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T h u r s d ay, s e p T e m b e r 3, 2026
LUS gets $4M grant to strengthen grid
$2.00X
CATAHOULA PARISH
Deputy: Warden ordered jail beatings cover-up
Court filing details alleged abuse of handcuffed inmates BY PATRICK SLOAN-TURNER Staff writer
STAFF PHOTOS By LESLIE WESTBROOK
Lafayette Utilities System has been awarded a $4 million federal grant that will be matched with local funds.
Federal funds will also help modernize electric system BY CLAIRE TAYLOR Staff writer
Lafayette Utilities System has been awarded nearly $4 million through a federal grid resiliency grant to strengthen and modernize its electric grid. The grant will be matched with nearly $4 million in local funds for a total investment of nearly $8 million. This is the first federal electric resiliency grant awarded to LUS and will allow it to fast-track targeted projects that would otherwise have taken years to complete using only local funds. The $8 million will allow LUS to fund system upgrades designed to increase grid resiliency, improve service quality and shorten response times during severe weather situations. The key capital initiatives include: n Replacing aging wooden poles with high-durability structures and updating overhead distribution lines to strengthen physical grid integrity. n Installing automated technology to enable real-time outage detection, allowing LUS dispatchers and restoration crews to pinpoint and resolve power outages faster. n Fortifying power circuits that supply key municipal, public health and public safety, and business facilities to maintain continuous service during emergency events and
The top wardens at a Louisiana jail tried to orchestrate a cover-up after guards peppersprayed, handcuffed and beat subdued inmates with electric riot shields, a former deputy testified in federal court. Former Catahoula Parish Correctional Center Warden Jeremy Wiley and five other jail officials were indicted in May on a slew of charges related to the alleged brutality at the jail on Feb. 1, 2024. Wiley faces 13 counts of civil rights abuse along with Assistant Warden Gary Allen, former jail Col. William Savage and former Chief of Security James Wathen. All four entered not guilty pleas at their arraignments. Carl Michael Williamson, the jail’s former transportation director, pleaded guilty to a single count of civil rights abuse.
ä See COVER-UP, page 5A
Carencro firm to launch $25.5M expansion Coastal Machine & Supply set to add 129 jobs
A federal grant will help Lafayette Utilities System increase grid resiliency, improve service quality and shorten response times during severe weather. to enhance and continue commerce. The northern part of the city is the target area for the upgrades, according to a map provided by LUS. “This funding means a stronger, more reliable electric system, faster response when outages happen, and better protection for the critical services Lafayette depends on,” Lafayette Parish Mayor-President Monique Boulet said in a news release. “By securing outside funding, we’re able to move these important infrastructure
projects forward faster while making every local dollar go further.” The system hardening and resiliency projects were already identified in LUS’s long-term capital plan, Director Jeffrey Stewart said in the release. “Securing this grant funding allows us to stretch our local dollars further, get these critical electric updates off the ground much faster and improve our overall response times for LUS customers,” he said.
BY ADAM DAIGLE
Acadiana business editor A Carencro manufacturer will launch a $25.5 million expansion that will create 129 jobs to expand its capabilities with aerospace and defense clients. Coastal Machine & Supply, 4832 N.E. Evangeline Thruway, will build a 20,000-square-foot addition and follow it with a 100,000-square-foot addition to manufacture large, complex precision components while supporting additional workforce and engineering needs, Louisiana Economic Development officials announced Wednesday. Coastal, which began in 2004 and now employs
ä See EXPANSION, page 5A
Iran attacks target U.S. allies in region BY DAVID RISING and SAMY MAGDY
creasing political problems for U.S. President Donald Trump’s ReAssociated Press publican Party ahead of November midterm elections. Fighting has escalated since DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iran fired on U.S. allies in the Gulf ear- the American military hit Iranian rocket launchers on an isly Wednesday following a ONFLICT land in the Strait of Hornight of American bom- CO bardment that Iranian IN THE muz over the weekend, T state media says included MIIDDLE saying Iran was planning a deadly strike on a wedto use them to lay mines. EAST AST Iran retaliated by firing ding party. missiles at American bases The latest violence came after a monthlong lull in in Jordan that were intercepted. American military resources are fighting. The six-month war has led to a spike in oil prices, roiled stretched and political pressure the global economy and posed in- in Washington is mounting, while
WEATHER HIGH 92 LOW 75 PAGE 6A
Iran’s economy has been battered by sanctions and an American naval blockade. Iran’s currency hit another record low on Wednesday, with traders in Tehran exchanging 2.20 million rials for one U.S. dollar, a 10% hike from last week’s record. Neither side can continue indefinitely between full-scale war and a truce, said Hamidreza Azizi, senior Iran analyst at the Crisis Group, an international think tank. “At some point, one of the sides may see a need to escalate in order
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MASOUD MOHAMMADI
Damage is seen at a building that Iranian media said was hit in a U.S. ä See IRAN, page 5A strike in Kuhestak, southern Iran, early Wednesday.
Business ...................10C Commentary ................3B Nation-World................2A Classified .....................4A Deaths .........................4B Opinion ........................2B Comics-Puzzles .....7C-9C Living............................5C Sports ..........................1C
102ND yEAR, NO. 65
2A ● Thursday, September 3, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate
BRIEFS
FROM WIRE REPORTS
Pabst Blue Ribbon offers $20K to help find beer
Pabst Blue Ribbon wants its beer back, and it’s offering a reward to help that happen. Greig DeBow, the CEO of Pabst Brewing Co., said Wednesday that the company will pay up to $20,000 to anyone who provides new information that leads to the recovery of 1,602 cases of Pabst Blue Ribbon and non-alcoholic Old Milwaukee beer. The beer went missing Aug. 17 in Southern California. “I’m sure they look cool with a garage full of PBR,” DeBow said in a post on TikTok. “That’s actually not cool though. We want it back.” Police in Montclair, California, said the beer was stolen from a warehouse in two separate incidents on the same day. In the first heist, about $45,000 worth of beer headed to Tucson, Arizona, was picked up but never delivered, according to police. An hour later, a “purported subcontracting company” submitted fake documents to pick up another $25,000 worth of beer, Montclair police said. Both thefts occurred on Aug. 17 at an Anheuser-Busch distribution center about 40 miles east of Los Angeles. All told, the thieves made off with 40,000 pounds of beer, Pabst said. Police estimated that the stolen beer was worth $70,000. DeBow said the company wants the beer to be returned by Sept. 9. Anyone with information is asked to email hotline@ pabst.com. The theft was one of several recent high-profile food heists. Late last year, 40,000 oysters, lobster worth $400,000 and a cache of crabmeat all were stolen in separate incidents within weeks of each other in New England.
Turkish ship with 10 crew sinks after collision ISTANBUL — A Turkish cargo ship with 10 crew aboard sank Wednesday after a collision with a tanker off Istanbul, and there were no immediate signs of survivors, Turkish authorities said. A lifeboat and other debris belonging to the Tugberk Imamoglu have been found but there is no sign of the crew, the General Directorate of Maritime Affairs said in a statement. “There are 10 seafarers on board, including the captain,” Transport Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu said. “They are all Turkish. We can say that the sinking occurred rapidly in 11 minutes. No one has been found alive.” Two helicopters and 12 search and rescue vessels were searching the area. The ship collided with the Turkish-flagged tanker Alsu in the Marmara Sea at 3 a.m., the statement said. An emergency signal was received from the Tugberk Imamoglu and the first rescue craft reached the site 4:10 a.m. The vessel, which was carrying rolled steel, collided with the Alsu about 20 miles south of Silivri, a western suburb of Turkey’s largest city.
At least 22 killed in bus crash in Egypt CAIRO — At least 22 people, including Egyptians and Jordanians, were killed Wednesday in a passenger bus crash in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, authorities in both countries said. Twentyeight others were injured. The accident happened on a road linking the tourist resorts of Dahab and Nuweiba in South Sinai province, the Egyptian Health Ministry said in a statement. The ministry said it deployed 20 ambulances to the scene to transport the dead and wounded to nearby hospitals. It didn’t elaborate on the victims’ nationalities. The Jordanian Foreign Ministry said there were Jordanians among the casualties, without providing a toll. The Amman-based al-Mamlaka public broadcaster reported that 10 Jordanians were killed in the crash. It said the bus was bound for Amman from Cairo when it overturned on a road between Dahab and Nuweiba. The Egyptian health ministry didn’t elaborate on the causes, but local media reported that the bus overturned after one of its tires blew out.
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Congo Ebola deaths top 3,000
Outbreak spreading at unprecedented speed BY CONSTANT SAME BAGALWA and OPE ADETAYO Associated Press
BUNIA, Congo — Congo’s Ebola outbreak has killed more than 3,000 people out of more than 6,100 confirmed cases, according to the latest government data from Wednesday, as the disease is spreading at an unprecedented speed, faster than efforts to track and slow it. Data from Congo’s Ministry of Health showed the outbreak has recorded 6,186 confirmed cases, including 3,007 deaths since it was declared a global health emergency in mid-May. It remains the fastestgrowing outbreak of Ebola ever. Jean-Claude Angwanzia, a resident of Bunia, said that he left Mambassa in the epicenter of Ituri province, because he didn’t feel safe. He said that he hardly saw health workers and infected
bodies were being mishandled, prompting safety concerns. “I had to flee the area because of the danger looming over us,” he said. The pace of the outbreak is putting a strain on people’s lives. Papy Baraka, a public transportation driver in Bunia, has had to cut down on the number of passengers he picks up in his car. “The disease puts everyone at risk, and daily life has slowed to a crawl. We are afraid,” he said. Recent weeks have witnessed a surge in cases, with two new health zones affected last week in North Kivu, where the fatality rate is much higher than in the rest of the affected provinces. The virus has spread to six provinces. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control said Tuesday in a report that the efforts to contain the virus “remained below established
response targets” and the fast expansion of the disease across many health zones indicates “uncontrolled expansion of the outbreak.” The report said that the statistics show that most of the cases are “occurring outside known transmission chains” as a result of the percentage of confirmed new cases coming from only between 15% and 20% of known contacts. Director-General of the World Health Organization, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said on Wednesday that there are chains of transmission the health authorities are not aware of. “Until every chain is found and broken, the epidemic will continue; And it will continue to pose a threat to DRC, its neighbors, and the region as a whole,” he said. Health workers are struggling under difficult conditions and have gone on strike multiple times to
demand their pay. The disease has continued to spread rapidly for several reasons, including conflict in the eastern region of the country where the outbreak is concentrated, attacks on health workers, miners constantly on the move, and inadequate health infrastructure. The resumption of school in the middle of the outbreak has also raised concerns about transmission in classrooms. The World Health Organization said that the outbreak is on track to exceed the deadliest on record, West Africa’s regional outbreak between 2014 and 2016, which killed 11,000 people. The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that the outbreak is possibly three times larger than the number of cases recorded, as surveillance and contact tracing are still weak. Despite that, the outbreak has already become Congo’s deadliest Ebola outbreak.
Driscoll offers no reason for his exit
Any concerns were abArmy secretary sent from Driscoll’s post X late Tuesday night, says Wednesday on which was his first public is his last day statement since the White
BY BEN FINLEY and MARY CLARE JALONICK Associated Press TIMES MEDIA LTD PHOTO By RICHARD POHLE
Britain’s King Charles III and Queen Camilla, accompanied by French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron and Prime Minister Andy Burnham and his wife Marie-France van Heel, view the Bayeux Tapestry Exhibition at the British Museum in London on Wednesday.
Macron, King Charles III hail intertwined histories Bayeux Tapestry exhibit in London viewed as ‘precious symbol of trust’
BY JILL LAWLESS Associated Press
LONDON — French President Emmanuel Macron and Britain’s King Charles III hailed the Bayeux Tapestry as a symbol of their countries’ intertwined stories as they visited the 1,000-year-old artwork Wednesday at its temporary home in the British Museum. The two heads of state viewed the embroidered depiction of the 1066 Norman conquest of England alongside new Prime Minister Andy Burnham, who is eager to restitch bonds between Britain and its European neighbors that have been frayed by Brexit. Charles praised the agreement between Britain and France that brought the priceless, fragile tapestry to London, and called its presence there “a precious symbol of trust at a time when trust seems sadly to be in short supply between nations.” Macron said during a reception at the museum that the artwork is “more than just a linen canvas bordered with wool. It represents a whole chapter of French, British and European history.” “The epic it tells bound our cultures, our histories and our destinies together,” the French president said. France loaned the embroidery, insured for $1.1 billion, for a 10-month exhibition that opens to the public on Sept. 10. It was spirited from France to London by road
and rail in a clandestine high-security operation in July, the first time since the 11th century that it has touched British soil. Burnham said that the tapestry’s return “is a landmark moment in the history of our two nations.” Macron and his wife, Brigitte Macron, had tea with the king and Queen Camilla at their Clarence House residence before traveling to the museum by royal Bentley to meet Burnham, the prime minister’s wife, Marie-France van Heel, and members of the teams that brought the tapestry from France to the U.K. They walked the length of the tapestry, displayed horizontally in high-tech cases, and stopped to examine several of its 58 scenes of combat, coronation and the suffering of ordinary people swept up in the last successful invasion of England. Stitched in wool thread on linen fabric, the artwork depicts events leading up to the Battle of Hastings in October 1066, when William, Duke of Normandy, defeated King Harold’s Anglo-Saxon army. The invasion ended Saxon rule and made William the Conqueror the first Norman king of England. Historians believe the tapestry was commissioned by Bishop Odo of Bayeux, William’s half brother, and was probably sewn by women in England — possibly nuns — before being taken across the Channel. It has spent most of the last millennium in the town of Bayeux in northwest France, apart from two short periods at the Louvre Museum in Paris. The loan was agreed after delicate diplomatic negotiations, and despite concern from some French cultural figures about the risk of moving the delicate cloth.
Tiger Woods pleads no contest to reckless driving charge BY DANIEL KOZIN
Associated Press
STUART, Fla. — Tiger Woods pleaded no contest to a reckless driving charge and his driver’s license was suspended for five years Wednesday following a March rollover crash in Florida, where he initially was accused of driving under the influence. Woods, still one of golf’s most influential figures and as recognizable as any athlete in the world, has had a remarkable fall since winning the 2019 Masters for his 15th major. The first person of Black
heritage to win the Masters in 1997, his career has been derailed by multiple back and knee surgeries, car crashes and dependence on pain medication. He was arrested in March after his SUV clipped a truck and rolled over on its side on a beachside residential road near his home on Jupiter Island. A sheriff’s report said deputies found two pain pills in his pocket and he showed signs of impairment. He did a Breathalyzer test, which came out negative, but refused to take a urine test. He pleaded not guilty to the original DUI charge.
WASHINGTON — Dan Driscoll has announced that his last full day as U.S. Army secretary is Wednesday, but his social media post offered no explanation for why he is stepping down after 18 months as the service’s civilian leader. Driscoll is a friend of Vice President JD Vance and has good relationships with both Republicans and Democrats in Congress. But tensions with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have been widely reported, and some of Driscoll’s allies in the Army were ousted this year by President Donald Trump’s Pentagon chief. Driscoll spoke with Trump on the current state of the Army before he submitted his resignation this week, The Associated Press has reported.
House confirmed his departure Monday. Driscoll said it has been “the honor of a lifetime” to serve as Army secretary under Trump and Hegseth. Driscoll praised the soldiers, their families and the Army’s civilian workforce for helping “modernize and accelerate how the Army mans, trains, and equips the most lethal fighting force on the face of the earth.” “We could not have made the progress we did without the support of Secretary Hegseth,” he added. His exit comes as the U.S. military has returned to launching airstrikes against Iran after a lull in hostilities during the more than six-month-old war, leaving the nation’s largest fighting force without top civilian or uniformed leaders who have been confirmed by the Senate. It was not immediately clear who would fill Driscoll’s role at least temporarily.
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The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Thursday, September 3, 2026 ● 3A
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Carrier crew disembarks in Thailand EU struggles to find
effective response to failed drone attack
USS Abraham Lincoln docks after 260 days at sea
of sanctions on Russia over Germany blames the war in Ukraine, hitting Russia for incident more than 3,000 officials, oli-
BY SAKCHAI LALIT, JINTAMAS SAKSORNCHAI and ANTON L. DELGADO Associated Press
PATTAYA, THAILAND — The USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier, which spent nearly nine months at sea to support U.S. operations against Iran, docked at a port in eastern Thailand on Wednesday to give the crew of about 5,000 an opportunity for beachside rest and recuperation. The sailors and Marines aboard the nuclear-powered ship had not been on shore for more than 260 days, and reports emerged last month of deteriorating mental health among the crew as well as shortages of key food supplies aboard. The Navy downplayed any problems, and President Donald Trump commented that the Lincoln’s lengthy deployment was “not nearly long enough.” The Lincoln, launched in 1988 and as long as about three American football fields, made its way into the Laem Chabang port in Thailand’s Chonburi province Wednesday morning shortly after the destroyer USS Frank E. Petersen Jr., one of several ships in its carrier strike group, sailed past the area. Another, the guidedmissile cruiser USS Robert Smalls, headed to Map Ta Phut in neighboring Rayong province. The Lincoln’s crew members later debarked to spend their free time in nearby Pattaya, a seaside resort city that U.S. military personnel have frequented since the Vietnam War era.
The ship looks a bit worn Crew members were not immediately accessible to media, but the ship itself looked due for at least a new paint job, with large blotches of what appeared to be rust on the hull, especially just above the waterline and at the edge of the flight deck, where fighter aircraft and helicopters were parked. The U.S. Embassy said the ship has been deployed for a total of 286 days since November, and that Thailand was the ship’s first full port stop in that time. Its total uninterrupted time at sea before Wednesday’s arrival was 264 days.
BY LORNE COOK Associated Press
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By SAKCHAI LALIT
Navy personnel walk on the deck of the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln as it arrives at the port in Laem Chabang, Chonburi, Thailand, on Wednesday. When asked about the carrier’s appearance, Capt. Dan Keeler, the Lincoln’s commanding officer, replied that “it is normal for a long deployment and we’re not going to make further comments.” “It looks like what it is: a ship that’s been continuously at sea for 286 days,” Euan Graham, a defense expert at the Australian National Security College, told The Associated Press after reviewing photos of the ship. “And the Abraham Lincoln has been on a prolonged combat deployment, during which normal port calls were denied to it. “So it becomes a tempting symbol of the U.S. Navy’s strategic overstretch and fatigue,” he added. “However, what’s also notable is the impressive state of the air wing. So maybe the underlying story is also one of resilience under conditions of extreme stress.” The Navy had dismissed reports about sailors onboard struggling with mental health concerns. A Navy official said a sailor aboard the Lincoln went overboard in early August but the person was quickly recovered, treated by the ship’s medical department and transferred off ship for follow-up care. The official would not say whether it was considered a suicide attempt.
Local businesses happy In Pattaya, welcome banners hung outside restaurants and bars, and a local gem store touted its selfdescribed special deals. A giant LED sign in front of the city’s famous Walking
Street, a nightlife hub, features a welcome message with images of the Lincoln, as well as the Thai and U.S. flags. Pattaya’s mayor, Poramet Ngampichet, said he expected the visit could generate about $3 million for the city. Once known mostly as a seedy city of bars and massage parlors offering sexual services, the city has in recent years toned down its act to become more of a family destination, with attractions such as theme parks and golf courses. Jaroon Kasemsantitham has run a beachside restaurant there for more than 30 years. He said September is usually the worst month for business, and 2026 had been especially bad because of the tourism slump triggered by the Iran war. The 66-year-old put up a welcome banner with a U.S. flag motif and a silhouette of a carrier, and the words “ALL WELCOME.” Politics was not what he cared to talk about, he told AP. “I’m doing business, so I want a lot of customers,” Jaroon said. “When we heard the news, we were excited. … I sent a video clip to my employees and said ‘Look, the Americans are coming.’ ”
Rendezvous with family Visitors to Pattaya on Wednesday included Shakeira Fairfax, the mother of a crew member, who traveled to Thailand to meet her daughter Jada. “I’m excited. I’m so full of emotion. I can’t wait to hold her. I can’t wait to snuggle up next to her,” said Shakeira, who hails from Paterson,
China presses U.S. for answers after a man dies in ICE custody BY RYAN J. FOLEY Associated Press
The Chinese government is pressing for answers after a Chinese man died hours after being taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in a U.S. territory. Lianyong Wei, 51, died Aug. 23 at a hospital in the Northern Mariana Islands, ICE announced in a news release Tuesday. Wei was arrested Aug. 21 by the Northern Mariana Islands Department of Public Safety on criminal charges stemming from an alleged assault on a family of five
at their home, according to ICE. He was taken into ICE custody the next day pending removal proceedings. ICE said a guard at the lockup in Saipan found Wei unresponsive during routine morning checks on Aug. 23. He was taken to a hospital emergency room, where he was pronounced dead after “life-sustaining interventions were initiated,” the agency said, noting that the cause of his death is under investigation. Wei entered the U.S. territory in February 2019 and was authorized to stay for two weeks, according to ICE. U.S. authorities began
removal proceedings in July 2026, and Wei’s next hearing had been scheduled for this month. The Chinese Consulate General in Los Angeles said it had been notified of Wei’s death. “We have expressed serious concerns to the relevant U.S. authorities over this incident and required a timely and thorough investigation into the cause of Mr. Wei’s death, notification of the findings, measures to prevent any recurrence of similar incidents, and assistance to the family of the deceased in handling the aftermath,” the consulate said in a statement.
Thousands in Spain protest border crisis BY JOSEPH WILSON, SERGIO RODRIGO and SUMAN NAISHADHAM Associated Press
CEUTA, Spain — The city of Ceuta, a tiny speck of Spanish territory perched on the northern African coast, normally celebrates its Sept. 2 annual official holiday largely ignored by the mainland. But not this year, after Ceuta became the epicenter of Spain’s worst border crisis in living memory. In lieu of festivities, tens of thousands of people took to the streets Wednesday across Spain to protest the ongo-
ing humanitarian crisis in Ceuta, demanding solutions and blaming Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez for his government’s handling of it. In Madrid, authorities said some 50,000 protesters turned out. After the demonstration ended, an Associated Press journalist heard shots and explosions. Spanish newspaper El País reported that police fired rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse crowds. There were significant turnouts also in Barcelona, Valencia and Seville. Waving Spanish flags, demonstrators shouted “A united
New Jersey. She spoke to the AP outside Pattaya’s Hard Rock Hotel, where city officials welcomed dozens of service members arriving by bus. She said her daughter, an entry-level seaman, finished basic training in October and shipped out for the Lincoln’s deployment in midNovember, later celebrating her 25th birthday on board. She said she worried most just after the U.S. launched its initial attack on Iran at the end of February and she was unable to connect with Jada for a while. “It was an uncertain time. It was a scary time. It was difficult — definitely difficult. But she has a support system. Her friends reached out to me. In fact, one of her good childhood friends is here as well,” she said. “It was a time for us to stick together and trust and believe that she would be OK.” Another carrier, the usually Asia-based USS George Washington, relieved the Lincoln in the Middle East in August. The Lincoln is heading home soon, said its commander, Capt. Keeler.
BRUSSELS — The European Union on Wednesday weighed how best to respond to an attempted drone attack at a German airport blamed on Russia but struggled to find new ways to meet the challenge without resorting to military means. The German government said Tuesday that Russia was responsible for the failed attack at Leipzig/Halle Airport on Aug. 4 using a drone laden with explosives and announced it would shut down a Russian consulate among other measures. The nature of the incident and its attribution to Russia set a new benchmark. The drone was found near a Ukrainian cargo plane and the device was defused. The airport is a major international freight hub used for providing support to Ukraine. “It is clear that it has all the hallmarks of statesponsored terrorism. The question is: what do we do about this,” EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas told reporters before chairing a meeting of the bloc’s foreign ministers in Ireland. They discussed sanctions, visa restrictions and shutting Russian consulates, among other measures. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said France summoned Russia’s envoy to “protest strongly” and wants to impose sanctions on more of the Kremlin’s shadow fleet ships. “We won’t allow an act of such gravity without consequences,” Barrot said. The EU has slapped almost two dozen packages
garchs and entities including banks, energy companies and drone makers. The EU was already preparing to impose more travel bans and asset freezes on another 1,600 people, Kallas said. Hundreds of ships making up the shadow fleet illicitly shipping oil to fuel Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war effort have been targeted too. Russian diplomats have routinely been summoned around Europe, even expelled. Russia has sometimes seemed immune to such measures. The challenge is how to respond effectively without going too far. EU member nations, many of them NATO allies, remain cautious about being dragged into open conflict with nuclear-armed Russia. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the incident “marks a new escalation on European Union soil,” and that her services “are looking at ways to cut deeper into Russia’s war chest.” She did not elaborate. Germany insisted it was “not at war” but had become a “daily target” of the Kremlin’s hybrid campaign. Putin dismissed the allegations, saying Berlin wants to distract from its own failings and dissatisfaction among voters. Any proof being offered “has been planted,” Putin said. But German Foreign Minister Johan Wadephul said Berlin had carefully prepared its response “and now Russia must live with these consequences.” He called on Russia “to show that it is also ready for reasonable talks and negotiations, particularly regarding the situation in Ukraine.”
Ceuta will never be defeated,” “Sánchez to prison” and “Invaders — go home!” referring to the thousands of migrants still in the city. The official organizer of Wednesday’s protests in Madrid and more than 200 other cities and towns was the nonpartisan Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces. But the protests were promoted by the PP and Vox, which is strongly against irregular migration. Spain’s minister of territorial policy, Ángel Víctor Torres, told Spanish National Radio that the protests were politically motivated.
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(225) 383-0111 Public Notices
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Public Notices Bids/Proposals
PUBLIC NOTICE --Advertisement for Bids Notice is hereby given that sealed bids will be received by the Lafayette Parish School System Purchasing Department at 202 Rue Iberville, Lafayette, LA 70508, or electronically at https:// www.beaconbid.com/sol icitations/lafayetteparish-school-system until 10:00 a.m. CST on September 14, 2026. Bids received after this date and time will not be con‐ sidered. Delivery to any department other than the Purchasing Depart‐ ment may result in nonconsideration. Bids will be publicly opened and read aloud at the LPSS Purchasing Department Conference Room for the following: Prepackaged School Supply Kits Bid# 10-27 Sealed bids shall clearly marked:
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Prepackaged School Supply Kits Bid# 10-27 Bid Opening: September 14, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. CST Addenda, if any, will be posted at https://www. beaconbid.com/solicit ations/lafayette-parishschool-system. It shall be the responsibility of all prospective bidders to check this website for any addenda issued be‐ fore the bid opening.
PUBLIC NOTICE --Public Notice The Lafayette Parish Council will convene as the Board of Review for the Parish of Lafayette on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, during its regu‐ lar meeting at 4:30 p.m. in the Council Auditorium located at 705 West Uni‐ Avenue, versity Lafayette, LA to hear ap‐ peals regarding the 2026 tax assess‐ property for Lafayette ments Parish. The Lafayette Parish Board of Review shall consider the complaint of any person desiring to be heard who has filed a written appeal (Form 3101) with the Board of Review no later than 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday, Septem‐ ber 8, 2026. All appeals must be filed with the Lafayette Parish Council Office, 705 West Avenue, University Lafayette, LA 70506, by 3:00 p.m. on September 8, 2026. All information concern‐ ing the value of your property that you wish the Board of Review to consider must be sub‐ mitted to the Lafayette Parish Assessor’s Office by 3:00 p.m. on Septem‐ ber 8, 2026. Failure to submit such information by this deadline may pre‐ vent you from relying on that information during the appeals process. Justin A. Centanni Lafayette Parish Assessor 197197 Sept. 1, 3, 2T $25.80
All bids must be submit‐ ted in accordance with the requirements of the bid documents. No bid may be with‐ drawn for a period of thirty (30) days after the scheduled time for open‐ ing of bids. The Lafayette Parish School System reserves the right to reject all bids and to waive any infor‐ malities or irregularities in bids received when such is in the best inter‐ est of the School System. In accordance with La. R.S. 38:2251, a preference of up to ten percent (10%) may be granted to products manufactured, produced, grown, or as‐ sembled in Louisiana such products when meet or exceed the spec‐ ifications of this bid. Award of this contract is subject to the availability of funds. The Lafayette Parish School System strongly encourages the partici‐ pation of minority-owned and small business en‐ terprises.
Public Notices Sheriff Sales
SHERIFF'S SALE
15TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT ---- PARISH OF STATE OF LAFAYETTE LOUISIANA Notice is hereby given that by virtue of a writ of FI FA issued in the here‐ entitled and inabove numbered cause I have seized and taken into my possession and will offer for sale and sell for cash, ap‐ ***WITHOUT*** praisement, to the last and highest bidder, at bli i h
Lafayette Parish School System Kristie Sam, Purchasing and Procurement Coordi‐ nator Advertisement Dates: August 27, 2026 September 3, 2026 Published in the official journal of the Lafayette Parish School System 198747 Aug. 27, Sept. 3, 2t $63.10
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Clemency I, CHRISTOPHER MOODY, DOC #603726 have applied for clemency for my conviction of AGGRAVATED INCEST. If you have any comments, contact the Board of Pardons (225)342-5421. 199584 - SEPT 3-5 3T $310
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Public Notices Sheriff Sales
Public Notices Sheriff Sales g public auction, at the LAFAYETTE PARISH GOV‐ ERNMENT BUILDING, 1010 LAFAYETTE STREET, 2ND in Lafayette, FLOOR Louisiana, between the legal sale hours com‐ mencing at 10:00 A.M. on ***OCTO‐ WEDNESDAY, BER 7, 2026*** ,the fol‐ lowing described prop‐ erty, to wit: THAT CERTAIN LOT OR PARCEL OF GROUND, TO‐ GETHER WITH ALL IM‐ PROVEMENTS THEREON THEREUNTO BE‐ AND LONGING, SITUATED IN PARISH, LAFAYETTE BEING LOUISIANA, AND DESIG‐ KNOWN NATED AS LOT THIRTYFOUR (34) OF FLANDERS GARDENS SUBDIVISION, SAID PROPERTY HAVING A FRONTAGE OF 102.64 FEET, MORE OR LESS, ON IRISH BEND DRIVE, WITH THE FURTHER DIMEN‐ BOUNDARIES, SIONS, SHAPE, FORM, LOCATION AND CONFIGURATION AS SHOWN ON THAT CER‐ TAIN PLAT OF SURVEY OF SAID SUBDIVISION DATED AUGUST 17, 1979, PRE‐ PARED BY CAFFERY, PATE & REAUX ENGINEERS, AT‐ TACHED TO THAT ACT RECORDED UNDER ENTRY NO. 78-20824, OF THE RECORDS OF LAFAYETTE PARISH CLERK OF COURT. MUNICIPAL ADDRESS: 101 BEND DRIVE, IRISH YOUNGSVILLE, LA 70592 ANYONE PURCHASING PROPERTY AT SHERIFF'S SALE IS GIVEN UNTIL 2:00 P.M. ON SALE DAY TO PAY FULL PURCHASE THE AMOUNT BY CERTIFIED FUNDS PUBLISH ON: SEPTEMBER 3, 2026 & OCTOBER 1, 2026 LAFAYETTE PARISH SHER‐ IFF'S OFFICE MARK T. GARBER, SHER‐ IFF $34.54 SHERIFF'S SALE
CARRINGTON MORTGAGE SERVICES, LLC Versus No. 20253490 FELICIA SCHEX‐ NAYDER A/K/A FELICIA SCHEXNAYDER BOWMAN A/K/A FELICIA S. BOW‐ MAN A/K/A FELICIA BOW‐ MAN
Announcements
COMPUTERSHARE TRUST COMPANY, N.A., NOT IN ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY BUT SOLELY AS INDEN‐ TURE TRUSTEE WITH RE‐ SPECT TO PRET 2025RPL6 TRUST Versus No. 20264454 JOANN DAVIS KENESON A/K/A JOANN DAVIS 15TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT ---- PARISH OF STATE OF LAFAYETTE LOUISIANA Notice is hereby given that by virtue of a writ of SEIZURE AND SALE is‐ sued in the hereinabove entitled and numbered cause I have seized and taken into my possession and will offer for sale sell for cash, and ap‐ ***WITHOUT*** praisement, to the last and highest bidder, at public auction, at the LAFAYETTE PARISH GOV‐ ERNMENT BUILDING, 1010 LAFAYETTE STREET, 2ND in Lafayette, FLOOR Louisiana, between the legal sale hours com‐ mencing at 10:00 A.M. on ***OCTO‐ WEDNESDAY, BER 7, 2026*** ,the fol‐ lowing described prop‐ erty, to wit: THAT CERTAIN LOT OR PARCEL OF GROUND, TO‐ GETHER WITH ALL IM‐ PROVEMENTS THEREON THEREUNTO BELONGING, SITUATED IN LAFAYETTE LOUISIANA, PARISH, BEING KNOWN AND DES‐ IGNATED AS LOT 52 OF KINGS HAVEN SUBDIVI‐ SION, WITH FURTHER DI‐ MENSIONS, BOUNDARIES, SHAPE, FORM, LOCATION AND CONFIGURATION AS SHOWN ON THAT CER‐ TAIN PLAT OF SURVEY OF SAID SUBDIVISION, PRE‐ PARED BY MONTAGNET AND DOMINGUE AND AT‐ TACHED TO THAT ACT RECORDED UNDER ENTRY NO. 01-50493 OF THE OF THE RECORDS PARISH LAFAYETTE CLERK OF COURT’S OF‐ FICE (“PROPERTY”). MU‐ NICIPAL ADDRESS: 121 DRIVE, DURHAM LAFAYETTE, LA 70508 ANYONE PURCHASING PROPERTY AT SHERIFF'S SALE IS GIVEN UNTIL 2:00 P.M. ON SALE DAY TO PAY FULL PURCHASE THE AMOUNT BY CERTIFIED
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FUNDS PUBLISH ON: SEPTEMBER 3, 2026 & OCTOBER 1, 2026 LAFAYETTE PARISH SHER‐ IFF'S OFFICE MARK T. GARBER, SHER‐ IFF $34.11 SHERIFF'S SALE BANK NA‐ DEUTSCHE TIONAL TRUST COMPANY, AS TRUSTEE FOR GSAMP TRUST 2005-HE2 MORT‐ PASS-THROUGH GAGE SERIES CERTIFICATES, Versus No. 2005-HE2 20254993 ORANONG IN‐ WILBURN TARACHAK ORANONG I. A/K/A WILBURN A/K/A ORA‐ NONG WILBURN, PATRI‐ KAYE WILBURN CIA ROMERO A/K/A PATRICIA KAY WILBURN A/K/A PA‐ TRICIA K. WILBURN A/K/A PATRICIA WILBURN A/K/A PATRICIA KAYE ROMERO PATRICIA K. A/K/A ROMERO A/K/A PATRICIA ROMERO A/K/A PATRICIA WILBURN ROMERO A/K/A PATRICIA W. ROMERO, JAMES CAROL WILBURN, JR. A/K/A JAMES C. JR. A/K/A WILBURN, WILBURN, JR., JAMES DEANNA LYNNE WILBURN A/K/A BROUSSARD DEANNA LYNNE WILBURN DEANNA L. A/K/A WILBURN A/K/A DEANNA WILBURN A/K/A DEANNA LYNNE BROUSSARD A/K/A DEANNA L. BROUSSARD A/K/A DEANNA BROUS‐ A/K/A DEANNA SARD BROUSSARD WILBURN DEANNA W. A/K/A BROUSSARD AND TRINA WILBURN CHARLENE A/K/A TRINA SHULTS WILBURN CHARLENE A/K/A TRINA C. WILBURN A/K/A TRINA WILBURN A/K/A TRINA CHARLENE SHULTS A/K/A TRINA C. A/K/A TRINA SHULTS A/K/A TRINA SHULTS WILBURN SHULTS A/K/A TRINA W. SHULTS, HEIRS JAMES CAROL OF WILBURN A/K/A JAMES C. WILBURN A/K/A JAMES WILBURN 15TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT ---- PARISH OF STATE OF LAFAYETTE LOUISIANA Notice is hereby given that by virtue of a writ of SEIZURE AND SALE is‐ sued in the hereinabove entitled and numbered cause I have seized and taken into my possession and will offer for sale sell for cash, and appraise‐ ***WITH*** ment, to the last and highest bidder, at public at the auction, LAFAYETTE PARISH GOV‐ ERNMENT BUILDING, 1010 LAFAYETTE STREET, 2ND in Lafayette, FLOOR Louisiana, between the legal sale hours com‐ mencing at 10:00 A.M. on ***OCTO‐ WEDNESDAY, BER 7, 2026*** ,the fol‐ lowing described prop‐ erty, to wit: THAT CERTAIN PARCEL OF GROUND, WITH IMPROVE‐ MENTS, BEING SITUATED IN SECTION 3, TOWNSHIP 11 SOUTH, RANGE 5 EAST, PARISH, LAFAYETTE LOUISIANA, CONTAINING 2.34 ARPENTS, MORE OR LESS. SAID PARCEL BEING AND DESIG‐ KNOWN NATED AS PLOT F ON PLAT OF SURVEY NO. 2 BY N. FONTENOT, PAUL DATED FEBRUARY 2, 1970, A COPY OF WHICH IS AT‐ TACHED TO ACT NUMBER 555726 OF THE RECORDS THE CLERK OF OF COURT’S OFFICE FOR THE PARISH O LAFAYETTE, LOUISIANA MADE A PART HEREOF BY REFERENCE THERETO. SAID PARCEL HAS AN EASTERN LINE MEASURING 137.58 FEET, A SOUTHERN LINE MEA‐ SURING 627.25 FEET, A WESTERN LINE MEASUR‐ ING 137.58 FEET AND A NORTHERN LINE MEA‐ SURING 627.07 FEET. SAID PARCEL HAS THE FUR‐ THER DIMENSIONS, MEA‐ BOUND‐ SUREMENTS, ARIES, SHAPE, FORM, LO‐ CATION AND CONFIGURA‐ TION AS WILL BE SHOWN ON SAID PLAT OF SURVEY. MUNICIPAL ADDRESS: 313 ROAD, HARDWARE BROUSSARD, LA 70518 ANYONE PURCHASING PROPERTY AT SHERIFF'S SALE IS GIVEN UNTIL 2:00 P.M. ON SALE DAY TO PAY
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Public Notices Sheriff Sales
Public Notices Sheriff Sales
THE FULL PURCHASE AMOUNT BY CERTIFIED FUNDS PUBLISH ON: SEPTEMBER 3, 2026 & OCTOBER 1, 2026 LAFAYETTE PARISH SHER‐ IFF'S OFFICE MARK T. GARBER, SHER‐ IFF $46.33 SHERIFF'S SALE LAKEVIEW LOAN SERVIC‐ ING, LLC Versus No. 20246939 JESSICA GARY 15TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT ---- PARISH OF STATE OF LAFAYETTE LOUISIANA Notice is hereby given that by virtue of a writ of SEIZURE AND SALE is‐ sued in the hereinabove entitled and numbered cause I have seized and taken into my possession and will offer for sale sell for cash, and ap‐ ***WITHOUT*** praisement, to the last and highest bidder, at public auction, at the LAFAYETTE PARISH GOV‐ ERNMENT BUILDING, 1010 LAFAYETTE STREET, 2ND in Lafayette, FLOOR Louisiana, between the legal sale hours com‐ mencing at 10:00 A.M. on ***OCTO‐ WEDNESDAY, BER 7, 2026*** ,the fol‐ lowing described prop‐ erty, to wit: LOT NUMBER 21, COUN‐ TRY LAKES SUBDIVISION, PARISH, LAFAYETTE LOUISIANA, AS SHOWN PLAT ENTITLED ON “FINAL PLAT OF COUNTRY LAKES SUBDIVISION LO‐ CATED IN SECTION 19, T10S, R3E, LAFAYETTE PARISH, LOUISIANA” PRE‐ PARED BY PAUL L. MIERS LLC, ENGINEERING, DATED OCTOBER 14, 2008, RECORDED MAY 17, 2010, AT FILE NO. 2010-17975, RECORDS OF LAFAYETTE PARISH, LOUISIANA. TO‐ GETHER WITH ALL THE AND IM‐ BUILDINGS PROVEMENTS THEREON, AND ALL OF THE RIGHTS, PRIVILEGES, WAYS, APPURTE‐ SERVITUDES, NANCES AND ADVAN‐ TAGES THEREUNTO BE‐ LONGING OR IN ANYWISE APPERTAINING. MUNICI‐ PAL ADDRESS: 314 LAKE‐ FRONT DRIVE, RAYNE, LA 70578 ANYONE PURCHASING PROPERTY AT SHERIFF'S SALE IS GIVEN UNTIL 2:00 P.M. ON SALE DAY TO PAY FULL PURCHASE THE AMOUNT BY CERTIFIED FUNDS PUBLISH ON: SEPTEMBER 3, 2026 & OCTOBER 1, 2026 LAFAYETTE PARISH SHER‐ IFF'S OFFICE MARK T. GARBER, SHER‐ IFF $32.83 SHERIFF'S SALE LAKEVIEW LOAN SERVIC‐ ING, LLC Versus No. 20256890 EFRAIN ALEJAN‐ DRO GARCIA 15TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT ---- PARISH OF STATE OF LAFAYETTE LOUISIANA Notice is hereby given that by virtue of a writ of SEIZURE AND SALE is‐ sued in the hereinabove entitled and numbered cause I have seized and taken into my possession and will offer for sale sell for cash, and ap‐ ***WITHOUT*** praisement, to the last and highest bidder, at public auction, at the LAFAYETTE PARISH GOV‐ ERNMENT BUILDING, 1010 LAFAYETTE STREET, 2ND in Lafayette, FLOOR Louisiana, between the legal sale hours com‐ mencing at 10:00 A.M. on ***OCTO‐ WEDNESDAY, BER 7, 2026*** ,the fol‐ lowing described prop‐ erty, to wit: LOT 56, FAIRGROUNDS SUBDIVISION NORTH PHASE II, LOCATED IN SECTION 35, T8S, R4E, PARISH, LAFAYETTE LOUISIANA, AS SHOWN ON A PLAT ENTITLED “FINAL PLAT OF FAIR‐ GROUNDS NORTH
PHASES II” DATED JUNE 26, 2015, PREPARED BY PAUL L. MIERS ENGINEER‐ ING, LLC, RECORDED JULY 27, 2015, AT FILE NO. 2015RECORDS OF 28787, PARISH, LAFAYETTE LOUISIANA. WHICH HAS THE AD‐ DRESS OF 107 SADDLE CREST DRIVE, LAFAYETTE, LA 70507 ANYONE PURCHASING PROPERTY AT SHERIFF'S SALE IS GIVEN UNTIL 2:00 P.M. ON SALE DAY TO PAY FULL PURCHASE THE AMOUNT BY CERTIFIED FUNDS PUBLISH ON: SEPTEMBER 3, 2026 & OCTOBER 1, 2026 LAFAYETTE PARISH SHER‐ IFF'S OFFICE MARK T. GARBER, SHER‐ IFF $31.11 SHERIFF'S SALE PENNYMAC LOAN SER‐ VICES, LLC Versus No. 20247307 STEVEN AN‐ PAUL A/K/A THONY STEVEN A. PAUL A/K/A STEVEN PAUL AND THE UNOPENED SUCCESSION OF AND UNKNOWN HEIRS OF ROXANNE MALVEAUX PAUL A/K/A ROXANNE MALVEAUX PAUL A/K/A ROXANNE M. PAUL A/K/A ROXANNE PAUL 15TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT ---- PARISH OF STATE OF LAFAYETTE LOUISIANA Notice is hereby given that by virtue of a writ of AMENDED SEIZURE AND SALE issued in the here‐ entitled and inabove numbered cause I have seized and taken into my possession and will offer for sale and sell for cash, ap‐ ***WITHOUT*** praisement, to the last and highest bidder, at public auction, at the LAFAYETTE PARISH GOV‐ ERNMENT BUILDING, 1010 LAFAYETTE STREET, 2ND in Lafayette, FLOOR Louisiana, between the legal sale hours com‐ mencing at 10:00 A.M. on ***OCTO‐ WEDNESDAY, BER 7, 2026*** ,the fol‐ lowing described prop‐ erty, to wit: LOT 8, FAIRGROUNDS NORTH, PHASE III “A SIN‐ GLE FAMILY RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT” LOCATED IN THE SECTION 35, T8S, R4E CITY OF CARENCRO, PARISH, LAFAYETTE LOUISIANA, PREPARED BY PAUL L. MIERS L..S, PAUL L MIERS ENGINEERING, LLC, REGISTER NO. 4813, DATED OCTOBER 7, 2019. SAID PLAT RECORDED ON 10/24/2019 AT FILE NUM‐ BER: 2019-00036022, OF THE CLERK OF COURT’S OFFICE FOR LAFAYETTE PARISH, LOUISIANA. MU‐ NICIPAL ADDRESS: 407 SADDLE CREST DRIVE, LAFAYETTE, LA 70507 ANYONE PURCHASING PROPERTY AT SHERIFF'S SALE IS GIVEN UNTIL 2:00 P.M. ON SALE DAY TO PAY FULL PURCHASE THE AMOUNT BY CERTIFIED FUNDS PUBLISH ON: SEPTEMBER 3, 2026 & OCTOBER 1, 2026 LAFAYETTE PARISH SHER‐ IFF'S OFFICE MARK T. GARBER, SHER‐ IFF $33.04 SHERIFF'S SALE PENNYMAC LOAN SER‐ VICES, LLC Versus No. 20264698 MORIE BIJOU 15TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT ---- PARISH OF STATE OF LAFAYETTE LOUISIANA Notice is hereby given that by virtue of a writ of SEIZURE AND SALE is‐ sued in the hereinabove entitled and numbered cause I have seized and taken into my possession and will offer for sale sell for cash, and ap‐ ***WITHOUT*** praisement, to the last and highest bidder, at public auction, at the LAFAYETTE PARISH GOV‐ ERNMENT BUILDING, 1010 LAFAYETTE STREET, 2ND FLOOR in Lafayette, i i b h
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WORKS Public Notices Sheriff Sales y Louisiana, between the legal sale hours com‐ mencing at 10:00 A.M. on ***OCTO‐ WEDNESDAY, BER 7, 2026*** ,the fol‐ lowing described prop‐ erty, to wit: THAT CERTAIN LOT OR PARCEL OF GROUND, TO‐ GETHER WITH ALL BUILD‐ AND IMPROVE‐ INGS MENTS THEREON AND THEREUNTO BELONGING, SITUATED IN SECTION 32, 9 SOUTH, TOWNSHIP RANGE 4 EAST, CITY AND PARISH OF LAFAYETTE, BEING LOUISIANA, AND DESIG‐ KNOWN NATED AS PARCEL B ON THAT CERTAIN PLAT OF SURVEY DATED DECEM‐ BER 3, 1990, PREPARED BY CRAIG P. SPIKES, AT‐ TO ACT TACHED RECORDED UNDER ENTRY NO. 90-038768 OF THE RECORDS OF LAFAYETTE CLERK OF PARISH COURT’S OFFICE. SAID HAVING A PARCEL FRONTAGE OF 75.0 FEET ON OLE COLONY ROAD BY DEPTH BETWEEN A EQUAL AND PARALLEL LINES OF 130.0 FEET, BOUNDED NORTHERLY BY OF JOHN PROPERTY HARRY HEBERT OR AS‐ EASTERLY BY SIGNS, PROPERTY OF RICHARD L. OR ASSIGNS, HEBERT BY OLE SOUTHERLY ROAD, AND COLONY WESTERLY BY PROPERTY OF MICHAEL J. HEBERT OR ASSIGNS, ALL AS PARTICULARLY MORE SHOWN ON THE AFORE‐ PLAT OF MENTIONED (“PROPERTY”). SURVEY MUNICIPAL ADDRESS: 222 COLONY ROAD, OLE LAFAYETTE, LA 70506 ANYONE PURCHASING PROPERTY AT SHERIFF'S SALE IS GIVEN UNTIL 2:00 P.M. ON SALE DAY TO PAY FULL PURCHASE THE AMOUNT BY CERTIFIED FUNDS PUBLISH ON: SEPTEMBER 3, 2026 & OCTOBER 1, 2026 LAFAYETTE PARISH SHER‐ IFF'S OFFICE MARK T. GARBER, SHER‐ IFF $36.47 SHERIFF'S SALE SELENE FINANCE LP Ver‐ sus No. 20252652 TERRILL S SCOTT 15TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT ---- PARISH OF STATE OF LAFAYETTE LOUISIANA Notice is hereby given that by virtue of a writ of SEIZURE AND SALE is‐ sued in the hereinabove entitled and numbered cause I have seized and taken into my possession and will offer for sale sell for cash, and ap‐ ***WITHOUT*** praisement, to the last and highest bidder, at public auction, at the LAFAYETTE PARISH GOV‐ ERNMENT BUILDING, 1010 LAFAYETTE STREET, 2ND in Lafayette, FLOOR Louisiana, between the legal sale hours com‐ mencing at 10:00 A.M. on ***OCTO‐ WEDNESDAY, BER 7, 2026*** ,the fol‐ lowing described prop‐ i
Public Notices Sheriff Sales g erty, to wit:
p
Public Notices Sheriff Sales
p
THAT CERTAIN PARCEL OF TOGETHER GROUND, ALL IMPROVE‐ WITH MENTS THEREON, AND ALL RIGHTS, WAYS, PRIVI‐ LEGES, SERVITUDES, AP‐ PURTENANCES AND AD‐ THEREUNTO VANTAGES BELONGING AND ALL AP‐ PURTENANCES THEREOF, BEING KNOWN AND DES‐ IGNATED AS LOT NINETYFIVE (95), LEGEND CREEK, A SUBDIVISION OF THE PARISH OF LAFAYETTE, STATE OF LOUISIANA, AS PER THAT CERTAIN PLAT OF SURVEY PREPARED BY COMEAUX ENGINEERING CONSULTING ATTACHED TO THAT ACT RECORDED UNDER ENTRY NO. 200625730 AND MADE A PART HEREOF BY REFERENCE, AND HAVING SUCH DI‐ MENSIONS, BOUNDARIES AND MEASUREMENTS AS ARE MORE FULLY SHOWN ON SAID PLAT OF SUR‐ VEY; SUBJECT TO RE‐ STRICTIONS, SERVITUDES, AND RIGHTS-OF-WAY OUTSTANDING MINERAL RIGHTS OF RECORD AF‐ FECTING THE PROPERTY. MUNICIPAL ADDRESS: 103 ENCHANTMENT AVENUE, YOUNGSVILLE, LA 70592 ANYONE PURCHASING PROPERTY AT SHERIFF'S SALE IS GIVEN UNTIL 2:00 P.M. ON SALE DAY TO PAY FULL PURCHASE THE AMOUNT BY CERTIFIED FUNDS PUBLISH ON: SEPTEMBER 3, 2026 & OCTOBER 1, 2026 LAFAYETTE PARISH SHER‐ IFF'S OFFICE MARK T. GARBER, SHER‐ IFF $34.54 SHERIFF'S SALE VANDERBILT MORTGAGE AND FINANCE, INC. Ver‐ sus No. 20264139 BIANCA LASHAE SOPHUS 15TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT ---- PARISH OF STATE OF LAFAYETTE LOUISIANA Notice is hereby given that by virtue of a writ of SEIZURE AND SALE is‐ sued in the hereinabove entitled and numbered cause I have seized and taken into my possession and will offer for sale sell for cash, and ap‐ ***WITHOUT*** praisement, to the last and highest bidder, at public auction, at the LAFAYETTE PARISH GOV‐ ERNMENT BUILDING, 1010 LAFAYETTE STREET, 2ND in Lafayette, FLOOR Louisiana, between the legal sale hours com‐ mencing at 10:00 A.M. on WEDNESDAY, ***SEPTEM‐ BER 16, 2026***, the fol‐ lowing described prop‐ erty, to wit: ONE (1) CERTAIN 2018 MANUFAC‐ CLAYTON TURED HOME, MODEL 37ANN16763TH18, BEAR‐ SERIAL NUMBER ING CS2023489TN, INCLUDING WATER FURNACE, HEATER, STOVE, REFRIG‐ AND DISH‐ ERATOR, WASHER MUNICIPAL AD‐ DRESS: 126 LA NEUVILLE ROAD, YOUNGSVILLE, LA 70592
PURCHASING ANYONE PROPERTY AT SHERIFF'S SALE IS GIVEN UNTIL 2:00 P.M. ON SALE DAY TO PAY FULL PURCHASE THE AMOUNT BY CERTIFIED FUNDS PUBLISH ON: SEPTEMBER 3, 2026 LAFAYETTE PARISH SHER‐ IFF'S OFFICE MARK T. GARBER, SHER‐ IFF $29.18
Public Notices Successions
PUBLIC NOTICE --NOTICE Administrator for the Succession of Mary Fern Cobb Briggs gives notice of his intent to sell via private sale, the follow‐ ing: 1. The immovable estate home and property lo‐ cated at 311 Sunny Lane, Louisiana Lafayette, 70506, Being the same property acquired by Mary C. Briggs by Cash Sale from Jeanie Slay Mellinger dated April 29, 1994, recorded on May 2, 1994, under instrument no. 1994-00016195 of the records of public Louisiana.; Lafayette, and 2. All movables within the estate home at 311 Sunny Lane, consisting of home furnishings, deco‐ rations, and kitchenware. Any objections to the sale of the above prop‐ erty can be filed with the Judicial District 15th – Parish of Court Lafayette under probate docket number 20250640, pursuant to LA C.C.P. art 3282. 198202 Aug. 22 to Sept. 20, 30t $456.60
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The Lafayette Parish Unincorporated Areas Floodplain Management, hereby gives notice of the Lafayette Parish’s intent to revise the flood hazard information, generally located at the northeastern corner of the intersection of Kaliste Saloom Rd & E. Broussard Rd. Specifically, the flood hazard information shall be revised along an unnamed lateral of Isaac Verot Coulee from a point approximately northwest of the intersection of Kaliste Saloom Rd. & E. Broussard Rd. to a point approximately at the end of Gumbo Rd. As a result of the revision, the 1% annual chance floodplain shall be removed within the area of revision. Maps and detailed analysis of the revision can be reviewed at the SPEC, LLC at 107 Nolan Rd, Broussard, LA 70518. Interested persons may call Clay Boudreaux, CFM at 337-291-8468 for additional information. 199313-683310-sep 2-8-7t $ 3,150.00
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The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Thursday, September 3, 2026 ● 5A
lll
La. Supreme Court takes up $421M verdict against Blue Cross
The case has caught the attenhospital, and his colleagues arJustice Jeff Hughes presided which the hospital says it was not Case closely watched the gued that Blue Cross committed over the hearing as acting chief paid for those services or only paid tion, and raised concerns, among by authorizing medical pro- justice. A ruling is not expected for a small amount from Blue Cross. the state’s insurance industry. by insurance industry fraud “How did you expect to get paid Industry experts say the original cedures and failing to pay or only several months.
BY GRACE MAYER
Staff writer
The Louisiana Supreme Court heard oral arguments Tuesday in a case between Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana and a New Orleans surgical hospital, the latest chapter in a yearslong legal saga that will determine the fate of one of the largest jury awards in state history. The justices heard arguments for just over an hour from lawyers for both sides in the case. At issue is a $421 million judgment that an Orleans Parish jury awarded the St. Charles Surgical Hospital and Center for Restorative Breast Surgery in 2024, finding that Blue Cross shortchanged the hospital for thousands of breast reconstruction surgeries from 2015 to 2023. Earlier this year, the Louisiana 4th Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the award but sent the matter back to the lower court for a new trial. Both sides asked the Supreme Court to take up the case, which the insurance industry is closely watching because of its potential chilling impact on the market and the ability to attract new insurers to write policies in Louisiana. James Williams, the attorney for
paying a low amount for those surgeries. His team also argued that the insurer had placed the hospital on a “targeted providers list” after it left the health insurer’s network in 2007, which they argued affected the payments they received from the health insurer. “This is a fraud case. This is a case where the jury unanimously decided that Blue Cross engaged in a systematic scheme to defraud these doctors,” Williams said in his oral arguments. He asked the justices to reverse the 4th Circuit and reinstate the $421 million judgment. Blue Cross attorney Thomas Flanagan said the jury members in the 2024 trial were not properly instructed on what constituted fraud. He argued that the hospital also never presented evidence at trial that Blue Cross committed fraud. He argued the case should not be tried again and asked the justices to dismiss the matter altogether. “For fraud, there needs to be a misrepresentation. But the plaintiffs all said they weren’t promised full-bill charges, and they weren’t promised any particular sum,” Flanagan said. “And why would they? They would be promised that if they were in-network, but they were out-of-network.”
A question of fraud, instructions Lawyers for both sides faced questioning from the justices and took turns making their arguments in 15-minute increments, both leaning on points made in previous court appearances. The courtroom was nearly full, including insurance industry representatives and several jurors from the 2024 Orleans Parish trial. Four of the justices asked questions during the hearing, including Justice Jay McCallum and Hughes. Justices John Michael Guidry and Cade Cole largely dominated questioning, asking both parties whether Blue Cross was obligated to pay for the procedures, and the particulars of those dynamics between the two parties, since the hospital was not a part of the Blue Cross network. Near the end of the hearing, Guidry continued to question the hospital’s attorneys. “Is it fraud or is it just business to say, if you’re in-network you’re guaranteed an amount, but if you’re out-of-network, you’re not, and I have to put additional scrutiny on you,” Guidry said, while questioning Williams. He made note of the timeline in which the case focuses, during
IRAN
Continued from page 1A to break this cycle,” he cautioned. “So that could bring the two sides to a point that they have been trying to avoid until now, which is a full-scale war.” The latest flare-up in violence came as the standoff seemed to be shifting slightly more in the U.S. favor, with the price of oil hitting around $80 a barrel last month and Iranian leaders talking about growing economic hardships, said Sascha Bruchmann, an analyst with the International Institute for Strategic Studies’ Middle East office in Bahrain. “The U.S. is trying to reinstall some kind of confidence into the global oil markets … and the Iranians had to respond to that by reinserting insecurity and doubt,” Bruchmann said. Since the fighting resumed over the weekend, the price of Brent crude oil, the international standard, has climbed to around $95, up more than 30% from the start of the war. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Iran will “continue to feel the squeeze” from the United States until it drops any nuclear weapons ambitions and ends support for armed groups in the Middle East. Iran has always insisted its nuclear program is peaceful.
COVER-UP
Continued from page 1A Allen was also charged with witness tampering, while all five face additional counts of falsifying reports. On Aug. 19, former Deputy Chad Littleton pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate civil rights. He says Wiley and Allen learned the FBI was investigating the incident and instructed him to cover it up by fabricating a report that omitted the assault of 13 inmates and pretrial detainees. Littleton had previously pleaded not guilty at his May
EXPANSION
Continued from page 1A 58 people, has expanded from serving the Gulf Coast oil and gas industry into a precision manufacturer for mission-critical industries in aerospace and defense along with components for rockets, satellites and avionics, according to its website. “Six years ago, Coastal made a deliberate bet: that the same precision, discipline and workmanship that served the Gulf’s energy industry could serve the nation’s space and defense programs,” CEO Kody Guidry said. “That bet is paying off. Coastal has two decades of delivering precision components, a strong family culture and deep trust with
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MORTEZA AKHOONDI
An aerial view shows the apparent point of impact on the roof of a building that Iranian media said was hit by a U.S. strike while a wedding celebration was taking place there in Kuhestak, southern Iran. Following the strikes on Jordan, U.S. Gulf allies Kuwait and Bahrain said they had also come under attack, without reporting any casualties. “You will soon see that Iran’s new strategy on the battlefield, in diplomacy, and in confronting the economic blockade will shatter your foundations,” the recently appointed head of Iran’s powerful Supreme National Security Council, Mohsen Rezaei, said on X. In Iraq, where Iranian-backed forces are active, Kurdish authorities said they had intercepted 10 drones laden with explosives in
the Irbil area. Iranian television reported that American bases in Irbil had been targeted. Israel’s military also said that Iranbacked Hezbollah fired two explosive drones at its soldiers in southern Lebanon, without causing casualties. The U.S. Central Command said Tuesday’s strikes focused on Iranian military targets, including air defense sites, radar systems and maritime assets. One U.S. strike hit a home hosting a wedding in Kuhestak, a small coastal town overlooking the Strait of Hormuz, according to Iranian state media.
arraignment to a handful of charges before recently taking a plea deal to a single conspiracy count. The defendants could not be reached for comment Wednesday. As part of his guilty plea, Littleton admitted that he and others used cruel and excessive force on 11 inmates and two pretrial detainees. Federal prosecutors say the 13 people had been housed in a cell with only six beds for several days and were protesting the jail’s overcrowded conditions when the assaults began. In a sworn statement, Littleton said the warden
and the assistant warden ordered him and other officers to spray the demonstrators with pepper spray, handcuff them and bring them from the cell into the recreation yard. He says Wiley ordered the prisoners to identify leaders of the protest and then “began using an electrified riot shield and his body weight to shock and crush handcuffed prisoners who were lying on the ground,” striking them while they were still subdued by pepper spray. A few weeks later, Littleton reported to an office inside the jail, where Wiley and Allen told him they had learned that the FBI was in-
customers across the oil and gas, defense and space ecosystems.” To secure the project, LED offered an incentives package that includes the comprehensive workforce development solutions of LED FastStart. The company is also expected to participate in the state’s High Impact Jobs and Industrial Tax Exemption programs. “As our economic base expands and our parish grows, we are preparing for that growth in both the city and our unincorporated areas, ensuring Lafayette is positioned to support new investment and new opportunities,” Lafayette Parish Mayor-President Monique Boulet said. “This continued momentum in advanced manufacturing, aerospace and defense is building an
even brighter future for Lafayette and the Acadiana region.” The expansion is more growth for the manufacturing sector in Acadiana, which grew its job total by just over 200 in the first quarter of this year compared to the previous quarter and nearly 5,000 over a five-year span, according to federal data. “The talent in this region is undeniable, and SpaceX’s decision to invest historic capital in Louisiana tells you they see it, too,” Guidry said. “Manufacturing is here to stay and grow in Louisiana. We’re proud of what this expansion means for our community, our state and — most of all — our employees.” Email Adam Daigle at adaigle@theadvocate.com.
The hearing took place nearly two years after an Orleans Parish jury awarded a $421 million judgment against Blue Cross. In September 2024, the jury found that the health insurer shortchanged the hospital for payment on about 7,800 reconstructive breast surgeries. In the ruling, the jury found that Blue Cross committed fraud by authorizing the surgeries and paying only 9% of the bills, on average. Blue Cross denied the allegations and argued it had no contractual obligation to pay those bills, since the hospital had not been a part of its provider network since 2007. The hospital continued to treat Blue Cross patients after leaving the network. Earlier this year, the 4th Circuit sent the case back to the lower court to be retried in a new trial — what would be the third time it’s been litigated since the case was filed in 2017.
$421 million judgment, which with interest swells up to $655 million, could drive up insurance premiums in the state, which already boasts some of the highest premiums in the country. Louisiana is also known for giving out large jury awards, another factor that has raised insurance rates in the state. In a “friend of the court” brief filed in the case at the end of June, the Louisiana Association of Health Plans wrote that the court’s original ruling and a potential retrial would create a “crisis” in the health insurance sector, rival to when droves of insurance providers left the state following hurricanes Laura and Ida. “Absent certainty that they can enforce their health-insurance contracts, insurance companies already offering plans in the state will have no choice but to increase premiums to cover the risk of having to pay uncapped out-ofnetwork expenses for all policy holders,” the brief read. “Those insurance companies not currently offering health plans in Louisiana will stay away, making one of the country’s least competitive commercial health insurance marketplaces even less competitive, and thereby, even more expensive.”
Four people were killed — two women and two children, aged 4 and 16 — and at least 68 were wounded, the state news agency IRNA and state TV said Wednesday. Just after the strike, Ahmad Nafisi, the province’s deputy governor, told Iranian state television that five people were killed. There was no explanation for the change. Several heavy explosions shook Kuhestak, with fireballs that lit up the night sky, according to security camera footage carried by the semiofficial Fars news agency. Images from Iran’s semiofficial Tasnim news agency showed several hospitalized children being treated for injuries at a hospital in the nearby town of Minab, where a U.S. missile strike on the opening day of the war hit a primary school, killing more than 100 children. Footage from the Iranian Red Crescent showed rescue workers entering a damaged home in the wake of the strike. It showed a hole in the roof of one house in a neighborhood of densely packed homes. A weapons expert told The Associated Press that images of fragments of ordnance that Iranian media said was used in the strike on Mallahi’s home, indicated it was an “American air-delivered guided weapon.” N.R. Jenzen-Jones, director of Armament Research Services, initially identified the weapon as a SLAM-ER cruise missile, an airlaunched missile that can be retargeted in flight by a human opera-
tor. But after examining further imagery, he said it was more likely to be a JSOW, a type of guided bomb, though he did not rule out a SLAM-ER and said multiple weapons may have hit the site. U.S. Central Command declined to comment on the analyst’s findings. Spokesperson Capt. Tim Hawkins said earlier that the U.S. military was “aware of the reports, which originated from Iranian state media, and we are looking into them.” He would not say if CENTCOM had launched a formal investigation. “Make no mistake: These crimes will not go unpunished,” Ebrahim Azizi, chairperson of the Iranian parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, said on X. Separately, Iran has said four members of its paramilitary Revolutionary Guard and 10 members of the Guard’s volunteer Basij forces died in the U.S. attacks. A total of 108 people were injured in the latest round of attacks, state broadcaster the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting quoted the country’s health minister as saying. During last month’s lull in fighting, the U.S. ramped up economic pressure on Iran as Washington sought to fully open the Strait of Hormuz. About a fifth of the world’s traded oil was shipped through the key waterway before Israel and the U.S. attacked Iran on Feb. 28 and Iran largely shut it down in response.
this year, after all these years you weren’t being paid, but you did know they have not paid you a bill amount?” Guidry said. “Was it not pretty clear to you that you weren’t being paid the multiple years where you weren’t being billed?”
Implications
vestigating what took place in the yard, he testified. “Wiley and Allen ordered Littleton to write a report that omitted the assaults, and they further instructed him to backdate the report” to the date of the incident, prosecutors say. Over multiple years, jail supervisors and officers operated under an agreement to assault inmates and pretrial detainees that had been selected for interrogation
or punishment, according to Littleton. The agreement involved bringing weapons “such as electrified riot shields” with them, prosecutors say, as they took inmates to jail areas with no cameras to be assaulted and then falsified reports to omit the beatings. In a statement shortly after Wiley and others were indicted in May, U.S. Attorney for the Western District
of Louisiana Zach Keller called the facts of the case “a disgraceful abuse” of the trust placed upon officers to “treat people in prison with dignity and respect.” At a May news conference, Catahoula Parish Sheriff Toney Edwards said he had suspended the employees — including Wiley — “until the matter is resolved by the courts.” The court has set a February trial date for the case.
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6A ● Thursday, September 3, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate
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TODAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
MONDAY
TUESDAY
A t-storm around in the p.m.
A heavy t-storm in the p.m.
Humid; a stray p.m. t-storm
Humid with a stray t-storm
Humid; a stray p.m. t-storm
An afternoon t-storm or two
HIGH
LOW
HIGH
92° 75°
LOW
HIGH
90° 74°
LOW
88° 76°
Beaumont 88/76 Port Arthur 87/76
Baton Rouge 94/75
Lake Charles 91/75
New Orleans 93/78 Houma 91/74
Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.
0s
Hattiesburg 95/74
Alexandria 92/74
Lafayette 92/75
10s
20s
30s
40s
50s
LOW
HIGH
LOW
92° 74°
Lafayette through 5 p.m. Wednesday
Jackson 95/73 Many 91/71
HIGH
93° 75°
TEMPERATURE
Longview 92/74
-0s
LOW
Monroe 96/75
Shreveport 93/74
-10s
HIGH
91° 76°
Well, no tropical disturbance or significant flash flooding risk today, instead the heat is becoming an issue for us once again. Most of Acadiana is under a moderate heat risk today. So expect a mostly sunny to partly cloudy, hot and humid day with a light breeze and scattered showers and thunderstorms. Temperatures this afternoon will rise to the low to mid-90s with heat index or “feels like” temperatures as high as 103 or higher. The UV index is at the very high level so wear sunscreen.
60s
70s
80s
90s 100s 110s
High/low Normal high/low Last year’s high/low Record high Record low
TODAY’S TIDES Lake Pontchartrain (Tchefuncte River) Shell Beach South Point, Marsh Island Cypremort Point Grand Isle (Barataria Pass) Mississippi River (Southwest Pass) Wine Island
Sunrise today Sunset tonight Moonrise today Moonset today LAST
SEP 4
City
Austin Boston Dallas Fairbanks Honolulu Las Vegas Louisville Miami Nashville
Shown are areas of precipitation and high temperatures for the day.
89°/76° 91°/73° 90°/72° 102° in 2000 57° in 1919
24-hour total Month to date Normal month to date year to date Normal year to date
HIGH
12:38p 6:35a 5:01a 6:37a 2:20a 1:37a 3:28a
6:46 a.m. 7:28 p.m. 11:35 p.m. 1:24 p.m. NEW
FIRST
SEP 10
Hi
101 79 91 50 88 95 99 92 101
TODAY Lo
77 67 77 43 76 74 77 80 74
FULL
SEP 18
W
t t t r r s s t s
SEP 26
Hi
93 82 90 56 88 97 97 90 101
FRI. Lo
74 63 78 49 77 73 77 79 72
W
t s t r r s t t t
FT.
LOW
YESTERDAY
TODAY
READING 35 MAIN POLLUTANT Ozone
MAIN POLLUTANT Ozone
GOOD
PRECIPITATION
0.20” 0.39” 0.39” 44.18” 44.07”
FT.
HIGH
0.8 12:09a 0.1 1.9 7:21p 0.3 2.1 1:37p 0.0 1.8 5:34p 0.3 1.5 2:19p 0.1 1.8 12:51p 0.1 1.9 3:21p 0.1
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FT.
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SOURCE: LOUISIANA DEQ AND AIRNOW.GOV
LOW
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FT.
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The solunar period schedule allows planning days so you will be fishing in good territory or hunting in good cover during those times. Major periods begin at the times shown and last for 1.5 to 2 hours. The minor periods are shorter. MAJOR MINOR MAJOR MINOR
Today 4:56a 11:11a 5:25p 11:40p Friday 5:57a 12:12p 6:27p ---Saturday 6:57a 12:41a 7:28p 1:12p Sunday 7:54a 1:39a 8:25p 2:10p Monday 8:49a 2:34a 9:18p 3:04p Tuesday 9:40a 3:26a 10:07p 3:54p Wednesday 10:28a 4:15a 10:53p 4:40p
City
New Orleans Orlando Philadelphia Phoenix Pittsburgh Raleigh St. Louis San Diego Tampa
Hi
TODAY
93 90 92 100 88 98 98 78 87
Lo
78 76 75 81 70 76 80 65 77
W
t t t s t pc s s t
GOOD
Hi
89 90 87 101 82 98 98 78 90
FRI. Lo
78 75 68 82 65 74 80 68 77
W
t t pc t t t s pc t
Weather (W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain, sf-snow flurries, sn-snow, i-ice.
MISSISSIPPI Memphis Vidalia-Natchez Red River Landing Baton Rouge Donaldsonville Reserve New Orleans OHIO Cairo COMITE Near Olive AMITE Near Darlington Denham Springs Port Vincent TICKFAW Montpelier Holden ATCHAFALAYA Simmesport Melville Krotz Springs Butte La Rose Bayou Sorrel Morgan City
FLOOD STAGE
34 48 48 35 27 22 17
WED. 24-HOUR STAGE CHANGE
3.00 28.60 30.80 15.20 8.70 6.37 4.80
-1.84 -1.07 -0.70 -0.70 -0.40 -0.30 -0.20
40
16.07
-1.10
19
-1.47
+0.15
18 29 8
-1.18 10.30 2.92
-0.05 +0.11 -0.02
13 15
1.53 0.76
-0.07 -0.03
47 34 29 20 12 6
14.02 9.73 7.83 6.77 4.20 2.86
-0.52 -0.21 -0.19 +0.07 +0.20 +0.16
data as of 7 a.m. Wednesday
Forecasts and graphics, except for Damon’s Outlook, provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2026
Immigrant rights group seeks to Jury in Lindsay Clancy trial goes home after block use of federal databases Lawsuit alleges legal voters could be purged BY MICHAEL R. BLOOD AP political writer
LOS ANGELES — An immigrant rights group sued the Trump administration Wednesday to block the U.S. Department of Homeland Security from using federal databases that it alleged are being used to target naturalized citizens who are eligible to vote. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Washington on behalf of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, alleges that DHS and the U.S. Justice Department are interfering with fair elections by using inaccurate federal databases in an attempt to buttress allegations of voter fraud.
The federal government is engaging in an “attack on the freedom to vote,” Angelica Salas, the coalition’s executive director, said at a Los Angeles news conference. “This is voter intimidation.” The lawsuit — filed on behalf of the coalition by the UCLA Voting Rights Project — becomes part of a swirl of legal moves that states, including California, have taken to fend off federal actions that threaten to create confusion during the midterms. “It’s not an accident the federal government is trying to interfere with the right to vote. ... They believe they can intimidate naturalized U.S. citizens,” said Xavier Becerra, the Democratic nominee for California governor who is acting as a senior adviser to the voting project. The lawsuit alleges that the ad-
ministration might be comparing voter rolls with undisclosed government databases. Those systems can include outdated information and be riddled with errors, it said, and could produce inaccurate results that disproportionately affect naturalized voters. “Comparing government databases to try and arrive at a list of noncitizen registrants has been shown to result in erroneous data,” the lawsuit said. “Congress has never authorized such activities and in fact has ... prohibited invasion of voter privacy through government data matches in this way.” The Trump administration has been targeting noncitizen voting to allege it could be a source of significant fraud during the midterm elections, even though actual voting by people who are not citizens is rare.
Kennedy Center disassembles ‘Blue’ sculpture BY JESSE BEDAYN Associated Press
The Kennedy Center took down a sculpture known as “Blue” Wednesday, the latest change to the cultural and performing arts center that stirred some pushback in President Donald Trump’s second term. The sculpture, a tall, blue stick figure poised in action — as if to kick a ball or, from a different angle, having just kicked one — was designed by sculptor Joel Shapiro and installed in 2019. The removal follows a longerrunning saga with the Kennedy Center, where the Trump-aligned board is fighting in court for the right to plaster the president’s name on the historic institution. It falls within a broader effort to reshape Washington to Trump’s liking, including demolishing the White House’s East Wing to build a ballroom, a proposed triumphal arch near Arlington National Cemetery and a renovated golf course. Shapiro, known for breathing life into otherwise minimalist stick figures, described “Blue”
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MARK SCHIEFELBEIN
Workers remove the sculpture “Blue” by artist Joel Shapiro on the grounds of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington on Wednesday. in a video posted to the Kennedy Center’s YouTube years ago as being “about action and risk and performance and energy. It’s a celebration of possibility.” Shapiro died in 2025, and “Blue” will no longer celebrate possibility at the Kennedy Center, though it may be reinstalled elsewhere through the Joel Shapiro and El-
len Phelan Foundation. “We are deeply grateful to Joel Shapiro for the years Blue has spent animating our campus and connecting visitors to his vision,” the Kennedy Center said in an emailed statement. “We are honored to have been stewards of his vibrant work and a part of his enduring legacy.”
fifth day with no verdict Judge instructs deadlocked panel to continue deliberating BY MICHAEL CASEY and LEAH WILLINGHAM
telligent, more impartial or more competent to decide it than you are.” Elyse Hershon, a Boston criminal defense attorney and legal analyst, said, “The next time they say they are deadlocked or unagreed — that is usually the mistrial call.”
Associated Press
If there’s a mistrial
PLYMOUTH, Mass. — Jurors in the Lindsay Clancy trial went home without a verdict Wednesday following a fifth day of deliberations and twice saying they can’t agree whether the Massachusetts mother is criminally responsible for killing her three young children. The jury will return again Thursday morning. The judge told them to keep deliberating Wednesday when they said for a second straight day that they were at an impasse — a sign there’s a growing chance of a hung jury and the trial ending without a resolution. Clancy, a 36-year-old former labor and delivery nurse, doesn’t deny strangling her children in the basement of their home in 2023. Her attorney argues that postpartum psychosis led to her actions, while prosecutors say she knew what she was doing when she killed Cora, Dawson and Callan Clancy, ages 5, 3 and 8 months. “I know it’s been a long day,” Judge William Sullivan said, “so at this point, what I’m going to do is, first off thank you for your time and commitment to this case. I’m going to ask you to come back tomorrow morning.” Clancy stared at the jury with no expression when Sullivan earlier in the day explained to the courtroom that the jurors were at a standstill.
Clancy’s livestreamed trial has generated intense interest, with reporters and spectators packing the courtroom. The case has also sparked deep public divisions over her culpability and the issues around maternal mental health after childbirth. Jurors have heard testimony from relatives and doctors about how Clancy’s mental health declined in the months before the killings and how her treatment included several medications and a short stay in a psychiatric hospital. Medical experts hired by the prosecution and the defense reached sharply different conclusions about her psychiatric state. If jurors ultimately can’t agree on a verdict, the judge could declare a mistrial. Prosecutors would then have to decide whether to put Clancy on trial again, drop the charges or try to negotiate a plea deal with her lawyer. If the jury decides Clancy was criminally responsible for her actions, it could convict her of either murder or manslaughter. If she is acquitted, a judge could still order her confined to a mental health facility if an evaluation determines that she poses a danger to the public.
Woman charged with filming jury
Dawn Light, 56, was arraigned on an intimidation charge Wednesday at the same courthouse as Clancy’s Judge tells jury to keep trying trial in Plymouth, south of Boston. Sullivan told the jurors not to Authorities say she filmed jurors abandon their own convictions just leaving the courthouse a day earlier. Light, a retired nurse and Clancy to reach a verdict, but urged them to seriously consider opposing supporter, told reporters she was views and reassess their positions there: “To see Lindsay. And I did see her. She was getting picked up by if appropriate. No one knows, he said, whether the van.” Her lawyer Jennifer White another jury would be “more in- called it a “misunderstanding.”
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T h u r s d ay, s e p T e m b e r 3, 2026
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Lafayette abandons section of street Live Oak Boulevard cuts through church campus
BY CLAIRE TAYLOR
Staff writer
STAFF PHOTOS By LESLIE WESTBROOK
The remnants of the La Quinta Inn on Evangeline Thruway Frontage Road, which is still undergoing demolition, are seen on Monday. A man whose body was recovered at the site has yet to be identified.
Autopsy details body found at demolition site
Man discovered severely decomposed Staff report
The Lafayette Parish Coroner’s Office has confirmed the manner of death of a severely decomposed body found at a demolition site in Lafayette on Aug. 27. The body of a male decedent was recovered at a former La Quinta Inn being demolished at 2100 NE Evangeline Thruway. An autopsy performed on the body found that the manner of death was natural, with no indications of homicide, according to Lafayette police. The cause of death has not been determined, and authorities have not yet identified the identity of the individual. The hotel, which was left vacant prior to the start of demolition this summer, had been used by unhoused individuals as shelter. Lafayette Consolidated Government
A blackened sign looms over the remnants of the La Quinta Inn on Evangeline Thruway Frontage Road in Lafayette. began demolition at the site on Aug. 17 as part of a push to improve blight in the area, address safety concerns and create future opportunities for development.
Further details are pending, but police stated that preliminary findings indicated that the person was not killed as a result of demolition work. The investigation is active
and ongoing. Anyone with relevant information is encouraged to contact the Lafayette Police Department or Lafayette Crime Stoppers at (337) 232-TIPS.
A section of Live Oak Boulevard in Lafayette that intersects with Johnston Street is being abandoned by Lafayette Consolidated Government. The city and parish councils voted unanimously Tuesday to abandon a portion of a 60-foot public right of way in the 100 block of Live Oak Boulevard from Bel Ann Drive to Johnston Street. The abandoned section of the street cuts through the campus of Asbury United Methodist Church. In a letter to church members posted on social media by City Council member Liz Hebert, a church official wrote that many parishioners live in the neighborhood and attest to the fact that most motorists don’t use the street, preferring adjacent streets that provide quicker access to Johnston Street. The 100 block of Live Oak Boulevard “runs through the heart of the campus and continues to present concerning safety challenges,” the letter states. Throughout the week, the letter states, children at the church’s preschool, staff, churchgoers and guests attending weddings and funerals during the day and at night cross the street to access various campus buildings. That includes more than 400 people attending church services on Sundays. Church leadership, according to the letter, are developing plans for long-term improvements and renovations to the campus, which they expect will create more pedestrian traffic trying to cross the street. They plan to reconfigure the space occupied by the boulevard with safety as a top priority, including covered drop-off areas and walkways.
T-P, Advocate staff recognized for work 4 first-place awards given for 2025 work
Staff Report
Youth director finalist for Catholic award Mouton rebuilt program at Immaculate Heart of Mary
BY JA’KORI MADISON
Staff writer
Bridgette Mouton, youth director at Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church in Lafayette, is one of eight finalists for the 202627 Lumen Christi Award. The Lumen Christi Award is the Catholic Extension Society’s highest honor and recognizes people who radiate and reveal the light of Christ in the communities they serve. For Mouton, the recognition came as a surprise. “I wanted my church to have a youth ministry,” said Mouton, a Lafayette native. “When I heard I was nominated, I did not understand the magnitude of it.” Mouton first learned about the Catholic Extension Society, which works with Catholic communities in some of the poorest
PROVIDED PHOTO
Bridgette Mouton is the 2026-27 Lumen Christi Award nominee for the Diocese of Lafayette. regions of the United States from a woman at her church who sent her information about possible funding for youth ministry. At the time, Mouton was helping rebuild the youth ministry at Immaculate Heart of Mary, which had no active youth program for its children following the COVID-19 pandemic. As Mouton and her husband
picked up extra work, pinched their pennies and organized fundraisers to pay for retreats, activities and other opportunities for young people, she wanted more. “I really just wanted to love these kids the way I love my kids and to show our children that they have adults outside of their nuclear family that they
can count on,” Mouton said. Mouton said one of the families in her parish later nominated her for the Lumen Christi Award and gave her a template to complete a personal statement. She said she never expected the nomination to lead to her being named one of eight finalists. Mouton also sees youth ministry as a place where teenagers can find trusted adults to help them navigate questions about faith, relationships, sexuality and social media. “You have to have a village,” she said. “You have to have a strong village, and that’s what this ministry is about.” She hopes additional funding will allow the ministry to expand weekly gatherings, retreats and opportunities for young people to experience the Catholic Church beyond their own community and culture. Through the Lumen Christi Award, each finalist will receive $15,000 to support their ministry. The Lumen Christi Award recipient will receive $50,000, with an additional $50,000 going to the nominating diocese.
Reporters from The Times-Picayune | The Advocate won several awards in the Society of Professional Journalists’ 2026 Green Eyeshades competition, which recognizes the best journalism in the southeastern U.S. The newspaper’s coverage of the 2025 New Year’s terror attack on Bourbon Street received first place awards in categories for both breaking news and deadline disaster and crisis reporting. The attack left 14 victims dead and dozens more injured. The newspaper’s Green Eyeshade wins include: n First place, breaking news reporting: Staff, Bourbon Street terror attack coverage n First place, deadline disaster and crisis reporting: Staff, Bourbon Street terror attack coverage n First place, data-driven reporting: Jeff Adelson and Jillian Kramer, “Longing for Justice” n First place, courts, crime and the law reporting: Jillian Kramer and Jeff Adelson, “Longing for Justice” n Second place, general news writing: John Simerman and Andrea Gallo, death penalty coverage n Second place, nondeadline disaster and crisis reporting: Staff, Bourbon Street terror attack coverage n Third place, public affairs and policy reporting: Mike Smith, “The River’s Reckoning.”
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Homeless students succeed thanks to army of quiet supporters In the Lafayette Parish School System, there has been a long-term, unseen battle to serve students who are without stable and secure housing. And the people on the front lines of that battle deserve all of our undying gratitude. Last year, there were 1,107 children in the Lafayette Parish School System enrolled as unhoused students. They were living in shelters, cars or hotels or doubled up with other families as they had no place to call home. They range in age from pre-K to high school and are represented in all 46 schools in the system. The challenges for unhoused students are immense. Without a reliable place to do homework or access the internet, they can have trouble completing assignments. Parents without a regular address often don’t get information about school activities. Some don’t know what resources are available to them It is the job of Amy Fontenot, who is the federal programs manager for the Homeless Education Program at LPSS, and her team of facilitators to make sure they know. Identifying students who are unhoused can be difficult. Often they don’t want anyone to realize they are experiencing homelessness. But to make sure they get through their schooling like all other students, assistance is necessary. The Homeless Education Program provides help with obtaining uniforms and school supplies. It can point families to federal aid, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and SSI, which helps people with disabilities. Sometimes, school is the first point of contact for families who are struggling, and federal law requires that school systems provide equal access to education for students who are unhoused. But the Homeless Education Program in Lafayette goes above and beyond. It keeps uniforms available in every size for students who are in need. It provides transportation for students who may not have a way to get to school, sending cabs to wherever they are staying. They respond when students are struggling, providing connections to medical or mental health services when needed. They provide wraparound services for families that can help them through a difficult patch. This is the quiet behind-the-scenes work that helps give unhoused kids in Lafayette the best chance to go on and achieve their dreams. And we salute those that do the work day in and day out. The results are easy to see. Fontenot said the program had its highest graduation rate ever last year, with about 38 students obtaining either a traditional diploma or a high school equivalency credential. This is no small feat. These are students who could have easily dropped out or been written off. But thanks to the Homeless Education Program, their future is bright. It’s important that we all support programs like this that provide a safety net for those who could easily fall through the cracks.
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St. Tammany needs housing, but respect the flood risks
The recent headline asks, “Following St. Tammany subdivisions veto, developers wonder where, if they can build homes.” Perhaps the better question is: How do we build here? The article cites St. Tammany Parish’s Comprehensive Housing Needs Assessment and its finding that thousands of additional homes are needed. But that same assessment says new housing should not be built on unsuitable land such as floodplains, and it recommends enhanced restrictions on residential development in floodprone areas. Its survey found flood risk ranked first among factors respondents identified when selecting where to live, with 75% identifying it as important. Citing the Housing Needs Assessment’s projected need while ignoring these findings cherry-picks the study, making the claim that developers have nowhere to build indefensible. That does not mean these properties cannot be developed. They already have zoning allowing development. The question was whether placing approximately 800 families in an area with documented riverine flood hazards and inadequate infrastructure should be parish policy.
Parish President Mike Cooper made his position clear with his veto, noting that the Housing Needs Assessment also says new development should avoid flood-prone areas and be located where infrastructure can handle it. Northshore Riverwatch provided the Parish Council with modern FEMA flood modeling, historical data and photographs of area-wide flooding. Engineering can reduce flood risk, but it cannot eliminate it. Floods can and do exceed the events we design for, and the historical record shows those exceedances occur with troubling regularity. Large fill projects can intensify existing riverine flood risks in a community. So how do we build here? Large developments requiring extensive fill belong outside known riverine floodhazard areas. That’s responsible land-use planning, not anti-development. St. Tammany needs housing. Housing demand is real. So are the floodplains. How we build matters.
MATTHEW ALLEN founder and executive director, Northshore Riverwatch Folsom
Don’t punish players for the broken football system Attacks on LSU football coach Lane Kiffin and programs giving waived NFL rookies another chance are aimed at the wrong target. Kiffin is defending young men being chewed up by a system run by adults. That is Saban-like leadership. Players trust advisers and chase the NFL dream, only to be discarded months later without playing a game. Then the NCAA and conferences close the college door. Meanwhile, these leaders allow high school players and families to be manipulated by the pay-for-play marketplace they built or permitted. Teenagers navigate agents, contracts and transfer inducements before playing a college snap. The adults profit, then blame the kids when bad decisions follow. College football granted extraordinary eligibility relief after the 2020 COVID season. Yet when this group seeks one final season, conference leaders suddenly discover rigid limits and “competitive balance.” If these players are qualified and eligible under the evolving rules, let
STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON
LSU head coach Lane Kiffin
them return. If college leaders oppose second chances, make the rule prospective and absolute: No player may leave college early for the NFL. Otherwise, protect those who go undrafted or are waived before the season. Stop attacking coaches willing to fight for players. Hold the adults who created this mess accountable.
LSU is standing up for its players, even when they are not stars A rash of court decisions over the past several years has established that the NCAA has been unfairly imposing arbitrary eligibility rules for decades, and finally, players have had enough. Revenue sharing for college athletes has put an emphatic end to pure amateurism; literally, schools are paying players to play. The latest fail by the NCAA was making the “five for five” rule regarding a fifth year of college eligibility starting with the class of 2022, but announcing it after players from 2022, who had already played four years of football, thought they had no choice but to try the NFL. As for SEC commissioner Greg Sankey, why didn’t he threaten suspensions and fines when Vandy let Diego Pavia play or when Ole Miss fought for Trinidad Chambliss to play, after they were both ruled ineligible by the NCAA and then went to court? It is hypocritical of Vandy and Ole Miss to vote to punish schools who play athletes who the courts say are eligible, because that is exactly what they are doing and have done. As for why LSU would allow those players to play, consider that It is harder to stand up for a principle, like fairness to college athletes, when you are not fighting for star players. The players in the lawsuits are just young men and women who want to be treated fairly and let the courts decide. They include men and women in various sports, not just football. When people ask why LSU would risk penalties and bad press for a backup football player, they should ask why the NCAA and SEC have turned a blind eye to star quarterbacks who got courts to let them break the rules and have only issued threats when someone fights for players who are not stars.
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COMMENTARY Which Republican will run to succeed Trump in 2028? Over the last year or so, President Donald Trump has sometimes pointed to Vice President JD Vance as his preference for the 2028 Republican presidential nomination. Sometimes he has spoken favorably of Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and sometimes of a Vance-Rubio “dream team.” Every now and then, Trump has referred to unspecified others who might emerge. Lately, we’ve had reports that two others, Byron Republican Sen. Ted York Cruz, R-Texas, and War Secretary Pete Hegseth, might be considering a move in 2028. (Cruz has said he is thinking about it, while Hegseth has denied any such intentions.) And now, Trump has said he expects there will be other candidates as well. In the Oval Office, Trump was asked whether he had seen reports that Hegseth is considering a run. “Could you see yourself supporting him?” a reporter asked. Trump praised the war secretary but stayed noncommittal on any presidential race. “I think he’s doing a fantastic job,” Trump said of Hegseth. “But it’s very early to talk about that. We have to get through the midterms first. I think he’s a very good guy, but I’ll bet there’s a lot of people considering it that you don’t know about. You probably have — you have a lot of people.” Trump did not elaborate. Was he saying that he knew of a lot of people considering it — information the public did not currently have? Or was he just guessing that there are a lot of possible candidates? In any event, it was quite clear that Trump envisions a 2028 Republican race that expands beyond Vance or Rubio, or Vance and Rubio. “It’s no secret that I want to be president,” Cruz said on a podcast recently. The Texas Republican described presidential ambition as “a bug that history has proved is rarely ended” and suggested that he has a permanent case of it. Without offering any support, Trump
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ALEX BRANDON
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, right, speaks as President Donald Trump and Jennifer Hegseth listen during a meeting about military families in Washington. said of a Cruz run, “I think he might do that. He’s a talented guy.” Political veterans will remember that Cruz ran for the GOP nomination in 2016, when he hit a brick wall named Donald J. Trump. Cruz lasted longer than most of Trump’s GOP opponents and ended his campaign with a bitter tirade against Trump. He then pointedly refused to endorse the nominee at the Republican convention. Still, the voters have a way of turning a politician’s head around, and Cruz became a prominent supporter of President Trump, and has been so for the last decade. For his part, Hegseth denied the NBC News report that he “has told close friends and associates that he is considering a run for president in 2028.” NBC said that Hegseth and his wife, Jennifer, “have floated the idea of a presidential run for the past few months, believing he has some of the same attributes that have made Donald Trump popular with the MAGA movement.” “100 percent false,” Hegseth wrote
on X. “We told NBC that, but they just lie with anonymous ‘sources.’” NBC attributed some of the story to buzz surrounding Hegseth’s trip to Iowa to campaign for Republican midterm candidates. Beyond a brief and unsuccessful entry into a Republican primary for the Senate from Minnesota back in 2012, Hegseth has never run for anything. As Trump said, it’s very early. But it’s not too early to see that potential GOP candidates might view 2028 as 1) an enormously important race to define at least the initial post-Trump direction of the Republican Party, and 2) a race that should include more than one or two candidates. That doesn’t mean any other candidate beyond Vance or Rubio can gain traction. Perhaps they can’t. But at this point, who knows? The party isn’t locked into anything. If you can’t imagine the race moving beyond two men, perhaps you’re not imagining enough. Byron York is on X, @Bryon York.
Elites vary, depending on who you ask Is celebrity streamer Hasan Piker an For progressives dreaming of an elite? Is the president of Harvard just economic revolution (and beating back an ordinary working Joe? Or is it the Republican attacks on universities and reverse? Or is it the billionaires who mainstream media outlets), this might really run things? seem like heartening news: Their moWho, in other words, is the elite? ment has finally arrived! Lakshya Jain, In America’s populist era, everyone the Argument’s pollster, suggested that wants to believe they are the possibility in a recent newsletchampion of Jane Q. Public ter that argued the public is “far against the corrupt, self-dealing more aligned with the left-wing insiders who are running the theory of the elites, which incountry to suit themselves. dexes more heavily on economic Almost no one will cop to being power.” one of those insiders. ConservaThat’s certainly the theory of Megan M eega gan tive legislators position themMcArdle every Democratic campaign ad I’ve seen this primary season, selves as plucky Davids standall of which seem to hit three ing up to the Goliath hive mind themes: fight Trump, make things afof left-leaning journalists, academics, activists and bureaucrats who exert a fordable for ordinary people and tax shadowy control over government and billionaires. But peering into the Argucorporations. The left is equally conment’s poll, I came away unsure that there is such a thing as systematic antivinced it’s the underdog but has been elite politics. Rather, I suspect that the having a bruising fight over whether only people truly obsessed with elites the hated elites should be defined as are other elites, and anti-elite politics the White male power structure or as is often intra-elite politics wearing corporations and the ultrarich. A poll of 3,000 registered voters con- glasses and a fake mustache. The poll’s most surprising finding is ducted in late July by the Argument, that voters don’t really have a clear a publication devoted to promoting sense of what the elites are up to. “The liberalism, suggests that people are electorate sees elites as believing in most receptive to the latter definition. everything that ordinary people don’t For those polled, billionaires count as elites, as do celebrities and maybe cor- agree with. To be elite is to be the opposite of the average American,” porate executives and politicians. ColJain wrote. For example, voters told lege professors and journalists don’t. pollsters that elites were mostly rich So were those of us who spent years complaining about the hard-left turn of people and business executives — and then said that elites were more likely elite institutions wrong? than other people to support nationalNot quite. I’d argue we were right — five years ago. America doesn’t have izing most American businesses. one elite but many, and at any given This is incoherent. But then, ordinary time, the public is hopping mad at voters are often incoherent in this way, some of them, but not necessarily the because most of them don’t pay attensame ones as they used to be. Right tion to politics, and even when they do, now, wealth looms larger than woke they’re often rooting for a team rather media, in part for the reasons I laid out than rooting around in policy detail. in my recent column: Collapsing public Though it’s now unfashionable to trust and a fragmented media environ- praise elites, this is why we need them. ment have greatly diminished the influ- A complex modern society cannot be run by a show of hands. The public ence of legacy journalism.
simply wants too many incompatible things, such as more spending, lower budget deficits and no new taxes on anyone except billionaires. Some group of people must be informed enough to understand that this is mathematically impossible and powerful enough to negotiate acceptable compromises. The public knows when illegal immigration seems to have gotten out of hand but not how immigration rules affect the price of produce. It knows that it wants less crime and a fair shake from the justice system but not why judges prevent juries from hearing certain kinds of evidence. It knows it wants safe planes, comfy seats with legroom, minimal travel delays and cheap tickets, but it does not understand the first thing about aviation safety or airline operations. Unfortunately, elites who do have strong opinions about such things have recently given in to the temptation to frame these questions not as disagreements over trade-offs but as a fight between the public and abusive elites. Some of that always happens in a democracy, of course, but not to the extent we’ve seen over the last 10 years. Elites are no longer merely sparring with each other; they are launching all-out attacks on the institutions that regulate elite power and make a functional democracy possible. If it gets them one inch closer to power, they will pack the courts, censor the press, limit academic freedom, use prosecutorial power to persecute political opponents or deny the legitimacy of election results. They will do it under the pretense that this is necessary to stop elites from oppressing the common people. I don’t know how much the public buys any of this. But I do know that as long as elites keep trying to sell it, we’ll keep tearing each other apart. Megan McArdle is on X, @asymmetricinfo.
Space and data projects could learn from children’s books When considering the data center in Richland Parish, beware of IT. When considering the SpaceX facility in Vermilion Parish, beware of IT. If the subject is carbon capture, or storage of nuclear waste inside offshore salt domes or, well, just about anything else, beware of IT. And while you’re at it, beware of joining the dwarfs. The references above are from children’s literature. In Madeleine L’Engle’s classic, “A Wrinkle in Time,” the great enemy, known as IT, was a giant, “disembodied brain. ... that pulsed and quivered, that seized and commanded.” And “IT was the Quin most horrible, repellent thing.” Hillyer The result of IT’s regime was that everybody thought in unison, acted in unison, so much so that even the children bounced their balls and skipped their ropes in perfect unison, while each house had exactly the same design and even the same number of flowers. Not a single person thought for himself. Then there were the dwarfs in “The Last Battle,” the final book of C.S. Lewis’ famed Narnia series. Thrown through a stable door that actually was a portal into heaven, the dwarfs could not be convinced that they were in anything but a dark, dank, disgusting barn. Offered the finest food and wine, they insisted they were being given hay and rotten turnip leaves and dirty water from a donkey’s trough. “Well at least there’s no Humbug here,” they said. “We haven’t let anyone take us in. The Dwarfs are for the Dwarfs.” Now, you ask, how does any of this apply to SpaceX or a Meta data center? Well, it applies the same way it does to almost any politicized controversy these days. Each side immediately chooses its own IT and quickly gives up all independent thought. And each side becomes so tribal and insular, like the Narnian dwarfs, that it denies even the best things about reality while insisting that the evil establishment is out to get them — out to fool them, out to cheat them. The Lion-Christ Aslan explains: “Their prison is only in their own minds, yet they are in that prison; and so afraid of being taken in that they can not be taken out.” In today’s politics, it seems, nowhere is there room for questions on either side. There’s no room for doubt. There’s no middle ground. So when the data center or the space pad gets announced, one side tells us the projects are such unmitigated blessings that we must abandon all transparency, forgo all questions, waive almost all regulations and oppositional legal options. We must all accept IT’s guidance, all bounce our balls in rhythm, all bow in uniformity. Or, if we follow a different IT, we must man our ramparts in unyielding opposition, try to block everything and, by gosh, refuse to be taken in. Promise us heaven on Earth, or at least enough jobs and education to seem like civic heaven, and we insist we’re being offered barnyard offal and by golly, our little band of dwarfs will retreat into fierce formation in our sad little corners. The pro-development side will cite the wisdom that the early bird gets the worm and that he who hesitates is lost. The antidevelopment side will say that haste makes waste and we should look before we leap. The truth, counterintuitively, is that all four maxims are correct: Too much delay and dithering can be disastrous, but so too can too much impulsiveness. To use other references from children’s fiction, when Gov. Jeff Landry requires so many officials to sign nondisclosure agreements and insists, with President Donald Trump, on bulldozing environmental reviews, it’s no wonder his opponents think he sounds like Kaa the Python (from “The Jungle Book”) hissing “Trust in me, just in me.” Yet the opponents often sound, annoyingly and counterproductively, like “The Boy Who Said No!” To both sides, we should say: Can we please find a way to “get to yes,” but still ask questions? Yes, we desperately need jobs in Richland Parish, but can we have more details on how the massive water needs will be met? Yes, we love reaching for the stars and love the idea of a $100 billion investment in Vermilion Parish, but how will you mitigate harms to fisheries or wetlands? Can we slow down just a little, without it meaning “stop?” Let’s emerge from our corners. Leave behind the rote groupthink of our side’s IT. We need no artificial intelligence to know that the space we now need is the space to get the details right. Email Quin Hillyer at quin.hillyer@ theadvocate.com
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Livingston data center rumors circulate Commercial tract off La. 447 could be potential site
BY GIGI LIMAN Staff writer
Rumors have started swirling about a data center potentially coming to Livingston Parish. In recent days, posts circulating on social media have claimed that one of the centers used by tech companies to power artificial intelligence computing is on its way, asserting that a deal has been made and that elected officials have signed nondisclosure agreements to keep it hidden from the public. In response, Parish President Randy Delatte put out a video Tuesday saying he had not signed an NDA and that there was “no data center project that I can announce today.” But that doesn’t mean there might not be one in the future. A 691-acre commercial tract off La. 447 in Walker is on the market, and its broker is pitching it as a potential data center, Delatte said in an interview. “There has been a broker that wants to bring a data center in,” Delatte said. “He doesn’t have a client yet, so he has to go through that process, and the client has to look to see if that can work for them.” Delatte said he supports the idea of bringing a data center to the property, contingent on the details. “I would surely try my best for
that to happen for nothing else but the amount of money that would come in to improve the services that Livingston Parish needs,” Delatte said. The land, brokered by Reeder Capital Partners of Texas, had previously been pitched as a residential subdivision, then a garbage dump, then a Buc-ee’s. Earlier this year, it almost became a battery plant, Delatte said. The switch from residential to commercial zoning helped fuel the rumors about an AI facility coming to town, along with reports that a Livingston Parish Council member signed an NDA in 2025. Delatte pointed out the property would bring in around $140 million in annual property tax as a reason to back the data center idea. With that level of income, he said, residents could receive rebates on their Livingston Parish government taxes. Data centers also offer permanent technical jobs to surrounding residents once the facilities are up and running and construction jobs before then. Delatte said he has met several Livingston residents who commute to Richland Parish to work on construction of a data center there. “To me, it’s a win-win,” Delatte said. “But I will listen to the will of the people.” He said he would hope to use additional revenue from the infrastructure project to increase pay for teachers and sheriff’s deputies, much like has been done in Richland Parish, where Meta is building
STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON
Cars fill a parking lot at the south end of the Meta data center site as construction can be seen surrounded by rural farmland along La. 80 in Holly Ridge on Aug. 4. a $50 billion Meta Hyperion center. Some teachers in Richland Parish will rake in an extra $50,000 in bonuses thanks to the sales tax boom brought in by Meta, according to the parish’s chamber of commerce. “It’s not fair for our teachers to make less money than surrounding parishes. It’s not fair for our law enforcement, people who risk their lives on a daily basis, to be making $37,000 a year,” Delatte said. A Livingston Parish center would have a lot of company in the state. Construction is underway on a $2.5 billion Hut 8 artificial intelligence data center in West Feliciana Parish. Amazon is building an $18 billion multicampus data center development that will span Caddo and Bossier parishes. Another $3.6 billion AI intelligence factory is
planned for Rapides Parish. While data centers provide massive financial rewards to their communities, they can also impose burdens on nearby residents. Concerns about the developments have largely focused on the massive amounts of water and electricity the centers require, which has led to increased energy and utility bills for nearby residents of existing centers. The facilities also emit loud, continuous noise that can seep beyond the private property. In June, Gov. Jeff Landry signed an executive order that places some restraints on the impact data centers can have on the cost of energy. Several parishes have attempted to enact proactive policies regulating data centers before they face a
proposal. The Ascension Parish Council is moving to create new rules for how and where data centers could pop up across the parish, even though none have been proposed there, and the St. Charles Parish Council passed zoning and noise ordinances in June directed at future data center developments. Livingston does not have parishspecific ordinances, and none have been proposed, but council members reached for comment expressed caution about the prospect of a data center coming to town. “I think there’s a huge discrepancy between what it could be and what it is,” council member John Mangus said. “I’m willing to entertain it, but I can’t say I’m 100% for it.” “Right now, I’m for holding back,” council member Joe Erdey said. “I personally need more information, and we don’t have that yet.” Delatte said a deal would work only if residents’ water and utilities bills would be protected. Data centers are increasingly using closedloop systems for water consumption, which recirculate water and limit additional usage. This type of system, which will be used by the Meta center in Richland Parish, would be necessary for a proposed deal to get Delatte’s stamp of approval, he said. He added that he would want a hypothetical data center to furnish its own electricity. Whether that would ultimately be required would be part of the discussion if the proposal advances to that stage.
Police chief fired amid controversy in Miss. city Officer shot and killed a 1-year-old child in June
BY SOPHIE BATES Associated Press
The police chief of a northern Mississippi city where a 1-yearold Black child, Kohen Wiley, was shot and killed by police responding to a shoplifting call was fired Tuesday amid a new controversy. Senatobia Police Chief Harold Vanderford submitted his resignation the same day, but the city’s Board of Aldermen declined to acknowledge it and instead voted unanimously to fire the chief, according to the city clerk, who did not elaborate on their reasons. The firing followed reporting by The New York Times and others last month that alleged Vanderford used racist slurs in private text conversations with a col-
league. It also comes amid the aftermath of the child’s shooting and other incidents. The toddler was fatally shot and another woman was wounded June 14 after a Senatobia police officer fired into a vehicle while investigating a shoplifting call at a Walmart. The boy’s mother, Vellesiya Wiley, denied that she or a friend accompanying her had stolen anything, and no charges have been filed against them. The officer who shot Kohen and the woman driving the car the child was in has been placed on administrative leave while the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation looks into the shooting. Kohen was Black, as is his mother. The death ignited anger in a small city where tensions between Black residents and the police have boiled over in recent years. Senatobia, with a population of more than 8,000, is about 40 miles south of Memphis. “I believe the Board has a re-
sponsibility to protect the integrity and trust of the Senatobia Police Department,” Alderman Demetrius Garrett wrote in a Facebook post. “I still believe in unity. But unity does not mean ignoring serious issues it means standing together for what is right.” The city had previously addressed the reporting about Vanderford’s texts, saying in a statement on Aug. 25 that he had appeared before the mayor and board to answer questions and that he would continue to serve as police chief. Senatobia Alderman Chris McConnell called for an independent investigation of the Police Department. “We need answers about departmental leadership, internal culture, the handling of complaints and misconduct, financial practices, and whether the Board has been receiving the information necessary to provide proper oversight,” McConnell said in a
statement. “Our citizens deserve a police department they can trust.” National civil rights attorney Ben Crump, representing Kohen’s family, called the chief’s firing the “right decision.” “The racist language that cost Chief Vanderford his job is exactly why this family cannot simply be told to trust the process,” Crump said in a statement calling for the Mississippi Bureau of Investigations to release body-camera footage of the shooting. “Give this family the facts they have been owed since the day Kohen died.” The Senatobia Police Department declined to comment on the firing, and Vanderford could not be immediately located for a response Wednesday. Vanderford was appointed police chief on Sept. 29 after the Board of Aldermen declined to reappoint the previous chief, Richard Chandler, in July of that year. Chandler led the department
through several controversies. They included the 2023 arrest of a 10-year-old Black boy for urinating in public and an incident in which an officer threatened a woman with a Taser and pulled her from her car during a dispute over a handicapped parking space outside the same Walmart where the child was shot. “You removed Richard Chandler,” said Senatobia community activist Patrick Lumumba. “But you did not remove the culture of racism, and that’s what Vanderford harbors.” Following the child’s death, Lumumba formed the Senatobia Committee for Accountability and Transparency, a community watchdog group that is demanding answers about the June shooting and advocating for better policing. He voiced confidence in Lt. Angelica Maze, who will serve as the department’s interim police chief, calling her a “good person.”
Metairie jeweler charged in money laundering Officials say Savoie failed to turn over clients’ money
BY MICHELLE HUNTER Staff writer
The Jefferson Parish District Attorney’s Office filed charges against a Metairie jeweler accused of failing to turn over tens of thousands of dollars he received after authorities say he sold gold coins, diamonds, watches and other valuables for his customers. Ira Savoie, 71, was charged Aug. 25 with money laundering valued over $100,000 and seven counts of exploitation of the elderly, according to court records. Investigators don’t believe that Savoie, of Savoie Fine Jewelry, still has the cash he
allegedly received from the sales. Savoie told authorities he was tricked out of the money by con artists who fooled him with gift card scams, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office said. The Sheriff’s Office opened an investigation in early April after receiving a complaint from a victim who accused Savoie of theft, said Sgt. Brandon Veal, spokesperson for the department. As detectives began investigating, they identified at least eight victims. A 74-year-old man told investigators Savoie agreed to sell a 3.6-carat diamond from a ring he owned for $15,000. In January 2026, Savoie notified the man that the diamond had been sold and promised a check. But the victim told investigators he never received any money or got the diamond back, the Sheriff’s Office said. Savoie wrote a $20,523
check that bounced to a 75-year-old woman for whom he’d sold $20,523 worth of gold coins, bracelets and other items, according to court records. Detectives searching Savoie’s business identified another victim when they recovered his gold American Waltham Watch Co. pocket watch valued at $15,000. They returned the watch to the 65-year-old owner, who said Savoie owed him $10,500 for a diamond that had reportedly been sold, according to authorities. During questioning, Savoie confessed to selling the victims’ valuables but told detectives he’d fallen victim to “several scams.” Savoie admitted following instructions to buy gift cards that he then provided to swindlers, according to authorities. Gift card scammers use a number of methods to siphon money out of victims, includ-
ing posing as online romantic partners in need of quick cash or phony government officials urgently seeking payment of a fine, according to the Federal Trade Commission. The Sheriff’s Office didn’t provide any details about which version of the scam they suspect Savoie fell for. No information was available about why Savoie was charged with money laundering instead of theft. The Jefferson Parish District Attorney’s Office does not comment on open cases. Judson Mitchell, a clinical professor with the Loyola College of Law, said gift cards are a classic tool used for money laundering, the act of making dirty money appear clean. “Basically, you have cash proceeds from an illegal transaction … and you can’t take it down to the bank because there are a lot of fi-
nancial safeguards in place where they report large deposits,” Mitchell said. “So, you put it in a legitimate system or business to give the money the appearance of being legitimate.” Savoie was free Tuesday on a $75,000 bond, according to court records. He is scheduled to be arraigned Oct. 1.
Jefferson deputy accused of drunken driving in patrol car BY MICHELLE HUNTER Staff writer
The Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office arrested a deputy accused of battering his girlfriend and driving his patrol vehicle while intoxicated, according to authorities. Kyle Nugent, 34, was arrested Monday night in Harvey and booked with DWI, reckless operation of a vehi-
cle, hit-and-run driving and battery of a dating partner involving strangulation, said Capt. Jason Rivarde, spokesperson for the Sheriff’s Office. Nugent, a nine-year veteran of the department, was fired, Rivarde said. He was arrested about 11:45 p.m. in the parking lot of an apartment complex in the 1400 block of Central
Park Boulevard in Harvey where the incident took place. The location is near the Sheriff’s Office’s 2nd Patrol District headquarters at 1551 Central Park Boulevard. Nugent is accused of committing a battery against his girlfriend, Rivarde said. No information was available Tuesday evening about whether she suffered any injuries.
At some point, Nugent also hit another vehicle with his patrol unit, police said. He was taken into custody in the parking lot. Nugent was being held without bail Tuesday evening at the Jefferson Parish Correctional in Gretna on the DWI and battery counts. Bail was set at $1,000 on the other counts, according to court records.
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Obituaries Cormier, Connie Marie LeGros
Connie Marie LeGros Cormier, 73. Visitation will be at Fountain Memorial Funeral Home in Lafayette, LA on September 4, 2026, from 2:00 pm until 8:00 pm and resumes September 5, 2026, at St. Edmond Roman Catholic Church from 12:00 pm until Mass at 1:00 pm. Guest book may be viewed at www.fountainmemorialf uneralhome.com. Fountain Memorial Funeral Home and Cemetery, 1010 Pandora St. 337-981-7098 is in charge of arrangements.
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C L E M S O N A T L S U • 6 : 3 0 P. M . S A T U R D A y • A B C
Final questions
BY KEVIN FOOTE Staff writer
STAFF FILE PHOTO
Fireworks erupt as LSU players take the field in Tiger Stadium in an undated photo. More fireworks are expected Saturday night when LSU hosts Clemson in the season opener for both teams.
As LSU’s opener nears, let’s try to tie up some loose ends
W
ä LSU’s Ausberry: College sports nearing financial ‘cliff.’ PAGE 3C
e’ve gone from months to weeks to days to hours away until LSU opens the
Lane Kiffin era Saturday night in Tiger Stadium against Clemson. Kickoff is officially at 6:30 p.m. on ABC, but as Kiffin said Monday, it will probably be closer to 6:49 p.m. Without a moment to lose, we figured it would be a good time to squeeze in a question-and-answer column before foot meets ball:
Scott Rabalais Will LSU continue its recent tradition of blockbuster season openers under Kiffin? It doesn’t sound like it. Believe it or not, this is LSU’s first home opener since 2020. The past five years LSU has opened at neutral sites or away, as with last year’s 17-10 win at Clemson. “This is a great matchup,” Kiffin said Monday. “I’m excited to be a part of it.” Well, maybe not that excited. From
2022-25, Kiffin’s Ole Miss teams opened with Troy, Mercer, Furman and Georgia State, winning by a combined average score of 60-6. “This is a really challenging opener,” he said. “Something we really haven’t been a part of. We made our schedules differently.” Maybe it’s Kiffin or maybe the ball was already rolling in that direction, but most of LSU’s openers will look quite different going forward. The Tigers open at home in 2027 against Northwestern State,
ä See RABALAIS, page 3C
Clemson’s ‘nobodies’ have plenty of juice BY JON BLAU Staff writer
All preseason, Clemson coach Dabo Swinney has described his team in five words. “Just a bunch of nobodies,” he said all of August, with a sly grin on his face. If those words are taken literally, it should strengthen the confidence of the LSU faithful and Las Vegas oddsmakers heading into Lane Kiffin’s debut. LSU went into Clemson’s Death Valley just ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By JACOB KUPFERMAN a year ago, beating an ACC power with nine Clemson linebacker Sammy Brown reacts NFL draft picks. This year, Clemson has to during last season’s game against LSU in make a return trip to LSU’s Death Valley, Clemson, S.C. light those pro players and behind a first-year starting quarterback. It’s not as star-studded a team, but it’s wise During Clemson’s heyday, the colorful coach not to take Swinney completely at his word. talked all the time about “little ole Clemson”
It’s been a long journey of steady progress for UL senior linebacker Jake St. Andre since arriving in Cajun Country from Haughton High five years ago. Many athletes don’t experience the methodical ascension up the depth chart St. Andre has enä Lamar joyed. “It’s kind of been at UL. 7 P.M. steady growth the SATURDAy, entire time I’ve been ESPN+ here,” St. Andre said. “It started out being a redshirt and then the scout team.” The next step was carving out a role on special teams “and embracing that role.” That approach led to the coaching staff trusting him enough to give him elevated duties on the defense last season, and he registered 50 tackles and two quarterback hurries. As St. Andre begins his final season with the Ragin’ Cajuns at 7 p.m. Saturday against Lamar at Our Lady of Lourdes Stadium, the 6-foot, 220-pound linebacker is in a key leadership position for the UL defense. “It’s kind of been that same, steady rise as a leader as it was with my roles,” St. Andre said. The beauty for St. Andre is he took enough mental notes over the years that he’s ready for his chance to lead. “A lot of guys have been great leaders that I’ve played with and played alongside and learned from, seeing how they went about their business,” he said. “Like when KC Ossai was here, he was one of the best leaders that you can learn from. When you see guys like that, there’s always something you can learn from.” Defensive coordinator Jim Salgado has noticed the progress. “Yeah, Jake’s the leader,” he said. “He’s been around here the longest. He can communicate and get everybody lined up at times, and things are moving fast. It might be a hesitation, but he can get guys lined up.” St. Andre isn’t a one-man show on defense, but he’s expected to be the lighthouse that leads to better communication between the linebackers and secondary to prevent giving up
ä See ST. ANDRE, page 3C
overcoming the odds against the bigger blue bloods of college football. He likes to play underdog, especially coming off a season where Clemson succumbed to the “rat poison” of expectations, finishing 7-6 with a roster filled with NFL prospects. It’s not surprising to hear Swinney tamp down expectations and hand out little to no praise of his players. But are they just a bunch of nobodies? Not quite. In fact, there’s enough talent there to give LSU a scare in its own stadium. Here’s why.
More complete defense Clemson lost a couple of top-35 picks along the defensive line in Peter Woods and T.J. Parker, but it’s possible Tom Allen has a
ä See CLEMSON, page 3C
STAFF PHOTO By BRAD KEMP
UL linebacker Jake St. Andre, a former walk-on, is now a starting linebacker for the Cajuns.
For a decade, Wood’s job has been a snap for Saints Veteran specialist goes largely unnoticed, and that’s a good thing
BY ROD WALKER Staff writer
STAFF PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD
Saints long snapper Zach Wood snaps the ball during a training camp practice on Aug. 9 in Metairie. Wood is entering his 10th season with the team.
If things go according to plan, this will be the only time Zach Wood’s name appears in a story about the Saints this season. If you have kept up with the Saints’ oh-so-reliable long snapper, you know things typically go as planned. That’s why Wood is entering his 10th season with the Saints. He’s been around just as long as Alvin Kamara. Cam Jordan is the only teammate who has been in New Orleans longer. But unlike Jordan and Kamara, chances are you wouldn’t even recognize Wood if he walked pass
ä Saints at Lions. NOON SEPT. 13, FOX
you on the street. That’s how it goes when you’re playing the position that never gets mentioned unless something goes terribly wrong. “Every time I hear about long snappers, that gets said,” Wood said. “And that’s the truest thing ever. It would be nice to have a pat on the butt every now and then for having a great game. But if I’m never getting bothered at all, that’s fine.” Long snappers don’t get much ink, but Wood deserves his. I can’t recall ever seeing him having a bad snap, although he assures me
it’s happened. “I’ve had bad snaps,” Wood said. “Hopefully not egregious enough for everybody to notice. But for me, I have a standard and if a snap is not that, I consider it a bad snap. I’ve had quite a few of those that I’m not super happy about.” Wood, who plays a position often taken for granted, doesn’t take his job for granted. He’s been a steady cog on a special teams unit that has had its share of turnover in recent years. The days when you could just pencil in Wood on the 53-man roster alongside punter Thomas Morstead and kicker Wil Lutz are long gone. The Saints will have their
ä See WOOD, page 3C
2C ● Thursday, September 3, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate
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Koval explains departure from LSU Ukrainian center says roster addition led to move
BY REED DARCEY
Staff writer
Former LSU women’s basketball center Kate Koval said Wednesday in a statement that the Tigers’ decision to recruit a Russian player had a “deeply personal effect” on her. Koval, a junior from Ukraine, left the team on Aug. 23, nine days after coach Kim Mulkey announced that she and her staff had signed a 17-year-old Russian center named Anna Minaeva. Koval’s father is part of the Ukrainian military, and he “takes tremendous pride in defending his country against Russian aggression,” the 6-foot-5 center said in the statement. “For me,” Koval said, “this war is not distant or abstract. People close to me have been killed and wounded in Russian attacks, and places where I grew up and first began playing basketball have been destroyed by missile strikes. “The timing of this situation and the deeply personal effect it has had on me, my family and those we care about who continue to live through and fight this war ultimately made me question whether LSU remained the right place for me.” Koval also said that she did not learn that LSU had decided to recruit Minaeva until after the transfer portal closed in April. She said her decision to leave the program was “not easy” and that she hopes that the NCAA will allow her to compete for a different team during the 2026-27 season. “While I understand and respect that roster decisions are a part of college basketball,” Koval said, “I have to remain true to myself, my values and my country. “I felt I had found a home at LSU, and I am incredibly grateful for my teammates who became family, as well as my coaches, staff, professors and the entire LSU community. I will always cherish the relationships, experiences, and memories I made
Kubiak selects Cousins as Raiders starting QB
HENDERSON, Nev. — Kirk Cousins, as expected, will be the starting quarterback for the Raiders when Las Vegas opens its season Sept. 13 against Miami, coach Klint Kubiak announced Wednesday. Cousins ran the first-team offense nearly the entire preseason with rookie and No. 1 overall draft pick Fernando Mendoza working mostly with the second unit. The Raiders kept three quarterbacks; Aidan O’Connell returns for his fourth season. The Raiders signed Cousins, who enters his 15th season, to a twoyear deal with $20 million in guaranteed money. His previous club, the Atlanta Falcons, is responsible for $8.7 million this season. Cousins is 88-77-2 as a starter with Washington, Minnesota and Atlanta.
Vikings sign LB Van Noy to their practice squad
STAFF FILE PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK
LSU center Kate Koval, center, fights for control of the ball against Arkansas guard Bonnie Deas, left, and forward Maria Anais Rodriguez, right, on Jan. 29 at the PMAC. there.” Mulkey told The Advocate in an interview on Aug. 17 that she talked to Koval before she started recruiting Minaeva. The two met in a parked car outside Koval’s apartment complex, she said, and discussed Mulkey’s hope that Koval and Minaeva could become “ambassadors” for peace and kinship as teammates this coming season. The LSU coach thought the pairing could turn into an uplifting story. “I want you to understand I’m not here to ask you to change how you feel about Russia,” Mulkey said, recalling her conversation with Koval. “I’m just here out of respect for your family and out of respect for you to let you know. Because I know how personal it is for you. “Know that what I have to do in this business, I cannot make a decision to not recruit somebody that can help our program because of a conflict between two countries.” Koval, a former top-five national recruit, spent her freshman season at Notre Dame and her sophomore year at LSU. In 2025-26, she
All three recruits are top-five national prospects, according to ESPN rankings. Wilson Manyacka is a 6-foot-2 wing from Maryland, while Banks is a 5-10 point guard from Washington, D.C. Either player could pair well on the roster with Bradley, the towering 6-5 center from Oak Grove, a small town in northeast Louisiana. She’s one of the highest-rated recruits the state has ever produced, and she’s been verbally committed to the Tigers since April. LSU’s home game against Clemson is one of the most highly anticipated season openers in program history. ESPN’s “College GameRecruits on campus Day” is in town for the matchup, LSU commitment Caroline which is set to kick off at 6:30 p.m. Bradley is visiting Baton Rouge Saturday on ABC. Banks and Wilson Manyacka are on Friday and Saturday alongside two other high-profile recruits taking official visits around the game, the source said. Bradley’s from the 2027 high school class. Mulkey and her staff also are visit is unofficial. hosting guards Ivanna Wilson Manyacka and Jezelle “GG” Email Reed Darcey at reed. Banks, a program source con- darcey@theadvocate.com. firmed Wednesday, around the For more LSU sports updates, first game of coach Lane Kiffin’s sign up for our newsletter at tenure as the LSU football coach. theadvocate.com/lsunewsletter
started 17 of the 35 games the Tigers played, averaging 8.3 points and 6.3 rebounds per contest while shooting 56% from the field. In her statement, Koval said she “fully intended” to return to LSU for her junior season before the Tigers began recruiting Minaeva. Koval was expected to start at center in 2026-27. Now, Koval will need to obtain a waiver to play this season. NCAA rules do not allow players in any sport to leave one team and join another outside of a transfer portal window. An LSU spokesperson declined to comment for this story.
EAGAN, Minn. — The Minnesota Vikings have signed 13-year veteran outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy to their practice squad, adding some needed depth and experience at the edge rusher position. Van Noy, who was a free agent after playing the last three seasons with the Baltimore Ravens, agreed to join the Vikings on Tuesday night after visiting team headquarters. That he’s on the practice squad now means little for his ultimate role, given teams may elevate two players per game to the active roster. Van Noy, who joins his fifth team in seven years, has 57 sacks in 173 career regular-season games after playing primarily on the inside earlier in his career. He earned his first Pro Bowl selection in 2024.
Quarterback Milton rejoins Cowboys practice squad
FRISCO, Texas — Quarterback Joe Milton rejoined the Dallas Cowboys on the practice squad Wednesday after losing his backup job to offseason pickup Sam Howell. Milton was waived Monday, a day before coach Brian Schottenheimer said the nod to be the No. 2 behind Dak Prescott went to Howell because of his overall command of the offense. Milton backed up Prescott in 2025, his second year in the league after the Cowboys acquired him in a trade with New England. The 26-year-old was much better in the preseason this summer than a year ago, throwing for 378 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions.
Area boasts strong O-linemen, tight ends Braves OF Acuña fastest to reach 200 HRs and SBs
BY MIKE COPPAGE Contributing writer
Offensive linemen don’t get the recognition of the skill players, but the big men must be able to open holes and protect the quarterback. Though some teams don’t utilize a tight end, the position can be an X-factor, either adding an extra blocker or creating a mismatch in coverage against a linebacker. Here are 15 offensive linemen and tight ends to watch this season.
Cole Delahoussaye, Loreauville Loreauville coach Terry Martin is ecstatic about getting Delahoussaye back at tight end and defensive end. “He has the highest motor of any player I’ve coached,” Martin said of the senior, who tore his ACL in the 2025 preseason. Delahoussaye prefers playing offense where he takes pride in blocking. In fact, he’d rather block than catch a pass.
Evan Dulaney, Lafayette High The 6-foot, 290-pound offensive guard anticipates a great season blocking for dual-threat quarterback Richmond Saunier, and Comeaux transfers Jaden Celestine and Jaiden Portalis at running back. “We’re going to score some points and be a force to be reckoned with,” he said.
Brock Mitchell, Westgate When recruiting sites list a player as an athlete, Mitchell comes to mind. He’ll line up at tight end, wide receiver and take snaps at quarterback for the No. 2-ranked team in Class 4A. The 6-3, 195-pounder hopes to play quarterback in college. “We’re a wellrounded team with a lot of depth,” he said.
He paved the way for Joachim Michael Landry, WestminsterBourgeois to lead the area in rushLafayette ing with nearly 2,000 yards. The Pioneers, who lost in overtime to Landry made LFCA Class 1A Calvary Baptist in the Division III honorable mention all-state on both select semifinals, begin the season sides of the ball as a junior. His efranked No. 5 in Class 2A. forts were key in freshman Pierce Gable setting a school rushing reCarter Hebert, Kaplan cord. The Chargers, who won their At 6-4 and 320 pounds, Hebert is first playoff game last year, are huge by any standard, but he’s es- trending as a program that could pecially large for a center. The Pi- take a big step forward. rates, who are running the flexbone offense under new coach Vinnie Ethan Journet, Cecilia Bullara, turned heads in the preFour-star LSU commitment season with Hebert powering the Braylon Calais rushed for 1,000 yards the last two years with ground attack. Journet leading the charge. The Tyler Ritz, St. Thomas More 6-3, 310-pounder is easily the BullThe Cougars boast one of the dogs’ biggest lineman. “I’m trying state’s best offensive lines. Four to push the younger guys,” he said. of five starters return, including Ritz (6-5, 300 pounds). STM, which Baron Perkins, Teurlings Catholic always has success throwing the Perkins is the only returning STAFF PHOTO By LEE BALL ball, pounded Breaux Bridge 41-0 starter among the five interior linein the jamboree with Ritz and com- men from a team that produced an Westgate’s Brock Mitchell is pany opening the door for multiple undefeated regular season. The an athlete who will be playing left guard has tremendous size at running backs to score. multiple positions for the Tigers 6-1, 310 pounds.
this season, including tight end.
Blair Lewis, Jeanerette
Lewis made All-Metro as a freshman, the only player in his class to earn that distinction. More reThe 6-3, 210-pounder averaged cently, he was ranked by Rivals as 21.2 yards per catch as a sopho- a top-100 player in the nation. Jeanmore, hauling in 25 receptions for erette quarterback Aaron Tillman 529 yards and three touchdowns. followed the 6-6, 320-pounder’s block for a long touchdown on the He also plays linebacker. first play of last week’s jamboree John Jackson, Southside win over Loreauville. The Sharks had three players combine for nearly 4,000 yards Gavin Aguillard, Lafayette rushing, and they all return, along Christian with Jackson. “We have the potenA 5-8, 245-pound senior, Aguiltial to go all the way,” said Jackson, who is moving from tackle to lard excels against larger defenguard on the right side of the line. sive linemen with his high football IQ, according to coach Matt StanBrodie Lejeune, Notre Dame diford. He is a three-year starter The 6-3, 250-pounder was an and will play right guard for the All-Metro selection as a junior. Knights.
Max Smith, St. Edmund
Isaias Avalos, Acadiana Year in and year out, the Wreckin’ Rams rely on stellar play from the offensive line to propel their veer offense. Avalos is a 6-2, 260-pound right tackle who made All-Metro as a junior. Expect him to spring running backs DaShun Lightfoot and Syrian Joseph for many long runs.
Jayden Brown, St. Thomas More The 6-4, 260-pounder made first team all-district and All-Metro as a junior. As the Cougars’ new quarterback gets acclimated, Brown (left tackle) and his cohorts on the line will provide ample protection and move defensive linemen out of the way for a deep group of running backs.
WASHINGTON — Ronald Acuña hit a three-run homer to become the fastest player in major league history to reach 200 home runs and 200 stolen bases, and the Atlanta Braves beat the Washington Nationals 9-0 on Wednesday. Acuña hit a drive to left-center in the seventh, his 14th of the season, to make it 6-0. He needed 904 games to reach the 200/200 club. Alfonso Soriano set the previous record at 929 games in August of 2006 while playing for the Nationals against the Braves. Acuña stole the 225th base of his career and 20th of the season, swiping second after his leadoff single in the sixth against Riley Cornelio (2-2), who struck out the next two batters.
Koivun added to American team for Presidents Cup
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — Jackson Koivun was added to the U.S. team for the Presidents Cup on Tuesday just three months after leaving Auburn, one of two newcomers captain Brandt Snedeker picked for an American team that hasn’t lost in 28 years. Koivun, who won the 3M Open in his third start as a professional and qualified for the PGA Tour postseason in just five tournaments, is the first player since Jordan Spieth in 2013 to start a year without a tour card and play in the Presidents Cup. “I’m just happy he took a chance on me. I’m going to give it my all,” Koivun said. Snedeker also took Presidents Cup newcomer Jacob Bridgeman, who won at Riviera this year.
The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Thursday, September 3, 2026 ● 3C
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Ausberry: College sports nearing financial ‘cliff’ BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer
Verge Ausberry stood at the front of the room and started telling stories. He talked about Michigan basketball’s Fab Five, and how the Wolverines’ basketball starting lineup from the 1990s, despite their fame, didn’t make any money off of their name, image and likeness. He told a story about Shabazz Napier, the former UConn point guard who told reporters during the Huskies’ 2014 national championship season that there were nights where he’d go to bed starving. He also discussed lawsuits, namely landmark cases that finally began paying the athletes, that pushed the college sports world to where it is today — on the verge of driving itself off of a financial cliff. “It’s not sustainable. The cliff is coming,” Ausberry, the LSU athletic director, warned the Baton Rouge Rotary Club on Wednesday. “And by December, if we don’t have any (new legislation) in place, we’re looking at football teams jumping from $50 million to $6570 million.” LSU is playing a leading role in the chaos that has enveloped college sports.
“It’s not sustainable. The cliff is coming. And by December, if we don’t have any (new legislation) in place, we’re looking at football teams jumping from $50 million to $65-70 million.” VERGE AUSBERRy, LSU athletic director The athletic department is spending upward of $62 million for the buyouts of former men’s basketball coach Matt McMahon and former football coach Brian Kelly, and that’s before factoring in the money LSU spent on luring Lane Kiffin to replace Kelly and Will Wade to replace McMahon. The Tigers reportedly are spending more than $40 million on their football team, and the men’s basketball program has spent aggressively in adding talent from overseas. LSU also has been active in adding top transfer portal talent in women’s basketball and baseball, which also wasn’t cheap. “We can’t keep it up. We can’t sustain it,” Ausberry said. “A good football team today costs between $40 and $50 million. A basketball team, started at $12 million last year, is about $20 million (this year). A baseball team is pushing close to $10 million. A women’s basketball team is about $5 million.”
RABALAIS
Shay said recently that he believes Leavitt has a chance to “wind up being the best quarterback from this class.” That probably means more passing and less running.
Continued from page 1C UL-Monroe in 2028 and Tulane in 2030. The next opener resembling this one is 2029 against SMU in Arlington, Texas. More yawners, yes. Kiffin is thinking about more chances to ease into the season and work out some of the issues LSU must address under duress against Clemson. Is Sam Leavitt 100% ready to play after a Lisfranc foot injury sidelined him at Arizona State in November? I asked Leavitt on Tuesday whether he was going to be the same quick, elusive runner he was before his injury or more selective about taking off. “We haven’t played a game yet, so we’ll see,” Leavitt said with a grin. “No, I feel 100%. I’m ready to be a great player for this team. I feel I’m going to be the same player physically in every aspect, if not better.” A dual-threat quarterback is crucial to make the Kiffin/Charlie Weis Jr. offense run at full horsepower. In Kiffin’s six seasons at Ole Miss, the quarterback ranked second or third on the
CLEMSON
Continued from page 1C better defense in his second season as the Clemson defensive coordinator. A bust-prone secondary negated the talent Clemson had up front in 2025, finishing 120th nationally in pass defense at 251 yards allowed per game. But Swinney finally plunged into the transfer portal for some help. He grabbed Old Dominion’s Jerome Carter and Southern Miss’s Corey Myrick, who combined for 166 tackles and eight interceptions last season. Carter had 11 tackles in a season opener against eventual national champ Indiana. Clemson also added Penn State transfer Elliot Washington, who reportedly runs a sub-4.3-second 40-yard dash, to play corner opposite of Ashton Hampton, a 6-foot2, 205-pound junior who has, by all accounts, blossomed into a star in Allen’s secondary. There are unknowns at de-
ST. ANDRE
Continued from page 1C so many explosive plays this fall. “It’s been a lot better,” St. Andre said of the defense’s communication. “That’s something we talked a lot about early ... and then in spring ball, that was something we really had to be better about — from the safeties to the backs, the whole back end and even with the defensive front. “That was something we had to put a huge emphasis on, and it’s been a lot better from spring to amp to where we are now.” He is also mentoring a talented young corps of linebackers. Last year’s tackle leader Jaden Dugger is now playing for the San Francis-
That doesn’t include the legal battle set to take place in Baton Rouge on Thursday, which would determine the eligibility of multiple former NFL players looking to return to LSU for a fifth year of school. Ausberry was reluctant to dive into the specifics of the case or his thoughts on the matter, but he did say that LSU would “make sure to follow the SEC and NCAA rules.” All of it, combined with the drama that has been associated with Wade and Kiffin, has placed LSU front and center in the news since the end of last year. “Everyone is saying to me, ‘Hey Verge, every day you’re on TV,’ ” Ausberry said. “You’re supposed to be. You’re at LSU.” But free publicity alone won’t save LSU, the SEC and the rest of college sports from potential financial ruin. They need solutions to their economic reality, and Ausberry believes that two things must happen to fix the situation.
STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON
How LSU quarterback Sam Leavitt performs coming off foot surgery will go a long way in determining the outcome of Saturday’s game. team in rushing while even accounting for sack yardage. With transfer Dilin Jones at tailback, along with returners Harlem Berry, Caden Durham and others, can that much production be expected from Leavitt? Or will LSU have its first 1,000-yard rusher at tailback since Tyrion Davis-Price in 2021? NFL draft analyst Todd Mc-
fensive tackle, but Clemson has multiple edge rushers who could cause fits for LSU. Will Heldt is a 6-6, 260-pound senior who led Clemson in sacks (7.5) and tackles for loss (15.5) last fall, and Jahiem Lawson, the brother of former NFL first-round pick Shaq Lawson, has matured as a redshirt senior. Linebacker Sammy Brown has 194 tackles, including 25 for loss, in his first two seasons. He’s a former multisport athlete who wrestled and played running back in high school. Again, there are major questions at defensive tackle, especially with redshirt senior Vic Burley likely suspended for the opener. It’s also questionable whether Kobe McCloud or Jeremiah Alexander step up to give Clemson the play it needs at linebacker next to Brown after Luke Ferrelli’s late jump to Ole Miss amid a tampering saga. That’s an especially massive question with 6-7 LSU tight end Trey’Dez Green in the fold. But this is a defense that shouldn’t bust as frequently on the back end, and has the length and speed to create turnovers. If
co 49ers, so replacing his 125 tackles, 13 stops behind the line and four sacks won’t be a one-man job. St. Andre is ready to mold the next wave of play-making linebackers. For example, there’s redshirt sophomore Conor McPherson. “He’s awesome,” St. Andre said of McPherson. “First of all, he’s a great person. He really works hard. He cares a whole, whole lot. It’s been great getting to play next to him as talented as he is and as athletic as he is. When I was a younger play, I tried to learn the tricks from the older linebackers and kind of come out with game experience. “I’ve really tried to help him with that, knowing that the game speed is a little different, so you have to be able to adjust. So it’s
SEC teams are reportedly threatening to boycott games if LSU rosters players who returned from the NFL. What happens if they actually do? I don’t think that will ever happen, but if it did, they’d probably be subject to a forfeit. It would be kind of perversely poetic if LSU marched all the way to the SEC championship game on a string of forfeits. Is LSU the only school trying to do this? Certainly not. Dae’quan Wright, one of the players in the suit going before a local judge Thursday, said Ole Miss and South Carolina tried to recruit him. And On3.com reported Wednesday that multiple SEC schools are looking into adding players recently cut from NFL preseason rosters, proving that the top sport in the SEC is hypocrisy. What is Kiffin’s biggest concern about his team heading into the opener? Clearly it’s defensive tackle, where LSU appears likely to start a pair of true freshmen in
LSU struggles to block Heldt and Lawson, look out.
Dynamic duo at WR
First, he wants an antitrust exemption that would prevent the NCAA, conferences or schools from getting routinely sued in court. Secondly, he’d aim to implement a one-time transfer rule that would allow athletes to enter the portal just once before they graduate. After graduating, they’d be permitted to enter the portal again. “And that would solve pretty much all of our problems,” Ausberry said regarding the transfer rule proposal. “… That would really help us with the transfer portal. “If not, every year, you’re really re-recruiting your team (year over year), and what it does is drive the price up because you’re in a free market.” Both the antiturst exemption and the transfer rule are within the Protect College Sports Act, a bill in the U.S. Senate that has yet to pass. Ausberry offered his support for the bill Wednesday, but he doesn’t fully endorse every aspect of the proposal. “We like the bill, we support the bill, the bill is good,” Ausberry said. “Do we want some amendments on the bill? We do. It would make it better for us, especially (among the) Power Four. “If we don’t get a bill, we won’t
Richard Anderson and Deuce Geralds. Talented freshmen, but freshmen nonetheless. “I feel things have settled down for the most part except for Dtackle,” Kiffin said of position battles. “We have a lot of guys doing good things in there — some old, some young — so we’ll rotate in there.” Going back to the players returning from the NFL thing, that’s clearly why he wants to add one of the plaintiffs, former Ole Miss defensive tackle Zxavian Harris, to the roster. It never rains in Tiger Stadium … so will it? As of this writing, there is a 75% chance of rain Saturday. The good news, at least from my weather app, is that said rain is expected early Saturday morning and then clear out. Looking like it will be in the low 80s and dry by kickoff. It does rain in Tiger Stadium, but supposedly not that often. According to WBRZ weather data, just 1% of LSU’s home games have been played in the rain since 1960. If that’s true, then I’ve attended all of them. I’d say on average there’s rain once a season, but hopefully not for Saturday’s game.
Clemson’s offensive line, which returns contributors such as Brayden Jacobs, Elyjah Thurmon, Harris Sewell and Collin Sadler. Sewell switched to center and the other three were banged up last year. It’s a more athletic offensive line than Clemson has had; there are just a lot of moving parts with Jacobs swinging out to left tackle, Sadler bumping out to right and a youngster — either Ronan O’Connell, Tucker Kattus or Easton Ware — at one guard spot. The backfield of Gideon Davidson and speedy SMU transfer Chris Johnson is talented enough to break one off. Vizzina has to be protected from Princewill Umanmielen’s rush, and Clemson has to establish a running game, which it struggled to do a year ago. But there’s a world where it happens. If it does, Clemson has playmakers to generate explosive plays. Even if Swinney is calling them a “bunch of nobodies.”
It’s fair to question Clemson’s situation at quarterback, especially since freshman Tait Reynolds was able to push redshirt junior Christopher Vizzina to the wire. But it’s not like Vizzina has no weapons around him. Former top recruits T.J. Moore and Bryant Wesco are heading into their junior seasons at wideout. Moore emerged as a sophomore with 834 yards, and Wesco, with 537 yards, would have if not for a spinal injury suffered in Clemson’s seventh game. Both have the speed to take the top off of defenses, and they are explosive enough in and out of their breaks to create separation. Clemson coaches also have raved about freshman Gordon Sellars, and Naeem Burroughs could emerge as a weapon in the slot. Clemson’s tight end room is probably deeper than LSU’s with Olsen Patt-Henry, Christian Bentancur and Logan Brooking. Email Jon Blau at jon.blau@ There are question marks on theadvocate.com
been awesome.” St. Andre is hoping his role as a leader will be a little easier because it’s the third season under Salgado’s defensive system. “It’s been great for us with coach Salgado going on Year Three now, understanding his defense, the details that go along with it, what he wants, how he wants it done,” St. Andre said. “All of that helps us really play faster, play at a better rate and it all fits together. “I think a lot of it’s in the details, you know, where can I be better? It’s a lot of going back last year, watching plays, or maybe a game or two that I thought I didn’t play my best and what I could learn from that and how I could be better for the team. “And it’s been really helpful and honing in on things that I know I
need to work on and hopefully let me find more success this season.” The motivation behind the increased focus is simple. He’s ready for another winning season and bowl victory before his career is over. “Definitely going 6-7 last year and not winning a bowl game wasn’t good enough,” he said. “You know, we finished great, but in the end came up short in the bowl game. That’s on a lot of our minds, and we talk about it all the time as a team. “Like 6-7 is who we are until we prove otherwise at the end of this year. So it’s something that fuels us and has motivated us the entire offseason.” Email Kevin Foote at kfoote@ theadvocate.com.
get anything. We don’t get antitrust … we just want antitrust so we can stop getting sued every 10 years.” What Ausberry did fully push up against was the idea of collective bargaining in college sports. For one, he’s unsure who the schools would specifically be bargaining with if the players unionized. More crucially, he doesn’t believe the players would want to bargain with the schools because of the large sums of money they’re already making. But whether the solution to these financial problems is with collective bargaining, a bill in Congress or something else, LSU and the rest of the college sports world is still facing a ticking time bomb that is set to go off at the end of the year, when football programs across the nation will begin handing out more hefty contracts to players. It’s now up to Ausberry, administrators across the nation or politicians to stop the car before it flies off the cliff. “Where do we stop this?” Ausberry said. “Where do we contain it? And that’s what we’re trying to control.” Email Koki Riley at koki.riley@ theadvocate.com.
WOOD
Continued from page 1C third kicker in as many seasons this year with Daniel Carlson replacing Charlie Smyth, who replaced Blake Grupe last season. The Saints are on their fifth punter since Morstead left after the 2020 season. “I’ve gotten used to it,” Wood said. “Luckily the Saints do a good job of bringing good people in here. They aren’t bringing in guys who are hard to work with.” That doesn’t mean it’s easy to see kicking competitions in training camp play out. Carlson, signed by the Saints last week, ended up winning the three-man competition over Smyth and Tanner Brown. Smyth will remain on the practice squad while Brown is looking for a job after getting waived. “It’s really tough,” Wood said. “I’ve been in that position before. It’s really hard when its something you dedicate so much time to. These guys want this so bad. It’s something they’ve dreamed of their entire lives. But just because it doesn’t happen here doesn’t mean it won’t happen. Rejection is hard. Getting told no is hard. I feel for those guys and I never take it for granted.” Grupe was let go by the Saints last season before landing with the Indianapolis Colts. The Colts released Grupe this week before he signed with the New York Jets. “Being a kicker is something I don’t envy,” Wood said. “It’s a tough position. There are not a lot of opportunities. It’s not like you can go in a game and get a bunch of reps.” Wood knows a thing or two about competing for a job. It’s how his story in New Orleans began. The Saints were desperate for a long snapper in 2017 after Jon Dorenbos was diagnosed with an aortic aneurysm right before the season started. Sean Payton brought in five players to try out for the position on a Friday afternoon, just three days before the season opener against the Minnesota Vikings. Wood won the job and has been the long snapper ever since. Since taking over, he’s been the steady piece for every kicker or punter who has auditioned. There is an advantage to having someone who can consistently snap the ball exactly where it needs to be. “For sure,” Saints special teams coordinator Phil Galiano said. Galiano followed up that response by knocking on the wooden podium, not wanting to jinx his long snapper. “The one thing about Zach is you can look at him and he keeps himself in unbelievable shape,” Galiano said. “He takes great pride in that and keeping his body healthy. As long as he continues to do that, he can play a while.” Wood is listed at 6-foot-3, 255 pounds. That’s much lighter than the 283 pounds he carried on his frame as a defensive end at SMU. He’s 33 now. While that may be considered old in running back years, it’s an infant in long snapper years. San Francisco 49ers long snapper Jon Weeks is 40 and still going strong. “Jon has been slinging them for a long time,” Wood said. “He’s an animal.” Will Wood still be doing the same at 40? “I would love to play as long as these guys want to keep me here,” he said.
4C ● Thursday, September 3, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate
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Week 1 football slate definitely has ‘new’ feel The way the LHSAA cycles the redistricting process after twoyear stretches, things often feel unfamiliar when heading into a new high school football season. This year feels more “new” than normal for some reason. It starts with nine Kevin new head coaches Foote making debuts Friday, but it goes deeper. In Lafayette Parish, longtime rivals St. Thomas More and Teurlings Catholic aren’t in the same district anymore. They’re actually playing in the season opener. That would be like Acadiana playing Lafayette High or Cecilia taking on Breaux Bridge in Week 1. You kind of have to read it twice and make sure it’s right. Speaking of Lafayette High, the Mighty Lions have a new school and are trying to break through as a contender in District 3-5A. And when was the last time Jeanerette was a leading contender to represent the area in the Superdome in December? Indeed, there’s a different feel about this season.
New coaches It takes almost two hands to count all the coaches taking over new programs on Friday. In the case of Brent Indest at Abbeville, it’s the second time he’s taken over the program. The first time, he ascended from an offensive coordinator role at the school. This time, he returned to his roots after a stint at Lakeshore. Indest’s first season at Abbeville produced a 71-70 win over Alexandria. He’s hoping his new defense can slow down the Welsh Greyhounds better than that.
NFL FAVORITE at SEATTLE
OPEN TODAY O/U UNDERDOG 4½ 3½ (44½) New Eng.
FAVORITE at LA RAMS
OPEN TODAY O/U UNDERDOG 3½ 3½ (48½) San Fran.
Sept. 10 Sept. 13
FAVORITE OPEN TODAY O/U UNDERDOG at PITTS. 3 3 (41½) Atlanta Chicago 2½ 2½ (47½) at CAROLINA Baltimore 3½ 3½ (48½) at INDIANA. at CINCINNATI 3½ 3½ (50½) Tampa at TENNESSEE 2½ 1½ (39½) NY Jets at DETROIT 7 7 (49½) N.O. Buffalo 1½ 1½ (44½) at HOUS. at J’VILLE 7½ 7½ (40½) Cleveland at LAS VEGAS 3½ 3½ (40½) Miami at CHARGERS 10½ 10½ (46½) Arizona at PHILA. 4½ 4½ (45½) Washington at MINNESOTA 1½ 1½ (45½) Green Bay Dallas 2½ 2½ (48½) at GIANTS
Sept. 14
FAVORITE at KC
OPEN TODAY O/U UNDERDOG 2½ 2½ (43½) Denver
College football Thursday
FAVORITE OPEN TODAY O/U UNDERDOG at RUTGERS 30½ 29½ (51½) UMass at KENN. ST. 21½ 22½ (51½) W. Georgia at BUFFALO 27½ 18½ (48½) Albany at DELAWARE 30½ 28½ (55½) Merrimck at WAKE FOR. 22½ 24½ (48½) Akron at UCF 38½ 42½ (58½) Beth.-Cook. at GA. TECH 7½ 6½ (50½) Colorado at MISSOURI 50½ 54½ (61½) UAPB at MINNESOTA 43½ 42½ (51½) E. Illinois at UTAH 35½ 34½ (57½) Idaho at ILLINOIS 27½ 27½ (54½) UAB
Friday
FAVORITE OPEN TODAY O/U UNDERDOG at E. MICH. 4 2½ (56½) San Jose St. at PURDUE 30½ 36½ (56½) Indiana St. at GA. ST. 26½ 28½ (62½) NC A&T at KANSAS 40½ 41½ (54½) LIU Post at OKLAHOMA 40½ 41½ (51½) UTEP at MICH. ST. 10½ 10½ (47½) Toledo at USC 23½ 21½ (51½) Fresno St. Miami (FL) 22 24½ (47½)at STANFORD
Saturday
— fresh off its first state playoff victory last season. The Eagles are a Class 4A school, but Westminster’s disciplined rushing attack likely won’t make things easy for ARCA.
All games at 7 p.m.
Thursday’s game
North Central at Acadiana Christian
Friday’s games
Acadiana at Central Lafayette at Live Oak Lafayette Renaissance at Karr Northside at Cecilia Carencro at Lafayette Christian New Iberia at Mansfield Brother Martin at Southside Teurlings at St. Thomas More North Vermilion at St. Martin’s Rayne at Crowley Westminster-LAF at Acadiana Renaissance Westgate at Liberty Beau Chene at East Iberville Breaux Bridge at Opelousas Catholic Opelousas at Pineville Church Point at Jennings Bunkie at Eunice JS Clark at Iota Northwest at Notre Dame Welsh at Abbeville Erath at Loreauville Kaplan at Ascension Episcopal St. Martinville at Franklin Vermilion Catholic at Catholic-NI Hanson at Delcambre St. Edmund at West St. John Westminster at Kentwood Patterson at Jeanerette
There’s a new coaching matchup in Acadia Parish where Rayne’s Daniel Lotief opens against former all-state lineman Joel Sinclair at Crowley. Then there’s eye-opening new hires at Opelousas Catholic and New Iberia. In Opelousas, 12-time wrestling state championship coach Kent Masson takes over as the Vikings coach, while UL’s all-time sack leader Zi’Yon Hill-Green took the big step of trying to resurrect New Iberia’s program at the Class 5A level at just 27. Meanwhile, veteran Vinnie Bullara gets things started for Kaplan at Ascension Episcopal on Friday as the Pirates’ fourth coach in four years. This program isn’t used to that kind of turnover and is hoping Bullara and his staff can bring some stability. Elsewhere, Brandon Green at Northside and James Dartez at St. Martinville are hoping to keep
Powers on road While there are plenty of premier Week 1 matchups, quite a few are on the road Friday. In Class 5A, Acadiana travels to No. 8-ranked Central, while Lafayette High tries to repeat its stellar jamboree effort at Live Oak. Certainly no one can call Lafayette Renaissance scared. The Tigers open against powerhouse Karr in New Orleans, two weeks before hosting John Curtis. Some call that approach brave and others ... maybe a little too ambitious. Westgate is another program without a long list of opponents volunteering to play, so the Tigers are heading to Baton Rouge to face Liberty. In Class 1A, Westminster Christian is coming off a state quarterfinal campaign and opens with a long jaunt to Kentwood. STAFF PHOTO By BRAD KEMP Also, New Iberia makes a long St. Thomas More quarterback Grayson Heard and the Cougars host rival trip to Mansfield and North VerTeurlings Catholic in a nondistrict game to start the season. milion heads to St. Martin’s Episcopal in New Orleans. the hopes alive for those two proThat’s a lot of traveling for area side’s powerful rushing attack in grams, while Jacob Aguillard looks another matchup worthy of atten- teams. to keep the high-flying offense roll- tion. Sneaky good game On the north side, Lafayette ing at St. Edmund in Eunice. Christian is hoping to show the Notre Dame had been playing Top local games rumors of that program’s deand beating Southside recently, but replaced the Sharks with As mentioned earlier, it doesn’t cline are untrue, starting Friday take a long glance at the Week 1 against Carencro from just a few Northwest. The Raiders are loadschedule to see Teurlings Catholic miles down the road. Both ofed with speed and always seem to traveling to meet crosstown rival fenses will be searching for new have talented defensive lineman. St. Thomas More. Can Northwest’s defensive playmakers. The Rebels claimed the district deal with the Pios’ powerful ofAcadiana Renaissance, which title last season, but now the Cou- starts LHSAA play this year, has fensive line? Time will tell, but it’s an interesting season-opening gars have joined the District 3-5A essentially been practicing the last four years for Friday night’s matchup. race. Both teams will be searchopener against an opponent who ing for answers on offense. knows all about starting from In Youngsville, Brother Martin Email Kevin Foote at kfoote@ comes to town to challenge South- scratch in Westminster-Lafayette theadvocate.com.
SCOREBOARD
Odds Sept. 9
WEEK 1 SCHEDULE
FAVORITE OPEN TODAY O/U UNDERDOG at UCONN 21½ 19½ (52½) Lafayette at SYRACUSE 27½ 33½ (56½) New Hamp. at B. GREEN 1½ 2½ (48½) Tarleton St. at J. MADISON 6 6 (50½) Liberty at NEBRASKA 23½ 23½ (46½) Ohio at HOUSTON 18½ 20½ (49½) Oregon St. at ALABAMA 26½ 27½ (52½) East Car. at INDIANA 40½ 40½ (55½) N. Texas at ARMY 37½ 36½ (50½) Bryant at W. VIRGINIA 17½ 21½ (56½) C. Caro. at PITT 15½ 16½ (48½) Miami (OH) at OHIO ST. 50½ 50½ (56½) Ball State at S. CARO. 34½ 36½ (54½) Kent State at IOWA ST. 30½ 29½ (52½) SE Mo. St. at KENTUCKY 27½ 23½ (62½) Y’town St at AIR FORCE 23½ 28½ (58½) Duquesne at TEMPLE 12½ 14½ (51½) Rh. Island at GEORGIA 48½ 47½ (54½) Tenn. St. at CHARLOTTE 17½ 20½ (46½) Citadel at UTSA 27½ 28½ (59½) UTRGV at AUBURN 7 7½ (59½) Baylor at N. DAK. ST. 35½ 41½ (57½) Fordham at NAVY 30½ 30½ (50½) Towson at CINCINNATI 7½ 7½ (49½) B. College at DUKE 9½ 7½ (51½) Tulane at OREGON 24½ 24½ (51½) Boise State at TEXAS 30½ 29½ (59½) Texas State at TENNESSEE 47½ 46½ (66½) Furman at APP. STATE 22½ 19½ (53½) Maine at PENN ST.23½ 24½ (52½) Marshall Oklahoma St. 12½ 13½ (59½) at TULSA at IOWA 30½ 31½ (44½) N. Illinois at ARKANSAS 40½ 40½ (63½) N. Alabama at SO. MISS 23½ 20½ (50½) Alcorn State at OLD DOM. 41½ 40½ (52½)Norfolk State at COLO. ST. 3½ 3 (46½) Wyoming at S. ALABAMA 14½ 12½ (52½) Southeastern at S. FLORIDA 12½ 14 (52½) Fiu at M. TENN. 25½ 20½ (59½) Murray St. at KANSAS ST. 41½ 40½ (54½) Nicholls at UTAH ST. 23½ 13½ (62½) Idaho State at J’VILLE ST’ 20½ 20½ (54½) E. Kentucky at VANDY 35½ 29½ (60½) Austin Peay Mo. State at TEXAS A&M 38½ 40½ (53½) at GA SOUTH. 26½ 25½ (51½) Charle. So. at TEXAS TECH 41½ 42½ (59½) Ab. Christian at RICE 21½ 22½ (47½) HCU at TROY 17½ 16½ (54½) Sam Hou. at MEMPHIS 10½ 11½ (52½) Ark. St. at MICHIGAN 26½ 27½ (48½) W. Mich. at MISS. ST. 28½ 28½ (54½) UL-Monroe at LSU 11½ 10½ (50½) Clemson at VA. TECH 47½ 55½ (62½) VMI at LA. TECH 40½ 44½ (55½)N’western St. at FLORIDA 26½ 26½ (59½) Fau at N’WESTERN 15½ 13½ (46½) S. Dak. St. UL 17½ 20½ (48½) Lamar at MARYLAND 41½ 45½ (56½) Hampton
at BYU 47½ at N. MEX. ST. 23½ at ARIZONA 29½ at S. DIEGO ST. 40½ UNLV 1½ at ARIZ. ST. 42½ at NEW MEX. 12½ at SACR. ST. 32½ W. Kentucky 3 UCLA 1½
Sunday
51½ 28½ 31½ 40½ 3 43½ 10½ 37½ 1½ 1½
(61½) Utah Tech (52½) Mercyhurst (58½) N. Arizona (62½) Port. St. (56½) at HAWAII (52½) Morgan St. (46½) C. Mich. (56½) MVSU (52½) at NEVADA (53½) at CAL
FAVORITE at WASH. at NOT. DAME at OLE MISS
OPEN TODAY O/U UNDERDOG 21½ 23½ (50½) Wash. St. 20½ 20½ (47½) Wisconsin 6½ 6½ (55½) Louisville
FAVORITE SMU
OPEN TODAY O/U UNDERDOG 2½ 3½ (53½) at FLA. ST.
Monday
Major League Baseball Thursday
American League FAVORITE LINE Toronto -111 at HOUSTON -166 Boston -126 Tampa Bay -126 at SEATTLE -210 National League FAVORITE LINE at PITTSBURGH -162 Milwaukee -115 at LA DODGERS -300 Interleague FAVORITE LINE Miami -121
UNDERDOG at CLEVELAND White Sox at BALTIMORE at TEXAS Athletics
LINE -110 +134 +108 +108 +176
UNDERDOG LINE San Francisco +136 at CHICAGO CUBS -107 St. Louis +235 UNDERDOG at KANSAS CITY
LINE -100
Pro basketball WNBA glance EASTERN CONFERENCE x-Atlanta x-Indiana x-New York x-Washington Chicago Toronto Connecticut
W 26 26 24 24 15 11 10
L 14 14 16 16 25 29 30
Pct .650 .650 .600 .600 .375 .275 .250
GB — — 2 2 11 15 16
W 31 29 27 24 16 15 14 8
L 9 11 13 16 24 25 26 32
Pct .775 .725 .675 .600 .400 .375 .350 .200
GB — 2 4 7 15 16 17 23
WESTERN CONFERENCE x-Minnesota x-Golden State x-Las Vegas x-Dallas Portland Los Angeles Phoenix Seattle x-clinched playoff spot
This week
No games scheduled.
Tampa Bay New York Boston Baltimore Toronto
L 55 60 66 71 71
Pct .601 .568 .532 .493 .489
GB — 4½ 9½ 15 15½
Chicago Cleveland Minnesota Detroit Kansas City
W 73 70 67 63 62
L 65 68 72 75 77
Pct .529 .507 .482 .457 .446
GB — 3 6½ 10 11½
Houston Texas Seattle Athletics Los Angeles
W 70 69 66 54 53
L 69 71 74 86 86
Pct .504 .493 .471 .386 .381
GB — 1½ 4½ 16½ 17
Tuesday’s games
Tampa Bay 6, N.Y. Mets 2 Cleveland 6, Toronto 1 Miami 6, Kansas City 3 Seattle 9, Boston 6 Minnesota 15, Detroit 2 Texas 8, Athletics 5 Chicago White Sox 5, Houston 1 Colorado 4, Baltimore 2 N.Y. Yankees 7, L.A. Angels 3
Wednesday’s games
Athletics 9, Texas 2 Colorado 6, Baltimore 5, 11 innings Seattle 8, Boston 3 N.Y. Mets at Tampa Bay, n Toronto at Cleveland, n Detroit at Minnesota, n Miami at Kansas City, n Chicago White Sox at Houston, n N.Y. Yankees at L.A. Angels, n
Thursday’s games
Atlanta Philadelphia Miami Washington New York Central Division Milwaukee Chicago St. Louis Pittsburgh Cincinnati West Division Los Angeles Arizona San Diego San Francisco Colorado
Tuesday’s games
W 83 79 70 67 62
L 57 61 69 75 77
Pct .593 .564 .504 .472 .446
GB — 4 12½ 17 20½
W 86 78 69 68 67
L 53 61 70 71 73
Pct .619 .561 .496 .489 .479
GB — 8 17 18 19½
W 82 74 73 57 54
L 56 67 67 82 86
Pct .594 .525 .521 .410 .386
GB — 9½ 10 25½ 29
Tampa Bay 6, N.Y. Mets 2 Cincinnati 4, San Diego 3 Washington 9, Atlanta 5 Miami 6, Kansas City 3 Pittsburgh 13, San Francisco 12 Milwaukee 9, Chicago Cubs 4 Colorado 4, Baltimore 2 Philadelphia 7, Arizona 1 St. Louis 13, L.A. Dodgers 8
Wednesday’s games
Cincinnati 7, San Diego 3 Atlanta 9, Washington 0 Arizona 1, Philadelphia 0 Colorado 6, Baltimore 5, 11 innings N.Y. Mets at Tampa Bay, n San Francisco at Pittsburgh, n Miami at Kansas City, n Milwaukee at Chicago Cubs, n
Thursday’s games
San Francisco (Tidwell 0-1) at Pittsburgh (Jones 2-6), 11:35 a.m. Milwaukee (Henderson 9-2) at Chicago Cubs (Gausman 8-11), 6:15 p.m. Miami (Alcantara 13-8) at Kansas City (Wacha 8-8), 6:40 p.m. St. Louis (Mathews 1-2) at L.A. Dodgers (Skubal 8-7), 9:10 p.m.
Pro football
New England at Seattle, 7:20 p.m. W 83 79 75 69 68
West Division
East Division
Week 1 Wednesday, Sept. 9
American League
Central Division
National League
NFL schedule
Major League Baseball East Division
Boston (Bennett 9-6) at Baltimore (Young 9-3), 6:15 p.m. Miami (Alcantara 13-8) at Kansas City (Wacha 8-8), 6:40 p.m. Tampa Bay (McClanahan 10-6) at Texas (Quantrill 6-5), 7:05 p.m. Athletics (Ginn 9-8) at Seattle (Anderson 0-0), 8:40 p.m.
Toronto (Soriano 11-7) at Cleveland (Bibee 5-14), 12:10 p.m. Chicago White Sox (Castillo 4-10) at Houston (Brown 4-3), 1:10 p.m.
Thursday, Sept. 10
San Francisco vs. LA Rams at Melbourne, Australia, 7:35 p.m.
Sunday, Sept. 13
Baltimore at Indianapolis, noon NY Jets at Tennessee, noon Buffalo at Houston, noon Cleveland at Jacksonville, noon New Orleans at Detroit, noon Chicago at Carolina, noon Tampa Bay at Cincinnati, noon Atlanta at Pittsburgh, noon Arizona at LA Chargers, 3:25 p.m. Green Bay at Minnesota, 3:25 p.m. Washington at Philadelphia, 3:25 p.m. Miami at Las Vegas, 3:25 p.m. Dallas at NY Giants, 7:20 p.m.
Monday, Sept. 14
Denver at Kansas City, 7:15 p.m.
College football State schedule Saturday’s games
Tulane at Duke, 2:30 p.m. Southeastern at South Alabama, 6 p.m. Texas Wesleyan at McNeese St., 6 p.m. Central St. (Ohio) at Grambling, 6 p.m. Kentucky St. at Southern, 6 p.m. Nicholls State at Kansas St., 6 p.m. Clemson at LSU, 6:30 p.m. Northwestern St. at Louisiana Tech, 6:30 p.m. UL-Monroe at Mississippi St., 6:30 p.m. Lamar at UL, 7 p.m.
National schedule Thursday’s games
EAST Umass (0-0) at Rutgers (0-0), 5 p.m. SOUTH Akron (0-0) at Wake Forest (0-0), 6 p.m. Merrimack (0-1) at Delaware (0-0), 6 p.m. Bethune-Cookman (0-0) at UCF (0-0), 6 p.m. West Georgia (0-1) at Kennesaw St. (0-0), 6 p.m. Colorado (0-0) at Georgia Tech (0-0), 7 p.m.
MIDWEST Ark.-Pine Bluff (1-0) at Missouri (0-0), 7 p.m. E. Illinois (1-0) at Minnesota (0-0), 7 p.m. UAB (0-0) at Illinois (0-0), 8 p.m. FAR WEST Idaho (0-1) at Utah (0-0), 8 p.m.
MIDWEST Notre Dame (0-0) vs. Wisconsin (0-0) at Green Bay, Wis., 6:30 p.m. FAR WEST Washington St. (0-0) at Washington (0-0), 3 p.m.
MIDWEST San Jose St. (0-1) at E. Michigan (1-0), 5:30 p.m. Indiana St. (0-1) at Purdue (0-0), 6 p.m. LIU Brooklyn (0-1) at Kansas (0-0), 7 p.m. Toledo (0-0) at Michigan St. (0-0), 7 p.m. SOUTHWEST UTEP (0-0) at Oklahoma (0-0), 7 p.m. FAR WEST Fresno St. (0-0) at Southern Cal (1-0), 8 p.m. Miami (0-0) at Stanford (1-0), 8 p.m.
SOUTH SMU (0-0) at Florida St. (1-0), 6:30 p.m.
Friday’s games
Saturday’s games
EAST Lafayette (0-0) at Uconn (0-0), 11 a.m. New Hampshire (0-1) at Syracuse (0-0), 11 a.m. Bryant (1-0) at Army (0-0), 11 a.m. Coastal Carolina (0-0) at West Virginia (0-0), 11 a.m. Miami (Ohio) (0-0) at Pittsburgh (0-0), 11:30 a.m. Lehigh (1-0) at Georgetown (0-0), 11:30 a.m. Rhode Island (1-0) at Temple (0-0), 1 p.m. Towson (0-1) at Navy (0-0), 2:30 p.m. Marshall (0-0) at Penn St. (0-0), 2:30 p.m. Hampton (1-0) at Maryland (0-0), 7 p.m. SOUTH Liberty (0-0) at James Madison (0-0), 11 a.m. East Carolina (0-0) at Alabama (0-0), 11 a.m. Kent St. (0-0) at South Carolina (0-0), 11:45 a.m. Youngstown St. (1-0) at Kentucky (0-0), noon Gardner-Webb (0-1) at Wofford (1-0), 12:30 p.m. Tennessee St. (0-1) at Georgia (0-0), 2 p.m. The Citadel (0-1) at Charlotte (0-0), 2:30 p.m. Auburn (0-0) vs. Baylor (0-0) at Atlanta, 2:30 p.m. Furman (1-0) at Tennessee (0-0), 2:30 p.m. Maine (1-0) at Appalachian St. (0-0), 2:30 p.m. Alcorn St. (1-0) at Southern Miss (0-0), 4 p.m. Tusculum (0-0) at ETSU (0-1), 4:30 p.m. Norfolk St. (1-0) at Old Dominion (0-0), 5 p.m. FIU (0-0) at South Florida (0-0), 6 p.m. E. Kentucky (0-1) at Jacksonville St. (0-1), 6 p.m. Austin Peay (1-0) at Vanderbilt (0-0), 6 p.m. Sam Houston St. (0-0) at Troy (0-0), 6 p.m. Arkansas St. (0-0) at Memphis (1-0), 6 p.m. VMI (0-1) at Virginia Tech (0-0), 6:30 p.m. FAU (0-0) at Florida (0-0), 6:45 p.m. MIDWEST Tarleton St. (1-0) at Bowling Green (0-0), 11 a.m. Ohio (0-0) at Nebraska (0-0), 11 a.m. North Texas (0-0) at Indiana (0-0), 11 a.m. Ball St. (0-0) at Ohio St. (0-0), 11:30 a.m. SE Missouri (1-0) at Iowa St. (0-0), noon Fordham (0-1) at N. Dakota St. (1-0), 2:30 p.m. Boston College (0-0) at Cincinnati (0-0), 2:30 p.m. N. Illinois (0-0) at Iowa (0-0), 3:15 p.m. Illinois St. (1-0) at W. Illinois (1-0), 6 p.m. W. Michigan (0-0) at Michigan (0-0), 6:30 p.m. S. Dakota St. (1-0) at Northwestern (0-0), 7 p.m. SOUTHWEST Oregon St. (0-0) at Houston (0-0), 11 a.m. UT Rio Grande Valley (1-0) at UTSA (0-0), 2:30 p.m. Texas State (0-0) at Texas (0-0), 2:30 p.m. Oklahoma St. (0-0) at Tulsa (0-0), 2:45 p.m. North Alabama (1-0) at Arkansas (0-0), 3:15 p.m. Missouri St. (0-0) at Texas A&M (0-0), 6 p.m. Abilene Christian (0-1) at Texas Tech (0-0), 6 p.m. Houston Christian (1-0) at Rice (0-0), 6 p.m. East Texas A&M (0-1) at Stephen F. Austin (1-0), 7 p.m. FAR WEST Duquesne (0-0) at Air Force (0-0), noon Boise St. (0-0) at Oregon (0-0), 2:30 p.m. Wyoming (0-0) at Colorado St. (0-0), 5 p.m. Idaho St. (1-0) at Utah St. (0-0), 6 p.m. N. Iowa (0-0) at E. Washington (0-1), 6 p.m. Utah Tech (0-1) at BYU (0-0), 7 p.m. Mercyhurst (0-1) at New Mexico St. (0-1), 8 p.m. N. Arizona (1-0) at Arizona (0-0), 8:30 p.m. Portland St. (0-1) at San Diego St. (0-0), 8:30 p.m. UNLV (0-1) at Hawaii (0-1), 9 p.m. UC Davis (1-0) at San Diego (0-0), 9 p.m. Morgan St. (1-0) at Arizona St. (0-0), 9 p.m. Cent. Michigan (0-0) at New Mexico (0-0), 9 p.m. MVSU (0-1) at Sacramento St. (0-1), 9 p.m. W. Kentucky (0-0) at Nevada (0-0), 9:30 p.m. UCLA (0-0) at California (0-0), 9:30 p.m.
Sunday’s games
SOUTH Ole Miss (0-0) vs. Louisville (0-0) at Nashville, Tenn., 6:30 p.m.
Monday’s game
Tennis U.S. Open results Men’s singles
First round Botic Van de Zandschulp, Netherlands, def. Jan Choinski, Britain, 6-3, 6-1, 7-6 (5). Yunchaokete Bu, China, def. Rafael Jodar (12), Spain, 6-2, 6-1, 6-1. Zachary Svajda, United States, def. Daniel Altmaier, Germany, 6-3, 6-1, 6-7 (5), 6-2. Alex de Minaur (6), Australia, def. Andrea Guerrieri, Italy, 6-2, 6-2, 6-4. Second round Alex Michelsen, United States, def. Brandon Nakashima (16), United States, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4. Daniil Medvedev (7), Russia, def. Sebastian Gorzny, United States, 6-1, 6-3, 7-5. Daniel Merida, Spain, def. Andrey Rublev (23), Russia, 6-7 (3), 6-2, 6-4, 6-4. Arthur Rinderknech (26), France, def. Jaume Munar, Spain, 7-6 (4), 6-2, 7-5. Ben Shelton (8), United States, def. Hubert Hurkacz, Poland, 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (3), 7-5.
Women’s singles
Second round Taylor Townsend, United States, def. Taylah Preston, Australia, 6-1, 6-1. Jasmine Paolini (19), Italy, def. Lucrezia Stefanini, Italy, 6-4, 6-1. Leylah Fernandez (31), Canada, def. Mananchaya Sawangkaew, Thailand, 6-4, 6-1. Diana Shnaider (15), Russia, def. Karolina Pliskova, Czechia, 6-1, 7-6 (4). Jessica Pegula (3), United States, def. Sofia Kenin, United States, 6-3, 6-1. Sorana Cirstea (16), Romania, def. Diane Parry, France, 6-2, 7-5. Marta Kostyuk (11), Ukraine, def. Sloane Stephens, United States, 6-1, 7-5. Karolina Muchova (7), Czechia, def. Katie Boulter, Britain, 6-1, 6-0. Kamilla Rakhimova, Russia, def. Oksana Selekhmeteva, Russia, 6-3, 6-0.
Transactions Major League Baseball
American League ATHLETICS — Designated LHP José Suarez for assignment. Selected the contract of RHP Geoff Hartlieb from Las Vegas (PCL). BOSTON RED SOX — Recalled LHP Raymond Burgos from Worcester (IL). Optioned RHP Jedixson Paez to Worcester. CHICAGO WHITE SOX — Reinstated RHP Davis Martin from the 15-day IL. Optioned RHP Tanner McDougal to Charlotte (IL). KANSAS CITY ROYALS — Reinstated 2B Michael Massey from the 7-day IL. Designated LF Drew Waters for assignment. NEW YORK YANKEES — Sent RHP Clarke Schmidt on a rehab assignment to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (IL). TAMPA BAY RAYS — Reinstated RHP Griffin Jax from the 15-day IL. Optioned RHP Alex Cook to Durham (IL). National League ATLANTA BRAVES — Designated LHP Hayden Harris for assignment. Optioned RHP Blake Burkhalter to Gwinnett (IL). Selected the contract of RHP Elieser Hernández from Gwinnett. NEW YORK METS — Reinstated RHP Justin Hagenman from the 60-day IL. Optioned RHP Dylan Ross to Syracuse (IL). WASHINGTON NATIONALS — Designated LHP Tom Cosgrove for assignment. Reinstated RF James Wood from the 10-day IL. Optioned LF Andrew Pinckney to Rochester (IL). Recalled RHP Riley Cornelio from Rochester.
BASKETBALL
NBA NBA — Forfeited five first-round draft picks and fined the L.A. Clippers $30 million for salary cap circumvention rules. Suspended L.A. Clippers owner Steve Ballmer and president of business operations Gillian Zucker one-year for salary cap circumvention rules. Suspended L.A. Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank six-months for salary cap circumvention rules. Fined Toronto Raptors F Kawhi Leonard $700,000 for his connection with the violations. CLEVELAND CAVALIERS — Signed C Khalifa Diop to a contract.
FOOTBALL
NFL ATLANTA FALCONS — Signed DEs Zach Harrison and Khalid Kareem and S Jammie Robinson to the practice squad. Released DE Cameron Sample and DB Cobee Bryant from the practice squad.
LIVING
T H E A D V O C AT E.C O M
Gazpacho makes for satisfying vegetarian dinner
|
T h u r s d ay, s e p T e m b e r 3, 2026
5CN
Orzo Pasta Salad with Chicken Sausage, Zucchini and Tomato | PHOTO BY LIZ FAUL
BY LINDA GASSENHEIMER Tribune News Service (TNS)
When I saw the fresh summer vegetables at the market, a simple Gazpacho dinner came to mind. This classic chilled soup can be blended until silky smooth or left chunky for more texture. I prefer the chunky version because it’s hearty enough to serve as a satisfying vegetarian dinner. Simply chop the vegetables into small pieces, a task that takes just a few minutes, then stir everything together. With no cooking required, this refreshing summer meal is ready in minutes.
TNS PHOTO By LINDA GASSENHEIMER
Chunky Gazpacho
Yields 2 servings. Recipe is by Linda Gassenheimer. 2 cups low-sodium tomato juice 2 cups diced ripe tomatoes, about ¼-inch dice ¾ cup diced red onion, about ¼-inch dice 1 cup diced cucumbers skin on, about ¼-inch dice 1 cup diced green bell pepper, about ¼-inch dice 1 cup reduced-sodium canned great northern beans, rinsed and drained 1 small Haas avocado, skin removed, flesh cut into 1-inch pieces 2 teaspoons olive oil 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar Salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 cup croutons 2 tablespoons sour cream 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves 1. Place tomato juice, tomato, onion, cucumber, green bell pepper, beans and avocado into a large bowl. Remove 1 cup of the ingredients and puree them using a food processor or emersion blender until mostly smooth. Return the puree to the bowl. 2. Add the olive oil, balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper to taste. Mix all together. 3. Divide between two large bowls. Add croutons and 1 tablespoon sour cream to each bowl. Sprinkle basil on top. NUTRITION INFO PER SERVING: 499 calories (35 percent from fat), 19.5 g fat (3.8 g saturated, 10.0 g monounsaturated), 7 mg cholesterol, 17.8 g protein, 70.7 g carbohydrates, 16.9 g fiber, 158 mg sodium.
To-goFood Simple, savory dishes do double duty Orzo Pasta Salad with Chicken Sausage, for dinner and Zucchini and Tomato packing a lunch
Serves 6-8. Recipe by Liz Faul.
At the grocery store last week, I saw all the brightly colored lunch boxes displayed with snap lid containers, cueing memories of the many packed lunches that I made for my kids during their school years. Liz Faul After my kids left for college a few years ago, it took some time to fall into a new, slower rhythm with cooking and discover again what I wanted to eat, which always fell on the proverbial back burner in the past. But I’ve come to realize that the skills I learned packing nutritious yet convenient lunches over the years don’t have to go to waste: during busy weeknights, making a meal that can easily be packed into my next day’s lunch is an everyday delight. Last week, inspired by a meal I had at a friend’s home this summer, I made salmon
ä See TO-GO, page 6C
2 cups orzo pasta 1 teaspoon salt (plus more for seasoning) 2 tablespoons olive oil (divided) 4 links of chicken sausage (I used chicken, spinach and feta sausage) 1 onion (diced)
2-3 zucchini (cut into small pieces) 1 pint cherry tomatoes ¼ cup fresh basil leaves (chopped) ¼ cup fresh Italian parsley ¼ freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese ¼ cup toasted pine nuts (optional)
1. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil and add salt and the orzo pasta. Boil the pasta uncovered for about 8 minutes. Then drain the water and pasta into a colander. Let sit while you prepare the vegetables and meat to add to the pasta. 2. Cut the sausage into bitesize pieces. Add to a pan, then add olive oil and the sausage. Let the sausage cook until lightly brown on both sides. Once the sausage is cooked, turn off the heat and let the sausage sit until the vegetables are cooked. 3. In a medium pan, over medium-high heat, add the diced onion and zucchini. Stir the on-
ion and zucchini over medium heat until the vegetables lose fluid and begin to turn golden brown. Add the sliced cherry tomatoes, and stir the tomatoes into the vegetable mixture. Once the tomatoes soften, add the freshly chopped basil leaves and parsley leaves. Stir the herbs into the vegetables. Turn the heat off. 4. In a large serving bowl, add orzo pasta, cooked sausage and cooked vegetables and gently stir together. 5. Serve the pasta with the grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and toasted pine nuts for a salty, crunchy garnish.
Salmon with Herb Butter ä Rice with Fresh Dill and Lemon MORE RECIPES ää Broiled Cucumber,Tomato and Onion Salad ä End-of-Summer Succotash 6C
Soak up savory beef flavor with ramen noodles Beef with Ramen Noodles
BY LINDA GASSENHEIMER Tribune News Service (TNS)
Ramen dishes have become a favorite for quick, satisfying meals, and this recipe comes together in just minutes. Unlike traditional pasta, which is made from hard durum wheat, ramen noodles are made with softer wheat flour, giving them a tender texture that readily absorbs the flavors of the sauce they’re cooked in. You can find ramen noodles made with rice flour or, they may be labeled as soft Chinese noodles. Either works with this dinner. If
TNS PHOTO By LINDA GASSENHEIMER the only ramen available comes packaged with soup seasoning, simply discard the flavor packets and use the noodles for this recipe. HELPFUL HINTS: n Rice noodles can be used.
n Any quick cooking beef can be used instead of tenderloin. n Any type of grater can be used for the ginger such as a microplane or box grater.
Beef with Ramen Noodles
1. Cook noodles according to package instructions. Remove from heat, drain 4 ounces ramen noodles to and run cold water over make 1½-cup cooked noodles them to keep them sepa2 tablespoons low-sodium soy rate and set aside. sauce 2. Mix soy sauce, vin2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar egar, beef broth and brown 1 cup reduced-sodium beef broth sugar together in a small 2 tablespoons brown sugar bowl, stirring to dissolve 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger the sugar. 2 crushed garlic cloves 3. Heat ½ tablespoon oil 1 tablespoon sesame oil, in a large skillet over medivided use dium-high heat. Add the ¾ pound grass fed beef meat and saute 3 minutes. tenderloin cut into ½-inch pieces Remove to a plate. 2 cups snow peas 4. Add the remaining ½ 1 cup sliced red bell pepper tablespoon oil, fresh ginger, 4 sliced scallions garlic, snow peas and red Yields 2 servings. Recipe is by Linda Gassenheimer.
bell pepper to the skillet. Cook about 1 minute. Add the sauce mixture and bring to a simmer for 3 minutes. 5. Return the meat to the skillet and mix into the sauce. Add the cooked noodles and toss well. Divide between two dinner plates and sprinkle scallions on top. NUTRITION INFO PER SERVING: 619 calories (27 percent from fat), 18.4 g fat (5.8 g saturated, 6.9 g monounsaturated), 84 mg cholesterol, 47.8 g protein, 66.3 g carbohydrates, 4.6 g fiber, 669 mg sodium.
6C ● Thursday, September 3, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate
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Education starts in the home
PHOTO By LIZ FAUL
Broiled Salmon with Herb Butter served with Rice with Fresh Dill and Lemon; and Cucumber, Tomato and Onion Salad
of making excuses. It’s so Dear Heloise: Education begins at home! I recently frustrating to always hear encouraged all the parents the “teacher” excuses. I love your column of teenagers in our and read it daily! — rural community to Michelle, in Axtell,Texas teach the kids three Michelle, I’ve albasic hand signals when they’re riding ways believed that their ATVs or bikes education starts at on/near the roadhome. This goes for Hints from hygiene and table way. Lots of kids Heloise manners, too. By ride them in the the age of 5, every rural country areas and on the back roads. The child should be able to write their name, recite feedback from parents their address and phone was astounding in the fact number, know their colors, that the general response was: “They don’t teach this and count to 20. Rememin driver’s education.” ber, you’ll never leave Ugh! Children and teenbehind anything of greater importance than your chilagers do not need to learn everything from teachdren. — Heloise ers. Parents should look Damaged clothing fibers it up and teach them the three basic hand signals at Dear Heloise: Wringing home! It’s so simple to enout wet clothes ruins the sure a bit of safety instead fibers. This stresses the
Broiled Salmon with Herb Butter of the oven. Set the oven to broil (I used the highest setting). 2. Line a rimmed baking sheet with tin foil. Place the salmon filets skin-side down on the baking sheet. Drizzle olive oil over the salmon and 1. Place an oven rack to a rub it into the filets. Sprinkle high level in the oven so it each filet with salt and pepis about 6 inches below the per. If using, put ½ tablebroiler element at the top spoon of herbed butter on
top of each salmon filet. 3. Gently place the prepared salmon filets under the broiler and broil for 6-8 minutes. Watch closely because high-heat broilers can burn the top of the filets quickly. The tops of the salmon filets are done when they look lightly browned and the fish flakes easily with a fork.
Rice with Fresh Dill and Lemon Recipe by Liz Faul. the heat up to medium-high and cover. Bring the rice to a boil. Then turn the heat down to a simmer and put the cover on the pot. Let the rice simmer on low heat. 2. After 30 minutes, check to see if the water has all been absorbed. Then fluff 1. In a small pot with a lid, the rice with a fork. It should add the salt and rice. Turn be fluffy and tender when
2 cups water 1 teaspoon salt 1 cup long grain rice 1 tablespoon lemon juice 2 teaspoons lemon zest 4 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill (or substitute fresh parsley) 1 tablespoon olive oil
it’s done. Turn the heat off and let the rice cool. 3. Add the lemon juice, zest and freshly chopped dill. Mix the lemon and herbs into the rice. Drizzle with olive oil and serve. Note: If you have leftover rice, this is a great way to zhuzh it up and use it for another meal.
Cucumber, Tomato and Onion Salad Serves 6. Adapted from Samin Nosrat’s Salad-e Shirazi recipe published in the New York Times. 2 pints of cherry tomatoes (cut tomatoes into small pieces) 3 cucumbers (peeled, seeded and cut into small pieces) ½ red onion (diced) 3 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian
parsley (and/or basil, dill, mint) 3 tablespoons extravirgin olive oil 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar 2 tablespoons lemon juice Salt and pepper (to taste)
1. In a large bowl, add the chopped cherry tomatoes, peeled and chopped cucumbers, diced red onion and freshly chopped herbs. 2. In a small bowl, add the olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice and salt and pepper. Whisk until combined to form a bright, tangy vinaigrette for the salad. 3. Stir the vinaigrette into the salad. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt or a bit more lemon juice if needed. Serve at room temperature.
End-of-Summer Succotash Serves 4-6. Recipe is by Liz Faul. medium heat, add the chopped onion and garlic. Stir until aromatic (don’t let the garlic brown). 2. Add okra and saute for 5 minutes, or until tender. Add the zucchini and cook for 3- 4 minutes. Then add the corn and the precooked lima beans. 3. Stir all the vegetables together and let their flavors meld. If the pan gets dry, add about 1/4 cup of vegetable stock or water to add steam and refresh the vegetables. Then add the sliced cherry tomatoes and fresh parsley and stir for about 2 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste 1. In a large pan over and serve.
Continued from page 5C served with a Persian tomato and cucumber salad and dill-infused rice. I had forgotten how much I liked fresh dill; the sharp, aromatic herb cut through the richness of the fish perfectly, bridging the gap between a hearty dinner and a reviving midday meal. My friend generously packed me a serving to go, which I had for lunch the next day. This lunch was memorable. Honestly, I craved it all summer, so I decided to make it myself. Here are a few cooking tips that may help when you try this dish at home. If you don’t have enough salmon left over to pack for lunch, a tin of smoked salmon is a great substitute: it packs the same savory punch with zero additional stove time.
By The Associated Press Today is Thursday, Sept. 3, the 246th day of 2026. There are 119 days left in the year. Today in history: On Sept. 3, 1783, representatives of the United States and Britain signed the Treaty of Paris, which officially ended the Revolutionary War and recognized U.S. sovereignty. Also on this date: In 1861, during the Civil War, Confederate forces invaded the border state of Kentucky, which had declared its neutrality in the conflict. In 1894, the United States celebrated the first federal Labor Day holiday. In 1935, Sir Malcolm Campbell became the first person to drive an automobile more than 300 mph, speeding across the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. In 1939, Britain, France,
Australia and New Zealand declared war on Germany, two days after the Nazi invasion of Poland; in a radio address, Britain’s King George VI said, “With God’s help, we shall prevail.” In 1943, Allied forces invaded the mainland of Italy during World War II, the same day Italian officials signed a secret armistice with the Allies. In 1976, America’s Viking 2 lander touched down on Mars to take the first close-up, color photographs of the red planet’s surface. In 1999, a French judge closed a two-year inquiry into the car crash that killed Princess Diana, dismissing all charges against nine photographers and a press motorcyclist, and concluding the crash was caused by an inebriated driver. In 2019, Walmart said it would stop selling ammunition for handguns and
short-barrel rifles, and the store chain requested that customers not openly carry firearms in its stores; the announcement followed a shooting at a Walmart store in Texas that left 22 people dead. In 2025, a picturesque electric streetcar that is one of Lisbon’s big tourist attractions derailed and crashed in the Portuguese capital, killing 15 people and injuring 18 others. Today’s birthdays: Singermusician Al Jardine (The Beach Boys) is 84. Filmmaker Jean-Pierre Jeunet is 73. Rock guitarist Steve Jones (The Sex Pistols) is 71. Actor Steve Schirripa (TV: “The Sopranos”) is 68. Author Malcolm Gladwell is 63. Actor Charlie Sheen is 61. Filmmaker Noah Baumbach is 57. Actor Garrett Hedlund is 42. Olympic gold medal snowboarder Shaun White is 40. Model-actor Kaia Gerber is 25. Actor Jack Dylan Grazer is 23.
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1-2 tablespoons olive oil 1 Vidalia onion (finely chopped) 3 cloves of garlic (diced) 8 small okra, sliced into bitesize pieces 2 zucchini, cut into small pieces 6 ears of corn, husked, kernels removed (or 1 pound frozen corn kernels, defrosted) 1 pound fresh or frozen lima beans (defrosted and pre-boiled/ cooked) ¼ cup of vegetable stock (or water) 1 pint of cherry tomatoes, halved 2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley (or fresh basil) Salt and pepper to taste
TO-GO
Send a hint to heloise@ heloise.com.
TODAY IN HISTORY
Yields 4 servings. Recipe by Liz Faul. 4 salmon filets 2 teaspoons olive oil 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon freshly cracked pepper 2 tablespoon herbed butter (I used garlic and herb butter by Kerrygold)
fibers and causes them to wear out faster. The oldfashioned wringer washers actually compressed the garments between two rollers to squeeze the water out. I wash items by hand, squeeze them out, and let them drip out before moving them to a drying rack. — Ann, via email Ann, there are some things that need to be laid flat and pressed with a dry towel so that excess water can be removed. Things such as delicate undergarments and sweaters do well with this method. Wringing out fabrics may remove a lot of water, but you’re correct when you say that it damages the fibers. — Heloise
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PHOTO By LIZ FAUL
End-of-Summer Succotash
Orzo is another great base for a multipurpose meal. It is a rice-shaped pasta and equally as versatile: its small shape allows it to hold on to flavors without getting soggy. It’s one of my favorite pastas for this reason, and I like to use it to make a light yet satisfying one-dish meal that mixes in chicken sausage, zucchini, garden tomatoes and fresh herbs. If you can make it to a local farmers market, get the last of the ripe red garden tomatoes. Farm fresh tomatoes are a blessing to savor for as long as they last. This dish may taste even better the next day. A splash of olive oil or a squeeze of fresh lemon juice bring all the savory, roasted flavors right back to life. For a seasonal vegetarian option, try making an end-of-summer succotash. This dish is made with lima beans, corn, okra, zucchini, tomatoes and fresh herbs.
You can still find these ingredients in local farmers markets, or bags of these ingredients in the freezer section of the grocery store. But if time permits, I think that adding freshly shucked corn in succotash makes a big difference. This is a great dish, because you can vary the ingredients based on your taste preference. Sometimes, I add bell pepper and cayenne to add some spice. If you don’t have lima beans, try substituting black-eyed peas. It really is a great vegetable medley that can be used as a side dish or eaten over rice as a full meal. It’s a very versatile dish to serve at dinner and plan on saving some for lunch. Liz Sullivan Faul is a registered dietitian nutritionist who enjoys cooking and sharing meals with her friends and family.
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zodIAC VIRGo (Aug. 23-sept. 22) Pay attention to detail. Jumping into something will have its pitfalls. Question everything, and listen to your inner voice. Fend for yourself, and do what feels right. LIBRA (sept. 23-oct. 23) Relax, gather your thoughts and take time to rejuvenate and pamper yourself. Distance yourself from drama, and give yourself a chance to breathe and to sort through any confusion or difficulties you are experiencing. scoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) Give yourself a chance to live, learn and experience new people, places and pastimes. Engage in what brings you joy and makes you think. Look at controversial situations from a distance. sAGIttARIus (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Listen to suggestions, but do what makes you happy. Problems with those you associate with will lead to emotional differences and a change of heart. Put your energy into how you earn your living. cAPRIcoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Take care of paperwork that's about to be outdated. Negotiate with those you do business with, and don't be afraid to ask for and get what you want in writing. AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) You'll be tempted to overspend by trying to make someone you love happy. Offer affectionate gestures instead. Going into debt if you don't have to will lead to regret. PIscEs (Feb. 20-March 20) Take a back seat and watch the world go by. Taking a break will give you time to think
and to consider what's next for you. Put your energy into self-awareness and finding your bliss. Choose practicality. ARIEs (March 21-April 19) Do things your way. Use your ingenuity and discipline to ensure that whatever project you take on has your signature. What you do will help you gain momentum and recognition. tAuRus (April 20-May 20) Focus on what you know you can deliver. Put your energy toward finishing what you start and presenting and marketing your skills and achievements personally. GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Say less, listen more. Truth and facts matter, and getting it right the first time will help you get what you want. Reach out to those in key positions. If you gather information, an opportunity will come your way. cAncER (June 21-July 22) Keep your plans to yourself. Changes at home or to your personal life require secrecy. Focus on how you can make your surroundings and lifestyle more convenient. LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) Keeping a steady pace will get you to the finish line. Take pride in what you do, and give credit to those who help you along the way. Partnerships look playful and fruitful if you maintain equilibrium. The horoscope, an entertainment feature, is not based on scientific fact. © 2026 by NEA, Inc., dist. By Andrews McMeel Syndication
For better or For WorSe WonderWord
peAnUtS
SALLY Forth
beetLe bAILeY CeLebrItY CIpher Celebrity Cipher cryptograms are created from quotations by famous people, past and present. Each letter in the cipher stands for another.
toDAy's cLuE: A EQuALs s
Mother GooSe And GrIMM
SherMAn’S LAGoon FAMILY CIrCUS
dooneSbUrY
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Sudoku InstructIons: Sudoku is a number-placing puzzle based on a 9x9 grid with several given numbers. The object is to place the numbers 1 to 9 in the empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. The difficulty level of the Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday. Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer
BaBY BLueS
BLondie
THe wiZard oF id
nea CroSSwordS
La TimeS CroSSword
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Bridge By PHILLIP ALDER Brigham Young said, “Silence may be golden, but can you think of a better way to entertain someone than to listen to him?” Can you think of a better way to find the best opening lead than to listen to the bidding? Look at the West hand and the auction in today’s diagram. What should West lead against four spades? When the opponents are cruising toward a game or slam, pay attention. In particular, work out how many points each player has. And sometimes you will also know the distribution of at least one opponent’s hand — as in this deal. North announced five hearts, four clubs and three spades; his hand had 3-5-1-4 (or perhaps 3-5-0-5 or even 3-6-04) distribution. He also promised extra strength, usually 15 or 16 high-card points. With a minimum, he would have raised one spade to two spades. South showed game-invitational values with three-card heart support. Then, when he preferred four spades to four hearts, he indicated five spades. Given that dummy is very short in diamonds, leading that suit has little appeal. (Yes, it works if East wins the first trick and shifts to a low club.) A trump is too
garfield
Pearls Before swiNe
hagar the horriBle
passive. The opponents have bid quite strongly, so it is probably right to lead actively. That means choosing the club jack. East takes dummy’s queen with his ace and returns the suit. Then the defenders can take two clubs, one diamond and one heart for down one. © 2026 by NEA, Inc., dist. By Andrews McMeel Syndication
wuzzles Each Wuzzle is a word riddle which creates a disguised word, phrase, name, place, saying, etc. For example: NOON GOOD = GOOD AFTERNOON
PiCKles
Previous answers:
mallard fillmore
word game InstRuctIons: 1. Words must be of four or more letters. 2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed. 3. Additional words made by adding a “d” or an “s” may not be used. 4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed.
toDAy’s WoRD — tAMBouR: TAM-bore: A drum beaten with the hands or some
Bizarro
marmaduKe
implement. Average mark 16 words Time limit 30 minutes Can you find 25 or more words in TAMBOUR? yEstERDAy’s WoRD — VIntAGE vain vane vang vegan vein vent vine vita naive native nave
neat tang tine tinea ting tinge agent ante anti gain gait
gate gave gent giant give given gnat eating
loCKhorNs hidato Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer
today’s thought “Whoever despises the word shall be destroyed: but he that fears the commandment shall be rewarded.” Proverbs 13:13
Read the Bible. Believe the Bible. Apply the Bible. G.E. Dean
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BUSINESS T H E A D V O C AT E.C O M/news/business
DOW 53,061.95 295.07 0.56%
NASDAQ 26,217.83 118.05 0.45%
BRIEFS
FROM WIRE REPORTS
8 Mich. newspapers to end print in December
MLive Media Group will stop printing its eight Michigan newspapers in December, the publisher said in a story posted on its website Wednesday. The final printed editions will be delivered Dec. 6, MLive Community President John Hiner said in the story. The eight publications will continue in digital formats, including MLive.com, the MLive app, online newspaper editions, social media and email newsletters, according to the company. They are Ann Arbor News, Bay City Times, Flint Journal, Grand Rapids Press, Jackson Citizen Patriot, Kalamazoo Gazette, Muskegon Chronicle and Saginaw News. MLive said more than 99% of its readers access its content digitally. The company also said digital and online news subscribers surpassed print subscribers this year. MLive said it does not publicly release its circulation numbers; however it did note that according to the Nieman Journalism Lab, it has more than 8 million monthly visits to its website. New York-based Advance Local owns MLive.com and consolidated its Michigan newspaper titles under the MLive umbrella in 2012. The newspapers date back more than 120 years.
Lake Ontario renamed on Apple Maps in U.S. CHICAGO — Apple has relabeled Lake Ontario to “Lake America” for U.S. users of its Maps app, following competitor Google days after President Donald Trump ordered a new name for the body of water amid his escalating trade war with Canada. As of Wednesday morning, Apple Maps displayed “Lake America” for U.S. users looking at the lake that sits between the state of New York and Canada’s Ontario province. Users outside of the U.S. still saw the Lake Ontario name. Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday. Earlier this week, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum told Fox that Trump had reached out to the company “directly” about the change. The president declared the new “Lake America” name last week — marking one of the latest provocations during his trade war with Canada that is now hiking tariffs on both sides of the border. His executive order on Friday directed the Interior Department to update the lake’s name in the U.S. geographic naming service. Trump cannot force Canada to also change the name of Lake Ontario.
Judge orders changes to Google’s digital ads A federal judge on Wednesday ordered Google to retool the system powering its monopoly in digital advertising, sparing the company from a wrenching breakup sought by the U.S. government. The initial two-page decision by U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema in Virginia marks the second time in a year that Google has received a reprieve from a Justice Department proposal to dismantle its internet empire. Meanwhile, what courts have described as the company’s anti-competitive practices have enriched Google’s corporate parent, Alphabet Inc., which has a market value of $4.11 trillion. After a judge declared Google’s ubiquitous search engine as an illegal monopoly in 2024, the Justice Department pushed for a penalty that would have required the company to sell its popular Chrome web browser. But it was rebuffed last September by another federal judge overseeing that case. Now Brinkema has also rejected the government’s argument that Google should be forced to sell parts of the technology underlying a byzantine system that generates a significant portion of the company’s nearly $400 billion in annual ad sales.
S&P 500 7,666.60 35.13 0.46%
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GOLD 4,366.30 18.30 0.42%
6-MO T-BILLS 4.03 0.0 0.0%
30-YR T-BONDS 5.26 -0.01 -0.13%
Huang urges G20 to speed AI adoption
Nvidia chief, whose company is at a central issue in the November alone” because of the country’s Nvidia CEO says the heart of the AI boom, likened midterm elections. At the same regulatory environment and protechnology to water, electric- time, a spate of security breaches, energy policy. ‘single worst outcome’ the Nvidia, the world’s most valuable ity and other utilities. “This is the where AI models escaped secure testing environments, has fueled company, is the leading provider of is to be left behind great equalizer.”
BY MAGGIE EASTLAND Bloomberg News (TNS)
Nvidia Corp. Chief Executive Officer Jensen Huang called on Group of 20 nations to accelerate their adoption of artificial intelligence as a way to enhance growth, urging the world’s largest economies to expand data centers and other infrastructure to support the emerging technology. “Every single country needs to build infrastructure so you can support your own local economy,” Huang said Wednesday at a tech event in North Carolina hosted by the U.S. for G20 members. The
Huang spoke during a fireside chat with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick at the event, where Trump administration officials are pressing G20 members to adopt a set of guidelines for overseeing new technologies like AI. Dubbed the Carolina Principles, the document cautions nations against creating new regulatory bodies for AI while urging closer collaboration between governments and private industry to test emerging technologies. G20 delegates gathered in North Carolina this week against the backdrop of growing public opposition in the U.S. to data center construction that’s emerged
global calls for stricter oversight to ensure the safety of cuttingedge systems. In his remarks, Huang said that the “single worst outcome” for a country is “being left behind.” The Nvidia chief warned that could happen if the public and policymakers let fears about AI drive the conversation about the technology. “We have to make sure that we are balanced in talking about it,” he said, and focus on AI’s potential for boosting prosperity. Huang held out the U.S. as an example, saying Nvidia would “invest close to a trillion dollars into the United States infrastructure” over the course of “this year
AI accelerators, a key component for training and running artificial intelligence models. Last week the chipmaker projected sales growth of 70% for the next fiscal year, sending its shares on their biggest one-day rally since April 2025. In remarks to reporters, Huang also recommended that governments adopt narrow regulations for AI, saying that the responsibility for ensuring product safety should fall to companies rather than public officials. On Tuesday, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, whose ventures have made an all-in bet on the technology, accused the European Union of “extraordinarily high” regulations.
Chevron confirms that it will expand operations in Venezuela Trump had announced an ambitious deal to develop the nation’s oil reserves
BY MICHELLE CHAPMAN and REGINA GARCIA CANO AP business writers
Oil giant Chevron confirmed that it will expand operations in Venezuela after President Donald Trump announced an ambitious deal to develop the nation’s oil reserves and give the Pentagon a stake in the profits. Chevron, the only U.S. oil company with a major presence in Venezuela, said Wednesday that it has been assigned additional acreage in the Orinoco Belt, where it has active operations. The company plans to invest more than $7 billion over the next five years, with the goal of more than doubling its current production to about 600,000 barrels a day. Venezuela holds the world’s largest proven reserves, totaling more than 303 billion barrels of crude oil, according to OPEC’s 2025 Annual Statistical Bulletin. Saudi Arabia is a distant second with 267 billion barrels. Yet because Venezuela’s energy infrastructure is severely degraded and the nation is operating under international sanctions, its daily production is just over 1 million barrels, compared with the 10 million to 11 million barrels that Saudi Arabia produces each day. The U.S. produces almost 14 million barrels per day. Chevron, the second-largest U.S. oil company, has had a presence in Venezuela since 1923. The White House confirmed Monday that it is partnering with North American Blue Energy Partners, NABEP, as part of Trump‘s push to tap into Venezuela’s oil industry. Yet the agreement has been met with skepticism from energy experts who say it will take years to revive Venezuela’s oil industry, which is in disarray after years of neglect. There are also questions about whether Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, has the authority to give NABEP 100year rights over 17 oil fields with reserves of 65 billion barrels — and whether future Venezuelan or American administrations would overturn the agreement. Venezuela’s constitution states that arrangements like the one that the United States an-
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ARIANA CUBILLOS
A fisherman steers his boat on Lake Maracaibo in the oil-producing region of Cabimas, Venezuela, on Tuesday. nounced this week must be approved by the National Assembly, which has not happened, wrote Ian Vásquez, vice president for international studies at the Cato Institute. Trump has eyed Venezuela’s oil since the January capture of then-President Nicolás Maduro and has pressed to get U.S. businesses back into the country. “We have Exxon going in, we have Chevron going in. We have our big oil companies going in,” he said that same month. He suggested again on Monday that other U.S. oil majors were preparing for a return, though other than Chevron, there is no evidence of that. Exxon Mobil CEO Darren Woods said in January that Venezuela was “uninvestable.” An Exxon spokesman said this week that “nothing has changed.” The history of U.S. oil majors in Venezuela explains the hesitation. Venezuela nationalized its oil industry in 1976 and created the state-owned company Petróleos de Venezuela S.A. A second nationalization occurred in 2007, when President Hugo Chávez pushed foreign oil companies into state-controlled joint ventures and
seized the assets of companies that refused. Chevron agreed to a joint venture. Others, including Exxon and ConocoPhillips, refused, and Venezuela took their assets. Trump has said that the agreement with Venezuela would “substantially lower” gasoline prices in the U.S. However, analyst have repeatedly warned that Venezuela’s dilapidated oil infrastructure will require years of restoration work and tens of billions of dollars to resuscitate. “It could take 2 to 4 years to get new greenfield facilities online in the Orinoco region,” Amy Jaffe, director of the Global Energy, Climate, and Sustainability Lab at New York University, said in an email. “Other places where there is no pipeline and other kinds of support infrastructure could take longer.” Meanwhile, the national average price for a gallon of regular gasoline jumped overnight to $4.12, according to the motor club AAA. That is 93 cents more than it cost at this point last year. Garcia Cano reported from Caracas. Associated Press writers Aamer Madhani and Collin Binkley in Washington contributed to this report.
Trump administration backs OpenAI in N.Y. Times copyright case Millions of articles ingested, processed by ChatGPT BY ALANNA DURKIN RICHER
Associated Press
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is wading into a legal fight between OpenAI and the New York Times, backing the ChatGPT-maker’s argument in a closely watched case over how it builds its AI technology by ingesting and processing millions of news articles. In court papers filed Tuesday, the Justice Department supported OpenAI’s argument that training its models on troves of writings found on the internet is protected by the “fair use” doctrine of copyright law. The Justice Department wrote
that “the creative possibilities and public benefits” of training large language models on such content “far outweigh any competitive harm.” It told the court that siding with The New York Times and other publishers who argue OpenAI’s practice violates copyright law would thwart “creative and scientific progress while hindering American prosperity and economic mobility.” “The entire reason that AI models are rapidly reshaping the economy and national security is that they help people, including those working in creative fields, make things and get things done,” Justice Department attorneys wrote. The “creative benefits often overlap with national security interests,” the department added, because AI models can “help national security officials analyze and draw infer-
ences from (unprotected) real- pay fairly for the content that world facts such as those conveyed makes their products possible, as copyright law requires,” Graham in New York Times articles.” James, a spokesperson for the paTimes criticizes the U.S. position per, said in an emailed statement. The lawsuit, and the government’s involvement in it, are symp- Times says livelihood threatened toms of something happening all The Times sued OpenAI in 2023, over the world, particularly in re- arguing that the company was cent months: the rush to keep up threatening its journalists’ livewith the rapid rise of AI tools over lihoods by effectively stealing the past five years. In many cases, billions of dollars’ worth of their disputes about AI and its practices work, in some cases spitting out are winding their way through The Times’ material verbatim courts that still lack precedents — to people seeking answers from and in some cases language — to generative artificial intelligence match the subject matter. like ChatGPT. The threat to news The New York Times said publications became even more Wednesday that the administra- apparent when, in 2024, Google intion “is siding with a handful of troduced AI-generated summaries trillion-dollar AI companies at the at the top of online search results, expense of the countless American cutting off the advertising dolcreators whose work they stole.” lars that come when people click “Both AI and creators can thrive a link to the information’s original — AI companies simply need to source.
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