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S at u r d ay, au g u S t 15, 2026
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Water bills define Opelousas mayoral race
Incumbent faces six challengers BY JOEL THOMPSON Staff writer
A meeting of the Opelousas City Council on Tuesday heavily focused on residents’ concerns regarding water billing and quality amid a tumultuous reelection campaign for incumbent Mayor Julius Alsandor.
Driving the dissatisfaction is a perception that Alsandor’s administration has done a poor job of communicating increases in water billing rates, and subsequently has mismanaged public fallout when concerns were raised. Nowhere has this phenomenon been more apparent than with the city’s attempt to rebuild its aging water
infrastructure. In 2023, the city received a $20 million loan for water improvement which required the city to raise rates gradually over several years. July 1 marked the first time that water rates were adjusted based on Consumer Price Index data, with an increase of around 4% applied. According to the city’s financial advisers, any lowering of the rates would cause the city to forfeit the loan.
While the rate increases are tied to a public works project aimed at improving water services in the city, many residents nevertheless feel frustrated with the increased rate, as was made clear during the meeting. “People are hurting right now. You can’t consume the water. You’re paying for something that’s not even drinkable,” said Teresa Sims, an Opelousas resident who came to speak on the issue. “This
is the fault of things that happened a long time ago. We shouldn’t have to be the ones to pay for it.” Council member Delita RubinBroussard, who had placed Sims on the agenda, added on to her concerns by criticizing what she called the Water Department’s lack of accessibility. “I called the Water Department last Monday on behalf of two con-
ä See MAYOR, page 4A
Proposed center could provide closer care for sickle cell patients Lafayette families affected by disease could receive treatment without long trip
STAFF FILE PHOTO
Skip Bertman
BY JA’KORI MADISON
Staff writer
For people living with sickle cell disease in Acadiana, a pain crisis can mean an emergency room wait, missed school or work, or a trip to New Orleans or Baton Rouge for specialized treatment. Sickle cell disease is an inherited group of blood disorders in which abnormal red blood cells can become hard and sticky, blocking blood flow and limiting oxygen delivery to parts of the body. Severe pain is among its most common complications and can lead to repeated hospitalizations. Abram Freeman, a pastor and board member of the Southwest Louisiana Juneteenth Association, is working to create a dedicated sickle cell infusion and transfusion center in Lafayette that would serve as a hub for patients and families. For Lafayette mom Angel Siner, a crisis can begin with exhaustion, yellowing eyes and dehydration. Then pain can begin in her chest, back, arms, legs and joints, sometimes in the middle of the night. She has also experienced acute chest syndrome, a potentially serious complication that can cause chest pain and difficulty breathing. So for patients like Siner, traveling hours for specialized care or waiting in a hospital while in severe pain can add another burden. Freeman’s vision is to ease some of that burden with a center that would include medical treatment, an education center to help patients and families better understand sickle cell disease, and affordable housing for families affected by the disease and other community resources. Last year, Siner experienced a severe crisis that required her to travel to New Orleans by air ambulance because the equipment needed for an exchange transfusion was not available locally, she said. “I was in an air ambulance in pain,” Siner said. “Having a center close can be so important.” Housing is another part of Freeman’s plan. He has proposed about 15 properties, with one serving as the medical center
1938 – 2026
‘The greatest of all time’ Coach’s legacy at LSU lives on as champion, legend
BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer
PROVIdEd PHOTO
Angel Siner was diagnosed with sickle cell disease when she was 3 months old. For patients like Siner, having a specialized center in Lafayette would mean closer care instead of a trip to New Orleans or Baton Rouge. and others providing affordable housing for families affected by sickle cell disease. The proposed Lafayette sickle cell infusion and transfusion center remains in the planning and fundraising stages, with Freeman targeting 2028 for the project. He said he has identified several potential properties and developed a proposal involving about 15 buildings, with one serving as the medical center and others providing affordable housing for families
affected by sickle cell disease. The Louisiana Department of Health lists sickle cell specialty clinics in Lafayette, including Our Lady of Lourdes Kids Specialty Center and Ochsner Health Center for Children, but Freeman’s proposal is focused on a dedicated setting for sickle cell patients, including infusion and transfusion services. For Siner, who was born with sickle cell
ä See CENTER, page 4A
On the day Stanley “Skip” Bertman died, his statue stood where it always had before. Bertman leaning on a dugout railing, overlooking the program he built and the field named after him within Alex Box Stadium’s walls. Flowers lay at his ä Scott feet by the bottom of Rabalais: the rail. White roses Bertman’s and yellow kalanchoes LSU legacy to the left of his statan arrangement of is eternal. ue, purple and pink flowPAGE 1C ers from Billy Heroman’s to the right. The fan who gave the carnations, lilies and snapdragons left him a note: “Skip, simply the best. Will miss ya big guy!” Another fan taped a copy of The Advocate’s story from the day LSU baseball won its 2025 national championship to the walkway
ä See BERTMAN, page 3A
Luigi Mangione pleads guilty to federal stalking charges
Alleged shooter still faces state charges BY MICHAEL R. SISAK, LARRY NEUMEISTER and JENNIFER PELTZ Associated Press
NEW YORK — Luigi Mangione pleaded guilty on Friday to federal stalking charges in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, admitting matter-of-
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factly that he trailed the executive to an investor conference and gunned him down on a New York City street in 2024. Mangione, 28, said he made a gun with the aid of a 3D printer, traveled to New York and used a ruse — posing as an investor at a multibillion-dollar firm — to contact the
company for details on the event. “On the morning of Dec. 4, 2024, I shot Mr. Thompson in Manhattan, and he died,” Mangione told the ManhatMangione tan federal court, which he entered shackled at the feet but not handcuffed in his beige jail uniform.
Listening in the audience, Thompson’s wife, Paulette, took several deep breaths and repeatedly wiped tears from her eyes. Prosecutors plan to seek a life prison term at Mangione’s sentencing, set for Dec. 18. When U.S. District Judge Margaret M. Garnett asked whether he understood that he could spend the rest of his life behind bars, Mangione answered neutrally: “Yes.”
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In a statement, Thompson’s family called the plea “an important step toward justice” and noted that Mangione still faces other cases, including a New York state murder prosecution. It carries the potential for a separate long sentence. Federal prosecutors didn’t give Mangione any deal or incentive
ä See CHARGES, page 4A
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