The Advocate 09-12-2026

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‘A GENERATIONAL TURNING POINT’

U.S. marks 25 years since Sept. 11 attacks

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Internal concerns raised over BR blight contracts No reports logged, documents show

BY PATRICK SLOAN-TURNER Staff writer

A Baton Rouge businessman paid nearly $100,000 to identify blight in former Metro Council member LaMont Cole’s district did not log any reports about it into the city-parish’s tracking system over four years as instructed, according to documents obtained by The Advocate.

And emails show a cityparish worker raised con- Cole cerns that the contractor, Terral “TJ” Jackson, at times did not sufficiently prove he did the work for which he was seeking payment.

ä See BLIGHT, page 4A ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTOS By ADAM GRAy

A U.S. Army warrant officer stands by a reflecting pool on Friday in New york during a memorial on the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

BY JENNIFER PELTZ and TED SHAFFREY

Associated Press

NEW YORK — Americans commemorated the 25th anniversary of 9/11 on Friday, remembering the shock, the dead and the sweeping consequences of the al-Qaida attacks on symbols of U.S. might and prosperity.

The milestone anniversary brought memorial rituals — wreath-laying, flag-flying, moments of silence, vigils and readings of victims’ names — and volunteer projects in tribute to a day that about half of U.S. adults remember as the most historic event of their lifetime, according to a new poll. On Sept. 11, 2001, al-Qaida extremists hijacked four commercial jets and crashed them into New York’s World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, killing nearly 3,000 people.

Elsie Caldwell carried a photograph of her son Kenny Caldwell to the trade center to hear his name and all the others read aloud Friday morning.

She last spoke to him that morning a quarter-century ago.

“Mom, I just want to let you know that I love you,” her son told her in a final phone call, she recalled. His re-

People gather Friday at the memorial on the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

INSIDE

Trade Center’s twin towers — icons of U.S. economic power, and among ä Trump attends ceremony at Pentagon. the tallest buildings on Earth — and Page 3A blew a hole in the Pentagon, the U.S. ä CIA releases briefing documents on al- military’s fortresslike headquarters near Washington. The fourth plane Qaida. Page 3A was headed for Washington, officials ä Ex-Canadian PM has blunt remarks concluded, but the aircraft went down for U.S. Page 3A in Pennsylvania after passengers and crew members stormed the cockpit and fought the hijackers.

“Sept. 11 reminded us of the terrible mains, like those of many other victims, have never been recovered. ä See ANNIVERSARY, page 4A The attacks brought down the World

State makes major changes to housing programs $20M grant among canceled projects

BY SOPHIE KASAKOVE Staff writer

Louisiana developers were waiting last month to learn whether they had been awarded a share of $20 million in federal grants aimed at boosting proposed affordable housing projects across Louisiana.

Instead, some applicants were stunned to receive a one-paragraph letter that said the program had been canceled.

“There needs to be more transparency from the Landry administration around their priorities,” said Andreanecia Morris of the Greater New Orleans Housing Alliance, a coalition of affordable housing developers

ä See HOUSING, page 5A

Hurricane activity in Atlantic Ocean at record low HURRICANE BREAK

BY KASEY BUBNASH Staff writer

For the first time in the 60 years since meteorologists started using satellites to track storms, the Atlantic Ocean has made it to Sept. 11 without a hurricane, a historic occurrence experts say is largely due to this year’s robust El Niño conditions and record-breaking wind shear.

Until now, Sept. 11 was the latest an Atlantic season’s first hurricane had formed since at least the 1960s, according to data collected by the

WEATHER HIGH 91 LOW 75 PAGE 6A

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The record was set with Hurricane Gustav in 2002 and matched with Hurricane Humberto in 2013, both of which formed on Sept. 11 and marked their seasons’ first hurricanes.

Data collected before then is less reliable, but Matthew Rosencrans, a meteorologist with NOAA’s Center for Weather and Climate Prediction, said the record for the latest-forming hurricane technically goes to the years in which they never came at all: 1907 and 1914. Both of those years were totally void of hurricane

sightings, he said.

Though Tropical Storm Edouard, which hit Louisiana earlier this month, briefly appeared poised to break the Atlantic’s latest hurricane fast, none of this season’s five tropical storms has reached hurricane status.

Normally by this point in the year, the Atlantic would have produced eight named storms, including three hurricanes, one or two of which would have reached Category 3 strength or higher, according to NOAA. It’s not just the lack of hurricanes

For the first time in 60 years, the Atlantic Ocean basin and Gulf has made it to Sept. 11 without a — other markers signify a slow first hurricane. Scientists say it’s half of the season. because of El Nino.

Accumulated cyclone energy con- Peak of hurricane season: siders the duration and intensity 100 of each named storm that forms Where in a season and is another way re- 80 Tropical we are searchers assess a hurricane and storms and today 60 hurricanes hurricane season’s severity.

Four of this season’s five named 40 storms lasted fewer than two days — with only Tropical Storm Bertha 20 Hurricanes holding out for three — leaving the 0 Atlantic with less than 10% of its acMay June July Aug.Sept.Oct. Nov.Dec. cumulated cyclone energy, to date,

Staff graphic

ä See HURRICANE, page 5A

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Cyclospora outbreak declared over

BRIEFS

FROM WIRE REPORTS

Miss. police arrest man in a hanging death

JACKSON, Miss. — Mississippi police have arrested a man in the death Tasia Fortune, a Black woman found hanging from a tree last month.

Jackson Police Chief RaShall Brackney said at a news conference Friday that police had secured search and arrest warrants for the man and arrested him when they encountered him walking on the street.

The state medical examiner’s office determined Thursday evening that the death was a homicide, Brackney said, allowing them to execute the warrants they already had on hand.

“This case remains active and additional arrests will be pending,” Brackney said.

Police first responded to an abandoned home in Jackson on Aug. 3 and discovered Fortune’s body hanging in the backyard.

Nigeria suspends official visits to South Africa ABUJA, Nigeria — Nigeria’s parliament said Friday that it’s suspending official visits to South Africa indefinitely over anti-immigrant protests targeting other Africans.

The violent protests, which erupted in South Africa earlier this year, have forced thousands of migrants to leave and caused diplomatic tensions with other African nations.

Kamoru Ogunlana, the clerk to Nigeria’s National Assembly, said in a statement that the parliament was “particularly concerned by reports of Nigerians being killed, injured, displaced and forced to abandon their businesses, investments, homes and other properties as a result of recurring violent attacks.”

South Africa has for years attracted foreign nationals from across the continent, including many from Nigeria, because of its relative wealth and opportunity. But foreigners have also experienced sporadic outbursts of xenophobic violence. Protesters in the southern African country blame foreigners for high levels of unemployment, crime and pressure on public services.

In June, two Nigerians were killed during anti-migrant violence in South Africa, just two days before an unofficial deadline set by protesters for foreigners to leave. Nigeria’s foreign ministry said one was allegedly killed by police officers and the other by unidentified attackers.

Nigeria’s minister of state for foreign affairs, Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye, hosted South African Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola in the country’s capital, Abuja, in July to discuss the recurring attacks. At that meeting, Enikanolaiye said that at least 98 Nigerians have been killed since 2022 in mob attacks, hate-related violence and extrajudicial killings.

Myanmar resistance group says it hit base BANGKOK — Myanmar’s main pro-democracy resistance group said Friday its armed wing launched drone attacks on a military air base that shares a compound with an international airport serving the country’s second-largest city.

It was the latest attack in Myanmar’s more than five-year conflict between the military and armed resistance groups that emerged after the army seized power in February 2021, ousting the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. The takeover sparked peaceful protests nationwide, but after security forces cracked down with lethal force, many local armed resistance groups were formed and loosely organized into what is called the People’s Defense Force.

The PDF is the armed wing of Myanmar’s shadow National Unity Government, which considers itself the country’s legitimate administrative body.

The PDF said in a statement posted Friday on Facebook that 12 of its units took part in the operation. It described the air base as a key air force headquarters from which airstrikes against civilians are carried out.

The group said five military personnel were killed in the attack, along with three resistance fighters. The claims could not be independently verified.

BY MIKE STOBBE Associated Press

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO

yemen’s Houthi rebels march during a mobilization campaign Thursday in Sanaa, yemen.

Houthis seize island, Saudis shut pipeline

BY FATMA KHALED, SAMY MAGDY and CARA ANNA Associated Press

CAIRO — Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi rebels captured a strategic island at the southern entrance to the Red Sea, two officials said Friday, opening a new front in the Iran war and further threatening oil exports from Saudi Arabia, which shut down a major pipeline after it was attacked.

The Houthis made their biggest territorial gains in years along the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, one of the world’s key shipping lanes. The advance could boost Iran’s strategy of driving up world oil and gas prices to pressure the United States.

Saudi Arabia said it had shut down the pipeline after it was attacked the day before. The Saudi Ministry of Energy called the shutdown “a precautionary measure.”

The Saudi Foreign Ministry blamed the attack on several drones that came from Iraq. In a statement carried by the state-run Saudi Press Agency, the kingdom said it would not respond to give the Iraqi government “an opportunity to take the necessary measures.” The Iraqi government condemned the assault and ordered an investigation.

Saudi Arabia and the United States bombed Iranian-backed mi-

route more complicated.

In a statement Friday, the Houthi armed forces boasted of gains along the coast without mentioning the island, Mokha or the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. They vowed “escalation for escalation” in the confrontation with Saudi Arabia, Pipeline was built in the 1980s while declaring that “maritime Built in the 1980s, the East-West navigation is safe for all compapipeline has played an important nies except for Saudi vessels.” role in Saudi Arabia’s ability to export oil following the disruption Yemen’s government shocked of the Strait of Hormuz during the The Houthis have been attackIran war. By early June, Saudi Ara- ing Saudi shipping on the Red Sea bia had more than doubled oil ex- since declaring a blockade in July, ports from the Red Sea port at the as well as hitting oil infrastructure pipeline’s end to more than 5 mil- inside Saudi Arabia. The rebels lion barrels per day, according to said they acted in response to the the International Energy Agency. kingdom’s yearslong blockade of The Houthi’s capture of Mayun, a Houthi-held parts of Yemen.

A senior military official with Yetiny, barren volcanic island inside the strait also known as Perim, was men’s internationally recognized confirmed by a senior military of- government told the AP they were ficial with Yemen’s internationally stunned that the Saudi air force recognized government and by did not try to prevent the capture a Houthi official. Both spoke on of the port city of Mokha, about 50 condition of anonymity because miles from the strait. He assessed they were not authorized to talk to that Saudi Arabia didn’t get a green light from the U.S. to embark on a journalists.

Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest large-scale air campaign.

The official, who spoke on condioil exporter, has increasingly relied on the Red Sea to get its crude tion of anonymity because he wasn’t to market as an alternative to the allowed to speak to the media, also Strait of Hormuz, where Iran has blamed “lack of coordination” bebeen striking ships. Houthi efforts tween Yemen’s army and multiple to close the 17-mile-wide Bab el- allied militias, saying it gave the Mandeb channel have made that Houthis “a priceless opportunity.” litias in Iraq in July, after blaming them for drone attacks on Saudi oil facilities that had been claimed by the Houthis. Regional officials told The Associated Press that the Houthis helped the Iraqi militias plan and execute the attacks.

Bipartisan agreement: Name airport for Parton

BY TRAVIS LOLLER Associated Press

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — In Nashville, Tennessee, the Republican-dominated state government and Democrat-controlled city government are engaged in an ugly battle for control of the city’s airport.

But there’s one thing the two sides can agree on: Nashville International Airport should be renamed to honor Tennessee’s favorite daughter, Dolly Parton. The change would make Parton the first woman whose name adorns one of America’s 50 busiest airports.

Lydia Popovich, a Parton superfan who started a petition for the name change in 2025, said on Friday that Parton had gracefully batted down the idea of naming the airport after her, as she did with many other proposed honors during her lifetime. That includes a bill brought by Tennessee lawmakers in 2021 to place a statue of her on the Capitol grounds.

Parton asked lawmakers to withdraw the bill but expressed a hope that it might happen “somewhere down the road several years from now or perhaps after I’m gone if you still feel I deserve it.”

After Parton’s death two weeks ago, the airport naming idea seemingly caught fire, with Popovich’s petition reaching more than 175,000 signatures — not that the officials competing to run the airport needed the push.

At a meeting Friday of the state-controlled Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority, a motion directing the airport CEO to begin the renaming process was unanimously approved. Airport officials said the change could take a year or more and involves working with Parton’s estate to determine how they might split profits from merchandise sales, among other things.

NEW YORK — The largest cyclospora food poisoning outbreak in U.S. history is over, U.S. health officials said Friday.

U.S. Food and Drug Administration officials said they are confident that all recalled iceberg lettuce related to this specific outbreak is off the market.

Nearly 13,000 reported cyclospora cases were tied to the multistate outbreak, federal officials say. They represent the bulk of an unprecedented surge in the parasitic diarrheal illness this year.

Even with the outbreak deemed over, several questions remain, including about its origin. The parasite is spread through human feces, and it still isn’t clear how sewage could have contaminated enough food to sicken so many people.

Since May 1, the government has received reports of nearly 20,000 lab-confirmed cases, or more than 16 times the number reported during the same period last year. More than 6,100 suspected cases also have been reported. The worst previous year in the U.S. for infections was 2019, when about 4,700 illnesses were reported nationally.

This year’s surge in cases was dominated by an outbreak in 21 states linked to iceberg lettuce. But there are thousands of other cases that have not been linked to that outbreak.

Michigan was the hardest hit state, with the most reported cases and the two U.S. deaths tied to the outbreak.

Cyclospora is a microscopic, spherical parasite that commonly causes watery diarrhea “with frequent and sometimes explosive bowel movements,” according to the CDC. Outbreaks tend to occur most often in the late spring and summer.

The illness, called cyclosporiasis, is less common than foodborne illnesses caused by other germs, including salmonella and E. coli. Many cases are never linked to a specific food or other source.

U.S. regulators are conducting fewer international inspections to catch contaminated produce before it lands on American plates.

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INVISION FILE PHOTO By JONATHAN SHORT

A motion by a state agency to rename Nashville’s airport after Dolly Parton passed unanimously Friday.

There are two Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authorities: one run by the state and the other controlled by the city, a bifurcated regulatory system that was created in 2023 amid a partisan dispute between the GOP-run state and the Democratic-run city. Who actually controls the airport has been in dispute ever since, with competing boards taking the reins only to be deposed as courts rule and are overturned.

Despite the acrimony, Nashville’s Democratic Mayor Freddie O’Connell and the competing, city-controlled Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority are also in support of the name change, according to O’Connell spokesman Alex Apple.

Popovich, who attended the Friday meeting and spoke in favor of the proposal, was in tears after the vote.

“It’s been a really beautiful experience, especially as you’re grieving someone that was such a great loss,” she told The Associated Press. “She’s the best of Tennessee. She’s the best of the humans on the planet. She was this magical person that provided light and guidance to all of us.”

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Trump marks attacks’ anniversary at Pentagon

BY COLLIN BINKLEY, AAMER MADHANI and MEG KINNARD

on the building struck by one of those planes a quarter-century ago.

Associated Press It was the second year in WASHINGTON — President a row that Trump observed Donald Trump observed the day at the Pentagon. The Friday’s 25th anniversary president, who is originally of the Sept. 11 attacks at a from New York, last attendceremony at the Pentagon ed the ground zero ceremoby commemorating the ny there in 2024. lives lost when al-Qaida militants hijacked planes and Widow calls out ‘betrayal’ killed nearly 3,000 people in At one point during the solthree locations and upended emn remembrance in New American foreign policy York City, a woman whose and national husband died in the attacks security. criticized Saudi Arabia and Trump and called on the Trump adminfirst lady Meistration to rethink the Unitlania Trump ed States’ tight relationship listened as with the kingdom. the names of Terry Strada, who lost her the 184 peohusband Tom Strada on 9/11, called on Trump to “tell the ple killed at Trump Saudis to stop lying” and the Pentagon that day were read aloud, a accused U.S. presidents of bell tolling between each. In choosing “to protect the Sauhis remarks, Trump recount- dis instead of standing with ed the stories of several of the 9/11 families.”

Strada, who was one of the the victims and insisted that the moment has led to a forti- 9/11 family members who fication of American resolve. read aloud the names of vic“We will never, ever for- tims at this year’s rememget,” Trump said. “That’s brance, added that the curwhy we fight today. We don’t rent administration should have a choice.” “stand with the families, Earlier, in a downpour at stand with the survivors.” daybreak, Defense Secre“It has been one betrayal tary Pete Hegseth and top after another. President military officials stood out- Trump can still change that,” side and watched as a giant she said before calling on American flag was unfurled Vice President JD Vance to

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MARK SCHIEFELBEIN

Military staff and guests bow their heads during an observance ceremony on the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks Friday at the Pentagon in Washington. “carry that message back” to Washington.

Strada is part of a group of family members of 9/11 victims embroiled in a longrunning lawsuit against the Saudis. They allege a group of extremist religious leaders in Saudi Arabia gained influence in the Saudi government and aided the hijackers. Fifteen of the 19 hijackers were Saudis, but the Saudi government has long denied any involvement in the attacks.

Linking 9/11, Iran war Trump began his remarks by recalling the sense of

American unity following the attacks. “In those harrowing days after the attacks, we saw the authentic spirit of our nation,” Trump said. “We were all New Yorkers that day. Every one of us. We were all New Yorkers. We were all family.”

The president and his defense secretary sought to connect the events of 9/11 to the war with Iran. Trump saluted the service members “working right now to ensure the world’s No. 1 sponsor of terror — the Islamic Republic of Iran — will never, ever have a nuclear weapon.”

Hegseth used the moment to make the case that the U.S. military had “laid waste to the world’s most prolific state sponsor of terrorism” with the war against Iran.

“Our warriors have fought an Islamic theocracy that has wished us death for nearly half a century, that cheered on 9/11, a regime that has sponsored terrorist attacks against Americans for decades, killing thousands, including our comrades in Iraq, in Afghanistan,” Hegseth added.

Measures of reflection At Friday’s commemo-

rations, there was also a measure of reflection about whether 9/11, the deadliest attack on the U.S., could have been prevented.

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin at a ceremony at his agency’s headquarters said it was a moment to consider the success of his department, which was stood up following the attacks and has “prevented it from happening again.”

Still, Mullin noted that Osama bin Laden, architect of the attacks, had fired “warning shots” in the years prior to 9/11 about his intent to carry out a major strike on the U.S. The U.S. national security apparatus certainly had “failures along the way,” Mullin said.

Condoleezza Rice, who was serving as White House national security adviser on 9/11, participated in Friday’s commemoration at the Pentagon. In her remarks, she acknowledged that she still feels deep pain that “those of us in authority on that day did not see the nature of the danger in time to prevent the attack of 9/11.”

“I will always carry deep personal remorse for the pain that you, the families of the fallen, still feel, and for the trauma that our country endured,” Rice said.

CIA releases dozens of pre-9/11 briefs on bin Laden, al-Qaida

BY MEG KINNARD Associated Press

Several dozen presidential briefing documents declassified Friday, the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, detail intelligence government officials had gathered about Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida leading up to the hijackings that killed nearly 3,000 people and upended American national security.

The documents illustrate security analysts’ tracking of bin Laden’s movements and support system, as well as concerns about possible threats to U.S. targets. They also detail officials’ understanding of his network in the United States and other countries, including how his operations were financed.

Proclaiming it “an act of

exceptional transparency,” CIA Director John Ratcliffe said the documents were the agency’s single largest release of declassified presidential daily briefs — the highly classified briefings prepared by the nation’s intelligence community for the government’s most senior leaders.

The documents range from a February 1998 file — prepared for then-President Bill Clinton — titled “Terrorists seeking WMD capability” and mentioning bin Laden and other Islamic extremists to a Sept. 12, 2001, report in which a source indicated the attacks had been planned for two years and had also targeted the U.S. Capitol.

An April 1998 document described the Taliban’s unwillingness to hand over

bin Laden, at the time seen as their “guest” in Afghanistan, noting their “gratitude for his assistance during the Soviet occupation” was making them “reluctant to alienate him by monitoring or controlling his activities.”

Briefers in July 1998 called it “plausible that Bin Ladin places a high priority on conducting attacks in the United States” and noted his “interest in conducting attacks with chemical and biological agents.”

Two months later, a briefer wrote that bin Laden’s “preferred option is to strike the U.S. on its own soil in Washington,” and that al-Qaida “may fly an explosive-packed airplane into a U.S. city.”

Potential hijackings were also discussed in December 1998, when a briefer

Canada holds solemn ceremony

By The Associated Press GANDER, Newfoundland — Standing in the town that sheltered thousands of stranded Americans after the Sept. 11 attacks, former Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chrétien marked the 25th anniversary Friday with a pointed message for the United States: “Never mistake our generosity for weakness.”

The 92-year-old former leader, who was prime minister at the time of the attacks, drew a standing ovation after telling his “American friends” that Canadians may be tolerant and kind but “we bow to no one.”

U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra rose afterward and hugged him.

“I say that not in anger, but as one friend to another,” Chrétien said. “Friends need to be honest with each other.”

The unusually blunt remarks came during a solemn ceremony honoring the nearly 3,000 people killed in New York, at the Pentagon

and aboard Flight 93, and remembering Gander’s extraordinary response to the attacks.

Chrétien recalled how Canada rallied behind the United States after the attacks, when Americans were “our neighbors, our closest friends under attack.”

“It was a day when we saw the worst of humanity and the very best,” he said. Some of the very best, he said, happened in Gander.

On Sept. 11, 2001, 38 planes carrying more than 6,500 passengers and crew were diverted to the small Newfoundland town after the United States shut its airspace. The arrivals nearly doubled Gander’s population.

Residents in Gander and surrounding communities turned schools, churches and meeting halls into shelters, supplied food and medicine and welcomed strangers into their homes. The stranded travelers became known locally as the “plane people.”

The story of what happened in Gander inspired the musical “Come From Away.”

described how conspirators “had evaded security checks during a recent trial run at an unidentified New York airport,” and “some members of the Bin Ladin network have received hijack training.”

Other documents detail bin Laden’s pursuit of materials for making “dirty bombs,” conventional weapons infused with radioactive material. By June 1999, according to intelligence officials, his operatives had conducted such experiments with explosives to “increase their energy output.”

About two years before the attacks, intelligence officials were aware bin Laden appeared to be misleading the Taliban about his reluctance to launch an unprovoked attack on the U.S. Briefs prepared for President George W. Bush in early 2001 focused in part on bin Laden’s “experimentation by crude means to make and deploy biological agents.”

A report a month before the attacks indicated bin Laden’s commitment “to conduct terrorist attacks in the U.S.,” noting that 1998 al-

Qaida attacks on U.S. embassies “demonstrate that he prepares operations years in advance and is not deterred by setbacks.”

At that time — August 2001 — officials wrote of “suspicious activity in this country consistent with preparations for hijackings or other types of attacks, including recent surveillance of federal buildings in New York,” adding that the FBI was “conducting approximately 70 full field investigations throughout the U.S. that it considers Bin Ladin-related.”

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ANNIVERSARY

Continued from page 1A

power of hate,” President Donald Trump said Friday at the Pentagon’s anniversary ceremony.

“The 25 years since have shown us the even greater power of the American spirit to endure and prevail, and to win,” added the Republican, who was in his native New York on 9/11.

Former President George W. Bush, who was in office on 9/11, attended the observance at the National Sept. 11 Memorial in New York, along with former Presidents Bill Clinton, Barack Obama and Joe Biden, and current Vice President JD Vance. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick wiped away a tear as he revisited the place where the attacks killed 658 of his colleagues — including his brother, Gary Lutnick — at the investment firm Cantor Fitzgerald.

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum laid a wreath at the Flight 93 National Memorial in Pennsylvania after hailing the courage of the plane’s passengers and crew: “The actions they took should inspire us all.”

Tribute to those who fell ill For Angilic Casalduc, attending the New York commemoration “helps to show you’re not alone.”

She lost her mother, Vivian Casalduc.

“There’s no timeline for grief, and unfortunately, no one can say how you can grieve, but coming here once a year makes it feel just a little bit better,” she said.

Traditionally, there are no political speeches at the ground zero commemoration, where victims’ relatives read aloud the long list of names and added personal messages.

They thanked first responders and the military, invoked religious faith, appealed for national unity and touched on the U.S. relationship with Saudi Arabia. The kingdom was the homeland of most of the hijackers but denied any involvement in the attacks.

Mostly, relatives spoke of, and to, loved ones — whom some were

BLIGHT

lll

In the quarter-century since, Muslim Americans have played a growing role in public life from statehouses to Congress to New York City Hall, where Zohran Mamdani is the city’s first Muslim mayor. Yet he faced some criticism for attending the anniversary ceremony at ground zero.

Republican ex-Gov. George Pataki and 9/11 victims’ relatives cited, among other things, past remarks that some of Mamdani’s political associates have made about the attacks. Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani, a Republican, also opposed Mamdani’s attendance, though the two shook hands there Friday.

Mamdani, a Democrat, said this week he loves the city and country and that he wanted the anniversary to focus on victims’ families, first responders and New Yorkers who helped one another after the ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ANGELINA KATSANIS attacks, which he called a “horNew york City firefighters march on Friday near the National Sept. 11 Memorial on the 25th anniversary of the rific act of terror.” The 34-year-old mayor was an elementary school Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in New york. student in New York on 9/11.

One victim’s son and namesake, too young to remember. tional network of secret CIA pris- police officer I can,” he said by Michael Massaroli, used his time at “You dreamed my whole life for ons. The U.S. found and killed al- phone this week. the podium Friday to deplore peome, and you only got eight months Qaida leader Osama bin Laden in Michael Escanelle of the Uni- ple “using this tragedy to spread of it,” said Trisha Pakkala, who lost Pakistan in 2011, but the accused versity of Louisiana at Lafayette hate” against Muslims and others. her mother, Deepa Pakkala.

9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh student veterans organization “That’s wrong, and that does no Kiersten Haub, who was 16 Mohammed still awaits a trial 23 who served on the USS New York, honor to the victims here,” he said. months old when the attacks killed years after his capture. a U.S. Navy transport dock built her father, firefighter Michael The attacks changed U.S. air in part with steel recovered from Times Square billboards Helmut Haub, said: “I carry you travel, led to the creation of the the World Trade Center, said the Remembrances extended far through every milestone.”

Department of Homeland Securi- attacks were the reason many from the attack sites, including Besides moments of silence at ty, prompted new federal surveil- young men and women joined the beams of light projected from key points in the attack timeline, lance and intelligence-gathering military in the wake of 9/11. Many New Hampshire’s Mount Washthis year’s ceremony added anoth- powers and banking regulations of them never returned home from ington, a stair climb at Mississippi er moment to honor people who and generated ongoing debate the fights overseas in places like State University’s football stadium and a ceremony at Honolulu’s 9/11 were exposed to the clouds of tox- over the balance between security Bahrain, he said.

The 25th anniversary of the at- memorial. ic dust released by the twin tow- and freedom.

Sept. 11 engendered a culture of tacks, Escanelle said, is more than Sept. 11 isn’t a federal holiday, ers’ fiery collapse and have since but Congress has designated it died of cancer and other illnesses. individual vigilance summed up a milestone.

“It is a generational turning both Patriot Day and a National Questions remain about how many by the slogan, “ If you see somepeople developed health problems thing, say something,” while a point that calls us to remember, to Day of Service and Remembrance.

“One appropriate way to relinked to the dust. wave of patriotism propelled some teach and to carry forward the sacAmericans to join the military, fire rifices and values that have served member is by serving,” said Jay The impact of 9/11 endures departments and police forces. us,” he said. “Young people must Winuk, who lost his brother Glenn Casey Kloepfer was 4 when know this history not simply as a Winuk and then co-founded the It’s a reminder of how the attacks’ long shadow has reached his father, police Officer Ronald lesson from the past, but as a liv- organization 9/11 Day with friend into many corners of life in the Kloepfer, was killed at the trade ing legacy entrusted to their care.” David Paine. The group coordicenter. The son became an offiU.S. and beyond. nates volunteer opportunities and The U.S.-led global war on ter- cer himself this June, wearing his N.Y. mayor under scrutiny this year arranged for dozens of rorism included invasions of Iraq dad’s badge number.

Amid the post-9/11 calls to ser- Times Square billboards to pause “It’s big footsteps to fill, but it’s vice and appeals for national unity, their advertising at 9:11 a.m. Friand Afghanistan — the latter Washington’s longest war — and definitely something that I take the attacks also fanned mistrust, day. detentions and harsh interrogation very seriously and want to con- prejudice and hate crimes directInstead, they simply displayed of terror suspects in an interna- tinue to honor him and be the best ed at Muslims. the time.

which Jackson was.

In 2021 and 2022, Jackson was Continued from page 1A paid $1,875 monthly for the program. In 2023 and 2024, that amount was increased to $2,000.

In the arrest warrant for Cole, inJackson’s role in the blight program is at the center of an indict- vestigators say Jackson discussed ment against him and Cole, who is using the blight program for kicknow the East Baton Rouge schools backs. superintendent. Attorney GenIn a text sent by Jackson to Cole eral Liz Murrill’s office accuses in January 2023 about a new opporthe pair, who are close friends, of tunity for contracted blight work, conspiring to get Cole kickbacks Jackson said “If you finesse it to through the blight me, we can split that 24k.” contract.

Cole’s legal team declined to Both were comment. Jackson, through his charged with conattorney, did not respond to a request for comment. spiracy to commit bribery and money Worker raised questions laundering. Cole also is accused of Among their responsibilities, malfeasance in of- Jackson outreach workers like Jackson are supposed to help identify blight in fice.

Investigators said text messages their assigned council district, acbetween Cole and Jackson show cording to their contracts. the two agreed to “accept bribes Onboarding materials show they and kickbacks associated with were expected to document blight Blight contracts.” via the city-parish’s 311 system, Jackson was one of many com- which is the log used for nonemermunity outreach workers hired gency requests for service. based on referrals from Metro The training materials also give Council members as part of the the contract workers step-by-step Blight Remediation Program. instructions on how to log what The program is designed “to as- they find into the system.

Between 2021 and 2024, some of sist in developing neighborhood action plans with residents and Jackson’s colleagues logged more assist in identifying sites or con- than 2,500 instances of blight into ditions that contribute to commu- the 311 system, according to renity blight.” cords obtained by The Advocate.

The identification work is done Jackson logged no blighted with the help of outreach workers, property reports into the system

between 2021 and 2024, while he had the contract, according to the records.

City-parish workers repeatedly instructed Jackson to use the 311 system, at one point sending him screenshots to show him how to use the system, according to emails obtained by The Advocate.

It’s not clear whether Jackson attempted to report blight through some other mechanism.

But throughout 2022, the cityparish employee managing the outreach workers asked Jackson for more proof of his work, such as reports and blight data for his assigned district, according to emails.

Prosecutors say in August 2022, Cole and Jackson messaged each other, expressing frustrations over that employee.

“Man, time to go around her bro,” Jackson messaged Cole on Aug. 3, 2022.

The worker’s contract expired at the end of the year and was not renewed for 2023.

Prosecutors say Cole messaged Jackson to indicate he had influenced the decision not to bring the worker back.

“F*** with the bull, you get the horns!!!” Cole messaged Jackson in January 2023.

The now-defunct Mayor’s Healthy City Initiative is cited in another corruption indictment handed down in the attorney general’s ongoing probe into City Hall operations during Sharon Weston Broome’s tenure as mayor-president.

Between June 2022 and October 2023, Jackson’s company was paid more than $500,000 via the Healthy City Initiative, a nonprofit geared toward violence prevention and community development.

In the arrest warrant for Cole, prosecutors lay out the fees paid to Jackson through the healthy city nonprofit and point out that Cole, who was mayor pro tem of the Metro Council at the time, voted to approve contracts to Jackson’s company.

In addition to helping Jackson secure the blight contracts, prosecutors say, Cole “engaged in several overt acts” to funnel Healthy City Initiative work to his friend in exchange for kickbacks.

In another set of text messages cited by investigators between Cole, Jackson and another person — who was not named in the arrest warrant — Cole notes someone is aware of the scheme.

“He knows I’m getting a kickback from both you and he plans to expose us,” Cole said.

Other payments

Added oversight

The blight program is still in operation, though Jackson has not been an outreach worker since his contract in 2024 ended.

Asked about the program Thursday, current Mayor-President Sid Edwards’ Chief Operations Officer Christel Slaughter said the mayor had his administration conduct a comprehensive review of the entire blight remediation process earlier this year.

“From the beginning of his administration, Mayor-President Edwards has emphasized stronger controls, greater accountability and increased oversight across city-parish government, including in the review and administration of contracts,” Slaughter said.

Since his time on the campaign trail in 2024, Edwards has repeatedly named blight as a major priority. Slaughter said there is now stronger oversight in place.

“In the blight program, contractors are required to provide detailed documentation showing that the work included in their scopes of work has been completed,” Slaughter said. “The City-Parish is cross-checking that documentation as part of its ongoing oversight to ensure that work is properly performed, documented and accounted for.”

The blight program is not the Broome has not been implicated Email Patrick Sloan-Turner only city-parish initiative that’s in the attorney general’s investiga- at patrick.sloan-turner@ been under criminal investigation. tion and has denied wrongdoing. theadvocate.com.

An Excellent Education is Every Child’s Birthright Learn more at BRALLIANCE.ORG

The Advocate ■ theadvocate.com ■ Saturday, September 12, 2026 ■ 5A

lll

HOUSING

Continued from page 1A and advocates. The state’s housing policy “has just too many contradictions to feel comfortable and assured.”

The subsidy is one of multiple programs the state’s housing finance agency, tasked with providing affordable housing to low-income residents, has cut or delayed this year. Though the shifts have drawn some critics, state leaders, acting in line with federal strategy shifts, say they are reforming a troubled office and freeing up resources for other priorities.

“The Louisiana Housing Corporation has been transformed into an organization focused on transparency, accountability, and delivering results for Louisiana families,” said Gov. Jeff Landry in a statement about the changes last week. “Today, LHC is focused on responsible investments that actually help Louisiana families — including fortifying roofs to lower insurance costs and make housing more affordable.”

The state hopes to redirect the $20 million that would have funded affordable housing projects to a popular state grant program offered to homeowners who fortify their roofs, said Gina Campo of the state Office of Community Development.

Projects without funding Other changes the housing office has made this year include canceling funding for homeowner counseling programs. And the office has not released an annual funding plan for 2026, including the award of millions of dollars in federal tax credits for affordable housing de-

HURRICANE

Continued from page 1A Rosencrans said.

While a number of climate and weather factors contribute to whether or not a storm will form, Rosencrans and Colorado State University hurricane researcher Philip Klotzbach both put much of the blame this time around on El Niño.

“I would say that this remarkably quiet start to the season is almost 100% El Niño,” Klotzbach

velopment.

The changes, a window into the Landry administration’s approach to affordable housing, come amid federal funding and as the governor has urged the housing office to limit the costs of affordable housing projects.

The office’s $20 million grant program, for example, was authorized by the Department of Housing and Urban Development to support housing creation in areas impacted by hurricanes Laura, Delta and Ida. The money was the final tranche of $475 million from the Piggyback Resilience Initiative MixedIncome (PRIME) program, which Louisiana has used to help build more than 4,100 apartments in recent years.

But President Donald Trump’s administration has repeatedly taken aim at the federal grants that fund the PRIME program. Trump’s 2027 budget calls for ending them altogether.

Campo, whose office works with the state’s housing office to administer those grants, said her office planned to ask HUD to sign off on spending the $20 million on Louisiana’s fortified roof program, which regularly receives thousands more applications than its current funding can support.

In their letter to developers, state officials said that they ended the $20 million grant program “after due consideration of” a June statewide housing needs assessment. That report does not recommend expanding the fortified roof program but it does suggest expanding funding for affordable housing development.

State officials appear to have decided to end the program within a week of its expected award date of Aug. 19. At an Aug. 12 board

meeting, Brenda Evans, the Louisiana Housing Corp.’s chief operating officer, and Wendy Gentry, its board chair, said they expected the awards to be announced soon.

Some housing leaders back the state’s housing strategy. J. Daniels, director of the East Baton Rouge Parish Housing Authority, said he is in favor of the “approach to the administration of LHC — the rightsizing of the organization, the really strengthening of the financial position.” The organization had a $3.4 million net operating loss in 2024, and tasked a consultant in 2025 with cutting $1.5 million from its budget.

Others said that while they support the fortified program, the state’s move to fund it poses a major challenge for affordable developers who were hoping for a slice of the funds to offset steep insurance and borrowing costs.

“There are developments in New Orleans ready to move forward but for funding gaps,” said Marjorianna Willman, director of the Housing Authority of New Orleans, which provides vouchers for people to live in affordable developments. “Hundreds of thousands of dollars have been spent to get the projects shovel-ready.”

Willman, a former Louisiana Housing Corp. director, added: “These projects will also have fortified and resilient features such as fortified roofs.”

It is unclear how many developers applied for the $20 million and how many could have benefited.

HUD designated $10 million for parishes impacted by hurricanes Laura and Delta and $10 million for parishes hit by Hurricane Ida. Jeff Schwartz, New Orleans’ deputy mayor for community and economic development, said he was aware of two projects in New

Orleans that appeared to be a good fit: one in Central City, and one in the Lower 9th Ward.

The state’s changes “add even more urgency and underscore the really tough challenges we’re faced with,” he said at an Aug. 27 meeting of an advisory panel that governs city housing funds.

Morris said a successful fortified program would cover the full cost of a roof for those who need it. The state’s grants cover up to $10,000 but leave homeowners on the hook for the rest.

The program cancellation is one of several recent shifts at the state housing office.

The office recently applied to take over $50 million in federal homeless services funds for the New Orleans area, which have long been managed locally, in a sweeping effort to overhaul the region’s long-standing homelessness strategy.

The application is in limbo after a court halted the release of federal funding.

Last year, the office approved a plan for allocating federal tax credits aimed at limiting the cost of affordable housing after Landry and other state officials raised concerns about the price tags of some new projects.

Those credits, which developers get from the government and then sell to investors willing to provide upfront cash for affordable housing projects, are the main source of funding for affordable housing in the state.

The state hasn’t released this year’s version of the plan, but at an Aug. 12 board meeting of the housing office, Evans said the office was working on it. While there is no formal funding deadline, the state’s plan has often been published the year before the federal

credits are released.

The office also declined to apply this year for a federal housing counseling grant, which nonprofits and other agencies can use to offer aid to first-time homeowners or those facing foreclosure. In its most recent funding round, the Louisiana Housing Corporation received $584,000 through that program, assisting 10 providers.

The Louisiana Fair Housing Action Center was one of them. Giazzlyn Duncan, a director there, said the funding let the center provide financial management counseling for up to 60 families facing foreclosure per year.

They won’t be able to offer that counseling moving forward. “This service is needed because recently homeowners are dealing with increases in insurance,” she said.

In a statement, a housing office spokesperson said that “LHC self-generates its funding. LHC’s expenses to operate the program exceeded the program income generated. There are other viable no-cost alternatives for the citizens of Louisiana to receive the same services.”

The corporation’s latest changes come less than three months after a state audit found that its programs failed to target the lowestincome families that most need assistance, and that the agency failed to track its progress or implement a statewide housing plan as required by state law.

After job cuts, the agency’s staffing dropped by a third from 2024 to 2025, down to 109 employees.

The state audit found “low morale and unclear communication within LHC.” The report noted other challenges at the agency, which has seen five directors since 2019.

said.

El Niño is a climate pattern that tends to increase vertical wind shear across the Atlantic, helping to break up storms and prevent hurricane formation and intensification. Those effects aren’t a given, but stronger events improve the odds of lower tropical activity across the Atlantic and Gulf.

Earlier this year, federal scientists predicted that 2026 could “rank among the largest El Niño events in the historical record going back to 1950,” with conditions expected to intensify through the

Atlantic hurricane season and into the winter.

Klotzbach said that has largely come to fruition, with the latest data showing this year’s El Niño reaching historic intensity and altering weather conditions across the globe.

“This powerful El Niño has resulted in the strongest vertical wind shear on record across the western Atlantic,” Klotzbach said.

“We continue to crush western Atlantic vertical wind shear records, with well above-average shear across the full main development

region as well.”

Rosencrans said the other key players in Atlantic storm formation have not been overly supportive or disruptive so far this year.

Sea surface temperatures in the tropical Atlantic have been near average. And trade winds, which generally help fuel storms, have been slightly above normal.

Both Rosencrans and Klotzbach said they expect the calm to continue, with “zero signs of any hurricanes on the horizon,” as Klotzbach put it.

While Rosencrans said environ-

mental conditions across the Atlantic are expected to remain hostile to storm formation through September, he urged those in hurricaneprone states to stay vigilant. Early September is the height of hurricane season, and some of Louisiana’s most memorable storms have hit during El Niño years.

“A late-season storm can bring devastating consequences,” Rosencrans said, “and during El Niño years, areas near the Gulf Coast and East Coast are the relatively favored locations for tropical storm and hurricane formations.”

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6A ■ Saturday, September 12, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

lll

TODAY

SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

Humid; an afternoon t-storm

An afternoon t-storm; humid

A t-storm around in the p.m.

A t-storm around in the p.m.

A t-storm around in the p.m.

A t-storm around in the a.m.

HIGH

HIGH

HIGH

HIGH

HIGH

HIGH

LOW

91° 75°

LOW

93° 74°

LOW

94° 75°

92° 74°

Beaumont 91/76 Port Arthur 91/76

High/low Normal high/low Last year’s high/low Record high Record low

Hattiesburg 92/73

Alexandria 95/74 Baton Rouge 91/75

Lafayette 90/75 Lake Charles 91/77

10s

20s

30s

Houma 86/74

40s

YESTERDAY

TODAY

READING 67 MAIN POLLUTANT Ozone

MAIN POLLUTANT Ozone

50s

60s

70s

80s

Sunrise today Sunset tonight Moonrise today Moonset today

90s 100s 110s

FIRST

SEP 18

City

Atlanta Austin Boston Charlotte Chicago Dallas Denver Houston Las Vegas

Shown are areas of precipitation and high temperatures for the day.

24-hour total Month to date Normal month to date year to date Normal year to date

HIGH

10:05a 5:40a 5:22a 7:09a 12:00a 10:51p 1:08a

6:47 a.m.

7:14 p.m.

8:14 a.m.

8:00 p.m.

FULL

LAST

SEP 26

Hi

TODAY

86 103 72 86 85 102 82 95 102

Lo

73 78 64 72 62 80 60 77 82

NEW

OCT 3

W

t s s t pc s pc t s

OCT 10

Hi

90 102 74 90 76 100 95 92 101

MODERATE

PRECIPITATION

91°/74° 90°/70° 92°/71° 102° in 1921 57° in 1943

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

New Orleans 90/76

Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.

0s

LOW

92° 72°

TEMPERATURE Jackson 93/73

Many 95/72

LOW

Baton Rouge through 5 p.m. Friday

Longview 100/76

-0s

93° 75°

Monroe 98/75

Shreveport 99/77

-10s

LOW

Like yesterday, we are under a marginal risk of excessive rainfall that could lead to some measure of flash flooding this afternoon.

Expect a partly to mostly cloudy, very warm, and humid and breezy day with scattered showers and thunderstorms. Temperatures this afternoon will rise to the upper 80s-low 90s. With high humidity, heat index values could rise to 102 this afternoon. Expect some rain for tailgating north and south of the Lake and the start of the game.

SUN. Lo

72 78 67 71 58 80 63 77 76

W

t t r t sh s pc t s

FT.

LOW

0.02” 0.02” 1.84” 44.49” 45.30”

FT.

0.5 6:28a 0.4 1.3 11:36a 0.9 1.9 9:47a 0.9 1.5 1:20a 0.9 0.9 7:08a 0.7 1.3 5:05a 0.8 1.1 8:10a 0.9

HIGH

--6:34p 6:03p 8:16p 11:30p -----

FT.

SOURCE: LOUISIANA DEQ AND AIRNOW.GOV

LOW

FT.

--- 5:39p 0.4 1.3 11:13p 1.1 2.1 10:19p 1.3 1.6 1:26p 0.7 1.1 --- ------- ------- ---

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 12:21a 6:32a 12:43p 6:54p Sunday 1:10a 7:21a 1:33p 7:44p Monday 2:01a 8:13a 2:24p 8:36p Tuesday 2:53a 9:06a 3:18p 9:30p Wednesday 3:47a 9:59a 4:12p 10:24p Thursday 4:40a 10:53a 5:05p 11:18p Friday 5:32a 11:45a 5:58p ----

City

Hi

Los Angeles 86 Miami 90 Nashville 88 New york City 79 Philadelphia 84 Phoenix 101 St. Louis 90 San Francisco 71 Seattle 68

TODAY Lo

69 78 71 70 73 85 71 60 54

W

pc t t pc pc t pc pc sh

GOOD

Hi

84 92 93 81 85 102 89 73 66

SUN. Lo

69 78 70 67 71 86 67 57 54

Weather (W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain, sf-snow flurries, sn-snow, i-ice.

W

s t pc r r s t pc r

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

FRI. 24-HOUR STAGE CHANGE

-2.64 17.12 20.52 8.02 4.51 4.02 3.20

+0.02 +0.43 -0.58 -0.28 -0.19 -0.33 +0.19

40

10.61

-2.48

19

-1.50

none

18 29 8

-1.17 10.13 2.35

-0.03 -0.28 +0.03

13 15

2.54 0.94

-0.02 -0.25

47 34 29 20 12 6

7.46 5.05 3.53 3.95 2.90 2.42

-0.51 -0.34 -0.43 -0.27 -0.40 +0.05

data as of 7 a.m. Friday

Forecasts and graphics, except for Damon’s Outlook, provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2026

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Ascension advances data center ordinance Parish mulls rules for facilities

BY ANNAKATE FREELAND Staff writer

The Ascension Parish Zoning Commission took its first steps Wednesday toward establishing new regulations for high-impact development facilities, including data

centers, after more than an hour of discussion and amendments to a proposed ordinance.

The ordinance now moves to the Parish Council, which will have the final vote on whether to adopt the regulations. The council’s next meeting is set for Thursday.

Under the draft ordinance, highimpact development facilities would include data centers, cloud computing facilities, artificial in-

telligence computing facilities, cryptocurrency and blockchain computing facilities, server farms and substantially similar digital infrastructure.

These facilities would be permitted in heavy industrial zones and under conditional use in medium and light industrial zones.

In heavy industrial zones, the facilities would be allowed as a “use by right,” but in medium and light

industrial zones, applicants would go before the Zoning Commission, which would make a recommendation to the Parish Council. The council would have final authority to approve or deny the application following a public hearing.

Proposed facilities would be responsible for 100% of the cost of any power generation, substation or transmission line upgrades required to serve the facility. They

Family confronts man in court

RIGHT: Sheriff Bobby Webre speaks directly to fire department recruits and encourages the younger generation to never forget the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks during the annual 9/11 ceremony at Ascension

He was involved in 20-year-old’s death

Parish Sheriff’s Office.

BELOW: Ascension Fire District 3 Deputy Chief Pat Carpenter rings a bell for every Louisianan victim that died from the 9/11 attacks as their names are read during the ceremony on Friday.

STAFF PHOTOS

By JAVIER GALLEGOS

also would not be allowed to rely on any existing electrical infrastructure to supply their power needs.

The commission approved an amendment that, before submitting an application, the applicant must conduct two community meetings to talk with the public about the project. The applicant must then produce minutes and audio recordings to be submitted to the commission.

BY QUINN COFFMAN Staff writer

NEVER FORGOTTEN

In a crowded courtroom, the family of 20-year-old Logan LaCombe had a chance to confront one of the brothers allegedly involved in his death as the man was sentenced to 15 years in prison.

Joshua Juvon Johnson, 33, pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of attempted armed robbery in connection with LaCombe’s killing. He originally was arrested on counts of principal to first-degree murder and principal to illegal use of a weapon, and later was indicted on a charge of second-degree murder.

His brother, Dominik Johnson, 28, is believed to have pulled the trigger after the two met with LaCombe in the lot of a Bluebonnet Boulevard apartment complex, reportedly to purchase prescription pills from him. LaCombe died Aug. 21, 2020, from multiple gunshot wounds.

LaCombe’s sister, Jordan LaCombe, who has a tattoo of her brother’s name on her arm, was the first to speak to Johnson during the sentencing on Thursday. She kept it simple.

ä See COURT, page 2B

Port of Greater BR head to retire

Deputy director tapped as replacement

BY IANNE SALVOSA Staff writer

‘A PERMANENT REMINDER’

Home donated to family of slain officer in observance of 9/11 attacks

BY ELLYN COUVILLION Staff writer

As part of the observance of the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, a nonprofit organization gave a home to the family of a Baton Rouge police officer who was killed in the line of duty.

The family of Matthew Gerald, who was shot during an ambush on July 17, 2016, was one of 55 nationwide to receive a house from the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, which was founded after the attack on the World Trade Center.

“We found a home where they wanted to be, purchased it and said, ‘Here’s the title and the keys,’ ” said Trevor Tamsen, spokesperson for the Tunnel to Towers Foundation.

Gerald was a former Marine who later rejoined the military and served in the Army after the 9/11 attacks. He joined the Baton Rouge Police Department in October 2015. He and his wife, Dechia, had two Gerald young daughters and were expecting their third child when Gerald was ambushed, along with other officers, by a lone gunman 10 years ago on Airline Highway.

Gerald and two other officers, Police Cpl. Montrell Jackson and Sheriff’s Deputy Brad Garafola, died at the scene. Three others — Police Cpl. Chad Montgomery, Sheriff’s Lt. Bruce Simmons and Sheriff’s Cpl. Nick Tullier —

were wounded. Tullier ultimately died of his injuries in 2022.

The Tunnel to Towers Foundation provides mortgage-free homes to the families of fallen first responders with young children and builds specially adapted homes for catastrophically injured veterans and first responders.

Children of the Foundation’s home recipients are offered full scholarships for undergraduate degrees, the nonprofit said in a news release.

The new home for the Gerald family “will be a permanent reminder that America has not forgotten what he sacrificed for us, at home and abroad,” said Frank Siller, chairman of Tunnel to Towers.

Email Ellyn Couvillion at ecouvillion@theadvocate.com.

After two decades of strengthening the Capital Region’s port infrastructure, the head of the Port of Greater Baton Rouge is retiring.

Jay Hardman, who has served as executive director of the port since 2006, will step down on Dec. 1. The port’s board of commissioners tapped Greg Johnson, the port’s deputy Hardman director, as the next leader.

Hardman, who has worked at the port for 26 years, said he was retiring with “immense gratitude and mixed emotions.” “ I h a v e b e e n Johnson blessed and am thankful for the opportunities, relationships, and accomplishments that have transformed this facility into

ä See REPLACEMENT, page 2B

2B ■ Saturday, September 12, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

lll

Pam Fortner, Tropical Isle bar co-founder, dies at 80 She helped create iconic Bourbon Street drink

BY POET WOLFE Staff writer

Pam Fortner, the co-founder of the Tropical Isle bar who helped create one of Bourbon Street’s most recognizable drinks, died on Tuesday, her nephew, Jason Fortner, confirmed.

She was 80.

Pam Fortner and her lifelong business partner, Earl Bernhardt, who died in 2019, helped reshape drinking culture on Bourbon with the creation of the Hand Grenade, joining other novelty drinks loved by tourists on the thoroughfare, including the Pat O’Brien’s Hurricane and Purple Drank at Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop Bar. A memorial service honoring Pam Fortner’s life will be held on Sept.

16 at Omni Royal New Orleans, followed by a second-line to Tropical Isle at 721 Bourbon St., where there will be a reception, the bar announced on social media.

Pam Fortner’s love for New Or-

A native of Nashville, Tennessee, Pam Fortner became captivated by New Orleans — its culture, laissezfaire atmosphere and historic buildings — after her first Mardi Gras in 1972. She moved to the city several years later, where she met Bernhardt while tending bar at his frozen drink stand, Tropical Paradise, at the 1984 World Fair.

Bernhardt later invested in a space on Toulouse Street, where he opened the first Tropical Isle and asked Pam Fortner to manage it.

She agreed — but only on the condition that she would become his business partner.

“Earl was the advertising guru, and Pam was the social butterfly who would meet and greet customers,” Jason Fortner said. “Their PROVIDED PHOTO strengths complimented each other very well.”

Pam Fortner, the co-founder of the Tropical Isle bar, who helped create Together, they created the bar’s the Hand Grenade, one of Bourbon Street’s most recognized drinks, died first signature drink, the Tropical on Tuesday at 80.

Itch, a rum punch served with a plastic back scratcher. The drink leans nightlife never faded, even Often, her nephew said, she’d get a could be found in the hands of revas she grew older. In the last four Hand Grenade herself. elers stumbling along Bourbon, “She worked hard, but she also but it hadn’t yet reached the iconic months of her life, she could frequently be found at Tropical Isle, played hard and enjoyed what she status of the Hurricane at Pat where she’d greet customers, buy was doing,” Jason Fortner said. “She O’Brien’s. That would soon change.

Pam Fortner and Bernhardt them drinks and listen to live music. was always on the go.”

were buying throws for a St. Patrick’s Day parade when they found small water guns in the shape of hand grenades. From there, the business partners created the neon-green concoction served in a long-necked plastic cup with a grenade-shaped base bearing a menacing, cartoonish smile. Today, the Hand Grenade remains one of Bourbon’s most intoxicating drinks, made with a secret recipe blending several liqueurs with melon flavoring.

The business partners would go on to open other establishments in the French Quarter, including the Funky Pirate and Orleans Grapevine wine bar, both of which have since closed. But their greatest pride always appeared to be Tropical Isle and its signature drink.

Pam Fortner later discovered that Porsche offered its Cayenne luxury sedan in a pale green color that resembled the Hand Grenade.

But it could only be purchased at the Porsche plant in Germany. An avid traveler, she made the trip to Europe to buy one.

She could often be found driving in the French Quarter in style with her two Pomeranians.

Office of Motor Vehicles New Orleans police warn of another ‘illegal street takeover’ closed statewide Monday Event may be set for this weekend

BY MISSY WILKINSON Staff writer

For the second time this summer, authorities warned stunt drivers, promoters and spectators allegedly traveling to New Orleans for an “illegal street takeover” to reconsider or risk arrest and vehicle seizures.

Officials from the New Orleans Police Department, FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, Louisiana State Police, Louisiana National Guard and Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office said they’d gathered intelligence indicating another “takeover” event is in the works for this weekend. They declined to state how that intelligence was gathered, saying it could tip off participants.

“I’ve been trying to understand why anybody would want to participate in this kind of reckless

behavior. I guess they enjoy it,” said Louisiana State Police Superintendent Col. Frank Besson at a Friday media briefing. “But there’s something that we, law enforcement, enjoy as well. And that’s defending and protecting the people of the great state of Louisiana.”

This summer, FBI deputized more than 50 law enforcement officers in the New Orleans metro area, including all of Troop NOLA, according to Jonathan Tapp, FBI New Orleans’ special agent in charge.

“These deputized officers, deputies, troopers and detectives are partnered up with federal agents out there on the street,” Tapp said. “That means that any encounters with these law enforcement officers on the streets of New Orleans could result in federal prosecutions.”

Participants could be prosecuted under laws including reckless operation of a vehicle, aggravated obstruction of a highway of

commerce and unlawful posting of criminal activity for notoriety and publicity.

“Let’s just say we’re forewarned,” said NOPD Assistant Superintendent Hans Ganthier.

“And as far as the different districts that may be affected — it’s probably the same districts they’re used to attacking, and we know what those districts are.”

Ganthier didn’t disclose those potential locations. June’s “takeover” event, which coincided with the permitted Gumball 3000 car rally, saw activity at intersections in Plum Orchard, St. Roch and the Florida Development, according to police reports, court records and calls-for-service data.

It also netted six arrests, including a person wanted out of Texas on felony assault charges, Ganthier said.

“This may not be the same group, but maybe other groups need to learn that we’re not going to tolerate it.”

NOPD officer accused of $111K fraud 2025, “constant irregularities” lent pay. He was arrested Aug. 7 Man claimed hours inplagued Coleman’s time sheets on 325 counts of filing false pubboth his location and lic records, 23 counts of public of reviewing red-light regarding his hours, according to investi- payroll fraud, one count of malcamera footage gators with the Louisiana State feasance in office and a count of

BY MISSY WILKINSON Staff writer

A veteran New Orleans police officer arrested last month in connection with payroll fraud allegedly claimed thousands of hours reviewing red-light camera footage even when system records showed he was inactive, according to court documents.

Brandon Coleman, 39, is a senior police officer assigned to traffic in NOPD’s Special Operations Division, where he worked overtime reviewing footage from the city’s Traffic Camera Safety Program.

Under NOPD policy, Coleman was required to log into the webbased system from an NOPD station, according to an affidavit supporting his arrest. His job was to review potential violations captured by automated cameras, verify information such as the vehicle’s make, model and registered owner, and issue citations.

Each violation should take about a minute to verify, investigators said.

However, over 23 pay periods

REPLACEMENT Continued from page 1B

what it is today — the 7th largest port in the United States!” he said in a statement. “As I look ahead to the next chapter, I will always be appreciative of my colleagues, commissioners, and family who have helped me contribute to the success of this exceptional organization.”

The port is one of the busiest in the nation, seeing 87.9 million tons

Police and the New Orleans Office of Inspector General.

Data from Coleman’s work cellphone placed him at home during time he claimed to be reviewing red-light camera footage. His work also took place in “short bursts” of activity, during which he allegedly performed as many as 303 reviews in 14 minutes — averaging 2.7 seconds per review.

Sometimes he claimed a full eight-hour shift after completing reviews in just 17 minutes; other times, he claimed hours of work without logging into the system at all, investigators said.

“It appeared that he completed large sets of reviews in a short time but stayed logged into the Verra System to appear as if he were working for the entire duration claimed,” states the affidavit supporting Coleman’s arrest, which Judge Juana Lombard signed on Aug. 3. “(This) called into question the attention devoted to each review and the adequacy of work performed by Coleman.”

Coleman allegedly collected more than $111,000 in fraudu-

theft. He was released on his own recognizance.

Coleman has been suspended without pay pending an internal NOPD investigation. Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill will prosecute the case but had not accepted the charges as of Friday morning.

Coleman’s attorney, Bobby Hjortsberg, said the allegations against him are false and that investigators relied on a flawed auditing system. He said it’s common practice for NOPD officers who work all over the city to log a station as their location, even if they aren’t there.

“What they are providing as evidence is just not accurate.

We have definitive ways to prove that,” Hjortsberg said.

Hjortsberg also cast doubt about state investigators’ involvement in the case. The OIG’s office partnered with State Police after discovering discrepancies with Coleman’s pay.

“This is the State Police and Attorney General’s Office inserting themselves in another local situation that is administrative at most,” he said.

of cargo each year, according to a release.

Hardman took over as head of the port after Roger Richard was ousted following a dispute with commissioners over his expenses and comp time.

Prior to serving in the top post, Hardman was the port’s director of engineering. He previously worked at Rust Environment and Infrastructure and provided consulting services to the port.

As executive director, Hardman oversaw $45 million in infrastructure improvements to cargo

roads, rail and docks, economic development projects and security enhancements. In 2020, the port completed a $5 million expansion of its Inland Rivers Marine Terminal that increased its capacity for container shipments.

Johnson has been on the port’s administrative management team for more than 25 years, starting as director of business development.

In January 2025, he was named deputy director of the facility.

Email Ianne Salvosa at ianne. salvosa@theadvocate.com.

Staff report

All customer service locations of the Office of Motor Vehicles will be closed throughout the state on Monday for “system modernization efforts and staff training,” the agency said in an online post.

During the closure, the department will begin installing a new software system to replace an aging one that led to multiple computer system outages last year.

“The first phase of the modernization project — for driver’s license and reinstatement — is scheduled to be completed when

COURT

Continued from page 1B

our offices open Tuesday,” said Matthew Boudreaux, deputy commissioner for the agency.

The temporary shutdown also will affect other outlets.

Private companies contracted with the OMV won’t be able to provide their usual services, such as driver’s licenses, license reinstatements, vehicle registrations and title transactions, from Saturday through Monday, the department said.

The department’s website, expresslane.la.gov, and its digital “LA Wallet” will be unavailable from Saturday through Sunday.

sidering enlisting in the military.

His family described him as a funny and mischievous kid who grew into a kind and quiet young man.

Jordan LaCombe said that while her brother was guarded with people at first, if someone became close, he acted as a protector. He was proud of being an uncle to her young son, who was 2 years old when LaCombe died and who called him “Uncle Bubby.”

Near the end of her statement, LaCombe’s mother broke down in tears, and his sister Jordan had to continue the message to Joshua Johnson.

“Nothing can restore what was taken from us, the profound loss that our family has suffered, and the life that was stolen when Logan was killed,” Jordan LaCombe said. “I do not only grieve who he was; I grieve who he was becoming.”

Judge Brad Myers told Joshua Johnson he should be grateful the family allowed him to plead to a lesser charge, rather than risk a potential life sentence if he had gone to trial on the second-degree murder count.

Dominik Johnson has not pleaded guilty to his charges of seconddegree murder and illegal use of weapons. At a status conference in June, prosecutors revoked a plea deal and stated there would be no further offers, according to court minutes. His next hearing is scheduled for Sept. 29.

“Thank you judge, my name is Jordan LaCombe. I’m Logan’s older sister. I don’t really have much to say to you except for thank you for dropping your wallet. You’re not a very smart criminal, and my brother is very well missed,” she said.

Detectives did, in fact, identify Joshua Johnson because he left his wallet and ID next to the victim at the scene of the shooting.

Joshua Johnson’s statements to police helped detectives identify his younger brother, Dominik, as a suspect.

Witnesses reported a white vehicle fleeing from the scene after the shooting. Investigators found a gun, cellphone, shoes and bloody clothing near where LaCombe was shot. They believe he was holding prescription pills in his hand when the shooting occurred, according to the suspects’ arrest warrants.

A motive was not included in those warrants, and it is unclear how the deal escalated to a shooting. In his interviews with police, Joshua Johnson said LaCombe had not posed a threat to him or his brother during the interaction. He told police his brother had abruptly exited their vehicle when they pulled into the lot, brandishing a handgun and pointing it at LaCombe. An altercation between the two took place before the shooting, Joshua Johnson told Email Quinn Coffman at quinn. police. coffman@theadvocate.com.

“On Aug. 21, 2020, my son’s life was taken and he was left to die in a parking lot,” Tara May, LOTTERY LaCombe’s mother, said in court.

“And in a matter of moments, his THURSDAY, SEPT. 10, 2026 future was stolen from him, and PICK 3: 3-2-3 our family was left with a loss that PICK 4: 8-6-1-9 could never be repaired.”

PICK 5: 2-5-7-4-7 Much of May’s statement concerned the future that was stolen Unofficial notification, keep your tickets. from LaCombe: the career, marriage and family that he will never have, and the accomplishments and goals he won’t have a chance to reach.

“There is an empty space at every holiday, every birthday, every family gathering and every milestone. The grief does not end.

We’ve been forced to accept a lifetime without Logan, while he was denied the chance to live the life he deserved,” May said.

LaCombe attended Brusly High School but graduated from the Louisiana Youth Challenge Program, an alternative education program run by the Louisiana NaTHEADVOCATE.COM/SUBSCRIBE tional Guard, in 2017. He was con-

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Taylor, Charles

death by her parents. She is survived by her husband of 60 years, David Blackshear; her two sons, Charles Stewart Blackshear (Leslie) of Corpus Christi, Texas, and Douglas Alan Blackshear (Melissa) of Indianapolis, Indiana; her four grandchildren, Michael Blackshear (Carlie), Robin Blackshear, Thomas Blackshear, and Sarah Blackshear; her brother, Kenneth Collier Johnstone, III (Gerry); her sister, Janet Marie Johnstone Harrelson; her sister -in-law Margaret Boone; her niece Cynthia Drewitt; and her nephews, Kenneth Boone (Aileen), Charles Boone (Kathy), Kenneth Johnstone (Christine), and Scott Johnstone (Jill).

Visitation and viewing will be at Martin & Castille's SOUTHSIDE location on Sunday, September 13, 2026, from 4:00 pm until 7:00 pm. A graveside service and interment will be at the Southwest Louisiana Veterans Cemetery in Jennings, LA at 10:00 am on Monday, September 14, 2026.

View the obituary and guestbook online at www.mourning.com Martin & Castille Funeral Home - SOUTHSIDE, 600 E. Farrel Road, Lafayette, Louisiana 70508, 337-9842811

Vicknair, Terry

Campagna, Elizabeth 'Libby'

Funerals Today Albert, Kerry

Young Pilgrim B.C. 6176 Rev. Thomas Scott, Lane. Convent, LA at 11am.

Dunn, Frank

Wesley Chapel Methodist Church, 5177 Hwy 448, Greensburg, LA at 11am.

Ennis, Lilly

Wesley United Methodist Church at 10am.

Furnish, Jonnilee

Resthaven Gardens of Memory and Funeral Home, 11817 Jefferson Highway in Baton Rouge at 2pm.

Gibson, Michael

Wilson-Wooddale Funeral Home,1553 Wooddale Boulevard, Baton Rouge at 2:00pm.

Holden, Ronald

Bethel Full Gospel Baptist Church, 12218 Plank Road, Baton Rouge at 11:00am.

Keller, Ozelia

St. Joseph Catholic Church, French Settlement at 11:00am.

Landry, Jeffrey

Christ the Redeemer Church at 11:00am.

Morris, Audrey

Greater Beulah Baptist Church, 955 East Polk Street, Baton Rouge at 10:00am.

Nicholas Sr., Jonathan

New Hope Ministries, 3000 Tecumseh St., Baton Rouge at 10:00am.

Greenoaks Funeral Home, Baton Rouge at 11:00am.

St. Stephen Catholic Maurepas at 11:00am.

Church,

Wilder, Susan

First United Methodist Church, 930 North Boulevard, Baton Rouge at Noon.

Obituaries Blackshear, Marion Sue

2 Timothy 4:7 - "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith."

Marion Sue Johnstone Blackshear passed peacefully into the loving arms of her Savior on September 7, 2026, at the age of 83.

Sue was born in New Orleans, Louisiana on November 22, 1942, to Kenneth Collier Johnstone, Jr. and Marion Louise Dupuy Johnstone. Sue was baptized at Napoleon Avenue Presbyterian Church. In 1944, the Johnstone family moved to Lafayette, Louisiana for her father to help manage her grandfather's Western Auto Store.

Sue graduated from Lafayette High School in 1960 and attended the University of Southwestern Louisiana where she met David Blackshear at the Westminster Fellowship campus ministry for Presbyterian students.

Sue graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Home Economics Education in 1964, earned her teaching certification, and began teaching home economics in Lake Charles, Louisiana.

Sue married David Landon Blackshear on September 25, 1965, at First Presbyterian Church of Lafayette, and the couple moved to Laredo, Texas for Dave to attend Air Force Pilot Training. Following pilot training they moved to California, stationed at Beale Air Force Base in Marysville, CA where both their sons were born.

When Dave completed his time in the Air Force in 1971, the Blackshears moved back to Louisiana, eventually settling in Baton Rouge and becoming active in Broadmoor Presbyterian Church where Sue served as an elder and Sunday School teacher, along with her activities with the Women of the Church.

In 1992, they moved to Richmond, Virginia and became active in Third Presbyterian Church. In 1998, Dave and Sue moved again, this time to Davidsonville, Maryland, where they were involved in the First Presbyterian Church of Annapolis. In 2019, they moved for the last time back to Louisiana, settling in Lafayette.

Sue was an avid gardener and had a special love for daylilies. She and Dave loved to travel and visited most of the US national parks, including in Hawaii and Alaska. They also traveled to Europe, visiting Switzerland and Germany, and Sue travelled to the British Isles with a church group. She also enjoyed birdwatching, needlework, and was an active member of P.E.O. International for many years, most recently in Chapter AX in Lafayette, Louisiana. Over the years Sue served as chapter president in Baton Rouge, LA, Richmond, VA, and Severna Park, MD. Sue was preceded in

Elizabeth "Libby" Campagna, age 79, passed away peacefully at her home on September 9, 2026, surrounded by her loving family, following a hard-fought, nine-year battle with cancer.

Libby was a devoted daughter, sister, and aunt whose life was rooted in faith and defined by her deep and unwavering love for her family.

Visitation will be held on Sunday, September 13, 2026, from 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm at Greenoaks Funeral Home. Visitation will continue on Monday, September 14, 2026, at St. Jean Vianney Catholic Church from 9:30 am until a mass of Christian burial at 11:00 am.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions be made in Libby's memory to cancerservices.org.

The family would like to thank Dr. Gerald Militello and staff for giving her nine years of quality care.

Pallbearers will be her seven nephews.

Family and friends may sign the online guestbook www.greenoaksfunerals.c om.

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fellow employee.

The Louisiana House of Representatives formally commended him upon his retirement through House Concurrent Resolution 106 acknowledging his distinguished service. Governor Mike Foster proclaimed August 7, 1996, and Lieutenant Governor Kathleen Blanco proclaimed April 17, 1997, as "Wylie Harvey Day" for his unselfish dedication to the Louisiana State Parks System. After his retirement in 1997, he and his wife, Blanche, joined the local American Red Cross. Their service began as he drove past the local chapter and he noticed a sign asking for help. He stopped in to learn more and later recalled, "I only thought they served coffee and donuts."

That moment sparked a 19year journey of service.

While volunteering at local and national levels, they worked over 30 disasters throughout the United States from California wildfires to 9/11. They received numerous Red Cross awards for their dedicated service and were recognized as Baton Rouge Volunteer Activists of the Year in 2011. Wylie was an avid outdoorsman who enjoyed spending quality time fishing and relaxing at his camp on the beautiful waters of Lake Claiborne. He took great pleasure in cooking for family and others. Wylie was very talented and creative with various DIY projects. He loved watching LSU sports. He was deeply devoted to his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. and was an active member of Chapel in the Oaks.

Wylie is survived by his wife of 66 years, Blanche Roberts Harvey; children, Cynthia Harvey Broussard (Marque) and Dale Edward Harvey; granddaughter, Morgan Broussard Lankford (Will); great-grandson, Liam; sisters, Kaye Hamilton and Faye Aydell (Gary); brother Ronald J. Harvey (Sara); and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, Edward and Angie Harvey. Wylie was a humble, loving, devoted father, husband and servant to his family. He loved and served the Lord. Wylie will be deeply missed and his memory cherished. The family extends special thanks to the Alzheimer's Services and to the caregivers from the Griswold Home Care and Home Instead Senior Care particularly to Daniel Santora, we thank you for your special care of Wylie. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the American Red Cross, 6455 Sherwood Common, Baton Rouge, 70816, or the Alzheimer's Services at 3772 North Blvd., Baton Rouge 70806, or a charity of your choice. Relatives and friends are invited to celebrate Wylie's life on Sunday, September 13, 2026, at Resthaven Funeral Home, 11817 Jefferson Hwy. Baton Rouge, LA 70816. All will be welcomed at 1:00 PM until funeral service at 2:30 PM, officiated by Pastor Dennis Eenigeburg. Family and friends may sign the online guestbook or leave a personal note to the family at www.resthavenbatonroug e.com.

ment, leadership, and character. Raymond married the love of his life, Mardell Sarradet Loup, with whom he shared 59 wonderful years. Three years after marrying, they started a family as Raymond began his career in site work construction.

Over the years, he led several heavy civil construction companies, including Rad-Ton, LLC, for the last 39 years, and partnered in numerous other business developments and ventures. A true visionary, he developed many subdivisions throughout West Baton Rouge Parish, both individually and alongside close friends. On February 4, 2001, Raymond was the blessed recipient of a heart transplant at Ochsner Hospital in New Orleans. This gift of life granted him and his family 26 extra years to love, laugh, and create memories. Grateful for every extra moment, Raymond lived every single day to the fullest with a giving heart. Dedicated to his community, Raymond served as Director of Water and Gas for West Baton Rouge Parish, was the first President of the West Baton Rouge Jaycees, served as a member and two-time President of the Greater Baton Rouge Port Commission, and was a lifetime member of the Catholic High Men's Club. Beyond his civic and business achievements, Raymond was an avid AQHA horse breeder and owner, holding lifetime memberships in the American Quarter Horse Association and the Louisiana Quarter Horse Association. Always believing in giving back, he gave generously as a sponsor and contributor to local sporting events, youth athletic teams, and numerous community, educational, and church organizations. Above all his accomplishments, Raymond was most proud of his family.

He rarely missed an opportunity to cheer on his six grandchildren from the stands at their sporting and dance events. Raymond recently became a great-grandfather to a great-grandson, who brought him immense pride and joy. Raymond is survived by his beloved wife, Mardell Sarradet Loup; two children, Randall Paul Loup (Hayley Gassie Loup) and Toni Loup Maurer (David); six grandchildren who lovingly called him "Papa," Mason Reed ( h i

Maurer (Catherine Bonaventure Maurer), MaKenzie Blair Maurer, Reed Paul Loup, Ryder James Loup, Maxwell David-Ray Maurer, and Harper Mae Loup; one great-grandson, Myles Reed Maurer; sister, Bonnie Loup Cotten; sister-inlaw, Patsy L. Loup; nieces and nephews, Kurt Loup (Wendi), Kenny Loup (Jackie), Johnette Cotten, David Cotten (Tara), and Michael Cotten (Meagan); as well as many cherished greatnieces and great-nephews.

Raymond and his family extend their heartfelt gratitude to his dedicated long -time employees, loyal friends, and family who supported his horses, business, and livelihood over the years. He was preceded in death by his parents, Raymond Paul and Helen "Sis" Lefebvre Loup; brother, Barry Loup; and brother -in-law, John D. "Buddy" Cotten. Visitation will be held at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Brusly on Monday, September 14, 2026, from 9:30 a.m. until the Mass of Christian Burial at 12:30 p.m., celebrated

by Rev. Arun John. Entombment will follow in the St. John the Baptist Catholic Church Mausoleum. Pallbearers will be his grandsons and nephews. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Ochsner Health Heart Failure Program. Please direct gifts to Ochsner Health Philanthropy, 1514 Jefferson Hwy, Suite 1E600, New Orleans, LA 70121, or online at ochsner.org/giving, specifying the Heart Failure Clinic in memory of Raymond Reed Loup.

Mitchell, Samuel

man that was true to his convictions. He strived to be a good and faithful servant to his God, Family and Community.

A native of St. Francisville, LA he was the third of fifteen children born on August 05, 1936 to the late Rev. Isaiah Mitchell Jr. and Irene Hawkins-Mitchell.

He was married for 61 years to his best friend and inspiration Ruby Stevenson Mitchell. He is a graduate of J.S. Dawson High School in St. Francisville and Southern University. He worked and retired from USDA - Rural Development as a Rural Housing Specialist.

He is survived by wife Ruby Stevenson Mitchell and two daughters Nelda Freeman and Gail (Charlston) Demby; one grandson Quentin Freeman; four sisters Dorothy Brown, Gayle Pitcher, Juanita Mitchell-Ford, and Darlene V. Ford and four brothers Herman Mitchell, Edward Charles Mitchell, Roosevelt Mitchell and Donald Mitchell-Ford; and GodDaughter Dawn (Ryan) Haris; as well as numerous nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.

He is preceded in death by three sisters Mary Mitchell, Virginia Turner and Lorene White and five brothers James Lee, Israel Mitchell Sr., Louis Charles (LC) Mitchell, Freddie Louis Mitchell, and Rev. Charles Edward Mitchell.

Visitation will be held on Sunday, September 13, 2026, from 3:00PM - 5:00PM at Poplar Springs BC, 1692 Hwy 68, Jackson, LA. Visitation will resume on Monday, September 14, 2026, from 9:00AM until the funeral service at 11:00AM at Winnfield Funeral Home, 7221 Plank Rd. Baton Rouge, LA. Burial will immediately follow at Port Hudson National Cemetery.

Arrangements entrusted to Demby & Son Funeral Home, 900 Magnolia St., Donaldsonville, LA.

Samuel Mitchell, 90, of Baker, LA passed away peacefully on Friday, September 4, 2026, after a brief illness. Samuel was a

Louisiana needs in-depth, solutions-driven, public service journalism more than ever.

Harvey, Wylie Jerome

Loup, Raymond Reed

Wylie Jerome Harvey passed peacefully into the Kingdom of Heaven, surrounded by his family on September 6, 2026, at the age of 87. Wylie was born in St. Francisville, LA, and raised in North Baton Rouge. He was a proud graduate of the lstrouma High Class of 1957. Wylie served in the US Coast Guard Reserve. After his service, he enrolled in LSU and earned a degree in Landscape Architecture in 1965. He then began a 33year career with Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism, Office of State Parks advancing to the position of Deputy Assistant Secretary. Under his leadership, Wylie oversaw the planning, maintaining, and acquisition of new and existing State Parks and Commemorative Areas.

He received numerous honors in recognition of his service, including the Charles E Dunbar Career Service Award, The Professional Citation Award for achievement in the field of Parks and Recreation, and an Award of Merit for rendering life-saving CPR to a

Raymond Reed Loup passed away on Tuesday, September 8, 2026, at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center in Baton Rouge at the age of 82.

Born on March 11, 1944, in Baton Rouge, Raymond was a native of Port Allen, where he was part of the inaugural kindergarten class at Holy Family Catholic School. He went on to graduate from Catholic High School in 1962, where his standout high school athletic career earned him several athletic scholarships. A fierce and tough competitor, he accepted a football scholarship to Louisiana State University, where he played for the Tigers as a standout halfback and defensive back under Coach Charles McClendon before earning his degree in business. Raymond was inducted into the Catholic High School Hall of Fame as a Grizzly Great (1988) for his athletic achieve-

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BUSINESS

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T H E A D V O C AT E.C O M/news/business

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BRIEFS

FROM STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS

California gig drivers secure new union

California regulators certified a union representing Uber and Lyft drivers, marking a milestone in a yearslong fight by gig workers in the state.

The California Gig Workers Union will give drivers a seat at the table to negotiate pay, working conditions and benefits, union organizers said. California is the third state to allow ride-hailing drivers to unionize, following Washington in 2022 and Massachusetts in 2024.

The California Public Employment Relations Board officially recognized the union Wednesday after it secured support from 30% of active drivers in the state in August.

The next step for the union is to negotiate a contract with Uber and Lyft that meets drivers’ demands, including health insurance, support for high gas prices and more transparency around pay.

The California Gig Workers Union was formed with the support of the Service Employees International Union. The passage of Assembly Bill 1340 last year gave gig ride-hailing drivers the right to unionize and collectively bargain.

Activision Blizzard sued for sexual harassment A former employee of Activision Blizzard is suing the Santa Monica-based “Call of Duty” maker, alleging she was sexually harassed and subject to retaliation.

In a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court on Wednesday, the woman, filing anonymously as Jane Doe, says the game giant “fostered and tolerated a pervasive ‘frat boy’ workplace culture,” where male employees and supervisors “openly objectified women, viewed and displayed pornography” and made demeaning sexual remarks in her presence.

She is seeking unspecified compensatory damages, including for lost wages, benefits and earning capacity.

The woman, who said she worked for the company for 14 years beginning in 2009 in its sound department, accuses 10 men of subjecting her variously to harassment, physical assault, inappropriate touching and inappropriate comments.

According to the suit, Jane Doe’s complaints and reports to her supervisors and human resources about her alleged treatment were dismissed and that they “failed to take timely or effective corrective action.”

Activision Blizzard has denied all wrongdoing.

Federal court rejects Trump coal plant order WASHINGTON — In a defeat for the Trump administration, a federal court on Friday ruled that the Energy Department exceeded its authority when it forced a Michigan coal-fired power to stay open past its scheduled retirement date last year.

Energy Secretary Chris Wright had said the 64-yearold J.H. Campbell Generating Plant was needed to ensure reliable electricity in the region, and he used emergency powers to keep it operating. Environmental groups and three states — Michigan, Illinois and Minnesota — went to court to try to overturn orders keeping the plant online.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit sided with the states and the groups, saying there was no real emergency under the law.

The section of the Federal Power Act that allows emergency orders “is essentially a narrow, last-resort backstop,” Appeals Court Judge Cornelia Pillard wrote for a unanimous three-judge panel. Use of emergency authority “is triggered only when there is a need for immediate, essentially last-resort action and the circumstances require action by DOE in particular, as opposed to action by the state or states responsible for resource adequacy,” she added.

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Anthropic says it blocked malicious use of its AI Programming could have supported biological weapons

BY BARBARA ORTUTAY AP technology writer

Anthropic said Thursday it has blocked efforts by bad actors to use its artificial intelligence models for malicious activity such as cyberattacks, surveillance, and research that could have led to

biological weapons.

As AI models grow more powerful, elaborate cyberattacks no longer require sophisticated skills and even lone individuals can create threats that would not have been possible even a year ago, Anthropic said. The company said it has added stronger safeguards in its latest models to restrict biological research that could also be used to make weapons.

“The cases we share here aren’t typical misuse, but rather examples of the most notable and novel

threat activity we’ve identified to date,” Anthropic said in its third report since March 2025 describing AI misuse. The report includes snippets of the malicious code and AI prompts Anthropic said it found and it urged governments and AI competitors to identify and prevent similar abuse.

“We’re publishing this work because we believe we have a responsibility to disclose malicious misuse of our services. As models become increasingly capable, their risks will increase, unless AI

developers and society’s defenders act to make them safer,” the company said.

The lengthy report by the AI startup, which is planning an initial public offering this fall, was published two days after one of its researchers announced he’s resigning over concerns that Anthropic and its competitors are not acting responsibly in AI development. He echoed concerns raised inside and outside of the industry about the technology’s potential to elude human control.

No relief from inflation as Middle East clashes lift prices Rising fuel costs continue to lead to skyrocketing prices of goods, services

BY CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP economics writer

WASHINGTON — U.S. inflation accelerated last month as gas prices spiked in the wake of renewed fighting in the Middle East, underscoring the affordability challenges that are top of mind for many voters with midterm elections now just seven weeks away.

The consumer price index rose 3.4% last month compared with a year ago, the Labor Department said Friday, just like July. But inflation quickened month to month as costs jumped 0.4% from July, quadrupling the 0.1% registered in the previous month.

Inflation remains stubbornly elevated more than five years after prices soared as the economy emerged from the pandemic.

Friday’s report increases pressure on the inflation-fighters at the Federal Reserve to boost their benchmark interest rate next week, which could lift mortgage and auto loan costs in the months ahead.

Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh and other Fed officials have signaled they would need to see continuing disinflation to leave rates where they are.

“Today’s August report did not deliver that,” said Kathy Bostjancic, chief economist at Nationwide.

Prices rise across many goods, services Gasoline prices are not all that is rising.

Prices for appliances, car repairs, and wireless phone services also jumped last month.

Yet economists worry that more expensive fuel can spill into other parts of the economy.

Diesel prices have hit record highs above $6 a gallon, which pushes up the cost of shipping for groceries and other goods.

Airline tickets rose 2.7% on a monthly basis, according to the new data, and have soared more than 23% from a year earlier.

Excluding the volatile food and energy categories, core prices were 2.4% higher in August than a year ago, down slightly from July’s 2.5% and the third straight decline. But on a monthly basis, core prices rose 0.3% from July to August, the largest increase since April.

The surprising monthly increases in core prices are likely embolden those Fed officials who have pushed for higher interest rates. Wall Street investors now see a more than 80% chance that the Fed will increase rates Sept. 16, according to CME Fedwatch,

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ELLEN SCHMIDT

Shoppers pass through the bakery section at a Target store on Aug. 13 in Woodbury, Minn. a 10-point jump from Thursday.

The Trump administration is seeking to counter voter concerns about high prices and rising interest rates. President Donald Trump on Wednesday promised $5,000 payments to every American adult if the GOP keeps a majority in Congress. That would require congressional approval and could stoke inflation.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has stepped up buybacks of Treasury bonds in an effort to keep longer-term interest rates lower. The yield on the 10-year Treasury reached a nearly three-year high Thursday and traded at a still-elevated 4.9% Friday.

What has gotten more expensive Gas prices jumped 3.9% just from July to August, Friday’s report said, leaving gas prices more than 27% higher than a year earlier. Prices at the pump have continued rising, meaning inflation is likely worsening this month. The nationwide average cost of a gallon of gas on Friday is 7% higher than a month ago at $4.30.

In addition to rising plane ticket costs, hotel room prices climbed 2.4% just from July to August and are 3.2% more expensive than a year ago. Car repair costs rose 1.1% just last month and are up 5.2% from a year earlier.

The rising cost of services like hotel rooms and wireless plans will also unnerve many Fed officials, since they are not driven by higher energy prices.

“Analysts and the Fed had been counting on these categories of prices to moderate by now,” Scott Anderson, chief U.S. economist at BMO Capital Markets, wrote in a note.

“The trends coming from the August CPI report do not build confidence that inflation is continuing on its path of moderation toward the 2% target.”

Apparel and grocery prices were unchanged from July to August, providing some relief to consumers, though eggs moved 2.9% higher last month. Egg prices are still down sharply from a year earlier.

Inflation a one-time shock or more Many economists and Federal Reserve officials have long considered higher gas prices one of several “one-time” shocks that are lifting inflation, along with tariffs and surging investment in AI data centers. For months, the hope has been that as the war against Iran wound down, and the effects of tariffs faded, inflation would grind lower.

Yet there are few signs of the Iran war cooling, and even Trump has said gas prices won’t retreat until after the midterm elections in November. And while Trump’s trade fight with Canada will impact a small number of imports, it is a reminder that tariffs remain a threat that could push up other costs.

“This is not one and done,” Bostjancic said.

“It’s unclear when tensions in the Middle East are going to settle down. ... This seems like it could be a prolonged disruption.”

Soaring diesel prices deepen transportation strain Added costs in hauling goods could lead to sticker shock

BY WYATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS Associated Press

CHICAGO — Diesel prices in the U.S. hit yet another record on Friday, soaring past $6 a gallon on average as Washington’s war with Iran disrupts the world’s flow of fuel.

The national average of nearly $6.06 is up from $5.85 last week and almost $3.71 this time last year, according to motor club AAA. Higher diesel prices mean more expensive transportation for a long list of everyday goods. That’s because diesel is used for many freight and delivery networks.

And some businesses have already passed along steeper costs to consumers in the form of added fees on online orders and packages in

the mail.

Shoppers may feel more and more sticker shock, particularly in the grocery aisle. Perishable foods, like meat and produce, face one of the most immediate strains of expensive diesel because they need to be hauled in and restocked frequently — or may be harvested using farm equipment powered by the fuel.

It can take time for those costs to trickle down. But the surge in diesel prices doesn’t appear to be going away anytime soon.

Prices at the pump for diesel and regular gasoline — which hit nearly $4.30 on average in the U.S. Friday — closely follow that of crude oil. And oil has renewed its rise recently. This week, both Brent, the international standard, and U.S. crude surpassed $100 a barrel for the first time in months as fighting between the U.S. and Iran escalated again.

Political ramifications may pile up in the meantime. President

Donald Trump, who has repeatedly tried to downplay the effects of the war he co-launched, said that oil prices likely won’t come down until after November’s midterm elections.

American diesel prices are now over 60% higher than they were before the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran in late February, when the national average sat at about $3.76 per gallon per AAA. Prices quickly climbed as the cost of crude oil — the main ingredient in refined fuel like diesel, as well as gasoline — soared amid supply chain disruptions across the Middle East, notably with most tanker traffic bottlenecked in the key Strait of Hormuz.

Despite some during hopes for peace earlier in the summer, oil has now renewed its climb as fighting once more escalates.

And more supply disruptions are piling up. The International Energy Agency reported Friday that Saudi oil production fell to a

three-decade low last month due to Houthi attacks on its energy facilities.

And elsewhere, losses in the Middle East have been amplified by the war in Ukraine, as the IEA also noted Friday. Disruptions in Russia’s refining system stemming from intense Ukranian attacks have nearly halted product exports.

When adjusted for inflation, fuel prices have been higher in the past. Ahead of the 2008 financial crisis, for example, diesel hit about $4.74 a gallon, equivalent to $7.20 in 2026, according to the government’s latest data. And 2022’s thenrecord of nearly $5.82 — reached just months after Russia invaded Ukraine — would be about $6.56 this year when accounting for inflation.

Friday’s average $4.29 for a gallon of regular unleaded is up from $2.98 before the Iran war, although still below the 2022 peak of nearly $5.02 a gallon nationwide.

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OPINION T H E A D V O C AT E.C O M/opinions

ANOTHER VIEW

ARTISTS’ VIEWS

The volatile politics of data centers

AI data centers were once treated as economic development trophies. Job-hungry states and financially strapped rural communities saw them as a way to grab a piece of the technology boom.

The politics, however, have gotten messy nationwide. Data centers have become a sleeper issue in this November’s election.

Communications strategist Brad Dayspring describes the fight as a collision between “progrowth instincts and the push to beat China in the AI race” and the “populist backlash over affordability.”

Supporters have a powerful case. Data centers bring construction, investment, infrastructure Ron and jobs. They give states a chance to plant a Faucheux flag in the middle of a colossal technological transformation.

That’s the argument made by supporters, including President Donald Trump and Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry. It’s an especially appealing argument in a state like Louisiana, which has long needed economic diversification and employment growth.

But critics see it differently. They view high-capacity AI computing centers as symbols of plutocracy: trillion-dollar companies getting government help to acquire cheap land, build enormous facilities and consume vast amounts of electricity and water.

The electricity issue alone is staggering. Data centers pack thousands of powerful computer servers operating simultaneously into enormous facilities. The servers generate tremendous heat, requiring highly sophisticated, energy-intensive cooling systems.

The International Energy Agency estimates that a typical AI-focused data center can consume as much electricity as 100,000 households. The largest facilities under construction could use 20 times that amount.

Suddenly, the question isn’t simply: How many jobs will this create? It’s also: Who pays?

Who pays for the power plants, transmission lines, water systems, roads, housing, job training and environmental mitigation? How much should state and local taxpayers subsidize?

Data centers have scrambled the usual partisan alignments.

Politicians from both parties who once celebrated them as economic blessings are now — during the final weeks of an election — calling for moratoriums, fewer financial incentives and tougher regulations.

They’re reflecting a souring public mood.

A recent Economist/YouGov poll found that 51% of Americans believe construction of new data centers is “bad for the country,” while only 20% believe it’s “good for the country.”

Republicans are less negative than others, but they’re hardly enthusiastic: 39% say new data centers are bad, compared to 31% who say they’re good.

The same poll explains the negativity: 61% believe data centers will increase electric bills and 48% also say they will lower home values. With voters already worried about grocery and gasoline prices, this is a tough spot for proponents. It also underscores why just 20% of the national electorate supports building a new data center in their own community — and why a hefty 64% majority oppose doing so.

The public backlash has prompted politicians across the country to rethink earlier support.

More than 500 local data center restrictions were in place at the beginning of August, according to The Information, a publication about business and technology. More than 150 jurisdictions adopted restrictions in July alone.

You can watch Democratic governors, especially those facing reelection this year, grow more skeptical in real time, citing community and environmental concerns.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has paused large, hyperscale projects. Maryland Gov. Wes Moore is demanding stronger local protections. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro has tightened oversight. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs have moved to reassess incentives and development plans.

Despite Trump’s support for data centers, many Republicans are also losing enthusiasm, following the lead of the party’s populist wing.

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, for example, reversed his earlier support for data centers. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has paused new data center connections moving through the power grid.

Ohio Sen. Jon Husted, Texas Senate candidate Ken Paxton and Michigan Senate nominee Mike Rogers are demanding greater accountability.

After examining the risks, consultant Mike Madrid concluded there is “no political downside” for candidates of either party to oppose data centers. If that conclusion is wrong, supporters of data centers need to show why it is or they will lose the battle.

The AI revolution was supposed to be about the future. But in politics, the future is only as far as Nov. 3, Election Day. Ron Faucheux is a nonpartisan political analyst, pollster and writer based in Louisiana.

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L A . T E C H A T L S U • 6 : 3 0 P. M . S A T U R D A Y • S E C N E T W O R K +

When recruiting services downgraded Wr Watkins in high school, it motivated him. Now he aims to prove his worth at LSu.

LOST STAR I

n the “Day in the Life of Winston Watkins,” which has more than 1 million views on YouTube, the 16-year-old wideout rubbed his hands together and confidently smiled as he announced himself and all of his titles.

“It’s Winston Watkins Jr., Class of 2025 receiver, five-star,” he said, “IMG Academy.”

The blue-chip recruit, standing in front of his bunk bed in the IMG dorms, proceeded to guide his audience around a playground of an athletics-focused campus, including a brick-oven pizza station in the cafeteria, trolley cars that haul students, a spacious weight room, and

decked-out locker rooms and fields.

Despite his 5-foot-10, 170-pound stature, Watkins was a highly coveted recruit. He committed to Texas A&M as a freshman, flipped to Deion

Sanders and Colorado as a sophomore, then finally latched on with Lane Kiffin and Ole Miss.

His five-star title, however, didn’t come with him.

Whether it was his transfer from IMG to Venice High School as a senior to be closer to his ailing grandmother, or a failure of his genetics to match his father’s 6-2 height, recruiting services downgraded Watkins to a four-star prospect before he graduated. He arrived in Oxford, Mississippi, as the No. 32 receiver nationally in the 247Sports Composite. ä See LSU, page 2C

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LSU GAMEDAY

BROADCAST INFORMATION La. Tech at LSU 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Tiger Stadium TV: SECN+ | Line: LSU by 35½ Radio: WDGL-FM, 98.1; WWL-AM, 870; WWL-FM, 105.3; KLWB-FM, 103.7

TEAM SCHEDULES LSU

La. Tech

Date Opponent Time/TV 9.5 Clemson W, 51-10 9.12 La. Tech 6:30 p.m./SECN+ 9.19 at Ole Miss 6:30 p.m./ABC 9.26 Texas A&M TBD 10.3 McNeese 6:45 p.m./SECN 10.10 at Kentucky TBD 10.17 Mississippi State TBD 10.24 at Auburn 11 a.m./TBD 11.7 Alabama TBD 11.14 Texas TBD 11.21 at Tennessee TBD 11.28 at Arkansas TBD

Date 9.5 9.12 9.19 10.3 10.10 10.17 10.24 10.31 11.7 11.14 11.21 11.28

Opponent Time/TV Northwestern St. W, 80-6 at LSU 6:30 p.m./SECN+ at Baylor 3 p.m./ESPNU Army TBD UL TBD at UL-Monroe TBD Old Dominion TBD at South Alabama TBD at Troy 3 p.m.

Southern Miss TBD Arkansas State TBD at Georgia Southern TBD

DEPTH CHARTS LSU

La. Tech

OFFENSE

WIDE RECEIVER

6 WINSTON WATKINS 2 Tre Brown

WIDE RECEIVER

3 EUGENE WILSON 4 Jackson Harris

WIDE RECEIVER

1 JAYCE BROWN 88 Malik Elzy

LEFT TACKLE

77 JORDAN SEATON 65 Sean Thompkins

LEFT GUARD

67 BO BORDELON 70 Devin Harper

CENTER

61 BRAELIN MOORE 50 William Satterwhile

RIGHT GUARD

55 ALIOU BAH 70 Devin Harper

RIGHT TACKLE

75 WESTON DAVIS 69 Darrin Strey

TIGHT END

14 TREY’DEZ GREEN 12 Malachi Thomas 44 Zach Grace

QUARTERBACK

10 SAM LEAVITT 8 Husan Longstreet 11 Landen Clark

RUNNING BACK

13 DILIN JONES 23 Stacy Gage

OFFENSE

5-10 6-2

182 190

So. Sr.

5-11 6-2

190 202

Jr. Jr.

5-11 6-2

175 217

Sr. Jr.

6-5 6-5

307 308

Jr. Jr.

6-6 6-4

305 312

Sr. So.

6-2 6-3

301 293

Sr. So.

6-5 6-4

327 312

Sr. So.

6-6 6-7

315 314

So. Fr.

6-7 6-3 6-2

237 242 236

Jr. Jr. Jr.

6-2 6-1 6-0

216 195 195

Jr. Fr. So.

5-11 211 So. 5-10 204 So.

PUNTER

90 GRANT CHADWICK 99 Hayden Craig

LONG SNAPPER

39 MACK MULHERN 43 Silas Hall

KICK RETURNER

15 PHILLIP WRIGHT 3 Eugene Wilson

PUNT RETURNER

3 EUGENE WILSON 1 Jayce Brown

53 AUSTIN ELLIS 66 Will Hutchens

331 290

Jr. Fr.

6-3 6-3

312 305

Sr. Jr.

LSU

6-3 6-3

308 304

Jr. So.

6-4 6-3

305 305

So. Jr.

6-3 6-5

301 290

Jr. So.

6-6 6-4

246 237

Sr. Sr.

6-5 6-1

220 201

Jr. Sr.

6-0 5-10

202 200

Jr. Fr.

22 JADON MAYFIELD

5-11

225

So.

35 Cole Watson

6-0

220

So.

21 ZHERIC HILL

6-0

230

So.

Fort Myers phenoms

25 Colton Deckard

6-2

220

Jr.

52 TROY SMITH 58 Tye Hylton

TIGHT END

84 ELI FINLEY 87 Brayden Bockler

QUARTERBACK

5 BLAKE BAKER 2 Trey Kukuk

RUNNING BACK

0 JADEN MILLER 26 Dylone Brooks

6-3 6-3 6-6

296 339 297

Jr. Fr. Jr.

93 JACOB BRADFORD

6-1

290

So.

54 Justice Williams

6-3

310

Sr.

6-1 6-3

279 286

Fr. Jr.

6-5 6-3

246 252

Jr. Jr.

6-3 6-0

223 227

Sr. Jr.

6-2 6-1

225 227

Sr. So.

6-3 6-3

209 218

Jr. So.

6-4 6-1

189 162

So. So.

5-11 6-0

164 188

Jr. Jr.

6-3 6-2

208 213

Sr. Sr.

6-0 6-1

206 175

Jr. Fr.

5-9

175

DEFENSIVE TACKLE

DEFENSIVE END 11 EMMANUEL OGUNS

6-5

260

Sr.

90 Jojo Odom

6-4

265

So.

LINEBACKER

LINEBACKER

LINEBACKER 10 KOLBE FIELDS

6-0

225

Sr.

24 Alonzo Jackson

6-1

227

So.

NICKEL 0 JORDAN MCRAE

5-11

180

Jr.

5 Ahkhari Johnson

5-11

191

Jr.

CORNERBACK 2 AMARI BUTLER

5-10

186

Sr.

18 Jaitlin Hampton

5-11

170

Sr.

CORNERBACK 3 KAMERON CARTER

6-1

175

Sr.

17 Demario Bookhart

6-1

175

So.

208 211

Jr. Fr.

6-1 6-3

224 213

Fr. So.

6-0 5-11

174 190

Fr. Jr.

5-11 5-11

190 175

Jr. Sr.

1 SAM FONGANG

6-2

195

Sr.

4 Kam Franklin

6-2

211

Jr.

13 MJ MOULTRIE

5-11

195

Sr.

7 Janard Lockhart

6-1

180

Jr.

SAFETY

SPECIAL TEAMS KICKER 38 KAEGEN KENT

5-8

160

So.

6-3

196

Jr.

6-0

215

Sr.

5-9

187

So.

5-7

165

Jr.

PUNTER 29 LEXINGTON MATTHEWS

LONG SNAPPER 41 EAN BURCH

KICK RETURNER 11 JALEN MICKENS

PUNT RETURNER 3 DECRICK LATULAS

COACHES Lane Kiffin’s win over Clemson was his largest vs. a Power Four team since beating Ga. Tech 42-0 in 2022.

Watkins Jr. had every reason to believe he could rise from Fort Myers, Florida, where too many talented athletes immerse themselves in the wrong crowds, fall behind in class and never make the grade.

He had better examples than most.

Not only was Watkins Sr. a baseball player at Florida A&M who played minor league ball, but his father was brothers with Sammy and Jaylen Watkins’ grandfather, making a pair of former NFL players Watkins Jr.’s cousins.

Sammy, a two-time All-American receiver at Clemson who was drafted fourth overall by the

Buffalo Bills in 2014, offered Watkins Jr. lessons from the ups and downs of his football journey.

The kid watched his share of Clemson games as Sammy helped Dabo Swinney build a national power.

“He’s the most low-maintenance superstar I’ve ever recruited,” Swinney said of Sammy, a 6-1, 212-pound wideout and five-star recruit who came ready to barrel through secondaries.

Sammy showed Watkins Jr. what a playmaker looks like. Sammy’s half-brother, Jaylen, a defensive back at the University of Florida who became a high school coach after his pro career, offered X’s-and-O’s wisdom from the other side of the ball.

Watkins Jr. also followed the career of Noel Devine, a 5-8, 180-pound running back who brought Florida speed to West Virginia. He was undersized, which fit Watkins Jr.’s mold.

“They made it out of Fort Myers. They went and showed that it’s possible, you know?” Watkins Jr. said. “Guys like that always influenced me to go out there and just be able to put my all out there and maximize my opportunity.”

His work ethic was strong. Watkins Sr. recalled a time he brought his 13-year-old son and 10-year-old daughter to a nearby stadium for “500s,” or five consecutive sprints around a track in close succession. Watkins Jr. and his sister vomited after their fifth one.

But the workout didn’t end there. They just kept going.

“His conditioning was out of this world,” said Venice High coach John Peacock, who was amazed when the IMG transfer flew through offseason workouts. “The way he runs routes is unbelievable, how smooth he is. He blocks, he’s tough as nails. He’s just built different.”

Peacock put the ball in Watkins’ hands, in every way possible.

In the second quarter of a Florida Class 7A state title victory, Watkins scooped up a punt after a big bounce, surprising a couple of gunners who believed they were about to down it.

Watkins went 65 yards down the sideline for a touchdown.

SAFETY

So.

6-5 6-1

Continued from page 1C “I ain’t trying to tell the whole world about it,” said Winston Watkins Sr., understanding most will fail to relate to these star ratings, which have outsized importance to the teens labeled by them. “All that did is bring the lion out of him even more. That fueled him.”

The boyish charm of “Winnie,” who gained nearly a half-million TikTok followers during his IMG days with catchy dances and jokes, easily can mask the competitor who just logged seven catches, 124 total yards and a touchdown in his LSU debut last weekend.

He’s a freak athlete. At 6 years old, Watkins set a long-jump record of 11 feet, 31/ 2 inches at the AAU Primary National Championship at Walt Disney World, according to his father.

He quickened his feet with soccer but also traded blows as a youth boxer. Watkins Sr. still has a clip of his son’s first fight as an 8-year-old, launching a flurry so vicious that the referee had to step in and protect the other boy from being pummeled.

“Boxing and track, it’s one-man sports,” Watkins Sr. said. “It helps you learn to compete against anybody. It made him feel like, when he’s on that field, can’t nobody stop him.”

RIGHT TACKLE

Jr.

SPECIAL TEAMS

80 SCOTT STARZYK

RIGHT GUARD

6-6 6-5

Sr.

SAFETY

KICKER

60 ROY BRACKINS 56 Andrew Richard

STAFF PHOTO By PEARL SPURLOCK

Clemson cornerback Ashton Hampton, top center, and linebacker Jeremiah Alexander, right, tackle LSU wide receiver Winston Watkins on Sept. 5 at Tiger Stadium.

265

SAFETY

0 TAMARCUS COOLEY 28 Jhase Thomas

CENTER

Jr. Jr.

267

CORNERBACK

2 TY BENEFIELD 13 Faheem Delane

79 ASHANTI COLE 66 Will Hutchens

190 165

6-4

CORNERBACK

11 PJ WOODLAND 8 Ja’Keem Jackson

LEFT GUARD

5-10 5-7

6-2

STAR

5 DJ PICKETT 21 Michael Turner

72 HAYDEN CHRISTMAN 57 Tadan Bingham

Sr. Sr.

98 DONOVAN RIEMAN

LINEBACKER

10 DASHAWN SPEARS 31 CJ Jimcoily

LEFT TACKLE

195 175

99 Judd Rouyea

LINEBACKER

6 TJ DOTTERY 24 Tylen Singleton

6 MARCUS CALWISE 3 Dedrick Latulas

6-2 6-1

Sr. Fr.

DEFENSIVE END

40 WHIT WEEKS 42 Davhon Keys

WIDE RECEIVER

So. So.

244 285

DEFENSIVE TACKLE

29 JORDAN ROSS 97 Dylan Carpenter

86 TALYN SHETTRON 47 Jay Wilkerson

187 205

6-4 6-5

DEFENSIVE TACKLE

99 DEUCE GERALDS 47 Malik Blocton

WIDE RECEIVER

5-9 6-4

DEFENSIVE END

DEFENSIVE END

90 STEPHIYLAN GREEN 88 Richard Anderson 96 Dominick McKinley

11 JALEN MICKENS 15 Luke Watkins

DEFENSE

DEFENSE 1 PRINCEWILL UMANMIELEN 55 Lamar Brown

WIDE RECEIVER

Sonny Cumbie is 20-31 during his fifth season as the head coach of the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs.

STAFF PREDICTIONS JON BLAU

SCOTT RABALAIS

LSU 56, LOUISIANA TECH 10 We’re about to find out how potent the Louisiana Tech offense truly is and how inept Clemson really was. The Bulldogs threw up 80 points last week, but that came against FCS Northwestern State, and a punt return touchdown and some short fields helped pad the lead. In a showdown of Blake Bakers, it stands to reason that the LSU defensive coordinator, not the Bulldogs’ quarterback, will have an edge.

LSU 52, LOUISIANA TECH 15 The end of another tumultuous week at LSU again will be capped off with an actual game. The Tigers built to a peak before routing Clemson, proving they could overcome major distractions. Now they must do it again with Louisiana Tech catching them in an emotional valley before Ole Miss. Blake Baker (the Louisiana Tech quarterback) will make some noise early before Blake Baker’s LSU defense adjusts.

REED DARCEY

KOKI RILEY

LSU 46, LOUISIANA TECH 10 Last season, LSU won this game by a rather unsatisfying score of 23-7. It feels like Lane Kiffin wants to come away with something much more convincing. Expect at least 250 more yards rushing from the Tigers and maybe a couple of superfluous two-point conversions in the second half. Louisiana Tech is a solid, well-coached team, but it won’t be able to slow down this rejuvenated LSU program.

LSU 48, LOUISIANA TECH 10 There’s a real chance for LSU to put up 50-plus points for a second consecutive week. Louisiana Tech held a hapless Northwestern State to six points last Saturday, but the Bulldogs’ 3-3-5 defensive scheme is ripe for the LSU offense to shred on the ground. It’s just hard to expect everything to go in LSU’s direction again this week after almost nothing went sideways for the Tigers against Clemson.

The Advocate ■ theadvocate.com ■ Saturday, September 12, 2026 ■ 3C

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He’s fast, but Watkins is also stronger than He eagerly prepared for the opener against most defenders assume. In the third quarter, Clemson, reserving a ticket for Sammy so he Watkins caught a short pass, ripping out of one could watch his cousin versus his alma mater. tackler’s grasp, sending the next diving past LSU inside receivers coach Sawyer Jordan, him with a juke and stiff-arming the last. who helped recruit Watkins to Ole Miss, also In the fourth quarter, Watkins was lined up at happens to be a Clemson alum. quarterback, faking a handoff and coasting for “That’s my first time ever playing Clemson, a long touchdown run to balloon Venice’s 52-13 and I don’t know whenever I may play them advantage. again,” Watkins said. “I wanted to maximize my The relentless slot receiver, who also played opportunity … and just ball out.” cornerback, was tailor made for Kiffin and Sammy couldn’t physically be in Tiger StaCharlie Weis Jr.’s uptempo scheme, because dium last weekend because he was busy being they could mercilessly impose his stamina on the receivers coach at Ocoee High School just opposing defenses. outside of Orlando, Florida.

“I was like, they keep defenses moving and He was able to watch, though, as his cousin get them tired, and I won’t get put on a clinic. tired,” Watkins said. “I can Early in the game, Watkins play in space and do what I do.” motioned across the line of He flashed as a freshman at scrimmage, took a jet sweep, Ole Miss, especially during put his hand on LSU running a four-catch, 111-yard outing back Dilin Jones’ back and at Oklahoma in late October. guided him into a clash with a Watkins’ stops and starts over Clemson defender like a human the middle, plus a slant and go shield. That gained 14 yards. over the top of the Sooners deWatkins then burrowed his way into the softest spots of fense, had defensive backs lagthe Clemson defense, catching ging behind. a curl route and a drag across The 5-11, 185-pound slot rethe middle. He was targeted ceiver’s skills remind Kiffin of 11 times, twice as many as any former Ole Miss receiver Eliother LSU receiver. jah Moore, who was a secondIn the middle of the third round pick by the Jets in 2021. quarter, he knew he was about “He’s such a pro,” Kiffin said to score. LSU receiver Eugene of Watkins, before he stopped Wilson motioned to Watkins’ side himself mid-answer. of the field and a safety followed “I don’t know why we do this. him. It was man-to-man coverYou ask me about him, and I say all these great things, and age, as Weis anticipated when he his (NIL) price is just gonna go changed the play pre-snap.

WINSTON WATKINS, up,” Kiffin said with a laugh.

Watkins bent his route toward LSU wide receiver “Not really smart by me.” the corner of the end zone, but Watkins came to college the safety and the nickelback ready to prove his worth, parboth went with Wilson. Wattially because recruiting services devalued kins raised his hand, alerting quarterback Sam him late. He’s not Sammy, who stands 6-1, or Leavitt, fewer than 10 yards into his sprint. his father, who made it to 6-2. But Watkins car“I just threw my hand up and took it, because I knew, if you hesitate, I’m going to just beat ries himself like he’s 7-feet tall. you with speed,” Watkins said of a 32-yard He arrived at last year’s Florida-Ole Miss touchdown grab that increased the pain for game with a camera following him for another Sammy’s alma mater. “day in the life” video, performing a “gator The confidence of the youngest Watkins nevchomp” with his arms that transitioned into two emphatic thumbs down. er has waned, even if recruiting services slid When the Rebels won, Watkins dragged the him down the 2025 rankings. Miami receiver team’s famed basketball hoop from the sideline Malachi Toney was rated a three-star prospect to midfield for postgame dunks. in the same class, and that projection isn’t look“We have a bye week,” Watkins told his caming so good, either.

What looks really good is Watkins in this eraman as he sat in Ole Miss running back Kescheme. He had a phone call with his cousin wan Lacy’s apartment postgame, “and then we Sammy a couple of days after LSU’s 51-10 blowback on (their butt).”

Just over a week after that video was posted out of Clemson. to YouTube, Kiffin was on his way to Baton “He was laughing about it because, shoot, he Rouge. Watkins soon would follow. didn’t realize it was going to be like that,” Watkins said. “Now I get to talk trash at ThanksgivWinnie vs. Sammy’s squad ing with Sammy.”

Watkins arrived in Baton Rouge with the most experience of any receiver in the LSU ofEmail Jon Blau at jon.blau@theadvocate.com fense, thanks to his freshman year at Ole Miss.

I was like, they keep defenses moving and get them tired, and I won’t get tired. I can play in space and do what I do.”

OFFENSIVE LEADERS LSU

La. Tech

PASSING

Player

Cmp-Att-Pct Yards TD Int

Sam Leavitt

16-28-57.1

230

1

RUSHING

Player

Att

Sam Leavitt Dilin Jones Stacy Gage Landen Clark Winston Watkins Eugene Wilson

Net

12 23 8 4 1 1

1

Avg TD

113 113 33 23 14 9

9.4 4.9 4.1 5.8 14.0 9.0

2 2 0 0 0 0

RECEIVING Player

Rec Yards Avg TD

Wilson Watkins Phillip Wright Trey’Dez Green Eugene Wilson Jackson Harris Corey Barber Jayce Brown Nic Anderson Dilin Jones

7 3 4 4 1 15 1 12 1

110 70 58 35 32 15 14.0 106 1

15.7 23.3 14.5 8.8 32.0 15.0 14.0 8.8 1.0

1 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0

KICKING Player

XPM XPA FGM FGA

Scott Starzyk

6

6

1

2

PASSING

Player

Cmp-Att-Pct Yards TD Int

Blake Baker

10-14-71.4

3

RUSHING

Player

0

Att

Net

Avg TD

5 6 1 2 5 4

50 48 37 31 17 9

10.0 8.0 37.0 15.5 3.4 2.3

Trey Kukuk Dylone Brooks Talyn Shettron Jalen Mickens Rayshun Hurt Sergio Snider

0 1 1 0 0 1

RECEIVING Player

Rec Yards Avg TD

TJalen Mickens Eli Finley Luke Watkins Talyn Shettron Jay Wilkerson Dedrick Latulas Brayden Bockler

3 4 1 2 1 2 2

133 52 35 29 27 10 7

44.3 13.0 35.0 14.5 27.0 5.0 3.5

1 1 1 1 1 1 0

KICKING Player

XPM XPA FGM FGA

Keagen Kent Hunter Roux

10 1

10 1

0 1

0 1

DEFENSIVE LEADERS TACKLES Player

Princewill Umanmielen Whit Weeks Dashawn Spears TJ Dottery Jordan Ross CJ Jimcoily Faheem Delane Zach Weeks Kolaj Cobbins PJ Woodland Davhon Keys DJ Pickett Charles Ross II Dylan Carpenter Ty Benefield Dominick McKinley

TACKLES

Tot Solo Ast Loss Sk 6 6 5 5 4 4 4 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

2 2 3 1 2 0 0 0 0 2 2 2 1 1 1 0

4 4 2 4 2 4 4 3 3 0 0 0 1 1 1 2

2.5 1.5 0 0.5 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 1.5 0 0.5

2 0.5 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0

Player

Sam Fongang Grayson Hardy Zheric Hill Jadon Mayfield Ayden Combs Alonzo Jackson Janard Lockhardt Kolbe Fields Za’qwaun Nunn Kaleb Coleman Lane Condry Nathan Green Zander Hayes Taeden Rogers Jeremiah Smith Cole Watson

INTERCEPTIONS Player

Tot Yards Avg TD BU

Jordan Ross

1

30

30.0

1

0

Tot Solo Ast Loss Sk 7 6 6 5 4 4 4 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

3 1 1 0 2 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0

4 5 5 5 2 4 2 2 3 2 2 2 1 0 2 2

1 0.5 2.5 1 1 1.5 0.5 0.5 0 0.5 0.5 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0.5 0 0 0 0 0 0

INTERCEPTIONS Player

Alonzo Jackson

Tot Yards Avg TD BU 1

0

0.0

0

1

TEAM STATS OFFENSE PER GAME Yards gained: 644.0

OFFENSE PER GAME Yards gained: 528.0

Plays: 94.0

Plays: 59.0

PASS 335.0

RUSH 309.0

PASS 36.0

RUSH 58.0

Turnovers: 1.00

PASS 296.0

RUSH 232.0

PASS 22.0

RUSH 37.0

Turnovers: 0.00

INTERCEPTIONS 1.00

FUMBLES 0.00

INTERCEPTIONS 0.00

FUMBLES 0.00

DEFENSE PER GAME Yards allowed: 145.0

DEFENSE PER GAME Yards allowed: 129.0

PASS 105.0

PASS 43.0

RUSH 40.0

Turnovers forced: 1.00 FUMBLES 0.00

INTERCEPTIONS 1.00

SCORING PER GAME SCORED ALLOWED

RUSH 86.0

Turnovers forced: 1.00

INTERCEPTIONS 1.00

FUMBLES 0.00

SCORING PER GAME

SCORED ALLOWED

SCORED ALLOWED

SCORED ALLOWED

80.0

51.0

27.3

22.8

20.8

19.8

10.0

6.0

2026

2025

2025

2024

CONVERSION SUCCESS

CONVERSION SUCCESS

Third down

Fourth down

Third down

32.0%

0.0%

37.0%

68.0%

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU wide receiver Winston Watkins escapes Clemson defensive back Misun Kelley after a catch in the first quarter on Sept. 5 at Tiger Stadium.

232

Fail

Convert

100.0%

Fail

Fourth down

0.0% 63.3%

Convert

Fail

Convert

100.0%

Fail

Convert

COLLEGE FOOTBALL SCHEDULE State schedule Saturday’s games

UL-Monroe (0-1) at UAB (0-1), 2:30 p.m.

Tarleton St. (2-0) at McNeese St. (1-1), 6 p.m.

South Alabama (1-0) at Tulane (0-1), 6 p.m.

UT Rio Grande Valley (1-1) at Nicholls (1-1), 6 p.m.

North Alabama (1-1) at Southeastern (0-2), 6 p.m.

Northwestern St. (0-2) at East Texas A&M (0-2), 6 p.m.

Southern (1-1) at Houston (1-0), 6 p.m.

Louisiana Tech (1-0) at LSU (1-0), 6:30 p.m.

Grambling (2-0) at TCU (0-1), 7 p.m.

UL (1-0) at Southern California (2-0), 10 p.m.

Top 25 Thursday’s game

No. 7 Miami 77, Florida A&M 7

Friday’s games

No. 24 Louisville 59, Villanova 13 No. 25 Virginia 59, Norfolk St. 3 No. 23 Missouri (1-0) at Kansas (1-0), n

Saturday’s games

No. 1 Ohio St. (1-0) at No. 4 Texas (1-0), 6:30 p.m.

No. 2 Georgia (1-0) vs. W. Kentucky (0-1), 11:45 a.m.

No. 3 Notre Dame (1-0) vs. Rice (1-0), 2:30 p.m.

No. 5 Indiana (1-0) vs. Howard (1-1), 11 a.m.

No. 6 Oregon (1-0) at Oklahoma St. (0-1), 11 a.m.

No. 8 LSU (1-0) vs. Louisiana Tech (1-0), 6:30 p.m.

No. 9 Ole Miss (1-0) vs. Charlotte (0-1), 6:45 p.m.

No. 10 Texas A&M (1-0) vs. Arizona St. (1-0), 11 a.m.

No. 11 Oklahoma (1-0) at Michigan (1-0), 11 a.m.

No. 12 Alabama (1-0) at Kentucky (1-0), 2:30 p.m.

No. 13 Texas Tech (1-0) at Oregon St. (0-1), 6:30 p.m.

No. 14 Southern Cal (2-0) vs. UL (1-0), 10 p.m.

No. 15 BYU (1-0) vs. Arizona (1-0), 2:30 p.m.

No. 16 Penn St. (1-0) at Temple (1-0), 11 a.m.

No. 17 SMU (1-0) vs. UC Davis (2-0), 3 p.m.

No. 18 Tennessee (1-0) at Georgia Tech (0-1), 6 p.m.

No. 19 Washington (1-0) vs. Utah St. (0-1), 2:30 p.m.

No. 20 Utah (1-0) vs. Arkansas (1-0), 9:15 p.m.

No. 21 Iowa (1-0) vs. Iowa St. (1-0), 6:30 p.m.

No. 22 Houston (1-0) vs. Southern (1-1), 6 p.m.

Nation Friday’s games EAST

Boston College 28, Rutgers 21

SOUTH

NC State 73, Richmond 0

Saturday’s games EAST

South Florida (1-0) at Army (1-0), 11 a.m.

Elon (2-0) at Rhode Island (1-1), 11 a.m.

Albany (NY) (1-1) at LIU Brooklyn (0-2), 11 a.m.

Marist (1-1) at Lafayette (0-1), 11:30 a.m.

UT Martin (1-1) at West Virginia (1-0), noon William & Mary (2-0) at Lehigh (2-0), 1 p.m.

Bowie St. (0-0) at Delaware St. (1-1), 2 p.m.

Maryland (1-0) at UConn (1-0), 2:30 p.m.

UCF (1-0) at Pittsburgh (1-0), 2:30 p.m.

Sacred Heart (0-1) at UMass (1-0), 2:30 p.m.

California (0-1) at Syracuse (1-0), 2:30 p.m.

Merrimack (0-2) at Maine (1-1), 4 p.m.

Va. Lynchburg (0-1) at Morgan St. (1-1), 5 p.m.

Stonehill (1-1) at New Hampshire (0-2), 5 p.m.

Middle Tennessee (1-0) at Marshall (0-1), 6 p.m.

SOUTH

NC A&T (0-2) at NC Central (1-1), 11 a.m.

Dickinson Red Devils (0-0) at Davidson (0-2), 11 a.m.

Old Dominion (1-0) at Virginia Tech (1-0), 11 a.m.

ETSU (1-1) at North Carolina (1-0), 11 a.m.

Appalachian St. (1-0) at East Carolina (0-1), 11 a.m.

Wagner (1-1) at James Madison (1-0), 11 a.m.

Gardner-Webb (0-2) at Liberty (0-1), 11 a.m.

Bucknell (0-2) at VMI (0-2), 11:30 a.m.

Alabama St. (2-0) at Troy (1-0), 3 p.m.

Stetson (1-1) at Bethune-Cookman (0-1), 3 p.m.

MVSU (0-2) vs. Lincoln (Pa.) (0-0) at Chicago, 3 p.m.

Delaware (1-0) at Vanderbilt (1-0), 3:15 p.m.

Morehead St. (1-1) at Austin Peay (1-1), 4 p.m.

Campbell (2-0) at Florida (1-0), 4:30 p.m.

Buffalo (1-0) at FIU (0-1), 5 p.m.

Furman (1-1) at Mercer (2-0), 5 p.m.

Chattanooga (1-1) at E. Kentucky (0-2), 5 p.m.

Virginia St. (0-0) at SC State (2-0), 5 p.m.

Bryant (1-1) at Hampton (1-1), 5 p.m.

Charleston Southern (0-2) at The Citadel (1-1), 5 p.m.

Alcorn St. (1-1) vs. Ark.-Pine Bluff (1-1) at Memphis, Tenn., 6 p.m.

Georgia St. (1-0) at Kennesaw St. (1-0), 6 p.m.

Towson (0-2) at South Carolina (1-0), 6 p.m.

Tennessee St. (0-2) at Alabama A&M (1-1), 6 p.m.

Samford (0-2) at Tennessee Tech (2-0), 6 p.m.

Valparaiso (1-0) at Murray St. (0-2), 6 p.m.

Navy (1-0) at FAU (0-1), 6:30 p.m.

Georgia Southern (1-0) at Clemson (0-1), 6:30 p.m.

Fordham (0-2) at Coastal Carolina (0-1), 6:30 p.m.

Southern Miss. (1-0) at Auburn (1-0), 6:45 p.m.

MIDWEST

Wake Forest (1-0) at Purdue (1-0), 11 a.m.

Thomas More (0-0) at Dayton (1-0), 11 a.m.

Wofford (2-0) at Kent St. (0-1), 11 a.m.

Washington St. (0-1) at Kansas St. (1-0), 11 a.m.

Colgate (2-0) at Cent. Michigan (0-1), noon Holy Cross (0-2) at Miami (Ohio) (0-1), noon Drake (0-2) at N. Iowa (0-1), 1 p.m.

N. Michigan (0-0) at St. Thomas (Minn.) (1-1), 1 p.m.

E. Washington (1-1) at South Dakota (2-0), 1 p.m.

Stony Brook (1-1) at Ball St. (0-1), 1 p.m.

Duquesne (0-1) at Youngstown St. (1-1), 1 p.m.

E. Michigan (1-1) at Michigan St. (1-0), 2:30 p.m.

Mississippi St. (1-0) at Minnesota (1-0), 2:30 p.m.

CCSU (0-1) at Toledo (0-1), 2:30 p.m.

Duke (1-0) at Illinois (1-0), 2:30 p.m.

Robert Morris (2-0) at Akron (0-1), 2:30 p.m.

Jacksonville St. (1-1) at Ohio (0-1), 5 p.m.

Franklin (0-0) at Butler (1-1), 5 p.m.

Monmouth (NJ) (1-1) at W. Michigan (0-1), 5:30 p.m.

SE Missouri (1-1) at S. Illinois (1-1), 6 p.m.

New Haven (1-1) at S. Dakota St. (1-1), 6 p.m.

Illinois St. (2-0) at N. Illinois (0-1), 6 p.m.

Indiana St. (0-2) at E. Illinois (1-1), 6 p.m.

Bowling Green (0-1) at Nebraska (1-0), 6 p.m.

W. Carolina (1-1) at Cincinnati (1-0), 6 p.m.

Lindenwood (Mo.) (1-1) at Missouri St. (0-1), 6 p.m.

W. Illinois (1-1) at Wisconsin (0-1), 6:15 p.m.

SOUTHWEST

UTSA (1-0) at Texas State (0-1), 2:30 p.m.

UNLV (1-1) at North Texas (0-1), 2:45 p.m.

West Georgia (0-2) at Arkansas St. (0-1), 6 p.m.

Arkansas Baptist (0-0) at Houston Christian (1-1), 6 p.m.

Tulsa (1-0) at Sam Houston St. (0-1), 6 p.m.

Cent. Oklahoma (0-0) at Cent. Arkansas (1-1), 6 p.m.

Prairie View (1-1) at Baylor (0-1), 7 p.m.

Stephen F. Austin (2-0) at Abilene Christian (0-2), 7 p.m.

Texas Southern (1-1) at UTEP (0-1), 8 p.m.

FAR WEST

Kentucky Christian (0-1) at Chicago State (0-2), noon Utah Tech (0-2) at Montana (2-0), 2 p.m.

Weber St. (1-1) at Colorado (1-0), 2:30 p.m.

N. Colorado (0-2) at Wyoming (0-1), 3 p.m.

Mercyhurst (0-2) at New Mexico (1-0), 3 p.m.

Lamar (1-1) at Idaho (0-2), 3 p.m.

Incarnate Word (1-0) at N. Arizona (1-1), 4 p.m.

Memphis (2-0) at Boise St. (0-1), 5 p.m.

San Diego (0-1) at Idaho St. (2-0), 5 p.m.

S. Utah (1-1) at Colorado St. (1-0), 6 p.m.

San Diego St. (1-0) at UCLA (1-0), 6:15 p.m.

Cal Poly (2-0) at San Jose St. (1-1), 8 p.m.

N. Dakota St. (2-0) at Air Force (1-0), 9 p.m.

North Dakota (2-0) at Portland St. (0-2), 9 p.m.

Sacramento St. (1-1) at Fresno St. (0-1), 9:30 p.m.

Montana St. (2-0) at Nevada (1-0), 9:30 p.m.

4 ■ Saturday, Septem 4C mber 12, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate H

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THE NATION

THINGS TO WATCH IN WEEK 2 Who, what and where to keep an eye on in this week’s games around the nation

CLASH OF TITLE CONTENDERS

Top-ranked Ohio State (1-0) and No. 4 Texas (1-0) play for the third consecutive season on Saturday in Austin in a blockbuster matchup, an early-season duel of national championship-caliber teams and Heisman Trophy contenders at quarterback.Toss in some Big Ten vs. Southeastern Conference bragging rights, and the game grabs national attention.The programs have met just five previous times — all since 2005 — as they play in distant conferences that had different bowl game destinations for decades.

1

SOONERS TAKE ON SHAKY MICHIGAN

Oklahoma, ranked No. 11, will play at Michigan, which dropped out of the Associated Press poll after a controversial 13-12 win over Western Michigan.

Michigan sophomore QB Bryce Underwood struggled in the opener, passing for 170 yards on 12 of 22 attempts with one touchdown and one interception, but OU coach Brent Venables praised him as “one of the most talented players at any position in all of college football.” The teams have met twice, with Oklahoma winning those games.

2

BIG 12 BATTLE FOR ARIZONA, BYU

Arizona had an easy go in its opener, blowing out Northern Arizona 35-7, but will face a much stiffer challenge against ByU. The No. 15 Cougars opened the season with a 63-7 rout of Utah Tech after forcing four turnovers. Noah Fifita threw for 262 yards and two TDs for the Wildcats while ByU quarterback Bear Bachmeier threw for 198 yards and three touchdowns, all in the first half. Arizona and ByU played a wild game in Tucson last season, going to double OT before the Cougars pulled out a 33-27 win.

3

— Associated Press

Smoke clearing in LSU-SEC drama After another week of bluster, raw emotions and unprecedented drama, what do you know? LSU and the Southeastern Conference came back from the brink.

LSU isn’t going to be expelled from the SEC. That may have been some lurid, Lane Kiffin-hating fantasy of fans from Ole Miss to Tennessee, but it isn’t hapScott Rabalais pening. And the heavy hammer of sanctions and/ or fines against LSU and Kiffin over pushing the envelope to the legal breaking point in trying to roster players who previously took part in NFL training camps isn’t happening either.

At least not in the current circumstances and with the current information at hand.

So where do LSU and the SEC now stand in their relationship and in what one assumes is their collective future going forward? Allow me to hit the pause button for a moment and offer a theory, one that certainly could be shot through with holes in the coming days, but here goes: If the SEC was going to punish LSU and Kiffin over things Kiffin has done and said, it had ample opportunity to do so. In the end, it had nothing to build a case on but hurt feelings and anonymous reporting that Kiffin had anything to do with urging the athletes involved in the eligibility lawsuit to take legal action.

Do I think he had something to do with it? At least part of me does. But that is an opinion. And opinion is far different from proving a fact in a court of law. The SEC’s CEOs are smart people — though I doubt some of them could tell you the difference between an end zone and an end around — and they figured out they didn’t have anything really concrete to pin on Kiffin and have moved on. For now.

But in the same way it has been better for Kiffin to stay off social media — his only two posts on his X account since May 11 have been to promote companies he did offseason commercials for — it would be best for him to not pop off about the SEC or say things like “Imagine if we had pro players” as he did at halftime of LSU’s 51-10 rout of Clemson. The rest of the SEC is hot for him, and not in a romantic “Let’s get a bottle of wine and a blanket and watch

SEC RATINGS By KOKI RILEy 1. TEXAS Record: 1-0 overall Previous rank: 1 Last week: Defeated Texas State 59-7 This week: vs. Ohio State, 6:30 p.m.

Saturday (ABC) 2. LSU Record: 1-0 Previous rank: 2 Last week: Defeated Clemson 51-10 This week: vs. Louisiana Tech, 6:30 p.m.

Saturday (SEC Network+) 3. GEORGIA Record: 1-0 Previous rank: 3 Last week: Defeated Tennessee State 63-3 This week: vs. Western Kentucky, 11:45 a.m.

Saturday (SEC Network) 4. OKLAHOMA Record: 1-0 Previous rank: 4 Last week: Defeated UTEP 51-0 This week: at Michigan, 11 a.m. Saturday (FOX) 5. TEXAS A&M Record: 1-0 Previous rank: 6 Last week: Defeated Missouri State 50-0 This week: vs. Arizona State, 11 a.m.

Saturday (ABC) 6. ALABAMA Record: 1-0 Previous rank: 7 Last week: Defeated East Carolina 48-10 This week: at Kentucky, 2:30 p.m. Saturday (ABC) 7. OLE MISS Record: 1-0 Previous rank: 5 Last week: Defeated Louisville 41-38 This week: vs. Charlotte, 6:45 p.m. Saturday (ESPN2) 8. TENNESSEE Record: 1-0 Previous rank: 8 Last week: Defeated Furman 56-9 This week: at Georgia Tech, 6 p.m. Saturday (ESPN)

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU coach Lane Kiffin waits for kickoff against Clemson on Sept. 5 at Tiger Stadium. the sunset from the levee” kind of way.

Meanwhile, the SEC continues to dangle a sword of Damocles over LSU’s head. A sword hanging by a thread. A thread named RJ Luis. If LSU men’s basketball coach Will Wade — who may actually give folks around the SEC a rash even more than Kiffin — makes good on his attempt to roster the former G-League player, the conference could really throw the book at LSU in terms of sanctions and fines.

Again, just a theory. But it’s a fair bet I know what the SEC is going to do about LSU as much as the SEC does.

Meanwhile, at the risk of actually talking about football, we interrupt today’s episode of “The People’s Court” to remind you that LSU will actually play a football game Saturday night against Louisiana Tech. I seem to recall the purpose of this whole thing is to play games, right? It seems a quaint notion in our currently hyper-litigious sports landscape, but I believe I’m on

fairly stable ground here.

There has been virtually nothing uninteresting about the Kiffin era at LSU so far.

So even this game, an in-state palate cleanser between the Clemson opener and next Saturday’s renewal of the seething rivalry (Kiffin, again) between LSU and Ole Miss is compelling in the questions it proffers.

Will the Tigers, who rolled like Patton’s Third Army over Clemson and can be expected to bring an equally ruthless intensity to Ole Miss, still be at a sharp edge for the Techsters? Will Tech, which scored 11 touchdowns in an 80-6 rout of hapless Northwestern State this past week, be a threat to LSU? Kiffin indicated at his Monday news conference that the Bulldogs definitely caught his attention, so it’s at least something to be considered.

In the end, both the SEC and LSU/Kiffin got something of what they wanted, if not all that they bargained for.

The SEC got a test case for self-governance, which is what

all its railing about the former NFL camp players possibly being added to LSU’s roster was all about. With the NCAA being sued every time it opens the fridge, the SEC (and Big Ten) want to make their own rules. And you can’t do that if you’re worried about a flood of former professionals — a real possibility — backtracking from the NFL and NBA in ever-increasing numbers.

Kiffin got a psychological welding torch he can use to create unity in a locker room filled with players from 43 schools (including LSU), 23 states and one Canadian province. Every coach ever likes to play the “Us against the world” card. You can say a lot of things about Kiffin, but in this regard, when he says that, he speaks the gospel.

We already know an angry SEC pushed back hard at LSU and essentially won. A talented and angry LSU team could also do an awful lot of winning. The Louisiana Tech game is the Tigers’ own test case for that.

TV HIGHLIGHTS 11 a.m.

Arizona St. at Texas A&M ABC 11 a.m.

ETSU at North Carolina ACCN 11 a.m.

Howard at Indiana BTN 11 a.m.

South Florida at Army CBSSN 11 a.m.

Old Dominion at Virginia Tech CW 11 a.m.

Oregon at Oklahoma St. ESPN 11 a.m.

Penn St. at Temple ESPN2 11 a.m.

App. St. at East Carolina ESPNU 11 a.m.

Oklahoma at Michigan FOX 11 a.m.

Wake Forest at Purdue FS1 11 a.m.

Washington St. at Kansas St. TNT 11:45 a.m. W. Kentucky at Georgia SECN 2:30 p.m. Alabama at Kentucky ABC 2:30 p.m. California at Syracuse ACCN

2:30 p.m.

2:30 p.m.

2:30 p.m.

2:30 p.m.

2:30 p.m.

2:30 p.m.

2:30 p.m.

2:30 p.m.

2:45 p.m.

3:15 p.m.

5 p.m.

6 p.m.

6 p.m.

6 p.m.

E. Michigan at Michigan St. BTN Mississippi St. at Minnesota CBS Maryland at UConn CBSSN UTSA at Texas St. CW UCF at Pittsburgh ESPN2 Arizona at ByU FOX Duke at Illinois FS1 Rice at Notre Dame NBC UNLV at North Texas ESPNU Delaware at Vanderbilt SECN Memphis at Boise St. USA S. Utah at Colorado St. CBSSN Tennessee at Georgia Tech ESPN Bowling Green at Nebraska FS1

6:15 p.m.

6:30 p.m.

6:30 p.m.

6:30 p.m.

6:30 p.m.

6:30 p.m.

6:45 p.m.

6:45 p.m.

9 p.m.

9:15 p.m.

9:30 p.m.

9:30 p.m.

10 p.m.

San Diego St. at UCLA BTN Ohio St. at Texas ABC Georgia Southern at Clemson ACCN Texas Tech at Oregon St. CBS Navy at FAU ESPNU Iowa St. at Iowa NBC Charlotte at Ole Miss ESPN2 Southern Miss at Auburn SECN N. Dakota St. at Air Force FS1 Arkansas at Utah ESPN Sacramento St. at Fresno St. CBSSN Montana St. at Nevada CW UL at Southern Cal BTN

9. FLORIDA Record: 1-0 Previous rank: 9 Last week: Defeated Florida Atlantic 66-21 This week: vs. Campbell, 4:30 p.m. Saturday (SEC Network+) 10. MISSOURI Record: 1-0 Previous rank: 10 Last week: Defeated Arkansas-Pine Bluff 54-14 This week: at Kansas, Friday, n 11. KENTUCKY Record: 1-0 Previous rank: 11 Last week: Defeated youngstown State 4513 This week: vs. Alabama, 2:30 p.m. Saturday (ABC) 12. MISSISSIPPI STATE Record: 1-0 Previous rank: 14 Last week: Defeated UL-Monroe 62-13 This week: at Minnesota, 2:30 p.m.

Saturday (CBS) 13. AUBURN Record: 1-0 Previous rank: 13 Last week: Defeated Baylor 17-16 This week: vs. Southern Miss, 6:45 p.m.

Saturday (SEC Network) 14. VANDERBILT Record: 1-0 Previous rank: 12 Last week: Defeated Austin Peay 28-9 This week: vs. Delaware, 3:15 p.m. Saturday (SEC Network) 15. SOUTH CAROLINA Record: 1-0 Previous rank: 15 Last week: Defeated Kent State 57-0 This week: vs. Towson, 6 p.m. Saturday (SEC Network+) 16. ARKANSAS Record: 1-0 Previous rank: 16 Last week: Defeated North Alabama 31-14 This week: at Utah, 9:15 p.m. Saturday (ESPN)

SPORTS

T H E A D V O C AT E.C O M

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S at u r d ay, S e p t e m b e r 12, 2026

Check out Week 2 high school football results.

PAGES 9C-10C

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S O U T H E R N A T H O U S T O N • 6 P. M . S A T U R D A y • E S P N +

SOUTHERN’S NAME GAME

STAFF PHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS

Southern quarterback Christian Johnson is upended by Kentucky State defensive back Ke’ron Blankumsee, left, as defensive lineman Carlos Bazert pursues last Saturday at A.W. Mumford Stadium. Johnson will help lead the Jaguars on Saturday against Houston.

Faulk tells his players to make an impression against ranked Houston

BY TOYLOY BROWN III

MORE ON PAGE 7C

Staff writer

S

outhern enters every game expecting to win.

That mentality also applies versus nationally ranked FBS squad, such as the Jaguars 6 p.m. Saturday game against No. 22 Houston (1-0) at TDECU Stadium in Houston.

“All of that FBS, FCS, it doesn’t matter,” coach Marshall Faulk said. “We got a game to play. They’re a target. We’re trying to get a win. They’re trying to get a win. Best team gonna win.”

Southern (1-1) is a 51.5-point under-

■ SWAC power rankings ■ Southern statistics, schedule ■ Toyloy Brown’s game prediction dog and currently 0-18 against FBS programs. While the history and prognosticators don’t think too highly of the team’s chances, Faulk has motivated players another way.

Faulk told them this game is an opportunity for players with sights on moving to the FBS level to showcase themselves. This even was discussed during

their recruiting pitch.

“If they want some eyes on them, they go out there in this game, and they show up, and they show out and make a name for themselves,” Faulk said. “As well as for this university, representing us and being the best player possible, which makes us the best team possible.”

Southern has seen players make the jump from the Southwestern Athletic Conference to the FBS in recent years.

Former cornerback Rodney Johnson transferred to Louisville for his senior year after the 2024 campaign. After last season, wide receiver Darren Morris transferred to Boise State for his

Crystal ball pinpoints games Saints will win

The Saints are dealing with something different as they prepare to open the 2026 season — expectations.

The emergence of quarterback Tyler Shough and the additions of Travis Etienne, Jordyn Tyson and David Edwards have made the Saints a trendy pick to win the NFC South title.

That’s quite different than where things stood a year ago, when the Saints were 400-to-1 long shots to win the Super Bowl. Now, they’re Jeff one of the favorites to win the diviDuncan sion and end their five-year playoff drought.

Time will tell whether the experts are right or wrong.

Here’s what the crystal ball says for the upcoming season:

Week 1 at Lions, Sunday The Saints saw their six-year winning streak in season openers snapped last season, and they’ll need a strong performance to avoid their second consecutive 0-1 start. Detroit features one of the most dynamic offenses in the league. And the Lions are particularly tough at Ford Field, where they have won 20 of their last 28 games under coach Dan Campbell. I’m not sure the Saints offense can keep pace. Lions 31, Saints 26

redshirt senior year, and safety Treylan James moved to LSU as a junior.

Faulk said this game is also an opportunity for those without eligibility next year who want to play football in the NFL or other leagues. That applies to star defensive end Ckelby Givens.

The graduate student wants to improve his stock before his second shot at the NFL. He went undrafted and received an invitation to the Buffalo Bills rookie minicamp after this year’s draft.

“Whether that’s the NFL for the seniors,” Faulk said, “or some of these

ä See NAME, page 7C

High-profile injuries adding up early in NFL Darnold, Brown, Tua among players ailing

BY ROB MAADDI

AP pro football writer STAFF FILE PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD

Saints quarterback Tyler Shough throws against the Falcons on Nov. 23 at the Caesars Superdome. ä Saints at Lions. NOON SUNDAy, FOX

Week 2 at Ravens, Sept. 20 The Ravens will play their home opener after a road trip to Indianapolis in Week 1. This will be the official home debut for first-year Ravens coach Jesse Minter, and the crowd will be jacked after the Ravens’ disappointing 8-9 campaign a year ago. In this matchup of former Louisville quarterbacks, I’ll go with the experience of Lamar Jackson and the home-field advantage. Ravens 24, Saints 13

Week 3 vs. Raiders, Sept. 27 After the 0-2 start, the Saints return home for a gotta-have-it game against the rebuilding

ä See DUNCAN, page 6C

Sam Darnold played just five snaps. A.J. Brown will be sidelined for a while. De’Zhaun Stribling was carted off the field.

High-profile injuries are adding up just two games into the NFL season. It’s not even Sunday yet.

And Tua Tagovailoa got hurt in practice.

Darnold got good news about his hip injury. Not so much for Brown.

Stribling’s status wasn’t immediately known.

“It’s been positive news,” Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said Thursday about Darnold.

“Right now we’re just working through the extent of the injury and put a plan in place to get back rocking and rolling.”

Macdonald called it a muscle injury for Darnold near his hip and that the team would have a better idea of his status for the game against Arizona on Sept. 20 when practice resumes next week.

Drew Lock replaced Darnold and led Seattle to a 13-10 comeback win over New England in a Super Bowl rematch Wednesday night. Lock proved he’s a capable backup so the reigning Super Bowl champions won’t have to rush Darnold back to face the Cardinals.

“He’s been tremendous,” Macdonald said about Lock. “He operates like a starter does in terms of preparation. The chemistry and the personality of our quarterback room is one that is very supportive of each other and also trying to bring out the best in one another.

Drew provides a cool, confident, loose and focus to the whole equation, which you need — you need that. On top of that, since he’s got here, he’s played great football in practice and in the preseason. We saw what he could do (Wednesday night). If he has to play again then we expect the same moving forward.”

The Patriots won’t have Brown for at least four games because he’s being placed on injured reserve with a right ankle injury, a person with knowledge of the

ä See NFL, page 6C

6C ■ Saturday, September 12, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

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BROADCAST HIGHLIGHTS On TV

ä College football TV. PAGE 4C

AUTO RACING 7:55 a.m. San Marino Grand Prix FS2 2 p.m.

Supermotocross Worlds NBCSN 2:30 p.m. NASCAR Cup: Practice TRUTV 3:35 p.m. NASCAR Cup: Qualifying TRUTV 6:30 p.m. NASCAR Series: Fleetio 200 CW 7 p.m.

ARCA Menards Series FOX WOMEN’S FIBA BASKETBALL 9:15 a.m. France vs. Germany TBS 12:45 p.m. Spain vs. United States TBS GOLF 8:30 a.m. Irish Open CNBC

noon Irish Open GOLF 1:30 p.m. Sanford International GOLF 4 p.m.

Simmons Bank Open GOLF HORSE RACING 9:45 a.m. Irish Champion Stakes FS2 6:30 p.m. America’s Day at the Races FS2 MLB 12:30 p.m. N.y. Mets at N.y. yankees MLBN 3:30 p.m. Kansas City at Boston MLBN 6 p.m.

Chicago White Sox at St. Louis MLBN 9 p.m.

Seattle at Athletics MLBN

IN BRIEF

FROM STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS

MEN’S SOCCER 8:55 a.m. Burnley at Swansea City CBSSN 9 a.m.

Fulham at Liverpool NBCSN 9 a.m.

Hull City at Chelsea USA 11:30 a.m. Everton at Tottenham Hotspur NBC 2 p.m.

Arsenal at Sunderland USA 3 p.m.

Wanderers at Supra du Québec FS2 WOMEN’S SOCCER 7:55 a.m. New Zealand vs. U.S. FS1 5:30 p.m. North Carolina at San Diego ION 7:45 p.m. Utah at Houston ION TENNIS 3 p.m.

U.S. Open ESPN TRACK AND FIELD 5:30 p.m. World Championship NBCSN

Kamara could suit up against Lions

BY MATTHEW PARAS Staff writer

When Alvin Kamara suffered a knee injury Aug. 18, ESPN reported the New Orleans Saints running back was expected to miss a month with an MCL sprain.

Just three weeks later, Kamara has a shot to play in New Orleans’ season opener.

The Saints listed Kamara as questionable for matchup Notebook Sunday’s against the Detroit Lions. The running back practiced three straight days, the first two on a limited basis before becoming a full participant Friday.

New Orleans ruled out running back Audric Estime (thigh), defensive end Cam Jordan (hamstring) and tight end Oscar Delp (hamstring).

Jordan did return to practice Friday.

“I know Alvin has worked really, really hard to put himself in the right position,” Saints coach Kellen Moore said. “We’ll kind of make a decision here shortly. But he’s done a really good job.”

Moore said Kamara will fly to Detroit with the Saints.

If Kamara suits up, he’s expected to be the primary backup running back behind starter Travis Etienne.

With Estime out, the Saints’ third running back will be Kendre Miller.

Jordan returns On Wednesday, Jordan already was ruled out for Sunday’s season opener in Detroit with a hamstring injury.

But on Friday, the Saints pass rusher returned to practice.

DUNCAN

Continued from page 5C Raiders. It’ll be the Saints’ first game in the Dome since the preseason opener, and the atmosphere should be enough to carry New Orleans to a victory.

The Saints defense will make life tough for Kirk Cousins. Saints 27, Raiders 16

Week 4 vs. Falcons, Oct. 5 After a two-year drought, Monday Night Football comes to town to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Saints’ historic Dome-coming game in 2006. And once again, the Falcons will be the sacrificial lambs for what figures to be an emotional contest. Good luck, Atlanta. Saints 33, Falcons 20

Week 5 vs. Vikings, Oct. 11 Normally, I’d worry about this being a trap game with the Saints coming off an emotional win on a short week. But the Vikings will be coming off an easy home game against the Dolphins. Plus, I’m not a fan of any of the Vikings quarterbacks: Kyler Murray, Carson Wentz or J.J. McCarthy. Daniel Carlson’s game-winning field goal allows the Saints to climb over .500 for the first time since Week 2 of the 2024 season. Saints 17, Vikings 16

Week 6 at Giants, Oct. 18 The Giants are a trendy pick to win the NFC East and make the playoffs, and they very well could be riding high at this point thanks to their cushy early schedule. John Harbaugh is a major upgrade at head coach,

NFL

Continued from page 5C move told The Associated Press on Friday. The star wide receiver went down in the second half against Seattle. He has a highankle sprain and will miss several games, another person with knowledge of his injury told the AP on Thursday night.

Without Brown, New England’s of-

offensive coordinator, grew up in a town not far from Moore’s hometown of Prosser, Washington.

All these years later, Moore still feels he ended up in the right situation.

As he prepares for Sunday’s season opener, Moore returns to Detroit with fond memories of the city where he learned to be a pro and formed the connections that eventually would lead to his coaching career. He spent three seasons with the Lions.

“I had a great time,” Moore said. “It’s a fun place. It’s really cool to see what that organization has done over the last few years in terms of developing one of the most competitive teams in our entire league.”

Moore said he thinks “the world of” his former Detroit head coaches Jim Schwartz and Jim Caldwell. They had “two different approaches to being a head coach, to be honest,” Moore said. Both had successful stints in Detroit, although in Moore’s three seasons, the Lions made the playoffs only once. The STAFF FILE PHOTO By BRETT DUKE 2014 Lions went 11-5.

These days, Dan Campbell has New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara, right, runs the ball raised the bar for the Lions. during training camp in Metairie on July 31.

Though the Lions missed the playoffs last year, they still finished 9-8 Fond memories Jordan’s surprise participation after coming off back-to-back postwas a positive sign that New OrMoore likes to joke that he was season appearances. And they’re leans may not have to wait long an “eighth-rounder.” the odds-on favorite to win the before he makes his season debut, After going undrafted in 2012, NFC North this season. even if the 37-year-old can’t play the former quarterback mulled Sunday will be Moore’s first trip this weekend. his options as he looked to latch back to Detroit since 2019, when “It’s a step in the right direction, onto a team. Moore liked that the he was the offensive coordinator for sure,” Moore said.

Detroit Lions had a young star in of the Dallas Cowboys.

Jordan has missed more than a Matthew Stafford and an accomplished month with the hamstring injury, veteran backup in Shaun Hill. And he Email Matthew Paras at matt. last practicing Aug. 6. liked that Scott Linehan, the team’s paras@theadvocate.com

and the G-Men have a bevy of talented high draft picks on both sides of the ball. The Giants catch the Saints at the right time, on the heels of a three-game winning streak and looking ahead to Paris. Giants 28, Saints 20

against the reigning NFC North champs, who will be coming off a bye week. The Bears dominated the Saints at Soldier Field a year ago, and while this one will be closer, the result will be the same. Bears 30, Saints 27

Week 7 vs. Steelers (Paris), Oct. 25 Week 12 at Bengals, Nov. 29 Expect plenty of pomp and circumstance for the NFL’s firstever game in France. The Saints should have a decided home-field advantage despite the remote location as thousands of New Orleanians are expected to make the trip to the City of Light. Will the Saints have their mind on business after a week of revelry in Paris? I think it will be a challenge. Steelers 23, Saints 21

Week 8 an open date

By all accounts, this is the Bengals most complete team since the 2022 Super Bowl team, and by this point in the season, we should know whether they are contenders or pretenders in the AFC. The Saints have fared well in Cincy, posting a 5-3 mark there. But those past Bengals didn’t have Joe Burrow. Bengals 31, Saints 17

Week 13 vs. Packers, Dec. 6

Sometimes it’s not so much about who you play but when Week 9 vs. Browns, Nov. 8 you play them. The Saints catch The Saints should be rested and the Packers at the perfect time, sandwiched between a pair of ready, coming off the bye week tough games against playoff conand riding a two-game losing streak. By now, the Browns likely tenders, the Rams and Bills. Adwill have switched from Deshaun vantage Saints. Saints 33, Packers 31 Watson to Shedeur Sanders at quarterback. Either way, I expect Week 14 at Panthers, Dec. 13 Chase Young and the Saints deBy this time, I fully expect fense to feast in this one. Saints 26, Dave Canales to be coaching for Browns 9 his job and Young to be playing for his future in Carolina. Bank Week 10 vs. Panthers, Nov. 15 of America Stadium is one of the least hostile places to play in the Here’s all you need to know league. Shough has a career 350about this matchup: The Saints yard passing day as the Saints swept the series with the Panwin for the seventh time in their thers a year ago and are 5-1 past 10 games in Charlotte. Saints all-time against Bryce Young.

41, Panthers 16 Where I’m from, that’s called ownage. Saints 23, Panthers 10

Week 11 at Bears, Nov. 22

Week 15 at Bucs, Dec. 20

Looking for their second threegame winning streak of the season, the Saints travel to the Windy City for a tough matchup

Shough returns to the scene of his best 2025 performance, but he’ll face a salty Bucs team coming off a tough road loss to Baltimore. Baker Mayfield outduels

fense fizzled. The Patriots went three and out twice and then Drake Maye threw three straight interceptions.

“I wish life was like that, where you could wait for your guys to come back and be healthy again but, it’s NFL,” Patriots veteran receiver Mack Hollins said.

New England traded a 2028 firstround pick to Philadelphia in the deal for Brown to give Maye a top playmaker. Now, he’ll be without him for a few weeks. The Patriots have a tough schedule coming up

with three games against 2025 playoff teams. They’ll host Pittsburgh on Sept. 20, and visit Jacksonville and Buffalo.

“You’ve got to stick together and that starts with me getting back to work and having the right intention in practice,” Maye said. “These guys are here for me. I think they’ve done a great job in supporting me and have had my back.

I’ve got to earn their trust. I know I have their trust, but I got to keep on putting better football out there.

Shough this time, and Chase McLaughlin’s 51-yard field goal as time expires is the difference.

Bucs 24, Saints 23

Week 16 vs. Cardinals, Dec. 27 Get-well time. And the Cardinals are the ultimate get-well opponent. By this time, they might be playing for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2027 NFL Draft (Arch Manning, anyone?). The Saints, meanwhile, are right in the mix for the NFC South title. Etienne surpasses the 1,000-yard mark with a two-touchdown day. Saints 30, Cardinals 6

Week 17 at Falcons, Jan. 3 The Saints get their first look at Jack Strand, the undrafted free agent quarterback from Minnesota State-Moorhead, who has turned the Falcons season around after taking over for the injured Michael Penix and Tua Tagovailoa. Strand outduels Shough in a shootout, and the Falcons clinch their first NFC South title in a decade. Falcons 34, Saints 31

Week 18 vs. Bucs, Jan. 10 With their playoff hopes dashed, the Saints fall into an early 10-0 hole and are forced to playoff catch-up the rest of the way. Shough leads a fourthquarter rally, and Cam Jordan preserves the win with the gameending sack of Mayfield, putting him over the 140 mark in his Hall of Fame career. The Saints record just their second winning season in the past six years but miss the playoffs by one game.

Saints 23, Bucs 18 Final record: 9-8, second in NFC South Email Jeff Duncan at jduncan@ theadvocate.com.

I think it’s Week 1 but at the same time, there’s a full season ahead but you got to get this going early. We got to start off on the right foot. I know what we had last year, but we got a new season, a new team, and we need to build that.”

Stribling, who was San Francisco’s top draft pick in April at No. 33 overall, limped off the field after running a route in the second quarter of a 27-7 victory over the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday night.

Zverev will face off against Shelton in U.S. Open finals

NEW YORK — Ben Shelton won the all-American duel with Frances Tiafoe and now he’s the one who can end his country’s long wait for another men’s Grand Slam champion.

Shelton pulled out a 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 7-5 victory on Friday and will play No. 1 seed Alexander Zverev on Sunday for the U.S. Open title.

The No. 8-seeded Shelton had plenty of energy left after ousting defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in a quarterfinal match that ended Wednesday at 3:33 a.m., the latest finish ever at the U.S. Open.

Now he needs to stop French Open champion Zverev to give the host nation its first men’s major winner since Andy Roddick at the 2003 U.S. Open.

Zverev beat Karen Khachanov 6-3, 7-6 (7), 7-6 (6) in the first semifinal.

Patriots’ Brown will miss 4 weeks with ankle injury

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — New England Patriots wide receiver A.J. Brown will be sidelined for a minimum of four weeks because he’s being placed on injured reserve with a right ankle injury, a person with knowledge of the move told The Associated Press on Friday.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the team hadn’t announced Brown’s status.

Brown was injured in the second half of New England’s season-opening 13-10 loss at Seattle on Wednesday night.

Another person with knowledge of his injury told the AP that Brown has a high ankle sprain.

New England’s next game is its home opener on Sept. 20 against Pittsburgh.

Falcons QB Rush to start after Tagovailoa’s injury

ATLANTA — Cooper Rush will be the Atlanta Falcons starting quarterback on Sunday at Pittsburgh after Tua Tagovailoa was ruled out Friday with an oblique injury.

Falcons first-year coach Kevin Stefanski said Friday undrafted rookie Jack Strand will be the backup.

The late change in plans for the season opener came after Stefanski announced Monday that Tagovailoa will open the season as the starter and Michael Penix will be inactive.

Penix did not play in a preseason game as he continues his recovery from a torn ligament in his left knee that ended his 2025 season.

Stefanski said Friday that Penix was never an option for Sunday’s game, even after Tagovailoa’s injury.

Europe, U.S. tied at 4-4 after Solheim Cup opening

DEN BOSCH, Netherlands — Veteran European player Carlota Ciganda pulled off an unlikely par, after world No. 1 Nelly Korda and Lauren Coughlin left birdie putts short, to gain a half-point with rookie Julia Lopez Ramirez, leaving Europe and the United States tied at 4-4 after a Day 1 that had a little bit of everything at Bernardus Golf in the Netherlands on Friday.

For the first time in the 36-year history of the Solheim Cup, the teams split each of the first two sessions. For two rivals that have long looked so evenly matched, maybe it was no surprise.

It was a tough end to the day for Korda, who had a 4-and-3 win with Allisen Corpuz over European stars Lottie Woad and Charley Hull.

Pirates slugger O’Hearn returns from injured list

CHICAGO — The Pittsburgh Pirates activated infielder/outfielder Ryan O’Hearn from the 10-day injured list before Friday’s 12-2 loss to the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field and optioned outfielder Ronny Simón to Triple-A Indianapolis.

O’Hearn, an All-Star in 2025, suffered a strained left quad on July 31 at Cincinnati while running to first on a groundout in an 8-7 Pirates loss. He was helped off the field by manager Don Kelly and a trainer, and had been expected to miss six to eight weeks.

The 33-year-old O’Hearn is batting .270 with 17 home runs and a career-high 69 RBIs in 96 games.

He wasn’t in Pittsburgh’s starting lineup Friday, but was available off the bench. The slugger’s return is boost for the Pirates, who have won four straight and nine of 11.

H lll

GAMEDAY TEAM STATS

OFFENSE PER GAME Yards gained: 353.5 PASS 187.0

RUSH 166.5

Plays: 66.5 PASS 28.0

RUSH 38.5

Turnovers: 1.00 INTERCEPTIONS 0.50

FUMBLES 0.50

DEFENSE PER GAME Yards allowed: 364.5 PASS 218.5

RUSH 146.0

Turnovers forced: 0.50 INTERCEPTIONS 0.50

FUMBLES 0.00

SCORING PER GAME 25.5

22.5

SCORED ALLOWED

SCORED ALLOWED

2026

2025

LEADERS PASSING Christian Johnson 58.18%, 374 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT RUSHING Trey Holly 36 carries, 137 yards, 3.8 avg, 2 TD Christian Johnson 18 carries, 91 yards, 5.1 avg, 1 TD Mike Franklin 9 carries, 75 yards, 8.3 avg, 1 TD RECEIVING Daejawn Smith 3 catches, 148 yards, 18.5 avg Trey Holly 5 catches, 43 yards, 8.6 avg Malachi Jackson 2 catches, 39 yards, 19.5 avg DEFENSE Tay James 15 tackles, 1 for loss, 1 sack Ty Lee 12 tackles, 2 for loss

Toyloy Brown III

SWAC STANDINGS

Saturday’s Games

Staff writer

As Week 2 arrives in the Southwestern Athletic Conference, and all teams have played at least one football game, the early leaders have started to establish themselves.

The SWAC looks like it’ll be a competitive conference this fall, as all but two programs have already won their first game of the season. The biggest change in this week’s rankings comes as a result of Texas Southern and Prairie View’s annual Labor Day Classic matchup. Here are the full football Week 2 SWAC Power Rankings.

PF 0 0 0 0 0 0

PA 0 0 0 0 0 0

All Games W L PF PA 2 0 64 17 2 0 92 38 1 1 62 54 1 2 40 115 0 1 6 73 0 2 10 96

PF 52 0 0 0 0 14

PA 14 0 0 0 0 52

All games W L PF 1 1 82 2 0 97 1 1 59 1 1 49 1 1 51 1 1 56

Stetson at Bethune-Cookman, 3 p.m.

MVSU vs. Lincoln (Pa.) at Chicago, 3 p.m.

Alabama St. at Troy, 3 p.m.

Alcorn St. vs. Ark.-Pine Bluff at Memphis, Tenn., 6 p.m.

Tennessee St. at Alabama A&M, 6 p.m.

Southern at Houston, 6 p.m.

Prairie View at Baylor, 7 p.m.

Grambling at TCU, 7 p.m.

Texas Southern at UTEP, 8 p.m.

Record: 2-0 Previous ranking: 1 Last week: 34-0 win vs. Lane This week: 3 p.m. at Troy, ESPN+ Extra points: Coach Eddie Robinson said the goal heading into Troy is to represent the conference with a victory against an FBS foe. After the Troy game comes a bye week, then the start of SWAC play. The Hornets have the No. 1 defense in the conference, allowing an average of 8.5 points through the first two games.

3. Prairie View

HOUSTON 59, SOUTHERN 10: No. 22 Houston is by far the most talented opponent on Southern’s schedule. The Cougars are expected to overwhelm coach Marshall Faulk’s team in all three phases. The Jaguars likely will face a large deficit early as they try to pressure Houston quarterback Conner Weigman. Even if Southern quarterback Christian Johnson remains decisive as he has so far this season, he won’t be able to pick apart a defense with such a significant talent advantage.

West

BY TOYLOY BROWN III

Waters This week: Bye Extra points: Jackson State is 2-0 going into a bye week before returning home to face off against Tuskegee University. Outside of the 2025 SWAC Championship game against Prairie View A&M, the Tigers have only lost two games at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium since 2021.

Sophomore quarterback Jared Lockhart finished the Edward Waters win with 17 completions in 25 passes for 388 yards and 4 touchdowns.

PREDICTION

Conf.

W L Prairie View1 0 Grambling 0 0 Alcorn St. 0 0 UAPB 0 0 Southern 0 0 Texas So. 0 1

Top three teams remain same

STAFF FILE PHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS

Southern running back Trey Holly, left, is tackled after making a catch by Prairie View linebacker Matthew Record: 2-0 Moore, right, during their game at A.W. Mumford Stadium on Oct. 18. Prairie View dominated Texas Southern Previous ranking: 2 last week to score a SWAC win.

Last week: 66-14 win vs. Edward

AUGUST 29 vs. Alabama State L, 17-30 SEPTEMBER 5 Kentucky St. W, 34-15 12 at Houston 6 p.m./ESPN+ 19 La. Christian 6 p.m./SWAC TV 26 at Jackson State 6 p.m.

OCTOBER 3 UAPB 6 p.m./SWAC TV 10 at PV A&M 2 p.m./SWAC TV 24 at TSU 2 p.m. SWAC TV 31 at Florida A&M 2 p.m.

NOVEMBER 7 Bethune-Cookman 2 p.m.

14 Alcorn State University 2 p.m.

28 Grambling 1 p.m./NBC

East

6 p.m. Saturday, Houston TV: ESPN+ | Radio: KQXL-FM, 106.5 Line: Houston by 51½ (Over/Under: 60½)

2. Jackson State

SCHEDULE

Conf.

W L Alabama St. 0 0 Jackson St. 0 0 Ala. A&M 0 0 Fla. A&M 0 0 BCU 0 0 MVSU 0 0

SOUTHERN at HOUSTON

1. Alabama State 33.5

21.2

The Advocate ■ theadvocate.com ■ Saturday, September 12, 2026 ■ 7C

PA 63 33 56 69 45 82

Record: 1-1, 1-0 SWAC Previous ranking: 3 Last week: 52-14 win vs. Texas Southern This week: 7 p.m. at Baylor, ESPN+ Extra points: Panthers coach Tremaine Jackson said he was disappointed in his defense last week.

Prairie View gave up 216 yards rushing to the Tigers and 21 first downs. Senior quarterback Tevin Carter led the Panthers to the win by completing 16 of 22 pass attempts for 217 yards and four touchdowns.

4. Grambling

Previous ranking: 5 Last week: 20-7 win vs. Albany State This week: 77-7 loss at Miami on Thursday Extra points: Before Thursday night’s game against Miami, FAMU had the third-best defense in the SWAC this season, giving up an average of 19 points. The Rattlers also led the conference in total sacks with 10. Where FAMU dominated defensively, the Rattlers have struggled offensively. The team entered this week last in the conference with 69 yards rushing, and it had allowed the second-most sacks (eight) in the conference.

6. Alcorn State Record: 1-1 Previous ranking: 7 Last week: 49-3 loss at Southern Miss This week: 6 p.m. vs. ArkansasPine Bluff Extra points: The Braves play their first SWAC game against Arkansas-Pine Bluff in Memphis, Tennessee. Coach Cedric Thomas said he looks at the matchup as if it’s the first round of the playoffs. Going into the game, Alcorn State ranks second in the SWAC in offensive efficiency.

The Golden Lions defeated Alcorn State last season 24-20, but the Braves have won four of the last five meetings.

Record: 2-0 Previous ranking: 6 Last week: 48-26 win vs. Central State This week: 7 p.m. at TCU, ESPN+ Extra points: Coach Mickey Joseph said he’s going to continue to play to quarterback Reginald 7. Bethune-Cookman Johnson’s strengths, as the junior Record: 0-1 completed 18 of 23 passes for 258 Previous ranking: 8 yards, no touchdowns and an inLast week: 73-6 loss at Central terception in last week’s win. This Florida This week: 3 p.m. vs. Stetson week’s goal is to come out of the Extra points: The Wildcats this TCU game healthy, and Joseph said he’ll play all 80 guys who week enter as the favorites after getting obliterated by Big 12 optravel to Fort Worth, Texas. ponent Central Florida in the sea5. Florida A&M son opener. This is the first time Bethune-Cookman has played Record: 1-1

NAME

Continued from page 5C guys who are going to want to hop in the portal come January, this is an opportunity for them to let people know that they stack up. And for them to see that they do stack up, like we’ve been telling them.”

Faulk still knows the priority is preparing the Jaguars to take on a Big 12 opponent. Returning players such as redshirt sophomore cornerback Ty Lee remember what it was like last year when Southern lost 56-7 at Fresno State.

Lee, who had a team-high seven tackles and a pass breakup in Southern’s 34-15 home-opening win against Kentucky State last Saturday, shared what he learned from that environment with new players.

“The noise,” he said. “I know Fresno is really loud compared to a lot of the other games we

played. So I already told a lot of the freshmen it’s going to be loud. They’re going to be hyped.

Just at the end of the day, it’s football.”

One freshman who will get his first taste in this type of setting is running back Champ Davis, who had his first receiving touchdown last week. The Omaha, Nebraska, native said the team understands how tough its opponent will be and that it has to go “the extra mile” in practice “We know we have a hard one this game, but we know what we have coming ahead of us, and we’ve been working very hard,” Davis said. “So we’re ready.”

Houston, which was fourth in the conference last year, is coming off a 33-20 home win against Oregon State while accumulating 533 yards of offense and averaging 7.4 yards per play. The Cougars are led by Willie Fritz, who previously coached at Tulane from 2016-23.

Faulk understands the opposing offense is prolific, but he

SWAC POWER RANKINGS

Extra points: The Bulldogs started fast, much to the delight of coach Sam Shade, but he was concerned about a subpar secondStetson. The Hatters lost the sea- half performance. Senior runson opener to No. 3 South Dakota ning back Troy Bruce ran for 145 State 70-7 but won the next game yards and two touchdowns while 45-10. Stetson went 3-9 overall in sophomore Kolton Nero ran for 2025.

87 yards and two touchdowns in the win over Shade’s former pro8. Texas Southern gram. Next up is a hungry TenRecord: 1-1, 0-1 SWAC nessee State squad searching for Previous ranking: 4 its first win.

Last week: 52-14 loss at Prairie 11. Arkansas-Pine Bluff View This week: 8 p.m. at UTEP Record: 1-1 Extra points: Senior Cam’Ron McPrevious ranking: 11 Last week: 54-14 loss at Missouri Coy has been named the team’s This week: 6 p.m. at Alcorn State starting quarterback, but he Extra points: Coach Alonzo Hampstruggled in the blowout loss to Prairie View, getting sacked ton said mental mistakes led to seven times. Coach Cris Dish- the Golden Lions getting blown man said McCoy was “doing too out by their SEC opponent after much” against the conference staying competitive in the first rival, and he should be OK if quarter and a half. Moving forhe plays with the composure he ward, Hampton said he wants showed in the season opener. the team to do a better job of stopping the run. UAPB still plays two 9. Southern quarterbacks, Jack Schierholz and Garrison Davis, and HampRecord: 1-1 Previous ranking: 10 ton refuses to commit to one.

Last week: 34-15 win vs. Ken12. Mississippi Valley State tucky State This week: 6 p.m. at Houston, Record: 0-2 ESPN+ Previous ranking: 12 Extra points: Coach Marshall Last week: 52-0 loss at SacramenFaulk said he wants his team’s to State identity to be running the footThis week: 3 p.m. vs. Lincoln ball. Through the first two games, (Penn.)

Extra points: Coach Terrell Buckthe Jaguars rank sixth in the SWAC by rushing for an average ley gave an honest reflection to of 166.5 yards per game. Junior SWAC media members on this running back Trey Holly ran for week’s call. He said the 52-0 loss 99 yards and two touchdowns on to Sacramento State was an emo21 carries in the win over Ken- tional and tough game for him aftucky State. ter his team looked nothing like the squad he sees in practice.

10. Alabama A&M Now, the Delta Devils head to Soldier Field to face Lincoln for Record: 1-1 the Chicago Football Classic.

Previous ranking: 9 Last week: 38-23 win vs. Miles This week: 6 p.m. vs. Tennessee Email Toyloy Brown III at State toyloy.brown@theadvocate.com.

said he’s more concerned about the Houston defense, which had four sacks for a loss of 39 yards against the Beavers.

“They really got after Oregon (State) and made it hard for them to move the football,” he said.

Faulk believes his defense has a chance to have a standout moment, as it saw with linebacker Tay James’ interception returned 85 yards against Kentucky State.

He also has a wish for his offense.

“Offensively, we can’t start slow the way that we have,” Faulk said.

Against Kentucky State, the Jaguars’ first offensive touchdown came with seven seconds remaining in the second quarter.

In their 30-17 loss to Alabama State in the opener, they found the end zone for the first time at the 3:25 mark of the first quarter and were scoreless in the second half.

Faulk was encouraged by a spirited practice Wednesday at the Elite Training Academy in

Baton Rouge. The team practiced at a different facility because of the campus-wide power outage, which was resolved Thursday, the school announced.

Faulk doesn’t view the power outage as an excuse. He said Fritz won’t allow Houston to take the Jaguars lightly for any reason. Faulk is familiar with the program from his time as the running backs coach at Colorado when Houston beat the Buffaloes 36-20 last season.

“I understand how physical they are,” Faulk said. “They’re a really good football team.

They’re well coached, they’re disciplined. That’s the kind of game that you look forward to.

“I want my team to go out there and understand that we got to rise up and compete against an FBS school. Once the whistle blows, nobody cares that it’s FCS and FBS. It’s just kids out there playing football, having fun.”

Email Toyloy Brown III at toyloy.brown@theadvocate.com.

8C ■ Saturday, September 12, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

lll

SCOREBOARD Odds

SATURDAY’S STATE CAPSULES

Sports Betting Line NFL Sunday

UL-Monroe at UAB

FAVORITE OPEN Chicago 21/2 at PITT 3 at DETROIT 7 at TENN 21/2 at CIN 31/2 Baltimore 31/2 Buffalo 11/2 at JAX 71/2 at MIN 11/2 at VEGAS 31/2 at PHILA 41/2 at CHARGRS 101/2 Dallas 21/2

TODAY 3 6 7 11/2 31/2 31/2 11/2 81/2 11/2 3 51/2 91/2 3

FAVORITE at K.C.

TODAY O/U UNDERDOG 21/2 (431/2) Denver

Monday

OPEN 21/2

O/U UNDERDOG (471/2) at CAR (401/2) Atlanta (491/2) New Orlns (381/2) NY Jets (501/2) Tampa Bay (481/2) at IND (451/2) at HOU (401/2) Cleveland (461/2) Green Bay (391/2) Miami (441/2) Wash (471/2) Arizona (481/2) at GIANTS

College Football Saturday

FAVORITE OPEN Wake Forest 31/2 at ARMY 11/2 at VA TECH 14 Penn State 231/2 at UNC 351/2 Oregon 191/2 at KENT ST 141/2 at TEX A&M 141/2 at INDIANA 551/2 at KANS ST 181/2 Oklahoma 21/2 at E CAR 81/2 at GEORGIA 351/2 at MIA (OH) 331/2 at W VIRG 341/2 at C MICH 261/2 at BALL ST 181/2 at UAB 91/2 at J MADISN 451/2 at AKRON 281/2 at WASH 241/2 at TEXAS ST 11/2 at COL 361/2 Alabama 101/2 at N.D. 441/2 at MSU 161/2 Maryland 101/2 Miss St 21/2 at BYU 61/2 at PITTS 81/2 at UMASS 241/2 at TOLEDO 351/2 at ILLINOIS 81/2 at SYRACUSE 21/2 UNLV 61/2 at TROY 241/2 at SMU 241/2 at WYOMNG 231/2 at NEW MEX 411/2 at VANDER 231/2 at FLORIDA 491/2 at BOISE ST 61/2 at OHIO 11/2 at FLA INTL 71/2 at LIBERTY 271/2 at W. MICH 281/2 at TULANE 10 at MISOU ST 211/2 at HOUSTON 501/2 at CSU 201/2 Tennessee 81/2 at MARSHLL 171/2 at KNESW ST 91/2 Illinois State 31/2 at S. CAR 421/2 at NEBRSKA 251/2 at ARKAN ST 281/2 Tulsa 121/2 HOU at CIN 361/2 at UCLA 81/2 at WISC 361/2 at CLEMSON 261/2 at TEXAS 11/2 at C. CAR 311/2 at LSU 311/2 Navy 61/2 at IOWA 111/2 Texas Tech 291/2 at OLE MISS 461/2 at AUBURN 291/2 at BAYLOR 381/2 at TCU 441/2 at SJSU 211/2 at UTEP 271/2 Ndsu 61/2 at UTAH 10 Montana St 31/2 at FRES ST 181/2 at USC 281/2

TODAY 3 31/2 191/2 231/2 351/2 231/2 101/2 141/2 561/2 171/2 41/2 61/2 401/2 301/2 411/2 231/2 141/2 91/2 451/2 271/2 271/2 11/2 331/2 101/2 441/2 171/2 111/2 11/2 71/2 71/2 231/2 351/2 51/2 31/2 3 221/2 281/2 221/2 411/2 211/2 491/2 91/2 21/2 10 271/2 261/2 91/2 161/2 511/2 201/2 111/2 131/2 81/2 41/2 431/2 301/2 311/2 131/2

O/U UNDERDOG (501/2) at PURDUE (461/2) S. Florida (481/2) Old Dom (501/2) at TEMPLE (551/2) E. Tenn St. (551/2) at OKLA ST (471/2) Wofford (501/2) Arizona St (651/2) Howard (481/2) Wash St (431/2) at MICH (561/2) App St (551/2) W. Kent (501/2) Holy Cross (551/2) UT Martin (481/2) Colgate (561/2) Stny Brook (541/2) UL Monroe (541/2) Wagner (421/2) R. Morris (551/2) Utah State (661/2) UTSA (541/2) Weber St. (481/2) at KENT (541/2) Rice (491/2)E. Michigan (521/2) at UCONN (551/2) at MIN (481/2) Arizona (561/2) UCF (531/2) S. Heart (541/2)C. Conn. St. (511/2) Duke (561/2) Cal (571/2) at N. TEX (511/2)Alabama St (591/2) UC Davis (471/2)N. Colorado (521/2)Mercyhurst (541/2) Delaware (661/2) Campbell (561/2) Memphis (501/2) Jaxville St (471/2) Buffalo (551/2) Grdnr-Wbb (531/2) Monmouth (491/2) S. Alabama (521/2) Lindenwd (601/2) Southern (561/2) S. Utah (551/2)at GA TECH (571/2) M. Tenn (541/2) Georgia St (481/2) at N. ILL (551/2) Towson (501/2) B. Green (561/2) W. Georgia (511/2) at SAM

361/2 121/2 381/2 201/2 11/2 341/2 351/2 41/2 14 251/2 451/2 321/2 371/2 431/2 201/2 251/2 21/2 121/2 31/2 181/2 311/2

(601/2)W. Carolina (541/2) Sdsu (491/2) W. Illinois (551/2) Ga South (491/2) Ohio State (531/2) Fordham (551/2) La Tech (581/2) at FLA ATL (411/2) Iowa State (531/2)at ORGN ST (601/2) Charlotte (561/2) S. Miss (551/2) PV A&M (541/2) Grambling (561/2) Cal Poly (531/2)Tx Southern (471/2) at A.F. (551/2) Arkansas (491/2) at NEVADA (441/2) Sac St (601/2) Louisiana

MLB

American League FAVORITE LINE at TORONTO OFF at BOSTON -193 Cleveland -119 at TAMPA BAY -147 Seattle -170 National League FAVORITE LINE Pittsburgh -123 San Diego -149 at MIAMI OFF at MILWAUKEE OFF Philadelphia -129 Interleague FAVORITE LINE at DETROIT OFF at YANKEES -181 LA Angels -115 Chi White Sox -113 at ARIZONA -144

UNDERDOG Baltimore Kansas City at MINNESOTA Houston at ATHLETICS

LINE OFF +160 -103 +123 +142

UNDERDOG at CHI CUBS at SAN FRAN LA Dodgers Cincinnati at ATLANTA

LINE +104 +122 OFF OFF +108

UNDERDOG LINE Colorado OFF N.Y Mets +147 at WASHINGTON -104 at ST. LOUIS -108 Texas +121

NFL Glance AMERICAN CONFERENCE N.Y. Jets Buffalo Miami New England

W 0 0 0 0

L 0 0 0 1

T 0 0 0 0

Pct .000 .000 .000 .000

PF 0 0 0 10

PA 0 0 0 13

Houston Tennessee

W 0 0

L 0 0

T 0 0

Pct .000 .000

PF 0 0

PA 0 0

South

WHEN: 6 p.m. Saturday WHERE: Cowboy Stadium (17,610), Lake Charles ONLINE: ESPN+ RECORDS: TSU 2-0; McNeese 1-1 LATEST LINE: TSU by 211/2 (561/2) SERIES: McNeese leads 3-1 LAST MEETING: McNeese won 40-37 in double overtime of 2021 played in spring.

NOTES: Tarleton, which moved up to the FCS in 2020, is ranked fourth in the Stats Perform FCS poll. The Stephenville, Texas school is reportedly focusing on a move to the FBS within the next five years ...

This is McNeese’s third straight home game to start its season. ... McNeese has won fourth quarters 28-0 this year in two games. ... The Texans are 6-1 over their past seven road games. In the six wins, they have allowed an average of 13.3 points per game.

WHEN: 6 p.m. Saturday WHERE: Commerce Memorial Stadium (11 582), Commerce, Texas ONLINE: ESPN+ RECORDS: NW State 0-2, 0-0 Southland; ETAM 0-2, 0-1 LATEST LINE: ETAM by 221/2 (511/2) SERIES: ETAM leads 17-3-2 LAST MEETING: ETAM won 40-10 in 2025.

NOTES: It’s the SLC opener for the Demons, who have struggled mightily to begin the season. ... NW State lost its season opener to NAIA Louisiana Christian and was then blasted 80-6 last week vs. FBS Lousiana Tech. ... Something has to give as the ETAM offense averages 11 points per game but is going against a Demons defense allowing 61 per outing.

South Alabama at Tulane

WHEN: 7 p.m. Saturday WHERE: Amon G. Carter Stadium (47,000), Fort Worth, Texas ONLINE: ESPN+ RECORDS: Grambling 2-0; TCU 0-1 LATEST LINE: TCU by 441/2 (541/2) SERIES: TCU leads 1-0 LAST MEETING: TCU won 56-0 in 2012.

NOTES: Grambling rushed for 350 yards in its 48-26 win over Central State last week. The Tigers opened the season by routing Clark Atlanta 49-7. ... TCU will look to bounce back from a 15-10 loss to North Carolina in Week 0.

UTRGV at Nicholls State

WHEN: 6 p.m. Saturday WHERE: John L. Guidry Stadium (10,500), Thibodaux ONLINE: ESPN+ RECORDS: Both teams 1-1, 0-0 Southland Conference LATEST LINE: UTRGV by 51/2 (511/2) SERIES: UTRGV leads 1-0 LAST MEETING: UTRGV won 28-21 in 2025.

NOTES: It’s Family Day at Nicholls. ...

The Vaqueros of Edinburg, Texas, had to travel 652 miles to Thibodaux. ... Both teams are coming off FBS loss. UTRGV lost 45-16 to UTSA while Nicholls fell to Kansas State 71-3. ... It’s the Southland opener for both teams. ... UTRGV has won its past eight home games, but has lost four of its past six on the road.

Jacksonville Indianapolis

0 0

0 0

0 0

.000 .000

0 0

0 0

Cleveland Cincinnati Pittsburgh Baltimore

W 0 0 0 0

L 0 0 0 0

T 0 0 0 0

Pct .000 .000 .000 .000

PF 0 0 0 0

PA 0 0 0 0

Kansas City Denver Las Vegas L.A. Chargers

W 0 0 0 0

L 0 0 0 0

T 0 0 0 0

Pct .000 .000 .000 .000

PF 0 0 0 0

PA 0 0 0 0

North

West

NATIONAL CONFERENCE East N.Y. Giants Dallas Washington Philadelphia

W 0 0 0 0

L 0 0 0 0

T 0 0 0 0

Pct .000 .000 .000 .000

PF 0 0 0 0

PA 0 0 0 0

Tampa Bay New Orleans Atlanta Carolina

W 0 0 0 0

L 0 0 0 0

T 0 0 0 0

Pct .000 .000 .000 .000

PF 0 0 0 0

PA 0 0 0 0

Detroit Minnesota Green Bay Chicago

W 0 0 0 0

L 0 0 0 0

T 0 0 0 0

Pct .000 .000 .000 .000

PF 0 0 0 0

PA 0 0 0 0

San Francisco Seattle Arizona

W 1 1 0

L 0 0 0

T 0 0 0

Pct 1.000 1.000 .000

PF 27 13 0

PA 7 10 0

L.A. Rams

0

1

0

.000

7

27

North

West

Wednesday’s Games

Seattle 13, New England 10

Thursday’s Games

San Francisco 27, L.A. Rams 7

Sunday’s Games

Pro football

WHEN: 6 p.m. Saturday WHERE: Strawberry Stadium (7,408), Hammond.

ONLINE: ESPN+ RECORDS: UNA 1-1; SLU 0-2 LATEST LINE: SLU by 51/2 (481/2) SERIES: SLU leads 1-0 LAST MEETING: SLU won 49-28 in 2021.

NOTES: It’s a battle of Lions in Hammond for two schools that were once rivals in the Gulf South Conference. ... Both FCS teams are coming off losses to FBS opponents (UNA lost to Arkansas 31-10 and SLU fell to South Alabma 39-14). ...

UNA won Division II national titles from 1993-95.

Northwestern State at East Texas A&M

WHEN: 6 p.m. Saturday WHERE: Yulman Stadium (30,000), New Orleans ONLINE: ESPN+ RECORDS: USA 1-0; Tulane 0-1 LATEST LINE: Tulane by 91/2 (491/2) SERIES: Tulane leads 7–6 LAST MEETING: Tulane won 71-20 in 2024.

NOTES: Tulane LB Dalton Hughes and DT Ed Smith are USA transfers. ... The Jaguars are coached by Baton Rouge native and former Catholic High star QB Major Applewhite. ... Tulane will wer its City Edition Mardi Gras-themed uniforms.

Atlanta at Pittsburgh, noon Baltimore at Indianapolis, noon Buffalo at Houston, noon Chicago at Carolina, noon Cleveland at Jacksonville, noon N.Y. Jets at Tennessee, noon New Orleans at Detroit, noon Tampa Bay at Cincinnati, noon Arizona at L.A. Chargers, 3:25 p.m.

Green Bay at Minnesota, 3:25 p.m.

Miami at Las Vegas, 3:25 p.m.

Washington at Philadelphia, 3:25 p.m.

Dallas at N.Y. Giants, 7:20 p.m.

Monday’s Games

Denver at Kansas City, 7:15 p.m.

BY DOUG FEINBERG AP basketball writer

BERLIN — The U.S. put forth a dominant performance to reach the semifinals of the women’s FIBA World Cup again. Spain awaits the Americans there.

Host Germany and France will play in the other medalround game Saturday. The gold- and bronze-medal games are Sunday.

The Americans routed Hungary 108-56, which was the second-biggest margin of victory in the quarterfinals in World Cup history. The 108 points also was the most ever by a team in the quarterfinals.

The U.S. also had 31 assists, which was the most in the knockout round as well.

“We talked about just getting better with each game, and I think we did that today, especially with how we shared (the

basketball),” Rhyne Howard said. “I think if we continue to play like that and continue to keep everybody on the same page, continue to move the ball, it’s going to be really hard to stop us.”

The Americans had a balanced offense with five players scoring in double figures.

“Everybody’s just all dialed in offensively and defensively,” Angel Reese said. “We talked about our keys, what it’s going to take to win gold, and I think tonight we did everything that coach asked us to do.”

Getting to the semifinals is nothing new for the U.S., which has won 34 straight games overall and the last four World Cup titles. Germany and France are both newcomers to this round.

The host nation shocked Belgium, which went undefeated in group play. It’s

Houston Texas Seattle Athletics Los Angeles

W 75 72 69 59 56

L 72 75 78 88 90

Pct .510 .490 .469 .401 .384

GB — 3 6 16 181/2

Third Place Semifinal losers, 9:30 a.m.

Final Semifinal winners, 1 p.m.

Atlanta Philadelphia Miami New York Washington

Pct .585 .558 .490 .466 .453

GB — 4 14 171/2 191/2

Milwaukee Chicago Pittsburgh St. Louis Cincinnati

W 91 81 74 72 69

L 56 66 73 75 77

Pct .619 .551 .503 .490 .473

GB — 10 17 19 211/2

Pct .610 .534 .531 .422 .377

GB — 11 111/2 271/2 34

Thursday’s Games

L 57 68 69 85 91

Atlanta 3, Tampa Bay 1 Houston 2, Philadelphia 1 N.Y. Yankees 10, Colorado 3 Pittsburgh 2, Chicago White Sox 0

Friday’s Games

San Francisco 3 7 7 10 — 27 L.A. Rams 0 7 0 0 — 7 First Quarter SF_FG Pineiro 20, 6:15.

Second Quarter LAR_K.Williams 5 run (Mevis kick), 14:57.

SF_D.Robinson 39 pass from Purdy (Pineiro kick), 4:28.

Third Quarter SF_M.Evans 2 pass from Purdy (Pineiro kick), 11:03.

Fourth Quarter SF_Samuel 15 pass from Purdy (Pineiro kick), 12:57.

SF_FG Pineiro 56, 9:43.

A_100,021.

SF LAR First downs 23 15 Total Net Yards 379 290 Rushes-yards 30-174 29-122 Passing 205 168 Punt Returns 2-17 1-11 Kickoff Returns 2-74 5-119 Interceptions Ret. 1-0 1-0 Comp-Att-Int 25-34-1 17-28-1 Sacked-Yards Lost 0-0 0-0 Punts 2-47.0 3-48.333 Fumbles-Lost 0-0 2-1 Penalties-Yards 2-21 4-43 Time of Possession 33:50 26:10 INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS RUSHING_San Francisco, McCaffrey 10-68, Black 14-65, Purdy 5-29, Samuel 1-12. L.A. Rams, Corum 10-54, Williams 11-41, Rivers 5-19, Bennett 1-9, Stafford 2-(minus 1).

PASSING_San Francisco, Purdy 25-34-1-205.

L.A. Rams, Stafford 15-25-1-155, Bennett 2-3-0-13.

RECEIVING_San Francisco, Evans 6-49, Samuel 6-48, McCaffrey 5-20, D.Robinson 2-50, Farrell 2-19, Kittle 2-12, Black 1-5, Brendel 1-2. L.A. Rams, Nacua 5-74, Adams 3-26, Williams 3-24, Higbee 2-12, Allen 1-13, Whittington 1-8, Parkinson 1-6, Rivers 1-5.

MISSED FIELD GOALS_San Francisco, Pineiro 52.

Major League Baseball American League Tampa Bay New York Boston Toronto Baltimore

W 87 84 80 73 71

L 59 62 67 74 76

Pct .596 .575 .544 .497 .483

GB — 3 71/2 141/2 161/2

Chicago

W 75

L 71

Pct .514

GB —

Soccer MLS Glance Eastern Conference

W Nashville 16 Inter Miami CF 12 New England 12 Chicago 11 Charlotte FC 11 Orlando City 9 Cincinnati 8 Philadelphia 8 New York City FC 7 Toronto FC 6 D.C. United 6 New York 7 Columbus 6 Atlanta 6 CF Montréal 5

L 3 4 8 6 7 11 8 10 9 7 7 11 13 14 13

T 5 8 4 6 6 4 7 6 8 11 10 6 5 4 6

Western Conference

L 61 65 75 78 81

W 89 78 78 62 55

FIBA Women’s World Cup Glance At Berlin x — clinched berth in quarter-finals; Note: Two points awarded for a win, one for a loss.

Quarterfinals

Sunday’s games

W 86 82 72 68 67

Los Angeles San Diego Arizona San Francisco Colorado

Pro basketball

Saturday’s games

National League

West Division

Semifinals Alexander Zverev (1), Germany, def. Karen Khachanov, Russia, 6-3, 7-6 (7), 7-6 (6).

France vs. Germany, 9:15 a.m.

Spain vs. United States, 12:45 p.m.

Saturday’s Games

Central Division

Men’s Singles

United States 108, Hungary 56 France 90, China 61 Germany 93, Belgium 74 Spain 89, Australia 66 Semifinals

Colorado (Gordon 1-4) at Detroit (TBD), 12:10 p.m.

N.Y. Mets (Thornton 3-5) at N.Y. Yankees (Cole 8-8), 12:35 p.m.

Baltimore (Bradish 7-13) at Toronto (Arrighetti 7-9), 2:07 p.m.

L.A. Angels (Ureña 9-10) at Washington (Alvarez 2-6), 3:05 p.m.

Cleveland (Williams 13-7) at Minnesota (Ober 7-5), 3:10 p.m.

Kansas City (Dobnak 3-3) at Boston (Suarez 6-4), 3:10 p.m.

Houston (Lambert 8-8) at Tampa Bay (Seymour 9-6), 5:10 p.m.

Chicago White Sox (Castillo 4-11) at St. Louis (Leahy 10-4), 6:15 p.m.

Texas (Gore 8-10) at Arizona (Pfaadt 7-2), 7:10 p.m.

Seattle (Woo 11-9) at Athletics (Jump 6-10), 8:40 p.m.

East Division

States, 5-7, 6-0, 6-2.

Thursday’s games

Friday’s Games

Late Thursday San Francisco 27, L.A. Rams 7

the sixth consecutive World Cup that the host nation has reached the semifinals.

During that stretch only the Czech Republic in 2010 made the championship game as the host.

France continued its dominant play in the tournament so far, running past China.

The French squad, which lost to the U.S. in the 2024 Paris Olympics by one point, has been incredible on both ends of the court in its four games.

Making the semifinals for the first time meant a lot to French players, but they do have loftier goals in mind.

“It means a lot. I mean, we want to be one of the greatest teams ever to put on the French jersey,” French captain Gabby Williams said.

‘Obviously, like we have a big goal for this tournament, but it’s great to check this off the list.”

11/2 6 8 101/2

CDetroit 6, Colorado 2 Tampa Bay 3, Houston 1 Washington 4, L.A. Angels 3 Kansas City 3, Boston 2 N.Y. Yankees 6, N.Y. Mets 4 Baltimore 7, Toronto 4 Cleveland at Minnesota, n Chicago White Sox at St. Louis, n Seattle at Athletics, n Texas at Arizona, n

WHEN: 10 p.m. Saturday WHERE: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles TV: BTN RECORDS: UL 1-0; USC 2-0 LATEST LINE: USC by 311/2 (601/2) SERIES: First meeting LAST MEETING: n/a NOTES: It’s the Ragin’ Cajuns’ first football game in California since 1994 (when they traveled to face San Jose State). ... The Cajuns are coming off a convincing 38-7 win over Lamar, while the Trojans had two relatively easy wins over San Jose State (42-26) and Fresno State (39-0). ... UL will be without injured WRs Shelton Sampson and Trenton Chaney along with TE Caden Jensen.

U.S. women in familiar place reaching semifinals of World Cup

.503 .473 .459 .442

Thursday’s Games

UL at Southern California

Central Division

73 77 79 82

Atlanta 3, Tampa Bay 1 Houston 2, Philadelphia 1 Seattle 4, Texas 3 N.Y. Yankees 10, Colorado 3 Pittsburgh 2, Chicago White Sox 0

Grambling at TCU

East Division

74 69 67 65

West Division

Tarleton State at McNeese State

South

Saturday

East

WHEN: 2:30 p.m. Saturday WHERE: Protective Stadium (47, 100), Birmingham, Ala. ONLINE: ESPN+ RECORDS: Both teams 0-1 LATEST LINE: UAB by 101/2 (541/2) SERIES: ULM leads 2-1 LAST MEETING: ULM won 32-6 in 2024.

NOTES: UAB coach Alex Mortenson, the team’s former offensive coordinator and interim coach, replaced Trent Dilfer after last season. ... The Blazers lost to Illinois 42-23 in their opener, while ULM fell to Mississippi Sate 62-13. ... The UAB game will mark the second straight contest on the road for the Warhawks, who return home next week to host Southeastern Louisiana.

North Alabama at Southeastern Louisiana

Cleveland Minnesota Detroit Kansas City

Chicago Cubs 12, Pittsburgh 2 Detroit 6, Colorado 2 Washington 4, L.A. Angels 3 N.Y. Yankees 6, N.Y. Mets 4 L.A. Dodgers 6, Miami 2 Philadelphia at Atlanta, n Cincinnati at Milwaukee, n Chicago White Sox at St. Louis, n Texas at Arizona, n San Diego at San Francisco, n

Pts 53 44 40 39 39 31 31 30 29 29 28 27 23 22 21

GF 48 59 39 44 42 41 49 41 37 38 30 32 35 29 31

GA 19 44 30 33 33 56 56 39 33 43 37 48 41 43 50

W L T Pts GF GA Vancouver 14 5 4 46 52 21 Houston 13 7 4 43 32 27 Los Angeles FC 11 7 7 40 40 24 FC Dallas 11 6 7 40 47 41 San Jose 11 8 5 38 43 36 St Louis City 10 6 8 38 38 33 Colorado 10 12 2 32 32 32 Portland 9 10 5 32 46 45 San Diego FC 8 10 6 30 42 37 Real Salt Lake 8 10 5 29 37 37 Minnesota United 7 9 8 29 35 39 LA Galaxy 7 10 8 29 30 39 Seattle 7 9 6 27 24 29 Austin FC 6 10 8 26 30 43 Sporting K.C. 4 16 3 15 23 58 NOTE: Three points for victory, one point for tie.

Saturday’s games

Charlotte FC at Cincinnati, 6:30 p.m.

New York at Columbus, 6:30 p.m.

Atlanta at D.C. United, 6:30 p.m.

Nashville at Miami, 6:30 p.m.

Toronto FC at Orlando City, 6:30 p.m.

Portland at FC Dallas, 7:30 p.m.

Los Angeles FC at Sporting Kansas City, 7:30 p.m.

Minnesota at St Louis City, 7:30 p.m.

CF Montréal at Colorado, 8:30 p.m.

New York City FC at Real Salt Lake, 8:30 p.m.

Seattle at LA Galaxy, 9:30 p.m.

Houston at San Jose, 9:30 p.m.

Sunday’s games

New England at Chicago, 4:30 p.m.

Austin FC at Vancouver, 5:30 p.m.

Philadelphia at San Diego FC, 8 p.m.

Friday’s games

Saturday’s Games

Colorado (Gordon 1-4) at Detroit (TBD), 12:10 p.m.

N.Y. Mets (Thornton 3-5) at N.Y. Yankees (Cole 8-8), 12:35 p.m.

Pittsburgh (Skenes 10-11) at Chicago Cubs (Holmes 6-7), 1:20 p.m.

L.A. Angels (Ureña 9-10) at Washington (Alvarez 2-6), 3:05 p.m.

San Diego (King 10-9) at San Francisco (Perdomo 0-0), 3:05 p.m.

L.A. Dodgers (Glasnow 4-0) at Miami (Phillips 5-6), 3:10 p.m.

Cincinnati (Singer 6-13) at Milwaukee (Harrison 10-4), 6:10 p.m.

Chicago White Sox (Castillo 4-11) at St. Louis (Leahy 10-4), 6:15 p.m.

Philadelphia (Luzardo 14-5) at Atlanta (Mahle 5-10), 6:15 p.m.

Texas (Gore 8-10) at Arizona (Pfaadt 7-2), 7:10 p.m.

Tennis U.S. Open Results Late Thursday

At The USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center New York Purse: $5,438,400 Surface: Hardcourt outdoor Results Thursday from US Open at The USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center (seedings in parentheses):

Women’s Singles

Semifinals Aryna Sabalenka (1), Belarus, def. Jessica Pegula (3), United States, 7-5, 6-2.

Elena Rybakina (2), Kazakhstan, def. Coco Gauff (4), United States, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4.

Men’s Doubles

Semifinals Kevin Krawietz and Tim Putz (6), Germany, def. Rajeev Ram, United States, and Joe Salisbury, Britain, 6-3, 6-4.

Christian Harrison, United States, and Neal Skupski (5), Britain, def. Harri Heliovaara, Finland, and Henry Patten (1), Britain, 7-6 (4), 6-2.

U.S. Open Results Friday Women’s Doubles

Championship Taylor Townsend, United States, and Katerina Siniakova (1), Czechia, def. Robin Montgomery and Ashlyn Krueger, United

New York at New York City FC, 6:30 p.m.

Transactions Major League Baseball

American League ATHLETICS — Claimed RHP Hunter Bigge off waivers from Tampa Bay. Designated RHP Taylor Rashi for assignment.

BOSTON RED SOX — Placed CF Eli White on the 10-day IL retroactive to September 9.

Recalled 2B Anthony Seigler from Worcester (IL). Sent 1B Willson Contreras on a rehab assignment to Portland (EL).

CLEVELAND GUARDIANS — Sent RHP Shawn Armstrong on a rehab assignment to Columbus (IL).

NEW YORK YANKEES — Optioned RF Jasson Domínguez to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (IL).

Recalled RHP Bradley Hanner from Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

SEATTLE MARINERS — Sent CF Stuart Fairchild outright to Tacoma (PCL).

TORONTO BLUE JAYS — Designated RF Jesús Sánchez for assignment. Selected the contract of RF Rudy Martin Jr. from Buffalo (IL).

National League ATLANTA BRAVES — Recalled CF DaShawn Keirsey Jr. from Gwinnett (IL). Placed LF Lane Thomas on the 10-day IL retroactive to September 8.

LOS ANGELES DODGERS — Transferred LHP Eric Lauer to the 60-day IL. Placed TWP Shohei Ohtani on the 15-day IL retroactive to September 8. Selected the contract of RF Josue De Paula from Tulsa (TL).

NEW YORK METS — Designated RHP Chris Devenski for assignment. Recalled RHP Jack Weisenburger from Syracuse (IL).

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES — Signed WR Xavier Gipson to the practice squad.

PITTSBURGH PIRATES — Reinstated RF Ryan O’Hearn from the 10-day IL. Optioned 2B Ronny Simon to Indianapolis (IL).

SAN DIEGO PADRES — Placed 1B Ty France on the paternity list. Recalled 2B Mason McCoy from El Paso (PCL).

BASKETBALL

National Basketball Association ATLANTA HAWKS — Waived Gs Devin Carter and Lamont Butler.

BOSTON CELTICS — Waived F Hank Morgan.

FOOTBALL

National Football League DETROIT LIONS — Released DE Levi Onwuzurike. Released DL Tyre West from the practice squad.

GREEN BAY PACKERS — Released WR Bo Melton and signed him to the practice squad.

YEARS

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The Advocate ■ theadvocate.com ■ Saturday, September 12, 2026 ■ 9C

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THE VARSITY ZONE

Central rolls over Denham Springs 1, 6 and 9 yards.

Wildcats build big ofTristan Rose was the Wildcats’ top rusher, picking up halftime lead, 118 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries. clamp down Defensively, Central forced four turnovers and on defense held Denham Springs to

BY CHARLES SALZER Contributing writer

Central was looking to bounce back after a Week 1 loss to Acadiana, and the Wildcats wasted no time showing they were up to the task in Friday night’s Amite River rivalry game against Denham Springs.

Sparked by touchdowns on three of its first four possessions and an opportunistic defense, Central built a large halftime lead and cruised in the second half of a 41-20 win over the Yellow Jackets at Central.

“I expected us to come out and put our best foot forward,” Central coach David Simoneaux said. “We played well at times last week, but I thought we dominated the second and third quarters tonight. It’s fun to come out and do what we’re supposed to do.”

Denham Springs (1-1) scored on its first series to take a 7-3 lead after one quarter. From there, Central (1-1) scored the next 38 points and led 41-7 with eight minutes left in the game.

The Yellow Jackets’ final two scores came after the game was out of reach.

Leading the way for Central’s offense was quarterback Max Gassiott, who completed 15 of 24 passes for 135 yards with one interception.

He was just as effective on the ground, rushing 10 times for 64 yards and touchdowns

negative yardage on 11 of 33 plays from scrimmage. John Robinson and Jayden Garnett had sacks of Denham Springs sophomore quarterback Devin Kinchen.

Denham Springs finished with 200 yards rushing, but a huge chunk came on Jeremy Williams’ 81-yard touchdown run with less than two minutes to play.

Jackets coach Brett Beard spoke of his team’s inability to turn the game around once Central began rolling.

“When you’re young and you’re in an emotional rivalry game, you can’t give them four turnovers and momentum swing after momentum swing, and expect to win,” he said. “You have to do the little things. You won’t be rewarded on Friday night if you don’t put in the work during the week.”

Kinchen completed 6 of 11 passes, but three of them resulted in tackles behind the line. He was intercepted twice and finished with 25 yards passing.

The only turnover for Denham Springs came on the last play of the first half, when Gassiott was picked off in the end zone on a pass from the DS 33.

The first quarter featured scores from each team to open the game. Central got a 26-yard field goal from Nathan Hunter to take a 3-0 lead. Denham Springs answered with a 63-yard drive to take a 7-3 lead.

Kinchen led the Yellow

STAFF PHOTOS By MICHAEL JOHNSON

Central quarterback Max Gassiott scores a touchdown against Denham Springs in the second quarter on Friday at Central.

Central running back Tristan Rose, left, bursts into the end zone for a second-quarter touchdown against Denham Springs in their game on Friday at Central. Rose led the Wildcats in rushing with 118 yards.

Jackets drive with a 13-yard pass to Jaylen Williams for a key first down. Kinchen then scored on a 35-yard keeper, where he cut to the right sideline before reaching the end zone.

Denham Springs had three first downs on the drive, but only one in the second quarter, when Central took control.

The Wildcats scored touchdowns on each of their first three second-quarter possessions behind Gassiott’s running and throwing.

FOOTBALL REPORT Thursday’s scores Acadiana Renaissance Charter 21, Ascension Episcopal 17 Airline 40, C.E. Byrd 21 Barbe 47, St. Louis 0 Bossier 34, Glenbrook 7 Carencro 57, Northside 8 Cecilia 44, Teurlings Catholic 21 Country Day 70, Willow School 35 DeRidder 49, Many 20 Franklinton 20, Covington 16 Haynes Academy 39, S. B. Wright 32 Higgins 54, Morris Jeff 0 Jonesboro-Hodge 50, Delhi Charter 6 Madison Prep 38, University 21 Mansfield 48, Washington-Marion 0 Marksville 30, Abbeville 14 McKinley 54, Helix Mentorship 0 Merryville 53, Pine Prairie 6 Opelousas 56, Mamou 0 Richwood 36, Woodlawn (SH) 22 Rosepine 29, Grand Lake 19 Sacred Heart 48, Avoyelles 30 Santa Fe Christian, Calif. 41, Newman 7 South Plaquemines 35, Bogalusa 24 St. Amant 60, Liberty 0 Sulphur 38, Iota 14 Terrebonne 45, Ellender 7 Westgate 42, Southside 33

Friday’s scores Area

Catholic High 58, Dunham 8 Central 38, Denham Springs 7 Lutcher 57, Donaldsonville 20 Salmen 51, Live Oak 14 West Feliciana 56, Ferriday 12 Acadiana 36, Zachary 28 Dutchtown 35, E.D. White 7 East Ascension 34, Sam Houston 31 Ascension Catholic 43, Hammond 7 Walker 56, Erath 49 West Monroe 51, Plaquemine 8 Hannan 14, Parkview Baptist 12 St. Thomas Aquinas 21, Albany 6 Kentwood 40, Jewel Sumner 32 St. James 53, West St. John 0 Episcopal 53, Northlake Christian 0 Catholic-P.C. 34, Vermilion Catholic 7 Thrive Academy 40, Highland Baptist 28

Statewide

Acadiana 36, Zachary 28 Alexandria 59, Union Parish 16 Ascension Catholic 43, Hammond 7 Beekman 40, LaSalle 34 Brother Martin 47, Saint Paul’s 16 Calvary Baptist 52, Bunkie 12 Cedar Creek 32, St. Frederick Catholic 10 Chalmette 61, Loranger 7 Dutchtown 35, E.D. White 7 East St. John 28, Ehret 14 Eunice 15, Jennings 12 Fontainebleau 50, East Jefferson 14 Franklin Parish 53, Oak Grove 20 Hannan 14, Parkview Baptist 12 Holy Cross 36, Easton 21 Jena 34, Sterlington 28 Jesuit 30, St. Thomas More 10 John Curtis Christian 29, Louisville, Miss. 22 Karr 50, Huntington 0 Kentwood 40, Sumner 32 Lafayette Christian Academy 42, Westminster Christian 0 Lake Arthur 42, DeQuincy 0 Lake Charles College Prep 60, Peabody 7 Loreauville 41, Central Catholic 12 Lutcher 57, Donaldsonville 20 Mandeville 78, Bonnabel 21 Minden 29, Homer 22 NDHS 37, Church Point 0 Neville 44, Evangel Christian 27 North DeSoto 56, Natchitoches Central 21 Northshore 40, De La Salle 28 Ouachita Christian 49, Madison 0 Ouachita Parish 43, Wossman 28 Parkway 42, Loyola Prep 41 Pine 33, Pope John Paul 21 Catholic-P.C. 34, Vermilion Catholic 7 Rummel 35, Vandebilt Catholic 0 Ruston 36, Longview, Texas 22 Salmen 51, Live Oak 14 Shaw 35, West Jefferson 0 Slidell 49, Lakeshore 38 South Beauregard 36, RHS 20 St. Augustine 42, Destrehan 13 St. James 53, West St. John 0 St. Martinville 41, Breaux Bridge 21 St. Mary’s 26, Red River 20

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

Madison Prep tackle Jamyris Allen, left, closes in on University High quarterback Knox Kiffin in the second quarter on Thursday at Memorial Stadium.

St. Thomas Aquinas 21, Albany 6 Tioga 52, Pineville 21 Vinton 40, Elton 12 Welsh 42, Opelousas Catholic 0 West Feliciana 56, Ferriday 12 West Monroe 51, Plaquemine 8 Young Audiences 32, McMain 6

ville kick) LHS: Joseph 21 run (Delaneuville kick)

Prairieville 41, Ponchatoula 34

Team Dunham Catholic First Downs 13 8 Yards Rushing 30-59 21-226 Yards Passing 149 255 Passes (C-A-HI) 15-36-1 13-18 Punts-avg.

6-31.5 2-32 Fumbles-lost 3-1 1-0 Penalties-yards 3-23 11-100 SCORING SUMMARY Dunham 0 0 8 0 —8 Catholic 21 20 10 7 —58 CHS: Jayden Miles 80 run (Graham Nassif kick) CHS: Camden Estep 12 pass to Jordan Culotta (Nassif kick) CHS: Howard Beach 43 punt return (Nassif kick) CHS: Miles 79 run (Nassif kick) CHS: Estep 50 pass to Jaden Moffitt (Nassif kick) CHS: Estep 53 pass to Greg Williams (Nassif kick no good) DHS: Elijah Haven 20 pass to Jarone Harris (Max Dixon run) CHS: Nassif 28 field goal CHS: Jeffery Young 1 run (Nassif kick) CHS: Young 5 run (Nassif kick)

Team PON PRA First Downs 16 28 Yards Rushing 25-143 52-265 Yards Passing 195 133 Passes (C-A-HI) 10-16-1 10-23-0 Punts-avg.

2-34 0-0 Fumbles-lost 1-1 3-2 Penalties-yards 11-85 11-120 SCORING SUMMARY Ponchatoula 10 10 7 7 —34 Prairieville 14 6 8 13 —41 PVHS: Nayden Paul 12 pass from Skyler Kelly (Jovan Rodriguez kick) PVHS: Chance Jackson 7 pass from Kelly (Rodriguez kick) PHS: Will Walker 79 pass from Jackson Aucoin (Breck Remondet kick) PHS: Remondet 20 FG PHS: Remondet 19 FG PVHS: Kelly 4 run (kick failed) PHS: Alcide Malveau 24 run (Remondet kick) PHS: Jace Basso 28 run (Remondet kick) PVHS: Adam Parker 20 run (Stantyn Delapasse run) PVHS: Kelly 16 run (Rodriguez kick) PVHS: Daniel Williams 4 pass from Delapasse (run failed) PHS: Aucoin 14 run (Remondet kick)

Team LHS DHS First Downs 27 11 Yards Rushing 425 44 Yards Passing 218 251 Passes (C-A-HI) 13-17-0 16-34-1 Punts-avg.

0-0 4-19.5 Fumbles-lost 1-1 0-0 Penalties-yards 8-76 12-69 SCORING SUMMARY Lutcher 14 21 8 14 —57 Donaldsonville 0 13 7 0 —20 LHS: Dylan Delaneuville 4 run (Delaneuville kick) LHS: Ashton Stark 10 run (Delaneuville kick) LHS: Stark 35 pass from Terron Charles (Delaneuville kick) DHS: Khy Jones 73 pass from Skyler Garrison (pass failed) LHS: Jaimylon Joseph 1 run (Delaneuville kick) DHS: Jadarius Rome 4 pass from Garrison (Ivia Sanchez kick) LHS: Charles 14 run (Delaneuville kick) DHS: Gilbert Jones 8 pass from Garrison (Sanchez kick) LHS: Joseph 10 run (Delaneuville kick) LHS: Delaneuville 10 run (Delaneu-

Team U-High MPA First Downs 11 11 Yards Rushing 33-231 32-255 Yards Passing 81 205 Passes (C-A-HI) 8-22-1 10-15 Punts-avg.

2-35 1-22 Fumbles-lost 1-0 Penalties-yards 9-100 15-115 SCORING SUMMARY University High 7 0 7 7 —21 Madison Prep 0 14 18 6 —38 UHS: Corbin Odell 6 run (Kai Joo kick) MPA: Jacobe Shannon 9 pass to Landon Johnson (Mason Olinde kick no good) MPA: Shannon 13 pass to Domonic Harvey (J’on Profit run) MPA: Profit 62 run (Johnson pass failed) MPA: Shannon 60 pass to Jordan McGee (Johnson pass failed) UH: Emmanuel Moses 64 run (Joo kick) MPA: Shannon 51 pass to Traven Hayes (Profit run failed) MPA: Harlem Turner 18 run (Leroy McDowell run failed) UHS: Knox Kiffin 54 run (Joo kick)

Catholic 58, Dunham 8

Lutcher 57, Donaldsonville 20

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Thursday Madison Prep 38, University High 21

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THE VARSITY ZONE Lutcher shows off offensive versatility in blowout over Donaldsonville

BY RICH LOUP

Contributing writer

STAFF PHOTOS By PEARL SPURLOCK

The crowd cheers as Catholic High running back Greg Williams runs into the end zone for a touchdown in a game against Dunham on Friday at Memorial Stadium.

POWER SURGE Catholic offense steamrolls Dunham

BY JACKSON REYES

Staff writer

Catholic’s Jayden Miles set the tone against Dunham on the game’s first play from scrimmage.

He took a carry up the middle, burst through a hole and left defenders behind for an 80-yard touchdown. His touchdown started a massive 41-point first half for Catholic.

The Bears (1-1) found the end zone early and often, defeating Dunham in a 58-8 rout at Memorial Stadium on Friday night. Miles ran for 168 yards and two scores on just four carries.

“Our coach had us hyped,” Miles said about his opening score. “The hole was there. The blocks were there. Everything just went perfect that first play. It was only up from there.”

Bears quarterback Camden Estep finished 12 of 17 for 233 yards and three touchdowns in his first win as a starter.

“Just to see him not flinch and come and be ready to compete,” Bears coach Hudson Fuller said. “It shows what kind of competitor he is.”

Later in the first quarter, a short punt to midfield and an 11-yard return set the Bears up at Dunham’s 39. Estep went 3 of 4 on the drive for 32 yards, including a 12-yard touchdown strike to Jordan Culotta on fourth down.

On another Tigers punt, Howard Beach slipped past Dunham defenders on the return and found the end zone for a 43-yard touchdown.

The Tigers finally crossed midfield on their fourth drive. Dunham quarterback Elijah Haven connected on four passes, including completions of 22 and 21 yards. The drive stalled at the Catholic 12 after Haven was swarmed and forced into an errant throw on fourth down.

Catholic extended the lead three plays later after Miles burst through a gap and sprinted down the right sideline for a 79-yard touchdown.

Estep later added another score after he lofted a deep ball to Jaden Moffitt, who found himself open on a go-ball for a 50-yard touchdown midway through the second quarter.

Estep made it 41-0 after he found Williams on

Dunham quarterback Elijah Haven scrambles with the ball during a game against Catholic on Friday. Catholic beat Dunham 58-8. a screen. Williams tightroped the left sideline for a 53-yard touchdown.

“It was really just us playing our brand of football,” Miles said. “We just had to shake back.”

The Tigers got on the scoreboard in the third after Haven connected with Jarone Harris for a 20-yard touchdown to make the score 41-8.

After a Catholic field goal, a tipped Haven pass led to a Hayes Scramm interception midway through the third. He returned it to the 1-yard line. Jeffery Young punched it in from a direct snap to push the lead to 51 points. Young added another touchdown in the fourth.

Dunham (1-1) managed just 59 rushing yards on 30 attempts. The Bears defense swarmed Dunham throughout the night, and Haven finished just 14 of 34 for 144 passing yards.

The dominant win comes after Catholic’s 61-27 loss to nationally ranked Carrollton (Georgia).

“I’m just really proud of their ability to overcome adversity,” Fuller said. “The combination of them taking ownership of the things that we needed to improve on and then being able to compete in the next opportunity.”

Woodlawn slows things down in 4th quarter to nip Brusly

BY CHRIS CHAPPLE Contributing writer

Woodlawn won a high-scoring shootout against visiting Brusly by putting together a drive that lasted the final 8:15 of the game.

Woodlawn picked up five first downs during the drive. Woodlawn, which trailed 32-19 in the second quarter, rallied for a 43-40 victory over Brusly on Friday night.

Woodlawn (1-1) got three touchdown passes from Ricky Mitchell, who completed 18 of 31 passes for 363 yards with one interception.

Mitchell tossed two TD passes to Austin Primus in the third quarter.

Primus caught an 18-yard pass with 6:55 left to put Woodlawn up 35-32.

Brusly (1-1) then drove 44 yards in five plays with quarterback Reggie Riley scoring on a bootleg keeper. Riley then added a twopoint conversion to retake the lead at 40-35 with 1:21 left in the third quarter.

Woodlawn’s Jaylen Knox had a 50-yard kickoff return to set up a one-play drive. Primus caught a 25yard pass from Mitchell, and Omar Morehouse caught the two-point pass from Mitchell for a 43-40 lead with 1:02 left in the third quarter.

The teams combined for 33 points in the first quarter, 26 in the second and 24 in the third. But that’s when everything slowed down.

Brusly’s first possession of the fourth quarter ended when Riley’s pass was tipped and intercepted by Woodlawn’s Jordan Knox. Woodlawn fumbled on the next play, and Brusly took over at the Woodlawn 25-yard line. Brusly had four penalties in that drive and was forced to punt.

“We had some possessions where we didn’t come away with points,” Brusly coach Hoff Schooler said.

“Hats off to Woodlawn with that ... drill at the end. That was a really good job with their personnel.

We thought we had them stopped a couple of times, but they made the plays. We showed what we’re capable of offensively in the first half.”

Woodlawn coach Tramon Douglas was relieved to pull off the victory.

“Offensively, we played real well tonight, but defensively we played terrible in the first half,” Douglas said. “We made some adjustments, and our defense was better in the second half. I’m proud of the guys for fighting back. We’re happy for the win, and we have to get back

to work.”

Brusly junior Cam Carter had a monster first half with 226 yards of total offense. Carter had four catches for 139 yard and two scores, one run for 6 yards and was 1-of-1 passing for 81 yards and a score.

Brusly had three one-play TD drives in the first half and a defensive strip and score by Trey Arvie.

Carter caught a 30-yard pass from Riley to give Brusly its first lead at 14-7 with 1:03 left in the first quarter. Carter added an 80-yard TD catch with 34 seconds left in the first quarter.

Woodlawn’s Jaylen Knox had a 70-yard kickoff return score with 53 seconds left in the first quarter.

Morehouse had seven catches for 134 yards, and Jordan Knox six catches for 132 yards to pace Woodlawn. Brian Carter led Woodlawn in rushing with 95 yards on 20 carries. Jaylen Knox had three kickoff returns for 133 yards.

Riley completed 11 of 27 passes for 272 yards with one interception for Brusly. Dervin Ricard had an interception. Jamar McDowell had four catches for 96 yards, and Cam Carter finished with six catches for 148 yards for Brusly.

Lutcher used a multifaceted offensive performance from multiple players to roll to a 57-20 victory against Donaldsonville at Floyd Boutte Memorial Stadium on Friday night.

Using two quarterbacks, and skill players who were threats running and receiving the football, the Bulldogs (1-1) broke out to a 35-13 halftime lead and never looked back.

“It’s out of necessity right now,” Lutcher coach Dwain Jenkins said of the versatility his team showed. “We’re trying to maximize the guys we have and get the most out of them.”

Lutcher’s running game rolled up 425 yards with two 100-yard rushers. Terron Charles ran for 156 yards and also threw for 153 yards while playing quarterback.

Jaimylon Joseph added 100 yards on just nine carries and scored three touchdowns.

Charles completed 10 of 13 passes, and Dylan Delaneuville ran for two touchdowns on keepers from the quarterback position.

Johnny Jones had 126 yards on six catches for Lutcher, and Ashton Stark accounted for two touchdowns.

Skyler Garrison threw for 251 yards and three touchdowns, and Khy Jones had 132 yards receiving and a score for Donaldsonville (0-2).

The Tigers were feisty for 21/ 2 quarters, taking the opening kickoff of the second half and marching down for a touchdown on a drive that ate up 5:03 on Garrison’s 8-yard pass to Gilbert Jones, and Ivis Sanchez’s pointafter kick cut Lutcher’s lead to 35-20 with 6:57 to go in the third quarter.

But the Tigers couldn’t stop the Lutcher offense, and Joseph’s 10yard run on the ensuing series gave his team a 43-20 edge with 4:04 remaining in the third quarter.

“I’m proud of our kids. They didn’t quit,” Donaldsonville coach Darnell Lee said. “They’re a lot farther along than we are right now. We’ve got freshmen on the field. Regardless of who’s on the field, there are expectations, and we’ve got to play tougher.”

Lutcher showed its own toughness early, shaking off a fumble on the opening kickoff that gave Donaldsonville the ball at the Bulldogs’ 31. But the Bulldogs defense stiffened inside the 10 and forced a turnover on downs to end the early threat.

From there, Lutcher went to work with Johnny Jones an important cog in the first two scoring series. His 45-yard reception set up Delauneville’s 4-yard quarterback keeper and point-after kick for a 7-0 Lutcher edge with 6:56 remaining in the first quarter.

An interception on the next series gave the ball back to Lutcher.

Jones’ 34-yard catch paved the way for Stark’s 10-yard TD run and a 14-0 Lutcher advantage with 4:04 to go in the first quarter.

On the first play of the second quarter, Stark showed his versatility with a 35-yard TD reception from Charles to put the Bulldogs up 21-0 just six seconds into the second quarter.

Donaldsonville showed occasional flashes of offensive explosiveness in the first half. From the its 27 on the ensuing series, Garrison threw a short pass to Khy Jones, who raced the length of the field for a 73-yard touchdown that cut Lutcher’s lead to 21-6 with 11:33 remaining in the first half.

Prairieville rides strong defense early, late vs. Ponchatoula

BY WILLIAM WEATHERS

ing, on a 16-yard run. On the next series, Delapasse took a pitch in motion and connected with DanThe Prairieville defense already iel Williams on a 4-yard TD to had a starring role in the first half, make it 41-27 with 7:17 left. then it stole the show in the end.

Ponchatoula closed within the fiSenior defensive back Khy- nal score on quarterback Jackson wan Striggs’ interception with Aucoin’s 14-yard run, and Green two seconds left helped seal the Wave defensive tackle Otis BenHurricanes’ 41-34 victory Friday nett recovered a fumble at his over Ponchatoula.

4-yard line with 41 seconds left.

Prairieville (1-1) was up against Aucoin, who was 10 of 16 for 195 the wall after giving the ball back yards, helped Ponchatoula pick up to Ponchatoula (0a pair of first downs 2) on three straight Striggs picked “ ... The offense before possessions in the him off on first down. first half — twice af- had a good second “Four quarters is half. They played long, and you can’t ter having the ball snapped over the the way we know get ahead by just a head of its punter, we can play and touchdown,” Ponand another after chatoula coach Scott scored points losing the ball on a Shaffett said. “The when we had to.” guys fought for lateral.

The Hurricanes four quarters. They MIKE SCHMITT, faced six plays in played really hard, Prairieville coach goal-to-go situations and I’m proud of but forced a pair them. We’ve just got of field goals that to get better every proved significant by game’s end. week. We’re not there yet.”

“It’s kind of an inconsistency Kelly totaled 238 yards, 133 that we’ve had,” Prairieville passing and 105 rushing, and four coach Mike Schmitt said. “I was TDs. just proud that we were able to The Hurricanes, who ran 31 hold them off. The offense had more plays, gained 272 of their a good second half. They played 398 yards in the second half. the way we know we can play and Courtnei Payne had 106 yards on scored points when we had to.”

15 carries, and Tahj Wallace 94 Ponchatoula rallied from a two- yards on 13 attempts. score deficit in the first 21/ 2 minPonchatoula tied the game utes of the game to take a 27-20 20-20 at halftime on Alcide lead with 11:43 remaining on Jace Malveau’s 24-yard touchdown run and Breck Remondet’s extra Basso’s 20-yard touchdown run.

The Hurricanes answered point with 25 seconds to go.

Prairieville turned an 11-second with an 11-play, 55-yard goahead drive when wide receiv- span of the first quarter into a 14-0 er Adam Parker scored on a lead with a pair of scoring passes 20-yard jet sweep. They took a from Kelly to Nayden Paul and 28-27 lead when holder Stantyn Chance Jackson, respectively.

“We don’t feel like we have Delapasse alertly picked up a low snap and scored the two- just these guys that can domipoint conversion. nate, so we try to get everybody Quarterback Skyler Kelly ac- involved,” Schmitt said. “We try counted for his fourth touch- to get eight to nine guys touching down, and his second one rush- the ball as fast as we can.”

Contributing writer

LIVING

T H E A D V O C AT E.C O M

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S at u r d ay, S e p t e m b e r 12, 2026

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Walter Anderson is largely known for his solitary works. This LSU show tells a different story.

Terry Robinson FAITH MATTERS

Churches celebrate milestone anniversaries There is still something special about church anniversaries.

In a time when so many churches are struggling to fill pews, wondering about their futures or closing their doors, church anniversary services may carry even greater meaning.

On consecutive Sundays recently, I had the opportunity to witness two Baton Rouge churches celebrate very different milestones. One — Effectual Words Ministries — is just beginning to write its history, with its first anniversary program.

The other — Greater Sixty Aid Baptist Church — has been writing its history for 150 years.

“There is no history without amazing grace,” said Terri Wallis, a church member at Greater Sixty Aid. A longtime educator, Wallis said the celebration is more than a collection of names and dates; it is a written history of a congregation that has walked by faith and committed to the hope and vision of the church.

“Math is something you can do,” she said. “Science is what you experience.

History is what you feel. It’s what you live.”

At Effectual Words Ministries, Debra Jackson said the program Spell was a time to celebrate God’s grace upon a group of people, led by the Rev. Lynwood Spell, who stepped out in faith.

“God’s faithfulness is not limited to a date on a calendar, so we pause to remember where we came from, celebrate where God has brought us and look forward with faith to where he is taking us,” Jackson said during her church history presentation.

Knighton Bishop Conway Knighton, of St. Mary Baptist Church, was the guest speaker for the anniversary program at Effectual Words Ministries, 6465 Renoir Ave., Baton Rouge. The theme centered around Psalm 84:11: “For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor; no good thing does He withhold from those whose walk is blameless.”

Sixty Aid, 655 Gardere Lane, welcomed Louisiana Supreme Court Associate Justice John Michael Guidry as its guest speaker. Guidry grounded his message in the Scripture theme of Psalm 127:1: “Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it.”

PROVIDED PHOTO By LSU MUSEUM OF ART

Walter Anderson’s painting, ‘Rowing at Night,’ is featured in the LSU Museum of Art’s exhibit, ‘The South’s Most Elusive Artist: Walter Inglis Anderson,’ opening Sept. 17.

LONELY HEARTS

BY ROBIN MILLER Staff writer

Imagining Walter Anderson mingling within the hustle and bustle of New Orleans doesn’t seem quite right.

The Mississippi artist preferred solitude, so much so that he would often hop in his wooden rowboat for the hourslong trek to the uninhabited Horn Island, where he would stay for days — even tying himself to a tree to experience a hurricane.

The trip to the Gulf barrier island was about 10 miles from his home in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, much shorter than the 92 miles Anderson cycled to New Orleans. Yet he didn’t hesitate pedaling the distance while documenting the trips through travel logs and paintings.

Those paintings will be featured alongside the Horn Island flora, fauna and wildlife, which made Anderson became a legend in the art world, in the exhibit, “The South’s Most Elusive Artist: Walter Inglis Anderson,” opening Sept. 17, at the LSU Museum of Art.

Four cityscapes “The show includes four of his imagined cityscapes inspired by his bicycle trips to New Orleans,”

he took comfort in being alone in a crowd?

But whatever the reasoning, the resulting work shows a different side to Anderson.

“There were different phases in his artmaking,” Schulte said. “So, when you look at his really early phases, you have scenes that are just full of movement, full of activity and there’s not one space that’s open. And when you get to some of his line work, it’s completely opposite and very simple.”

The cityscapes fit into their own category.

“Unlike his works of nature — the flora and fauna — they’re PROVIDED PHOTO By SARAH AMACKER structured in a way where they’re This untitled New Orleans-inspired almost lined across the canvas,” painting by Walter Anderson is Schulte continued. “They have this complete structure just like a city among 13 of the artist’s rarely exhibited cityscapes featured in the would.”

The work features tall buildings LSU Museum of Art’s exhibit, ‘The with floors delineated in the winSouth’s Most Elusive Artist: Walter dows and architecture.

Inglis Anderson,’ opening Sept. 17.

Though Anderson’s cityscapes are different from his nature said Michelle Schulte, the muse- scenes, the two painting styles um’s chief curator of exhibitions share a common technique.

“Sometimes you’ll look at his reand collections.

The cityscapes are filled with ally crowded pieces of a beautiful people, automobiles and buildings set of flowers or a swamp scene, — the very things Anderson tried ä See ANDERSON, page 2D to escape on Horn Island. Maybe

Effectual Words Ministries Effectual Words Ministries was founded by Spell after he served seven years as pastor of Star Hill Baptist Church.

The church’s foundational scripture is based on James 5:16, which states in part: “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”

Spell’s vision was to establish a transformative church with a mission to advance the gospel of Jesus Christ through worship, community development, Christian education, social transformation and congregational care.

The church held its first service April 21, 2025, at an events center before moving

ä See MATTERS, page 3D

New burger joint serves up juicy deals for students Smash burger with fries and a drink from Tasty Grill

STAFF PHOTO By MADDIE SCOTT

BY MADDIE SCOTT

said. “My goal is to make all the LSU students have a lunch or dinner for a cheap price.”

Opened on Aug. 5, Tasty Grill Restaurant owner Sam Masalma, 35, understands how col- serves burgers, Nashville hot lege students often work with chicken, Philly cheesesteaks low budgets. So, at his newly (Masalma’s personal favorite) opened Tasty Grill at 990 W. Lee and more. The business is loDrive, he’s giving LSU students cated in an area heavy with stufree fries and a drink with the dent housing, and it’s just a short purchase of a burger or sandwich. drive away from LSU’s campus.

“When I was a student, I had a ä See GRILL, page 3D limited budget as well,” Masalma Staff writer

2D ■ Saturday, September 12, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

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RELIGION BRIEFS FROM STAFF REPORTS

Unitarian Church to host 2 events

The Unitarian Church of Baton Rouge, 8470 Goodwood Blvd., will host two community events Saturday and Sunday.

A Moth and Arthropod Adventure will take place from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday.

A moth cloth will be set up to observe nocturnal biodiversity, with Master Naturalist Amber King available to answer questions. This is a free, all-ages event and participants may drop in at any time during the evening.

On Sunday, the church PROVIDED PHOTO By LSU MUSEUM OF ART

Continued from page 1D and there’s really no true focal point,” Schulte said. “He’s done the same thing with these. There’s really no true focal point. It’s about rhythm and color and shape and line — and it’s really quite lovely.”

Another layer to the story Which leads to yet another layer to this story: Anderson’s cross country bicycle trips weren’t limited to New Orleans.

He also took bicycle trips to New York and Texas, along with bicycle trips overseas. His son, John Anderson, wrote a book in partnership with filmmaker Anthony Thaxton, who made a documentary about Walter Anderson. The book is called “The Bicycle Logs of Walter Anderson,” which includes detailed logs and diaries from the trips.

The book was published in 2024 by the Institute for Storytelling at Mississippi Christian University (previously Mississippi College).

LSU Museum of Art will sell the book during the exhibit’s run through Jan. 3.

John Anderson, the youngest of Anderson’s four children, and Thaxton will sign copies of the book at the Sept.

17 opening after a screening of Thaxton’s 2021 documentary, “Walter Anderson: The Extraordinary Life and Art of the Islander,” winner of the 2022 Regional Emmy for Outstanding Documentary.

They’ll take part in a panel with Maddie Codling, director of the Walter Anderson Museum of Art in Ocean Springs.

The screening and subsequent book signing will be free, but the film also is available for free streaming on the Public Broadcasting System’s website at PBS.org.

More than 40 works The exhibit will feature more than 40 of Anderson’s works curated by the Walter Anderson Museum of Art and supplemented with pieces from LSU’s collection. The show also includes works from the estate of Walter Anderson, which provided the cityscapes.

“Our director, Mark Tullos, was the founding director of the Walter Anderson Museum,” Schulte said. “He put me in touch with John Anderson, and we asked

By The Associated Press

THE SOUTH’S MOST ELUSIVE ARTIST: WALTER INGLIS ANDERSON WHERE: LSU Museum of Art in the Shaw Center for the Arts, 100 Lafayette St. WHEN: Sept. 17-Jan. 3. Hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m.Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday; 10 a.m.-8 p.m.Thursday; and 1-5 p.m. Sunday.

ADMISSION: $5, age 13 and older; free for age 12 and younger, students with valid ID, educators with valid ID, and veterans and their families with military ID.Admission is free for everyone on the first Sunday of every month.

VISIT: lsumoa.org.

ALSO: The exhibit will open at 5 p.m. Sept. 17 with a free screening of of the documentary,“Walter Anderson: The Extraordinary Life and Art of the Islander,” in the Manship Theatre in the Shaw Center for the Arts.The film will be followed by a panel discussion with the documentary’s filmmaker Anthony Thaxton; Walter Anderson’s youngest son, John Anderson; and Maddie Codling, director of the Walter Anderson Museum of Art in Ocean Springs, Mississippi.

A reception will follow in the museum on the fifth floor, featuring Anderson and Thaxton signing copies of the 2024 book,‘The Bicycle Logs of Walter Anderson.’ For free tickets to the screening and panel, visit manshiptheatre.org.

PROVIDED PHOTO

Mississippi artist Walter Anderson’s bicycle logs, in which he documented his travels to cities, are compiled in the book, ‘The Bicycle Logs of Walter Anderson.’

began working as a decorator for Shearwater Pottery, founded by his brother, Peter.

Anderson married Agnes “Sissy” Grinstead in 1933.

His mental breakdown in 1937 led to stays in various mental hospitals. As a path to recovery, he moved his family to his wife’s antebellum homeplace, Oldfields, near Gauthier, Mississippi.

The move was therapeutic for Anderson as he explored forms of creative expression including drawing, painting, block printmaking and writing short stories.

But the seeming tranquility wouldn’t last.

Anderson abruptly left his wife and children in Oldfields for a small cottage on his family’s Shearwater compound in Ocean Springs, filling its walls and ceiling with a nonstop mural.

The mural wasn’t discovered until after his death, and the cottage is now a part of the Walter Anderson Museum of Art. The green rowboat he used for solitary trips to Horn Island hangs from the museum’s ceiling, as well as the bicycle he used for traveling cross country.

“It’s really kind of fun that this is all coming together in this show,” Schulte said.

“And it’s all representative of Walter Anderson’s life and career.”

St. James Baptist’s 84th anniversary St. James Baptist Church, 1105 N. 44th St., Baton Rouge, invites the community to celebrate its 84th church anniversary at 8 a.m. Sunday.

The theme for the celebration is “Celebrating a

Legacy of Faith & Love.”

The guest speaker will be the Rev. R.L. Owens, senior pastor of Messiah Baptist Church, Lake Charles.

A meal will be served following the worship service.

Church celebrates mission anniversary Nathaniel Baptist Church, Highway 33 South, Centreville, Mississippi, will host its mission anniversary celebration at 11 a.m. Sunday.

The guest minister will be the Rev. William Wells, pastor of the Bay Ridge, Shiloh and St. Andrew’s Baptist Church family.

All are invited.

TODAY IN HISTORY

Walter Anderson’s painting, ‘Pelicans on North Key,’ is featured in the LSU Museum of Art’s exhibit, ‘The South’s Most Elusive Artist: Walter Inglis Anderson,’ opening Sept. 17.

ANDERSON

will serve as one of several local sites for the Interfaith Federation of Greater Baton Rouge’s Pray-for-Peace Vigil from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Participants are invited to visit one or multiple participating congregations and may stay for a few minutes or the full time.

Today is Saturday, Sept. 12, the 255th day of 2026. There are 110 days left in the year.

Today in history: On Sept. 12, 2013, Voyager 1, launched 36 years earlier, became the first man-made spacecraft ever to leave the solar system.

Also on this date: In 1857, the S.S. Central America (also known as the “Ship of Gold”) sank off the coast of South Carolina after sailing into a hurricane in one of the worst maritime disasters in American history; 425 people were killed and thousands of pounds of gold sank with the ship to the bottom of the ocean.

In 1940, the Lascaux cave paintings, estimated to be 17,000 years old, were discovered in southwestern France.

In 1958, the U.S. Supreme Court, in Cooper v.

Aaron, unanimously ruled that Arkansas officials who were resisting public school desegregation orders could not disregard the high court’s rulings.

In 1959, the Soviet Union launched its Luna 2 space probe, which made a crash landing on the moon.

In 1962, in a speech at Rice University in Hous-

ton, President John F. Kennedy reaffirmed his support for the manned space program, declaring: “We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard.”

In 1977, South African Black student leader and anti-apartheid activist Steve Biko, 30, died while in police custody, triggering an international outcry.

In 1994, truck driver Frank Eugene Corder piloted a stolen single-engine Cessna airplane into restricted airspace in Washington, D.C., and crashed it into the South Lawn of the White House. He died in the crash.

In 2003, in the Iraqi city of Fallujah, U.S. forces mistakenly opened fire on vehicles carrying police, killing eight officers.

In 2008, a Metrolink commuter train struck a freight train head-on in Los Angeles, killing 25 people.

In 2011, Novak Djokovic beat Rafael Nadal to win his first U.S. Open championship.

In 2015, at least 89 people were killed at a restaurant in central India when a cooking gas cylinder exploded and triggered a second blast of mine detonators stored illegally

nearby.

In 2025, dozens of people were killed in a village north of Haiti’s capital in the latest massacre carried out by powerful gangs in the troubled Caribbean country.

Today’s birthdays: Actor Linda Gray is 86. Singer Maria Muldaur is 83. Author Michael Ondaatje is 83. Actor Joe Pantoliano is 75. Photographer Nan Goldin is 73. Composer Hans Zimmer is 69. Actor Rachel Ward is 69. Actorcomedian Louis C.K. is 59. Golfer Angel Cabrera is 57. Country singer Jennifer Nettles (Sugarland) is 52. Rapper 2 Chainz is 49. Singer Ruben Studdard is 48. Basketball Hall of Famer Yao Ming is 46. Singer-actor Jennifer Hudson is 45. Actor Alfie Allen is 40. Actor Emmy Rossum is 40. Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman is 37.

Country singer-songwriter Kelsea Ballerini is 33. Actor Sydney Sweeney is 29.

Singer Chris Grey is 25.

Actor Jayla Walton is 22.

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if we could borrow some works that are rarely seen.”

John Anderson coordinated the loan of 13 images, including four urban scenes and nine New Orleans bicycle scenes.

Anderson was no stranger to New Orleans. He was born there in 1903 and spent much of his early childhood in the city before being shipped off to military school in 1915 to Manlius, New York.

He studied at the Parsons Institute of Design in New York City from 1922 to 1923, then the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia from 1923 to 1928 before moving to his family’s home, Email Robin Miller at the Shearwater compound, romiller@theadvocate. in Ocean Springs, where he com.

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Mount Zion First Baptist Church Dr. Rene’ F. Brown, Pastor 356 T. J. Jemison Blvd.

Sunday School: 8:30 am Sun. Service: 9:30am Wednesday Bible Study: 12 noon & 7:15 pm Communion Service First Sunday: 6pm Broadcast: 11am 106.5 FM www.mtzionfirstbaptist.com

TRUE LIGHT CHURCH Rev.BAPTIST Dennis R. Hebert, Pastor 3836 North Street Phone 383-3912 Sunday School – Sunday Worship – 9:00 10:00A.M. Wed. Prayer Service &A.M. Bible Study – 6:00 P.M. Communion Service 2nd Sunday 10:00 A.M.–

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930 North Boulevard (Corner of North & T.J. Jemison) 225-383-4777 Rev Brady Whitton Senior Pastor www.firstmethodist.org

First Baptist Church Baton Rouge 529 Convention Street Sunday School 9:15 am Sunday Worship 10:45 am.

Broadcast live stream of Sunday Worship on Youtube and Facebook.

Wednesday Prayer meeting and Bible Study 5:30 pm www.fbcbr.com

Sunday Worship Sanctuary 8:30 AM & 11:00 AM America Street - 9:45 AM Sunday School (for all ages) - 9:40 AM Services Broadcast Sunday 9:30 AM WBXH (Cox Channel 16, Digital Channel 39, Dish TV Ch. 39) 10:30 AM WAFB Channel 9 Radio Broadcast 5:30 AM- WYNK 101.5 FM 8:00 AM- THE RIVER 96.1 FM

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Bad service? Speak up — don’t withhold gratuity Dear Miss Manners: My friends and eral, a pretty forgiving group and I have been celebrating a monthly we do understand the logistics of Moms Night Out for years. serving such a large party.

There are 11 of us, and It takes a lot for us to conit’s common practice that sider downsizing the tip. the restaurants we visit Gentle reader: No, you caninclude an 18% gratuity not refuse to pay the entire in our bill because we are amount. And Miss Mansuch a large party. ners does not wish to disJudith Normally this is fine; courage including service Martin in the bill. however, there have been MISS times when we have reThe system of allowing MANNERS restaurant patrons to make ceived very poor service. a subjective decision that If we feel the service was directly affects a server’s livelivery poor (for example, no steak knives provided in a steak restauhood is not working. Yes, even rant, despite several requests), are when that decision comes from forwe still obliged to tip the 18% just giving people like yourselves. because it was added to the bill?

You may, however, politely comI will add that we are, in genplain — and escalate it to manage-

ment, if necessary. Giving feedback while there is still a chance to correct the behavior — even if that feedback needs to be given repeatedly — is more effective than monetary punishment afterward.

Dear Miss Manners: I am a middleaged widow. My husband and I were together for 23 years. He was blessed with a wonderful family, and I’ve maintained my acquaintance with them since his passing.

One Christmas, my late husband’s sister passed out envelopes to every adult female member of the family, whether related by blood or marriage — except me.

She did this right in front of me and even said “sorry” in my direction.

The envelopes contained tickets to

a classic musical in our city. All the ladies were crowing with delight.

I was gobsmacked. I went to the bathroom to hide my tears at the snub, where I then spent a long time getting my face and eyes back to normal. I only came out when someone needed to use the bathroom.

This sister-in-law has frequently told me I’m her favorite sister-inlaw. I don’t know what could’ve happened between us. I feel she should have arranged this more tactfully — perhaps sending me out for emergency supplies before handing out the tickets, or conducting this gift-giving by mail.

Mind, I had no idea this musical was in town, and had no particular

desire to see it; it was only the snub that broke my heart. I have felt constrained in her presence ever since. I don’t know what I should’ve done or what I can do now.

Gentle reader: Ask your sister-inlaw not why she overlooked you, but why she apologized. This will force her to examine the impact of her actions, not justify them with defensive reasoning.

And then, Miss Manners recommends, casually mention other exciting plans you have the same night. This could irk her or make her feel better. Either one works.

Send questions to Miss Manners at her website, www. missmanners.com.

Couple tired of always hosting Identifying a mysterious apple Dear Harriette: I married get there, I am usually exmy husband about five hausted and don’t feel like I years ago, and his family get to enjoy the celebration always expects us to host myself. Should I ask my for holidays and other celhusband’s family whether someone else can start hostebrations. After five years of this, I am reaching my ing some holidays instead breaking point. My of everyone always husband and I are coming to our house? both successful and — No More Hosting have been able to Dear No More Hosting: buy a large home.

Talk to your husband My husband’s family first as you need him is huge, so our home to be on the same Harriette page as you on this. accommodates evCole Think about who else eryone the best, so SENSE AND could host — includI understand where SENSITIVITy they are coming ing who did it before. from. However, it Well in advance of feels unfair to always have the next holiday, speak to to be in charge of making whomever you think will the bulk of the food and be most willing to hear having to put the time into you out, and recommend a cleaning and setting up the rotation in hosting duties. house for guests.

If your idea gets little tracI love my husband’s family tion, consider asking family and genuinely enjoy having members to participate in everyone together, so I don’t a potluck where everyone want them to think that I brings a dish, taking the full don’t appreciate spending burden for the event off time with them. The problem you. is that hosting has slowly beDear Harriette: Lately, I have started going out with my come an expectation rather than something we voluntari- friends to clubs and bars, ly offer to do. Every holiday, and I find it to be fun, espeI find myself making lists, cially the club. I love getting grocery shopping, preparing dressed up, taking cute picfood, cleaning the house and tures with my friends and making sure everything is dancing with pretty people ready before everyone arall night. Of course, with gorives. By the time our guests ing out comes some drink-

GRILL

Continued from page 1D Burger prices start at $7.99, depending on which burger is ordered. Students who show their student ID will get free fries and a drink with the purchase of a sandwich, Masalma said.

Inside, customers can order at the counter and take their food to-go or sit at a table or booth inside. LSU and Southern paraphernalia adorns the walls.

The walk-up spot serves handhelds like smash burgers, classic burgers and even a crab burger as well

as po-boys and a chicken sandwich. Pair it with an appetizer such as the fried mushrooms, pickles, jalapeños or blooming onion.

Chicken wings (bone-in and boneless) are available in 10 flavors such as mango habanero, buffalo and sweet chili. The Nashville hot chicken takes shape as tenders in a choice of mild, medium or hot sauce. The menu also serves shrimp and fish seafood baskets.

For something sweet, the business has cheesecake and tiramisu.

Tasty Grill has a reward point system, so after enough points are accrued, customers can get $5 off a purchase.

NEW LISTING

ing. I don’t drink excessively, but I do drink a little bit. Growing up, my dad was an alcoholic and drank all day, every day. I always told myself I would never drink because I didn’t want to end up like him. Becoming an alcoholic is genuinely my biggest fear. I keep wondering whether going out will cause me to become like him. Am I just stressing myself out? Do you think I have a right to be scared? Do you have any recommendations on how to calm my mind? — Stressed at the Club Dear Stressed at the Club: Monitor your behavior. Watch your patterns. Are you able to be a social drinker and stop when you have had enough? How much do you drink? If you notice that you are drinking excessively, alone or to the point where you cannot function, step back. I have a friend who comes from a family of alcoholics. His personal check is to drink no alcohol for at least two weeks straight in every month to ensure that he remains in control of himself. If you can’t do that, seek help.

Send questions to askharriette@ harriettecole.com.

Masalma said he’s wanted to open a restaurant since he was 15 years old. The lease for Tasty Grill started in July and construction took about a month, he said. After making that dream a reality, the local business owner said feedback has been great.

“We are a local store,” Maslama said. “Our best goal is to keep our food top of the list for all the people.”

Tasty Grill, at 990 W. Lee Drive, Studio D, Baton Rouge. Open daily 10 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and 10 a.m. to 1 a.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Weekend hours may expand in the future.

Dear Heloise: A reader search. (According to the recently wrote in asking Lost Apple Project, there for help in identifying an were once an estimated unknown (and delicious) 17,000 named apple variapple variety that eties growing in grows in Manitoba, North America, and Canada. Alas, I don’t around 4,500 surknow the name, but vive today.) if their neighbors I wonder if the don’t have any sugLost Apple Projgestions, they might ect could help our want to contact their Hints from reader friend or Heloise if there’s such an local Agricultural Extension Office or organization in Canthe Canadian equivalent. ada. — Cathy H., via email In the Pacific Northwest Cathy, thank you for this where I live, there’s a noninformation. It certainly can’t hurt to try. — Heloise profit organization called the Lost Apple Project.

They specialize in identify- Motherhood for a cat ing and preserving “lost” Dear Heloise: We adopted apple varieties in Oregon, two female kittens, and Washington and Idaho by what a joy it is to see them searching for old trees playing! However, my wife with apples whose names wants to let them both have have been lost. Then they a litter before we get them identify them through respayed. She feels that we’re

MATTERS

Continued from page 1D to its present location two months later.

In his powerful message from Mark 1:40-45, guest speaker Knighton shared the story of the “unclean” leper who cried out to Jesus for healing of his disease.

“The work of Effectual Words Ministries is to deal with the unclean,” Knighton said. “That means if I’m unclean, that I need a word from the Lord, I can come here no matter how I look, no matter how I dress, no matter what my history is. When I show up here, I’m supposed to get a word from the Lord.”

Knighton said Effectual Words Ministries has already shown itself as a place where people can come for the word — and other assistance — that can change their lives.

After healing the leper, Jesus told the man not to tell anyone but to show himself to the priest as a

depriving them of something by not letting them experience motherhood.

I want them spayed at 6 months, never mind having a litter. Kittens are hard to give away, and the world doesn’t need more stray and starving cats. — Janice and Fred, in Ann Arbor, Michigan Fred, you’re correct. The world doesn’t need more stray kittens. Cats don’t long to have a family like a person does. It’s simply a biological response when they go into heat. Yes, many female cats are loving mothers and take good care of their babies but they’re just as happy even if they never have a litter. Get them spayed as soon as your vet recommends. — Heloise Send a hint to heloise@ heloise.com.

testimony of his healing.

But Knighton said the man couldn’t keep it to himself and told everyone.

He charged the congregation to boldly share its story of God’s faithfulness.

mained there until moving to its current site in 2004.

Following several leaders early on, the Rev. W.M. Pitcher was called as pastor in 1936 and led the church for 70 years.

“His hope and his Greater Sixty Aid vision were that all men would come to Greater Sixty Aid this understanding was born out of 60 to be able to praise members gatherGod with your ing under palmetto Barrett gifts and with your trees and dedicattalents,” Wallis said ing themselves to of Pitcher. aiding the comUpon Pitcher’s remunity. In 1876, the church was orgatirement, the Rev. Reginald Pitcher nized and eventutook over as pastor ally established in 1995. The Rev. a 30-foot wooden James Barrett has structure on Old Guidry been the pastor Perkins Road. since 2008.

“Thanks be to God that “For 150 years, God has the church is God’s house, made a way when there and in the church is the seemed to be no way, bread of life, the bread opened doors that no man of faith and the bread of can close and closed doors hope,” Guidry said. “And for 150 years, Greater Sixty that no man can open,” Guidry said.

Aid has been keeping the bread fresh.”

In 1952, the church Contact Terry Robinson at moved to a new sanctuary terryrobinson622@gmail. on Raby Street and recom.

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4D ■ Saturday, September 12, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

FrAnK And erneSt

roSebUdS

zItS

lll

zodIAC VIRGo (Aug. 23-sept. 22) Take time to consider what irks you most and do something about it. Worrying will not solve problems, but actions will. Dominate the conversations that deal with your wellbeing and lifestyle.

LIBRA (sept. 23-oct. 23) Choosing to initiate change will stimulate your mind, ease stress and call forth intellectuals who challenge you mentally. Protect your home, investments and physical well-being. scoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) What you experience and learn will lead to a more efficient lifestyle and insight into how you can make a difference using your skills.

A change of attitude will help you find unique ways to use your skills. sAGITTARIus (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Paying attention to how you live or who you live with will make life and your relationships easier. A little charm will go a long way, and a gesture of friendliness or a helping hand will open doors. cAPRIcoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Your voice will be heard, but if you offer something without checking your facts and getting the go-ahead from those who can hinder your plans, you'll find yourself in a precarious position.

AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) A change at home will help cut your overhead and ease your mind. Invest more time and money in yourself and your ability to increase your earning potential. Don't let yourself get worn down.

PIscEs (Feb. 20-March 20) Put health and money matters first. Taking care of

yourself and doing your best to lower your overhead will help revive your confidence. Rethink how you spend your time.

ARIEs (March 21-April 19) Use your charm and intellect to convince others to follow your lead. You can make a difference if you promote interesting ways to bring about affordable changes that will help you or someone else prosper.

TAuRus (April 20-May 20) Be reluctant to sign up for something for the wrong reason. Your time is precious and requires fine-tuning to achieve what you set out to do. Too much of anything will be taxing and create negativity.

GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Alter your schedule or routine to better suit your needs.

A social event will lead to conversations that encourage you to rethink one of your heart's desires. cAncER (June 21-July 22) Focus more on self-improvement and less on trying to change others. Avoid arguments, drama and manipulation. Your highest return will come from self-reflection and striving to improve your lifestyle.

LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) Blow off steam physically to avoid disagreements. Don't take a risk with your health or domestic property or equipment that's unsafe or outdated. Do your research and leave nothing to chance.

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: B EQuALs R

Mother GooSe And GrIMM

SherMAn’S LAGoon FAMILY CIrCUS

dooneSbUrY

The Advocate ■ theadvocate.com ■ Saturday, September 12, 2026 ■ 5D

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CurTiS

Hi and LoiS

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

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La TimeS CroSSword

6D ■ Saturday, September 12, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

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B.C.

Bridge

By PHILLIP ALDER Claude Chabrol, a French film director perhaps best known for “Le Boucher” (the butcher), said, “You make a film to distract people, to interest them, perhaps to make them think, perhaps to help them be a little less naive, a little better than they were.”

At the bridge table, if you can legally distract your opponents, it will probably be to your advantage. How do you do that? By producing unexpected bids or, especially, plays.

Do you see something distracting in this deal? South is in three no-trump.

West leads his fourth-highest heart. East wins with his ace and returns the heart six. What happens after that?

Note that despite holding 30 combined high-card points, three no-trump seems destined to fail.

Let’s assume South takes the second trick with his heart king and West plays the two to indicate that he started with a five-card suit. Declarer should cross to the dummy with a club and call for the diamond jack, trying to look like someone about to take a finesse for the queen. But East should not be distracted. He should realize that his partner has three heart winners, grab the trick with his ace, and lead his last heart, which results in down one.

AtmybridgecampinHighlands,North Carolina, in June, one player found a great way to distract West. Bill Geary of New Orleans, knowing that he was going

garfield

Pearls Before swiNe

hagar the horriBle

to win only one heart trick, dropped his king under East’s ace at trick one!

When East led back the heart six, West should have ducked to keep communication with his partner. But he distractedly won with his queen and played a third heart. Now Geary drove out the diamond ace and came home with an overtrick.

Terrific! © 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 — EFFEMInATE: eh-FEM-ih-nit: Having feminine qualities.

Bizarro

marmaduKe

Average mark 37 words Time limit 60 minutes Can you find 53 or more words in EFFEMINATE? yEsTERDAy’s WoRD — GARRuLITy gaily gait gilt girl glair glut grail gray grit guar guilt

guilty guitar gular gyral airy alit argil arty ragi rail rarity

ritual rural ugly ultra lair laity liar liturgy tail tarry trail

tray trial trig truly yurt

loCKhorNs hidato Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

today’s thought “And he said to Jesus, Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom. And Jesus said to him, Truly I say to you, Today shall you be with me in paradise.” Luke 23:42-43 Jesus is the only way to Heaven. He alone is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. G.E. Dean

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classifieds.theadvocate.com Search Search& &Place PlaceAds AdsOnline Onlineatatclassifieds.theadvocate.com classifieds.theadvocate.com* Call * Call -Friday Us Monday-Friday 8AM-5PM at 225-383-0111 8AM-5PM at 225-383-0111

Announcements ANYONE knowing the whereabouts of any property owner, heir or other related person, in regard to the properties listed below, please contact the East Baton Rouge CityParish, Department of Development – Neighborhood Revitalization Office at 225-389-8680.

5269 SHELLEY ST ELLSWORTH HULL 8821 SCENIC HWY RIVOUS WILLIAMS, JR 205 TAFT ST LILLIE MAE K EDWARDS 2686 69TH AVE SYLVIA DIXON 9746 DEER RUN AVE DECK RENTALS AND REMODELING, LLC / KIMBERLY YOUNG 10551 BERTHA ST THE ESTATE OF ODESSIA FERGUSON DUNN 2693 VANDERBILT DR GOULD PROPERTIES OF BATON ROUGE, LLC / BRIAN E GOULD 3645 SHERWOOD ST GARY LANE SULLIVAN, SR 3444 JACKSON AVE COREY LEE THOMPSON 442 BAIRD DR CHARLES C CLOWNEY REVOCABLE TRUST 2451 WELLER AVE SCIENTIFIC TESTING LABORATORIES, INC 2845 JAY ST WILLIE GRIFFIN C/O JAMES E LEWIS 2166 72ND AVE ESTATE OF CONSWELLA D KELLER 1545 DUCHESS DR GARY M MCINNIS 7852 PHEBUS DR GORDILLO PROPERTIES, LLC 5343 GREENSIDE LN 5343 GREENSIDE LANE RE, LLC 2635 ADAMS AVE EDDIE RANDALL BRADORD 3005 BOND ST HENRY AND PEARL PRIMUS BAKER 1563 LOUISE ST LEON EDWARD VALDY 10156 RHAPSODY DR CHRISTOPHER DUBREE 1855 KANSAS ST IRMA FUENTES 2266 NORTH BLVD RICHARD ERIC HAMILTON 7374 DAN DR MYISHA JOSEPH 5249 PACKARD ST JAMES MOORE 6077 D'JUANNA DR THE ESTATE OF KRISTY HOWELL ODOM 1650 STANOCOLA DR PERLIE MAE S STERLING C/O VEDA WASHINGTON 5106 ANNETTE ST CLARENCE J GARANTINE, JR 428 STONEY CREEK AVE DAVID CHRISTOPHER BURKE 2870 WREN ST ESTATE OF SAMUEL C ELLIS 2333 KENTUCKY ST LUCILLE LEE 4662 UNDERWOOD AVE RYAN ANTONIO STARKS 2271 VIRGINIA ST SDH PROPERTY MANAGEMENT, LLC 2042 TENNESSEE ST GLORIA PAUL 311 LORRI BURGESS AVE AMANDA F, BERNADETTE E AND MOSES E, JR 3851 UNCAS ST CEDRICK KELLY, SR AND LATOSHAS COSTON KELLY 3355 WENONAH ST EDWARD JACKSON, SR 1715 MARY EVERS DR

Legal Notices

PUBLIC NOTICE ---1REDOAK LAKE FIELD 26-307 LEGAL NOTICE STATE OF LOUISIANA, DE‐ PARTMENT OF CONSER‐ VATION AND ENERGY, BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA. In accordance with the laws of the State of Louisiana, and with par‐ ticular reference to the provisions of Title 30 of Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950, a public hearing will be held in the Hearing Room, 1st Floor, LaSalle Building, 617 North 3rd Street, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, at 9:00 a.m. on TUESDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2026, upon the application of APEX NATURAL GAS, LLC. At such hearing the De‐ partment of Conserva‐ tion and Energy will con‐ sider evidence relative to the issuance of Orders pertaining to the follow‐ ing matters relating to the Haynesville Zone, Reservoir A, in the Re‐ doak Lake Field, Red River Parish, Louisiana.

1. To create a single addi‐ tional drilling and pro‐ duction unit (to be desig‐ nated as HA RA SU55) for the exploration for and production of gas and condensate from the Haynesville Zone, Reser‐ voir A, as shown on the plat submitted with the application.

2. To force pool and inte‐ grate all of the sepa‐ rately owned tracts, min‐ eral leases and other property interests within the unit so created, with each tract sharing in unit production on a surface acreage basis of partici‐ pation.

3. To permit Applicant to drill, designate and uti‐ lize four horizontal wells, one of which to serve as a unit well and the other three wells to serve as alternate unit wells for HA RA SU55, at the loca‐ tions and in the general manner shown on the plat submitted with the application, or at any other legal locations within such unit, in ex‐ ception to the spacing provisions of the 948-C Series of Office of Per‐ mitting and Compliance Orders, and in accor‐ dance with LAC 43:XIX.4307 et seq.

(Statewide Order No. 29S).

4. To specifically find that the proposed horizontal wells for HA RA SU55 are reasonable and in the in‐ terest of conservation and necessary to effi‐ ciently and economically drain portions of the Haynesville Zone, Reser‐ voir A, underlying said unit, which cannot be ef‐ ficiently and economi‐ cally drained by any ex‐ isting well within such unit.

5. To provide that with re‐ spect to horizontal wells drilled to the Haynesville Zone, Reservoir A, within or to serve HA RA SU55, where the horizontal por‐ tion of the well is cased and cemented back above the top of the Hay‐ nesville Zone, Reservoir A, the distance to any unit boundary and offset well(s) should be calcu‐ lated based on the dis‐ tance to the nearest per‐ foration in the well and not on the penetration point or terminus.

6. To designate Applicant as the operator of HA RA SU55.

7. To permit the operator of HA RA SU55 to produce the unit allowable from either the unit well, any alternate unit well, or from any combination thereof, at its discretion.

8. To continue in force

SGC INTERESTS, LLC 531 S 16TH ST KENDALL VONKEITH FONTENOT 3739 WEBB DR ROBINS RENTALS, LLC 4020 MASON AVE JOHN EDWARD SMITH 12586 WARFIELD AVE CARLA OWENS CLAYTON 4750 BROADWAY ST HELEN DAY ALBRITTON 7615 BLENDON AVE THOMAS R & MARTHA INGLEHART 4539 ALVIN DARK AVE 4539 AD, LLC / ATTN: GREG JORDAN 932 NAPOLEON ST ARTHUR WHEELER 9338 MARTINIQUE DR MARIA ARMSTRONG BRITO 3883 OSWEGO ST GLORIA RUSHING WHITTINGTON 789 N 36TH ST SHELIA MICHELLE WILLIAMS FRANKLIN 2023 N FOSTER DR 2023 NORTH FOSTER DRIVE, LLC 10119 AVENUE F JOHN GOODEN JR 14043 ALSEN HEIGHTS PKWY LILLIE MAE PETERSON 2826 JAY ST MARGARET C SMITH DOUGLAS C/O REGINALD J HAILE 1544 SNIPE ST HAROLD H HANDY JR 6421 ARBOR VITAE DR VISION QUINTANA, LLC 1521 N MARQUE ANN DR MCR RESOURCES, LLC 9977 FLORIDA BLVD KEN V. BIRON CASA 20 LAMAS DE AJIJIS APDO #141, CALLEJON AL TAPALO #200 8275 GOVERNOR DR 1657 STAR, LLC 10060 BURBANK DR BURBANK BTS, LLC/ REGISTERED AGENT: STEPHEN G MCCOLLISTER 7759 GLENLEA AVE LIND R SMART T 3430 MONTICELLO BLVD JBFH CORPORTATION 7412 E CAPRICE AVE LOT 40 LLC 6132 PERIMETER DR SHANDRIKA HENDERSON 3610 SYCAMORE ST ISAIAH PULLET, II 4746 LORRAINE ST KEVIN L BARTHEL 5852 DENOVA ST AYERS LAYMAN 291 RAFE MAYER RD ADMON R MCCASTLE 3620 CANNON ST TERRENCE J BROWDER 6504 BLUE GRASS DR ISREAL BENNETT, II 199945-Sept 7-13, 7t $4,022.14 Anyone knowing the whereabouts of Veronica Peters, please contact Creighton B. Abadie, Attorney, at (225) 924-5150.

200165-Sept 10-12, 3t $67 HHR Grill LLC d/b/a Historic Highland Road Grill is applying to the Office of Alcohol & Tobacco Control of the State of Louisiana for a permit to sell beverages of high and low alcohol content at retail in the Parish of East Baton Rouge at the following address: 8635 Highland Rd Baton Rouge, La 70808 HHR Grill LLC. Historic Highland Road Grill Owner/Member: William “Willie” Chapman 200306 Sept. 12 1t $95.98

Legal Notices

and effect, except to the extent contrary herewith, the pertinent provisions of Order No. 948-C, effec‐ tive June 2, 2009, as amended and supple‐ mented by the 948-C Se‐ ries of Orders, and all ap‐ plicable Statewide Or‐ ders.

9. To consider such other matters as may be perti‐ nent.

The Haynesville Zone, Reservoir A was defined in Order No. 948-C, effec‐ tive June 2, 2009.

A plat is available for in‐ spection in the Depart‐ ment of Conservation and Energy in Baton Rouge and Shreveport, Louisiana. http://dnr.louisiana.gov/ conshearings All parties having inter‐ est therein shall take no‐ tice thereof.

BY ORDER OF: DUSTIN H. DAVIDSON, SECRETARY DEPARTMENT OF CON‐ SERVATION AND ENERGY Baton Rouge, 9/9/26;9/12/26 S lck

LA

IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT, IF YOU NEED ASSISTANCE, PLEASE CONTACT THE DEPARTMENT OF CON‐ SERVATION AND ENERGY AT P.O. BOX 94275, BATON ROUGE, LA 70804-9275 IN WRITING WITHIN TEN (10) WORKING DAYS OF THE HEARING DATE. 200453-SEP 12-1T $75.93 PUBLIC NOTICE ---2EAST CHENIERE PERDUE FIELD 26-308 LEGAL NOTICE STATE OF LOUISIANA, DE‐ PARTMENT OF CONSER‐ VATION AND ENERGY, BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA. In accordance with the laws of the State of Louisiana, and with par‐ ticular reference to the provisions of Title 30 of Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950, a public hearing will be held in the Hearing Room, 1st Floor, LaSalle Building, 617 North 3rd Street, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, at 9:00 a.m. on TUESDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2026, upon the application of HIGH BAR OPERATING COM‐ PANY LLC. At such hearing the De‐ partment of Conserva‐ tion and Energy will con‐ sider evidence relative to the issuance of Orders pertaining to the follow‐ ing matters relating to the 8600’-9100’ Zone, Reservoir A, in the East Cheniere Perdue Field, Cameron Parish, Louisiana.

1. To establish rules and regulations and create a single drilling and pro‐ duction unit for the ex‐ ploration for and produc‐ tion of oil and gas and/or gas and condensate from the 8600’-9100’ Zone, Reservoir A, such unit to be designated 8600-9100 RA SUA. 2. To force pool and inte‐ grate all separately owned tracts, mineral leases and other prop‐ erty interests within the proposed unit, with each tract sharing in unit pro‐ duction on a surface acreage basis of partici‐ pation.

3. To designate an opera‐ tor of, and a unit well for, the proposed unit, if ap‐ propriate.

4. To provide that any fu‐ ture wells drilled to the 8600’-9100’ Zone, Reser‐ voir A, within or outside of the proposed unit, should be exempt from the spacing provisions of id d

I have been appointed as an administrator to a deceased individual, Bernice Lewis a/k/a Bernice Richardson to whom I am seeking any heirs. If anyone knows the whereabouts of any heirs, please contact attorney Shannon L. Battiste at (225) 726-5070 or send me any information to 12605 S. Harrell’s Ferry Road, Suite 5, Baton Rouge, LA 70816.

200362-Sept 12-14, 3t $205.54

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Seeks to locate the whereabouts of Chasity Rotina Blakes (a/k/a Chasity Rotina Spears), last known to reside at 1734 Catalpa Street, Baton Rouge, LA 70815, sought in connection with civil case #779,180 pending in the 19th Judicial District Court, Parish of EBR, regarding a legal matter. You, are anyone with knowledge of her whereabouts, are requested to contact Shannon Hultberg, court appointed curator at 225-298-8118 or email shultberg@hymeldavis.com.

Failure to respond may result in legal matter proceeding in your absence.

200425-Sept 12-14, 3t $280.06

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PUBLIC NOTICE ---3TIGRE LAGOON FIELD 26-309 LEGAL NOTICE STATE OF LOUISIANA, DE‐ PARTMENT OF CONSER‐ VATION AND ENERGY, BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA. In accordance with the laws of the State of Louisiana, and with par‐ ticular reference to the provisions of Title 30 of Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950, a public hearing will be held in the Hearing Room, 1st Floor, LaSalle Building, 617 North 3rd Street, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, at 9:00 a.m. on TUESDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2026, upon the application of LLOX, L.L.C. At such hearing the De‐ partment of Conserva‐ tion and Energy will con‐ sider evidence relative to the issuance of Orders pertaining to the follow‐ ing matters relating to the Lower Cris R Zone, Reservoir A, in the Tigre Lagoon Field, Vermilion Parish, Louisiana.

1. To redefine the Lower Cris R Zone, Reservoir A, created by Office of Per‐ mitting and Compliance Order No. 192-EE, effec‐ tive August 27, 2013, in accordance with the DEF‐ INITION set forth below.

2. To confirm the unit boundary and tract shar‐ ing percentages for the Lower Cris R Zone, Reser‐ voir A, established by Order No. 192-EE, effec‐ tive August 27, 2013. fi

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3 CEMETERY PLOTS GreenOaks Cemetery, Section 3, Lot 40-1, 5, 6. Please Make an Offer. 914671-1546 or beharmeyer@gmail.com CEMETERY PLOTS Selling a Tandem (space for 2) at Greenoaks Memorial Park. Located in the West Interior of the of the Garden View Mausoleum. $14,000.00.

Contact 225 772-9206

g 3. To confirm LLOX, L.L.C. as operator of the rede‐ fined unit.

4. To find that, except to the extent contrary to the order granted by the Secretary of the Depart‐ ment of Conservation and Energy in connection with the hearing held on this application, the pro‐ visions of Order No. 192EE, effective August 27, 2013, and all applicable Statewide Orders, shall remain in full force and effect.

5. To consider such other matters as may be perti‐ nent.

The Lower Cris R Zone, Reservoir A was origi‐ nally defined in Order No. 192-EE, effective August 27, 2013, and is hereby re‐ defined as being the stratigraphic equivalent of that oil, gas and con‐ densate bearing zone en‐ countered between the measured depths of 17,880’ and 21,550’ (elec‐ trical log measurements) in the Superior Oil Com‐ pany-Willis Hulin No. 1 Well (SN 158468), located in Section 2, Township 14 South, Range 4 East.

A plat is available for in‐ spection in the Depart‐ ment of Conservation and Energy in Baton Rouge and Lafayette, Louisiana. http://dnr.louisiana.gov/ conshearings All parties having inter‐ est therein shall take no‐ tice thereof.

BY ORDER OF: DUSTIN H. DAVIDSON, SECRETARY DEPARTMENT OF CON‐ SERVATION AND ENERGY

20045-SEP 12-1T $66.49

MISC FOR SALE Prof. Surveyor Retiring. Top Con Total Station, auto level. All equipment and instrument available $3000 for all 225-978-8306

GENERAL HELP The Diocese of B.R. Child Nutrition Pro‐ gram is seeking FT school Cafeteria Mgrs., Cooks, & Porters. HS Diploma or Equiv. and BG Check req. Apply at www.cnpbr.org/employment

p gp Statewide Order No. 29-E. 5. To provide that the De‐ partment of Conserva‐ tion and Energy should be authorized to reclas‐ sify the 8600’-9100’ Zone, Reservoir A, by supple‐ mental order without the necessity of a public hearing if the producing characteristics of the reservoir change and evi‐ dence to justify such re‐ classification is submit‐ ted to and accepted by the Department of Con‐ servation and Energy.

6. To consider such other matters as may be perti‐ nent.

The 8600’-9100’ Zone, Reservoir A, is hereby de‐ fined as being that oil and gas and/or gas and condensate bearing zone encountered between the depths of 8,624’ and 9,136’ (electrical log mea‐ surements) in the Colum‐ bia Minerals Corp., Inc. (formerly Despot Explo‐ ration, Inc.)-Boudoin No. 1 Well (SN 166825), lo‐ cated in Section 8, Town‐ ship 14 South, Range 6 West.

A plat is available for in‐ spection in the Depart‐ ment of Conservation and Energy in Baton Rouge and Lafayette, Louisiana. http://dnr.louisiana.gov/ conshearings All parties having inter‐ est therein shall take no‐ tice thereof.

BY ORDER OF: DUSTIN H. DAVIDSON, SECRETARY DEPARTMENT OF CON‐ SERVATION AND ENERGY

IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT, IF YOU NEED ASSISTANCE AT THE HEARING, PLEASE CON‐ TACT THE DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION AND ENERGY AT P.O. BOX 94275, BATON ROUGE, LA 70804-9275 IN WRITING WITHIN TEN (10) WORK‐ ING DAYS OF THE HEAR‐ ING DATE.

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Lawn equipment Shindaiwa Professional weed eater, pole saw and edger attachments and M231 power head. $175.00 225-603-5805

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Baton Rouge, 9/9/26;9/12/26 L lck

Baton Rouge Real Estate For Sale

Employment * Accounting * Bookkeeper * Account Coordinator * Finance * Payroll Officer * Sales Representatives * Customer Service * Business Admin Representative

APARTMENT 655 North St Subsidized Efficiency Apartments cpabr.org 225-383-5551 TDD/TTY 711 RELAY

Baton Rouge, 9/9/26;9/12/26 L lck

LA

IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT, IF YOU NEED ASSISTANCE AT THE HEARING, PLEASE CON‐ TACT THE DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION AND ENERGY AT P.O. BOX 94275, BATON ROUGE, LA 70804-9275 IN WRITING WITHIN TEN (10) WORK‐ ING DAYS OF THE HEAR‐ ING DATE. 200457-SEP 12-1T $61.35 PUBLIC NOTICE --Department of Conservation and Energy Office of Permitting and Compliance Mosaic Fertilizer, LLC Noncommercial, Hazardous Class I Waste Disposal Wells Application No. 43209 & 43210 Saint James Parish, Louisiana Pursuant to provisions of the laws of the State of Louisiana and particu‐ larly Title 43 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950 as amended, and provisions of Statewide Order No. 29-N-2, notice is hereby given that the Depart‐ ment of Conservation and Energy has prepared a Draft Permit for the ap‐ plication referenced below.

Mosaic Fertilizer, LLC 7250 LA Hwy 44 Uncle Sam, LA 70792 Mosaic Fertilizer, LLC has applied to the Depart‐ ment of Conservation and Energy for a permit to continue operating two existing Noncom‐ mercial, Hazardous Class I Waste Disposal Wells in Section 21 and 22, Town‐ ship 11 South, Range 04 East, of Saint James Parish for disposal of in‐ dustrial, hazardous liquid wastes, identified by the United States Environ‐

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mental Protection Agency hazardous waste codes: D002, D004, D005, D006, D007, D008, D009, D010, and D011. The max‐ imum cumulative monthly injection volume for the current injection interval is 97,200,000 gal‐ lons. The existing wells are identified as Waste Disposal Well No. 001 & 002. Waste water dis‐ posal is proposed to con‐ tinue at a depth of 6,398 feet to 6,964 feet from Kelly Bushing (kb) within a disposal zone of 4,030 feet to 6,964 feet from kb.

The base of the lower‐ most underground source of drinking water (USDW) at the specific facility location occurs at an approximate depth of 891 feet kb, determined from a well log of Well SN 974238.

Watershed Initiative Community Development Block Grant Mitigation program B-18-DP-22-0001.

The proposed project(s) is located at the Cypress and Slack Street cross‐ ings of Golf Course Creek in West Monroe, Oua‐ chita Parish and is lo‐ cated within regulatory floodplain and wetland areas. The proposed pro‐ ject will add one addi‐ tional 4’x5’ RCB to com‐ plement the two existing RCBs at the Cypress Street crossing, thereby increasing flow capacity and lowering 100-year flood elevations. To ac‐ commodate the in‐ creased flows resulting from the Cypress Street crossing improvements, drainage improvements will also be installed at the next downstream road crossing, Slack Street. The Slack Street improvements will add one 36” to 48” diameter reinforced concrete pipe to the existing system of two 9’ diameter and 7’ di‐ ameter metal pipes. The Slack Street crossing im‐ provements will result in no upstream increase in surface water elevation and will increase the downstream flow at Slack Street to an ac‐ ceptable level for the in‐ creased flows realized from the upstream im‐ provements at the Cy‐ press Street crossing.

Given these design con‐ siderations, the pro‐ posed improvements are not expected to ad‐ versely impact the flood‐ way or floodplain.

A copy of the draft per‐ mit (Order), fact sheet, application or other in‐ formation concerning the application may be ob‐ tained by request in writ‐ ing to Samantha Chamkha, Office of Per‐ mitting and Compliance, Engineering Division, 617 North 3rd Street, 8th Floor, Baton Rouge, LA 70802 or by calling (225) 342-5515. The Draft Per‐ mit and fact sheet are also available for inspec‐ tion at the above men‐ tioned address, Rm. 817, between 8:00 A.M. and 4:30 P.M., Monday through Friday. In addi‐ tion, the application package is available for viewing on the Louisiana Department of Conserva‐ tion and Energy website at the following web ad‐ dress: https://sonlite.dnr.state. la.us/dnrservices/ redirectUrl.jsp?dDocnam e=23385461&showInl ine=True Interested parties may request a public hearing or submit written com‐ ments on the application.

Written comments con‐ cerning the application must be received by the Department of Conserva‐ tion and Energy no later than 4:30 P.M., October 21, 2026. Submit all com‐ Samantha ments to: Chamkha, Office of Per‐ mitting and Compliance, 617 North 3rd Street, 8th Floor, Baton Rouge, LA 70802. Comments may also be e-mailed to info@ la.gov. Please reference: Mosaic Fertilizer, LLC Class I, Application Num‐ bers 43209 & 43210.

COWM has considered the following alterna‐ tives and mitigation measures to minimize adverse impacts and to restore and preserve nat‐ ural and beneficial func‐ tions and intrinsic values of the existing flood‐ Firstly, plain/wetland: hi fl d i k d i

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y p this flood risk reduction project is in response to recurring flood events that have occurred in re‐ cent years. An alterna‐ tive that was considered was to construct a stormwater detention basin on the south side of Cypress Street to off‐ set the downstream ef‐ fects of increased dis‐ charge. It was antici‐ pated that 10.5 acres of land could be purchased for flood storage. Con‐ struction was to include the addition of a new box culvert, headwalls, chan‐ nel clearing, excavation of a detention basin, and an outlet structure.

Analysis of the detention storage required to off‐ set the increased creek flow indicated that the available basin site would be insufficient to successfully attenuate the additional flow. Only 4 acres of the originally proposed property adja‐ cent to the creek would be made available for the excavation of a basin.

The largest con‐ structable basin would have insufficient capac‐ ity due to limitations in size and existing ground eleva‐ tions. To negate potential erosion, bank stabiliza‐ tion activities will occur below the ordinary high water mark of Golf Course Creek, where riprap and headwalls will be installed near the in‐ lets and outlets of exist‐ ing and proposed culvert structures at each cross‐ ing. All activities within the floodplain and wet‐ land areas will be con‐ ducted in accordance with applicable federal, state, and local flood‐ plain management and wetland protection re‐ quirements, including any required permits, ap‐ provals, and best man‐ agement practices to minimize impacts to fl d l i f i

p floodplain functions, water quality, and adja‐ cent wetlands.

COWM has reevaluated alternatives to building in the floodplain and wetland areas and has determined that it has no practicable alternative to floodplain and wetland development.

Environ‐ mental files document‐ ing compliance with Ex‐ ecutive Order 11988 and Executive Order 11990, are available for public inspection, review and copying upon request at the times and location delineated in the last paragraph of this notice for receipt of comments.

There are three primary purposes for this notice.

First, people who may be affected by activities in floodplains or wetlands and those who have an interest in the protection of the natural environ‐ ment should be given an opportunity to express their concerns and pro‐ vide information about these areas. Second, an adequate public notice program can be an im‐ portant public educa‐ tional tool. The dissemi‐ nation of information and request for public comment about flood‐ plains and wetlands can facilitate and enhance Federal efforts to reduce the risks and impacts as‐ sociated with the occu‐ pancy and modification of these special areas.

Third, as a matter of fair‐ ness, when the Federal government determines it will participate in ac‐ tions taking place in floodplains or wetlands, it must inform those who may be put at greater or continued risk.

Written comments must be received by the COWM at the following address on or before

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September 19, 2026: City of West Monroe, 2305 N 7th Street and 318-3962600, Attention: Jonathan Kaufman, Director of Building & Development.

A full description of the project may also be re‐ viewed from 7:30 AM to 4:30 PM at the address listed above. Comments may also be submitted via email at jkaufman@ westmonroe.la.gov.

Date: September 12, 2026 200396-sept 12-1t $640.46 PUBLIC NOTICE --NOTICE Notice is hereby given that on September 8, 2026, Entergy Louisiana, LLC (“ELL”), a public util‐ ity providing retail elec‐ tric service throughout the State of Louisiana, filed with the Louisiana Public Service Commis‐ sion (“LPSC”) its Applica‐ tion of Entergy Louisiana, LLC for Extension of Phase I of the Entergy Fu‐ ture Ready Resilience Plan (the “Application”).

The Application requests LPSC approval, and is‐ suance of a public inter‐ est finding regarding, the extension of Phase I of the Entergy Future Ready Resilience Plan (the “Re‐ silience Plan”). Specifi‐ cally, ELL seeks specific approval of Phase IA of the Resilience Plan, which includes approxi‐ mately $600 million in projects proposed to be implemented primarily over the period of 2027 2030 (“Phase IA”). ELL’s Phase IA Resilience Plan will not result in a change in rates unless approved by the LPSC and implemented by ELL. ELL also seeks approval ( ) h i h

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All persons having inter‐ est in the aforesaid shall take notice thereof.

By order of: Dustin H. Davidson Department of Conservation and Energy 200427-sept 12-1t $67.64 PUBLIC NOTICE --Final Notice and Public Explanation of a Proposed Activity in a Regulatory Floodway or Wetland To: All interested Federal, State, and Local Agen‐ cies, Groups and Individ‐ uals This is to give notice that the City of West Monroe (COWM) has conducted an evaluation as required

by Executive Order 11988 and 11990 and in accor‐ dance with HUD regula‐ tions at 24 CFR 55.20 in Subpart C Procedures for Making Determinations on Floodplain Manage‐ ment and Wetlands Pro‐ tection. The activity is funded under Louisiana

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pp to (a) authorize the Com‐ pany’s continued imple‐ mentation of the Re‐ silience Plan Cost Recov‐ ery Rider (Rider RPCR) to provide for contempora‐ neous recovery of the Phase IA Projects; and (b) correct the Rider RCPR rate calculation to prospectively include transmission and distrib‐ ution removal costs in the Rider RPCR revenue requirement and to use regulatory assets to fa‐ cilitate the recovery and tracking of such costs.

ELL also requests the continued use of regula‐ tory assets for address‐ ing recovery of (and on, if applicable), the re‐ maining net book value of assets that are re‐ placed through the Re‐ silience Plan, at the level currently reflected in ELL’s rates.

ELL also requests that the Commission (a) ap‐ prove the extension of the Monitoring Plan ap‐ proved in Order No. U36625 to Phase IA, sub‐ ject to any modifications the Commission may order; and (b) acknowl‐ edge that ELL will be re‐ questing an extension of waiver from the Federal Energy Regulatory Com‐ mission (“FERC”) to allow ELL to continue to capi‐ talize certain conductor handling expenses in‐ curred through the Re‐ silience Plan that would otherwise be treated as expenses, and express support or non-opposi‐ tion to the contemplated FERC waiver request; and (c) direct the Administra‐ tive Hearings Division to a procedural adopt schedule necessary to facilitate a Commission decision on this Applica‐ tion no later than July 31, 2027.

For questions and com‐ ments regarding ELL’s fil‐ ing, please call the LPSC toll free at (800) 256-2397.

Additionally, the filing, its attach‐ including ments, may be viewed in the Records Division of the LPSC at the following address: Records Division 602 N. 5th Street, 12th Floor Baton Rouge, Louisiana

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70802 Telephone: (225) 342-3157

placed through the Re‐ silience Plan, at the level currently reflected in ELL’s rates.

ENTERGY LOUISIANA, LLC 200383-SEP 12-1T $357.21 PUBLIC NOTICE --NOTICE Notice is hereby given that on September 8, 2026, Entergy Louisiana, LLC (“ELL”), a public util‐ ity providing retail elec‐ tric service throughout the State of Louisiana, filed with the Louisiana Public Service Commis‐ sion (“LPSC”) its Applica‐ tion of Entergy Louisiana, LLC for Extension of Phase I of the Entergy Fu‐ ture Ready Resilience Plan (the “Application”).

The Application requests LPSC approval, and is‐ suance of a public inter‐ est finding regarding, the extension of Phase I of the Entergy Future Ready Resilience Plan (the “Re‐ silience Plan”). Specifi‐ cally, ELL seeks specific approval of Phase IA of Resilience Plan, the which includes approxi‐ mately $600 million in projects proposed to be primarily implemented over the period of 2027 2030 (“Phase IA”). ELL’s Phase IA Resilience Plan will not result in a change in rates unless approved by the LPSC implemented by and ELL. ELL also seeks approval to (a) authorize the Com‐ pany’s continued imple‐ mentation of the Re‐ silience Plan Cost Recov‐ ery Rider (Rider RPCR) to provide for contempora‐ neous recovery of the Phase IA Projects; and (b) correct the Rider RCPR rate calculation to prospectively include transmission and distrib‐ ution removal costs in the Rider RPCR revenue requirement and to use regulatory assets to fa‐ cilitate the recovery and tracking of such costs.

ELL also requests the continued use of regula‐ tory assets for address‐ ing recovery of (and on, if applicable), the re‐ maining net book value of assets that are re‐

ELL also requests that the Commission (a) ap‐ prove the extension of the Monitoring Plan ap‐ proved in Order No. U36625 to Phase IA, sub‐ ject to any modifications the Commission may order; and (b) acknowl‐ edge that ELL will be re‐ questing an extension of waiver from the Federal Energy Regulatory Com‐ mission (“FERC”) to allow ELL to continue to capi‐ talize certain conductor handling expenses in‐ curred through the Re‐ silience Plan that would otherwise be treated as expenses, and express support or non-opposi‐ tion to the contemplated FERC waiver request; and (c) direct the Administra‐ tive Hearings Division to a procedural adopt schedule necessary to facilitate a Commission decision on this Applica‐ tion no later than July 31, 2027.

For questions and com‐ ments regarding ELL’s fil‐ ing, please call the LPSC toll free at (800) 256-2397.

Additionally, the filing, its attach‐ including ments, may be viewed in the Records Division of the LPSC at the following address: Records Division 602 N. 5th Street, 12th Floor Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70802 Telephone: (225) 342-3157 ENTERGY LOUISIANA, LLC 200382-SEP 12-1T $357.21 PUBLIC NOTICE --NOTICE Notice is hereby given that on September 8, 2026, Entergy Louisiana, LLC (“ELL”), a public util‐ ity providing retail elec‐ tric service throughout the State of Louisiana, filed with the Louisiana Public Service Commis‐ sion (“LPSC”) its Applica‐ tion of Entergy Louisiana, LLC for Extension of Phase I of the Entergy Fu‐ d ili

lll

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gy ture Ready Resilience Plan (the “Application”).

The Application requests LPSC approval, and is‐ suance of a public inter‐ est finding regarding, the extension of Phase I of the Entergy Future Ready Resilience Plan (the “Re‐ silience Plan”). Specifi‐ cally, ELL seeks specific approval of Phase IA of Resilience Plan, the which includes approxi‐ mately $600 million in projects proposed to be primarily implemented over the period of 2027 2030 (“Phase IA”). ELL’s Phase IA Resilience Plan will not result in a change in rates unless approved by the LPSC implemented by and ELL.

pp pp tion to the contemplated FERC waiver request; and (c) direct the Administra‐ tive Hearings Division to a procedural adopt schedule necessary to facilitate a Commission decision on this Applica‐ tion no later than July 31, 2027.

pp p for Disaster Relief Re‐ Act, 2018 quirements (Public Law No: 115-123); in Federal Docket No. FR6109-N-02 to undertake a project known as Hodge Drainage Improvements for the purpose of im‐ proving storm drainage for the purpose of flood risk reduction, at an esti‐ cost of mated $2,412,789.00 in the Vil‐ lage of Hodge.

ELL also seeks approval to (a) authorize the Com‐ pany’s continued imple‐ mentation of the Re‐ silience Plan Cost Recov‐ ery Rider (Rider RPCR) to provide for contempora‐ neous recovery of the Phase IA Projects; and (b) correct the Rider RCPR rate calculation to prospectively include transmission and distrib‐ ution removal costs in the Rider RPCR revenue requirement and to use regulatory assets to fa‐ cilitate the recovery and tracking of such costs.

ELL also requests the continued use of regula‐ tory assets for address‐ ing recovery of (and on, if applicable), the re‐ maining net book value of assets that are re‐ placed through the Re‐ silience Plan, at the level currently reflected in ELL’s rates.

ELL also requests that the Commission (a) ap‐ prove the extension of the Monitoring Plan ap‐ proved in Order No. U36625 to Phase IA, sub‐ ject to any modifications the Commission may order; and (b) acknowl‐ edge that ELL will be re‐ questing an extension of waiver from the Federal Energy Regulatory Com‐ mission (“FERC”) to allow ELL to continue to capi‐ talize certain conductor handling expenses in‐ curred through the Re‐ silience Plan that would otherwise be treated as expenses, and express support or non-opposi‐ i h l d

For the Meeting of Mayor and Council City of Zachary, LA Council Chambers, 4700 Main Street Tuesday, August 25, 2026, 6:30 P.M.

B. INVOCATION AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Invocation by Councilwoman Landry Pledge of Allegiance by Councilwoman DeVirgilio C. OPENING PROCEDURES 1. ROLL CALL

2. READING OF CITY POLICY RELATIVE TO OPEN MEETINGS Before proceeding with the meeting, Mayor McDavid read a statement into the record regarding the Open Meetings Law, and citizens’ right to participate in public meetings. The statement sets forth general rules of conduct of the public meeting and outlined the process through which a citizen can have items placed on the Council agenda. A copy of the rules is available at City Hall, Mayor’s Office or by calling the Clerk of the City Council. The rules will also be available at every Council meeting.

3. CHANGES/ADDITIONS TO AGENDA D. READING OF THE MINUTES 1. Approval of Minutes August 11, 2026, regular meeting, and approve them as written.

The motion was made by Councilwoman DeVirgilio The motion was seconded by Councilman LeBlanc To approve the minutes August 11, 2026, regular meeting, and approve them as written.

YEAS: Westmoreland, LeBlanc, DeVirgilio, Graves, Landry NAYS: None ABSENT: None ABSTAINED: None E. HONORS, RECOGNITIONS, AND INTRODUCTIONS 1) Introduction of 2026 Miss Zachary/Really Hot Air Balloon Festival Royalty.

The City of Zachary introduced 2026 Miss Zachary Festival Royalty: Baby Mr. Zachary: Murphy Cardinale; Toddler Mr. Zachary: Beckham Noland; Baby Miss Zachary: Madelyn McCullough, Toddler Miss Zachary: Sage Dewey, Tiny Miss Zachary: Alyssa Sylvester; Petite Miss Zachary: Laikyn Farthing; Little Miss Zachary: Adalyn McCallister; Jr. Miss Zachary: Harper Ballard; Zachary’s Most Talented Jr.: Sophia Tulegan; Teen Miss Zachary: Kailah Fresina; Zachary’s Most Talented Teen: Mollie Cardinale; Miss Zachary: Gabreyela Gonzales; Ms. Zachary: Miklyn Herrin.

F. CONTRACT ITEMS/CONTRACTS OR ITEMS RELATING TO PROJECTS 1. Street/Road Projects 2. Sewer 3. Subdivision Inspections 4. Water and Gas Projects 5. Other Projects G. PRESENTATION OF DELEGATIONS 1. Request to Speak Travis Gaspard, spoke regarding candidacy for City of Zachary Council District 1 Randy Albarez, spoke regarding candidacy for City of Zachary Council District 2 Amanda Perry, spoke regarding candidacy for City of Zachary Council District 3 Kate Villemarette, 2668 Brady Ave., addressed Council regarding Flock cameras in Zachary and a privacy concern.

2. Hardship Waivers a) Waiver Application – 1625 Gleneagles Bend Rd. The motion was made by Councilwoman DeVirgilio The motion was seconded by Councilman LeBlanc Owner, Lynn Copeland, 1625 Gleneagles Bend Rd., was present and spoke in support.

To approve Waiver Application – 1625 Gleneagles Bend Rd. YEAS: LeBlanc, DeVirgilio, Graves, Landry NAYS: Westmoreland ABSENT: None ABSTAINED: None 3. Other Variances 4. Exceptions of Regulations H. ACTION MANDATED BY HOME RULE CHARTER I.

PLANNING & ZONING MATTERS 1. Receive Minutes of the Regular meeting of August 03, 2026, of the Planning Commission and the Minutes of the Regular meeting of August 03, 2026, of the Zoning Commission.

The motion was made by Councilwoman DeVirgilio The motion was seconded by Councilwoman Westmoreland To approve receiving minutes of the Regular meeting of August 03, 2026, of the Planning Commission and the Minutes of the Regular meeting of August 03, 2026, of the Zoning Commission.

YEAS: Westmoreland, LeBlanc, DeVirgilio, Graves, Landry NAYS: None ABSENT: None ABSTAINED: None 2. Planning matters REQUIRING a Public Hearing

Records Division 602 N. 5th Street, 12th Floor Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70802 Telephone: (225) 342-3157 ENTERGY LOUISIANA, LLC 200381-SEP 12-1T $357.21 PUBLIC NOTICE --NOTICE OF FINDING OF NO SIGNFICANT IMPACT AND NOTICE OF INTENT TO REQUEST RELEASE OF FUNDS 9/12/2026 Village of Hodge 915 S 3rd Street Hodge, Louisiana 71247 (318) 259-4272 These notices shall sat‐ isfy two separate but re‐ lated procedural require‐ ments for activities to be undertaken by the Vil‐ lage of Hodge.

REQUEST FOR RELEASE OF FUNDS On or about 9/28/2026 the Village of Hodge (VOH) will submit a re‐ quest to the Louisiana Office of Community De‐ velopment – Disaster Re‐ covery (LOCD-DR) for the release of Louisiana Wa‐ tershed Initiative (LWI) Community Development Block Grant – Mitigation (CDBG-MIT) funds made available under the fur‐ ther Additional Supple‐ mental Appropriations f i li f

FINDING OF NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT The VOH has determined that the project will have no significant impact on the human environment.

Therefore, an Environ‐ mental Impact Statement under the National Envi‐ ronmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) is not re‐ quired. Additional project information is contained in the Environmental Re‐ view Record (ERR) on file at the VOH Town Hall lo‐ cated at 915 S 3rd Street, Hodge, Louisiana 71247 and may be examined or copied weekdays 9 A.M to 5 P.M. PUBLIC COMMENTS Any individual, group, or agency may submit writ‐ ten comments on the ERR to the VOH Town Hall. All comments re‐ ceived by 9/27/2026 will be considered by the VOH prior to authorizing submission of a request for release of funds.

Comments should spec‐ ify which Notice they are addressing.

ENVIRONMENTAL CERTI‐ FICATION The VOH certifies to LOCD-DR that Mr. Gerald Palmer in his capacity as Mayor consents to ac‐ cept the jurisdiction of the Federal Courts if an action is brought to en‐ force responsibilities in relation to the environ‐ mental review process and that these responsi‐ bilities have been satis‐ fied. LOCD-DR’s approval of the certification satis‐ fies its responsibilities under NEPA and related laws and authorities and allows the VOH to use Program funds.

OBJECTIONS TO RELEASE OF FUNDS

a) CUPAB 3-26 (Honduguate Restaurant) — Proposed restaurant to serve liquor/alcoholic beverages on Tract B-4 of the Otey M. Hughes Tract, on property located at 5145 Main Street, Zachary, La 70791.

Mayor McDavid opened the PUBLIC HEARING at 7:07 p.m. There being no one to speak in favor of or against the CUPAB, Mayor McDavid closed the PUBLIC HEARING at 7:08 p.m.

The motion was made by Councilwoman DeVirgilio The motion was seconded by Councilman LeBlanc To approve CUPAB 3-26 (Honduguate Restaurant) — Proposed restaurant to serve liquor/alcoholic beverages on Tract B-4 of the Otey M. Hughes Tract, on property located at 5145 Main Street, Zachary, La 70791.

YEAS: Westmoreland, LeBlanc, DeVirgilio, Graves, Landry NAYS: None ABSENT: None ABSTAINED: None

A. CALL TO ORDER Mayor McDavid called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m., on Tuesday, August 25, 2026, at the Zachary City Hall located at 4700 Main Street, Zachary, LA.

MAYOR David McDavid COUNCIL MEMBERS Brandy Westmoreland – District 1 John LeBlanc– District 2 Ambre DeVirgilio – District 3 James Graves – District 4 Jennifer Landry – District 5

For questions and com‐ ments regarding ELL’s fil‐ ing, please call the LPSC toll free at (800) 256-2397.

Additionally, the filing, its attach‐ including ments, may be viewed in the Records Division of the LPSC at the following address:

3.

4.

5.

6.

Planning Matters NOT requiring a Public Meeting Zoning Matters REQUIRING a Public Hearing Zoning Matters NOT Requiring Public Hearing Other Matters

J. RECEIVE RECORD OF PAYMENT OF ACCOUNTS PAYABLE 1. Receive the balance sheet and income statement as of August 2026 and the natural gas bill when it is received.

The motion was made by Councilwoman DeVirgilio The motion was seconded by Councilwoman Westmoreland To approve receiving the balance sheet and income statement as of August 2026 and the natural gas bill when it is received YEAS: Westmoreland, LeBlanc, DeVirgilio, Graves, Landry NAYS: None ABSENT: None ABSTAINED: None K. BUDGET AND FINANCIAL MATTERS L. OLD BUSINESS PENDING FOR FINAL ACTION M. OLD BUSINESS PENDING N. NEW BUSINESS 1. Public Hearing and Adoption of Ordinance 2026-12 ORDINANCE PERTAINING TO CONTRACTING THE BOUNDARIES OF THE CITY OF ZACHARY BY THE DE-ANNEXATION OF 1.0 ACRE OF TRACT A-1-A OF THE J.M. KING JR. TRACT WITHIN EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH LOUISIANA OUT OF THE MUNICIPAL LIMITS OF THE CITY OF ZACHARY. Mayor McDavid opened the PUBLIC HEARING at 7:09 p.m. There being no one to speak in favor of or against the ordinance, Mayor McDavid closed the PUBLIC HEARING at 7:09 p.m.

The motion was made by Councilwoman DeVirgilio The motion was seconded by Councilwoman Westmoreland To approve Adoption of Ordinance 2026-12 - ORDINANCE PERTAINING TO CONTRACTING THE BOUNDARIES OF THE CITY OF ZACHARY BY THE DE-ANNEXATION OF 1.0 ACRE OF TRACT A-1-A OF THE J.M. KING JR. TRACT WITHIN EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH LOUISIANA OUT OF THE MUNICIPAL LIMITS OF THE CITY OF ZACHARY. YEAS: Westmoreland, LeBlanc, DeVirgilio, Graves, Landry NAYS: None ABSENT: None ABSTAINED: None 2. Public Hearing and Adoption of Ordinance 2026-14 ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING THE CITY OF ZACHARY, STATE OF LOUISIANA, TO ENTER INTO A LEASE AGREEMENT WITH RESPECT TO CERTAIN PROPERTY OF THE CITY; APPROVING THE FORM AND TERMS OF SUCH AGREEMENT; AND PROVIDING FOR OTHER MATTERS IN CONNECTION THEREWITH. Mayor McDavid opened the PUBLIC HEARING at 7:13 p.m.

Mr. Joseph Butler Jr. and Mrs. Ingrid Butler, owners of T&T Smokehouse Meats, were there to speak in favor of the ordinance.

There being no one else to speak in favor of or against the ordinance, Mayor McDavid closed the PUBLIC HEARING at 7:14 p.m.

The motion was made by Councilman LeBlanc The motion was seconded by Councilwoman DeVirgilio To approve Adoption of Ordinance 2026-14 - ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING THE CITY OF ZACHARY, STATE OF LOUISIANA, TO ENTER INTO A LEASE AGREEMENT WITH RESPECT TO CERTAIN PROPERTY OF THE CITY; APPROVING THE FORM AND TERMS OF SUCH AGREEMENT; AND PROVIDING FOR OTHER MATTERS IN CONNECTION THEREWITH. YEAS: Westmoreland, LeBlanc, DeVirgilio, Graves, Landry NAYS: None ABSENT: None ABSTAINED: None 3. Request to add the position of Deputy Chief to ZPD rank structure.

Chief Lawrence spoke on his intent to request the position of Deputy Chief to be added to the ZPD rank structure.

4. Discussion and adoption of council meeting procedures.

The motion was made by Councilwoman DeVirgilio The motion was seconded by Councilwoman Landry To amend Council Meeting Procedures 2026 and to approve as amended.

YEAS: LeBlanc, DeVirgilio, Landry NAYS: Westmoreland, Graves ABSENT: None ABSTAINED: None O. CONDEMNED BUILDINGS – PUBLIC HEARINGS OR OTHER ACTION REGARDING BUILDINGS BEING CONSIDERED FOR CONDEMNATION Attorney Wilson stated there will be a Condemnation meeting Thursday, August 27, 2026.

Legal Notices

LOCD-DR will accept ob‐ jections to its release of fund and the VOH’s certi‐ fication for a period of fifteen days following the anticipated submission date or its actual receipt of the request (whichever is later) only if they are on one of the following bases: (a) the certification was not exe‐ cuted by the Certifying Officer of the VOH; (b) the VOH has omitted a step or failed to make a decision or finding re‐ quired by HUD regula‐ tions at 24 CFR part 58; (c) the grant recipient or other participants in the development process have committed funds, incurred costs or under‐ taken activities not au‐ thorized by 24 CFR Part 58 before approval of a release of funds by LOCD-DR; or (d) another Federal agency acting pursuant to 40 CFR Part 1504 has submitted a written finding that the project is unsatisfactory from the standpoint of environmental quality.

Objections must be pre‐ pared and submitted in accordance with the re‐ quired procedures (24 CFR Part 58, Sec. 58.76) and shall be addressed to LOCD-DR at Murilo.

Martins@la.gov or mail to LOCD-DR at: Gina Campo Executive Director Office of Community Development – Disaster Recovery 617 N. Third Street, 6th floor Baton Rouge, LA 70802 Potential objectors should contact LOCD-DR to verify the actual last day of the objection pe‐ riod.

Legal Notices

Public Notices Successions

g consider the following: Zoning Commission SP-26-0008 Site Plan at 9701 Bluebonnet Blvd: This 4.76-acres property is located on Lots 7-A, 7-B and 7-C of Highland Es‐ tates property, in Sec 70, T8S, R1E, GLD, EBR. The applicant requests a site plan to construct three retail/restaurant build‐ ings (totaling 34,225 sq ft) with associated park‐ ing, drives, and support‐ ing appurtenances. (Ap‐ plicant/Owner: America Homeland, LLC) CU-26-0012 Conditional Use Permit at 16645 High‐ land Road, Suite J: This 1.93-acre property is lo‐ cated on Lot C-1-A-1 of Heritage Estates, in Sec 61, T8S, R2E, GLD, EBR. The applicant requests a conditional use permit for retail sale of alcoholic beverages at an indoor commercial recreational facility in the MX-2 Mixed Use Neighborhood Zon‐ ing District. (Applicant: Patrick Hood, Golf Haven, LLP on behalf of McKay Properties, LLC)

PARISH NOTICE OF FILING PROPOSED TABLEAU OF DISTRIBUTION A Petition for to pay es‐ tate debts for the suc‐ cession of this estate has or will be submitted to the Court. Louisiana law gives any successor or interested person a lim‐ ited delay period to op‐ pose the proposed pay‐ ments included in the “Tableau” and express the reasons for the oppo‐ sition, seven (7) calendar days from the date this notice is either served on a person or from the last publication newspaper date. If the clerk of court does not receive any proof of opposition after the legal delay ends, the Court may grant the Peti‐ tion without changes.

200508-SEP 12-1T $39.20

T-26-0010 Gas Sales/Gas Stations: Amend Title 7 Unified Development Code (UDC) to update regulations for conve‐ nience stores with gaso‐ line sales/gas station and provide for related matters.

T-26-0011 Maximum Height: Amend Title 7 Unified Development Code (UDC) to update regulations for maximum height and provide for re‐ lated matters.

199827-sept 5-12-19-3t $95.92

Gerald Palmer, Mayor

Public Notices Successions

200462-sept 12-1t $510.33

PUBLIC NOTICE ---

PUBLIC NOTICE ---

The City of St. George Planning & Zoning Com‐ missions will hold public hearings on Monday, September 21, 2026, at 5:00 pm at St. George City Hall, 11207 Proverbs Ave, St. George, LA 70816, to id h f ll i

SMALL SUCCESSION OF ALMENA LONDON MAJOR # P-117987 SEC: 21 19TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT EAST BATON ROUGE

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graduates the D.A.R.E. Officer Program and will be held on August 27, 2026. Councilwoman DeVirgilio addressed Ms. Villemarette’s comments regarding the Flock cameras and requested that security concerns be addressed. Police Chief Lawrence and Mr. Ty Stephens addressed the Council regarding the Flock camera system, including the audit process and security measures. Mr. Ty Stephens provided an update regarding Code Enforcement hearings, stating that two hearings were held last week and that everything is proceeding accordingly. Councilman LeBlanc asked Mr. Stephens about small business signs being placed in unauthorized locations throughout the city. Mr. Stephens stated that Mr. Whitaker handles those issues and does a good job of removing the signs and notifying the owners when they are taken down. The Mayor addressed the Council regarding the signing of City checks, stating that a schedule needs to be established due to a lack of participation. The Mayor informed the Council that a citizen filed a complaint with the administration regarding a City administrator and stated that the matter is currently under investigation.

R. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 7:50 p.m.

Karen Burdette Clerk of City Council CITY OF ZACHARY PARISH OF EAST BATON ROUGE STATE OF LOUISIANA CERTIFICATION _____________________________ Karen Burdette Clerk of the City Council CITY OF ZACHARY PARISH OF EAST BATON ROUGE STATE OF LOUISIANA

________________________________ David McDavid, Mayor

I, Karen Burdette, do hereby certify that I am the duly appointed Clerk of the City Council for the City of Zachary, Parish of East Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

I further certify that the above and foregoing is a true and correct copy of the minutes of the regular meeting of the Mayor and Council of the City of Zachary, Louisiana, held on Tuesday, August 25, 2026, a proper quorum being there and then present. __________________________________________ Karen Burdette, Clerk of the City Council _________________________________________________________________ MINUTES For the Meeting of the Governing Authority of Americana Economic Development District Council Chambers, 4700 Main Street Tuesday, August 11, 2026 Immediately following close of Meeting of Mayor and City Council A. CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order by Chairwoman Ambre DeVirgilio at 7:09 p.m.

B. INVOCATION AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Rolled over from previous meeting.

C. OPENING PROCEDURES 1. ROLL CALL MEMBERS PRESENT Brandy Westmoreland John LeBlanc Ambre DeVirgilio James Graves Jennifer Landry 2. MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING OF July 28, 2026, regular meeting.

The motion was made by Mr. LeBlanc The motion was seconded by Mrs. Westmoreland To approve the minutes of July 28, 2026, regular meeting, and approve them as written.

YEAS: Westmoreland, LeBlanc, DeVirgilio, Graves, Landry NAYS: None ABSENT: None ABSTAINED: None D. NEW BUSINESS 1. Update from Chairwoman DeVirgilio Chairwoman DeVirgilio and the other members had no new business or updates to discuss at this time.

E. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 7:10 p.m. _______________________________ Karen Burdette, Clerk of the City Council CITY OF ZACHARY, LA PARISH OF EAST BATON ROUGE STATE OF LOUISIANA

_____________________________ Ambre DeVirgilio, Chairwoman CITY OF ZACHARY

P. REPORTS FROM DEPARTMENT HEADS Q. COUNCIL DISCUSSION OF BUSINESS NOT ON AGENDA (No Action May Be Taken Unless Declared an Emergency) Police Chief Daryl Lawrence announced that Jaylin Thomas Sr.,

200403-686634-SEP 12-1T $ 561.33