The Acadiana Advocate 02-13-2026

PETITE PARADE

Trump rolls back climate regulations

EPA revokes key scientific finding

BY MATTHEW DALY Associated Press

President

regulate greenhouse gases.

ä EPA ends credits for automatic start-stop vehicle ignition. PAGE 6A

ä Trump directs Defense Department to buy electricity from coal-fired plants. PAGE 7A

LFT Fiber celebrates expansion into Eunice

‘A total game-changer for our community’

BY JOEL THOMPSON Staff writer

LFT Fiber marked its expansion into Eunice on Wednesday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, becoming the first provider to offer fiber internet service in the city Leaders from across Acadiana gathered outside LSU Eunice’s Community Education Building to celebrate the milestone.

“This is a total game-changer for our community,” said state House Speaker Phillip DeVillier, who represents Eunice. “I’ve had businesses tell me they had to use the library or a McDonald’s hot spot just to run payroll because of spotty internet. That won’t be an issue anymore.”

The city-owned provider, operated by Lafayette Consolidated Government, will serve more than 3,000 locations in the area.

Mayor-President Monique Boulet said fiber internet has played a key role in Lafayette’s economic growth.

“Having 100% fiber is crucial,” Boulet said. “Lafayette used to rise and fall with the oil industry Over the last 20 years, fiber has helped us diversify Businesses no longer have to fight the internet.”

Boulet helped secure federal funding for the project while serving on the Acadiana Planning Commission.

Rural areas in Louisiana have long struggled with limited broadband access, a gap underscored

ä See EUNICE, page 4A

Disaster declaration sought for La. storm

Winter weather killed nine, closed roads, knocked out utilities

BY MARK BALLARD Staff writer

WASHINGTON All eight members of Louisiana’s congressional delegation are asking President Donald Trump to issue a disaster declaration, which would open the spigots of federal recovery money, for the winter storm in late January that killed nine people, closed Interstate 20, and cut power to more than 175,000 homes.

ä See TRUMP, page 4A

WASHINGTON The Trump administration on Thursday revoked a scientific finding that long has been the central basis for U.S. action to regulate greenhouse gas emissions and fight climate change, the most aggressive move by the Republican president to roll back climate regulations. The rule finalized by the Environmental Protection Agency rescinds a 2009 government declaration known as the endangerment finding that determined that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases threaten public health and welfare. The Obama-era finding is the legal underpinning of nearly all climate regulations under the Clean Air Act for motor vehicles, power plants and other pollution sources that are heating the planet. The repeal eliminates all greenhouse gas emissions standards for cars and trucks and could unleash a broader undoing of climate

On Feb. 4, Gov Jeff Landry requested federal help to recover from the Jan. 23-27 storm that brought ice accumulation, power and water

outages, dangerously low temperatures and significant damage to infrastructure. He requested the federal government pick up all the costs for 30 days and asked for additional financial assistance for resilience projects to protect against future winter weather threats. State agencies already spent $11,394,461, which meets the threshold for a disaster declaration. Landry requested federal help for Bienville, DeSoto, East Carroll, Franklin, Morehouse, Ouachita, Richland, Tensas and West Carroll parishes, primarily in northeast Louisiana. Trump authorized some services before the storm, but he needs to sign the declaration for the full funding to flow to Louisiana. In a letter to Trump,

ä See DISASTER, page 4A

ABOVE: Broadmoor Elementary students march through the halls of the school during their annual Mardi Gras Parade on Thursday.

RIGHT: Broadmoor Elementary students watching the school’s annual parade wave and call for throws from the costumed students parading through the halls.

STAFF PHOTOS By BRAD BOWIE

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By EVAN VUCCI

Donald Trump speaks during an event Thursday with Environmental Protection Agency Director Lee Zeldin announcing that the EPA will no longer

Indian farmers protest against U.S. trade deal

Thousands of Indian farmers gathered across the country to demonstrate against a longawaited trade deal with the United States, an agreement that protesters say could hurt domestic agriculture.

Thursday’s rallies — which went ahead even after the U.S. watered down its language around the deal — underscore the challenge faced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as he seeks to slash punitive U.S. tariffs while still shielding India’s rural economy and maintaining some trade with Russia.

India’s tens of millions of small farmers are a vital political constituency in the world’s most populous nation, and any threat of sustained nationwide protests evokes memories of 2020 and 2021, when growers paralyzed the capital and mounted Modi’s most significant challenge in over a decade at the helm

Crowds of farmers in Punjab — joined by industrial and rural workers chanted slogans against Modi and U.S. President Donald Trump, as the gathering also voiced opposition to other rural policies, including employment initiatives and proposed legislation on seeds and electricity

Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal has emphasized that sensitive agricultural products, including dairy and poultry, are excluded from negotiations, and has said would be no concessions on imports of key genetically modified crops, a hotbutton issue for the ruling party

Hospitality executive named for park service

President Donald Trump has nominated for director of the National Park Service an executive from a hospitality company that holds extensive contracts with the agency he would lead

The nomination of Scott Socha late Wednesday follows widespread firings within the Park Service as part of efforts by Trump’s Republican administration to sharply reduce its size.

The administration also has faced blowback for the removal or planned removal of national park exhibits about slavery climate change and the destruction of Native American culture.

Administration officials have said they are removing “disparaging” messages under an order last year from Trump. Critics accuse it of trying to whitewash the nation’s history.

Socha is a president for parks and resorts at Delaware North, which describes itself as one of the world’s largest privately owned hospitality and entertainment companies, with more than $4 billion in revenue in 2022.

The company provides services in at least six national parks including Grand Canyon Yellowstone and Shenandoah, said spokesperson Cait Zulewski.

The Buffalo, New York-based company has more than 40,000 employees, according to its website. Socha has been with it since 1999 and will continue in his role there while his nomination is pending, Zulewski said.

The company referred further questions to the White House, which did not immediately respond to an email from The Associated Press. The Park Service has gone more than a year without a confirmed director Community college bus crashes in Iowa; 1 dead TWIN LAKES,Iowa — Authorities on Thursday identified a 19-yearold from South Dakota as the sole fatality of a bus crash in rural Iowa that injured 32 other members of a community college’s baseball team.

Carter Johnson was an outfielder from Rapid City in his first year at Iowa Lakes Community College, according to the team roster Johnson died Wednesday after the bus overturned in a ditch alongside a highway about 85 miles northwest of Des Moines, authorities said Thursday The bus went off the road for “unknown reasons,” said Iowa State Patrol Lt. Aaron Smidt, and the crash is under investigation. All of the other occupants on the bus — 32 teammates — were injured in the crash but are stable and recovering, Smidt said

Homan hails ‘safer’ Minnesota

Trump administration says it’s ending massive immigration crackdown

BY STEVE KARNOWSKI Associated Press

MINNEAPOLIS The Trump admin-

istration is ending the immigration crackdown in Minnesota, border czar Tom Homan said Thursday of the two-month operation that led to thousands of arrests angry mass protests and the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens.

The operation, which the Department of Homeland Security called its “largest immigration enforcement operation ever,” has been a flashpoint in the debate over President Donald Trump’s mass deportation efforts, flaring up after Renee Good and Alex Pretti were killed by federal officers in Minneapolis.

The U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation focused on the Minneapolis-St. Paul area resulted in more than 4,000 arrests, Homan said, touting it as a success.

“The surge is leaving Minnesota

safer,” he said. “I’ll say it again, it’s less of a sanctuary state for criminals.”

criminal illegal aliens,” many of them are people with no criminal records, children and U.S. citizens.

ing, loving neighbors and they’re also some of the toughest people you’ll find. And we’re in this as long as it takes.”

The governor called on Washington to help fund the recovery

The announcement marks a significant retreat from an operation that has become a major distraction for the Trump administration and more volatile than prior crackdowns in Chicago and Los Angeles. It comes as a new AP-NORC poll found that most U.S. adults say Trump’s immigration policies have gone too far Trump initially said the surge was an effort to root out fraud in publicly funded programs, for which he blamed the state’s large Somali community most of whom are U.S. citizens. But the drive soon shifted gears toward other ethnic groups such as Latinos. While the administration has portrayed those caught up in the Minnesota sweeps as “dangerous

Judge blocks Pentagon from punishing Kelly

Senator was in video that called on troops to resist unlawful orders

BY MICHAEL KUNZELMAN and JOEY CAPPELLETTI Associated Press

WASHINGTON A federal judge agreed Thursday to block the Pentagon from punishing Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly, a former Navy pilot, for participating in a video that called on troops to resist unlawful orders.

U.S. District Judge Richard Leon ruled that Pentagon officials not only violated Kelly’s First Amendment free speech rights, but they also “threatened the constitutional liberties of millions of military retirees.” The judge invoked an old-fashioned rebuke — “Horsefeathers!” — in response to the government’s claim that Kelly is trying to exempt himself from the rules of military justice.

“To say the least, our retired veterans deserve more respect from their Government, and our Constitution demands they receive it!” wrote Leon who was nominated to the bench by Republican President George W. Bush.

Kelly, who represents Arizona, sued in federal court to block his Jan. 5 censure from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Leon’s order prohibits the Pentagon from implementing or enforcing Kelly’s punishment while his lawsuit is pending. The judge instructed the parties to provide him with an update in 30 days.

In November, Kelly and five other Democratic lawmakers appeared on a video in which they urged troops to uphold the Constitution and not to follow unlawful military directives from the Trump administration Republican President Donald Trump accused the lawmakers of sedition “punishable by DEATH” in a social media post days later.

Earlier this week, a Washington grand jury declined to indict the lawmakers over the video.

Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin has said she has been told the Justice Department could seek a new indictment as soon as Friday Kelly and Slotkin said at a news conference Wednesday that they are keeping all legal options on the table regarding potentially suing the administration.

Hegseth said the government will appeal Leon’s decision “Sedition is sedition, ‘Captain,’” he posted on his X account, referring to Kelly by his rank at retirement.

Leon said that Kelly “is likely to succeed on the merits” of his free speech claim. “He has also shown irreparable harm, and the balance of the equities fall decidedly in his favor.”

Hegseth said Kelly’s censure was “a necessary process step” to proceedings that could result in a demotion from the senator’s retired rank of captain and subsequent reduction in retirement pay

The judge concluded that Kelly’s speech is entitled to full First Amendment protection.

“Rather than trying to shrink the First Amendment liberties of retired service members, Secretary Hegseth and his fellow Defendants might reflect and be grateful for the wisdom and expertise that retired service members have brought to public discussions and debate on military matters in our Nation over the past 250 years,” Leon wrote Kelly said in a video statement posted after the ruling that the case was about more than just him and that the administration “was sending a message to millions of retired veterans that they too can be censured or demoted just for speaking out.”

He added that the ruling was unlikely the end: “This might not be over yet, because this president and this administration do not know how to admit when they’re wrong.”

The 90-second video was first posted on a social media account belonging to Slotkin. Reps. Jason Crow of Colorado, Chris Deluzio of Pennsylvania, Maggie Goodlander of New Hampshire and Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania also appeared in the video. All of the participants are veterans of the armed services or intelligence agencies.

State and local officials, who have frequently clashed with federal authorities since Operation Metro Surge started in December, insist the swarm of immigration officials has inflicted long-term damage on the state’s economy and its immigrant community Democratic Gov Tim Walz urged residents Thursday to remain vigilant in the coming days as immigration officers prepare to leave, saying he’s not going to express gratitude for the Trump administration officials who caused “this unnecessary, unwarranted and in many cases unconstitutional assault on our state.”

“It’s going to be a long road,” Walz said at a news conference where he proposed a $10 million aid package for businesses that have lost revenue because of the immigration enforcement operation. “Minnesotans are decent, car-

“The federal government needs to pay for what they broke here. You don’t get to break things and then just leave without doing something about it,” he said.

Homan was vague about a timeline for the drawdown. But Walz said Homan had assured him that federal officers would start leaving immediately

Homan said immigration enforcement won’t end in the state when the Minnesota operation is over and that the local ICE office will stay in the fight. “President Trump made a promise of mass deportation and that’s what this country is going to get,” Homan said.

Todd Lyons, the acting director of ICE, said during a hearing in Washington on Thursday that ICE officers are still looking for about 16,840 people in Minnesota with final orders of removal.

Search for Nancy Guthrie seeks month of area videos

BY TY O’NEIL Associated Press

TUCSON,Ariz. — Investigators in Arizona want residents near Nancy Guthrie‘s home to share surveillance camera footage of suspicious cars or people they may have noticed in the month before she disappeared.

The alert went across a 2-mile radius in neighborhoods close to where the mother of “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie went missing 12 days ago, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department said Thursday It asked for video of “anything neighbors deem out of the ordinary or important to our investigation” since the beginning of January Federal and local officers have been going door-todoor in Tucson neighborhoods around 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie’s house while also looking for clues around her other daughter’s nearby home, which she had visited just hours before disappearing. Investigators have recovered and are analyzing several pieces of evidence, including a pair of gloves, the sheriff’s department said.

Authorities on Thursday briefly put up a tent in front of Nancy Guthrie’s entryway where her blood was discovered in the early days of the investigation and where a doorbell camera captured images of a masked person the night she went missing.

Authorities have said Guthrie was taken against her will She’s been missing since Feb. 1, and authorities say she takes several medications and there’s concern she could die without them.

Savannah Guthrie on Thursday shared on Instagram a vintage home video of her mom with two children sharing pink flowers, writing “we will never give up on her thank you for your prayers and hope.”

On Wednesday, FBI agents

fanned out across a nearby neighborhood, knocking on doors and searching through cactuses, brush and boulders.

“They were just asking some general questions wondering if there was anything, any information we

could shed on the Nancy Guthrie issue. Wanted to look around the property and after that,

and such,” Ann

a

bor of Nancy Guthrie’s oldest daughter, Annie Guthrie, told The Associated Press on Wednesday

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cameras

Adams,

neigh-

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By Ty O’NEIL

A small vigil grows near Nancy Guthrie’s house Wednesday in Tucson, Ariz.

Homan

Kelly

Congress leaves D.C. without DHS funding deal

BY SAVANNAH BEHRMANN and VALERIE YURK CQ-Roll Call (TNS)

WASHINGTON Lawmakers

left Washington on Thursday without a deal on an immigration enforcement overhaul, virtually guaranteeing a partial shutdown of the Homeland Security Department when current funding runs out this weekend. Unless progress is made, neither chamber is expected to return to the Capitol next week, when Congress is scheduled to be in recess.

Bipartisan negotiations on an immigration plan were expected to continue over the recess. Leaders of both chambers told members they would be given 48 hours notice to return to the Capitol if a deal is reached. The decision to leave came after the Senate fell short of the 60 votes needed to move forward on a House-passed full-year Homeland Security appropriations bill. The vote was 52-47, with all Democrats except Sen John Fet-

terman of Pennsylvania in opposition. Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., flipped his vote to a “no” when it was clear the motion lacked enough support, in order to be able to reconsider the vote at a later time.

After the vote, Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., the chair of the Senate Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee, immediately brought up a motion for a two-week continuing resolution under

unanimous consent. “We are working in good faith to find a pathway forward,” she said. “What we’re asking is ‘let us continue to do that.’”

Sen. Chris Murphy DConn., objected, saying Democrats had not received text from the White House until Wednesday night — “far too late to be able to engage in any compromise before the deadline.”

Democrats have made

clear they will not vote for another stopgap extension of DHS funding without progress on an immigration enforcement deal. And that message did not waver on Thursday, even after White House border czar Tom Homan announced immigration agents would pull out of Minnesota, the site of two fatal shootings of U.S. citizens last month.

This “is not what law and order looks like,” Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, DN.Y., said Thursday after the vote “Republicans simply cannot pretend that this outrage does not exist. It’s their responsibility now to step forward, heed the calls of the American people and work with us to pass real reform.”

A senior White House official told reporters Thursday that the administration’s offer to Democrats addressed “at least a portion” of their demands. But the official said the administration could not accept the Democratic demand for requiring judicial warrants whenever

immigration agents want to search private property, saying such a constraint would hamstring immigration enforcement operations. Currently only an administrative warrant is typically required.

“There’s some obviously red lines that Democrats have and that the White House has,” Thune told reporters. “Every iteration of this gets a step closer, because I think the White House is giving more and more ground on some of these key issues.”

On Wednesday night, the White House had sent Senate Democrats legislative text similar to the counterproposal sent earlier this week, which many called a nonstarter

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., said it was “not serious (and) not being taken seriously.”

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., called the White House proposal “unresponsive and unserious,” adding, “It’s essentially more cosmetic and window dressing

than real reform.” Thune countered that the White House had made “a real offer” and Democrats should be blamed for a partial shutdown. “We don’t have a solution yet and the Democrats, at least at the moment, evidently, have no interest in funding the Department of Homeland Security,” he said. While the Senate focused on DHS funding, the House this week was embroiled in more than just shutdown politics.

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Benton, saw an embarrassing defeat on the floor late Tuesday night when three Republicans joined Democrats in sinking a procedural vote that would have blocked the chamber from acting against President Donald Trump’s tariffs. Even more Republicans voted with Democrats on Wednesday to reverse Trump’s tariffs on Canada the first of many measures aimed at the tariffs expected to go to the floor in upcoming weeks.

Johnson says he disapproves of DOJ logging searches of Epstein files

BY ERIC TUCKER and ALANNA DURKIN RICHER Associated Press

WASHINGTON Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Benton, said Thursday that he did not think it was appropriate for the Justice Department to be tracking the search histories of lawmakers who are reviewing files from the Jeffrey Epstein investigation.

The rare rebuke to the Trump administration came as photographs emerged revealing an apparent index of records reviewed by a Democratic member of Congress who was among the lawmakers given an opportunity to read less-redacted versions of the Epstein files at a department annex and on department-owned computers.

Rep. Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, asked the Justice Department’s inspector general to investigate what he characterized as “spying,” and Johnson, a close ally of President Donald Trump, offered his own scolding when asked about the issue Thursday “I think members should

obviously have the right to peruse those at their own speed and with their own discretion I don’t think it’s appropriate for anybody to be tracking that,” Johnson told reporters. “I will echo that to anybody involved with the DOJ and I’m sure it was an oversight.”

The Justice Department said in a statement that, as part of the process of permitting lawmakers to review the Epstein files, it “logs all searches made on its systems to protect against the release of victim information.”

Photographs taken during Attorney General Pam Bondi’s hearing before the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday showed her with a printout that said “Jayapal Pramila Search History” and that listed a series of documents that were apparently reviewed Pramila Jayapal, a Democratic congresswoman, was among the Judiciary Committee members who pressed Bondi during the hearing about the department’s handling of the Epstein files.

Jayapal called it “totally

BY JUSTIN MUSZYNSKI

Hartford Courant (TNS)

A Yale University professor has been removed from teaching classes while university officials review a sixyear correspondence he had with Jeffrey Epstein, which included his description of a student to the accused sex trafficker as a “goodlooking blonde.”

The back-and-forth dialogue was discovered within numerous emails released in recent weeks by the U.S. Department of Justice as part of the agency’s “Epstein Library,” which showed a number of communications between computer science professor David Gelernter, 70, and Epstein. Within their correspondences between 2009 and 2015, Gelernter in one email appears to be recommending a then-student as part of his software startup.

“I have a perfect editoress in mind,” Gelernter wrote in an email dated Oct. 11, 2011, according to the DOJ. “Yale sr worked at Vogue last summer, runs her own campus mag, art major, completely connected, v small goodlooking blonde.”

In an email sent last week to Jeffrey Brock, dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Science Gelernter defended what he wrote and said he was recommending the student for a job he “thought she’d like.”

“This one was obsessed with girls (like every other

unmarried billionaire in Manhattan; in fact, like every other heterosex male), and if I hadn’t said what I did in that letter 10-odd years ago, he would certainly have called me & asked for a lot more aesthetic detail. (This is how men behave.)” Gelernter wrote in the email, which was also sent to computer science professor Holly Rushmeier and shared to media outlets, the Daily Beast reported.

“So long as I said nothing that dishonored her in any conceivable way, I’d have told him more or less what he wanted,” Gelernter wrote. “She was smart, charming & gorgeous Ought I to have suppressed that info? Never! I’m very glad I wrote the note.”

According to a Yale spokesperson, Gelernter has been removed from teaching his computer science class until university officials can review his conduct. Gelernter is known for authoring the book “Mirror Worlds,” which was published in the early 1990s and is credited for predicting the rise of the modern Internet. In 1993, Gelernter was sent a bomb in the mail from Ted Kaczynski, known more commonly as the Unabomber Gelernter suffered permanent damage to his right hand and eye from the explosion. In a letter, Kaczynski criticized Gelernter’s work in “Mirror Worlds” for asserting that the advancement of computers was inevitable.

unacceptable” and said lawmakers will be “demanding a full accounting” of how the department is using the search history “Bondi has enough time to spy on Members of Congress, but can’t find it in herself to apologize to the survivors of Epstein’s horrific abuse,” Jayapal said in a post on X.

The Justice Department statement did not explain why Bondi came to the House hearing with information on lawmaker searches.

A bipartisan contingent of lawmakers has traveled in recent days to a Justice Department outpost to review less-redacted records from the files, but some who have seen the

documents have complained that too much information about Epstein associates remains withheld from view.

The Trump administration Justice Department said last month that it was releasing more than 3 million pages along with more than 2,000 videos and 180,000 images related to Epstein investigations. In a statement, Raskin said that not only had the Justice Department withheld records from lawmakers “but now Bondi and her

team are spying on members of Congress conducting oversight in yet another blatant attempt to intrude into Congress’s oversight processes.”

He added: “DOJ must immediately cease tracking any Members’ searches open up the Epstein review to senior congressional staff, and publicly release all files — with all the survivors’ information, and only the survivors’ information, properly redacted — as required by federal law.”

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By J SCOTT APPLEWHITE

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.y., speaks to reporters Thursday at the Capitol in Washington.

Jayapal Bondi

regulations on stationary sources such as power plants and oil and gas facilities, experts say Legal challenges are near certain President Donald Trump called the move “the single largest deregulatory action in American history, by far,” while EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin called the endangerment finding “the Holy Grail of federal regulatory overreach.

Trump called the endangerment finding “one of the greatest scams in history,” claiming falsely that it “had no basis in fact” or law “On the contrary, over the generations, fossil fuels have saved millions of lives and lifted billions of people out of poverty all over the world,”

Trump said at a White House ceremony, although scientists across the globe agree that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases are driving catastrophic heat waves and storms, droughts and sea level rise.

Environmental groups described the move as the single biggest attack in U.S. history against federal authority to address climate change. Evidence backing up the endangerment finding has only grown stronger in the 17 years since it was approved, they said.

“This action will only lead to more climate pollution, and that will lead to higher costs and real harms for American families,” said Fred Krupp, president of Environmental Defense Fund, adding that the consequences would be felt on Americans’ health, property values, water supply and more.

The EPA also said it will propose a two-year delay to a Biden-era rule restricting greenhouse gas

DISASTER

Continued from page 1A

Louisiana’s delegation painted a dire picture of the storm’s impact on North Louisiana.

“At its peak, the storm left over 175,000 residential customers without power. The ice shut down Interstate 20 and numerous state highways for several days. Widespread power outages and damage to water systems resulted in 32,487 customers completely without water Up to 187,359 residents were placed under Boil Water Advisories,” they wrote. The letter continued: “We thank you for your swift emergency declaration for Louisiana issued on Jan. 24 and eagerly await your response.”

Rep. Julia Letlow, R-Baton Rouge, who is from Start

other natural disasters in the United States and around the world.

Gina McCarthy, a former EPA administrator who served as White House climate adviser in the Biden administration, called the Trump administration’s actions reckless.

“This EPA would rather spend its time in court working for the fossil fuel industry than protecting us from pollution and the escalating impacts of climate change,” she said.

Former President Barack Obama said on X that repeal of the endangerment finding will make Americans “less safe, less healthy and less able to fight climate change all so the fossil fuel industry can make even more money.”

ed the agency to submit a report on “the legality and continuing applicability” of the endangerment finding. Conservatives and some congressional Republicans have long sought to undo what they consider overly restrictive and economically damaging rules to limit greenhouse gases that cause global warming.

Withdrawing the endangerment finding “is the most important step taken by the Trump administration so far to return to energy and economic sanity,” said Myron Ebell, a conservative activist who has questioned the science behind climate change.

emissions by cars and light trucks.

Zeldin, a former Republican congressman who was tapped by Trump to lead EPA last year, has criticized his predecessors in Democratic administrations, saying that in the name of tackling climate change, they were “willing to bankrupt the country.”

The endangerment finding “led to trillions of dollars in regulations that strangled entire sectors of the United States economy, including the American auto industry,” Zeldin said “The Obama and Biden administrations used it to steamroll into existence a left-wing wish list of costly climate policies, electric vehicle mandates and other requirements that assaulted consumer choice and affordability.”

The endangerment finding and the regulations based on it “didn’t just regulate emissions, it regulated and targeted the American

and whose district includes North Louisiana, wrote a letter to constituents saying, “this was very personal to me, as my roots lie in northeast Louisiana and my parents lost power themselves.”

“While most families have had their power turned back on, the storm created significant damage that won’t go away overnight,” Letlow said.

U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, RBaton Rouge, told reporters that a governor must make the initial expedited major disaster declaration. Now is the time for the delegation to contact the president and FEMA to make sure it happens.

Cassidy said he also has requested extensions for filing income taxes and penalty waivers so Louisiana taxpayers can focus on recovery rather than getting their taxes in on time.

“Winter Storm Fern may

dream. And now the endangerment finding is hereby eliminated,” Zeldin said.

The Supreme Court ruled in a 2007 case that planet-warming greenhouse gases, caused by the burning of oil and other fossil fuels, are air pollutants under the Clean Air Act.

Since the high court’s decision, in a case known as Massachusetts v EPA, courts have uniformly rejected legal challenges to the endangerment finding, including a 2023 decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

The endangerment finding is widely considered the legal foundation that underpins a series of regulations intended to protect against threats made increasingly severe by climate change. That includes deadly floods, extreme heat waves, catastrophic wildfires and

be over, but we in Louisiana are still dealing with the aftermath,” Cassidy said. “I keep going to it because it is so compelling.”

Letlow is running to unseat Cassidy from his seat in the U.S. Senate.

The delegation also asked Trump to include FEMA individual assistance grants that provide money for some cleanup costs and expenses, like medical care and hotel stays, related to the disaster Landry didn’t include that in his request.

Along with Cassidy and Letlow, the letter to Trump was signed by Sen. John Kennedy R-Madisonville; Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-Benton; House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-Jefferson; Reps. Troy Carter Sr D-New Orleans; Cleo Fields, D-Baton Rouge; and Clay Higgins, R-Lafayette.

Louisiana’s is one of 15

PHOTO By TRAVIS WEBB

Eunice Mayor Scott Fontenot speaks at a ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday celebrating the expansion of LFT Fiber into the city

EUNICE

Continued from page 1A

during the COVID-19 pandemic when students and workers faced connectivity issues.

According to state and independent data, roughly 2 in 10 residents lack access to basic broadband speeds, and fiber service reaches only about one-third of the population, leaving many rural communities with slow or no service.

In 2022, the commission received nearly $30 million through the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s

Broadband Infrastructure Program. LFT Fiber was contracted to expand service in northern Acadia Parish and southern Evangeline Parish, including Mamou and Ville Platte. Those communities were connected last year With Eunice now online, Basile is the only community covered by the grant that has not yet been connected LFT Fiber public relations manager Scott Prather said service in Basile is expected to be completed by the end of February

Expansion discussions began during the COVID-19 pandemic, when limited connectivity posed challenges for LSU Eunice.

“It was a struggle for our faculty and students,” said LSUE Chancellor Nancee Sorenson. “When we went remote for 12 days, we realized how much our community needed this.”

LFT Fiber is the only provider in Eunice offering 100% fiber service and speeds of up to 10,000 megabits per second. Eunice Mayor Scott Fontenot, the first customer to receive installation, said the service will benefit residents and businesses alike.

“It’s not just about faster internet,” Fontenot said.

“It’s about opening doors for education, local businesses and vital services. This will grow Eunice.”

Dr Lisa Patel, a pediatrician and executive director of the Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health, said Trump’s action “prioritizes the profits of big oil and gas companies and polluters over clean air and water” and children’s health.

“As a result of this repeal, I’m going to see more sick kids come into the Emergency Department having asthma attacks and more babies born prematurely,” she said in a statement. “My colleagues will see more heart attacks and cancer in their patients.”

David Doniger, a climate expert at the Natural Resources Defense Council, said Trump and Zeldin are trying to use repeal of the finding as a “kill shot” that would allow the administration to make nearly all climate regulations invalid. The repeal could erase current limits on greenhouse gas pollution from cars, factories, power plants and other sources and could hinder future administrations from imposing rules to address global warming

The EPA action follows an executive order from Trump that direct-

“Declaration Requests” currently being processed at FEMA, two of which are on appeal, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s daily briefing. The requests date back to Nov 26.

An Associated Press analysis in September calculated an average wait of 34 days for the two dozen or so major disaster declarations since Trump took office a second time in January That’s four times longer

Zeldin and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy have moved to drastically scale back limits on tailpipe emissions from cars and trucks. Rules imposed under Democratic President Joe Biden were intended to encourage U.S. automakers to build and sell more electric vehicles. The transportation sector is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S.

The Trump administration announced a proposal in December to weaken vehicle mileage rules for the auto industry, loosening regulatory pressure on automakers to control pollution from gasoline-powered cars and trucks. The EPA said its two-year delay to a Biden-era rule on greenhouse gas emissions by cars and light trucks will give the agency time to develop a plan that better reflects the reality of slower EV sales, while promoting consumer choice and lowering prices.

Environmental groups said the plan would keep polluting, gasburning cars and trucks on U.S. roads for years to come, threatening the health of millions of Americans, particularly children and the elderly

than the early 1990s and the average 26 days under former President Joe Biden.

The 51,500 recipients of food stamps now called SNAP for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program from Caldwell, DeSoto, East Carroll, Jackson, Ouachita, Red River, Richland and West Carroll parishes are receiving an additional 20% in their January benefits, which was added to their EBT cards Wednesday, Louisiana

Health Department Secretary Bruce Greenstein announced. Additionally, the U.S. Small Business Administration is offering businesses loans to aid recovery for residents from West Carroll Parish south to Concordia Parish, and west to the Bossier and Caddo parishes, Landry said.

Email Mark Ballard at mballard@theadvocate. com.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By EVAN VUCCI

President Donald Trump departs with Environmental Protection Agency director Lee Zeldin and Office of Management and Budget director Russell Vought, right, after announcing Thursday that the EPA will no longer regulate greenhouse gases.

National Guardtouts impact of operationinN.O.

Officialssay deploymenthas ledto‘positive trends’

BY SOPHIE KASAKOVE Staff writer

Louisiana National Guard

officials on Thursday took credit for New Orleans’ low crime rate, saying that their deployment to the city on the federal government’s dime has led to “positive trends,” including 175human trafficking arrests.

Under acollaborative operation that enables local police to fight crime, aspokesperson said, police wereable to make the arrests, remove more than 100 firearms and seize 20 kilogramsofcocaine.

The spokespersonalso cited the police’srecent rescue of four victims of human trafficking, and the National Guard’swork to control crowds during Carnival, the Sugar Bowl and New Year’s Eve.

city’smurderrateled the nation, NewOrleans’ homicide rate decreased by 55%, officials said in January

Killings, shootings,and robberies that surged for three years beginning in early 2020 fell fora third straight year in 2025. Nonfatal shootings, armed robberies and carjackings also fell in 2025.

President Donald Trump in January pointed to the deployment of the National Guard as one reason crime in NewOrleanswas “down to almost nothing.”

Similar deployments in Illinois and Oregon have been blocked by courts. In Louisiana, officials have largely welcomed the deployment and noted that the National Guard has along history of assisting locallaw enforcement during major tourist events.

scuffles.”

The federal deploymentof up to 350 Louisiana National Guardmembers, paidfor by President DonaldTrump’s administration at Gov. Jeff Landry’srequest, began ahead of New Year’s Eve

“The Guard’simpact on crime is primarily as aforce multiplier,enabling law enforcement officers to make arrests; furthermore, law enforcement officials are notingpositivetrends,” said Lt. Noel Collins, aspokesperson for the Louisiana National Guard.

festivities and will continue through theend of February.For weeks, the Guard hasbeen aconsistent presence in the French Quarter and downtown, with groups of twoorthree officers patrolling streets and manning vehicle checkpoints.

In addition to their other work, Collins said the“soldiers’ presence is noted as deterring pettycrimeand

“Pettycrimes and prevention of physical altercations may not be accounted for in quantifiable data,” Collins wrote.

While Landry cited crime in thecityinhis requestfor the deployment, theguard’s operation beganasthe city endedthe year witha 50year low in homicides. Comparedwith 2022, when the

In theFrench Quarter,reviewsofthe National Guard presence have been mixed, with some neighborhood leaders and business owners raising concerns that the armed officers makethe neighborhood appear less safe, and others saying that the heightened law enforcement presence contributes to security

Race to fill Letlow’s congressionalseatgains

BY ALYSE PFEIL Staff writer

The fieldina competitive race for Louisiana’s 5th Congressional District continued to expand Thursday after state Rep. Michael Echols officially signed up to run, telling reporters he has “a servant’sheart” and blasting his main challenger for living outside the district.

“People want someone that understands the needs of that district,” saidEchols, aRepublican from Monroe “Those that arejustofficeshoppersneedtostaywhere they are.”

The “office-shopper” Echols referred to is state Sen. Blake Miguez, aRepublican from Acadiana who earlier thismonth ended a statewide campaign for U.S Senate to instead run for the U.S. House —and days later

got anendorsement from President Donald Trump. Miguez, who qualified Wednesday,lives just outside New Iberia, butsays he hasowned ahome in Baton Rouge for decades and intendstomake ithis primary residence if elected StateSen.Rick Edmonds, aBaton Rouge Republican who was instrumental in the creation of thecityofSt. George, and Misti Cordell, aMonroe Republican who chairs theBoard of Regents and is afriend and an ally of Gov.Jeff Landry, are also running.

The Republican-leaning 5th District includes the Florida parishes,Baton Rouge area, Monroe and northeastLouisiana. It’s the only truly competitive race of the six House seats up for election after Rep. Julia Letlow won Trump’s endorsement in mid-January

anddecidedtorun for the Senate.

Primary elections will be held May 16. Candidatequalifying opened Wednesday and closes Friday afternoon. Echols saidasamember of Congress,hewouldfight for resources for small townsand for Louisianaasa whole, and he’dkeepuphis support of Trump’sagenda.

He saidheplans to put over $1 million of his own money towardhis campaign and fundraiseanother $1 to $2 million.

Othercandidatessignup

U.S. House MajorityLeader Steve Scaliseshowed up in Baton Rouge on Thursday to formally qualify forhis 1st Congressional District seat. Scaliseisnot expected to face any significant challengers this year

“It’s truly an honor to represent thepeople of south-

east Louisiana in Congress,” Scalise told reporters.

He said voters during the midtermelections this year face achoicebetweenafarleft Democratic Partyand aRepublican Party thatis working hard to improve the U.S. economy

“We’re gonna notonlyhold this razor-thin majority,but we have opportunities to grow the majority,” Scalise saidofRepublicans’ control in the House.

U.S.HouseSpeaker Mike Johnson, aRepublican from thetownofBenton northof Shreveport, drew two more challengers Thursday.Matt

Gromlich, aprofessor at LSU Shreveport who lives in Caddo Parish, signed up to run as Democrat in the 4th Congressional District. Mike Nichols, aresident of the townofPitkin, signed up as aRepublican. Johnson, who qualified Wednesday, is expected to easily winreelection.

Louisiana’sSenaterace is primarilybeing fought by incumbent Sen. Bill Cassidy, Letlow and Louisiana Treasurer John Fleming. That race drew another candidate Thursday in Mark Spenser, aBelle Chasse resident running as aRepublican.

On Wednesday, Col. StuartWest, commander of the 61stTroop Command, said that “ever since we hitthe ground, the community, the locals, everyone has been so welcoming and polite.” West saidthatlocal law enforcement have informed him of statistics showinga “noticeable decreaseinviolent crime, person-on-person crime, since the Guard has been in place. He did not share specific statistics. Local officials have commended national andstate law enforcement fortheir collaboration during Carnival. At anewsconference on Feb.2,New OrleansPolice DepartmentSuperintendent Anne Kirkpatrick saidthat residentsand visitorscould expect to seeanincreased presence of “our wonderful partners, our state patrol our National Guard” in leadup to Mardi Gras. “I just want to thank all the partners coming together,and we are just working better and better every single day,” said Mayor Helena Moreno at the sameevent. Email SophieKasakove at sophie.kasakove@ theadvocate.com.

StateRep.Stephanie Hilferty,aMetairieRepublican,signedupThursdayto runfor thePublic Service Commission, representing District 1, which covers parts of Orleans and Jefferson Parish along with Plaquemines, St. Bernard and the Northshore.

“The role of the Public Service Commission is to monitor andholdthe utilitiesaccountable,” Hilferty told reporters. State Rep. Mark Wright, R-Covington, and aMetairie resident named “Big John” Mason, both qualified for that race Wednesday

BY KONSTANTINTOROPIN

Associated Press

WASHINGTON— TheU.S. military on Thursday reported two major incidents that occurred in recent days tied to the massive buildup of forces in the Caribbean Sea —a Marine who died after falling overboard and acollision between two Navy ships that left two sailors with minor injuries. Areport was made Saturday that Lance Cpl. Chukwuemeka E. Oforah, 21, of Florida, had fallen from the USS Iwo Jima amphibi-

ous assault ship,the Marine Corpssaid in apress release. It appears to be the first publicly announceddeath of aservice member during theU.S. military operation in theregion. The Trump administrationbuilt up the largest military presence in theregioningenerations before carrying outaseries of deadly strikes on alleged drug boatssince September, seizingsanctioned oil tankers and conducting asurprise raid last monththat capturedVenezuela’sthenpresident, Nicolás Maduro. Also Thursday,U.S. South-

ern Commandannounced that thedestroyer USS Truxtun andthe supply ship USNS Supply collided as the warship was getting anew load of supplies. The maneuver typically has the vessels sailing parallel, usually within hundreds of feet, while fuel andsuppliesare transferred acrossthe gap via hoses and cables.

The collision occurred when thesupply ship was refueling thecruiser USS Gettysburg on one side and the Truxtun approached from the other side, according to aU.S. official.

STAFF FILEPHOTO By DAVIDGRUNFELD

Members of the Louisiana National Guard maketheir presence known at the corner of Bourbon and Canal streets Jan. 23.

BRIEFS

FROM WIRE REPORTS

Stocks drop sharply as investors hunt for losers NEW YORK U.S. stocks fell sharply Thursday as the market punished companies seen as potential losers from artificialintelligence technology.

AppLovin lost nearly a fifth of its value and tumbled 19.7%, even though it reported a stronger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected. Like other software companies, it’s come under pressure from worries that AI may undercut its business while fundamentally changing how people use the internet.

AppLovin CEO Adam Foroughi pushed back on the concerns, saying in a conference call with analysts that indicators show his company is doing well “There’s a real disconnect between market sentiment and the reality of our business,” he said.

The AI worries have hit software stocks particularly hard, but they’re spreading to other industries and other markets For bonds, for example, “AI disruption risk” looks set to knock down prices, even if the threat still looks hazy, according to strategists at UBS.

Outside of tech, McDonald’s rose 2.7% after reporting a stronger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected

The chain credited moves to improve its value and affordability, including cutting prices on some U.S. combo meals in September. Walmart’s rally of 3.8%, meanwhile, was the strongest single force pushing upward on the S&P 500.

Top Trump antitrust official leaves post NEW YORK — The top antitrust official in the Trump administration is leaving her post amid tension about greenlighting big mergers in recent months.

Gail Slater, the Justice Department’s assistant attorney general for antitrust, posted on X Thursday that it was with “great sadness” that she was leaving after just a year in the role. The move comes after a back-and-forth decision about whether to allow Hewlett Packard Enterprises to buy a rival business last year

The Justice Department initially tried to block the $14 billion deal with Juniper Networks, arguing in a lawsuit the two would control 70% of the market in the industry, a dominance that “threatens higher prices and less innovation.” But the suit was soon settled, and the merger allowed to go through Slater’s role reviewing deals was thrown into the spotlight again recently when President Donald Trump announced he would personally examine Netflix’s proposed purchase of Warner Bros. Discovery Trump later backed away from inserting himself into a process normally handled by Justice, promising not to get involved.

Conagra ordered to pay $25M in Pam lawsuit

A jury awarded a Los Angeles man $25 million in a lawsuit against Chicago-based Conagra alleging its butter-flavored Pam cooking spray caused a rare chronic lung disease that will require a double lung transplant. The verdict last week in the Superior Court of Los Angeles found that Conagra did not adequately warn consumers about the potential dangers of inhaling fumes from Pam cooking spray containing diacetyl, a butter-flavored chemical linked to respiratory illness. During the trial, Conagra said it removed the ingredient from its Pam formulation in 2009.

Roland Esparza, 58, who had used butter-flavored Pam regularly since the 1990s, filed the lawsuit in 2022, alleging the since-discontinued ingredient is responsible for his condition, according to his attorney Esparza was diagnosed with bronchiolitis obliterans, a severe and progressive respiratory disease better known as “popcorn lung.” The disease was first identified in workers at a microwave popcorn plant who inhaled the butter-flavored chemical diacetyl during the manufacturing process

Homes sales fell sharply in January

Drop comes even as mortgage rates continue to ease

BY ALEX VEIGA AP business writer

Sales of previously occupied U.S.

homes fell sharply in January as higher home prices and possibly harsh winter weather kept many prospective homebuyers on the sidelines despite easing mortgage rates.

Existing home sales sank 8.4% last month from December to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3.91 million units, the National Association of Realtors said Thursday That’s the biggest monthly decline in nearly four years and the slowest annualized sales pace in more than two years. Sales fell 4.4% compared with

January last year The latest sales figure fell short of the 4.105 million pace economists were expecting, according to FactSet

“The decrease in sales is disappointing,” said Lawrence Yun, NAR’s chief economist. “The below-normal temperatures and above-normal precipitation this January make it harder than usual to assess the underlying driver of the decrease and determine if this month’s numbers are an aberration.”

Home sales slowed sharply across the Northeast, Midwest, South and West But sales had their biggest annual and monthly drop in the West, which wasn’t as affected by last month’s winter storm as the other regions of the country Plus, there’s usually a month or two lag between a contract signing and when the sale is finalized, so many of January’s sales reflect contracts signed late last year

Despite the sharp drop in sales, home prices continued to climb last month The national median sales price increased 0.9% in January from a year earlier to $396,800.

Home prices have risen on an annual basis for 31 months in a row

The U.S. housing market has been in a sales slump dating back to 2022, when mortgage rates began to climb from pandemic-era lows.

The combination of higher mortgage rates, years of skyrocketing home prices and a chronic shortage of homes nationally following more than a decade of below-average home construction have left many aspiring homeowners priced out of the market. Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes remained stuck last year at 30-year lows.

Many of the homes purchased last month likely went under contract in November and December when mortgage rates eased to their lowest levels of the year

The average rate on a 30-year mortgage briefly dropped last month to 6.06%, the lowest level since September 2022, according to mortgage buyer Freddie Mac. It has since inched higher remaining this week at just above 6%, but close to a percentage point lower than a year ago. Even so, affordability remains a challenge for many aspiring homeowners, especially first-time buyers who don’t have equity from an existing home to put toward a new home purchase. They accounted for 31% of homes sales last month. Historically, they made up 40% of home sales.

There were 1.22 million unsold homes at the end of January, down 0.8% from December and up 3.4% from January last year, NAR said. That’s still well short of the roughly 2 million homes for

Damage to Fla. crops could top $1B

Below-freezing temperatures caused major harm

BY CAMILA GOMEZ Orlando Sentinel (TNS)

ORLANDO, Fla. — As forecasts called for freezing weather, David Hill planned to run sprinklers overnight, hoping a coating of ice would protect the crops at his Clermont farm.

But Hill, who owns Southern Hill Farms, had never tried freeze protection in temperatures as low as were predicted for the early hours of Feb. 1. So he decided to spray water on only half his fields.

The sprinkler plan didn’t work, as a heavy, milky ice formed, which broke branches and ruined crops. But the other fields suffered damage too as the temperatures plummeted into the low 20s on the first days of Feb-

ruary

The freezing weather wiped out all the farm’s sunflowers, half its blueberries and a third of its strawberries, taking a good chunk of revenue with it.

“There will be no normal about this season That’s for sure,” Hill said.

That is true across the state.

The cost of freeze damage to Florida’s farmers might top $1 billion, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services said in a statement this week

Every farmer as far south as Lake Okeechobee who was actively growing crops was hurt by the record-setting cold snap, said Matt Smith, a commercial crop agent for Lake and Orange counties with the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.

Smith said it may take months to understand the severity of the freeze. Farmers may see signs of fruit damage within two to four weeks but wood damage may not be evident until April.

And many farmers will be facing tough decisions soon. If the

damage in a crop hits a certain level, it’ll be unsustainable to bring the rest of the crop to the market.

The agriculture sector in Florida “is definitely hurting right now, and it’s going to take a little time to see to what extent,” he added.

Hank Scott, the general manager at Long & Scott Farms near Lake Apopka, said his cabbage suffered minimal damage But cabbage is a leafy winter vegetable better able to survive during the cold.

His farm lost some strawberries but still planned to open for “u-pick” customers this month.

Blueberry crops, however, were hit hard. Blueberry bushes are particularly susceptible to the cold, and when sprayed, their bushes couldn’t handle the weight of the ice that formed.

Scott West, the owner of Tom West Blueberries in Ocoee, said the ice likely reached 100 pounds per plant

“This amount of ice just

breaks the plant to pieces,” he said.

West said his farm lost from 70% to 80% of its blueberries, which covered 20 acres.

It will be a while before the plants bounce back, if they are healthy enough to survive. In the meantime, he’ll need plenty of workers to help remove broken branches, start a fungicide program, and stake the plants, West said.

“I don’t think we have a choice but try to keep the workers on because you can’t spring back without the best farming practices,” he said.

It’s too soon to tally his financial losses, West said, but he expects some farms might go out of business.

On Tuesday, Gov Ron DeSantis issued an executive order in response to “last week’s winter weather event.” Without providing specifics, the message posted on X said the state was working to help “facilitate emergency

harvesting,” protect “Florida agriculture from further losses” and provide “prompt assistance” to farmers.

Though the state still has staff assessing damage from the freeze, “we do know that the damage to Florida crops will be significant, possibly over $1 billion,” said Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson in his department’s statement.

He added, “Our farmers are resilient and we believe they will continue to weather the storm.”

Hill said farmers have no choice but to keep working. Southern Hill, which is a family-run farm, opened its land to the public last weekend but had no produce to sell. Visitors were invited for food trucks and amusement park rides.

“You feel like somebody suckerpunched you to the stomach. You feel like you’re dreaming and you’re going to wake up but you never do. But you learn to cope,” Hill said.

EPA ends credits for automatic start-stop vehicle ignition

BY ALEXA ST JOHN Associated Press

DETROIT The Environmental Protection Agency announced an end Thursday to credits to automakers who install automatic start-stop ignition systems in their vehicles, a device intended to reduce emissions that EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said “everyone hates.” In remarks with President Donald Trump on Thursday at the White House, Zeldin called start-stop technology the “Obama switch” and said it makes vehicles “die” at every red light and stop sign He said the credits, which also applied to options like improved air conditioning systems are now “over done, finished.”

Zeldin repeated the generallydebunked claims that start-stop systems — which are mostly useful for city driving — are harmful to vehicles, asserting Thursday that “it kills the battery of your car without any significant benefit to the environment.”

This latest Trump administration move to cut automotive industry efforts to clean up their cars and reduce transportation-driven emissions came as Zeldin and Trump also announced a broader repeal of the scientific finding known as endangerment that has been the central basis for regulating U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.

Start-stop is a technology that automatically shuts down a vehicle’s engine when a driver comes

“Countless Americans passionately despise the start/stop feature in cars,” Zeldin wrote in a post on X on Tuesday teasing the announcement. “So many have spoken out against this absurd start-stop-startstop-start-stop concept.”

The announcement made good on Zeldin’s promises last year to “fix” the feature. Start-stop is “where your car dies at every red light so companies get a climate participation trophy,” Zeldin said in a post on X last May “EPA approved it, and everyone hates it, so we’re fixing it,” he wrote at the time.

to a complete stop, and then automatically restarts the engine when the driver takes their foot off the brake pedal. Developed in response to the 1970s oil crisis, the feature was intended to cut vehicle idling, fuel consumption and emissions. About two-thirds of vehicles now have it, providing drivers with anywhere from 7% to 26% in fuel economy savings, according to the Society of Automotive Engineers. Start-stop also causes a split-second lag in acceleration, a point of irritation for some consumers and automotive enthusiasts. Burning gasoline and diesel fuel for transportation is a major contributor to planet-warming gases such as carbon dioxide, methane and more, according to the EPA. By implementing the systems, automakers could earn credits toward meeting federal emissions reduction rules.

ORLANDO SENTINEL PHOTO By RICARDO RAMIREZ BUXEDA Scott West, owner of Tom West Blueberries, shows the inside of a blueberry damaged by the recent freezing weather on Monday in Ocoee, Fla.

Get more electricity from coal, Trump tells Pentagon

BY HAYLEY SMITH Los Angeles Times (TNS)

President Donald Trump on Wednesday issued an executive order directing the Department of Defense to buy electricity from coalfired power plants. He also announced new funding to restart and upgrade coal plants in several states.

The executive order directs Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Secretary of Energy Chris Wright to enter into long-term contracts with coal-fired plants to serve military installations and facilities. The order will “ensure military installations and critical defense facilities have uninterrupted, on-demand baseload power,” the White House said.

The Department of Energy will also award $175 million for six projects to “extend the useful life of coalfired power plants” in rural and remote communities, including West Virginia, Ohio, North Carolina, Kentucky, and Ohio, the agency said

Hundreds of coal plants have closed in the United States in recent years as inexpensive and cleaner natural gas and renewables became super-abundant.

Coal is relatively inexpensive to produce but is the dirtiest fossil fuel, releasing considerable particulate air pollution, sulfur dioxide and

mercury and nearly twice the planet-warming carbon dioxide as natural gas.

Trump announced the initiatives at a White House event where he also received an “Undisputed Champion of Coal” award from the Washington Coal Club, a pro-coal group The actions continue the administration’s efforts to turn back the clock on the transition to cleaner energy and reverse efforts

to address climate change. In 2025, coal was down to roughly 17% of the country’s electricity generation, from about 50% in 2000, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

The announcement comes as Trump takes steps to block electric vehicle initiatives and the development of renewable energy sources such as wind and solar — including ongoing legal battles over offshore wind projects

on the East Coast and challenges to California’s authority to set strict tailpipe emission standards.

During Wednesday’s event, Trump credited coal with keeping the power on during recent winter storms while “solar and wind totally collapsed.”

“I’m not a fan of those crazy windmills that are all made in China,” Trump said. But energy costs are rising across the U.S., and

renewables represent the fastest, cheapest and cleanest resources available, said Julie McNamara, associate policy director of the climate and energy program at the nonprofit Union of Concerned Scientists. She described the president’s order as a “staggering, staggering waste of money, time and opportunity.”

“Forcing the use of increasingly unreliable and relentlessly uneconomic coal plants will risk outages and send high electricity costs higher,” McNamara said “Recklessly slashing health, safety and environmental standards will harm people’s health and the environment Communities that produce coal she said, need “actual, durable transition solutions.”

Ted Kelly director and lead counsel for U.S. Clean Energy at the nonprofit Environmental Defense Fund, said the administration’s efforts are “focused on the coal industry’s profits, not the costs to American families and businesses.”

“This absurd misuse of public funds will lead to more air pollution, more asthma and higher electricity bills all for ancient coal plants that barely work,” Kelly said. “At the same time, the Trump administration is blocking and canceling the cleanest, most affordable energy options

from the grid, driving up costs even higher.” Kelly noted the costs of coal are increasing: 99% of coal plants cost more to run than would it cost to replace them with renewable energy, according to an analysis from the nonpartisan think tank Energy Innovation. A separate analysis from the consulting firm Grid Strategies found that forcing the continued operation of coal plants slated to retire could cost ratepayers more than $3 billion per year

Some representatives from the coal industry were appreciative of the new order

“As demand increases and our lives become increasingly electrified, America needs to generate more electricity, not less,” said Kayla Blackford, a worker at Bear Run Mine in Cougar, Indiana during Wednesday’s event. “For years, coal miners have felt the weight of policies that made our future uncertain. Over the past year that weight has begun to lift.” But even some within the industry have questioned the administration’s efforts. Last month, the owners of the Craig Generating Station in Colorado said the Department of Energy violated their constitutional rights when it ordered them to continue running a coalfired generator that they had been planning for more than a decade to retire.

Puerto Rico governor signs law to recognize fetus as human being

BY DÁNICA COTO Associated Press

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico Puerto Rico’s governor on Thursday signed a bill that amends a law to recognize a fetus as a human being, a move doctors and legal experts warn will have deep ramifications for the U.S. Caribbean territory

The amendment was approved without public hearings and amid concerns from opponents who warned it would unleash confusion and affect how doctors and pregnant or potentially pregnant women are treated

The new law will lead to “defensive health care,” warned Dr Carlos Díaz Vélez, president of Puerto Rico’s College of Medical Surgeons. “This will bring complex clinical decisions into the realm of criminal law,” he said in a phone interview He said that women with complicated pregnancies will likely be turned away by private doctors and will end up giving birth in the U.S. mainland or at Puerto Rico’s largest public hospital, noting that the island’s health system isn’t prepared. Díaz noted that the amend-

ed law also allows a third person to intervene between a doctor and a pregnant woman, so privacy laws will be violated, adding that new protocols and regulations will have to be implemented.

Gov Jenniffer González, a Republican and supporter of President Donald Trump, said in a brief statement that “the legislation aims to maintain consistency between civil and criminal provisions by recognizing the unborn child as a human being.”

The amendment, in Senate Bill 923, was made to an article within Puerto Rico’s Pe-

nal Code that defines murder

The government noted that the amendment complements a law that among other things, classifies as first-degree murder when a pregnant woman is killed intentionally and knowingly, resulting in the death of the conceived child at any stage of gestation. The law was named after Keishla Rodríguez, who was pregnant when she was killed

in April 2021. Her lover, former Puerto Rican boxer Félix Verdejo, received two life sentences after he was found guilty in the killing.

Some cheered the amendment signed into law Thursday, while opponents warned that it opens the door to eventually criminalizing abortions in Puerto Rico, which remain legal.

“A zygote was given legal personality,” said Rosa

Seguí Cordero, an attorney and spokesperson for the National Campaign for Free, Safe and Accessible Abortion in Puerto Rico. “We women were stripped of our rights.” Seguí rattled off potential scenarios, including whether a zygote, or fertilized egg, would have the right to health insurance and whether a woman who loses a fetus would become a murder suspect.

BY JILL LAWLESS Associated Press

LONDON President Donald Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against the BBC can go to trial in 2027, a U.S. judge has said Judge Roy K. Altman of the federal court for the Southern District of Florida rejected an attempt by Britain’s national broadcaster to delay proceedings.

He set a provisional start date of Feb. 15, 2027, for a two-week trial Altman’s court order was issued Wednesday Trump filed a lawsuit in December over the way the BBC edited a speech he gave on Jan. 6, 2021. The claim seeks $5 billion in damages for defamation and $5 billion for unfair trade practices.

The speech took place before some of Trump’s supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol as Congress was poised to certify President-elect Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 election that Trump falsely alleged was sto-

len from him.

The BBC had broadcast the documentary — titled “Trump: A Second Chance?” — days before the 2024 U.S. presidential election. It spliced together three quotes from two sections of the 2021 speech, delivered almost an hour apart, into what appeared to be one quote in which Trump urged supporters to march with him and “fight like hell.” Among the parts cut out was a section where Trump said he wanted supporters to demonstrate peacefully

The broadcaster has apologized to Trump over the edit of the Jan. 6 speech But the publicly funded BBC rejects claims it defamed him. The furor triggered the resignations of the BBC’s top executive and its head of news.

Papers filed last month said the BBC plans to file a motion to dismiss the case on the basis that the court lacks jurisdiction, because the program was not broadcast in Florida, and that Trump failed to state a claim.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By EVAN VUCCI

President Donald Trump signs an executive order regarding coal during an event Wednesday in the East Room of the White House in Washington as Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Benton, Environmental Protection Agency director Lee Zeldin and coal miners watch.

Son of aTexan, anew Lafayette store, offers selvedgedenim jeans along withAmerican-made brandslikeTellason and PrisonBlues.

IN THEJEANS

Downtown Lafayettestore specializes in unique anddurable denimproducts

BY NORMAN RENE II

Contributing writer

In an area better known for itsfood and festivals, anew Lafayettestore is weavingtogetheradifferent tradition.

At 717 Lee Ave., Son of aTexan offers selvedge denim to downtown Lafayette, apremium fabricknown forits durabilityand unique production method. Wovenonnarrow,traditional looms, these jeans create a self-finished edge.

Historically used by workers during World WarII, selvedge denim wasdesignedfor functionality,offering lightweight yet resistantclothingthat could withstand anything. Selvedge jeans are naturally indigodyed and develop personalized wear patterns.

Owners Sky and Katrena King, who opened the store last year,have created auniqueshopping experience Sky King drew inspiration from his father and grandfather,recalling trips to western stores to find durable clothing options.

His grandfather,a World WarII veteran in the South Pacific, instilled in him the importance of garment care. He said his goal wastocreate a store that honored hisroots and gave the community something unique.

Son of aTexan owners Katrena and Sky King opened the store last year,creating aunique shopping experience. SkyKing drewinspiration from his father and grandfather recallingtrips to westernstores to find durable clothing options.

“I always remember going to his house, and he was always ironing his clothes and shining his shoesevery morning,” he said.

Thestoreoffers bothunsanforized raw denim, which shrinks significantly,and sanforized pre-treated denim

Brenley Murry,a student at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette with abackground in researching fast fashion, sees thestore as atrans-

Former Washington Post journalist joinsThe Advocate

Hank Stuevertolead enterprise team

BYRICH

Former Washington

Hank Stuever is joining

and The

editor for enterprise journalism, adding another veteran editor to the newsroom’s ranks as it expands its ambitions across Louisianaand the Gulf Coast. Stuever,who twice hasbeen named aPulitzer Prize finalist

in featurewriting, will start in his new role next month, according to an internal announcement this week.

Stuever

Duringhis 26 years at The Washington Post, Stuever worked as a reporter,chief TV critic, and editor.His last leadership rolethere was Executive Features Editor, where he led coverageofculture, thearts, politics, media and other topics for thePost’snationally

ä See STUEVER, page 4B

formative addition to theAcadiana community

“They’rebringingsomething that is astep aboveyour usual everyday denim,offering aproduct that is moresustainable and offers an educational opportunity to the greater Acadiana area,” Murrysaid.

The shop carries carefully curated American-made brands like Tellason and Prison Blues, offering meticulously crafted jeans with astory Theserange in various sizes to accommodate diverse body types and highlight historical significance.

Prison Blues jeansare madeinthe EasternOregonCorrectional Institution, giving inmates achance to learnatradeand reintegrateinto the workforce upon release. The prisonersalso earn wages from their work, whichgoestoward theirrehabilitation and supporting any families they may have offended.

Tellason, based in San Francisco, aims to revive theart of making jeansonthe West CoastwhereLevi’s originated.

“It’spretty cool to bring in all those stories with thebrands that we choose to carry,” Katrena said. “I think it’s an opportunity to put atangibleproduct in frontofpeoplethat maybe they’ve never seen or experienced before.”

Catch vibes, throws as revelry heatsup

BY ASHLEY WHITE Staff writer

If MardiGrasisa marathon,not asprint, we’re in the last fewmiles and the revelry is heating up. Mardi Gras is Feb. 17 and will be aday filled with celebrations. But Acadiana residents and visitors won’thavetowaituntil Tuesday for the funtostart. Here are the parades and other celebrations happening around Lafayette and Acadiana leading up to Mardi Gras.

Friday

n KreweofAllons “Kick-Off”parade— The parade begins at Pontiac Point in Lafayette at 6:30 p.m. It winds through downtown before traveling downJohnston Street to North College Drive, ending at Cajun Field. The parade brings excitement and Ragin’ Cajuns’ flair to the celebration.

n La Festival de Mardi Gras Rides, carnival eats andmusic abound at thiscarnivalatCajun Field. Gates open at 5p.m. Friday’smusical acts start at 6p.m.with DJ Rex followed by Mike Dopsieand Entourage at 6:30p.m.and Adam Leger at 9:30 p.m Children under 16 must be accompanied by

Parades, festivalscontinue throughMardi Gras ä See REVELRY, page 4B

in time forMardi Gras LAFAYETTE

BY STEPHENMARCANTEL Staff writer

The Lafayette Police Department’sMounted Patrol Unit recentlyaddedtwo Clydesdalestoits roster,thanks to apartnership with Schilling Distributing. Thehorses, Mo and Bud, joined the unit this month. Bud is scheduled to make his public debut during Lafayette Mardi Grasparades beginning Friday

Bud is named in recognition of Schilling’s partnership with Anheuser-Busch and its Budweiser Clydesdales. Mo is named after Lafayette Mayor-President Monique Boulet, according to Schilling.

“Of course,wehad to name him Bud, after The King of Beers,” Charles “Buddy” Schilling said in aprepared statement. “It’sa

Police:Shootingvictimidentified

Lafayette police have made two arrests in connection with aman found dead fromgunshot wounds near Winsor Drive on Wednesdayafternoon.

Thevictimhas been identified as Clarence Hypolite, 23, of Lafayette. The Lafayette Police Department responded to the 100 block of WinsorDrive after reports of an unresponsive manlying in adriveway,police said.Upon arrival, officers determined that Hypolite haddiedfromgunshot wounds. Investigators said Hypolite

was shot inside avehicle while attempting to conduct anarcotics transaction.

The suspects then removed Hypolitefrom the vehicle and placed him in anearby driveway.Asthe suspects fled the scene, the victim was struck by the suspect vehicle.

Investigators were able to identify the suspect vehicle, which was later located traveling in Jennings. This resulted in the arrest of Xzavier Dyson, 27, and MartinaMouton, 21. Both face first-degreemurder counts. They werebooked into

Jeff Davis Parish and are awaiting extradition back to Lafayette.

Home, vehicles damaged in overnight fire Twovehicles and ahomein Lafayette wereseverely damaged after afire early Thursday morning.

Lafayette firefighters responded to ahouse fire at 12:02 a.m. Thursday in the 600 block of Pershing Avenue aftermultiple calls were receivedreporting that apossible victim wasinside the house.

page 4B

PHOTOSPROVIDED By NORMAN RENE II

Roseland residentsstill waitingfor Smitty’s answers

Six months after an industrial explosion and fire disrupted their lives,residents of Roselandare still seeking answers. They gathered not for politics, but because they still do not know what they were exposed to, or why so many answers arrived filtered through technical language and repeated assurancesof“no imminent threat.” The Smitty’sSupply explosion in Roseland fits this pattern. In August, the facility burned for days. Smoke and soot settled across neighborhoods. Residentswere evacuated, then allowed to return while cleanup continued As debris accumulated, official messaging shifted to reassurance, while fundamental questionssuch as what was released, where it traveled and the potential effects of long-term exposure wentunanswered. Air monitoring detected extremely elevated levels of fine particulate matter,specifically a microscopicsoot produced when oil and industrial materials burn This soot is not asinglechemical, but cumulative combustion pollutionthat penetrates the lungsand bloodstream.

Under the EPA’sAir Quality Index, levels of this material at or above250 micrograms per cubic meter are hazardous. In Roseland,regulators used an incident-specific threshold of 300 micrograms per cubicmeter,which is higher than theEPA’s benchmark. Neither theair nor the instruments changed, only the standard for action As aresult, air that metthe hazardous definition was described as “below action level.” Official statements assured residents there was “no imminent threat,” withoutexplaining that this relied on araised, incidentspecific threshold. Meanwhile, chemical-specific monitoringwas reported as “below detection limit,” but detection limits were not disclosed. “Below detection limit” does not mean absent; it means below areporting threshold that was not disclosed. Without that context, residents could not assess what might have been present at lower levels. This distinction is critical because this particulate matter carries toxic compounds, whether or not each chemical is individually identified.

No data needed to be falsified or numbers hidden —accountability was reduced by redefining what constituted concern. The timelineofevents is important.The fire began on Aug. 22. Smoke and other materials spread across thearea, causing evacuations. Over the ensuing month,air monitoring detected elevated particulate matter,but because of the 300 micrograms per cubit media standard, regulatorssaid it was “below action levels” and “below detection limit,” without ever disclosing what those thresholds were.

In early October,federal and stateinspectors documented hundreds of hazardous wastefailures resulting from theSmitty’s fire.

On Oct. 15, cleanup responsibility shifted toSmitty’s and the state under EPAoversight AndinJanuary,the EPAissued an order,based on the earlier inspections, citing hazardouswaste violations including failure to identify,contain and manage waste. This sequence matters because reassurances about air safety were issued before regulators documented hazardous-waste mismanagement. The enforcementaction cited failures in spill

Fear is keepingNICUparents away;babiespayingthe price

Isat in the armchair close to theincubator.It’simpossibletoforget thesoundsofa neonatal intensive care unit,or NICU: The endless hums and beeps of monitors echo through the otherwise quiet unit.

Ababy girl —perfect, small, precious —was fast asleep in her bed. Tubes went through each nostril, and another was attached to her mouth. Iwas Facetiming thegirl’s mom, angling the camera so she could see her baby as clearly as possible. Her mom saidlittle, just repeated her daughter’s name over and over as she looked at her for thefirst time in weeks.

The sweep has forced parentstostay home,trusting doctors and nurses to care for their babies while they have been unable to be there. Strong NICU medicalteams are critical for premature babies’survival, butsoare parents

control, container integrity and planning. This was not hindsight, but thewithholding of context.

Gov.Jeff Landry promised to restore the site. Yetthroughout theresponse, residents were told there was “no imminent threat,” even as regulators had air-monitoring data and chemical inventories that were never fully explained.

EPAand state leaders had access to all monitoring data. The issue is not compliance, but whether they chose transparency over reassurance.

Other disasters show that adifferent approach is possible. After thechemical plant explosion in PortNeches, Texas, regulators reported air-monitoring results, disclosed detection limits, issued broad evacuation orders and then reassured thepublic.

In Roseland, monitoring served moreasaclearance mechanism than awarning system

Public-health language gave way to liability language, and uncertainty wasframed as reassurance. Residents returned to homes coated in soot, cleaning up without knowing what they were removing. Questions about soil, water and long-term health ef-

fects met conclusions but no explanations.

Louisiana is not without influence: aLouisianan is speaker of the house, another is majority leader and the governor represents U.S. interests abroad. Yetwhen aLouisiana community faced disaster,this was the response —afailure of priorities. When standards are adjusted to manage outcomes rather than clarify risk, trust erodes. When reassurance replaces transparency,accountability is conditional.

The central question in Roseland remains:

“Why wasair that met the definition of hazardous treated as if it did not warrant action?”

Until that question is answered, Roseland will remain morethan the site of an industrial fire. It will stand as evidence of what happens when truth is reshaped to serve institutions rather than the public.

Ademocracy cannot function with conditional accountability, nor can it exist when truth is negotiable.

TimJames is aretired U.S Navy officer and an independent writer andresearcher basedin Louisiana.

Louisianadidn’talways celebrateCajun culture

In Louisiana, Cajun culture is often celebrated for its food, music and resilience

Over time, many Cajuns were encouraged to forget this past in the name of assimilation.

Iwork for Saul’s Light, alocal nonprofit that supportsNICU and bereaved families, and we were seeing aworst-casescenario emerge. Due to the ICE and Border Patrol sweep in Louisiana that began in December,ithas become the new reality.Fear has gripped immigrant communities. Businesses throughout the city closedoremptied School-aged childrenbegan to stay home. Andsome mothers —mothers whohave recently given birth to medically fragile babies —have been forced to make the impossible choice:shelter at home or risk journeying to the hospital to visit their newborn babies.

Many of these parents haveother children or dependent family members to care for.Their babies in the NICU are oftenstill learning to breathe on their own.

In January,the unthinkable happened— amother with ababy in aLouisianaNICU received adeportation order.Rather than face the prospect of detention andrisking other family members, shechose to self-deport.Her premature infant,onlya few pounds and too vulnerable to be discharged from the hospital, remained in the NICU. In the moment when it is most critical for afamily to remain together —for both the physical and mental health of parent and baby —she felt she hadtoleave. At Saul’s Light,wehavekicked into overdrive since the ICE raidsbegan,supporting impacted and vulnerable families throughmaterialitems and NICU visits. This is the first time we’veheard of a mother self-deporting.

But it’sdoubtful this is the first such occurrence, despite prior ICE policiesstating that postpartum, nursing andpregnant mothers would not be detained or deported.

The NICU experience isolates anddestabilizes any family.Fear and deportations have exacerbated these feelings,preventing parents from delivering crucial care to sick infants.

Evidence shows that premature and medically fragile infants are dependent on their parents for touch, bonding and, often,breast milk.Milk providesantibodies, nutrients and white bloodcellsthat can be lifesaving for these infants.

According to aMarch of Dimes report, theprematurity rateinLouisianaroseto 14% in 2025, exceeding the national averagebynearly 4%.

Babies can be in theNICU for ahost of reasons, but preterm birthand low birth weightare driving factors for many.Exact causes for premature birth vary: from environmental factors to lack of medical access to stress.

Oneunarguable factor in having a healthy, full-term pregnancy is accessible andreliable medical care. In Louisiana, the rate of inadequateprenatal care among babiesborn to Hispanic moms was nearly two times thestate average from 20222024.

It begsthe question: What conditions in Louisiana have permitted this to happen?

If this is the statistic before themost recentICE raids, to what extremes will we see these inequities continue to grow?

Border Patrol andICE are moving across thecountry,targeting immigrant hubs. Fear still lies in thewake of the places they have touched

In the New Orleansarea, community members are slowly returning to work, andkids have reported back to school. But NICU mothers are still afraid and torn, unsurewhen it will be safe to visit their infants.

Many still shelter in place, waiting for their babies to be healthy enough to finally comehome. Butwithout the parents’ presence at thebedside to hold their baby,talk to them, feed them with their own milk, when will that be?

Sophia Rosenblatt is the director of programsand partnerships at Saul’s Light.

It is abrand sold to touristsand asource of fierce pride for locals. However,far lessrememberedis thatCajuns wereonce treated as outsiders in theirown home,systematically discriminated against fortheir language, culture and identity.This was not merely asocial snub; it was astructural effort to eraseanentire way of life.

That history is not symbolic. In 1980, Roach v. DresserIndustrial Valve established acritical legal fact: Cajuns were recognized as aprotected ethnic group under theCivil Rights Actof 1964. The casearose whenCalvin Roach was fired, allegedly due to his Acadian accent and heritage. The court ruled that Cajuns were not simply “white Americans,”but adistinct people with adocumented history of discrimination, often treated as foreignersinLouisiana itself.

In his ruling, Judge Edwin Hunter drove this point home by stating that Cajuns areof“foreign descent” and belong to agroup that has been “subjected to different treatment” than otherAmericans.

For many Cajuns,this remains asobering legal reality: To thegovernment and the courts, their ancestry was officially viewed as foreign, even within their own parishes.

For generations, the state sought to “modernize” by force. The Louisiana Constitution of 1921 effectively mandated English-only education, apolicy thatremained the law of the land for decades.

The enforcement of these rules was often sadistic.Cajun children were physically punished for speaking the only language theyknew.They were forced to writelines, kneel on sharp grains of rice or performmanual labor.Perhaps most traumatic was the refusal of some teacherstoallow children to use the restroom unless theyaskedinEnglish, alanguage many had not yet learned. This led to the ultimate humiliation of children being forced to soil themselves in front of their peers.

This was an intentional attempt to “Americanize”a population seen as backward or culturally incompatible. This era of forced assimilation created amassive economic and social rift.Cultural expressionwas discouraged, and economic opportunity was limited for those who did not conform to standard American norms.

Forgetting, however,cameat acost. When acommunity forgets its own marginalization, it becomes easier to believe that discrimination only happens to others. Legal protections begin to feel abstract or unnecessary, something meant for someone else, somewhere else.

History shows afamiliar pattern. When social or economic pressure rises, societies look for scapegoats. Immigrants, religious minorities, LGBTQ people, political dissidents, whenone group is exhausted as atarget, another is found. What matters is not who is targeted, but how easily the targeting is accepted by the majority.Cajuns have already filled that role once before. They were portrayed as backward, un-American or culturally incompatible. Their language was treated as aproblem to be corrected. Their traditions were framed as obstacles to progress. These narratives justified exclusion while appearing reasonable to those in power.Civil rights protections did not exist because Cajuns were powerful. They existed because vulnerability wasacknowledged. That recognition is not ahistorical curiosity; it is awarning. Civil rights laws are not guaranteed. They are safeguards that only function whensocieties remember why they were created. Once aculture becomes comfortable dismissing the rights of its least powerful members, the definition of who qualifies as “least powerful” expands quickly Protecting the most vulnerable among us is not charity.Itisself-preservation. A society that accepts the exclusion of one group will eventually find another Cajun history reminds us that belonging can be fragile, protections can erode, and memory can fade faster than we expect. Remembering this past is not about victimhood. It is about recognizing how easily acommunity can move from accepted to expendable. The question is not whether this could happen again. The real question is who we choose to protect, and whatthat choice says about who we are. Jacque Trahan is aresident of Lafayette and an advocate forthe preservation of Cajunculturalhistory and civilliberties.

Jaque Trahan GUEST COLUMNIST

Sophia Rosenblatt GUEST COLUMNIST

Tim James GUEST COLUMNIST

COMMENTARY

ON THE PARADE ROUTE

Carnival season offers us abreak from the usual cares of the world. So as Mardi Gras approaches, we giveyou twoperspectivesonwhat makesour celebrations so unique.

CapturingCarnival’s unique paletteoncanvas

New Orleans is like abeautiful, intricate painting —layered,colorfuland one of akind.

Splashed in apalette burst of sun and sultry sea air onto araw canvas the color and texture of moss and sugar cane Her shadowsand highlights deftly added to through the centuries by the brush strokes of the manydenizens,artisans all, who strolled and sashayed her curved streets.

Framed by natural andmanmade bounds erected to bracket her indomitable spirit on all sides that have failed in their futile attempttotamperdown her meanderings.

and freezing bundled-up nights out on all the different parade routes around the city spentjoyously throughout the years with family and friends.

In there too is theexhilaration of those of us fortunate enoughtobemembers of the many krewes who make up this greatest free showon earth and what it feels like to ride or march from high above thecrowds or right there among them.

Frank Duffy GUEST COLUMNIST

Like the city itself, apainting is aromantic medium from abygone era thatis intended to endure the test of time,tobe passed from generation to generation,to be asubject to marvel andcritique. And there are no better examples of this type of lasting imagery portraying the city than the ones immortalized in oils and acrylics. Camera phones, though handy, frankly just don’tdoher justice.

No, that is left to the more extravagant and permanent paintingsofour talented localartists,likeDegas, Rodrigue, Michalopoulos, Audubon andChase.

Andlike one of Lautrec’smodels, New Orleanslounges in alluring fashion ready for the world to see.

Scenes of Carnival —betheyofregal royalty,reveredrevelry or mere rascally rambunctiousness —offervignettes frozenintimefrom apainter’seasel memorializing the city and this pageant wehold so dear to our hearts and anxiously await to resume each and every TwelfthNight. And it is about one of thesepurple, green and gold-hued masterpieces thatI share my musings this Mardi Gras weekend.

My wife and Iwererecently enjoying an evening of drinks and hors d’oeuvres at our friends’ Uptown homebefore an 8p.m., dinner reservation at Clancy’s —quite the accomplishmentgiven that it was the first week of Carnival, when Iwas struck by asightfrom across the room that perfectlycaptured thespirit of the season.

The portrait Iwas fixated on was bathed in agolden light that could have easily been the original illumination when this elegant home was built around the turn of the last century,giving it a vintage feel.

At the mere sight of this incredible work, commissioned by my friends from local artist Gretchen Armbruster,I could feel the joy and heartfelt love that Carnivalconveys to our citizenry as we approachyet another perfect weekend and Fat Tuesday crescendo.

The painting stirred memories of all the warm sunshine-soaked afternoons

So too was the feeling evoked recently by homeowners down New Orleans’ grand avenues, broad boulevards and simple back streets when puttingupelaborate housedecorations as makeshift stationary floatsasa form of civic defiance and determination during theCOVID Carnival that we refused to sacrifice.

Theoverwhelmingreason for returning to parade six monthsafter Katrina and even before reclaiming our city and some of her dead could be felt deep down in its beautiful soul as well.

Youcan even almost smell theking cake.

As for its composition, it was abeautifully captured vision of amasked lieutenantofone of our mostprestigious carnival organizations, his identityguarded, mid-parade dressed in thecostume of what is normally reserved for aduke of high standingriding ahorse and stooping down to receive thelove and adoration of hiswife in an embrace. We later learned that the subjects were our gracious hosts, newlyweds who like manyofusenjoy the immersion of Carnival into thefabric of ourlives.

Toocan be seen the paradegoers lining theroute, trying to catch beads, or hear one of ourgreat marching bands thundering by or see asimple, quiet, tender moment like the one they are witnessing here. Andunlike spectators to other parades around the country who can only hope for an errant wave or two, those who await anxiously those blue lights comingtoward them in thedistance under thecanopyofour majestic oaksare full-fledged participantsinthis centuriesold pageant. The painting was, in short,aperfect microcosm, meticulously captured, of what makesour carnival season so special and onewelive for throughout the year Andbecause their faces are obscured, thesubjects have graciously,ifsurreptitiously,offered each of us theprivilege of putting ourselves in that wonderful setting,just as Carnival itself does by inviting each of us to join in on theprocession each andevery year All are welcome.

Frank Duffy is anative New Orleanian, playwright and businessman, who lives in Atlanta and returns to his hometown regularly

World! Yeah, you. Wherever you’re reading this from, consider this your standing invitation. No tickets. No velvet ropes. No “sold out”signs. Just show up. Bringyour good sense, alittle patience and shoes you don’tmind sacrificing to the streets. Louisianaiscalling, and when Mardi Gras calls, you don’tsend it to voicemail. Youanswer or you miss something you’ll be hearing about for the rest of your life. Down here, Mardi Gras doesn’tarrive politely.Itslides in sideways, drags achair intothe street and asks who’scooking.

Youdon’tgotoMardi Gras. You stand in it.You wait in it. Youlaugh in it. Youmake new friends you’ll never see again but somehowtrust with your cooler.Time gets real flexible out there. Youtell yourself you’re just catching one parade. Next thing you know,the sun’sgone, your phone battery’sonlife support and you’re holding beads, cups, aplush toy and one object you absolutely cannot explain.

dance and suddenly it’sofficial business. Youmight catch an officer sliding into the steps, pretending it’scasual while clearly knowing the routine. Then comes Muses. Grown adults start hollering like the rent’sdue. Somebody waving both arms like they directing planes. Another person climbing a ladder they definitely shouldn’tbe on, bargaining with the universe. When ashoe finally flies, it’schaos. Screaming. Jumping. Astranger hugging the winner like they just came back from war.That shoe ain’tjust athrow,it’satrophy,a flex, and alifelong conversation starter

The Dancing Dolls step through and remind everybody how joy is supposed to look. It’s beauty with backbone and joy with receipts. And when the noise dips just enough, the Mardi Gras Indians appear.Nofloats. No engines. Just hand-sewnsuits layered with beads, feathers, patience, and time. Chiefsmeeting to show beauty,not bravado. Drumsspeaking. Chants answering back.

The parades roll like they always do right on timeornot at all. Zulu comes through early,proud and loud,coconuts flying withintention. Rex follows, dressed like tradition itself, calm and royal but still down tohave agood time.

Bacchus shows up big and playful, floats so massive they feel like theygot personalities. Andthen Endymion …whew Endymion flips theswitch on the night. Especially under theClaiborne Bridge, where thebrass bands don’tjust play,they stretch out, sound bouncing off concrete like it’sgot somewhere to be.

Then theMystic Krewe of Femme Fatale rolls through, and the energy shifts. Confidence thick in theair.Strength wrapped in sparkle. They don’trush, don’t beg for attention. They glide like they know exactly who they are, and they do.

As daylight fades, thefire comes out. The flambeaux step into the street carrying flame, spinning it smooth, dancing like thefire knows them personally.Long before floatslit themselves up, these men lit the way

What started as work turned into art. Even now,when lightsflash everywhere, theflambeaux still matter.The crowd quietsjust abit. Phones lower.Fire has away of commanding respect. Here comethe Knights of Chaos, rolling through with jokes sharp enough to cut the tension of the whole year.Nobody safe. Politics catching it.Pop culture catching it. Local nonsense catching it. Sportsheartbreak? Oh,definitely catching it. It’sanopen roast on wheels, and thecrowd loves it because laughing is how New Orleanssurvives what could’ve broken it

Between floats, thestreet fills itself Kids throwing footballs like they’re in the playoffs.Somebody’suncle starts aline

Under bridges and downneighborhood streets, everything slows. Youdon’tinterrupt that moment. Youdon’trush it. You just feel lucky to be standing there.

There’sastory folks tell that’snot written anywhere, but somehow everybody knowsit. They say one year,the Spirit of Mardi Gras got tired. Said the partying wasloud but hollow.Too much shine, not enough soul. Tried to leave. But early Lundi Gras morning, it heard drumsunder abridge. Saw fire spinning in the dark. Watched suits stitched with patience step into the street. And the Spirit sat right back downonthe curb and said, “Nah. I’m home.” Long as those drumsbeat and that fire spins, Mardi Gras remembers whoit is.

Across Louisiana, the rhythm spreads. Metairie turns Family Gras into afull weekend.

Covington brings river landings and second lines like muscle memory. Lafayette blends courir traditions with zydeco and dust flying off boots. Baton Rouge, Shreveport, Slidell —every townadds its own seasoning. Nobody copies. Everybody contributes. Nowlisten, we got affection foreverybody.Truly.But AlabamaMardi Gras? Bless it. It’s cute. It’s trying. But Louisiana Mardi Gras been slow-cooked, passed down, danced through, lit by fire and held together by laughter,music and snacks. That’snot shade, that’sseasoning. So world, this is your invite. Comestand in the street with us. Lose your voice. Catch something shiny.Laugh too loud. Dance with strangers. Let the good times roll is laissez les bons temps rouler! Kateb Shunnar is awriter basedinNew Orleans.

Kateb Shunnar GUEST COLUMNIST

STAFFPHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER

Krewe of Pygmalion parades in NewOrleans on Saturday.

EssenceFeststill owes localvendors for’25 event

Resolution sought as funding requestlooms

BY BLAKE PATERSON Staff writer

The Essence Festival of Culture owes the ErnestN Morial Convention Center more than $400,000 from last year’sevent and is past due on paying at least one other major contractor,alarming some local officials and complicating efforts to secure crucial state funding for the 2026 festival in July

The Convention Center said that NewYork-based Sundial Media Group, which purchased Essence in 2018, had an outstanding balance of $456,000 as of Tuesday, representing more than 60% of itscharges forhosting three days of panels, workshops and other events from July 4to6last year.The Convention Center,which shared the information in response to apublic records request, requires that balances be settled within 30 days of an event.

On Wednesday,the Convention Centersaid it received a$50,000 payment from Essence, bringing the outstanding balance down to $406,000.

Essence also owes alocal production company more than $1 million, according

BLOTTER

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When firefighters arrived on scene, the small woodframe house was fully in flames. The radiant heat fromthe house fire ignited two vehicles under the neighbor’scarport. Firefighters battled the fires for approximately20minutes before

CLYDESDALES

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to asource familiar with the situationwho asked not to be named to avoid upsettingbusiness relationshipsin New Orleans.

The delayinpayments is the latest issue to cropupfor Essence, which brings tens of thousands of people and an estimated hundreds of million of dollars in economic impact to New Orleans each year.In2025, it faced complaintsfrom some attendees overaspects of theshows in the Caesars Superdome. Essence officials are also preparing, as in earlier years, to askthe state Legislature for funding for the 2026 festival, and Mayor Helena Moreno hasenlistedsome political heavyweights to ensure the partnership between the city and festival organizers remains intact.

Thevendorpaymentsissue could make securing the statemoney more difficult, accordingto state Rep.Jack McFarland, R-Jonesboro, the chairmanof the House AppropriationsCommittee.

He said Essence officialswill have to come toBaton Rouge to explain the delayed payments if they want to secure more funds.

“Any event that doesn’t pay its bills afterwegive it funding, that’saproblem,” McFarlandsaid. “I don’t care which event it is. That doesn’tmatter.”

In astatement, Essence officials said the city of New

getting itundercontrol. The home and vehicles sustained heavy fire damage

Firefighters searched the residencefor occupants but found it unoccupied. Neighbors reported that theadult male occupant had left about an hourbefore the firewas reported.

Fire officialsare continuing to investigate the incidenttodeterminewhat caused the fire.

name that represents tradition, community pride and alittle bit of fun And we couldn’tbemore excited to see him serve alongside the Lafayette Police Department.”

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aparent or guardian. There will be aclear-bag policy and guests will pass through a metal detector before entering.

n Cajun Mardi Gras Festival TheEunice festival kicks off Friday night with music on two different stages from Mais Oui! at 6p.m., Four Horsesat6:30 p.m., Swampland Revival at 8p.m. and Wayne Toups at 8:30 p.m.

Saturday

n 25thAnnual Children’sCourir de Mardi Gras This celebration of Cajun tradition in Church Pointstarts at 10 a.m. Signup begins at 10 a.m. The parade follows at 1p.m. The courir begins at the Saddle Tramp Rider’sClub.

n Cajun Mardi Gras Festival

The Eunice festival continues Saturday with music on two different stagesstarting at 10 a.m., with the last act hitting the stage at 8:30 p.m.

n Youngsville parade The parade starts at 11 a.m. at the PublicWorks building on Chemin Metairie. It travels on CheminMetairiebefore turning onto East Milton Road,Bonin Road and then Iberia Street before ending at theclock roundabout.

Parade officials recommend that people arrive early because roads close at 9a.m. Public parkingis available at the Youngsville Sports Complex.

n La Festival de Mardi Gras Rides, carnivaleats and music abound at this carnival at Cajun Field. Gates open at noon. Saturday’smusical acts start at 4p.m. with DJ Rex followedbyLVVRSat 6:30 p.m. and The Chee Weez at 9:30 p.m. Children under 16 must

Orleans and Essence Fest “are extremely deartoeach other as partners,” adding that lastyear’s event generated an estimated $46.2 million in tax revenue.

“Wevalue our relationships withthe City,the State, theConvention Center,and ourvendorcommunity,and we continue to meet our obligations as we settle 2025 and are deep in planning for the 2026 festival withall of our core vendors returning for 2026,” Essence officials said.

Essence saidthe payment to theConvention Center is part of a“formal agreement” to settlethe balance.

Aspokespersonfor Sundial Media Group alsodisputed that thefestival owed alocal productioncompany more thanamillion dollars. Essencedeclined to say how much it still owes vendors.

The Convention Center,in astatement on Tuesday,noted that its relationship with Essence spans more than30 years.

“In the spirit of that longstanding partnership, we continue to work collaboratively with the event’scurrent ownership to resolve the outstanding balance,” the statement said.

Decadeslongpartnership

Essence Fest hasheld an important place on New Orleans’ cultural calendar for threedecades and over the years has blossomed intoa

Judge: Ex-ICE guard can’tcall woman

Aformer guard at aLouisiana U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center is not allowed to call adeported formerdetainee he sexually assaulted.

Federal Judge Robert Summerhays in Lafayette has rejected arguments by the attorney for David

Senior Cpl. David Stanley of theLafayette Police Department saidBud works best alongsideMo, whois hisbrother.Athird Clydesdale is expected tojoin the unit soon. “Asthe two largest horses in theMounted Patrol Unit, Budand Mo bring an unmatchedpresence,” Stanleysaid. “One officer on a Clydesdale can have the impact of 20 officersonfoot because of their size,intelligenceand calmdemeanor in large crowds.”

be accompaniedbya parent or guardian. Therewill be a clear-bag policyand guests will pass through ametal detector before entering.

n Children’sparade Theparade starts at 12:30 p.m. at the corner of West Vermilion and Lafayette streets in downtown Lafayette. It’ll roll on to Cajun Field. It features participantsfrom the Krewe of Camelot, Krewe d’Amusement, Krewe des Jeunes Amis, Krewe of Versailles, Krewe of Troubadoursand Krewe of Oberon. n PawdiGrasDog Parade A free walking parade for four-leggedfriends and humans alike kicks off at 2p.m. at Adopted Dog Brewing in Lafayette, 329 Dulles Drive. Registration starts at 1:30 p.m. for those interested in walking Pups must remain on a leash. Throwsare encouraged but because of allergies and food-motivated dogs,nofoodortreatsare allowed.

Aprize will be handed out for best-dressed pups.

n Lake Fausse PointeMardi Gras parade This parade, complete with marching bands, dance groups and music, kicks off at 2p.m.from Lake FaussePointe State Park, 5400 Levee Road, St.Martinville.

n Krewe of Bonaparte parade Theparadestarts at 6:30 p.m. at the corner of Simcoe,Surryand Jefferson streets. It rolls through downtown before traveling down Johnston Street to North College Drive, ending at CajunField.

Sunday

n 64th Annual Courir de Mardi Gras The annual courir in Church Point, Louisiana, starts at 8a.m.atthe Saddle TrampRiders Club, 1036 E. Ebey St., Church Point

summertime celebration of Blackculture andempowerment around the Fourth of July holiday In 2024, the four-day summitofBlack music, culture and wellnessatthe ConventionCenter and the Superdome generated $345 million in economic activity for New Orleans,per one estimateby Dillard University.

Still,the eventfaced some criticismlastyear.The concert seriesatthe Superdome ran well behind schedule, withheadlinerLauryn Hill finishing her set in front of amostly empty audience at 3:37 a.m. Some festivalgoers also complained about anew policy requiring VIP tickets to seeperformancesinthe Superdome lounges.

Essence officials apologized after last year’sfestival and committedtodobetter.

In July,then-City Council member Moreno called for thecreationofa localhost committee to work with Essence year-round to iron out its issues.

“As mayor,I’m going to do everythingpossibletomake sure that we keep Essence here,” Moreno said in an Instagramvideo in therun-up to the election. “But also to ensure that ourlocal businesses, our vendors, our local artists, musicians, youname it, thatthey’re allreally able to benefit from Essence.”

The festival’sfive-year contract with thecityex-

Courvelle that he should be allowed contact with a woman previously housed at theSouthLouisianaICE Processing CenterinBasile managed by theGEO Group. Courvelle pleaded guilty in December to one count of sexual abuse of award or individual in federal custody

His attorney,Elbert Guillory of Opelousas, asked Summerhays to allow Courvelleand the woman,

Bud has completed his training with the mounted unitand will be making his debut at the following parades:

n Friday,Krewe de Allons

n Sunday, Children’sand Bonaparte parades n Monday,Queen’s Parade n Tuesday,King’s, Lafayette Mardi Gras Festival andIndependent parades n March 1, AfricanHeritage Parade.

LAFAYETTE

pires at theend of this year andMoreno, who took office in January, hasasked apair of political heavyweights to help her administration navigate its relationship with Essence Fest and ensure that it remains in New Orleansin the long run in away that benefitsthe city Former Mayor Marc Morial, who led the city when Essence Fest first cameto New Orleans, andformer U.S. Rep. Cedric Richmond, aclose Morenoally,were enlisted by Moreno during her mayoral transitiontohelp navigate the city’srelationship withEssence, according to several people familiar withthe matter.Thatwas before issues over vendor paymentscame to light

In astatement, Moreno’s communicationsdirector, Isis Casanova, said the mayor “continues to bring stakeholders together to ensure a successful Essence Fest in 2026 and years to come.”

“Honest discussions about challenges and solutions must take place, and those conversations are ongoing,” Casanova added. Moreno, in last years’ video, attributed someofthe issues withEssence Fest to a decline in state funding.

The Legislature in 2025 set aside $1.2 million for the festival, down from $3 millionin 2024. It’sunclear how much the festival received before that.

who was deported to Nicaragua,tospeak by telephone, arguing they were in aromantic relationship. Federalprosecutors countered that contact between the two could influence the woman’svictim impact statement prior to Courvelle’ssentencing April10and that sometimes victims of assault blame themselves or want to protect their abuser

Communitymembers are encouraged to comeout and meet Bud in person. Budcan be recognizedbya unique black spot found on thewhitestripe on his face.

Last February,the Budweiser Clydesdales visited Lafayette andYoungsville in celebration of its 75th anniversary

MardiGras, Feb. 17

Continued from page1B

acclaimed Style section. “Weare very fortunateto have Hank join us,” said Rene Sanchez, editor of TheTimesPicayune, TheAdvocate and Nola.com and also aformer Washington Post reporter “He’sone of the best journalists in the country.” Stuever left the Post in 2025, before the recent round of deep newsroom layoffs there that drew national headlines.

He comes to The TimesPicayune andThe Advocate at atime when changes in online search, social media and the rise of artificial intelligenceare challenging the industry’sbusiness models. But several locally focused newsroomsacross the country,including TheBoston Globe, The Minnesota Star Tribune andGeorgesMedia Group, the parent company of The Times-Picayune, The Advocate and their related websites, have built broad subscriber bases that have allowedthemtoexpandregionally,bucking someofthe industry’sbroader trends. Born and raised in Oklahoma City,Stuevergraduated witha journalism degree from Loyola University in NewOrleans. He said the city madea big impression on him, whichiswhy he wants to return.

“I left with agood journalism education and adesire to tell stories about life and how it is lived, in allofits challenges as well as its joys and drama andscope,” Stuever said. “I can think of no better place right nowthan Louisiana to return and share some of what I’ve learned with the hardworking journalists at allthe Advocatenewsrooms.” In his new position, Stuever will be based in NewOrleans but will also work with editors and reporters in Baton Rouge, Lafayette and Shreveport. Before joining the Post, Stuever worked as areporter for the Austin AmericanStatesman and the Albuquerque Tribune. He is theauthoroftwo books: “Tinsel,” alook at the emotionaland economic impactofChristmas;and “Off Ramp,”a collection of essays andarticles.In2012, he was theT.Anthony Pollnervisiting professor at the University of Montana’sSchool of Journalism

n CourirdeMardi Gras in Eunice This traditionalrun starts at 6a.m. at the Northwest Community Center Pavilion, 501 Samuel Drive, Eunice. The parade starts at 3p.m.

n Cajun Mardi Gras Festival— The Eunicefestivalcontinues Monday with music on two different stages, starting at 9:30 a.m. with thelast act hitting the stage at 6p.m

downtown before traveling downJohnston Street to North College Drive, ending at Cajun Field. Email to AshleyWhite at ashley.white@theadvocate. com.

The run concludes with the Church PointMardi Gras parade, which startsat1 p.m

n Cajun MardiGrasFestival The Eunicefestivalcontinues Sunday with music on two differentstages starting at 10 a.m. with the last act hittingthe stageat2:30 p.m.

n Grand Marais Mardi Gras parade Thefamily-oriented parade kicks off at 1p.m. at Grand Marais Park, 7304 Highway 90 East, Jeanerette. n La Festival de MardiGras— Rides, carnival eatsand musicaboundatthiscarnival at Cajun Field.Gates open at 1p.m. The Mambo Gumbo Cookoff goes on from 1-5 p.m. Sunday’smusical acts startat1:30p.m.with Shadow Road followed byRusty Metoyer at 5:30 p.m. and Lil Nate at 8p.m. Children under 16 must be accompanied by aparent or guardian.There will be a clear-bag policy andguests will pass through ametal detector before entering. LundiGras, Feb. 16

n Lundi Gras Boucherie This celebrationofsouth Louisiana food features dishes preparedbyAcadiana’s best chefs at LakeviewParkand

Beach, 1717 Veterans Memorial Highway,Eunice. The event startsat8 a.m. withthe butchering of the hog. Music plays all day It’s freetoenterbut tasting tickets will need to be purchased n La Festival de Mardi Gras Ridesand carnival eats abound at this carnivalat CajunField. Gates open at 1p.m. and the festivities continue until 6p.m.

n Cajun Mardi Gras Festival— TheEunicefestival continues Monday withmusic on twodifferent stages starting at 2:30 p.m. withthe last act hitting thestageat 7p.m.

n Queen Evangeline’sParade Theparaderolls at 6p.m. from the corner of Simcoe, Surry and Jefferson streets. It rolls through downtown before traveling down Johnston Street to North College Drive, ending at Cajun Field. The parade honorsQueen Evangeline LXXXVII and features Krewe of Triton, Krewe of Attakapas, Krewe of Xanadu, Krewe of Victoria, Krewe of Troubadours, Krewe d’Argent, Krewe of Bon Amis, Krewe of Karencro, Krewe of Apollo,Krewe of Olympus andMystic Krewe of Majesty

n King Gabriel’sparade The paradekicks offat10a.m. at the cornerofSimcoe, Surry and Jefferson streets. It rolls through downtown before traveling down Johnston Street to North College Drive, ending at Cajun Field.

n La Festival de MardiGras Ridesand carnival eats abound at this carnivalat Cajun Field. Gates open at 11 a.m.and the festivities continue until 6p.m.

n Opelousas Mardi Gras parade The parade starts at 11 a.m. near Le Vieux Village Heritage Park before ending at the Yambilee Building.

n LafayetteMardi Gras Festival parade The paraderolls at 1p.m.from the corner of Simcoe, Surry andJeffersonstreets. It rolls through downtown before traveling downJohnston Street to North College Drive, ending at Cajun Field.

n Zyde Gras on theSquare— This MardiGrascelebration features Zydeco music legend KeithFrank and the Soileau Zydeco Band. The music starts at 2p.m immediatelyfollowing the Opelousas Mardi Gras parade.There will be food and arts vendors.

n Independent parade The parade follows the Mardi GrasFestivalparade, rolling at 2:30 p.m. from thecorner of Simcoe, Surry andJeffersonstreets. It rolls through

BU IL DI NG A SPORTS

BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer

celebrating two LSU national championships in three seasons.

At the bottom is 2025, a win that capped off an undefeated run through Omaha and the program’s eighth national title. The 2023 scrum stands above it, showcasing a team that was

BY KEVIN FOOTE Staff writer

It’s just one game and one weekend series, but there’s a lot of anticipation heading into UL baseball’s 2 p.m. season opener against Missouri State Friday at Russo Park.

“I always say this, you don’t do all this work since the middle of August for one weekend,” UL coach Matt Deggs said. “This is just the start of the climb, start of the journey.”

The Cajuns are coming off a disappointing 27-31 season and are looking to give UL fans some reasons to believe this season will be much better

“You want to get off to a great start,” Deggs said. “I’m excited to see what we’re going to do. I feel good about the guys we have on the mound and we’ve played pretty good defense.” Duringtheoffseason,ULlostaceChaseMorgan,probablyfortheseason.StarterTyRoman will make his first impression on Friday

“He’s fearless,” Deggs said of Roman, a 6-3, 215-pounder who was the conference’s Pitcher of the Year at San Jacinto last season.

“It’s a great pace. He’s real old-school

arguably the most talented group in recent college baseball history They are reminders of the legacy Johnson has started building in Baton Rouge.

“It’s 150 wins in the last three years. It is two national championships,” LSU’s coach said. “And it’s remarkable in any sport It’s really remarkable in baseball because of the nature of the game.”

It’s not just the championships that show it. LSU has become the standard in college baseball, producing three top-three MLB Draft

in the last three

11-2 record in Omaha and winning at least

So what comes next for a program that has

but it boils down to a seven-letter word.

Dynasty “I appreciate that,” Johnson said, reacting to the word mid-interview “My thoughts are like, what is my purpose here? This is

BY ROD WALKER Staff writer

Jeremiah Fears needed about 3.8 seconds to

By MICHAEL JOHNSON

From left, LSU shortstop Steven Milam, outfielder Jake Brown, coach Jay Johnson and outfielder Derek

host Milwaukee on Friday to open the baseball season.

Cajuns hoping to take next step

After a strong start, UL opens play Friday in Cajuns Invitational

BY KEVIN FOOTE Staff writer

With the first impression out of the way after a 3-1 showing in the Louisiana Classic last weekend, UL softball coach Alyson Habetz is hoping to build on that first step. That opportunity comes with the Ragin’ Cajuns Invitational starting at 1:30 p.m. Friday against Ole Miss at Lamson Park.

“It’s a marathon, not a sprint,” Habetz said. “If you did well, let’s keep it going. If you didn’t, it’s a long season. There’s going to be a lot more opportunities.”

UL will then play Texas A&MCorpus Christi in a 4 p.m game, before Saturday’s schedule of Ole Miss at 1:30 p.m. and Prairie View at 4 p.m. There were some good performances to work with in the first weekend. The top hitters were Haley Hart (.545, two home runs, two RBIs), Lily Knox (.500, two HRs, seven RBIs) and Dayzja Williams (.417, two RBIs).

“I think she did really well,” Habetz said of Williams. “She brings something to the table that nobody else does in the sense of her speed and her ability to be a true triple threat. That’s kind of what we’re working towar

“(With Knox, Hart) you don’t know until the lights come one. It’s hard to know how young athletes are going to respond and they responded. That was good to see.”

New catch er Kennedy

Marceaux also stood out with a .400 weekend along with two homers and six RBIs.

The 10 home runs equaled last year’s total at Lamson Park in one weekend, revealing UL’s ability to launch comebacks.

“I mean just coming into the season, the mentality offensively

is that we’re never out of a game,”

Habetz said. “If the other team scores three runs, love the challenge. You don’t have to score four runs, you get to score four runs.

“Last week we were talking about the identity of this team I was proud of the way they responded I think the resiliency offensively of our team was probably the thing I was most proud of.”

The lineup will likely change with the return of shortstop Cecilia Vasquez. That’ll likely mean Mia Liscano returning to second base, moving Hart to either in center field or right field.

“I’ll probably try a few different ways of doing it (in outfield) just to see how they respond and what it all looks like on the field,” Habetz said. “Is it going to be on offense and is it going to be on defense? We’ll just see how the different scenarios play out.”

The area needing the biggest up-

grade was pitching. Sage Hoover pitched for the first time in two seasons and Lexie Delbrey for the first time in a year Opponents hit .382 against Hoover (1-0, 8.25 ERA) and .391 against Delbrey (00, 6.18).

Arizona State transfer Julianne Tipton (2-0, 1.40) sparkled with opponents hitting .211 against her True freshman Bailey Mackles threw three innings, allowing two hits.

The staff said the struggles at times was more about missing spots than good pitches getting smashed.

“A lot of it’s mental,” Habetz said. “They have the pitches to have a lot of success. It’s a matter of being really locked into this pitch at this time or to make the pitch to get a double play

“I’d say it was missing spots. I don’t think our best pitches got hit hard.”

Ole Miss (3-2) played in the Easton Classic in California last weekend where it lost 5-4 to Cal State Fullerton and 3-2 to Boise State.

The Rebels, who reached the College World Series last year, will play McNeese State in a doubleheader Thursday and then Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at 11 a.m. Friday before meeting UL. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi brings a 1-4 record into the weekend after participating in the Felsberg Invitational in Miami last weekend.

The Islanders had an 8.59 team ERA on the weekend.

Prairie View A&M lost to Bradley twice, 16-6 and 16-12, and to Incarnate Word 8-0 in a tournament in San Antonio last weekend, and beat Manhattan twice.

Email Kevin Foote at kfoote@theadvocate.com.

Mavericks rookie Flagg is out for NBA’s Rising Stars

DALLAS Dallas Mavericks rookie teenage standout Cooper Flagg will miss their final game before the All-Star break and not play in the NBA’s Rising Stars game on Friday night because of a left midfoot sprain.

The Mavericks announced Wednesday night than an MRI revealed the injury that occurred in their 120-111 loss at Phoenix a night earlier, when he had 27 points in 36 minutes. They said further updates “will be provided as appropriate.”

Flagg was the No. 1 draft pick last summer, is averaging 20.4 points, 6.6 rebounds and 4.1 assists in his 49 games with the Mavericks.

Utah Jazz forward Ace Bailey will replace Flagg in the Rising Stars game.

Philies release Castellanos due to lack of trade offers CLEARWATER, Fla. — The Philadelphia Phillies released outfielder Nick Castellanos on Thursday after the team was unable to make a deal to trade him. Castellanos then revealed he was benched last season after bringing beer into the dugout during a game.

The team wanted the situation resolved before its first full-squad workout at spring training, which is Monday Castellanos was benched last season after he made what Phillies manager Rob Thomson described as “ an inappropriate comment ” after he was pulled for a replacement. Adolis García is expected to replace Castellanos in right field after he signed a $10 million, oneyear contract with Philadelphia in December

NASCAR busts Gragson for hand out his window DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Noah Gragson was caught red-handed by NASCAR.

Gragson was the first driver busted during Daytona 500 qualifying for violating the new rule that specifies drivers are banned for sticking their hands out the opening of the window during the qualifying run. Gragson’s time in the No. 4 Ford for Front Row Motorsports was thrown out Wednesday because he used his left hand in an attempt to deflect air and gain an advantage on the track.

“I completely forgot about that rule so that one’s on me,” Gragson said.

Teams believed that drivers could earn an aerodynamic advantage on with the gesture before NASCAR made the call to ban it

Dodgers make ’27 deal with infielder Muncy

He can really field his position and you don’t see that all the time with lefties. He can really handle the running game and he’s a great game manager.”

The Cajuns didn’t get the opportunity to start 100% healthy Senior catcher Jose Torres (knee) will likely miss at least two weeks and Oklahoma State transfer outfielder Donovan LaSalle is day-today after being hit by a pitch in an intrasquad game. The latter could speed up the process of the biggest remaining question mark the best outfield options.

LaSalle is expected to play right field and junior Maddox Mandino in center with true freshman Noah Lewis. Until someone nails it down, left field could have some movement between sophomores Griffin Hebert (.222, 4 RBIs), Kasen Bellard (.188, 1 HR, 3 RBIs) and Mark Collins (.211, 7 RBIs).

“Kasen is only hitting .500 in the spring, so he has a real, real case to play, but it’s a matter of finding the opportunity Griff’s really had a good spring as well and a great fall, so you could see some of that (rotating).” Also, expected Game 2 starter JR Tollett may be pushed back a day to Sunday’s 1 p.m. game If so, he’ll switch with senior lefty Andrew Herrmann.

The other big question to answer is the bullpen rotation. Deggs has expressed confidence in three newcomers — Tyler Papenbrock,

Cody Brasch and Garret Carter but none have any Division I experience.

True freshmen Sawyer Pruitt of Live Oak, Cole Flanagan of Sam Houston, Hayden Pearson of Ascension Episcopal and Bryce Wilson of Chalmette are also hoping

to earn more playing time. With that, Deggs is trusting new pitching coach Taylor Sandefur

“Sandy has just done a remarkable, remarkable job of gelling that unit, making sure they’re prepared not all about mechanics so much as competing, pounding that

strike zone,” he said. “He wants to hold you accountable. These guys attest to that through their actions and the way they go about their work.”

Missouri State begins a transition season in Lafayette. The Bears finished 30-25, 17-8 last season in the Missouri Valley and joined Conference USA in the offseason.

Missouri State was picked to finish sixth in the 12-team league, led by two all-CUSA selections in Caden Bogenpohl and Max Knight.

Bogenpohl is an on-base expert with a program-record 55 walks last season to give him a .449 onbase percentage. For the season, he hit .296 with 13 homers and 44 RBIs. Knight is a two-way standout and was the only player in the country last season with as many as 45 innings pitched, 45 RBIs and 55 strikeouts on the mound. As a hitter, he batted .275 with 13 homers and 46 RBIs. As a pitcher, he was 5-2 with three saves and had 58 strikeouts in 47.2 innings. Opponents hit .209 against him.

The Bears’ pitching staff last year had a 6.67 ERA with opponents hitting .285 against it. In addition to Knight two pieces of the weekend rotation — Michael Yusypchuk (4-3, 5.83) and Tyler Charlton (5-2, 6.75) return. Historically, the Bears have been to 12 NCAA regionals, including a 2003 College World Series appearance.

“I’ve competed against Missouri State for a long time since my days at Arkansas were right down the road,” Deggs said. “That’s a tough, tough program. They have tough kids, tough coaches and I would say as much history as we do.”

LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Dodgers have agreed to a 2027 contract with infielder Max Muncy, adding $10 million in guaranteed money Los Angeles also agreed to a $4.5 million, one-year deal with utilityman Kiké Hernández.

The Dodgers exercised Muncy’s $10 million option for this year shortly after the end of the postseason, part of a deal that will wind up paying him $34 million for 202426. Now he’s set to make $7 million in 2027, with a $10 million team option for 2028 or a $3 million buyout. Muncy is entering his ninth season with the Dodgers. He hit 243 with 19 home runs and 67 RBIs last year.The 35-year-old Muncy holds the team record with 16 postseason home runs.

North Carolina loses star Wilson to hand fracture

Caleb Wilson has powered No 11 North Carolina all year The Tar Heels will now have to figure out how to play without their freshman star

The team said Thursday that the high-end NBA prospect had suffered a fracture in his left hand, an announcement coming two days after the 11th-ranked Tar Heels’ loss at Miami. It’s unclear exactly how long he’ll be out, but it’s potentially a huge blow for UNC coming roughly a month from Selection Sunday for the

STAFF PHOTO By BRAD KEMP

UL outfielder Donovan Lasalle makes a catch during practice on Jan. 16 at Russo Park The Cajuns host Missouri State on Friday to open the season.

STAFF PHOTO By BRAD KEMP

UL center fielder Dayzja Williams slides safely into second base with a stolen base against Jacksonville State last Friday at Lamson Park.

Saints must make decisionsonJordan, Davis

BY LUKE JOHNSON Staff writer

It is hard to imagine the scenario in which both Demario Davis and CamJordanare playinginthe NFL in 2026 and wearing something other than New Orleans Saints black and gold —but there is a legitimate chance that happens in the coming months.

Both Jordan (36 years old) and Davis (37) are coming off productive 2025 seasons.Bothhaveindicated adesiretoplayin2026, and both will become free agents if the Saints do not reach anew contract agreement with them before the start of the new league year March 11.

New Orleans has some financial incentive to get deals done, as Jordan ($18.8 million) and Davis ($14.3 million) will force the Saints to carry significant dead cap burdens if they are not re-signed before the start of the league year.Ifthey do re-sign, New Orleans can again push some of that into the future, delaying the cap crunch.

But there are alot of other factors to consider in this.

Though New Orleanshas long operated outside the NFL’s cutthroat norms, choosingtokeep established players in the building rather than cutting ties before the inevitable cliff comes, the new power brokers in the organization could decide they want the roster to be younger and cheaper

After years of taking what were probably below-market deals to remain in New Orleans,perhaps Jordan and Davis want to be

LSU

Continued from page1C

(Skip) Bertman’sprogram. So, I don’thave to say,like, ‘Hey,the goal is to be in Omaha competing for the national championship.’

“My thoughts are around, ‘Hey, can every player,coach, person connected to LSU baseball, can they be more successfulintheir life and in baseball because they were apart of this?’ If you’re asking for my mission …someday, would somebody look back at this time here and go, like, ‘That’s how you do it.’ “

The word dynasty should never be used lightly, especiallyina sport that hasn’tseenitaccomplished sinceBertman patrolled the dugout in Baton Rouge in the 1990s. And even he didn’t achieve what LSU is trying to pull off this season —win athird national championship in four seasons.A college baseball team hasn’t done that since Southern Cal won five consecutive titles to openthe 1970s. But as LSU begins the 2026 season on Friday against Milwaukee at Alex BoxStadium(2p.m SEC Network+), Johnson knows the blueprint his team must follow to become adynasty.He could boil down his research on the topic this offseasontothree keys: avoiding complacency,maintaining accountability,and preserving aculture of selflessness.

They won’tguarantee athird championship in four years, but Johnson views these pillars as a start. The tools needed to begin an uphill climb that many have often failed to conquer

“Weall have avery individual responsibility to do our job,” Johnson said, “so thatwecan continue to be successful.” Complacency

The 2008 Boston Celtics knew how to win.

Coach Doc Rivers remembers the extra shots they’d putupafter practice. Their best players were thefirst ones in thegym andthe last ones to leave. They’d hang around the trainingroomand study film What happened nextwas the culmination of their hardwork.

The Celtics won the NBAchampionship in 2008, breaking a22yeartitle drought and bringing championship excellence back to afranchise that had dominated the league decades earlier

But when Johnson was researching those Celtics teams over the offseason, there wasn’t much he could take away from 2008. What caught his interest was what happened the next year

That season, Johnson remembers Rivers saying, their best players stopped staying after practice to put up moreshots Theydidn’thang around the training room or watch extra

compensatedataratethatgoes beyond what theSaintsare willing to pay.The two players inthe twilight of their careers could also want to playfor ateam thathas amore direct path to the Super

film. The Celtics weren’tlazy, butperhaps alevel of complacency had crept in.

“There was thisthought like, ‘Hey,did youget yourshots up? No, I’mgood.Did you get in the training room? No, I’m good. Did you watch your video? No, I’m good.,’ ”Johnson said. “And they didn’thave the same type of success afterthat.”

Bostondidn’twin another championshipwithits core group after 2008. Complacency may not have been the only reason, or even the main one, but it wasa feeling Johnson could relate to.

When LSU triedchasing anational championshipin2024, Johnson acknowledged that the programwasn’tinthe right place towin it all for asecond year in arow.Tofurther clarify hispoint, Johnson turns back to the NBA.

Under coach Pat Riley,the Los Angeles Lakers won four NBA championships. But Riley noticed adifferenceinhis team’s mentalitythe yearfollowing one of their titles.

“They had ayearthatwas alittle tougher in there, where they kind of (just) wanted to win,” Johnson said.“They stillloved basketball, but in thebeginning, he talked about how they needed it, like they woulddoanything, they had to have it. And there’sa difference in those two things.”

It’stoo early to tell which side this LSU team lands on, wanting to win or needing to win. There’s beennoadversity.The grind of along season hasn’tcaught up to the players

ButJohnson headsintothis year more awareofthe signs that lead to apathy than ever before

“Ifyou’remore aware of them,”Johnson said, “you can attackthem the right way.”

Accountability

Johnson’sresearch into dynastic success this offseason went beyond the NBA.

He spoke with former New England Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia, discussingthe differences in approach from the first time the Patriots tried defending theirSuperBowl in 2015 to the second timethey attempted to dosoin2017. He already idolizes Nick Saban and the six nationalchampionships he won at Alabama.

But there wasanESPN article that stood out in particular forJohnson.After winningthe World Series in 2004, Boston Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein called Patriotscoach Bill Belichick to ask howthe Sox could continue to winchampionships.

Belichick’sresponse was simple. “You’re f*****.”

“Belichick basically told him, you’re screwedbecause people stopdoingwhat tookthemtoget there in the first place,” Johnson said. “People will want the cred-

Bowl than the Saints, who may still be yearsout from truly competing despite astrong finish last season

Finally,the Saints might simply be willing to let theirlongtime

it. And people won’tbehonest with you. When you gettoa certainlevel, they’re almost afraid to …nobody wanted to tell Bill Belichick the truth, if youwill.”

From thestory,Johnson also learned that people will want individual credit for the team’s success, fostering atoxic environment in the group’sdrive toward future championships.

For Epstein, that’sultimately what happened in Boston. It briefly drovehim outofthe organization the year after the Red Soxwon theWorld Series. He left theclub for 80 days.

“Epstein felt thatsomeofhis bosses wereobsessed with optics and credit,” thestorysaid, “more worried aboutpersonally winning anews cycle thanhelpingcreate the culture that had developed in Theo’sworld.”

Johnson is already ensuring this doesn’t happeninside LSU’s walls. This preseason, he showed theplayers aclip from “The Last Dance,” the 10-episode documentary series chronicling the finalyear of theMichael Jordanled ChicagoBullsdynasty in the 1990s.

Theclip features Jordandiscussing how he was “pulling people along when they didn’t want to be pulled along.” Johnson also told his teamthe story of howJordan once punchedhis teammate, Steve Kerr,inthe face during practice, further emphasizing the importance of thework thatgoes into preparingfor games.

“Wedon’thavetoget to that point. But therewas this thought on those teams thatthe practices weresointense that thegames really slowed down,” Johnson said. “So you look at what can happen here, especially the pitchers that threw yesterday, that’ssomerealhigh-level pitching stuff. Can thehitters make it hard on those guys and vice versa?Sowhenweget to game day, it slows down.”

Maintaining that culture of accountability is amessage the players have seemingly received. For junior shortstop Steven Milam, thatmeans not takinganything for granted.

“Takeevery intra-squadand getbetter at something, notjust goingthrough the motions,” Milam said. “Whether it’s the weight room, whether it’shitting, whether it’sdoing the boring drills that you seeusdoing on the side,it’strying to be perfect and master it.

“Jake (Brown) is going to hold me accountable, (Stanfield) is goingtoholdmeaccountable, Trent Caraway is going to hold me accountable if I’m not doing it the right way.And you know, that’show agreat teamwins.”

The real challenge LSU faces is what happens next.Can the players be honest witheach other after arough seriesonthe road? Do they learn from adversityorstart pointing fingers at one another?

While there are obvious benefits to the young and cheap options, there are just as obvious costs that come with letting players like Davis and Jordan go that can’t be accounted foronaspreadsheet. Veteran presencedoes matter, especially when it comes to players like Davis and Jordan who have counted themselvesamong thebest in theworld at their positionintheir primes. Their voices carry weight,which is evident when watching young players line up to speak with Davis or listening to Chase Young talk about how much Jordan meant whenitcame to untapping his vast potential last season.

And, of course, that presence is not all they brought to the table. Both stars want to play in 2026 because they showed they can still impact the game.

Jordan led the Saints in sacks (101/2)despite playing only 54% of the defensive snaps —the second-lowest percentage in his career. Afteracouple down years, he showed he still has plenty to offer in the right defensive ecosystem. Davis led theSaintsintackles (143) andwas,without question, the team’s best linebacker.Beyond his vocal leadership, Davis also playsacrucialroleasacommunicator on the field.

franchise cornerstones walkto create opportunities forothers. At linebacker in particular,the Saints have apromising second-year linebacker in Danny Stutsman who may be readyfor astarting role.

That’s thetruetest of championship culture.

“Wementioned accountability It’svery difficult foryoung peopletobewilling to do that, to step out of thecomfort zone,” Johnson said, “because alot of times they’re more worriedabout beingliked and respected.”

Selflessness

If anyone understands what Johnson is trying to accomplish, it’sBertman. Bertman led LSU to win five national titles in 10 seasons, creating astandard for the program that helped Johnson get the Tigers to where they are today.But Bertman isn’tenvious of what Johnson does year after year to maintain achampionship-level roster.

“I coached for 50 years,” Bertman said.“And what I’msaying is that (what) Jay Johnson has to do is much moredifficultthan (what) Ihad to do.”

Bertman’spoint? The transfer portal and NIL have fundamentally changedthe challenges associated with building acollege baseball team in 2026. All he had to do was recruit players outof high school and findthem enough scholarship money Back then, Bertmancould count on redshirting freshmen anddeveloping themwithin the program to the point where they were major contributors by the time they were third, fourth or fifth-year players. The only freshman during Johnson’stime who sat out theirfirst year —and it wasn’tbecause of injury —and stayed on theteam formore than twoyears is redshirt junior lefthanderDJPrimeaux.

“Let’s just cut to thechase here: Jay’s amagnificent coach. Idon’t mean he’sjust agood one. He’smagnificent,” Bertman said. “His attitude andthe time he puts in, the wayhetreats the kids, the amount of baseball information thathehas,the coachingstaff that he has.

“Jay,atthis time, theway baseball works now,isamuch, much, much better coach than Iwas.”

With so many players coming and going,fostering aprogram of selflessness andprioritizing theteam’sneedsabove allelse only becomes moredifficult.NIL money is an alluring factor.Playing timecan be apoint of contention —enough so thata player can leave before theend of a postseason run for the portal. And there’snoguarantee that the players Johnson brings in will fit the team-first culture he preaches. Player evaluation has always been important, but it’s neverbeen more critical in collegebaseball than it is today

“He gets (transfers) from other schools like he has now and has had last year.And you’re right, he does agood job of picking them, and then he definitely picksthe best freshman. No doubt about it,” Bertman said. “Kids want to come to LSU, but

The guess here is that the Saintstry to get both of their veterans back on terms that workfor everyone involved—but, as the saying goes, it takes twototango.

Email Luke Johnson at ljohnson@theadvocate.com.

then you have to pay them.” It remains to be seen whether Johnson has found the right mix of personalitiestofield a selfless teamin2026. Last year LSUbrought back nine notable contributors from the season before andstill wona championship. The Tigers in 2023 were supremely talented and used the portal effectively,but they also had an existing core of veterans hungry to win their first title. LSU’s makeup this year is different from those teams, and it’s unique fromthe last time Johnsonhad to put togethera team following anationalchampionship.

“The majority of the guys that contributed to that (2023) championship movedon,” Johnson said.“IthinkIknew we were at adifferent starting point, maybe goingintothat 2024 season than into this season.”

Between Milam,sophomore center fielder Derek Curiel Browninright field andStanfield in left, LSU has astrong group of starters on the position player side back foranother year.Milam and Brownwere freshmen on the last LSU team looking to chase achampionship.

Pitching-wise,LSU hasa key group of sophomores returning after strong freshman campaigns. It also has veterans coming back, including senior righthander Zac Cowan and redshirt junior right-handers Jaden Noot and Gavin Guidry

There’splentyofchampionship DNA on this year’steam, but not everything is set in stone. New faces will flood theinfield, and LSU still must replace its top two starting pitchers from last season.

In time, Johnson will have to answerthosequestions. But as LSU tries to winits third national championship in four seasonsand build another dynasty in Baton Rouge, his thoughts are squarelyonmastering themundane:promoting selfless play, creating an environment of accountability andensuringhis players avoid complacency He knowsthat’sthe best path to adding anothermuraltothe back wall of his office.

“Every elementofrecruiting, player evaluation, player development, operating and running aprogram, developing ateam culture and dynamic that people would want to model someday, that’skind of where my thoughts go,” Johnson said. “Because if they stay there, then I’m kind of living out what Iwant the players to do,which is focus on the boring stuff.

“And then it givesusthe best chance to put ourselves in aposition to accomplish thethings like you’re talking about.”

Email Koki Rileyatkoki.riley@ theadvocate.com. For more LSUsports updates,signupfor ournewsletter at theadvocate. com/lsunewsletter

STAFF FILE PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD

Saints defensiveend CamJordan, left, celebrates withoutside linebacker Demario Davisafter sacking New york Jets quarterback Brady Cook twice in arow during the first half on Dec.21atthe Caesars Superdome.

Teurlings Catholic rolls past North Vermilion into the quarterfinals

Rebels take down Patriots in the Division II regionals

BY ERIC NARCISSE Staff writer

For the fifth straight season, Teurlings Catholic’s girls soccer program is headed to the Division II quarterfinals.

In what was a dominating performance, the Rebels cruised to a 5-1 victory over North Vermilion in the regional round Wednesday

“I thought the girls had one of their better performances of the year,” coach Dave Lapeyrouse said “We jumped out fast and played really good ball We did a great job of moving the ball.”

The Rebels, who will travel to face Central Lafourche in the quarterfinals, were led by Briley LeBouef and Collins Meche with two goals each.

After the two teams exchanged goals — Teurlings’ Justyse George in the seventh minute and NVHS’ Lila Oubre minutes later — in the first half, the Rebels broke the game open.

Meche’s first goalcame in the 19th minute to put the Rebels up 2-1.

“Collins gives us good, quality play in the midfield,” Lapeyrouse said. “That was a great goal she scored off the dribble to put us up 2-1. She has been dynamic for us all year.”

Moments later, LeBouef extended the lead to 3-1 on a direct kick from about 30 yards out.

Right before halftime, Meche successfully placed a penalty kick past the Patriots’ goalkeeper to extend the lead to 4-1.

In the second half, LeBouef got her second goal on a penalty kick.

“Scoring on two penalty kicks is not uncommon,” Lapeyrouse said.

“Our girls put themselves in position to create dangerous opportunities and North Vermilion was trying to make a play None of the

fouls were malicious or bad. They were trying to make a play against really good players. We were putting pressure in the final third, so they had to try to make a play.”

Lapeyrouse said he was impressed by how well LeBouef, Meche and George finished their opportunities.

“Briley has been stepping her game up the last few weeks. She has been very dangerous on set pieces,” Lapeyrouse said. “Collins is a freshman, but she plays like an upperclassman. She is physical, but she is also smooth and very technical on the ball.”

Lapeyrouse said having George is a difference-maker because she draws so much attention from the opposition

“Justyse’s impact made it difficult on them,” Lapeyrouse said “She brings physicality, but she is very technical as well. She is hard to deal with and therefore she demands two people and that opens things up for everyone else. She hasn’t scored a ton of goals, but she has made a huge impact because she takes away the best defender.”

Defensively, the Rebels were equally stout despite having their scoreless streak snapped at five games.

“Our goalkeeper Guinn Broussard has been solid all year,” Lapeyrouse said. “She has a ton of clean sheets. But also, our backline of Hollyn Storm, Kenlie Benoit and Sophia Lowenstein have been great. They are all freshmen, along with sophomore Chloe Gautreaux and to have them come in and play 80 minutes every game is a credit to them. Our defense has shown a lot of maturity.”

As for the Rebels’ match at Central Lafourche, Lapeyrouse said he is confident they’ll be ready “Central Lafourche is an athletic and very talented group,” Lapeyrouse said. “It’s going to be a tough contest, but I feel like we are peaking at the right time. I like our chances.”

Email Eric Narcisse at enarcisse@theadvocate.com.

Southside boys and girls split soccer playoff games

Boys fall to East Ascension, while girls take down West Monroe

BY MIKE COPPAGE Contributing writer

Southside High’s soccer teams both No. 8 seeds split a pair of Division I regional playoff games in Youngsville on Wednesday

The boys lost 3-2 to East Ascension, while the girls beat West Monroe 2-1.

Boys No. 9 EAST ASCENSION 3, No. 8 SOUTHSIDE 2: The Sharks, who captured their first district title in the regular season, took an 1-0 lead against the Spartans of Gonzales and tied it at 2-2 in the second half, but East Ascension scored the final goal and will meet the winner of undefeated No. 1 Jesuit vs. No. 16 Dutchtown in the Division I quarterfinals.

“It just wasn’t our night,” Sharks coach Zak Elagamy said. “We had a couple of bounces not go our way It’s unfortunate for us, but I couldn’t be more proud of this team.”

Senior Noah Begnaud scored the first goal on a penalty kick from the 2-yard line for the Sharks (10-6-4). In the second half, Mauricio Tortoza’s free kick found Jack Leger who punched it in. Leger had a goal and an assist in the 2-1 bidistrict win over Captain Shreve.

“We had a fantastic start,” Elagamy said. “That’s always what you want to see, scoring in the first 15 minutes. The free kick was a great ball, and a fantastic finish. That’s a moment I’m talking about. The boys kept fighting and got themselves back into the game.”

Logan McQuarn scored two goals and Kevin Mota added the other for the Spartans (14-5-4).

Goalkeeper Brody Walsh and the Sharks defense held opponents to 16 goals on the season.

“It’s been a fantastic and historic season for us,” Elagamy said. “I couldn’t be prouder of the effort

PREP REPORT Boys basketball Wednesday’s scores St. Thomas More 67, Abbeville 45 Kinder 61, Notre Dame 42 Dunham 64, Ascension Episcopal 30 North Central 43, JS Clark 35 St. Thomas More 67, Abbeville 45 ST. THOMAS MORE (67) LG Carbo 4, Mack Tasman 6, John Michael Charbonnet 4, Matthew Cook 22, Ryan Robertson 23, Xarian Babineaux 7, Grayson Jenkins 1. Totals: 15 (7) 16-18. ABBEVILLE (45) Jacolby Campbell 8 Chayson Gray 6, Kaylon Fletcher 4, Kobe Vital 15, Trentin Cormier 6, Nigel Baudoin 6. 10 (7) 4-4. St. Thomas More2514121667 Abbeville1116117—45 3-pointers – STM: Tasman 2, Cook 5; ABB: Campbell 2, Vital 1, Baudoin 2, Cormier 2. Total Fouls: STM 5, ABB 17. Friday’s games Acadiana at Southside, Carencro at Sulphur, Barbe at Lafayette, Sam Houston at New Iberia, Breaux Bridge at Beau Chene, Cecilia at Opelousas, Teurlings at Comeaux, St. Thomas More at David Thibodaux, Iowa at Eunice, Rayne at North Vermilion Northside at Westgate, Northwest at Mamou, Catholic-NI at Loreauville, West St. Mary at Delcambre, Lafayette Christian at Lake Arthur, Lafayette Renaissance at Midland, Welsh at Notre Dame, Ascension Episcopal at Highland Baptist,

Gueydan at Westminster-Lafayette, Covenant Christian at Jeanerette, St. Edmund at Merryville, Lacassine at Episcopal of Acadiana, Glencoe at Northside Christian. Girls basketball JS Clark 57, North Central 21 Friday’s games Acadiana at Southside, Carencro at Sulphur, Barbe at Lafayette, Sam Houston at New Iberia, Breaux Bridge at Beau Chene, Cecilia at Opelousas, Teurlings at Comeaux, St. Thomas More at David Thibodaux, Iowa at Eunice, Rayne at North Vermilion, Northside at Westgate, West St. Mary at Delcambre, Lafayette Christian at Lake Arthur, Lafayette Renaissance at Midland, Ascension Episcopal at Highland Baptist, Gueydan at Westminster-LAF, Covenant Christian at Jeanerette, St. Edmund at Merryville.

Boys soccer

Playoff glance

Division I

Regional results No. 9 East Ascension 3, No, 8 Southside 2 No. 2 Brother Martin 4, No. 18 Lafayette High 0 Division II

Regional results No. 5 The Willow School 6, No. 12 Beau Chene

and time these guys have put in.

Our boys fought to the end. They never stopped going, never gave up.”

The Sharks got close to forcing overtime, taking four shots in a seven-minute span that ended just before stoppage time. Tortoza placed one just to the right of the goal. Kiptyn Ronsonet, who had a goal in the bi-district round, launched another that sailed a little too high.

Girls No.8 SOUTHSIDE 2,No.9WEST MONROE

1: Junior Mylia Payne accounted for both goals as the Sharks advanced to the quarterfinals for the first time and will meet the winner of No. 1 Mount Carmel vs No. 16 Zachary Payne gave the Sharks (19-6-2)

a 1-0 lead off an assist from Millie Bolde and then scored the gamewinner in sudden-death overtime after the teams went scoreless in two 10-minute overtime period.

“The second goal was one of our best sequences of the night,”

No. 3 Teurlings 5, No. 19 Riverdale 0 No. 6 Central Lafourche 4, No. 11 David Thibodaux 2 No. 2 St. Thomas More 6, No. 18 New Iberia 0 Quarterfinal pairings No. 6 Central Lafourche at No. 3 Teurlings, 5 p.m. Tuesday No. 2 St. Thomas More vs. Ben Franklin/Neville winner Division III

Regional result No. 1 University 7, No. 16 Acadiana Renaissance 0 Division IV

Regional results No. 4 Ascension Episcopal 4, No. 20 Sarah Reed 1 No. 3 Vermilion

SCOREBOARD

10-22 3-4 23, Smith 2-4 2-3 6. Totals 42-102 25-33 123. NEW ORLEANS (111) Bey 4-15 2-2 14, Williamson 12-19 1-2 25, Queen 4-8 3-4 12, Jones 3-6 0-0 7, Murphy III 7-15 3-3 19, Looney 3-5 0-0 6, Matkovic 1-1 0-0 3, Fears 6-19 0-0 13, McGowens 2-5 7-8 12. Totals 42-93 16-19 111. Miami31273827123 New Orleans25303026—111 3-Point Goals_Miami 14-47 (Fontecchio 4-12, Ware 2-3, Gardner 2-5, Mitchell 2-6, Adebayo 2-9, Jovic 1-2, Jakucionis 1-5, Jaquez Jr. 0-5), New Orleans 11-31 (Bey 4-9, Murphy III 2-8, Matkovic 1-1, Queen 1-2, Jones 1-3, McGowens 1-3, Fears 1-5). Fouled Out_None. Rebounds_Miami 56 (Adebayo 14), New Orleans 47 (Fears 11). Assists_Miami 25 (Mitchell 5), New Orleans 27 (Fears 8). Total Fouls_Miami 15, New Orleans 23. A_16,444 (16,867) College basketball Men’s state schedule

Sharks coach Adam Bonin said.

“Becca Campbell won the ball and played it across to Emmy

who made a great pass to

The Sharks dominated the stat line, taking eight shots to two for the Rebels, who had no corner kicks compared to seven for Southside. Payne led the Sharks with 22 goals on the season.

Freshman goalkeeper Taylor Frisco had a huge save, said Bonin, who praised center midfielders Emma Kate Rogers and Addison Bonin for playing the entire game, as well as the back four of Marley Barnhill, Payton Bienvenu, Tegyn Bouillion and Macee Magee, a sophomore who began the attack on the first goal.

“We had a chance to do something that’s never been done,” Bonin said. “I told the girls we made history I’ve never been to the quarterfinals as a coach. It’s a first for everyone involved.

“I’m really happy and realize how much it means for our program.”

Habetz,

Payne.”

STAFF PHOTO By BRAD BOWIE

Southside’s Mauricio Tortoza, right, and the Sharks fell to East Ascension 3-2 in the Division I regionals on Wednesday in youngsville.

MI LA N CO RT IN A OL YM PI CS

UKRAINIAN OLYMPIAN DISQUALIFIED OVER HELMET: As the men’s skeleton competition got underway, all the attention was on a Ukrainian athlete who wasn’t on the track.

Vladyslav Heraskevych was barred from racing after refusing to give up his plan to race in a helmet commemorating athletes who have been killed since Russia invaded his country.The International Olympic Committee says it breaks rules against making statements on the field of play.

IOC president Kirsty Coventry turned up at the sliding track in a last-minute bid to change Heraskevych’s mind ahead of the opening run of the competition Thursday morning Heraskevych, who had been a medal contender, refused and was excluded from the competition. Heraskevych said it “looks like discrimination” to bar him from competing

13 MEDALS BUT NO THREE-PEAT FOR FONTANA: The most decorated short-track speedskating Olympian of all time has yet another medal.

Arianna Fontana of Italy earned her 13th career medal from six Olympics with silver in the women’s 500 meters but missed out on a three-peat in the event she won in 2018 and 2022 XandraVelzeboer of the Netherlands won and also broke her own world record in the semifinals.

In a major upset,CooperWoods of Australia won freestyle skiing gold in men’s moguls by edging Canadian great Mikael Kingsbury — the sport’s most decorated skier — on a tiebreaker American skier Jessie Diggins overcame bruised ribs to take bronze in the women’s 10-kilometer crosscountry skiing race.Frida Karlsson won her second gold medal by leading a 1-2 finish for Sweden.

CANADA REBOUNDS FROM U.S. LOSS TO DEFEAT FINLAND: Canada’s Emily Clark netted two goals, with Jennifer Gardiner, Daryl Watts and Kristin O’Neill also getting on the scoresheet, as Canada earned a 5-0 win over Finland on Thursday. The victory clinched the second seed in Group A for the Canadians and a quarterfinal meeting against Germany on Saturday. More significantly,it represented Canada’s response to a 5-0 loss to theAmericans onTuesday,marking the team’s most lopsided loss and first shutout in Olympic play.

BRIGNONE BACK IN STYLE: For much of last year it wasn’t clear if Italian skier Federica Brignone could compete at her home Olympics at all,let alone contend for a medal. She came away with gold in the women’s super-G on Thursday, following a year spent largely in rehab after breaking multiple bones in her leg She only returned to racing last month

Brignone shrugged off difficult, foggy conditions to win her fourth career Olympic medal and become, at 35, the oldest female gold medalist in women’s Alpine skiing Romane Miradoli of France took silver and Cornelia Huetter of Austria got bronze.

U.S. hockey rolls over Latvia

BY STEPHEN WHYNO AP hockey writer

MILAN The U.S. goal song “Free Bird” by Lynyrd Skynyrd — blared seven times during over arena speakers on Thursday night Twice, the celebration was only shortlived.

Bouncing back from having a pair of goals wiped out by coach’s challenges, the U.S. opened the Olympics by rolling past Latvia 5-1 on Thursday night in a dominant showcase of some of the country’s best NHL players. Brock Nelson scored twice, four players had two assists apiece and there was production up and down the lineup.

“We believe in the depth we have,” winger Jake Guentzel said. There’s good players on every line. That’s just where American hockey is right now.”

After a weird first period with a couple of video reviews and a tying goal by Latvia, the Americans found their groove and for long

stretches barely let their opponents have the puck. The U.S. outshot Latvia 38-18 and needed starter Connor Hellebuyck to make only 17 saves.

“I felt like we controlled the play,” center Jack Eichel said “We’re going to continue to get better every game in this tournament, every period in this tournament That’s our goal, and it’s a good start for us.”

Elvis Merzlikins was under siege at the other end, and after Nelson’s second goal he sat in the crease with his head bowed in his lap. An odd-man rush became a version of the Harlem Globetrotters on ice with pass after pass: Jack Hughes to brother Quinn to Matthew Tkachuk, back to Jack and then to Nelson to tap into a half-open net with 11.1 seconds left in the second period.

“I don’t think there’s much to do,” Merzlikins said. “If that guy wouldn’t score, probably the other guy would score because I felt completely two open guys, and it’s hard to

save something like that.”

Brady Tkachuk scored the first U.S. goal of the tournament less than six minutes in, and Tage Thompson roofed a nifty backhander on the power play, making coach Mike Sullivan look smart for putting the 6-foot-6 winger on the loaded top unit. Four goals on 32 shots was enough to chase Merzlikins, who was pulled to start the third for Arturs Silovs.

Captain Auston Matthews welcomed Silovs to the Olympics with a power-play goal, assisted on by Eichel and Quinn Hughes. Each of them had two assists, along with Matthew Tkachuk and Jack Hughes. “I just think the depth that we have, it showed,” Brady Tkachuk said “I thought everybody played a great game tonight. You just see the buy-in. You see the buy-in of every line playing the right way.”

The U.S. plays Denmark on Saturday night before wrapping up the preliminary round 24 hours later against Germany

Kim falls short of three-peat,

BY JOSEPH WILSON Associated Press

LIVIGNO, Italy Chloe Kim fell short in her bid to become the first Olympic snowboarder to win three consecutive gold medals, finishing second to Choi Gaon of South Korea in the women’s halfpipe on Thursday Choi dethroned the two-time defending champion after she bounced back from an ugly crash that had silenced the crowd. The 17-year-old drew another gasp when she jumped into the lead with a score of 90.25 on her final run.

Kim had one more shot to get back on top, but the 25-year-old American wiped out on her final run and settled for silver Japan’s Mitsuki Ono claimed bronze.

Kim, whose parents emigrated to the U.S. from South Korea, had encouraged Choi throughout her young career Now she has handed over the Olympic title to the teenager she inspired.

“It’s all about passing the torch, so there’s no one else I would have rather stood next to on the podium than her,” Kim said. “I’m so proud of her and I’m so excited to see what she does next.”

Choi’s chances in the final looked to be in jeopardy when she slammed into the incline of the halfpipe and slid to the middle of the course, where she remained for several minutes. After being attended to by medical staff, she rode off the course unassisted.

“After I took my first half I

taking silver

Silver medalist Chloe Kim, left, of the United States applauds as gold medalist Choi Ga-on of South Korea celebrates winning the the snowboarding halfpipe final on Thursday in Livigno, Italy

thought, ‘Do I need to give up?’” Choi said. “I cried, clenched my teeth, and started walking and felt the energy came back into my legs. I thought I can keep trying and I could get back into these Games.”

It wasn’t clear that she would even come back for her second run, but she did and got it down. Then came her turn down the halfpipe that was good for gold.

“This feels surreal I can’t believe my first Olympic medal is gold,” Choi said.

Choi became the youngest X Games winner in 2023 at age 14.

Now the first-time Olympian is first non-American woman to win gold in snowboarding’s premier

event since Torah Bright of Australia in 2010. Kaitlyn Farrington won for the U.S. in 2014 at the Sochi Olympics, and Kim triumphed in Pyeongchang and Beijing.

Kim injured her shoulder four weeks ago, disrupting her leadin to the Games She competed wearing a brace, which didn’t stop her from dominating the field in qualifying. But after Thursday’s final, the California native said she would need surgery on her shoulder — and that winning an Olympic medal of any color was a victory given that she was riding hurt.

“I think that there was a lot of conversation happening about the three-peat,” she said. “I was think-

ing about it before, but I think the minute I injured myself I was like, that doesn’t matter anymore. So this feels like a win to me because a month ago it didn’t seem too possible.”

Another gold-medal celebration had looked likely after Kim scored 88 points on her first run, while Choi and most of the other finalists wiped out.

But Kim couldn’t stay upright on either of her remaining runs, and her score from the first wasn’t good enough.

Kim is not alone in letting the milestone of golds in three consecutive Winter Olympics slip away at these Games. Czech Ester Ledecka fell short in Alpine snowboarding’s parallel giant slalom, as did Austria’s Anna Gasser in big air Both were also two-time defending champions.

American snowboarding great Shaun White won three gold medals on the halfpipe, but not consecutively He won in 2006, 2010 and 2018. He finished fourth in 2014. White was in the crowd Thursday and cringed after Kim fell on her final run. Kim’s boyfriend, Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett, was also in her cheering section, along with Snoop Dogg. Like many in the crowd, they had gathered to watch one of the biggest names in snowboarding go for Olympic history Instead, they watched Choi wipe away tears as she held up her medal, one step up on the podium from the rider who has been her idol.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ABBIE PARR

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By CAROLyN KASTER

The United States’ Auston Matthews, center, celebrates with teammates after scoring his team’s fifth goal during a match against Latvia on Thursday in Milan, Italy

Transfer Innes steadying force for Tigers

BY SCOTT RABALAIS Staff writer

After more than three decades coaching gymnastics, LSU’s Jay Clark knows what he’s looking for in a recruit.

He wants someone talented.

He wants someone who won’t add unnecessary drama to the team. He wants someone like Emily Innes. The Tigers got the whole package when Innes decided to transfer to LSU from Washington — trading one purple and gold team for another for her senior season.

Clark is grateful for the addition.

“She’s a wonderful person,” Clark said. “You’d be blessed to have a team full of Emilys because of her maturity and the even-keeled way she goes about her business.”

Innes will likely be in the leadoff spot again on floor for LSU when the No 2-ranked Tigers host No. 17 Auburn on Friday night at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center First vault will be at 7:45 p.m. on the SEC Network.

Innes has been a floor specialist and not an all-arounder for LSU like sophomore Kailin Chio or fellow transfer Madison Ulrich from Denver But what she has done for the Tigers, she has done quite well. Her floor scores have been in a tight, consistent band from 9 80 in LSU’s season opener in the Sprouts Collegiate Quad to a 9.925 in the Tigers’ Jan. 23 home opener against Kentucky

“It’s been really fun,” Innes said. “I started leading off on floor my freshman year (at Washington), so it was a familiar position for me.

“My job is to build momentum for the team. I’m grateful to be in that position.”

Like most in her sport, Innes has been doing gymnastics as long as she can remember start-

LSU

Assembly Center Innes scored a season-high 9.925 in the event.

ing as a toddler in Mommy and Me classes at a facility called Gymkhana in Pittsburgh, {span} Pennsylvania.{/span}

She reached Level 10 as a junior gymnast A shoulder surgery caused her to miss her senior season of high school, but it didn’t prevent her from receiving a scholarship offer from Washington.

Innes stood out for the Huskies, winning the floor title at the 2024 NCAA Berkeley Regional with a career high 9.95 and earning Big Ten all-conference honors in 2025.

She could have stayed in Seattle, flipping and tumbling for her final year at Washington, but a voice inside her told her it was time for a change

“It was cool to see a different

part of the country,” Innes said.

“I had a great experience, but I went through coaching changes, even before I got there. For my last year, I wanted something different.

“When LSU reached out to me, it was an opportunity I felt I couldn’t pass up. It felt like the right place to be. Now that I’m here, I definitely know it was the right decision.”

Floor exercise has arguably been LSU’s signature event over the years, one filled with great performances by exciting performers like NCAA floor champions Nikki Arnstad, Ashleigh Clare-Kearney, Ashleigh Gnat and Aleah Finnegan, a 2024 Olympian. Llomincia Hall was a fourtime Southeastern Conference

NBA All-Star Weekend opens for second time in California

BY DAVID BRANDT

Associated Press

All-Star weekend is back in California for the second straight year, this time moving to Inglewood for the NBA’s annual midseason showcase. Among the on-court events are the celebrity game and Rising Stars competition on Friday night, 3-point, Shooting Stars and slamdunk contests on Saturday and a new All-Star game format on Sunday that features the USA vs. the World. The U.S. vs. the World concept was talked about for years before finally becoming a reality this season. The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association unveiled the long-awaited plan earlier this season, after trying yet again to figure out the latest way to spark renewed interest in the game.

Where to watch the events?

Friday All-Star celebrity game, 7 p.m. (ESPN); Rising Stars competition, 9 p.m. (Peacock), NBA HBCU Classic, 11 p.m. (Peacock)

Saturday — NBA All-Star media day, 1:30 p.m. (NBA TV); Commissioner Adam Silver press conference, 4 p.m. (NBA TV); 3-point contest, Shooting Stars and slam-dunk contests, starting at 5 p.m. (NBC, Peacock) Sunday — NBA All-Star Game, 5 p.m. (NBC, Peacock)

Who are the All-Stars?

The All-Stars are split among three teams, which were selected by NBA.

USA Stripes: Boston’s Jaylen Brown, New York’s Jalen Brunson, Golden State’s Stephen Curry is injured and will be replaced by Toronto’s Brandon Ingram, Houston’s Kevin Durant, Los Angels Lakers’ LeBron James, Los Angeles Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard, Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell and San Antonio’s De’Aaron Fox. (Fox is the injury replacement for Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo).

Coach: San Antonio’s Mitch Johnson USA Stars: Toronto’s Scottie Barnes, Phoenix’s Devin Booker

Detroit’s Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren, Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards, Oklahoma City’s Chet Holmgren, Atlanta’s Jalen Johnson and Philadelphia’s Tyrese Maxey

Coach: Detroit’s J.B. Bickerstaff

World: Antetokounmpo, Portland’s Deni Avdija, Los Angeles Lakers’ Luka Doncic, Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is injured and will be replaced by Houston’s Alperen Sengun, Denver’s Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, Indiana’s Pascal Siakam, New York’s Karl-Anthony Towns, San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama and Miami’s Norman Powell. Coach: Toronto’s Darko Rajakovic.

What’s the game format?

The two U.S. teams both have eight players while the World team has nine players. Games will be one standard NBA quarter, or 12 minutes long.

The USA Stars will play the World in Game 1. The winner of that game will play the USA Stripes in Game 2. The loser of Game 1 will play the USA Stripes in Game 3.

The teams with the best two records will play in the championship game. If all three teams are 1-1, point differential would be the tiebreaker

Who are the betting favorites?

According to BetMGM Sports-

book, Team USA Stripes is the favorite to win the All-Star tournament at +160, followed by the World (+170) and the USA Stars (+200).

The favorites for All-Star MVP are Wembanyama (+700), Doncic (+1000) and Cunningham (+1100).

Who are the 3-point and slam dunk participants?

The eight 3-point contest competitors are Booker, Murray, Maxey, Powell, Mitchell, Milwaukee’s Bobby Portis, Charlotte’s Kon Knueppel and Portland’s Damian Lillard.

The four slam dunk competitors are San Antonio’s Carter Bryant, Miami’s Keshad Johnson, Los Angeles Lakers’ Jaxson Hayes and Orlando’s Jase Richardson. Who is performing?

Several artists will be performing at the NBA Crossover event, starting with CORTIS, a fivemember K-Pop group on Thursday night. Ludacris will perform on Friday night while Shaboozey will be on Saturday All performances are at the L.A. Convention Center CORTIS will also perform at halftime during Friday’s celebrity game.

LSU lineup who does three tumbling passes instead of two. “I think I do a good job of that My goal is to start the team off with a consistent routine and keep it going through the lineup.”

Clark said Innes’ personality and performance are well-fitted to her role in the floor lineup.

“She doesn’t seem to get overwhelmed by the moment,” Clark said.

“She’s not very emotionally high or low,” he said. “She stays very grounded. I have individual meetings with them through the year and I’ve had some of the more enjoyable conversations with her She’s a very thoughtful and curious person. She’s very self-reflective, which is refreshing in this day and age. She’s really about self-improvement and being the best influence she can be.”

The LSU meet will be followed on the SEC Network by the premiere of the “SEC Storied” documentary “The Fighting Tiger” on the life and career of former LSU coach D-D Breaux. It’s scheduled to begin at 9:30 p.m.

floor champion, while Kiya Johnson bookended her LSU career with SEC floor titles in 2021 and 2024.

“Competing here is a lot different with the crowd we have,” Innes said. LSU has built a knowledgeable fan base while leading the nation in attendance so far this season. “It’s a lot of fun. It’s easy to lean on my team and have fun out there with the energy the crowd and the team bring.”

Gymnastics judges are notorious for underscoring lead-off gymnasts, saving higher scores for later in the six-person lineup. Innes said she doesn’t get hung up on that.

“I’m more focused on going out and hitting a clean routine,” said Innes, the only gymnast in the

PELICANS

Continued from page 1C

season made them no-brainers for the Castrol Rising Stars showcase that will take place Friday night as part of the NBA’s AllStar weekend in Los Angeles.

“I’m extremely proud of them,” said Pelicans interim head coach James Borrego. “They’ve earned it. They belong there They have been two bright stars in this draft class and we are proud to have them.”

Fears leads all rookies in games played. He’s played in all 56 games for the Pelicans. Queen ranks second among rookies with 55 games played.

Fears’ 13.2 points per game ranks fifth among rookies in scoring. Queen (12.2) ranks seventh. Queen is also second among rookies in both rebounds (7.2) and assists (4.1). Fears recorded his first double-double in Wednesday’s loss and was two assists shy of his first triple-double. Queen, meanwhile, has recorded two triple-doubles.

But if Queen dishes out any assists during the Rising Stars game, they won’t be to Fears. The two are on different squads in the four-team tournament, consisting of first and second-year players as well as one team of G-League players. Fears is playing on the team coached by former NBA great Carmelo Anthony, while Queen’s team is coached by Vince Carter

“It doesn’t really matter (what team I’m on),” Queen said “It’s all about the experience. I would have liked to have (Fears) on my team so we can cheat a little bit. But it’s going to be a good experience.”

It’s the seventh straight year the Pelicans have had at least one player in the Rising Stars Game.

“I’m really excited for both of us,” Fears said. “May the best team win.” Fears has one main objective. “Give the fans a show,” Fears said “All the top talent is going to be in one setting. It’s going to be really entertaining. It was super fun when I used to go watch (AllStar) as a kid. I’m going to be up and close and personal this time.”

Queen’s fondest All-Star memory was the epic Slam Dunk contest between Zach LaVine and Aaron Gordon. That was 10 years ago.

Queen was only 11 years old at the time. Fears was 9 — an indication of just how young the Pelicans’ two Rising Stars are.

“I’m excited for what’s ahead for them,” Borrego said. “This is just the beginning. It’s an honor to make that game. I don’t care where you’re drafted. It’s an honor to be acknowledged like that, not just from our group, but also from outside in the NBA world.” Fears and Queen are the only two Pelicans participating in AllStar weekend. There are no Pelicans in Saturday’s 3-point competition or Slam Dunk contest. Nor are there Pelicans in Sunday’s All-Star game. Former Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram, now with the Toronto Raptors, was added to the game Tuesday The last Pelicans player to be named an All-Star was Zion Williamson in 2023.

So it’ll be up to Fears and Queen to represent New Orleans.

“I want them to go and enjoy this L.A. trip,” Borrego said. “Then come back ready to go and get us to the finish line.”

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By GERALD LEONG

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

gymnast Emily Innes performs her floor routine against Kentucky on Jan. 23 at the Pete Maravich

TEMPTRESS/ FRIENDSHIP COMMANDERS/ REPTILIAN WAR MACHINE/CHESTICLE

8p.m.Thursday l Mid City Ballroom, 136 S.Acadian Thruway, Baton Rouge l $19.17 in advance l midcityballroom.com and temptressofficial.com

Metal appeal

Dallas trio brings tempting heavy musictoBR

BY JOHN WIRT Contributing writer

Honing its heavy soundsince 2019, Temptress blends solid songwriting with gnarly riffs and punk-rock power

Following the January release of itssecond album,Temptress begins a21-city Southern tour next week. The band plays Mid City Ballroom in Baton Rouge on Thursday,Feb. 19, andSiberia in New Orleans the night after. “I’m super excited,”Temptress singer-guitarist Kelsey Wilson said. “We’re playing alot of places that Ihave not beento. Whenever we play down there (in Louisiana), we play with alocalband and always get agood response.” Temptress gets linked to a gamut of rock subgenres metal, thrash, doom, stonerdoom, alternative-rock,posthardcore, post-rock. The band’s New Mexico-based record label, Blues FuneralRecords, colorfully describes its music as a“molten sonic blend that flows and obliterates like aliquid metal assassin.”

Bassist and singer Christian Wright, from left, drummer and singer Andi Cuba andsingerguitarist KelseyWilson makeup the band Temptress

Wilson hasalesshyperbolic description for Temptress.

“When people ask us, Ijust sayweplay heavy rock’n’ roll. It’s not complicated,” shesaid Temptress features Wilson with drummer and singer Andi Cuba, the other woman in the group, and bassist and singer Christian Wright. The group briefly was afour-pieceband featuring Wilson, Wright, Cuba and guitarist Erica Pipes. Wilson, Cuba and Pipes previously played together in the all-female punk-metal band Tricounty Terror “Wecould never findasolid bass player,” Wilson saidofTricounty Terror’sdemise in 2018.

“A lot of it, too,” Cubaadded, “was that Kelsey and Iwanted to play different music. We weren’t into theaggressive, yelling,angrykind of thing. We knew what

ä See TEMPTRESS, page 8C

Double the soul

Baton Rougesinger and for mer “AmericanIdol” finalist Jovin Webb has twogigs this weekend —The EdgeBar at L’Auberge Baton Rougeat9p.m. Friday, and at On the Half Shell, Prairieville, at 11 a.m. Sunday. For more livemusic eventsinthe area, see “Shows to Watch,” Page 2D

LIVING

BY JUDYBERGERON

writer

Staff

Night parade, neighborhood parade, giantparade, newparade—

They’re all packed into these last days of Carnival season in the Baton Rouge area.

Unlikethose first weekends of parades, frigid temperatures won’t play afactor now through Fat Tuesday,but rain may try to dampen the party spirit on Saturdayand Sunday,sogoprepared. As always, enjoy the show,but be safe out there. Here are thefinal eight parades set to roll: KreweofSouthdowns

n 7p.m.Friday, through the Southdowns neighborhood, Baton Rouge With a“Vacation”theme, the

city’sfirst night Carnival parade is rolling for the39th time. It’sa rainor-shine, family-friendly event. Paradegoersare asked not to park on the parade route itself, as offrouteparking will be available. This year’s king and queen are Austin Staples and KateGladney

KreweofSpanish Town n Noon Saturday, from Spanish Town Road, along adowntown route ending on RiverRoad

If you know,you know.Ifnot, head to the eclectic SpanishTown

THE BLUESFOUNDATION

BY JUDYBERGERON Staff writer

neighborhood on theSaturday before Mardi Gras and see how aparade can take over the entire downtown with its raucous revelry.It’s by farthe largest parade formiles.

The parade,inall its hotpink glory,isorganized by the Mystic Krewe for the Preservation of LagniappeinLouisiana,aka SPLL, andtakes the pink flamingo as its mascot.

Allthisfun hasa philanthropic lining as SPLL has donated more than $1.4 million to local charities from ball, paradeand golf tournamentproceeds.

KreweofGood Friendsofthe Oaks n 1p.m. Sunday,starting and ending on Oaks Avenue

Residents of The Oakssubdivision

ä See PARADES, page 8C

TwoLouisiana-connected blues artists —KennyNeal and Marcia Ball —will be part of The Blues Foundation’sHall of Fame. The foundation announced its 2026 class on Friday in aFacebook post. The 13 honorees will be inductedinceremonies on May 6atthe Cannon Centerfor the PerformingArtsinMemphis, Tennessee. Baton Rouge’sNeal, 68, anchors the Neal family of bluesmusicians. The eldest son of the late blues artist Raful Neal, he’s been nominated for multiple Grammys, most recentlyin2017inthe bestcontemporary blues album for “Bloodline.” Neal (“Let Life Flow,” “Devil’s In The Delta,” “BadHabits”) has multiple Blues MusicAwards, also given by The Blues Foundation. Locally,hereceived the Slim Harpo Award in Baton Rouge in 2003 and was

learn that Iwill be inducted into the BluesHallofFame in Memphis on May6th 2026,” Neal began aFacebook post on Friday.“When I wasalittle kid singing and dancing on tables with my dad Raful and his band in Erwinville, Louisiana, Inever would have imagined that theBlueswouldtake me allaround the world and allow me to have so manyincredible experiences and

See BLUES, page 8C

STAFFFILE PHOTOByMICHAEL JOHNSON KenDuhe, aka the TigerKing,pulls beads from astuffed tiger while riding with the KreweofM.O.M float during theSpanish Town MardiGras Parade last year in downtown Baton Rouge.

PROVIDED PHOTO

FRIDAY CARNAVAL COURTYARD: Chez

La Fête, Lafayette, 4:30 p.m

LIVE MUSIC: Cane River Pecan Company Pie Bar, New Iberia, 5 p.m.

DOWNTOWN ALIVE! FEATUR-

ING DUSTIN DALE GASPARD: Parc San Souci, Lafayette,

6 p.m.

SAYLOR BRASSEAUX: Adopted Dog Brewing, Lafayette, 6 p.m.

JACK WOODSON: Charley

G’s Seafood Grill, Lafayette, 6 p.m.

MARDI GRAS DINER ET DAN-

SE’: La Maison de Begnaud, Scott, 6 p.m.

LIVE MUSIC: Jim Deggy’s Brick Oven Pizza & Brewery, Lafayette, 6 p.m.

LIVE MUSIC: Naq’s-n-Duson, Duson, 6 p.m.

LIVE MUSIC: Prejean’s, Broussard, 6 p.m.

AARON HEBERT: SHUCKS!, Abbeville, 6:30 p.m.

DAMON TROY: Silver Slipper Arnaudville, 7 p.m.

STONED VS DRUNK VS SOBER VS MARDI GRAS — SPECIAL EDITION!: Club 337, Lafayette, 7 p.m.

WRITHINGS & IMMINENT END: The Loose Caboose, Lafayette, 7 p.m

JOURDAN THIBODEAUX: Blue Moon Saloon, Lafayette, 8 p.m.

LIVE MUSIC: The Barrel of Broussard, Broussard, 8 p.m.

STEVE RILEY AND THE MA-

MOU PLAYBOYS: La Poussiere Cajun Dancehall, Breaux Bridge, 8 p.m.

By The Associated Press

Today is Friday, Feb. 13, the 44th day of 2026. There are 321 days left in the year

Today in history:

On Feb. 13, 1945, Allied forces in World War II began a three-day bombing raid on Dresden, Germany killing as many as 25,000 people and triggering a firestorm that swept through the city center

Also on this date: In 1935, a jury in Flemington, New Jersey, found Bruno Richard Hauptmann guilty of first-degree murder in the kidnap-slaying of Charles A. Lindbergh Jr., the 20-month-old son of Charles and Anne Morrow

TEMPTRESS

Continued from page 7C

we wanted to do, and the only way to do that was to start something new. That’s where Temptress came in.”

Unlike Tricounty Terror, the Dallas-based Temptress quickly found a dependable, experienced bassist. Alabama native Wright, a musician since childhood, played guitar in a Dallas folk-punk band before joining Temptress.

Wright’s bass fell in naturally with Wilson’s guitar and Cuba’s drums.

“They’re both ear players,” he said. “I hate to say it’s like a jam band, but that’s what I’m talking about.”

“We did our first tour as a three-piece and found a really cool sound,” Wilson agreed “It’s organic as it could be.”

All three members of Temptress write songs as well as sing. That musical depth expands the group’s sonic potential far beyond, for instance, a band with a lead

BLUES

Continued from page 7C

opportunities.

“I want to thank all my fans my friends & family and The Blues Foundation for this honor I’m proud to stand alongside my longtime friends who are also being inducted for their contributions I’m grateful to be carrying the torch. Let’s continue to keep The Blues alive y’all!,” he posted. In addition to singing, Neal plays guitar and harmonica. His 19th album, “Straight from the Heart,” was released in 2022 and recorded at his studio in Baton Rouge’s Brookstown neighborhood. Pianist and vocalist Ball, 76, was born in Orange, Texas but raised in Vinton and at-

GRACE NOVASAD: Tap Room, Youngsville, 6:30 p.m.

RORY SUIRE: SHUCKS!, Abbeville, 6:30 p.m.

SYLVIE SMITH: Buck & Johnny’s, Breaux Bridge, 6:30 p.m.

STRAIGHT WHISKEY: Silver Slipper, Arnaudville, 7 p.m.

LIVE MUSIC: Pat’s Atchafalaya Club, Henderson, 7 p.m.

GLENN Z COMBO: Whiskey and Vine, Lafayette, 7 p.m.

MICHAEL SCOTT BOUDREAUX

W/THE GRAY WALKER BAND: Blue Moon Saloon, Lafayette, 9 p.m.

NIK-L BEER: Rock ‘n’ Bowl de Lafayette, Lafayette, 9 p.m.

SHADOW ROAD: Toby’s Lounge, Opelousas, 8:30 p.m.

HORACE TRAHAN & THE OS-

SUN EXPRESS: Lakeview Park, Eunice, 9:30 p.m.

PLAYBOYS FEATURING RUBEN

MORENO & ZYDECO RE-VOLU-

TION: Pat’s Atchafalaya Club, Henderson, 7 p.m.

99 PLAYBOYS W/SUPPORT FROM PRENDS COURAGE: Blue Moon Saloon, Lafayette, 8 p.m.

MONDAY

PATRICIO LATINO SOLO: Cafe Habana City, Lafayette, 11 a.m.

JAMMING W/BIRD & CAJUN FIRE: Lakeview Park, Eunice, 9 a.m.

CARNAVAL COURTYARD: Chez La Fête, Lafayette, 4:30 p.m.

JACK WOODSON: Charley G’s Seafood Grill, Lafayette, 6 p.m.

BLUEGRASS JAM: Cité des Arts, Lafayette, 6:30 p.m.

WEDNESDAY

DULCIMER JAM: St. Landry Visitor Center, Opelousas, 10 a.m.

ANDREW NEIL LANDRY: Park Bistro, Lafayette, 6 p.m.

DAVE TRAINER: Charley G’s Seafood Grill, Lafayette, 6 p.m.

ANDREW WAIN & LOGAN

TURNER JAZZ DUO: Whiskey and Vine, Lafayette, 6 p.m.

WANTED WEDNESDAY KA-

RAOKE NIGHT: The Barrel of Broussard, Broussard, 6 p.m.

PAUL PIAZZA: Tap Room, Youngsville, 6:30 p.m.

CAJUN JAM: Blue Moon Saloon, Lafayette, 8 p.m.

THURSDAY

MICHALIS: Charley G’s Seafood Grill, Lafayette, 6 p.m.

BOBBY DWYER & HONKY TONK NONC: Toby’s Lounge, Opelousas, 8:30 p.m.

PARADE ROUTE PARTY BAND: Rock ‘n’ Bowl de Lafayette, Lafayette, 9 p.m.

JAMIE BERGERON AND THE KICKIN’ CAJUNS: Lakeview Park, Eunice, 9 p.m.

SATURDAY DONNY BROUSSARD BAND: Fred’s, Mamou, 8 a.m.

LIL POOKIE & THE ZYDECO

SENSATION: Buck & Johnny’s, Breaux Bridge, 8 a.m.

CAJUN JAM: Moncus Park Lafayette, 9 a.m.

SATURDAY MORNING JAM

SESSIONS: The Savoy Music Center, Eunice, 9 a.m.

CAJUN JAM: Tante Marie Breaux Bridge, 11 a.m.

TODAY IN HISTORY

Lindbergh. (Hauptmann was executed the following year.)

In 2002, John Walker Lindh, who was captured by U.S. forces as an enemy combatant in 2001, pleaded not guilty in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, to conspiring to kill Americans and supporting the Taliban and terrorist organizations. (Lindh later pleaded guilty to lesser offenses and was sentenced to 20 years in prison.) In 2018, President Donald Trump’s personal attorney, Michael Cohen, said he had paid $130,000 out of his own pocket to Stephanie Clifford (aka Stormy Daniels), a porn actor who claimed to have had a sexual encoun-

singer-songwriter-guitarist backed by a rhythm section.

“That makes us unique,” Cuba said. “I’ve heard a lot of people say, ‘Man, y’all just sound different.’ We have three viewpoints that come together to make this sound.”

The band’s members hear how much musical progress they’ve made from “See,” the debut album they released in 2023, to this year’s “Hear.

“The first album, we were all getting to know each other,” Wilson said. “This one, you can tell we know each other’s playing style. We’re working together more on each other’s songs and more of our personalities are in this album.”

Wilson counts classic rock and metal as influences in general and, specifically, Lamb of God, Slayer, Metallica, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix and Pink Floyd. Cuba spent her formative years listening to grunge rock of the 1980s and ’90s Seattle’s Soundgarden and New York City noise-rockers Sonic Youth are high on her list. Wright’s touchstones in-

tended LSU. She is a longtime resident of Austin, Texas. Ball (“A Fool in Love,” “I’m Coming Down With the Blues,” “Same Old Blues”) retired from touring and performing in October 2025 after being diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) or Lou Gehrig’s disease. “Marcia is so honored and humbled being inducted into the 2026 Class of the Blues Hall of Fame by the Blues Foundation,” a post on her Facebook page stated. “It is an extra special honor is being joined by Barbara Lynn at the same time. Thank you to the Blues Foundation for this amazing honor and acknowledgement of Marcia and Barbara Lynn’s contributions to the legacy of blues music.” Fellow Texan Lynn, a guitarist singer and songwriter, is best known for the

LATE BLOOMIN’: Adopted Dog Brewing, Lafayette, noon

ZYDECO CAPITAL JAM: St. Landry Parish Visitor Center, Opelousas, 1 p.m.

CAJUN FRENCH MUSIC JAM: Vermilionville, Lafayette, 1 p.m.

CARNAVAL COURTYARD: Chez La Fête, Lafayette, 4:30 p.m.

STEVE RILEY AND THE MA-

MOU PLAYBOYS: Adopted Dog Brewing, Lafayette, 6 p.m.

JULIE WILLIAMS: Charley

G’s Seafood Grill, Lafayette, 6 p.m.

LIVE MUSIC: Jim Deggy’s Brick Oven Pizza & Brewery, Lafayette, 6 p.m.

LIVE MUSIC: Naq’s-n-Duson, Duson, 6 p.m.

LIVE MUSIC: Prejean’s, Broussard, 6 p.m.

ter with Trump.

In 2021, Donald Trump was acquitted by the Senate at his second impeachment trial — the first to involve a former president — in which he was accused of inciting the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. Seven Republicans joined all 50 Democrats in voting to convict, less than the twothirds threshold required. Today’s birthdays: Actor Kim Novak is 93. Actor Stockard Channing is 82. Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut is 80. Basketball Hall of Fame coach Mike Krzyzewski is 79. Musician Peter Gabriel is 76. Musician Peter Hook is 70. Singerwriter Henry Rollins is 65.

clude Bad Brains, Firehose, Minutemen and Hüsker Dü.

Seven years into their group’s existence, Wilson, Cuba and Wright have some basic goals.

“I just want the group to play music I love for people who enjoy it,” Wilson said. “Just do that all over the country, and see how far we can go. There’s the fame aspect, but I never think about that.”

Wright likes the catharsis performing gives him and the community of friends his fellow musicians provide.

“When I’m on stage, it’s a great stress reliever for me,” he said. “And most of the people I know, outside of family, are from the music scene. All my friends are musicians.”

Cuba doesn’t project far into the future, but she does have a short-term goal.

“For this band, right now, I hope that our new album is heard and appreciated by as many people as possible. We put so much into it, and it’s a really good album. I hope it gets the credit it deserves.”

R&B hit, “You’ll Lose a Good Thing.” She has influenced Ball’s music, and the two have shared the stage and recorded together Formed in Memphis in 1980, The Blues Foundation “preserves blues heritage, celebrates blues recording and performance, expands worldwide awareness of the blues, and ensures the future of the uniquely American art form,” according to its website. Its international membership tops 4,000 individuals and organizations. In addition to Neal, Ball and Lynn, other performers who will be added to the Hall of Fame’s ranks are Bob Margolin, Henry Ragtime Texas Thomas and Rosco Gordon. Email Judy Bergeron at jbergeron@theadvocate. com.

SUNDAY

GLENN ZERINGUE: Whiskey and Vine, Lafayette, 11 a.m.

LIVE MUSIC: Tante Marie, Breaux Bridge, 11 a.m.

LES FRERES MICHOT: Prejean’s, Carencro, 11:30 a.m.

BAL DU DIMANCHE — BLAKE

MILLER & THE OLE FASHION

ACES: Vermilionville, Lafayette, 1 p.m.

CAJUN JAM: Bayou Teche Brewing, Arnaudville, 2 p.m.

OPEN MIC NIGHT WITH CASEY

COURVILLE: Adopted Dog Brewing, Lafayette, 3 p.m.

CARNAVAL COURTYARD: Chez La Fête, Lafayette, 4:30 p.m.

JULIE WILLIAMS: Charley

G’s Seafood Grill, Lafayette, 6 p.m.

STEVE RILEY & THE MAMOU

RUSTY METOYER PLUS CHUBBY CARRIER: Rock ‘n’ Bowl de Lafayette, Lafayette, 7 p.m.

STEVE RILEY AND THE MAMOU PLAYBOYS: Lakeview Park, Eunice, 7 p.m.

ZACH EDWARDS: Blue Moon Saloon, Lafayette, 8 p.m.

TUESDAY

CARNAVAL COURTYARD: Chez La Fête, Lafayette, 4:30 p.m.

TERRY HUVAL & FRIENDS: Prejean’s Restaurant, Lafayette, 6 p.m.

GREENLIGHT SESSIONS OPEN

MIC: Jefferson Street Greenroom, Lafayette, 7 p.m.

GROOVE ROOM: Blue Moon Saloon, Lafayette, 8 p.m.

TOMMY G & STORMY WEATH-

ER: Toby’s Lounge, Opelousas, 8:30 p.m.

LIVE MUSIC: Naq’s-n-Duson, Duson, 6 p.m.

LADIES NIGHT WITH DJ DONOVAN IN THE MIX: Cowboys Nightclub, Scott, 6 p.m.

KURT BOUDREAUX: Whiskey and Vine, Lafayette, 6 p.m.

DUSTIN SONNIER: SHUCKS!, Abbeville, 6:30 p.m. KARAOKE PARTY — PANDA ENTERTAINMENT: Black Bull, Youngsville, 8 p.m.

Compiled by Marchaund Jones. Want your venue’s music listed? Email info/ photos to showstowatch@ theadvocate.com. The deadline is noon FRIDAY for the following Friday’s paper

PARADES

Continued from page 7C

in Port Allen established this krewe in 1985.

Krewe members must live between the boundaries of Avenue A to Oaks Avenue and La. 1 to River Road. Since 1985, the krewe has grown from eight members to more than 100.

Each year, the decorations committee hangs Mardi Gras flags along the parade route, judges select the top three floats, and a block party with music follows after the parade.

Krewe of Zachary

n 2 p.m. Sunday, Church Street to Main Street, Zachary

The inaugural run of this community parade takes the theme “Celebrating Everyday Heroes.”

“This will be a safe, family-friendly celebration filled with unity, culture and Louisiana pride,” a Facebook post by Zachary

Mardi Gras states.

Krewe of Comogo

n 7 p.m. Sunday, from St. John the Evangelist Church and ending at Carl F. Grant Civic Center, Plaquemine

A family-friendly parade, the Comogo krewe was established in memory of Plaquemine resident Brenda Comeaux. It’s the only night parade in Iberville Parish.

Krewe of Shenandoah n 6:30 p.m. Monday, starting on Jones Creek Road, through the Shenandoah neighborhood and ending near Woodlawn Baptist Church

This nonprofit organization is “dedicated to bringing goodwill to Shenandoah with the celebration of Mardi Gras,” according to its website.

The mascot, Dimples the golf ball, is a nod to the neighborhood’s roots, as Shenandoah was developed as a golf course in its early years.

Community Center of Pointe Coupee and New Roads Lions Club

n 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., respectively, Tuesday, downtown New Roads

The Community Center Parade, with its “Musical Legends” theme, will feature dance groups, five bands, motorized floats and a classic car club. Meanwhile, the Lions Club Parade takes the theme “Parade of Nations” for its 82nd anniversary The family-oriented celebration has entries from schools, churches and businesses. Note that the two parades typically merge at some point downtown, and start times often move up to avoid inclement weather

James and Julie Crow are this year’s parade grand marshals. Julie Crow led efforts to create a Mardi Gras parade for Shenandoah This year’s parade king is Todd Terrell, who helped establish the United Cajun Navy after Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

PROVIDED PHOTO By GRIFFIN NAGEL/NBC

See former ‘The Voice’ contestant Dustin Dale Gaspard perform when Downtown Alive! opens its spring season at 6 p.m. Friday in Parc San Souci, Lafayette. The concert is free.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK

The Hotsteppers perform as the Krewe of Southdowns rolls through the namesake neighborhood last year in Baton Rouge.

AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Getinthe grooveand makethings happen. If you want something, do your part to ensure it is accomplished.Let compassion set the mood. An open heart and ahelping hand can do wonders.

PIscEs (Feb. 20-March 20) Setthe pace andfocusonyourgoal. An open mind and aclear sense of what you want to achieve will help you complete your plans. Challenges can be addressed with honesty andfair play.

ARIEs (March 21-April 19) Reflect, reveal and revise. You are overdue foran overhaul. Consider what's dragging you down and thetype of pick-me-up yourequire to jump-start your enthusiasm.

tAuRus (April 20-May 20) Youmay need to usebrute force to complete ajob or fulfill your promises.Positive change comes with the ability to do the right thing at theright moment.

GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Achange is not alwaysthe answer. Before youmove on, make sure to tidy up loose ends. Carrying the burden of thepast will prevent you from giving your allto somethingnew and exciting.

cAncER(June 21-July22) Gather information until you are sure you can make the best possible choice for you and those youlove. Do what works bestfor you, anddon't feel obligatedtocompensate forsomeone else's poor choices.

LEo(July 23-Aug.22) The moversand shakers will attract your attention. Try

not to get wrapped up in someone's piein-the-sky ideas. You can be enthusiastic without contributing.

VIRGo (Aug. 23-sept.22) Socializing, love and romance are all on the rise. If you useyour imagination, you can turn somethingyou do into amagical memory. Personal and lifestyle changes will enrich your life.

LIBRA(sept. 23-oct.23) Mixed emotions regarding your livingarrangements willsurface. Putyour energy into fixingupyour place or moving elsewhere. An event that allowsyou to promote what you can do will lead to something you least expect.

scoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) Stay calm, stick close to home and relax and rejuvenate. Thetimeyou spend analyzing the past and present will help you make better choices moving forward.

sAGIttARIus (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Spend money only on necessities. Refuse to payfor someone else or to squander on indulgences you don't need. An impulsive decision will lead to regret. Live up to your wordand avoid backlash.

cAPRIcoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Shareyour thoughts and feelings,and you'll find outwhere youstand. Theinput you receivewill be verytelling as to what other peoplethink you can do.

Thehoroscope, an entertainment feature, is not based on scientific fact. ©2026 by NEA, Inc dist.

By Andrews McMeel Syndication

FAMILY CIrCUS

Celebrity Cipher cryptograms are created from quotations by famous people, past and present. Each letter in the cipher stands for another

toDAy's cLuE:t EQuALs B

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Mother GooSe And GrIMM

Sudoku

InstructIons: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 grid with several given numbers. The object is to place the numbers 1to9 in the empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the samenumber only once. The difficulty level of the Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

THewiZard oF id

BLondie

BaBY BLueS

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By PHILLIP ALDER

In golf, thereisusually more than one way to hit ashot to the green —assuming, of course,you are skillful enough to do that.

In bridge, many deals give only one side achancetodosomething meritorious:declarer or the defense. Butsometimesboth sideswill have an opportunity, althoughone sidemight require the other to err. That applies in this deal. Would youprefertodeclare or defend in three no-trump after West leads adiamond to dummy’s bare ace?

If youliketodeclare, look at only the North-Southhands and plan the play. Alternatively, cover the Westand South hands.Attrick two, declarer leads the clubking from the board. How would you, East, defend?

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lafayettela.gov.Vendors wishingtosubmittheir bidelectronicallymust

Consolidated Government,inorder to establishanaccount Vendorssubmittingbids electronically arere‐quired

documentsasbid‐ders

able.Onlya bidbond, certified checkor cashier’scheck shallbe submittedasthe bidse‐curity.Electroniccopies of both thefront and back of thecheck or bid bond shallbeincluded with theelectronicbid Bids must be signedin accordance with LRS Title38:2212(B)5. ACor‐porate Resolution or Cer‐tificate of Authorityau‐thorizingthe person signingthe bidisre‐quired to be submitted with bid. Failuretosub‐mita CorporateResolu‐tion or Certificate

theOwnerorPro‐ject Designer but arrangements canbe made to obtain them throughmostrepro‐graphic firms. Plan hold‐ibl f g p ersare responsible for theirown reproduction costs. Questionsabout this procedureshouldbe directed to:Centerline –Phone: 504- 291-5738, emailbidconnect@ centerline.co. Each bidmustbeaccom‐paniedbya certified check, cashier’scheck or BidBondusing the Owner’sformpayable to theLafayette Parish School System,the amount of which shallbe five percent(5%)ofthe amount of theproposed Base Bidplusall Alter‐nates. MoneyOrderswill notbeaccepted. Electronic bids maybe submittedonlineat www.centerlinebidco nnect.com.Inaccor‐dancewithLARS38: 2212.E(6), bids forthis projectmay be submit‐tedelectronicallyvia up‐load to Centerline Bid Connect (www.centerl inebidconnect.com ). All biddocuments shallbe uploaded by thedue date andtimestatedabove Questionsabout this pro‐cedure should be di‐rected to Centerline (phone 504-291-5738, email: bidconnect@centerline

@ co ). ABid bond will be required,per thecon‐tractdocuments,and should beuploadedwith therestofthe required BidDocuments.If a scannedcopyofthe Bid Bond is uploaded,the original notarizedbid bond must be produced “on-demand”per the Owner’srequest ThesuccessfulBidder shallberequiredtofur‐nish aPerformance and PaymentBondinan amount equalto100% of theContractonthe formsprovidedbythe School Boardand written in accordance with Louisiana law.

Bids shallbeaccepted only from contractors who arelicensedbythe LouisianaState Licensing Boardfor Contractorsfor theclassification of Building Construction.No bidmay be withdrawn fora period of forty-five (45) days after receiptof bids,exceptunder the provisions of La.R.S 38:2214. AMandatory Pre-Bid Conference will be held at theLafayette Elemen‐tary School at 10:00 a.m. CST, February 25th, 2026. il i y Email questionsto hugh@mbsbgroup.com before noon CST, March 4th, 2026. Theownerreservedthe righttorejectany andall bids forjustcause Actual construction at thefacilitycannotbegin

PROCEEDINGS OF THE LAFAYETTE PARISH COUNCIL MEETING OFTHE PARISH OF LAFAYETTE, STATEOFLOUISIANA, TAKEN AT AREGULAR MEETING OF FEBRUARY10, 2026 HELD AT 705 W.

UNIVERSITY AVENUE, LAFAYETTE, LA.

ATTENDANCE

COUNCIL:Donald Richard(Chair,District 2), Ken Stansbury(Vice-Chair, District 3), Bryan Tabor (District 1), John Guilbeau (District 4) and AB Rubin (District 5)

ABSENT:None

COUNCIL STAFF:Joseph Gordon-Wiltz(Clerk of the Council), Jeremy Richardson (Associate Clerk for Operations &Citizen Advocacy) and Cindy M. Semien (Assistant Clerk for Legislative Affairs)

ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF:MoniqueB Boulet (Mayor-President), Rachel Godeaux (Chief Administrative Officer), Karen Fontenot (Chief Financial Officer), Patrick S. Ottinger (City-Parish Attorney) and Paul Escott (Assistant City-Parish Attorney)

(4:31:52) COMMENCEMENT

Call to order

Chair Richardcalled the Regular Parish Council Meeting of February 10, 2026toorder

AGENDA ITEM NO. 1: Invocation and Pledge of Allegiance

The Chair called upon Councilmember Stansbury to cite the invocation and called upon Councilmember Guilbeau, to lead the Pledge of Allegiance.

Amoment of silence was held for Jeremy Swiney,Associate Clerk for Legislative Affairs. Chair Richardannounced the following: Beforeweproceed, the Council would like to take amomenttohonor the life and service of our colleague and our friend, Jeremy Swiney Jeremy served this Council Office for nearly thirteen years, first as Senior Administrative Assistant and most recently as the Council’s first Associate Clerk for Legislative Affairs.His professionalism, steady presence, and deep institutional knowledge shaped the work of this body and of the Council staffinways that will be felt for many years to come. We invite everyone hereand those watching to join us in observing amoment of silence in memory of Jeremy and in gratitude for his dedicated and impactful service. ACelebration of Life for Jeremy Swiney will be held from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Thursday,February 12, 2026 at Delhomme Funeral Home on Bertrand Drive in Lafayette.

WELCOME AND CHAIR ANNOUNCEMENTS

Chair Richardmade the following announcements:

•Due to the Mardi Gras holiday the Council Meetings in February and March will be on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of the month. The meetings will returntothe typical 1st and 3rdTuesdays in April;

•Item #18 –Parish Planning Appeal -(Tolson Point Subdivision) –Legal requested that this item be deferredtoFebruary 24th;

•Wished John Guilbeau, District 4, ahappy birthday which he will celebrate on February 29th.

AGENDA ITEM NO. 2: COUNCIL ANNOUNCEMENTS

Rubin explained that Black History should be American History because the USA was built on the backs of free labor. He stressed that racism is still alive.

AGENDA ITEM NO. 3: EXECUTIVE/MAYOR-PRESIDENT’S REPORT

a. Budget-to-Actual Comparison of Major Parish Funds –December 2025 Preliminary

Boulet noted that the monthly Budget-to-Actual Comparisons areto comply with statewide auditing procedures.

b. Audit Findings Update –January 2026

Boulet noted that they arerequiredmonthly to give an update to the Louisiana Legislative Auditor on the report findings.

Boulet’s announcements:

•$14.5 million in federal funding was secured for Johnston Street Infrastructureimprovements, an Emergency Operations Center LUS Water and Wastewater laboratories replacement and LUS galvanized waterline replacement. She announced her gratitude of Senators Cassidy and Kennedy and Congressmen Fields and Higgins for their partnership in the investments.

•Stated that the Mardi Gras festivities areunderway and the weekend parade had atremendous crowd. 160 employees and volunteers helped to clean up after the parade.

•The recreation centers operated the warming centers during the freezing winter weather temperatures. 133 individuals used the warming centers.

•Congratulated City-Parish Attorney Patrick S. Ottinger on his retirement.

•Thanked Police Chief Paul Trouardfor his leadershipduring the freezing weather

Rubin noted that the warming shelters areaone stop shop for those in need of housing assistance, financial aid and food stamps applications.

EXECUTIVESESSION

AGENDA ITEM NO. 4: Estela Callier

v. Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government, et al Civil Docket No. C-2018-553 15th Judicial District Court

Lafayette Parish, Louisiana

Ottinger explained why it is appropriate and responsible for the Council to enter into executive session regarding this matter

Motion to enter into executive session by Guilbeau, seconded by Tabor, and the vote was as follows:

YEAS: Tabor,Richard, Stansbury,Guilbeau, Rubin

NAYS: None

ABSENT:None

ABSTAIN: None

Motion to enter into executive session was approved.

Motion to returnfromexecutive session by Guilbeau, seconded by Stansbury,and the vote was as follows: YEAS: Tabor,Richard, Stansbury,Guilbeau, Rubin

NAYS: None

ABSENT:None

ABSTAIN: None

Motion to returnfrom executive session was approved.

Motion to accept the recommendation of Risk Management and the CityParish Attorney; authorize the City-Parish Attorney to execute and deliver appropriate and necessary settlement documents, containing search terms and provisions as the City-Parish Attorney deems necessary or appropriate, to make appropriate budgetary adjustments contingent on the execution of relevant settlement documents, in connection therewith by Rubin, seconded by Stansbury,and the vote was as follows: YEAS: Tabor,Richard, Stansbury,Guilbeau, Rubin

NAYS: None

ABSENT:None

ABSTAIN: None

Motion to accept recommendations was approved.

RESOLUTIONS

AGENDA ITEM NO. 5: PR-002-2026 Aresolution of the Lafayette Parish Council approving the budget of revenues and expenditures of the Acadiana Criminalistics Laboratory for FY 2026, motion to adopt by Guilbeau, seconded by Stansbury, and the vote was as follows: YEAS: Tabor,Richard, Stansbury,Guilbeau, Rubin

NAYS: None

ABSENT:None ABSTAIN: None Motion to adopt wasapproved.

AGENDA ITEM NO. 6: PR-003-2026 Aresolution of the Lafayette Parish Council authorizing anon-warranty cash sale of the property found at 121 Gideon Drive (Assessment Number 6132187) to an adjoining landowner pursuant to La. R.S. 47:2202(B) for the price of the sale’santicipated costs, motion to adopt by Rubin, seconded by Tabor, and the vote was as follows: YEAS: Tabor,Richard, Stansbury,Guilbeau, Rubin NAYS: None

ABSENT:None

ABSTAIN: None Motion to adopt wasapproved.

AGENDA ITEM NO. 7: PR-004-2026 Aresolution of the Lafayette Parish Council authorizing anon-warranty cash sale of

the vote wasasfollows:

YEAS: Tabor,Richard, Stansbury, Guilbeau, Rubin

NAYS: None ABSENT: None

ABSTAIN: None Motion to adopt was approved.

MatthewRodriguez was present but passed histimetospeak.

Judy Theriot stated that she would like the property so that it can be cleaned up.

JOINT RESOLUTIONS

AGENDA ITEM NO.8:JR-001-2026 Ajoint resolution of the Lafayette City Council and the Lafayette Parish Council approving the appointment of Robert A. Mahtook, Jr as the Lafayette City-Parish Attorney and Director of the Legal Department, motion to adopt by Guilbeau, seconded by Tabor,and the vote was as follows:

YEAS: Tabor,Richard, Stansbury, Guilbeau, Rubin

NAYS: None

ABSENT: None

ABSTAIN: None Motion to adopt was approved.

Boulet welcomed the transitionofthe new Lafayette City-Parish Attorney

Robert A. Mahtook, Jr.and thanked the Council for their consideration.

AGENDA ITEM NO.9:JR-002-2026 Ajoint resolution of the Lafayette City Council and the Lafayette Parish Council authorizing anon-warranty cash sale of 205 Francis Avenue (Assessment Number 6019696) to an adjoining landowner pursuant to La. R.S. 47:2202(B) for the price of the sale’santicipated costs, motiontoadopt by Guilbeau, seconded by Stansbury, and the vote was as follows:

YEAS: Tabor,Richard, Stansbury, Guilbeau, Rubin

NAYS: None

ABSENT: None

ABSTAIN: None Motion to adopt was approved.

AGENDA ITEM NO.10: JR-003-2026 Ajoint resolution of the Lafayette City Council and the Lafayette Parish Council authorizing anon-warranty cash sale of 147 Hollywood Drive (Assessment Number 6035625) to an adjoining landowner pursuant to La. R.S. 47:2202(B) for the price of the sale’santicipated costs, motiontoadopt by Rubin, seconded by Tabor, and the vote was as follows:

YEAS: Tabor,Richard, Stansbury, Guilbeau, Rubin

NAYS: None

ABSENT: None

ABSTAIN: None Motion to adopt was approved.

AGENDA ITEM NO.11: JR-004-2026 Ajoint resolution of the Lafayette City Council and the Lafayette Parish Council authorizing anon-warranty cash sale of 811 Twelfth Street (Assessment Number 6046343) to an adjoining landowner pursuant to La. R.S. 47:2202(B) for the price of the sale’santicipated costs, motiontoadopt by Rubin, seconded by Stansbury, and the vote was as follows:

YEAS: Tabor,Richard, Stansbury, Guilbeau, Rubin

NAYS: None ABSENT: None

ABSTAIN: None Motion to adopt was approved.

ORDINANCES FOR FINAL ADOPTION

AGENDA ITEM NO.12: PO-006-2026 An ordinance of the Lafayette Parish Council authorizing the Lafayette Mayor-President to enter into an Intergovernmental Agreement between the Parish of Lafayette and the Parish of St.Martin concerning the cleaning of Lateral Ches Broussard, motion to adopt by Tabor,seconded by Stansbury,and the vote was as follows:

YEAS: Tabor,Richard, Stansbury, Guilbeau, Rubin

NAYS: None ABSENT: None

ABSTAIN: None Motion to adopt was approved.

AGENDA ITEM NO.13: PO-007-2026 An ordinance of the Lafayette Parish Council amending the FY 25/26 operating budget of the Lafayette CityParish Consolidated Government by adjusting the manning tables and budgeted rate of one (1) Secretarypositionwithin District Court, motionto adopt by Stansbury, seconded by Guilbeau, and the vote was as follows: YEAS: Tabor,Richard, Stansbury, Guilbeau, Rubin

NAYS: None

ABSENT: None

ABSTAIN: None Motion to adopt was approved.

AGENDA ITEM NO.14: PO-008-2026 An ordinance of the Lafayette Parish Council authorizing the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government to sell at public auction and public internet auction surplus vehicles, equipment and other miscellaneous moveableproperty which arenolonger needed forpublic purposes, as per the attached list (Public Auctionand Public Internet Auction), motiontoadopt by Tabor,seconded by Guilbeau, and the vote was as follows: YEAS: Tabor,Richard, Stansbury, Guilbeau, Rubin

NAYS: None

ABSENT: None

ABSTAIN: None Motion to adopt was approved.

JOINT ORDINANCES FOR FINAL ADOPTION

AGENDA ITEM NO.15: JO-001-2026 Ajoint ordinance of the Lafayette City Council and the Lafayette Parish Council authorizing the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government to sell at public internet auction surplus equipment and other miscellaneous moveable property which are no longer needed for public purposes, as per the attached list (Public Internet Auction), motiontoadopt by Guilbeau, seconded by Tabor,and the vote was as follows:

YEAS: Tabor,Richard, Stansbury, Guilbeau, Rubin

NAYS: None

ABSENT: None

ABSTAIN: None Motion to adopt was approved.

AGENDA ITEM NO.16: JO-002-2026 Ajoint ordinance of the Lafayette City Council and the Lafayette Parish Council amending the FY 25/26 operating budget and adjusting manning tables of the Lafayette CityParish Consolidated Government by adjusting the salary of one (1) Service Station Supervisor position within Traffic, Roads &Bridges –Vehicle Maintenance –Service Station Division, motiontoadopt by Tabor seconded by Stansbury, and the vote was as follows:

YEAS: Tabor,Richard, Stansbury, Guilbeau, Rubin

NAYS: None

ABSENT: None

ABSTAIN: None Motion to adopt was approved.

AGENDA ITEM NO 17: JO-003-2026 Ajoint ordinance of the Lafayette City Council and the Lafayette Parish Council authorizing the Lafayette Mayor-President to enter into aCooperative Endeavor Agreement with the StateofLouisiana and the Road Home CorporationDBA Louisiana Land Trust for the purpose of participating in the Louisiana Watershed Initiative Mitigation Buyout Program as administered through the State of Louisiana Office of Community Development –Disaster Recoveryfor the purpose of mitigating structures with previous flood losses located within the Coulee Mine East Flood ControlProject Area, motion to adopt by Stansbury, seconded by Tabor,and the vote was as follows: YEAS: Tabor,Richard, Stansbury, Guilbeau, Rubin

NAYS: None

ABSENT: None

ABSTAIN: None Motion to adopt was approved.

Brian Smith, Director of Drainage, announced that this helps to get homeowners out of flood areas as most of the properties arelocated in Flood Zone X.

Jessica Cornay,Civil Engineering Supervisor,stated that this is avoluntary buyout program funded by the state. She noted that the City of Scotthad asimilar program with much success. Cornay explained that thereisa large concentration of homes who take on alot of water and the program will help many homeowners.

Guilbeau questioned the number of homes that can be serviced. Cornay indicated that 12-15 homes can be assisted with the $4.7millionof funding.

Godeaux announced that the area that is targeted is due to the repetitive losses that was experienced in and around those neighborhoods.

APPEAL

Item #18

Tolson Point Subdivision Case No. 2025-79-PC

Motion to defer to February 24th by Rubin, seconded by Guilbeau,and the vote wasasfollows:

YEAS: Tabor,Richard,Stansbury,Guilbeau,Rubin

NAYS: None

ABSENT:None ABSTAIN: None Motion to defer to February24th was approved.

BrentHollierpresented the Council with handouts.

CONSIDER APPOINTMENT(S) BY THECOUNCIL, AS AWHOLE, TO BOARDS/COMMISSIONS

AGENDAITEM NO. 19: Appointment of JaredRichard to the Lafayette Parish Waterworks District North Board for a five-year term effective March 1, 2026. Applicants must reside within the Waterworks District North boundaries. Guilbeau nominatedRichard,and the vote wasas follows:

RICHARD: Tabor,Richard,Stansbury,Guilbeau,Rubin

NAYS: None

ABSENT:None

ABSTAIN: None

Jared Richard was appointed.

AGENDAITEM NO. 20: Appointment of NicholasE.Sinanantothe Lafayette AnimalCareCenterAdvisory Board for afour-year term effective March 1, 2026. Rubin nominatedSinanan, andthe vote was as follows:

SINANAN: Tabor,Richard,Stansbury,Guilbeau,Rubin

NAYS: None

ABSENT:None

ABSTAIN: None

NicholasE.Sinanan was appointed.

AGENDAITEM NO. 21: Appointment of Ruth B. Gaspard to the Parish Planning andZoning Commission for the remainderofanunexpired fiveyear term thru January 6, 2028. Guilbeau nominatedGaspard,Stansbury nominatedToddIstre, Rubin nominatedHilda L. Wiltz andthe vote was as follows:

GASPARD:Tabor, Richard, Guilbeau

ISTRE: Stansbury

WILTZ: Rubin

NAYS: None

ABSENT:None

ABSTAIN: None

Ruth B. Gaspard was appointed.

Todd Istre stated thathewill bring aunique position to the boardand requested the Council to appoint him.

INTRODUCTORYORDINANCES

Amotion to introduce, in globo, items 22 and23was offeredbyRubin, seconded by Guilbeau

22. PO-009-2026 An ordinance of the Lafayette Parish Council amending the FY 25/26 operatingand capitalbudgets of the Lafayette City-Parish ConsolidatedGovernment by increasing revenues in the amount of $22,000 received from the ASPCA andappropriating within the Elected OfficialsCAO Department, AnimalShelterand Care Division, for the purpose of helping to offsetcosts at the AnnualRabies Clinic at the Cajundome

23. PO-010-2026 An ordinance of the Lafayette Parish Council amending the FY 25/26 operatingbudgetofthe Lafayette CityParish ConsolidatedGovernment through the use of $381,100 in netincome reserve and$1,078,265 in netloss-use of fund balance in NationalOpioid Settlement Funds received from the State of Louisiana Opioid Abatement Task Force andappropriating within the Community Development andPlanning Department for allocation to various opioid abatementprojects; including allocations to the Parish-Wide MunicipalPoliceDepartments and Lafayette City Marshal’s Office, Public Education andOutreach andimprovements to the WarMemorialBuilding to facilitate drugrelatedprograms.

The Chair thencalledfor avote to introducethe ordinances (items 22 and 23),inglobo, andthe vote wasasfollows: YEAS: Tabor,Richard,Stansbury,Guilbeau,Rubin NAYS: None ABSENT:None ABSTAIN: None Motion to introduce, in globo, was approved.

JOINT INTRODUCTORYORDINANCES

Amotion to introduceagenda items 24 thru 26, in globo, wasoffered by Stansbury, seconded by Tabor

24. JO-004-2026A joint ordinanceofthe Lafayette City Council and the Lafayette Parish Council adopting an update of the official drainage map of Lafayette City-Parish ConsolidatedGovernment andofthe Lafayette Parish Drainage District establishedby Ordinance No. O-289-2001

25. JO-005-2026A joint ordinanceofthe Lafayette City Council and the Lafayette Parish Council amending Chapter 97 of the Lafayette City-Parish ConsolidatedGovernment Code of Ordinances by amending Section 97-31 “Liability for costs whenLCPG does work; collection” andSection 97-36 “Abatement time periods for tall grass violations” along with otherancillary amendments.

26. JO-006-2026A joint ordinanceofthe Lafayette City Council and the Lafayette Parish Council amending the FY 25/26 operating budget of the Lafayette City-Parish ConsolidatedGovernment by increasing the use of fund balance andappropriating within the Promotion Costs Account of the Community Development andPlanning Department, ComplianceDivision to allow for the promotion of the ComplianceSupervisor

The Chair thencalledfor avote to introducethe ordinances (items 24 thru 26),inglobo, andthe vote was as follows: YEAS: Tabor,Richard,Stansbury,Guilbeau,Rubin NAYS: None

ABSENT:None

ABSTAIN: None Motion to introduce, in globo, was approved.

Item #24 –Gini McWhirterspoke regarding transparencywith the library board. Chair Richardinterrupted to clarify thatMcWhirter’scomment was not relatedofItem#24.

COMMENT(S) FROM THEPUBLIC

AGENDAITEM NO. 27: Comments from the public on anyothermatter(s) not on an agenda andare within the legislative power of the Lafayette Parish Council.

Richardstatedthathereceived many emails concerning the Lafayette Parish Sheriff. He indicated thatthe Council will listentocitizencomments if theyare on matters within the jurisdiction of the Lafayette Parish Council andremindedall thatthe Sheriffisa constitutional officer andelected official with no authority from the Lafayette Parish Council. Richard remindedall thatthe Lafayette Parish Council andLCG arenot involved in the public contract thatthe Sheriffsigned. He advised thatthose who areinterested in the contract can request acopy of if from the Sheriff’s office to find out moreinformation. Richardremindedthatthe Lafayette Parish Council hasnointerest in the contract with ICE andnostanding ability to oppose it.

Rubin advised thatatown hall meeting be arrangedtospeak to the Sherriffregarding their concerns with ICE.

Dr.Joseph Abrahampresented the Council with handouts regarding ReadingWithKids.org. He explainedthat75% of adults read below the 6th grade level.

Michelle MacFadyen presentedthe Council with apacket.She stressed thatthe Council can state guidelines for ICE andthe Lafayette Parish Sheriff.

(5:49:00) RECESS

Richardsuspendedthe meeting andstatedthatMacFadyen’s comment wasoutside the legislative power of the Lafayette Parish Council.

The LegalDepartment advised the Parish Council to continue with the meeting to take comments from those signed in underthe Comments

From The Public agenda itemper OpenMeetings Law.

(5:51:00) RECONVENE

DanielLugo, Nell Hahn, Leigh Rachal,Rubia Solis, Sally Donlon, Loren Sackett, AimeeDomingue,Mary Lib Guercio, RenaBradley, Andrew

PROCEEDINGS OF THE LAFAYETTE CITY COUNCIL MEETING OF THE CITY OF LAFAYETTE, STATEOFLOUISIANA, TAKEN AT AREGULAR

MEETING OF FEBRUARY10, 2026 HELD AT 705 W. UNIVERSITY AVENUE, LAFAYETTE, LA.

ATTENDANCE

COUNCIL:Kenneth Boudreaux (Chair,District 5), Liz Hebert (Vice-Chair District 3) Elroy Broussard(District 1), Andy Naquin (District 2) and Thomas Hooks (District 4)

ABSENT:None

COUNCIL STAFF:JosephGordon-Wiltz (Clerk of the Council), Jeremy Richardson (Associate Clerk for Operations &Citizen Advocacy) and Cindy M. Semien (Assistant Clerk for LegislativeAffairs)

ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF:Monique B. Boulet (Mayor-President), Rachel Godeaux (Chief Administrative Officer), Karen Fontenot (Chief Financial Officer), Patrick S. Ottinger (City-ParishAttorney) and Paul Escott (Assistant City-Parish Attorney)

(6:41:37) COMMENCEMENT

Call to order

ChairBoudreaux called the Regular City Council Meeting of February 10, 2026 to order

AGENDA ITEM NO. 1: Invocation and Pledge of Allegiance

The Chair called upon Councilmember Naquin to cite an invocation and upon Councilmember Hebert to lead the Pledge of Allegiance.

Amoment of silence was held for Jeremy Swiney,AssociateClerk for Legislative Affairs. Chair Boudreaux announced the following: Beforeweproceed, the Council would liketotakeamoment to honor thelife and service of our colleague and our friend, Jeremy Swiney Jeremy served this Council Office for nearly thirteen years first as Senior Administrative Assistant and mostrecently as the Council’s first Associate Clerk for Legislative Affairs. His professionalism, steady presence, and deep institutional knowledgeshaped the work of this body and of the Council staff in ways that will be felt for many years to come. We invite everyone here and those watching to join us in observing amoment of silence in memory of Jeremy and in gratitude for his dedicated and impactful service.

ACelebration of Life for Jeremy Swiney will be held from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Thursday,February 12, 2026 at Delhomme Funeral Home on Bertrand Drive in Lafayette.

WELCOME AND CHAIR ANNOUNCEMENTS

Chair Boudreaux made the following announcements:

•Due to the Mardi Gras holiday the Council Meetings in February andMarch will be on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdaysofthe month. The meetings will returntothe typical 1stand 3rdTuesdays inApril;

•Wished Thomas Hooks, District 4, ahappy birthday which he celebrates on February 19th.

•Wished all ahappy Black History Month, Valentine’sDay,President’s Day and Mardi Gras.

•Presented LafayetteCity-ParishAttorney Pat Ottinger with a Chairman’sLegacy of Service Medal in appreciation and recognition of hisdedicated services.Ottinger is be one of four to receivethis medal.

Ottinger thanked Boudreaux and the City Council. He noted that he is proud of the work that was accomplished and stated that thereismorework to be done. Ottinger expressedgratitude to all for the opportunity to serve.

AGENDA ITEM NO. 2: COUNCIL ANNOUNCEMENTS No Council Announcementsweremade

AGENDA ITEM NO. 3: EXECUTIVE/MAYOR-PRESIDENT’S REPORT

a. Budget-to-Actual Comparison of Major City Funds –December 2025 Preliminary Boulet noted that the monthly Budget-to-Actual Comparisons areto comply with statewide auditing procedures.

b. Audit Findings Update –January 2026 Boulet noted that they arerequired monthly to giveanupdate to the Louisiana Legislative Auditor on the report findings

Boulet’sannouncements:

•$14.5 million in federal funding was secured for Johnston Street Infrastructureimprovements,anEmergency Operations Center LUSWater andWastewater laboratories replacement and LUS galvanized waterline replacement. She announced her gratitude of Senators Cassidy and Kennedy and CongressmenFields and Higgins for their partnership in the investments

•Congratulated City-ParishAttorney Patrick S. Ottinger on his retirement.

•Stated that the Mardi Gras festivities areunderway and the weekend parade had atremendous crowd. 160 employees and volunteers helped to clean up after the parade.

•Thanked the Police Department for letting her ride the Clydesdale horse during the Mardi Gras parade that was held on the weekend.

•The recreation centers operated the warming centers during the freezing winter weather temperatures.133 individuals used the warming centers.

EXECUTIVE SESSION

AGENDA ITEM NO. 4: Julie Fleming

v. Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government, et al Civil Docket No. C-2025-2436

15th Judicial District Court Lafayette Parish, Louisiana

Ottinger explained why it is appropriate and responsible for the Council to enter into executive session regarding this matter

Motion to enter into executive session by Naquin, seconded by Hebert, and thevote was as follows:

YEAS: Broussard, Naquin, Hebert, Hooks,Boudreaux

NAYS: None

ABSENT:None

ABSTAIN: None

Motion to enter into executive session was approved.

Motion to returnfromexecutive session by Hebert, seconded by Naquin, andthe vote was as follows:

YEAS: Broussard, Naquin, Hebert, Hooks, Boudreaux

NAYS: None

ABSENT:None

ABSTAIN: None Motion to returnfrom executive session wasapproved.

Motion to accept the recommendation of Risk Management and the CityParish Attorney; authorize the City-Parish Attorney to execute and deliver appropriate and necessary settlement documents, containing search terms and provisions as the City-Parish Attorney deems necessary or appropriate, to make appropriate budgetary adjustments contingent on the execution of relevant settlement documents,in connection therewith by Broussard, seconded by Hebert, and the vote was as follows:

YEAS: Broussard, Naquin, Hebert, Hooks, Boudreaux

NAYS: None

ABSENT:None

ABSTAIN: None

Motion to accept recommendations wasapproved.

JOINT RESOLUTIONS

AGENDA ITEM NO. 5: JR-001-2026 Ajoint resolution of the Lafayette City Council and the LafayetteParish Council approving the appointment of Robert A. Mahtook, Jr as the Lafayette City-ParishAttorney and Director of the Legal Department, motion to adopt by Hebert, seconded by Hooks, andthe vote was as follows:

YEAS: Broussard, Naquin, Hebert, Hooks, Boudreaux

NAYS: None

ABSENT:None

ABSTAIN: None Motion to adopt was approved

Boudreaux welcomedMahtook. Mahtook thanked the Council and Boulet.

AGENDA ITEM NO. 6: JR-002-2026 Ajointresolutionofthe Lafayette City Council and the Lafayette Parish Council authorizing anon-warranty cash sale of 205 Francis Avenue (Assessment Number6019696) to an adjoining landowner pursuant to La. R.S. 47:2202(B) forthe priceofthe sale’s anticipated costs, motion to adopt by Hebert, seconded by Naquin, and thevotewas as follows: YEAS: Broussard, Naquin, Hebert, Hooks, Boudreaux

NAYS: None

ABSENT:None

ABSTAIN: None Motion to adopt was approved

AGENDA ITEM NO. 7: JR-003-2026 Ajointresolutionofthe Lafayette City Council and the Lafayette Parish Council authorizing anon-warranty cash sale of 147 Hollywood Drive (Assessment Number 6035625) to an adjoining landowner pursuant to La. R.S. 47:2202(B) forthe priceofthe sale’s anticipated costs, motion to adopt by Naquin, seconded by Broussard,and the vote wasasfollows:

YEAS: Broussard, Naquin, Hebert, Hooks, Boudreaux

NAYS: None

ABSENT:None

ABSTAIN: None Motion to adopt was approved

AGENDA ITEM NO. 8: JR-004-2026 Ajointresolutionofthe Lafayette City

Council and the Lafayette Parish Council authorizing anon-warranty cash sale of 811 Twelfth Street (Assessment Number6046343) to an adjoining landowner pursuant to La. R.S. 47:2202(B) forthe priceofthe sale’s

anticipated costs, motion to adopt by Naquin, seconded by Broussard,and the vote wasasfollows:

YEAS: Broussard, Naquin, Hebert, Hooks, Boudreaux

NAYS: None

ABSENT:None

ABSTAIN: None

Motion to adopt was approved

ORDINANCESFOR FINAL ADOPTION

AGENDA ITEM NO. 9: CO-005-2026 An ordinance of the Lafayette City Council authorizing the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government to sell at public auctionand public internet auctionsurplusvehicles, equipment and other miscellaneous moveable propertywhich arenolonger needed forpublic purposes, as perthe attached list (Public Auction and Public Internet Auction), motion to adopt by Hebert, seconded by Naquin, andthe vote wasasfollows:

YEAS: Broussard, Naquin, Hebert, Hooks, Boudreaux

NAYS: None

ABSENT:None

ABSTAIN: None Motion to adopt was approved

AGENDA ITEM NO. 10: CO-007-2026 An ordinance of the Lafayette City Council amending the FY 25/26 operating budgetand adjusting manning tablesofthe Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government by using prior year fund balance in the amount of $16,582 forsalaryadjustments within theUtilities Department, motion to adopt by Naquin, seconded by Hebert, andthe vote wasasfollows:

YEAS: Broussard, Naquin, Hebert, Hooks, Boudreaux

NAYS: None

ABSENT:None

ABSTAIN: None Motion to adopt was approved

AGENDA ITEM NO. 11: CO-008-2026 An ordinance of the Lafayette City Council authorizing the Lafayette Mayor-President to acceptcertain propertydescribed hereinafter forthe purposeofoperating and maintaining thenecessarysewer lift station facilities, motion to adopt by Broussard seconded by Naquin, and the vote wasasfollows:

YEAS: Broussard, Naquin, Hebert, Hooks, Boudreaux

NAYS: None

ABSENT:None

ABSTAIN: None Motion to adopt was approved

AGENDA ITEM NO. 12: CO-009-2026 An ordinance of the Lafayette City

Council authorizing the Lafayette Mayor-President to execute aphysical capacity and purchase agreement withNextEra Energy Marketing,LLC, motion to adopt by Hebert, seconded by Hooks, and the vote wasas follows: YEAS: Broussard, Naquin, Hebert, Hooks, Boudreaux

NAYS: None

ABSENT:None

ABSTAIN: None Motion to adopt was approved

JOINT ORDINANCES FORFINAL ADOPTION

AGENDA ITEM NO. 13: JO-001-2026

Ajointordinance of the Lafayette City Council and the Lafayette Parish Council authorizing the Lafayette CityParishConsolidated Government to sell at public internet auctionsurplus equipment and other miscellaneous moveable propertywhich areno longer needed forpublic purposes, as perthe attached list (Public Internet Auction), motion to adopt by Broussard,seconded by Hebert, and the vote was as follows:

YEAS: Broussard, Naquin, Hebert, Hooks, Boudreaux

NAYS: None

ABSENT:None

ABSTAIN: None Motion to adopt was approved

AGENDA ITEM NO. 14: JO-002-2026 Ajointordinance of the Lafayette City Council and the Lafayette Parish Council amending the FY 25/26 operating budgetand adjusting manning tables of the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government by adjusting the salaryofone (1) Service Station Supervisor position within Traffic, Roads&Bridges–Vehicle Maintenance –Service Station Division, motion to adopt by Naquin, seconded by Hebert, andthe vote wasasfollows: YEAS: Broussard, Naquin, Hebert, Hooks, Boudreaux

NAYS: None

ABSENT:None

ABSTAIN: None Motion to adopt was approved

AGENDA ITEM NO. 15: JO-003-2026 Ajointordinance of the Lafayette City Council and the Lafayette Parish Council authorizing the Lafayette MayorPresident to enter into aCooperative EndeavorAgreement withthe State of Louisiana and the Road Home CorporationDBA Louisiana Land Trust for the purposeofparticipating in the Louisiana Watershed Initiative Mitigation Buyout Programasadministeredthroughthe State of Louisiana Office of Community Development –Disaster Recovery forthe purposeofmitigating structures withprevious flood losses located within the Coulee MineEast Flood Control Project Area, motion to adopt by Hebert, seconded by Naquin, and the vote wasasfollows: YEAS: Broussard, Naquin, Hebert, Hooks, Boudreaux

NAYS: None

ABSENT:None

ABSTAIN: None Motion to adopt was approved

Brian Smith, Director of Drainage, announced that this helpstoget homeownersout of flood areas as mostofthe propertiesare located in Flood ZoneX

Jessica Cornay,Civil Engineering Supervisor,stated that this is avoluntary buyout programfunded by the state. She explained that there is alarge

concentration of homes who takeona lotofwater andthe programwill helpmany homeowners.

ANNOUNCEMENTS OF VACANCIES ON BOARDS/COMMISSIONS

AGENDA ITEM NO. 16: Five (5) vacancies existonthe Transportation Policy Committee(the governing boardfor the Metropolitan Planning Organization) effective immediately.Applicants must be either 1) local elected officials, 2) officials of public agencies that administer or operate major modes of transportation in the metropolitan area, including representation by providers of public transportation.

Individuals wishing to submitaresumefor the above volunteer vacancies must be aregistered voter and aresident of Lafayette Parish. Yearly ethics training forall appointees is required as is financial disclosureunder certain circumstances. Resumes aretobeforwarded to Joseph Gordon-Wiltz, Clerkofthe Council, P.O. Box 4017-C, Lafayette, LA 70502 or emailed to BCLafayette@LafayetteLA.gov no later than noon, Tuesday,February 24, 2026 with appointment(s) to be made at the Tuesday,March 10, 2026 Regular Meetingofthe Lafayette City Council.

CONSIDER APPOINTMENT(S) BY THE COUNCIL, AS AWHOLE, TO BOARDS/COMMISSIONS

AGENDA ITEM NO. 17: Appointment of David J. Doiron to the Lafayette Parish WaterworksDistrict South Boardfor the remainder of an unexpired five-year term thru December 31, 2028. Applicants must reside within the WaterworksDistrict South boundaries. HebertnominatedDoiron, and the vote was as follows:

DOIRON: Broussard,Naquin,Hebert, Hooks, Boudreaux

NAYS: None

ABSENT:None ABSTAIN:None David J. Doiron wasappointed.

AGENDA ITEM NO. 18: Appointment of Sonya L. Barbier to the Boardof Zoning Adjustment forthe remainder of an unexpiredthree-year term thru January 30, 2028. Thisisanalternate appointment. Applicants must own property in the Parish of Lafayette andreside within the CityofLafayette. Naquin nominated Barbier,and the vote was as follows:

BARBIER: Broussard,Naquin,Hebert, Hooks, Boudreaux

NAYS: None

ABSENT:None

ABSTAIN:None

SonyaL.Barbier wasappointed.

AGENDA ITEM NO. 19: Appointment of KimLedet to the Downtown DevelopmentAuthority Boardfor athree-year term effective March1,2026. Nomination listsupplied by One Acadiana. HebertnominatedLedet, and the vote was as follows: LEDET:Broussard, Naquin, Hebert, Hooks, Boudreaux

NAYS: None

ABSENT:None

ABSTAIN:None Kim Ledet wasappointed.

INTRODUCTORYORDINANCES

Amotion to introduce agenda items20thru 23, in globo, was offered by Naquin,seconded by Hebert.

20. CO-010-2026 An ordinance of the Lafayette City Council amending the FY 25-26 capital budget of the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government by transferring $9,000 from the Citywide TrafficCalmingProject and appropriatingwithinthe Traffic, Roads & Bridges Department forthe Whitcomb Road Street Lighting Project.

21. CO-011-2026 An ordinance of the Lafayette City Councilauthorizing the Lafayette Mayor-President to enter into aCooperative Endeavor Agreementbyand between the CityofLafayette and the Lafayette Parish School Boardconcerning the redesign and construction of the sidewalk in front of Lafayette HighSchool and amendingthe FY 25/26 capital improvements budget by creating abudget account forthe LPSS Sidewalk IGA-Lafayette HighWorkorder Project and transferring $95,000 from Sidewalk &Curb Repairs to the LPSS Sidewalk IGA-Lafayette HighWorkorder Project.

22. CO-012-2026 An ordinance of the Lafayette City Councilamending the FY 25/26 operating budget of the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government by increasingrevenues in the amount of $153,500 received from LouisianaHighway Safety Commission and appropriatingwithinthe Lafayette Police Department.

23. CO-013-2026 An ordinance of the Lafayette City Councilamending the Lafayette Development Code and the Official Mapofthe City of Lafayette, providing for the de-annexation of landwithinthe corporate limitsofthe CityofLafayette, Louisiana, generally located southwesterlyofthe 600 Block of MosserDrive,southeasterly of the 100 Block of Ryder Drive, andadjacent to Lot 372-A of the Holiday GardensDevelopmentNo. 3Subdivision (District 4). The Chair then called fora vote to introduce the ordinances (items 20 thru 23), in globo, and the vote was as follows: YEAS: Broussard,Naquin,Hebert, Hooks, Boudreaux NAYS: None ABSENT:None ABSTAIN:None Motion to introduce, in globo, wasapproved.

JOINT INTRODUCTORYORDINANCES

Amotion to introduce agenda items24thru 26, in globo, was offered by Broussard,seconded by Naquin.

24. JO-004-2026 Ajoint ordinance of the Lafayette City Counciland the Lafayette Parish Counciladopting an update of the official drainage mapofLafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government andofthe Lafayette Parish DrainageDistrict established by Ordinance No O-289-2001.

25. JO-005-2026 Ajoint ordinance of the Lafayette City Counciland the Lafayette Parish CouncilamendingChapter 97 of the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government Code of Ordinances by amending Section97-31 “Liability forcosts when LCPG does work; collection” and Section97-36 “Abatement time periods for tall grass violations” along with otherancillaryamendments.

26. JO-006-2026 Ajoint ordinance of the Lafayette City Counciland the Lafayette Parish Councilamendingthe FY 25/26 operating budget of the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government by increasingthe use of fund balance and appropriating within the Promotion Costs Account of the Community Development and Planning Department, Compliance Divisiontoallowfor the promotion of the Compliance Supervisor

The Chair then called fora vote to introduce the ordinances (items 24 thru 26), in globo, and the vote was as follows: YEAS: Broussard,Naquin,Hebert, Hooks, Boudreaux

NAYS: None

ABSENT:None ABSTAIN:None Motion to introduce, in globo, wasapproved.

(7:39:00) ADJOURN

There being no furtherbusiness to come beforethe Council, Chair Boudreaux declared the Regular Meetingadjourned.

/s/ Joseph Gordon-Wiltz JOSEPHGORDON-WILTZ, LAFAYETTE CLERK OF THECOUNCIL 177444-617598-feb 13-1t $$456.44

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