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Higher utilitybills likely forLouisiana

DeltaUtilities says soaringgas prices to blame

BY SAMKARLIN Staff writer

The blast of winter weather that brought ice and freezing temperatures to Louisiana will likely cause prolongedspikes in utility bills, aresultofthe state’s dominant gas and electric supplier facing soaring prices in recent weeksfor natural gas.

The state’slargest gassupplier, Delta Utilities, warned that bills will rise in thecomingmonthsafter prices on the spot market —where the company goes to supplement its existing contracts during times of high usage —soared toall-timehighs in lateJanuary Meanwhile, consumer advocatessay Entergy electricbills are likely to follow suit. Entergyrelies heavily on natural gastofuel its powerplants, getting nearly two-thirds of its energythat way.The company passes on all fuel coststocustomers, making it likely residents will payfor the higher gas prices. Natural gas prices have steadily ticked upward in recentmonths, but theirlatest surgecame at the same time Louisiana customers were using more gas to stay warm whilebitter winter weather blasted

EBR homicide rate spikes in January

BR police chiefsayskillings show ‘norealclear pattern’

BY QUINN COFFMAN Staff writer

While the U.S. is enjoying ahistoriclow in national homicide rates, East Baton Rouge Parish saw arash of homicides in the ﬁrst month of 2026, with teenagers taking the brunt of the violence. The last quarter of 2025 was relatively quiet forthe parish, withmonthly homicide totalsnot reaching higher than ﬁve for any month from September to December

But the Baton Rouge Police Department and East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Ofﬁce have collectively responded to 11 homicides since Jan. 1. Six of them were teenagers.

“Deﬁnitely,wedon’twant to have that many homicides, period, especially in one month,” said PoliceChiefThomas Morse.“But forwhatever reason,January does seem to be alittle bit of a spike with no real clear pattern.”

Morse said this spike is consistent with past years. In 2025, the parish saw 10 homicides in January; in 2024, it recorded 11.

In the parish’sdeadliest year,2021, January’s homicide total was17.

If this January’s murder rate were projected across the whole year,the parish would have its second deadliest year on record.

“I don’treally buy into that, like, ‘Hey,how we did these couple weeks is going to project out to the rest of the year.’ Ithink it’smore just of amicrocosm(of the year), and deﬁnitely something

ä See HOMICIDE, page 8A

BY QUINN COFFMAN Staff writer

An assistant principal of aBaton Rouge magnet school is accused of helping herformerlyjailed brother run a$3million illegal sports gambling operation from behind bars, aschemeinvestigators say reached into jails and prisons around the state. This week, authorities have also arrested three Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections guards and aprison nurse, but haven’t said if they are connected to the gambling ring, a

Gambling,contraband smuggling probes expand ä See PRISONS, page 7A

TheHallofFamecasefor legendarySaint Drew Brees

When Iasked Luke Kuechly about Drew Brees’ Pro Football HallofFame credentials, he didn’tmince words.

“He’sano-brainer,” said Kuechly,the great Carolina Panthers linebacker,who battled Brees twice annually during his stellar career.“If Drew Brees doesn’t get in on ﬁrst ballot, we should be asking, ‘What are we doing here?’” Brees, who is one of 15 ﬁnalists forthe Hall’sClass of 2026, de-

Jeff Duncan

serves to be the ﬁrst Saint to earn hisgold jacket on theﬁrst ballot As therepresentative for New Orleansonthe ProFootball Hall of Fame selection committee, it’s my dutytomake the presentation

for Brees to the rest of the group. Ididn’tneed 5minutes to make thecase for his Hall of Fame candidacy

Brees’ resume speaks foritself. It stands out, even when compared to thegame’slegends. His career was one of the most signiﬁcant in NFL history

When Brees arrived in 2006, theSaints were amoribund franchise. He took ateam that had gone 3-13 the year before and led it to adivision title and itsﬁrst

NFC Championship Game appearance, authoring one of the greatest turnarounds the league has ever seen.And he did it only monthsremoved from acareerthreatening shoulder injury.He ﬁnished secondinthe voting for theleague’s Most Valuable Player,Offensive Player of the Year and Comeback Player of the Year awards.

ä See BREES, page 7A

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

Powerlines hangfroma downed pole alongU.S.65onSundayinTransylvania after awinter stormhit north Louisiana, leaving manywithout powerfor several days

BRIEFS FROM WIRE REPORTS

Senator resists plans for detention center in Miss.

Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., is sending a letter to Homeland Secretary Kristi Noem to voice his opposition to plans that would turn a warehouse facility in a town in the northwest part of his state near Memphis into an immigration detention center.

Wicker notes that he supports “the enforcement of immigration law,” but that he is concerned the center would disrupt a site planned for “job creation, private investment, and longterm economic growth.” He also raised concerns that the local resources and infrastructure could not support a facility planned to hold over 8,500 people at a time Wicker’s position is some of the highest-profile pushback to the Trump administration’s plans to dramatically scale up immigration detention capacity. Local ofﬁcials have been raising similar concerns across several states.

California congressional map allowed to stand

WASHINGTON The Supreme Court on Wednesday allowed California to use a new voterapproved congressional map that is favorable to Democrats in this year’s elections, rejecting a last-ditch plea from state Republicans and the Trump administration.

No justices dissented from the brief order denying the appeal without explanation, which is common on the court’s emergency docket. The justices had previously allowed Texas’ Republicanfriendly map to be used in 2026, despite a lower-court ruling that it likely discriminates on the basis of race.

Conservative Justice Samuel Alito wrote in December that it appeared both states had adopted new maps for political advantage, which the high court has previously ruled cannot be a basis for a federal lawsuit. Republicans, joined by the Trump administration, claimed the California map improperly relied on race as well. But a lower court disagreed by a 2-1 vote. The Justice Department and White House did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment.

Lawsuit tries to block Utah congressional map

SALT LAKE CITY With the deadline to file for reelection a little over a month away, two of Utah’s Republican members of Congress are asking a federal court to block the use of new U.S. House districts that could significantly boost Democrats’ chances of winning a Salt Lake City-area seat in November A lawsuit filed late Monday by U.S. Reps. Celeste Maloy and Burgess Owens and nearly a dozen local officials contends a state judge violated the U.S. Constitution last year when she rejected congressional districts drawn by the Republican-led state Legislature and instead imposed an alternative map submitted by groups suing the Legislature.

The U.S. Constitution and Utah Constitution both give redistricting powers to the state Legislature, the lawsuit asserts, and “courts have no authority to draw a congressional map.” State Judge Dianna Gibson ruled in August that those districts violated standards approved by voters in 2018 to ensure districts don’t deliberately favor a party a practice known as gerrymandering.

Attempted Trump assassin gets life

Man convicted of trying to shoot him at golf course

BY DAVID FISCHER Associated Press

FORT PIERCE,Fla.— A man convicted of trying to assassinate President Donald Trump on a Florida golf course in 2024 was sentenced Wednesday to life in prison after a federal prosecutor said his crime was unacceptable “in this country or anywhere.”

U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon pronounced Ryan Routh’s fate in the same Fort Pierce courtroom that erupted into chaos in September when he tried to stab himself shortly after jurors found him guilty on all counts

“American democracy does not work when individuals take it into their own hands to eliminate candidates. That’s what this individual

tried to do” Assistant U.S. Attorney John Shipley told the judge.

Defense attorney Martin L. Roth argued that “at the moment of truth, he chose not to pull the trigger.”

The judge pushed back, noting Routh’s history of arrests, to which Roth said, “He’s a complex person, I’ll give the court that, but he has a very good core.”

Routh then read from a rambling, 20-page statement.

Cannon broke in, said none of what he was saying was relevant and gave him ﬁve more minutes to talk.

“I did everything I could and lived a good life,” Routh said, before the judge cut him off.

“Your plot to kill was deliberate and evil,” she said. “You are not a peaceful man. You are not a good man.”

She then issued his sentence: Life without parole, plus seven

years on a gun charge. His sentences for his other three crimes will run concurrently

Routh’s sentencing was initially scheduled for December But Cannon agreed to move it back after Routh decided to use an attorney during the sentencing phase, instead of representing himself as he did for most of the trial.

Routh was convicted of trying to assassinate a major presidential candidate, using a firearm in furtherance of a crime, assaulting a federal officer, possessing a firearm as a felon and using a gun with a defaced serial number

“Routh remains unrepentant for his crimes, never apologized for the lives he put at risk, and his life demonstrates near-total disregard for law,” prosecutors said in their sentencing memo.

Prosecutors said Routh spent weeks plotting to kill Trump before aiming a riﬂe through shrubbery as the Republican presidential candidate played golf on Sept. 15, 2024, at his West Palm Beach

Iran and U.S. will hold nuclear talks in Oman

BY JON GAMBRELL Associated Press

DUBAI Nuclear talks between Iran and the United States will take place Friday in Oman, the Iranian foreign minister said, as tensions between the countries remain high following Tehran’s bloody crackdown on nationwide protests last month.

The announcement by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Wednesday came after hours of indications that the anticipated talks were faltering over changes in the format and content of the talks. “I’m grateful to our Omani brothers for making all necessary arrangements,” Araghchi wrote on X.

Earlier Wednesday a regional ofﬁcial said Iran was seeking a “different” type of meeting than that what had been proposed by Turkey, one focused exclusively on the issue of Iran’s nuclear program, with participation limited to Iran and the United States. The ofﬁcial spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media.

The Trump administration conﬁrmed the U.S will take part in high-level talks with Iran in Oman instead of Turkey as originally planned, according to a White House ofﬁcial.

The ofﬁcial, who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that several Arab and Muslim leaders urged the Trump administration on Wednesday not to walk away from talks even as Iranian ofﬁcials pressed to narrow the scope of talks and change the venue for the negotiations.

The ofﬁcial added that the White House

remains “very skeptical” that the talks will be successful but have agreed to go along with the change in plans out of respect for allies in the region.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. hoped to discuss a number of concerns beyond the nuclear issue, including discussions on Iran’s ballistic missiles, support for proxy networks across the region and the “treatment of their own people.”

Tensions between the countries spiked after President Donald Trump suggested the U.S. might use force against Iran in response to the crackdown on protesters. Trump also has been pushing Tehran for a deal to constrain its nuclear program.

Iran’s reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian on Tuesday said he had instructed the foreign minister to “pursue fair and equitable negotiations” with the U.S., in the ﬁrst clear sign from Tehran it wants to try to negotiate. That signaled the move is supported by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the ﬁnal say on all matters of state and previously dismissed any negotiations.

Vice President JD Vance told “The Megyn Kelly Show” that diplomatic talks with Iran are challenging because of Tehran’s political system.

“It’s a very weird country to conduct diplomacy with when you can’t even talk to the person who’s in charge of the country That makes all of this much more complicated, and it makes the whole situation much more absurd,” Vance said, noting that Trump could speak directly by phone with the leaders of Russia, China or North Korea.

Va. governor orders state agencies to end agreements with ICE

BY EMMA ROSE BROWN

The Virginian-Pilot (TNS)

NORFOLK,Va. Gov Abigail Spanberger signed an executive directive requiring all state agencies to cancel their partnerships with ICE.

“Public trust is essential both to keep members of the community safe as well as to keep law enforcement safe. Here in the commonwealth, we want to make sure that we’re making a clear line in the sand about what is expected of our law enforcement ofﬁcials,” Spanberger said Wednesday

The directive applies to 287(g) agreements contracts with the Department of Homeland Security that allow agents

from state agencies to conduct immigration enforcement. The agents receive 40 hours or less of online training in immigration enforcement and law

“I think that members of the Virginia State Police or members of the Department of Corrections should be working under and at the direction and supervision of the leadership within their agencies,” Spanberger said. “That doesn’t preclude any sort of coordination or task force-related work. That doesn’t preclude any federal agency coming with a judicial warrant and requesting assistance.”

On the day of her inauguration, Spanberger signed an executive order rescinding former Gov Glenn Young-

kin’s order requiring collaboration between state agencies and ICE.

Spanberger also signed an executive order Wednesday that clariﬁes priorities for state law enforcement agencies, including the importance of preserving public trust and not engaging in fear-based tactics.

“The commitment by Virginia law enforcement to these overarching principles is readily apparent, and this executive order is intended to highlight their work in accordance with these principles and policies, particularly as we have witnessed recent tactics by some federal law enforcement agents that disregard these policies and threaten broader public trust in policing.”

country club.

At trial a Secret Service agent helping protect Trump on the golf course testified that he spotted Routh before Trump came into view Routh aimed his riﬂe at the agent, who opened fire, causing Routh to drop his weapon and run away without ﬁring a shot.

In the motion requesting an attorney, Routh offered to trade his life in a prisoner swap with people unjustly held in other countries and said an offer still stood for Trump to “take out his frustrations on my face.”

Cannon signed off last summer on Routh’s request to represent himself.

The Supreme Court has held that defendants have the right to represent themselves in court proceedings as long as they can show a judge they are competent to waive their right to an attorney Routh’s former federal public defenders served as standby counsel and were present during the trial.

Suspect in shooting of 2 Guard members in D.C. pleads not guilty

BY JESSICA SCHLADEBECK New york Daily News (TNS)

The gunman accused of shooting two National Guard members in Washington, D.C., killing one and seriously wounding the other, has pleaded not guilty to the nine charges against him including first-degree murder Rahmanullah Lakanwal, who was also shot before he was taken into custody, made his brief court appearance Wednesday in a wheelchair and an orange jumpsuit, CNN reported. In addition to the murder charge, 29-year-old Lakanwal is also facing counts of transportation of a firearm and ammunition in interstate commerce with the intent to commit a felony, three counts of assault with intent to kill while armed, and four counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence or dangerous offense.

The Department of Justice had said it will be seeking the death penalty in the case. On Nov 26, Lakanwal

allegedly used a powerful Smith & Wesson 357 Magnum to open fire on law enforcement blocks away from the White House. Both 24-year-old Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe and Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, were shot. The had been deployed as part of the Trump administration’s efforts to crack down on what it has called rampant crime in major cities across the U.S. Both Beckstrom and Wolfe each suffered a gunshot to the back of the head, according to a federal criminal complaint, cited by NBC News. Authorities have said that Lakanwal entered the U.S. in September 2021 through the Biden administration’s Operation Allies Welcome initiative, a program that helped resettle Afghan allies who worked with the U.S. during the war against the Taliban in Afghanistan. Lakanwal worked with the CIA by way of the “Zero Units,” a group of Afghan commandos tasked with missions planned by the agency

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Routh

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By VAHID SALEMI

Carrying pictures of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, people attend a state-organized rally in Tehran, Iran on Wednesday celebrating the birthday of Imam Mahdi, or ‘Hidden Imam,’ a 9th-century saint whom Shiite Muslims believe will return at the end of time as a universal reformer to end tyranny and promote justice.

Dems demand ‘dramaticchanges’for ICE

BY MARYCLARE JALONICK and JOEY CAPPELLETTI Associated Press

WASHINGTON Democrats are threatening to block funding for the Homeland Security Department when it expires in two weeks unless there are “dramatic changes” and “real accountability” forU.S. Immigrationand Customs Enforcement and other law enforcement agencies who are carryingout President Donald Trump’scampaign of federal immigration enforcement in Minnesota and across the country

Congress is discussing potential new rules forICE and U.S. Customs and Border Protection after ofﬁcers shot and killed two Minneapolis protesters in January.Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries reiterated their party’sdemands on Wednesday, withSchumer telling reporters that Congress must “rein in ICE in very serious ways, and end the violence.”

Democrats are “drawinga line in the sand” as Republicans need their votes to continue the funding, Jeffries said.

The negotiations come amid some bipartisan sentiment that Congress should step in to de-escalate ten-

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ALEX

President DonaldTrump smiles Tuesdayafter signing aspending bill that endsa partial shutdown of the federal governmentinthe Oval Office of the White

The bill funds the Department of Homeland Security fortwo weeks.

sions over the enforcement operationsthat have rocked Minnesota and other states. Butﬁnding real agreement in such ashort time will be difﬁcult, if not“an impossibility,”asSenateMajority Leader John Thune,R-S.D., said Tuesday. President Donald Trump last week agreed toa Democratic request that funding for the DHS be separated from alarger spendingbill andextended at currentlev-

els for two weeks while the two parties discuss possible requirementsfor the federal agents.House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Benton,said this weekendthathewas at the WhiteHouse when Trump spoke with Schumerand that they were“on the path to get agreement.”

Butit’sunclear if thepresident or enough congressional Republicans will agree to anyofthe Democrats’ larger demands that the of-

ﬁcers unmask and identify themselves,obtain judicial warrants in certain cases andwork with local authorities, amongother asks Republicanshavealready pushed back. And House GOP lawmakers are demanding thatsome of their own priorities be added to the Homeland Security spending bill, including legislation thatwould require proof of citizenship before Americans register to vote.

South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Grahamand other Republican senators are pushing for restrictions on sanctuary citiesthattheysay don’tdo enough to crack downonillegal immigration. There’sno clear deﬁnition of sanctuary jurisdictions, but the term is generallyapplied to stateand local governments that limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities.

It’salso uncertain if Democrats who are furious over the Trumpadministration’s increasingly aggressive immigration enforcement operations wouldbewilling to compromise.

“Republicans need to get serious,” Schumer,aNew York Democrat,said, adding thattheywill propose “tough, strong legislation” in the next day

Republicanssay they are open to officer-worn body cameras, achange that was already in the underlying homeland security spending bill. Homeland SecuritySecretary Kristi Noembacked that up on Monday when she ordered body-worn cameras to be issued to every DHS ofﬁcer on the ground in Minneapolis, including those from ICE. She said the policy would expand nationwide as funding becomes available.

The bill already directed $20 milliontooutfitimmi-

gration enforcement agents with body-worn cameras. As videos and photos of aggressive immigrationtactics and high-profile shootings circulate nationwide, agents covering their faces with masks has become aﬂashpoint. Democrats argue that removing themasks would increase accountability. Republicanswarnitcould expose agents to harassment and threats.

“State law enforcement, local folks don’tdoit,” said Rep. Bennie Thompson,the top Democrat on the Committeefor Homeland Security.“Imean, what’sso special about an ICE law enforcement agency that they have to wearamask?”

But Republicans appear unlikely to agree.

“Unlike your local law enforcement in your hometown, ICE agents arebeing doxed and targeted. We have evidence of that,” Johnson said on Tuesday. He added that if you “unmask them and you put all their identifying information on their uniform, they will obviously be targeted.”

Immigration officers are alreadyrequiredtoidentify themselves “as soon as it is practicaland safe to do so,” according to federal regulations. ICEofficials insist those rules are being followed.

BY ANDREW DALTON Associated Press

Singer LaMo nte McLemore has died. He was afounding memberof the 5th Dimension,avocal group whose smooth pop and soul sounds witha touch of psychedelia broughtthem bighits in the 1960s and’70s. McLemoredied Tuesday at age 90 at his home in Las Vegas, surrounded by his family,his representative Jeremy Westbysaidin a statement. He died of natu-

ral causes after having a stroke.

The 5thDimensionhad broad crossover success and won six Grammy Awards including recordof theyear twice, for 1967’s“Up, Up and Away” and 1969’s“Aquarius/ Let the Sunshine In.” Both songs were also top10pop hits,with “Aquarius/Let theSunshine In,” amashup of songs from the musical “Hair,” spending six weeks at No. 1. McLemore had aparallel career as asportsand ce-

lebrity photographerwhose pictures appeared in magazines including Jet The St. Louis-born McLemorehad served in the U.S. Navy,where he worked as an aerial photographer He played baseball in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ farm system and settled in Southern California, where he began making use of his warm bass voiceand skill with a camera. He sang in ajazz ensemble, theHi-Fi’s, with future 5th Dimension bandmate

Marilyn McCoo. Thegroup opened forRay Charlesin 1963, but broke up the following year Later,McLemore,McCoo, and twoofhis childhood friends from St. Louis, Billy Davis Jr.and Ronald Towson, along withschoolteacher Florence LaRue, formed a singing groupcalledthe Versatiles in 1965, and signed to singer Johnny Rivers’ new label, Soul City Records. Rivers told thegroup,his ﬁrst signees, thattheir name wasn’tcurrent enough. Tow-

son came up with the 5th Dimension, anamethat would echo thesprinkling of psychedelia andhippie culture the group embraced.

Theirbreakthrough hit came in 1967 with the Mamas &the Papas’ song “Go Where YouWanna Go.” That sameyear they released theJimmy Webbpenned “Up, Up and Away,” whichwould go to No.7on the Billboard Hot 100. The song would later win four Grammys:record of the year,bestcontemporary

single, best performance by avocal group and best contemporary group performance. McLemore is survived by his wife of 30 years, Mieko McLemore, daughter Ciara, son Darin, sister Joan and three grandchildren.

ExxonMobil’ssafetycommitmentshown through action andinvestment

Thisstory is brought to you by ExxonMobil

AtExxonMobil,weprioritizethe security and health of our employees,our customersand thepublic. Our commitmenttosafetyisn’t aslogan –it’sacorevalue that drivesevery decision we make,fromthe boardroom to theﬁeld.

In Louisiana,wesupport morethan 6,000 direct and contract jobs acrossour BatonRougeComplexand pipelineoperations across36parishes.Every one of those team memberscontinually evaluatesour processesand performance to ensurewe’re doingour part to protect ourselves,each other and the membersof the communitiesweserveand work alongside.

Leading in PersonnelSafety Care forour ExxonMobil team is foundational to whatwe do each and every day. ExxonMobil continuously reﬁnes work protocols and develops internationally-recognized best practices –all in support of our mission to be the leading operatorinour industry In 2023 and 2024, ExxonMobil maintained industry-leadingpersonnelsafety performance with aLost Time IncidentRatesfar below upstream industry and U.S. reﬁning and chemical industry benchmarks. But best in classdoesn’t meanwe’llstopimproving.

$500,000 worth of training and curriculum materials to found the Louisiana Pipeline Emergency Training Program in BatonRougein2025. The program, the ﬁrst of its kind in Louisiana,isapartnership led by the Louisiana State Fire and EmergencyTraining Academy andRiver Parishes CommunityCollege.

Participants in the training program receivefreeeducation in pipelineterminology, equipment, operationsand hazards,followedbyhands-on ﬁeld exercises.

Across its operatingCO2 pipeline system, ExxonMobil is alsoprovidingspecialized safety training formorethan 300ﬁrstrespondersfromAscension, Assumption, Beauregard,Calcasieu,EastBatonRouge, Franklin, Iberville,Jefferson, Lafayette,Lafourche, Livingston, St.James St.Landry, St.Mary and Vermilion parishes

We’reproud to work alongside FETA and RPCCto make worldclass CO2emergency training available righthereinLouisiana

Brian Carlin CO2 OperationsManager at ExxonMobil

ExxonMobil has long embedded safety into our culture, reinforcedbyleadership,standards,practices and experience.Anintegrated framework of systems,processes,tools and behaviorsdesigned to eliminate injuries and fatalitiessupports this commitment

Centraltothis framework is ourPersonnel SafetyManagementSystem(PSMS), which helps team membersatall levels proactively learn from theirwork, build and validate their safety capacity, drive effectivesafetyengagement. At ExxonMobil, everyone is encouraged to be safety leaders no matter where theywork. It all ties back to our corevalue of Care

Protecting our Communities

In addition to implementing best-practice safety and design standards,ExxonMobil helpsprotect our communities by equipping and preparing ﬁrst respondersacrossour pipeline network.

To ensureﬁrstrespondershavethe tools and training they need, ExxonMobil invested $50,000 and donatedmorethan

“We’re proud to work alongside FETA andRPCCtomakeworld-class CO2 emergencytrainingavailable righthereinLouisiana,helpingto ensureevery ﬁreﬁghter, from urban departments to ruralparishes,has accesstothe tools and skills needed to respond safely and effectively,”said BrianCarlin, CO2 OperationsManager at ExxonMobil

Keeping Pipelines Safe

ExxonMobil Pipeline Company which operatesthousands of milesof pipelines carryingcritical products to consumers andbusinessesinLouisiana, sharesinour mission to supportaculturethatensuresa clear andsimpleobjective: NobodyGets Hurt.This goal extends to our neighborsand thosewho live andwork near ourpipelines and facilities

Safety isn’tjust prioritized through our actions,but also in our machinery andinfrastructure.Inorder to continuously maintain the integrityand reliabilityof our pipelines and facilities,werigorously test and analyze our infrastructuretodetermine the correct maintenanceprocedures. This ranges from additional testing and monitoringtominor repairsorevenpipe replacements

ExxonMobil owns and operatesapproximately 1,300 miles of CO2 pipeline –the largest CO2 pipeline network in the U.S. Thesetypes of pipelines have operatedinthe United Statesfor morethan50years.Today, approximately 5,200 miles of CO2 pipelines safely transportabout 68 million tons of CO2 per year throughout the nation. The federal safety data aboutCO2 pipelinesisclear:incidents arerareand decliningonaper-mile basis. From 2000

to 2024, the averageyearly CO2 pipeline incidentrate was lessthan 0.002 incidents per pipeline mile– arate well belowthatofotherpipelines,including natural gaspipelines

In addition, CO2 pipeline releases typically result in relatively minor impacts

As interest growsinCO2 infrastructurefor enhanced oil recovery and storage, ExxonMobil will continue to uphold high standards and pursuecontinual improvementofsafety acrossall of our operations –it’swhatwedo.

IndustryRecognitions DemonstrateExcellence

ExxonMobil is aproud multiple-timerecipientofthe American Chemistry Council’sResponsible Care Company of theYearAward,mostrecently in 2025. This recognition has been givenfor outstanding leadership and performance in environmental, health and safety stewardship and dedication to continual improvement.

We have alsoreceived the American Petroleum Institute’sDistinguished Pipeline SafetyAward forthe last three years. From thesystems thatguidedaily operations to the partnerships thatstrengthenemergency preparednessacross Louisiana,ExxonMobil continuestoinvest in people, infrastructureand collaborations to reduce risk and protect communities.Industryawardsaffirm our progress, but the ultimate measure of success remains consistentpositive performance and an unwavering focus on doing the right thing, every day, in every placeweoperate.

BRANDON

House.

700immigration officers to withdraw from Minn.

BY STEVE KARNOWSKI Associated Press

MINNEAPOLIS The Trump administration is reducing the number of immigration officers in Minnesota but will continueits enforcement operation that has sparked weeks of tensions and deadly confrontations, border czar TomHoman said Wednesday

About 700 federal ofﬁcers —roughly aquarter of the total deployed to Minnesota —will be withdrawn immediately after stateand local officials agreedoverthe past week to cooperate by turning over arrested immigrants, Homan said. But he did not providea timeline for when the administration might end the operation that has become a ﬂashpoint in the debate over President Donald Trump’s mass deportation efforts since the fatal shootings of U.S. citizens ReneeGood andAlex Pretti in Minneapolis.

About 2,000 officers will remain in the state after this week’sdrawdown, Homan said. That’sroughly the same number sent to Minnesota in early January when

thesurge ramped up, kickingoff what the Department of Homeland Security called its “largest immigrationenforcement operation ever.” Since then,masked, heavily armed ofﬁcers have been met by resistance from residentswho are upset with their aggressivetactics.

Judgeputslimitson ICEarrests in Ore.

BY CLAIRE RUSH Associated Press

PORTLAND,Ore. U.S. immi-

gration agents in Oregon must stop arrestingpeople without warrants unless there’salikelihood of escape, afederal judge ruled Wednesday

U.S. District Judge Mustafa Kasubhaiissuedapreliminary injunction in aproposed class-action lawsuit targeting the Departmentof Homeland Security’spractice of arresting immigrants they happen to come across while conducting ramped-up enforcementoperations— which critics havedescribed as “arrest ﬁrst, justify later.”

In amemo last week,Todd Lyons, the acting head of U.S. Immigrationand Customs Enforcement, emphasized that agents should not make an arrest without an administrative arrest warrant issued by asupervisor unless they developprobablecause to believe the person is likely

to escape from the scene.

Butthe judge heard evidence that agents in Oregon have arrested people in immigration sweeps without such warrantsordeterminingescape was likely

Thatincluded testimony from oneplaintiff,Victor CruzGamez, a56-year-old grandfather who hasbeen in theU.S. since 1999. He told the court he was arrested andheld in an immigration detentionfacility forthree weeks despite having avalid work permit and apending visa application. Kasubhai said the actions of agents in Oregon —including drawing guns on peoplewhile detaining them for civilimmigration violations— have been “violent andbrutal,” and he was concerned aboutthe administration denyingdue process to thosesweptup in immigrationraids. The nonproﬁt law ﬁrm Innovation Law Lab brought thelawsuit.

Awidespread pullout, Homan said, will occur only after there’s more cooperation andprotesters stop interfering with federal agents carrying out arrests.

Trumptold NBC News that he ordered the reduction and added that one lesson comingout of theturmoil

in Minnesota is “maybe we can use alittle bit of asofter touch. But youstill have to be tough.”

Gov.Tim Walz andMinneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, bothDemocrats who have heavily criticized the surge, said pulling back 700 ofﬁcers was agood ﬁrststep

but that the entire operation should end quickly

“Weneed afaster and larger drawdownofforces, state-led investigations into the killings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good, and an end to this campaign of retribution,”Walzpostedonsocial media.

Vice President JD Vance said the ofﬁcers being sent home were mainly in Minneapolis to protect those carrying outarrests. “We’re not drawing down the immigration enforcement,” Vance said in an interview on “The Megyn Kelly Show.”

Trump’sborderczartook over theMinnesotaoperation in late January after the second fatal shooting by federal officers and amid growing political backlash and questions about how the operation wasbeing run.

Homan said right away that federal ofﬁcials could reduce the number of agents in Minnesota,but only with the cooperation of state and local ofﬁcials.

He pushed for jails to alert Immigrationand Customs Enforcementabout inmates who could be deported, saying transferring those inmates to ICE is safer be-

cause it means fewer officers have to be out looking forpeople in the country illegally

Homan said during anews conference Wednesday that there has been an “increase in unprecedented collaboration”resultinginthe need for fewer public safety officers in Minnesota anda safer environment, allowing for the withdrawalofthe 700 ofﬁcers.

Minnesota officials say its state prisons and nearly allofthe countysheriffs already cooperate with immigration authorities.

But the two county jails that serve Minneapolis and St. Paul and take in the most inmates had not previously metICE’sstandard of full cooperation, although they both hand over inmates to federal authorities when an arrest warrantissignedby ajudge.

Homan said he thinks the ICE operation in Minnesota hasbeena success, checking off alist of people wanted forviolent crimes whowere taken off the streets.

“I thinkit’sveryeffective as far as public safety goes,” he said Wednesday.“Wasita perfect operation? No.”

BY FATIMAHUSSEIN Associated Press

WASHINGTON Ahearing aboutoversight of theU.S financialsystemdevolved into insults several times Wednesday as Treasury SecretaryScott Bessent clashed with Democratic lawmakers over ﬁscal policy, the business dealings of the Trump family and other issues.

Appearances by treasury secretaries on CapitolHill are more typically known for staid exchanges over economicpolicythan for political theater,but Wednesday’shearing of the House Financial Services Committee hearing featured several fiery exchanges between the Republican Cabinetmember and Democrats, with Bessent even lobbing insults back to thelawmakers.

Bessent calledRep.Syl-

via Garcia “confused” when shequestioned howundocumented immigrants could affect housing affordability across thecountry,prompting the TexasDemocrat to snap back,“Don’tbedemeaning to me, all right?”

Bessent later mocked a question from Rep. Stephen Lynch, DMass., about shuttered investigations into cryptocurrency ﬁrms. Lynchexpre ssed frustration with Bessent’sinterruptions, saying, “Mister Chairman, the answershave to be responsive if we are going to have aserious hearing.”

Bessent replied, “Well, thequestions have to be serious.”

After aback-and-forth over whether tariffs cause inﬂation or one-time price increases forconsumers, California Democratic Rep. Maxine Watersasked committee leaderstointervene

with Bessent: “Can someone shut him up?”

And in afiery exchange with Rep. Gregory Meeks over theAbu Dhabiroyal family’sinvestment into the Trump family’sWorld Liberty Financial cryptocurrency firm last year, the New York Democrat dropped an F-bomb as he shouted at Bessent: “Stop covering forthe president! Stop being aﬂunky!”

TheTreasuryDepartment did not immediately respondtoa requestfor comment on the ﬁreworks.

Bessent’sperformance was “not arole you typically see atreasury secretary play,”saidGraham Steele, a former assistant secretary for financial institutions underBiden-era Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen. Steele recalled his former boss having tense exchanges over climate change and policyissues with Republican lawmakers during committee hearings, but the exchanges werenot personal, he said, noting treasury secretarieshave to strike a

Government lawyer whocomplainedabout jobinMinn.

BY MICHAEL KUNZELMAN and ALANNA DURKIN RICHER Associated Press

WASHINGTON— Agovernment lawyerwho told ajudge that herjob “sucks” during acourt hearing stemming from the Trump administration’simmigration enforcement surge in Minnesota has been removed from her Justice Department post, according to aperson familiar with the matter JulieLehad been working for the Justice Department on adetail, but the U.S. attorney in Minnesota ended her assignment after

her commentsincourt on Tuesday, theperson said.The person spoke on the condition ofanonymity to discuss apersonnel matter.She had been working for U.S.Immigration andCustoms Enforcement before the temporary assignment.

At ahearingTuesday in St.Paul, Minnesota, forseveral immigration cases, Le told U.S. District JudgeJerry Blackwell thatshe wisheshecouldholdher in contempt of court “so that Ican have afull24hours of sleep.”

“Whatdo youwantmetodo? Thesystem sucks.This job sucks. AndIamtrying every breaththat

Ihave so thatIcan get youwhat you need,” Le said, according to a transcript. Several prosecutors have left the U.S. Attorney’s ofﬁce in Minnesota amid frustrationwith the immigration enforcementsurge andthe Justice Department’sresponse to fatal shootings of two civilians by federal agents. Le was assigned at least 88 cases in less than amonth, according to online court records. Blackwell told Le that the volume of cases isn’tanexcusefor disregardingcourt orders. He expressedconcern that people arrested in immigration enforce-

ment operations are routinely jailedfor days after judges have ordered their releasefromcustody.

“And Ihear the concerns about allthe energy that this is causing the DOJ to expend, but, with respect,some of it is of your own making by not complying withorders,” thejudge told Le.

Le said shewas working forthe Department of Homeland Security as an ICE attorney in immigration court before she “stupidly” volunteered to work the detail in Minnesota. Le told the judge that she wasn’tproperlytrained forthe as-

“delicatebalance” of working withthe WhiteHouse while safeguarding the “economic stature” of the country internationally Bessent’scombativeness is, in part,asign of the times, said David Lublin, chair of the DepartmentofGovernment at American University’sSchool of Public Affairs. “President Trump has shown he likes belligerence andhelikes nomineesand others who defend him vociferously,”Lublin toldThe Associated Press.

“What used to be the normalmodicum of respect for Congress has frayed to the point of vanishing,” he said. What was unusual, in Lublin’sview,was for Bessent to reveal his thoughts on monetary policy —normally the purview of the Federal Reserve— andhis insistencethatTrump has the right to interfere with the decision-making of the central bank. “You have a Cabinet secretary defending the president’sefforts to erode institutions,” Lublin said.

signment. She said she wanted to resign from the job but couldn’t get areplacement.

“Fixing asystem, abroken system,I don’thave amagic button to do it. Idon’thave the power or the voice to do it,” she said.

Homeland SecurityAssistant

SecretaryTricia McLaughlin said Le wasaprobationary attorney

“This conduct is unprofessional and unbecoming of an ICE attorney in abandoning her obligation to act with commitment, dedication, and zeal to the interests of theUnited States Government,” McLaughlin said in astatement.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By RyAN MURPHy

Aperson is detained by federal agents on Tuesday in Minneapolis

Bessent

Legal fight escalates over Ga. voting records

BY KATE BRUMBACK and NICHOLAS RICCARDI Associated Press

ATLANTA Officials in Georgia’s Fulton County said Wednesday they have asked a federal court to order the FBI to return ballots and other documents from the 2020 election that it seized last week, escalating a voting battle as President Donald Trump says he wants to “take over” elections from Democratic-run areas with the November midterms on the horizon

The FBI had searched a warehouse near Atlanta where those records were stored, a move taken after Trump’s persistent demands for retribution over claims, without evidence, that fraud cost him victory in Georgia.

Trump’s election comment came in an interview Monday with a conservative podcaster and the Republican president reafﬁrmed his position in Oval Ofﬁce remarks the next day, citing fraud allegations that numerous audits, investigations and courts have debunked

Ofﬁcials in heavily Democratic Fulton County referenced those statements in announcing their legal action at a time of increasing anxiety over Trump’s plans for the fall elections that will determine control of Congress

“This case is not only about Fulton County,” said the county chairman, Robb Pitts. “This is about elections across Georgia and across the nation.”

In a sign of that broader concern, U.S. Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., said this week that he once doubted Trump would intervene in the midterms but now “the notional idea

FBI

that he will ask his loyalists to do something inappropriate, beyond the Constitution, scares the heck out of me.”

The White House has scoffed at such fears, noting that Trump did not intervene in the 2025 off-year elections despite some Democratic predictions he would But the president’s party usually loses ground in midterm elections and Trump has already tried to tilt the fall races in his direction.

Democratic state election officials have reacted to Trump’s statements, the seizure of the Georgia election materials and his aggressive deployment of federal ofﬁcers into Democratic-leaning cities by planning for a wide range of possible scenarios this fall. That includes how they would respond

if Immigration and Customs Enforcement ofﬁcers were stationed outside polling places.

They also have raised concerns about U.S. Department of Justice lawsuits, mostly targeting Democratic states, seeking detailed voter data that includes dates of birth and partial Social Security numbers. Secretaries of state have raised concerns that the administration is building a database it can use to potentially disenfranchise voters in future elections.

Trump and his allies have long ﬁxated on Fulton County, Georgia’s most populous, since he narrowly lost the state to Democrat Joe Biden in 2020. In the weeks after that election

Trump called Georgia’s secretary of state, Republican Brad Raffens-

perger urged him to help “find” the 11,780 ballots that would enable Trump to be declared the Georgia winner of the state and raised the prospect of a “criminal offense” if the official failed to comply Raffensperger did not change the vote tally, and Biden won Georgia’s 16 electoral votes. Days later, rioters swarmed the U.S Capitol on Jan 6, 2021, and tried to prevent the official certification of Biden’s victory When Trump returned to the presidency in January 2025, he pardoned more than 1,000 charged in that siege.

“The president himself and his allies, they refuse to accept the fact that they lost,” Pitts said. “And even if he had won Georgia, he would still have lost the presidency.”

Pitts defended the county’s election practices and said Fulton has conducted 17 elections since 2020 without any issues.

A warrant cover sheet provided to the county includes a list of items that the agents were seeking related to the 2020 general election: all ballots, tabulator tapes from the scanners that tally the votes, electronic ballot images created when the ballots were counted and then recounted, and all voter rolls.

The FBI drove away with hundreds of boxes of ballots and other documents. County officials say they were not told why the federal government wanted the documents.

The county is also asking the court to unseal the sworn statement from a law enforcement agent that was presented to the judge who approved the search warrant.

The Justice Department de-

clined to comment on the county’s motion.

“What they’re doing with the ballots that they have now, we don’t know, but if they’re counted fairly and honestly the results will be the same,” Pitts said.

White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday that the president’s “take over” remarks, which included a vague reference to “15 places” that should be targeted, were a reference to the SAVE Act, legislation that would tighten proof of citizenship requirements. Republicans want to bring it up for a vote in Congress. But in his remarks that day, Trump did not cite the proposal. Instead, he claimed that Democratic-controlled places such as Atlanta, which falls mainly in Fulton County, have “horrible corruption on elections. And the federal government should not allow that. The Constitution vests states with the ability to administer elections. Congress can add rules for federal races. One of Trump’s earliest second-term actions was an executive order that tried to rewrite voting rules nationwide. Judges have largely blocked it because it violates the Constitution. Trump contended that states were “agents of the federal government to count the votes. If they can’t count the votes legally and honestly, then somebody else should take over.”

Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., said Wednesday said he supported the SAVE Act but not Trump’s desire for a federal takeover “Nationalizing elections and picking 15 states seems a little off strategy,” Tillis told reporters.

Savannah Guthrie asks mother’s kidnapper to provide proof she is alive

BY SEJAL GOVINDARAO and JACQUES BILLEAUD Associated Press

TUCSON,Ariz. — NBC “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie said Wednesday that her family is ready to talk to people holding their mother, but they want to see proof that she is alive Guthrie said in a recorded video posted on social media that her family has heard about a ransom letter in media reports.

“We are ready to talk. However, we live in a world where voices and images are easily manipulated,” Guthrie said. “We need to know without a doubt that she is alive and that you have her.

We want to hear from you and we are ready to listen. Please reach out to us.”

We believe Nancy was taken from her home against her will.”

interest had been identiﬁed. The home where she lived alone has been turned back over to family

sure, a pacemaker and heart issues, according to audio from broadcastify.com.

BY DANICA KIRKA Associated Press

LONDON The former Prince Andrew has moved out of his longtime home on crownowned land near Windsor Castle earlier than expected after the latest release of documents from the U.S. investigation of Jeffrey Epstein revived questions about his friendship with the convicted sex offender.

The 65-year-old brother of King Charles III, now known as Andrew MountbattenWindsor, left the Royal Lodge in Windsor on Monday and is now living on the king’s Sandringham estate in eastern England, Britain’s Press Association reported. British media reported that Mountbatten-Windsor will live temporarily at Wood Farm Cottage while his permanent home on the estate undergoes repairs.

Authorities offered no detailed update Wednesday as investigators try to piece together the moments before and immediately after the disappearance of 84-yearold Nancy Guthrie. “Is there somebody out there who’s kidnapping elderly people in the middle of the night, every night?” Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said Tuesday. “We don’t believe that’s the case.

The sheriff suggested there was video from some ca m era s, though he didn’t elaborate, adding: “That’s all been submitted and we’re doing our best with the companies that own those cameras or built those cameras.”

Nanos’ ofﬁce said Wednesday that detectives still were speaking with anyone who had contact with Nancy Guthrie last weekend but that no suspect or person of

There were signs of forced entry at the home in the Catalina Foothills neighborhood. Guthrie has limited mobility, and officials do not believe she left on her own. A sheriff’s dispatcher talking to deputies during a search Sunday indicated that she has high blood pres-

Multiple media organizations reported receiving purported ransom notes Tuesday that they handed over to investigators. The sheriff’s department has said it’s taking the notes and other tips seriously but declined to comment further Guthrie was last seen Saturday around 9:45 p.m. when

she was dropped off at home by family after having dinner with them, the sheriff’s department said. She was reported missing midday Sunday after she didn’t appear at a church.

NBC Sports said Tuesday that Savannah Guthrie will not be covering the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics “as she focuses on being with her family during this difﬁcult time.”

Mountbatten-Windsor’s move to Sandringham was announced in October when Charles stripped him of his royal titles amid continuing revelations about his links to Epstein But the former prince was expected to remain at Royal Lodge until the spring.

The expedited departure came as Thames Valley Police announced they were investigating allegations that Epstein ﬂew a second woman to Britain to have sex with Mountbatten-Windsor A lawyer for the alleged victim told the BBC that the encounter took place in 2010 at Royal Lodge.

Mountbatten-Windsor has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing in his relationship with Epstein. He hasn’t responded publicly to the new trafﬁcking allegation.

Mountbatten-Windsor features a number of times in the 3 million pages of documents the U.S. Department of Justice released Friday

N. Guthrie S. Guthrie

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MIKE STEWART

Deputy Director Andrew Bailey, right, stands with members of the FBI at the Fulton County Election Hub on Wednesday in Union City Ga.

Drops for tech stocks

weigh on Wall Street

NEW YORK More drops for technology stocks weighed on Wall Street on Wednesday

Advanced Micro Devices

dropped 17.3% even though the chip company reported a stronger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected

It also gave a forecast for revenue for the start of 2026 that topped analysts’ expectations, but that may not have been enough for investors after its stock had doubled over the last 12 months.

Tech stocks are broadly feeling pressure even when they deliver stronger-than-expected profits. Big Tech stocks are facing criticism that their prices shot too high following their yearslong dominance of the market Companies like software makers, meanwhile, are struggling with questions about whether they’ll lose in the future to competitors powered by artificial-intelligence technology Uber Technologies also dragged on the market after falling 5.1%. The ride-hailing company reported results for the latest quarter that fell short of analysts’ expectations

Some tech stocks nevertheless climbed, including a 13.8% rise for Super Micro Computer. The company, which sells AI servers and other equipment, delivered a stronger proﬁt for the latest quarter than analysts expected.

Eli Lilly rallied 10.3% after topping analysts’ expectations for proﬁt in the latest quarter

It’s been riding big growth created by its Mounjaro and Zepbound products for diabetes and weight loss.

Texas Instruments buys Austin chip maker

Texas Instruments is spending $7.5 billion to buy Austinbased tech ﬁrm Silicon Labs to extend its chips enterprise. The pair reached a definitive acquisition agreement announced Wednesday an allcash transaction that would grant Silicon Labs shareholders $231 per share The deal is expected to close in 2027 pending regulatory and shareholder approval.

Silicon Labs is a fabless chip maker, meaning it designs but outsources the manufacturing of semiconductors, with a focus on wireless connectivity This is a complement to Dallas-based Texas Instruments, an integrated device manufacturer that makes embedded processing chips and analog chips (chips that process continuous information like temperature or sound rather than binary data).

Silicon Labs recorded $785 million in revenue in 2025, while Texas Instruments had revenues of $15.6 billion in 2024.

An investor presentation highlighted Silicon Labs’ engineering capacity — 70% of its employee base is dedicated to engineering — and its more than 1,500 patents related to wireless connectivity Additionally, around 85% of Silicon Labs’ customers come from the industrial market, per the presentation.

Italy averts cyberattacks targeting Olympics sites

ROME Italy has foiled a series of cyberattacks targeting some of its foreign ministry ofﬁces, including one in Washington, as well as Winter Olympics websites and hotels in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on Wednesday Talking to reporters during a trip to the U.S. capital, Tajani said the attempted attacks were “of Russian origin,” but didn’t provide additional details.

“We prevented a series of cyberattacks against foreign ministry sites, starting with Washington, and also involving some Winter Olympics sites, including hotels in Cortina,” Tajani said, just two days from Friday’s opening ceremony at Milan’s San Siro stadium.

Washington Post slashes staff

One-third of workers laid off in blow to a legendary news brand

BY DAVID BAUDER AP media writer

The Washington Post laid off one-third of its staff Wednesday, eliminating its sports section, several foreign bureaus and its books coverage in a widespread purge that represented a brutal blow to journalism and one of its most legendary brands. The Post’s executive editor, Matt

Murray called the move painful but necessary to put the outlet on stronger footing and to weather changes in technology and user habits. “We can’t be everything to everyone,” Murray wrote to staff members.

He outlined the changes in a companywide online meeting, and staff members then began getting emails with one of two subject lines — telling them their role was or was not eliminated. Rumors of layoffs had circulated for weeks, ever since word leaked that sports reporters who had expected to travel to Italy for the Winter Olympics would not be going. But when ofﬁcial word came down,

the size and scale of the cuts were shocking.

“It’s just devastating news for anyone who cares about journalism in America and, in fact, the world,” said Margaret Sullivan a Columbia University journalism professor and former media columnist at the Post and The New York Times.

Martin Baron, the Post’s first editor under its current owner, billionaire Jeff Bezos, condemned his former boss and called what has happened at the newspaper “a case study in near-instant, self-inﬂicted brand destruction.” Bezos, who has been silent in recent weeks amid pleas from Post

journalists to step in, had no immediate comment.

The newspaper has been bleeding subscribers in part due to decisions made by Bezos, including pulling back from an endorsement of Kamala Harris, a Democrat, during the 2024 presidential election against Donald Trump, a Republican, and directing a more conservative turn on liberal opinion pages.

A private company, the Post does not reveal how many subscribers it has but it is believed to be roughly 2 million. It would also not say how many people it has on staff, making it impossible to estimate how many people were laid off Wednesday

Super Bowl ads feature weight loss drugs, AI and celebrities galore

BY MAE ANDERSON Associated Press

NEW YORK As Super Bowl Sunday approaches, the battle off the ﬁeld for advertisers to win over 120 million-plus viewers will be just as heated as the rivalry between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks.

Dozens of advertisers are pulling out all the stops for Super Bowl 60, airing Sunday on NBC.

They’re hoping that audiences tuning in will remember their brand names as they stuff their ads with celebrities, tried-andtrue ad icons like the Budweiser Clydesdales, and nostalgia for well-known movie properties such as “Jurassic Park.”

This year’s trends include health and telehealth companies advertising weight loss drugs and medical tests, tech companies showing off their latest gadgets and apps and advertisers showcasing AI in their ads.

Villanova University marketing professor Charles Taylor said because of the heavy headlines in the news lately — from the immigration enforcement surge in Minnesota to conﬂicts abroad he expects advertisers to stick to a light and silly tone.

“Because of the Super Bowl’s status as a pop culture event with a fun party atmosphere, the vast majority of brands will avoid any dark or divisive tone and instead allow consumers to escape from thinking about these troubled times,” he said.

Record-breaking prices

In 2025, a record 127.7 million U.S viewers watched the game across television and streaming platforms.

Space sold for an average of $8 million per 30-second unit, but a handful of spots sold for $10 million-plus, a record, said Peter Lazarus, executive vice president, sports & Olympics, advertising and partnerships for NBCUniversal. He said he was calling February, with the Super Bowl, Olympics and the NBA All-Star Game, “legendary February.”

Celebrities galore

Featuring celebrities is a tried-and-true way advertisers can get goodwill from viewers. This year, Fanatics Sportsbook enlists Kendall Jenner to talk about the “Kardashian Kurse,” in which bad things happen to basketball players she dates.

George Clooney appears in a Grubhub add to promote a deal that the delivery app offers to “Eat the Fees” on orders of $50 or more.

Xﬁnity reunites Sam Neill, Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum in a tongue-in-cheek reimagining of “Jurassic Park” that shows an Xﬁnity tech bringing power back to the island so nothing goes awry And Uber Eats enlists Matthew McConaughey for the second year in a row to convince celebrities — this year it is Bradley Cooper and Parker Posey — that football is

a conspiracy to make people hungry so they order food.

AI takes the stage

For the second year in a row, AI is making waves in Super Bowl ads.

Oakley Meta touts their AI-enabled glasses in two action-packed spots showing Spike Lee, Marshawn Lynch and others using the glasses to ﬁlm video and answer questions. Svedka Vodka enlisted Silverside AI, an AI studio, to help create their ad, which features their robot mascot FemBot along with a male counterpart, BroBot. They took that approach because of Svedka’s positioning as the “vodka of the future,” said Sara Saunders, chief marketing officer at Sazerac, which bought the Svedka brand in 2025.

“We reimagined the robot via AI,” Saunders said. “It took us many, many months to rebuild her, to give her functionality, to give her that human spirit that we wanted to show up on behalf of the brand.”

Health and telehealth

Health and telehealth providers are everywhere during Super Bowl 60. Two pharma companies are advertising tests: Novartis touts a blood test to screen for prostate cancer with the tagline “Relax your tight end,” featuring football tight ends relaxing. Boehringer Ingelheim’s ad stars Octavia Spencer and Soﬁa Vergara, who encourage people to screen for kidney disease.

France dumps Zoom, Teams as Europe seeks digital autonomy

BY KELVIN CHAN Associated Press

LONDON In France, civil servants will ditch Zoom and Teams for a homegrown video conference system. Soldiers in Austria are using open-source ofﬁce software to write reports after the military dropped Microsoft Ofﬁce. Bureaucrats in a German state have also turned to free software for their administrative work. Around Europe, governments and institutions are seeking to reduce their use of digital services from U.S Big Tech companies and turning to domestic or free alter-

natives. The push for “digital sovereignty” is gaining attention as the Trump administration strikes an increasingly belligerent posture toward the continent, highlighted by recent tensions over Greenland that intensified fears that Silicon Valley giants could be compelled to cut off access. Concerns about data privacy and worries that Europe is not doing enough to keep up with the United States and Chinese tech leadership are also fueling the drive. The French government referenced some of these concerns when it announced last week that 2.5 million civil servants would

stop using video conference tools from U.S. providers — including Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Webex and GoTo Meeting by 2027 and switch to Visio, a homegrown service.

The objective is “to put an end to the use of non-European solutions, to guarantee the security and confidentiality of public electronic communications by relying on a powerful and sovereign tool,” the announcement said.

“We cannot risk having our scientific exchanges, our sensitive data, and our strategic innovations exposed to non-European actors,” David Amiel, a civil service minis-

ter, said in a news release. Microsoft said it continues to “partner closely with the government in France and respect the importance of security, privacy, and digital trust for public institutions.” Zoom, Webex and GoTo Meeting did not respond to requests for comment.

French President Emmanuel Macron has been pushing digital sovereignty for years. But there’s now a lot more “political momentum behind this idea now that we need to de-risk from U.S. tech,” Nick Reiners senior geotechnology analyst at the Eurasia Group.

PROVIDED PHOTO

Svedka Vodka’s ad features their robot mascot, FemBot, along with a male counterpart, BroBot.

through the region. And the state’s dominant utilities have been under the spotlight for customer complaints about high prices, outages and the controversial sale last summer of Entergy’s gas business to Delta Utilities here have long bet big on natural gas as a cheap and abundant resource, with a sprawling network of pipelines making it easy to spin up power plants around the state. But periodic price shocks and storms over the past few years have ignited debates over how the state should best manage its power supply Cyclical rising costs have prompted some advocates to question whether the state is overreliant on natural gas.

“This is a problem we’ve been trying to highlight for both regulators and consumers for a while now Since our electricity system in the region is so dependent on gas, it means we are all vulnerable to even small increases in the cost of fossil gas,” said Logan Burke, executive director of the Alliance for Affordable Energy a nonproﬁt that represents consumers. “Louisiana must diversify to fuel-free resources to stabilize our bills.”

Burke noted that utilities pass through the cost of gas on a twomonth rolling basis. That means upticks in bills in December were based on the cost of gas in October,

PRISONS

Continued from page 1A

recent spate of unexpected deaths at Elayn Hunt Correctional Center, or both

Three corrections officers are accused of introducing contraband into a penal facility: cadets Calnisha Ruth and Larry Chambers and Sgt. Kha’ya Dumas. Another officer Sgt. Christina Hardin, and a nurse, Canecia Burrell, have been arrested on a count each of malfeasance in office. They both worked at Elayn Hunt. Specific details on the allegations against the arrestees, or the kind of contraband they are accused of sneaking into the prisons where they worked, have not yet been released by law enforcement Department leadership has said, however, that cellphones, weapons and drugs

BREES

Continued from page 1A

The 2006 season wasn’t a ﬂuke It was the beginning of a 15-year run of sustained excellence unprecedented in Saints history

The Saints became one of the league’s most proliﬁc, innovative and dominant attacks in NFL history

The numbers alone should end the debate During Brees’ tenure, the Saints gained more yards than any offense in NFL history over any 15-year span. They led the league in scoring or total offense eight times. He led the NFL in completion percentage six times, in passing yardage seven times and posted an almost unfathomable 12 consecutive 4,000-yard seasons Brees threw for 400 or more yards in a game 16 times. No other quarterback has more than 13.

He recorded ﬁve of the 15 5,000-yard passing seasons in league history No other quarterback has more than two. Then there were the moments of singular brilliance:

n His 40-yard touchdown strike to Devery Henderson to break Johnny Unitas’ 52-year-old record for consecutive games with a touchdown pass in 2012.

n His seven-touchdown, 511-yard passing outburst in a 52-49 win over the Giants in 2015.

n The unforgettable 62yard bomb to Tre’Quan Smith to set the NFL record for career passing yards in a 2018 win over the Redskins on “Monday Night Football.”

n The Thanksgiving Day win over the Falcons, when he threw touchdown passes to four undrafted free agents (Tommylee Lewis, Austin Carr, Dan Arnold

far before winter temperatures set in. In the coming months, customers will see the dramatic upswing in gas prices — though regulators may spread the cost over several months to avoid residents seeing eye-popping bills

The January winter storm caused power outages for thousands in north Louisiana as ice snapped trees and laced electric lines. The lasting cold has contributed to at least nine deaths that the state has conﬁrmed were stormrelated, including some who froze to death in their homes.

But unlike the historic winter storm Uri in 2021, utilities were not forced into rolling blackouts to manage the imbalance between supply and demand. That storm froze gas pipelines, wellheads and generating units, causing cata-

were recovered during sweeps this year

On Monday, Louisiana State Police arrested April Scott, an assistant principal at McKinley Middle Magnet School, on accusations of assisting with managing and moving money, and registering a business entity connected to the sports gambling scheme her brother, Broderick Scott, is accused of organizing Broderick Scott was arrested in 2024 on counts of felony gambling and unlawful establishment of social media accounts by an inmate. He’s accused of profiting roughly $500,000 through the scheme, which authorities said involved over 30,000 transactions involving inmates across multiple state prisons. April Scott’s arrest and the arrests of four corrections employees came the same week that a new warden, Travis Day, was announced

and Keith Kirkwood) Another ﬁrst in NFL history

n And of course, his historic 29-of-30 passing night in a 34-7 rout of the Colts on “Monday Night Football” in 2019.

Reducing Brees to statistics, though, shortchanges his legacy He was a generational leader who lifted the entire organization with his leadership, preparation and attention to detail.

On the ﬁeld, Brees’ accuracy and processing skills bordered on superhuman.

Former Saints tackle Jon Stinchcomb called him “the supercomputer” because of the volume of information he could absorb and execute under pressure.

Despite standing only 6 feet tall, Brees mastered the subtleties of quarterbacking the way Greg Maddux mastered the strike zone, painting the black with his passes instead of blowing you away with his fastball.

The effect was transformative.

Before Brees arrived, the Saints won one division title and 40% of their games in four decades. During his tenure, they won 62%, earned seven division titles, made nine playoff runs and captured the only Super Bowl championship in franchise history En route to the Lombardi Trophy, he outdueled three future Hall of Famers: Kurt Warner, Brett Favre and Peyton Manning. In the Super Bowl, Brees completed 32 of 39 passes and orchestrated the go-ahead drive with surgical efﬁciency, hitting seven different receivers without an incompletion.

Some argue that Brees was merely a product of the Sean Payton system, a notion his former teammates and coaches scoff at. As former Saints tackle Zach

strophic blackouts in Texas and “load shedding” in Louisiana. During the 2021 storm, regulatory documents showed Entergy was forced to buy gas at skyrocketing prices, raising fuel costs by 236% to customers.

It’s not yet clear how much this winter storm’s price surge will affect customers. Entergy Louisiana spokesperson Brandon Scardigli said the company is still calculating the numbers.

Scardigli said since the 2021 storm, Entergy has made several changes to how it procures gas, including more long-term transportation agreements to make sure gas is available. The company has also added more supplies for load pockets where transmission is limited, among other changes

The Public Service Commission,

for the Elayn Hunt Correctional Center

Corrections Secretary Gary Westcott defended former Warden Keithe Turner in Monday’s announcement, saying his departure was not a reﬂection of his work during his eight months as warden.

“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,” Westcott said. “Warden Turner was a great public servant and even a better person, and he did not deserve this unfair treatment.”

The circumstances Westcott was referring to were a string of “unexpected” inmate deaths at Elayn Hunt, which were ﬁrst covered by The Advocate and other media late last fall.

Westcott said HIPAA, active criminal investigations and other privacy matters have kept the department from providing details on

Strief said, the Saints didn’t run “magical plays.” They ran the same concepts as other teams.

“We had a quarterback that on the last step of his drop already knew where the ball needed to go and when, and could put it in a window twice the size of a football,” Strief said. “He wasn’t a ‘system quarterback.’ He was the system.”

Even his peers regarded him with awe. Former NFL head coach and Saints assistant Mike Nolan said Brees belongs in the same breath as Tom Brady and Manning as one of the greatest pocket passers ever His former coach, Payton, called his approach “amazing to watch,” a model of preparation and mental toughness that elevated everyone around him.

If anything, Brees might be underrated. He ﬁnished second in MVP voting four times, each time overshadowed by someone having a historic outlier season: LaDainian Tomlinson in 2006, Manning in 2009, Aaron Rodgers in 2011 and Patrick Mahomes in 2018. He just might be the greatest player never to win the award. Equally astounding, he missed just one game because of injury in the ﬁrst 18 seasons of his 20-year career

The Hall of Fame reserves ﬁrst-ballot induction for the elite of the elite. Only 23% of all inductees have received that honor Brees belongs in that number His numbers are historic. His consistency and durability were unmatched. His leadership reshaped a franchise and revitalized a city By any measure, he is one of the greatest to ever play the game. If Brees is not a ﬁrst-ballot Hall of Famer then what are we even doing here?

which regulates Entergy Louisiana, investigated the blackouts and price hikes related to the 2021 winter storm. They recommended that Entergy consider longer-term contracts to help the company avoid being forced to buy gas on short notice at astronomical prices.

Scardigli said the company still has not done so because they believe such contracts could lock the firm into higher-priced gas. He said Entergy is also exploring a hedging program that uses swaps which allow buyers to trade volatile spot prices for a ﬁxed price — to help stabilize the cost of gas.

He said such financial instruments rather than long-term gas contracts “provide the greatest beneﬁt to customers by preserving operational ﬂexibility for the company’s fleet of generators while still locking in pricing to a degree.”

For years, most Louisianans paid one utility bill that included gas and electric costs combined. That changed last summer when Delta, a portfolio company of the private equity ﬁrm Bernhard Capital Partners, bought the gas businesses owned by Entergy Louisiana and Entergy New Orleans.

At the same time that customers ﬁrst started seeing gas and electric bills broken out separately, gas prices also edged higher and colder weather caused usage to increase. The result? Customer fury over rising natural gas bills that seemed signiﬁcantly more expensive than what they paid when gas

recent deaths at a pace demanded by the media.

“That does not mean that we don’t care or that we’re not doing anything to prevent these incidents,” Westcott said.

In 2025, 18 unexpected deaths were recorded at Elayn Hunt, fewer than the 35 unexpected deaths in 2024.

Since Elayn Hunt houses inmates with chronic and acute medical issues, the majority of deaths at the facility are “expected.”

When an unexpected death occurs at a prison, an autopsy is typically requested. Of the unexpected deaths last year, 11 occurred due to natural causes, two were re-

and electric bills were combined.

“The major thing I’m seeing is people not being used to seeing an independent gas bill,” said Public Service Commissioner Davante Lewis last week. Lewis, a Democrat representing parts of Baton Rouge and New Orleans, added that heavy spikes in natural gas prices from the storm caused electricity prices to skyrocket in the market where Louisiana buys gas.

Delta spokesperson Sara Porteous said the company did not face interruptions to supply during the latest blast of cold weather

While about 80% of its normal monthly usage in cold months is secured through storage and ﬁxedprice contracts, when usage soars during severe cold, Delta must buy gas on the spot market. In recent weeks, those prices were “substantially higher than normal,” Porteous said. At a distribution hub in Louisiana called Henry Hub, prices reached $30.57 per 1 million British thermal units last week, compared with $23.61 per MMBtu during Uri in 2021.

“Customers should expect higher bills in the coming months mainly due to increased usage from extended cold weather and significantly higher natural gas costs,” Porteous said. “When market prices rise during extreme weather, we must purchase gas at those elevated rates. Under Louisiana’s regulatory cost recovery mechanisms, these costs are passed through to customers and spread over future months to help manage the impact.”

lated to drug overdoses and one was ruled a suicide, said Seth Smith, the corrections department’s chief of prison operations

Four autopsies are still pending. In January Elayn Hunt reported another three deaths, and two have been ruled as purely medical.

In that Monday news conference, department leadership described the kinds of contraband drugs recently conﬁscated at Elayn Hunt: meth, pills, fentanyl, synthetic marijuana or “mojo” smuggled in on scraps of paper, and even deadly “zombie” cocktails made of insecticides.

“And unfortunately yes, it is a ﬁnancial opportunity for some of our staff that are here for the wrong reasons and easily manipulated by the evils that exist,” Westcott said.

But corrections officials said similar contraband is found at prisons across the country and said they resented the focus on Elayn Hunt. Smuggling is most commonly committed by trustee workers picking up a drop of contraband drugs, from visitors or from corrupt prison employees, according to the department. Trustee workers are incarcerated individuals who perform jobs around the facility, including kitchen work, cleaning, maintenance and laundry

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

Several crews work on lines in Lake Providence on Sunday.

BY PHILIP MARCELO Associated Press

NEW YORK Nude photos. The names and faces of sexual abuse victims. Bank account and Social Security numbers in full view

All of these things appeared in the mountain of documents released Friday by the U.S. Justice Department as part of its effort to comply with a law requiring it to open its investigative ﬁles on Jeffrey Epstein.

That law was intended to preserve important privacy protections for Epstein’s victims Their names were supposed to have been blacked out in documents. Their faces and bodies were supposed to be obscured in photos.

Mistakes, though, have been rampant. A review by The Associated Press and other news organizations has found countless examples of sloppy inconsistent or nonexistent redactions that have revealed sensitive private information.

A photo of one girl who was underage when she was hired to give sexualized massages to Epstein in Florida appeared in a chart of his alleged victims. Police reports

HOMICIDE

Continued from page 1A

for us to be aware of,” Morse said When looking at the manner of death or the relationship between the victim and suspect, Morse is right — January represented what a year of Baton Rouge homicides looks like.

“We had a few domestic-related homicides that have occurred so far this year Of course, some that happened inside houses and hotel rooms that look like they stem from an argument or a narcotic sale,” Morse said. “And then, even some targeted (shootings), with multiple suspects shooting at one person for whatever reason, for retaliation or gang violence, whatever it might be.”

But ﬁnding any speciﬁc reason why the start of the year sees more killings is difficult, Morse said. One of the only clear patterns

with the names of several of his victims, including some who have never stepped forward to identify themselves publicly, were released with no redactions at all.

Despite the Justice Department’s efforts to ﬁx the oversights, a selﬁe taken by a nude female in a bathroom and another by a topless female remained on the site, their ages unknown but their faces in full view, as of Wednesday evening.

Some accusers and their lawyers called this week for the Justice Department to take down the site and appoint an independent monitor to prevent further errors.

A judge scheduled a hearing for Wednesday in New York on the matter, then canceled it after one of the lawyers for victims cited progress in resolving the issues. But that lawyer, Brittany Henderson, said they were still weighing “all potential avenues of recourse” to address the “permanent and irreparable” harm caused to some women.

“The failure here is not merely technical,” she said in a statement Wednesday “It is a failure to safeguard human beings who were promised protection by our government. Until every document is properly redacted, that failure is

from January is that fatal shooting victims were often juveniles.

Six teenagers were killed in January in East Baton Rouge Parish, all by gunﬁre Between Jan. 9 and Jan 11, a teenager was shot and killed each day

The shooting of 18-year-old Kassidy Jackson at a residence on Columbus Dunn Drive involved another teenager as the shooter and is considered domestic in nature, police said.

Jackson’s ex-girlfriend, Paulasia Banks, 19, was reportedly upset with the other teenager over having been blocked on TikTok, police said.

Banks, accompanied by two men, entered a residence where Jackson was staying with another young woman and shot Jackson after a ﬁght in the kitchen, police said. Banks’ attorney has said the shooting was accidental.

E’Myeri Walker, a 17-year-old Northdale Academy student, was also allegedly killed by juveniles,

ongoing.”

Annie Farmer, who said she was 16 when she was sexually assaulted by Epstein and his conﬁdant, Ghislaine Maxwell, said that while her name has previously been public, other details she’d rather be kept private, including her date of birth and phone number, were wrongly revealed in the documents.

“At this point, I’m feeling really most of all angry about the way that this unfolded,” she told NBC News “The fact that it’s been done in such a beyond careless way, where people have been endangered because of it, is really horrifying.”

The Justice Department has blamed technical or human errors on the problems and said it has taken down many of the problematic materials and is working to republish properly redacted versions.

The task of reviewing and blacking out millions of pages of records took place in a compressed time frame. President Donald Trump signed the law requiring the disclosure of the documents on Nov 19. That law gave the Justice Department just 30 days to release the ﬁles. It missed that deadline, in part because it said it needed

some with suspected gang ties. According to Morse, her brother, who was in the car with her, is believed to have been the target.

One suspect in Walker’s death, 19-year-old Jemile Causey, is also tied to the October killing of a 25-year-old LSU dining hall employee, police said.

Of the six, the youngest two victims were both 16 — Christopher Wright and Javen Grisby Both died in a hospital days after suffering gunshot injuries.

Wright’s death is believed by police to be accidental. Grisby’s killer has not yet been found.

Others were involved in dayto-day teenage activities that shouldn’t have put their lives at risk.

A 2024 graduate of Istrouma High, 19-year-old Jerrod Jermaine Dorsey was shot while sitting outside a house party on Maverick Avenue.

Dorsey was enrolled at a technical college and had just proposed

more time to comply with privacy protections. Hundreds of lawyers were pulled from their regular duties, including overseeing criminal cases, to try and complete the document review — to the point where at least one judge in New York complained that it was holding up other matters.

The database, which is posted on the Justice Department website, represents the largest release of ﬁles to date in the yearslong investigations into Epstein, who killed himself in a New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafﬁcking charges. Associated Press reporters analyzing the documents have so far found multiple examples of names and other personal information of potential victims revealed.

They have also found many cases of overzealous redactions.

In one news clipping included in the ﬁle, the Justice Department apparently blacked out the name “Joseph” from a photo caption describing a Nativity scene at a California church “A Nativity scene depicting Jesus, Mary and (REDACTED),” it said.

In an email released in the ﬁles, a

to his girlfriend at the end of 2025.

His mother, Reba Dorsey, said her son was a bystander at the “wrong place and wrong time.”

She said she was surprised at his Jan. 23 funeral to see just how many other young people came out to honor him.

“I didn’t know my son touched this many people and knew this many people,” Reba Dorsey said. “From school, co-workers, just people all around. He really touched a lot of people, and they all have their own stories of him.”

The latest teenage gun death, of 18-year-old Christopher Joe, happened after Joe was shot on a church’s basketball court.

An argument between Joe and 51-year-old Andrew Johnson on the night of Jan. 22 on the court of Grace Life Fellowship church escalated from a simple pickup game, police said.

Police said Johnson drew a handgun and shot the high schooler, who died days later of his injuries.

dog’s name appeared to have been redacted: “I spent an hour walking (REDACTED) and then another hour bathing her blow drying her and brushing her I hope she smells better!!” the email said.

The Justice Department has said staff tasked with preparing the ﬁles for release were instructed to limit redactions only to information related to victims and their families, though in many documents the names of many other people were blacked out, including lawyers and public ﬁgures.

The Justice Department has said it intended to black out any portion of a photo showing nudity and any photos of women that could potentially show a victim.

In some photos reviewed by The AP, those redactions did obscure women’s faces, but left plenty of their bare skin exposed in a way that would likely embarrass the women anyway Photos showed identifiable women trying on outﬁts in clothing store dressing rooms or lounging

In a sermon a few days after his death, pastor Tim Chalas opened the ﬂoor with a remembrance of the slain young man who often attended Grace Life Fellowship’s basketball outreach ministry

“His name is Christopher Joe, I knew him as CJ, and he was just 18 years old,” Chalas said to his congregation. “I want to say this graciously and clearly: This tragedy does not mean that God failed. It doesn’t mean we failed. It means we live in a broken world where sin and violence still exist, and sometimes they show up in places we least expect them.”

According to Morse, juvenile death has been a problem he’s been preaching about since he took ofﬁce.

“We’ve got to get more resources; we’ve got to get help,” Morse said. “It takes more than just the Police Department, when we’re looking at these 15-, 16-year-olds picking up a gun and shooting and killing other 15- and 16-year-olds.”

Murrill to sue in abortion pill battle

Attorney general wants to extradite California, New york doctors

BY ALYSE PFEIL Staff writer

Louisiana’s attorney general is preparing to sue California Gov Gavin Newsom and New York Gov Kathy Hochul in federal court in an effort to force those states to extradite doctors who face criminal charges for mailing

pills to Louisiana for abortions. It’s the only way to “address them protecting people who are openly committed to nullifying and violating our criminal laws in our state,” Attorney General Liz Murrill said in an interview Wednesday Louisiana has sent formal requests to California and New York to extradite

doctors in two separate criminal cases, both of which involve state felony charges for causing an abortion by means of abortion-inducing drugs.

Newsom and Hochul have each refused to turn the doctors over to Louisiana for criminal prosecution They cite their state’s abortion shield laws, which protect doctors and patients from pros-

ecution initiated in states that outlaw abortion.

“As a champion of reproductive freedoms, California will not hesitate to assert its lawful authority to defend the fundamental rights that deﬁne us as a state,” Newsom spokesperson Marissa Saldivar said in a statement Wednesday. Hochul’s ofﬁce did not return requests for comment.

ä See MURRILL, page 2B

IN THE RIGHT SHOT AT THE RIGHT TIME

Cruelty trial begins in toddler’s death

Prosecution claims daughter suffered severe abuse by mother

BY MATT BRUCE Staff writer

Nevaeh Liyla Allen had been missing for more than a day, and multiple law enforcement agencies scoured Louisiana looking for her in September 2021. When search and rescue teams questioned the family about the supposed disappearance, one of Nevaeh’s stepsisters told an FBI

agent, “Baby’s in the forest.” It turned out the report of Nevaeh’s disappearance was a hoax. Her stepfather Phillip Kegan Gardner, beat the toddler to death, then stuffed her lifeless body into a suitcase and drove to a wooded area along the Pearl River in Mississippi, where he buried the girl in a shallow grave. Before the police made that gruesome revelation, one of Nevaeh’s siblings exposed another ugly secret. Gardner’s daughter told investigators that Lanaya Brittany Cardwell, Nevaeh’s mother, slapped the toddler and struck her

in the abdomen the morning she disappeared. Based on that story and a claim from Gardner authorities for years believed the attack from Cardwell caused Nevaeh’s death. But expert testimony during Gardner’s trial last year changed that belief. Cardwell was originally indicted for second-degree murder. Prosecutors reduced that charge to second-degree cruelty to a juvenile Jan. 6. Cardwell is being tried on that amended indictment this week in the 19th Judicial District Courthouse. If convicted, she faces up

to 40 years in prison. Attorneys in the case spent Monday, Tuesday and early parts of Wednesday selecting a jury comprised of eight men and six women.

As she gave her opening statement to jurors to begin the trial Wednesday afternoon, Assistant District Attorney Kathleen Barrios Heap walked through the timeline of events that led to this week’s trial.

She said the state now concedes that Cardwell didn’t cause the head wounds that killed Nevaeh But an autopsy revealed serious injuries to Nevaeh’s abdomen.

ä See TRIAL, page 2B

East Feliciana Parish public schools to adopt four-day week

and

and recruitment.

district had previously

but

the

reinstate a full school week in 2013 over concerns of low test

scores. East Feliciana joins a growing list. At least 10 school districts in Louisiana — Acadia, Cameron, Evangeline, Grant, LaSalle, Avoyelles, Caldwell, Beauregard, Franklin and Bogalusa — have some or all schools with four-day weeks.

STAFF PHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS

Nevaeh Allen

Murrill

La. death row inmate’s bid for new trial survives

State Supreme Court rules against attorney general

BY JOHN SIMERMAN Staff writer

A Louisiana death row inmate did not abandon his bid for a new trial by letting his petition gather dust for 20 years before a judge last year signed his death warrant, the Louisiana Supreme Court decided this week.

The vote was unanimous to reject Attorney General Liz Murrill’s challenge in the case of Larry Roy, who is sentenced to die for the 1993 fatal stabbings of Freddie Richard Jr and Rosetta Silas at a home in Rapides Parish.

Roy’s was one of three death warrants signed last year at the behest of local district attorneys upon Gov Jeff Landry’s announcement that the state was ﬁt to resume executions after a 15year hiatus using a new method: nitrogen gassing.

Judge Lowell Hazel, of the 9th Judicial District, at ﬁrst granted District Attorney Phillip Terrell’s

request for a death warrant for Roy but then quickly recalled it, ﬁnding Roy hadn’t spent his appeals.

Murrill’s ofﬁce countered that Roy had let his petition effectively lapse by waiting too long, prejudicing the state in its defense of the verdicts.

Terrell has pointed to an incident last year in which one of Roy’s surviving victims attacked the convicted killer in court arguing the delays need to end.

Terrell said Wednesday that his ofﬁce “is committed to do everything in our power to carry out the death sentence, and we will continue to do that” in Roy’s case. “We believe in this case, and we’re not going to let it go.”

Hazel blamed the District Attorney’s Ofﬁce for the delay, however, ﬁnding “the prejudice was in the State’s control.”

Hazel also wrote that prosecutors committed a “grave error” when they falsely claimed that one of Roy’s trial attorneys was dead, then failed to correct the error after he turned up alive.

The Supreme Court didn’t explain its decision in Roy’s case. In a concurring opinion, Chief Jus-

tice John Weimer found that Hazel “correctly rejected the state’s assertion that the passage of time is per se prejudicial.”

Roy’s attorney Blythe Taplin, declined to comment on Wednesday

Other death penalty cases

Attorney Matilde Carbia, of the Mwalimu Center for Justice, which represents dozens of death row inmates in Louisiana, said the court’s position could influence pending rulings in a few other death row cases.

They include that of Marcus Reed, who was condemned in Caddo Parish for the 2010 murder of three brothers; and former New Orleans Police Department Ofﬁcer Antoinette Frank, she said. Louisiana’s only woman on death row, Frank was convicted of one of the most notorious crimes in New Orleans history the slayings of fellow police Ofﬁcer Ronald Williams II, 17-year-old Cuong Vu and 24-year-old Ha Vu at the Kim Ahn Noodle House in New Orleans East.

Her co-defendant, Rogers Lacaze, was removed from death row in a 2019 deal with former Orleans

Family,

Parish District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro

Frank has argued that a lifetime of abuse at the hands of her father left her vulnerable to the influence of LaCaze, a drug dealer who she claims forced her to shoot the Vus.

Like in Roy’s case, Murrill has argued that Frank had the burden of moving her post-conviction case forward and failed.

The Republican attorney general downplayed Tuesday’s court ruling, calling it speciﬁc to Roy’s case.

“While the opinion is relevant to other cases as to how that statutory language is interpreted,” other factors prejudiced the state in many of those cases, Murrill said.

“We expect to see the Supreme Court sort through a number of issues arising from these longdelayed proceedings,” Murrill said “We will continue to defend the conviction and seek justice for the victims of Larry Roy’s heinous actions.”

New time limits

The law has since changed over how long a defendant has to pursue post-conviction relief. The Leg-

islature last year declared that a defendant must pursue their petitions in two years or “the delay is presumed to be prejudicial.”

In Roy’s case, his petition was initially denied, but the Louisiana Supreme Court in 2001 ordered an evidentiary hearing that would be canceled over missing records.

The judge then ordered the district attorney to produce ﬁles on a trial prosecutor, Cliff Strider, and to ﬁle a brief explaining why the district attorney was withholding records as “work product.”

But the district attorney never responded to the judge’s directive. According to an afﬁdavit from an attorney for Roy, a prosecutor discouraged her from pressing the case, telling her “nothing was going to happen in Mr Roy’s case as long as we were all waiting on him to ﬁle his brief.”

That’s as far it got until Terrell sought an execution warrant for Roy last year

Currently, none of Louisiana’s death row inmates is under an execution warrant. The execution of Jessie Hoffman last March remains the ﬁrst use of the death penalty in Louisiana since 2010, and the only using nitrogen gas.

JEFFERSON PARISH

friends remember fallen deputy as ‘big old softy’

Chris Ohlmeyer will be laid to rest Thursday

BY MICHELLE HUNTER Staff writer

For years, Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Ofﬁce Deputies Christopher Ohlmeyer, Kisha Mann and Michael Dowd patrolled the 4th District, protecting the neighborhoods of central and western Metairie, Elmwood and River Ridge.

The trio, who were more like siblings, had superhero code names for one another according to Mann. Dowd was “Superman” for the undershirts he liked to sport, and Mann was “Wonder Woman,” just because. Ohlmeyer was “the Hulk,” named for a muscled physique that cut an intimidating figure whenever he entered a room according to Mann.

“He was a big old softy,” she said. Ohlmeyer’s wife of 18 years, Desiree Ohlmeyer, agreed.

“Our daughter Olivia made him even softer when she was born,” she said.

Chris Ohlmeyer’s family, coworkers and friends have spent the past ﬁve days swapping stories, shedding tears and sharing laughs as they remember the 41-year-old father of two who died Jan. 30 after he was hit by a car while on his motorcycle, escorting a funeral procession in New Orleans.

The Sheriff’s Office will lay Ohlmeyer to rest Thursday with a viewing from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. followed by a funeral service at the Jefferson Parish Performing Arts Center at 6400 Airline Drive in Metairie.

Kind dance dad

In the days following his death,

Continued from page 1B

California Dr Remy Coeytaux was charged in January for mailing abortion pills to a woman in St. Tammany Parish who took them and terminated her pregnancy, Murrill’s ofﬁce says. New York Dr Margaret Carpenter was charged last year for mailing abortion medication to West Baton Rouge Parish, where it was taken by a teenage girl and ended her pregnancy, prosecutors say Abortion conflicts Legal scholars expect the conﬂict between states over abortion regulation to inevitably end up in front of the U.S. Supreme Court. Louisiana largely criminalizes abortion and has placed tight restrictions on the two medications that are commonly used together to terminate a pregnancy California and New York, in contrast, broadly allow abortion until fetal viability They’ve also passed state-level shield laws designed to prevent anti-abortion states from pursuing legal action against their residents over reproductive health care. “They don’t agree with the laws

Desiree Ohlmeyer said she’s heard from many about her husband’s kindness. One woman reached out after spotting his photo in news reports about the crash. The woman realized that Chris Ohlmeyer was the deputy who stopped her for speeding but was so delightful that she didn’t even mind taking the ticket.

“He was just the nicest person,”

Mann said Chris Ohlmeyer was born and raised in Metairie. He graduated from East Jefferson High School in 2005. He and Desiree Ohlmeyer

of our state, and so they have this whole system set up to nullify our laws,” Murrill said. “I think that is an affront to the full faith and credit that our state is afforded under the United States Constitution.”

The Constitution’s “full faith and credit clause” requires courts in one state to respect the laws and judgments of courts from other states, though there are exceptions.

Murrill said mailing abortion pills to Louisiana is like sending someone a gun who isn’t allowed to have one under state law or deadly drugs like fentanyl that end up killing a child.

“This conduct is unethical — medically unethical — in addition to being illegal,” she said.

Murrill said the legal question that will be at play in the federal lawsuits deals with the Constitution’s extradition clause, which requires states to respect extradition requests from other states for fugitives who commit crimes and “ﬂee from justice.”

“We’re dealing with some Supreme Court precedent that we think is wrong, but that’s what they’re relying on to say they can both nullify or laws and then protect people from having to answer for their illegal conduct in our state,” she said.

met when she was working at the Come Back Inn, a Metairie mom and pop restaurant.

The couple would playfully clash over who approached whom. Desiree Ohlmeyer insists that while she had a crush, it was he who took the first steps. Chris Ohlmeyer then took a job at the restaurant, and the two began dating a year later

“The rest is history,” Desiree Ohlmeyer said. The pair were loving, affectionate, cute and hilarious, according to Mann.

TRIAL

Continued from page 1B

“She had trauma so severe that it caused a laceration of her bowels, a serious bodily injury that posed a substantial risk of death,” Barrios Heap said.

Jarvis Claiborne, Cardwell’s defense attorney, said she was at work when the events that led to Nevaeh’s death occurred. He said she merely “popped” the toddler on the hand and may have chastised her, but nothing more than that.

“She didn’t have a clue that her daughter was brutalized, let alone missing,” the defense lawyer said. Gardner, Cardwell’s then-ﬁancé, was convicted of second-degree murder and obstruction of justice at the end of a two-week trial last May District Judge Fred Crifasi sentenced him to a mandatory life sentence Oct. 8. Claiborne reminded the jury that another person has been found guilty of killing Nevaeh and said investigators originally built the case against Cardwell largely on Gardner’s claim that he stuffed the child in a suitcase and buried her across state lines to cover up for his live-in girlfriend’s actions.

“I don’t believe my client’s guilty

Chris Ohlmeyer was a doting father to son Gavin, 20, and Olivia, 13. An eager dance dad, Ohlmeyer was front and center for his daughter’s recitals, according to Mann. And when Gavin was in high school wrestling for Archbishop Rummel, he was in the crowd with his eyes on the mat.

Though ﬁrm with Gavin, Olivia was daddy’s little princess who could do no wrong, the family recalled, laughing.

In the past few months, Gavin said his talks with his father had changed, becoming more wideranging and more mature. He said he felt closer to his dad.

“He was deﬁnitely a man of few words. But if you get to know him on a personal, deeper level, he was very powerful, and he had a lot of knowledge,” Gavin said.

Desire to help

Ohlmeyer set his sights on a career in law enforcement during a trip to the grocery store to buy baby food for Gavin. The couple witnessed a purse snatching in the parking lot, Desiree Ohlmeyer said.

“As soon as that man stole that lady’s purse, Chris chased him down. But there was a getaway car,” she said. “I think that was his ‘I want to help’ moment.” Ohlmeyer worked for two years with the Orleans Parish Sherriff’s Ofﬁce before joining the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Ofﬁce in 2011.

After transferring to the trafﬁc division a year ago, Ohlmeyer decided to take the department’s Basic Police Motorcycle Course, a rigorous 80-hour class that’s required to become a motorcycle deputy according to Mann.

“When he passed the class in September, he was so happy That was everything to him,” Mann

of any of the things she’s charged with, except perhaps choosing a bad person to live with,” Claiborne said.

Court documents allege Cardwell was in the bathroom preparing to go to work the morning of Sept. 24, 2021, when Nevaeh picked up her mother’s contact lenses and ripped one. An angry Cardwell struck her daughter in the torso with a closed ﬁst, according to the reports. Nevaeh fell backward and hit her head on a cabinet before her mother “forcefully grabbed” her and took her to another room. Neveah was crying and had a large bruise on her forehead when she came out of the room. Gardner told police it sounded like “two adults ﬁghting” from the next room.

During a forensic interview with FBI agents, one of Gardner’s daughters told authorities Cardwell slapped Nevaeh, kicked the child in the stomach and was “hitting her like a drum,” Barrios Heap said during Wednesday’s trial.

Cardwell corroborated hitting her daughter that morning, but denied striking her in the stomach and said Nevaeh was ﬁne when the family left the house to drop her off at work that morning.

East Baton Rouge Deputy Coroner Yen Van Vo, the forensic pa-

said.

Though they worried about him on the bike, friends and family knew Ohlmeyer would do everything in his power to be safe and ride by the book.

“His family, that’s his whole life,” Mann said. “He would never do anything that would jeopardize him coming home to his family.”

The New Orleans Police Department is still investigating the cause of the deadly wreck. But authorities have said Ohlmeyer was rear-ended by another vehicle during the funeral procession.

The biggest heart

Desiree Ohlmeyer said the nights have been the hardest, when the house is quiet and she must sleep alone.

“I’ve slept alone many nights because he was working details, but I knew he was coming home,” she said.

Chris Ohlmeyer has always been a loving presence and a partner in her life.

“Chris loved hard. He had the biggest heart,” she said.

The constant stream of visiting relatives and friends has helped immensely, Desiree Ohlmeyer said. Growing up her husband had a difﬁcult time opening up enough to make friends. He often felt isolated

But the stories and laughs shared by his Sheriff’s Ofﬁce colleagues in the days since his death have given her comfort knowing that he made countless friends who allowed him to be himself, to be silly to be serious, to be family

“The amount of support that we’ve gotten from the department,” she said, pausing, “I don’t want to lose this for my kids.”

Email Michelle Hunter at mhunter@theadvocate.com.

thologist that conducted Nevaeh’s autopsy, attributed the toddler’s death to 12 distinct blows to the head she suffered that day Vo testified that the effects of those blows would have been immediately apparent.

Video surveillance showed Nevaeh leaving the family’s apartment along West La Belle Avenue after Cardwell allegedly struck her in the stomach. She was seen on surveillance returning home with Gardner later that morning. Video showed the toddler walking upright with no effects of any injury That expert testimony at Gardner’s trial convinced prosecutors it was him who inﬂicted the fatal blows, not Cardwell.

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

PHOTO PROVIDED By FAMILy

Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office Deputy Chris Ohlmeyer, far left, his wife, Desiree Ohlmeyer daughter Olivia Ohlmeyer, son Gavin Ohlmeyer and Dakota Cope.

Daigle,Thomas St.John theBaptist Catholic Church in Zacharyat12pm

Mascarella,Hazel

St.GeorgeCatholic Church at 11am

Royal,Anthony NewMt. OliveBaptist Church in Grosse Tete,Laat11am. SumrallGriffin,Delores Greenoaks Memorial Park,9595 Florida Blvd., BatonRouge,LAat

12pm

Funerals Today as well as numerous niecesand nephews whom she loveddearly. Sharon's legacy isone of faith, love, generosity, and joy. She willbeprofoundly missed and foreverremembered by allwho were blessed to know her.Serviceswillbe held on Saturday, February 7, at 2:30 p.m.,withvisitation beginning at 1:30 p.m. at Resthaven Funeral Home, located at 11817Jefferson Hwy, Baton Rouge, LA 70816.

Obituaries

Bilbo, Sharon Marsal

Sharon Anne Marsal Bil-

bo, age 82, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, went home to be with her LordonFebruary 2, 2026, surrounded by family and friends. Born on September 20, 1943, Sharon was alifelong source of joy, faith, and light to all who knew her. Anativeof Mobile, Alabama,Sharon attended Bishop Toolen Catholic School and later Spring Hill College, where her love of learning and the arts flourished. An avid reader with alifelong curiosity, she also brought her sharp mind and dedication to Associated Reporters of Baton Rouge, where she served as the office manager for many years. Sharon was adevoted wife to herbeloved husband, Charlie, and aloving mother to her children, Brad and Laura. Nothing brought her greater joy than her grandchildren, Charles and Seth, who were truly the light of her life.A faithful memberof Community Bible Church, Sharon loved her church deeply and shared her faithboldly. She never met astranger and took every opportunity to pray for those in need. She hada rare gift for filling aroom with laughter, warmth, and life. Sharon lived fully in the moment, loved deeply, laughed often, and touched countless lives along the way. Sharon was preceded in death by her husband, Charles E. Bilbo; her son, Bradley A. Bilbo; her parents, Marcelino A. Marsal and Marguerite Reynolds; andher siblings, Margie Marsal Nicolson, Catherine Marsal West, Joyce Marsal Guth, Patricia Marsal Vetter, and her brother, Marceline A. "Bubba" Marsal.She is survived by her daughter, Laura, and her husband, Gary Comeaux,ofBaton Rouge, Louisiana; her grandchildren,Charles Bilbo (Eliza) and Seth Comeaux (Madi);

Emrick,FeltonT.

Felton T. Emrick,89, a residentofBaton Rouge, LA, passedawaypeace‐fully at hishomesur‐rounded by hisloved ones onFebruary2,2026. He was bornonJune 19,1936, in Winnsboro,LAand moved toBaton Rougeafter at‐tending Northeast College inMonroe, LA.Felton joinedthe BatonRouge Fire Department, retiring in 1992 as aDistrictFireChief after 34 yearsofservice Feltonwas adevoted memberofFosterRoad Baptist Church where he servedasa deacon.Felton issurvivedbyhis loving wife of 65 years, Anita ThrushEmrick; three blessedsons, Ronald Ron" Emrick (Shamekia) ofGreenwell Springs, Scott Emrick(Stephanie) of Cen‐traland Lane Emrick of Baton Rouge; onesister, Treva Emrick of Jonesville; one brother, Danny Michael Emrick (Teresa) of Damascus, AR;fourgrand‐children, Allison, Sarahand Chase Emrick of Central and step grandson Micah DaneSanchez of Saint Amant;fourgreat-grand‐children, MackenzieFloyd, Daniel, Alexis andJohn Percy SanchezofSaint Amant andnumerous nieces, nephews, great niecesand greatnephews Heisprecededindeath by his parentsRiley andEvie Lebeaux Emrick of Wisner, LA; sister,JoAnn Emrick Jones of Watson,LAand stepgrandson, John Devin Sanchez of Central, LA.Vis‐itation will be held on Feb‐ruary 6, 2026, at BakerFu‐neral Home at 6401 Groom Road, Baker, LA 70714 from 10:00 a.m. until theservice beginsat12:00 p.m.,with Brother Mike Morris ofﬁci‐ating.Interment at Hill‐crest Memorial Gardens Mausoleum in Baker, LA nextdoor to thefuneral home. We wouldliketoex‐pressour heartfeltgrati‐

tude to Donna,Brittany and Ashley with Compas‐sus FirstHospice forthe caretheyprovidedfor our loved one. Pallbearerswill behis nephewsDanny,Jeff and StacyJones,Codyand Joe Higdon andstepgrand‐son MicahDaneSanchez

Gilly, Branson Leigh

Branson Leigh Gilly, a nativeand resident of BatonRouge,LA, passed away on Sunday, February 1, 2026, at theage of 26. He was alovingson, brother and friend. He enjoyed his family,friends, music, travel,adventure, cooking, reading, gaming, and his dogs. He was preceded in death by his paternal grandmother,Marilynn Bordelon Gilly; and hismaternal grandfather, Michael J. Uter. He is survivedbyhis loving dogs, Bunny and Franklin; parents, Kristen Uter Mayeux and hisstepdad,Kenny, and Leigh Gilly and his stepmomLisa;siblings, Nathan Gilly, Josephine Gilly, Davis Gilly, 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

Henderson,Kevin Wayne

Kevin Wayne Henderson Sr. aproud Rastafarian! was preceded in deathby his mother, father, 2brothersand 3sisters. He leaves behind 2sons, 8grand children,1 greatgrandchild, 5 sisters,2 brothers and a host of nieces, nephews and otherfamily and friends. He was definitely a youngKinginour family and he willtruly be missed, forever rejoiced and never forgotten. Avisitation willbeheldfrom 10:30 AM to 11:00 AM on 2026-02-06 at HallDavis & Sons ,9348 Scenic Hwy.

Afuneralservicewillbe held at 11:00 AM on 2026-02 -06 at Hall Davis &Sons, 9348 Scenic Hwy.

Ralph Norman Jones, parents LeeBrown Fleniken andBessieForbes Fleniken, asister Lorraine Withersand other family members. Visitation wasatCrain Funeral Home Wednesday January28th from 6:00 pm until8:00 pm and after9:00 am on Thursday. Afuneral service washeld in thefuneralhomechapel at 11:00 am Thursday with Rev. Scott Brelandofficiating Burial followed in theEnon Baptist Church Cemetery

herhusband, Theodore R. "Ted" Lieux, herinfant daughters, JaneElizabeth andAnneMarie, herparents, John Esper Marionneauxand Maria Alice GravoisMarionneaux, and hereldest brother, John EsperMarionneaux, Jr Thefamilywould like to express theirdeepestgratitude to physicians, Lara Falcon,MDand Joseph Deumite,MD; hercaregivers, Mary AnnBattley, Louise Joseph,Joyce Dixon,Janice Temple and Iotomeos Butler,and the nursesand staff of St Joseph Hospice.Inlieuof flowersand masses, the familyasks that memorial donationsbemade to St Augustine Catholic Church Building Fund, P.O. Box 548, NewRoads, LA 70760.

Jones, Barbara Fleniken'Bobbie' Barbara Ann Fleniken Jones, age83, and aresident of thePlainviewCommunity passed away early Sunday morning January 25, 2026 at St. Tammany Parish Hospital, just short of herbirthdayofJanuary 28, 1942. Bobbie,asshe was known,was retired aftera 40 year careerwith theWashington Parish LibrarySystem. She was managerofthe Enon Branch Library formany years and also served as manager of theFranklinton location formany years before retiring.She was a longtime member of Plainview Baptist Church, whereshe was involved with theLadies Sunday School class. Bobbiewas a shepherdess, raising sheepalongside her family for many years, including showing sheepat4-H livestockshows during her son's youth. She also raised horsesonthe family farm. Bobbieand her husband lovedriding their Trikemotorcycle, taking many tripsaround thearea especially alongthe Natchez Trace, from Mississippi all theway into Tennessee.She enjoyed arts and craftsand made unique pins that she gave to friendsand family to wear. Survived by: Son: Chat Jones of Plainview, Sister and Brother in law: Yvonne "Teeny"and James "Jim"Womack of Zachary, Niece:VandaKay Manino and husband Mike Manino, Nephew: Randall Withers and wife Ashley Withers, Great-niece: Vallen Camp and husband Ashley Camp, Great-great-niece: Juniper Camp She wasprecededin death by her husband

Mary Alice Marionneaux Lieux, born February 7, 1933 in Plaquemine, LA died peacefullyand enteredintothe Kingdom of God on January 27, 2026. Visitation will be on Saturday, February 7atNiland's Funeral Home in New Roadsfrom8:30 to 10:30 am followed by the Mass of theResurrectionat11 am celebrated by Rev. MilesWalsh. Burial to follow at St.Mary Cemetery. Mary Alice wasa graduate of Livonia High School. She received aB.S. in ElementaryEducation from the University of Southwestern Louisiana andM.Ed. in Supervision from LSU. She did post graduate work at Nichols State University and LSU. Mary Alice was a devotededucator whobegan herteaching career at OpelousasElementaryand Livonia Elementary. On November 23, 1957, Mary Alice marriedTheordore Richard (Ted) Lieux. Her teachingcareerwas puton hold after hermarriage as she and herhusbandbegan theirfamily. In 1963, at therequest of theSisters of St.Joseph,she returned to theclassroom. She spent 8yearsasa teacher and15yearsasmiddle school principal at Catholic of Pointe Coupee. Sheretiredin1990 after 4years as ateacheratHoly Family in Port Allen. She is survivedbyher threechildren,Sr. Lynne Lieux, RSCJ, Margaret Alice Lieux Pavlovich (Steve), and Theodore Richard Lieux, Jr MD (LeaAnn). Sheisalso survivedbyher four grandchildrenwho were thedelight of herlife: Caroline LieuxSowell,MD (Erik),TheodoreR."Ted" Lieux, III (AnnaClaire), MollyLieux Furrow, MD (Michael) and Jack Lieux, andher great grandson, John Sowell.She is also survived by herbrother, JamesMarionneaux (Imogene) andnumerous nieces andnephews. She waspreceded in death by

StewartIII, Henry Lloyd On Thursday, January 29, 2026, The Lordreminded us through Job1:21 that He is theOne WhoGiveth andthatHeIsThe One WhoTaketh Away when He summoned hischild, Henry Lloyd Stewart, III to his Heavenly home. The Lord allowed Henry to enjoy 90 years of his Earthly bounty. Henry's journey began on November 26, 1935, the 333rdday of that year, in Kenner,Louisiana, as the second childand first son of hisparents,Henry Lloyd Stewart, Jr.and Florence Stewart. The secondof six siblings, Henryenjoyed thecompanyofhis eldest sibling, Irma, andyounger siblings Donald (Harold), Harville,Equillaand Hiram. As acaveat, Henry would probably enjoy sharing that Hiram, the youngest of thebunch,isthe top African-AmericanDog Handler in theworld! Aproud graduate of Booker T. Washington High School in NewOrleans, Henrycontinued hispostsecondary education at theesteemed Xavier University in NewOrleans, Louisiana, wherehe earneda Bachelor of Arts in Spanishwith aminor in Social Studies. Henry also earneda Master of Education in Administration and Supervision from Southern University in Baton Rouge andenjoyed Doctoral Study in Communications andLatin American Studiesatthe University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg,Mississippi. Henryalso studied Spanish Language andCulture at theInstitute of Spanish at theUniversity of ArizonainGuadalajara, Mexico. Henrycontinued matriculating collegiately at Louisiana State Universitywhere he studied Journalism, French andRussian. Linguistically, Henry

Lieux, MaryAlice

See more DEATHS page

It’sbeen almost six monthssince an explosion at Smitty’sSupply Inc., near Roseland,sent ash andchemicals spewing into the air,forcing the evacuation of about 800 nearbyresidents. At the time, we called for athorough investigationinto the causes of the Aug. 22 explosion at thelubricants plant and for any whocontributedtothe tragedy to be held to account.

In its industrialcorridor along theMississippi River,Louisiana hosts hundredsofcompanies that make and export chemicals essentialto our nation’smanufacturing base. And inthe bargain forthe economicactivitytheybring, residents have aright to expect thatwhen accidents happen, as they invariably will, state andfederal ofﬁcialswillact swiftlyto determinewhathappened and take preventive steps tomake sure it doesn’thappen again.

With the Smitty’sexplosion, thankfully no one was killed orseriously injured.But amongthe hundreds of residents evacuated fromtheir homes,someface extensivedamagetotheir property as amassive ﬁreburnedfor days, leavingthe area covered in oily soot

At the time, we applauded Gov.Jeff Landry and Tangipahoa Parish officials, who were quick to contain the environmental impacts andto test air and watertomake sure theywere safe for residents Last month, we began to learn more about the investigation into Smitty’s.Officials with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency confirmed it had opened acriminal probe into the company last year that includedawarrant forasearchofthe complex in mid-November. While the agencywould not saywhether the criminal investigation is stillongoing, itdid order Smitty’stocorrect several violationsinthe way it handles and stores hazardouswaste that resulted from an inspection more thanamonth before thesearch warrant

The list of violations is alarming.Inspectors visited areas of the complex that were not damaged by fire between Oct.7and 9. Theynoted areas of the floor covered with leaks, containers of hazardous materials that were poorly labeled andinone corner of the grease plant, aspigot stuffed with arag leaking an unknown liquid onto the floor

The EPAgave Smitty’s60daystocorrect these problems, and the owners of thecompany saytheyare cooperating with theEPA investigation. Meanwhile, the LouisianaDepartmentof Environmental Quality and theEPA have sued Smitty’s, saying it repeatedly failedtofollow pollution-control lawsand maintain plansfor spill prevention. It’sencouraging to see such arobust response to this tragedy,even as stateand federal ofﬁcialsmovetoweaken environmentalenforcement and cut agency staff. One would hope what happenedatSmitty’s would be awake-up call. Regulations are only wordsonpaper if there’snoone theretoenforce them

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

La.marathonshowed BatonRouge at itsbest

What an epic weekend it was for the15th anniversary of the Louisiana Marathon in Baton Rouge. It doesn’tget any better for aBaton Rouge-born and based company to host such aspecial event.The weather was perfect for our over 9,000 participants. Hotels and restaurantswere full with runners and their families and friends. The atmosphere in Baton Rouge was electric as the community welcomed runners from all 50 states and 15 countries.

FreshJunkie Racingisthankful to Mayor-President Sid Edwards and his team for their support and recognition of the contributions that are made to the community during marathon weekend. Thank you to our public safety partners from law enforcement (Baton Rouge Police Department, East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Ofﬁce, the Department of Public Safety,LouisianaState Police and others), East Baton Rouge EMS and Baton Rouge FireDepartment who ensured asafe environment for everyone. We are also thankful to

Almosteveryone Iknow is tired of President Donald Trump’slies, bullying, and most of all, his seemingly getting away with everything. This will not stop until thereckoning comes for him, as it surely will.

Until that happy day,maybe we should look for virtue within the lies. After all, the lies have revealed somehard truths about our country, truths that would have remain obscured otherwise.

First,asurprisingly large number of people actively hate theAmerica mostofuswere taught to love. They don’twant to expend effort or tax dollars to expand opportunity by making America fairer,smarter healthier and more humane. They don’tcare about history and would rather have fascism than ademocracy committed to those ideals.

Second, asmall group of people with lots of money are willing to sacriﬁce everything else about America to keep taxes low and regulations nonexistent so they can keep even moremoney

Baton Rouge Trafﬁc Engineering, theDepartment of Public Works and theother government agencies who assist with the logistics of hosting such alarge-scale event.

Finally,aspecial thank you to the Baton Rouge community whoyear after year serve as agreat host for runners from around theworld. You open your neighborhoods and businesses to theLouisiana Marathon participants.

From thecommunity volunteers who serve at the event to the neighborhood residentswho set up aid stations in their front yards forparticipants, this event does not happen without your support. For that, we are forever grateful. As we look toward 2027, our goal is 10,000-plus participants. And with thecontinued support of the Baton Rouge community,weare excited about what lies ahead. So whether you are an eliteathlete or have dreamsofdoing your ﬁrst 5K, get ready because all are welcome.

MIKEWATTIGNY

Fresh Junkie Racing,Baton Rouge

Third, thecourts will not save us if Congress remains supine. Fourth, Congress willremain supine as long as Republicans fear their primary voters’ attachment to the“Liar in Chief” more than they love our country Fifth, Democrats have dithered so long their brand is tarnished, perhaps fatally.Ataminimum,they need new leadership that listens better and agrees to contestevery election everywherewithlocal candidates.

Despite all this,NoKings Days, thewidespread and growing resistance to ICE’sGestapo tactics and theway people in every red corner of this country instantly offer to help when Itake my wife’swheelchair out of our Jeep, provethat a majority of us actually do want a decent and caring America. Perhaps we need to persuade more people not to fear equality,sothat the reckoning will be moreofa party than a war

LEN NICHOLS NewOrleans

If you’ve ever struggled to find highquality health care providers in our region, it could get even harder That’sbecause the U.S. Department of Education is proposing to limit how much money graduate students aiming to becomephysician assistants (PAs) or nurse practitioners (NPs) can borrow from the federal government to attend school. The proposed rule does this by excluding PAs, NPsand other nonphysicians from graduate programs that it defines as “professional.” The movecould devastate the pipeline for students like me whowant to earn advanced degrees —and worsen the shortage of health care professionals. Federal loans helped me to becomea licensed phlebotomist, earn acertificate in hospital billing and coding and, this spring Iwill finish an associate’sdegree in biology at LSU’sEunice campus. I’ve just accepted ascholarship to complete my bachelor’satFranciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University.After that, Iplan to attend the university’s PA master’sprogram.It’sanexcellent program,but it’sexpensive. Iwill need federal loans beyond the Department of Education’slimits to finish it. Congress should uphold its commitmenttoaddress the U.S. health care workforce shortage by urging the Department of Education to change its proposed rule. I’mgrateful that U.S. Rep. Mike Lawler,R-NY, introduced the Professional Student Degree Act, which would define “professional degree” to include PAsand other nonphysician professions and allow us higher loan limits. Congress needs to do everything it can to enable students like me to get the education we need to provide care in our communities.

KYLA LEE Carencro

President Donald Trumpseems to be very skilled at exposing our weaknesses while diminishing our strengths as a nation.

STEVE SCHMIDT NewOrleans

Taxthe Virginia dog(walker)

At ﬁrst it seemed like something from the satirical website Babylon Bee. The new governor of Virginia, the “moderate” Democrat AbigailSpanberger,has proposedatax hike on services such as dogwalking and grooming. Additional proposed taxhikes include levies on guns and ammunition, storage facilities, dry cleaning, home repairs, food delivery services, package deliveriesand anew personal property taxonelectric leaf blowers (but notgas-poweredblowers?) andelectric landscaping equipment.

achievementmight be emulated, at leastinpart, by his successor,but Democratsare not used to cutting taxes andmany enjoy following the latest kookytrend. What they are used to is raising taxes and increasing spending, which nearly alwaysresultsinoutcomes that arecounter-productive.

There is no economic reason forraising taxes in Virginia. When his single term expired last month,Republican Gov. GlennYoungkin left behind numerous successes,includinga large budget surplus of $572 million, above theprojectedforecast. Thatmade four consecutiveyears of surpluses, resulting in $10billionin surplus revenue. Youngkin achieved this by cutting taxes and creating an economic environment attractiveto newbusiness while incentivizingtaxpayers He also started amini revolution when he exposedsome of thethings being taught about gender andboysin girls’ bathrooms in Loudoun County public schools.

One would think such arecord of

As if those proposed new taxes aren’tenough, Spanberger wants to raise thetop marginal tax rate. SomeDemocrats are proposing arate of 10 %onincomeover $1 million. One proposal would push the top rateto13.8 percent. If enacted, that would putVirginia ahead of California and givethe Commonwealth the dubiousdistinction of having the highest state tax rate in the nation. That coldwave Virginians are feeling is not onlycaused by thewintry weather.It’sthe breezecreated by people leaving high-tax states like New York and New Jersey for no-tax states like Florida, Texasand agrowing number of others.

Spanbergersold herself to voters as a“moderate.” The media never challenged her on that label. Quick,can youdeﬁne theword moderate? What does that mean when it comes to policies? Do moderates favor lower taxes? Are they opposed to men in women’s sports? What about open borders? Beingonthe wrong side of these issues

contributed to Democrats’ defeat in last year’selection, although recent special elections won by Democrats seem tohave been moreabout disliking President Trumpthan opposition to his policies, mostofwhich appear to be working.

Here’sthe dictionary.com definition of moderate: “kept or keeping within reasonable or proper limits; not extreme, excessive, or intense.” Given what Spanberger and some members of her majority Democrat legislature are proposing in new taxes, that definition does not fit their political and economic profile.

It’shard to believe that amajority of Virginians would embrace aset of policies that are directly opposite the successful ones of Glenn Youngkin, but given theweak candidacy of his lieutenant governor,Winsome Sears, and amedia that engaged in acover-up of Spanberger’strue beliefs —combined with President Trump’sunpopularity —itwasn’tdifﬁcult to predict the outcome.

If these tax increases are passed, look for some Virginians and businesses that prospered during theYoungkin administration to join the exodus that is now occurring from other states to moreeconomically warmer climes, and they’re taking their dogs with them.

Email Cal Thomasat tcaeditorstribpub.com.

Immigrationbacklashshowing Trumpthe limits of theatrics

Even President Donald Trumpseems less than thrilled with thetenureof GregoryBovino,the Border Patrol commanderwho oversaw thecatastrophicMinneapolis operation that resulted in the deaths of Renée Good and Alex Pretti.

“Bovino is very good,” Trumptold Fox News, “but he’sapretty out-there kind of aguy.And in some cases, that’s good. Maybe it wasn’t good here.”

Thomas Jefferson doesn’thave much in common with TimWalz, but in his moreradical moments, the Sage of Monticello might have appreciated the spirit of the Minnesota governor’scampaign to resist federal immigration enforcement.

In 1798, Jefferson authored aﬁrst draftofthe Kentucky Resolutions outlining apurported right of states to nullifyoverreach by the federal government.

The Kentucky Resolutions and arelated effort in Virginia —were aresponse to the Alien and Sedition Acts passed by the Federalists and considered repressive and unconstitutional by Jefferson and his partisan compatriots.

Jefferson urged the states to declare “these acts void, and of no force.” They should see that “neither these acts, nor any others of the General Government not plainly and intentionally authorized by the Constitution, shall be exercised within their respective territories.”

The former secretary of state and future president posited that “every state has anatural right to nullifyoftheir own authority all assumptions of power by others within their limits.”

The president has learned —oratleast neatly illustrated —a vital lesson that eludes many Americans: Personnel is policy Bovino, alongtime law enforcementofﬁcial with apenchant for theatrics, answers to aboss who shares that weakness: Kristi L. Noem, the secretary of homeland security,whose self-dramatizing gestures frequently backﬁre. This appeals to our reality-star-in-chief for obvious reasons, but at least Trump has some political cunning anda keen sense of what audiences like. Noem,by contrast, believed she could somehow appeal to the American public byreminiscing about shooting her own dog Instead, it may well haveknockedher offTrump’svice president shortlist.

Putting theater kids in charge of a sensitive law enforcement operation was amistake. That error was compoundedbywho was sent to carry out their orders. As Peter Moskos, aformer police ofﬁcer and criminology professor at John Jay College, has pointed out, urban cops have more training and experience with urban policing than Border Patrol —including dealing with rowdy protesters.

Contrast that with RandyClarke, who runs the WashingtonMetropolitan Area Transit Authority.WMATA has had problems for decades: underfunding, deferred maintenance, safety disasters, reduced hours andangry riders. Thepandemic tipped atroubled agency into full-blown crisis. In 2022, when Clarke took over,bus ridership was down by one-third from prepandemic levels, Metro ridership by almost two-thirds.

With all of Metro’sstructural problems and the work-from-home revolution, Iwondered if WMATAcould recover.Then Clarke made it work.Bus ridership now approximates its2019 average, and Metro ridership,having steadily improved every year,ﬁnished 2025 at two-thirds the old level. Backto-ofﬁce mandates helped,but askany Washingtonian (includingme) and you’ll hear that they’re back on Metro because it suddenlygot good again.As snow and bitter cold shutthe citydown

this week,WMATA was one of the few partsofthe government that seemed to function properly

Yetwhen the “Statecraft” podcast interviewed Clarke last year,nothing he saidsounded like rocket science. His superpowers are clear: sensible priorities and relentless execution. Clarke cracked down on fare evasion and prioritized safety and frequency, thethings riderscare about most. “The reality is, the basic stuff is themost important stuff, all thetime,” he told host SantiRuiz.

That’ssimilartowhat Iheard on my podcast acouple of weeks ago when I interviewed the legendary police commissioner William Bratton, who turned aroundNew York’ssky-high crimerate in the 1990s. His secret sauce? Believing police could meaningfully reduce crime, ﬁndingways for them to do it and surrounding himself withinnovativethinkerswho werecommitted to the mission. Putthat way, these leadership triumphs sound stupidly easy.But in government,theyare unconscionably hard. American politics doesn’tselect for able administrators; it selects for charismatic people who look good on television while making grandiose promises of policy transformation. Even when their grand ideas are good, they tend to fall apart in the execution. That failure happens at all levels. Political appointees are frequently chosen for coalition management or media visibility —rather than the ability to get things done. The civil service, meanwhile, is simply not built

for excellence. Its hiring system is an archaic, byzantine messthat seems almost designed to filter out extraordinary candidates. The chief benefitsof working for thegovernment —great benefitsand job security—attract risk-averse rule followersmore than superstars and visionaries. Even when superstars with athirst for public service manage to jump through therequired hoops, they find that once inside, they are encased in decades’ worthofprocedural sludge, designed on the assumption that bureaucrats are malevolent idiots who can’tbetrusted tochange aprinter cartridge without a60-page manual governing their every move. Asufficiently creative and motivated person can manage to clear away enough of thesludge to makethings happen, as Bratton and Clarke demonstrate. But of course, many creative and motivated people decide they have better thingstodowith their time than sludge clearance.

This problem is at theroot of many of our other political challenges. Americans just don’ttrust their government to workwell, and that distrust breeds all manner of dysfunctions. Unfortunately,our theories about how to ﬁx this problem are often backward. We talk endlessly about what government should do but seldom about who should do it

Yetthe who frequently matters more than all the rest.

MeganMcArdle is on X, @asymmetricinfo.

Jefferson’sdraftwas toned downbefore the Kentucky Resolutions were adopted, while Virginia passed its own version drafted by James Madison. When the federal government undertook a“deliberate, palpable, and dangerous exercise” of unconstitutional powers, it averred, the states are “in duty bound, to interpose, for arresting the progress of the evil.” It wasnever quite spelled out what this interposition actually entailed. No one will ever accuse Gov. Walz or Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey of being supple political thinkers on the order of Jefferson or Madison, but they are getting at aversion of the samething in their contention that they should have de facto veto power over the nature and extent of federal immigration enforcement in Minnesota.

The state’slawsuit against the Trumpadministration seeking to stop the enforcement surge relies, in an echo of the 18th-century resolutions, on the 10th Amendment, which reserves powers not granted to the federal government to the states. Alawyer forMinnesota has called the Department of Homeland Security surge an “unlawful and unchecked invasion,” as if the state is aseparate country that can makeits own immigration policy Then, there’sthe direct action against DHS agents in the streets. Encouraged by public ofﬁcials, it is meanttomake Minnesota such ahostile environment forDHS that it has no choice but to quit the ﬁeld and accede to the state’s immigration priorities and jettison its own. This is, in effect, aheckler’sveto over federal immigration enforcement.

All of this ﬂies in the face of the Supremacy Clause of the Constitution, which says that federal law takes precedence over conﬂicting state laws.

Jefferson and Madison had an excuse back when the federal role had not been ﬁrmly established, although other states at the time strongly rejected the resolutions. In along series of decisions, stretching from the iconic McCulloch v. Maryland in 1819 through cases occasioned by state resistance to school desegregation in the 1950s through today,the SupremeCourt has vindicated the Supremacy Clause.

This is not to say,obviously,that states don’t have their sovereign powers; it’sjust that immigration policy is not one of them. In the Obama years, the SupremeCourt held that federal power in this area is so “broad” and “undoubted” that even state-level lawsinArizona meant to complement the federal enforcement regime didn’tpass muster

There is somechance, though, that Minnesota is going to get away with it. The political reaction to the tragic deaths of Renee Goodand Alex Pretti has the administration suddenly singing adifferent tune on the Minneapolis operation, and Trumpallies calling on him to stand down. Maybe the president can get adeal worth having with the state, but the situation is alittle like Florida deciding it doesn’tlike federal taxes and wringing concessions from the IRSbased on massive grassroots resistance to tax collection.

More than 200 years after the Kentucky Resolutions, aversion of nulliﬁcation still lives. Rich Lowry is on X, @RichLowry.

Cal Thomas

ega McArdle M n

Rich Lowry

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By EVAN VUCCI

President Donald Trumpspeaks during an event in the Oval Office last month in Washington, D.C.

continued studying other world languages in his leisure which prompted him to speak English, Spanish, French, Italian, German, Russian and Arabic. Henry began hisprofessional career by serving as aSpanish Instructor with the Orleans Parish School System. Upon moving to Baton Rouge, Henry taught Spanish at Capitol High, Southern University and Saint Francis Xavier Catholic School. As a Spanish teacher, Henry bedazzled his students with his dynamic teaching style, with his students endearingly calling him, Senior Stewart! Other than aprofessor of Spanish at Southern University in Baton Rouge, the faculty and staff thought enough of Henry's leadership to elect him Faculty Senate President. Henry culminatedhis tenure at Southern University by serving as the Marketing Representative of the NASA Southern University IndustrialApplications Center. After leaving his tenure at Southern University, Henry served the Louisiana Department of Education as the Program Manager Coordinator for the Distance Learning Network where he ensured that all public schools across Louisiana possessedinternetaccess. This initiative sparked the evolution of the exploding virtual school craze that has become normalized today. The highlight and most publicized of Henry's professional portfolio began in 1972when Henry received an "out-of-theblue" telephone call from Mr. CarltonCremeens, the News Director with Baton Rouge's CBS affiliate, WAFB-TV, Channel 9. Carltonheard Henry deliver a speech and professed to be so impressed that he telephoned Henry to ask if he would be interested in joining Channel 9asa news reporter. After discussing the matter with his wife, Blanche, Henry agreed,and, WOW!, this sky-rocketed Henry to become the most popular,pioneering "African-American television journalist in this and surrounding markets. And what a13-year ride thiswas! Henry went from reporter,toanchoring "Perspective." "Perspective" grew to become

DEATHS continued from thenumber one, locally produced, public-affairs television broadcast in its categoryand timeslot. Some of Henry's most notable interviews were with Jesse Jackson when he ranfor president, Mother Theresa,DavidDuke who was the Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klanand Benjamin Hooks, who was The National Presidentof the NAACP, on the same set! Thiswas history-making,for noother TV network in the history of Americawas ever ableto featurethese two individualsonthe same broadcast! It took hours to tape this 30-minute broadcast for these gentlemen were proverbially, "going at each other's throats!" After 13 yearsand the lack-of-privacy from being a"pioneering" AfricanAmerican media personality that encompassed workingwith WAFB-TV, Henry workedside-by-side with other Louisiana media -moguls like Beth George Courtney, President and CEO,emerita with Louisiana PublicBroadcasting, the effervescent Maxine Crump, President and CEO of Dialogueon Race Louisiana, which Henry deems the organization hosting the most powerfulconversation thatour nation needs to have, Dr. JeffSimon,broadcastjournalist extraordinaire,Baton Rouge's legendary television news anchor, John Mahaffey,Pat Shingleton,Baton Rouge's "premier weatherman' emeritus, and of course, the"Mother Voice" emerita of WXOK,AM1460, Eula MaeHatter,toname afew. Henry enjoyed an outstanding mass media career!

Henryalsoservedasan Anchor/Hostand Moderator with WLPB-TV,WVLATV in Baton Rouge and withthe University of Southern Mississippi, again, in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

Otherthan his wonderful upbringing with his parents,his sibling's, other family membersand the communitythatnurtured his formative years in his native, Kenner, Louisiana, Henry's pinnacle experience began the dayhemet theloveofhis life, hiswife, Blanche, in college, at the esteemed Xavier University in NewOrleans. Henry shouted from the mountain topsthat the happiest day of his life wasonAugust 25, 1962,when he ex-

changed wedding vows with his wife, Blanche! Managing their relationship by thewordofthe Lord,Henry and Blanche's unionbrought forththeir four children, Stephen Henry, ShelliBridget, Susan Carmeland Scindy Elise.Henry and Blanche enjoyed their Christ-centered 55-year marriage untildeath did they part when thegoodLordsummoned Blanche to her eternal Heavenly home on December 8, 2017.

Other than his professionaland family journey, Henry was apowerful community advocate who was always fightingfor justiceand equity forALL, on numerous fronts.

With his home being near Baton Rouge's Metropolitan Airport, Henry, single-handedly fought theFederal AviationAdministrationand was successfulinconvincing them to allocate 33 million dollars insteadofthe three million that it had allocated to eitherpurchaseorinsulate homes located in potentiallydangerous flight and noise paths.

Post retirement, and philanthropically,Henry would ask everyonehe knew to drop off aluminum cans to his home where he soldthe cans to recycling businesses which allowed he and Blanche to donate thousandsofdollars to charitable causesontop of their personal contributions.

For approximately 20 years, throughout fig season, Henry picked many Baton Rouge residents' fig trees drywhileBlanche had all four burners burning around-the-clock, allowing this "dynamicduo to produce thefinest-tasting figjam, ever! Blanche and Henrysoldtheir "classified formula" fig jam and donated thethousands that they raised from this venture to The Sisters of theHolyFamily,Saint FrancisXavierCatholic School and The Baton Rouge Chapterofthe XavierUniversity Alumni Association.

Henry and Blanche's "fig -jam" venture prompted one of their favorite nieces, Zoe' Francis Howard,toendearingly nickname them "The Figmonds!"

Henry was adistinguishedKnight with the Knights of Peter Claver, Court 116 at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church. The KnightsofPe-

ter Claver is theonlynational African-American Catholicfraternity.

Henry also served honorably as aMarksman and Dental Assistant in the United States Army for3 years. Overall, Henry was a quiet, humble, introspective,intellectual giant and rabid reader who despised racism, bigotry and arrogance,and like his father, fought aone-man battle on many frontsagainst "thepowers-that-be" in an attempt to ensureequityfor ALL!

Henry is preceded in death by his wonderful parents, twosiblings, Irma and Donald(Harold), his lovely humble, dutifuland faithful wife, Blanche, his greatgranddaughter, Journey, and ahost of other relatives and friends. Henryisimmediately survived by his children, Stephen Shelli, Susan and Scindy. Henry's eyes and spirit were not largeenoughto express thejoy he experienced from his grandchildren,Jullian O'Neal,Lauren Elizabethand Summer Elizabeth, and hisgreat grandson, Jullian O'Neal,Jr. Henry'schildren Stephen, Shelli, Susan and Scindy graciously invite all to celebrate Henry'sMass of Christian Burial with them on Friday, February 6, 2026, at ImmaculateConception CatholicChurch located at 1565 Curtis Street in BatonRouge

Prior to Henry's funeral mass at High Noon, Stephen, Shelli, Susan, Scindyand theremainder of thefamily invite allwho desiretovisit with them and Henryfrom 10:00am until thebeginning of Henry's funeralmass, again, at High Noon.

The family wouldliketo thank theImmaculateConception CatholicChurch Family under thedynamic pastorageofReverend Thomas F. Clark,SJ., the Saint Francis Xavier CatholicChurch Family, and Hospice of Baton Rouge. As we've saved the finest for last,again, Henry'schildren, Stephen, Shelli, Susan and Scindy, and hissiblings, Harville, Equilla, and Hiramexpress our profound gratitude to Mrs. Patricia Major and Ms. Racheal Hypolite, who literallylived with and lovingly and unhesitatingly cared for Henry's every needfor the last 31/2 years of his earthly journey! Pat and Racheal,weloveyou

unimaginably, and you will forever live in ourhearts, minds, prayersand spirit! Following Henry's intermentatGreen Oaks Memorial Park, the familyinvites all whodesire to fellowship with them at Henry's repast at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church's Activity Center Henry's funeral arrangements are beingcompassionately managed by Desselle Funeral Home in Baton Rouge nephews. He is preceded in death by hisparents, BenedictEdward Voivedich, Sr.and Nannie Peters Voivedich; and brothers, Michael (Sheryl) andRon Voivedich. The familywould like to give a special thanks to Virginia at Clarity Hospice fortakingsuchgoodcare of Richard and thefamily. In lieu of flowers, donations in Richard's name to the NPCF (National Pancreatic CancerFoundation) www.npcf.usorLustgarten Pancreatic CancerResearch, www.lustgarten.or g>donatewould be preferred. Visitation will take place at ResthavenFuneral Home on Saturday, February 7, 2026, beginningat 9:00 AM untilservicesat 11:00AM. Familyand friends may sign theonline guestbook or leave apersonal note to thefamilyat www.resthavenbatonroug e.com.

Richard Steven Voivedich, born on July 17, 1957, in Ostu,Japan and passed away on Tuesday, January27, 2026, at the age of 68. Richard became the ownerofLightspeedMotorsports in Gonzales.He himself was amotorcycle enthusiast. He wasa proactive owner in exploringthe latestmerchandise, enjoyed rapport with his customers and mentored many withhis voiceofreason in decision making, whetherpersonal or business. He lovedthe outdoors, especially camping on weekendsatLand of Pines. Gardening wasrelaxing for him, along with walkingthe beach,swimming in hispool or theGulf andsittinginfront of a warm chimineawhilelistening to country music He waspassionate of his LSUTIGERS, cheeringfor histeam whether in victory or defeat. Richard is survivedbythe love of his life, hiswife of 43 years, Jennie Raffo Voivedich; son, StevenVoivedich(Casey); daughters, NoelVoivedich Warren(Josh) and Paige Voivedich; grandchildren, Naomi,Sophie andKehl Voivedich, Jeanne Warren, Noah Hoover andJulien Jerez; sisters, Susan Voivedichand Cristin VoivedichMorgan (Chris); brother, Benedict Voivedich, Jr.(Annette); close friends, Diane and Alan Brown(DiDi andPapa Alan), as well as numerous in laws, nieces and

Howto place an Obituary Notice Howto place a Memorial Ad EMAIL: obits@theadvocate.com OR CALL FORMORE INFORMATION: 225-388-0289 An

Ozone

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Voivedich, Richard Steven

SPORTS

BUILDING BLOCKS

Veteran leaders still present after LSU softball retooling

BY JIM KLEINPETER

Contributing writer

LSU softball coach Beth Torina had some signiﬁcant rebuilding to do with her program in the offseason.

The batting order pitching staff and coaching setup got an overhaul but so did the leadership structure.

Torina had the team elect captains for the ﬁrst time in several years, and she’s stoked about the trio of leaders who will guide her team into the season that begins Thursday in the Tiger Classic. LSU faces North Carolina State at 6 p.m. at Tiger Park.

First baseman Tori Edwards, catcher

Maci Bergeron and center ﬁelder Jalia

Lassiter are perfect ﬁts on a scaled-down roster that Torina thinks is smaller but deeper, and far more versatile.

“When your best players are also the best examples of the standards of your program, you’re in really good shape,”

Torina said. “We have a unique opportunity to do that this year.”

Bergeron, one of three Louisiana natives on the roster, was especially touched by her selection as captain after a breakout offensive season in 2025 when she batted .364 with nine homers and 49 RBIs.

“It’s a great honor especially as a Louisiana native at this place,” said Bergeron, a Rayne native who is considered one of

the top defensive catchers in the nation.

“It pulled a good space in my heart. I got a little emotional when they announced it

“I’m excited to lead this team the best way I can. I come from a small town. I didn’t know when I was younger that I could reach this part of my life. It was a dream of mine to be a captain for this team and play for this school.”

Edwards turned into an offensive star as a redshirt freshman with team-bests of 18 homers with 73 RBIs. Her .383 batting average was second on the team. She was named a Freshman All-American and is a preseason All-American this season.

BY WILSON ALEXANDER Staff writer

The last time Lane Kifﬁn made a public appearance, he predicted LSU would sign the best transfer portal class in college football history There was still work to do at the time, but in the days that followed, he and his staff ﬁnalized a top-ranked class by signing two more of the most highly coveted players on the market.

Kiffin stood by his claim Wednesday afternoon in his ﬁrst news conference since he was introduced as the LSU head coach in early December, saying the class could be the “best ever on paper” because of the talent and size. LSU added 43 transfers, and quarterback Sam Leavitt, edge rusher Princewill Umanmielen and offensive tackle Jordan Seaton were all ranked within the top ﬁve overall.

“We have a really talented roster,” Kifﬁn said. “Does that mean we’re gonna win games? Not necessarily Does that mean they’re gonna be a great team? No. We have a lot of work to do now.”

Kiffin sounded ready to look forward toward the rest of the offseason now that LSU has put together the roster for his ﬁrst season. He said multiple times that the coaches and the players have to produce, a theme of his staff meeting Tuesday night and

Saints rookie QB Shough still in awe of Brees

BY JEFF DUNCAN Staff writer

SAN FRANCISCO No one is more excited to see Drew Brees go into the Pro Football Hall of Fame than Tyler Shough.

As one of ﬁve ﬁnalists for the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award, the New Orleans Saints rookie quarterback will be in the audience at the Palace of Fine Arts for the NFL Honors show Thursday night, where Brees is expected to be introduced as one of the members of the Class of 2026.

“It’s going to be special just to be in the building,” Shough said during an interview Wednesday, shortly after arriving here for Super Bowl LX festivities “I grew up idolizing his play, so I’m excited about seeing him get the highest honor in the sport.”

The official announcement of the class will be made during NFL Honors, but Brees is considered a shoo-in as the league’s second-leading all-time passer If he earns induction, as expected, he’ll become the initial ﬁrst-ballot Hall of Famer in franchise history

“I know he’s going to get in,” Shough said. “He’s the G.O.A.T He’s the pinnacle of the quarterback position. For me, as a quarterback, it’s exciting to see because I know what he’s meant to the city (of New Orleans).”

Shough said he plans to organize offseason workouts with some of his Saints teammates and Brees this offseason near the former Saints quarterback’s home in San Diego. He said he contacted Brees during the season to pick his brain for counsel and tips about his weekly routine and preparation regimen He has studied game tape of Brees from his playing days in New Orleans and marveled at his leadership skills, ﬁeld generalship and command of the offense

“The ﬁrst thing that caught my eye was his ability to collectively unify people, whether it’s with pregame speeches or whatever,” Shough said. “Then to watch him during games clicking through his reads and ﬁnding positive plays and check-downs, it’s impressive to watch. As a quarterback, you realize how special he is.” Shough wasn’t the only one here celebrating Brees’ induction. Two of his former teammates, Demario Davis and Ben Watson, also championed his candidacy during interviews at the Super Bowl LX media center

“There’s only one Drew Brees,” Davis said. “No. 9 — the greatest to ever do it. You could be talking all day about his accolades, and what

a team meeting Wednesday morning. Hours later, a basketball hoop that Kifﬁn had placed in the team room was still there as he spoke.

“Don’t sit around and think you have this salary for this coming year because of what you did before,” Kiffin said. “This salary is for the work you’re supposed to do.” But, as Kiffin said, the coaches needed to start by adding players, and over the past two months, they reconfigured the roster com-

ing out of the Brian Kelly era. LSU had 34 players enter the

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

forward Teonni Key, right tips the pass away from

Knox on Jan. 1 at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center

PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU first baseman Tori Edwards drives the ball against Alabama on April 5 at Tiger Park. Edwards led LSU last season with 18 home runs and 73 RBIs.

BROADCAST HIGHLIGHTS

Perfect fit for Seahawks

Coach Macdonald’s focus on defense key to Seattle’s record-setting season

BY ANDREW DESTIN AP sportswriter

SEATTLE Long before the Seattle Seahawks reached their fourth Super Bowl in franchise history, coach Mike Macdonald donned a blue, gas station attendant-style shirt with a team logo on the chest. He made the fashion statement after the Seahawks put the finishing touches on their 2025 draft, just as he and president of football operations John Schneider did the year before.

Considering the way Macdonald has coached, and his team has played in a record-setting season, though, there is nothing phony about this workmanlike attire.

Macdonald’s shirt is representative of the kind of football team he envisioned building when he was hired by the Seahawks two years ago: a gritty, hard-nosed bunch with a focus on defense.

“It’s a testament to Mike for setting the culture,” said wide receiver Jake Bobo after Seattle’s 31-27 win against the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC championship game.

“It’s a fun group, and it’s really fun to do this with this group.”

The Seahawks had one of the best defenses in the NFL in the 2025 season, one in which they set the franchise record for regular-season wins (14). No team allowed fewer points per game (17.2) and Seattle finished in the top seven in the league in sacks and interceptions.

And now Macdonald is just one win away from becoming the ﬁrst head coach to win a Super Bowl as the primary defensive playcaller for his team. Plenty of head coaches, such as the Kansas City Chiefs’ Andy Reid, Los Angeles Rams’ Sean McVay and others, have done so while calling plays on offense.

In many ways, Macdonald has

cated San Francisco’s offense and held off the Los Angeles Rams on their way to the Super Bowl.

Macdonald has gotten a talented roster to buy into his vision.

Lolich, World Series hero of ’68 Tigers, dies at 85

DETROIT Mickey Lolich, who had three complete-game victories for the Detroit Tigers in the 1968 World Series, the last Major League Baseball pitcher to post the feat, died Wednesday at 85. The Tigers said Lolich’s wife told them that he died after a short stay in hospice care. An exact cause of death was not provided.

Denny McLain was the star of Detroit’s pitching staff in 1968, winning 31 regular-season games. But Lolich was the MVP of the Series, with an ERA of 1.67 and a Game 7 road victory over Bob Gibson and the St. Louis Cardinals. Bill Freehan threw off his catcher’s mask and caught a foul pop-up by Tim McCarver for the ﬁnal out. Lolich jumped into Freehan’s arms — an iconic image of Detroit’s championship season.

Cardinals hiring Hackett as offensive coordinator

TEMPE, Ariz. — The Arizona Cardinals are hiring veteran coach Nathaniel Hackett as the team’s offensive coordinator, according to a person familiar with the decision.

It’s the ﬁrst major hire for new Cardinals coach Mike LaFleur, who was introduced on Tuesday at the team’s facility LaFleur — who came to the Cardinals after three seasons as the offensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams said that he plans on being the team’s primary play-caller Hackett was recently hired as the Miami Dolphins’ quarterbacks coach, but now makes the move to the desert for the bigger role.

The 46-year-old Hackett was the offensive coordinator under LaFleur’s brother Matt with the Green Bay Packers from 2019 to 2021.

been a perfect match for Schneider two years after the former Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator was hired to replace Pete Carroll.

“With Mike, it’s this really clear, thoughtful, intense, intelligent messaging,” Schneider said. Macdonald and Schneider have worked together to develop a group that emerged from the toughest division in the league by getting contributions throughout the roster

Yet while the breakout season of quarterback Sam Darnold and the record-setting season of wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba has helped, the Seahawks have reached the championship game thanks in large part to a defense led by key players such as Leonard Williams, Ernest Jones and Devon

Though the secondary has dealt with injuries at times, they suffo-

“To be able to go against that defense every single day,” Darnold said, “that got us better as an offense.”

Seattle finished third in the league in scoring, and when Darnold cooled off a bit down the stretch, running back Kenneth Walker helped pick up the slack in the late stages of the season.

Still, the one constant over the past ﬁve months has been a defense that has thrived under Macdonald.

The Seahawks have limited big plays thanks in part to nickel packages that frequently feature rookie safety Nick Emmanwori, who had three passes defensed in the NFC championship game.

The defensive line is also one of the most rugged in the league with Williams, Byron Murphy and DeMarcus Lawrence making life difﬁcult for opposing offenses

“We only have one goal in mind, and obviously the job’s not done yet,” safety Coby Bryant said. “We still have more work to put in. (Macdonald) set the tone from Day 1, and we’re behind him.”

The city of Seattle is also hoping Macdonald can propel the franchise to its second Super Bowl victory

Macdonald and Schneider already shared a meaningful moment together on the turf at Lumen Field after toppling the Rams two weeks ago.

They’re both hoping to repeat it Sunday night at Levi’s Stadium against the Patriots.

“The vision of wanting to get back here, produce a consistent championship-caliber football team for amazing fans, the 12s, and how loud it was,” Schneider said, “I had told him, ‘Dude, when we get this (place) rocking, you’re going to be shook.’ And I think he was.”

Diggs’ leadership, maturity help fuel Patriots

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Left back py-

lon. One knee. Head bowed. Eyes closed. That is how Stefon Diggs will spend some of his ﬁnal moments prior to kickoff of the ﬁrst Super Bowl of his career It’s been a staple of the wide receiver’s routine before each game he’s played this season for the New England Patriots.

After pregame warmups, he also calls his teammates to huddle around him as he leads one of a series of impassioned, ﬁery and often viral speeches.

“I just say what I feel like I’m supposed to do and just go,” Diggs said. “It’s not so much the words, it’s more so the tenacity.” Then, he turns the volume down for his prayer in the corner of the end zone.

“Taking a second to kind of appreciate where I am and give my thanks to God and kind of have my little moment with him. Thanking him for the trials and tribulations,” Diggs said. “Building my character up a little bit as a person and making these shoulders weight-bearing, I guess.”

Both are necessary for the player whom teammates call the emotional centerpiece of their Super Bowl run. And for Diggs, it’s been fuel during a comeback season that didn’t seem likely after his

tenure in Houston last season was cut short by a knee injury

But, after posting his seventh 1,000-yard receiving season in his 11th year in the league, he may also be the not-so-secret weapon for an offense that will need to be at its best against a Seattle defense that allowed an NFL-low 17.2 points per game during the regular season. When Diggs signed with Houston in 2024, he acknowledged it was in an effort to chase a cham-

pionship. But Diggs purposely didn’t have many expectations after signing in free agency with New England. What drew him initially to the Patriots was a sense of trust he felt after ﬁnding an almost instant connection with wide receivers coach Todd Downing, who was the tight ends coach in Minnesota in 2018 when Diggs was there. He got the same thing from the “straight shooter” he met in coach Mike Vrabel, as well as offensive

coordinator Josh McDaniels. It was McDaniels whom Diggs credits with unlocking a work ethic he hadn’t had during his pro career

McDaniels said the veteran receiver has been the perfect match for second-year quarterback Drake Maye.

“I think it’s great for Drake to be around a player as accomplished at Stef,” McDaniels said. “Drake has learned how to assimilate with him, (to) work together with a player that has been around a long time and been around a lot of good quarterbacks. I think it’s been great for Drake’s growth and development.”

After Diggs eclipsed 1,000 yards during New England’s regularseason ﬁnale, a win over Miami, Maye’s mind went back to the preseason when he invited all the receivers to his home state of North Carolina for some throwing sessions.

He didn’t think someone as “big time” as Diggs would have time to participate. But he did.

“Kind of from that point on, I felt like, man, looking forward to getting with him on the field and seeing him do his thing, and he’s done his thing time and time again,” Maye said. “Some games he’s not getting the ball as much as any receiver would want to, and he’s still trying to block hard and keeps the energy up and breaking the team down and motivating me.”

Lakers’ Hayes suspended for pushing Wizards mascot Los Angeles Lakers center Jaxson Hayes received a one-game suspension on Wednesday for pushing the Washington Wizards’ mascot before a game last week. Hayes pushed the mascot “GWiz” during pre-game introductions ahead of the Lakers’ 142-111 win on Friday Hayes had 10 points, three rebounds, an assist and a steal off the bench. He will serve the suspension on Thursday when the Lakers host the Philadelphia 76ers, according to a statement from the NBA. Hayes was drafted by Atlanta in the ﬁrst round of the 2019 draft, but his rights were immediately traded over to New Orleans. He spent his ﬁrst four seasons with the Pelicans before joining the Lakers in 2023.

Former D-backs star Peralta retires after 11-year career

David Peralta, who hit .278 in an 11-year big league career that included nine seasons with the Arizona Diamondbacks, announced his retirement on Wednesday Peralta, 38, did not play in 2025 and posted his decision to retire on social media.

Peralta won a Silver Slugger in 2018, when he hit .293 with 30 homers and 87 RBIs for the Diamondbacks. The outﬁelder won a Gold Glove the following season.

Peralta, a native of Venezuela, made his major league debut with Arizona in 2014 and hit .312 while leading the majors with 10 triples in 2015.

Peralta hit .267 in 91 games with San Diego in 2024 after hitting .259 for the Dodgers in 2023.

Bobby Knight’s son resigns as coach at NAIA Marian INDIANAPOLIS Pat Knight, the son of the late Bob Knight, has resigned as coach of the Marian Knights men’s basketball team after refusing to comply with an administrator’s demand he fire someone on his staff.

Knight did not name the staff member but told The Indianapolis Star he did not intend to ﬁre the person, so he quit.

Knight was ejected in what turned out to be his final game with Marian — Saturday’s 75-74 loss to another NAIA school from Indiana. With the victory, Goshen snapped a 19-game losing streak to Marian and also ended a 54-game skid in conference play Marian athletic director Steve Downing hired Knight in 2024, and he went 16-34 at the school located in Indianapolis.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By LINDSEy WASSON

Seahawks safety Nick Emmanwori breaks up a pass intended for Los Angeles Rams wide receiver

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By CHARLIE RIEDEL New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs speaks during a news conference ahead of Super Bowl LX on Wednesday in Santa Clara, Calif.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

THREE AND OUT: SCOTT RABALAIS’

’THE POWER OF THE PLACE’

1

Kiffin was asked about signing the top two players in Louisiana — defensive linemen Lamar Brown from University High and Richard Anderson from Edna Karr in December He characterized his own importance as less important than most might think.“People say Lane Kiffin signed the number one player in the country. LSU signed him.We didn’t even have a defensive line coach at the time.They still signed with LSU That’s the power of the place.

2

THE CHASE

Two of the most celebrated success stories from LSU’s No. 1-rated transfer portal class were landing former Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt and ex-Colorado tackle Jordan Seaton. Kiffin hotly pursued both players after their visits to LSU — he followed Leavitt to Knoxville,Tennessee, and Seaton to Atlanta where Seaton met with Oregon coaches.“I don’t really do well with no,” Kiffin said.“It makes me more competitive when someone says no.”

NO NAMES, PLEASE Kiffin was called a lot of names by Ole Miss fans — and administrators and players, I’m sure — after he left Oxford for LSU Judging by Wednesday’s comments, it doesn’t sound like we’re going to hear him use the name “Ole Miss” much.There were, instead, lots of references to the “last place” he coached, which I’m sure will not go over well there. Once again, it’s hard to quantify the anticipation for LSU’s Sept. 19 game at “that place” where Kiffin used to coach.

Williams: Departure was mistake

Washington QB says he got bad advice in leaving the Huskies

BY ANDREW DESTIN AP sportswriter

Washington quarterback Demond Williams said Wednesday his short-lived decision to leave the Huskies was a mistake that resulted from “really bad advice.”

The 19-year-old Williams announced last month he was entering the transfer portal, then changed his mind two days later and said he would be back with the Huskies.

According to multiple reports, Washington was prepared to pursue legal options to enforce Williams’ lucrative name, image and likeness contract.

Williams’ NIL deal exceeded $4 million, according to ESPN, and his potential departure raised questions about the validity of such contracts. When asked to explain what happened alongside four teammates and coach Jedd Fisch, Williams said he both understood and appreciated the question from a reporter in Seattle

“Definitely being 19, you get good advice and you get really bad advice at times,” Williams said.

“We’re all human. We all make mistakes. And at the end of the day, I’m super blessed to be here with my brothers and my coaches and just at the University of Washington.

“I’m just so happy to be here and so blessed.”

Williams was also asked what considerations went into his decision to enter the portal in the ﬁrst place, only to pull his name out. The rising junior said he was grateful that his teammates and

KIFFIN

Continued from page 1C

they didn’t like the direction of the football program, which is what happened.

“I know at ﬁrst there was a lot of skepticism about so many players going in the portal, but I just looked at it and was like, ‘OK, what’s my answer to you as the fans and the media, too, if we just kept the same players?’ We are good coaches, I think, but we also don’t have magic dust. We changed a lot because there needed to be changes.”

coaches have accepted him back. Williams also did not comment when asked whether it was LSU that sought to acquire him through the portal.

Last month, Fisch described Williams’ situation as being in “limbo for 48 hours” rather than weeks or months. Williams announced via social media on Jan. 6 he would leave the Huskies after his sophomore season, saying, “I have to do what is best for me and my future.”

Kiffin did not criticize Kelly, who went 34-14 in three-plus seasons at LSU. As the new head coach, Kiffin said he had to make “really hard decisions” with the roster and the coaching staff. LSU did not retain the entire offensive staff, and it made significant changes in the personnel department by bringing in general manager Billy Glasscock and several others. It remains unclear how much money they had for this team. When LSU was courting Kiffin, sources said the school was preparing to commit $25 million to $30 million annually for the roster through a combination of NIL and

(6-3, 190) Riverside, Calif. (Orange Lutheran HS)

■ WR Daejawn Smith (5-10, 175) Boothville (Louisiana Tech)

■ TE Aidan Valdez (6-4, 242) Hacienda Heights, Calif. (New Mexico)

■ OL Ramirez Young (6-3, 290) Knoxville, Tenn. (Bethel) Tulane

■ OL AJ Amos (6-5, 317), Germantown, Tenn (Germantown HS) ■ WR Keyshaun Coleman (6-4, 195), Madison, Miss. (Germantown HS)

■ OL Deontavis Cooper (6-4, 300), Thomasville, Ga. (Thomas County Central HS)

■ DL Jordyn Crites (6-7, 260), Friendswood, Texas (Friendswood HS)

■ DL Caydee Dees (6-3, 250), Montgomery, Ala. (Montgomery, Ala.)

■ OL Tylan George (6-3, 310), West Monroe (West Monroe HS)

■ WR Gary Hadley (6-2, 184), Pompano Beach, Fla. (Cardinal Gibbons HS)

DB Myrone Jean (6-4, 170), Lake Wales, Fla. (Lake Wales School)

■ QB Trace Johnson (6-1, 191), Laguna Niguel, Calif. (Santa Margarita HS)

■ LB Chan Lumpkin (6-4, 220), Reynolds, Ga. (Taylor County HS)

■ OL Aiden Martin (6-5, 295), Berryhill, Okla. (Berryhill HS)

■ DB LJ Moton (6-4, 190), Kathleen, Ga. (Veterans HS)

■ DB Orion Saunders (6-4, 180), Concord, Ma.

(Middlesex School)

■ TE Colby Simpson (6-6, 225), West Lake Village, Calif. (Oaks Christian School)

■ DL AJ Westﬁeld (6-3, 280), Cleveland, Tenn.

(Bradley Central HS)

■ DL Nick Witherspoon (6-3, 300), Tuscaloosa, Ala. (Central Tuscaloosa HS)

■ P Brooks Moore (6-1, 200), Adel, Ga. (Cook County HS)

■ LB Dylan Brasher (6-2, 215), Dripping Springs, Texas (Dripping Springs HS)

The announcement was met with chagrin from Washington fans. In January, Fisch acknowledged Williams may need to repair broken relationships.

Williams completed 69.5% of his passes for 3,065 yards with 25 touchdowns last season. He hopes to be a more vocal leader in 2026 and play with more consistency In the Huskies’ four losses, Williams completed 62.9% of his passes for 645 yards with three touchdowns

revenue sharing. Kiffin declined to discuss specifics of the financial resources the team used to put together the roster, something he said set LSU apart when he left Ole Miss.

“I just felt that there was a really good plan here in place and an alignment from the top down about how the resources were here,” Kifﬁn said, “and then a plan of how that could be structured within those contracts in order to sign the players.”

As much as he expressed optimism about the potential of the team, Kifﬁn acknowledged “all of these evaluations are just on paper” when asked about the offen-

and six interceptions.

“Just trying to find ways to continue to play at a high level throughout the entire season,” Williams said.

“Definitely going through a lot of learning curves. Having some rough games and being able to come back the next week and respond and figure out how to adjust on the fly, week by week, and continue to just grind and learn how to prepare.”

sive line. Now in the midst of offseason training, LSU is expected to begin spring practice next month. That’s when he and the rest of the coaches will see what they really have.

“The final production is the winning on the ﬁeld,” Kifﬁn said. “Well, we can’t win the game today. But what you can win is the roster and the recruiting. This is what’s supposed to happen.

“If you go get a staff and pay them what you do, you expect a lot. It’s no different than these players that are sitting here. We go pay a player a lot, we have a lot of expectations for them They need to produce.”

LSU QB Leavitt to be limited in spring

BY WILSON ALEXANDER Staff writer

LSU

Leavitt will be limited in spring practice as he continues to recover from surgery on his foot, coach Lane Kifﬁn said in a news conference Wednesday Leavitt will throw and participate in 7-on-7 drills, but he “probably” won’t take part in full-team work, Kiffin said. Leavitt suffered a foot injury in September at Arizona State and ultimately underwent season-ending surgery He is LSU’s projected starting quarterback. With him limited in the spring, Southern Cal redshirt freshman transfer Husan Longstreet and Elon redshirt sophomore transfer Landen Clark are expected to split reps during the full-team drills. Kifﬁn did not specify when Leavitt will be fully cleared.

Entering Kiffin’s first season, LSU signed three transfer quarterbacks to reﬁll a depleted position. The Tigers did not have a scholarship quarterback on the roster at one point last month after sophomore Michael Van Buren entered the transfer portal.

“I thought this was really critical what we did here at the quarterback position,” Kiffin said.

“Regardless, we would have done what we did. But it was also imperative to get quarterbacks because that’s going to be a lot of how your spring ball goes, which is your ﬁrst time of your team feeling an offense. And our offense is very much pushed and driven by the quarterback because of the tempo piece of it.”

Leavitt was considered one of the highest-ranked players in the transfer portal regardless of position.

Over the past two seasons at Arizona State, Leavitt completed 61.3% of his passes for 4,513 yards with 34 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He also rushed for 749 yards and 10 scores.

LSU also added Longstreet, a former ﬁve-star recruit in the 2025 class. In limited action as a freshman, Longstreet completed 13 of 15 passes for 103 yards and one touchdown. He added 76 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.

Clark was the ﬁrst of the quarterbacks to sign with LSU after starting last season at Elon.

“I think that’s really the thing I’m most proud of — from our (general manager) to our personnel to our coaches department being able to do that at the quarterback position,” Kifﬁn said. “Three guys that I think are really talented, different styles of players and it says a lot about them to come to the same place when nowadays, a lot of guys don’t want to do that.”

Southeastern Louisiana

■ OL Keidrick Bailey (6-2, 290), Zachary (Zachary HS)

■ WR Jiwaun Brock (5-11, 165), Covington (Covington HS)

■ DT Gage Brown(6-3, 265), Covington (St. Paul’s)

■ OL Maddox Caldwell (6-3, 295) Fairhope, Ala. ( St. Michael)

■ RB Cody Corales (6-0, 190) Mandeville (St. Paul’s HS)

■ OL Zack Corrigan (6-5, 300) Chilliwack, B.C (St. Petersburg Catholic)

■ CB Connor Crisp (5-11, 175), Castroville, Texas (Medina Valley HS)

■ WR Lawson Dixon (5-10, 180), Central (Central HS)

■ OL Frederic Downing (6-4, 300), Hahnville (Hahnville HS)

■ TE Charlie Grewe (6-5, 200) South Bend, Ind. (St. Joseph HS)

■ WR Desmen Jefferson (5-10, 175) Ferriday (Ferriday HS)

■ LB Brandt Liuzza (6-2, 215), Amite (Oak Forest Academy)

■ WR Bennett Naquin (6-2, 190), Luling (Hahnville HS)

■ LB Dylan Post (6-1, 225), Covington (St. Paul’s)

■ CB Cayden Randall (6-0, 190), Baton Rouge (Woodlawn HS)

■ TE Hayden Ray (6-3, 260), Denham Springs (Denham Springs HS)

■ OL Wesley Sandefur (6-3, 270), Fairhope, Ala. (Fairhope, Ala.)

■ LB Tyler Sharp (6-1, 195), Dothan, Ala. (Dothan HS)

■ DE Colton Shaw (6-4, 265), La Ronge, Saskatchewan (St. Petersburg Catholic)

■ LB Dylan Shelmire (6-1, 220), Zachary (Zachary HS)

■ OL Grayson Zepp (6-3, 290), St. Petersburg, Fla. (St. Petersburg HS)

■ WR Sebastian Easley (6-3, 170), Kennesaw Ga. (North Cobb HS)

■ Dayshawn McGee (6-2, 185), Biloxi, Miss (Copiah-Lincoln CC)

Nicholls (includes transfers)

■ OL Thomas Ashe (6-4, 310), Pascagoula, Miss. (Pascagoula HS)

■ OL Raymond Johnson (6-3 270), Ocean Springs, Miss. (Ocean Springs HS)

■ OL Trace Wegmann (6-3 300), Kossuth, Miss. (NEMCC)

■ OL Cylis Hill (6-6 330), Houma (Vandebilt Catholic)

■ OL Cooper Taylor (6-6 275), Clinton (Silliman HS)

■ TE Parker Smith (6-5 225), Ashville, Ala. (Ashville HS)

■ WR Chantz Babineaux (6-1 185), Carencro, (Carencro HS)

■ WR Isaiah Leblanc (6-2 180), Breaux Bridge, (Breaux Bridge HS)

■ RB Patrick Gales (5-9 175), Brusly (Brusly HS)

■ DL Grant Merritt (6-3 285), Richmond, Texas (William B Travis HS)

■ DL Lionel Williams (6-3 240), Hazlehurst, Miss. (Holmes CC)

■ DL Romeo Brown (6-3 245), New Orleans (Edna Karr HS)

■ EJ Segrest LB (6-1 225), Terry, Miss. (Holmes CC)

■ LB Kevin Martin (6-1 200), New Orleans (Edna Karr HS)

■ LB Charlie Diedrich (6-1 235), Thibodaux (E.D. White)

■ DB Skylar Husband (6-2 185), Richton, Miss. (Southwest CC)

■ WR Draylon August (6-2, 170), Lafayette (Lafayette Christian)

■ DB Cameron Allen (5-11, 175), Crowley (Southside HS)

■ DB Prystyn Cambre (6-0, 170), LaPlace (St. Charles Catholic

■

AREA COLLEGE FOOTBALL SIGNEES

ASSOCIATED FILE PHOTO By LINDSEy WASSON Washington quarterback Demond Williams warms up before a game against Oregon on Nov. 29 in Seattle.

ONEBIG GOAL LEFT

Accoladesaside, Catholic’s Scott wantsteamtitle

BY JACKSON REYES Staff writer

Catholic’sKristianScott’slistof

accolades is long.

The senior is one of two high school wrestlers to win four Baton Rouge City championships.He’s won two state titles and wasthe ﬁrst Bears freshman in schoolhistory to make astate ﬁnal.

Scott has amassed a169-15record,ranking 17th all-timeinthe Baton Rouge area. If he winsa third LHSAA Division Istate title in the 157-poundweight class, he will be just the sixth BatonRouge wrestler to do so.

But there’sone trophy missing that stands above the rest for him —ateam statetitle.

Scott will look to help his team bring home that trophy Saturday when the Bears compete at the LHSAA state tournament beginning Friday in Bossier City.

“Thisisthe thing Iwantmost as of right now,” Scott said.“I’m conﬁdent that we’re the bestteam in thestate.”

Workingtowardredemption

When Scott looksback on his wrestlingcareer, he can recall more than 150 individual wins

Butone memory that sticks out is the Bearsfalling justshort of ateam title in his freshman year, losing by four points to Jesuit Now,three years later,Scottand his team have worked all year to bring ateam titleback to Catholic.

“It would be really special,” he said. “Team title is the only thing that Ihaven’tbeen apart of in my time at Catholic.”

The Bears are seeking their fourth state titleand ﬁrst since 2010, and Scott has always had his sights set on being part of a championship teamsinceheﬁrst started wrestling for Catholic as a freshman.

Scott’sstyle

He began wrestling at 5years oldafterhis father,Brandon Scott, put himinto the sport. His

STAFF FILEPHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

KristianScott of Catholic High battles NickDiGerolamo of Holy Cross duringthe 157-pound championship final at the Louisiana Classic on Jan. 18, 2025, in Gonzales. Scott defeated DiGerolamo10-6.

father credited his son’sabilityto develop his own wrestling style to his success.

“He’sveryphysical when he wrestles,” BrandonScottsaid.

“He can overwhelm people with his strength, and he has areally really elite-level defense.”

BrandonScott said his son’ssuperpower is forcingopponentsto wrestlethe way he wantsto.

“The pace of the match, the physicality of the match, he was able to dictate that,” Brandon Scott said.

“It just put him through the stratosphere.”

Scott knows that if he can control the match andhit his moves, he can winclose matches and dominate an entire season.

He’s worked to get fasteronhis feet, but his core moves have remainedconsistent since he was a kid. His focus is notonbeing averageat100 moves, but masteringa few solid moves heknows he can hitonany opponent

His talent and work ethic have put him in rare territory among Baton Rouge high school wrestlers. Scott is the only wrestler to be named Outstanding Wrestler three times atthe citychampionship. His all-time winning percentage all-time puts him in the top10all-time in the area.

“He’sdone better than Iever imagined he would do,” said BrandonScott, who won acitychampionship for Belaire. “Light years better than Iever did.”

Unselfish character

It could be easy forScotttolook at his achievementsand boast,but that’snot who he is.

He doesn’ttake what he’saccomplished for granted, noting how special each moment is, including that elusive fourthcity title he won this year

“Achieving that fourthcitytitle, that was areally special moment,” Scott said. “Especially being only the second to do it.Mydad being right there by my side, it’s cool.”

Still, he’salready looking forward to what his younger teammates can do once he graduates.

“These young guys are really special,” Scott said. “In afew years, people are going to be looking more at them, which I’m perfectly OK with.”

Scott was thrown intothe spotlight early in his career after making the state title as afreshman.

Catholic coach Tommy Prochaska said he’sused that to carve out aleadership role on theteam and help his younger teammates.

“He understands thebig picture of being aleader in theprogram,”

Prochaska said. “It’saﬁne balance to be aleader and still be able to attain what you want as an individual.”

Scott’spresence feels like that of another coach in the room when the Bears entertournaments and matches. He’s acompetitor and is driven toward success, but he still likes to have fun and ease up his teammates.

“He’sa goofykid,”Prochaska said. “He brings some jovial moments in practice, which Ithink is important in such aserious sport.”

Now,Scott has become the standard within the Catholic program.

Prochaska said he understands the team is still bigger than him, while working to leave it better than when he started.

“He’sagood person,” Prochaska said. “You wouldn’tknowhis successes, talking to him about wrestling or eveninschool, because it’snot about him.”

Abig key to helping his teammates and winning matches has been his perspective on matches. Whether it’sthe regular season or the state tournament, all matches are the same.

“There’snosuchthing, really,as abig match,” Scott said. “You’re going out there against another human.

“Anyone can be beaten.” He stays even-keeled every timehesteps on the mat, regardless of opponent or tournament. He doesn’tget caught up in the nerves of astate or city tournament.

Goingout on top

Scott will leave behind wrestling once he wraps up his high school career.Heconsidered wrestling in college, but has chosen to leave the mat behind and go on apremed track.

With his career set to come to a close soon, he knows astate title would be the perfect close to his historic career

“That would be the perfect end to my career,”Scott said. “Winning athird individual state title is going to be great, but Ifeel like that team title carries alot more weight for me.”

The three-and-a-half-hour bus ride back home fromShreveport will be long, but Scott is hoping forasweettrip back with astate title trophy at his side.

Walker hasnineathletessignscholarships

BY JACKSONREYES Staff writer

Walker High School hadnineseniors put pentopaperand sign to play sports at the next level.

Of thesignees, six signed to play college baseball. The signings include outﬁelder Braylen Montgomery, who signed with Oklahoma.

“It’s agreat experience,” he said. “I love the university.The coaching staff is amazing. I’m in agreat place.” The school’smove to the SEC was amajor factor in Montgomery choosing Oklahoma.The 6-foot4, 217-poundoutfielder always dreamedofplaying in theleague.

“An SEC team offered me,” Montgomery said. “That was abig shout to the work that I’veput in.” Fiveofhis teammates also signed Wednesday

“It’sgreat seeing all of the guys committing to different schools,” Montgomery said. “I justlove seeing it for everybody.” Montgomery said the Sooners can expect big things from the outﬁelder

High School outfielder Braylen Montgomerysigned with OklahomaonWednesday.

“They can expecta competitive spirit. Someone who wants to get in there every day,” he said. “I just like going out there and competing.”

Twofootballsignees

Walker offensive linemen Miguel D’Angelo(6-foot-6,310 pounds) andCharlie Ward (6-6, 280) both

signed to play college football and will both play in the Southland Conference.

D’AngelosignedwithMcNeese StatewhileWard will take histalents to Thibodaux and Nicholls State.

Both were excitedtostart preparing to continue theirfootball careers.

For D’Angelo, severalfactors stood out about McNeese.

“I just fell in love with the city,” D’Angelo said. “I love Lake Charles. Ilovethe coaching staff. Ithought Icould develop themost over there.”

Ward said he loved thecoaching staff at Nicholls and the team’soffensive philosophy

“They’re building agreat team,” Ward said. “They’re one of the top (teams) in the country in justrunning the football. I’mexcited for what they’re building.”

Ward andD’Angelo have known each other for years,working together and holding each other accountable. D’Angelo saiditwas great to sign alongside him,and the two are excited to nowplayagainst each other at the next level.

“I’m going to get there Day 1 andjust work as hard as Ican,” D’Angelo said. “I’m going to put in thework every single day.” Ward said he believes he can bring astrongwork ethic to the program in Thibodaux.

“I don’tthink the motor ends,” Ward said. “I’m ready to get after it. I’m excited for the player that Ican be.”

Baseball hasbig day

It was also abusy day forthe Walker baseball team as Robert Adair signed with Loyola -New Orleans.

He saidthe campus and coaching staff stood out to him at the school. He was grateful for his parents for thetime and effort they put in to help him reach this moment.

Other Walker baseball signees includedJaden Ard (Panola College), Karter Hebert (LSU-Alexandria),OwenJeansonne (Belhaven) andArlan Olivier (Nunez CommunityCollege). Walker’sKaylee Dieck signed withSoutheast Arkansas College for softball.

SU women aiming to protect homecourt

BY CHARLES SALZER Contributing writer

Southern women’sbasketball

coach Carlos Funchesslikes to preach theimportance of winninghomegames in the Southwestern Athletic Conference. To borrow aterm from the sport of tennis, the Jaguars need to hold serve when they have home-court advantage. Funchess’ squad willneed that advantagethisweek when it hoststhe SWAC’s two Alabamateams. Fourth-place AlabamaState (9-11, 6-3) visits at 6p.m.Thursday,while Alabama A&M (12-9, 8-1) which is tied for ﬁrst with Alcorn State, will be on hand for a2:30 p.m. Saturday contest at the F.G. Clark Activity Center The games are part of acrucial stretch in which Southern plays four of the top ﬁve teams in theleague standings. The other team in that group is Southern (11-9, 7-2), which sits alone in third place.

“You have to win your home games, and then youhaveto ﬁnd away to sweep acouple of games on the road,” Funchess said. “We’re just taking it one game at atime.”

Southern is coming off of a6959 loss at Alcorn State on Saturday.The Braves led by nine points afterthree quarters, and led by double digits for most of the fourth quarter.Jocelyn Tate wasthe only Jaguarindouble figures with 15 points, and Southern missed chances to get back in the game by making just 25 of 43 free throws.

“(Alcorn) got in a1-3-1 zone and we never got comfortable,” Funchess said. “Wedidn’thit thegaps, we missed some shots, andthen it was ourold Achilles’ heel —free-throw shooting. We missed 18 free throws, and when you miss that many —especially on the road —it’sgoing to be tough.”

With the 18-game conference schedule at its halfway point, it provides context for Funchesstoreference theshooting of Southern’sSWACchampionship team from last year

“I was telling the young ladies about that (Monday),” he said. “Weprobably shot 70 or 75 percent last year (at the foul line) coming down the back stretch. Hopefully we can get back to those ways.”

Alabama Statewill bringa four-game winning streak into Thursday’sgame. The Hornets are coming off of convincing wins over Florida A&M and Bethune-Cookman at home last week. ASU had five players in double figures against FAMU, and shot 59% from the field in a78-60 win over Bethune-Cookman. AlabamaA&M haswon eight straight conference games after dropping itsopener in overtime at Mississippi Valley State. Included in thestreak is a42-point win over Alcorn State. The closestgamewas last Thursday’s49-44 win over Bethune-Cookman, but the Bulldogs never trailed in the second half.

Learning from mistakes that were made against Alcorn will be akey for Southern’sstreakbusting hopes.

“Welooked at some ﬁlm from the Alcorn game. Ithought there were some things Icould have done better to put us in position for some easy buckets,” Funchess said.

“We’ll have to be ready for these two games. If you want to win achampionship, you have to win your home games. You’ve got to win them.”

DavisleavesSaints’ future open-ended

Veteranlinebacker hascompleted final year of his2-yeardeal with NewOrleans

BY JEFF DUNCAN Staff writer

SAN FRANCISCO With free agency

approaching, Demario Daviswas noncommittal about hisfuture with the New Orleans Saints on Wednesday During interviews at themedia center for Super Bowl LX,the star linebackerexpressedhisloveforthe city of New Orleans but reiterated that he is keepinghis optionsopen aftereight years with the Saints.

“New Orleans is home for me,” Davis said. “… But the business has to play how the business plays out.” Davis,37, completed the final year of atwo-year,$17.25 million contract this past season. He will be afree agent if he and the Saints don’twork out anew deal before March. If anew deal isn’treached, his contract will void,leaving nearly $14.3 million in deadmoney on the Saints’ 2026 salary cap

“The front ofﬁce in New Orleans hasalways been amazing,” Davis said. “I’ve neverfelt theneed to try to negotiate publicly.They’ve been ahundred percentprofessional, and Irespect that. They talked about that they want me back and that means alot to me. What happens on the ﬁeld and the business of the game will never

KNOX

Continued from page1C

andfield was the first place Suzanne Jordan, Knox’smom, tried housing that restlessness. The idea ﬁrstcame from agym teacher.Knox’selementary school wasrunning atrack meet for its younger studentsone weekend when she was in the third grade. Knox should sign up, the teacher said. So shedid.

“And she won all nine events,” Jordan said. “First place. Withouteven ever doing anything in track. So Iwas like, ‘Ohshoot.’” About adecade later,Knox is still wowing folks with her athleticism.She’s only afreshman on the LSU women’sbasketball team, but she’salreadycarved outasignificant role for the No. 5Tigers (21-2, 7-3 SEC),who will need her to keep showcasing her speed, strength and tenacity at 8p.m. Thursday when they go on the road to play No. 4Texas (ESPN). Knox,a high-profilerecruit from Las Vegas, is starting to figureout the SEC. She scored only 2.8 points pergame on 30%shootinginLSU’sfirst four league contests. In the last five, she has scored 12 ppg and converted24of33fieldgoal attempts (73%). That hyper-efficient stretch allowed Knoxtobegin Februaryas one of only 10 Division Iplayers whotake at least five shots per game with afield-goal percentage higherthan 65%.

Knox’sathleticism sets her apart. She can blockshots.She can run the floor and handle the ball. She can dunk. And yes, she can finish through contact, as she did early in LSU’swin over Alabama on Sunday.Toscore the Tigers’ first points, she swiped an offensive re-

SAINTS

Continued from page1C

he’sdone as apasser.Idon’t know if there’ll everbeapasser that does the amount of things in agame that he was able to do in hiscareer, overcoming arough injury early in his career to go on to have the type ofHallof Fame career that he did,the way he lifted that franchise. It’sjust not enough good words that can be said about him.” Davis teamed with Brees in New Orleans for the ﬁnal four years of his career.During that

SOFTBALL

Continued from page1C

“There is alot that comes with being aleader,” Edwards said. “It’shard at times. I’m mentally preparing for that asthe biggest challenge. I’m at acomfortable spot now “My goal was to not get complacent. Iknow there arealways

PRESS FILEPHOTO By LyNNE SLADKy

Saints linebackerDemario Davis pushes Miami Dolphins running back Jaylen Wright during the first half on Nov. 30 in Miami Gardens, Fla. Davis is set to be afree agent if he and the Saints don’t work out anew deal beforeMarch.

impact who Iamand howIshow up.” Davis has said repeatedlythathe wants to ﬁnish his career with the Saints,who signed him as afree agentin2018.Hewas lesscommittal during an interview with Kay

bound and muscledthrough afoul, banking in asecond-chance bucket that impressed coach Kim Mulkey.

“I said,‘That was guy-like,’ ” Mulkey said. “‘Guys do that.’ AndI was like, ‘Godblessed that woman, that girlwith something. Thatwas crazy.’ Full-speed ahead like that andget an and-onelikethat?

“She justhas that talent. She has that body.”

Knox’sfather,Daryl Knox, was a defensive end who played college football at UNLVand spent two seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He’sstill the Rebels’ career sacks leader 40 years after hiscollegiate career ended.

The explosion Daryl Knox once usedto chase quarterbacksnow shows up when his daughter takes the ﬂoor

The6-foot-2Knoxisthe only LSUplayerwho can dunk. She’s neverthrown one down in agame, butshe hasinpregame warm-ups and in the friendly conﬁnes of an empty gym this season. Her hands arewide enough to palm the ball. Her arms are long enough to reach above the rim. Heroneleggedleap is high enough to give her the liftshe needs to ﬂush one.

Knox ﬁrst dunked in the backyard when she was 12 or 13 years old, Jordan said. She startedhoningthe skill ayear or twolater, when she began working with a Las Vegas-basedtrainer named Mike Josserand.

“Yeah, she’sd iffe re nt, ” Josserandsaid. “The one thing aboutGrace is like, if we have girlsand guys in the session, I would rather put herupagainst theguys all throughout high school because that’sthe toughness level that she has. If the girls will play against the girls, and then the guys will play against theguys, but Grace will playagainst the guys usually because she’s just that good.”

Adams on FanDuel TV last week, saying he was “coming back to the NFL” in 2026.

“How that playsout, we shall see,” Davis said. “I’mjust trying to ride it out. I’m good withwhatever happens.”

Davis is coming off one of the bestseasons of his14-year career He recorded acareer-high and team-leading 143 tackles, which tiedfor 10th in the NFL. He tied for the team lead with two forced fumbles and added six tackles for loss.

PATRICK DENNIS

LSU forward Grace Knox is defended by Ta’Mia Scott, left,and Jessica Timmon, right, of Alabamaasshe takes ashot in the first halfofLSU’s 103-63 win over Alabama on Sunday in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center

In her sessions with Josserand, Knox worked on all of the skills every high-level player tries to perfect.Ballhandling. Shooting. Defending. Theyaddeddunking to their drills because Knox had the

“He wasalready the commander in chief of one of the best passing offenses the leaguehad known, but what Ididn’tknow washow wewould connect as teammates. Igot there, but Igot exponentiallybetter at my craftbeinginNew Orleans.Those three years gave me an opportunity to play more the rest of my career.”

BEN WATSON, former Saints tight end

time,the Saintswon four division titles and recordeddoubledigitwinseach season. Davis said Brees was arole model for him and his teammates.

“The type of man he is,the type ofleader he is, the type of husband and father that he is,

things Ican get betterat. Keep it simple and not overwhelm myself. That’sbeen going good so far.”

Torina saideven as afreshman, Edwardsled by examplewith her attitude and work habits.

“It was how shecarried herself,” Torina said. “She’svery professional.She has everyone’sbest interest in mind. She’ssomebody they wanttoemulate.” Lassiter joined the team as a

the type of communitychampion that he is,hedid everything the right way,” Davis said. “It’sa storybook ending for him to be able to go into the Hall of Fame.” Watson echoed Davis’sentiments. The veteran tight end signed with theSaints as afree

transfer from Ole Miss last year andclosed out the season as the team’s hottest hitter Torina is eager to seewhat some added right-handedpower and a seven-member pitching staff can produce. Shenever announces herstarting pitcher, but it would be asurprise if it isn’tleft-hander JaydenHeavener,who threw aperfect game in her college debut last season and is now the staff ace.

“Last season wasincredible, man,” Davis said.“Igot achance to do all the things that Icare about, be an elite linebacker, helped elevate the defense, serve thecommunity andhelpelevate the game forward and move the gameforward. We get achance to play in Paris (in 2026), (and I) got a chance to be on that initial delegation, so moving our gameforward. All those things mean the world to me,and those things won’tstop. Our work in the community will never stop in New Orleans.”

Saints general manager Mickey Loomis told reporters at the Senior BowlinMobile, Alabama, last week that he wantsDavis back in New Orleans.

“Welove Demario,” Loomis said. “… Ihope he’sback, but we’ll get through that.”

Davis will attend the NFL Honors show on Thursday night, whereheisthe Saints’ nominee forthe Walter Payton NFLMan of the Year award. It’s the third time Davis hasbeen nominated forthe honor, whichrecognizes players fortheir charitable endeavors in the community Davis and wife Tamala’s Devoted Dreamers Foundation has become his primary off-ﬁeld focus during his tenure in New Orleans. The organization works to improve the lives of local youth by helping them grow spiritually,mentally and physically

“NewOrleansishome forme,” Davis said. “It’sanincredible city that hasloved my family so well, and we love it back.”

times,Josserand said, then try to touch the rim. Only then would she start progressing to the point where she could dunk abasketball. She’d start with atennis ball, then graduate to something bigger such as asoftball before moving on to avolleyball.

“Her jumping wasn’tnearly clean enough, smart enough,” Josserand said. “But those are the things that Iworked on to make it to where she could at leastdo what you see her do now.”

Knox didn’tlearn how to dunk just forfun. Working on the skill added an inch or twotoher vertical leap, which in turn elevated some of her other skills. Because she could jumphigher,itwas easier for her to ﬁnish layups, grab rebounds and block shots when her advantages in height, length and athleticism shrunk during her transition to college basketball. By the timeKnox started playing forcoach Stan Delus as ajunior at Etiwanda HighSchool in RanchoCucamonga,California,she hadharnessedher athleticism to the point she could anchor a state championship team runby acoach who’saself-described stickler forrebounding and defense. Just like Mulkey

“I knew that she had alot of promise,” Delus said. “You could tell by the wayshe jumped and theway she moved,her athleticism was offthe charts at ayoung age.”

Knox’smom figuredthat out pretty quickly.It’swhy she put her in track, then basketball, to findanoutlet for that youthful energy she now infusesinto LSU games.

frame, the explosion and the willingness sheneeded to climbabove the rim. First, Knox would just jump withoutaball—onone legand two. She’d jump on oneleg 40-50

agent in 2013 after nine seasons with the Patriots and Browns. He played four seasonswithBrees and credited him and head coach Sean Payton with resurrecting his career

“He was already the commander in chiefofone of the best passing offenses the league had known,but whatI didn’tknowwas howwewould connect as teammates,” Watsonsaid. “I got there, but Igot exponentially better at my craft being in New Orleans. Thosethreeyearsgavemeanopportunitytoplaymore the rest of my career.” Watson, whoplayed withTom Bradyfor severalyearsinNew

Heavener had some control issueswith 77 walks, 27 hit batters and15wild pitches in 1192/3 innings lastyear but she also struck out152.

“Whenpeople think of her, that’s (control) what they think is herkryptonite,”Torinasaid.“She had some of those moments last year,but she also had some momentsofthe best pitching we’ve ever seen in this ballpark. She’s theleader of this staff.”

“Of course, she was like ahead taller than everybody,” Jordan said, “and she didn’tknow any of therules. She was just out there going crazy with the ball, shooting and running.”

England, said Breesdeservesto be ranked amongthe game’s alltime greats

“When you look at his body of work, at how excellent he was at hiscraft,and then outsideof that, whathemeant forthe city andalso whathemeantfor just the National Football League, that’swhy he’sgoing intothe Hall of Fame,” Watson said “Drew led by example, every single play,every single practice. When you look at this body of work in that offense andwho he is andwhathe’sdoneoutside of thegame. He’llalwaysbeone of the top players of all-time in my book.”

North Carolina State is coached by former LSU assistant Lindsay Leftwich, whoworked under Torina for 12 seasons and was part of four College WorldSeries teams. She has a55-52 record in two seasons. The Wolfpack’stop returning players are senior catcher Hannah Church, who batted .329 with 19 homers and 53 RBIs last season, andsophomore shortstop Kendall Simmer (.316, 13-35).

PHOTO

ASSOCIATED

Wizards acquire Davis, ending his run with Mavs

BY SCHUYLER DIXON AP sportswriter

DALLAS The Washington Wizards acquired Anthony Davis in an eight-player trade with the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday that includes draft picks for the Mavericks.

The move is a signal that the Mavericks are moving on from the widely criticized trade that sent superstar Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers for a package headlined by Davis last year

Former general manager Nico Harrison, who was ﬁred by Dallas in November engineered the middle-of-the-night deal that angered fans. Trade speculation had surrounded Davis ever since Harrison was let go after a slow start to the season.

The Wizards are sending Khris Middleton, AJ Johnson, Malaki Branham and Marvin Bagley to the Mavericks along with two ﬁrst-round draft picks and three second-rounders.

Washington is getting three guards from Dallas in Jaden Hardy, D’Angelo Russell and Dante Exum.

ing Lauri Markkanen of Utah last month.

The trade is a big step for Dallas toward making Cooper Flagg the face of the franchise after Doncic. The rookie No. 1 pick set an NBA scoring record for a teenager with 49 points against Charlotte last week, and the 19-yearold is on a three-game streak of 30-point games, another league ﬁrst for the under-20 group. Flagg, who is averaging 20.1 points per game a year after leading Duke to the Final Four, doesn’t turn 20 until next season.

The Mavericks lost all three games on Flagg’s current 30-pluspoint run and are on a ﬁve-game skid. Dallas is 12th in the West at 19-31, making it increasingly unlikely that guard Kyrie Irving will play this season. The nine-time All-Star tore the ACL in his left knee last March.

The Wizards have made a stark shift recently from their rebuild after losing 67 and 64 games the past two seasons. Washington traded for Trae Young last month and now adds Davis to a group of young players that includes big man Alex Sarr, the No. 2 pick in 2024. It’s not clear whether Young or Davis will play much this season, which could be for the best given the Wizards lose their top draft pick this year if it falls outside No. 8.

though health is always a concern with somebody like Davis.

Still, a deal like this suggests Washington is ready to move on from the phase of waiting for lottery luck. A 2026-27 team with Davis, Young, Sarr and other complementary players could be interesting in the Eastern Conference, al-

The 10-time All-Star has been out since Jan. 8 with a left hand injury and wasn’t expected to return before the All-Star break later this month.

As might have been expected, Davis appeared in just 31 of a possible 84 games over two partial seasons with the Mavericks, including the two play-in tournament games he played last season.

The 32-year-old’s ailments included a core muscle issue and a calf strain before Davis injured his hand while defending a driv-

Harrison’s Doncic-for-Davis deal was so heavily criticized because he took on the big man with an extensive injury history while giving up a generational talent in his prime. Doncic was 25 at the time of the trade.

SCOREBOARD

UIW at Southeastern, 6 p.m. Houston Christian at McNeese, 6:30 p.m. UTRGV at Nicholls, 6:30 p.m. Northwestern at Lamar, 6:30 p.m. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at UNO, 6:30 p.m.

Alabama A&M at Grambling, 6:30 p.m. Louisiana Tech at UTEP, 8 p.m. LSU at Texas, 8 p.m. Friday’s games None scheduled. Women’s national scores Wednesday’s games EAST Army 59, Colgate 35 Bucknell 58, American 45 Central Michigan 90, Buffalo 59 Dayton 68, La Salle 60 Lehigh 63, Loyola (MD) 62 Loyola Chicago 47, Fordham 42 Navy 62, Lafayette 46 Rhode Island 69, Saint Joseph’s 61 St. Bonaventure 59, Davidson 50 St. John’s 71, Xavier 52 UMass 75, Eastern Michigan 60 SOUTH Central Arkansas 64, Queens 39 East Carolina 64, South Florida 62 Eastern Kentucky 61, Lipscomb 55 High Point 88, Winthrop 74 James Madison 83, Southern Miss 72 Longwood 88, Radford 73, OT Maryland-Eastern Shore 73, South Carolina State 53 North Alabama 55, Austin Peay 50

THURSDAY’S FAIR GROUNDS ENTRIES

Dallas is likely to miss the playoffs for the second consecutive season since Doncic and Irving led them to the 2024 NBA Finals. Boston won that series in five games. Harrison traded Doncic believing that Davis, an elite player at both ends of the court, could pair with Irving to keep the Mavericks in contention for several years. Instead, Davis and Irving shared the court just once before Davis exited with an aggravation of his abdominal injury in the third quarter of his Dallas debut. Irving injured his knee less than a month later

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By TyLER TATE

Dallas Mavericks forward Anthony Davis drives to the basket while guarded by Utah Jazz forward Cody Williams during a game on Jan. 8 in Salt Lake City

Warm winter’s chillwith Mexican stew

BY GRETCHEN McKAY

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (TNS)

Husk tomatoes, or tomatillos, are largely grown in their nativesunny Mexico,sothey’re widely available year-round in most major grocery stores and Mexicanmarkets.

Harvested when the fruits are still immature, tomatillos have afresh tangy scentwith hintsof citrus (think limes or green tomatoes) They’re denser in minerals than red tomatoes andalsoagoodsource of ﬁber and vitamins A, Cand K. Awinter “super food,” tomatillos alsoare high in antioxidants, which help support yourimmune system and boost overall health

Because they pair well withgarlic, onions, cilantro and chiles, tomatillos are turned into green salsas, saucesor jams. The fruit alsoplays astarring role in thegreen version of one ofMexico’s most famous stews,pozole. This one-pot versionofthe Mexican classic pullstogether in aboutanhour. It’smade by simmering shredded chicken and canned hominy(driedcorn kernels that have been treated withan alkali) in aﬂavorful brothofgarlic, chilies and tomatillos

Iused jalapeño and poblano chiles, but you could swap in serranosfor extra heat. The stew also can be made with shredded pork, and some also like to throwinsome toasted pumpkin seeds for extra thickness and avelvety texture. Traditional toppings includesliced radish and/or avocado,shredded cabbage and asalty,crumbly cheese like cotija or queso fresco

After peeling off the papery husk, you’ll want to give the tomatillos agood rinseunder cool water to remove the sticky sap. For extra ﬂavor,slice and roast the fruit in a400-F oven until soft and slightly charred (about15minutes) or broil for 10 minutes. Serve the pozole withwarm tortillas; for aheartier meal, add ascoop of white or Mexican rice.

Veggie wraps go forbold with creamy peanut sauce

BY LINDAGASSENHEIMER

News Service (TNS)

Soft tortillas filled with crisp,colorful vegetables and drizzled witha tangy peanut sauce make this an easy,nocook,pick-up-and-go dinner. Everything comes together in minutes, with no stove time required, making it ideal for abusy evening. The creamy peanut sauce adds bold flavor while the vegetables provide crunch and color,creatinga light yetfilling meal that’sperfect when dinner needs to move at yourpace.

HELPFUL HINTS:

n Depending on type of peanutbutter, be sure to mix the sauce well toform a smooth sauce.

n Look for bags of shredded cabbage in the produce department

n Vegetables can be diced instead of cutting into sticks.

Yields 2heart-shaped (or round) pizzas.

1pound ball of Trader Joe’s(or other brand) refrigerated pizza dough (divided in half)

1tablespoon of all purpose flour (to prevent the dough from sticking)

1tablespoon of olive oil (for drizzling)

1can store-bought pizza sauce (I used Muir Glen Organic Pizza Sauce)

2fresh Romatomatoes (thinly sliced)

10 thin slices of small fresh mozzarella (or substitute burrata cheese)

10 leaves of fresh basil (thinly sliced)

¼cup of freshly grated parmigiano reggiano Optional toppingsfor spice lovers: olive oil infused with calabrian chileoil (a drizzle); apinch of cracked red pepper flakes

Shakespeare’splay “TwelfthNight”isdeeply connected to the festive atmosphere of the Carnival season.

The opening line of this play is “If music be the food of love, play on.”

Shakespeare knew how music and food invoke all of the senses and connect people. This time of year, we gather on neutral grounds to watch parades, listen to music and break bread, in theform of king cake, together.Itiseasy to see that food is love.

ä See PIZZA, page 2D

Easy (Heart-Shaped) Margherita Pizza

1. Preheat the oven to 475 F. Next, place thepizza dough on aclean, lightly ﬂoured surface. Divide the dough in half andlet it rest for about 30 minutes. Thedough shouldbeat room temperature so that it is easier to workwith when forming the pizza.

2. While the dough is resting, prepare the toppings. Slice thetomatoes, basil, fresh mozzarella and grate theparmigiano reggiano. It is fun to prepareall the toppings in advance and put them all in serving bowls to do a“makeyour own” pizza night at home.

3. On afloured surface, add the ball of dough and stretch it into acircle. Use your fingers to gently pressout the doughsothe center of thepizzadough is thin and the outer edge is slightly thicker.For aheart-shaped crust,use one finger to pull down the centerofthe circle and press thedough up to

form aheart shape.

4. Gently transfer the formed dough onto a baking sheet. Place the dough in theoven for about 5minutes. Remove it from the oven and place the baking sheet on aheat-proof surface. Let cool for2minutes.

5. Next, spread athin layerofthe pizza sauce on the pre-baked dough. Then, place the sliced tomatoes, mozzarella and basilevenly on theprepared pizza dough. Sprinkle thefreshlygrated parmigianoreggiano. Return the pizza to theovenfor about8 minutes, or until the edges of the pizza are goldenbrown. 6. Remove from the oven. Transferthe

Easy(HeartShaped) Margherita Pizza | PHOTOS BY LIZFAUL

PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE PHOTO By GRETCHEN McKAy

Pozole Verde

Liz Faul

blender and add the tomatillos, oregano and cilantro. Puree the ingredients until smooth.

4. Transfer the mixture back into the pot over medium-low heat.

5. Add the hominy and broth or stock, stirring to combine. Generously season the broth with salt and a few grinds of black pepper

Yields 2

Vegetable Wrap

is by Linda Gassenheimer

By The Associated Press

Today is Thursday, Feb. 5, the 36th day of 2026. There are 329 days left in the year

Cunard liner SS Tuscania, which was transporting over 2,000 American troops to Europe, was torpedoed by a German U-boat off the coast of Ireland.

Today in history:

8. Ladle the pozole into bowls and serve topped with your preferred garnishes and warm tortillas.

NOTE: Store leftover pozole in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

6. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce it to a simmer 7. Simmer the soup, partially covered, for 40 minutes. Add the shredded chicken and continue to simmer until just warm, about 5 more minutes. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.

Pizza with Prosciutto, Arugula and a Sunny-Side-Up Egg Yields 2 pizzas.

(or

1 cup shredded parmigiano reggiano

4 anchovy filets (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 475 F. Next, place the pizza dough on a clean lightly ﬂoured surface. Divide the dough in half and let it rest for about 30 minutes. The dough should be at room temperature so that it is easier to work with when forming the pizza.

2. While the dough is resting, prepare the sunny-sideup eggs in a nonstick pan over medium heat Add 1 teaspoon of olive oil to a non-stick pan. Once the oil is hot, add the eggs — one at a time and let the eggs cook through until the white parts are set. This should take about 2-3 minutes. Carefully remove the eggs to a plate and reserve to add to the top of the pizza.

PHOTO By LIZ FAUL

Pizza with Prosciutto, Arugula and a Sunny-Side-Up Egg

3. On a floured surface, place the ball of dough and stretch it into a circle. Use your ﬁngers to gently press out the dough so the center of the pizza dough is thin and the outer edge is slightly thicker Press the dough out to create a thin-crust pizza. You do not have to form a perfect circle — all shapes of pizza taste good. 4. Gently transfer the formed dough onto a baking sheet Add a small drizzle of olive oil over the top of the pizza crust. Place the dough in the oven for about 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and place the baking sheet on a heat-proof surface. Let cool for 2 minutes. 5. Next, spread a thin layer of olive oil over the pre-baked

Continued from page 1D

I would argue that a hot and savory pizza is one of the most loved foods to share, especially when you make it at home with a heart-shaped crust and top it with favorite ﬂavor combinations. After all, pizza is one of the most popular dishes in the world. And for good reason — it is easy, fast, affordable and undeniably delicious. At its most basic, a slice of pizza combines a crispy bread crust, tangy sauce and savory, stretchy cheese in every bite. The addition of toppings like fresh basil, peppery arugula and salty prosciutto make a pizza into an extraordinary meal that you will want to share with friends this Mardi Gras or on Valentine’s Day with someone special. Last week, I was going to meet two friends for pizza in a restaurant, but then we decided that it would be more fun to make our own pizza at home so we would have some more time to catch up on life.

I love to cook with friends because they bring new ingredients, tastes and stories to the table. I have found that this is how the best food memories are made. Food is more than nourishment, because eating and cooking with people connects us to smells, tastes and ideas that carry forward while rooting us to a pleasant past. At our pizza party, my friends shared the simplicity of ready-made pizza dough from Trader Joe’s. I learned that there are a few options for this fresh dough: plain dough herb whole wheat and glutenfree One bag of dough makes two pizzas, so it is a very economical choice at $1.50 per bag. We used both the plain and herb versions. It is important to plan on letting the dough sit out at room temperature so that it is easy to work the dough with your ﬁngertips to form a thin circle, or even a heart shape as I did. Taking the stress out of making a homemade dough allows more time to focus on creating pizzas that are topped with favorite ingredients while catching up on

crust. Add the thinly sliced prosciutto evenly around the dough. Add the arugula. Gently add two of the sunny-sideup eggs on top of the arugula. Sprinkle the grated parmigiano reggiano over the top of the pizza. Return the pizza to the oven for about 8 minutes, or until the edges of the crust are golden brown.

6. Remove the pizza from oven. Transfer the pizza to a serving plate or cutting board. If you are an anchovy fan, place one anchovy over each egg. Cut the pizza into slices and enjoy

stories.

Trader Joe’s is just one option for ready-made fresh pizza dough; there are comparable versions at Fresh Market, Rouses and Whole Foods. I suggest adding this easy cooking shortcut to your grocery list so there is more time for fun this Mardi Gras season. With this easy pizza dough hack, the focus of pizza night becomes your favorite toppings. We made a classic pizza Margherita with tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, basil and a drizzle of olive oil. My friends made a pizza with an olive oil crust topped with fresh arugula, prosciutto grated parmigiano reggiano and topped with sunny-side-up eggs. At the table, we decided to add anchovies on top of the eggs for an additional ﬂavor boost. A night with delicious food and good company what’s not to love?

Liz Sullivan Faul is a registered dietitian nutritionist who enjoys cooking and sharing meals with her friends and family

On Feb. 5, 2020, the Senate voted to acquit President Donald Trump in his ﬁrst impeachment trial. Most senators expressed unease with Trump’s pressure campaign on Ukraine that prompted the impeachment, but just one Republican, Mitt Romney of Utah, broke party ranks and voted to convict In 2021, the Senate acquitted Trump in a second trial for allegedly inciting the violent Jan. 6 siege of the Capitol.

Also on this date:

In 1917, the U.S. Congress passed the Immigration Act of 1917 over President Woodrow Wilson’s veto, an act that severely curtailed Asian immigration and mandated immigrant literacy testing.

In 1918, more than 200 people were killed during World War I when the

In 1971, Apollo 14 astronauts Alan Shepard and Edgar Mitchell stepped onto the moon’s surface in the ﬁrst of two lunar excursions.

In 1973, services were held at Arlington National Cemetery for U.S. Army

Col. William B. Nolde, the last ofﬁcial American combat casualty in the Vietnam War before a ceaseﬁre took effect.

In 1993, President Bill Clinton signed the Family and Medical Leave Act, granting workers up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave for family emergencies.

In 1994, White separatist Byron De La Beckwith was convicted in Jackson, Mississippi, of murdering civil rights leader Medgar Evers in 1963 and was sentenced to life in prison.

In 2017, Tom Brady led one of the greatest come-

PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE PHOTO By GRETCHEN McKAy Pozole Verde

AQuARIus (Jan.20-Feb. 19) Take the high road and stick to your plans. Don't feel you have to keep up with others. If something doesn't feel right, know enough to take apass. Avoid jointventures.

PIscEs(Feb. 20-March 20) Thecoastis clear, and you can turnyourideas into something concrete. Keeptoyourself and focus on what youmust do. If you let others intervene, you'lllose valuable time.

ARIEs (March 21-April 19) Emotional mixupsare apparent. Gatherthe facts, ask questions and err on the side of caution whenyourheart, healthorfinancesare at risk. Stay calm; choosepeace over chaos.

TAuRus (April 20-May 20) Tidy loose ends and prepare forsome downtime to rejuvenate.A positive mindsetwill help youseparate yourself andyourfeelings from negative people andsituations.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) You are gaining insight into how to build the lifeyou desire. Change is apparent, but it's up to you to make it happen. Be open and willing to engageinactivities,events andpartnerships.

cANcER (June 21-July 22) Home improvements thatlower your overhead or makeyour life easierorlessstressful are within reach. Explore your options and refuse to letanyone talk you into something you don't need LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) You've gotthis. Get out there and do your thing. Refuseto let anyone daunt or sidetrack you. You

have the goods; nowshowwhatyou can do.Partnerships, personal growth and gainsare withinreach

VIRGo (Aug. 23-sept. 22) Disciplinecan lead to positive change and plenty of knowledge andexperience. Converse, expressyourviews, debate your case andreviveyourinterest in life, loveand personal gratitude andsatisfaction LIBRA (sept.23-oct. 23) Step into the spotlight, and shift your attention to leadership, following your heart and manifestingthe life youwant. Ownthe day, master disciplineand manufacture success.

scoRPIo (oct. 24-Nov. 22) Wait andwatch Explore howothers have handled situationssimilar to those youface, andyou'll devise amaster plan youcan execute in atimely andauspiciousmanner.

sAGITTARIus(Nov. 23-Dec. 21) Stifle your emotionsfor the time being. If youget into asquabblewithsomeoneabusive or emotionally manipulative, it will eat into timethat could be put to better use.

cAPRIcoRN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Choose to lie low,observe andreevaluate your next move. Achange may be necessary,but how you get from point Atopoint B matters. Opportunity is close by; recognize your strengths andtake what's yours

Ciphercryptograms are created from quotations by famous people, past and present. Eachletter in thecipher stands for another.

DEQuALsL

FAMILYCIrCUS

CeLebrItY CIpher

SALLYForth

beetLe bAILeY

Mother GooSe And GrIMM

Sudoku

InstructIons: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 gridwith several given numbers. The object is to place the numbers 1to9inthe empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. The difficulty level of the Sudoku increases fromMonday to Sunday.

Yesterday’s PuzzleAnswer

THewiZard oF id

BLondie

BaBY BLueS Hi and LoiS

By PHILLIP ALDER

Here is my finaldeal that wasonthe International BridgePress Association short listfor the 2012 awards. It features an excellent defense by Shivam Shah (East) andAlex Roberts(West)for England against Polandatthe world youth championships in Taicang, China.

How did the defensegoagainst five diamonds?

North opened with aPolishClub. It is usually bid with abalanced hand and 12-14 points, but it might be naturalwith five or more clubs and 12-17 points,or it could be any 18-plus pointer. After Shah’s three-heart pre-emptive overcall, South made anegative double. His four-diamond continuation was clearly forcing.

At the other table, the English NorthSouth pair reached fivediamonds by North, which was unbeatable. After East led ahigh heart, Northcould have taken 12 tricks, but decided on safety first.

Now back to Roberts’ lead problem.

Many aWest would be thinking it was lucky thatthe opponents stopped short of slam. Hishand is dreadful and partner alsoannounced weakness.

Roberts, though, wondered if there might be away to defeat the contract.

Maybe partner had aclubvoid. So, West’s opening lead was the club three.

AfterShah ruffed, the spotlight wason

wuzzles

him.Howcouldhegethispartneronlead for asecondclubruff? There seemed to be only two chances: the diamondace or theheart queen. The first wouldstill be available in amoment, but not the second. East shifted to the heart two.West wonwithhis queen andgavehis partner anotherruff for down one. Terrific! ©2026 by NEA,Inc.,dist. By Andrews McMeel Syndication

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

Previous answers:

word game

INsTRucTIoNs: 1. Words mustbeoffour or more letters. 2. Words that acquire four letters by the additionof“s,” such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed. 3. Additional

ToDAy’s WoRD cAMELLIA: ka-MEEL-yuh: An ornamental shrub with roselike flowers.

marmaduKe

Bizarro

hagar the horriBle

Pearls Before swiNe

garfield

B.C.

PiCKles

examine and canvass the returns and declarethe result of the Election.

SECTION 2. That aProces Verbalof the canvass of the returns of the Election shall be made and that acertified copy thereof shall be forwarded to the Secretary of State, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, who shall recordthe same in her office; that another certified copy thereof shall be forwarded to the Clerk of Court and ex-officio Recorder of Mortgages in and for the Parish of West Baton Rouge, State of Louisiana, who shall record the same in the Mortgage Records of the Parish of West Baton Rouge, State of Louisiana; and that another copy thereof shall be retained in the archives of the District.

SECTION 3. That the results of said special election shall be promulgated by publication in the manner provided by law,afterreceipt from theSecretary of State’soffice of the actual cost of holding the said special election, as required by La. R.S. 18:1292(B)(2).

SECTION 4. This resolution shall take effect immediately upon adoption. THE FOREGOING RESOLUTION having been submitted to avote, the vote thereon was as follows:

YEAS: Mr.Burke Fiscus, Ms. Hayley Clouatre, Dr.Atley D. Walker, Sr Mr.Ronald LeBlanc, Ms. Chareeka Grace, Mr.G Alden Chustz, Jr Mr.Michael Maranto, Ms. Teri Bergeron, Mr.Matthew Daigrepont

NAYS:None

ABSENT:Ms. Sonceria Evans And the resolution was declared to be adopted on this 21st day of January,2026.

/s/ Matthew Daigrepont Matthew Daigrepont, President

ATTEST:

/s/ Dr.Chandler Smith

Dr.Chandler Smith, Secretary/Superintendent

STATEOFLOUISIANA

PARISH OF WEST BATON ROUGE

I, the undersigned Secretary/Superintendent of the Parish School Boardofthe Parish of West Baton Rouge, State of Louisiana (the Governing Authority”), acting as the governing authority of Parishwide School District No. 3ofthe Parish of West Baton Rouge, State of Louisiana, do hereby certify that the foregoing constitutes atrue andcorrect copy of aresolution adopted by the Governing Authority on January 21, 2026, providing for canvassing the returns and declaring the result of the special election held in Parishwide School District No. 3ofthe Parish of West Baton Rouge, State of Louisiana (the District”),onTuesday,November 8, 2022, to authorize the renewal of a15.0 mills tax on assessed valuation of all property subject to taxation in the District, for aperiod of ten (10) years, beginning with the year 2024 and ending with the year 2033, for the purpose of giving additional support to the public elementary and secondary schools within the District.

Ifurther certify that this resolution has not been amended or rescinded. IN FAITH WHEREOF,witness my official signatureand the impress of the official seal of said Parish School Boardofthe Parish of West Baton Rouge, State of Louisiana on this 21st day of January,2026.

/s/ Dr.Chandler Smith Dr.Chandler Smith, Secretary/Superintendent (SEAL)

In accordance with La. R.S. 18:1292(B)(2) the actual cost of holding the election was $22,583.68.

The following resolution was offered by Mr.GAlden Chustz, Jr.and seconded by Ms. Teri Bergeron: RESOLUTION

Aresolution directing the renewal of the levy and collection of (i) atwelve (12) mills, 10-year ad valorem tax for the purpose of giving additional support to the public elementary and secondary schools in Parishwide School District No. 3ofthe Parish of West Baton Rouge, State of Louisiana by providing funds for improving and maintaining salaries and benefits of teachers and other public school personnel employed by the West Baton Rouge Parish School Board, and (ii) atwelve (12) mills, 10-year ad valorem tax for the purpose of providing school employee salaries and benefits; and providing for other matters in connection therewith.

WHEREAS, under the provisions of Section 811 of Title 39 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950 (La. R.S. 39:811), Article VIII, Section 13(C) (Third) of the Constitutionofthe State of Louisianaof 1974,as amended, and other constitutional and statutory authority supplemental thereto, including an election held in Parishwide School District No. 3of the Parish of West Baton Rouge, State of Louisiana (the District”) on Saturday,November 15, 2025, the Parish School Boardofthe Parish of West Baton Rouge, State of Louisiana (the Governing Authority”),acting as the governing authority of the District, desires to renew the levy and collection of the ad valorem taxes as authorized at the election by virtue of the favorable passage of the propositions attached hereto as Schedule Asetting forth the rate and duration of the taxes; and WHEREAS,incompliance with the provisions of said authority and other applicable constitutional and statutory authority,an election was held in the District on Saturday,November 15, 2025, to authorize the renewal of the levy and collection of theadvalorem taxes, it is now the desireofthe District to renew the levy of the ad valorem taxes and provide forthe collection thereof and other matters in connection therewithas hereinafter provided in this resolution.

NOW,THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Parish School Board of the Parish of West Baton Rouge, State of Louisiana, acting as the governing authority of the District, that:

SECTION 1. Pursuant to the authority of an election held in the District on Saturday,November 15, 2025, therebeand thereishereby levied within the geographic boundaries of the District for the purposes stated in the propositions attached hereto as Schedule A, (i) atwelve (12) mills, 10-year ad valorem tax, beginning with the year 2027 and ending with the year 2036, for the purpose of giving additional support to the public elementary and secondary schools in Parishwide School District No. 3ofthe Parish of West Baton Rouge, State of Louisiana by providing funds for improving and maintaining salaries and benefits of teachers and other public school personnel employed by the West Baton Rouge Parish School Board, and (ii) atwelve (12) mills, 10-year ad valoremtax, beginning with the year 2027 and ending with the year 2036, for the purpose of providing school employee salaries and benefits, all in the manner and subject to the provisions and terms of those portions of Chapter 3ofTitle

may

Thisresolution having been

to avote, the vote thereon was as follows:

YEAS: Mr.Burke Fiscus, Ms. Hayley Clouatre, Dr.Atley D. Walker, Sr Mr.RonaldLeBlanc, Ms.Chareeka Grace, Mr.G Alden Chustz, Jr Mr.Michael Maranto, Ms.Teri Bergeron,

Mr.Matthew Daigrepont

NAYS: None

ABSENT: Ms.SonceriaEvans

WHEREUPON,this resolution was declared to be adopted by the Parish School Boardofthe Parish of West Baton Rouge, State of Louisiana, on this, the 21st day of January,2026.

/s/ Matthew Daigrepont MatthewDaigrepont, President

ATTEST:

/s/ Dr.Chandler Smith

Dr.Chandler Smith, Secretary/Superintendent

SCHEDULE A PROPOSITIONS

PROPOSITION NO.1

(TAX RENEWAL)

ShallParishwide School District No.3 of West Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana (the “District”), be authorized to renew the levy of aspecial tax of twelve (12) mills on allproperty subject to taxation within the District (an estimated $9,424,172.00 is reasonably expected at this timetobecollected from the levy of the tax foranentireyear), fora period of ten (10) years, beginning with the year 2027 and ending with the year 2036, for the purpose of giving additional support to the public elementary and secondary schools in said District by providing funds for improving and maintaining salaries and benefits of teachers and other public school personnel employed by the West Baton Rouge Parish School Board?

PROPOSITION NO.2

(TAX RENEWAL)

ShallParishwide School District No.3 of West Baton Rouge

Parish, Louisiana (the “District”), be authorized to renew the levy of aspecial tax of twelve (12) mills on allproperty subject to taxationinthe District (an estimated $9,424,172.00 reasonably expected at this timetobecollected from the levy of the tax foran entireyear), for aperiod of ten (10) years, beginning with the year 2027 and ending with the year 2036, for the purpose of providing school employee salaries and benefits?

STATEOFLOUISIANA PARISH OF WESTBATON ROUGE

I, the undersigned Secretary/Superintendent of the Parish School Boardofthe Parish of West Baton Rouge, State of Louisiana (the “Governing Authority”), acting as the governing authority of Parishwide School District No.3ofthe Parish of West Baton Rouge, State of Louisiana (the “District”), do hereby certify that the foregoing constitutes a true and correct copy of aresolutionadopted by the Governing Authority on January 21, 2026directing the renewal of the levy and collection of (i) atwelve (12) mills, 10-year ad valorem tax forthe purpose of giving additional support to the public elementary and secondary schools in Parishwide School District No.3 of the Parish of West Baton Rouge, State of Louisiana by providing funds for improving and maintaining salaries and benefits of teachers and other public school personnel employed by the West Baton Rouge Parish School Board, and (ii) atwelve (12) mills, 10year ad valorem tax forthe purpose of providing school employee salaries and benefits; and providing forothermatters in connection therewith.

Ifurther certify that this resolution has not been amended or rescinded. IN FAITHWHEREOF,witness my official signatureand the impress of the official seal of saidParish School Boardofthe Parish of West Baton Rouge, StateofLouisiana on this 21st day of January,2026.

/s/ Dr.Chandler Smith Dr.Chandler Smith, Secretary/Superintendent (SEAL)

PROCES VERBAL

PROCES VERBAL OF THECANVASS OF THEVOTES CAST AT THE ELECTION HELD IN PARISHWIDE SCHOOL DISTRICT NO.3OF THEPARISH OF WESTBATON ROUGE,STATEOFLOUISIANA, ON SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2025.

BE IT KNOWNAND REMEMBERED that on the 21st day of January 2026 at 5:00 p.m., at the West Baton Rouge School BoardOffice, 3761 RosedaleRoad, Port Allen, Louisiana, the Parish School Board of the Parish of West Baton Rouge, State of Louisiana (the “Governing Authority”), acting as the governing authority of Parishwide School District No.3ofthe Parish of West Baton Rouge, State Louisiana (the District”) and being the authority ordering the election held therein on Saturday November 15, 2025, did examine and canvass the returns of the election, therehaving been submitted at the election the following propositions, to-wit:

PROPOSITION NO.1

(TAX RENEWAL)

PROPOSITION NO.2 (TAX RENEWAL)

Therewas found by said count and canvass that the following votes had been cast at the said special election IN FAVOR OF and AGAINST, respectively,the propositions as hereinabove set forth at the following polling places, to-wit:

duly givenbythe NoticeofSpecial Election attached

Said NoticeofSpecial

waspublishedonSeptember

andSeptember

in The

attached hereto as

THEREFORE, the Parish School Board of the Parish of West Baton Rouge,State of Louisiana (the“Governing Authority”), acting as the governing authority of Parishwide School District No. 3ofthe Parish of West Baton Rouge,State Louisiana (the“District”) does hereby declare andproclaiminopen andpublic session thatthe Propositions, as hereinabove set forth, were duly PASSEDinthe District on Saturday November15, 2025, andthatthe results of said election be promulgated by the Secretary of State andbythe Clerk of Court in the mannerrequired by law. THUS DONEAND SIGNEDatPort Allen, Louisiana,onthis, the 21st day of January,2026.

/s/ Matthew Daigrepont MatthewDaigrepont, President

ATTEST:

/s/ Dr.ChandlerSmith

Dr.ChandlerSmith, Secretary/Superintendent

EXHIBIT A NOTICE OF SPECIAL ELECTION

(On file with the Parish School Board)

EXHIBIT B PROOF OF PUBLICATIONS

(On file with the Parish School Board)

STATEOFLOUISIANA PARISH OF WEST BATON ROUGE

/s/ Dr.ChandlerSmith Dr.ChandlerSmith,

12, 19, 2026, 3t $91.87 SHERIFF'SSALE U.S. BANK TRUSTNA‐TIONAL ASSOCIATION, NOTINITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY BUTSOLELYAS COLLATERALTRUST TRUSTEEOFFIRSTKEY MASTER FUNDING2021-A COLLATERALTRUST VS ADOLPH JOSEPH CHAN‐DLER A/K/AADOLPH CHANDLER ANDJAMMIE LYNN CHANDLER A/K/AJAMMIECHAN‐