An Entergyutility truck worksonlines along Harding Street in Lake Providence on Sunday.
BY AIDANMcCAHILL
Staff writer
Zachary Frasier and his wife were driving down astreet in Lake Providence last Friday when something white drifted across theroad.Itwas around 10 p.m. and pitch black, so he pulledoverand spotted abag lying in the street.
The 32-year-old Frasier was about to turn in after aday of delivering food and water to people across East Carroll Parish. It was almost aweek after acrippling ice storm shattered trees, trapped people in their homes and left nearly everyone in the parishwithout power.
He also knew accusedkillers were on the loose. Early thatmorning
eightinmates broke outofRiverbend DetentionCenter just afew milesaway.Itwas thesame facility where his latefather hadbeen wardenduring adecades-long career in lawenforcement. Down the street, his two children were staying with his mother.
With aflashlight in onehandand aGlock .40pistol in the other,he stepped out of his truck intothe bittercold.The beam hoveredovera figure in the roadside thicket, Frasier recalled, though it took him afew momentstorealize it was aperson.
“I said, ‘Man I’m telling you, if someoneelse is with you, if they come outofthatbush, I’m shooting you.’”
The mancalled for his partner
St.GeorgePlanning
BY IANNE SALVOSA Staff writer
The St. George Planning Commission unanimously voted down plans for acontroversial subdivision after hearing concerns that
the development would worsen flooding and traffic issuesinthe neighborhood. Commissioners struck down the proposal Monday night following a public hearing where residentsof Old Jefferson, the location of the
who emerged from the brush. Frasier said he ordered them to lie face down on theground, even firing a warning shot when they didn’tcomply “They kept looking back,” said Frasier.“Iwas worried somebody else was coming up behind me.”
From the truck, Frasier’swifedialed 911. Within minutes, deputies arrivedand arrested the men, escapeesbeing held in East Carroll Parish while facing murder charges in their hometowns.
Inside thewhitebag Frasier had initially spotted was toilet paper,a jarofsalsa, aphone charger and afillet knife —all believed stolen from a
ä See CHAOS, page 12A
proposed subdivision, raised concerns. The development, proposed by the Lynn Levy Land Company calledfor an 87-lotsubdivisionon a26.8-acre sitewest of Antioch Road “It’ssimply toodense, and it’s
Twomore candidates exit race forSenate
BY TYLER BRIDGES Staff writer
The impact of U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow’sdecision to challenge U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy —with President Donald Trump’sendorsement —continued to reverberate Tuesday as two morecandidates dropped out of the Senate race. State Sen. Blake Miguez said he would run instead forthe 5th Congressional District seat that Letlowisvacating, while St. Tammany Parish Council member Kathy Seidensaid she would exit the race and endorse Letlow State Rep. Julie Emerson, R-Carencro, announced two weeks ago that Letlow’s entry into the Senate election had prompted her to get out.
Letlow jumped in on Jan. 20 after receiving Trump’s coveted endorsement.
“WhenDonaldTrump endorsed Letlow,ittook all the air out of the room. All the attention immediately went to Letlow,” said Robert Collins, aprofessor of urban studiesand public policyat Dillard University.“She becomes the prohibitive favorite if you look at the polls.”
“When Donald Trump endorsed Letlow, it took all the air out of the room.All theattention immediately went to Letlow. She becomes theprohibitive favoriteifyou look at the polls.”
ROBERTCOLLINS, DillardUniversity professorofurban studies and public policy
As The Times-Picayune |The Advocate reportedMonday, threerecently released polls show Letlow defeating Cassidy in ahead-to-head matchup. Cassidy’sown survey showed him trailing her,46%-40%, though Cassidy’scampaign sayshewill pass herasvoters learn more about the candidates. To be sure, the field is not set, sincethe threeday qualifying period does not begin until Feb. 11. State Treasurer John Fleming is giving every indication that he will fight to thefinish, making it at least athree-person race. ARepublican like the other candidates, he says he is the true conservative in the race and that voters will ultimately elect him
Apro-Cassidy super PACattacked Letlow with aTVadbeginning Saturday that proclaimed her
ä See SENATE, page 10A
going to cause great problems in thatarea,” Commissioner Laurie Nelson Marien said at themeeting. Greg Bauer,president andCEO of theLynn Levy Land Company, declined to comment on the application denialand if the company
plans on appealing the decision. Thecommissionstaff hadrecommendeddeferring discussion on the subdivision to the body’s March meeting to allow timefor
ä See PLANNING, page 9A
101ST yEAR,NO. 219
FEBRUARYHOMEGAMES
FEBRUARY27,
STAFF PHOTOSByMICHAEL JOHNSON
13-year-old swims for 4 hours to save family
MELBOURNE,Australia A 13-yearold boy swam for four hours in cold and choppy waters to save his mother and two younger siblings who had been swept out to sea off the coast of Western Australia.
The family, from the state capital Perth, were using kayaks and paddleboards on Friday morning when rough ocean and wind conditions started dragging them out. Teenager Austin Appelbee swam about 2.5 miles to shore to raise the alarm, police said.
“The waves are massive and I have no life jacket on. I just kept thinking ‘just keep swimming, just keep swimming,’ ” Austin said Tuesday “And then I finally made it to shore and I hit the bottom of the beach and I just collapsed.”
Jill Biden’s first husband charged with killing wife
WILMINGTON, Del. — The first husband of former first lady Jill Biden has been charged with killing his wife at their Delaware home in late December, authorities announced in a news release Tuesday William Stevenson, 77, of Wilmington was married to Biden from 1970 to 1975 Caroline Harrison, the Delaware Attorney General’s Office spokesperson, confirmed in a phone call that Stevenson is the former husband of Biden Biden declined to comment, according to an emailed response from a spokesperson at the former president and first lady’s office.
Stevenson remains in jail after failing to post $500,000 bail after his arrest Monday on firstdegree murder charges He is charged with killing Linda Stevenson, 64, on Dec. 28.
NASA delays astronauts’ lunar trip until March
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA’s long-awaited moonshot with astronauts is off until at least March because of hydrogen fuel leaks that marred the dress rehearsal of its giant new rocket
It’s the same problem that delayed the Space Launch System rocket’s debut three years ago. That first test flight was grounded for months because of leaking hydrogen, which is highly flammable and dangerous.
“Actually, this one caught us off guard,” NASA’s John Honeycutt said Tuesday, hours after the test came to an abrupt halt at Kennedy Space Center Until the exasperating fuel leaks, the space agency had been targeting as soon as this weekend for humanity’s first trip to the moon in more than half a century
“When you’re dealing with hydrogen it’s a small molecule. It’s highly energetic and we like it for that reason and we do the best we can,” Honeycutt explained
Officials said the monthlong delay will allow the launch team to conduct another fueling test before committing the four astronauts — three U.S. and one Canadian — to a lunar fly-around. It’s too soon to know when the countdown dress rehearsal might be repeated Spain looks to ban social media for under-16s
MADRID Spain plans to ban social media access for children under 16, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said Tuesday in a move designed to shield young people from the harms of online content.
Sánchez chided the world’s biggest tech companies in a speech at a Dubai summit, saying they allow illegal content such as child sex abuse and nonconsensual sexualized deepfake images to proliferate on their platforms. He said that governments also needed to “stop turning a blind eye.”
“Today, our children are exposed to a space they were never meant to navigate alone,” Sánchez said. “We will no longer accept that.”
Spain joins a growing number of countries, including Australia and France, which have taken or are considering measures to restrict minors’ access to social media. BRIEFS FROM WIRE REPORTS
Activists following agents’ vehicles Tuesday
Minneapolis.
Immigration agents pull guns, arrest activists
People were trailing their vehicles in Minneapolis
BY RYAN MURPHY, SARAH RAZA and STEVE KARNOWSKI Associated Press
MINNEAPOLIS Immigration officers with guns drawn arrested activists who were trailing their vehicles on Tuesday in Minneapolis, while education leaders described anxiety and fear in Minnesota schools from the ongoing federal sweeps.
Both are signs that tension remains in the Minneapolis area after the departure of high-profile commander Greg Bovino of U.S. Border Patrol and the arrival of Trump administration border czar Tom Homan which followed the fatal shooting of protester Alex Pretti.
“There’s less smoke on the ground,” Gov Tim Walz said, referring to tear gas and other irritants used by officers against protesters, “but I think it’s more chilling than it was last week because of the shift to the schools, the shift to the children.”
At least one person who had an anti-ICE message on clothing was handcuffed while face-down on
the ground. An Associated Press photographer witnessed the arrests.
Federal agents in the Twin Cities lately have been conducting more targeted immigration arrests at homes and neighborhoods, rather than staging in parking lots. The convoys have been harder to find and less aggressive. Alerts in activist group chats have been more about sightings than immigrationrelated detainments.
Several cars followed officers through south Minneapolis after there were reports of them knocking at homes. Officers stopped their vehicles and ordered activists to come out of a car at gunpoint. Agents told reporters at the scene to stay back and threatened to use pepper spray Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said agents detained the activists because they hindered efforts to arrest a man who is in the country illegally A federal judge last month put limits on how officers treat motorists who are following them but not obstructing their operations. Safely following agents “at an appropriate distance does not, by itself, create reasonable suspicion to justify a vehicle stop,” the judge said. An appeals court, however, set the order aside.
Bovino, who was leading immigration enforcement in Minneapolis and other big U.S. cities, left town last week, shortly after Pretti’s death became the second local killing of a U.S. citizen in January Homan, who was dispatched to Minnesota to succeed Bovino, has warned that protesters could face consequences if they interfere with officers.
Walz and education leaders held a news conference to say the presence of immigration officers is frightening some school communities. Brenda Lewis, superintendent of Fridley Public Schools in suburban Minneapolis, said she has been followed twice by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents since speaking publicly on Jan. 27 and that school board members have had ICE vehicles outside their homes.
Lewis, a U.S citizen, said she has seen SUVs with tinted windows, multiple masked people inside and out-of-state license plates. She goes on neighborhood patrols near schools with a security guard.
“Students are afraid to come to school, parents are afraid to drop them off,” Lewis said. “Staff are coming to work wondering if today will be the day something happens in one of our buildings.”
Russia bombards Ukraine a day before planned peace talks
BY KAMILA HRABCHUK Associated Press
KYIV, Ukraine Russia carried out a major overnight attack on Ukraine in what President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday was a broken commitment to halt striking energy infrastructure as the countries prepared for more talks on ending Moscow’s 4-year-old full-scale invasion.
The bombardment included hundreds of drones and a record 32 ballistic missiles, wounding at least 10 people. It specifically took aim at the power grid, Zelenskyy said, as part of what Ukraine says is Moscow’s ongoing campaign to deny civilians light, heating and running water during the coldest winter in years.
“Taking advantage of the coldest days of winter to terrorize people is more important to Russia than diplomacy,” Zelenskyy said. Temperatures in Kyiv fell to minus 4 Fahrenheit during the night and stood at minus 3 F on Tuesday NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte visited Kyiv in a show of support. He said that the overnight strikes raise doubts about Moscow’s intentions on the eve of talks, calling them “a really bad signal.”
He added that it was clear that the attacks only strengthen Ukrainians’ resolve.
Officials have described recent talks between Moscow and Kyiv delegations as constructive. But after a year of efforts, the Trump administration is still searching for a breakthrough on key issues such as who keeps the Ukrainian land that Russia’s army has occupied, and a comprehensive settlement appears distant. The talks in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, are scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday Zelenskyy said Ukraine is ready to dis-
cuss how to end the fighting. “But no one is going to surrender,” he said.
A Kremlin official said last week that Russia had agreed to halt strikes on Kyiv for a week until Sunday because of the frigid temperatures, following a personal request from U.S. President Donald Trump to Russian President Vladimir Putin. However, the bitter cold is continuing and so are Russia’s aerial attacks.
Zelenskyy, however, accused Russia of breaking its commitment to hold off its attacks on Ukraine’s energy assets, claiming the weeklong pause was due to come into force last Friday
“We believe this Russian strike clearly violates what the American side discussed, and there must be consequences,” he said.
The bombardment of at least five regions of Ukraine comprised 450 longrange drones and 70 missiles, Ukrainian officials said.
Russian officials provided no immediate response to Zelenskyy’s comments.
Military: U.S. shoots down Iran drone
BY KONSTANTIN TOROPIN and FARNOUSH AMIRI Associated Press
WASHINGTON A U.S. Navy
fighter jet shot down an Iranian drone that was approaching the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea, U.S. Central Command said Tuesday threatening to ramp up tensions as the Trump administration warns of possible military action to get Iran to the negotiating table. The drone “aggressively approached” the aircraft carrier with “unclear intent” and kept flying toward it “despite deescalatory measures taken by U.S. forces operating in international waters,” Central Command spokesman Capt. Tim Hawkins said in a statement.
The shootdown occurred within hours of Iranian forces harassing a U.S.-flagged and U.S.-crewed merchant vessel that was sailing in the Strait of Hormuz, the American military said. The developments could escalate the heightened tensions between the longtime adversaries as President Donald Trump has threatened to use military action first over Iran’s bloody crackdown on nationwide protests and then to try to get the country to make a deal over its nuclear program. Trump’s Republican administration has built up military forces in the region, sending the aircraft carrier, guidedmissile destroyers, air defense assets and more to supplement its presence. The Shahed-139 drone was shot down by an F-35C fighter jet from the Lincoln, which was sailing about 500 miles from Iran’s southern coast, Hawkins said. No American troops were harmed, and no U.S. equipment was damaged, the military’s statement noted. Iranian state media reported that Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard is investigating the “interruption” of the drone.
Semi-official Tasnim news agency posted on its Telegram that before the footage cut out, the drone was able to successfully transfer the images it took back to Iran.
are approached by a federal agent brandishing a firearm in
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ALEX BABENKO People take shelter Tuesday in a metro station being used as a bomb shelter during a Russian drone attack in Kyiv, Ukraine.
La.natural gaspipelineexplodes
BY COURTNEY PEDERSEN Staff writer
Anatural gas pipeline exploded along the coastlineinCameron Parishon Tuesday,sending flames andsmoke high into the air, but no major injuries were reported.
The cause of the explosionnearthe Calcasieu Ship Channel and the Texas border was not yet clear, said Ashley Buller, assistantdirectorofthe parish’s emergency preparedness department. The explosion occurred around noon and wasbrought under control shortly afterward, she said. State Police were investigating.
It blew up where the pipeline meets the shore between Holly Beach and Johnson Bayou, said Buller
The 28-mile line belongs to Delfin LNG, which is developing an offshore liquefied natural gas facility nearby
The plant is not yet in operation, and preliminary actions were being performed on the line, she said.
The company shut off the line, and the remaining gas was burning off.One worker involved in the operation may have suffered minor injuries and was being taken to ahospital in nearby Port Arthur,Texas,asa precautionary measure
Students at aschool in Johnson Bayouwere kept inside during recess as a precaution.
“Everything is under controlatthis point, and there was not athreat to anything else nearby,” Buller said Tuesday afternoon.
The Cameron Parish Sheriff’s Office, emergency preparedness officials and the Johnson Bayou Fire Depart-
ment wereall on the scene Smoke thathad previously filledthe sky in the area was fading by midafternoon.
Delfincould not immediately be reached for comment.
Cameron Parish hasbecome an epicenter of LNG production, including CheniereEnergy’sSabine Pass terminal, the country’slargest. Theprocess involves convertingnaturalgas to liquidformbysupercooling it,allowingittobeexported around the world.
Commercial fishers and environmental groups have raised concerns over the large facilities, including the possibility of accidents.
Thestate hasembracedthe industry as an important source of jobs and revenue, while the country has promoted LNG exports as part of itsforeign policy
Delfin, with offices in Norway and Pensacola, Florida, hasbeendeveloping its export terminal around 40 nautical miles off Louisiana’scoast. It is to include three vessels capableof producing 4milliontons of LNG, connected to existing offshore pipelines transporting natural gas, it says on itswebsite.
Thecompany says it purchased the UTOS pipeline in 2014, callingitthe largest natural gas pipelinein the Gulf. It wasnot immediately clear if that pipeline was the same one involved in Tuesday’sexplosion.
Robyn Thigpen, executive directorofthe advocacy group Fishermen Involved in Saving OurHeritage said she received reportsfrom three fishers who heard the explosion from more than 11 miles away Thigpen wasespecially
concerned because theonly full-service hospital in the area has not reopened since 2020’sHurricane Laura, whichdevastatedsouthwest Louisiana.
“It’sreally important that people understand they never reopened ahospital,” shesaid.
Cameron Parish hasbeen steadilylosingpopulation since 2005’sHurricane Rita,which left much of the region in ruins. A2024 estimate put thepopulation at 4,700, compared with around 10,000 at the turn of thecentury
Traditionally tied to commercial andrecreational fishing, as wellasthe offshore oil industry,the parish has in recent years positioned itself as astrategically located LNGhub. Besides Cheniere, two other export terminals are also locatedinCameron, andmore are planned.
Environmental activists expressed concern over the explosion and warned over the rapid development of theLNG industry
As he stood in Johnson Bayou watching the smoke billow from the explosion, James Hiatt, director of the For aBetter Bayou advocacy group, argued that communities were being asked to carry therisks of LNG production without realizing much of the benefit.
“Weare thelargest exporter of natural gasinthe world, and to look around this place, you would not know the wealth,” Hiatt said.
“Because they don’tonly exportthe gas, they export theprofits too.”
Staff writers Mike Smith and JosieAbugov contributed to this report.
STAFFPHOTO By COURTNEy PEDERSON Smoke rises Tuesdayinthe area where apipeline exploded off Cameron Parish.
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Congress votes to end partial shutdown
La. delegation follows party lines
BY MARK BALLARD Staff writer
WASHINGTON Louisiana’s congressional delegation voted Tuesday along party lines on a bill to approve the funding bills that end the three-day partial federal government shutdown.
President Donald Trump signed the legislation two hourslaterwithHouseSpeaker Mike Johnson standing by his side in the Oval Office, holding a scarlet “America is Back” cap.
“He’s done an incredible job,” Trump said of Johnson, R-Benton.
“The hat is appropriate,” Johnson responded.
The legislation officially eliminates funding for public radio and public television, raises pay for military members, and invests in shipbuilding industries, among other spending for the departments of Energy, Defense, Treasury, State, Labor, Transportation, Health and Human Services, and Education.
It was a close-run series of votes that led to the 217 to 214 vote on final passage for legislation that funds about 75% of the federal government’s agencies and services.
The package approves five spending bills through Sept. 30. A sixth instrument in the package allows the DepartmentofHomelandSecurityto operate until Feb. 13 to allow time for negotiations between Democrats and Republicans on instituting guidelines for how federal agents enforce immigration laws.
Democrats have called for major changes to immigration enforcement after two citizens were shot and killed during a crackdown in Minneapolis.
“This administration has been using Americans’ taxpayer dollars to terrorize lawabiding immigrants, kill U.S citizens, detain children and endanger communities,” said U.S. Rep. Troy Carter D-New Orleans. “We cannot be silent while this president ignores our constitution and our rule
on bill
of law.”
Twenty-one Republicans voted against the bill and 21 Democratic members voted for the package.
Louisiana’s four House Republicans — Johnson; Majority Leader Steve Scalise, of Jefferson; and Reps. Julia Letlow, of Baton Rouge, and Clay Higgins, of Lafayette approved of the package.
“These bills further our America First agenda by cutting wasteful spending, supporting our troops and delivering crucial infrastructure for Louisiana communities,” Letlow said, pointing to a $3.5 million appropriation for a water rescue facility at the Louisiana Fire and Emergency Training Academy in Baton Rouge.
Democratic Reps Carter and Cleo Fields, of Baton Rouge, voted against the legislation.
“While I support the continued function of our government and ensuring our military personnel and essential federal workers receive the paychecks they have earned, this legislation continues to direct billions of taxpayer dollars toward the Department of Homeland Security,” Fields said. “My vote reflects a simple principle: no additional federal dollars should be spent in support of immigration enforcement strate-
gies that have proven overly aggressive, ineffective and inconsistent with our American values.”
In addition to the immigration activities of Homeland Security, the sixth bill in the package includes funding the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Coast Guard, Secret Service and the Transportation Security Administration.
“We got the bills over the line,” Johnson said moments after the final vote on the House floor
“We’ve now funded 11 of the 12 separate appropriations funding bills for the government for the year And that’s a big achievement because it’s a big move towards regular order.”
Johnson is referring to Congress’ inability over the past decade or so to agree on annual spending measures that traditionally were detailed in 12 appropriations bills. Congress had fallen back on a procedure of passing resolutions to continue spending at the previous year’s levels, then having leadership merge spending levels into a single massive omnibus bill on which members of both chambers can only vote up or down.
Email Mark Ballard at mballard@theadvocate. com.
Judge seems skeptical of legal justification in senator’s punishment
BY MICHAEL KUNZELMAN Associated Press
WASHINGTON A federal judge said Tuesday that he knows of no U.S. Supreme Court precedent to justify the Pentagon’s censuring of a sitting U.S. senator who joined a videotaped plea for troops to resist unlawful orders from the Trump administration.
Sen. Mark Kelly had a front-row seat in a courtroom as his attorneys urged U.S. District Judge Richard Leon to block the Pentagon from punishing the Arizona Democrat, a retired U.S. Navy pilot. Leon didn’t immediately rule from the bench on Kelly’s claims that Pentagon officials violated his First Amendment free speech rights.
But the judge appeared to be skeptical of key argu-
ments that a government attorney made in defense of Kelly’s Jan 5 censure from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
“You’re asking me to do something the Supreme Court has never done,” the judge told Justice Department attorney John Bailey.
“Isn’t that a bit of a stretch?”
Bailey argued that Congress decided that retired military service members are subject to the same Uniform Code of Military Justice that applies to activeduty troops.
“Retirees are part of the armed forces,” Bailey said.
“They are not separated from the services.”
Benjamin Mizer, one of Kelly’s lawyers, said they aren’t aware of any ruling to support the notion that military retirees have “diminished speech rights.”
And he argued that the First Amendment clearly protects Kelly’s speech in this case.
“And any other approach would be to make new law,” Mizer added.
Leon, who was nominated to the bench by Republican President George W. Bush, said the Pentagon’s actions against Kelly could have a chilling effect on “many, many other retirees who wish to voice their opinion.”
The judge said he hopes to issue a ruling by next Wednesday Kelly shook hands with two government attorneys after the hearing.
In November, Kelly and five other Democratic lawmakers appeared on a video in which they urged troops to uphold the Constitution and not to follow unlawful military directives from the Trump administration.
BY HANNAH SCHOENBAUM and MATTHEW BROWN Associated Press
PROVO, Utah — Graphic vid-
eos showing the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk while he spoke to a crowd on a Utah college campus quickly went viral, drawing millions of views.
Screenshots from such videos were offered Tuesday as evidence in the murder case against Tyler Robinson, the man charged in Kirk’s killing. But the full videos were not shown in court, after de-
fense attorneys objected out of concern that the footage would undermine Robinson’s right to a fair trial.
Legal experts say the defense team’s worries are real: Media coverage in highprofile cases like Robinson’s can have a direct “biasing effect” on potential jurors, said Cornell Law School Professor Valerie Hans.
“There were videos about the killing, and pictures and analysis (and) the entire saga of how this particular defendant came to turn himself in,” said Hans, a leading
expert on the jury system.
“When jurors come to a trial with this kind of background information from the media, it shapes how they see the evidence that is presented in the courtroom.”
Defense attorneys also want to oust TV and still cameras from the courtroom, arguing that “highly biased” news outlets risk tainting the case.
Prosecutors, attorneys for news organizations, and Kirk’s widow urged state District Judge Tony Graf to keep the proceedings open.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO
President Donald Trump listens Tuesday as House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Benton, speaks in the Oval Office of the White House.
Judge: Deal reached on Epstein victim IDs
Names not redacted in records release
BY MICHAEL R. SISAK and LARRY NEUMEISTER Associated Press
NEW YORK A deal was reached between lawyers for victims of Jeffrey Epstein and the Justice Department to protect the identities of nearly 100 women whose lives were allegedly harmed after the government began releasing millions of documents last week, a lawyer told a federal judge on Tuesday Judge Richard M. Berman in Manhattan cancelled a hearing scheduled for Wednesday after
he was notified by Florida attorney Brittany Henderson that “extensive and constructive discussions” with the government had resulted in an agreement.
Henderson and attorney Brad Edwards had complained to Berman in a letter Sunday that “immediate judicial intervention” was needed after there were thousands of instances when the government had failed to redact names and other personally identifying information of women sexually abused by Epstein.
Among eight women whose comments were included in the lawyers’ Sunday letter one said the records’ release was “life threatening” while another said she’d gotten death threats and
Clintons finalize agreement to testify in Epstein probe
BY STEPHEN GROVES Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Former Presi-
dent Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton finalized an agreementwithHouseRepublicans Tuesday to testify in a House investigation into Jeffrey Epstein this month, bowing to the threat of a contempt of Congress vote against them.
Hillary Clinton will testify before the House Oversight Committee on Feb. 26 and Bill Clinton will appear on Feb. 27. It will mark the first time that lawmakers have compelled a former president to testify
The arrangement comes after months of negotiating between the two sides as Republicans sought to make the Clintons, both Democrats, a focal point in a House committee’s investigation into Epstein, a convicted sex offender who killed himself in a New York jail cell in 2019, and Ghislaine Maxwell, his former girlfriend.
“We look forward to now questioning the Clintons as part of our investigation into the horrific crimes of Epstein and Maxwell, to deliver transparency and accountability for the American people and for survivors,” Rep. James Comer, the chair of the House
Oversight Committee, said in a statement.
For months, the Clintons resisted subpoenas from the committee, but House Republicans — with support from a few Democrats had advanced criminal contempt of Congress charges to a potential vote this week. It threatened the Clintons with the potential for substantial fines and even prison time if they had been convicted.
House Speaker Mike Johnson said Tuesday that any effort to hold them in contempt of Congress were “on pause.”
Even as the Clintons bowed to the pressure, the negotiating between GOP lawmakers and attorneys for the Clintons was marked by distrust as they wrangled over the details of the deposition. They agreed to have the closeddoor depositions transcribed and recorded on video Comer said.
The belligerence is likely to only grow as Republicans relish the opportunity to grill longtime political foes under oath.
Comer told The Associated Press that Republicans, in their inquiry with the Clintons, were “trying to figure out how Jeffrey Epstein was able to surround himself with all these rich and powerful people.”
U.K. police investigate alleged Epstein leaks
By The Associated Press
LONDON British police on Tuesday opened a criminal investigation into politician Peter Mandelson over alleged misconduct in public office related to his relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The U.K. government says newly released Epstein files suggest Mandelson — a former Cabinet minister, ambassador and elder statesman of the governing Labour Party may have shared market-sensitive information with the convicted sex offender a decade and a half
ago London’s Metropolitan Police force said detectives had reviewed reports of misconduct and decided they met the threshold for a full investigation.
Commander Ella Marriott said the force “has now launched an investigation into a 72-year-old man, a former government minister, for misconduct in public office offenses.” Misconduct in public office carries a maximum sentence of life in prison. Opening an investigation does not mean Mandelson will be arrested, charged or convicted.
she was forced to shut down her credit cards and banking accounts after their security was jeopardized.
The lawyers had requested that the Justice Department website be temporarily shut down and that an independent monitor be appointed to ensure no further errors occurred.
Henderson did not say what government lawyers said to ensure identities would be protected going forward or what the agreement consisted of.
“We trust that the deficiencies will be corrected expeditiously and in a manner that protects victims from further harm,” she wrote to the judge.
The Justice Department did not
immediately respond to a request for comment.
The judge wrote in an order cancelling the Wednesday public hearing that he was “pleased but not surprised that the parties were able to resolve the privacy issues.”
On Monday, U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton in Manhattan wrote in a letter filed in Manhattan federal court that errors blamed on “technical or human error” occurred on redactions during the document release.
He said the Justice Department had improved its protocols to protect victims and had taken down nearly all materials identified by victims or their lawyers, along with many more that the govern-
ment had found on its own.
Mistakes in the largest release of Epstein documents yet included nude photos showing the faces of potential victims as well as names, email addresses and other identifying information that was either unredacted or not fully obscured.
Most of the materials that were released stemmed from sex trafficking probes of Epstein and his former girlfriend, British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year prison sentence after she was convicted in December 2021 at a New York trial. Epstein took his life in a federal jail in New York in August 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
Rafah crossing opening clouded by uncertainty
BY WAFAA SHURAFA, SAMY MAGDY
KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip Palestin-
ians gathered on both sides of Gaza’s border with Egypt on Tuesday hoping to pass through the Rafah crossing, after its reopening the previous day was marred by delays, interrogations and uncertainty over who would be allowed to cross. On the Egyptian side were Palestinians who fled Gaza earlier in the Israel-Hamas war to seek medical treatment, according to Egypt’s state-run Al-Qahera News television. On the Gaza side, Palestinians in need of medical care that is unavailable in Gaza gathered at a hospital before ambulances moved toward Rafah, hoping for word that they would be allowed to cross the other way
The office of the North Sinai governor confirmed Tuesday that an unknown number of patients and their companions had crossed from Gaza into Egypt.
The bus with about 40 Palestinians that entered Gaza via Rafah on Tuesday arrived at Nasser hospital in Khan Younis early Wednesday morning, where their families welcomed them after spending the entire day waiting Though hailed as a step forward for the fragile ceasefire struck in October, it took more than 10 hours for only about a dozen returnees and a small group of medical evacuees to cross in each direction on the first day Rafah reopened.
Three women who crossed into Gaza on Monday told The Associated Press on Tuesday that Israeli troops blindfolded and handcuffed them, then interrogated and
threatened them, holding them for several hours before they were released.
The numbers permitted to cross on Monday fell well short of the 50 people that officials had said would be allowed each way and barely began to address the needs of tens of thousands of Palestinians who are hoping to be evacuated for treatment or to return home.
The import of humanitarian aid or goods through Rafah remains prohibited.
Evacuation efforts on Tuesday morning converged around a Red Crescent hospital in Khan Younis, where a World Health Organization team arrived and a vehicle carrying patients and their relatives rolled in from another hospital. Then the group of WHO vehicles and Palestinian ambulances headed toward Rafah to await crossing.
Signs of forced entry found at home of host’s mother
Woman believed taken against will
BY JACQUES BILLEAUD, SEJAL GOVINDARAO and MIKE BALSAMO Associated Press
TUCSON, Ariz. Investigators found signs of forced entry at the Arizona home of “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie’s mother a person familiar with the investigation said Tuesday, as the host asked for prayers to help bring back the 84-year-old, who is believed to have been taken against her will.
The host described her mother, Nancy Guthrie, as “a woman of deep conviction, a good and faithful servant” in a social media post late Monday She asked supporters to “raise your prayers with us and believe with us that she will be lifted by them in this very moment. Bring her home.”
The Pima County sheriff and the Tucson FBI chief held a news conference Tuesday and urged the public to offer tips, but they revealed few new details about the investigation. The sheriff said they don’t have credible information indicating Guthrie’s disappearance was targeted.
Sheriff Chris Nanos has said Guthrie needs daily medication and could die without it. Asked whether officials were looking for her alive, he said, “We hope we are.”
DNA samples have been gathered and submitted for analysis as part of the investigation.
“We’ve gotten some back, but nothing to indicate any suspects,” Nanos said.
The person who spoke to The Associated Press said investigators found specific evidence in the home showing there was a nighttime kidnapping. Several of Guthrie’s personal items, including her cellphone, wallet and car were still there after she disappeared.
Investigators are reviewing surveillance video from nearby homes and working to analyze data from cellphone towers. Police are also reviewing information from license plate cameras
in the area, according to the person, who was not authorized to publicly discuss details of the case and spoke to AP on condition of anonymity
The motive remains a mystery Investigators do not believe at this point that the abduction was part of a robbery, home invasion or kidnapping-for-ransom plot, the person said.
TMZ reported Tuesday that it received a purported ransom note demanding payment in cryptocurrency for Guthrie’s release. Separately, a journalist with Tucson television station KOLD said in an X post that the station received what appears to be a ransom note. Both outlets said they turned over the notes to investigators.
The sheriff’s department said it’s taking the possible ransom notes and other tips seriously but declined to comment further President Donald Trump, speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on Tuesday afternoon, said he planned to call Savannah Guthrie “later on” and called the situation “terrible.”
“I always got along very good with Savannah,” Trump said. For a second day, “Today” opened Tuesday with Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance, but Savannah Guthrie was not at the anchor’s desk. NBC Sports said Guthrie will not be covering the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics “as she focuses on being with her family during this difficult time.
Nancy Guthrie was last seen Saturday night at her home in the Tucson area, where she lived alone and was reported missing Sunday
Someone at her church called a family member to say she was not there, leading family to search her home and then call 911, Nanos said. Guthrie has limited mobility, and officials do not believe she left on her own. Nanos said she is of sound mind.
In the hours after she disappeared, searchers used drones and dogs and were supported by volunteers and Border Patrol. The homicide team was also involved, Nanos said.
and SAM METZ Associated Press
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ABDEL KAREEM HANA
Najat Rubaie, center right, embraces one of her grandsons Tuesday after they arrived with their mother as part of a group of about a dozen Palestinian returnees allowed into Gaza.
Stormblamedfor sixhypothermia deaths
BY BRIAN McCALLUM Staff writer
At least six people died as aresult of hypothermia as a result of Winter Storm Fern, according to the Louisiana Department of Health.
Hypothermia occurs when body temperature drops below 95 degrees, often during prolonged exposure to cold temperatures,accordingto information from the Mayo Clinic. Without treatment, it can be fatal.
Although several warming centers were established as the subfreezing weather was predicted, two unhoused men died in Shreveport nearthe downtown area, both due to presumed hypothermia.
FrederickA.Thomas, 63, was found behind an old YWCAwest of downtown Shreveport. He died after being taken to Willis Knighton Medical Center in Shreveport. The name of theothervictim hasnot been releasedbecause no one has come forward as next-of-kin
He was foundbehind the SporTran bus terminal. He was transported to Ochsner LSU Health and laterpronounced dead. Four others across north Louisianaalso died from presumedhypothermiaduringthe storm n Melvin Vampe, 74, died in hisDeSoto parish home after along power outage. n Clara Wilson,78, died in
Franklin Parish n The Coroner’sOffice in Sabine Parishconfirmed the deathofa 62-year-old man from hypothermia. Aseconddeath was determined to have been caused by other factors.
n A65-year-old man died in Jackson Parish from hypothermia as aresult of a lengthy power outage, the HealthDepartment said. Shreveport conditions
“For acityasbig as Shreveport, there should be more (beds for homeless people),”said Donna Earnest, of Hope House, a homelessministry begun by Holy Cross Episcopal Church. She added that thoseneeding aplace to
Old Jeffersonresident EricaPippen holds up an imageof flooding in the neighborhood at a St. GeorgePlanning Commission meetingMonday night.
PLANNING
Continued from page 1A
the developer to respond to staff commentsonthe proposal, according to planning documents. Commissioners had previously deferred the item in their January meeting.
Bo Booty,anengineer representing the developer, requested a90-day deferral at the meeting to continue working with city officials on changes to the proposal to comply with city criteria, including the addition of turn lanes.
As of Monday night, commission staff had not received updated plans from the developer to address drainage, according to St. George Planning Director Bryant Dixon. He said the St. George Departmentof PublicWorks had surveyed the proposed development’s site and found multiple drainage deficiencies dueto “deferred maintenance.” Planning Commission Chair Billy J. Aguillard opened the floor for public comment duetolarge public turnout for the meeting Korey Ryder,anOld Jefferson resident,raisedconcerns of the subdivision’s
potential increase in traffic in Old Jefferson, where he experiences many drivers speeding past hisProfit Avenuehome.
“Despite allofthis, the dangerousbehavior continuestoincrease and will only intensifyastraffic volume grows with the Jones Creek extension, as well as developments like the Haven,”Rydersaidatthe meeting. “Howmuch more we expect to put up with? Does someone need to be killed while walking their dog?”
Sondra Richard, an Old Jeffersonresident and areal estate agent, said she’s had difficulty selling houses in thearea because of theflood risk, which may worsen with an additional subdivision “It’shard to get clientsto come back and start buying back in Old Jefferson,” she said at themeeting.
EricaPippen, an Old Jefferson resident, attended thepast two planning commission meetings to oppose the Havensubdivision proposal, citing the area’s existing drainageissues, which she feared the development would exacerbate She saidshe’simpressed by the commission’s decision to strikedownthe application but plans to continue
her advocacy for improving the neighborhood’sdrainage system “I was really grateful for that because that’snot something you see every day,” she said of the application denial. “Sometimes money takes precedent over what’sgood forthe people, and tonight,that was not thecase.”
stay in the inclementweather would mostly find out from others. “I put signs up at the shelters, and then it’s word of mouth from there.”
WesleyMeacham, of Hope Connections, which provides 37 beds daily but housed 90 through thestorm by adding cots, said flyers are distributed basedonknowing the landscape of homelessness in Shreveport. “Weknowwhere all the
campsare,” he said. “Wego around andask if they want to come in.”
That doesn’t alwayswork
Capt.Amy Bowman,ofthe Shreveport Police Department, said the law enforcement agency made an extensive sweep of the area to direct homeless people to shelters as the storm approached.
“Wetry to tell them when it is alife-or-death situation,”
Bowman said. Shesaidshe didn’tbelieve any Shreveport officers encountered someone who didn’twant a warm place to stay during Fern. “If Ican articulate that you’re showing early signs of hypothermia, then I can take you into protective custody.”
Email Brian McCallum at brian.mccallum@ theadvocate.com.
As theSouthernUniversityJaguars beginanew tennis season,seniorwomen’s player KaiWince isalsopreparingforlifebeyondthecourt.Wince is amemberofthe inauguralcohortofUncaged: BuildingBeyondTheBluff,aleadershipinitiative designed to help student-athletes developskills that extend past athletic competition. “Thatwasthebiggestreasonforme–tobeable to learnhow to sell myself as apersonpastjust beingatennisplayer,”Wince said ThroughUncaged,participantstakepartin workshopsandsessionsfocusedoncommunication,branding,networkingandcareerreadiness. Wincesaidshe’s already takenawaylessons abouthow to leverage herexistingsocialmedia presence,perhapsbymonetizingcontentorusing herplatformstohaveapositiveimpactonothers.
“Lastnight,wehadaneventwherewelearned howtocreateasocialmediabrandandstaytrueto ourbrand,”Wincesaid.“WeallhaveTikTokand Instagramandpostvideosandphotosofourselves playingsports. I’ve neverthought before about howIcan brandmyselforuse my social media in otherways.”
HeadCoachJeffConyers,whooverseesSouthern’s men’sandwomen’stennisteams,saidhelpinghis players’ holistic developmentisa crucialpart of hisphilosophy.Infact,CoachConyersintentionallyschedulesfewerthanthemaximumallowed numberofmatchestoensureplayershaveplenty of time to focusonacademics,self-development andother extracurricularactivities.
On thecourt,the Southern Jaguarsmen’s tennis team begins home play on Feb. 6against Lamar, whilethe womenare slated to first take thehomecourt onFeb. 20againsttheUniversity ofTennesseeatChattanooga.CoachConyerssaid he hashighhopes forbothsquads.
“The women’steamhas amixture of past playersand newcomers. On themen’s side,we’re veryexcited.Thisisthethirdyearthemen’steam hasbeenback, andwefinallyhavea full squad. We’regoing to look forsomebig things outof them,” he said Theteamshavebeenabletotakeadvantageof anewhome,withsixon-campuscourtsdesigned specificallyfor theiruse
“All sixare together.It’saverygoodfacility, CoachConyers said.“Thecurrent playersnow have to produceand make theirown history. Newathleticfacilitiesandfundingforinitiatives like Uncagedwould notbepossiblefor Southern University withoutthe continuedsupport from alumni,stakeholdersand community members. TheSouthernJaguarAthleticprogramwillhost itslargest fundraisingday of theyearonFriday, March27, during theannualJag-A-Thon. This year’s Jag-A-Thon will be acombined in-personand virtualevent encompassing phonebanking,livestreaming andsocializing Alivestreamwillbeavailable from 9a.m.to5 p.m. on JaguarsSportsNetwork.com,Facebook andYouTube.Itwillalsobebroadcast live on CumulusRadio: Max94.1, Q106.5, Heaven 95.7 andClassic Hits 103.3. Jag-A-Thon donationsmay be made in the followingways:
•Phone:Call225-771-2436
•Online:https://foundation.sus.edu/jag-a-thon/
•Inperson:LeonR.TarverIICulturalandHeritage Center (9 a.m. to 5p.m.March 27)
•Mail: Southern University Athletics, P.O. Box 9942, BatonRouge,LA, 70813
Visitwww.gojagsports.comtolearnmoreabout Southern University Athletics.
STAFF PHOTO By IANNE SALVOSA
a“liberal,” accusing herof voting more with then-President Joe Biden and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., than the other four Republican members of Louisiana’scongressional delegation.
Cassidy,ashemade the rounds during Washington Mardi Gras last week, expressed confidence that voters will reelect him once they learn what he has done for Louisiana residents during his two terms in the Senate.
Cassidy trumpets “his” infrastructure bill, which is delivering billions of dollars for new roads,bridges and water systems in Louisiana.Hedoesn’t mention that he was one of ahandful of Republicans who crossed party lines in 2021 to vote for Biden’s$1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
In his first TV ad, released last week, Cassidy highlights how he sponsored a bill signed by Trump that aims to crack down on distributors of fentanyl.
Cassidy also touts his influential role in Washington as chair of the Senate health care committee. He has pitched plans to replace Obamacare that have yet to winpassage in Congress.
Cassidy has been voting for virtually all of Trump’s initiatives —includingthe confirmation of Robert F. KennedyJr. as health secretary —and had predicted that Trump would stay neutral in the Senate race.
But Trump was unwilling to forgive Cassidy for being one of seven Republicans who voted to convict him on impeachment charges for inciting the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the Capitolby Trump supporters.
For at least the time being, Cassidy leads in one important category: He had $10.1 million in cash at the end of 2025, according to the latest FEC reports, which were made public this week.
Letlow had $2.4 million that she had raised for her House reelection. Shewill be able to usethatmoney for the Senate campaign
Fleming had $2.1 million on hand and still owed himself $3 million from apersonal loan. PublicService Commissioner Eric Skrmetta has said he is running for Senate but hasn’traised any money Seidenhad slightly more than $1 million in cash, but her personalloan to her campaign accounted for most of that money Seidensaid she met with Letlow and made her a promise.
“I told her,‘I’m not going home. I’m going to work with you,’ ”she said.“I’m goingtofightalongside her to make sure we win this seat. I’m going to helpher fight for Louisianaand the United States.” Miguez’sdecision to quit the Senate race didn’tsurprise political insiders, but his move to seek Letlow’s
StateSen. BlakeMiguez has announced he is running for the
seatthat Julia Letlowisvacating even though he does not liveinthe
seat was unexpected.
Miguezlives in thetown of Erath in Vermillion Parish— outside the boundariesofthe 5th Congressional District, which stretches from Baton Rouge through the Florida Parishesupthe Mississippi River to Monroe. Acandidate does not need to live in acongressional district to run in it
Jonathon Nave, acampaign aide forMiguez, said in atext that Miguez“has maintained aresidence in the 5th Congressional Districtsince1999 and operated abusiness location in Baton Rouge for over adecade.”
Naveand Miguez didnot specify where in either case.
Navesaid Miguez graduated from LSU. More recently, Miguez lodges in Baton Rouge at the Pentagon Barracks, which are astone’sthrow from the State Capitol. Senatorswho liveoutside of Baton Rouge gettostay at the state-owned apartments there. Miguez rooms with Sen. Adam Bass, R-Bossier City Miguez on Tuesday said he is transferring $3.6 million from his aborted Senate campaign to the congressional race. A$2million personalloanaccountsfor most of that money,accordingto his FEC report. His family owns an offshore oil andgas business based in New Iberia. Miguez operated it with his father,who died ayear ago. Miguez pitched himselfas ayoungMAGAwarrior duringthe months thatheran for Senate.
“When Iannounced my campaign for the U.S. Senatelast year,I promised Louisianans Iwould stand with President Trump and fightfor an America First agenda that puts Louisiana families first,” Miguezsaid in astatement Tuesday. “I remain committed to that promise, and I’m ready to deliverthe kind ofrepresentation that willsupport President Trump and help advance themission to Make America Great Again.”
He was elected to the stateSenate in 2023 in a hard-foughtrace, after servinginthe state House
for 81/2 years.
During that race, Miguez questioned whether his opponent, farmer Hugh Andre, lived in the district. Andredisplayed his driver’s licensetoshow that he did.
Miguez’sdecision to switch tothe 5th Congressional District race, even though he doesn’t live there, was thetalkinpolitical circles Tuesday
Chris Comeaux, aRepublican political strategist, noted that Miguez’shome in Erathisnearly 100 miles from theclosest boundary in thedistrict.
ComeauxsaidMiguez haswanted to run forthe 3rd Congressional District seat,where he lives, but that U.S. Rep. ClayHiggins,R-Lafayette, continuestooccupy it “How bad does this guy need to be elected to office?” asked Comeaux, who has worked for Higgins. Miguez is achampion pistol shooter in his spare time. In his U.S. Senate campaign announcementvideo, Miguezused agun to blast bottles labeled “food dyes,” “taxes” and “Marxism.”
Miguez’s 22nd Senate district includes Iberia, Lafayette andSt. Martin parishes.
The 5th Congressional District seat that he is seekingwas drawntoelect a Republican.Besides Miguez, others whohaveannounced arestate Sen. Rick Edmonds, R-Baton Rouge; state Rep. DixonMcMakin, R-Baton Rouge; Misti Cordell, chair of theLouisianaBoard of Regents; and Larry Davis, amemberof the Republican Parish Executive Committee in Livingston Parish
State Sen. Stewart Cathey, R-Monroe,said on Tuesday he plans to makehis formal announcement next week.
StateRep. Michael Echols,R-Monroe, said on Tuesday he is still weighing his options.
State Rep. Daryl Deshotel, R-Hessmer,said on Tuesday that he won’trun for the seat “after thoughtful discussion with my wife and prayer.”
Former U.S. Rep. Garret Graves,aRepublicanfrom BatonRouge,announced last weekthathewon’t try to return to Congress by
running for Letlow’sseat.
About half of the 5th CongressionalDistrictisinthe
BatonRouge mediamarket after the state Legislature redrew congressional boundaries several years ago.
About 30% of the district is in the Monroe media market, with the rest in AvoyellesParish andthe Florida Parishes.
The three-day qualifying period for the Senate and congressional races begins on Feb. 11 for the May 16 closed primaries. Unaffiliated voters can choose whether to vote in the Re-
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nearby church. Reflecting on those moments days later, Frasier shrugged.
“I was doing the only thing I knew to do,” he said.
But even after all the escapees were rounded up — two in Arkansas, one in Mississippi and the rest at various spots in Louisiana — the community has still felt under siege. Most of northern Louisiana’s lights have flickered back on 11 days after the storm, but nearly half of East Carroll residents remained without electricity Tuesday, said Trevor Jackson, director of the parish’s Office of Emergency Preparedness. Most live in rural areas outside of Lake Providence, and many still have no running water In Louisiana’s northeast corner, East Carroll is the state’s poorest parish — and among the most impoverished areas in the country Now frustration is growing among residents.
“We are the poorest parish and we have a lot of love here,” said Chelsea Brown. “But we feel like we’re forgotten about.” Driving north on La. 65, power lines begin to lean after Tallulah. By the time the road sign for Transylvania — a small town just south of Lake Providence appears, neon-vested linemen crews work to untangle dozens of collapsed poles, some draped across the abandoned tracks of the Delta Southern Railroad. In Lake Providence, the hum of chain saws and generators cuts through streets littered with downed trees. Volunteers with Southern Baptist Disaster Relief clear debris with the help of skid steers.
Ice began coating northern Louisiana on the night of Jan. 24, but the real carnage in East Carroll came the following night. Residents recall loud snaps — almost like gunshots echoing every few seconds through the dark. By morning, the town was covered with splintered wood; even the centuries-old cypress and live oaks circling the oxbow lake that gives the town its name had split.
“It was bad, man,” said James Hopkins, who lives in Lake Providence. “I could hear it popping around.” He had watched as a massive oak
in his front yard split in half, shattering the windshield of his Chevy Impala and breaking a water main.
A week later, the tree still blocks the road, and he’s forced to duck beneath the fallen trunk to enter
his home
“It looks like a bomb went off, like a war zone,” said Debra Hopkins, director of 911 operations for the East Carroll Parish Sheriff’s
Office
A lifelong resident, she says no tornado, hurricane or any other storm has matched the ice’s destruction in her 69 years.
“Everything I’ve read said it happens once every 80 years,” she said.
“Well, thank goodness I’m not going to be around to see it again.”
The town’s backup generators, meant to provide power for essential services, failed. Phone lines were down and government buildings lost power Hopkins says 911 calls spiked from around 10 a day to more than 150.
While most weren’t emergencies, the loss of power quickly turned dangerous. Deputies spent hours extracting elderly residents trapped in their homes, including some on dialysis
“We couldn’t get down the roadways. There were trees everywhere,” said Sheriff Wydette Williams.
Of the nine storm-related deaths in Louisiana, none occurred in East Carroll, but the cost of ongoing outages is clear Spoiled groceries wiped out paychecks, gasoline for generators costs more than $100 a day and many people missed work for days.
“I’m living paycheck to paycheck;
it just kind of threw me back,” said James Hopkins.
Officials said Entergy, one of two companies providing power in the parish, quickly sent 100 trucks to begin utility repairs, aided by other contractors.
By Jan. 26, the National Guard arrived, and the Red Cross opened a makeshift warming and food distribution center in a high school gymnasium There, volunteers and caterers prepared roughly 3,500 meals a day with support from FEMA, the Red Cross and local officials. When supplies ran low, residents were given military “MRE” rations.
Around 2 a.m. last Friday, as generators hummed in the dark, ambulance driver Jim Holt was on duty in Lake Providence when a large vehicle sped past him at 90 miles per hour As he caught a glimpse, Holt saw it was from Briarfield Academy, a local private school.
“I said, ‘Where in the hell are they going?’” he said. “Somebody done stole that school bus.”
Holt heard sirens approaching. A pair of patrol cars flew by, then another, then what looked like the entire local force.
“Every deputy on the force was at work that night,” he said. “Because they all came by me.”
The chase unfolded just minutes after eight inmates all accused of violent crimes — were discovered missing from the Riverbend Detention Center down the road. The two inmates in the bus led police on a 40-mile high-speed pursuit before being captured in Lake Village, Arkansas.
Holt’s wife Lisa, the parish coro-
ner, said the breakout was especially frightening for a community where unlocked doors and firearms are part of daily life. She added that once the news spread, many volunteer groups helping with storm recovery left.
“We had people pulling out of here because of the threat of the inmates being out. They were scared. Everybody was scared,” she said.
Lisa Holt also said she’d heard rumors of unrest inside the detention center before the breakout, including inmates setting fires for warmth. Sheriff Wydette Williams said the facility had lost power but was operating on backup generators. He referred further questions to State Police, who said the investigation is ongoing.
Still, Williams acknowledged the storm and jailbreak were “very much so connected.”
Kofie Darden, vice president of the parish police jury, said the power outage left the inmates without heat.
On Sunday — nine days after the ice storm — the Holts recounted the week’s chaos over jambalaya at the Transylvania Fire Station. Linemen drifted in and out for quick meals and bathroom breaks as Chelsea Brown ladled out plates.
Shortly after the storm, Brown, who lives outside of Lake Providence, fried up catfish she’d caught the previous summer to feed more than 70 of her neighbors. But as the outages dragged on, she said, there was little help for those outside Lake Providence.
“I’ve seen more of the SWAT team than I’ve seen of anybody trying to help someone,” she said.
The day of the jailbreak, Brown turned to Facebook to plead for help. A friend in Monroe, Erika Parker, saw the post and quickly secured funding from the World Central Kitchen for 40 pizzas. Since then, Brown has driven daily to Monroe to pick up food roughly 300 meals a day provided by the nonprofit — and bring it to the fire station.
Her team — including her husband, Phillip Stilwell and the Holts — have spent each day delivering food to those still without power, including one family who had been sleeping in their car for warmth because their generator didn’t work.
As the sky turned orange, Stilwell set out with hot plates in his trunk, steering his car around downed power lines on winding country roads, lined with decaying shotgun houses once occupied by sharecrop-
pers. A bobcat darted across the road, and Stilwell gestured toward the spot where he hunts for deer
Most folks, he said, gladly accept the food though a small minority don’t like visitors. In one yard, a “Beware of Dog” sign is posted next to a standoffish pit bull barking in front of the car He sped to the home of an elderly woman who hadn’t left since the storm because her driveway was still blocked by a fallen power line. The house, built by her father in the 1960s, ran on a backup generator and, like most people Stilwell visited in the countryside, she seemed calm under the circumstances.
“These older folks out here, they’re pretty tough,” said Stilwell.
After his final stop, Stilwell turned onto a farm road to meet his friend Zach Frasier the man who held the escapees at gunpoint. Frasier said he is concerned for residents of Monticello, his small community in the southwest part of East Carroll.
Frasier added many of the people there are elderly and rely on oxygen tanks that are now running low
“Some of the roads out there the old people live down, it’s real muddy,” he said “They ain’t getting out.”
And then there are those who may not be as concerned with taking care of themselves.
“There are a lot of meth houses,” Frasier added. “People just kind of throwing stuff together to live in.”
Jeff Churchwell, general manager of Northeast Louisiana Power Cooperative, which serves most of the parish outside Lake Providence, said Tuesday he’s hopeful power can be restored within the next seven days.
“Our concerns are definitely being heard, and our needs are definitely being met,” said Darden, the police jury vice president.
But those at the Transylvania Fire Station said that until all their neighbors have power again, they’ll keep checking on people and bringing food.
Outside an abandoned gas station in Lake Providence, a crowd huddled around a food truck serving free fried chicken provided by Gary Martin, who grew up in the town but now lives in Monroe. He drove in Sunday with his daughter and niece after asking an old friend how he could help. The friend’s answer was simple: show up.
“This community has always known one thing, taking care of each other,” he added.
STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON
James Hopkins leans against his truck next to a downed tree outside his front door in Lake Providence on Sunday
Mayor unsure of parade’s future
At least five shot during event in Clinton
BY OLIVIA TEES Staff writer
The Mardi Gras parade in Clinton on Saturday ended in unexpected violence after multiple people were shot in front of the town courthouse, and now the annual event is not expected to return anytime soon, according to Clinton Mayor Mark Kemp Many Clinton residents support this idea and want the autumn Homecoming Parade canceled too.
Official testifies in property damage trial
EBR council member takes stand in dispute with former neighbors
BY MATT BRUCE Staff writer
It’s been an ongoing legal battle for the past four years, one with a number of twists and turns in and out of court. But on Tuesday, Metro Council member Cleve Dunn Jr took the stand for the first time in his civil dispute with his former neighbors in the Sherwood Manor subdivision. Donna Michelli and her husband, Eugene Michelli, claim Dunn had an outdoor pool cabana built too close to their home and installed a fence on their side of the property line. The backyard improvements caused drainage issues and runoff, which the Michelli couple alleges carried rain onto their property causing their home to flood.
But Dunn denied that the upgrades he made to his property in 2021 caused damage to his neighbors’ home. Instead, he pointed to the May 17, 2021, flash flood that doused East Baton Rouge with more than 13 inches of rainfall in a span of hours.
“There was historic flooding and people flooded all over the area, all over the city, all over the region,” he said.
District Judge Beau Higginbotham listened to two days of testimony in the civil trial and will determine whether Dunn and his wife are liable for flooding to the Michellis’ former house in the 13900 block of King Carey Avenue. Higginbotham will decide how much, if any, monetary damages to award the plaintiffs for the destruction to their home. Higginbotham is set to render his ruling during a March 6 hearing inside his courtroom.
Charlotte McDaniel, the plaintiffs’ attorney, asked the judge to award Donna Michelli the money she and her husband doled out to repair the damage to their home in the wake of the flooding
“Put Mrs. Michelli back in the position she was in but for this behemoth of a concrete slab, unpermitted, open-air barbecue safety hazard that existed at the time she filed this lawsuit,” McDaniel said Tuesday Higginbotham ruled against Dunn and his wife in March 2023 at the end of an evidentiary hearing, when the council member and his attorney were absent. Dunn’s attorney, Louisiana House Rep. Edmond Jordan, filed for a legislative continuance days prior to the hearing. State law at the time allowed
“Someone’s life is more important than going to a parade and acting stupid. It only takes a few people to ruin the fun for everyone,” Kemp said.
“I would also like to ask the young parents to please get a hold on your children. It starts at home and this shouldn’t have to happen at all,” Flowers said. Kemp said he was horrified by the situation. He called Clinton a
The organizer of the parade, Sheilla Flowers, said on Facebook how thankful she was the police were there to quickly respond and help those who were injured. She called on the community to reflect on why violence had to happen at an event that was supposed to bring the town together
tight-knit community where people always try to get along with one another “It’s sad that there are these young people out here living with no compassion,” Kemp said. Kemp was not at the parade when the shooting happened, but was on his way He said he had high hopes for the parade because there would be a large police presence for security
According to East Feliciana Parish Sheriff Jeff Travis the Sheriff’s Office has had issues with a
rambunctious afterparty that occurs each year after the parade, prompting a significant police presence.
“We’re going to send a strong message that this type of behavior is not going to be tolerated,” Travis said.
Despite the bitter cold over the weekend, with temperatures near freezing, people lined the streets to celebrate the 21st “Mardi Gras in the Country” parade. It’s a large
Mississippi moseying
A barge moves north on the Mississippi River on Thursday in Baton Rouge.
By HILARy
SCHEINUK
Advocacy group releases report on La. coroners
It contends involuntary commitment law violates due process rights
State officials have named Travis Day as the new warden at Elayn Hunt Correctional Center
New warden named at Elayn Hunt facility
Change comes amid scrutiny over inmate deaths STAFF FILE
BY MEGHAN FRIEDMANN Staff writer
State officials have named a new warden at Elayn Hunt Correctional Center — while also defending the resigning warden, who announced his departure last month amid scrutiny over a spate of deaths at the state prison.
Travis Day formerly the warden of B.B. Rayburn Correctional Center, is now in charge of the St. Gabriel facility He replaces Keithe Turner, who ran the prison for eight months.
“Warden Turner was making a difference at Elayn Hunt Correctional Center during his eight months that he was detailed into this new leadership role,” Gary Westcott, Louisiana’s corrections
secretary, said during a news conference Monday “In the end, Warden Turner felt that his family and his legacy was being targeted and tarnished unjustly by circumstances that he did not cause Warden Turner was a great public servant and even a better person, and he did not deserve this unfair treatment.” Turner submitted his resignation in mid-December The next day, the facility reported its seventh “unexpected” inmate death since September The deaths received a flurry of media attention, some of which Westcott said was inaccurate. Altogether, there were 18 unexpected deaths in 2025 — less than the 35 the prison recorded in 2024, officials said. When an unexpected death occurs at a prison, an autopsy is typically requested. Of the unexpected deaths last year, 11
BY CHRISTOPHER CARTWRIGHT Staff writer
A civil rights advisory committee has found that Louisiana’s involuntary commitment law appears to violate due process rights under the 14th Amendment. In a report released this week, the Louisiana Advisory Committee for the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights found that state law allows people without appropriate medical training to involuntarily commit individuals for up to 15 days. It is recommending a change in the law by the state Legislature. It also identified a lack of accountability in the involuntary commitment process, said those committed are unable to void or expunge their records, and alleged that the issuing of involuntary commitment orders “appears to be a rubber stamp in some parishes.” It did not specify the parishes. The committee also recommended that the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights ask the governor and the Legislature to investigate and codify laws to ensure physicians, preferably psychiatrists, are involved in issuing Coroner’s Emergency Certificates. Those certificates allow people to be confined for up to 15 days.
Created by the Civil Rights Act of 1957, the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights is a bipartisan, independent commission that investigates, reports and makes recommendations about civil rights issues to government leaders The commission has no enforcement powers, and its 56 advisory committees make recommendations and reports to the full commission.
Louisiana Advisory Committee acting Chair Tia Mills said in a Tuesday news release that the committee was “concerned that involuntary commitments can occur without appropriately qualified medical personnel making the determination that such a deprivation of liberty is warranted.”
“We hope our recommendations help ensure the Coroner’s Emergency Certificate is used appropriately and as a tool to help support, and not punish, individuals alleged to be suffering from mental illness,” she added.
The report followed the committee’s investigation into the role of coroners in the involuntary commitment process, during which the group held two public hearings and accepted written testimony about the subject.
An involuntary commitment in Louisiana begins with a certificate issued by a physician, physician assistant, nurse practitioner or psychologist that allows people to be involuntarily committed for up to 72 hours.
Once someone is committed, a coroner or deputy coroner of the parish can then execute a
STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON
event for atown of less than 1,500people, often drawing crowds from thesurrounding areas.
Just 15 minutes after the parade startedaround noon, gunfire in front of the East Feliciana Parish courthouse injured at least five people.
Four other people were also injured in the chaos that ensued afterthe gunshots, with one person trampled by the crowd and another hit by acar,according to the East Feliciana Parish Director of Homeland Security Darryl Buhler
A6-year-old girl anda woman who is expectedto be paralyzed for the rest of her life were quickly airlifted to local hospitals
All the victims are in stable condition.
“It was aliving, breathing scene,” Buhler said.
Six people were arrested in the days after the shooting: Malik Liggins, 16,of Ethel; Phillip “Choppa” Williams, 25, of Baton Rouge; Noah Basquine, 19, of Ethel;Jascent Scot, 26, of Baker; KameronBarfield, 21, of Baker; and D’Treylin White, 18, of Jackson. All face charges for attempted second-degreemurder, reckless discharge of afirearm at aparade or demon-
WARDEN
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occurred due to natural causes, two were relatedto drug overdosesand one was ruled asuicide, said Seth Smith, who heads up prison operations for the state Department of Public Safety and Corrections.
The state is still awaiting autopsy results to determine thecause of thefour others, he said.
At least one man died after afight with another inmate, officials said.
The prison also recorded three deaths in the lastweek of January,Smith said. Two of the inmates died of medical issues, he said, and the agency was awaiting autopsy results forthe third.
Officials said deaths at Elayn Hunt are not unusual because the facility is built to house state inmateswith the most chronic and acute medical issues. About 50 inmates are kept in afacility equivalent to ahospital, and about 140 are housed in afacility equivalent to anursing home, Smith said.
Day,the new warden, who has abackgroundin nursing, said 86% of Elayn Hunt’sinmatestake medication and 62% have been diagnosed with achronic illness. On average, seven prescription medications were ordered per inmate, he said.
Meanwhile, aLouisiana
ADVOCACY
Continued from page1B
Coroner’sEmergencyCertificate within those 72 hours after evaluating theperson. Louisiana is the only state that allows amedical examiner or coroner to issue such acertificate, accordingto the report. And although state law requires coroners to be licensed physicians, it waives that rule if no licensed physicians qualify to run for office. Deputy coronersare required to hold at least the samequalifications as the coroner,the report added.
“As such,ifthe coroneris not aphysician, there is no requirement that the deputy coroner be alicensed physician,” it stated. “The coroner mayalsoappoint assistant coroners to perform his duties. But there is no statutory requirement that the assistant coronerspossessany type of medical qualifications or credentials.”
In its recommendations, the committee also suggested the governor and Legislature provide funding for athird-partyexaminerto request and review data on involuntarycommitments
stration and obstruction of justice.
Police expect additional arrests.
The day of the parade, Linda McKnightwas in her store, FarmHaus Square, on St. Helena Street, with her doorslocked.She said she never really liked theparade and the “out-of-towners” it brought. She wanted to work inpeace, without people bothering her The parade hadn’tyet made it to her street before it was halted inits tracks.
“I initially didn’tthink anything of it untilI looked outside and sawa horde of people running awayfrom the courthouse,” McKnight said. “I walked outside and two young men yelledat me to get backinside, that there had been ashooting.”
McKnight stayed in her
StatePolice investigation has helped prison officials crackdownoncontraband, according to Smith, who added that the prison has implemented newvisitor search procedures.Inrecent weeks, summonses were issued to six peoplein connection with wrongdoingatElaynHunt,including twoemployees, Smithsaid.
Cadet Calnisha Ruth and Master Sgt. Kha’ya Dumas, whom authorities haveaccused of introducing contraband into apenal facility, received summonses and have since resigned, according to arelease from Tiffany Dickerson, aspokesperson for state prison administrators.
In early December,another ElaynHunt corrections officer,Cadet Larry Chambers, alsowas arrested, the release says. He faces the same accusations as Ruth and Dumas, according to Dickerson, and he no longer works for the corrections department
Thecrackdownispart of an effort to address concerns about drug overdoses at thefacility.Westcott said correctional facilities across thecountry face similar challenges.
High rates of substance use disorders among inmates worsen the problem, he said.
“Over 70% of our prison populationinthe state of Louisiana, not justHunt, have eithera substance abuse-related charge or a
from all parishes over the past five years.
Furthermore, it advised thecommission to conduct a national study of state laws concerninginvoluntary commitmenttodevelop best practices.
‘Accountability gap’
Testimony and documentation received by the committee and includedwith the report include aredacted story from someoneallegingtheywere involuntarily committed duetoafalse report against them. Nick Richard, executive director of NAMI Southeast Louisiana, submitted written testimony about the balancebetween protecting civil rights and providing access to appropriate mental health care for those who need it. He highlighted an “accountability gap” in responsibility for investigating potentialfalse statements used to involuntarilycommit individuals “When no entity hasclear responsibility to investigate potential false statements, thedeterrenteffectofpenaltiesbecomes meaningless,” he wrote. “Ifviolations occur,who identifies them? Who investigates? Who prosecutes?”
PROPERTY
Continuedfrom page1B
attorney-lawmakers to petitionthe courtsfor postponementsincases they handled if theproceedings interfered with their legislative duties.
conditions, she said.
“The property flooded, which flooded ourhouse. We had never had that problem before,” she said.
ButDunn’sattorney said she hadlittleevidenceto prove her expenses.
Michellitoldthe judge Tuesday. “Takingcareof herand making sure she was safe fromthis house Fixing all the problems to ensure that everything got repaired.”
store until 1:30 p.m., when shewas escorted across the street to her car and went home.
“I’ve been here,myfamily’sbeen here for 70 years, and nothinglike this has ever happened,”McKnight said.
McKnight, likemanyother residentsofClinton, said sheisstunned, shocked and disgusted at what happened Saturday
FormerSchool Board member of eight yearsTony Rouchon saidthat many parade attendeesdisregard all rules and laws
“There’sa lotofpeople whofeellike, ‘Oh, Ican go to thecountry and do what Iwant becausethey don’t have rules or law enforcement.Wecan go up there andgonuts, and they do,” Rouchon said.
substance abusediagnosis, Westcott said. The corrections secretary slammed the media’scoverage of the deathsatElayn Hunt,accusing the press of having inside sources who were“probably theones that are engaging in criminal activity,telling you all and us to look to theleft when they’re operating on the right.” Westcott asked reporters toshare their sources with investigators and promised exclusive stories in return Officials confirmed that another inmate diedTuesday,one dayafter the new warden was introduced. The inmate, Walter Lewis, was 43 yearsold, andhis cause of death remained undetermined as an investigation was pending, Dickerson said in a statement.
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POWERBALL: 3-8-3160-65 (4) Unofficial notification, keep your tickets.
Higginbothamdeniedthe motion andheld the March 2023 hearingwithout Dunn and Higginbotham.After listening to the plaintiffs’ evidence, he ruled that the fence and cabana were built illegally andencroached on the Michellis’ property. The judge finedDunn nearly $58,000 to pay theMichellis in restitution and ordered the council member to tear down his pool cabana.He allowed theMichellis to decide whether to tear down the fence as well or take ownership of it.
But in September 2024, the 1st Circuit Court of Appeal overturned that decision, determining Higginbotham should havegranted Jordan’slegislative continuance for theMarch 2023 hearing. Appellatejudges nullified his injunctive order and tossed out the damages he awarded theplaintiffs.
Donna Michelli was amongthe witnesses who took the stand during the opening day of the retrial on Monday.She said Dunn had notyet installedthe gutters on his newly built cabanawhenthe flash flood occurred in May 2021. Runoff from the structure overflowed thedrains on their property,saturating their courtyard. Therainfallalso flooded twoofthe Michellis’ bedrooms, she testified.
Thefamilyhad to pump water out of their front yard, removecarpets,pay relatives and others to pack up their furniture and move it out. Theywere also forced to move into arental property for months while their home underwent flood reconstruction, Donna Michelli said. All thewhile, she was undergoingcancer treatments,atollonher health exacerbated by the uncertainty of theirliving
“I’m certainlysympathetic forthe situationthat Mrs. Michelli found herself in,” Jordan said.“Butatthe end of the day,itisnot the faultofMr. Dunn.She has not proven her case.”
Brian Hess, an East BatonRouge building official, said Dunn wascited and the upgrades on hisproperty failedthreeinspections from city-parish code enforcement inspectors. He told the judge those issues were neverresolved because the litigation slowed itsprogress, and his office becamehands-off. When pressed to specify the code violations, Hess saidhis mainconcern wasthat Dunn had not applied for apermit.
“They built afence and structure without apermit, and that wasamajor violation,” Hess testified.
Dunn spent five years on thesubdivision’shomeowner’sassociation, two of which he servedasthe HOA’s vice president. He wasmonthsintohis first term as Metro Council member when construction on his property was completed.Despitethose roles, Dunn denied being intimately familiar with the HOArestrictions or cityparishzoningordinances and said he wasn’taware that he even neededany permitsuntil abuilding inspector notified him of the code violations.
“HadIknown that, I would’ve got apermit,” he testified. “I viewed it as a minor petproject in the backyard. Ididn’tview it as amajorconstruction site where Ihad to do all of this stuff.”
The flooding occurred during the COVIDpandemic, and the Michelli couple struggled to find contractors to remediate their flood damage.
“Everything was pretty much on my head,” Eugene
“Weweregetting problemsthose twoorthree months everytime it rained,” Eugene Michelli said. “And the problem really arose whenthey put the cabana roof on.” It poured off the roof, which was slanted in the directionofhis property, andsentrunoff rushing toward the side of his house, he said.
Eugene Michelli said the one timeheconfronted Dunn about the water spilling onto his property wasin June 2021 in Dunn’sfront yard.
“Whenitrains, sometimes people get flooded and it’s your turn,” Dunn told him, according to his testimony That’swhen communication between the neighbors ended, Eugene Michelli said.
ButDunn deniedever making such acomment andtestifiedthatafter a “fussing match” with Eugene Michelli, he tried to resolve the matter with Donna Michelli in amore amicable way
Those efforts to square things off with the code enforcementofficeand bring his property into compliance fell through after news of the council member’sdispute with his neighbors hit the airwaves, Dunn testified.
“Nobodywanted to resolve this issue more than me,” he said. “He went to the media. Igot alot of responsesfromcity-parish officials. It was in the news, they didn’twant to do anything to show any favoritism. But in my mind, city-parish officials trying to overly not show me favoritism,itwas hurting me.Because in my experience, anytime aproperty ownerhad an issue, the city-parish gave that property owner an opportunity to rectify that issue expeditiously.”
STAFF PHOTO By HILARySCHEINUK
Severalpeople were injured during aMardi Grasparade in Clinton on Saturday.
BRIEFS
FROM WIRE REPORTS
Tech stocks pull
Wall Street lower
NEWYORK
The U.S. stock market sank in mixed trading on Tuesday,while gold and silver bounced higher after their latest sell-off
The S&P 500fell 0.8%and pulled further from itsalltime high set last week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 166 points, or 0.3%, and the Nasdaq composite sank 1.4%.
Several influential Big Tech stocks weighed on themarket, including dropsof2.8%for Nvidia and 2.9% for Microsoft
Such giants have been hampered by worriesthat their stock prices shot toohighand becametoo expensivefollowingtheiryearslong dominance of the market.
Stocks of software companies and others seen as potential loserstocompetitors powered by artificial intelligencealso slumped. ServiceNow fell 7% to bring its loss for the young year so far to 28.3%.
Such declines dragged the S&P 500 to its fourth loss in the last five days, even though the majorityofstocks in the index rose.
SBA:Green cardholders ineligible for loans
NEWYORK TheSmall Business Administration said in apolicy notethat green card holders won’tbeallowed to apply for SBA loans, effective March 1.
The move is the latest by the SBA as it works to tighten loan restrictions and restructure the agency Last year,ittightened arequirement that businesses applying for loans must be 100% ownedbyU.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, or lawful permanent residents, up from a51% standard.
In December,itissued apolicy note that said up to 5% of abusiness could be noncitizen owned. But the currentpolicy rescindsthat, as well as making lawful permanent residentsineligible, too.
“The Trump SBA is committed to driving economic growth andjob creation forAmerican citizens—which is why, effective March 1, the agency will no longer guarantee loans for small businesses owned by foreign nationals,” SBA spokesperson Maggie Clemmons said in astatement. “Across every program, the SBA is ensuring that every taxpayer dollar entrustedtothisagencygoesto support U.S. job creators and innovators.”
Josh D’Amaro to take over as Disney CEO
Disney has named its parks chief Josh D’Amaro to succeed Bob Iger as the entertainment giant’stop executive.
D’Amaro will become the9th CEO in the more than 100-yearold company’shistory.Hehas overseen the company’stheme parks, cruises and resorts since 2020.The Experiences division has been asubstantial moneymaker for Disney, with $36 billion in annualrevenue in fiscal 2025 and 185,000 employees worldwide.
The 54-year-old takes over a timewhenDisney is flush with box-office hits like “Zootopia 2” and “Avatar: Fire and Ash” and its streaming businessis strong.Atthe sametime, Disneyhas seen adecline in foreignvisitors to its domestic themeparks. Tourism to the U.S. has fallen overall during an aggressive immigration crackdown by the Trumpadministration, as wellasclashes with almost allofcountry’s trading partners.
D’Amaro will be tasked with tapping into Disney’svast collection of intellectual property to help create successfulmovies andtheme park additions, while also pushing for streaming growth and continuing to build up its sports business.
PARIS French prosecutors raided the offices of social media platformX on Tuesday as part of apreliminaryinvestigationinto allegations that includespreading child sexual abuse images and deepfakes. They have also summonedbillionaire owner Elon Musk for questioning.
Xand Musk’s artificial intelligence company xAI alsoface in-
tensifying scrutiny from Britain’s data privacy regulator,which opened formal investigations into how theyhandled personal data when they developed and deployed Musk’sartificial intelligence chatbot Grok.
Grok, which was built by xAI and is available through X, sparked global outrage lastmonth after it pumped out atorrentofsexualized nonconsensual deepfake images in response to requests from Xusers.
The French investigation was opened in January last year by the prosecutors’cybercrime unit,the Paris prosecutors’ office said in a statement.It’slooking into alleged “complicity” in possessing and spreading pornographic images
of minors, sexually explicit deepfakes, denial of crimes against humanity and manipulation of an automated data processing system as part of an organized group, among other charges.
Prosecutors asked Musk and former CEO Linda Yaccarino to attend“voluntaryinterviews”on April 20.
Employees of Xhave also been summoned that same weektobe heardaswitnesses, the statement said.Yaccarino was CEO from May2023 until July 2025. In apost on itsown servicedenying the allegations, Xrailed against the raidonits Paris office as “an abusive act of lawenforcement theater designed to achieve
illegitimate political objectives rather than advancelegitimate law enforcement goals rooted in the fair and impartial administration of justice.” In amessage posted on X, the Paris prosecutors’ office announced the ongoing searches at thecompany’soffices in France andsaiditwas leaving theplatform while calling on followers to join it on other social media. “At this stage, the conduct of the investigation is basedonaconstructive approach, with the aim of ultimately ensuring that the X platform complies with French law,asitoperates on the national territory,” the prosecutors’ statementsaid.
Findingssupport notion of ‘K-shaped’ economy, data reveals
BY CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP economics writer
WASHINGTON Higher-income Americans and those with college degrees have ramped up their spending more quickly in thepast three years than other consumers, accordingtonew data released Tuesday,evidence of worsening inequalitythatmay explain someofthe growing pessimism about the economy
The data, released by theFederal Reserve Bank ofNew York, also showthat in thefinalthree months of last year, lower-income and rural households faced higher inflation than higher-income households. Thespendingdata focuses only on goodsexcluding autos, and does notcapturelikely spending by higher-income households on travel, restaurantsand entertainment.
The figures add support to the notion of a “K-shaped” economy,inwhich upper-income Americansare fueling adisproportionate share of the consumption thatisthe primary driverofthe economy, while lower-income households seefewer gains. Poorer householdsingeneral often experience higher in-
flation, with agreater share of theirspending being set aside for goods that have seen prices soar since the pandemic, things like housing, groceries, and utilities.
The New York Fed’s datashow that households with incomes of $125,000 and higher have boosted their spending2.3%, adjusted for inflation, since 2023, while middle-income households —thosebetween $40,000 and $125,000 —have increased their spending by 1.6%. Those earning below $40,000 have liftedtheir spending by just 0.9%,the report showed.
The figures are an addition to the New York Fed’s economic heterogeneity indicators,a series of datasetsintended to track variations in theeconomy by geographicregion anddemographic andincome groups. Thegoalistoget abetter senseofhow different groups are faring, trends that can be shrouded by nationwide averages.
The figures are derived from agroup of 200,000 consumers tracked by theanalytics firm Numerator.Their data closely tracks monthly retail sales released by the government, theNew York Fed said.
The report underscores apattern that has emerged since thepandemic: Lower-income households fared better in 2021 and2022 when companies were desperate to hire and willing to pay, whilethe government also provided several economic stimuluschecks. Yetbeginning roughly in early 2023, hiring slowed and sharp gains in stock market fu-
eled spending gains in wealthier households. Thedivision is also clear when examined through the lens of education. In 2023 and mostof2024, inflation-adjusted spending by non-college households fellbelow its January 2023 level. It only regained that level in November 2024, while households with a college graduate had by then boostedtheir spending by 4%.
The NewYorkFed notes that college-educated households continued to spend at a rapid pace in 2025 even as hiring slowed and there were aspate of job cuts in white-collar industriessuchashigh tech,government and marketing.
“The difference in the trend in retail spending between college graduates and nongraduates is consistent with the story of a‘K-shaped economy, Rajashri Chakrabarti, an economic research adviser at the New York Fed, and three colleagues wrote.
The findings echo other recent research, including ashort paper by the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas lastNovember. The DallasFed found modest increases in consumption and income inequality over the past three decades. The wealthiest one-fifth of Americans accounted forabout54% of earnings from1990-99, the researchers found, afigure that had risen to 60% in the 2020-2025 period. The proportion of spending by the richest one-fifth increased to 57% from 53% between those two periods, the Dallas Fed concluded.
Shaw Grouptodoublestaff,create209 newjobs
BY IANNE SALVOSA Staff writer
TheShaw Group will more than double the number of employees at its Walker manufacturing facility to make more pipe and fabricated metal for major industrial developments across Louisiana, including those inthe datacenter oil and gas and power sectors.
TheHouston-based pipe and module fabrication company will add209 jobs to itsSunland Drive outpost, hiring immediately,while keeping 165current employees.
The roles will have an average salary of $62,831, 40% higher than theaverage wage in LivingstonParish, according to Louisiana Economic Development
The workforce expansionwill also create 288 indirect jobs, according to LED. Thecompanywill use LED FastStart, the agency’s employee recruitment, training and retainment arm, and the High Impact Jobs Program, which givesreimbursablegrants to companiesfor creating high-paying jobs. “We’reexcited to welcome new
team members to ourWalker, Louisianafabrication facility as we continue to grow,” Rhett Phillips,The ShawGroup’sU.S. pipe fabrication operations vice president, said in astatement. “This is agreat opportunity for skilled professionalstojoina strong team, build rewardingcareers andbepartofanoperation that’s investing in its people and its future. OurWalker fabrication facility hasa long legacy of supporting industry in Louisiana and we are grateful to ouremployees andclients for this opportunity.”
The ShawGrouphas offices in Texas; El Dorado,Arkansas;and LakeCharles andoverseas in the UnitedArab Emirates, Bahrain andIndia Baton Rouge-basedShaw Group, backed by McDermott International, previously operated the Walkerfacility andsold the business to Ithaca Acquisition Holdings in 2020. Ithaca Acquisition then renameditselfShawAcquisition Holdings and continued to operate the Walker facility under the Shawname.
D’Amaro
ASSOCIATEDPRESS PHOTOByJENNy KANE
The data, released by the Federal Reserve Bank of Newyork, shows that in the final
and
householdsfaced higher inflation than higher-incomehouseholds.
French Quarter Festival announces big changes
Event expands riverfront footprint
BY KEITH SPERA Staff writer
With hundreds of thousands of attendees and more than 300 acts, the French Quarter Festival is already the world’s largest free celebration of New Orleans and south Louisiana music, food and culture
This year it’s getting even bigger
The festival’s producers announced Tuesday that the 2026 French Quarter Festival, set for April 16-19, will expand its footprint to Goldring Woldenberg Riverfront Park, a green space at the Gov Nicholls Street wharf
The festival has for years filled Woldenberg Park behind Audubon Aquarium. Expanding to this new, downriver site at Goldring Woldenberg Riverfront Park, which can be accessed along the riverfront or at the foot of Esplanade Avenue, will give attendees another place to hear music alongside the Mississippi River
Also new to the French Quarter Festival is its inaugural 5K run, scheduled for April 18.
The festival plans to expand on what is traditionally a limited music roster on opening Thursday.
Several familiar stages will move and/or expand their programming.
The Louisiana Fish Fry Stage is moving its roster of brass bands and DJs from the grounds of the
Old U.S. Mint because of construction at the New Orleans Jazz Museum, which is housed at the Mint. The Fish Fry Stage is temporarily relocating upriver to the riverfront near the Audubon Aquarium
The Jack Daniels Stage is moving downriver from Spanish Plaza to Goldring Woldenberg Riverfront Park. Festival favorites Irma Thomas, Big Freedia and Cupid & the Dance Party Express will perform there.
The Pan-American Life Insurance Group Stage will also be at the Gov Nicholls Street park, with four full days of programming.
Programming at the House of Blues Voodoo Garden Stage will also be beefed up.
New Orleans legends Irma Thomas and Cyril Neville top the initial list of 2026 French Quarter Festival
artists
First-time French Quarter Fest
performers include Bobby Rush, the 92-year-old blues singer and harmonica player from Homer; Dawn Richard, whose music draws on both her family’s Mardi Gras Indian heritage and contemporary R&B and pop; and keyboardist Kyle Roussel and his “Church of New Orleans” project.
Other familiar names on the roster include HaSizzle paired with the TBC Brass Band, Sally Baby’s Silver Dollars, Jon Cleary & the Absolute Monster Gentlemen, Charmaine Neville, the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, the Soul Rebels, Amanda Shaw, the Lost Bayou
late
Ramblers, Kermit Ruffins & the Barbecue Swingers, Erica Falls & Vintage Soul, George Porter Jr & the Runnin’ Pardners, Big Chief Monk Boudreaux & the Golden Eagles, the Rebirth Brass Band, James Andrews, Wendell Brunious and Wanda Rouzan.
More acts will be announced in
Longtime CEO of Methodist Children’s Home steps down
Rick Wheat expected to take new role as chief advocacy officer
BY ANDREA GALLO Staff writer
One of Louisiana’s most vocal advocates for child welfare and the chief executive officer of a nonprofit that runs foster care programs and treatment facilities for children is stepping down.
Rick Wheat, who has been the CEO of Methodist Children’s Home for 15 years, has resigned as the nonprofit’s
leader and is expected to take on a new role as chief advocacy officer The nonprofit’s board named Luke Allen, the chief operating officer, as interim CEO while they search for a permanent head. Wheat has become wellknown at the Louisiana State Capitol and in child welfare circles for pushing state lawmakers and other elected officials to change laws to improve the state’s oftendismal scores for childhood well-being. He was among those who pushed for the state to create the new office of a child ombudsman, meant to investigate complaints within Louisiana agencies that serve children. The
Louisiana Legislature passed a law to create the office in 2023.
“Rick’s tenure as CEO of Methodist Children’s Home has been transformative, quite literally,” said Billy James, the Methodist Children’s Home board chair in a news release. “Rick brought to life a vision to establish a statewide agency of care for abused and neglected children.”
Under Wheat’s tenure, the nonprofit added a third children’s home in Loranger. And while the Methodist Children’s Home began as a lone orphanage in 1904 in Bunkie, the organization now has three homes across
U.S. Coast Guard investigators are trying to determine the source of a hydrocarbon spill that left an oily sheen on the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway west of Plaquemine, officials said Monday Iberville Parish emergency officials said that the sheen spotted Friday had emanated from a diesel fuel leak on a barge, but Coast
Guard investigators said several barges were in the area of the sheen Coast Guard officials said a pollution response team “collected oil and fuel samples from barges in the vicinity to track down the source of the sheen.”
“The source of the leak is unknown and currently under investigation,” Coast Guard officials added in a statement Monday Coast Guard investigators will compare those oil and fuel samples with samples taken from the sheen, officials said The leak extended from just south of the Bayou Grosse Tete Draw Bridge, where La. 77 crosses the Intracoastal, to a point about
one mile farther south, according to mile markers provided by the Coast Guard.
Bayou Plaquemine joins the Intracoastal in this area.
The responding Coast Guard team deployed booms on Friday to control the spread of the sheen after receiving a report about the apparent spill earlier that day
The agency removed the boom Saturday morning after the diesel had dissipated, officials said.
Parish officials said the spill did not pose a public health threat. Coast Guard officials were not able to determine the amount of diesel suspected of leaking.
the state that specialize in inpatient care for children with severe behavioral, emotional or family problems.
Wheat pushed for changes across the state beyond children in foster care, taking up the mantle of children in juvenile prisons and others in poverty
When Gov Jeff Landry’s administration planned to reject summer EBT in 2024 to give families extra money to feed children out of school, Wheat sent a letter around the state.
“There is never a good reason to keep food from hungry children, but some questionable reasons for Louisiana’s delay or refusal to accept Summer EBT funds for hungry children have been reported,” he wrote. Amid uproar Louisiana backtracked to accept summer EBT Wheat often posted his musings about improving child welfare in online blogs.
“Louisiana ignores wakeup calls regarding our children with the greatest
needs,” he wrote in a 2022 post. “What are the proverbial earplugs that allow us to miss the wake-up calls our children desperately need us to hear to rouse us from our slumber? Understaffed state agencies? Unmaintained facilities? The absence of a comprehensive plan to care for children?” In his new role, Methodist Children’s Home plans for Wheat to lead an advocacy program to promote policy and legislation for Louisiana children and families.
When you’re comparing plans
Even
past, you shouldn’t takeyour dental health forgranted. In fact, yourodds of havinga dental problem only go up as you age.2
Treatment is expensive especially the servicespeople over 50 often need.
Consider these national average costs of treatment. $274for acheckup $299 for afilling $1,471 foracrown.3 Unexpected bills likethis canbea real burden, especially if you’re on afixed income
STAFF PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER
Crowds walk Royal Street during the third day of French Quarter Festival in New Orleans on April 12.
Broussard,Thomas Immaculate ConceptionCatholic Church,1565 Curtis St BatonRouge LAat 11am
Obituaries
Catrou, Dr. Paul Gregoire
Dr.Paul Gregoire
Catrou,adistinguished physician, educator, and devoted family man, passed away in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on Saturday, January 24, 2026,at the age of 77. Anative of Napoleonville, Paul was born in New Orleans on April 25, 1948,tothe late Yves Pierre and Doris Delaune Catrou. Paul dedicated over 45 years to the field of medicine, serving as arevered professor and researcher at both East Carolina University and Louisiana State University Medical Schools. Apioneer in clinical informatics, he authored numerous research papers and co-authored several medical textbooks, leaving an indelible mark on the next generation of physicians. Beyond his professional achievements,Paul was a man of diversepassions He was alicensed pilot, a skilled computerscientist, and an enthusiastic ham radio operator. He was known by all as agentle, generous soul whose integrity was beyond reproach. His familyfinds comfort knowing he is now reunited with his beloved wife and the love of his life, Patricia Templet Catrou. He is preceded in death by his parents; his beloved wife of 38 years, Patricia Templet Catrou; and his brother, Pierre Henri Catrou. Paul's legacy lives on through his son,
Paul MarcelCatrou and partner
DebraLynn BoyKin;his sister-in-law, Frankie Doiron Catrou;his niece and goddaughter, Angele Catrou Hebert and her son Dakota; and his nephew, Jean-Pierre Marcel Catrou, his wife Annie and their children. Family and friends are invited to celebrate Paul's lifeonSaturday,February 7, 2026,at Assumption of the Blessed Virgin MaryCatholic Church, 5604Highway308 in Plattenville.The Visitation willbegin at 9:00a.m followed by the Funeral Mass at 11:00 a.m. Entombment willfollow at the church cemetery.Family and friends may sign the online guestbook or leave apersonal notetothe familyatwww.resthavenbaton rouge.com.
Gilly,Branson Leigh
Branson Leigh Gilly, a native and resident of Baton Rouge, LA, passed awayonSunday, February 1, 2026,atthe ageof26. He was alovingson, brother, and friend. He enjoyedhis family,friends, music,travel,adventure, cooking reading, gaming, and his dogs.Hewas preceded in death by his paternal grandmother, Marilynn Bordelon Gilly; and his maternalgrandfather, Michael J.Uter.Heissurvived by his loving dogs, Bunny and Franklin;parents,KristenUter Mayeux and his stepdad, Kenny, and Leigh Gilly and his stepmom Lisa;siblings, Nathan Gilly, Josephine Gilly, DavisGilly, Emory
Mayeux, and Britton
Mayeux; maternal grandmother, EmilyVan Horn Wilbert;paternal grandfather,Joe William Gilly; and numerous aunts, uncles, and cousins. Visitation will be held at Resthaven Funeral Home,11817 Jefferson Hwy. Baton Rouge, LA 70816, on Thursday,February 5, 2026, from5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Visitation will continue at Resthaven Funeral Home on Friday, February 6, 2026, from9:00 a.m. until Memorial Service at 10:00 a.m. Family and friends may sign theonline guestbookorleave apersonal notetothe family at www.resthavenbatonroug e.com
Mascarella, Hazel Amedee
Our belovedmother, Hazel AmedeeMascarella, passed away on Saturday, January 31, 2026. She was born on February 15, 1930 in Vacherie,LAand was a longtime resident of Baton Rouge. Hazel devoted her life to her family and her faith raising 7children with love and patience. She enjoyed sewing and crochetingfor herfamily and friends. She was a member of thechurch rosary and crochetministrieswhere she made greatfriends bothwithher fellowmembers and the people they helped. Sheis survivedbyher children Chuck, Michael (Julie), Denise Vincent (Rhea), Monica Michael (Mark), Tracy Denison (Danny), and Dawn Broussard (Mark); sisters Mildred
Mumphreyand Marion Reine; 18 grandchildren, and over 30 greatgrandchildren; and onlygodchild Marty Mumphrey. Preceded in death by her husband Vincent Mascarella, parentsElvina (Brignac) and Thomas Amedee, sisters Lillian Mumphrey, Patsy Treuil, LucilleAmedee, and SylviaAmedee,daughter Gerry Ewing,and great granddaughter Alyssa Neubauer. Pallbearers are Bryant Denison, KyleDenison, ClaytonHaydel, John Russell Haydel, John Paul Michael, Jeremy Mascarella,Jacob Sevin, Patrick Vincent,and honorary pallbearer JosephBroussard ServiceswillbeThursday, February 5atSt. George Catholic Church. Public visitationat9:30AM until Mass of Christian burial at 11:00AM,celebrated by her grandson, Fr. Rusty Vincent.The family thanks In His Care Hospice and The Crossing fortheir care and support during this time. In
AnthonyH.Royal enteredeternal rest on February 2, 2026. Adevoted husband, father,and man
Featherweight Scooter
Pamela
Royal, AnthonyH
Rev.
Olympics canbring outthe best in us
Friday evening at the SanSiro Stadium in Milan, flames will once againleap from an Olympic torch as the 2026 MilanoCortinaWinter Games begin.
TheUnitedStatesissending its biggest team ever to thegames, with morethan230 athletes donning the red, white and blue, and racing, flying and spinning across ice, airand snowinpursuitofacoveted medal
None of the athletes on the team are from Louisiana, unfortunately.The youngest team member is 15-year-old freeskier Abby Winterberger;the oldest is 54-year-old curlerRick Ruohonen.
Nevertheless, we believe these gamesgive us arare opportunity to focus on unity ratherthan division for acouple of weeks.
It won’tbeeasy.Cynicism about both the Olympics and the United Statesisclose to thesurface these days.
The former,includingthe governing International Olympic Committee,has become known as much forgreed and crasscapitalism thanitisfor athletic competition (amateurism having been unceremoniously punted years ago).
The latter is in the midst ofwhat many have characterized as anear-existentialcrisis.Recent immigration sweepsand their accompanying protests —attimes greetedwith violencefrom federal agents —havenot just highlighted the stark divisions within our country,but deepened and embittered them.
That’swhere the gamescomein. Theyshould serve as areminder that evenwith intense disagreements, we can still support our fellow Americans. We hopefolks feel asenseofpride when the stars and stripesare raisedand the anthem is played after an Americantriumph. Who can forget the Miracle on Ice in Lake Placid in 1980, an intense moment of national jubilation galvanizedbyagroup ofyoung men unknowntomany of us, but still ours?
It is, of course, sometimesdifficult to separate politics from the games. Statements have been made by performance, as Jesse Owens didpowerfully by refuting noxious Naziracial superiority theories; or by protest, as TommieSmith and Juan Carlos did when they raised gloved“Black Power” fists while on the podium in Mexico City in 1968, for which they weresenthome.
We note that whether or notone agrees with an athlete’ssentiments, those expressions remind the world that America isabeacon of freedom of speech andthought. It’sacherishedAmerican ideal not universally held, and not every athlete who competes has that right.
As Louisianans, the WinterOlympics canalso provide afascinating opportunity to acquaint ourselves with pastimes unfamiliar to many of us Iceskating, downhill and cross-countryskiing, snowboarding and the luge are noteasily found in the Bayou State.Hockey has hadafew forays into Louisiana on the professional level, but it remains, for many,anovelty sport.
So we hope that many of youare,like us,eagerly anticipating the competition. If thereare politicalstatements,wecan celebratethe right to make them evenifwedon’t agree. That’s what the games can do forus.
LETTERSTOTHE EDITOR ARE WELCOME. HERE AREOUR
GUIDELINES: Letters are published identifying name, occupation and/or title and the writer’scity of residence
TheAdvocate |The Times-Picayune require astreet address andphone number for verification purposes, but that information is not published. Letters are not to exceed 300 words. Letters to the Editor,The Advocate, P.O. Box 588, Baton Rouge, LA 70821-0588, or email letters@ theadvocate.com.
TO SEND US A LETTER, SCANHERE
Ijust looked at U.S. Sen. John Kennedy’swebsite. Isee many of his posts about Minnesota and the problems with fraud in their child care facilities. Iamdisgusted that Kennedy is focused on Minnesota’stroubles because it has aDemocratic governor.What is he doing about the cost of health care in our state? So manypeople have seen dramatic increases because of his party’sdecision to give lots of money to wealthypeople in the big awful bill instead of helping the middle class and poor According to theU.S. News &World Report’s2024 BestStates rankings, we ranked last, with particularly low scores in crime, economy, infrastructure and natural environment. We ranked 50th in 2023, also.
My father and his Greatest Generationdid not battleand defeat theNazis only to have their Gestapo tactics (“showmeyour papers”) show up in America 80 yearslater.Know thatif you support this effortbyICE and we continue in this authoritarian direction, thatone day theymay showupatyour door for something you said, or wrote or thought.Wesee this in Russia,Iran, North Korea, etc. Don’tthink for a minuteitcan’thappen here. Look how quickly things have already changed in just one year As for illegal immigration, virtually everyone of our ancestors camehere to escape poverty or persecution, the exact same reasons the current immigrants are coming. The problem is not
Iwould like my senator to focus on our problems and not Minnesota’s problems. From 26 years of recess duty,I recognize the mean kid on the playground who has massive problemshimself and hides it by picking on other kids. Minnesotaisdown and out right now and Kennedy is rubbing their nose in thedirt. How cruel and what awaste of his time when he could be working to improve our health care, environment, educational system,homeowners’ insurance nightmares, etc. Iwish our senator would work harder to pull us up from the very bottom of the country instead of gleefully picking on Minnesota.
JEAN WIGGIN NewOrleans
illegalimmigration; theproblem is that there arenot sufficient legal pathways for people to comehere, even just for workpermits
The domestic birthrate is 1.6, not even closetothe 2.1 rate needed to maintain our population and sustain oureconomy.Wewill become an aging population, like Japan, with astagnant economy and lesspayroll deductions to support Social Security.And if you think illegal immigrants collect Social Security, you are wrong. Even with a fake Social Security number,the deductions from theirpaychecks only go into and support theSocialSecurity trust fund; it cannot comeout to them.
LOUIS SHEPARD NewOrleans
Basketball is aboutmorethanMulkey’s outfits
Recently,the paper published an article by areader titled, “LSU Women’s basketball needs to get itssparkle back.”
Perhaps her letter was written in jest, writing that the LSU team had lost some recent games and wasn’tplaying well. But theletter was an insult to Kim Mulkey (even in jest) because Mulkey’s clothing lacks its fun appeal; get back to colorful, artistic threads instead of herclassic look sometimes. Without adoubt, Mulkey has sparkled up ladies’ basketball all over the
city with all of her fans, and coaches one of the top teams in the country Sheisa fabulous coach, and we are all so proud of her and her great team Ijust takeoffense with the writer’s remarks that the only reason Mulkey’s team wins is that she wears asparkly outfit at the games. Sorry,not funny Mulkey could wear jeans and asweatshirt and her team would still be “sparkling” on the court. Geaux Tigers! Case closed.
SUSAN LIPSEY Baton Rouge
Iamnot alunatic; nor do Ibelieve Iama leftist radical. Iwoke up one Saturday morning to another protester having been killed by immigration officials in Minneapolis. Regardless of whether one believes in God,teachers such as Jesus and Gandhi provided lifelessons and examples of how to live that fewwould disagree with. Separating children from their families, profiling based on skin color and shooting protesters are acts inconsistent with these values. What ICEisdoing is morally repugnant.
Iambegging the Trumpadministration to put ahalt to these tactics and significantly alter its immigration strategy before its actions do irreparable harm to this country Every citizen should be appalled by what is happening in Minnesota and elsewhere. As citizens, our primary tools are our ability to express our dissatisfaction and outrage with what our elected officials are doing and our right to vote. Iurge all citizens to use both tools to help put astop to what the Trumpadministration is doing to this country
DEIRDRE
This is in regards to “patriotic education,” aka “ignoring the parts of our history we don’tlike to talk about.”
Secretary of Education Linda McMahon wants our children to be taught history that ignores the uncomfortable truths.
We are agreat nation, not aperfect nation. Our Founding Fathers created the modern republic. We have been an inspiration to others who subsequently rebelled against tyranny in their own lands. However,we cannot gloss over the fact that our ancestors enslaved people. Our leaders forced native peoples off their lands. Our children need to learn this part of our history,not to create guilt, but because it is the truth.
CAROL GALLIEN Harahan
Ralph Abraham, Louisiana’sformer congressman and surgeon general, keeps encouraging policiesthathave led to theworst outbreak of measlesin the United States since 1992.
One need not be adoctor to be rather certain, and aghast,that Abraham, now the deputy director for theCenters for Disease Control and Prevention,is helping reverse one of thegreat triumphs of modernmedicine. His attitude is shameful.
3ofevery 1,000 children who become infected with measles will die from respiratory and neurologic complications.”
What spurs this observation is twoitems that crossed my desk within ahalf-hour of each other on themorning of Feb. 2.
The first was anotice from the “Emergency Health Network” that sometimes comes into my email inbox. The second was astory in the online publication The Bulwark, quoting Abraham. The article was written by multiple award-winning journalist Johnathan Cohn, who wascalled “one of the nation’sleading expertson health policy” by The Washington Post.
The Emergency HealthNetwork’s headline warned of a“surge”inmeasles cases. Just since October, South Carolina alone has experienced 847 cases of measles —more cases in one state in four months than theentire country had in any full year (except asemi-blip up in 2019) since 1994. Indeed, the total of cases in the entire country for eight years combined from 2006 to 2013 was lower than thecases so far in South Carolina’sfour-month outbreak.
Across the United States, the 2,276 cases in all of 2025 was the mostsince 1992. This is no small matter.It’sprofoundly dangerous.The CDC itself reports that“About 1in5 unvaccinated people in the U.S. who getmeasles is hospitalized,” and that between “1 and
Plentymore measles statistics like those are almost equally alarming, all for adisease the CDC labels as “highly contagious.” The National Foundation for Infectious Diseases reports that some 90% of people without immunity to measles will become infected if they get close to an infected person. An infected person can spread measles from four days before symptomsappear to four daysafterward, and thevirus can survive for nearly two hours in theair or on nearbysurfaces.
Back to the new Emergency Health notice, here’sthe keystatistic: “Of those [847] infected, 760 were unvaccinated,15were partially vaccinated with one of the recommended two-dose measles-mumps-rubella vaccines, 20 were fully vaccinated and 52 had unknown vaccination status.”
In other words, almost theentire outbreak is among the small portion of SouthCarolinians who are unvaccinated. Thecontagion is spreading because peoplearen’tvaccinated against it.
Vaccines work almost all thetime; the lack of vaccines is terribly risky
YetAbraham is not just a“vaccine skeptic,” but has pushed policies deemphasizingvaccines (in general, not specifically measles) and expressed little concern about the re-emergence of themeasles problem that aquartercentury ago was officially listed as being in “elimination status.” While this state’ssurgeon general ayear ago, Abraham ended thestate’smass vaccination programand banned seasonal vaccinepromotion.
As people such as Abraham,national secretary of health Robert F. Kennedy
Jr.and Dr.Kirk Milhoan —who heads theAdvisory Committee on Immunization Practices —belittle vaccines, sometimes themeasles vaccine specifically,more and more people across thecountry stop gettingvaccines and takingtheir children toget them. Louisiana is among those states that have seen aworrisome decline in thenumber of childhood immunizations.
Yet, unlike when COVID-19 vaccines were rushedintoproduction (and to good effect,bythe way,although with somerisk to young adults),the tremendous efficacy and safetyofmeasles vaccines is well-settled science. This isn’tabout “trusting theexperts,” it’s about trusting the undeniable facts.
Yetnot only does Abraham express skepticism of vaccines, but he actually downplays thedanger of measles itself. As noted by reporter Cohn in the article mentioned earlier,Abraham said at amid-January press briefing that he is “not really” worried about measles outbreaks.
“You know,” Abraham said, “it’s just thecost of doing business, with our borders being somewhat porous [and] global and international travel.”
WroteCohn, almost dumbfounded: “Asifglobal travel weren’tasmuch of areality five or 10 years ago, when measles transmission here remained rare.”
Abraham’s nonchalance could be deadly.Before themeasles vaccine becamewidely available in 1963, some 400 Americansdied of it each year, with 48,000 hospitalized. After thevaccine, measles became almost extinct but now thedread disease is returning. Abraham must understand that’s not thecost of doing business; it’sanatrocity
Email QuinHillyer at quin.hillyer@ theadvocate.com
Chaosisthe pointofTrump’s waronimmigrants
There’ssomethinguncomfortably familiar about PresidentDonald Trump’sjackboot approach tothe immigration debate. It brings to mind amemorable offthe-cuff stumble by Chicago’slegendary late Mayor Richard J. Daley when he was asked about allegations of excessive force by city police officers. “The policeman isn’t there to create disorder,” he said. “The policeman is there to preserve disorder.” Say,what?
Well, as Earl Bush, the mayor’spress secretary for 18 years, memorablyadvised reporters on another occasion, “Don’twrite what the mayor says; write what he means.” Decades later,avariant of that advice resurfaced, in 2016, when Donald Trump, acandidate known for shocking, even extreme, rhetoric appeared to be the likely next president. Here’s howitwas phrased this time: Take Trump seriously,not literally
This was repeated by journalistsand advisers, among others. And in retrospect, we should have been taking Trump more seriously —aswell as literally
Especially as he taunted the press as “fake news,” andasheurged supporters to get violent with protesters who showed up at his campaign events. (“(K)nock the crap out of ‘em,” he saidat an Iowa rally.“Ipromise you, I’ll pay for the legal fees.”)
Barely into his first administration, Trump began referringto the media as the opposition party and the “enemy of the American people.” Meanwhile, fact-checking the president became apreoccupation of major media outlets, revealing what one deep thinker of the Fourth Estate termed”Trump’sFirehose of Falsehood.”
By the end of his first, chaotic term, Trump’smessages on Twitterbecame so out of boundsthat the social media platform censored him.After losingthe 2020 election, he launched a failed legal campaign to overturn it and exhorted his followers to “Stop the Steal.” After thousands of those followers stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan.6,2021, even many Republicans were ready to be done withTrump’s chaos.
Yetnow we find ourselves back in it. Those on the ground in areas where
LETTERS
Immigration andCustoms Enforce-
ment (ICE) or U.S. Border agents mount their raids describe feelings of terror.People shelter in their homes and avoidpublic places —even those who are inthis country legally
Thefeeling for therest of us is disorientation. Why is this happening? Indeed, whatis happening?
Thejackboots are only part of the chaos, of course. Another key element is the Trump administration’scommunications strategy,which really should be termed an information war Earlyoninthe Department of Homeland Security’soperations, ICE and Border Patrol made all sorts of perp walks into videos and memes optimized for social media. As violence escalated, asort of disinformation pattern became established. Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino or some administration official would make a claim about what happened, and later evidencewould show these contentions tobefalse.
Ashifting series of explanations would be provided for the missions or individual incidents, with no apparent urgency to be accurate or consistent. As litigationcommenced and DHS officials were called to testify,judges became frustrated at the rampant falsetestimony and disobedience of the government.
To many Americans, it seems as if thevarious authorities of DHS and the JusticeDepartment can no longer be trusted to tell the truth. And that is terrifying. Police departments and
academies set clear rules about use of force and other issues. Andcourts have mostly done adecent job of enforcing them.
By contrast, the immigration agents Trump has unleashed on select American cities have invited more disasters becausethey do notseem bound by such protocols.
In Minneapolis, we see alarge-scale escalation over earlier operations in Chicago, New York,Washington and other cities.
It’spossible there would be much more widespread support for Trump’s anti-immigration crackdown if it corresponded more closely to the stated aim of taking violent criminals off thestreet. Unfortunately,that correspondence is wholly lacking. We see violence. We read deeply reported accounts and find credible evidence that constitutional rightsare being violated. Andwealsohear lies.
It’sbecoming impossible to believe that thechaos in Minnesotahas been an issue of training. There certainly is no blockage that preventsTrump from grasping what Minnesotans think of it all.
Recently, border czar TomHoman seemed to suggestthat adrawdown of the ICE/Border Patrol operation in Minnesotawas imminent. That would be ablessing, but I’ll believe it when I see it.Meanwhile, expect the information war to continue.
Email Clarence Page at clarence47page@gmail.com.
After two American citizens were gunneddown by ICE agents in Minneapolis, U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy,aconservative Republican from Louisiana, called for “a full joint federal and state investigation” and explained: “Wecan trust the American people with the truth.”
President Donald Trump has never believed that. During his first term, his chief of staff, former Marine Gen. John F. Kelly,cameto view him as a“pathological liar,” and the Washington Post documented more than 30,000 examples of presidential prevarications. If anything, the president’srejection of reality has gotten worse during his second term. He continues to insist, against all evidence,thatthe election of 2020 wasstolen. That pricesare going down. That most immigrants stealjobs and commit crimes. That two of ICE’stargets, Renee Goodand Alex Pretti, were responsible for their own deaths.
But now,the truth-tellers are fighting backand gaining ground. “The Trump AdministrationIs Lying to Our Faces” starkly headlined aNew York Timeseditorial.
“The administration is urging Americansto reject the evidence of their eyes and ears,” wrote the Times. Administration officials “are lying in defiance of obvious truths. They are lying in the manner of authoritarian regimes thatrequire people to accept lies as ademonstrationof power.”
Even before Pretti’sdeath, aTimes poll found that only 36% of voters approved of the way ICE was handling its job, while 63% disapproved. And 61% of voters said that ICE had “gone toofar”in their tactics, including nearly 1in5 Republicans. Trump seems to sense his peril and has started to dial down the ferocious federal presence in Minnesota. If this turns out to be an inflection point in his tenure, credit the courageousindividuals who defied vicious cold and violent threatsto document ICE’sbrutality
“If the truth is ever to win out over propaganda,” writes Charlie Warzel in The Atlantic, “it can only do so in the face of overwhelming evidence, the collection of which has become ever more treacherous in the second yearofTrump’s second presidency.” Minnesota Gov.Tim Walz put it more bluntly: “Thank God, thank God we have video.”
Another key element of Team Truth-Tellers are the independent professionals who analyzed those videos and illuminated the damaging facts that Trumpians were trying to suppress. EliotHiggins, the founder of Bellingcat, an online verification service, told CNN that it’s“really important to get analysis of events” like the Minneapolis shootings “out to the public quickly,especially when it’sclear the U.S. government, ICE and DHS are willing to immediately start lying about what’s happening.”
The roster of heroes includes TV anchors who pressed administration officials with tough but fair questions. When Gregory Bovino,the border patrol chief, claimed on CNN that Alex Pretti was “actively impeding and assaulting” lawenforcement before he was shot, Dana Bash quickly responded, “He wasn’timpeding it. He wasfilming it, which is alegal thing to do in the United States.”
Federal judges have been demanding answers and explanations as well. One of them, Patrick J. Schiltz, who was appointed by President George W. Bush and clerked for the conservative icon Justice Antonin Scalia, summoned acting ICE director Todd Lyons to appear in his courtroom and justify “ICE’sviolation of court orders.”
Thundered the judge: “The court’spatience is at an end.”
Most Republicans remain feebly fearful of contradicting Trump’sfalsehoods, but afew are finding their voice. “I am deeply troubled by the shootings in Minneapolis involving federal agents,” Sen. Jerry Moran of Kansas posted on social media. “Our Constitution provides citizens protection from the government. We have aright to free speech, to peaceably assemble and to bear arms.”
“The death of Americans —what we’re seeing on TV —it’scausing deep concerns over federal tactics and accountability,” added the Republican governor of Oklahoma, Kevin Stitt, on CNN. “Americans don’tlike what we’re seeing right now.”
The most striking example of truth-telling came from Chris Madel, who ended his bid to be the Republican candidate for governor of Minnesota. “I cannot support the national Republicans’ stated retribution on the citizens of ourstate,” he declared. “Nor can Icount myself amember of a party that would do so
“I have to look my daughters in the eye and tell them, ‘I believe Idid what was right,’”hesaid. “And Iamdoing that today.”
So hail to the truth-tellers. Slowly,but finally they are proving to be Trump’sworst enemy. Email Steven Roberts at stevecokie@gmail.com.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ANGELINA KATSANIS
U.S. Border Patrol Cmdr.GregoryBovino standswith federal agents outside a convenience store on Jan. 21 in Minneapolis.
Steve Roberts
Clarence Page
Quin Hillyer
EvansHOF worthy after anchoring
N.O. offenses
For adecade in the early 2000s, Jahri Evans was the best guardin the NFL.
Analysis
His rare mix of size, strength and athleticism made him thecenterpiece of one of the most dominant offenses in NFL history.During astellar 11-year tenure with the New Orleans Saints, he anchored the prolific Sean PaytonDrew Brees offense, an attack that rewrote record books and redefined NFL offensive strategy Evans,along with Brees,isone of 15 modern-era finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’sClass of 2026. This is Evans’ fourth year on the ballot and third as afinalist.
“When Ithink of Jahri, Ithink of dominance, longevity,durability and excellence,” Brees said. “He personified those traits.”
During Evans’ tenure in New Orleans, the Saints ranked as atop-10 offense every year he played, gaining more total yards than any team in football and allowing the fewest sacks in the league —just 274. The unit sent seven different
ä See DUNCAN, page 3C
People person
City of NewOrleans knowsLBDavis worthy of becoming NFL’sman of year
Demario Davis was helping others long before receiving themillion-dollar contracts he’s earned over the years as one of thebest linebackers in the NFL.
Rod Walker
Hazel Magee Fairly made sure of it Davis was akid growing up in Mississippi when his grandmother would have him and his family members takeplates of food to theelderly and sick in town. That benevolence has continued ona much grander stage. It’s why Davis will be in San Francisco on Thursdaynight forthe NFL Honors ceremony Davis is the New OrleansSaints nominee forthe Walter Payton Man of the Year
Award. He and 31 other players are vying for theleague’smost prestigious honor, recognizing “players who excel on the field and demonstrateasteadfast commitmenttocreating apositive impact beyond thegame.”
Idon’tknow much aboutwhat the other 31 nominees have done to serve their communities.
ButIdoknow if any of them have done as much as consistently as Davis has, they morethan deserve theaward.
There’snot enough space here to list all of the things Davis has spent his time doing for thecity of New Orleans since arriving in 2018. He’s done everything from working on social-justice issues to mentoring kids to feeding families.
He’sdone so much that this is the third
Trusting in theprocess
Vrabel’s culturehas Patriots back on bigstage in firstyearasheadcoach
BY KYLE HIGHTOWER AP sportswriter
Mike Vrabel has focused on creating aspecific culture during his first season as coach of the New England Patriots.
The tone was set whenhe first spoke to the team beforethe start of the offseason programinApril.
“What my goal was, what Itoldeverybody in the building it was to buildaprogram thatyou andthe coaches and the staff wanted to be apartof, that they wantedtoprotect,” Vrabel toldthe team. “Whenyou careabout something, youprotect it. You’reeventually going to believe in that andstart to trust it.”
Tenmonths later,those words have helped lead Vrabel’sfirst team to the vergeofcapturing thefranchise’sseventh Super Bowl title.
Vrabel is the eighth man to play in aSuper Bowl and then reach one as ahead coach.With awin over the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday,hecan makeNFL history as the first person to win aSuper Bowl as both aplayer and ahead coach forthe same franchise
Askedhow he’smaintained the sameenthusiasm he had when he firstaddressed the team priortothe season,Vrabelsaid his energy is fedbywhathehas receivedfromeveryone aroundhim.
“The morethat I’m around the players, Iwould say the easier that it gets,” Vrabel said. “They have responded to us. They’vedone everything we’ve asked them to do. So, Ithink being around the players helps.”
NewEngland Patriots coach MikeVrabel celebrates withthe trophy after his team’s AFC championship game victoryagainst the DenverBroncos on Jan. 25 in Denver.
During his more than two decades as coach of the Patriots, Bill Belichick established ano-nonsense approach to creating aprogram that became synonymous withhis “do your job” culture. It produced Lombardi trophies—six of them and an atmosphere that rubbed even someofhis best players thewrong way While Vrabelhimself earned threeSuper Bowl rings under Belichick during the2001, 2003 and 2004 seasons,his NorthStarhas been to prioritize aconnection with his players.
He’sinstituted littlethings that shinethe spotlight on his team, like game-specific captains whoare selected based on things like aplayer’s past connection to theopponent,oreven just thestate or citythey’re playing in that week. He brought back individual player introductions,
BY JOSHDUBOW AP pro football writer
timethe Saints have nominated him for the award. He was also nominated forthe 2020 and 2022 seasons. He doesn’ttake the nominations forgranted.
“I think anytime you get arecognition of this stature, it takes you back to your why,”Davis said. “For me, my whywill always be centered around my faith. Ithink we are called to take the gospel to the ends of the earth. And I’msograteful to this organization because of the platform Ihave here, I’mable to do that.”
Locally,Davis has done alittle bit of everything. He started aleadership development program with The 18th Ward, anonprofit that “builds community through high-quality,affordable sports
ä See WALKER, page 3C
SAN FRANCISCO Much of theattention during Super Bowl week is usually on the starplayers such as Drake Maye and Jaxon SmithNjigba forgood reason.
Butifhistory is any indication, somelesser-knownplayers could have abig impact on the Super Bowl on Sunday betweenthe New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks. Milton Williams helpedkey a dominant defensive effort for thePhiladelphiaEaglesina win last year over Kansas City,leading to his big free agent contract this offseason with New England. The previous twoyears Kansas Cityreliedonlesser-known receivers to win back-to-back titles. Mecole Hardman caught the winning TD pass for Kansas City in overtime to beat SanFrancisco in Super Bowl 58, while Kadarius Toney had aTDcatch and long punt return that proved crucial in beatingthe Eaglesthe previous year That’sbeen thecase over the historyofthe Super Bowl, whether it was unheralded MVPs such
as Larry Brown, Dexter Jackson or Malcolm Smith;Jack Squirek’s pick-six forthe Raiders in Super Bowl 18 against Washington; Timmy Smith’s204 yardsrushing in his first career start for Washington against Denver in Super Bowl 22; or David Tyree’s helmet catch that helped the Giants spoil New England’sbid for aperfect season in Super Bowl 42. Here are afew players who could fill that role on Sunday: WR Mack Hollins, Patriots Hollins is on his fifth team in as many years but has been an unheraldedcontributoratall of his stops despite somequirky habits such as going barefoot as often as possible andeating without utensils.
Hollins came into the league as avaluable special teams player but also provided 46 catches for 550 yards in the regular season forhis second-most productive season.Hollins hadfive receptions on deep passes and converted eight of his nine catches on third or fourth down into first downs.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JOHN LOCHER
Jeff Duncan
STAFF FILE PHOTOByDAVID GRUNFELD
Saints linebacker Demario Davis runs onto the field beforeagame againstthe Tampa BayBuccaneers on Oct.26atthe Caesars Superdome. Davis is the Saints’ nominee forthe Walter Payton Man of the year Award.The only other Saints playertowin it wasDrewBrees in 2006.
STAFF FILE PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD Saints guard Jahri Evans acknowledges the fans after New Orleans beat the ChicagoBears 31-15 atSoldierField in Chicago on Dec. 15, 2014.
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Koepka’s receptionwasn’tabout him
SAN DIEGO BrooksKoepka
would never consider anything a dream week without atrophy,certainly not atie for 56th finishing 19 shots behind the winner.But it felt likeone at Torrey Pines.
“There’salways that little voice in the back of your head,” Koepka hadsaid afew weeks before his return to the PGA Tour after four seasons reapingSaudi riches on LIV Golf. He was referring to whether the PGA Tour would provide away back,which it did. There also were doubts —that little voice —about how he would be receivedinthe locker room, on the range, in front of amicrophone and particularly outside the ropes. It made him uneasy Koepka had every reason to feel so much gratitude at Torrey Pines “Welcome back” was asteady refrain on Thursday and it never stopped until he finished witha birdie on Sunday
Strange about this vibe, however,isthat Koepkawas never embraced like this even beforehe left for LIV.Hehad swagger. He was big, bad Brooks. He was admired more than he was adored
Why so much love?
ule with an eye toward returning to the PGA Tour
Thetour welcomedhim back, too, though Reed will have to wait until September.
million in prize money (not countingthe majors).
LSU adds junior college OT from transferportal
LSUadded anothertransfer to the 2026 team Monday night when junior college offensive tackle Adrian Lambannounced his commitmenttothe Tigers.
Lamb, who’slistedat6-foot-5 and 290pounds, played in 10 gamesthis past season as aredshirt freshman at Georgia Military College.He also hadoffers fromAlabama, South Carolina and Auburn, all of which he had visited over the past month.
Lamb, aSouth Carolinanative, is expected to enroll in the summer He will be the 10th transfer offensivelineman to join the team before head coach Lane Kiffin’sfirst season. LSU overhauled the position andonlybrought back two starters in redshirt senior center Braelin Moore and redshirt sophomore offensive tackle Weston Davis.
Sugar Bowl will host CFP semifinal Jan. 15
IRVING, Texas The College Football Playoff on Tuesday announced the dates and sites for the quarterfinals andsemifinals for the 2026 and2027 seasons. The 2026 season’s quarterfinals will be Dec. 30 at theFiesta Bowl and Jan. 1atthe Cotton Bowl, Peach Bowl and Rose Bowl.Semifinals are Jan. 14 at the Orange Bowl andJan.15atthe SugarBowl.The championship game will be Jan. 25 at AllegiantStadiuminLas Vegas. The 2027 season’s quarterfinals will be Dec. 31 at the Sugar Bowl andJan.1 at the Fiesta Bowl, Peach Bowl and Rose Bowl. Semifinalsare Jan.13atthe Orange Bowl and Jan. 14 at the Cotton Bowl. The championship game will be Jan. 24 at the Superdome in New Orleans.
“I don’thave an answer,” Koepka said after the third round. “It’s tough to put myself in their shoes. It’scool, though. I enjoy it. Ithink it’s great. Ithink people are just excited. I’m glad they’re excited to see me back, to have me back. I’m hopeful it continues.”
There was another little voice as Koepka walked up to the 18th green on the South course before a large crowd in the opening round. This came from aspectator: “Welcome back, Brooks. The tour is better with you.”
More than afive-timemajor champion andformer No. 1player in the world, Koepka wasperhaps seen as asymbol of the fractured golf landscape slowlygetting patched back together.That’s what the fans want LIV Golf was abig topic all week at Torrey Pines. It started with Koepka arriving on Monday Andthen came Wednesday’snews that former Masters champion Patrick Reed also was leaving LIV to play afull European tour sched-
Koepka is not the solution, not in the wayJon Rahmpresumably thought he would force unification with his decision to bolt for LIV
But he mightbethe flicker of light at the end of tunnel.
“As you’re seeing,the dominoes arestarting to fall,” HarrisEnglish said. “Maybe those guys on theLIV tour are not that happy out there and the grass is not greener on theother side. They’re seeing thePGA Tour getting stronger andhaving more success, and seeingthatmoney is not theend-all, be-all, thatdoesn’tfulfill them.”
It’s always aboutthe money
That’s why so many players left for LIV in thefirst place. And while the established tour always offeredrelevance,even players whohatedeverythingabout LIV appreciate how much the rival league has helped their bank accounts.
“We’ve all benefited from this chaosinone wayoranother,”
Justin Rosesaidaweek before he came to Torrey Pines and set the tournament scoringrecord
Rose mentioned theequity shares in the PGA Tour,and the 11 tournaments nowoffering $20
“But we need apremium product,”Rosesaid. And then specific to Koepka he added, “This is the first time we’ve had someone who moves theneedle come back our way.”
Koepka —and Reed —strengthen the PGA Tour and weaken LIV whichisoff to arough startinits 2026 debut this week in Saudi Arabia. Phil Mickelson (family matter) and LeeWestwood (injury) have announced they won’tbein Saudi Arabia or Australiatostart the year Koepkadid everything rightat Torrey Pines except puttthe poa annua greens. He wasgrateful the PGA Tour brought him back, and it showed. And he talked about falling in love withgolf again and howmuch he cared, another side of Koepka rarely seen “Just like everybody else, you walkinto aroom, nobody wants to feel exiled,” Koepka said. “They justwant to be loved.”
ForKoepka, it’sontoPhoenix. Barring arunner-up finish or bettertoget into the signature events, he will next play his hometown eventinWest PalmBeach, Florida. As one longtimecaddie noted, “People won’t be talking about this in three weeks.” He’s probably right
But there is clear momentum for the PGA Tour,and Koepka is abig part of that. During thelast visit to Torrey Pines,when the Genesis Invitation wasrelocated therebecause of the deadline wildfires near Riviera, there was optimisma PGA Tour deal with the Saudis was close. Now it’s as faraway as ever,and Adam Scottdoesn’tsee that changing. He feelsthe bestchance for any agreement was when LIV had only one year underits belt. Now LIV entersits fifth season.
“Timing hastoalign for big, intricate things to come together,” said Scott, aplayer director at the White Houselastyear when President Donald Trump metwith PGA Tour brass and thehead of Saudi Arabia’sPublic Investment Fund.
“There wasn’talot of time behind LIVand now thereis,” he said. “It’sharder and harder That’s my take from amillion miles high. They’refour years in and they’ve got something going on. They’re going their direction and maybe it was easier when therewas less direction.”
Whereitall goes now remains to be seen.Scott still believes “it’sall going to end in agood spot.”
“I don’tknow what they’reup to,” he said. “I like what what we’re up to. It feels good out here.”
LIVGolftogetfirstworld rankingpoints
BY DOUG FERGUSON AP golf writer
LIV Golf received aboostonthe eve of starting its fifth season when the Official World Golf Rankingapproved the Saudi-funded league to receive ranking points forthe first time. The unanimous decision Tuesday by the OWGR board came with some conditions, however,that did not sit well with LIV GolfCEO Scott O’Neil.
Points will be distributed onlyfor top-10 finishes and ties, compared with other tours that have smaller fields and leave out only the bottom finishers.
“No other competitive touror league in OWGR history has been subjected to such arestriction,” LIV said in astatement.
For its 57-player league, LIV will get points based on a“Small Field Tournament” category that also applies to tournaments like the Tour Championship and the PGA Tour’s signature events that do nothave acut.
“Under these rules, aplayer finishing 11th in aLIV Golf event is treated the same as aplayer finishing 57th,” the LIV statement said. “Limitingpoints to only the top 10 finishers disproportionately harms players who consistently perform at ahighlevel but finish just outside that threshold, as well as emergingtalentworking toes-
AP FILE PHOTO By CHARLES LABERGE LIV Golf CEOScott O’Neil laughs while playing withBrooks Koepka of Smash GC at Riyadh Golf Club on Feb.5 in Riyadh, SaudiArabia.
tablishthemselvesonthe world stage —preciselythe playersafair and meritocratic ranking system is designed to recognize.”
Considering that LIV Golf has been without ranking points since the leaguelaunched in 2022, its strength of field will be lower.
Thedecisioniseffective immediately asLIV Golf begins Wednesday in Saudi Arabia.
LIV’sseason opener in Riyadh is likely to award about 23 points to
thewinner, comparedwithnearly 47 points to Chris Gotterup when he won the Sony Open, the weakest field in the early part of the PGA Tour season. ThePhoenix Open winner thisweek gets about 59 points. It wouldbeaboostfor aLIV player if he gets on aroll, such as Joaquin Niemann winning five times last year and Rahm finishing in the top 10 in allbut one of the 13 events.
Theworld ranking is important because thefour majors useitto helpdetermine fields. The U.S. Open and British Open created categoriesfor LIVplayers when they weren’tgettingranking points. TheMasters andPGA Championship took care of worthy players through special invitations.
The board decision ends adebate that has been around almost as long as LIV. TheOWGRrejected the first application in October 2023 when former chairman Peter Dawsonsaid the board could not fairly measure LIV againstthe other tours. The question was not about the quality of players, but rather how they could be ranked equitably with thousands of other players across 24 tours because LIV was perceived as having aclosedshop instead of pathways and turnover
“Wefully recognizedthe need to rank thetop men’splayers in the world but at the same time had to
find away of doing so thatwas equitable to the thousands of other players competing on other tours that operate with establishedmeritocratic pathways,”Immelman said in theOWGR announcement.
“Webelievewehave found asolution that achieves these twinaims.”
Immelman, now thelead CBS Sports analyst, became OWGR chairman last year and had been in constant contact with O’Neil.
“It’sextremely important forus to be able to rank the best players in the worldasaccurately as possible,” Immelman said. “That has been at the top of my mind throughout this process that I’ve been involvedin. I’mthankful to Scott for his time and effort in this.”
LIV said it saw thedecision as a “first step toward astructure that fully andfairlyserves theplayers,the fans,and the future of the sport.”
“Weentered this process in good faith and will continue to advocate for aranking system that reflects performance over affiliation,” LIV said. “The game deserves transparency.The fans deserve credibility.And the playersdeserve a system that treats themequally.”
TheOWGR saiditwould continue to review any changes LIV makes to itsleague for 2027, which would result in awarding more or fewer —points, and whether it remains in the system.
Memphis’ Jackson traded to Jazz in eight-player deal
Jaren Jacksonhas been traded to the Utah Jazz in what will be an eight-player,multiple-pick deal with the Memphis Grizzlies, apersonwith knowledge of the agreement told The Associated Press on Tuesday Jackson, Jock Landale, John Konchar and Vince Williams will be going to Utah in exchange for Georges Niang, Kyle Anderson, Walter Clayton and Taylor Hendricks, said the person, who spoke to theAPon condition of anonymitybecause the trade wasstill pending league approval.
Alsoincluded in the dealare threefirst-round picks for Memphis,which hasbeenintalks about trading guard Ja Morant as well. Instead it decided to part with aformer defensive player of theyear
Marinersacquire All-Star Donovan in 3-team trade
SEATTLE The SeattleMariners acquired All-Starinfielder/outfielder Brendan Donovan from the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday night in athree-team trade with the Tampa Bay Rays. Donovan, 29, was afirst-time All-Star last year Seattle sent infielder Ben Williamson to the Rays, and apair of minorleagueprospects to the rebuilding Cardinals: pitcher Jurrangelo Cijntje and outfielder Tai Peete.
St. Louis also received a2026 Competitive Balance Round B draftpick (68th overall) fromthe Mariners.
Tampa Bay shippedminor league outfielder Colton Ledbetter and aCompetitive Balance Round Bdraft pick this year (72nd overall) to the Cardinals.
Sabalenka remains No. 1; Djokovic up to third formen MELBOURNE,Australia Carlos Alcaraz completed acareer Grand Slam of singles victories with his Australian Open title, but there was some solace for the manhedefeated,24-time GrandSlamsingles champion Novak Djokovic. While Alcaraz maintained his No. 1ranking on the ATPtour ahead of Jannik Sinner,Djokovic, who beat Sinnerinthe semifinals at Melbourne Park, moved up one place to No. 3. It is the first time the 38-year-old Djokovic has been inside the top three since August 2024. On the WTATour,Aryna Sabalenka maintained hertop ranking despite her loss in the final to Elena Rybakina,who moved up twoplaces to third in the rankings, with IgaSwiatek in between at No 2.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTOByDENIS POROy
Brooks Koepka tees offonthe second hole on the South Course at Torrey Pines duringthe firstround of the FarmersInsuranceOpen golf tournament on ThursdayinSan Diego.
Doug Ferguson
NFL
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LB DrakeThomas, Seahawks
The third-year undrafted linebacker has turnedintoakey player on astingy defense, starting 16 gamesinthe regular season and playoffs.Thomasdelivered one of the key defensive playsin the regularseason when his interception in the red zone helped seal the Week 18 win over San Francisco that gave the Seahawks the division title and No. 1seed. Thomas finishedwith 31/2 sacks, 10 tacklesfor loss andeight passes defended as he has been afactor against both the run and pass.
SCraig Woodson, Patriots
The fourth-round rookie from Cal became an immediate fixture on the de-
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something that hadn’tbeen done by the Patriots in more than adecade. After every single game this season, he’salsoshaken hands with the opposing coachand then racedtothe locker room to give ahug or handshake to every player as he enters the locker room
Then, once the team gathers, in addition to the typical game ball given to astandout player,healso gives individualized shoutoutsto other players. Each one is followed by aunison “one
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programming and workforce development for youth and families from every neighborhood in the city.” Davis met weekly with 25 young leaders to mentor them on being servant leaders in the community In 2013, Davis and his wife Tamela started the Devoted Dreamers Foundation. The mission of that is to help youth grow spiritually,mentally and physically.Proceeds from his “Dining for Dreams” fundraiser help providemicrogrants to small businesses. That alone has helped more than 5,000 people in New Orleans. His annual “Dinner with the Davises” event with the local Boys and Girls Club chapter emphasizes the importance of family mealtime.
“New Orleans is such an easy placetoserve,” Davis said. “There is aneedlike there is everywhere. But the heart and willingnessof the people to come alongside you to serve is what makes it special.” Davis playedakey role in ºhelping growgirls’ flag football in Louisiana and his home state of Missis-
fense, playingmore snaps in theregular season than anyone else on the unit Woodson has been solid against both the run and pass, and he has stepped up hisgameinthe playoffs. Woodson hadthe coverage on R.J. Harvey on thekey fourth-down stop in the AFC title gamethatturnedthe tide in New England’sfavor
PMichael Dickson,Seahawks
The longest-tenured Seahawks player earned second-team All-Prohonors thisseasonand hasbeen stellar in the playoffs. On five puntsinthe NFC championshipgame, he pinned the Rams inside the 20 on four of them and thefifth was muffed for arecovery by Seattle at the17. The average drive in the postseason after aSeahawks punt hasstarted inside the 15-yard line Dickson has had only three touchbacks all season with only one in the last 13 games.
clap”bythe team to makeit agroup experience.
And when the Patriots establishedthemselves as the NFL’s best road team —they have yet to loseonthe road this season in nine games— he began callingthem the “road warriors” andhad the team watch the 1979 movie “TheWarriors.”
After they beat the Denver Broncos on the road to winthe AFC championship, Vrabel harkened back to the movie by screaming, “Warriors! Come outtoplay! In short, he’smade his first season inNew England about helping histeam enjoy winning.
“The handshakes and hugs
sippi. His work doesn’tend there.
Davis visited France last year as an ambassador for theNFL, which will host its first ever gamethere next season. Theleague announced Monday that theSaintswill be one of the teams playingthere.
“I’m able to have aworldwide impact withtrips like going toParis,”Davis said.
“Soit’satremendous honor to be able to(be nominated to)get this award. But to be abletolive out thewhy is justso rewarding.”
While the days of delivering food as akid helped plant the seed forDavis, he started really giving back during hiscollege days at Arkansas State. He’d often give speeches at the local alternativeschool.
“Once Igave my lifeto Christ, it became more about living for something that was greater than myself,” Davissaid. “I had always been about the glory I could get on thefield. Once my lifechanged,itbecame about how can Iserve?
Howcan Iuse the platform to impact the locker room andhow can Iimpact the community?”
His influence in the locker room is just as powerfulashis impact in the community and on the field.
DT KhyirisTonga,Patriots
Tonga has been akey part of astingy run defense in his first season withthe Patriots as aspace eater in the middle of the line. He even delivered asack in the divisional round andwill be used on occasion on offense as ablocking fullback.
RB George Holani,Seahawks
The second-year player wasused sparinglyonoffenseinthe regular season but was forced into abigger role after Zach Charbonnet went down with aseason-ending kneeinjury in the divisional round. Holani played a career-high 23 snaps on offense in the NFCtitle game against theRams, and his three catches matched his total from his first two seasonsinthe league Holani could get heavy useonthird down as he is abetterpass blocker than starter Kenneth Walker
after thegames —win or lose. It means alot because he cares,” rookie left guard Jared Wilson said.“He cares so much aboutusand he cares so much abouthelping this team.”
Wide receiverStefon Diggs saidVrabelhas been thebest coach he’shad in 11 seasons. Diggs believes it’s no coincidence he posted his seventh 1,000-yard receivingseason after offseason knee surgery “I realized it starts at the head.Whenyou hold everybody to the same standard, and you hold everybody to the same requirements each andevery day, youholdyour teammatesaccountable,”
Ask any player abouthow the Saints didn’tlet go of the rope after starting 2-10, andchances are they’ll mention some speech Davis gave during tough times. There are 1,696 active players in the NFL. You won’t find many more respected than the 37-yearoldDavis.
It was evident the day after theseason ended, as several players made their way to gethim to autograph ajersey
If Davis’ name is called Thursdaynight, he’d become just thesecond Saints playertowin WalterPayton Man of theYear.Drew Brees won it in the 2006 season, his first one in New Orleans.
Davis makes one thing clear
“I do wanttowin the award,” he said. Perhaps the third time will be the charm
He’d notonly be the secondSaints playertowin the award but also thesecond playerfrom Mississippi to winit. The other wasPayton, the late, great Chicago Bears running back whom the award is named after Growing up, Davis alwaysheard aboutPayton’sgreatness. Davis researched Payton by reading abouthim in the encyclopedia.Helearned about
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linemen to the Pro Bowl in thatspan, andEvans was the anchor of afront that twice won the MaddenProtectors Award,giventothe league’s best offensive line Everything the Saints did —from their vertical passing game to their precision screen attack —began with the stabilityEvans providedatright guard.
TheSaints offenses during the Payton-Brees era were historic. From 200616, New Orleansaveraged an NFL-high 405 yards pergame, 20 more than even the TomBrady-led Patriots. They set 17 NFL records during Evans’ tenure, including the single-season yardage record (7,474 yards in 2011) andthe best third-down conversion rateinleague history (56.7%)
Evanswas adriving force in allofit. He was so athletic the Saints regularlypulled himonpassing playstoisolatehim against edge rushers, an assignmentvirtually unheard of for guards.
Those dynamic Saints offenses were built from the insideout. Because of Brees’ height, the 3yards directly behind the center were considered sacred ground, andEvans was charged with protecting thatspace. He diditbetter thananyone Opponents can attest. Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly,another Hall of Fame finalist, recalled that trying to get around Evans was “like trying to get around arefrigerator,” adding “Evans was critical to what they did. He was highly intelligent and could just blow you up with his power.”
outColtslinebacker Gary Brackett.
“When Jahri gothis hands on you, it was over,” saidSaints defensive end Cam Jordan,afuture Hall of Famer who squared off with Evansdaily in practice.
Evansboastsone of the strongest résumés of the 15 modern-era finalistsfor the Class of 2026. He is oneofeight candidatesto makeanNFL All-Decade team, which is votedonby the Hall’sselectioncommittee. He earned sixPro Bowl selectionsand was afirst-team All-Pro four consecutive seasons, twice as manyasSaints Hallof Famer Willie Roaf. Only 29 offensive linemen in NFL history have been named first-team All-Pro four or more times; 25 of themare already in the HallofFame. Theonly ones who aren’t are either notyet eligible or Jahri Evans.
Evansalsowas remarkably durableand dependable. He started every game for the first seven years of hiscareer and missed justninegames over 12 seasons.
Durability.Consistency Postseason excellence. Evansepitomizes what aHall of Famer lookslike “As acoordinator in Dallas, Icoached andsaw firsthand Larry Allen,” Payton said. “Jahri was every bit the same levelofplayer as Allen: steady,tough anda fantastic teammate. He’s oneofthe toughest and smartest players Ihave ever been around in coaching, andthat, coupled with hisunselfishness and dependability,madehim one of the most respected players in ourlocker room. He hadoutstanding make-up andcharacter.Everyone in the building lovedhim.
Diggs said. “You start looking at your teammatesand self-policing, self-accountability.You don’twanttolet your teammates down.”
Vrabelsaid he’sjust a product of the people he’s learned under.From playingand later coaching at Ohio State,tobeing drafted by thePittsburghSteelers and playing for NFL coaches including Belichick.
“I just try to be me, and sometimes that’sgood enough, sometimes it’snot,” Vrabel said.
“But Ijust try to learn from every person,every great coach thatI’ve been around, andtry to make it my own style.”
Payton’slegendary work ethic of sprinting up and down hills or dodging trees while running through the woods.
“That was my first time trying to embody some-
Butthe true measure of aHall of Famer is how he performed in the biggest games on the biggest stage. In 10 playoff games, Evansplayed 456 pass-block snaps, manyof themagainst elite interior defenders such as Kevin Williams, CalaisCampbell andNdamukong Suh, but he allowed justtwo sacks and20total pressures.
During the Saints’2009 SuperBowl run, he didn’t allowa singlesack and surrendered only five pressures in three games. Manyofthe defining plays during the Saints’postseason run were madepossiblebyEvans’ blocking, including Pierre Thomas’ touchdowns in the NFC championshipgame and the screen-pass touchdown in SuperBowl XLIV sprung by Evansclearing
body Ihad heardabout,” Davis said. “Not only was he ‘Sweetness’ on the field, but it was alsohis kindness and character that went beforehim.
“That’swhat Iwanted to
“Jahri was the best player to play on arguably the best offense in NFL history.”
In the SuperBowl era, every championshipteam in the first 41 years featured at least two Hallof Famers. Somehow,the 2009 Saints still have zero HallofFamers. Theteam thatstarted 13-0; beat Kurt Warner,BrettFavre and Peyton Manning in consecutivepostseason games; andproduced one of the most potent offenses of all timehad Evansasthe best lineman andarguably the best player on thatteam. If the Hall of Fame is meant to honor players who defined their era, dominated their position and made aprofound impact on winning, thenEvans is thedefinition of aHall of Famer It’stimetoput himin Canton.
represent. Iwanted to have my character speak justas loudly as my game.” Indeed it has.
Email Rod Walker at rwalker@theadvocate.com.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By LINDSEy WASSON
Seattle Seahawks running backGeorgeHolaniwarms up during practice at the team’sfacilitiesonJan. 21 in Renton, Wash., ahead of the NFC championship game on Jan. 25 in Seattle.
STAFF PHOTO By HILARySCHEINUK
RougeHigh’sJordan Buchert, foreground, drives theballawayfrom Zachary’sArnav Namjoshi, left,and Landon Deignan, secondfrom left, and Baton RougeHigh’sLeiden PoklembaonJan. 22 at BatonRougeHigh.
Theplayoff pairings forthe LHSAA soccerplayoffs were announced Tuesday
Several Baton Rouge-areahigh schools earnedtop seeds, including University High, St. Joseph’s, Denham Springs and Baton Rouge High.
The first round of the playoffs will beginonWednesday,and bidistrict matches will be played through Sunday
U-High boys earn topseed
The Cubs boyssoccer team was the lone Baton Rouge-area squad to earn aNo. 1-seed across all four divisions after being placed with the top seed in Division III.
“Toreceive the No. 1seed is a pretty cool honor,” U-High coach Chris Mitchell said. “We’re excited and looking forwardto the tournament.” University High finished the year with a15-3-2 record and ended the regular season on aninematch unbeaten streak, including seven wins. The Cubs will face Washington-Marion in thefirst round.
Mitchell said each round will be afocus on themselves and playing their best soccer.Hecredited the team’schemistry toward their success this year
“The unity that we’ve hadonthe team this yearhas been tremendous,” he said.
He said the team’ssuccess is built off of the team’sfourcaptains, led by Sie Parker, William May,Bradford Word and Cole Ramsey
“They feel like they’ve been with the team forever,” Mitchell said. “They do areally good jobofincluding all theguys and theyjust work really hard.”
The Cubs’ strong seasonhas been built off an aggressivestyle
of play andworkingtoset the tone from theopening kick. Mitchell believeshis team’sexperience can helpitgoonadeep run through the bracket.
Twoothernotable players
Mitchell pointed to are his two center backs, Ellis Danieland May, as keytothe team’ssuccess.Parker is the team’sleader in goals.
The difference maker for the Cubs will be their unity,Mitchell said. He credited the non-starters making an impact along withassistant coach JosueCarranza as keyingredients toward helping University High benamed the top seed in Division III.
St.Joseph’saNo. 2seed
On the girls sideofthe playoffs
St. Joseph’swas named the No. 2 seed in theDivision Ibracket
The Redstickers and Episcopal, which earned theNo. 2seed in Division IV,were the two highestseededgirls soccer teamsfrom the Baton Rougearea.
St. Joseph’sfinished the year with a16-2-2 record and will face East Jefferson in thefirst round.
Redstickers coach Kyle Carmouche is excitedfor the challenge but he knows theroad ahead will pose challenges.
“I don’tview any of these as easy matches for us,” he said. “There wassomuch parity in the state this year,especially in Division I.”
Carmouche said otherscould haveviewed this seasonasarebuilding year with the number of veterans and players the team graduated.
“Our girlsdidn’tbuy into that,” Carmouche said. “Theyhave worked as hard as they’veever worked in my six years of being thehead coach at St. Joseph’s.”
Theteam has agoalofgetting back to Hammond,and that mindset has persisted throughout the year. Carmouche pointed to the
standard at St.Joseph’sofbeing “built to playfor titles” helping feed that mindset for his players.
Key contributors on the squad include senior Ivy May.She leads the team with30goals and has also tallied 10 assists.
Carmouche said May’stalenton the field is matched by herability to lead theteam andhelp theunderclassmen on the roster
“She’sbeen aphenomenal part of what we’ve done this year,” he said. “Not just with herown production, but how she’smentored newer varsityplayers.”
Anotherimpactplayerincludes junior midfielder Liv Lawrence.
“She has been fantastic for us in every match,” Carmouche said. “She’sabsolutely astandout.” Carmouche also emphasized Camille Toussant’s impact at center back. The LSUcommit helps complete astrong spine with Lawrence and May
Goalkeepers Avery Papania andAdelynn McDanielhavealso played key roles defending the goal.
The difference maker for St.Joseph’shas been thegrit they play with. Carmouche believes their commitment to hard work can help separate the Redstickers from a talented bracket
“This team plays for each other,” Carmouche said. “Theyare committed to the process of knowing your role and playing your role.”
Othertop seeds
Among the topseeds in Baton Rouge, theDenham Springs boys earnedthe No.4seed in Division I. The Yellow Jackets girls are the No. 4seed in Division I.
Baton Rouge High earnedthe No. 5seed in the Division Iboys bracket In theDivision III girls bracket, UniversityHigh will open as the No. 4seed and Parkview Baptistis theNo. 3seed.
AREA SOCCER PLAYOFFS:BIDISTRICT
Parkview Baptist girlsroutU-High
BY WILLIAM WEATHERS Contributing writer
Scoring and long-range shootingmay be the most identifiable traits of Ella LeFors’ game, but she also enjoysdefense
Aseason-high 28 points from the Parkview Baptist standout might have been the biggest topic of discussion in Tuesday’s 61-38 home victory over District 6-3A rival University High, but Eagles coach Brett Shelton didn’t dismissher play on the defensive end.
“Compare (LeFors’28points) withwhat she did on defense, andit’sincredible,” Shelton said. “Usually,she’ll need abreak here andthere, but tonight she didn’t have abreak at all.She’s had nights where she’s hit seven 3s against Liberty (a 65-41 win),but defensively is where Iwas most proud of her.”
Senior Anna Richerson, a Loyola-New Orleanssignee, chipped in 18 pointsfor Parkview Baptist. The Eagles (21-3, 4-0 6-3A), the third-rated team in theDivision III power ratings, extended theirwinning streak to sevengames against University (19-5, 3-1),the top-rated team
“Weknewcoming in they were goingtobeatough team to beat,” LeFors said. “Weknewwehad to sticktogether,playour brand of basketball.”
LeFors’ 18 points, fueled by two of her four 3-pointers, sparked asecond-half effort in which Parkview Baptist outscored UHigh 31-21 and forced nine of 16 turnovers. Richersonadded eight points and the Eagles shot 50% (9 of 18) in the final 16 minutes, compared to theCubs’ 35%
(8 of 23).
“This is probably our worst game allyear,” said U-High coachBonitaJohnson,whose team suffered itsbiggest loss in three seasons. “It was pretty rough. The turnovers werecrazy We just didn’ttake care of the ball. It wasjustanightmare.”
Shelton pointed toward LeFors’ wire-to-wire effort against U-High junior standout Kennedy Aldridge whofinished with a team-high 22 points on 11 of 26 shooting.
“Ella LeForsguardedone the best players in the state and did a good job of keeping herincheck, especiallyinthe first half,” he said.
Richerson’s3-pointerextended Parkview’slead to 22-12 and the Eagleswentontolead 30-17 at halftime on Hannah Hebert’s driving layup.
LeFors scored 12 of herteam’s first 16 points in the third quarter withRicherson adding the other four.Five straight free throws were the catalyst in a16-4 run over the first 41/2 minutesofthe quarter with LeFors knocking down apair of 3-pointers, the second on an assist from Ansley Bernhard, fora44-21 advantage.
Richerson converted asteal oneofseven U-High turnovers in thequarter— into apairoffree throws after getting fouled on a drive to thegoal
The Eagles’ largest lead (54-27) took place 16 seconds into the fourth quarter when Richerson spotted LeFors behind the defensefor alay-in.
“It’sobviously arivalry and they wanttowin,” Shelton said. “But it means alot to them to come outand playwell.”
BY TOYLOYBROWN III Staff writer
St.Augustine linebacker Chad Jones Jr.has verbally committed to Southern, he announced on social media Monday night. TheNew Orleans product will playfor first-year coach Marshall Faulk andispartofhis 2026 recruiting class. Signing day for the incoming freshmen forthe 2026 football season will be at 6:30 p.m Wednesday at TJ Ribs.
Jones is the son of Chad Jones Sr., who was astandout safety at LSUand was draftedin2010 by theNew York Giants with the 12th pick of the third round. Chad Jones Jr.helped lead St Augustinetoa 12-2 record anda Division Iselect state championship appearance, where his team
fell 49-14 to Edna Karr (14-0). He receivedhis offertoSouthern on Nov. 15, 2022. The middle linebacker also had offers from Temple, Mississippi Valley State, Grambling, Florida A&M and Louisiana Christian. Chad Jones Sr.spent three seasons at LSU, playing 40 games and starting 19 times. He started in all 13 games in his final season in 2009. He playedfor the LSU baseball team as well.Jones Sr won nationaltitlesinfootball in 2007 and in baseball in 2009. As LSU’sfree safety in his last year,hewas fifth in tackles (74) and first in interceptions with three. Jones Sr.also hadsix pass breakups.
Jones Jr.joins arecruiting class that has three-star tight end Isaiah Pina. The Florida native is ranked the No.51tight end in the senior class, according to ESPN, andflippedhis commitment to Virginia Tech to join Pro Football Hall of Fame player Faulk. Southern’s season opener is Aug. 29 against AlabamaState.
STAFF PHOTO By HILARySCHEINUK Baton RougeHigh’sCarlos Colindres, left, and Zachary’sMiles Partin, center,gofor the ball as Thiago Costa looks on during their Jan. 22 match at Baton RougeHigh.
STAFF FILE PHOTOByJOHNMCCUSKER St.Augustine linebacker Chad Jones, right, puts apunishing hiton Karr’sFloyd Jones during their game on Oct. 3. Chad Jones has verbally committed to Southern.
Vonn ‘confident’ despite injury
BY ANDREW DAMPF AP sportswriter
CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy Lindsey
Vonn has done this before. And succeeded.
The 41-year-old American skiing standout is “confident” she can compete at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics despite a torn ACL from a crash four days ago.
Vonn said that the damage to her left knee was a “completely ruptured” ACL, bone bruising “plus meniscal damage.”
After three days of physical therapy and doctors’ advice, Vonn tried skiing on Tuesday. She did not appear to be limping as she entered and exited a news conference.
“My knee is not swollen, and with the help of a knee brace, I am confident that I can compete on Sunday,” Vonn said “And as long as there’s a chance, I will try I will do everything in my power to be in the starting gate.”
Vonn crashed in a World Cup downhill in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, on Friday and ended up in the safety nets. After skiing to the bottom of the course, she was taken to a hospital.
Vonn is expected to be one of the biggest stars of the Winter Games, which start Friday with the opening ceremony Her first race comes two days later in the women’s downhill She also plans on competing in super-G and the new team combined event.
The opening women’s downhill training session is scheduled for Thursday
“My intention,” Vonn said, “is to race everything.”
Vonn has had numerous crashes and injuries in her career
One of her worst was at the 2013 world championships in Schladming, Austria, during a super-G that was also held in difficult conditions.
Vonn tore her right knee. She returned the following season, got hurt again and missed the 2014 Sochi Olympics. She was also battered up before the 2019 world championships but took bronze in downhill before going into a nearly six-year retirement.
“I’ve been in this position before. I know how to handle it,” Vonn said. “I feel a lot better now than I did in 2019 And I still got a medal there with no LCL and three tibial plateau fractures. So, like I said, this is not an unknown
for me. I’ve done this before.”
She persevered through a bruised shin that she treated with topfen cheese before winning gold in downhill at the 2010 Games.
“I don’t need topfen now My knee isn’t swollen,” Vonn said.
It’s a home remedy whereby the cheese is applied to the offending area and helps to reduce swelling.
“This would be the best comeback I’ve done so far,” Vonn said.
“Definitely the most dramatic.”
Teammate Bella Wright said Vonn has what it takes — a strong mental state — to ski through her injuries.
“If anyone can do it, it’s Lindsey,” Wright said.
Breezy Johnson the downhill and combined world champion, was in a similar situation to Vonn at Cortina during a World Cup weekend in 2022.
“I’ve tried and failed to ski this course with no ACL and that doesn’t mean that she can’t do it,” Johnson said “There are more athletes that ski without ACLs and with knee damage than what we talk about.”
Andrea Panzeri, the chief physician for the Italian Winter Sports Federation, said numer-
ous athletes have competed at elite levels with a torn ACL and other severe knee issues.
Vonn’s fellow downhiller Sofia Goggia came back to win a silver medal at the 2022 Olympics weeks after spraining her left knee, partially tearing her ACL and suffering a “minor fracture” of the fibula bone in her leg — plus some tendon damage.
Italian freetsyle skier Flora Tabanelli tore the ACL in her right knee in November but put off surgery until after the Olympics.
Tabanelli is 18, though.
“But (Vonn) has experience, the physical ability and the experience on this course,” Panzeri said. “If she decides to try and race, it’s because her clinical condition and her doctors are allowing her to. She doesn’t have anything to lose. I think it’s worth a try.”
Vonn made a stunning comeback last season after nearly six years away Skiing with a partial titanium implant in her right knee, she has been the circuit’s leading downhiller this season with two victories and three other podium finishes in five races.
Including super-G, Vonn completed eight World Cup races and finished on the podium in seven
of them. Her worst finish was fourth.
Women’s skiing during the Games will be in Cortina, where Vonn holds the World Cup record with 12 wins.
She has won three Olympic medals: Gold in downhill and bronze in super-G in 2010 and bronze in downhill in 2018.
It hasn’t just been about recovery for Vonn these past few days.
On her way to Cortina, she stopped at the grave of her childhood coach Erich Sailer, who died in August aged 99.
Sailer coached Vonn at Buck Hill in Minnesota. He’s buried just outside Innsbruck, Austria.
Vonn said she shed some tears during the graveside visit – the only tears she’s shed these past few days.
“I miss him And I know exactly what he would say to me right now And it definitely gives me additional hope that I know that he would support me,” Vonn added.
“He would say, ‘It’s only 90 seconds. What’s 90 seconds in a lifetime? It’s nothing. You can do it.’” Vonn said. “That’s what he said to me before my last run in Are, and I know he would say it to me again today.”
Curry, LeBron, Durant set to team up
BY TIM REYNOLDS
AP basketball writer
Stephen Curry will be joining Olympic teammates LeBron James and Kevin Durant once again, this time at the All-Star Game. The NBA announced the rosters for this season’s midseason showcase event on Tuesday night, splitting 25 names onto three squads.
It’s the debut of another new AllStar format this one U.S. vs. The World, on Feb. 15 at the Los Angeles Clippers’ home in Inglewood, California
It’s a concept that Commissioner Adam Silver thinks will tap into national pride for the players and comes at a fitting time. The game will be aired on NBC, which is
also broadcasting the Milan Cortina Olympics that start later this week and run through Feb. 22.
The U.S.-vs.-World concept was talked about for years before becoming a reality this season. The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association unveiled the long-awaited plan in their latest attempt to spark renewed interest in the game following a largely panned tournament format last season.
The Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard likely the most deserving name left off the original list of 24 AllStars, was added to the pool of U.S. players Tuesday shortly before the rosters were unveiled. And that move likely was what sent New York’s Karl-Anthony Towns to the World team.
Towns was born in New Jersey but has played international basketball for the Dominican Republic his late mother’s homeland.
The NBA had said in recent months that it would adjust roster sizes as needed to ensure all three teams had at least eight players, the minimum required under the new format. Giannis Antetokounmpo is not expected to play for the World team because of injury, which is why that squad has nine players.
The U.S. teams were split by age: The older players were assigned to USA Stripes, the younger ones to USA Stars.
If all three teams finish 1-1 after the round-robin games, the first tiebreaker will be point differential across each team’s games.
USA Stripes Jaylen Brown, Boston; Jalen Brunson, New York; Stephen Curry, Golden State; Kevin Durant, Houston; LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers; Kawhi Leonard, Los Angeles Clippers; Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland; Norman Powell, Miami. Coach: Mitch Johnson, San Antonio.
World Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee; Deni Avdija, Portland; Luka Doncic, Los Angeles Lakers; Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City; Nikola Jokic, Denver; Jamal Murray, Denver; Pascal Siakam, Indiana; Karl-Anthony Towns, New York; Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio. Coach: Darko Rajakovic, Toronto. NBA
Clippers trade Harden to Cavs for Garland
BY TIM REYNOLDS AP basketball writer
James Harden is headed to the Cleveland Cavaliers, with the Los Angeles Clippers agreeing to send the 11-time All-Star back to the Eastern Conference during his highest-scoring season in six years, a person with knowledge of the agreement said Tuesday night. The Cavaliers are giving up point guard Darius Garland and a second-round pick said the person, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the trade has not yet been approved by the NBA. That approval could come by Wednesday, when the Cavaliers and Clippers face off in Inglewood, California.
Harden is averaging 25.4 points this season, his most since averaging 34.3 points in 2019-20. He’s been a huge part of the Clippers’ resurgence back into playoff or, at least, play-in — contention
U.S. has chosen its Olympic flag bearers
Speedskater Jackson, bobsledder Del Duca to represent at the opening ceremony
BY TIM REYNOLDS AP sportswriter
Speedskater Erin Jackson already has made history, as the first Black woman to win an individual gold medal at a Winter Olympics. Bobsledder Frank Del Duca is a sergeant in the Army, hailing from a family with deep Italian roots. They might be the perfect pair to lead the U.S. into the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics Jackson, 33, and Del Duca, 34, were selected by a group of their fellow Olympians as the U.S. flag bearers for Friday night’s opening ceremony of the Milan Cortina Games.
Jackson will become the eighth U.S. speedskater to carry the flag into an Olympics, the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee said, while Del Duca will be the first bobsledder to carry the flag into an opening in 70 years.
“Being chosen to represent the United States on the world stage is a tremendous honor,” Jackson said in a statement Tuesday from the USOPC.
“It’s a moment that reflects far more than one individual — it represents my family, my teammates, my hometown, and everyone across the country who believes in the power of sport. The Olympics remind us of the power of sport to connect and inspire, and I’m proud to carry that forward on the Olympic stage.”
It will be an unusual opening ceremony, given that these are the most spread-out Olympics ever The main ceremony is in Milan; there will be other ceremonies and athlete parades in the Italian cities of Predazzo, Livigno and Cortina d’Ampezzo And for Del Duca, the top U.S. bobsled pilot in both two- and four-man racing, an alreadyspecial Olympic opportunity in his family’s homeland just got even more significant. He said Tuesday that he was surprised by the flag-bearer nod.
“I grew up with a lot of Italian and Italian-American influence in my life,” Del Duca said in an interview with The Associated Press last month. “Three out of my four grandparents were Italian. My name is Frank Joseph Del Duca IV It’s not the most Italian name, but it’s clearly Italian.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By NICK
Los Angeles Clippers guard James Harden warms up while wearing a shirt paying tribute to Martin Luther King Jr before a game against the Washington Wizards on Jan. 19 in Washington.
after a dismal 6-21 start.
“He means a lot to our team and we’ve seen it the last three years,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said
Monday night when stories began breaking indicating such a move was close. “Who wouldn’t want to have James Harden?”
Cleveland will become Harden’s sixth team. He played for Oklahoma City, then Houston, then Brooklyn, then Philadelphia and, since 2023, the Clippers. For the Cavaliers, it seems to be a move for right now pairing the 36-year-old Harden with another star guard in Donovan Mitchell. For the Clippers, it seems to be a move with an eye on the future — the 26-year-old Garland is a two-time All-Star, averaging 18 points and 6.9 assists this season for Cleveland. Harden opted out of the final year of his contract last summer with the Clippers to sign a new deal that would have been worth $81.5 million for this season and the 2026-27 campaign. Next year is at his option, which basically meant he was on a one-year contract anyway
He got that deal after averaging 22.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and 8.7 assists and returning to the AllNBA team for the first time since 2019-20.
“I grew up on the food. I grew up in that Italian American culture. So much of my life has been Italian American, which is not the same as Italian, but we’re very proud of our ancestry. U.S. bobsledder Elana Meyers Taylor was picked to carry the American flag at the 2022 Beijing Olympics but tested positive for COVID-19 — forcing the postponement of her flag-carrying chance until the closing ceremony of those Games. She was replaced at the Beijing opening by speedskater Brittany Bowe, and this time, it’s Jackson’s turn to have that moment Del Duca was fourth in both two- and four-man at last season’s world championships on his home track in Lake Placid, New York. He made his Olympic debut at Beijing four years ago, finishing 13th in both races Now he wears his country’s colors in the Olympics again. That means the world to any athlete. It’s especially significant to Del Duca as a member of the Army and even more so, he insists, with these Games in his family’s homeland.
“It means a lot. It really does. It means a lot,” Del Duca said. “It would be cool anywhere, but the fact that it’s in Italy, I think our family is just that much more excited. My grandparents are no longer around, but they always rooted for Italy and the U.S. And they said the perfect day would be the Italians and the Americans tying for gold. So, yes, this is cool. It’s a cool opportunity.”
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By GIOVANNI AULETTA
Lindsey Vonn of the U.S is seen at the finish line after crashing during an alpine ski at the women’s World Cup downhill on Friday in Crans-Montana, Switzerland.
WASS
SCHEINUK
LSU’s Chris Stanfield takes off after hitting a two-run single in the fourth inning of Game 2 in the College World Series final against Coastal Carolina on June 22 in Omaha, Neb
Twelve LSU baseball games to be televised
BY SCOTT RABALAIS Staff writer
The LSU baseball team will get maximum exposure in 2026.
All 56 of the Tigers’ regularseason games will be televised in some capacity, including 12 games on network television LSU will have seven games on the SEC Network, three on ESPN2, one on ESPN and one on ESPNU.
The rest of the Tigers’ games will be shown on a streaming basis, with 40 on SEC Network+ starting with the season opener, 2 p.m. Feb 13 against Milwaukee. LSU’s three games in the Live Like Lou Jax College Baseball Classic, Feb. 20-22 in Jacksonville, Florida, will be shown on D1Baseball.com. Additionally, LSU’s game March 4 at UL will be shown on ESPN+. All of the reigning College World Series champion’s postseason games in the SEC and NCAA tournaments will be carried on one of the ESPN networks or ESPN’s online platforms.
LSU BASEBALL ON TV
Here are LSU’s 12 regular-season network TV games (all times Central):
March 14: At Vanderbilt, 7 p.m. (SECN)
March 15: At Vanderbilt, 3 p.m. (SECN)
March 19: Oklahoma, 7 p.m. (ESPNU)
April 3: At Tennessee, 4:30 p.m. (SECN)
April 4: At Tennessee, 5 p.m. (ESPN2)
April 5: At Tennessee, noon (SECN)
April 17: Texas A&M, 6 p.m. (ESPN)
April 18: Texas A&M, 7 p.m. (SECN)
April 19: Texas A&M, 1 p.m. (ESPN2)
April 25: At Mississippi State, 6:30 p.m. (ESPN2)
May 9: At Georgia, 6 p.m. (SECN)
May 10: At Georgia, 2 p.m (SECN)
Shaq discloses his favorite NBA championship team
BY TIM REYNOLDS AP basketball writer
MIAMI Shaquille O’Neal played for four NBA championship teams. And now, 20 years after his last title, he has one that he can call his favorite. It was the one he got with the Miami Heat.
The Heat brought back its 2006 title team for a two-day, 20th anniversary celebration this week, with a gala on Monday followed by an on-court event for fans to see at their home game against Atlanta on Tuesday Most of the team was in attendance, including O’Neal — who offered what may be a mildly surprising assessment of that championship run.
“I’m going to throw a word out there that’s probably going to shock the basketball world,” O’Neal said. “It’s my favorite one because we were not supposed to win and it was one that I was pressured to win. I needed to get it done before the other guy got his fourth.”
“The other guy” that O’Neal was referring to was Kobe Bryant. He and Bryant won three titles together with the Los Angeles Lakers, then the relationship went south and the Lakers traded O’Neal to Miami in the summer of 2004. Bryant eventually got his fourth and fifth titles to pass O’Neal, and the two teammates-turned-rivals mended fences to a certain extent before Bryant along with his daughter Gianna and seven others — died in a helicopter crash six years ago. But at that time, O’Neal felt a ton of pressure to get one without Bryant. And the Heat, in those days, was a bit of a powder keg that found a way to buck the odds.
“We were a bunch of misfits that used to argue and fight and do things very untraditionally,” said O’Neal, who estimated the Heat had about 40 internal fights that season and all of them blew over almost immediately “But we never not got along and that’s what made it special.”
That’s the way the 2006 Heat was wired, which is why O’Neal didn’t take it personally when Miami lost the first two games of that season’s finals to the Dallas Mavericks. O’Neal told the story Tuesday of how Gary Payton — a guard on that Miami team cursed him out after Game 2, saying Dwyane Wade needed the ball more if the Heat was going to win the series.
“I decided to ruffle some feathers,” Payton said, confirming that he went to coach Pat Riley and asked for changes, then told O’Neal it was time for Wade to carry the torch for the Heat. Wade dominated the next four games. Payton made a huge shot to help Miami win Game 3. The Heat won the title in six games. The fights led to a parade. It was all worthwhile.
“We had a perfect eight-man rotation,” Riley said “I apologize to numbers 9 through 15, but they used to whip (butt) every day in practice on these guys, I can tell you that. Made them better.”
SCOREBOARD
CORRECTION
A story in the Feb 2 editions of The Advocate/Times-Picayune mistakenly listed which high school NFL Hall of Fame nominee Reggie Wayne attended Wayne attended and graduated from John Ehret High School.
Goals: Southern University
(Oshodi 6-12, Barnes 1-2, Jacobs 1-3, Hardy 0-2, Manning 0-2), Jackson State 13-31 (Ree 5-5, Mitchell 4-12, Ruffin 2-5, Hoover 1-2, R.Thomas 1-3, D.Thomas 0-1, McMillian 0-3) Fouled Out: D.Thomas. Rebounds: Southern University 38 (Barnes 11), Jackson State 36 (Mitchell 8). Assists: Southern University 24 (Jacobs 10), Jackson State 12 (Ruffin 8) Total Fouls: Southern University 23, Jackson State 25. A: 1,055 (8,000) Men’s national scores EAST Miami (OH) 73, Buffalo 71 Niagara 65, Canisius 56 UConn 92, Xavier 60 UMass 95, Central Michigan 89 VCU 63, Fordham 59 SOUTH Duke 67, Boston College 49 Murray State 81, UIC 74 Tennessee 84, Ole Miss 66 Tennessee-Martin 55, Little Rock 52 Virginia 67, Pittsburgh 47 MIDWEST Akron 66, Eastern Michigan 64 Bowling Green 77, Ball State 52 Bradley 72, Valparaiso 65 Dayton 72, St. Bonaventure 70 Indiana State 84, Evansville 63 Kent State 75, Toledo 72 Loyola Chicago 71, La Salle 61 Ohio 91, Western Michigan 71 SIU-Edwardsville 78, Lindenwood 72 Southern Illinois 54, Illinois State 50 St. John’s 68, DePaul 56
SOUTHWEST Texas 84, South Carolina 75 Women’s state schedule Wednesday Old Dominion at UL, 6 p.m. Georgia State at UL-Monroe, 6:30 p.m. Charlotte at Tulane, 6:30 p.m. Thursday Alabama State at Southern,
at Southeastern, 6 p.m.
Christian at McNeese, 6:30
UTRGV at Nicholls, 6:30 p.m. Northwestern at Lamar, 6:30
A&M-Corpus
des Sports de Gerland Montpellier, France Purse: €612,620
Hardcourt indoor Men’s Singles Round of 32 Pablo Carreno Busta, Spain, def Miomir Kecmanovic, Serbia, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (4). Martin Damm Jr., United States, def. Hubert Hurkacz (7), Poland, 7-6 (5), 6-4. Titouan Droguet, France, def. Jan Choinski, Britain, 6-2, 7-6 (2). Ugo Humbert (5), France, def. Botic Van de Zandschulp, Netherlands, 6-3, 6-4. Arthur Fils (6), France, def. Valentin Royer, France, 7-6 (7), 6-7 (4), 6-2. Ugo Blanchet, France, def. Andrea Vavassori, Italy, 6-4, 6-3. Men’s Doubles Round of 16 Albano Olivetti and Theo Arribage (4), France, def. Inigo Cervantes and Pedro Martinez, Spain, 3-6, 7-6 (5), 10-6. Arthur Reymond and Clement Chidekh, France, def. Hendrik Jebens, Germany, and Ray Ho, Taiwan, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (1). Matej Vocel and Tomas Machac, Czechia, def. Vasil Kirkov, United States, and Bart Stevens, Netherlands, 6-4, 6-4. WTA Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open Tuesday
$1,206,446
of 16
Samsonova (5), Russia, def. Janice
(6), Canada, 6-3,
def. Kristina Mladenovic, France, and Leylah Fernandez, Canada, 7-5, 3-6, 10-6. WTA Ostrava Open Tuesday At Ostravar Arena Ostrava, Czech Republic Purse: $283,347 Surface: Hardcourt indoor Women’s Singles Round of 32 Rebecca Sramkova (4), Slovakia, def. Vendula Valdmannova, Czechia, 6-2, 6-3. Katie Boulter, Britain, def. Lucie Havlickova, Czechia, 6-4, 3-6, 6-1. Viktorija Golubic (5), Switzerland, def. Sinja Kraus, Austria, 6-4, 6-0. Women’s Singles Round of 16 Katie Volynets, United States, def. Tatjana Maria (1), Germany, 7-5, 6-1. Caty McNally (6), United States, def. Tereza Martincova, Czechia, 6-4, 6-4. Alycia Parks, United States, def. Elina Avanesyan, Russia, 6-4, 6-2. Women’s Doubles Round of 16 Ivana Corley and Carmen Corley, United States, def. Yvonne Cavalle-Reimers, Spain and Angelica Moratelli, Italy, 4-6, 7-5, 10-6. Quinn Gleason, United States, and Anna Siskova (2), Czechia, def. Jesika Maleckova, Czechia, and Anna Blinkova, Russia, 6-2, 6-4.
Women’s Doubles Quarterfinals Shuo Feng, China, and Madeleine Brooks, Britain, def. Vendula Valdmannova and Julie Pastikova, Czechia, 1-6, 6-1, 10-6. WTA Transylvania Open
Tuesday At Arenele BNR Cluj-Napoca, Romania Purse: $283,347 Surface: Hardcourt indoor
Women’s Singles Round of 16 Oleksandra Oliynykova,
STAFF PHOTO By HILARy
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MARTA LAVANDIER
Former Miami Heat players Shaquille O’Neal, left, and Dwyane Wade talk about their experience winning the NBA finals 20 years ago during a news conference Tuesday in Miami
Fresh take
Though Solera is closing,plans underway for newconcept
BY MADDIE SCOTT Staff writer
Solera in Baton Rouge closed permanently on Feb. 1, and the same managementteam is openinga newrestaurant, Southdowns Grille, according to the owner At 4205 Perkins Road in Baton Rouge, Solera opened in 2019 andhas served adiverse menu withtapas,grilled lamb lollipops, steakand seafood dishes.
OwnerBrian Dykes, who also owns Bin 77 in Baton Rouge, saidhewanted to give Solera a change.
“I’m kind of sad to see Solerago,” Dykes said. “Whenwe opened Bin, we had the small plates, and Ialways thought tapas would take on amarket here in BatonRouge. Butitjust really never —Idon’tknow how to say this without being negative—itjust never really took off consistently enough for us to sustain it.”
The closuregives rise to a new restaurant,designed by the same leadership andmanagement team behind Solera, Dykessaid, called Southdowns Grille. The name is inspired after Southdowns Lounge, a neighborhood pub that opened in the’60s and closed in 2008, locatedinthe same building as Solera and the soon, Southdowns Grille.
“Wedid alot of careful consideration on the name, and that’swhy we decided to go withSouthdowns,”hesaid.“We added the ‘grille’ portion to it because we wanted to have a good food element. Ithink our chef’s food is fantastic.”
The new menu, which is posted online,has been developing forthe past six to eight months, led by Executive Chef Eric Sibley.Itaims for upscale comfort food,Dykes said,and includes starters, sandwiches, salads, entrees,sides and daily specials. Dykes’ favorites include the Baked Lasagna, an entree with housemadesaffron pasta, pork and beef ragu, ricottaand stracciatellacheese and red gravy as well as the Chicken Schnitzel with mushroom gravy, creme fraiche, roasted fingerling potatoesand herb salad. His favorite side dish is the grilled artichokes, with herbed yogurt,shaved fennel, crispy shallot and thyme.
Daily specials will be served on arotating basis, like the Country Fried Chicken with biscuits and gravy on Sundays. Thursdays will have the“Debris” Banh Mi Sandwich with soy au jus. Southdowns Grille will likely open in March or early April, Dykes said, depending on construction. It’ll operate on Tuesdays through Sundays, closed Mondays.
There’ll be some cosmetic remodeling inside, like changing
All’Amatriciana is on the menuatJosephine’s.
isPassion served
Josephine’sItalian Cuisineopens in MidCity with amenupackedwithfamilyhomage
BY MADDIE SCOTT Staff writer
The inspiration behind Baton Rouge’snew Josephine’sItalian Bistro dates back decades.
Atradition of Sunday dinnersin the kitchen of afiery Sicilian woman was thecatalyst to open therestaurant. Her name was Josephine.
JOSEPHINE’S ITALIAN CUISINE
5360Government St ,Baton Rouge l Open 11 a.m. to 9p.m.Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.Friday and Saturday
“It’smygrandmother’sname,” said executive chef and co-owner Russell Davis. “Her parentsemigrated from Sicily,and Igrewupgoing to her houseon Sundays andeating Sunday dinner watching her cook, andIjust always wanted to do an Italian restaurant in her honor.”
Afteropening Eliza Restaurant in 2016 and Jed’sLocal in 2018 with his wife,Sally Davis, the couple brought thenew Italian restaurant to fruitionafter aboutfive months of construction inside theformer
OwnersSally and Russell Davissit inside Josephine’s, named after Russell Davis’grandmother
Roman’s Cafe in Mid City.
At 5350 Government St., Josephine’sItalian Cuisine soft-opened on Jan. 22, and itsmenu includes manyfamily recipes, from lasagna to spaghetti and meatballs.
“She was alittle spitfire, Iwould say,” Russell Davis said abouthis grandmother. “She was alittle
thing, but she wasvery loving and very feisty.Very passionate.”
Menu rundown
The menu includes antipasta, salad, pizza, pasta and dessert as well as primiand secondi courses.
STAFFPHOTOSByJAVIER GALLEGOS
Bucatini
STAFF PHOTO By LAUREN CHERAMIE
Atún crudo was on the menu at Solera in Baton Rouge. The restaurant recently closed.
Theno-knockcolleague
Dear Miss Manners: Iama professor at asmall university.One of my colleagues has the annoying habit of entering my office without knocking. These are not social visits: She invariably needs help with her computer or wants to borrow instructional materials, and she just opens the door and walks in.
hadoffendedsomeone Iknow there must be some verbal middle ground between hoping shewill notice my compressed lips and clipped manner,and blowingupand asking if she was raised by wolves, but Idon’t knowwhatitis.
done without unnecessarily embarrassing or offending this person.
By The Associated Press
Josef Stalin began awartimeconference at Yalta.
Before we moved to this building, her office was afew doors down from mine, and she would simply shout for me whenever she needed something. If Ididn’trespond, she would shout louder
Ithink she feels that offices are somehow public spaces andthat knocking is unnecessary,but my policy has alwaysbeen to knock on my colleagues’ doors, even if they are ajar or fully open, and wait to beinvited in.
Ifinally sent her atesty email asking her to come to my door rather than shout for me as if Iwere adog. She stopped doing this, but her feelings were clearly hurt.
She just doesn’tpick up on the subtler signals of body language and tone of voice by which most peoplewould realize that their behavior
Afriend has suggested that Ikeep my door locked, even while I’m in my office, but Ireally don’t likethe inaccessibility this creates, especially for my students (Also, I’m fundamentally lazy andprefernot to have to getupand cross the room to open the doorevery time someoneknocks.)
Pleasetell me what to do or say that will get thejob
Gentlereader: This is going to be easy.Think of this person as you would a student who lacks knowledge which it is your job to teach Miss Manners will, however,remind you that your methodsare different when teachinggraduate students and undergraduates: more collegial, with arecognition of greater expertise and experience. Thus, not “You are supposedtoknock before entering,” but rather, “Please knock, as Imight be occupied.” It may be alearning experience for you as well.
Send questions to Miss Manners at her website, www.missmanners. com; to her email, dearmissmanners@gmail com; or through postal mailtoMiss Manners, Universal Uclick,1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.
STAFF PHOTO By ROBINMILLER
BEST
Continued from page1D
Three Little Sisters n Taco Sisters, 3902 Johnston St., Lafayette
These generously portioned street tacos are a great way to experience Taco Sisters, aLafayette spot known for freshingredients, house-made limeades and lemonades and friendly,family-run service.
The “Three Little Sisters” come with smoked chicken pork and brisket,makingit one of my favorite lunches where you don’thave to
CLOSURE
Continued from page1D
make limiting choices.The crumbly cheese and light crema addthe perfect amountofgarnish to the greens andmeat spilling out of these tacos, and you can choose flourorcorn tortillas.
Irecommend getting one of their bold,herbybasil lemonades on the side.
—JoannaBrown, staff writer
Classic burger n Curbside Burgers, 4158Government St., BatonRouge
When Ifind myself in the mood forsomething simple yetpacked with taste, I alwaysturn to Curbside
out furniture, upgrading theback bar,repainting surfaces and changing lighting, he said. “I’m justlooking forward to freshening it up,” Brian said. “A little bit of anew direction. Ithink Baton Rouge will beexcited.”
Burgers’ classic burger
It’sa 7-ounce, high-quality beef patty that not only is filling but also easily satiates the taste buds. It’s topped withAmerican cheese, fresh butter lettuce, tomatoes,house-made pickles and red onions between atoasted, buttered brioche bun.
Now,I’ll admit that I’m not afan of red onions on my burger,but it’s always easy to order the Classic without them. Andwith or without onions, theburger is satisfyingly filling. Complete themeal with aside of Curbside’sfries, which are always cut fresh.
—Robin Miller,staff writer
Today is Wednesday, Feb.4,the 35thday of 2026. There are 330 days left in the year
Todayinhistory: On Feb.4,1997, acivil jury in SantaMonica, California, found O.J. Simpson liable for the deaths of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ronald Goldman, ordering Simpson to pay $33.5 million to thevictims’ families.
Also on this date: In 1789, electors unanimously chose George Washington to be the first president of the United States.
In 1801, John Marshall took office as chief justice of the United States, aposition he would hold for 34 years.
In 1945, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet leader
In 1974, newspaperheiressPatricia Hearst, 19, was kidnappedinCalifornia by the radical Symbionese LiberationArmy.Hearst was caught on cameraparticipating in abankrobbery with the extremist group thatApril andsubsequently found guilty of bank robbery andsentenced to seven yearsinprison. (President Jimmy Cartercommuted hersentence, and she was laterpardoned.)
In 2004, Facebook had its beginnings as Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg launched “TheFacebook.”
In 2013, British scientists announced that skeletal remains they had discovered during an excavation beneath aLeicester,England, parking lot were, beyond reasonable doubt, the remains of 15th-century monarch King Richard III.
In 2023, the U.S. shot
downasuspected Chinese spy balloon over the Atlantic Ocean, saying it was equipped with hightech gear foramilitarylinked aerial surveillance program.China denied the balloon was used for spying on sensitive North American military sites, insisting the flyover was an accident involving a weather balloon.
Today’sbirthdays:
Curbside Burgers’ classic burgerand fries
Former Argentine President Isabel Peron is 95. Rock singer Alice Cooper is 78. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell is 73. Football Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor is 67. Country singer Clint Black is 64. Boxing Hall of Famer Oscar De La Hoya is 53. Singer Natalie Imbruglia is 51. Rapper Cam’ron is 50. Singersongwriter Gavin DeGraw is 49. Olympic gymnastics gold medalist Carly Patterson is 38. Actor Edvin Ryding is 23.
Piccante Pizza is servedupatJosephine’s.
JOSEPHINE’S
Continued from page1D
Russell Davis and his team picked dishes from different regions of Italy to create the menu. One of his favorite appetizers on the menu is the arancini, comprised of risotto stuffedwith fontina cheeseand Italiansausage
It’sthen placed on abed of caponata, an Italian eggplant and sweet-and-sour relish, topped with tomato sauce and sprinkled with Parmesan cheese. Hisother favoriteappetizer is the bruschetta with house-made focacciawith mozzarella, tomato, basil and balsamicvinaigrette
Sally Davis’ favorites include the chicken parmesan —adish with breaded chicken breast, pomodoro, bucatini and mozzarella —and the risotto and Gulf shrimp. There’salso the pork Mila-
tell me what these terms mean:score, roux, ragout, frizzle and mirpois? —Cindy in Bloomfield,Michigan
Dear Heloise: I’m getting marriedinthe beginning of this year.Mycooking skills aren’tjust bad —they’re horrible. I burn far too many dishes and ruin pots and pans The majority of my dishes aretotally bland. My husband-tobe has suffered through anumber of disgusting dinners because Idon’t know what I’m doing. We both work, and sometimes Ihave to workovertime, which means that dinner is often thrown together
I’m writing to ask about certain terms that are used in cooking because maybe if Iunderstood these terms, Imight be able to improve and stop making watery rice with burned chicken. Can you
Cindy,here are the meanings of these terms:
n Score: to cut gashes into the meat surface. This is often done on ameat that is tough, such as flank steak.
n Roux: amixture of butter and flour cooked to a smooth paste, untilitiseither just thickened or thickened andlightly brown
n Ragout: arich brown stew
n Frizzle: to fryinhot fat until the edges of the food curl.
n Mirpois: aFrench term foracombination of finely chopped and sauteed vegetables, which are then usually added to acasserole or adish where you will be braising the meat —Heloise
Gettingorganized
Dear Heloise: Ihave two
cabinets in the cellar,and I have asmallhouse with no space in the kitchen. One cabinet is foritemsthat are used weekly such as pasta, rice, peanut butter soup, dry items, tomato sauce/paste, bathroom supplies, etc. However,on one Saturday,mydaughter went to retrieve something in the cabinet and told me, “Mom,this expired two years ago!” Ireorganizedeach of the four shelvessothatthe topshelf is foritems that expire in the current year, thenthe next, andsoforth. Each shelf is labeledby year.The otherone is full of items
Romantic soul seeksreconnection
Dear Harriette: Iwent on a wonderfuldate last week. Iencouraged myself to go to anetworking event alone and ended up meeting an intriguing gentleman. We both decided to show up for ourselves, and throughout the evening we spoke about how we were new to branching out but determined to do so. The conversation felt illuminating yet platonic, so when he asked me to grab drinks afterward, Iagreed. By the end of the night, we were blatantly flirting and enjoying each other’scompany.We spoke about other activities we could do and places we could see together at alater date. We had food at one place and drinks at two others. This was the
most unexpected turn of the evening, and somehow we bothforgot to exchange contact information!I think weboth were abit inebriated.We didexchange full names, so my only source to reconnect with thislovely man is public information.Itfeels abit invasive Googling aperson, but alot of hisprofessional details are available online—noemail or social accounts though. Do you haveany suggestionson howtofind aperson when you have so little to go on? —Lost Romance Dear Lost Romance: Thehopeless romanticinmewants to believe that you two willfind each other if it is meant to be. In this day and age, itcannot be that hard
to find aperson.Think a little longer aboutwhether youhad anypeople in common. Might there be someoneyou knowwho knows him? If youcannotfigure that out, just have patience. Dear Harriette: My husband and Ihavebeen married forseven years, and we don’thavechildren. We originally agreed to hold offfor afew years so we could enjoy married life withjust the two of us.As time haspassed,I’ve realizedthatIenjoy nothaving the additional responsibilitythat comes with children. We have been able to build up astrongsavings while still being able to travel and go on dates often. We make good money, but if we hada child, our life would notlook the same.Ifeel selfish admitting this, but Idon’t wantto
give anyofthis up. My husband feelsready to have achild. Lately, this difference hasstarted to create tension between us He talks aboutbecoming aparentwith excitement, while Ifeel anxious wheneverthe topic comesup. Iworryabout whether I would resentgiving up the freedom we’veworked so hardtobuild together Ilovemyhusband, and I don’twant him to feel like I’mdismissing his dreams forour future.Atthe same time,I’m afraid that agreeing to have achild when my heart isn’tfully in it could lead to regretorresentment down the line.How do Italktomyhusband about howI feel in this situation? —Conflicted Dear
AQuARIus (Jan 20-Feb. 19) Be open to suggestions but verify information before initiating change. The precautions you take will ease your mind and encourage you to trust your instincts.
PIscEs (Feb. 20-March 20) Take a moment to evaluate every angle of sensitive situations. Partnerships will require special attention and thought to maintain balance. A close friend will shed light on your life.
ARIEs (March 21-April 19) Slow down and make your life less stressful. Don't take on too much or make promises you'll regret. It's time to revise your routine and hit the reset button.
TAuRus (April 20-May 20) Take a moment to breathe and to chip away at what burdens you most. Be the one to dictate what you will and won't do. Life is about choices, and it's time to do what's best for you.
GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Stretch your imagination, and you'll come up with a winning situation. Act fast and on your own behalf. The change you initiate now will help you expand your skills, outlook and connections.
cAncER (June 21-July 22) Discipline and follow-through are everything. Structure your day to ensure you reach your goal. Refuse to let your emotions run the show when practicality is necessary.
LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) Be aware of what you know and where you fall short. It's never too late to learn something new or
to venture down a path that can enrich your life. Communication is the route to resolving unfinished business.
VIRGo (Aug. 23-sept. 22) Refuse to let anyone play with your emotions or talk you into something you'll regret. Consider what's real and what's manufactured by people looking for a handout. Protect your assets.
LIBRA (sept. 23-oct. 23) Interacting with people who stimulate or teach you something new will help you map your way forward. Live and learn as you go, and something magical will manifest.
scoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) Take your time; be the witness, not the instigator. Life is about choices, knowing what's important and following through when the time is right.
sAGITTARIus (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Keep the momentum flowing, your eye on your target and your energy on physical action. Let your mind entertain unique alternatives, and you'll come up with a new and exciting way to use your knowledge.
cAPRIcoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) When opportunity knocks, recognize what's available and act. You have plenty to gain if you are willing to adopt lifestyle changes. Rethink your financial position and how you can use your skills.
Celebrity Cipher cryptograms are created from quotations by famous people, past and present. Each letter in the cipher stands for another.
ToDAy's cLuE: I EQuALs F
CeLebrItY CIpher
better or For WorSe
FrAnK And erneSt
SALLY Forth
beetLe bAILeY
Mother GooSe And GrIMM SherMAn’S LAGoon
bIG nAte
Sudoku
InstructIons: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 grid with several given numbers. The object is to place the numbers1 to 9inthe empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. Thedifficulty level of the Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.
Yesterday’s PuzzleAnswer
THe wiZard oF id
BLondie
BaBY BLueS
Hi and LoiS
Bridge
By PHILLIP ALDER
It is inevitable that ameritorious deal or twowill be missed by the person choosingthe short lists for the annual International Bridge Press Association awards. Ifthisdealhadbeenonthedefenselist it might wellhave won. It occurred during the Italian Club ChampionshipinSeptember2012(which was toolatefor the 2012awards).Sitting West was Agustin Madala, one of the world’s most talented players, who was borninArgentinabut representsItaly It was originally reported by Ana Roth from Argentina. In the auction, Iamnot sure about North’s double, which would usually be negativeshowing lengthinboth minors.
Defendingagainstfourhearts,Madala ledthe spade jack, Rusinow, promising the queen.
South won with dummy’s ace and would have done besttostart trumps, but he played aclub to his ace.
West saw that if he were on lead, he would sacrifice atrick with whatever he led. So he discarded aspade.
Declarer cashed histop heart.West, still not wanting the lead, threw his king under the ace.
EachWuzzleisaword riddle which creates adisguised word, phrase, name, place, saying, etc. For example: NOON GOOD =GOOD AFTERNOON
Previous answers:
word game
InsTRucTIons: 1. Words must be of four or more letters. 2. Words that acquire four letters by theaddition of “s,”such as “bats”or“dies,” are not allowed. 3. Additional words made by adding a“d” or an “s” may not be used. 4. Proper nouns,slang words,orvulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed.
ToDAy’s WoRD ARBITER: AR-bih-ter: Apersonwith power to decide adispute.
Averagemark22words
Time limit 40 minutes
Canyou find 33 or morewords in ARBITER?
yEsTERDAy’s WoRD —MInoRITy
wuzzles
loCKhorNs
marmaduKe
Bizarro
hagar the horriBle
Pearls Before swiNe
garfield
B.C.
PiCKles
hidato
mallard fillmore
Present: Fralick, Lazaroe, McKinney,Myerand Roy Absent:Lavergneand Wells 4) Approval of themin‐utes from theDecember 9, 2025 CouncilMeeting. CouncilMemberMyer movedtoapprove the December 9, 2025 min‐utes as written. Themo‐tion wassecondedby CouncilMemberLazaroe Therewerenoobjec‐tions. TheDecember9 2025 minutesare ap‐proved as written. CouncilMemberMcKin‐neymadea motion to move theCityProclama‐tion under SectionVIRe‐portsand Presentations up to hear at this time Themotionwas sec‐ondedbyCouncil Mem‐berMyer. Therewereno objections.Mayor Evans presentedthe Huval Family with aproclama‐tion declaringJanuary 22, 2026 as “Happy Day” in honoroftheir son, StetsonHuval II. Zoning Cases 1) Discussion andaction regardingthe following P&Zcase(s): a) PD25-04-D& Z25-05 for theReserve at Sullivan: An ordinanceapproving aPlannedUnitDevelop‐ment PreliminaryPlanto include84lotsfor singlefamilydwellingsand 2 commercial lots,with newpublicstreetsand public sewer, in theR/A (Rural/Agricultural) &R-2 (Single-Family Resi‐dence) zoning districts; andtorezonethe 2pro‐posedcommerciallots from R-2toB-3 (General Commercial/Business District)zoningdistrict. This 33.10-acre property is locatedat9438 &9448 Sullivan Road andatthe southern endofRaven‐wood Drive, southofRid‐geside Avenue,onTracts DV andJ-1,Mike AndrowskiTract.(Appli‐cant:SouthernVentures Development, LLC, for Succession of David MichaelAndrowski and John StanleyAndrowski) Commission Action (10.23.2025):Mr. Sheridan movedtoapprovewith thestipulation that the tractwillberezoned to B-1. Mr.Freneauxsec‐onded. Public comment: Adam Loup,Webb McGee, RobDavison Cory Dibay, Rosalynn Wil‐son. Vote:7 yeas (Firmin, Freneaux,Harper, Pino Sharafkhani,Sheridan, Johnson),0 nays,0 ab‐sent.Motionpassed; PD25-04-Dand Z25-05 were approved andre‐zonedtoB-1 Council action (1292025):Council Mem‐berMcKinneymade a motion to approveto open up discussion.The motion wassecondedby CouncilMemberMyer. Public comment:Renee Story, KeithOwen, T.J. Johnson, Jeff Diamond, AprilRenard. Councildis‐cussion. CouncilMember Myer made amotionto deferthisitemtothe next CouncilMeeting (January 13, 2026).The motion wassecondedby CouncilMemberLazaroe Publiccomment:None. Vote to defer: 7yeas (Fralick,Lavergne, Lazaroe, McKinney,Myer, Royand Wells), 0nays, 0 absent.Motionpassed andthisitemisdeferred to theJanuary 13, 2026 CouncilMeeting. Councilaction (1.13.2026):Council Mem‐berMyermadea motion to deferthisitemtothe second meetinginFebru‐ary. Themotionwas sec‐ondedbyCouncil Mem‐berMcKinney. There were no objections.This item is deferred to the February 24, 2026 Council Meeting. b) CU-25-0002
ConditionalUse Permit at 9779 Hooper Rd:Anordi‐nancetoapprove aCon‐ditional UsePermittoex‐pand theexistingauto‐mobile body shop,with a variance to standardsof theCorridorOverlay Dis‐trict, on Lot3,Hadley SmithProperty, compris‐ing1.39acres,inthe B-3 (General Commer‐cial/Business)/Corridor Overlayzoningdistrict. (Applicant/Owner: RichardLukeWagley) Commission Action: Mr Pino movedtoapprove. Mr.Freneauxseconded. Public comment: None Vote:6 yeas (Firmin, Fre‐neaux, Pino,Sharafkhani Sheridan,Johnson), 0 nays,1 absent (Harper) Motion passed, andCU25-0002 wasrecom‐mended forapproval. Council action (1132026): CouncilMem‐berMyermadea motion to approvethisitem. The motion wassecondedby CouncilMemberMcKin‐ney. Public comment: None.Vote: 5yeas(Fral‐ick, Lazaroe, McKinney Myer andRoy), 0nays, 2 absent (Lavergneand Wells). Motion passed c) Z-25-0006 Rezoning at 15611 &15637 Greenwell SpringsRd: An ordinance to rezone aportion of a certain1.35acres of the H.H. ShafferEstate(pro‐posedLot GR-1,CaseS25-0026),comprising 0.982 acres, from R-2 (Single-Family Resi‐dence) to B-1(Neighbor‐hood Business) zoning district.(Applicant: In‐dira Rivette,for Glenn Rivette) Commission Action: Mr Sharafkhani movedto approve. Mr.Pinosec‐onded. Public comment: None.Vote: 3yeas (Sharafkhani,Sheridan, Johnson),3 nays (Firmin, Freneaux,Pino),1 absent (Harper).Motionfailed, andZ-25-0006 wasrec‐ommended fordenial. Councilaction (1.13.2026): CouncilMem‐berMcKinneymade a motion to approvethis item.The motion was seconded by Council Member Myer.Public comment:None. Council discussion.Vote: 4yeas (Fralick,Lazaroe,McKin‐neyand Myer), 1nay (Roy), 2absent(Lavergne andWells). Motion passed.
5) To consider amotion to approvethe Provi‐sional Hire of Davin Smithfor thepositionof Logisticsfor theCentral Police Department CouncilMemberRoy made amotiontoap‐provethisitem. Themo‐tion wassecondedby CouncilMemberMyer. Public comment: Roger Corcoran.Vote: 5yeas (Fralick,Lazaroe,McKin‐ney, Myer andRoy), 0 nays,2 absent (Lavergne andWells). Motion passed.
6) To consider amotion to authorizethe Mayorto sign acontractwithMa‐terial Resourcesregard‐ingpavementpreserva‐tion CouncilMemberMyer made amotiontodefer this item to thenext CouncilMeeting. Themo‐tion wassecondedby CouncilMemberRoy Therewerenoobjec‐tions. This item is de‐ferred to the January27, 2026 CouncilMeeting. V. NewBusiness(NonPublic Hearing): 1) Introduction of thefol‐lowing item(s)(with pub‐lichearing to be held at theJanuary 27, 2026, Councilmeeting): None VI.Reports and Presentations: 1) Mayor’sReports and Presentations -CityProclamation *Moved to thetop of the agenda -Mayor Evansissued a proclamation declaring January25-31 as “CatholicSchoolsWeek in theCityofCentral -Mayor Evansgavean update on road projects Thecompletiondatefor Sullivan Road hasmoved from
2) Introduction of thefol‐lowing P&Zitem(s) (with public hearingtobeheld at theJanuary 27,2026, Council meeting) None III. OldBusiness(Public Hearingand Action re‐gardingthe followingin‐strument(s)): None IV.New Business (Public Hearingand Action re‐gardingthe followingin‐strument(s)): 1) An ordinanceto amendthe budget to al‐locate fundsfor Wax Road extension, planning andconstruction. An ordinancetoamend the2025-2026 fiscal year budget to allocate funds forWax Road Extension, Planning,and Construc‐tion andtoprovide for relatedmatters (By CouncilMember Lazaroe) CouncilMemberLazaroe made amotiontoap‐provethisitem. Themo‐tion wassecondedby CouncilMemberMyer. Public comment:None. Councildiscussion. Vote: 5yeas(Fralick, Lazaroe, McKinney,Myerand Roy),0 nays,2 absent (Lavergneand Wells). Motion passed. 2) An ordinanceto amendthe budget to ap‐propriate$300,000 to re‐placedriveways removed to repair culverts within theroadway drainage system An ordinancetoamend the2025-2026 fiscal year budget to appropriate $300,000.00 to replace drivewaysremoved to re‐pair culverts within the roadwaydrainagesys‐temand to providefor relatedmatters (By CouncilMemberFralick) CouncilMemberFralick made amotiontoap‐provethisitem. Themo‐tion wassecondedby CouncilMemberMyer. Public comment: None Vote:5 yeas (Fralick Lazaroe, McKinney,Myer andRoy), 0nays, 2ab‐sent (Lavergneand Wells). Motion passed 3) Aresolutiontodeclare surplusand authorize dispositionofcertain CPDitems Aresolutiontodeclare as surpluspropertycer‐tain itemslocated within theCentral Police De‐partment,toauthorize disposition, andtopro‐vide forrelated matters (By CouncilMember McKinney) CouncilMemberMcKin‐neymadea motion to approvethisitem. The motion wassecondedby CouncilMemberLazaroe Public comment: None Vote:5 yeas (Fralick Lazaroe, McKinney,Myer andRoy), 0nays, 2ab‐sent (Lavergneand Wells). Motion passed 4) To consider amotion to approvethe Provi‐sional Hire of KeithWil‐sonfor thepositionof Lieutenant forthe Cen‐tral Police Department CouncilMemberRoy made amotiontoap‐provethisitem. Themo‐tion wassecondedby CouncilMemberMyer. Public comment:Roger Corcoran.Vote: 5yeas (Fralick,Lazaroe,McKin‐ney, Myer andRoy), 0 nays,2 absent (Lavergne andWells). Motion passed.
tion(s)for
Permit (CUP)inaccor‐
R.S.
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cationsfor coastaluse permitsmay be in‐spectedat617 North3rd Street,Room 1078, Baton Rouge, LA or on theOPC webpageat: https:// denr.louisiana.gov/page/ public-notices.Copies areavailable,costs apply. Writtencomments aresolicited from the public andmustbere‐ceived within 25 days of thedateofthisnotice. Comments must be up‐loaded directly to our electronic record throughthe OPCweb‐page or mailedto: OPC Administrator, Kyle Balkum,P.O.Box 44487, BatonRouge,LA708044487. Allcommentsmust containthe appropriate CUPnumber andthe commenter's full name andcontact information. Beloware thereferenced application(s):* CUPNUMBER:P20250636 Name:Third CoastInfra‐structure, LLCc/o GISEn‐gineering197 ELYSIAN DR.HOUMA,LA70363 Attn:KodiBabin Loca‐tion:Plaquemines
