot be waivedbyany entity If youhavea disability and wouldliketorequest anaccommodation in order to participatein thismeeting, please con‐tactWENDY KERRIGAN ATWENDYKERRIGAN@ BYATELIERDESIGN.COM or (225) 342-6060 as soon aspossiblebut no later than48hours before the scheduled meeting. 173140-jan12-19-26-3t $1,034.58
y would receive thosenoti‐ficationsifyou selected the followingcommodity code(s) before there‐lease of thesourcing event: COMMODITYCODE(s): 906, 907, 907-35
TheCityofNew Orleans stronglyencouragesmi‐nority-ownedand women-ownedbusi‐nesses, socially andeco‐nomically disadvantaged businessesand small businessestorespond to thissolicitation, or to participate in subcon‐tractingopportunities pursuanttothissolicita‐tion. Formoreinformation about this sourcing event,goto www.nola. govand clickon“BRASS SupplierPortal” under BIDS &CONTRACTS”. Onceonthe SupplierPor‐tal,search“Open Events. Thankyou foryourinter‐est in doingbusiness withthe City of NewOr‐leans JamesC.Simmons,Jr. ChiefProcurement Officer AdvertisingDates: January19, 26 and February 2, 2026 NOCP 8864 174355-jan19-26-feb2-3t $108.30
NOTICE NOTICE TO BIDDERS SP#1732
Sealedbidswillbere‐ceivedbythe Procure‐mentSection of theDivi‐sionofAdministration, 1201 N. 3rd. St 2nd. Floor,Suite 2-160, Baton Rouge,Louisiana,at 10:00 A.M. forthe follow‐ing: RFxNo. 3000025872, Wall Repairs -NOCCA,2/11/26
Bidproposalforms,in‐formation andspecifica‐tions maybeobtained by accessingthe bidnum‐ber in LaPacat www.doa Louisiana.gov/ospor fromthe procurement section listed above. No bidswillbereceived after thedateand hour specified.The rightisre‐servedtorejectany and all bids andtowaive any informalities
g p gadoCommunity Col‐lege, andthereafter pub‐licly opened forthe pro‐curementof 40006R0030375-1Automotive Lift,Tables, etc. BidDocuments andAd‐denda maybedown‐loadedfrom: https:// wwwcfprd.doa.louisiana gov/osp/lapac/dspBid cfm?search=departm ent&term=39 or by emailingWendy Boeschinthe Purchasing Departmentatpurchas‐ingdept@dcc.edu. Evi‐dence of authorityto submitthe bidshall be requiredinaccordance withR.S.38:2212(A)(l)(c) and/orR.S.39:1594(C)(2) (d).AA/EOE 174995-jan26-1t $34.48
LEGALNOTICE HancockWhitney Bank as Trusteefor the Owners of TheFinance AuthorityOfNew Orleans MultifamilyHousing Rev‐enue Bonds(GMF-The WillowsApartments) Se‐ries 2014A,Plaintiff Versus MOF-Willows, LLC (Formerly, GMF-Willows, LLC),Defendant United States District Court, EasternDistrictOf Louisiana Docket No.: 25-cv-01152
PUBLIC NOTICE
•CaseName: In theMat‐terofthe Marriage of Anne Hunter Archer and Graham WilliamArcher
7,489.44
TomKetterer Director of State Procurement FAX(225) 342-8688 174990-jan26-1t $11.19
NOTICE
Proposalswillbere‐ceiveduntil 2:00 p.m. CST on Wednesday, February 25, 2026 in thePurchas‐ing DepartmentofDel‐d i l
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that, pursuant to aWrit ofExecution datedNo‐vember3,2025 issued in the abovereferenced proceeding(the“Pro‐ceeding”)bythe Clerkof Court forthe United StatesDistrictCourt for the EasternDistrictof Louisiana anddirectedto the United States Mar‐shalfor theEastern Dis‐trict of Louisiana(the “U.S. Marshal”), theU.S Marshal hasseizedall of the right, title, andinter‐est of Defendant, MOFWillows,LLC (formerly GMF-Willows,LLC), in and to thefollowing de‐scribed property: (a)ONE CERTAINLOT OR PARCELOFGROUND, to‐getherwithall thebuild‐ingsand improvements thereon,and allofthe rights, ways,privileges, servitudes, appurte‐nancesand advantages thereuntobelonging or in anywise appertaining situatedinthe THIRD DISTRICTOFTHE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS, ORLEANS PARISH, STATEOF LOUISIANA,inthatpart thereof knownasLAKE FOREST(formerly known asLaKratt Tractand the New OrleansLakeshore and CompanySubdivi‐sion),designatedasLOT 1-D-1 in accordance with a survey prepared by Gilbert, Kelly &Couturie, i d i
I-10 ServiceRoad) LAWRENCEROADAND LAKEWILLOWDRIVE and measuresasfollows,towit: Commencingata point ofintersectionofthe eastlineofLawrence Roadand thenorth line ofthe U.S. 1-10 (N.I-10 Service Road), which point is thepoint of be‐ginning,run thence along the east line of Lawrence RoadNorth 24 degrees 29minutes,35seconds West, adistanceof 167.46 feet to apoint; thencetum rightand run along alinebearing North 47 degrees,27min‐utes, 32 secondsEast, a distanceof493.90 feet; thencetum left andrun along alinebearing North 27 degrees,57min‐utes, 32 secondsEast, a distanceof383.16 feet to a point; thence turn right and runalong aline bearing North35de‐grees,7 minutes, 38 sec‐ondsEast, adistanceof 58.38 feet to apoint; thenceturnright andrun along alinebearing North 64 degrees,23min‐utes, 43 secondsEast, a distanceof196 feet to a point;thenceturnleft and runalong aline bearing North25de‐grees,36minutes,17sec‐ondsWest, adistanceof 120 feet to thesouth line ofLakeWillowDrive; thencerun alongthe south line of Lake Willow Drive North64degrees 23minutes,43seconds East, adistanceof74feet tothe northwestcomer ofLot 1-C; thence turn right andrun alonga line bearing South25de‐grees,36minutes,17sec‐ondsEast, adistanceof 407.77 feet to apoint; thenceturnleftand run along alinebearing North 64 degrees,16min‐utes, 53 secondsEast, a distanceof23.58 feet to a point;thenceturnright and runalong aline bearing South25de‐grees,42minutes,20sec‐ondsEast, 68.30 feet to a point;thencetum right and runalong aline bearing South5 degrees 36minutes,34seconds East, adistanceof99.65 feet to apoint;tum right and thence runalong a linebearing South34de‐grees,35minutes,07sec‐ondsWest, adistanceof 99.65 feet to apoint; thenceturnright andrun along alinebearing South 54 degrees,40min‐utes, 57 secondsWest, a distanceof388.17 feet to a point; thence along a curve to
of(74.51 feet Present Title &78.51 feet Original Title)78.57 feet Actual to the pointofbeginning Saidlot is aportion of formerLot 1, Section22 and former Groves 18, 20 22, 24 &Section 22; (b)together with theim‐provementsconstructed thereon,consistingof a residential rental facility known as TheWillows Apartments, andall re‐lated supportfacilities, including,without limita‐tion, allbuildings,struc‐tures,and otherimprove‐ments noworhereafter constructed thereon; (c)together with all rights, ways,privileges, and appurtenancesper‐taining,orotherwise re‐lated,thereto or in favor thereof; (d)together with all leases, executorycon‐tracts, licenses,permits and certificatespertain‐ing,orotherwise related, thereto; (e)together with all fix‐tures,machinery,equip‐ment, furniture, furnish‐ings, andother personal property(whether tangi‐ble or intangible)here‐after attached to,located inoron, or used in con‐nection with,any such structures, buildingsor other improvements;and (f)together with alladdi‐tions thereto, substitu‐tions therefor,and re‐placementsthereof whether nowownedor hereafter acquired; (the foregoingdescribed landtogether with all suchother property (im‐movable (real) andmov‐able(personal), corpo‐real(tangible)and incor‐poreal(intangible)) rights, andcredits,col‐lectively,the “Project”) NOTICE IS HEREBY FUR‐THERGIVEN that,the U.S. Marshal hasscheduled a U.S.Marshal’s judicial saleofall of theright title,and interest of De‐fendant,MOF-Willows LLC (formerlyGMF-Wil‐lows, LLC),inand to the Project,subject to the absoluteright of Plain‐tiff, as foreclosingcredi‐tor in theProceeding, to cancelorpostponeany judicialsale. NOTICE IS FURTHER GIVEN that
NOTICE "The WWE RAWproduc‐tionwas filmed in New Orleans on 1/22/24, and the WWE SmackDown productionwas filmed in New Orleanson2/21/25 Productions have wrappedup, andany outstanding debt/in‐voiceswiththe produc‐tioncompany should be directedto707 Washing‐ton Boulevard, Stamford CT06901. Invoices need tobesubmitted by 2/28/26. 173590 Jan. 12, 19, 26,3t $179.41
•Court: Superior Courtof California,Countyof Marin
•CaseNumber: FL0001187 filedonSep‐tember 19, 2025
•Notice: "ToGraham WilliamArcherYou are notified that adivorce action hasbeen filed againstyou in theState of California.Ifyou do notrespond within 30 days thecourt maypro‐ceed withoutyou and grantthe divorce.
•Petitioner'sInfo: Anne Hunter Archer 305 Vista DelValle Mill Valley,CA 94941 174238-jan19-26-
